More Perfect Season 2: Advocacy Masquerading as Explanation
Libertarians should listen to the second season of NPR's legal podcast. But maybe get a pillow to scream into first.
Law & Government
There's Still No Big 'There' in the Russia Probe
The FBI's disappointing surveillance of Carter Page illustrates the difficulty of implicating the president in illegal collusion.
College Students Trash Obama Quotes They Thought Were From Trump
Partisan politics is awful.
It's Not Enough to Get Paid for Not Working: These L.A. Police and Firefighters Figured Out How to Double It
Meet the LAPD couple who made a cool $2 million off the city while hanging out at their condo in Cabo San Lucas.
Mitch McConnell Thinks His Greatest Achievement Is the Judges His Senate Confirmed
The Senate confirmed a record number of federal appellate court nominees in 2017.
Woman Still Getting Civil-War Survivor Benefits Shows How Federal Policies Mortgage the Future
Abraham Lincoln couldn't have dreamed that 21st-century Americans would still be paying for pensions created under him.
Here's What Rand Paul, Mark Meadows, and Others in Washington Are Saying About the Nunes Memo
Now that it's out, nobody's minds seem to have changed.
Right To Try Laws Are a Fine Start. Comprehensive Reform of the FDA's Drug Trials Would Be Better.
The drug regulator's clinical trials process for approving drugs needs a complete overhaul.
White House Releases Declassified Memo Alleging Bias in FBI Surveillance of Trump Campaign Staffer (UPDATE: Dem Memo Details Leaked)
Nunes report claims Democratic Party-origins of Steele dossier concealed from court.
Farewell to Nicholas von Hoffman, the Newsman Who Got Fired for Comparing Nixon to a Dead Mouse
Friday A/V Club: Columnist, broadcaster, and critic of concentrated power
Get Yourself Ready for 'The Memo'—Will It Rock Your World or Put You to Sleep?
Trump has reviewed a document alleging FBI misconduct. It might be released Friday.
Donald Jr.'s Trump Tower Meeting Was Not a Crime, and Neither Was Lying About It
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the president's role in writing an ass-covering statement that was misleading but not illegal.
The Axis of Evil Is Back, and It's Never Going Away
U.S. presidents like to go looking for dragons to slay.
When It Comes to the Escalating War on Terror, Trump's SOTU Was Heavy on Bragging, Light on Details
The war will continue until further notice.
SOTU: Trump Promises Streamlined Regulations, More Private Investment in Infrastructure
The president's comments adhered pretty closely to past statements but offered little added detail.
What About the Debt? Trump's SOTU Ignores a $20 Trillion Time Bomb
If a Republican president can't address a Republican-controlled Congress without paying lip service to the idea of cutting spending, what good are Republicans?
State of the Union Wrap Up Video: Ask Us Anything
Katherine Mangu-Ward, Matt Welch, and Peter Suderman take your questions.
The Prejudicial Cynicism of Trump's SOTU Talk About MS-13
Conflating illegal immigration in general with criminal gangs is wrong, and will lead to bad, wasteful, damaging immigration policy.
Trump Promotes 'Right to Try' Experimental Treatments for Terminally Ill Patients in SOTU Address
A bill in Congress would follow the states and allow greater access.
Nope, Trump Doesn't Get Credit for Low Black Unemployment
Some of Trump's economic policies could be good for everyone, including African Americans. But those numbers aren't his doing.
Trump Says In SOTU That Administration Will Pursue Prison Reforms
"We will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who have served their time get a second chance."
Trump and the End of the Imperial Presidency
If you look past the shouting and the narcissism, there are clear signs that Trump doesn't have as much power as we all want or fear.
What Can Richard Nixon—and Warren Harding!—Teach Us About Donald Trump's State of the Union Address?
Some surprising insights and historical curiosities from past presidents at their one-year marks
Congressman Calls on Capitol Police to Arrest 'Dreamers' at State of the Union
So it's come to this.
Everybody's Talking About 'The Memo' and Ignoring the Surveillance Debate
Partisan posturing drowns out important civil liberties concerns.
What Donald Trump Should Say About Immigration in Tonight's State of the Union
We can fantasize, can't we?
All the President's Human Props: Welders, Cops, Vets Will Be Trotted Out During SOTU
Donald Trump will continue the awful tradition of showcasing "Skutniks" at the State of the Union address.
Here Are 5 Criminal Justice Reform Measures That Americans Say They Support
A new poll says voters want change. They can get it if they truly want it.
Georgia's Campus Free Speech Bill Protects Some Students' Rights, May Threaten Others
State senator proposes mandatory minimums for repeat First Amendment violators.
Trump is no Deregulator on Immigration
My new Penn Regulatory Review article explains why widespread claims that Trump is a deregulator are undermined by his immigration policies, which include increases in regulation that outweigh reductions he may have achieved elsewhere.
Man Incarcerated for 6 Years Without a Trial Because He Demanded a Speedy Trial
What the 2nd Circuit's opinion in U.S. v. Tigano reveals about the state of our criminal justice system
Dianne Feinstein Ignores GOP Lawmakers, Blames #ReleaseTheMemo on Russians and Social Media Instead
Any excuse to try to censor the internet
'Worse Than Watergate' Is Worse Than Watergate
The rhetorical war over the Justice Department's Trump/Russia investigation is beating a dead metaphor.
Regulations Prevent Some People from Using Google Arts & Culture's Portrait-Matching Feature
Illinois and Texas think biometric identifiers are a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Police Wrongdoing Cost New Jersey Taxpayers $42 Million in the Last 10 Years
In scores of secret settlements, local governments have sought to hide cops' crimes and brutality.
Shipping Magnates and Friendly Lawmakers Air-Kiss over Loathsome Law that Torments Poor Hawaiians, Puerto Ricans
The Jones Act drives up consumer prices by protecting U.S. companies from competition. Guess who insists it must be kept intact?
Can Big Data Help Save Abused Kids?
The quest to fix our messy, meddlesome foster care bureaucracies
Shutdown Day 2: Donald Trump Urges 'Nuclear Option.' That's Not a Good Plan.
Luckily, no actual nukes are involved. But it could be politically destructive.
Supreme Court Will Hear Case Challenging Trump's Travel Ban 3.0
The Court's decision to take the case is not surprising. It could potentially result in a very important decision addressing the scope of presidential power over immigration.
Avoiding a Government Shutdown Means Adding $30 Billion (at Least) to the Debt
The House-passed continuing resolution died Friday in the Senate, but any deal to keep the government operating will likely do similar damage to the deficit.
Meet the Republicans Who Care About Surveillance Abuse Only When Trump's the Target (UPDATE: Trump Signs 702 Bill)
They voted to expand federal snooping. Now they're outraged about how it's used.
Is Tax Reform Already Working?
Companies are paying bonuses, raising wages, and committing to major new investments. Is this a sign of the tax law's success-or just clever corporate PR?
The Originalist Case for Jury Nullification
Is there a place in our system for a jury to acquit because the jurors believe the underlying law is unconstitutional?
A New Year Means a New California Secession Movement
A rural inland group wants to split from the coastal communities and from Sacramento.
