Kenosha Legalizes Backyard Chickens—With Plenty of Red Tape
Backyard chickens are slowly making headway, but not without tradeoffs.
Animals
Come Next Thanksgiving, We Might Be Giving Thanks for Government-Approved, Lab-Grown Turkey
Regulators are beginning to smile on the sci-fi project of creating real meat products without the typical death and environmental destruction.
There's No Constitutional Right To Own a Pit Bull, Federal Court Says
Plus: A flawed study on marijuana risks, the collapsing publishing-house merger, and more...
Farm Subsidies and Food Stamps Won't Fix High Grocery Prices. Innovation Will.
With government meddling, many farmers end up doing less with more, and people end up paying more for less.
This Court Case Could Make It a Crime To Be a Journalist in Texas
Priscilla Villarreal found herself in a jail cell for publishing two routine stories. A federal court still can't decide what to do about that.
1st Amendment Protects Activist Recordings of Factory Farms, Rules Federal Judge
While animal-rights activists still risk trespassing charges, the state of Iowa cannot make it illegal to record while trespassing on private property.
Counting Neurons and the Moral Standing of People vs. Animals
Total human neurons outweigh all farmed animals by a factor of 30–1.
Detroit Police Shot a Woman's Dog and Allegedly Dumped It in Garbage Can
Tiffany Lindsay wants answers and an apology after her neighbors discovered her dead dog, shot the night before by Detroit police, in their garbage can.
Government Goons Murder Internet-Famous Walrus
The Norwegian government euthanized Freya the walrus on Sunday, citing safety concerns for the crowds that gathered to watch her sunbathe.
A 25-Year Prison Sentence for Beating Up a Dog Is Not Justice
Frank Javier Fonseca's punishment, which may amount to a life sentence, is a microcosm for many of the issues with the U.S. criminal legal system.
The Case for Tradeable Permits in Dead Birds
A push toward wind energy threatens to kill more eagles. Markets can help.
California Environmentalists: Bees Are Now Fish
The state's Endangered Species Act doesn't protect insects, so environmentalists and government officials intent on helping bees had to get creative.
Public Health Officials Who Didn't Stop Global Monkeypox Outbreak Now Say the Name Is Problematic
The WHO said it will rename the virus after researchers complained that the current name is "stigmatizing" and "discriminatory."
California Court Rules That Bees Are Fish
Insects aren't a category protected by the California Endangered Species Act. So state officials classified four bumblebee species as fish to get them listed.
Are Elephants People? New York's Highest Court Hears Case for Animal Personhood
Plus: School voucher program survives lawsuit, Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula, and more...
Animal Rights Group Targets NBA Team Owner by Trying To Out-PETA PETA
DxE's dumb stunts threaten to overshadow their investigatory work.
California City Says It Can't Allow Duplexes Because It's Already Overrun by Mountain Lions
"Every house that's built is one more acre taken away from (mountain lions') habitat. Where are they going to go?" asks Woodside Mayor Dick Brown.
Leave Goat Yoga Alone!
"We can't even do the things we want to on our own property that aren't even hurting anyone."
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences (Vol. 5)
Good intentions, bad results.
Genetically Modified Pig Heart Successfully Transplanted Into a Patient
One step closer to solving the organ shortage crisis?
Crashing Through the Snow: The Grim Sarcasm Behind 'Jingle Bells'
Thanks to technological progress, cars are much safer than one-horse open sleighs.
Prisoners Sue Virginia Department of Corrections Over Canine Attacks
If police dogs assault innocent people at their handlers’ direction, it’s usually treated as the victim’s fault.
U.S. Space Force Finds 30 Kilos of Cocaine While Looking for Sea Turtles
The drug bust blurs the line between military operations and civilian law enforcement.
Prevent Human Epidemics by Infecting Wild Animals With Self-Disseminating Vaccines
The upsides and the possible downsides of transmissible vaccines .
Michigan Farmer Rescued Injured Animals Without the Proper Permits. State Officials Have Charged Her With a Misdemeanor and Euthanized the Animals.
State officials euthanized six of Julie Hall's animals, including Sassy, a blind raccoon, and Po, a one-legged crow.
Airlines Can Treat Emotional Support Critters Like Pets Instead of Service Animals
Plus: No Section 230 repeal in defense bill, Pelosi nixes Amash amendment on cannabis bill, New Mexico teen sues over wrongful arrest, and more...
California Killed 1.2 Million Birds To Stop a Virus. Pet Owners Say They Were Terrorized.
The euthanasia campaign may be necessary to prevent the spread of the Newcastle disease, but bird owners say that it's being carried out in a cruel manner.
Fed Scientists Filmed Themselves Giving Monkeys Brain Damage. A Watchdog Group Wants the Footage.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health reportedly damaged monkeys' brains with acid before showing them pictures of fruit.
Louisiana Alligator Farmers and Malibu Fashion Retailers Team Up
As California moves to ban the sale of alligator products, alligator farmers and fashionistas are joining forces.
Puppies and Kittens Trump the Constitution
The new federal ban on animal cruelty converts the Commerce Clause into a general police power.
Congress Tortures the Constitution To Obtain Permission for a Federal Animal Cruelty Law
Where does Congress get the authority to redundantly criminalize abuse of mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles?
Man Fights City Hall for Ability To Keep 'Emotional Support' Pigs
Larry Johnson's pet pigs have run afoul of Minneapolis' ban on city swine.
New Endangered Species Policy Will Protect Both Property Rights and Rare Frogs
There’s no need to pit property owners against imperiled species.
No Jail Time for 79-Year-Old Woman Who Fed Stray Cats
But Nancy Segula will still need to rein in her "compassion for cats."
A 79-Year-Old Woman Receives a Jail Sentence for Feeding Stray Cats
"I'm an animal lover, and I feel guilty that they're wandering around out there and they have nothing to eat."
You Can Get a Year in Jail for Feeding Garbage to a Pig
Attorney Mike Chase, behind the popular @CrimeADay Twitter feed, talks about his new book, How to Become a Federal Criminal.
You Can Get 5 Years in Prison for Selling Llama Poop, and Other Ludicrous Laws
Mike Chase, the man behind the popular @CrimeADay Twitter feed, on his new book, How to Become a Federal Criminal
The Feds Have Been Warehousing Wild Horses in Efforts to Preserve Them
A wild-animal preservation program has become a scheme for corralling captive beasts that bother cattle ranchers.
Leaked U.N. Report Says a Million Species Are at Risk of Extinction
Such predictions were wrong half a century ago, and this one is likely mistaken too.
Press Parrots Police Talking Points on Arrest of Alleged Drug Dealers' Bird
It's fair to take the cops' account with a grain of salt.
Prosecutors Charge Man for Abandoning Pet Fish Before Realizing That Isn't Illegal
Common sense wins out...sort of.
Government Agrees to Stop Feeding Research Kittens Parasite-Infected Meat, Other Kittens
The Agricultural Research Service announced that it would no longer be using cats for research purposes.
Alaskan Officials Evict General Store's Beloved Cat from Home of 6 Years
The 12-year-old cat couldn't live out the rest of her days in peace.
Virginia's Fairfax County Has Finally Decriminalized Keeping Hedgehogs as Pets
It's now legal to own one of the spiky creatures.
Florida Bans Greyhound Racing After State Law Kept It Going for Years
It would have been better to let the sport fail on its own.