You Can Root for Iran at the World Cup Without Rooting for the Iranian Regime
Plus: the worst rule at the World Cup, and the worst person in golf?
Culture
The Secret Origins of 'Conspiracy Theory'
A new book shows how a phrase made its way from the crime pages to our political arguments—and picked up a passel of meanings along the way.
The Mayor Who Loves Bodegas Is Building Taxpayer-Funded Competitors
Zohran Mamdani's administration has not studied how New York City's government-backed grocery stores will affect nearby mom-and-pop outlets, which operate on thin profit margins.
Major League Baseball Teams Have the Right To Offer Pride Uniforms. Should They?
The league’s conduct is indisputably protected by the First Amendment. But that doesn't make it wise.
Review: The Short Life of a Formerly Enslaved Poet
The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley tells the story of early America's "African poetess."
Louisiana Cops Threatened To Arrest a Man for Handing Out Religious Leaflets. They Got Qualified Immunity.
Richard Hershey is asking the Supreme Court to overrule a 5th Circuit decision that blocked the lawsuit provoked by that obvious First Amendment violation.
England Fans Warned Not To Chant 'Keir Starmer's a Wanker' at World Cup
FIFA can restrict political messaging inside its stadiums, but there is no stopping English football fans from mocking their prime minister elsewhere.
Adam Schiff Wants Federal Tax Credits for Movie and TV Production
Studies repeatedly show the credits aren't worth the cost.
What 1976 Got Right About America
Matt Welch discusses the forgotten reality of the bicentennial, the cultural impact of Roots, and why America doesn't need a single national story.
Carded Before Sexting?
The U.K. says tech companies have three months to stop minors from sending or receiving nude images—and universal identity checks for phone users may be the only way forward.
Sports Fans Don't Complain Their Championship-Winning Team Employs Too Many Immigrants
Critics of high-skilled immigration should take note.
Trump Sees World Cup Visitors as a Threat, But America Sees a Chance for Hospitality
Plus: How the UFC and MMA went from outsiders to the sporting and political establishment—to the point where they’re being used for “diplomacy.”
Some Thoughts on Law Professor Richard Epstein's Proposals for Fixing FIFA's Flawed Rulebook
Epstein's proposal for limiting the next-game consequences of yellow and red cards makes sense. But his idea of awarding two points for a goal in the run of play and only for one for a penalty kick is flawed. And there is a better way to end tied games than continuing overtime.
The White House UFC Fight Is the Perfect Event for the Present, Not the Past
A cage fight on the South Lawn may be an unusual choice to celebrate the Founding. But it is a mirror of our political moment.
Trump's Border Crackdown Spoils World Cup
America pushed to host the international tournament. Now the government is hassling fans, official guests, and even players who want to come.
Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day Has Some Strange Assumptions About the Media
The best way to release secret footage of alien life is…local TV news?
Review: The Lesser-Known Texts That Shaped the American Revolution
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution draws upon writings and speeches you might not have heard of.
Marco Rubio's 'Cage Fights for Diplomacy' Are Another Form of Crony Capitalism
Instead of dismantling the cultural exchange bureau, the State Department wants it to sponsor sports leagues.
Graham Platner Wins, Backrooms, and Church and State
Politics, religion, movies, and generational gripes collide in a wide-ranging conversation that ends with Robby Soave preparing for his trip to Ukraine.
Why So Many People Feel Lost
Rebecca Goldstein discusses the search for meaning, the roots of modern discontent, and how people build purpose in a secular age.
The World Cup Isn't the Best Soccer Has To Offer, but the World Loves It Anyway
Plus: Should politicians talk more sports on the campaign trail, Formula 1’s Monaco mess, and who people are rooting for in the NBA and NHL finals
Reading: The Quietest Way To Disobey
Today's anxieties about digital culture are prefigured in the long and wobbly history of books.
The Pentagon's New War - Canceling American Religion and American History
A guest post by Prof. Paul Finkelman.
Trump's Failed Kennedy Center Takeover Shows Why Art and Government Don't Mix
The president's remedy for a "woke" Kennedy Center was to replace one alleged strain of ideological capture with another.
California Elections, Graham Platner, Recalling COVID Insanity
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are hoping socialism doesn’t make the leap from New York City to Los Angeles to D.C.
Trump's Self-Promotion Is Always Shameless and Sometimes Illegal
The president tramples the rule of law in his rush to glorify himself.
The Enhanced Games Proved Enhancement Works But Youth Works Better
But many older enhanced athletes did achieve better results than their younger selves.
The Protect College Sports Act Trades NCAA Chaos for Federal Overreach
Everything in the bipartisan bill to “save” the NCAA, how the law would work, and whether it can pass Congress
Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy
Unlike many people who tackle this topic, Kira Ganga Kieffer treats the vaccine-hesitant with respect and curiosity, not contempt.
How To Sell a War
Presidents use a web of private influence to garner support for foreign invasions.
Trump Broke the Law When He Slapped His Name on the Kennedy Center, a Federal Judge Says
The decision is a modest but welcome victory for the rule of law.
How To Win a Trade War? Lose Less Than Your Opponents.
The only winning move is not to play. But if you must, a new book offers some suggestions.
The Federal Government Botched the Bicentennial Too
There's a lesson laying there: Make it local, embrace the commercial, and ignore the president.
Surging Antisemitism Threatens Jews and America
Repackaged as “antizionism,” an ancient hatred poses a fundamental danger to us all.
Is Private Equity Really 'Buying Up the Rituals of American Childhood'?
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy says that capitalism is killing youth hockey and fueling a "crisis of resentment." But who exactly is pissed?
James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton, the Pope on AI, and Caves
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss James Talarico changing his tune and how the Pope views artificial intelligence.
Rejected Search Warrant Applications Raise Further Questions About the Federal Case Against Don Lemon
After a magistrate judge said a DHS investigator had failed to establish probable cause, the government decided it did not need the YouTube and iPhone records after all.
Does Reporting Bad News About the Iran War Make You a Foreign Agent?
The Trump administration invokes the notoriously vague FARA to threaten a critic.
Illinois Plans Tax Break for Billionaires and the Chicago Bears. Everyone Else Could End Up Paying More.
A new Bears stadium and Gov. J.B. Pritzker himself stand to gain if the legislation passes.
Just 1 World Record at the Enhanced Games Shows the Integrity of the Competition
I watched hours and hours of the Enhanced Games so you didn’t have to.
Magnifica Humanitas
Plus: Another round of strikes, developments in Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, weight-loss drug results, and more...
Japan's Smoking Bans Make a Lot More Sense Than America's
Owners of small restaurants and bars can decide whether to allow smoking, and customers can choose for themselves whether to patronize them.
The DJ Who Brought America Weird Al, Tom Lehrer, and 'Cows With Guns'
After 55 years, Dr. Demento has finally retired from the airwaves.
