NYC and San Francisco Prioritize 'First Doses First' for Monkeypox Vaccine. Why Won't the CDC Do the Same?
The CDC and FDA, when confronted with scarce vaccine supply, refuse to learn from their COVID-19 mistakes.
Public Health
Monkeypox Is Giving Public Health Agencies a Chance To Prove They've Learned Nothing From COVID
Plus: Schools surveilling students online, Tim Wu leaving the White House, and more...
Cruise Lines Relax COVID Testing and Vaccination Policies
For trips shorter than six days, vaccinated passengers will no longer need to obtain a negative test result before boarding.
Monkeypox Cases Continue To Spread Across the U.S. as 3 States Declare Emergencies
They're trying to pressure the federal government into getting organized about vaccines.
Is Penn Jillette Still a Libertarian?
The larger, louder half of Penn & Teller on Donald Trump, COVID, masks, vaccines, mandates, and what comes next for freedom.
Penn Jillette: Did His Libertarianism Survive Trump and COVID?
The larger, louder half of Penn & Teller talks masks, vaccines, compassion, Bob Dylan, and much, much more.
We Don't Need a White House Monkeypox 'Coordinator.' We Just Need the Vaccines.
The feds botch another epidemic.
Anthony Fauci Says If We Could Do It Again, COVID-19 Restrictions Would Be 'Much, Much More Stringent'
The White House's coronavirus adviser answered questions about mask mandates, gain of function research, and more.
Big-City Public Schools, Facing a 'Massive Hemorrhaging of Students,' Are Reimposing Mask Mandates
San Diego schools chief demonstrates once again that Democratic-controlled urban districts will be the first to add COVID restrictions—and subtract students.
Return of Summer Security Theater? Also, Abolish the FDA.
Plus: The editors select their most influential post-war libertarian thinkers.
California Bill Would Mandate That Legal Marijuana Products Come With Warning Labels, Brochures
An earlier draft of the bill, favored by the Los Angeles Times, would have required the labels be huge, with 12-point font and yellow backgrounds.
Ineffective Mask Mandates Could Be Returning in L.A. and Seattle
Evidence from the past two years suggests they won't make a difference.
Doctors Say Federal Bureaucracy Is Keeping Them From Adequately Treating Monkeypox
One vaccination requires 100 pages of government paperwork to be processed before treatment.
Supreme Court Tells Cops To Stop Playing Doctor
The unanimous decision is a good first step for getting law enforcement out of prescription decisions.
The U.S. Government Had What It Needed To Prevent the Spread of Monkeypox. It Happened Anyway.
Foot-dragging and red tape by the CDC and the FDA have fueled an avoidable outbreak.
The FDA Perversely Seeks To Make Both Cigarettes and Harm-Reducing Alternatives Less Appealing
The agency’s policies would boost the black market and smoking-related deaths.
Oregon Health Officials Delayed a Meeting Because 'Urgency Is a White Supremacy Value'
A second public health official cited the work of antiracist educator Tema Okun after several people on the thread objected.
'Ghost Kitchens' Spur Overheated Health Concerns From Regulators
Regulators are setting their sights on ghost kitchens and virtual restaurants.
The FDA's War on Juul Will Kill People
Bureaucrats say they want to save lives. But they're moving to block a tool that is proven to help smokers quit entirely.
COVID-19 Exposed the Truth About the CDC
The agency will never be controlled by fact-driven experts shielded from politics.
Mandating Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Could Make Smoking More Dangerous
Plus: Supreme Court rules on school choice and criminal justice reform, Louisiana's trigger law criminalizes abortion at any stage, and more...
CDC Advises 'Virtual Sex' and Socially Distanced Masturbation To Stem Spread of Monkeypox
"Have sex with your clothes on" and "wash your fetish gear," offers the agency, which has in the past given us the brilliant advice to "cook your prosciutto" during times of salmonella spread.
Public Health Officials Who Didn't Stop Global Monkeypox Outbreak Now Say the Name Is Problematic
The WHO said it will rename the virus after researchers complained that the current name is "stigmatizing" and "discriminatory."
New York City Toddlers Can Finally Take Off Their Masks
Plus: trans teens, trouble at the FTC, and more...
CDC Will Stop Forcing Travelers To Present Negative COVID Tests To Reenter U.S.
The policy, which only applied to people entering the country by air, not by land, was always ill-conceived. Good riddance.
Why Everything About Politics Sucks, in 1 Chart
Only 6 percent of Americans say the federal government is extremely "careful with taxpayer money," yet those same Americans consistently report that they want the government to do more.
Lingering COVID-19 Restrictions Are Costly Hazards
Travelers and families find that some officials just can’t let go of pandemic powers.
COVID-19 Measures Magnified the Wars on Drugs and Sex Work
Plus: International Whores' Day, U.S. Postal Service sued over the seizure of Black Lives Matter masks, and more...
Only the Constitution Stands Between Us and Shanghai-Style Lockdowns
It would be a mistake to see these lockdowns as a foreign oddity to be pitied and tweeted.
Sixth Circuit Concludes Challenge to Michigan Mask Mandate Is Moot
The en banc Sixth Circuit concludes that the lawsuit seeking an injunction against Michigan's mask mandate is now moot.
Court Won't Let CDC End Migrant Expulsion Order Just Yet
Plus: Book bans come for Barnes & Noble, a blow to SEC enforcement power, and more...
Teenagers Who Use Marijuana Are Shifting From Smoking to Vaping. Should We Be Alarmed?
The overall prevalence of cannabis consumption among adolescents rose between 2017 and 2019 but has fallen since then.
Shanghai Authorities Say Normal Life Might Resume in Mid-June. COVID Lockdown Started in March.
China's "COVID zero" policy looks a lot like house arrest for Shanghai's 25 million residents who are only just now beginning to experience glimmers of freedom.
Alito, Abortion, and Autonomy
Plus: ruminations on public health, misinformation, and media literacy
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.
