Even an AI-Sparked Economic Miracle Will Not Save the Federal Budget
Congress cannot sit by and hope for AI to fix the deficit.
Congress
Congress Should Be in No Rush To Renew FISA's Section 702 Surveillance Powers
It’s long past time to open federal surveillance powers to scrutiny and reform.
The House Just Passed a 'Pro-Worker' Bill That Takes Power Away From Workers
The Faster Labor Contracts Act promises quicker union agreements, but it would let federal arbitrators impose contracts workers never approved.
Trump's Position in the White House Ballroom Case Reflects His General Resistance to Judicial Review
The president has repeatedly argued that courts have no business deciding whether his actions are legal.
Bill Introduced in Congress To Codify the First Amendment Right To Film the Feds and Sue for Violations
Civil liberties groups say recording the police is core First Amendment activity. The Right to Record Act of 2026 would create a right to sue federal officers who violate it.
The 'Living Wage' Attack on Jobs and Prosperity
Rep. Ro Khanna's minimum wage proposal promises prosperity but would likely price many low-skilled workers out of the labor market.
As Rubio Declares Iran War 'Over,' Lawmakers Prepare War Powers Vote
Rubio offered more information than the president, but the hearings still offered little clarity on the war.
Trump's Self-Promotion Is Always Shameless and Sometimes Illegal
The president tramples the rule of law in his rush to glorify himself.
The Protect College Sports Act Trades NCAA Chaos for Federal Overreach
Everything in the bipartisan bill to “save” the NCAA, how the law would work, and whether it can pass Congress
Trump Broke the Law When He Slapped His Name on the Kennedy Center, a Federal Judge Says
The decision is a modest but welcome victory for the rule of law.
Henry Clay's Deal That Was No Deal: How the Compromise of 1850 Deepened the Slavery Crisis
The Compromise of 1850 was really no compromise at all.
Even Republicans Are Rebelling at Trump's Blatantly Corrupt 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'
Using taxpayer money to reward the president’s allies has nothing to do with the president's claims against the IRS.
A Reprieve for Build-To-Rent
The House passes a housing bill that protects build-to-rent development while still cracking down on large investors.
War Powers Vote Is the Latest Embarrassment for House Speaker Mike Johnson
Johnson is seemingly incapable of standing up to the Trump administration, even when one of Congress' core responsibilities is at stake.
End of an Era
Plus: Makeup company better than the MTA, phones and the birthrate, Ebola spreads, and more...
Thomas Massie Loses, Proving That Deficit Hawks and Foreign Policy Doves Aren't Welcome in Trump's GOP
If this is how the Republican Party treats the libertarian-leaning lawmakers in its midst, then libertarians should take note and act accordingly.
The Congressional Black Caucus Opposes a College Sports Bill Because of Gerrymandering
Plus: NCAA reform legislation on hold in Congress, the Senate discusses betting and sporting integrity, and private equity in youth sports
Donald Trump and Josh Hawley's Federal Gas Tax Holiday Would Save Drivers Less Than $9 Per Month
It was a bad idea when Biden proposed it, and it's a bad idea now that Trump is proposing it. Want lower gas prices? End the war.
Thomas Massie's Moment Has Come
Plus: Ed Gallrein won't talk about his background, and Sen. Bill Cassidy bites the dust.
Josh Hawley's Pro-Union Bill Would Let Washington Write Your Contract
The GOP wants to be the party of labor. The Faster Labor Contracts Act isn't the way to do that.
Pete Hegseth Can't Explain Why America Needs a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget
Sen. Mark Kelly says it "feels like that number was just kind of pulled out of thin air."
How Much Deference Does SCOTUS Owe to Congress?
Should it take more than a 5–4 vote for the Supreme Court to strike down a federal law?
A Circuit Split Gives SCOTUS an Opportunity To Overturn a Federal Law That Makes Home Distilling a Felony
The 6th Circuit upheld that 158-year-old law, while the 5th Circuit concluded it could not be justified as a revenue measure.
The NCAA Is Making Unpopular Decisions at Exactly the Wrong Time
With March Madness expansion and a possible College Football Playoff expansion, the NCAA is ignoring fans right when its popularity matters most in Congress.
Republicans Want To Borrow Every Single Dollar of the $72 Billion Bill To Fund ICE and Trump's Ballroom
The party of fiscal responsibility strikes again.
The People vs. CEQA
An initiative that would streamline California's development-killing environmental review law appears to be headed to the ballot.
Congress Gave Away Its Authority To Declare War and Enabled Trump's Iran War
Congress hasn't voted to declare war since 1942, yet the legislative branch constantly refuses to rein in presidents.
How a Bill Banning AI Companions for Kids Could Usher in Widespread ID Checks Online
Plus: Supreme Court pauses ban on mail-order abortion pills, TikTok's artistic merit, a defense of pickup artists, and more...
Trump Had 60 Days To End the Iran War. Instead, He's Just Pretending It's Over.
Legally, Trump must either cease operations or ask Congress for approval. He did neither, and Congress just went on recess.
The Self-Driving Car Fight in Congress Isn't Really About Safety at All
Bootleggers, Baptists, and the fight over who gets to write America's self-driving car rules.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS Funded
Plus: FISA reauthorization, driverless trucks in California, and an Epstein suicide note.
SCOTUS Narrows the Reach of the Voting Rights Act
Plus: The Supreme Court says “demands for a charity’s private member or donor information” raises First Amendment problems.
Corn Belt Politicians Are Using High Gas Prices To Push Even More Carveouts for Ethanol
“The sale of E15 year-round would help the ethanol industry and no one else,” says one agricultural policy expert.
Defending the White House Ballroom, the DOJ Files a Trump Tantrum Masquerading As a Motion
The brief, which asks a federal judge to reconsider an injunction blocking the project, reads like it was transcribed from the president's Truth Social account.
Allowing Censorship of Military Retirees Like Sen. Mark Kelly Would Set a Chilling and Dangerous Precedent
To justify punishing a legislator for his speech, a FIRE brief notes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth relies on a Supreme Court precedent that is clearly inapposite.
Congress Still Has a Chance To Curb Section 702 Surveillance Abuses
Sen. Ron Wyden warns that Americans would be “stunned” at how officials have used the law.
Virginia's Grotesque Gerrymander and the Bipartisan Death of Redistricting Reform
Republicans picked this fight, and Democrats responded by drawing some egregiously gerrymandered districts. In the end, voters lose.
The Lobster Triumphs
Plus: Tit-for-tat gerrymandering, D.C.'s flowing fountains, more war in the Strait of Hormuz, and more...
Don't Count on the 25th Amendment To Dethrone Donald Trump
Democrats can't muster the votes to impeach and remove Trump, or even to stop an illegal war. The 25th Amendment would be even more difficult.
Woodrow Wilson's War at Home
Silencing "Fighting Bob" details how the government targeted anti-war critics like Sen. Robert La Follette.
Pete Hegseth Wants the D.C. Circuit To Let Him Punish a Senator for Criticizing Him
The defense secretary's asserted authority to control the speech of retired military officers "would chill public participation by veterans," a brief supporting Mark Kelly warns.
Eric Swalwell, Pope Fight, Tax Day Woes
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Eric Swalwell's fall from grace and how tax day radicalizes us every year.
FISA Reform Blues
Plus: The House passes a short-term FISA extension, Ron Wyden urges fellow Senate Democrats to oppose a "clean" bill, and Norway gets robot buses.
In Poisoned Ivies, Stefanik Sees Censorship as a Cure for 'Anti-Americanism'
What is a greater rejection of America's founding ideals than an overreaching government trampling the First Amendment?
Democrats and Republicans Both Want To Regulate AI. They Just Can't Agree on How.
As lawmakers of both major parties hustle to regulate their preferred villains, they're losing sight of the big picture. The possible gains to humanity from AI are enormous.
Trump's New Budget—Which Proposes $1.5 Trillion for Defense—Is Unserious. You Should Still Take It Seriously.
It would be easy to wave it away and move on. But that's how the U.S. got in such a dire fiscal situation.
Lindsey Graham Says the President Can Start a War, but Only Congress Can End It
The feeling is perfectly consistent: Graham feels it should be as easy as possible for the U.S. to start a war, and as hard as possible to end one.
