Law & Government
State-Licensed Pot Suppliers Say Federal Prohibition Is Unconstitutional As Applied to Them
A federal lawsuit argues that it is time to reassess the Commerce Clause rationale for banning intrastate marijuana production and distribution.
Lawmakers Try To Insert Privacy Protections Into the Feds' Snooping Powers
The bipartisan Government Surveillance Reform Act would stop a lot of warrantless surveillance as a condition for renewal of Section 702 authorities.
Is a Land Value Tax the Solution to Detroit's Messed Up Property Tax System?
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan argues that shifting taxes from homes to the land they sit on will encourage development and cut taxes for most homeowners. Local property tax activists aren't convinced.
"A Woman Intentionally Crashed Her Car Into What She Thought Was a Jewish School …
because she was angry about the Israel-Hamas war, Indianapolis police said."
No Malarkey: Even Democrats Think Biden Is Too Old
Plus: A listener asks the editors about requiring gun buyers to pass a psychological assessment.
John Fetterman Thinks You're Too Dumb To Understand That Vegan 'Milk' Isn't Dairy
The DAIRY PRIDE Act says it wants to protect consumers. In reality, it's trying to protect dairy farmers from economic competition.
The Wildly Misleading Statistic at the Center of the FTC's Antitrust Case Against Amazon
Lina Khan says this number is crucial to understanding Amazon's monopoly power, but she's either confused or lying about what it means.
Senate Resolution Would Send Federal Offenders Back to Prison 3 Years After Being Released to Home Confinement
The Bureau of Prisons released more than 12,000 people on home confinement during the pandemic. Three years later, Republicans want to overturn a Justice Department rule allowing those still serving sentences to stay home.
20 Years to Disaster
"The United States has about 20 years for corrective action after which no amount of future tax increases or spending cuts could avoid the government defaulting on its debt."
Dobbs Is Reshaping American Politics
A wave of ballot measures reminds us most Americans are moderate on abortion.
Battle Lines Drawn
Plus: House GOP defies White House on Israel funding, Gaza City surrounded, SBF guilty, Republican under indictment seeks reelection
House GOP Threatens To Kill 'Baby YIMBY Grant' Program After First Year
The Democrat-controlled Senate meanwhile is proposing to expand the program.
A Missouri Cop Shot a Family's Dog and Threw Its Body in a Ditch
A 9-year-old lab mix wandered away from home during a storm. When a neighbor called the police to help find the dog's family, cops shot the pup instead.
A Montana Case Tests the Constitutionality of the Gun-Free School Zones Act
The law makes it a felony to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, which covers the sidewalk in front of Gabriel Metcalf's house.
Biden Threatens To Veto GOP Spending Bill That Would 'Cut' Amtrak Funding to Double Pre-Pandemic Levels
Amtrak has historically received $2 billion in federal subsidies each year. Under Republicans' "draconian" cuts, they'd receive over $5 billion next year.
Escalation in Gaza
Plus: Everyone's favorite congressman survives another day, the Senate passes spending bills, New York City goes to war on tourism, and more...
Is Chaos the Natural State of Congress?
The federal budgeting process was broken long before Matt Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy's recent spat.
Spending Recklessly in Good Times Is a Recipe for Disaster in Bad Times
Years ago, when interest rates were low, calls for the federal government to exercise fiscal restraint were dismissed. That was unwise.
87% of Americans Want Politicians To Do Something Before Social Security Runs Out of Money
Entitlement reform has long been considered a third rail in American politics, but that perspective might be changing.
Overcrowding Causes 'Unsafe and Unsanitary' Conditions for Youth In Philadelphia Jail
According to legal documents, children have been forced to sleep on the floor of offices and gymnasiums, with limited access to bathrooms and showers.
Tennessee to Pay $125,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Man Arrested for Posting Meme Mocking Dead Cop
Joshua Garton spent nearly two weeks in jail for "manufacturing and disseminating a harassing photograph on social media." A First Amendment lawsuit quickly followed.
Taking From IRS, Giving to Israel
Plus: Massive union wins, abortion rebrands, Silvio Berlusconi's nude-art collection, and more...
New Article: The General Law Right to Bear Arms
with implications for the pending Supreme Court case of United States v. Rahimi
Don't Believe Janet Yellen's Shoddy Wartime 'Girl Math'
Plus: President Joe Biden’s weird economy and Rep. Mike Johnson as the unlikely new speaker of the House of Representatives.
Biden Wants Another $56 Billion in 'Emergency' Spending
Congress is being asked to borrow more money to fund broadband access and other pet projects. Only about $9 billion would be spent on natural disaster recovery efforts.
Bill Maher Attacks 'the Real Deep State' of Government Regulators, Administrators, and Zoning Officers
The comedian blames America's endless reams of regulatory red tape for slowing down new wind farms, housing, and public toilets.
Louisiana Mother of Autistic Child Hit by Teacher Files Supreme Court Petition
School officials in three states are effectively immune from lawsuits over excessive corporal punishment. A Louisiana mother is asking the Supreme Court to step in.
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.
In French Thriller Anatomy of a Fall, the Law Is No One's Friend
A tricky, excellent legal drama shows just how hard it can be to pin down the truth.
Test Scores Are Plummeting Despite California Spending Wildly on Education
State officials seem to delight in how much money they "invest" in different priorities, without worrying too much about outcomes.
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.
Trump's Stooges Flip
Plus: Greta Thunberg gets booted from Israeli schools, Spain gets even less serious about work, regulating skyline views, and more...
New Jersey Police Have Waited Almost 2 Years To Expunge a Man's Criminal Record, Lawsuit Claims
Individuals are waiting months to have their criminal records expunged after court orders, according to a new lawsuit.
How To Yell 'Fire' in a Crowded Theater
Aside from narrowly defined exceptions, false speech is protected by the First Amendment.
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.