From Harvard Law School comes the latest conservative flirtation with authoritarianism. Professor Adrian Vermeule, a 2016 Catholic convert, is an “integralist” who regrets his academic specialty, the Constitution, and rejects the separation of church and state. His much-discussed recent Atlantic essay advocating a government that judges “the quality and moral worth of public speech” is unimportant as a practical political ...

Like so many Americans, I didn’t get much sleep last week. I kept refreshing my Twitter feed, watching and re-watching the videos of the rioting that took place in cities nationwide in reaction to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. I saw a New York police officer throwing a young protester to the ground, calling her a ...

There were many missteps in the US response to Covid-19, especially at the outset of the outbreak. One that stands out is the early choice to recommend against the widespread public use of masks by the Trump administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — and even Anthony Fauci. In hindsight and in light of current pro-mask guidelines, it’s ...

Hong Kong presents a unique contrast between historical richness and vivacious modernity, with its classic trams roaming the streets and noisy, bustling restaurants. It is a romantic fusion of the East and the West. To our regret, such romance is evaporating. In recent months, we have seen terrible scenes there. Mobs attacked the police with iron rods, and stockpiled bricks ...

Bloomberg Across the US, sales are cratering, bankruptcies are on the rise, and unemployment has hit unprecedented levels. With consumers glued to the couch watching Netflix or commiserating over Zoom, retailers have been especially hard hit. Yet even as the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on American malls and main streets, a billionaire from Prague sees something in the wreckage: bargains. ...

Bloomberg Amazon.com is scaling back deliveries and adjusting routes in a small number of cities including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked demonstrations around the country, prompting curfew orders. “We are monitoring the situation closely and in a handful of cities we adjusted routes or scaled back typical operations to ensure the ...

Bloomberg Brookfield Asset Management rejoined the race to buy Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd, according to a person familiar with the situation, as administrators prepare to narrow the field of suitors for the collapsed carrier. The Canadian asset manager submitted a bid to administrators at Deloitte, said the person, declining to be named since the proposal hasn’t been made public. Deloitte, ...

Bloomberg US airlines have yet to tap $29 billion in federal pandemic relief loans as they wait to see whether the reopening of the economy revives demand and diminishes the need for money that comes with government strings attached. Although the four largest US passenger airlines have applied for the Treasury Department program, only American Airlines Group Inc has said ...

Bloomberg South Africa permits air travel from four main airports from Monday as the nation eases lockdown measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Limited domestic flights will be allowed for business purposes, and passengers must ask for authorisation based on their reason for travel, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said in a televised briefing. Flights ...

Bloomberg The aviation industry’s recovery from the coronavirus outbreak will be long and slow, with passenger numbers likely to stay below pre-pandemic levels through 2023, according to S&P Global Ratings, which warned of more rating downgrades for airports over the next few months. Global air passenger numbers will drop as much as 55% this year, a far steeper slump than ...