The World and Everything in It: October 26, 2026
An election-law expert remembers parents who escaped Nazism and communism, met in a refugee camp, and taught him to cherish the American ballot. Eight days before the midterms, he explains why the rules of American elections are so bitterly contested. On Moneybeat, David Bahnsen has a one-word answer to who trusts consumer-confidence surveys: “Journalists.” Also: tariff retreat, France’s fiscal straitjacket, and California’s wealth tax. Plus: the Statue of Liberty at 140—and the meanings Americans have given her.