Opinion

“I am a classically trained engineer,” says Rep. Will Hurd, a Texas Republican, “and I firmly believe in regression to the mean.” Applying a concept from statistics to the randomness of today’s politics is problematic. In any case, Hurd, 42, is not waiting for the regression of our politics from the extreme ends of the ideological spectrum to something like ...

At a gathering of military and intelligence veterans, one topic shrouded the room: President Trump’s decision to abandon Kurdish fighters in Syria who had fought and died to help America destroy the IS. “It’s a dagger to the heart to walk away from people who shed blood for us,” one former top CIA official who attended the black-tie dinner told ...

Apple Inc.’s suppliers have walked a tightrope for a long time. They try very hard to get their products into the iPhone because it can mean a massive increase in sales. But they must proceed with care, as doing so risks yoking their business to the whims of the Silicon Valley giant’s famously capricious supply chain operations. When iPhone sales ...

London’s Extinction Rebellion, the undeniably effective local offshoot of the global environmental protest group, has been out in force again this week, shutting down streets in the financial district and disrupting flights from City Airport. Its so-called Autumn Uprising has led to more than 1,600 arrests, and provoked some very angry commuters. People from Greta Thunberg to Stanley Johnson, the ...

Relying too much on shoppers to tide over growth can be a risky business. China and the US have been leaning heavily on consumers to sustain their economic expansions. With the threat of hundreds of billions in tariffs looming over goods from bicycles to roof tiles, it seems only a matter of time before these noble buyers start to falter. ...

It’s just as well that big companies that process and facilitate payments have quit Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project, fearing a regulatory backlash. If Facebook really wants to bring financial services to the “unbanked,” it should try doing it on a smaller scale than these companies’ presence promised. And even then, the probability of failure will be high. It’s clear why ...

Wirecard AG is treating its investors shabbily. The German fintech group has failed to respond convincingly to this week’s allegations that some of its recent financial reporting may be incorrect. Instead, it has aggravated the situation with communication that doesn’t befit a 14 billion euro ($16 billion) member of the blue-chip DAX Index. Revenue and profit for 2016 in particular ...

Climate change has become big news recently — and rightly so. Scientists have delivered important reports about its urgent dangers, political leaders have made pledges to fight it, and youth climate activists have marched in the streets and marked our consciences. This is all for the good. New ideas about electric vehicles, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and adaptation will enrich ...

The deal Boris Johnson has struck with the rest of the European Union over Britain’s withdrawal follows a familiar pattern. Much like other populist politicians in Europe, the British prime minister is trumpeting a false success. The same agreement could have been reached nearly two years ago at a lower economic cost. He’s now in the same class as Alexis ...

Nestle SA Chief Executive Officer Mark Schneider is in a good spot. He’s on the verge of capping what he set out to do when he became the Swiss food behemoth’s first outside leader for almost 100 years. Nestle is on track to meet its target for operating margin a year early. Its organic sales growth goal for next year ...