Olive Garden, Fake News, and the Rise of 'Conspicuous Non-Consumption'
The chain restaurant has been falsely accused of supporting Donald Trump. But truth may be no match for the online outrage mob.
Politics
Joe Walsh Isn't Running on the Issues
The conservative radio host says he is running for president because Trump is “erratic" and "cruel." But Walsh has his own history to live down.
Can #NeverTrump GOP Presidential Wannabe Joe Walsh Run on Deficit Reduction and Win?
The ex-congressman and talk show host thinks he can save the Republican Party.
Elizabeth Warren's Pitch for 'Economic Patriotism' Is Full of Intellectual Dishonesty and Economic Fallacies
Warren needs to take a lesson from Leonard Read's "I, Pencil."
Google Cracks Down on Employees' Political Speech
The unsurprising result of conservatives complaining about Big Tech bias: less speech, not more
Did Trump's 2016 Rallies Trigger a 226% Increase in Local Hate Crimes? Not Exactly.
The study at the source of the viral headline was limited to counting anti-Semitic incidents, many of which were not criminal in nature.
The Revolving Door Between Government and Cable News
Familiar faces move between government office and media slots, rarely questioning the institution that plays a core role in their lives.
Trump-Critical Journalists Targeted by Outrage Mobs Armed With Old Tweets
Plus: Trump forcing U.S. companies out of China?, Joe Arpaio is running again, sex discrimination goes to the Supreme Court, and more...
Health Care Spending Is Out of Control
Health insurance doesn't just protect people from financial ruin. It insulates them from individual decisions about price and service quality.
The 80th Anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Today is the anniversary of perhaps the most awful international agreement in all of world history.
The 2020 Race Is Completely Unpredictable Because Politicians Are Awful
We're vastly more interested in the upcoming election than we were in 2016. We're also convinced neither party represents us. What could go wrong?
Marianne Williamson Wants To Defeat Dark Psychic Forces With New Department of Peace
True to form, the presidential hopeful is turning the conversation around war on its head.
Beto O'Rourke Proposes Plan to Punish Tech Companies for Failing to Censor Hate Speech
The move would violate the First Amendment.
Bernie Sanders Calls for Legalizing Marijuana and Curtailing Asset Forfeiture in Sprawling Criminal Justice Plan
Sanders' plan takes aim at every part of the justice system, including typical Sanders targets like private prisons and corporate "profiteers."
Kamala Harris' Medicare for All Problem Is the Democratic Party's Medicare for All Problem
The California senator's history of flip-flops reveal the emptiness of her campaign—and looming problems for her party.
Interesting New York Times Slavery Project Hobbled by Anti-Capitalism
Also: the politics of recession, Bernie's criminal justice plan, and stanning for Barry Manilow, all on the Reason Podcast
Biden's Age Matters, Even if Democrats Want To Ignore It
It's possible that the visibility of the way Biden is wrestling with his own aging could make him a more relatable and sympathetic figure. Or the Biden blunders could confirm that his moment has passed.
Kamala Harris Promises To 'Disarm Violent Hate' by Seizing Guns From Bigots
The Democratic presidential contender suggests that "racist threats or anti-immigrant manifestos" could justify federal gun confiscation orders.
Voters and Business Owners Know the Trade War Should Be Abandoned. Does Trump?
It's not just the cost of the tariffs that are hurting the economy. "The indirect costs are enormous," says one Wisconsin CEO.
Beto's Reboot: So You're Saying There's Still a Chance?
Former media darling halted his long poll slide after the El Paso shooting by blaming it on Trump, and is now hoping Democrats forget his past centrism.
Sarah Silverman Has Been Canceled
The comedian and activist was fired from a film after a 2007 blackface photo emerged.
Bernie Sanders Is Right That the 'Working Class' Is Shrinking. He's Wrong To Suggest That's a Bad Thing.
By nearly every measure, Americans are getting richer and richer. This should be cause for celebration, not concern.
Democrats Join Trump in Seeking Balance by Policing Speech
The constitutional amendment they support, like the president’s plan to regulate social media, trusts the government to moderate our political debate.
Media Notices Bernie's Nonsense Conspiracies When They're About Media
The progressive senator's Trumpian anti-Bezos take is part of career-long history of fantasizing about evil billionaires.
Andrew Yang Hates Zoning Laws
The long shot presidential candidate wants booming cities to get rid of their restrictions on new development.
Every Democrat in the Senate Supports a Constitutional Amendment That Would Radically Curtail Freedom of Speech
The Democracy for All Amendment aims to mute some voices so that others can be heard.
Warren Wants 'Big, Structural Change' That Goes Beyond Anything Previous Democratic Administrations Have Proposed
Warren doesn't merely want to turn back the clock to the pre-Trump era. She wants to raise taxes and regulations far beyond the levels of the late Obama-Biden administration.
Joe Biden Concedes the 'Assault Weapon' Ban He Wants To Revive Had No Impact on the Lethality of Legal Guns
The presidential contender nevertheless insists the law reduced mass shooting deaths.
A Violent Movie Satirizing America's Culture War Gets Canceled by America's Culture War
After outraged responses from Fox and Trump, Universal yanks The Hunt from its schedule.
Senate Democrats Back Constitutional Amendment to Undo Citizens United
Plus: Marijuana banking, suing Facebook, and more...
Democrats Debate To Determine Who Will Spend Us Into Oblivion
The idea that "deficits don't matter" has been growing among Trump-supporting Republicans. Democrats are preparing to take full advantage.
White Supremacy Is Alien to Liberal and Libertarian Ideals
People are important as individuals, not as extensions of some faceless mass.
Rep. Joaquin Castro's Doxxing of Trump Donors in His District Has Flipped the Campaign Finance Discourse on Its Head
Political donations are made public so that citizens can hold politicians accountable, not the other way around.
Christian Satire Site The Babylon Bee Is So Good Snopes.com Treated It Like Real News
Editor in Chief Kyle Mann talks about being taken literally by fact checkers, whether any subject (even a mass shooting) is off limits, and the libertarian sensibility of his humor.
Fighting Over Video Game Violence Shows Who Prefers Culture Wars Over Reality
Deflections, generational conflict, and misleading data abound.
Tulsi Gabbard Is Anti-War but Not Pro-Peace
Her chumming around with the worst dictators is troubling.
Mike Gravel Ends His Unorthodox Twitter Campaign for the Presidency
The 89-year-old former senator turned heads with his unique campaign strategy.
Despite What Democrats Said at Their Debate, We're Not Heading Toward Climate Apocalypse
Climate change is a problem, but the end of the world is not scheduled for 2030.
The Democratic Debates Will Alienate Democratic Voters
The progressive push to the left among presidential candidates will alienate most Democrats and independents, helping Donald Trump to a second term.
Debate Democrats Sure Do Love Threatening Their Foes
Republicans aren't the only ones who want to "lock 'em up"
Cory Booker's Slam Against Joe Biden's Criminal Justice Record Shoveled Some More Dirt on the Old Lock 'Em Up Consensus
The climate of opinion has changed so dramatically that Democrats are politically obliged to support reform.
Andrew Yang Is Wrong About Shopping Malls and Amazon
Yang wants to bail out malls that are struggling to compete with online retailers, but Amazon is already putting some of those dead retail spaces to better use.
The Senate Will Vote on a $2.7 Trillion Budget Deal That Adds to the National Debt. The Democrats' Debates Ignored It.
CNN doesn't think Americans deserve to hear potential presidents asked about the national debt.
Biden Gets Pummeled for Obama's Ugly Immigration Record
Plus: Tulsi Gabbard is most searched candidate, Kirsten Gillibrand attacks Biden's record on women, and more...
Mark Sanford Gives Himself Two Weeks to Decide if He Wants to Be Trump Roadkill
The man who couldn't win a GOP primary on his home turf as an incumbent is polling at just 4%—though even that is better than Bill Weld.
