The Sunny Side of Donald Trump's Power Grabs
The president is positioning himself to have much greater control over a smaller, enfeebled federal bureaucracy.
Latest
Will FBI Director Kash Patel Be a Principled Reformer or a Trump Hatchet Man?
The newly confirmed head of the country's leading law enforcement agency has a history of advocating politically motivated investigations even while condemning them.
To Cut Government Spending, Trump Targets Pocket Change
The penny is expensive to produce and has long outlived its usefulness.
Texas Cops Seized Photographs From a Museum and Launched Child Pornography Investigation
"It's shameful that government officials would use the criminal legal process to censor art and expression."
Trump Will Create 520,000 More Illegal Immigrants by Undoing Haitians' Protected Status
The move effectively retcons J.D. Vance's claim that legal Haitian immigrants were actually here illegally.
Meet the New FTC—Same as the Old FTC
Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson reaffirms the flawed 2023 merger guidelines.
The Progressive Betrayal of Trans Americans
How well-intentioned laws created new cultural conflicts—and eroded personal liberty.
Best Executive Order Yet?
Plus: The Democratic Party's insecurities, protesting Trump via interpretive dance, the Yosemite locksmith, and more...
Has the Imperial Presidency Arrived?
There's little question that Trump is taking the concept of the imperial presidency to its apogee.
Americans Say Government Is Corrupt and Inefficient but Are Lukewarm About DOGE
Democrats seem willing to tolerate a lot to get a larger government, but Republicans aren’t much better.
Review: A Sci-Fi Exploration of a Shadowy Government
The deeply weird Southern Reach Series reminds us that human institutions can turn people into something unrecognizable.
Review: A Novel About Walls, Both Literal and Figurative
Author Haruki Murakami offers a potent reminder of the value of free movement.
Randy Barnett: How Legal Is Trump's Agenda?
Georgetown constitutional law professor Randy Barnett discusses the legality of DOGE, Trump's executive orders, and birthright citizenship.
Meaningful Pentagon Cuts Will Require Rethinking What 'Defense' Means
If Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is serious about reducing military spending, he will need to embrace a narrower understanding of national security.
FTC Chair Throws Stones in a Glass House
Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson hypocritically engages in the very partisanship for which he faults the American Bar Association.
The New Republican Budget Plan Is Unserious
It tries to offset as much as $4.8 trillion—mostly for tax cut extensions—with only $1.5 trillion in supposed spending reductions.
Mississippi Judge Orders Newspaper To Take Down Editorial Criticizing City Board for Secrecy
Free speech experts say the takedown order is a clear example of unconstitutional prior restraint under the First Amendment.
TSMC May Acquire Fellow CHIPS Act Beneficiary Intel
Collectively, the two companies were promised more than $14 billion in government grants. Now, one is failing and may be partially acquired by the other.
EPA Agrees To Reduce Federal Regulatory Authority in West Virginia
Giving more power to states is good for the environment.
This UVA Law Student Was Threatened With Expulsion for Sitting Outside With Protest Signs
Kirk Wolff set out to peacefully protest Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Then an administrator and a police officer drove by.
In Defense of Dollar Stores
Critics say they ruin communities and peddle cheap goods, but dollar stores thrive because they offer convenience and low prices where options are scarce.
Cutting 8 Percent
Plus: Border update, a shift in U.S. policy on Taiwan (Beijing is pissed), and more...
Education Department Orders Schools To Stop All Racial Discrimination
The letter mostly builds on existing civil rights law.
How To Recover From Debanking
Thousands of people have lost their bank accounts over "suspicious" activity. Here's what to do if it happens to you.
The Best of Reason: Javier Milei Ended Rent Control. Now the Argentine Real Estate Market Is Coming Back to Life.
"The effects were immediately seen by everyone and they were all beneficial," says the former vice president of Argentina's central bank.
Trump Kills New York's Flawed Congestion Pricing Program
Federal transportation officials said that because New York's congestion tolls were really about raising money for mass transit, they didn't qualify for an exemption from the federal tolling ban.
It's Time for a Flat Tax
America’s tax system is already highly progressive. A simpler, flatter structure would be fairer, raise more revenue, and fuel economic growth.
Rand Paul Wants DOGE To Build a $500 Billion Rescission Package for Congress To Approve
"The only way you get less waste is to give them less money to spend," says the libertarian-adjacent senator from Kentucky.
A State Cop Lionized for Nabbing Drunk Drivers Is Suspected of Taking Bribes To Let Them Off the Hook
New Mexico State Police Sgt. Toby LaFave, "the face of DWI enforcement," has been implicated in a corruption scandal that goes back decades and involves "many officers."
Did Biden Blow the Best Chance of Preventing War in Ukraine?
While the U.S. publicly insisted on an “open door” policy, Zelenskyy says he was privately told that Ukraine couldn’t join NATO.
Social Security's Insolvency Is Driven by Benefits for the Living, Not Fraud by the Dead
Elon Musk claims to have uncovered massive fraud within Social Security, but those data are already well known and not a major problem.
When Yoga Sparked a Sex Panic
"Hindu mystics" with "swarthy faces and dreamy-looking eyes" once had Uncle Sam in a tizzy.
Jim O'Shaughnessy: Don't Squander This Age of Innovation
Wall Street legend Jim O’Shaughnessy discusses how to live well and innovate boldly during the age of Trump, Musk, and AI.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
How the CFPB's Medical Debt Rule Could Backfire
Scrubbing credit reports won’t erase debt—it will just make borrowing harder for low-income Americans.
DOGE's Complicated Story
Plus: When FOIA stops working, how the pandemic shifted young people to the right, and more...
The Weak, Weird Case Against a Supposed 'Orgasm Cult'
Snakes. Magic. Orgasmic meditation. And a dubious federal case against the leaders of a supposed sex cult.
As Migrant Arrests and Deportations Increase, Remember You Have the Right To Record ICE
Law enforcement acts better when officers know the public is watching.
Trump Has Good Reason To Complain About Limits on His Ability To Fire Executive Officers
His position is grounded in concerns about the separation of powers that presidents of both major parties have raised for many years.
Justin Amash on Why the President Isn't Above the Law
Plus: A listener asks the editors to guess if the real reason Donald Trump is so passionate about tariffs is because he sees them as a deal-making tool rather than a purely economic instrument.
In DOGE Lawsuit, Judge Declines To Block White House Emailing Federal Employees
Citing Reddit posts and podcast interviews, pseudonymous government employees are arguing that DOGE violated federal privacy regulations when setting up a government-wide email system.
Local Station Finds Chicagoans Were on the Hook for $107.5 Million in Police Misconduct Lawsuits in 2024
Taxpayers will continue to be hurt twice by misconduct until individual police officers are held accountable.
DOGE Can't Slash Government Without Congress
The federal leviathan can’t be dismantled by executive action alone. To truly cut spending and rein in the bureaucracy, the administration needs buy-in from the branch that built it.
