On America's 250th Birthday, the United States Arms the World's Tyrannies
On a Fourth of July, John Quincy Adams warned against the foreign policy that his successors would later adopt.
Defense Spending
America Spent a Fortune Shooting Down Cheap Drones. Now the Missile Stores Are Bare.
After burning through interceptors in the Iran war, the U.S. faces a dire math problem: Enemies can build drones faster than America can build missiles.
Is Europe Finally Taking Responsibility for Its Own Defense?
The annual G7 summit comes at a pivotal time in U.S.-European relations, as the continent grapples with an American foreign policy that demands greater European autonomy.
Even an AI-Sparked Economic Miracle Will Not Save the Federal Budget
Congress cannot sit by and hope for AI to fix the deficit.
The Debate Over Israel Aid Is Coming. Congress Wants To Future-Proof the Relationship First.
The Israeli government is willing to phase out U.S. financial grants. But Mike Rogers and Tom Cotton want to lock in other forms of aid—without a debate in Congress.
Trump's Self-Promotion Is Always Shameless and Sometimes Illegal
The president tramples the rule of law in his rush to glorify himself.
Why Has Trump Stopped Selling Weapons to Taiwan?
The administration is avoiding conflict with China to focus on war in the Middle East. Taiwan’s democracy hangs in the balance.
Review: A Sci-Fi War Movie About the Pentagon's Inscrutable Budget
The Pentagon's budget is so vast that a soldier believes the extraterrestrial machine shooting lasers at them might be taxpayer–funded.
It's Not Just ICE Stockpiling Weapons—the IRS, EPA, and Other Feds Are Arming Up Too
An armed IRS agent roaming the streets should send shivers down the spine of any freedom-loving American.
Trump's 'Golden Dome' Estimated To Cost $1.2 Trillion, New Report Reveals
The project’s critics have compared it to Reagan’s failed “Star Wars” initiative.
Pete Hegseth Can't Explain Why America Needs a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget
Sen. Mark Kelly says it "feels like that number was just kind of pulled out of thin air."
How Much Has the Iran War Actually Cost? A Lot More Than $25 Billion.
Direct military costs have exceeded $70 billion by one estimate, and Americans have paid more than $37 billion in higher energy costs since the war began.
Led by Republicans, Americans' Support for NATO Fades
Has the Cold War-era military alliance outlived its usefulness?
Operation Eternal Darkness Threatens Iran Ceasefire Deal
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi play a little war vs. music game before they go back over COVID craziness and the joys of Pokémon.
Trump's New Budget—Which Proposes $1.5 Trillion for Defense—Is Unserious. You Should Still Take It Seriously.
It would be easy to wave it away and move on. But that's how the U.S. got in such a dire fiscal situation.
'Every Bridge in Iran Will Be Decimated'
Plus: Artemis astronauts set record, D.C.'s terrible electricity policy, Ye returns, and more...
Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All.
Trump's Call for a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Is Irresponsible, Wasteful, and Unrealistic
The proposal is "an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars and would make Americans less, not more, safe." Thankfully, Congress is unlikely to adopt it.
How Will Congress Fund a $300 Billion War With Iran?
Lawmakers used to offset its emergency spending. They don't anymore.
'What Are the Goals?' Some Republicans Questioning $200 Billion for Iran War.
With the Pentagon's track record, lawmakers are right to be skeptical.
$200 Billion War?
Plus: boots on the ground, The Bachelorette cancels season, Meta reverses itself on virtual reality, and more...
War Rations
Plus: Pete Hegseth spends millions on lobster tail and rib-eye steak, oil prices go for another roller-coaster ride, no inflation increase, and more...
Alienated by Trump, Europeans Finally Take Responsibility for Defense
Spurred by a hostile U.S. president, Europe struggles against stagnant economies to rearm.
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”
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.
