Biden's Transformation From a Dove to a Hawk
From Afghanistan to Ukraine to Israel, Biden's was a presidency defined by contradictions on peace and interventionism.
January 2025
Bye, Joe
From the war in Afghanistan to the war on drugs, Reason writers offer performance reviews of Joe Biden's single term as president.
Features
Biden Failed To Deescalate the Drug War
Though he commuted some drug offenders' sentences, Biden never delivered on the rest of his drug reform promises.
Joe Biden Tried To Use the Regulatory State To Micromanage Everything
The Biden administration's war on "junk fees" is emblematic of its nanny state instincts.
Biden's COVID-19 Response Eroded Civil Liberties
Mandates, school closures, and overreach defined an administration that doubled down on failed policies.
Bidenomics Goes Out With a Whimper
There's a good reason Biden eventually stopped saying Bidenomics. Americans didn't like the results of his economic policies.
Joe Biden Once Understood Why Tariffs Are Bad. Then He Got Trade Policy Amnesia.
Despite campaigning against Donald Trump's tariff hikes, Biden left many of them in place.
Biden's Attempts To Forgive Student Debt Were a Disaster
While the administration was fighting for debt forgiveness in court, it was also rolling out a broken FAFSA application form.
What Happened to Biden's Ambitious Criminal Justice Reform Plans?
Joe Biden ran on some good ideas to reform policing and incarceration, which he mostly failed to deliver.
Joe Biden Flip-Flopped on Immigration and Embraced Trump's Tactics
The Biden administration continued many of the same immigration enforcement measures he lambasted Trump for using.
The Great American City Upon a Hill Is Always Under Construction
American history is often a story of people leaving to try to build their voluntary utopias.
Everybody Hates Prices
How much should a Wendy's Baconator cost? Elizabeth Warren thinks the government should help decide.
Interview
Amanda Knox Tells Her Own Story
"Our criminal justice system relies upon our own ignorance and the fact that we don't know what our rights are."
Editor's Note
Promises To Cut $2 Trillion Clash with Trump's Expensive Plans
Ambitious budget cuts will meet political reality in Trump’s second administration.
Topics
Nuclear Energy Prevents Air Pollution and Saves Lives
Economists estimate that each nuclear plant built could save more than 800,000 life years.
Glucose Monitors Are Finally Available Over the Counter
Over-the-counter continuous glucose monitors empower consumers with valuable health insights without the need for a doctor’s prescription.
Eric Adams Gamed a New York Campaign Finance Scheme That Was Ripe for Corruption
The New York City mayor's kickbacks from Turkish officials translated into extra cash from taxpayers.
A Taxpocalypse of Rising Rates Is Coming For Americans if Congress Doesn't Act
Here's how expiring tax cuts could affect you.
Don't Credit Drug Warriors for Reducing Overdoses
While a federal crackdown reduced opioid prescriptions, the number of opioid-related deaths soared.
Liverpool Lost Its U.N. World Heritage Status. Now It's Thriving.
The English city protects its historical sites while embracing growth and redevelopment.
A San Francisco Coder Built a Musical Surveillance System
With a name inspired by a controversial police surveillance technology, ShotSpotter scans the streets for ambient tunes.
How FOIA Gave Rise to Government Transparency Laws Around the World
Flawed as it may be, the U.S. Freedom of Information Act became a model in transparency for other countries to follow.
Culture
The 2024 Campaign Was an Embarrassment for Elite Media
Journalists increasingly see their job as protecting their preferred candidates, not asking tough questions.
Books
How FDR Built the the American Security State
Historian Anthony Gregory explains how liberalism can be used to build an apparatus of repression.
Libertarianism From the Ground Up
In Common Law Liberalism, legal scholar John Hasnas offers a new vision for a free society.
Reviews
Review: Arena Magazine Is Embracing Capitalism and the Future
"Our mainstream media is hell-bent on tearing down the future before we can get too good a glimpse," the publisher wrote in the debut issue.
Review: Liberty and Resilience in Haitian Art
A Haitian art exhibit in Washington, D.C., reminds us there is much more to the country than false allegations about eating cats.
Review: Illustrating Britain's Victorian Booze Restrictions
Temperance activists argued that "the people" should have a say in how many alcohol sellers could serve a given neighborhood.
Review: Why Did MTV Stop Playing Music?
Former VJ Dave Holmes explores the channel's history on his podcast, Who Killed the Video Star.
Review: Progressive Myths Rebuts the Left's Histrionic Takes
The author argues America is still "among the freest, most egalitarian, and most open-to-progress societies in history."
Review: Why Are Federal Buildings So Ugly?
Our capital's brutalist architecture is on display at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
Review: Watching Megalopolis Through a Randian Lens
Francis Ford Coppola's new film has traces of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.
ETC.
Mark Calabria on Mortgages, Interest Rates, and Debt
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac distort the housing market, explains Mike Pence's former chief economist.
Brickbats: January 2025
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Archives: January 2025
Excerpts from Reason's vaults
