New Speaker Mike Johnson's First Good Idea: A Debt Commission
A debt commission won't solve any of the federal government's fiscal problems, but it's the first step towards taking them seriously.
Congress
Democrats Say They're Fighting Inequality. But Many of Their Policies Favor the Rich.
Over the last several years, they have worked nonstop to ease the tax burden of their high-income constituents.
(Republican) War Is Over
Plus: Extra credit at Berkeley, 4 percent of Cuba has migrated to the U.S. in the last two years, 20 hours in a kibbutz safe room, and more...
Mike Johnson Is the Unlikely New Speaker of the House
Johnson is a relative newcomer to Congress who has never even chaired a committee, and he is a close ally of former President Donald Trump.
What Joe Biden Got Right—and Wrong—Last Week in the Middle East
Plus: A listener asks the editors about mandatory maternity leave.
Lawmakers and Unions Defend Burdensome Airline Regulations With Bogus Statistics
The world's largest union of pilots says this requirement is necessary for safety and not unduly burdensome, but its data are misleadingly cherry-picked.
Jim Jordan Is Trying To Buy the Speakership With Tax Breaks for Wealthy Residents of Blue States
It's a maneuver that makes little fiscal, philosophical, or political sense, but thankfully it also seems unlikely to work.
Americans Learned a Lesson About Interest Rates. Washington Has Not.
Higher rates lead to more debt, and more debt begets higher rates, and on and on. Get the picture?
Cities Want 'YIMBY Grants' To Pay for Bureaucratic Busy Work
Cities are asking for federal zoning-reform dollars to pay for plans that might never pass.
Jim Jordan: The Perfect Speaker for a Policy-Free GOP
As long as the Republican Party is a policy-free zone, Jordan might as well be the guy in charge.
Does It Matter What College Kids Say About Israel?
Plus: The search for a new speaker of the House continues to be a ludicrous mess.
Ice Cream Truck Morgues
Plus: House speaker skirmishes, college wokeness collapsing, Elf Bar, North Korea, and more...
The COVID Bailout of State and Local Governments Was Unnecessary
Well over half of those funds remain unspent, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
Inflation Won't Go Away Until Congress Gets the Deficit Under Control
The Federal Reserve's higher interest rates were supposed to trigger changes to fiscal policy. So far, that hasn't happened.
Darkest Hours
Plus: Pentagon abortion policy, renouncing DSA membership, AI chatbot problems, and more...
After Hamas Attack, There Are No Good Options in the Middle East
Plus: Chaos in Congress, and bums in the parks
Is Donald Trump Eligible to Be Speaker of the House?
For a brief moment, some Republicans were arguing the disgraced and indicted President should be the next Speaker of the House.
The Social Media Moral Panic Won't Help Teens
We should all be skeptical that the same government that can't balance a budget can revamp the dominant form of modern communications and boost young people's self-esteem.
Poisonous Atmosphere
Plus: Eric Adams vs. migrants, SBF is back, Arnold Schwarzenegger for speaker?, and more...
Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro Warns Military Strikes Within Mexico Could 'Be Considered an Act of War'
On Friday, the Texas representative will introduce a resolution rebuking recent pushes to conduct military operations against Mexican cartels without Mexico’s consent or congressional authorization.
The Real Scandal in Washington Is the Government's Reckless Spending
Those sounding the loudest alarms about possible shutdowns are largely silent when Congress ignores its own budgetary rules. All that seems to matter is that government is metaphorically funded.
Why Justin Amash Should Be the Next Speaker of the House
And why he almost certainly will not
Both Parties Agree the Marijuana Industry Status Quo Is Untenable
The SAFER Banking Act is trying to address dual legality of cannabis laws between the federal government and the 38 states that have some form of legal cannabis.
Thomas Massie: 'The Next Speaker Is Going To Go Back to the Old Testament'
The libertarian-adjacent Kentucky congressman says he's against the effort to depose Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The IRS Sprang a Leak
Plus: Donald Trump's creative accounting, those sneaky vegans, brain drain, and more...
The 'Whack Jobs' Were Right
Plus: A listener asks the editors to weigh in on a hypothetical executive order to establish an American Climate Corps.
Congressional Clown Show
Plus: Dianne Feinstein's replacement doesn't even live in California, New York's biblical floods, and more...
The Government Won't Shut Down
Shutdowns don't meaningfully reduce the size or cost of government, but they also aren't the end of the world.
Gasoline Engines and Sex Changes for Kids
Plus: Minimum wage laws, space exploration, that time when North Africa was less dysfunctional than California, and more...
FCC Revives Common Carriage for the Internet
After five years without net neutrality rules, the fix for a problem that doesn’t exist is back.
Shut Up Already About John Fetterman's Slob Chic
The Senate is an incompetent laughingstock regardless of what its members wear.
Amazon Gets Sued Bigly
Plus: Trump commits fraud, a hacker house cooks steak, progressive movements can't stop failing, and more...
Shut It All Down
Plus: Nonessential government programs (all of them?), AI firefighting, tech-world hit pieces, and more...
CEO: 'I'm the One Who Paid the Tariffs. China Did Not.'
Deena Ghazarian, CEO of consumer electronic company Austere, says the federal government's tariff exclusion process was "arcane, nontransparent, and highly uncertain."
Tamale Police Lose Their Excuse To Restrict Homemade Meals
States that allow home chefs to sell perishable foods report no confirmed cases of relevant foodborne illness.
Congress Is Still Using 'Emergency Spending' on Non-Emergencies
Since Congress won't cut spending, an independent commission may be the only way to rein in the debt.
5 Dissenters in the House
Plus: DeSantis' awkward pot situation, San Francisco's "overpaid executive" tax, and more…
Hunter Biden Gets Caught in America's Double War on Drugs and Guns
Plus: A listener asks for the editors’ advice on how to spend his money.
Harsh AI Regulation From Congress Imperils Innovation
In addition to licensing regimes, there have also been calls for creating a new agency to regulate AI.
There's Plenty of Evidence of Corruption Around Biden
When talking heads say “no evidence,” they mean “no smoking-gun proof.”
Fake Sudafed Is Bullshit, Just As You Suspected
Legal restrictions on pseudoephedrine have not reduced meth use, but they have driven people with colds or allergies toward substitutes that seem to be completely ineffective.
Kevin McCarthy's Impeachment Inquiry Provokes Predictably Polarized Reactions
Plus: The Stations of the Cross isn't a zoning violation, inflation is making people poorer, and Russian mercenaries win hearts and minds with their own branded beer.
New Light on the ERA?
A long history of amending resolutions with legal effect.
Kevin McCarthy Announces Impeachment Inquiry Into Joe Biden
The investigation could look into "allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption" related to the president's involvement in his son's foreign business dealings.
Is a Government Shutdown Better Than More Reckless Borrowing?
Short-term solutions and governing from crisis to crisis isn't working.
Did Banks Hand Private Financial Data to the FBI Without Legal Process?
Banks routinely snitch on customers and even deny services to people politicians don’t like.
