Trump's Bluff to Iran Didn't Work
After trying to open the Strait of Hormuz by force, the U.S. is ready to accept an Iranian proposal it had rejected.
Foreign Policy
Damned if You Do
Plus: Ella Emhoff's SSRIs, measuring childhood independence, the hantavirus cruise ship, 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.
Congress Gave Away Its Authority To Declare War and Enabled Trump's Iran War
Congress hasn't voted to declare war since 1942, yet the legislative branch constantly refuses to rein in presidents.
Why Do Big City Democrats Keep Electing Socialists?
Plus: Trump announces “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz, King Charles visits the U.S., and a listener asks why voters keep rewarding bad politicians.
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.
Civilians Across the Middle East React to the Iran War: 'A Fear That Settles in Your Heart'
"Now they are hitting everything. Nowhere is safe. But don't worry, we are okay," one Iranian woman texted her American relative.
A Pointless War: How Iran Hawks Finally Got Their Way
President Donald Trump and his predecessors spent decades putting the U.S. on a path toward war against Iran.
Trump Had 60 Days To End the Iran War. Instead, He's Just Pretending It's Over.
Legally, Trump must either cease operations or ask Congress for approval. He did neither, and Congress just went on recess.
How High
Plus: FISA reauthorization passes the House, a very capitalist museum, escalation in the redistricting wars, and more...
Is Ukraine Helping Al Qaeda Conquer West Africa?
The proliferation of drones to Malian rebels is a bizarre, unexpected form of blowback.
Trump's Shameful Effort to Deport Russian Dissenters Fleeing Putin
The administration seeks to deport them back to Russia, in spite of overwhelming, moral, legal, and strategic reasons not to do so.
War Hawks' 'Credibility' Obsession Makes America Less Credible
Trump is making the same mistakes Nixon did, doubling down on pointless threats to save face.
The Shooter's Manifesto Was Uncomfortably Normal
Plus: Mamdani’s city-run grocery plan, the Trump administration considers a Spirit Airlines bailout, and Iran peace talks drift without a clear endgame
Long Before the Canal, Global Trade Built Panama City
The narrow geography of the 50-mile Central American isthmus made it an obvious choice for trade routes between the Atlantic and Pacific.
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...
The Trump Administration Might Send Afghan Refugees to Danger in Congo
About 1,100 Afghans currently stranded at a military base in Qatar could be relocated to the crisis-addled African country.
Rubio Falsely Accuses Iranian Exiles of Being Soleimani's Nieces
The State Department and ICE claimed to have caught Islamic Republic nepo babies “enjoying a lavish lifestyle.” Instead, they tore apart an innocent family.
Globalization Made Howard Lutnick a Billionaire. Now He's Railing Against It as Trump's Commerce Chief.
Globalization helped make everyone else much richer, too.
How the Media Failed American Foreign Policy
America is a global empire that needs information about itself in order to function.
Neither War nor Peace With Iran
The Trump administration is stuck in a standoff that is unstable and damaging to the entire world.
Led by Republicans, Americans' Support for NATO Fades
Has the Cold War-era military alliance outlived its usefulness?
The Trump Administration Is Worried About High Fertilizer Prices. Its Top Trade Official Lobbied for Them.
Before joining the Trump administration last year, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer lobbied for tariffs that limited fertilizer imports and drove up prices for American farmers.
Kodak Invented This Film for World War II Spy Planes. Then It Became Art.
Aerochrome photography is a beautiful example of a warlike technology being turned toward peaceful ends.
Can New York Survive Mamdani's Tax Plan?
Plus: Trump orders psychedelic drug research, Palantir calls for national service, and confusion surrounds Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
This Big Tech Firm Wants To Reinstate the Draft
A look at Palantir’s bootlicking new manifesto.
Woodrow Wilson's War at Home
Silencing "Fighting Bob" details how the government targeted anti-war critics like Sen. Robert La Follette.
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.
Trump Ended Free Trade for Mexican Tomatoes. Prices Are Up 23 Percent in the Last Year.
America gets 90 percent of its fresh tomatoes from Mexico, and those imports were tariff-free until last year.
Despite Trump's Promises and Rodríguez's Amnesty Law, Hundreds of Venezuelan Dissidents Are Still Behind Bars
Courts are blocking amnesty applications for Venezuelan dissidents with no explanation and no appeal deadline.
Pete Hegseth's Pulp Fiction Prayer Isn't the First Time He's Used Religion To Justify Illegal War in Iran
From the war to its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is expanding the power of the state under the guise of religion.
Congress Declines Again To Rein in Trump's Iran War
Republicans can’t decide whether the war is too early to stop, too late to stop, or nonexistent in the first place.
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...
When the U.S. Censored a Movie About the American Revolution and Imprisoned Its Producer
Remembering the infuriating case of United States v. “The Spirit of ’76.”
Trump's Illegal War in Iran Is Financed by Your Taxes. That's a Good Reason To Stop Paying Them.
If Congress will not deploy the power of the purse to restrain a lawless administration and an illegal war, then it falls to the public to do so.
How the Iran War Could Backfire
Emma Ashford discusses Trump’s incoherent Iran strategy, the failures of post–Cold War foreign policy, and why a multipolar world limits American power.
Trump's Reaction to the Jesus Flap Compounds Concerns About His Mental Acuity
The president claims he was oblivious to the picture's blasphemous implications, which is troubling if true.
Is the War in Iran Totally Pointless?
Plus: Viktor Orbán loses in Hungary, Kamala Harris and Eric Swalwell raise questions about Democratic candidate quality, and Anthropic’s newest AI model is too dangerous to release
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.
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.
The White House Ballroom's Imported Steel Shows How Tariffs Encourage Cronyism
Any time government has greater control over commerce, there is an increased incentive to buy off officials or lobby for special treatment.
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.
