WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

The Supreme Court considers the constitutional right to trial by jury, in a case that involves a $300,000 fine issued via an administrative process at the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. How much could the Justices' decision affect America's sprawling regulatory state, and is there a critical distinction between a citizen's private rights and his so-called public rights?

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Hamas agrees to release more hostages as its pause in fighting with Israel is extended beyond its four-day beginning. The pause offers a terrible dilemma for Israel, which must choose between saving more hostage lives and perhaps compromising its war aims against the terror group. Meanwhile, pressure builds for a permanent cease-fire, and Democrats look to put conditions on future aid to Israel. 

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The Commission on Presidential Debates announces its dates and venues for 2024, but the GOP has already voted not to participate, Joe Biden might be looking for an escape, and what if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes the cut? Plus, Democrats go after the Spanish-language TV network Univision for an interview of Donald Trump that they say was too soft by journalist Enrique Acevedo.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Hamas will return 50 captives, while Israel will free 150 Palestinian prisoners and pause fighting for four days. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the effort to root out Hamas terrorists is not over. Plus, Joe Biden faces a backlash to his Israel policy from bureaucrats in Washington's deep state.

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Sens. Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham back the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, which would tax imports from China and other countries with higher carbon emissions than the U.S., but is this protectionist interference in the economy? Plus, Major League Baseball gives Atlanta the 2025 All-Star Game, though Commissioner Rob Manfred doesn't say sorry for pulling the 2021 event over the state's election law.

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Amid an economic crisis and crippling inflation, voters in Argentina elected Congressman Javier Milei as their new President. He promises an agenda of smaller government and "freedom," but does he have the political skills to pull it off in the long-misruled country? 

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About 10,000 low-income Illinois students get scholarships through a program called Invest in Kids, but it's now set to sunset after inaction by Democrats in the Legislature, as well as Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Meantime, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott keeps pressing state lawmakers there to pass his bill to create universal Education Savings Accounts, or ESAs, as rural Republicans balk.

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The U.S. and Chinese Presidents meet in California and agree to reduce fentanyl production and renew military-to-military communications. But will the meeting overcome underlying disagreements? Plus, American CEOs look bad when they give President Xi a standing ovation, and Congressman George Santos chooses not to seek re-election after a critical report by the House Ethics Committee. 

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The House passes legislation to fund the federal government through early 2024, but Speaker Mike Johnson is forced to rely on Democratic votes. This same move prompted a Republican revolt against his predecessor, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, but will the GOP's chaos caucus give Johnson more leeway, and is avoiding a holiday omnibus spending bill a kind of victory on its own?

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All nine Justices sign a code of conduct setting out the ethics rules they follow, but Democrats such as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse say it needs outside enforcement. Plus, Donald Trump proposes that in a second term he'd launch a free online university, called the American Academy, to grant bachelor's degrees and use the federal government to compete with existing colleges.

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