WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

Donald Trump visits a new immigration detention site in Florida dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” while saying more such facilities are needed to carry out his mass-deportation plan. Yet the president also says that farmers, and perhaps other businesses, need a "temporary pass" system that would let them keep reliable migrant workers who might be in the country illegally.

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The GOP's tax-and-budget package passes 51-50, after a late night of negotiating and a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance. What amendments did the Senate make, and will Speaker Mike Johnson have trouble selling them to House conservatives? Plus, Sen. Thom Tillis, who opposes the Medicaid reforms, announces he won't seek reelection in 2026.

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Much is made about the 6-3 ideological makeup of the Supreme Court and how it affects the rulings from the bench. But was there more unity this past term than people realize? Paul Gigot and legal scholar Ilya Shapiro discuss the evolution of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority and the criticisms coming from the liberal Justices in their opinions.

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On the last day of their term, the Justices issue a landmark opinion reining in "universal injunctions," with some pointed words by Justice Amy Coney Barrett toward one of the liberal dissents. Plus, rulings upholding parents' right to opt children out of transgender storybooks in elementary schools, as well as a Texas law that orders adult websites to verify user ages.

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The press touts a leaked, preliminary Defense Intelligence Agency assessment saying Iran's nuclear program was only set back by months by U.S. airstrikes. But the White House pushes back hard, and other analysts suggest far more extensive damage. Who's right? Plus, NATO allies agree to Donald Trump’s demand  to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense.  

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The 33-year-old state assemblyman, who promises to freeze rent and provide free childcare, defeats former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city's Democratic primary. If Cuomo now runs as an independent in November, will he split the nonsocialist vote with incumbent Mayor Eric Adams? Plus what does this result say about the Democratic Party's future, including in 2028?

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Donald Trump says the war is at an end, after Iran tries to save face by unsuccessfully firing 14 missiles at a U.S. military base in Qatar. Are analysts confident that America's bunker-buster bombs disabled the Iranian nuclear program? If Tehran tries to rebuild its uranium enrichment capacity, will Israel strike again? And how does that fit into Trump's peace rhetoric?

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In response to a United States airstrike aimed to decimate their nuclear capabilities, Iran launched an attack on a U.S. airbase in Qatar. Could Donald Trump’s actions help eliminate the existential threats Israel hoped to extinguish with “Operation Rising Lion?” Paul Gigot speaks with Minister of Strategic Affairs of Israel Ron Dermer about the message the United States is sending its enemies and allies by assisting Israel and how much damage the airstrikes did to Iran’s nuclear program.

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President Trump says he'll decide within two weeks whether to help Israel destroy the Iranian nuclear program, which might mean hitting the Fordow enrichment site, which is buried in a mountain, using U.S. bunker-buster bombs. Some MAGA Republicans argue this isn't "America First," but do they misunderstand Trump's views about when the U.S. can act decisively?

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Next week Democrats will pick their nominee for New York City's next mayor, and polls show two clear frontrunners: Zohran Mamdani, who wants to freeze rent and open government grocery stores. And former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is selling his experience and asking voters to look past the scandals that forced his resignation. Yet ranked-choice voting also makes it unpredictable.

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