Monday Open Thread
What's on your mind?
Politics
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.
Supreme Court Will Hear This Texas Woman's Challenge to a Politically Motivated Arrest
Sylvia Gonzalez, an anti-establishment politician, spent a day in jail for allegedly concealing a petition that she organized.
Wisconsin Politicians Want To Spend $550 Million on Ballpark Subsidies the Public Opposes
Just 24 percent of self-identified Trump voters and 34 percent of self-identified Biden voters say they support a public handout for the Milwaukee Brewers' 22-year-old stadium.
Ice Cream Truck Morgues
Plus: House speaker skirmishes, college wokeness collapsing, Elf Bar, North Korea, and more...
The Cecil-the-Lion-Killing Dentist, Civil Rights Boycott Noncompliers, and Hamas Supporters
What should we think (and what does the law think) about publicly accusing ("doxxing"?) people of what some see as shameful behavior?
Americans Don't Much Like Federal Agencies
Yet another year of low ratings for the apparatus of the D.C. leviathan.
Third Party Candidates Shouldn't Get Their Hopes Up
If Joe Manchin or Larry Hogan thinks he’ll be elected on a No Labels ticket, he’ll be sorely disappointed.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
SWAT takings, retaliatory liens, and a Spam confiscation.
