NASA Gets a $10 Billion Windfall From the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Rather than reducing government's role in space travel, the bills shovels more taxpayer money into an agency that is being outperformed by the private sector.
Science & Technology
Trump Won't Enforce the TikTok Ban. Is That Constitutional?
The Constitution requires the president to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Funds an Expensive Immigration Crackdown
Billions upon billions of dollars are allocated for border screening technology, immigration detention facilities, more ICE agents, and building a border wall.
Warning: These Social Media Rules Will Erode Civil Liberties
Plus: Pittsburgh lowers prostitution penalty, FSC v. Paxton, the Diddy verdict, and more…
The Depopulation Bomb
What if the challenge for humanity’s future is not too many people on a crowded planet, but too few people to sustain the progress that the world needs?
Either Repeal or Enforce—but Ideally Repeal—the TikTok Ban
The ban is a bad law. But leaving it on the books and willfully ignoring it sets a potentially more dangerous precedent.
Maryland's New 3 Percent Tax Will Chill the State's Emerging Tech Sector
The Chamber of Commerce has called the tax a “disastrous” policy that threatens the state’s economy and its future as a tech hub.
Jurassic World Rebirth Chases Summer Movie Nostalgia
In this painfully mediocre Jurassic Park franchise placeholder, even the hypocrisy is nostalgic.
Senate Votes 99–1 To Remove AI Moratorium from 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
Now nearly 100 state AI laws will remain in force—and nearly 1,000 more are already waiting in the wings.
Legislation Will Not Protect Kids Online
New laws aimed at protecting kids online won’t work, and could even make things worse. Parents, not politicians, are the best defense against digital dangers.
10 of the Worst State Laws Going Into Effect in July
From minimum wage hikes to bans on cellphones in public schools, here are some of the most ridiculous ways state governments are interfering with Americans’ lives.
No, That Viral Study Doesn't Show You Can Improve Your Mental Health by Deactivating Instagram
While a viral post called the results “shocking,” the study itself found little evidence that social media use harms mental health.
The Coming Techlash Could Kill AI Innovation Before It Helps Anyone
Power-hungry data centers, disappearing jobs, and billions of dollars in subsidies are fueling resentment. If developers and policymakers don’t change course, Americans may reject AI before it ever delivers on its most significant promises.
Federal Judge Recognizes the Right To Train AI on Copyrighted Works
The lawsuit is a win not just for Anthropic, but for all users of large language models.
Heavy-Handed Legislation Targets AI-Generated Replicas of Voices and Images
The NO FAKES Act imposes censorship, threatens anonymity, and regulates innovation.
Student Visa Applicants Will Now Be Forced To Make Their Social Media Accounts Public
The Trump administration continues its war against disfavored speech.
Despite What Robert F. Kennedy Wants You To Think, Cell Phones Do Not Cause Brain Cancer
Unfortunately, the director of Health and Human Services leads a movement prone to untrue beliefs on medical matters from cell phones to vaccines, pesticides, and genetically modified crops.
Advertising Companies Cave to the FTC. Media Matters Sues To Defend the First Amendment.
Omnicom Group and the Interpublic Group of Companies accepted the Federal Trade Commission's anti-boycott proviso to complete their merger. Instead of capitulating to the commission, Media Matters is suing.
Crossing the U.S. Border? Keep Your Electronic Devices Safe from Searches.
Officials at the border have the power to paw through sensitive data on your phone.
Don't Blame 23andMe for the Federal Government's Lack of Clear Data Privacy Rules
A lawsuit against the genomics company "imposes top-down restrictions" rather than "establishing clear rules" or "letting companies equip individuals with better tools to manage their privacy," says one expert.
Big Business as Gun Control
Partly from coercion and partly by choice, many banks and social media businesses impose severe gun controls
The Senate Is One Step Closer To Passing a 10-Year Moratorium on State AI Regulation
The Senate parliamentarian says the 10-year AI moratorium may be passed by a simple majority through the Senate's budget reconciliation process.
Does Drug Use Lead to Addiction, or Are Some Brains More Prone To Use Drugs?
Researchers argue that "we may need to reevaluate the causal assumptions that underlie brain disease models of addiction."
It Doesn't Matter If the Minnesota Shooter Is a Republican or a Democrat
After Vance Boelter allegedly targeted Democrats in an attack, some conservatives jumped to claim that he was actually on the left. Why?
SCOTUS Upholds Tennessee Law Banning Medical Transition for Transgender Kids
With the culture war blazing, not even the Supreme Court could agree on the medical facts of the case.
How Much of Trump's 'Built in America' Phone Is Actually Built in America?
The Trump Organization says the phone is domestically manufactured, but its hardware—and a statement from Eric Trump—suggest otherwise.
Lab-Grown Salmon Gets FDA Approval
States keep banning lab-grown meat. Entrepreneurs keep innovating anyway.
Tariffs on Chinese Goods Drop to 55%, but That's Cold Comfort for Consumers
Triple-digit bilateral tariffs have been brought down to double digits. Negotiations on semiconductors and rare earth elements will continue.
SpaceX's New Company Town Considers Adopting NIMBY Zoning Code
Starbase, Texas, is rushing to restrict development in the newly incorporated city.
FTC Pivots From Competition to Children
The result is the same: attacks on tech companies and attempts to violate Americans' rights.
This AI Company Wants Washington To Keep Its Competitors Off the Market
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is petitioning the government to throw roadblocks in his rivals' way.
Debating the Science and Ethics of IVF: Emma Waters vs. Ruxandra Teslo
A genomics PhD and conservative bioethicist debate the ethics of in vitro fertilization and discuss recent scientific advancements in reproductive medicine.
Why Can't Elon Musk and Donald Trump Both Win?
In a petty, public war of words, Trump threatens to cut off federal support to Musk's companies after the billionaire attacked his deficit-busting budget bill.
The Dreadful Policies Halting Archeological Discoveries
Italy is full of treasures from the ancient world, but its government is discouraging their discovery.
Review: There Are No Top-Down Solutions to the Problems Depicted in Adolescence
The limited-run Netflix series is fueling a real-life push for the British government to protect kids from online dangers.
A Teen Killed Himself After Talking to a Chatbot. His Mom's Lawsuit Could Cripple the AI Industry.
A federal court in Florida will consider whether chatbot output is First Amendment-protected speech.
The Gattaca Future Is Here
Plus: Trump's travel ban, NYC mayor candidate cites bad stats on child hunger, and more...
Mountainhead Is a Shallow Satire of Tech Billionaires
A zippy script can't make up for a lack of insight.
Helen Lewis: The Dark Side of Genius
In The Genius Myth, the journalist delivers a sharp, funny takedown of our obsession with "brilliant" men, showing that behind every so-called genius is a crowd and a big PR machine.
Elizabeth Warren and Jim Banks Attack Nvidia for Expanding Its Chinese Facility
Complying with export regulations should build trust between Nvidia and Congress, not erode it.
Artificial Intelligence Is Making Everything Weird
Plus: A listener asks if the "big beautiful bill" will decrease the deficit.
J.D. Vance Wants a Free Market for Crypto. What About Everything Else?
Vance says "you've gotta let these people make decisions on their own." He should try that approach more generally.
How Palantir Is Expanding the Surveillance State
If you think the government will only use these tools to track illegal immigrants, think again.
Photo: Dire Wolf De-extinction
A biotech company used DNA from thousands of years ago to clone three wolf pups that resemble the extinct dire wolf.
12-Year-Old Tennessee Boy Arrested for Instagram Post Says He Was Trying To Warn Students of a School Shooting
Although the school failed to properly assess whether the threat was valid, school officials determined that his expulsion didn’t violate due process.
