Reason Earns 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place wins include work on America's gerontocracy, an interview with anti–death penalty activist Helen Prejean, and some Star Wars comedy.
Policy
Zyn Is Safer Than Smoking. The FDA Will Finally Let It Say So.
The decision is a major win for public health.
Housing Villains
Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani both do their bit to sabotage healthy housing policy.
Democrats' First 'Project 2029' Proposal: More Government Control Over Social Media
Semafor reported on Project 2029’s "Kids Over Clicks" proposal, which outlines Democrats' plans to regulate social media and AI companies.
Is Socialism Going Mainstream?
Plus: the DSA's policy agenda, Trump's chaotic Iran strategy, and America's 250th birthday
Mamdani Got His Rent Freeze Wish. Don't Expect New York City Housing To Become More Affordable.
The NYC Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rent for approximately 1 million apartments on Thursday night.
America's Nuclear Industry Doesn't Need Cronyism To Thrive
Privately funded nuclear reactors are achieving critical milestones on their own, but the Trump administration wants to prop up a single company.
Cato Institute Podcast on Possible "Abundance Alliance" Between Libertarians and Abundance Liberals
I took part along with prominent abundance liberalism advocate Jeremiah Johnson.
The Housing Bill Trump Won't Sign
Plus: Mamdani's rent freeze, Darializa's "no jail for murderers" stance, inflation ticks up, and more...
Prohibition Didn't Stop Marijuana Use. It Stopped Marijuana Research.
Rescheduling marijuana will make it easier to study a drug that tens of millions of Americans already use.
Supreme Court Issues Terrible Takings Decision in Pung v. Isabella County
The Court ruled that local goverments may pay compensation far below fair market value for property seized in tax foreclosures.
Trump Has Used Taxpayer Money To Purchase Stakes in Dozens of Companies. Congress Is About to Make It Easier.
Lawmakers should be blocking Trump's corporate socialism, not making it a permanent fixture.
Who Can't Afford Food?
Plus: Iran deal, J.D. Vance on morality, L.A. hemorrhages population, and more...
A New Bipartisan Bill Promises Innovation and Choice. It Will Deliver Neither.
The recently reintroduced American Innovation and Choice Online Act is a departure from America’s current antitrust regime, not an improvement.
Texas Landowners Face a Difficult Decision: Allow Border Wall or Lose Right to Property
Recent reporting from The Texas Tribune details shocking accounts of government overreach against landowners along the southern border.
Pick Your YIMBY
The D.C. mayoral race offers two leading candidates who are saying a lot of the right things about housing supply.
2 Texas Grandmothers Who Overcame Addiction Wanted To Become Social Workers. The State Wouldn't Let Them.
Now Katherin Youniacutt and Tammy Thompson are taking their fight to become licensed master social workers to the Texas Supreme Court.
My New Washington Post Op ed on NYC Mayor Mamdani's Unconstitutional Housing Policy
His plan to expropriate rental housing violates the Takings Clause, and would exacerbate the City's housing crisis rather than alleviate it.
Streamlining and Taxes
New York lawmakers exempt some housing from the state's environmental review law while piling taxes on second homes.
California Conservatives Champion 'Local Control' Until They Dislike the Results
Conservatives want local control over housing policy, but they're happy to let the state restrict when local governments can raise taxes.
The Government Wants a Monopoly on Conservation
The Department of the Interior embraces its inner statism by banning conservation groups from leasing public land.
Fewer Migrants, Fewer Homeless
The rare reported fall in the nation's homeless population is mostly the result of the ebbing migrant surge of 2023 and 2024.
The Protect College Sports Act Trades NCAA Chaos for Federal Overreach
Everything in the bipartisan bill to “save” the NCAA, how the law would work, and whether it can pass Congress
Trump Cut Nuclear Red Tape. Now His Administration Is Picking Winners.
The Trump administration can build on its success in the nuclear industry by getting out of the way.
Stop Giving Property Tax Breaks to Senior Citizens
If the government does not reduce the cost of public services, then a special tax break for one group merely forces everyone else to pick up the slack.
5 Bills Signed by Wes Moore That Will Impact Housing and AI Development in Maryland
Couched with good intentions, new laws aimed at housing and artificial intelligence development will add more layers of red tape to Maryland’s growing bureaucracy.
A Flawed Minimum Wage Study Shows How Bad Stats Get Turned Into Policy Gospel
A 2024 paper claimed higher minimum wages don't kill jobs. It was statistically significant—and almost certainly misleading.
A Reprieve for Build-To-Rent
The House passes a housing bill that protects build-to-rent development while still cracking down on large investors.
Trump Policy Could Send Legal Residents Abroad To Apply for Green Cards
A new memo from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would require green card applicants to apply for permanent residency abroad—but the law it cites may say the opposite.
Thomas Massie Falls, 'Samurai vs. Squatters,' Jeff Bezos
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Rep. Thomas Massie's defeat, Jeff Bezos' comments on taxes, and squatters in California.
Lawsuits Accuse Corporate 'Cartel' of Monopolizing Missouri's Weed Market
A 10 percent ownership cap was supposed to prevent monopolies in Missouri's marijuana market. Instead, the state's licensing regime may have created a blueprint for companies to build one.
Matt Yglesias on Libertarianism, Abundance Liberalism, and a Possible Alliance Between the Two
Yglesias supports an alliance and has key points of agreement with libertarians, but also criticisms of libertarianism. I welcome former and respond to the latter.
What I Learned Shadowing California's Katana-Wielding Anti-Squatter Enforcers
California's failure to eject squatters from the properties they've seized undermines the state's new housing laws.
Donald Trump and Josh Hawley's Federal Gas Tax Holiday Would Save Drivers Less Than $9 Per Month
It was a bad idea when Biden proposed it, and it's a bad idea now that Trump is proposing it. Want lower gas prices? End the war.
Samurai vs. Squatters: On the Street With the Hired Swords Reclaiming California Property Owners' Stolen Homes
California has failed to protect private property from squatters. Desperate owners are turning to katana-wielding enforcers to reclaim their homes.
This Tiny Toad Blocked a Green Energy Project. A New Federal Rule Will Cut 'Green' Tape.
A streamlined process for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act gives the government broader discretion to approve projects.
Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is a Fantasy Drama About Occupational Licensing
The first season of this Game of Thrones spinoff considers whether the main character is officially a knight.
Reason Receives 17 Nominations for Southern California Journalism Awards
Nominees include stories on America's gerontocracy, the war on chocolate, how Texas beat California on housing, and more.
Patients Have a Right To Try. Why Can't They Use It?
Terminally ill patients were promised access to experimental treatments, but the "right to try" exists mostly on paper.
The Need for Prick-Proof Housing Laws
Plus: the damage done by inclusionary zoning, total YIMBY victory at California gubernatorial forum, and Trump's reversion of build-to-rent
Why the Bipartisan War on Housing Investors Won't Make Housing More Affordable
Politicians on the left and right are increasingly blaming large investors for raising home prices. Here's why they're wrong.
Ted Turner, Entrepreneur of His Age
The creative destruction triggered by Ted Turner's wild gambits left the tyranny of licensed, bureaucratic TV in rubble.
