Opinion

For obvious reasons, 2020 will not go down as a good year. At the same time, it has brought more scientific progress than any year in recent memory — and these advances will last long after Covid-19 as a major threat is gone. Two of the most obvious and tangible signs of progress are the mRNA vaccines now being distributed ...

Canceling student loans as a way of getting relief out to Americans who are struggling financially is a hot topic these days as Congress dickers. Speculation is rising that President-elect Joe Biden will issue an executive order to cancel a portion of the $1.7 trillion in student debt outstanding after he takes office in January. One-time forgiveness of these loans ...

President Donald Trump has, in effect, challenged Republicans in Congress to exert their independence and do the right thing for the country. His veto of a bipartisan $740 billion defense-policy bill is one such test. His demand that Congress rethink the Covid relief bill — also supported by big bipartisan majorities — is another. Republicans should have distanced themselves from ...

Does the airline industry have a rubber room? That was the name given to the place where teachers that New York City wanted to fire gathered each day; they collected a paycheck for doing absolutely nothing. The airlines are set to collect $15 billion as part of the new $900 billion Covid-19 relief package. The money is being described as ...

Deciding who gets the Covid-19 vaccine — and who has to wait — will be no easy task. Essentially, authorities around the world are building myriad algorithms to assess who is important, who is most at risk, and how to balance those considerations. I have one piece of advice: Be as transparent as possible, to keep the discussion about priorities ...

It seems like everyone’s launching a special purpose acquisition company these days, but you could have bet on Softbank Group Corp maestro Masayoshi Son and his lieutenant Rajeev Misra finding a way of putting an eyebrow-raising spin on the blank-check phenomenon. They haven’t disappointed. Their SPAC, SVF Investment Corp, plans to raise at least $525 million from investors in an ...

The energy bill attached to the relief package passed by Congress is winning plaudits for its bipartisanship and climate-friendly measures. Not to be a Grinch this close to Friday. The energy bill now on its way to outgoing President Donald Trump’s desk contains many items addressing emissions and climate change. Among other things, there is a commitment to phase out ...

It was kind of inevitable that Tesla Inc’s biggest challenger wouldn’t be a car company. Apple Inc makes for the perfect nemesis and could teach its California cousin a thing or two about reliability and delivery. For years, there’s been speculation that Apple would join the electric vehicle race, with teams formed and development under way. Yet the program also ...

Things couldn’t feel less festive in Britain right now. There’s a new — apparently homegrown — virus mutation, rising Covid case numbers, the cancellation of Christmas gatherings, and stalled Brexit talks. Now Europe has put the UK into isolation, closing borders because of worries about the new Covid strain. It isn’t just Christmas travellers who face disruption. Some 10,000 large ...

Last year’s backlash against Facebook Inc’s planned digital currency Libra would have been most CEOs’ worst nightmare. Governments and regulators linked arms to repel a perceived threat to monetary sovereignty, financial stability and data privacy. Mark Zuckerberg tried to reassure politicians by talking up financial inclusion and innovation. He even acknowledged the problem: “I get that I’m not the ideal ...