A Failed State
Plus: Israeli hostage update, ultraprocessed childhoods, and more...
Politics
Will 2025 Be the Year of U.S. Fiscal Sanity?
With inflation risks persisting and entitlement spending surging, the situation cannot be ignored. But we never should have gotten to this point to begin with.
Midweek Midday Open Thread
Experimenting with a new time for an open thread; hope you folks enjoy it!
Are Young People Depressed Because of What They Were Taught in College?
The Coddling of the American Mind, a new documentary based on the book of the same name, makes the case that destructive ideas in higher education are making people anxious.
Justin Trudeau's 'One Regret' Is Not Implementing Ranked Choice Voting in Canada
The outgoing Canadian prime minister says ranked choice voting would change how political parties and voters approach elections. He's right.
Decrying First Amendment Threat, FIRE Will Defend Pollster Whom Trump Sued for 'Consumer Fraud'
The president-elect frivolously claims that J. Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register owe him damages because of an erroneous preelection poll.
Zuck Finds His Spine
Plus: The new manifest destiny, California wildfires, Canada's immigration troubles, and more...
American Public Has High Hopes for New Trump Administration
The incoming administration has an opportunity—if it can meet expectations.
Top-Down Political Cowardice Helped Make Charlie Hebdo a Lonely Target
From Jimmy Carter to Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama to John Kerry, politicians have led the abandonment of free speech.
What's Happening to Canada?
Plus: CCP police station in NYC, Rotherham rape scandal, McDonald's scraps DEI nonsense, and more...
Why the Race and Gender Politics of White Dudes for Harris Failed
It's still the economy, stupid.
How Political Ignorance Helped Cause the January 6 Attack and Trump's Subsequent Political Comeback
Voter ignorance and bias in evaluating political information were major factors in both.
Kamala Harris' Long Day
Plus: Evading congestion pricing, expelling Hondurans (and the U.S. military), and more...
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
