Brett Favre Goes on Welfare
How the former NFL quarterback convinced Mississippi to spend its public assistance money on a volleyball facility.
State Governments
After 975 Days, Washington's Governor Will Finally Relinquish His Emergency Pandemic Powers
Gov. Jay Inslee says Washington state's COVID-19 emergency will finally come to an end on October 31.
English Tests Are Just an Excuse To Block Immigrants From Licensed Professions
Why should the government care if massage therapists can speak English?
Courts Split on Whether the Feds Can Overturn These State Abortion Bans
Plus: "Reparations" for the news industry, the disappearance of starter homes, and more...
A Case That Pits Gun Rights Activism Against Federalism
Gun control advocates may embrace the 10th Amendment.
Marco Rubio Says He Won't Vote To Eliminate the Defense of Marriage Act, But His Explanation Makes No Sense
Rubio says states should decide marriage laws, but DOMA is a federal law that overruled state regulation.
California Environmentalists: Bees Are Now Fish
The state's Endangered Species Act doesn't protect insects, so environmentalists and government officials intent on helping bees had to get creative.
Utah Wants To Help Afghan Refugees Prosper. Will the Federal Government Get in the Way?
The federal government set the tone on the beginning of the resettlement process. It continues to keep legal status for certain evacuees out of reach.
States Must Allow Abortions When Woman's Health or Life Is Threatened, Says HHS
Plus: When "anti-wokeness" becomes an obsession, why immigrants are upwardly mobile, and more...
Liz Wolfe: How San Francisco's Failures Could Help Austin and Miami
Associate Editor Liz Wolfe discusses the political and economic fortunes of both Austin and Miami, plus potential reasons these pastures might not always be greener.
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.
Blame Congress for Pandemic Fraud
The inconvenient truth behind all the COVID-19 relief fraud and waste is that these government programs never should have been designed as they were.
Federal COVID Aid to States and Localities Cost $855,000 Per Job Saved
A new paper reveals that the state and local bailout was not only unnecessary but incredibly wasteful.
Following USDA Guidance, State Clinics Destroyed Thousands of Cans of Usable Baby Formula
The government worsens the baby formula shortage, again.
Government Employees Got $872 Million in Bonuses Out of COVID Aid Cash
The federal bailout of state and local governments padded the paychecks of many public employees.
This Michigan Town Repealed a Ban on Fortunetellers, but Might Break State Law if It Tries To Regulate Them
Petoskey's draft ordinance would require both "legitimate" fortunetellers and people pretending to tell fortunes to be licensed, calling into question the sense of licensing at all.
Stop Using Legislation To Virtue Signal
Both Republicans and Democrats are abusing states' police powers to achieve performative political goals. They should stop.
How Worrying Are Pro-Trump Gubernatorial Candidates Running on Rigged Election Claims?
It may not be a successful strategy in general elections, but it's still deeply unnerving.
High Inflation Means Rising Tax Bills
The current run of price and wage increases could tip taxpayers into higher brackets, where they will owe larger slices of their income to the government.
Occupational Licensing Hurts the Vulnerable Without Helping the Public
Hispanics get slammed the hardest by licensing requirements that regulators can’t justify.
Utah Governor To Veto School Choice Bill Unless His Demands Are Met
Gov. Spencer Cox supports school choice but will only sign the bill once Utah pays teachers more than any other state.
Clueless Newsom Shocked at California's 'Third World' Conditions
The governor needs to leave his fancy Sacramento-area compound more often to see what's going on throughout the state.
The Lockdown Showdown
Alarmed by unilateral COVID-19 restrictions, states are imposing new limits on executive authority.
Gas-Powered Lawnmower Ban, Mandatory Gender-Neutral Toy Aisles Among California's Weirdest New Laws
But at least state lawmakers also passed some useful criminal justice bills and policing reforms.
Department of Education Will Launch Investigations Targeting States That Banned Schools From Mandating Masks
Not everything potentially beneficial should be mandatory and not everything potentially harmful should be banned. And not every dispute about costs and benefits should be decided by the federal government.
If Government Is Good at One Thing, It's Making a Crisis Worse
The same institution that's unable to run the Postal Service or Amtrak orchestrated our invasion and withdrawal of Afghanistan.
State Governments Didn't Need Coronavirus Bailouts. They Got Billions of Dollars Anyway.
As it turns out, state and local tax revenues hardly collapsed.
Greg Abbott's Border Wall Plan Is Doomed To Fail
The Texas governor wants to keep incoming migrants out at all costs. But those costs are insurmountable.
California, New York Have the Most To Gain From Ending Bonus Unemployment Benefits. They Probably Won't.
States that already had lower unemployment rates in May are more likely to have announced plans for ending the bonus unemployment payments.
Want Better Policing? Make It Easier To Fire Bad Cops.
Realtors, contractors, and insurance agents who engage in bad behavior can be stripped of their licenses. Police officers, on the other hand, rarely get fired.
State Legislators Want to Nullify Federal Gun Control
State legislators across the country are working to weaken the enforcement of federal gun laws by emulating immigration activists.
The $1.9 Trillion American Recovery Act Could Have Huge Implications for State Tax Policies
Six different states are already suing over a broad prohibition on tax cuts that was slipped into March's $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill.
The 'California Dream' Isn't Dead. Yet.
California’s problems are indeed daunting, but even troubled San Francisco is still a lovely city.
New York Will Put To-Go Cocktails on Ice
Special interests are trying to stuff newfound alcohol freedom back in the bottle as the pandemic ends.
States With Post-Pandemic Surpluses Are Still Getting Huge Federal Bailouts
California has a $75 billion budget surplus, but federal taxpayers are about to send the state $27 billion in additional aid.
States Hope Labor Shortage Will Shrink as They Ditch Federal Unemployment Benefits
Plus: Remembering "sexual-subculture pioneer" Pat Bond, debunking gender gap hyperbole around jobs, and more...
If You Want To Fix the Country, Devolve Power
Revived federalism is a start, but it doesn’t go far enough.
Poll Shows 69 Percent of Americans Favor Legal Weed, a New Record High
Poll found that 78 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of Republicans, and 67 percent of independents favor legalization, as do majorities of every age demographic.
COVID-19 Is Leading State Lawmakers To Finally Restrain Governors' Emergency Powers
Even during a pandemic, major changes to laws and policies should be funneled through state assemblies.
Tennessee Tries To Limit Residents' Access to Wine From Other States (Again)
After losing at the Supreme Court in 2019, state lawmakers are now targeting fulfillment houses in an attempt to stop consumers from buying what they want.
Federal COVID-19 Bailout Prohibits States From Cutting Taxes
The measure could also make it illegal for states to create new tax credit programs, such as those used for expanding school choice.
Georgia Republicans Aim To Restrict Voting by Mail
The state Senate approved some cynical changes to Georgia's absentee ballot laws under the guise of securing future elections from fraud that no one seems to be able to find.
State Revenue Is 'Virtually Flat.' Local Government Revenue Is Up Slightly. Congress Wants To Give Them $350 Billion Anyway.
The Democrats' COVID bill showers billions of unneeded dollars on state and local governments.
Recall Elections Give California Voters a Needed Check on Governors Who Abuse Their Power
California Gov. Gavin Newsom hasn't committed any crimes, but he deserves to face a potential recall for his disastrous handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Limiting Mail-in Voting Won't Make Elections More Secure
But it would continue the politicization of the means of voting and make it harder to vote.
Maryland's Legislature Just Imposed a New Tax on Digital Advertising by Overriding Gov. Larry Hogan's Veto
The first-in-the-nation tax is an expensive and regressive policy that's also possibly unconstitutional.
