The Wall Street Journal's opinion newsletter is reporting that Republicans are panicking as the midterm elections approach, with September polling swinging hard toward Democrats. It said GOP candidates are grasping for issues to survive, citing a proposal to ban diesel exports and calls to end the war in Iran. The Journal's editorial board said this is what happens when a party offers no agenda for the future.
The newsletter also cited columnist Matthew Continetti, who said local issues and independent-minded candidates can outweigh national trends. It said Republicans could do better than expected in New Hampshire, Michigan, Maine and even Minnesota.
Separately, the Journal said New York Times Magazine writer Nikole Hannah-Jones recently blamed school choice for education inequality, including what she described as a poor academic culture at her daughter's public school. It said economist Roland Fryer argues that choice is part of the solution for helping disadvantaged families access good education, and that depriving other families of choice would not have improved her daughter's school.
The Journal also said anti-Israel sentiment has taken center stage in the culture wars. It said contributor Dominic Green wrote about its appearance at an Ed Sheeran concert and the Venice Film Festival in Free Expression, the paper's daily newsletter on culture and politics. The newsletter also noted a review by Meghan Cox Gurdon of the late Gloria Steinem's recent memoir.
In its "What Else We're Reading" section, the Journal highlighted research by Preston Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute finding a correlation between standardized test scores and college completion rates. It said Cooper argues the SAT and ACT help admissions officers determine which applicants are prepared for higher education, as colleges reinstate testing requirements they had dropped in the name of equity.
The newsletter also noted the recent death of former Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl at age 84, and highlighted a podcast interview in which Maine Sen. Susan Collins responded to what she called a "disgraceful smear job" by ProPublica as she battles for reelection. It said President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered defiant speeches targeting each other at this week's U.N. General Assembly, with no indication a peace agreement is near.