WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

Trump clashes with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over the Central Bank’s response to his tariffs. While Powell is expressing concerns, the president wants interest rates cut now. So what’s a stake for the economy, monetary policy and Powell’s tenure? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The school rejects a list of demands from the Trump administration, including hiring and admissions changes to ensure "viewpoint diversity." Can the White House legally add such strings to federal funds, and could conservatives regret the precedent? Plus, Tax Day is a reminder to the Republicans writing the GOP's reconciliation bill that the revenue code is too complex already. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court rules the U.S. should “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a migrant deported to a Salvadoran prison, despite an order protecting him from being sent there. But El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele suggests he won't release the man, as the White House argues it's his decision and that U.S. courts can't intervene in a matter of foreign policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Gigot interviews Dartmouth economist Douglas Irwin on why Trump's tariffs are unlike any other in U.S. history, how they will change the global trading system, and what to do about the special case of China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly passes a budget outline, letting the GOP begin writing its "one big beautiful bill." But now comes the hard part: agreeing on the details of tax cuts and spending reductions. Plus, Donald Trump signs an order to make America's showers great again, but will manufacturers seize the opportunity to sell fixtures with more nozzles and water flow? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump places a 90-day pause on the so-called reciprocal tariffs levied on countries around the world, but hits China with an even higher rate. What is his strategy for dealing with Xi Jinping, and what will he demand from friends and foes during negotiations? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's trade wars are roiling global business and financial markets, with China and the EU moving to retaliate. Yet only a handful of Republicans in Congress are pushing back, despite the GOP's past support for an open economy. Plus, the disruption raises pressure on Capitol Hill to pass a tax bill, and listeners write in with questions about the president's tariff strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court lifts an order preventing swift removal of alleged gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Yet the majority of the Justices take no position on the merits of using that law, while they also emphasize the requirement of due process. Meantime, an appeals court says the White House must seek the return of a man mistakenly sent to a prison in El Salvador. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Markets continue to tumble as Donald Trump sends more mixed messages about how permanent his tariffs will be. Is the President still open to negotiations with countries around the world to pare back his tariffs, and will businesses and politicians start pushing back harder against the policy? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's big tariffs have now drawn a big response from Beijing, which says it will add 34% duties to U.S. goods, roiling the stock market again on Friday. But a new lawsuit argues that the president's purported "emergency" tariffs aren't authorized by law, while a handful of Senate Republicans, including Rand Paul, vote to countermand the U.S. trade war against Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump delivers on his promise of sweeping tariffs, causing markets to plunge in response. The White House says the long-term gain will be worth the short-term pain, but how will the American consumer and the world at large be affected? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The liberal candidate wins a Wisconsin Supreme Court election in a 10-point blowout, while the GOP retains two Florida congressional seats, but with closer margins than in November. Is this the start of a MAGA voter backlash against Donald Trump and Elon Musk? Plus, House Speaker Mike Johnson cancels this week's agenda after a GOP revolt on proxy voting for new parents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voters in Wisconsin are picking a new state Supreme Court justice, as Florida fills the U.S. House seats vacated by former Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz, in elections that the Democratic Party is trying to pitch as a referendum on Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court is skeptical of a Wisconsin ruling that denied a tax exemption to Catholic Charities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Financial markets are nervous as Trump prepares for his biggest tariff launch yet on April 2. Plus, the President floats a possible run for a third term, but is it possible he could succeed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Citing national security, Donald Trump puts 25% tariffs on automobiles, adding to his protectionist experiment, as he pushes U.S. taxes on imports to the highest in 75 years. Plus, the White House's effort to play down its use of Signal to discuss U.S. military actions results in the release of more messages, including one giving specific timing for "F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recent polls have shown approval ratings for Democrats are reaching all-time lows, with voters voicing their dissatisfaction with the way major cities are being run and implementation of liberal initiatives. So what can the party do after some self-reflection? On this episode of Potomac Watch, political scientist Ruy Teixeira tells Paul Gigot what changes Democrats need to make and why the party seems to embrace dysfunction instead of reform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Justices hear two legal disputes that could have lasting consequences. Can Congress lend its taxing power to the executive branch without putting hard limits on its use? That's the question in FCC v. Consumers’ Research. And in a case about Louisiana's redistricting maps, the Court has a chance to say that racial gerrymandering isn't required and isn't even permitted. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump's top aides, including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reportedly discussed U.S. war plans against the Houthis in Yemen via the chat app Signal, according to the Atlantic magazine's Jeffrey Goldberg, who was apparently added to the group by mistake. What do their texts reveal, and how serious was this as a security breach? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration withholds $400 million in funding from Columbia University unless it institutes various policy changes, which president Katrina Armstrong surprisingly agrees to. Did the university deserve such a punishment, and how could this unprecedented sanction by the government be used in the future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Surrounded by school children at desks, Donald Trump signs an executive order to begin the elimination of the Department of Education, moving to shift authority back to the states. What does the decision mean for grant money and student loan programs, what kind of legal challenges might the Trump administration face, and is this good politics? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices