Psychic Soldiers, Mind Readers, and Dolphin Drones: The Cold War's Weird Paranormal History
How Soviet séances and CIA remote viewers sparked a decades-long arms race no one was supposed to know about
Military
The Least Surprising Headline Ever: 'Blowing Up Boats Hasn't Slowed Cocaine Traffic to U.S.'
After nine months of murdering suspected cocaine smugglers, the Trump administration has no evidence that the strategy is working as advertised.
A 'More Decisive' Response
Plus: when the city government starts covering Ozempic, Jill Biden's lies, and more...
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.
How to Make Sure AI Doesn't Spy on Us or Kill Innocent People
If we want powerful AI systems to respect liberty, now is the time to train them to be more libertarian.
The Foreign-Born Heroes Who Chose America
Immigrants have fought for America's founding promise because they understood it, not because they inherited it.
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.
The New York Times Sues Pentagon Over 'Retaliatory' Escort Requirement
The Pentagon instituted its new press rules in the fall, prompting a months-long legal battle over the First Amendment.
The U.S. Government's Shifting Excuses for Bombing a School in Iran
The Trump administration has come up with contradictory reasons to avoid admitting to an obvious, terrible mistake.
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."
New Attacks in Hormuz
Plus: a different type of pizzagate, Kevin Warsh as the new Jerome Powell, and more...
Hantavirus Fear Comes to the Remotest Islands in the World
Tristan da Cunha and Pitcairn Island are nearly impossible to get to. Somehow, hantavirus-exposed travelers ended up on both.
Even Dictatorships Don't Fight Wars This Way
The American public never got a satisfying explanation for why Trump attacked Iran in the first place.
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.
D.C. Circuit Seems Disinclined To Let Pete Hegseth Punish a Senator for His Speech
The defense secretary argues that military retirees like Sen. Mark Kelly are not allowed to say things he unilaterally deems "prejudicial to good order and discipline."
Just Don't Call It a War
Plus: AOC says you can't earn a billion dollars, Mythos, hantavirus, and more...
Can We Ever Trust the Government To Be Honest About War?
Trump joins a long line of presidents unwilling to be transparent about the causes and goals of their adventurism abroad.
Project Freedom
Plus: Rudy Giuliani hospitalized, rules relaxed for foreign physicians, cities without children, and more...
AI Companies Learn the Word No
Some of the people building AI have started acting like it might be dangerous.
Is Ukraine Helping Al Qaeda Conquer West Africa?
The proliferation of drones to Malian rebels is a bizarre, unexpected form of blowback.
Allowing Censorship of Military Retirees Like Sen. Mark Kelly Would Set a Chilling and Dangerous Precedent
To justify punishing a legislator for his speech, a FIRE brief notes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth relies on a Supreme Court precedent that is clearly inapposite.
'Shoot and Kill'
Plus: California fails to unmask ICE agents, the illogic of medical-only marijuana rescheduling, driverless cars in D.C., and more...
This Big Tech Firm Wants To Reinstate the Draft
A look at Palantir’s bootlicking new manifesto.
Pete Hegseth Wants the D.C. Circuit To Let Him Punish a Senator for Criticizing Him
The defense secretary's asserted authority to control the speech of retired military officers "would chill public participation by veterans," a brief supporting Mark Kelly warns.
Trump's Iran Deal Looks a Lot Like the Previous Ones He Hated
What exactly was the point of killing thousands of people and destroying the world economy?
The U.S. Military Has Finally Left Syria
After considering a permanent U.S. presence, the Trump administration instead evacuated American troops once and for all.
Another Drug Boat Bombing
Plus: The U.S. blockade widens, Los Angeles teachers get a pay bump, the sunny side of a treeless national mall, and more...
Trump Responds to Iranian Blockade of Strait of Hormuz By Blockading It
After walking out of peace talks in Pakistan, the U.S. and Iran are now playing a game of chicken.
FBI Goes After Whistleblower Who Helped Unmask the 'Fort Bragg Cartel'
The feds have arrested an Army staffer who spoke to a journalist for a book about special operations. The journalist says it's retaliation for exposing corruption.
Active Military Spouse Faces Removal Proceedings
The newlywed couple thought they were doing “everything the right way” by reporting to the base to start their lives together.
Trump Is Openly Targeting Innocent Civilians
He's using tools that were advertised as humane, but he isn't hiding the cruelty involved.
'I Am Blowing Up Everything'
Plus: There is no exit strategy in Iran, Artemis II approaches the Moon, federal taxpayers get to beautify D.C., and more...
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.
War and/or Peace
Plus: back to the moon, one year since "Liberation Day," birthright citizenship at the Supreme Court, Jonathan lives, and more...
The Islanders Expelled To Build the West's Middle East Fortress
The British Empire evacuated the Chagos Islands to build a military base, which the U.S. is using in the Iran War. Now, a court ruling is giving the original owners hope of going home.
Inside the U.S. Military Buildup in Israel
Iran has reportedly made U.S. bases in Arab countries “uninhabitable.” Israel is pitching itself as an alternative.
Trump's 'Military Operation' Wordplay Can't Hide Iran War
A war by any other name must still be authorized by Congress.
Government Actions Against Anthropic Are 'Classic First Amendment Retaliation'
Plus: the Facebook verdicts, porn star chatbots, facial recognition gone awry, drag queen regulation, and more…
Trump's War in Iran Risks Ruining His Entire Foreign Policy
The president’s attempt to manage the consequences of the war is adding wrinkles to his diplomatic goals in Ukraine, China, and other countries.
10 Boats, 10,000 Troops
Plus: a pause on power plant bombing, an executive order to fund the TSA, a tentative plan to end the DHS shutdown, and more…
'What Are the Goals?' Some Republicans Questioning $200 Billion for Iran War.
With the Pentagon's track record, lawmakers are right to be skeptical.
Same Lies, New War: Trump and the Iraq Playbook
Unfortunately, Trump's war in Iran is every bit as shortsighted—and illegal—as the one in Iraq that he once called "a big, fat mistake."
$200 Billion War?
Plus: boots on the ground, The Bachelorette cancels season, Meta reverses itself on virtual reality, and more...
