Policy
The Pandemic Home-Building Boom Is Over
Builders are starting fewer new housing projects but housing construction rates remain steady. Experts say it's a product of inflation catching up with persistent supply chain problems.
Supreme Court Asked To Decide if Paid Diet Advice Is Protected by the First Amendment
A Florida woman has been threatened with fines for giving tips without the proper occupational licensing.
Marc Andreessen's High-Tech Fix for the Housing Crisis Lets Him Keep Being a NIMBY
The venture capitalist's $350 million investment in WeWork founder Adam Neumann's new venture Flow is supposed to help renters build community and equity. They'd be better off if we just built housing instead.
Federal Court Upholds Washington, DC Regulation Requiring Child Care Workers to Have College Degrees
The decision may be in accordance with Supreme Court precedent. But if so, it underscores that precedent's flaws.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds College Degree Requirement for Child Care Staff
Plus: how voters respond to vague criticism, U.S. lawmakers still at war with TikTok, and more...
School Choice Faces a New Threat: Local Code Enforcers
Enemies of educational freedom are using inane regulations to target learning pods.
Are San Francisco's NIMBYs Finally Getting Their Comeuppance?
State housing officials have launched a first-ever investigation of the city's housing policies and practices, setting the stage for far more sweeping interventions.
Walgreens 'Helped Fuel' Opioid Crisis in San Francisco, Says Judge
Plus: Americans want to vote on abortion, why the housing crisis has gone national, and more...
Zoning Officials Tell New Hampshire Church It Can't Use Living Room To Host Prayer Meetings
Bedford's New Hope Christian Fellowship Church argues in a lawsuit that the town is applying uniquely restrictive rules to its religious gatherings.
Mobile Homes Are a Crucial Source of Affordable Housing. Politicians Are Trying To Zone Them Out of Town.
The government should not take away reliable and affordable housing from those who need it most.
Democrats' Rejection of Permit Streamlining Resolution Doesn't Bode Well for Joe Manchin's 'Side Deal'
The West Virginia senator conditioned his support for the Inflation Reduction Act on reforming federal environmental review laws. His Senate colleagues don't seem so hot on the idea.
Another NIMBY Lawsuit Seeks To End New York City Outdoor Dining Program
Several dozen NYC residents want to repeal the regulations allowing outdoor dining in the city.
Protesters Declare 'Housing Is a Human Right' While Marching Against New Housing Construction
New housing construction for 1,100 UC Berkeley students and 125 homeless people was paused Wednesday in response to protests.
Joe Manchin Strikes a Deal To Fix Antiquated Environmental Review Regulations. Will It Do Any Good?
The West Virginia senator proposes marginal reforms to a federal permitting process that policy wonks say needs a root-and-branch overhaul.
Which Is More Scandalous: The Training for Armed Teachers or the Training for Police Officers?
On average, the minimum requirement for cops is about 650 hours, compared to about 1,300 hours for barbers.
In Iowa, You No Longer Need a Permit To Sell Guns Across the Road from the Governor's Mansion
A new state law prohibits localities from prohibiting or licensing "no-impact" home-based businesses. That's allowing a Des Moines couple to sell guns from their house located just across the street from the governor's mansion.
Maxine Waters Says She May Not Vote for 'Shameful' Inflation Reduction Act, Citing Lack of Housing Spending
The new reconciliation bill also nixes a zoning reform program that had been included in the more expansive Build Back Better bill.
Meta Can't Buy V.R. Fitness Company, Must Make Its Own Competing App, Says FTC
Plus: A rebranded "Build Back Better," the two-party system creates "a disconnect between elites and non-elites," and more...
NYC Has 98 Closed Playgrounds, Despite Mayor Eric Adams' Pledge
The mayor promised to reopen city playgrounds, but more of them are currently closed than before he took office.
Poll: Tech Regulation Should Focus on Privacy and Security—Not Breaking Up Big Tech Companies
Plus: Arizona prisons censor The Nation, Facebook's feed changes, and more...
The Biden Administration Can't Make Up Its Mind About Alcohol
Do you want to brag about America’s alcohol industry, or do you want to crack down on it?
San Francisco Mayor Slaps Down Clever Plot To Make Housing Crisis Worse
The mayor vetoed a controversial ordinance that would have legalized more types of housing on paper while making it harder to build in practice.
It's Becoming Easier To Get Permission To Work, But Not by Enough
Occupational licensing reform is a popular cause, but barriers remain too high.
Biden Expands Dubious Subsidies for Manufacturers
The Export-Import Bank enjoys bipartisan support, even though there is little evidence that it's effective.
Little Libraries, Free at Last?
Good news for fans of literacy and opponents of restrictive zoning codes
A Black Family's Property Was Seized via Eminent Domain. A Century Later, Their Descendants Just Got It Back.
Segregation-era racists tried to drive the Bruces away from their own beachfront property. When intimidation didn't work, they resorted to the power of the state.
Will Britain's Next Prime Minister Champion Free Markets?
Liz Truss promises a tax-cutting, deregulatory model for Britain.
D.C. Circuit Makes It More Difficult for New Administrations to Stop "Midnight" Rules
It may now require notice and comment to rescind final rules that were never published in the Federal Register.
How Demands for 'Local Control' Become an Excuse for NIMBYism
Conservatives' guiding principle should always be less government control, not more.
Both Democrats and Republicans Want To Break Up Big Tech. Consumers Would Pay the Price.
Government often proves to be biased against large, successful companies that legislators don't understand well but customers love.
Glenn Greenwald: Tucker Carlson, Left-Wing Authoritarians, Identity Politics, and Free Speech
''The kind of values I've always embraced are heard more on Fox than on CNN and MSNBC," says the Pulitzer Prize–winning progressive journalist.
Terrible Restrictions on Food Trucks Are Still a Thing
Atlanta, Sioux Center, and too many other cities and towns are still treating food trucks like second-class businesses.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Rent Control, Arizona Alt Fuel, Ballot Access (Vol. 8)
Good intentions, bad results.
Taxpayers Pay the Price for DeSantis' War on Disney
Florida's governor has declared a regulatory war on one of the state's biggest employers. But it's the taxpayers who may ultimately pay the price.
Stephen Carter Makes the Case for Barring the Bar Exam
The famous columnist and Yale Law School professor points out that the case made against other standardized tests, such as the LSAT, also applies to bar exams.
Interesting Defendant Anonymity Opinion in Trademark / Parody / Gun 3-D Printing Controversy
And, even more exciting, there’s personal jurisdiction thrown in.
The FDA Will Consider Whether To Approve a Birth Control Pill for Over-the-Counter Use
If approved, the drug could increase access to effective birth control.
July Brings a Mixed Bag of New State Alcohol Laws
California bartenders will need to be certified, while Virginians can now bring up to three gallons of booze across state lines.
Is South Florida's Housing Market Too Hot?
Zoning laws, a limited housing stock, and inflation have created a major housing shortage in the bubble-prone region.
Pennsylvania Town Threatens Churches With $500 Fines for Providing Free Meals, Counseling Services
Borough officials in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, told Mission First and Christ Episcopal churches that their charitable work goes beyond what the zoning code allows for downtown churches.
FDA Finally Admits It Caused the Baby Formula Shortage
The agency is now taking small steps to allow foreign formula manufacturers to import their goods into the U.S.
How Would You Change the Constitution?
I asked scholars, podcasters, and passersby how they'd change the nation's founding charter. Here's what they told me.
Federal Court of Claims Rejects Takings Claims Against CDC Eviction Moratorium
But it does so on the ground that the moratorium was never properly "authorized," not because a moratorium could never be a taking.
