The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Democrats are making "affordability" promises on the midterm campaign trail, with inflation and President Donald Trump's tariffs helping their case. Its editorial board said voters should not believe those policies will lower the cost of living, pointing to what it described as a record of subsidies and mandates that have raised prices on energy, healthcare and housing.
The Journal is also reporting that universities are slashing Ph.D. programs and that doctoral graduates are finding it hard to get jobs. Columnist Allysia Finley argued this is a healthy market correction after departments expanded with the help of federal subsidies.
The Journal said the Supreme Court returns Monday, and Justice Samuel Alito is out with a new book worth reading. It said Alito once called himself a "practical originalist" and now explains what he means, writing that originalist judging requires humility but also boldness to follow original public meaning and self-confidence in the face of a hostile media and legal academy.
The Journal said its books editors highlighted the best reviews of September. It also noted that Alito recused himself from a major climate case, Suncor Energy v. Boulder County, set to be heard Monday, without explaining why. The editorial board wrote in 2023 that if outsiders can coerce justices to recuse from certain cases, they intrude on the authority and independence of a co-equal branch of government.
Separately, the Journal said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke with Kim Strassel about facing Jack Smith, college sports legislation and the costly GOP effort to elect Ken Paxton in Texas. It said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech to troops included a welcome focus on drone warfare but also cultural fights that drown out his larger message, and that Trump gathered tech leaders to sign a "morally binding" pact on controls.