The Reopen Debate Is a False Dichotomy
Staying inside forever and going back to normal today aren't the only choices.
Public Health
COVID-19 Contact Tracers or Cootie Cops?
Tracing where people have been and who they’ve met can be effective for battling disease. But, oh boy, does it lend itself to abuse.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Says the State's COVID-19 Lockdown Violated the Rule of Law and the Separation of Powers
A seemingly arcane dispute about administrative law has profound implications for the limits of public health authority.
Mission Creep and Wasteful Spending Left the CDC Unprepared for an Actual Public Health Crisis
Spending nearly 14 times as much on the CDC as we did in 1987 did not, apparently, help the agency combat the biggest disease threat America has faced in a century.
The Immigration Law Nobody's Heard of That Changed America
Is COVID-19 bringing the mythology of America as a nation of immigrants to an end? Q&A with The New York Times' Jia Lynn Yang
Fun Travel May Mean Road Trips for the Foreseeable Future
Unless you are especially dedicated to seeing the world and willing to run a gauntlet of hassles to do so, travel is poised to become a more local activity.
Lockdown Lawsuits Ask How Long a Public Health Emergency Can Last
An Illinois resident obtained a TRO by citing a 30-day limit, while a New Hampshire hair salon owner says the goal of her state's lockdown has been achieved.
Does Questioning Official COVID-19 Statistics Make This Doctor a 'Denialist'?
If you think much about the epidemic remains uncertain, The New York Times warns, you might be part of "the virus 'truther' movement."
We Need Economists, Civil Libertarians, and Epidemiologists in the COVID-19 Discussion
The tradeoffs among considerations of health, prosperity, and liberty are catching up with us even if we don't want to acknowledge them.
Andrew Cuomo's Morally Grotesque Rationale for Maintaining COVID-19 Lockdowns
Even the president is a better moral philosopher than New York's governor.
Supreme Court Can Put a Stop to Rule Compelling Anti-Prostitution Speech From Anti-HIV/AIDS Groups
The anti-prostitution pledge is unconstitutional when applied to U.S. nonprofits. But the feds say it's still OK to compel speech from these groups' foreign affiliates.
This App Protects Privacy While Tracing COVID-19 Infections
Stanford researcher Tina White and the new nonprofit Covid Watch are committed to protecting both individual rights and public health.
Supreme Court Justices in Texas and Pennsylvania Emphasize That COVID-19 Lockdowns Require Judicial Scrutiny
Not everything that states do in the name of protecting public health is consistent with the Constitution.
Lawmakers Call Out Cuomo and Other Governors for Letting Prisoners Die of COVID-19
Plus: "Karenology," failing fashion brands, and more...
When Are COVID-19 Control Measures 'Arbitrary' and 'Unreasonable'?
Courts so far have not been inclined to ask that question.
Masks Can Be a Symbol of Privacy and Personal Responsibility, Not Tyranny
Plus: Family Dollar guard murdered over mask enforcement, doctors see "multisystem inflammatory syndrome" in kids with COVID-19, and more...
8 Possible Reasons for the Huge International Differences in COVID-19 Deaths
For each plausible theory, there are puzzling counterexamples.
Trump Administration Projects 200,000 American COVID-19 Deaths by June 1
The leaked documents also expect nearly 200,000 people to be infected daily by the end of the month.
How COVID-19 Will Affect the Future of Policing
Like all of us, law enforcement will face a world of reduced public interactions, devastated economies, and changed ways of life.
America Wasn't Ready for Coronavirus
Early takeaways from the country's response to a pandemic
What It's Like To Be a Rational Optimist in a Pandemic
Matt Ridley on how the coronavirus caught him by surprise, the crucial role of dissent in politics, and the importance of innovation for survival
The Focus on COVID-19 Is Hurting Other Patients: Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer
A surgeon and policy analyst tallies up the steep costs of delaying and denying elective surgery and other care during the coronavirus pandemic.
Seemingly Small Differences in the Accuracy of COVID-19 Antibody Tests Can Make a Big Practical Difference
When infection prevalence is low, a test with relatively low specificity can generate highly misleading results.
The Pandemic Has Produced a Radical Experiment in Federalism
Varying state responses will provide the thing we need most right now: information.
What 'Excess Deaths' Do and Don't Tell Us About COVID-19
While official death tolls clearly underestimate the epidemic's impact, total mortality numbers can be misleading.
De Blasio Threatens To Arrest Hasidic Jews for Congregating To Mourn the Death of a Rabbi
On the same day Brooklyn’s Hasidic Jews came out for a funeral, hundreds were gathering elsewhere in New York City to watch a military flyover.
The Executive Order on Meat Processing Doesn't Compel Companies With Sick Workers to Stay Open
Plus: Justin Amash seeking L.P. nomination, pandemic hasn't halted FDA war on vaping, and more
'Why Is a Liquor Store Essential and I'm Not?' Asks Store Owner During N.Y.C. Coronavirus Lockdown
It's time to push back on arbitrary classifications that punish businesses and customers alike without clearly helping public health.
The Myth of the Bleach-Drinking Masses
Plus: states start opening up, Libertarian Party nominating convention on hold, and more...
Hawaiian Brewery Under Investigation for Hand Sanitizer Giveaway
Absurd enforcement of liquor regulations harms public health efforts.
Let Healthy Young Americans Go To College and Work
Younger people aren't immune to the coronavirus but they are less likely to die or be hospitalized because of it. Let them choose their own risk.
For Better Health, Find a Cure for Government
In a time of health crisis, government has proven to be a crippling underlying condition.
Deaths Spike in New York City and Around the World
Plus: WHO tweet misleads about COVID-19 immunity, inside the #FreeTN movement, and more...
Miami-Dade Antibody Tests Suggest Local COVID-19 Infections Exceed Confirmed Cases by a Factor of 16
The preliminary results imply an infection fatality rate of 0.2 percent, similar to estimates from two California studies.
WHO Deletes Misleading Tweet That Spread Paranoia About COVID-19 Reinfection
"The thread caused some concern & we would like to clarify."
No, Poison Control Calls Aren't Suddenly Spiking After Trump's Disinfectant Comments
Calls to U.S. poison control centers are up. They have been since March.
It's Not Fake News: Trump Did Actually Suggest That Injecting Bleach Could Be a Cure for COVID-19
The president added that the procedure is something "you're going to have to use medical doctors with."
Cellphone-Tracking Can Help Fight the Pandemic Only If Governments Resist Their Snoopy Instincts
Contact tracing might offer hope for slowing the spread of the pandemic—or fulfill every Big Brother-ish fear privacy advocates have ever raised.
Can Nicotine Treat COVID-19? French Researchers Think So.
Plus: abortion bans defeated again, Peter Thiel company gets contact tracing contract, and more...
What Explains the Difference Between Estimated COVID-19 Fatality Rates in New York and California?
Are the California numbers wildly off, or is New York different in important ways?
Georgia Is Right To Reopen, but Will That Actually Restart Its Economy?
The kill switch to the economy was easy to find. The "on" button may be impossible to locate.
Trump Changes Course on Reopening the Economy After Georgia Governor Tries To Follow His Lead
Plus: protecting privacy while contact tracing, first YouTube video turns 15, and more...
How To Save the Economy From COVID-19
Health care expert Avik Roy says that even without widespread testing, it's time to reopen schools and allow healthy, younger employees to go back to work.
Health Care Expert Avik Roy on Saving the Economy From COVID-19
"The more we lock down the economy, the more we harm those individuals who are most vulnerable, who don't have the cash cushions or the white-collar jobs that allow them to keep going."
The Attorney General Defends Civil Liberties Against Overreaching COVID-19 Control Measures
While denying Donald Trump's dictatorial impulses, William Barr notes that public health emergencies do not give governments unlimited powers.
COVID-19 Was Killing Americans Earlier Than We Previously Thought
Plus: U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpasses 45,000, Trump threatens Iran via Twitter, and more....
Coronavirus Restrictions That Go Too Far
Politicians rush to limit our choices in the name of "keeping us safe."
