WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

Paul Gigot interviews Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, about Tehran's attack on Israel, whether it was really a 'win' for the Jewish state, how Israel is likely to respond, and whether U.S. policy toward Iran will finally change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden touts the IRS's new Direct File pilot program in 12 states, after Sen. Elizabeth Warren stuck it into the Inflation Reduction Act. But do Americans trust the agency to get it right? And if the complexity of the tax code is the reason that people turn to expert tax preparers, why isn't the answer just to simplify? Plus, the House passes a reauthorization of the Section 702 surveillance program, as FBI Director Christopher Wray warns about elevated threats to public safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Higher prices make a comeback, roiling markets and complicating plans by the Federal Reserve for cutting interest rates. How big a threat is inflation to President Biden's re-election? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nineteen Republicans break with Speaker Mike Johnson by blocking a bill to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, after Donald Trump comes out against. Section 702 lets the government collect communications from foreigners overseas, which can include messages with Americans. What reforms to this power are enough to ensure accountability? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House comes back to town facing a big decision on military assistance for Ukraine, as well as Israel and Taiwan. Will Joe Biden show the leadership needed to get funding over the finish line, and will Donald Trump intervene? Plus, Marjorie Taylor Greene intensifies her criticisms of Speaker Mike Johnson in a scathing letter to her colleagues calling for him to be replaced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservatives expressed their disappointment with Donald Trump after he said abortion should be left up to the states instead of a federal ban. Was this a wise political move for his election campaign? Plus, Joe Biden announces another student loan forgiveness plan, which may end up in the courts again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New reporting by “60 Minutes” puts a spotlight again on Havana Syndrome, the debilitating neurological symptoms reported by U.S. government security agents and diplomats around the world. Plus, after months of trying to organize a 2024 unity ticket as an alternative to Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the group No Labels throws in the towel after no viable candidate emerges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relations between Israel and the U.S. continue to deteriorate following an IDF strike that killed seven relief workers in Gaza. This comes as President Biden faces mounting pressure from the left to more forcefully condemn Israel and restrict military aid. Meanwhile, Iran vows to retaliate after an apparent Israeli strike that killed top Iranian generals at a consular building in Syria. As the conflict spreads throughout the Middle East, Donald Trump calls on Netanyahu to move faster to eliminate Hamas, but stops short of criticizing Biden's approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four states go to the polls, including Wisconsin, where 13% of Republicans vote for Nikki Haley and 8% of Democrats say they're uncommitted. Does this signal weakness for Donald Trump and Joe Biden? Plus, the Badger State bans "Zuckerbucks," and a report on the IRS's expansion plans shows the agency struggling to hire as it tries to ramp up audits on the wealthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The state justices let Gov. Ron DeSantis's six-week abortion ban go into effect, while approving a ballot initiative that will ask voters whether to protect abortion in the Florida constitution. Could this boost Joe Biden's turnout against Donald Trump, making Florida a swing state? Plus, the House tax bill faces warranted skepticism in the Senate over an expansion of the child tax credit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Environmental Protection Agency's new rules mean that 25% of long-haul truck sales might have to be electric by 2032, a target that the industry calls unachievable and that could shift costs onto drivers and consumers. Plus, as Joe Biden calls for tax increases to make the wealthy pay their "fair share," recent IRS data says the top 1% paid 46% of income taxes in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can states reject mail ballots if voters fail to fill in the date next to their signatures? Some federal judges have said no, but the Third Circuit appeals court now sets a precedent that could help stabilize the 2024 election rules. Meantime, Lara Trump says the GOP needs to play the early turnout game, plus FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been one year since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was arrested and imprisoned in Russia by Vladimir Putin, and the world shouldn't forget him. Plus, Sen, Joe Lieberman dies at age 82, leaving a legacy as a foreign-policy hawk that is hard to find among Democrats today. He was also a leader of the No Labels third-party movement. Is that now unlikely in 2024? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Ron DeSantis signs a law prohibiting social sites from giving accounts to kids ages 13 and under, with parental approval required for those 14 and 15. Does this tread on parental rights, or will it help families, and what about enforcement? Plus, the Justice Department files an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, and a listener asks how Donald Trump might use Truth Social in the White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Justices weigh a challenge to the Food and Drug Administration's dispensing rules, though the outcome could hinge on whether the plaintiffs even have standing to sue the FDA. Plus, Donald Trump's bond in New York's civil fraud case is cut to $175 million, which might keep Attorney General Letitia James from seizing his properties, as Truth Social goes public and surges in value. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ISIS has taken responsibility for a rampage by gunmen in Moscow that left at least 137 dead and rising fears about an Islamic State revival. How much is Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan to blame, and what are the risks of an ISIS attack on Americans? Plus, the Biden Administration's differences with Israel grow over the war in Gaza. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker Mike Johnson passes a government funding bill, avoiding a shutdown or else another stopgap measure. But most Republicans vote no, and it passes with Democratic support. Claiming betrayal, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene files a motion to vacate the chair, saying Republicans should oust the conservative Johnson as they did his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Environmental Protection Agency's new tailpipe emissions rules are a de facto mandate to make and sell electric cars and trucks that would force the phase-out of gas-powered vehicles. The costly, controversial and probably unworkable diktat will be a major political issue in the 2024 election campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law called S.B.4 to let Texas arrest border crossers and order them to leave the country. But after a strong hint from the Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals puts the law on hold for now. Plus, Bernie Sanders introduces a bill to create a 32-hour workweek, while a listener expresses reservations about the House bill on TikTok. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump's lawyers say he's unable to obtain a bond to guarantee the $464 million civil fraud judgment against him, in which case New York Attorney General Letitia James says she'll take his assets. What are his legal options? Plus, Democrats try to pick their Senate opponent in Ohio by meddling in the GOP's primary to help Bernie Moreno, a Trump-backed candidate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices