The New Republican Budget Plan Is Unserious
It tries to offset as much as $4.8 trillion—mostly for tax cut extensions—with only $1.5 trillion in supposed spending reductions.
Health
When COVID Authoritarianism Met Border Authoritarianism
All 194 countries in the World Health Organization imposed COVID travel restrictions. The authors of When the World Closed Its Doors argue it was a failure.
Gambling Addiction Isn't Surging
A new study claims addiction is on the rise because internet searches for gambling terms are increasing.
Argentina To Revoke All Medical Marijuana Cultivation Permits
As part of a broader policy shift, the government plans to "start from scratch" regarding the permits.
The Grassroots Campaign To Save a Man From Court-Ordered Shock Therapy
Despite severe risks and without a crime committed, a Minnesota judge authorized doctors to forcibly administer electroconvulsive therapy—while barring key witnesses from the hearing.
DOGE Is Good. It's Not Enough.
Even if the Department of Government Efficiency eliminates all improper payments and fraud, we'll still be facing a debt explosion—which requires structural reform.
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.
Will Trump and the New GOP Congress Get to the Bottom of COVID-19's Origin?
It's a good sign that the president is calling on critics of the federal government's lack of transparency to staff his administration.
Louisiana's Puzzling Prosecution of a New York Abortion Doctor
Prosecutors claim the case is about coercion. So why isn’t that the charge they are bringing?
Is the HALT Fentanyl Act Delusional or Just Performance Art?
The bill would permanently schedule fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs—and impede therapeutic research.
Wasteful FEMA Spending Topped $9 Billion During the Pandemic
One grant for $1.1 billion was supported by one sheet of paper and didn’t include itemized costs for the project.
USAID-Funded Pandemic Research Failed To Spot COVID or Ensure Chinese Transparency
There remains many open questions about whether the agency's funding played a role in the creation of COVID-19 in a Wuhan laboratory.
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.
Years After the Pandemic, the Lowest-Performing Students Are Still Significantly Behind
New scores from the Nation's Report Card test reveal continued declines for already struggling students.
An Unprecedented 22 Percent Drop in Drug Deaths Does Not Mean Prohibition Is Finally Working
Drug warriors deserve blame rather than credit for their role in recent overdose trends.
The White House's 'Feverish Dream' About $50 Million for Condoms in Gaza
The Trump administration made an extreme claim about wasteful foreign aid that just wasn't true.
No More Government Assistance
Plus: RFK Jr.'s plan to squash Big Pharma, J.D. Vance vs. the bishops, and more...
Trump Reportedly Preparing an Executive Order Banning Federal Funding of Gain-of-Function Research
The past three administrations have tried to limit gain-of-function research. The second Trump administration might be the first one to be successful at doing so.
Study Finds Almost No Good Evidence on Gender Dysphoria Drugs for Young People
Two new meta-analyses make a case for individualistic approaches to puberty blockers and hormone treatments, driven by patients, parents, and doctors rather than the state.
Many Workers Don't Want To Return to the Office. That Could Help Shrink the Government.
Remote work is a plus for many people and businesses, but that’s not necessarily true of D.C.
Hospital Staff Failed To Treat Her Miscarriage, Then Accused Her of a Crime
A new lawsuit alleges that, after failing to treat a placental abruption, medical staff conspired to have Brittany Watts arrested for her miscarriage.
The FDA Proposes a De Facto Cigarette Ban, Which Would Expand the Disastrous War on Drugs
Mandating negligible nicotine levels in tobacco products would create a big black market and criminalize currently legal transactions.
The Way Out of Our Inflation Mess
For all the excitement about the incoming administration and a return to the 2019 economy, market stability rests on the precarious assumption that the government will eventually put its fiscal house in order.
A Scary Government Report Implies That Moderate Drinking Is Manifestly Reckless
The focus on the health risks of alcohol consumption gives short shrift to the reasons people like to drink.
Be Skeptical of 'Beneficially Coercive' New Rules for Booze
A New York Times essay helps illustrate why the surgeon general's new report on alcohol and cancer leaves out crucial context and nuance.
41 Percent of Chicago Teachers Were Chronically Absent Last Year, Report Finds
The problem is likely widespread across the country.
Supreme Court Denies Certiorari for Braidwood Nondelegation Claim
The Court will only consider one of the issues in Braidwood Management v. Becerra
Another Study on Flavored Vaping Products the FDA Can Ignore
Evidence continues to accumulate that non-tobacco-flavored vaping products can help reduce or discourage smoking.
Supreme Court Grants Certiorari in Becerra v. Braidwood Management
Another significant administrative law grant of certiorari (and a dog that didn't bark).
Girls May Have Been Hit Hardest by Pandemic Learning Loss
New research indicates that, particularly in math, girls' test scores plummeted when compared to boys.
Will 2025 Be the Year of U.S. Fiscal Sanity?
With inflation risks persisting and entitlement spending surging, the situation cannot be ignored. But we never should have gotten to this point to begin with.
Why We Are Still Arguing About the Health Effects of Moderate Drinking
The evidence is vast but open to interpretation because observational studies are inherently ambiguous.
5th Circuit Reaffirms That Prosecuting a Marijuana User for Illegal Gun Possession Was Unconstitutional
Patrick Darnell Daniels Jr. was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for violating a federal law that bars drug users from owning firearms.
Surgeon General Gins Up a Questionable Drinking Causes Cancer Scare
Stealth alcohol prohibition in the guise of an anti-cancer campaign.
Corpse President Says Companies Can't Do What They Want
Plus: Subway system crime by the numbers, Bernie Sanders' H-1B visa hate, surgeon general still stupid, and more...
Weak Allegations of Shaken Baby Syndrome Keep Tearing Families Apart
Nick Flannery faces 12 years in prison for allegedly shaking his 2-month-old son. Child protective services are ignoring the other possible causes of his son's medical problem.
Medical Marijuana Legalization Takes Effect in Nebraska After Lawsuit Dismissal
Voters overwhelmingly favored the new policy, which a former state legislator unsuccessfully tried to block.
Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Overall Mortality Rate, Says National Academy of Sciences
So let's all enjoy a moderate toast to a Happy New Year!
Could the FDA's Approach to Vaping Cause an Increase in Smoking?
A growing body of evidence suggests bans on flavored vaping products will result in more young people smoking, but the FDA does not seem to care.
Hypocrisy on Bodily Autonomy at the DEA
Trump’s pick for federal drug enforcement was ousted for not respecting personal freedom. Too bad that that’s a job requirement.
The Government Took a Developer's Land and Gave It to a Competitor. In New York, That's Business As Usual.
The case gives the Supreme Court an opportunity to revisit a widely reviled decision that invited such eminent domain abuses.
Glucose Monitors Are Finally Available Over the Counter
Over-the-counter continuous glucose monitors empower consumers with valuable health insights without the need for a doctor’s prescription.
Was Biden Right To Take Prisoners Off Death Row?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to consider the Second Amendment's key importance for keeping the government in check.
