Policy
No, the U.S. Is Not an Oligarchy
The middle class is just as likely to get its way as are the rich, a new paper finds.
The FDA's Push to Define 'Natural' Food is an Exercise in Futility
Let consumers, advocates, and courts decide.
Sliding Down the Super-Cycle: Resource Doom Postponed Indefinitely
Legendary investor Jeremy Grantham admits he was wrong about "peak everything."
Trump: An Elephant Man for the Beauty Pageant
Trump supporters hold up a funhouse mirror to a political class they find even more disgusting
Trump's Threat Against The Washington Post Is Yet Another Reminder That He is a Bully and an Authoritarian
Trump's lack of respect for freedom of speech is deeply worrying.
First Lawsuit of Its Kind Blames Marijuana for Murder
Kristine Kirk's family say her husband would not have killed her if he had been properly warned about THC side effects.
The FDA's Deadly Censorship of Lifesaving E-Cigarette Information
Regulators won't let manufacturers of vaping hardware and e-liquids tell their customers the truth.
A California Bill Trump the Developer Would Love
Would make using eminent domain even easier.
Federal Court Rules That Obamacare Subsidies Were Illegally Funded
Only Congress has the power to appropriate funds.
FBI Director Blames 'Viral Videos' for Rising Murder Rates
James Comey says watched cops are not aggressive enough.
The 'Conservatarian' Collapse, Obama's 'Narrative' Dishonesty, and the Real Estate Anguish of Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Fifth Column welcomes Charles C.W. Cooke to talk #NeverTrump, idiotic writings, and more.
John McCain Decries the Trumpian 'Nativism' That He Depends on to Stay in the Senate Forever
79-year-old senator wants you to know he feels very bad about the presidential candidate he made possible, yet still won't join Neocons 4 Hillary because he has to win another re-election
Enviros Shun While Pro-Life Conservatives Embrace Population Control Restrictionists. Go Figure.
Immigration makes the strangest bed fellows
Rep. Thomas Massie: 'Republicans Want to Spend More Money Just as Much as Democrats Do.'
The Kentucky Congressman on Trump, House of Cards, and the plot to kick out Boehner.
Arkansas Trooper Steals $20,000, Because Nobody Innocent Carries That Much Cash
Prosecutors tried to drop the forfeiture case, but the judge would not let them.
The FDA's Deadly E-Cigarette Regulations
The agency's new rules threaten products that offer a much safer alternative to smoking.
AAA Finds No Basis for Equating THC Blood Levels With Driver Impairment
Traffic safety trends in Washington after marijuana legalization are ambiguous.
Social Conservatives Call for Stricter TV Ratings
Why the V-chip will never please everyone, and soon will hardly please anyone at all
Maine Legalization Initiative Would Force Merchants to Hide Marijuana Magazines
MPP, which decried the behind-the-counter rule as "absurd" and "unconstitutional" in Colorado, is backing it in Maine.
The Zombie Drug That Wasn't
Four years after the "Miami cannibal attack," a critique of the press coverage reveals familiar patterns.
Are Facts Turning the Tide Against Soda Taxes?
New data out of Mexico pour cold water over heated rhetoric.
The FDA's New Tobacco Rules Will Be Terrible for Cigar Smokers Too
The market for cigars is about to become a lot less diverse and a lot more boring.
You're Now Free to Have a Hippie, Crunchy Funeral in Alabama
New law ends occupational license-mandated monopoly on casket sales.
After Arresting Driver for Silence, Cops Tell Her She Has a Right to Remain Silent
New Jersey state troopers said declining to answer a question is a crime.
Obama Could Have Achieved a Nixonian Level of Mercy If He Had Wasted Less Time
Nixon's commutation rate was more than four times as high.
No Charges Against Cop Who Got Into a Deadly Struggle After a Door Hit His Foot
Determined to arrest John Livingston for assaulting his pride, Deputy Nicholas Kehagias ended up shooting him dead.
The Legend of the Miami Cannibal Provides Lessons in Shoddy Drug Journalism
A new analysis of TV reports about a shocking crime rumored to be caused by "bath salts" reveals familiar patterns.
FDA Imposes a Slow-Motion Ban on E-Cigarettes
The agency's final rule leaves conventional cigarettes on the market while requiring much safer alternatives to meet prohibitive requirements.
300 Hours Training Required to Shampoo Hair In Tennessee
Three-hundred hours of classes "on the theory and practice of shampooing?" And that's just the start....
Will the Libertarian Party Turn the Trump-Hillary Race Into More Than 1%?
These questions and more debated on the new episode of The Fifth Column
Feds Agree to Tolerate the Country's Largest Medical Marijuana Dispensary
After trying to shut down the Harborside Health Center for years, the DOJ gives up.
California Marijuana Initiative Seems to Have Plenty of Signatures
Recent polls indicate that legalization also has plenty of public support.
Should a 'Potential Criminal Background' Override the Second Amendment?
Broad police discretion over who may own and carry guns seems blatantly unconstitutional.
Trump's Foreign Policy Contradictions
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee wants a bigger military but says he'll use it less.
Counter-Programming Alert: Watch Matt Welch Debate Mandatory Salary Transparency on PBS Tonight!
Check local listings for the late-night public-TV debate show in which Boston liberals occasionally get to vote on libertarian arguments!
Republicans Are Coming Around to Donald Trump. Of Course They Are.
The billionaire candidate's presidential campaign reveals both the emptiness and the awfulness of the GOP.
Marijuana Legalization Did Not Initially Boost Underage Access in Washington
The percentage of students who say pot is easy to get shows little change in recent years.
Why Shouldn't Bernie Sanders Stay in the Damned Race?
Matt Welch defends what little Democratic competition exists in 2016, on tonight's Kennedy
Obama's Cynical Games May Doom Immigration Reform
If he loses, he'll only have himself to blame.
'Serial Child Molester' Dennis Hastert Gets 15 Months for Something That Shouldn't Be Illegal
The former speaker of the House can no longer be prosecuted for his real crimes.
Royal College of Physicians Says Vaping Saves Lives
The venerable British medical society recognizes the harm-reducing potential of e-cigarettes.
Food Freedom Legislation Slowly Advancing in States
One big step forward; two temporary steps back.
Have We Found Gun Laws That Could Reduce U.S. Gun Deaths by Over 90 Percent? Not Really
Lancet study is far from proving its case, and highlights the difficulties of using statistical analysis to lead to causal conclusions about laws' effects.
You Are $13,000 Poorer Because of Federal Regulations
New study quantifies the damage to economic growth that the accumulation of regulations causes
Californians Can Build Their Way Out of the Housing Shortage
Government rules and regulations on the local and state level have driven prices up.
Maine Voters Will Decide Whether to Legalize Marijuana
An initiative that was temporarily derailed by a notary public's sloppy signature qualifies for the ballot.
