Congress Continues To Make the Tax Code Ridiculously Hard To Understand
I shouldn't have to spend so much money on an accountant every year. But I don't really have a choice.
Culture
The Spy in Your Pocket
Byron Tau's Means of Control documents how the private sector helps government agencies keep tabs on American citizens.
States Try To Strip Sex From Literature in Libraries, Schools
These aren't outright bans. But they still can chill free speech and academic freedom.
Feds Target Journalist Tim Burke With Law Intended for Hackers
An escalation in the war between people who publish secrets and those who seek to keep them.
A History of Taxpayer Revolts
Linda Upham-Bornstein's "Mr. Taxpayer versus Mr. Tax Spender" delivers an evenhanded view of American tax resistance movements.
Drive-Away Dolls Is an Underwhelming Lesbian Noir
A shaggy roadtrip comedy set against the backdrop of late 1990s right-wing family values politics fails to come together.
Review: Cyberpunk 2077 Explores Another Lawless Dystopia
In the game's Phantom Liberty expansion, those who make the laws rarely follow them.
Review: HBO's Comedic Take on Pirate Life
The pirates in Our Flag Means Death end up more interested in skirting imperial powers than in plundering.
The New York Times Implausibly Implicates Oklahoma's Bathroom Law in the Death of a Nonbinary Student
Don’t let culture war politics overwhelm a commitment to the facts.
Expanding the Child Tax Credit Would Perpetuate Systemic Poverty
The policy is a true budget buster and is ineffective in the long term.
Justin Amash: 'I'd Impeach Every President'
Former Rep. Justin Amash says "the idea of introducing impeachment legislation suggests there's other people who will join you. Otherwise, it's just an exercise in futility."
The Feds Give States Millions To Fix Homelessness, but States Are Sending It Back
Bureaucratic ineptitude leads to waste—and more people on the streets.
The Biden Administration Is Bent on Setting an Alarming Precedent by Prosecuting Julian Assange
The WikiLeaks founder already has spent as much time in a London prison as DOJ lawyers say he is likely to serve if convicted in the U.S.
U.S. Begins To Talk Ceasefire
Plus: Catholic funeral for transgender activist, Donald Trump's props, deep tech in El Segundo, and more...
Is the Human Brain a Prediction Machine?
In The Experience Machine, philosopher and scientist Andy Clark offers an updated theory of mind.
Are Parents Too Involved in Their Adult Children's Lives?
A recent Pew survey says parents are "very involved in their young adult children's lives," but one might quibble with the definition of "very involved."
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Enforcement of Houston Ordinance Against Feeding the Homeless
The judge found that Food Not Bombs' activity was clearly expressive conduct under the First Amendment.
Madame Web Is a Low Point for Superhero Movies
Listless and incoherent, it's a sign of the genre's struggles.
Review: Netflix's Real-Life Spinoff Can't Recreate Squid Game's Allure
In Squid Game: The Challenge, contestants don't really risk their lives.
Review: Photographic Glimpses at 20th Century Roots Music
Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz's photos document blues, country, and Cajun music.
Audit Finds New York's $700 Million Film Tax Credits Make Little Difference
The credit "is at best a break-even proposition and more likely a net cost" for the state.
Shrinkflation Is Real—and It's Largely Biden's Fault
The president criticized companies for selling "smaller-than-usual products" whose "price stays the same." But it was his and his predecessor's spending policies that caused the underlying issue.
Jon Stewart's Return to The Daily Show Was Actually Pretty Great
When he's on his game, he's still one of the best bullshit detectors in the media.
Michigan Is Spending Millions Trying To Refurbish a Ski-Flying Hill. It's Not Working.
Copper Peak revitalization was pitched as an economic development project for the Upper Peninsula, which already has two working ski jumps.
PROTECT Act Could Require Removal of All Existing Porn Online
Sen. Mike Lee's "technological exploitation" bill also redefines consent.
Biden's Bizarre 'Shrinkflation' Nonsense
The White House should stop taking policy and messaging tips from Elizabeth Warren.
Nice Old Man
Plus: Tucker Carlson interviews Vladimir Putin, Rep. Ilhan Omar opposes minimum parking limits, my baby enjoys the DDR, and more...
New Report Measures Attempts to Impose, and Evade, Internet Repression
Interest in virtual private networks provides insights into a global battle over digital freedom.
Review: Ken Burns Explains the Anti–Native American Plot To Kill Bison
The American Buffalo documentary charts the fall and rise of American bison.
Robin DiAngelo Thinks The Creation of Adam Epitomizes White Supremacy
She also mistook the Adam in Michelangelo's famous painting for David.
Georgia Lawmakers Propose Modest Changes to State Film Tax Credits
The credits cost the state over $1.3 billion per year with a 19 percent return on investment. Lawmakers' proposals will do little to change that.
Tucker Carlson Is No 'Traitor' for Doing Journalism
Everybody has the right to speak and then take the heat.
Trump's Terrible, Popular Tariffs
Plus: A listener asks if it should become the norm for all news outlets to require journalists to disclose their voting records.
Ron DeSantis Supports Legislation Banning Lab-Grown Meat
"You need meat, OK? We're going to have meat in Florida," DeSantis said during a press conference.
It's Time to Retire Super Bowl 'Sex Trafficking' Stings and Myths
For sex workers and their clients, Super Bowl season can mean a higher chance of getting nabbed by cops.
Houston Faces First Amendment Lawsuit for Cracking Down on Feeding the Homeless
Food Not Bombs activists argue that feeding the needy is core political speech, and that they don't need the city's permission to do it.
Review: Godzilla Minus One Rejects the Idea of a 'Noble Death' in War
Director Takashi Yamazaki brings to the screen the most dreadful version of Godzilla since the franchise began.
Review: Netflix Delivers a Surprisingly Balanced Take on Vaping
Big Vape presents differing views on the supposed youth vaping epidemic.
Politicians Need To Stop Pretending the National Debt Is Sustainable
The reality raises questions about the kind of future we want to leave for the next generation.
He Was Charged With Human Trafficking for Driving His Wife to Work
"The sole basis for targeting Joe was the race/ethnicity of his wife and her occupation" at an Asian massage parlor, the lawsuit claims.
The 5th Circuit Says Criminalizing Journalism Is Not Obviously Unconstitutional
The appeals court dismissed a civil rights lawsuit by a Laredo gadfly who was arrested for asking questions.
The Best of Reason: Comedy's Truthiness Problem
Hasan Minhaj’s stand-up tests the boundaries of fact and fiction.
Florida's Youth Social Media Ban Is an Affront to Freedom
Don't let a moral panic shut everything down.
