An Urban's Rural View

Finding reason for hope in two election-week events that some might view less sanguinely.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's success in knocking an asteroid off course is, as NASA's director says, "a watershed moment for planetary defense and a watershed moment for humanity."

China's president professes a fondness for Iowa but U.S.-China relations have spiraled downward on his watch nonetheless. With relations getting chillier, the U.S. and China need a crisis-management mechanism.

Farmers are always free not to use conservation easements, but there's no reason to demonize them.

U.S. companies sell a lot of semiconductors but increasingly make them overseas. The government is spending big bucks to encourage more domestic production.