If China Invades, Taiwan Shouldn't Count on U.S. Support
Compared to Russia, war with China is a deeper nightmare.
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How Third Parties Die
This is what it looks like when a political party's branches start to go their own way.
You Can Eat Better Than King Henry VIII, Thanks to Globalization and Burger King
Thanks to globalization, we plebes can pay just $6.49 for a whole Whopper meal fit for a 16th-century king.
The KKK's Push for Compulsory Schooling and a Federal Education Department
In the early 20th century, the Klan's virulent nativism and anti-Catholicism fueled its interest in education policy.
The Courts Are Rejecting Biden's Antitrust Crusade
The Biden administration's antitrust efforts are being shut down by judges, except for a single successful case where best-selling authors were involved.
School Closures Still Link to Learning Loss, Nearly 3 Years Into Pandemic
Reading and math scores declined between 2020 to 2022, reversing two decades of improvement.
Is It 'Treason' To Support Free Trade?
Shipping industry insiders floated a recommendation to charge critics of the Jones Act with treason, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Colorado Voters Delivered a Win for Pharmacological Freedom
A ballot initiative approved in November decriminalizes consumption of natural psychedelics.
Pundits Predicted a Backlash Against Criminal Justice Reform in the Midterms. What Happened?
While rising crime created headwinds for candidates who supported criminal justice reform, the apocalyptic storm never quite arrived.
Chinese Protesters Use Their Bodies as Weapons Against the State
Standing with blank pages in hand, the protesters' goal is to make manifest the implied violence that authoritarian states use to keep order.
One Foot off the Grid, Where We Don't Have To Deal With the City Water Department
Living without government services isn't necessarily cheaper or easier, but it sure beats putting up with municipal bureaucracies.
Against Game of Thrones Christianity
To truly care about virtue is to recognize that it matters how you win: Ends don't justify means.
Biden's Loan Forgiveness Plan Ultimately Means Higher Costs for Higher Ed
If political pressure to forgive debt can work once, why wouldn't it work again every five or 10 years?
California's Ban on Gas-Powered Cars Could Wreak Havoc on Its Energy Grid
If all Californians bought E.V.s tomorrow, it would be a nightmare.
This Teen Was Acquitted of Killing His Accomplice. He Was Punished for It Anyway.
Seventeen retired federal judges, appointed by both Republicans and Democrats, filed a brief supporting his appeal.
Republicans Will Have To Rely on New Deal–Era Court Precedents If They Want a Federal Abortion Ban
The Supreme Court said in 1942 that local activity, not just interstate activity, was subject to congressional regulation.
America Needs 'Low-Skilled' Workers
Yes, America benefits from immigrants who can write code. But we also need ones who can swing hammers.
Biden's 'Marijuana Reform' Leaves Prohibition Untouched
While Biden issued pardons and ordered a review of marijuana's Schedule I status, he still supports the federal ban on weed.
Puerto Rico Inches Toward Self-Determination
"At this point, it is pretty much a fact that Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States," says one observer.
The Inflation Shield?
The Producer Price Index shows that grocery stores appear to be shielding consumers from inflation, not hiking prices to gouge Americans.
The Labor Market Is Broken
Employment is an ultimatum game, where playing along might get workers less than employers, but refusing to play gets everyone zero.
NIMBY Laws Are Blocking Humanity's Future Among the Stars
The regulations that increase building costs on Earth will have the same effect in space.
As Private Space Travel Grows, so Will the Insurance Market
One insurance company started offering a space travel policy last year.
The James Webb Space Telescope Captures a Dying Star
A dying star and a young star orbit each other within a plume of burning dust and gas.
Who Owns the Satellites Orbiting the Earth?
Starlink is the biggest player in the satellite business, for now.
So Long, Soyuz: Russia Is Leaving the International Space Station
Privatization can free orbital innovation from ground-bound politics.
The Futuristic Promise of Dippin' Dots
The ice cream's innovative freezers helped Pfizer keep COVID-19 vaccines stable during transit.
Rosie the Space Habitat Is a 3D-Printed Living Space
The 23-foot-tall polymer structure has room for two and fits inside a SpaceX Starship.
Why We Should Terraform the Galaxy
One critic calls it "arrogant vandalism," but advocates say it might be a necessary form of self-preservation.
How To Use Drugs in Space
It's best to avoid sparking up a doobie on a spaceship, but there are other ways to consume substances in the cosmos.
NASA's Costly, Delayed Mission To Update Its Spacesuits
NASA has spent more than $420 million on the development of spacesuits with very little to show for it.
Are We Still Awed by the Heavens?
A dimming sky and overprotective parents make it harder for today's kids to observe the great expanse.
It's Been 50 Years Since Humans Walked on the Moon
The last time there was a manned mission to the moon, Pong had just been released on Atari.
The Space Force Is an Expensive Farce
Why does the newest branch of the U.S. military need horses?
Why Are Democrats Still Backing Trumpists in GOP Primaries?
Democrats paid $435,000 to back a pro-Trump Republican in Michigan—nearly $100,000 more than the candidate himself raised.
The Feds Monkey Around With Monkeypox
The FDA delayed the delivery of 1 million vaccine doses, and many high-risk Americans were turned away from health clinics that had run out of vaccines.
Blame Qatar's Illiberal Migrant Labor Laws for Its Mounting World Cup Death Toll
Thousands of people from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have died while working on enormous infrastructure projects in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics and a Tax Resister, Turns 200
Mendel had a history of run-ins with the state.
It's Long Past Time for the FDA To Approve Over-the-Counter Birth Control
Despite experts recommending that birth control be sold over the counter, the U.S. still treats the pill like it's 1960.
Using Today's Economic Woes To Teach Teens Finance
At least we can treat the results of bad policy as case studies for what might otherwise have been dry lessons in economics and finance classes.
How Federal Energy Regulations Make Dishwashers Worse
The Trump administration briefly liberalized dishwasher standards, but the Biden administration quickly reimposed the old rules.
Biden Is Writing Student Loans in Red Ink
The Department of Education has no idea how to project the costs of its own programs, and Biden's student loan forgiveness plan will be no exception.
No, State Legislators Can't Ban Interstate Abortion Travel
The Constitution's commerce clause guarantees a domestic free trade zone. A state law that bars a resident from traveling to take advantage of another state’s economic activity would be unconstitutional.
The FDA's Perverse Plan To Ban Menthol Cigarettes and Cap Nicotine Levels
The FDA's nicotine restrictions will push consumers toward black-market suppliers, who are completely unconstrained by the FDA’s regulations.
Give Biden Credit for Bolstering Private Refugee Resettlement
Uniting for Ukraine, a program providing private support to displaced Ukrainians, has proved more effective than the government's own resettlement efforts.