Breaking Addicts in Order to Fix Them
How Synanon revolutionized drug treatment and poisoned the politics of prohibition.
Culture
Getting Nose Jobs with Comedians: Joan Kron's Powerful Argument for Plastic Surgery
Eighty-nine-year-old first-time filmmaker and journalism legend Joan Kron on her new film, Take My Nose...Please!
More Than a Third of Americans Have No Idea What the First Amendment Says
And 20 percent don't know atheists have the same rights as everyone else.
Feud With Amber Tamblyn Shows James Woods' Confusion About Age-of-Consent Laws
"It's illegal," the actor says, explaining why a gay relationship between a 17-year-old and a 24-year-old is indecent.
Bikini Barista Lawsuit Defends Freedom to Espresso Oneself
A group of coffee industry workers sues Everett, Wash. over city's new anti-bikini ordinances.
Judges Dump Foie Gras Back off California Menus
Ninth Circuit rules state's ban doesn't conflict with federal agriculture regulations.
Ted Cruz Defends Dildos on CNN, Calls Himself 'One of the Most Libertarian Members of the Senate'
Cruz is walking back earlier support for sex-toy sales bans after his account liked a porn tweet on Twitter Tuesday.
Most of the Lessons of 9/11 Went Unlearned
There has been a tremendous residual cost in freedom and in dollars to secure an elusive security.
Bikini Baristas Sue City in the Name of Free Speech and Women's Rights
City worries bikini hot dog stands could be next.
The Times Thinks Deregulation Is Meddling If It Helps Religious People or Gun Owners
The paper says loosening rules "runs counter to the Trump administration's less-is-more credo about government meddling."
Forget the Violent Campus Protests—This College Cop Is Gunning for Unlicensed Hot Dog Vendors
Watch a Berkeley officer seize the cash out of the wallet of a street merchant.
Too Many Calories in Your Candy? That's a Lawsuit!
Legal threats over food marketing appear to be on the rise. But who really benefits?
The Freakout Over Politically Incorrect Punk
When the punk rock thought-police targeted the New York City band Agnostic Front.
Young Louis Farrakhan Sings a Calypso Song About Transgender Surgery
Friday A/V Club: Before his transition into the Nation of Islam
Libertarian Comedian Dave Smith on the Alt-Right, Christopher Cantwell, and How the Left 'Went Off the Rails'
Bernie Sanders vs. Ron Paul is "the difference between a propagandist and a truth teller."
Democrats Are Increasingly Comfortable With Religious Tests
Attempting to create the impression that faithful Christians whose beliefs are at odds with newly sanctified cultural mores are incapable of doing their job.
Stop Subsidizing Football
Taxpayers shouldn't be supporting a sport that's giving kids brain damage and shouldn't build stadiums for billionaire NFL owners either.
Actors Guild Fights to Make Outing Entertainers' Ages a Crime
SAG-AFTRA and the State of California claim websites like IMDb have a proactive duty to help actors hide their ages from casting directors.
Stossel: Star Trek's William Shatner Debates Safety and Space Travel
Captain Kirk vs. John Stossel on space travel in a libertarian world.
Interview: Kennedy
The TV host and one-name celeb talks about cherry vodka, teenage rebellion, Frank Zappa, free-range parenting, and life as Fox's token libertarian.
Libertarian History/Philosophy
Libertarianism Isn't a 'Gateway Drug' to the Alt-Right
Those who migrate from libertarianism to the alt-right have rejected the essence of the freedom movement and its philosophy.
HBO, David Simon Chart the Rise of the Modern Sex Economy in The Deuce
Prostitution and porn during the 1970s focus of new series.
Pizza Is Awesome and the FDA Sucks
FDA honcho Scott Gottlieb caves on Obama's menu labeling regulations.
Decision Dismissing Sarah Palin's Libel Suit Is an Embarrassment to the Times
The ruling shows how carelessly the paper peddled nonsense about Republican rhetoric and mass murder.
More Evidence That Everything the Government Teaches Us About Eating Is Wrong
Global study goes against the grain on fats, fruits, and dietary dogma
Comics and 'Creating Your Own Reality in the Age of Trump'
Ed Krayewski at the Parsons School of Design, tonight at 7:00p.m.
The Junk Science Behind 'Smarter Lunchrooms'
A federal program to help public-school students eat healthier is based on highly problematic-and perhaps fraudulent-research.
Save the Robots from the Humans!
We could be on the verge of an all-out war on artificial intelligence technologies.
Lawsuit Shows Muddied Waters over What Counts as 'Spring Water'
A lawsuit alleges Poland Spring Water amounts to "a colossal fraud perpetrated against American consumers."
New Whitney Houston Documentary Is Not Right, But It's OK
Sweeping generalizations take the place of actual analysis or thoughtful narratives.
Stop Subsidizing Sports!
From stadium deals to college teams Olympics, why are taxpayers forced to pony up cash for athletic ventures that don't benefit them?
Filming an Absinthe Haze
Friday A/V Club: What psychedelic special effects looked like in 1910
ESPN's Robert Lee Decision Should Be Wake-Up Call About the Perpetual Outrage Machines
Fringe voices shouldn't drive decision-making, even if they're loud.
Five Cities That Got F*cked by Hosting the Olympics
Brazil, Russia, Greece, and China were all suckers in one of the oldest scams in sports
Jerry Lewis, RIP: An Innovative Performer and a Cautionary Tale
Remembering a great comic genius who was also responsible for The Day the Clown Cried, widely rumored to be the worst movie ever.
Dick Gregory Took Us All on a Strange and Powerful Trip
Comedian, civil-rights activist, food guru, and conspiracy theorist made America a better, more thoughtful place.
Why Handwashing Is Key to Ballpark Food Safety
A new study shines a light on public health protection at America's stadiums.
Trump's Idea of Uniting the Country: Complaining About Removal of Confederate Memorials
But guess what happens whenever art gets in the way of one of his developments?
Canadians Can Eat Genetically Enhanced Salmon; Americans Can't
Because Congress requires the FDA to come up with a "frankenfish" labeling scheme
How the Google Memo Hysteria Punishes Openness and Innovation
The overreaction to critiques of diversity methods ramps up the culture war unnecessarily.
If MLS Is a Ponzi Scheme, Taxpayers Will Get Left Holding The Bag
The league's finances and its competitive structure suggest only suckers would buy-in right now. Unfortunately, many taxpayers may not have a choice.
Unconstitutional State Food, Agriculture Crackdowns Spur Congress to Act
States like Massachusetts attempt to control how farms outside their borders operate.
Even Atheists Think that Atheists Are More Likely to Be Immoral Than Believers
"Our findings reveal widespread suspicion that morality requires belief in a god."
Harvesting Roadkill Now Legal in at Least Half of U.S. States
Oregon is the latest. Let's welcome this tasty trend.
