Oregon Is Removing a Requirement for High School Students to Show 'Essential Skills' Before Graduating
The measure, which had been paused since 2020, required students to meet benchmarks in reading, writing, and math.
Politics
Mike Johnson Is the Unlikely New Speaker of the House
Johnson is a relative newcomer to Congress who has never even chaired a committee, and he is a close ally of former President Donald Trump.
Why Are College Kids Terrified?
Rikki Schlott and Greg Lukianoff discuss their new book, The Canceling of the American Mind.
Trump's Stooges Flip
Plus: Greta Thunberg gets booted from Israeli schools, Spain gets even less serious about work, regulating skyline views, and more...
'America Funded It': Rand Paul Blasts Fauci and the Media for Suppressing the Lab Leak Theory
The notion that COVID-19 came from a lab was once touted as misinformation. But now the FBI, the Energy Department, and others agree with Paul.
The Bipartisan Urge To Control Online Speech
Democrats and Republicans are united in thinking their political agendas trump the First Amendment.
Trump, DeSantis, and Scott Want To Kick Out Foreign Students Who Protest Israel
Their proposal raises obvious free speech concerns.
Ideological Screening
Plus: IDF releases footage from Hamas' evil rampage, cancel culture in Los Angeles, Iceland's ladies go on strike, and more...
What Joe Biden Got Right—and Wrong—Last Week in the Middle East
Plus: A listener asks the editors about mandatory maternity leave.
Lawmakers and Unions Defend Burdensome Airline Regulations With Bogus Statistics
The world's largest union of pilots says this requirement is necessary for safety and not unduly burdensome, but its data are misleadingly cherry-picked.
Brickbats: November 2023
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Minesweeper, Solitaire, and a '90s Moral Panic
When computers came to offices, bosses found a new way to worry that workers were wasting time.
Is Javier Milei's Movement in Argentina a Cult of Personality in the Name of Liberty?
The stakes are high for this weekend's presidential election.
He's Going to Prison for Twitter Trolling. That's Not Justice.
Douglass Mackey's case raised questions about free speech, overcriminalization, and a politicized criminal legal system.
Trita Parsi: Is De-escalation Feasible in the Middle East?
Parsi, from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, talks with Zach and Liz about the Israel-Hamas war.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Harvesting Facebook data, directorial diversity, and corrupt intent.
How Sidney Powell's Plea Deal Could Hurt Trump in the Georgia Racketeering Case
The election conspiracy theorist struck a deal that allows her to avoid prison by testifying for the prosecution.
Who Is—and Isn't—Ready To Change Their Minds About the Gaza Hospital Blast?
The limits of "we just don't believe you" as a news-consuming habit
Jim Jordan Is Trying To Buy the Speakership With Tax Breaks for Wealthy Residents of Blue States
It's a maneuver that makes little fiscal, philosophical, or political sense, but thankfully it also seems unlikely to work.
Crisis at the Border
Plus: Empty place settings for the hostages, Biden doxes soldiers, my own Yeltsin moment, and more...
Are Gavin Newsom's Presidential Aspirations Limiting His Progressive Instincts?
He insists that he's not running for president, but his vetoes of the fringiest measures suggest otherwise.
"Strangers on the Internet" Podcast Episode 45: When Pets Block Your Love Life
How could something so adorable cause this much interpersonal trouble?
Media Got the Hospital Story Wrong
Plus: Jim Jordan has no friends, an "antisemitic Burning Man festival" at Penn, Staten Island secession, and more...
Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis Argue Who Is More Hostile to Refugees from Gaza
DeSantis says that all Gazans are anti-Semitic, while Haley feels that refugees should only go to "Hamas-sympathetic countries."
Nobody Knows Who Attacked the Hospital
Plus: NYC's assault on gun rights, Jim Jordan's shallowness, and more...
The Latest Trump Gag Order Is Relatively Narrow but Still Raises Constitutional Questions
A federal judge barred the former president from "publicly targeting" witnesses, prosecutors, or court personnel.
In Guatemala, Protests Have Brought Economic Life to a Halt
Few doubt the right of Guatemalans to protest. The challenge arises when protests exact a heavy toll on the well-being of its citizens.
Jim Jordan: The Perfect Speaker for a Policy-Free GOP
As long as the Republican Party is a policy-free zone, Jordan might as well be the guy in charge.
Hostage Video and Humanitarian Aid
Plus: Trump gets gagged, DeSantis spends big, techno-optimists get a manifesto, and more...
Does It Matter What College Kids Say About Israel?
Plus: The search for a new speaker of the House continues to be a ludicrous mess.
Vivek Ramaswamy Is Right To Oppose the Blacklisting of Harvard Students
Being against cancel culture requires consistency.
