James Freeman

1 week ago | wsj.com | James Freeman

A federal appeals court on Thursday night allowed President Trump to maintain command of the California National Guard in response to the Los Angeles protests, blocking a lower court that ordered him to return those forces to the state’s control. A three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Trump’s decision to federalize the Guard was entitled to a high degree of deference.

1 week ago | wsj.com | James Freeman

The question in today’s headline has often been asked by this column with a sarcastic chuckle, though sometimes it’s been hard to find the humor in an age afflicted by the abuse of academic credentials for political ends. It certainly wasn’t funny during the Covid panic when medical authority was used by government officials to silence dissent, restrict human liberty and impose enormous and unnecessary burdens on America’s children.

1 week ago | wsj.com | James Freeman

A sad anniversary of the start of a devastating tariff battle. This week President Donald Trump left a meeting with the leaders of Canada, Japan and key European allies without striking any new trade agreements. Today brings a reminder of the urgent need for Mr. Trump to resolve his tariff disputes before causing lasting harm to consumers and the U.S. economy.

1 week ago | wsj.com | James Freeman

A famous regulator suggests regulators went too far. “We’ve lost the culture war on climate,” said a former Obama White House aide last week. Now former California regulator Mary Nichols, one of the country’s most accomplished promoters of expensive and unrealistic climate rules, is suggesting that climate regulators went too far. This is the environmental equivalent of Bernie Sanders saying the government is too tough on business, or Michael Jordan saying athletic competition never gets personal.

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | James Freeman

The 250th birthday of the U.S. Army might not be happening if Washington had not agreed to lead it. This weekend marks the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. It seems unlikely we would have much to celebrate on Saturday if, right after creating an army, the Second Continental Congress had not also settled on the perfect choice to lead it.