When Republicans go low, should Democrats race them to the bottom? Demoralised Dems want a fighter, and some liberal governors are limbering up. But the fight they have chosen, Lexington argues this week, is not one they can win. Republicans in Texas are plotting a cynical redistricting scheme to help them win more seats. Democrats vowing to do the same in states such as California and New York face extra legal hurdles—and Americans don’t like partisan gerrymandering to begin with. 

Electoral maps are corroding America’s politics; vegetables are corrupting the Gulf. Iran is flooding its neighbours with tomatoes, celery and aubergines; a convoluted supply chain often obscures their origins. The produce proceeds are giving the Islamic Republic, which is under heavy sanctions, a lifeline. Give our investigation of Iran’s greenhouse offensive a scroll.