Medicare Deserves Attention From DOGE and Congress
Reform could replace an unsustainable boondoggle with lower costs, more freedom, and better care.
Health
Jay Bhattacharya's Confirmation Hearing Proves the Lockdown Skeptics Won
Trump's nominee for NIH director once stirred major controversy for criticizing lockdowns, mask mandates, and school closures. Yesterday, Senate Democrats didn't even raise the issue.
Yes, Cutting Government Waste Is Important
Entitlements are a much bigger expense, but that doesn't mean the waste doesn't matter.
Amy Klobuchar's Health Misinformation Act Has Aged Poorly
A proposed bill in 2021 would have put the HHS secretary in charge of censoring COVID-19 contrarianism on social media.
No, HHS Didn't Spend $8 Million 'Making Mice Transgender'
HHS, like all government programs, has plenty of silly and wasteful line items in its budget; there's no need to just make things up.
Pray for Us Zynners
New York's proposed ban on nicotine pouches ignores science, consumer choice, and the lessons of prohibition.
America Is Beating Europe
A popular narrative says Europeans are better off because of increased regulation. Reality paints a different picture.
So Much For RFK, Jr.'s Promise of 'Radical Transparency' at HHS
RFK, Jr.'s Health and Human Service has inexplicably cancelled two vaccine-related advisory meetings since he took the helm of the agency.
Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Shows Potential in Early Trial
The five-year survival rate of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is currently 13 percent.
The Government Named This Baby 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel.' Years Later, Her Father Still Can't Change It.
He also can't get a birth certificate or Social Security number for his daughter.
Unvaccinated Kid Dies of Measles in Texas
Odd coincidence that RFK Jr. is now Secretary of Health and Human Services?
Why the Internet Celebrated a Killer
Combine moral zealotry with increasingly blurred lines between political speech and violence long enough, and the outcome is predictable.
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.
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).
