The Wall Street Journal's editorial board is reporting that Republicans' panicky rush to ban diesel exports reveals their electoral trouble. It said the party is "running on empty."
The Journal's editorial board also said federal school choice could be huge, arguing it could produce possibly many billions in scholarships even with modest donor uptake. In a separate editorial, the board said President Donald Trump told the United Nations that the pressure of U.S. midterm elections won't save Iran's regime, and asked whether Iran will believe it.
The board also said a day of air-traffic failures, including delays tied to Newark, underscores a national embarrassment.
In commentary, the Journal published a piece by Richard Gere saying Anthropic uncovered a Beijing-aligned operation targeting his organization among other dissidents, and an essay by Paul Wolfowitz arguing there is a diplomatic opportunity in Xi Jinping's U.S. visit in the name of trust, calling for the release of Jimmy Lai.
Columnist Jason L. Riley wrote that racial crime disparities have narrowed a lot, saying that in 2000-19 the prison-admission rate for violent crime dropped 20% for whites and 43% for blacks. Columnist Holman W. Jenkins Jr. wrote that the Paramount-Warner deal shows pseudo-news no longer works for its purveyors.
William A. Galston wrote that a judge ordered Trump to take his name off the Kennedy Center, so he threatens to demolish it. James Freeman wrote about a "mansion tax" that hits the middle class, asking whether it is too kind to call this an unintended consequence of progressive governance.
The Journal also reviewed books, music and television, including a Miley Cyrus album and a documentary on ultramarathoners.