WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch

In a letter to two Senators, Justice Samuel Alito explained why he is obliged to hear cases related to Donald Trump under the Supreme Court's code of conduct. What's behind the campaign to tarnish the reputations of the conservative members of the Court? Plus, 14 pro-democracy activists are convicted by a Hong Kong court under trumped up national security charges. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former Republican governor of Maryland left office with sky-high approval, and if Larry Hogan can now win a Senate seat with a centrist pitch, it would upset expectations about party control after the 2024 elections. Plus, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declares victory after the state's GOP primary runoffs, saying he has won enough votes in the Legislature to pass his school-choice plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court upholds a U.S. House map in South Carolina that was challenged as a racial gerrymander, with an opinion by Justice Samuel Alito that also explains the high bar for future lawsuits to prove that a map was drawn using race. Plus, why is the EPA giving millions of dollars to a "climate justice" group with left-leaning views on capitalism and Palestine?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The International Court of Justice, part of the United Nations, issues a ruling that seemingly tells Israel to halt its operations in Rafah. But will this ruling carry any weight, and what about the Oct. 7 hostages still held by Hamas? Plus, the latest alleged scandal at the Supreme Court is that Justice Samuel Alito's vacation home flew a historical flag that dates to the Revolutionary War. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a primary season in which Donald Trump and NIkki Haley traded sharp barbs, Ms. Haley now states that she will be voting for the former President in November. Is she bidding to be a player in the veepstakes, or is it more about her future in the GOP? Plus, the witness list in Hunter Biden's felony gun trial comes to light, and Joe Biden appears to be using the U.S. Treasury as a way to secure votes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After testimony by Michael Cohen and a brief defense by Donald Trump's legal team, the New York trial nears its conclusion, with closing arguments and jury deliberation expected next week. Has Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg proved his case and provided enough evidence to convict, particularly given that these 34 bookkeeping felonies also require a second crime? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court applies for war-crimes warrants against three Hamas leaders, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief. Joe Biden condemns the ICC's move, saying there's no equivalence between Hamas and Israel. But does the U.S. have the tools to back up the President's words and hit back at the ICC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The New York Times reported that an inverted American flag briefly flown outside the house of Justice Samuel Alito suggests support for the ‘stop the steal’ movement led by Donald Trump, the latest hit in a campaign against the conservatives on the Supreme Court. But how does a dispute between neighbors translate into judicial recusal? Plus, a new report from the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance exposes the dangerous levels of antisemitism on the Ivy League campus.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justice Clarence Thomas writes that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's power to draw its funding from the Federal Reserve doesn't violate the Constitution, a question that splits the Court's conservatives. Plus, Joe Biden invokes executive privilege to shield audio recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur in the inquiry into his mishandling of classified files. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With requests for no audience members, hypothetical mic muting and a contest coming before the RNC and DNC nominating conventions, the debates between Donald Trump and Joe Biden are heading down an unprecedented road.  So why did both candidates agree to such an unorthodox plan and bypass the traditional Commission on Presidential Debates? Plus, the Biden campaign faces the reality of trailing Donald Trump in five out of six battleground states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Biden raises tariffs on Chinese steel, solar cells and electric vehicles, but is this the right way to take on Beijing, or is the President using it as political cover for his green agenda? Plus, after weeks of Donald Trump demanding early presidential debates, Biden agrees to two of them, possibly starting as soon as next month, though he makes some interesting stipulations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The star witness in the New York hush-money trial finally testifies, saying Donald Trump's main concern about the Stormy Daniels story was how voters would react in the days before the 2016 election. But is Cohen a credible witness, and can he testify to the "second crime" that prosecutors need? Plus, voters go to the polls to pick Senate nominees in Maryland and West Virginia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden's threat to withhold weapons from Israel if it stages a large operation to clear Hamas from the city of Rafah in Gaza has shocked Israel and is causing a political backlash in the U.S., including among some Democrats. Will Israel go ahead anyway, and should it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio and more big names visited Mar-a-Lago recently for a Republican retreat, as Donald Trump fans speculation of whom he might name as his 2024 running mate. What would each bring to the ticket? Plus, one name falling in the veepstakes is Kristi Noem, after she tells a story in her new book about shooting her hunting dog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The President reverses his policy that Hamas must be destroyed as he threatens Israel with an arms embargo if the Israeli Defense Forces enter Rafah in Gaza. Plus, House Speaker Mike Johnson defeats an effort to depose him. Is this the end of GOP dysfunction, or merely a pause? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking the witness stand in New York, she offers a detailed account of their alleged tryst in 2006, but did prosecutors go too far in eliciting salacious details that are irrelevant to this case about business bookkeeping? Plus, Trump is found in contempt again for breaking the court's gag order, as Judge Juan Merchan insists he does not want to order jail time but will do so if needed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After crossing into Hamas's last bastion, Israeli troops take control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Meantime, Hamas says it had accepted a cease-fire deal, but why was that deemed insufficient by Israel, and what is the status of negotiations for the return of hostages? Plus, Joe Biden condemns antisemitism in a Holocaust remembrance address, as campus protests continue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What will become of Russia after Vladimir Putin, and what is the endgame for the war in Ukraine? Paul Gigot speaks with historian Stephen Kotkin about how the United States would handle Russia once a successor to Putin is in place, the role the Biden administration will continue to play as the war between Ukraine and Russia continues, and how much Russia is dependent on China in order to survive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The third week of Donald Trump’s hush-money trial in New York included testimony from his former aide Hope Hicks and audio tapes secretly made by Michael Cohen. What are the defense and the prosecution each doing, and what's the atmosphere inside the courtroom? Kyle Peterson shares his experience observing the proceedings and discusses what's yet to come. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices