The Law of War Was Not Designed for Trump's Bogus 'Armed Conflict' With Drug Smugglers
Instead of asking whether a particular boat attack went too far, Congress should ask how the summary execution of criminal suspects became the new normal.
Foreign Policy
No One Left Alive
Plus: Vaccine committee meets, privatizing air traffic control, the digital land as a fairy-tale realm, and more...
Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?
Plus: War crime allegations against Hegseth, Congress threatens the legal hemp industry, and reflections on the legacy of Tom Stoppard
Hegseth's Alleged Order To 'Kill Everybody' Complicates Trump's Defense of His Murderous Anti-Drug Campaign
Even if you accept the president's assertion of an "armed conflict" with drug smugglers, blowing apart survivors of a boat strike would be a war crime.
'Kill Everybody'
Plus: War with Venezuela looms, a National Guard member shot in D.C. dies, and Sean Duffy wants you to stop flying in your pajamas.
The 'Free' World Is Coming for Your Private Messages
Nobody expects China or Iran to protect privacy. But as seen in the European debate over chat control, even nominally free countries are becoming intrusive when it comes to the digital world.
This Black Friday, Thank Globalization for Affordable Gifts
Global markets make Black Friday deals and generous holiday gift-giving possible.
2 National Guardsmen Shot in D.C., Suspect in Custody
President Trump has already announced plans to deploy 500 more troops to the nation's capital.
The Pentagon and the FBI Are Investigating 6 Legislators for Exercising Their First Amendment Rights
The Trump administration is desperately trying to criminalize a video noting that service members have no obligation to follow unlawful orders.
Trump's Habitual Charges of 'Treason' Reflect His Authoritarian Impulses
The president’s reaction to a supposedly "seditious" video illustrates his tendency to portray criticism of him as a crime.
The Ukraine-Russia Deal That Wasn't
Plus: DOGE takes new form, inside a birth cult, and more...
Trump Embraces Mamdani Socialism as 'Practical'
Plus: DOGE is disbanded, Trump attempts to influence the Warner Bros. merger, and Democrats tell the military to reject illegal orders
The U.N. Has Now Held 30 Climate Change Conferences That Have Accomplished Almost Nothing
COP30 in Brazil just ended and was more of the same.
Mamdani Understands Something About Trump That European Leaders Don't
Trump respects outreach from opponents more than submissive flattery from friends.
What Would Bill Buckley Do?
The National Review founder's flexible approach to politics defined conservatism as we know it.
Trump's Tariffs Are Likely To Make Toys More Expensive This Christmas Shopping Season
In Trump's first term, he exempted many Chinese toys and household items from tariff hikes. This time, they're subject to a 30 percent import tax.
Trump Says Legislators Committed Treason by Noting That Soldiers Are Not Obligated To Obey Unlawful Orders
The president's authoritarian response to a video posted by six members of Congress, who he says "should be arrested and put on trial," validates their concerns.
Trump's Shameful Attempt to Reprise the Munich Agreement With Ukraine - and What to do About it
Trump's 28-point "peace" plan for the Russia-Ukraine War is a reprise of the 1938 Munich agreement, which dismembered Czechoslovakia for the benefit of Nazi Germany. But US and European supporters of Ukraine can do much to resist it.
Trump's Venezuela Escalation Could Destroy MAGA, Warns Rand Paul
Blowing up boats won’t stop drugs—but it could sink Trump.
Some Democrats Urge the Military To 'Refuse Illegal Orders.' What if the IRS, ATF, and EPA Did the Same?
Much of what the federal government does on a daily basis flouts constitutional protections and offends human decency.
There Is No Such Thing as Good Industrial Policy. But Republicans And Democrats Keep Trying.
Real industrial policy has been tried—in many countries, by governments of every ideology. It fails every time for the same reason.
Declassified Documents Detail the FBI's Surveillance of a Libertarian Sci-Fi Author
Vernor Vinge, who mocked the surveillance state in his writing, was investigated for alleged connections to socialist Sandinistas in Nicaragua.
Trump's Racially Discriminatory Refugee Policy
There is no non-racist justification for prioritizing white Afrikaner South Africans while closing the door to virtually all other groups.
Jeffrey Epstein's Secret Role in Washington's Middle East Diplomacy
Epstein was supposedly advising Arab countries on how to deal with America, had an audience scheduled with a Qatari prince, and close to Trump’s future ambassador to Turkey.
The New Luddites Want To Pump the Brakes on Driverless Cars
To fully realize human flourishing, America must embrace the future—not fear it.
Trump Wants Immigrants—Sometimes
The president is alarming the MAGA faithful by saying he wants more high-skilled immigration. But that doesn’t mean he’s rethinking the rest of his nativism.
The Alien Enemies Act and the Major Questions Doctrine
The Trump administration's claims that illegal migration and drug smuggling qualify as an "invasion" or a "predatory incursion" under the Alien Enemies Act go against the major questions doctrine.
Britain and Colombia Cut Off U.S. Intelligence Access Over Caribbean Boat Bombings
The two U.S. allies were OK with helping arrest suspected drug smugglers, but not with helping kill them.
The U.N. Has Been Holding Climate Conferences for 30 Years. Carbon Emissions Continue To Climb.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide and global temperatures are on the rise after 33 years of largely fruitless negotiations.
Don't Send Cubans and Venezuelans Back To Suffer Under Communism
Despite Trump promising to stand "with the good people of Cuba and Venezuela," his administration has fast-tracked deportations for victims of communism.
Trump Is Quietly Expanding the U.S. Military Role in Syria and Gaza
The U.S. government is reportedly looking to put boots on the ground in Damascus to guard the border with Israel.
Checked Out
Plus: Gender on passports, New York's gang database, SNAP fight continues, and more...
My New Article "Immigration is Not Invasion"
It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Veterans Are Suffering Because of Government Red Tape
Filmmaker Jon Shenk and former Navy SEAL Marcus Capone discuss how psychedelics are helping veterans recover from war trauma.
Massachusetts Town Votes To Boycott Any Business That 'Sustains Israel's Apartheid'
City officials should spend and invest public funds in the most prudent manner possible.
As Tariff Case Heads to the Supreme Court, Trump's Strongest Argument Has a Fatal Flaw
The International Emergency Economic Powers Act doesn't grant the president the power to regulate imports with tariffs. Even if it did, these tariffs would still be unconstitutional.
Dick Cheney, Vice President and Self-Described 'Darth Vader,' Was a Champion of the War State
The former vice president liked being compared to the supervillain as a joke. But he had seriously villainous effects on millions of people in real life.
Trump Says His 'Armed Conflict' With Drug Traffickers Does Not Involve 'Hostilities'
The government is tying itself in knots to cast murder as self-defense and avoid legal limits on the president's use of the military.
Trump's National Guard Plan Edges the U.S. Closer to a Permanent Federal Police Force
A newly revealed Pentagon directive instructs every state to train riot-control units within their National Guards—raising questions about federal overreach and the growing militarization of domestic emergencies.
According to Trump, He Has Already Saved 350,000 Lives by Murdering Suspected Drug Smugglers
There are several problems with the president's math, which suggests he has accomplished an impossible feat.
America's $30 Trillion Publicly Held Debt Is 42 Times Larger Than It Was in 1980
Democrats defend every entitlement and dream up new benefits. Republicans demand more defense spending and still more tax cuts.
These Small Business Owners Explain How Trump's Tariffs Are More of an 'Existential Crisis' Than COVID
President Donald Trump says his tariffs protect American businesses, but more than 700 small businesses represented by We Pay The Tariffs beg to differ.
Trump's 'Golden Dome' Missile Defense Could Cost $3.6 Trillion: Report
The pie-in-the-sky space system promises to be a government spending bonanza—and might be a very bad idea.
A Nostalgic Read for Foreign Policy Elites
Michael McFaul's new book feels like it was written in 2015, not 2025.
This Virginia Company Says Donald Trump's Tariffs Make 'Rational Business Planning Impossible'
Crutchfield Corporation, a Charlottesville-based and family-owned electronics retailer, has submitted an amicus brief in support of challenges to the president’s reciprocal tariffs.
Let Europe Defend Europe
Debt-ridden and challenged around the world, the U.S. should encourage Europe to defend itself.
How Stockholm Used a $3 Toll To Tame Its Traffic Congestion
Swedes initially hated the congestion pricing experiment. After they witnessed the effects, they voted to bring it back.
