Politics
Brickbats: February 2025
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Biden Strengthened the Refugee Resettlement System. Will Trump Undo It?
Refugee resettlements last year hit a 30-year high, but that progress is fragile.
The Improbable Rise of MAGA-Musk
Is Elon Musk a reactionary with a defective bullshit meter or the best part of the second Trump administration?
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Appeals Court Decisions
A mashgiach minister, a spicy habeas, and a Madlibs macro.
Mike Johnson Is Speaker of the House. Again.
After a delay, Johnson secured the slimmest of majorities.
The Socialists and Suffragettes of Oz
Long before Wicked came along, America's homegrown fairyland was filled with politics.
Is America Entering Her Kakistocracy Era?
Rule by incompetent, power-hungry fools is a bipartisan problem.
Will Thomas Massie Get To Pick the Next Speaker of the House?
The libertarian-adjacent congressman says he "definitely has no Fs to give now" and promises to vote against Mike Johnson.
Medical Marijuana Legalization Takes Effect in Nebraska After Lawsuit Dismissal
Voters overwhelmingly favored the new policy, which a former state legislator unsuccessfully tried to block.
The U.S. Tax Code Is Way Too Complex. Here's How To Fix It.
The high cost of complying with our tax code encourages wasteful tax avoidance strategies and distorts work and investment decisions.
The Lie of the Year Was Joe Biden's Decline
It was the greatest cover up of presidential ability since FDR.
Wicked and the Importance of the Public Domain
Movies like Wicked draw on classic works no longer under copyright protection.
Bootleggers and Baptists in the U.S. Steel Deal
Progressives and environmental groups have teamed up with a rival steelmaker to lobby against the U.S. Steel deal.
2024's Most Undercovered Stories
Surely 2025 will be a freewheeling romp, right?…Right? Happy New Year!
Arkansas Can't Jail Librarians for Giving Kids 'Harmful' Books
Portions of a law, struck down last week, would have subjected individuals to misdemeanor charges for providing "harmful" materials to minors.
Jimmy Carter's Gift to Hollywood Was No Gift to Georgia Taxpayers
He set a process in motion that led to the state's wasteful and expensive film tax credits.
The 2024 Campaign Was an Embarrassment for Elite Media
Journalists increasingly see their job as protecting their preferred candidates, not asking tough questions.
Here We Go Again: Federal Judges Should Review Prosecutions From The Trump DOJ "Through a Different Lens"
No "Presumption of Regularity" for Trump 2.0
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Appeals Court Decisions
Sitting by designation, extremely unusual hardship, and polysexual posters.
Make Cars (and Everything Else) Cheap Again
Plus: Superfund is back, Biden signs a lot of laws, MAGA vs. tech Christmas, and more...
Did Defendant and His Girlfriend Marry Just so She Could Refuse to Testify Against Him?
Yes, says the court, partly because of evidence that the defendant really didn't like her any more.
Shooting the Messenger and Blaming the Victim
How cops, politicians, and bureaucrats tried to dodge responsibility in 2024
Kay Granger, Like Joe Biden, Is a Symptom of America's Gerontocracy
The 81-year-old congresswoman has not voted since July, at which point she apparently moved into an eldercare facility.
Cancerous Politics
Plus: Taking gerontocracy to new heights, a real life Arc Reactor, Happy Festivus, and more...
A Decaying Joe Biden Underlines the Need for a Less Powerful Presidency
The power of the office is excessive, and we don’t even know who is wielding it.
