Betty Boop Enters the Public Domain, but Only as a Dog
The cartoon's bizarre saga illustrates what's wrong with modern copyright law.
Culture
With Eddington, Hollywood Finally Starts To Reckon With the Madness of 2020
Ari Aster’s pandemic satire is the movie of the year.
The Real Reason Golden Ages Collapse—and How the U.S. Can Avoid It
Past societies tried to regulate their way to stability. But it came at a great cost.
6 Ways Sports and Politics Will Collide in 2026
From college sports to league expansion, politicians are going to have plenty of sway over sports next year.
Zohran Mamdani Didn't Run on 'Affordability.' He Ran Against Prices.
Price controls don't solve economic problems; they disguise them. Prices are messages, and Mamdani wants to shoot the messenger.
This 1,300-Page Anticapitalist History Gets a Few Things Wrong
Sven Beckert's Capitalism: A Global History is...not a reliable history.
Research Suggests People Who Work From Home Are Having More Babies
"Flexibility at work has the power to drive fertility decisions," according to researchers running a survey in the U.S. and 38 other countries.
The John Galt of Comic Books
The co-creator of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange later created some failed Ayn Rand–inspired superheroes.
From Nixon to Trump, the 'War on Drugs' Has Been a Disaster for Americans' Freedom
The Trump administration's chest-pounding approach is costing lives and eroding freedoms.
Review: A Novel About Masculinity and Weightlifting
Muscle Man offers a subtler commentary than any thinkpiece about the bro-ification of the right.
When Washington Crossed the Delaware on Christmas 1776, It Wasn't in the Name of Christian Nationalism
America was not founded to be a theocracy and it should not strive to become one.
How Tariffs and Inflation Are Hitting Holiday Sweets
The Trump administration’s trade war has made home-baked and store-bought treats more expensive.
How Robert Crumb Inspired the Underground Comix Movement
Crumb's work was called sexist, racist, and obscene, but even his critics often acknowledged that he was hilarious and original.
Would Star Trek's Transporter Destroy Cities or Save Them?
What a speculative technology can tell us about the demands for urban density and sprawl
Andor Creator Tony Gilroy on Bureaucracy and the Surveillance State
Tony Gilroy examines how Andor portrays authoritarian power as a bureaucratic system, the moral compromises of life under surveillance, and the role ordinary people play in enforcing oppressive systems.
Tariffs Are Leaving Fewer Footballs, Golf Clubs, and Toys Under the Christmas Tree
Plus: College Football Playoff complaints and an awful NFL officiating blunder.
The Haters Are Wrong. Netflix's Glut of Christmas Movies Is Good, Actually.
The existence of options you don't personally enjoy is not a cultural failure; it's a luxury.
Shein Can't Sell Sex Toys Unless It Checks IDs, French Court Says
Laws requiring porn platforms to age-check visitors are becoming "a Swiss army knife for the government."
Heritage Foundation Undergoes Mass Staff Exodus as Cracks Open on the New Right
The divisions are no longer just between pro-Trump and anti-Trump conservatives.
MAHA Republicans Are Imposing New Food Labeling Mandates
New Louisiana and Texas laws will require businesses to disclose the use of seed oils, certain dyes, and many other ingredients.
Seattle's Delivery Minimum Wage Failed Drivers and Raised Costs
Increased hourly rates corresponded with lower tips and fewer orders to share between drivers, leaving gig workers no better off than they were before the law passed.
Was There a Woke War on White Millennial Men?
In Compact, Jacob Savage exhaustively documents discrimination in the name of equity.
Jimmy Lai Is a Martyr for Freedom
The self-made tycoon was convicted this week of violating Hong Kong's "national security" law. But he could have escaped it.
Avatar: Fire and Ash Is Part Spectacle, Part Retread
An eco-action film that covers too much familiar ground.
Review: Tron: Ares Reminds Us That Artificial Intelligence Is Not the Enemy
It's the humans who develop and use AI for malicious ends, not the tech itself, who should worry us.
Review: The Sound of Music's Anti-Authoritarianism
The 65-year-old musical's depiction of an us-vs.-them mentality remains poignant.
The U.S. Is Stealing From Millennials and Gen Z To Make Boomers Even Richer
Social insurance programs are compatible with a basic safety net. But what we have now is a slow-motion generational fleecing.
Bondi Beach Shows Why Self-Defense Is a Vital Right
Individuals and communities must take responsibility for their own safety.
A Texas News Vlogger Asks SCOTUS To Decide Whether Criminalizing Journalism Is 'Obviously Unconstitutional'
This is Priscilla Villarreal’s second trip to the Supreme Court, which last year revived her First Amendment lawsuit.
Even Trump's Supporters Are Slamming His Post About Rob Reiner's Murder
The president failed a not particularly challenging moral test.
17 Ways Politicians Can Make Things Cheaper, Starting With Food, Health Care, and Appliances
A real affordability agenda would unleash free markets, not constrain them.
Funding College Sports With Private Equity Is Way Better Than Hitting Students With Higher Fees
Plus: Fix the NBA Cup by blowing it up, World Cup ticket prices or lotteries, and more.
Poland's Beer and Food Tell the Story of the Country's Extraordinary Rise From Communism
Not even 35 years after escaping Soviet-style central planning, Poland has become a capitalist success story.
Americans Need More and Better 'Third Places.' User Fees Can Help.
As traditional gathering places disappear, market-based funding could expand parks, courts, and other spaces that help people reconnect without raising taxes.
Review: Wayward Spotlights the Dark Secrets of Troubled-Teen Programs
Characters in the Netflix show undergo psychological torture, manipulation, and psychedelic treatment.
Review: When the CIA Tried To Unlock Mind Control
Project Mind Control tells the story of the federal government's failed MKUltra program.
CBP Agents Held This U.S. Citizen for Hours Until He Agreed To Let Them Search His Electronic Devices
A federal lawsuit argues that the agency's policy of perusing travelers' personal data without a warrant or probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment.
Want To Vacation In America? Trump Wants To See Your Social Media Posts First.
The move is bad for free speech and bad for American businesses that depend on tourism.
Massachusetts Church's 'ICE Was Here' Nativity Scene Is Protected Speech, Even if ICE Doesn't Like It
Rev. Stephen Josoma of St. Susanna Parish defended the message against the Trump administration's immigration enforcement.
French Far-Right Politicians Want To Reopen Brothels as Sex-Worker Cooperatives
The current system, in which paying for sex is illegal, doesn't work, said Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a National Assembly member.
The 2025 Libertarian Gift Guide: 28 Great Ideas for Apocalypse Preppers, Boozers, Self-Improvers—and More
Panicked about holiday shopping? Reason staffers and contributors are here to save the day.
If FIFA Doesn't Want People To Think It's Corrupt, It Should Stop Doing Things That Look Corrupt
Plus: Are college football bowl games dead, and can the playoff be fixed?
Ignore the Entertainment Companies
Plus: Lost Vegas, Gen Z listlessness, Kushner mystique, Nvidia goes to China, and more...
Why Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump Hate the Netflix Deal
Plus: Trump’s economy shows new signs of strain, Congress pushes a $900 billion defense package, and Kalshi stirs backlash over “financializing everything”
The Government Wants To Punish Orgasmic Meditation Defendants for Crimes They Weren't Charged With
The prosecutors argue that sentencing based on unconvicted—or even uncharged—conduct doesn't violate due process.
