Despite Its Much Stricter COVID-19 Policies, California's Per Capita Death Rate Is Only Slightly Lower Than Florida's
The comparison poses a puzzle for people who believe lockdowns were crucial in controlling the pandemic.
Public Health
Contrary to What the CDC's New COVID-19 Advice Implies, There Is Strong Evidence That Vaccination Curtails Virus Transmission
Research in Israel, the U.K., and the U.S. has found dramatic reductions in asymptomatic infections.
Even With a Good Excuse for Government Action, the State Bungled 12 Months of the Pandemic
Much of the government response to COVID-19 has had little or negative impact on the public.
Texas Has Hundreds of Thousands of Coronavirus Carriers. The Governor Is Worried About 'Hundreds' of COVID-Positive Migrants.
Greg Abbott's fear is hard to take seriously, but it jibes with hoary stereotypes about immigrants.
Is Greg Abbott Inviting Disaster in Texas by Lifting COVID-19 Restrictions?
The governor's new policy represents a pretty modest shift from the existing rules.
COVID-19 Edicts Highlight the Importance of Structural Limits on Government Power
The national eviction moratorium and Arizona’s business restrictions were based on dubious assertions of authority.
Local Health Departments Have To Start Learning From Local Farmers and Markets
A promising new law will give agricultural communities in Massachusetts more say in local public-health rules that apply to them and impact their property and livelihoods.
Despite Starkly Different COVID-19 Policies, the U.S. and the U.K. Saw Similar Drops in Cases Around the Same Time
The same is true of Texas and California, which suggests that legal restrictions are not as important as politicians imagine.
Berkeley Dorms Guarded by Cops Who Only Let Students Out To Eat, Use the Bathroom, or Get a COVID-19 Test
Plus: New Mexico moves to legalize homemade food, the illogic of civil commitments for sex offenders, and more...
SCOTUS Blocks California's COVID-19 Ban on Indoor Religious Services
Chief Justice John Roberts says the policy reflects "insufficient appreciation or consideration of the interests at stake."
What the War on Drugs Can Teach Us About Fighting COVID-19
We can’t eliminate the virus, but we can reduce its harm to our lives and livelihoods.
California's Regional Stay-At-Home Order Was a Costly Failure
By the state’s own estimates, a two-month lockdown was less effective than a slow day of vaccinations.
Federal Mask Cops To Start Targeting Travelers Today
Plus: Trump's PAC windfall, the European Union's dairy protectionism, and more...
Should Legal Restrictions Get Credit for the Recent Decline in New COVID-19 Cases?
Despite taking a much more restrictive approach, California saw a bigger surge than Texas, and the drop began around the same time in both states.
'Incompetent Government Kills People,' Says Andrew Cuomo Unironically
The New York governor should look to his own state.
Hypocritical Politicians Violate Their Own Coronavirus Restrictions
The rules should not just apply to the little people.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom Issues Surprise Retraction of Controversial Stay-at-Home Order
The governor's order had banned outdoor dining and forbade Californians from socializing with members outside their household.
Why Don't We Know How Many Vaccine Doses Are Being Thrown Away?
At a time when supply is constrained and time is of the essence, medical providers in many states are throwing precious doses away.
As Teachers Unions and Bureaucrats Battle, Families Choose Alternative Schools
Making it easier for families to fund their preferred education options will be a lot more effective than throwing a big bribe to teachers unions.
How the CDC Bungled Testing of Early COVID-19 Quarantine Patients
Plus: Commemorating the first U.S. sex worker protest, why Parler is a success story for Section 230, and more...
Carl Hart: Drug Use for Grown-Ups
The Columbia neuroscientist talks frankly about using heroin responsibly and "chasing liberty in the land of fear."
Black Markets in COVID-19 Vaccines Were Inevitable Once Government Got Involved
A politicized vaccine distribution process intended to take price out of the picture has given the edge to the rich, connected, and powerful.
Biden's Mask Mandate Retreat Is a Hopeful Sign
The president acknowledges that there are limits to executive power, even during a public health emergency.
Would a National Lockdown Have Saved the U.S. From COVID-19?
A comparison of Texas and California suggests that legal edicts matter less than The New York Times thinks.
Fort Worth Regulators Target Community Fridges Providing Free Food for People in Need
Using obscure laws to prevent people from helping each other is obscene.
Closing Bars and Restaurants Didn't Stop People From Gathering
Now officials in Chicago and New York are reconsidering their rules.
If Carelessness Gave Us the Current COVID-19 Surge, Individual Precautions Can Abate That Trend
Recent upward trends in cases and deaths seem to reflect virus transmission tied to holiday gatherings.
Trump Will Adopt Biden Plan for Speeding Up COVID-19 Vaccinations
Vaccine booster doses currently being reserved will be released immediately to inoculate more Americans.
Californians Are Revolting Against the Lockdown
Small business owners and sheriffs are leading the revolt against Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders, which they say are unscientific and ineffective.
New York Bill Would Let the State Put People in Detention if Deemed a 'Significant Threat to Public Health'
The legislation gives the government wide latitude to detain those who might have a contagious disease.
Andrew Cuomo's Vaccine Distribution Rules Are a Threat to Public Health
The New York governor says hospitals have to increase vaccinations—but there's a catch.
In Defense of COVID Billionaires
Billionaires may well have enabled our greatest (only?) policy successes in 2020.
Victim-Blaming During a Pandemic Doesn't Make People Safer
The incessant urge to make COVID-19 infection a morality play is corroding our humanity and distracting us from solutions.
Eviction Moratoriums Are Transforming From Emergency Stopgaps to Permanent Programs
A growing number of states are enshrining eviction moratoriums into laws that won't expire until well into next year.
New COVID-19 Strain and Bungled Vaccine Rollout Threaten the 'Return to Normal' in 2021
Plus: Josh Hawley rejects reality (again), Florida's still trying to bust Robert Kraft for getting a hand job, distilleries' good deeds get punished, and more...
Charles Wininger: Why We Should Listen To Ecstasy and Other Psychedelics
A 71-year-old therapist comes out of the "chemical closet" to promote MDMA as a means of self-discovery
Immunity Passports May Liberate Us From Lockdowns or Invite New Privacy Invasions
The idea is looking less like a Get Out of Jail Free card and more like a hall pass.
The Government Isn't About To Tell You To Stop Drinking Now
Plus: Operation Warp Speed is off to a slow start, Trump's school choice order, and more...
COVID-19 Herd Immunity Is Possible Before Spring If the FDA Gets Out of the Way
The government must move quickly to approve a one-dose regimen for Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
The More Transmissible U.K. COVID-19 Variant Could Make the Pandemic a Lot Worse
Ramp up the vaccinations now!
Newly Recorded COVID-19 Cases and Deaths Are Falling in the U.S.
It's not clear how long those hopeful trends will continue.
Is Anthony Fauci Right That Federalism Undermined the U.S. Response to COVID-19?
Centralization makes sense only if you ignore differences in local conditions—and trust the feds to make the right choices.
2020: An Awful Year With a Legacy We Won't Soon Escape
Fortunately, 2020 is nearly at an end. Unfortunately, its events will leave one hell of a mark on the years to come.
Sally Satel: The Secret History of the Opioid Epidemic
The story of why pain relievers took root in Appalachia begins decades before the introduction of OxyContin.
Americans Are Sick of Arbitrary COVID-19 Restrictions
A year into the pandemic, politicians still have not digested the dangers of careless public health measures.
Has Restaurants' Role in Spreading COVID-19 Been Exaggerated?
The evidence is limited and mixed, but data from New York, Minnesota, and California suggest that restaurants there account for a small share of infections.
