Brickbats: May 2023
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Politics
Biden and Congressional Democrats Support Policies That Will Undermine Their Own Clean Energy Goals
The House passed a resolution that will reimpose tariffs on solar panels from China, while the EPA sits on applications for carbon capture technology that may soon be mandatory.
The Very Strange New Respect for Authoritarian Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The enemy of your enemy is not your friend; he's a guy who might want to throw you in jail.
This Bill Aims To Reduce Mass Incarceration by Encouraging States To Cut Their Prison Populations
The legislation, whose authors say two-fifths of prisoners are locked up without a "compelling public safety justification," would reward states that take a more discriminating approach.
Vivek Ramaswamy: Why He's Running for President—and Against 'Woke Capitalism'
The Capitalist Punishment author explains his America First 2.0 agenda, how to fix America's identity crisis, and why he no longer calls himself a libertarian.
Supreme Court To Consider Whether Politicians Can Block You on Social Media
Plus: Missouri attempts to ban gender transition treatments for adults, another bad social media bill hits Congress, and more...
Don't Believe the Media Fearmongering About Spending Cuts
In 2019, discretionary spending was $1.338 trillion—or some $320 billion less than what Republicans want that side of the budget to be.
Biden Is Pushing Federal Regulatory Powers Into Uncharted Territory
Regulations costing less than $200 million will no longer be considered "economically significant."
Nikki Haley Is Half Right About Abortion
If a national consensus on abortion ever emerges, it won’t be forged in the White House.
Ethanol Subsidies Could Trip Up Debt Ceiling Negotiations
Plus: Home equity theft at the Supreme Court, New York shows how not to legalize marijuana, and more...
ChatGPT Will Make Writers Lazy
Chatbots are a quantum leap from writing aids in the past, like a thesaurus, word processing, and spell check.
Vivek Ramaswamy's Campaign Against 'Woke, Inc.'
Join Reason on YouTube Thursday at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion about Ramaswamy's run for the presidency and the agenda laid out in his book Woke, Inc.
President Joe Biden Announces He Is Running for Reelection
In recent months, progressives have held their noses and publicly supported Biden even in the face of downright illiberal policies.
What Does Tucker Carlson's Sudden Schism With Fox News Mean?
Plus: Should committed libertarians be opposed to pro-natalist policies?
Monday Morning Media Recommendations
Have a book you want to recommend? A TV show? A movie? A podcast? A website? Post your suggestions here.
Tucker Carlson is More a Symptom of Our Problems than a Cause
I have more reason than most to cheer his departure from Fox News. But it's unlikely to significantly diminish the problem of political misinformation, which is driven by demand more than supply.
The House GOP Debt Ceiling Plan Would Restore Spending Caps. Good.
The most important part of the Limit, Grow, Save Act is the limits.
It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Is It the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade?
Days after an American F-22 shot down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, a second floating object was shot down over the Yukon.
Debate: To Preserve Individual Liberty, Government Must Affirmatively Intervene in the Culture War
What happens when anti-liberty zealots get the same powers?
Brittney Griner's Russian Imprisonment Outraged the Country. So Should Vladimir Kara-Murza's.
The journalist and dissident, who was sentenced to 25 years in a penal colony for criticizing the Russian government, has not received the same attention.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Butter or spray; liars and bad cops; and SecretAgentRandyBeans.
Does The 1619 Project Have Anything To Teach Us?
Two historians go head-to-head on whether the controversial New York Times project has any value.
The Death of BuzzFeed News Was a Facebook Murder-Suicide
Online media companies got exactly what they said they wanted.
Biden's Student Loan Pause Overwhelmingly Benefited Wealthier Americans
Is this what equity looks like?
Borrowers With High Credit Scores Penalized Under New Federal Mortgage Fee Plan
Plus: Buzzfeed News is shutting down, alcohol delivery not linked to higher rates of booze consumption, and more...
Chief Justice Roberts's Assignment Dilemma
If Justices Thomas and Alito are dissent, and Justices Kavanaugh and Barrett vote with the progressives, the Chief may join the majority to avoid having Justice Sotomayor make the assignment.
Does the 1619 Project Have Anything To Teach Us? A Soho Forum Debate
Two historians go head-to-head on whether the controversial New York Times project has any value.
College Debate Team Comes Out Against Debate
James Madison University's debate team says that "free speech should not extend to requiring us to platform or amplify ideas that are exclusionary, discriminatory, or hostile."
The Fox/Dominion Settlement Highlights the Importance of Discovery in Proving 'Actual Malice'
Critics argue that excessively strict pleading standards prevent plaintiffs with meritorious defamation claims from obtaining the evidence they need to support them.
Trump Advocates Mass Incarceration, 'Tent Cities' To Address Homelessness
The plan is unlikely to work, and the government already has a sordid recent history of funneling people into tent cities anyway.
These Members of Congress Have a Revolutionary Idea: Write and Pass a Budget the Old-Fashioned Way
A return to so-called normal order wouldn't fix all of Washington's many problems, but it would be a step in the right direction.
The Fox-Dominion Settlement Isn't a Good Argument for Cable News Speech Restrictions
Plus: Graphic novels at forefront of library culture wars, monopoly myths, and more...
In a $788 Million Defamation Settlement, Fox News Admits That It Spread False Claims About Election Fraud
"The truth matters," says Dominion Voting Systems, and "lies have consequences."
