Friday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
Politics
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Discretionary lawn care, Agent Orange, and banished from South Georgia.
Masked ICE Agents Are a Danger to Both the Public and Themselves
When cops don't look like cops, they run a greater risk their target will fight back.
$1.85M Dentist-on-Dentist Defamation Verdict Upheld
An interesting illustration of how big-dollar defamation verdicts can stem not from mass media publications or influencer social media posts, but from employment disputes.
Israel Attacks Iran—and Burns Down the Off-Ramp With America
The Trump administration, which was ready to negotiate on Sunday, is now gambling on an all-out war.
Donald Trump Sounds Like a Democrat From the 1980s
It's a return to the Reagan era, but not in the way that should make conservatives happy.
The Trump Administration Needs Better Opposition
And Americans deserve dissenting voices that aren’t inept and crazy.
Not That Kind of Introspection!
Plus: Tensions in the Middle East, another terrible Boeing crash, intimacy coordinators, and more...
Why Donald Trump and Josh Hawley Are Wrong To Call for Jailing People Who Burn the American Flag
The Supreme Court ruled decades ago that burning the flag is protected by the First Amendment, no matter how offensive that act may be.
Kennedy: A Gen X Rebel's Journey From MTV to Fox News
The Fox News personality reflects on her evolution from a contrarian Republican to a libertarian and her belief that personal freedom, humor, and not giving a shit are the keys to a better America.
Stephen Miller's Dream
Plus: Trump's big parade, Elon Musk makes amends, Zohran Mamdani gains, and more...
The Rise of the Woke Right
Some conservatives are embracing the very trends they once mocked—including victimhood, cancel culture, and even struggle sessions.
Trump's Threats Against Musk and Newsom Reflect an Authoritarian Intolerance of Dissent
Even if the president was joking in both cases, he already has used his powers to punish people whose views offend him.
Trump Deploys Marines to L.A.
Plus: RFK Jr. tackles vaccine advisory board, menswear influencer might be deportable, and more...
The Best Democracy Is Anarchy
"Anarchism and democracy are—or should be—largely identical," wrote the anthropologist David Graeber.
FTC Pivots From Competition to Children
The result is the same: attacks on tech companies and attempts to violate Americans' rights.
Put the Libertarians Back in Charge
The libertarians aren't in charge. But the lesson of the last decade of politics is that they should be.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Frigid cells, raw sewage in cells, and expressive activity on public beaches.
As Trump Threatens Columbia's Accreditation, the School Should Stop Trying To Placate Him
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the school’s handling of campus antisemitism violated civil rights law and is grounds for revoking accreditation.
Why Can't Elon Musk and Donald Trump Both Win?
In a petty, public war of words, Trump threatens to cut off federal support to Musk's companies after the billionaire attacked his deficit-busting budget bill.
Supreme Court Reaffirms Rule that Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation is Sex Discrimination
Yesterday's ruling in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services unanimously applies this once-contested principle.
Another Divorce for Trump
Plus: A cynical take on Zohran Mamdani, Florida's drinking water threatened, and more...
Is the Supreme Court Really That Divided? The Facts Say No.
Unanimous rulings on discrimination, guns, and religion once again challenge the common media narrative that the Court is hopelessly polarized.
The Gattaca Future Is Here
Plus: Trump's travel ban, NYC mayor candidate cites bad stats on child hunger, and more...
What Ronald Reagan's Fusionist Politics Teach Us About Liberty, Virtue, and Their Limits
Fusionism holds that virtue and liberty are mutually reinforcing, and that neither is possible in any lasting or meaningful way without the other.
Correcting Some Media Misconceptions About Libertarianism, Trade, and Immigration [updated with apology/acknowledgement of error by Elie Mystal]
Media coverage of our tariff case has mostly been fair and accurate. But there are a few examples of unfortunate misconceptions, mainly having to do with libertarianism and its relationship to conservatism.
Schumer Attacks Trump for Repeating Obama's Iran Diplomacy
Democrats keep trying to out-hawk Republicans, even though the mood in America has shifted toward diplomacy.
Buyer's Remorse
Plus: Harvey Milk was kind of libertarian, deporting Zohran, public schools shy away from transparency, and more...
