Health
After Deinstitutionalization, America's Mental Health System Struggles To Protect the Public
Decades after closing state psychiatric hospitals, the U.S. still struggles to “find a middle ground—an institutional arrangement that recognizes both the dignity of the mentally ill and the public’s right to be safe.”
Cannabis Isn't the Cure for Chronic Pain
Flawed research methods are misleading patients and might embolden prohibitionists. Marijuana has promise in treating certain sorts of discomfort, but some conditions still require powerful narcotics.
Tough It Out
Plus: Charlie Kirk's funeral's aesthetics, Kamala Harris' election postmortem, and more...
Alcohol Escapes a Government Crackdown—for Now
A quiet push to declare “no safe level” of drinking has officially fizzled.
The Trump Administration Misses Key Deadlines for Imposing Restrictions on Gain-of-Function Research
Biosafety advocates worry the administration is backtracking on its promise to implement meaningful restrictions on the type of research that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Psychedelics Are Not Just for Hippies and Tech Bros
Author Joe Dolce explains how psychedelics are moving from counterculture to mainstream, with new science, shifting laws, and surprising therapies that promise to change how we treat addiction, anxiety, and self-discovery.
Doctor Can't Be Disciplined by Washington Medical Commission for Blog Posts About COVID
The posts were "downplaying the severity of the COVID pandemic, promoting the use of ivermectin over a vaccine, and criticizing the government's response to the pandemic."
Fact Check: Did Trump and RFK Jr. Hide the Link Between Alcohol and Cancer?
No. Federal dietary guidelines have made that connection since the 1980s, but some anti-alcohol activists are mad they didn't get to rewrite the rules this year.
Department of Veterans Affairs
In 16 Years, the V.A. Turned This $450 Million Hospital Project Into a $1.6 Billion Boondoggle
What began as a simple hospital project has become yet another example of bureaucratic failure at the Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington Says Tax Breaks Help People. Instead, They're Corroding the Tax Code.
The expenditures are often costly privileges for special interests that mask the true size of government and fail to deliver the promised bang for the buck.
Advocates of MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Complain that 'the FDA Moved the Goalposts'
The agency's puzzling concerns about the Lykos Therapeutics drug application
Florida Gets Closer To Being a 'Free State' With Plan To End School Vaccine Mandate
Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo proposed ending the requirement that public school children be vaccinated, calling the mandate "slavery."
FDA Official Pressures YouTube Into Removing a Channel For Posting His Own Vaccine Comments
Not long ago, conservatives were rightly concerned about jawboning. Now they're apparently happy to take part in it themselves.
RFK Jr.'s Wild Week
Plus: The National Guard standoff in Chicago, navigating debates when you’re outnumbered, and a court ruling that could upend Trump’s tariff agenda.
Don't Fear 'Frankenfood.' We're Already Living in the Lab-Grown Future.
Many people prefer naturally produced over man-made. But isn't there something just as compelling about the stuff that thousands of people collaborated to make?
Raw Milk Debates Are Turning Sour in Florida
Florida officials can’t agree on whether unpasteurized milk is a health threat or benefit, leaving consumers more confused than if they were left to decide for themselves.
Neither Cranks Nor Hacks Should Head HHS
RFK Jr. has had a crazy week. It will not be his last, alas.
The 10th Circuit Agrees That Prosecuting Cannabis Consumers for Gun Possession May Be Unconstitutional
The appeals court rejected most of the arguments in favor of that policy, saying "the government must show non-intoxicated marijuana users pose a risk of future danger."
Is RFK Jr. 'Weaponizing Public Health'?
The CDC needs drastic reform, but RFK Jr.'s firing of agency head Susan Monarez does not achieve that.
The 11th Circuit Revives a Constitutional Challenge to the Federal Law That Disarms Medical Marijuana Patients
The appeals court concluded that the government had failed to show that policy is consistent with "this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."
The Glories of Mexican Dentistry
"I needed some extensive and expensive dental work, and so I crossed borders."
Chip Roy on Why He Backed Trump's Spending Bill
Texas Rep. Chip Roy joins Nick Gillespie to talk about runaway spending, the uphill battle for health care reform, and where immigration fits into the liberty vs. sovereignty debate.
Do Phones Really Wreck Kids' Lives?
"If your kids went through puberty on a smartphone with social media, they came out different than human beings before that," argues psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
Sixth Circuit Rejects Associational Standing in Medicare Drug Pricing Challenge
An easy way to avoid the merits in the latest high-stake health care litigation.
RFK Jr. Shifts $500 Million From mRNA Research to 'Safer' Vaccines. Do the Data Back That Up?
The Health and Human Services secretary once again stands athwart biomedical progress yelling, "Stop!"
Does Mental Health Awareness Make Things Worse?
Illinois wants to give mental health screenings to elementary schoolers. Will that actually help struggling kids?
Upholding a Vaccine Mandate, the 9th Circuit Embraces an Alarmingly Broad Definition of 'Public Health'
The appeals court held that the government may require COVID-19 shots based purely on the benefits to recipients.
Science Needs Dissent: NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya on COVID, Autism, and Climate Change
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya defends open disagreement, criticizes groupthink, and argues that democracy depends on our ability to speak and listen across political and scientific divides.
We're Lying to Ourselves About Taxes, Spending, and the Debt
It's time to ask what level of spending Americans truly want with the money we actually have.
How Sports Tickets Got So Expensive—Or Did They?
Plus: regulating college sports, forgiving baseball’s legends, and Happy Gilmore 2
Abolish the U.S. Surgeon General
This “public health” position has long been a sinecure for professional activists.
Gary Taubes: MAHA, Ultra-Processed Foods, and Bad Science
Science journalist Gary Taubes discusses the MAHA Report, new dietary guidelines, and bad nutrition science on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
Thomas Massie's New Bill Would Let People Sue Pharma for COVID Vaccine Injuries
Federal liability protections currently prevent people suing COVID-19 vaccine makers, and instead require them to request compensation from a program that's covered only 39 COVID vaccine injury claims.
Should the U.S. Have a Public Health Insurance Plan?
Yale’s Jacob Hacker and Sesame’s David Goldhill debate a government-run health insurance plan.
Although Meth Is Irresistible, The New York Times Says, Addicts Often Prefer Small Cash Rewards
The success of "contingency management" belies the notion that addiction is an uncontrollable disease caused by a drug's impact on dopamine levels.
3-Parent Babies Born Healthy in the U.K.
The FDA blocked a similar successful treatment for mitochondrial disease a quarter of century ago.
Debunking the 100,000 Medicaid Deaths Myth
Partisan pundits are misreading statistical estimates and misrepresenting the science to suggest that Trump's Medicaid cuts will kill 100,000 people. That claim doesn’t survive scrutiny.
Arizona Just Created, Then Defunded, an Independent Watchdog for Its Troubled Prison System
Criminal justice reform advocates are still hopeful the office can secure outside funding and bring much-needed transparency to Arizona's prisons.
Supreme Court Refuses to Consider Eviction Moratorium Takings Case
But Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a strong dissent to denial of certiorari.
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Expands Health Savings in a Rare Policy Win
In a bill packed with spending, one provision offers real gains for health care choice and savings.
ICE Is Snooping on Your Medical Bills
The immigration agency has reportedly gained access to a private database designed to fight insurance fraud.
