Pond-ering: Puzzle #93
"Sarcastic response"
Culture
Review: Blurring the Line Between Fine Art and Advertising
Commercial genius Alphonse Mucha's ads helped sell everything from soap to Champagne.
Ross Douthat: Why Digital Life Threatens Freedom and Family
The New York Times columnist warns that digital life may be eroding the cultural foundations needed to sustain meaning, family, and community.
Stop Subsidizing the 'Sport of Kings'
Plus: A ridiculous tax carveout, Trump backs D.C. stadium, and Shedeur Sanders
A Federal Judge Greenlights a Lawsuit That Claims Florida's Ban on Lab-Grown Meat Is Unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Mark Walker says Upside Foods has plausibly alleged that the law's protectionism violates the "dormant" Commerce Clause.
In Praise of Zeppo and Shemp
Two new biographies tell the stories of the unsung members of the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges.
In Boston's Scooter 'Wild West,' Lawmakers Take Aim at the Wrong Target
The city passed a law cracking down on food delivery companies rather than the reckless drivers creating chaos on sidewalks and streets.
Can America Get Out of the Gerontocracy Trap?
If voters so overwhelmingly prefer younger candidates, why are they underrepresented in politics?
Could 'Princess Awesome' Defeat Trump's Tariffs?
Small businesses and a dozen states have filed a pair of lawsuits challenging Trump's authority to impose tariffs on board games, clothes, and lots of other things.
The Accountant 2 Is a Shaggy, Silly Bro-Hangout Movie
More murder, less math, in Ben Affleck's odd but amiable sequel.
Review: How Video Games Can Connect Us to the World
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a documentary on Netflix, explains how a terminally ill boy found freedom in World of Warcraft.
Will Florida Teens With Sexually Transmitted Diseases Have To Tell Their Parents Before They Can Get Treatment?
These bills would require exactly that—and a lot more.
Trump's Actions Contradict His Avowed Commitment to First Amendment Rights
The president has launched a multifaceted crusade against speech that offends him.
Trump's New Birth Rate Plan: Menstrual Education?
The administration is reportedly considering government-funded menstrual education, affirmative action for parents, and $5,000 baby bonuses.
How the NFL Draft Screws Over Players
Plus: a new NFL stadium, a Boston Marathon record, and Shoresy (huh?)
Are We Still Living in 1999?
A new book argues that late-20th-century lowbrow culture created the modern world.
Treating Journalism As Consumer Fraud, Trump Claims Coverage of a Presidential Poll Was Not 'News Reporting'
The president's lawyers also conflate fraud with defamation, misconstrue the commercial speech doctrine, and assert that false speech is not constitutionally protected.
Pope Francis Has Died
Plus: Ross Douthat on technological change, Trump on a possible Jerome Powell firing, and more...
How Easter Eggs Spread Around the World
The tradition of decorating eggs in springtime is a lesson in symbols shared across cultures.
The Supreme Court Is About To Hear 2 Education Cases. Neither Goes Far Enough.
The Court will weigh religious opt-outs and charter school discrimination. But true educational freedom means funding students, not systems.
The Liberal Legacy of Mario Vargas Llosa
The Peruvian novelist, who passed away this Sunday, was a lifelong defender of freedom in all its forms.
With Sinners, Ryan Coogler Delivers an Unevenly Excellent Vampire Gothic
After years in the Marvel mines, the Creed director returns with a bloody genre musical.
These Unusual Egg Alternatives Might Just Get You Through the Egg Shortage
The wonders of capitalism make hyper-realistic egg substitutes possible.
Promising Federal School Choice Bill Faces Uncertain Prospects
National education freedom may depend on the budget reconciliation process.
Review: The Christian Case for Free Markets
Mere Economics makes a religious argument for private property and free exchange.
Review: The Whole Story Tells the Story of Whole Foods Market
Company co-founder John Mackey weaves together lessons from his business, spiritual, and personal journeys.
Quinn Slobodian Bastardizes Hayek and Mises
A historian tries to tie two classical liberal economists to the racialist right, and scrambles their words in the process.
3 Apocalyptic Climate Change Predictions That Failed To Come True
Yes, the climate is warming. But, despite what you may have heard, we can deal with it.
ICE Arrests Palestinian Immigrant at His Citizenship Test
Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi thought he was going to become an American. Instead, ICE whisked him away into detention.
BBC Grills Member of Parliament for Not Watching Enough TV
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said she doesn’t have to watch Adolescence to understand the show’s themes.
The Masters Ticket Lottery Is Dumb
Plus: Paying college athletes, sports betting isn’t bad, and pickleball?
Can a Pop Song Violate Children's Rights?
In Colombia, a court claims the answer is yes. Could that happen here?
The Anarchist and the Republican
How John McClaughry and Karl Hess fought to decentralize power—one from inside the system, one ever further from it
Your Tribalism Is Dumb
We don't just crave being on a team; we also crave a rival. We want to be in a club, and we want a nemesis to motivate us.
Review: Authoritarianism Backfires in the Latest Dune Installment
In Max's Dune: Prophecy, even the power to predict others' actions can't tame the chaos of free will.
Review: Netflix's Mo Captures the Absurdity of the U.S. Immigration System
A stateless protagonist dodges the federal government in comedic fashion.
Alex Garland's Warfare Refuses To Soften the Blow of Combat
A Civil War follow up that depicts the bleak, meaningless, moment-to-moment terror of modern war.
Postnatal Drug Tests Turn Mothers Into Felons
A Mississippi mom was charged with a felony years after she gave birth for drug use early in her pregnancy.
On Remand, the 5th Circuit Again Blocks a Lawsuit by a Texas Reporter Arrested for Newsgathering
Even if Laredo cops punished Priscilla Villarreal for constitutionally protected speech, the appeals court says, they would be protected by qualified immunity.
Many Politicians Want To Ban Gambling. So Why Are They OK With State Lotteries?
Lottery ticket buyers are disproportionately poor, and the odds are very bad. But governments want the money.
Tariffs Come for Your Jerseys, Gym Clothes, and Sports Team
Plus: Formula 1, Backyard Baseball, and The Great 8 vs. The Great One.
Game Night Just Got More Expensive
A $25 board game may soon hit the shelves with a $40 price tag because of tariffs.
