The Private Sector's Heartening Response to COVID-19
Creativity and selflessness are on display everywhere.
Health
The FDA and CDC's Coronavirus Response Is a 'Failure of Historic Proportions'
A Q&A with Alex Tabarrok, an economist at George Mason University and blogger at Marginal Revolution
Is Preventing COVID-19 Deaths Worth a Severe Recession? The Answer Depends on Controversial Assumptions About the Epidemic's Lethality.
A cost-benefit analysis of COVID-19 lockdowns highlights crucial gaps in the data.
The CDC and FDA Have Failed on Coronavirus
Economist Alex Tabarrok on the problems with the U.S. government's response to COVID-19.
Trump Was Probably Wrong About Coronavirus and Suicides, But the Associated Press Botched Its Fact-Check
It wouldn't cause more deaths than COVID-19, but an economic crisis could indeed raise the suicide rate precipitously.
FDA Tells At-Home Diagnostics Companies To Stop Coronavirus Test Roll-Outs
The companies are complying. Customers won't get their results and are being told to destroy their test kits.
Despite Coronavirus, Sweden Refuses To Shutter Businesses and Limit Gatherings
The Scandinavian country is betting against draconian restrictions and in favor of the free movement of people and goods.
New York Legislators Introduce Bill To Cancel Rent for 90 Days for Workers Affected By Coronavirus Closures
Sen. Mike Gianaris (D–Queens) argues eviction moratoriums don't go far enough to protect renters who've been put out of a job because of the virus.
A Request for Donations of Tech Equipment that Could Help Medical Staff Conserve Protective Equipment and Patients Communicate with Families
If you are in the tech industry or are otherwise in a position to help with this, please contact me.
The Feds Are Opposing Efforts To Release Maryland Inmates Into Home Confinement Because of Coronavirus
A Maryland defense attorney says the Bureau of Prisons is ignoring a judge's order to release his client into home confinement because of coronavirus concerns.
New York City Jails Now Have at Least 75 Confirmed Coronavirus Infections
Another 300 low-level offenders set to be released, but the city’s jails house more than 5,000.
Half of United Kingdom Already Infected With Coronavirus, Says Oxford Model
Great news if true, but only massive population testing can tell us if that's really so.
The Feds Are Suspending Some Tariff Payments. They Should Suspend All of Them.
It's almost like Americans are paying for them, and like Trump doesn't actually believe in free trade.
Coronavirus Is Causing Freaky Friday for Helicopter Parents
Now older folks are being treated to some (extremely necessary) overprotection.
Libertarian Party's Presidential Nominating Convention in Coronavirus Limbo
Austin, where America's third party is scheduled to have its national convention May 21-25, is in lockdown mode.
Most Politicians Are Disingenuous Opportunists. The Coronavirus Outbreak Only Makes That More Obvious.
Politicians are merely using COVID-19 to push for policies they already wanted.
Stop Ignoring the Different Needs of Rural Areas and Cities Responding to COVID-19
A uniform national response risks doing more harm than good in a nation that’s not uniform.
Is Wearing a Face Mask in Public To Ward Off COVID-19 a Crime?
It depends on the state where you live.
Tech Companies Weren't Hoarding Masks, They Were Protecting Employees From Wildfire Smoke
Plus: Kudlow says total stimulus package will cost $6 trillion, jails free nonviolent offenders, more...
Lawmakers, White House Finalize $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus: 'The Largest Main Street Financial Package' in U.S. History
The package doubled in cost over the course of the negotiations.
Government Red Tape Delays the COVID-19 Response
At least some unnecessary regulations are finally being waived.
Trump Is Right To Worry About the Cost of Aggressive COVID-19 Control Measures
So far politicians have been acting as if only one side of the ledger matters.
The Most Libertarian Congressman Wants To Send People Checks. Here's Why.
"Americans need fast, direct relief," says Justin Amash.
Only Social Darwinians Worry About the Harm Caused by COVID-19 Lockdowns, Andrew Cuomo Says
The point of shutting down the "nonessential" economy, New York's governor explains, is to "save lives, period, whatever it costs."
Advocates and Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Release Elderly Inmates Vulnerable to Coronavirus
"They were not sentenced to death, and they should be released immediately."
Richard Epstein Cops to a 'Stupid Gaffe' in Controversial Coronavirus Essay That Caught Trump Administration Attention
But he stands by his reasoning and predicts that global deaths will peak under 50,000.
U.S. Needs Billions of New Masks to Combat Coronavirus. Feds Say It'll Take Up To 90 Days to Approve New Mask-Making Facilities.
Established makers of N95 masks are ramping up production as fast as they can. New manufacturers hoping to help meet demand are running into regulatory roadblocks.
Puerto Rico No Longer Forced To 'Buy American' for Much-Needed Masks
Puerto Rico is temporarily free from Buy American restrictions on crucial protective medical gear thanks to FEMA.
FDA Relaxes Rules To Allow for More Ventilators, Finally
Restrictions have been loosened to help ramp up production.
Don't Let Temporary COVID-19 Restrictions Become Permanent
Emergency restrictions should always be lifted as soon as the crisis has sufficiently abated.
Massive Coronavirus Testing Is the Way to Help Save the Economy
No time to waste; do it sooner rather than later.
Trump Is Not Responsible for the Death of a Man Who Swallowed Fish Tank Cleaner
The media can reasonably blame Trump for a lot of things. This is not one of them.
Trump's Top Trade Official Says China Tariffs Didn't Harm Coronavirus Preparedness. Don't Buy His Spin.
Robert Lighthizer, head of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, says tariffs aren't hurting America's response to the virus. He's also lifting those tariffs to help with the response.
Texas, Ohio Officials Use COVID-19 as an Excuse To Restrict Abortion
Plus: the pandemic in prisons, pushback on Trump's prescription for economic rebound, and more...
China's Censorship Helped Start a Pandemic. Can Free Speech End It?
The contagious spread of information is in a race against the contagious spread of coronavirus.
Coronavirus Fears Mount in D.C. Jail After Quarantines
Lawyers, inmates' families, and correctional officers worry the jail is ill-prepared to handle an outbreak.
9/11, the Financial Crisis, and Now Coronavirus
The Reason Roundtable podcast looks at the crappy track record of government policy forged in crisis.
Can We Trust China's Claims That It's Winning the War on Coronavirus?
When the state controls the media and foreign reporters are banned, outsiders should be wary of information they’re getting from inside China.
Last Week, the Public Transit Industry Asked for $12.8 Billion in Emergency Funding. The Senate GOP Relief Bill Gives Transit $20 Billion. House Dems Want $25 Billion.
The public transit bailout is spiraling out of control.
Two Reasons the Worst-Case Scenarios for COVID-19 Seem Unrealistic
The mortality rate is much lower than the official numbers suggest, and adaptive behavior affects the transmission rate.
FDA Should Get Out of the Way of At-Home COVID-19 Testing
Private-sector efforts to fill the testing vacuum run afoul of bureaucracy.
No, It's Not Dangerous To Air Trump's Coronavirus Briefings
What's dangerous is not trusting people with the truth.
The Prison Coronavirus Disaster Everybody Warned About Is Unfolding in New York City
Jail officials urge more and faster releases as the virus spreads between staff and inmates.
We Will Regret Not Taking the Economic Effects of Mass Quarantine More Seriously
The government botched the early response to coronavirus, so why expect it to grow in competence now?
With COVID-19, That Which Is Not Forbidden Is Mandatory—and Subsidized
When this is all over, don’t expect politicians to lose their taste for ordering us around.
