European and American Censors Want War With Elon Musk
Beware the Thierry Bretons of the world.
Science & Technology
The Best of Reason: Kamala Harris Is a Cop Who Wants To Be President
The former California senator and prosecutor has a long record of pushing illiberal policies.
California's AI Bill Threatens To Derail Open-Source Innovation
The bill’s sweeping regulations could leave developers navigating a legal minefield and potentially halt progress in its tracks.
Can Nostr Make Twitter's Dreams Come True?
Twitter's founder says Nostr is “100 percent what we wanted”—an open, ownerless network.
FDA Declines To Approve MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy as a PTSD Treatment
The FDA, which approved the protocols for the studies it now questions, is asking for an additional Phase 3 clinical trial, which would take years and millions of dollars.
U.K. Politicians Target Social Media To Deflect From Riots and Civil Unrest
As Britain grapples with riots, politicians shift focus to “holding tech accountable” by pushing for censorship and sidestepping the deeper issues fueling the chaos.
E.U. Regulations Made the CrowdStrike Fiasco Much Worse
The Brussels Effect makes meddlesome European regulations a global problem.
A Study of 'Problematic' Opioid Use Among Pain Patients Is Less Alarming Than It Seems
The authors of the meta-analysis misleadingly imply that pain treatment should be blamed for recent increases in drug-related deaths.
Won't Somebody Think of the Influencers?
The rush to crack down on the young people making money on TikTok misses the real causes and possible effects of the social media influencer boom.
Federal Court Rules That Google Illegally Maintained a Monopoly
Google is "the best," the court says. But being on top is dangerous.
Will Milei's AI Policing Plan Become a Tool for Social Control?
Argentina's self-proclaimed libertarian president touts a crime-fighting plan that sounds like Minority Report.
The Best of Reason Magazine: Your Vote Doesn't Count
Why (almost) everyone should stay home on Election Day
The NIH Deleted Comments Criticizing Animal Testing. A Federal Court Says That Violates the First Amendment.
The NIH had been deleting all social media comments containing words like animal, testing, and cruel.
A Recession for Kamala?
Plus: Violence in the U.K., dead bears in Central Park, parenting influencer absolutely roasted, and more...
Sixth Circuit Puts Net Neutrality Rule on Ice
A three-judge panel concludes the rule's challenger are likely to succeed on the merits.
From Usha Vance to Ballerina Farm: Denying Conservative Women's Individuality
Just because women are conservative doesn't mean they're oppressed.
Elon Musk's 'Election Interference'
We're entering peak stupidity with "election interference" claims.
Attacks on France's Infrastructure Highlight Modern World's Vulnerability
Enjoy your conveniences. But don’t let yourself become helpless in their absence.
The Best of Reason Magazine: A Baby Dies in Virginia
The lethal consequences of a common, obscure hospital licensing law.
KOSA Moves Forward in Congress, Threatening Free Speech and Encryption
Only Sens. Paul and Wyden are expected to vote "no" on Tuesday. Power to stop KOSA now resides with the House.
This Revolutionary Robotic Suit Enabled a Paralyzed Man To Carry the Olympic Torch
Wandercraft, the French company that developed the exoskeleton suit, recently got FDA approval to use them for stroke rehab in the U.S.
The 'Pro-Worker' GOP Is Anti-Worker
The New Right talks a big populist game, but their policies hurt the people they're supposed to help.
En Banc Fifth Circuit Concludes FCC's "Universal Service" Fee Is Unconstitutional
A majority of the judges concludes this fee constitutes a tax, the authority for which is improperly delegated.
Ted and Courtney Balaker: College Students Are Rejecting Wokeness
The filmmakers who brought The Coddling of the American Mind to the big screen discuss the students whose stories inspired the film and the state of the media, Hollywood, and storytelling.
Senate To Vote on Web Censorship Bill Disguised as Kids Safety
The Kids Online Safety Act would have cataclysmic effects on free speech and privacy online.
The Best of Reason: Congress 'Can Regulate Virtually Anything'
How legislators learned to stop worrying about the constitutionality of federal drug and gun laws by abusing the Commerce Clause.
The DEA Wants To Ban Scientifically 'Crucial' Psychedelics Because People Might Use Them
The agency claims DOI and DOC have "a high potential for abuse" because they resemble other drugs it has placed in Schedule I.
New Analysis Finds Lasting Impact for Students Affected by COVID School Lockdowns
According to a new report, the average eighth-grader needs over nine months of extra school time to catch up with pre-COVID achievement levels.
Evolution's New Narrative
Life is a decentralized, horizontal network, not merely a centralized, hierarchical tree.
Faulty Facial Recognition Tech Got Him Arrested. Now He's Getting a $300,000 Payout.
Robert Williams was arrested in 2020 after facial recognition software incorrectly identified him as the person responsible for a Detroit-area shoplifting incident.
New Jersey Wants Your Baby's Genes
Collecting and analyzing newborns' blood could allow the state to surveil people for life.
Getting a Home Depot Employee Fired for Calling for Trump's Assassination Is Still Cancel Culture
Libs of TikTok is blasting out screenshots of random people's offensive posts to her millions of followers in hopes of claiming their scalps.
The DOJ's Assault on Apple Will Harm Consumers
Sen. Rand Paul writes that the lawsuit punishes Apple for a feature its customers like.
Trump Promises To Get Rid of Bad Regulations. Can He Deliver?
Growth of regulation slowed under former President Trump, but it still increased.
The Best of Reason: Why Did Americans Stop Caring About the National Debt?
Both parties—and the voters—are to blame for the national debt fiasco.
J.D. Vance Thinks Lina Khan Is Doing a Great Job
We're looking at four more years of anti-tech and anti-business antics from the FTC no matter who wins this November.
FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media
In a "novel" order concerning the app NGL, the agency takes aim at online anonymity and at minors on social media.
Virginia To Enact 'Cell Phone–Free Education' in Public Schools
The move "will significantly reduce the amount of time students can be on phones without parental supervision," according to Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
Fly Me to the Moon Is a NASA Rom-Com that Fails To Launch
Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson star in what may be the first romantic comedy about government funding disputes.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: DoorDash, Google AI, and French Wikipedia (Vol. 16)
Good intentions, bad results.
The Media Is Back to Deriding the Lab Leak as a 'Conspiracy Theory'
Even if EcoHealth's "basic research" in Wuhan didn't cause the pandemic, it certainly failed in its mission to stop it.
Why the Media Covered for Biden
Plus: A listener asks whether Bruce Springsteen's song Born in the U.S.A is actually patriotic.
The Authoritarian Side of Effective Altruism Comes for AI
Proposed bills reveal the extreme measures E.A.’s AI doomsayers support.
Judges Block Indiana and Mississippi Age Verification Laws for Porn, Social Media
And the Supreme Court agrees to weigh in.
The Best of Reason: What Caused the D.C. Crime Wave?
Don't blame criminal justice reform or a lack of social spending for D.C.'s crime spike. Blame government mismanagement.
A Law Professor's Beef With a First Amendment 'Spinning Out of Control': Too Much Speech of the Wrong Sort
Even as he praises judicial decisions that made room for "dissenters" and protected "robust political debate," Tim Wu pushes sweeping rationales for censorship.
Federal Judge, ICE Agents Linked to Compromised Spyware Use
The surveillance company mSpy just suffered its third data breach in a decade, exposing government officials snooping for both official and unofficial reasons.
