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”
Defense Spending
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.
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.
The U.S. Military Is Helping Arab Dictatorships Run Psyops
The Pentagon spends a lot of taxpayer money on propaganda worldwide. Some of it is coordinated with Middle Eastern dictators, The Washington Post revealed.
The Government Was Lying to You About Afghanistan. Dan Krauss Has the Receipts.
Reason is sharing an exclusive clip from Bodyguard of Lies, an upcoming documentary about the failed war in Afghanistan.
The GAIN AI Act Looks More Like Protectionism Than National Security
Tucked into the defense bill, the GAIN AI Act would force Nvidia and other firms to prioritize domestic sales at the cost of global competitiveness.
Inside Jeffrey Epstein's Spy Industry Connections
Leaked emails show Epstein’s attempts to dabble in security tech—across borders—in the last years of his life.
$500 Million To Paint the Border Wall? 5 of Trump's Strangest, Most Expensive Vanity Projects
Donald Trump is no stranger to wasteful spending. But these examples are especially egregious.
America's Reliance on Boeing Is a National Security Liability
With over 3,200 workers off the job, the military’s reliance on one politically connected contractor threatens innovation, accountability, and national security.
Pentagon Awards up to $200 Million to AI Companies Whose Models Are Rife With Ideological Bias
The Department of Defense awarded contracts to Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI. The last two are particularly concerning.
Superman Is About the Anti-War Vibe Shift
Supervillains used to be foreign enemies. Now the villain is a defense contractor who wants to start a regime change war.
3 of the Worst Examples of Military Spending in the 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
It spends $34 billion to subsidize shipbuilding, supply chains, and drone technology.
Taxpayers Are Supposed To Shell Out $150 Million for Next Year's July 4th Celebrations
Yet another wasteful expense in the "big, beautiful bill."
The F-35 Ages Worse Than the Planes It's Meant To Replace
House Republicans' budget would spend billions of dollars on the F-35's successor before the current model is even up to par.
Parades Are Great, but We Shouldn't Venerate the Military
America’s founders were deeply suspicious of a standing army.
Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' Military Parade Is a Big, Ugly Waste of Millions of Dollars
Most Americans, it turns out, do not think it is a good use of taxpayer money, according to a recent poll.
Ukraine's Drones Just Took Down a Chunk of Russia's Bomber Fleet. What Does That Mean for America?
When anyone can have an air force, superpowers aren't as powerful as they used to be.
David Stockman: Trump Is a 'Faker' on the Debt
Reagan's budget chief warns that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could balloon the national debt to $60 trillion, risking a catastrophic bond market crisis.
The Pentagon Is Getting $150 Billion From the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Giving the Defense Department even more taxpayer money is a recipe for waste, not security.
In Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise Does What the U.S. Government Can't
To protect America, maybe what we really need to fund is more Tom Cruise.
Trump's New Budget Is Another Blueprint for Big Spending
We don't need more of the same. We need evidence of a serious turnaround.
Trump Wants To Increase Military Spending by $113 Billion
The president wants to develop the F-47 fighter jet 60 years before the F-35 is scheduled to retire.
U.S. Navy Accidentally Throws $64 Million Jet Overboard Off the Coast of Yemen
Washington is dumping valuable resources—literally—into a Middle Eastern war of choice.
Why Trump's China Tariffs Won't Work
Plus: A listener asks whether or not Thomas Jefferson was right.
Trump Thinks the Feds Can Fix America's Critical Mineral Supply Chain
Invoking the Defense Production Act won't boost the supply of critical minerals.
Allies Cancel Orders of F-35s, the Fighter Jets That Will Cost $2 Trillion
The U.S., in turn, should cancel the F-35 program altogether.
How Pokémon Helps Explain DOGE
Musk's fans and critics will keep debating whether DOGE is revolutionizing government or wrecking important institutions.
If You Want To Cut Government Spending, You Can't Ignore the Pentagon
Since Congress began requiring annual audits in 2018, the Department of Defense has never passed.
Congress and DOGE Can Find Spending Cuts at the Department of Defense
The U.S. can defend itself at a lot less expense.
The Bipartisan War on Elbridge Colby
Hawks from both major parties lashed out at the confirmation hearing for Trump’s nominee for top military strategist.
Meaningful Pentagon Cuts Will Require Rethinking What 'Defense' Means
If Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is serious about reducing military spending, he will need to embrace a narrower understanding of national security.
Cutting 8 Percent
Plus: Border update, a shift in U.S. policy on Taiwan (Beijing is pissed), and more...
U.S. Tells Europe To Handle Its Own Defense
The U.S. is no longer willing to subsidize prosperous countries that won’t defend themselves.
Elon Musk's 'Proof' of Government Waste Is in the Pudding
Is the fraud in the room with us right now? Yes.
The DOGE Bait and Switch
The pretend department’s downgraded mission reflects the gap between Trump’s promise of "smaller government" and the reality of what can be achieved without new legislation.
Washington's Debt Delusion: Economic Growth Cannot Fix the Deficit
Republicans are betting trillions on the hope that the economy will grow fast enough to cover their deficit spree.
America Is Going Broke. Will the Department of Government Efficiency Help?
Eliminating the deficit requires cutting the biggest spending—defense, Medicare, Social Security. So far, Trump says he won't touch those.
The Best of Reason: The Pentagon Keeps Losing Equipment and Buying Stuff It Doesn't Need
How the U.S. military busts its budget on wasteful, careless, and unnecessary "self-licking ice cream cones."
The Pentagon Keeps Losing Equipment and Buying Stuff It Doesn't Need
How the U.S. military busts its budget on wasteful, careless, and unnecessary 'self-licking ice cream cones.'
Congress Is Fiscally Reckless. Will Lawmakers Step Up?
Trump is talking about cutting government spending, but that's mostly in Congress' hands.
Belated Loosening of Restrictions on Ukraine Leaves World Stumbling Towards Greater Danger
Ukrainians may be too exhausted to benefit from the new rules.
Pentagon Fails 7th Audit in a Row but Hopes To Pass by 2028
Congress required all federal agencies to submit annual financial reports in 1990. The Pentagon finally got around to complying in 2018, and it still hasn't passed an audit.
Trump Has No Discernible Interest in Fiscal Responsibility
The president-elect’s record and campaign positions belie Elon Musk’s talk of spending cuts.
How Donald Trump and Elon Musk Could Cut $2 Trillion in Government Spending
If Musk is truly serious about fiscal discipline, he'll advise the president-elect to eschew many of the policies he promised on the campaign trail.
Who Are Langley's Favorite Candidates?
Campaign finance records reveal what the community at the heart of U.S. national security policy thinks about outside politics.
Pentagon Paid Nearly 8,000 Percent Markup on Boeing's Bathroom Soap Dispenser
The Air Force paid nearly $150,000 above market value for airplane bathroom fixtures, a Department of Defense watchdog found.
A Year of War in the Middle East Cost Americans Nearly $23 Billion
U.S. taxpayers are underwriting wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq.
Take Two
Plus: The Senate wrestles with IVF funding, a dictator dies, and SpaceX passengers conduct the first-ever private spacewalk.
