Under normal circumstances, I would have flown to one or both of the Dakotas to write this column, but the whole point is that these aren’t normal circumstances. And I don’t have a death wish. Too much? Probably. But how else to convey the proper timbre of outrage, the right pitch of grief, over what […]

This is an article from Turning Points, a special section that explores what critical moments from this year might mean for the year ahead. “The Life Unlived” is a poem, or a dramatic sketch, that revolves around a new era. It focuses on what is happening inside those who populate the text and inside us […]

LONDON/MADRID (Reuters) – Britain’s Virgin Money and OneSavings Bank are among a group of challenger banks expected to show interest in British lender TSB ahead of an auction process which is due to start next year, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.FILE PHOTO: A sign is displayed outside a branch of the TSB bank […]

To the Editor: Re “A Responsible Exit From Afghanistan” (editorial, Dec. 1): Your suggestion of a “coordinated regional approach” that might eventually create an environment allowing a U.S. departure from Afghanistan has a good ring to it. Indeed, the United States has long pursued discussions with other countries for just this purpose. But there is […]

Gabriel Sterling, a Georgia election official and longtime Republican, held a news conference this week in which, with barely contained rage, he excoriated Donald Trump’s lies about voter fraud and the threats of violence those lies inspired. He railed against Trump’s campaign lawyer, Joseph diGenova, who called for the shooting of Christopher Krebs, a federal […]

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s Macquarie Group said on Thursday it had agreed to buy U.S.-based investment management firm Waddell & Reed Financial Inc for $1.7 billion in cash, expanding the retail footprint of its largest unit in that market. The deal is the first large acquisition by new Macquarie Chief Executive Officer Shemara Wikramanayake, who […]

(Reuters) – Dyal Capital Partners and Owl Rock Capital Corp are in talks to merge with a blank-check company, the asset managers said on Wednesday, sending Owl Rock’s shares nearly 10% higher in extended trading. The combined company would be valued at about $13 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported here earlier on Wednesday. Dyal […]

Social media companies this election cycle did more to try to prevent the spread of misinformation than in any previous American election. It wasn’t nearly enough. Half-truths and lies spread widely and quickly. On Facebook and Twitter, the most inflammatory, unreliable and divisive posts are shared and too often believed more readily than those with […]

To the Editor: Re “Trump Said to Discuss Pardons for His Children and Giuliani” (front page, Dec. 2): Presidential pardons are in the spotlight in this lame-duck presidency. Will the president pardon Rudy Giuliani? Will he pardon Paul Manafort? What about Don Jr. and Eric? Ivanka and Jared? Even if the president insists that there […]

President Trump was right about the “deep state” — sort of. There exist, in government, people and forces rigged to foil disruption. But the deep state isn’t, as he suggested, a reflexive defense of a corrupt status quo. It’s a righteous defense against the corruption of democracy, which he continues to attempt. And that defense […]