By Janet Adamy
Good morning. I'm Janet Adamy, filling in for Damian Paletta.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is facing pressure from some Democrats on Capitol Hill to relinquish his leadership position, as my colleagues recently reported in a must-read exclusive. Chief among the complaints are his struggles to navigate Trump's Washington and a midterms strategy that appears to favor centrist candidates over attention-grabbing progressives.
There is another implication of extending his reign that gets far less attention: a geographic disconnect between party leaders and voters.
Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, are both denizens of Brooklyn. The two men reportedly live just 0.7 miles apart in a uniquely metropolitan stretch that is both diverse and rarefied. That the two most powerful Democrats in Congress hail from the same corner of New York risks reinforcing the notion that the party is out of touch with the interests of voters across America. A refrain we hear from disaffected Democrats is that elected officials don't understand what it takes to get by in the country today.
Where are the potential Schumer replacements from? Sen. Brian Schatz, who is seen as Schumer's preferred pick to succeed him, represents Hawaii. Progressives favor Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto is also viewed as a possible leader. If picked, she would follow in the footsteps of another Silver State native, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He was proudly from the small desert town of Searchlight, Nev.
This is an edition of the Politics newsletter, bringing you an expert guide to what's driving D.C. every day. If you're not subscribed, sign up here.
People and Policies I'm Watching
Iran war: Follow our live updates. Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan are pushing for a meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials, and the U.S. sent Tehran a 15-point plan to end the war.
CPAC starts: The powerful and often raucous gathering of conservative politicos, activists and GOP superfans convenes in Grapevine, Texas.
Trump's Wednesday: The president is expected to hold executive time at 8 a.m. ET, receive an intelligence briefing at 1 p.m. and attend policy meetings at 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. He is scheduled to deliver remarks at 7:20 p.m. at the National Republican Congressional Committee President's Dinner.
What I'm Following
The DHS funding standoff continues. Senate Republicans offered to fund all of DHS except for the unit handling immigrant arrests and deportations, but Democrats reacted coolly to the proposal, which lacked the new restrictions on enforcement they want. President Trump indicated he wasn't pleased with the talks, muddying the prospects of a quick deal.
Arkansas MAGA is in rebellion over plans for a proposed $825 million prison. The push for what opponents call "Arkansas Alcatraz" is led by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Prison foe Johnny Crocker, sheriff of the rural county where the 3,000-bed facility would be built, said, "It's big government against small government...These people want power. And that's simple."
A judge said the U.S. government appeared to be punishing Anthropic with its ban. The hearing was part of Anthropic's bid for relief from the Trump administration's prohibition on government use of its AI models. The federal judge noted that after Anthropic publicly disclosed its dispute with the Defense Department, the administration's actions "don't seem to be really tailored to a stated national security concern."
What Else Is Happening
-- Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt picked energy executive Alan
Armstrong to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (the
new DHS secretary) until a new election takes place in November.
-- Wall Street is betting on a veteran of both the Marines and bare-knuckle
New Jersey politics to fight New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's push to
raise taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
-- The NTSB is investigating more than one potential problem that could have
played a role in Sunday's deadly LaGuardia Airport crash.
-- Majok Bior had a full ride at Duke -- until America cut him off, one of
thousands of African students left in a lurch after the Trump
administration canceled student visas for Africa's best and brightest.
What I'm Reading
-- The Number of Abortions Slightly Increased in 2025. (Washington Examiner) -- How the Midwest Became the Place to Move (The Atlantic) -- Democrat Beats Trump-Backed GOP Candidate in State House Race (The Palm Beach Post)
About the Newsletter
WSJ Politics brings you an expert guide to what's driving D.C., every weekday morning. Send your feedback to politics@wsj.com (if you're reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). This edition was curated and edited in collaboration with Joe Haberstroh and Dick Streuly. Got a tip for us? Here's how to submit.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 25, 2026 07:02 ET (11:02 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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