Italy may be the next stop on the world’s journey to more economic nationalism. First we had Brexit — Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Then we had the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president, pledging to put “America first” in his policies. Now Italy may be treading down the same path. What’s at issue …

  Despite their reputation as argumentative, litigious and impatient with regulation, “sharing economy” companies sometimes voluntarily go along with local rules to avoid even worse regulatory problems. Airbnb announced that, starting next spring, it will follow a directive in London that would make it impossible for hosts to rent out entire houses or apartments for more than 90 days a …

  President-elect Donald Trump’s intention to nominate James Mattis as secretary of defense places Congress in a bind. Is it duty-bound to reject an obviously well-qualified person for the job? Or would confirming Mattis, a retired four-star general, endanger the nation’s founding tradition of civilian control of the military? The problem is that Mattis retired from the Marines only four …