The history of epidemics is rife with examples of society rebelling against tough public-health edicts, such as the breach of plague quarantine in 18th-century Marseille or protests against face masks during the 1918 influenza pandemic. The grim consequence is a fresh wave of deadly infections. Covid-19’s million deaths may pale in comparison to the estimated 50 million lives lost in ...

Joe Biden’s official statement on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett mentions her name once. It mentions Roe v Wade once. It has eight sentences alluding to the court’s pending case on the Affordable Care Act. The fate of Obamacare is the issue that Biden, and other Democrats, think gives them their best political opportunity during Barrett’s ...

Bloomberg China Evergrande Group’s stock and local bonds soared after the developer took a major step towards avoiding a cash crunch that had threatened to roil the nation’s $50 trillion financial system and reverberate across global markets. After a turbulent few days during which banks, bondholders and senior government officials became increasingly alarmed about Evergrande’s financial health, the world’s most ...