Is Donald Trump To Blame for a COVID Lab Leak?
Criticisms of the president's alleged flip-flopping on gain-of-function research funding miss some key context.
Science & Technology
A Giant Pile of Money Won't Fix Democrats' Joe Rogan Problem
If he's chosen, he ain't Rogan.
Supreme Court Orders Maine Legislator Censured for Social Media Post Must Get Voting Rights Back
On Monday, the court granted an emergency injunction allowing Rep. Laurel Libby to resume voting and speaking after she was censured for a post criticizing trans women in women's sports.
A Judge Blocked Apple From Collecting These Commissions
"It's hard to see how completely ripping [the system] apart will be helpful to consumers," warns one economist.
The FTC's Probe Into 'Potentially Illegal' Content Moderation Is a Blatant Assault on the First Amendment
In the name of "restoring freedom of speech," FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson wants to override the editorial judgments of social media platforms.
Antitrust Remedies Against Google Would Punish Consumers, Not Protect Them
Forcing the sale of Chrome or banning default agreements wouldn’t foster competition—it would hobble innovation, hurt smaller players, and leave users with worse products.
New Orleans Police Secretly Used Prohibited Facial Recognition Surveillance for Years
Although the AI-generated surveillance of the public has been paused, the program continues to send automatic alerts to the Louisiana State Police and federal authorities.
A 10-Year Pause on State AI Laws Is the Smart Move
A proposed federal moratorium on state-level AI regulations is a necessary step toward a unified strategy that protects innovation and equity alike.
Texas Could Blow Its Shot at Leading the AI Revolution
A bad bill inspired by European tech panic threatened to drive out Tesla, Meta, and Nvidia. Lawmakers in the House improved it—but now the bill is stalled in the Senate.
Eisenhower Warned Us About the 'Scientific Elite'
The Trump administration's plans to slash science funding could end up liberating researchers from the corrupting influence Dwight Eisenhower warned about.
When the U.S. Military Gave People Radiation Poisoning
"We did a lot of field studies and got nothing to show for it," said one U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory researcher.
Will AI Kill Our Freedom To Think?
Algorithmic systems increasingly shape what we know, see, and question. To preserve free inquiry, we need transparency, competition, and a commitment to timeless principles of open debate.
The U.S. Needs More Nuclear Power To Fuel the AI Boom
Texas, Virginia, and Pennsylvania are turning to nuclear power to meet data centers' energy demands.
Richard Dawkins: Why Atheism Is Winning
The evolutionary biologist challenges modern dogmas, defends scientific objectivity, and warns against the rise of ideological orthodoxy in society.
Reason Nominated for 17 Southern California Journalism Awards
Nominees include stories on inflation breaking brains, America's first drug war, Afghans the U.S. left behind, Javier Milei, and much more.
A New Survey Suggests Illicit Opioid Use Is Much More Common Than the Government's Numbers Indicate
The survey estimates that 7.5 percent of America adults use illegally produced fentanyl each year, 25 times the rate indicated by a government-sponsored survey.
The App Store Freedom Act Compromises User Privacy To Punish Big Tech
The bill "raises the risk of malware," warns one tech expert.
The New Stadium Scam Is a Server Farm
Local governments love giving sweetheart deals to billion-dollar companies—now data centers instead of football stadiums.
Trump's Budget Calls for $17 Billion Cut to NIH, Citing Lax Oversight of Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan
The White House budget plan says the agency's failure to prove it was not complicit in a possible lab leak shows it's "too big and unfocused."
The IRS Says Your Digital Life Is Not Your Property
A Supreme Court case could determine whether Americans own their digital data—or whether the government can take that information without a warrant.
Maine Legislator Barred From Voting Over Social Media Post
Earlier this year, state Rep. Laurel Libby made a post criticizing trans women in women's sports. Her refusal to apologize has cost Libby her right to speak on the House floor and vote on legislation.
Trump Tries To Defund NPR and PBS by Executive Order
A new executive order would keep the Corporation for Public Broadcasting alive while telling it to cut off the two biggest public broadcasting networks. Get ready for a legal fight.
Ross Douthat: Why Digital Life Threatens Freedom and Family
The New York Times columnist warns that digital life may be eroding the cultural foundations needed to sustain meaning, family, and community.
Fewer Than 3 Friends
Plus: Growth forecasts slashed, Pravda time, fentanyl seizures, and more...
The TAKE IT DOWN Act's Good Intentions Don't Make Up for Its Bad Policy
Congress just approved a new online censorship scheme under the auspices of thwarting revenge porn and AI-generated "nonconsensual intimate visual depictions."
AI Bots in California Steal Over $10 Million in Federal Financial Aid
A scam that uses AI to “enroll” in community colleges to pocket student aid has skyrocketed in the Golden State and across the nation.
Trump Is Repeating Biden's AI Mistakes
Export controls on advanced chips and AI models hold back innovation and hurt American businesses.
European Commission Fines Apple and Meta $800 Million
The penalty amounts to a "multibillion-dollar tariff," a Meta spokesperson says.
Researchers Accidentally Discovered an Ancient Megacity in a Mexican Jungle
Lidar technology is revealing that the Mayan civilization was more complex and interconnected than previously thought.
Stephanie Ruhle Doesn't Know There's Fact-Checking on X
Live by your own rule, Ruhle!
Virtual Fencing Can Help Buffalo Roam and Antelope Play
Hundreds of thousands of miles of fences ensnare and sometimes kill wild animals. GPS technology offers an alternative.
4 Apocalypses That Never Were
Climate change is real and may cause real problems. But media outlets keep pushing hysterical myths that don't materialize.
The DOJ Is Doing Its Best To Make Google Unprofitable
Google has lost its second major antitrust case against the Department of Justice, threatening the tech giant's free-to-consumer business model.
Trump's Actions Contradict His Avowed Commitment to First Amendment Rights
The president has launched a multifaceted crusade against speech that offends him.
Missouri 13-Year-Old Suspended for Making a Rifle Out of Dr. Pepper Cans
The boy and his mother are now suing the school district and its officials to protect students' right to free expression.
Fewer People Support Censoring False Information Online
Support for suppressing "violent content" has also dropped.
The Intelligence Community's AI Revolution
The feds are rapidly deploying artificial intelligence across spy agencies. What could go wrong?
The First Colored Eggs Appeared Long Before Easter
The dinosaur ancestors of birds laid blue, brown, and speckled eggs as far back as 150 million years ago.
Marco Rubio Brags About Defending Freedom of Speech While Eagerly Undermining It
The secretary of state, who aims to "liberate American speech," nevertheless wants to deport U.S. residents for expressing opinions that offend him.
Why Women Freeze Their Eggs
It's not to further their careers, says Motherhood on Ice author Marcia C. Inhorn.
