Enshrined in the Constitution, the census is among the federal government’s most fundamental responsibilities. It is also one the government is perilously close to flunking, unless Congress and the administration act now. The decennial census is arguably the most important data set the government produces. It determines how many representatives each state sends to Washington, who sends them there, and ...

An influential new recruit has joined the chorus of bitcoin skeptics. The chief investment officer of UBS, the world’s biggest wealth manager, says it’s too risky to be added to the firm’s portfolios — and his assessment is relatively mild. Others have called it “the very definition of a bubble” and even “a fraud.” Those stronger terms are justified, especially ...

According to one of India’s most respected bankers, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—a mammoth sale of distressed assets, some $40 billion in the first round. Much could go wrong, of course, especially given that so many powerful interests have so much money at stake in the process. Fortunately, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which has stumbled in some of its biggest ...