Alito, Abortion, and Autonomy
Plus: ruminations on public health, misinformation, and media literacy
Public Health
Yet Another Study Blames Food Companies for Parental Choices
Food companies don't determine what parents put in their shopping carts.
Gov. Polis Wants You…To Be in Charge of Your Own Life
The libertarianish Colorado Democrat is devolving decision-making to parents and trying to lower the income tax to zero.
California Is Forcing Smokers To Buy More Dangerous Products
Banning less harmful tobacco alternatives is not a way to improve public health.
Was Censorship the Greatest COVID Threat to Freedom?
It wasn't just autocrats who were frequently tempted to address "fake news" about the pandemic through state pressure and coercion.
The Biden Administration Sees Free Speech As a Public Menace
The alarm aroused by the Disinformation Governance Board is understandable given the administration’s broader assault on messages it considers dangerous.
Montana's Ban on Mask Mandates Is Stopping Local Governments From Enforcing Their Zoning Codes
Officials in Gallatin County, Montana, say a state law that prohibits local governments from forcing businesses to turn customers away is preventing it from cracking down on zoning code violators.
The FDA Uses Its New Authority To Close Off the Last Remaining Legal Option for Vapers Who Like Flavor Variety
In a move that is likely to undermine public health, the agency warns that products containing synthetic nicotine "will be subject to FDA enforcement."
Why Did Pandemic Authorities Treat Tattoo Shops Like Titty Bars?
"Government restrictions came in, which literally shut us down," says Paul Smith, who co-owns Red Stag Tattoo in Austin, Texas.
The FDA's Menthol Cigarette Ban Is a 'Racial Justice' Issue, but Not in the Way Its Supporters Mean
The proposed rule, which targets the cigarettes that black smokers overwhelmingly prefer, will harm the community it is supposed to help.
A CDC Study Suggests Three-Fifths of Americans Have Been Infected by the Coronavirus
The estimate implies an overall infection fatality rate of about 0.5 percent, although that number should be viewed with caution.
FDA Case for Menthol Ban Undermined by New Study
Menthols aren’t harder to quit than other cigarettes.
How 'Cranks' Advance Science
A major lesson of the pandemic is that science is "not a priesthood," says Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer, a general surgeon and senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
Anthony Fauci Thinks Scientific Expertise Trumps the Rule of Law
The president’s COVID-19 adviser embodies the arrogance of technocrats who are sure they know what’s best for us.
If the CDC's Mask Mandate Is 'Necessary for the Public Health,' Why Didn't the DOJ Seek a Stay To Restore It?
The Biden administration's main priority seems to be leaving the agency's authority vague enough to allow future interventions.
Jared Polis: The Most Libertarian Governor in America?
The Colorado Democrat supports abortion rights, school choice, letting kids play unsupervised, an end to COVID-19 overreach, and an income tax rate of "zero."
More on the Transportation Mask Mandate Litigation
Some implications of the government's decision not to seek a stay of the district court ruling. Plus, the low quality of the trial judge's opinion doesn't necessarily mean there are no good arguments against the mandate's legality.
Fauci Says CDC Mandates 'Should Not Be a Court Issue'
That's a fundamentally anti-democratic attitude.
Facing Fauci's Fury: Q&A with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya
The Stanford professor and Great Barrington Declaration coauthor stands up to COVID-19 autocrats and disastrous lockdowns by following the science.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: How To Avoid 'Absolutely Catastrophic' COVID Mistakes
The anti-lockdown Stanford public health professor on being attacked by Fauci, the loss of trust in medical experts, and how to save science going forward.
The DOJ Is Reluctant To Continue Defending the CDC's Mask Mandate Because It Worries It Will Lose Again
Clarifying the agency's authority could impede future power grabs.
Airplane Mask Mandate May Not Be Gone for Good
Plus: Conspiracy theories are undergoing a vibe shift, Florida won't stop attacking private companies, and more...
Even If the CDC's Mask Mandate Made Sense, That Would Not Make It Legal
The decision against the rule hinged on whether the agency had the power it asserted.
CDC Removes All Countries From COVID-19 'Do Not Travel' List
Though travel isn't completely back to normal, this change is an overdue acknowledgment that we can't always view COVID-19 transmission as catastrophic.
Federal Court Rules Against CDC Transportation Mask Mandate
The decision holds that the CDC exceeded its legal authority. But it may be vulnerable to reversal on appeal.
Florida Judge Declares CDC's Federal Travel Mask Mandate 'Unlawful' and Vacates It
"Our system does not permit agencies to act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends," writes Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle.
New Investigation Finds FDA's Food Side Is 'Broken'
Among experts on food safety, the consensus is that the FDA's food division isn't functional.
Drop the Useless Mask Mandates and Leave Us Alone
Revived mandates remind everyone that governments have done far more harm than good in the pandemic.
The CDC Extends Its Mask Mandate on Planes, Trains, and Buses…Again
Plus: Elon Musk offers to buy all of Twitter, China's "zero COVID" policy is reaching its limits, and more...
The CDC Should Admit Its Errors To Regain Trust
The CDC thinks a monthlong review of COVID policies will be sufficient to redress their errors.
The FDA's Rejection of a Major Vaping Brand Shows It Is Arbitrarily Applying a Nebulous Legal Standard
The agency's obsession with adolescent vaping is driving decisions that undermine public health.
Maskless Political Elites Party in D.C. While Bringing Back Mandates for the Commoners
Kamala Harris is only human, says Jen Psaki.
Extending the Mask Mandate for Air Travel 'Absolutely on the Table' Says White House COVID-19 Czar
"I know the CDC is working to develop a scientific framework," says Ashish K. Jha
The D.C. Public Charter Schools Where Masks Are Still Mandatory
"People's irrational fears are taking over these policy decisions," says one parent.
The College Campuses That Still Force Students To Wear Masks
"In practical terms, COVID-19 poses zero threat to the G.W. community."
21 States File Lawsuit Against CDC Mask Mandate For Public Transportation
The lawsuit raises some of the same issues as earlier successful challenges against the CDC's eviction moratorium. But, in this case, the federal government has a stronger legal rationale for its policies.
COVID Revealed America To Be a Nation of Rulers, Not of Laws
Life is returning to "normal" after two years, but that normal includes even fewer limits on executive powers.
My New Article on "Nondelegation Limits on COVID Emergency Powers: Lessons from the Eviction Moratorium and Title 42 Cases"
The eviction moratorium and Title 42 "public health" expulsion cases have many parallels that may have been ignored because of their differing ideological valence. Both strengthen the case for nondeferential judicial review of the exercise of emergency powers.
How Politics Corrupted Science: Dr. Vinay Prasad on COVID
Q&A with Dr. Vinay Prasad, a practicing hematologist-oncologist and associate professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco
NIH Awarded More Than 56,000 Grants in 2020. Just 2 Percent Were for Studying COVID.
More evidence that the public health bureaucracy dropped the ball when a once-in-a-generation pandemic hit.
The TSA's Mask Mandate Is Just As Logical As All Its Other Arbitrary Impositions
The same agency that brought us security theater continues to enforce a rule that never made sense.
Why Can't the CDC Tell the Truth About Smoking and Vaping by Teenagers?
The agency ignores downward trends in both kinds of nicotine use and obscures the huge difference in the hazards they pose.
The Mask Mandate for Air Travel Was About To End, So the TSA Extended It
The policy, which covers trains, buses, and subways as well, is now set to expire on April 18.
California Preschools Faced 'Raid' Over Mask Policies
Plus: Russian tactics in Ukraine getting uglier, DHS does bulk surveillance of money transfers, Biden's overhyped cryptocurrency order, and more...
Congress Seems Poised To Let the FDA Ban E-Cigarettes Containing Synthetic Nicotine
A spending bill provision would redefine "tobacco products" to include products that have nothing to do with tobacco.
Can the FDA's New Commissioner Save the Agency From Itself?
Robert Califf must demand transparency and accountability from the bureaucrats.
New Zealand Joins the International Crackdown on COVID Mandate Protests
Disagreement over pandemic policy accelerates the slide toward authoritarianism in another country.
