Nvidia’s investigation and the congressional inquiries may show whether the company’s safeguards worked when the risk reached the chief executive’s office.

Suppose you own a New York apartment building and decide to sell. You find a buyer, negotiate a price, and settle on terms you are prepared to accept. Then a city-certified nonprofit matches the deal. Under New York City’s Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, if the statutory conditions are met, you must proceed with the nonprofit as your buyer.

An alternative route that allows petroleum to move but imposes extraordinary transportation costs may be strategically useful without being commercially sustainable over the long term.