New York the Latest City to Take Aim At Plastic Straws
Momentum to ban these convenient suckers keeps growing.
Nanny State
Another City Cites Bogus Stats From 9-Year-Old to Justify Straw Ban
Vancouver is the latest city to take aim at singe-use plastic straws.
With or Without Legalization, Sports Betting is Here to Stay
U.S. politicians prevented the development of a legal market for sports betting, driving eager gamblers to underground bookies.
Sacramento Wants to Boost Rail Ridership By Banning Drive-Throughs and Gas Stations Near Transit
The logic of the policy is perplexing.
This Taco Bell Can't Get a Liquor License Because City Officials Don't Like Taco Bell
But the pizza place next door can have one.
20-Year-Old Whiskey in 6 Days: Will This Self-Taught Chemist Upend the Liquor Industry?
Bryan Davis created a chemical reactor that compresses time, bringing an artistic sensibility back to aged spirits.
Human Trafficking Court in Delaware Shuts Down for Lack of Human-Trafficking Victims
The Delaware Criminal Justice Council found it difficult to "justify the resources that have been expend on so few" participants with such a "low rate of success."
Anti-Sex Work Crusaders Now Coming for Legal Prostitution in Nevada
"Of course the voices of actual sex workers are nowhere to be found," says brothel worker and PhD student Christina Parreira.
Beset By Homelessness, Rising Rents, Nightmarish Traffic, San Francisco Cracks Down on Dockless Scooters
Bay City residents, politicians should be more chill about electric scooters.
Pardon Jack Johnson
The White Slavery Panic of the late 19th/early 20th centuries caused Congress to pass the vaguely-worded Mann Act. It allowed the FBI and prosecutors broad discretion to go after individuals they didn't like.
British Politicians Declare War on Knives
Having failed to thwart crime with gun bans, British officials now want to restrict what may be the most useful tool ever invented.
Law Prohibiting 'Revenge Porn' Violates First Amendment, Says Texas Appeals Court
The state law targeted people who share erotic photographs of others without their consent.
U.K. Goes Full Nanny State With Proposed Nationwide Plastic Straw Ban
Want to cut back on plastic marine waste? Focus on waste management systems, not drinking straws.
Backpage Plea to Texas Sex Trafficking Charge Turns On CEO's Admission to Brokering Adult Prostitution
Backpage CEO Carl Ferrer turned over the company and seven other executives in exchange for leniency.
Backpage Founder's 93 Charges Lack Actual Sex-Trafficking Claims
Indictment reveals money-laundering, conspiracy charges, and a tricky federal law known as the Travel Act.
Beware Censorship by Proxy
Prodding private companies into self-censorship is a dangerous government tradition.
Feds Seize Control of Backpage.com; Founder Faces 93-Count Indictment
Site had long been a target for sex work and sex trafficking advertisements.
Open Season on Russian Oligarchs, Prison Porn Ban Heads to Court, How the Media Got the Pulse Massacre Wrong: Reason Roundup
Plus: YouTube shooter bought and registered gun legally.
Dear Politicians: Stop Taxing Us to Death
Philadelphia's soda tax is the latest example of government run amok.
New Backpage Ruling Lays Bare Some of the Lies Undergirding FOSTA
The ruling allows a civil suit against Backpage to proceed for one of the case's three plaintiffs.
Trump Says Syria Withdrawal Coming 'Soon,' Weed 'Beer' Promises Buzz With No Alcohol, California May Slap Cancer Warning on Coffee: Reason Roundup
Plus: Billy Corgan says he's a "free-market libertarian capitalist" and Westworld's robots are on a rampage.
State Kills Anti-Porn Bill After Discovering More About Its Backer, Free Speech Win for FX's Feud, FISA Warrants Under Scrutiny: Reason Roundup
And President Trump is mad at Amazon for...ruining the postal service?
Shhh! Virginia Bars Can Host Happy Hour, but Can't Talk About It
Advertising "half-priced drinks" is legal. Advertising "two-for-one" drinks is not. Huh?
Dentist Threatens to Report Parents for Neglect Unless They Bring in Their Kids (and Wallets)
Mandatory abuse reporting requirements lead to a novel marketing scheme.
FDA's Low-Nicotine Cigarette Scheme Is an Invitation to Black Market Vendors
People will find sources for what they want no matter what presumptuous regulators say.
Hours After FOSTA Passes, Reddit Bans 'Escorts' and 'SugarDaddy' Communities
The great content crackdown has begun.
FOSTA Passes Senate, Making Prostitution Ads a Federal Crime Against Objections from DOJ and Trafficking Victims
The measure will "make it harder, not easier, to root out and prosecute sex traffickers," said Sen. Ron Wyden, one of only two senators to vote no on FOSTA.
Sign Referencing Civil War Hero Is Sexual Harassment, Says Massachusetts Lawmaker
Rep. Michelle DuBois wants to remove a statehouse sign that reads "General Hooker Entrance" because it is an affront to "women's dignity."
If SCOTUS Lets States Legalize Sports Betting, Will They Be Ready?
The black market will continue to thrive if taxes and regulations are too burdensome, a new CEI report warns.
Drunk History: When the Government Banned Female Bartenders
A shameful chapter in U.S. law.
Stossel: The Philly Soda Tax Scam
John Stossel fights with a Philadelphia City Councilman about the city's new soda tax.
There Ought Not Be a Law
The world is an imperfect place, but laws tend to make things worse, not better.
Indiana Allows Sunday Alcohol Sales, Keeps Cold Beer Laws on Books
Prohibition isn't totally defeated yet.
$20 Fee for Porn Access Proposed in Rhode Island
Device makers would be required to block porn, prostitution hubs, and all content that fails "current standards of decency."
Florida Lawmaker Drops Proposal to Let Victims of Sex Trafficking Sue Hotels
Disney allegedly lobbied against the bill behind the scenes.
Stone Age Statue Was Too Racy for Facebook
How can a company be expected to arbitrate "fake news" when it can't even tell ancient artifacts from porn?
Trump's Tariffs Will Crush the Beer Industry
And they'll make lots of other things more expensive too.
House Passes 'Anti Sex-Trafficking' Bill Opposed by Both DOJ and Trafficking Survivors
The bill makes "promoting prostitution" a federal crime, holds websites legally liable for user-posted content, and lets states retroactively prosecute offenders.
USDA's 'Harvest Box' Food-Shipping Proposal Is Truly Absurd
Poor people are likely to make better food choices for themselves than the government.
People Will Eat What They Want, Not What Government Prefers
Nanny efforts in the U.S. and Chile to shape eating habits continue to accomplish little.
If You Really Wanted to Ban Porn, Here's What It Would Take
Prohibition never works, and internet smut is no exception.
