In Focus delivers deeper reporting on the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.

Is the U.S. government’s taking a 10% stake in semiconductor maker Intel a “creative idea” that has “never been done before,” as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently told the press? Hardly. Governments have been nationalizing industries since governments have existed. In virtually every instance, the state takes power under the auspices of a national emergency. These days, of course, any inconvenience is a crisis in politics, and so President Donald Trump has decided to run the semiconductor industry.