Iran War Leaves Helium Supply Chains Up in the Air
About 30 percent of the world's helium supply depends on the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure means higher prices for tech manufacturing and advanced medical care.
Technology
Facing a Budget Squeeze, New Jersey Decides To Go After Big Tech
Gov. Mikie Sherrill called Big Tech worse than Big Tobacco before proposing measures to regulate social media platforms.
The Reading Method That Left Many Kids Behind
Balanced Literacy downplays structured phonics, where kids learn by memorizing letters' sounds. Is that why some are struggling to read?
The Joys of Data Centers: Debunking the Backlash Against the $7 Trillion AI Building Boom
Contrary to the claims of the not-in-my-backyard technophobes, all this growth comes with minimal environmental downsides.
Controversial Geofence Warrants Face Supreme Court Challenge
Technological innovations allow the authorities to see who has visited whole geographic areas.
Europe's Labor Rules Are Holding It Back
As the U.S. loosens regulations for workers, the E.U. takes the opposite approach.
Computer Scientists Caution Against Internet Age-Verification Mandates
An open letter warns of censorship, centralized power, and loss of privacy.
Trump Says Tech Companies Should Build Their Own Power Plants for AI Data Centers
The plan recognizes that public opinion is what's holding data centers back the most.
The Government Wants Your Posts Before It Grants You Papers
The Trump administration will start collecting social media account information on immigration forms.
Weekend With Bernie
Plus: U.S. Olympic hockey team wins the gold medal and Mexico kills cartel boss "El Mencho."
In Mamdani's War on Delivery Apps, New Yorkers Are the Collateral Damage
New York City's own past policies are to blame for much of the gig economy drama, which Mayor Mamdani will further exacerbate.
Trump's FTC Chairman Sends a Threatening Letter to Apple for Not Promoting Enough Conservative Media
Chairman Andrew Ferguson continues the Federal Trade Commission’s crusade against free speech with an official letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Ring Drops Controversial Partner After Super Bowl Ad Backlash
The move is a rare win for privacy, both for users and their neighbors.
Spain Wants To Ban Social Media for Kids. It Won't Work.
Australia’s experience shows what happens when governments play online parent
Ring's Lost Dog Finder Is a Potential Civil Liberties Nightmare
Search Party uses AI to detect lost pets, but some worry about the Ring program's potential use by law enforcement.
Can This AI Predict How You Will Die?
Delphi-2M was trained on the world's most comprehensive biomedical database with health information from over 400,000 people.
A 'Goldilocks' Effect for Online Teens? Moderate Social Media Users Fare Better Than Abstainers or Heavy Users
“Both abstinence and excessive use can be problematic,” researchers suggest.
No, AI Isn't Plotting Humanity's Downfall on Moltbook
Viral posts about devious chatbots on a robot Reddit haven't held up under scrutiny.
Superintelligent AI Is Not Coming To Kill You
If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies is an extreme proposal to effectively outlaw promising AI progress.
How Americans Are Fighting a British Censorship Invasion
A new bill in Wyoming aims to defend Americans against the U.K.’s online regulators.
Will AI Benefit Everyone?
A Soho Forum debate on artificial intelligence's potential to deliver widespread societal benefits
Your Wi-Fi Router Was Probably Made in China. Does That Mean It's a National Security Threat?
The Trump administration is reportedly moving to ban TP-Link routers, but experts say they're no less secure than other devices.
How To Build Your Own Internet in 2026
AI slop and enshittification are making the public social commons unbearable. The alternative pathways are more accessible than you think.
The FDA's Hands-Off Approach to Medical AI Is a Win for Health-Conscious Consumers
AI-powered medical wearables and software are flourishing following the FDA’s new regulatory guidance.
The Great Zoning Crackdown on Data Centers
Plus: The Trump administration wants to roll back "disparate impact" regulations, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to roll back environmental review regulations, and L.A. waives fees for wildfire rebuilds.
Trump's 25 Percent Tariff on Chip Imports Is Really an Export Tax
The order imposes duties on China-bound AI chips if chipmakers don't invest in American semiconductor fabrication.
This 1996 Law Protects Free Speech Online. Does It Apply to AI Too?
Excluding generative AI from Section 230 could stymie innovation and cut off consumers from useful tools.
Do Cellphones Cause Cancer? RFK Jr.'s HHS Is Suppressing FDA Data Confirming Cellphone Safety.
The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a study apparently trying to find otherwise.
Data Centers Use Lots of Electricity. This Bill Would Let Them Go Off the Grid.
The DATA Act, introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton, would exempt electrical utilities from federal regulation if they don't touch the electrical grid.
Photo: These Lenses Can Slow the Progression of Nearsightedness
While Europe and Asia have had Stellest glasses for years, the FDA finally approved them for the U.S. in 2025.
The TRUMP AMERICA AI Act Is Every Bit As Bad As You Would Expect. Maybe Worse.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s latest is an anti-tech omnibus, combining years' worth of dangerous policy ideas into one big, bad bill.
The Data Center Price Myth
Rising electricity prices are being pinned on data centers, but demand isn’t what makes power expensive.
White Male Discrimination Is the FBI's AI Data Center
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are back to break down another unhinged week in the news.
Is It Time To Break Up Big Tech?
Matt Stoller and Geoffrey A. Manne debate antitrust law and Big Tech.
Bernie Sanders Wants To Pause New Data Centers To Stop the Economy From Growing Too Much
The socialist senator wants a moratorium on new data centers to slow the AI and robotics industries down.
Governments Are Pushing Digital IDs. Are You Ready To Be Tracked?
Proponents say such IDs will make life easier and protect kids from dangerous content. But opponents worry they will make you much easier to target.
Porn Sites Must Block VPNs To Comply With Indiana's Age-Verification Law, State Suggests in New Lawsuit
It's an insane—and frighteningly dystopian—interpretation of the law.
Reason Vs. Breaking Points: Does Big Tech Do More Good Than Harm?
Reason's Robby Soave and Elizabeth Nolan Brown go head to head with Emily Jashinsky and Ryan Grim from Breaking Points in a thought-provoking debate about Big Tech.
Young People's Mental Health Is Improving. Tech Alarmists Take Note.
Depression and anxiety are declining, adding yet more complications to the anti-smartphone and anti–social media narratives.
Nepal's Socialist Government Banned Social Media, So Activists Plotted a Revolution—on Discord.
The country's transition leader was selected not at the ballot box but on a 100,000-person Discord chat.
Donald Trump Tries To Override State AI Regulations via Executive Order
Only time will tell if the president's order achieves its stated purpose of checking state laws that threaten to stymie innovation.
RFK Jr.'s Airport Gym Woke Font Abolition
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi bring you another episode of Freed Up where they talk about RFK Jr.'s airport pull ups, prison gangs, welfare fraud, Avatar, and the most based fonts.
CBP Agents Held This U.S. Citizen for Hours Until He Agreed To Let Them Search His Electronic Devices
A federal lawsuit argues that the agency's policy of perusing travelers' personal data without a warrant or probable cause violates the Fourth Amendment.
Want To Vacation In America? Trump Wants To See Your Social Media Posts First.
The move is bad for free speech and bad for American businesses that depend on tourism.
These Researchers Are Turning Plastic Waste Into Fuel
Recent innovations could help address plastic pollution.
Warner Bros. Accepts Netflix's $83 Billion Bid, but Antitrust Threats Still Loom
If antitrust regulators allow the deal to go through, consumers stand to benefit from a less expensive Netflix–HBO Max bundle.
The Cyberselfish Revival Shows Libertarianism Continues To Be Misunderstood
What's wrong with Big Tech isn't the fault of libertarianism.
Leaving AI Regulation to the States Could Strangle AI
Without federal preemption, a regulatory thicket of state AI laws threatens to slow the technology's development.
