When local officials warn that property-tax relief could mean fewer police officers, firefighters or emergency services, taxpayers should insist on a different starting point: examine the administrative structure before reducing the services residents depend upon.

The Democrats may intend to bring peace to the Persian Gulf. But if Tehran interprets their congressional majority as an ally against American military pressure, the resulting perception could make a durable peace considerably harder to negotiate.

Commentary | November 4, 2026By Francis J. Bell Republican voters waking up to the midterm results have reason to be disappointed. They do not have reason to assume that Donald Trump’s presidency has ended two years early. A congressional majority is powerful. It is not possession of the White House, command of federal agencies or permission to rewrite the Constitution. The immediate result is divided government, not an opposition takeover of the executive branch. Democrats c