What Would Bill Buckley Do?
The National Review founder's flexible approach to politics defined conservatism as we know it.
January 2026
Republican Socialism
The Trump administration's pivot toward socialism did not come without warning.
Features
He Started a Business Legally. Now Trump's Mass Deportations Threaten Him and Other Immigrant Entrepreneurs.
Immigrants start businesses at a higher rate than native-born Americans, benefitting not only themselves but also their American workers and customers.
How Printing Presses Ignited the First Information Revolution
The printing press helped build libraries that were impossibly large by ancient standards. That created its own new challenges.
Interview
Jake Tapper on Terrorism, Executive Power, and Venezuelan Boat Bombings
"Once a president establishes for himself that he has a shiny toy, good luck getting that toy ever wrested away from whoever the president is," the CNN anchor tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
Editor's Note
To the Socialists of All Parties
Friedrich Hayek's most popular work was dedicated to "the socialists of all parties." That phrase perfectly captures politics in 2025.
Topics
Photo: A Furloughed Federal Worker Opens a Hot Dog Cart
The stand has been so successful that IRS lawyer Isaac Stein intends to continue his hot dog hustle on weekends.
Ayn Rand Denounced the FCC's 'Public Interest' Censorship More Than 60 Years Ago
In her 1962 essay "Have Gun, Will Nudge," Rand foresaw how government officials would seek to silence people they don't like.
These Researchers Are Turning Plastic Waste Into Fuel
Recent innovations could help address plastic pollution.
Why Gun Groups Oppose Transgender Gun Bans
It's not surprising that the NRA and other Second Amendment advocates spoke out against a trans firearm ban floated by the Trump administration.
Bail Reform Faces Backlash as Policymakers Move To Require Cash Bond for Pre-Trial Defendants
Critics of cash bail say it creates a two-tiered justice system: Those who can pay maintain their freedom, while those unable to pay remain behind bars.
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.
Research Suggests People Who Work From Home Are Having More Babies
"Flexibility at work has the power to drive fertility decisions," according to researchers running a survey in the U.S. and 38 other countries.
The History of This Word Reflects the Rise of Anti-Immigrant Politics
"Remigration" is meant to soften the real policy goal—forced removal.
MAHA Republicans Are Imposing New Food Labeling Mandates
New Louisiana and Texas laws will require businesses to disclose the use of seed oils, certain dyes, and many other ingredients.
Poland's Beer and Food Tell the Story of the Country's Extraordinary Rise From Communism
Not even 35 years after escaping Soviet-style central planning, Poland has become a capitalist success story.
Trump Thinks a $100,000 Visa Fee Would Make Companies Hire More Americans. It Could Do the Opposite.
Countries like Canada and Germany are lining up to welcome companies and workers priced out by the H1-B price hike.
Almost a Year After It Launched, DOGE's Legacy Is Mixed
Has the Department of Government Efficiency delivered on promises to downsize federal employment, cut regulations, and reduce federal spending?
Trump's Tariffs Were Supposed To Cut the Trade Deficit and Boost U.S. Manufacturing. They're Not Working.
For Trump, tariffs are a solution to every problem, and his trade war is more about the vibes than the economics.
Culture
The John Galt of Comic Books
The co-creator of Spider-Man and Dr. Strange later created some failed Ayn Rand–inspired superheroes.
Books
A Nostalgic Read for Foreign Policy Elites
Michael McFaul's new book feels like it was written in 2015, not 2025.
How Robert Crumb Inspired the Underground Comix Movement
Crumb's work was called sexist, racist, and obscene, but even his critics often acknowledged that he was hilarious and original.
Reviews
Review: Tron: Ares Reminds Us That Artificial Intelligence Is Not the Enemy
It's the humans who develop and use AI for malicious ends, not the tech itself, who should worry us.
Review: When the CIA Tried To Unlock Mind Control
Project Mind Control tells the story of the federal government's failed MKUltra program.
Review: The British Spy Novelist Beloved by Fellow Spies
Tradecraft chronicles the career of John le Carré, intelligence officer turned author.
Review: The Paper Parodies Work Life at a Struggling Local Newspaper
The Office spin-off contrasts journalists' self-image as a pillar of democracy with what the job often entails.
Review: A Novel About Masculinity and Weightlifting
Muscle Man offers a subtler commentary than any thinkpiece about the bro-ification of the right.
Review: The Sound of Music's Anti-Authoritarianism
The 65-year-old musical's depiction of an us-vs.-them mentality remains poignant.
Review: Wayward Spotlights the Dark Secrets of Troubled-Teen Programs
Characters in the Netflix show undergo psychological torture, manipulation, and psychedelic treatment.
ETC.
Jeff Flake on Free Trade, Immigration, and Trump's GOP
"If we're gonna put up immigration barriers, we better do a lot more in terms of trade barriers to make it more free trade, or we will decline," the former Arizona senator tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
Brickbats: January 2026
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world
