Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
Defense
By Shooting Down Balloon, the Expensive, Useless F-22 Fighter Finally Won a Dogfight
After $67 billion and more than 20 years, the F-22 finally won a dogfight against an unarmed, nearly immobile opponent.
Are We Making Any Progress on Police Brutality?
Plus: The editors consider the ongoing debt ceiling drama and answer a listener question about ending the war on drugs.
If Republicans Want To Cut Spending, They Should Start With the Pentagon
Sen. Rand Paul says Republicans "have to give up the sacred cow" of military spending in order to make a deal that will address the debt ceiling and balance the budget.
The GOP's Current Plan To Cut Spending Is a Political Failure
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are still the chief drivers of our future debt. But Republicans aren't touching them.
Pentagon Can't Account for $220 Billion of Gear Given to Contractors
The actual total is probably higher according to the Government Accountability Office's new report.
Will We Get Private Flying Cars Before the Pentagon Manages To Get This New Jet Off the Ground?
A Swedish company will soon be delivering electric single-person aircraft that can take off and land vertically, which the F-35B struggles with despite billions in funding.
The GOP Split on Ukraine Aid Isn't Really About Ukraine
For most aid critics, the urge to cut off Kyiv appears unconnected to any sort of principled realism, non-interventionism, or even isolationism.
The Hidden Subtitle of the NDAA That Will Ban Basic Facts About Judges Online
No judge should have to fear for their lives as they defend the rule of law. But that doesn’t mean they can infringe on other civil liberties to protect their information.
America's Loose Ends in the Middle East
They say the U.S. is pivoting to other conflicts, but the Pentagon hasn't exactly left the Middle East and North Africa behind.
This Military Spending Bill Will Make Puerto Rico's Next Hurricane Disaster Even Worse
The maritime industry inserted some protectionism into the National Defense Authorization Act.
Why Does Funding Government Take $1.7 Trillion and 4,000 Pages?
Plus: Title 42 order termination is on hold, the FTC vs. Meta, and more...
The Annual, Depressing 'Do Your Job Week' in Congress
Plus: The editors extend the discussion on the lack of immigration reform in this week’s bill.
Biden Is Set To Sign $858 Billion Pentagon Budget—One of the Biggest Ever
Plus: North Carolina strikes down voter ID law, more turmoil at Twitter, and more...
The Space Force Is an Expensive Farce
Why does the newest branch of the U.S. military need horses?
Air Force One Cost Overruns Are a Reminder of How Expensive an Imperial Presidency Can Be
Boeing reports that the two new presidential shuttles its building will now be $2 billion over budget.
That Fuzzy Blob Is Not a UFO
Science writer Mick West examines alleged UFO sightings. He finds that they almost always have far more obvious explanations.
Jon Stewart Accuses GOP of 'Cruelty' for Wanting Minor Amendments to Pricey Veterans' Bill
Senate Republicans have raised reasonable objections that legislation covering veterans' health conditions linked to toxic burn pits will allow for more spending on unrelated items.
The U.S. Says the UAE Has 'Significant Human Rights Issues.' They Might Enter a Defense Agreement Anyway.
The Biden administration is reportedly considering a security agreement that would further intertwine the U.S. with an authoritarian, untrustworthy regime.
The Army Thinks Printers Cost Over $1 Million
Poor accounting practices mean the Department of Defense can't even tell how much money or equipment it has lost.
New York's Body Armor Ban May Be Stupidest Gun Legislation Yet
Protective devices incapable of offensive use are now unavailable for legal purchase by New Yorkers.
Biden Says the Deficit Is Falling. Actually, It's Rising.
Under Biden, Trump, and Obama, government federal spending almost doubled.
Burn Pit Bill Creates Massive, Debt-Fueled Backdoor Expansion of the V.A. Health Care System
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans wouldn't have to show any link between their service and a long list of medical conditions to obtain government-funded healthcare.
Is Russia About To Expand Its Warmongering?
Russia’s threats to reach into Transnistria could be a cheap distraction or an expansion of the conflict.
The World Is Back on a War Footing and We'll All Pay the Price
Mourn the end of a too-brief interlude of relative peace and prosperity.
The $1.7 Trillion F-35 Fighter Jet Program Is About To Get More Expensive
GAO: Congress has been buying planes that lack crucial parts and haven't undergone full testing, so costly upgrades will eventually be needed.
The Defense Budget Keeps Ballooning To Fund Fleeting U.S. Primacy
The proposed defense budget reaches $813 billion, and politicians still can’t think critically about how to spend it.
Biden Is Trying To Pass a Wealth Tax—Again. It Could Be Unconstitutional.
The president's new budget plan calls on Congress to tax wealthy Americans' unrealized capital gains.
'Fear Is the Tool of Totalitarians': Ron Paul on War, Money, and the Libertarian Moment
The former Texas congressman and presidential candidate says his goal was to get people to think about freedom.
Biden Has His Eye on Bitcoin
The president's anticipated executive order stopped short of feared regulations but suggests federal unease with uncontrolled development.
More Defense Spending Does Not Equal More Safety
Congress continues to allocate funds to produce weapons that the Pentagon itself says it doesn't need.
Ukraine Can't Defend Its Freedom With an Army of Conscripts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has barred men aged 18-60 from leaving the country.
The Stossel State of the Union
"If I do my job right, you should barely know I'm here."
There Are Few Good Options in Ukraine Crisis
Western governments made promises they didn’t keep and offered assurances they can’t fulfill.
The Government's Coronavirus Response Was a Complete Failure. Who Will Be Held Accountable?
From the CDC to the FDA, there are too many missteps to list.
Public Confidence in the Military Is Slipping
The drop in public trust has finally come for the Pentagon too.
A Skeptical Public May Stop War With Russia
After disappointment in Afghanistan, Americans show no eagerness for a new conflict.
Congress Spends More on Defense Than the Next 10 Countries Combined
We can't afford to keep funding defense contractors' cost overruns.
Dump the Draft Forever Instead of Making Women Register
Why is registration for involuntary servitude still a thing?
House Votes To Make Your Daughters Eligible for the Military Draft
With minimal debate, Selective Service was doubled in a "must-pass" $778 billion defense bill.
Could the CIA and FBI Have Stopped 9/11?
We may have misinterpreted 9/11 as a harbinger, when it was really just an outlier.
9/11's Lesson: War Doesn't Work
Historian Stephen Wertheim says two decades of failed wars have finally made America more likely to embrace military restraint.
Don't Ask U.S. Troops To Solve Haiti's Problems
It’s unclear what a military intervention could even accomplish.
The Publication of the Pentagon Papers Still Sets an Example 50 Years Later
Whistleblowers and publishers are crucial for keeping government officials reasonably honest.
America Is Back to Bombing Syria
Plus: Remembering Steve Horwitz, Oregonians can temporarily pump their own gas, and more...
On Memorial Day, Remember Skepticism Toward a Large, Standing Military
Thank the troops, but question the uses to which they’re put.
Does America Need To Be Involved in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict?
Neither side needs military aid funded by U.S. taxpayers.
Reckless Foreign Policy Gives the U.S. a Bad Reputation
A significant portion of the world views the U.S. as a threat to democracy in their home countries.
