New York's Governor Seems Indifferent to the Health Consequences of a Steep Tax on Nicotine Pouches
Kathy Hochul’s proposed levy would deter smokers from switching to a much less dangerous habit.
Health
You're Wrong About Social Media Being Addictive
Plus: The Pentagon prepares for possible ground troops in Iran, a listener asks how libertarians should answer the appeal of collectivism, and ICE descends on airports.
You Are Paying for Retirees' Lavish Lifestyles
How America's old-age entitlement system became a sprawling lifestyle-subsidy program that steals from the poor to give to the rich.
Less Than 50 Percent of New Yorkers Support Hochul's Nicotine Pouch Tax
The unpopular plan could do real harm by taxing safer alternatives at the same rate as cigarettes, discouraging smokers from quitting.
How Will Congress Fund a $300 Billion War With Iran?
Lawmakers used to offset its emergency spending. They don't anymore.
#Addiction
Plus: Meta and Google found liable, what the verdict means, an OnlyFans-style campaign website, and more...
A Lawsuit Settlement Highlights Trump's Hypocrisy on Government Meddling With Social Media
Despite its rejection of the Biden administration's interference, the Trump administration is still asserting authority over online speech.
Medicaid Fraud Isn't Just a Minnesota Problem. Here Are 5 Other Recent Schemes.
From charging patients for black market drugs to providing medically unnecessary treatments, fraudsters have been gaming Medicare and Medicaid for decades.
Man Successfully Designs mRNA Vaccine To Treat His Dog's Cancer
"If we can do this for a dog, why aren't we rolling this out to all humans with cancer?"
Mamdani Might Raid a Severely Underfunded Retiree Fund To Balance New York City's Bursting Budget
While he admits New York is facing a “serious fiscal crisis,” Mamdani’s solutions won’t actually fix it.
California's Billionaire Tax Won't Save Hospitals
The state's funding crisis is driven by a third-party payment system in which roughly 90 cents of every American health care dollar is paid by someone other than the patient.
Before RFK Jr. Can Crack Down on 'Processed Foods,' He'll Have To Figure Out How To Define Them
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is importing a failed European idea.
The Feds Are Investing in Wearable Health Trackers. That Could Put Your Private Data at Risk.
Government-backed biowearables could generate vast streams of personal health data with few legal safeguards.
Federal Judge Blocks RFK Jr.'s Arbitrary Changes to Childhood Vaccine Policy
Under Kennedy's oversight, HHS has "undermined the integrity of its actions" with respect to its immunization recommendations, the court ruled.
The Media's Overpopulation Panic
Plus: Strait talk, vaccines and the courts, Ted Cruz vs. the Oscars, and more...
Josh Hawley Moves To Ban Abortion Pills
His push relies on dubious data about the pills' safety.
This Cancer Researcher Home-Brewed a Beer That Works as a Vaccine
And he's publishing the process so you can do it too.
Minnesota's Fraud Scandal Isn't an Immigration Problem. It's a Spending Problem.
Health care fraud is an all-too-common feature of the U.S. health care system, not only in Minnesota.
Should the NIH Be Abolished?
Terence Kealey and Jeffrey Flier debate abolishing the National Institutes of Health.
The Tax Loophole That Made U.S. Health Care Unaffordable
The employer insurance exclusion has chained workers to their employers, practically eliminated consumer price sensitivity, and suppressed wages.
We Lost the Lyme Vaccine. Under Rand Paul's New Vaccine Liability Bill, We'll Lose More.
The End the Vaccine Carveout Act would expose vaccine makers to lawsuits that once drove companies out of the industry.
Maryland Lawmakers Want To Strengthen Regulations That Make Health Care More Expensive
A new bill could make Maryland "the most restrictive environment in the country," warns one doctor.
Withholding $260 Million From Minnesota Won't Win the War on Medicaid Fraud
The legal exploitation of Medicaid's federal matching system is a much bigger problem than criminal fraud.
Trump's Tariff Troubles
Plus: Minnesota Medicaid funds, AI vs. jobs, Taylor Lorenz's libertarian moment, and more...
Trump's SOTU Lies
Plus: Entitlement reform, gas prices, the Reason SOTU drinking game, robo-vac spies, and more...
Don't Believe Trump's Brags About Bringing Down Drug Prices
The president can't just bring prices down with the stroke of his pen, no matter what he claimed in his State of the Union speech.
Trump Gives IVF a Shoutout in the State of the Union Address
The Trump administration signals an intent to continue appealing to the mainstream, not the far right, on IVF.
Police Drug Tests Are Notoriously Unreliable. They Got This Man Wrongly Charged With Trafficking Fentanyl.
Roughly 30,000 people every year may be getting wrongfully arrested because of unreliable field drug tests, according to one estimate.
Judge Orders Takeover of Arizona Prison Health Care Following Years of Barbaric Medical Neglect
A federal judge ruled in 2022 that "no legitimate humane system would operate" like Arizona's prison health care system. Three years later, that same judge found the problems still hadn't been fixed.
Canada's Government-Dominated Health Care Chokes Access to New Drugs
Price controls and regulatory burdens make the market unattractive for pharmaceutical companies.
FDA Commissioner Says 'Everything Should Be Over the Counter.' Don't Count on Big Pharma To Lead the Way.
A system that allows drug makers to profit from restricted access will never liberalize on its own—and patients will continue to bear the cost.
Tom Homan Defends Masked ICE Agents by Claiming Threats Are Up 'Over 8,000 Percent'
Homan's numbers are misleading, but even if they weren't, it wouldn't justify allowing an entire federal law enforcement agency to operate in anonymity.
Clinical Trials Show Moderna's New mRNA Flu Vaccine Is Safe and Effective. FDA Won't Even Consider It.
An overzealous government agency suppresses medical innovation yet again.
Washington Built Big Health Care. Now It Wants To Break It Up.
The Break Up Big Medicine Act makes no mention of the laws and government programs responsible for consolidation of the health care industry.
Politicians Want To Avoid Reforming Social Security and Medicare. You Will Pay the Price.
Inflation is a silent tax—and the most painful way to finance government promises.
The Feds Won't Certify Safe Vaccines Anymore. The Private Sector Is Stepping Up To Do It.
The American Medical Association launched a project to evaluate safety and efficacy of vaccines.
The Heavy Pot Taxes Favored by The New York Times Would Undermine Legalization
The newspaper’s plan to address marijuana abuse would compound the disadvantages that state-licensed suppliers face in competing with the black market.
The Trump Administration Plans To Repeal EPA Finding That Greenhouse Gas Emissions 'Threaten' Public Health
The EPA under the Obama and Biden administrations invoked that finding to adopt strict and costly regulations aiming to reduce emissions.
Can This AI Predict How You Will Die?
Delphi-2M was trained on the world's most comprehensive biomedical database with health information from over 400,000 people.
How Involuntary Commitment Could Become Indefinite Detention
Federal authorities should not be able to turn civil commitment into a life sentence for anyone the government deems inconvenient.
How To Speed Up the Search for Cures Through a Change in Probability Theory
It seems likely the FDA would do well to accept more Bayesian reasoning in medical research.
Disarming Millions of Americans Simply Because They Use Marijuana Is Unconstitutional, a SCOTUS Brief Says
The Liberty Justice Center is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a 5th Circuit decision rejecting the claim that cannabis consumers have no Second Amendment rights.
A Dying Woman Found Peace With Mushrooms. Most Americans Aren't Allowed That Option.
A new film tells the story of a cancer patient’s quest to confront the existential angst of dying by taking magic mushrooms.
Can Psychedelics Help People Face Death?
A new film tells the story of a cancer patient’s quest to confront the existential angst of dying by taking magic mushrooms.
Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Starts Today in California
In the first social media addiction case to reach a jury, K.G.M. claims TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms are responsible for her depression, anxiety, and poor self esteem.
What Mamdani Gets Wrong About the NYC Nurses Strike: State Regulations, Not Greed, Are the Problem
Zohran Mamdani had a chance to pursue health care reform in the New York State Assembly. He didn’t take it.
The FDA's Hands-Off Approach to Medical AI Is a Win for Health-Conscious Consumers
AI-powered medical wearables and software are flourishing following the FDA’s new regulatory guidance.
