March 2020
Massage Parlor Panic
A potent combination of puritanism, racism, and political opportunism is putting Asian masseuses and the people who support them in needless danger.
Features
The Tear of Allah
The Chinese Communist Party confiscated a sacred meteorite from Muslim herders. They're suing to get it back.
People Are Less Gullible Than You Think
By default we veer on the side of being resistant to new ideas.
Interview
Errol Morris Is Fascinated by and Terrified of Steve Bannon
The decorated filmmaker didn't expect the dramatic reaction to his "toxic" documentary about Trump's former aide-de-camp.
Topics
The War on Porn Is Back
Conservatives hope to renew their old alliance with radical feminists.
Michael Bloomberg and the Imperious Presidency
Until we start denuding the Oval Office, we will continue getting the royals we deserve.
Can Senseless Gun Regulations Be Constitutional?
Under New York's rules, licensed pistol and revolver owners were not allowed to leave home with their handguns unless they were traveling to or from a shooting range.
The FBI's Sloppy FISA Surveillance Is Exposed
The findings shared by Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed some rotten practices at the FBI and a major media blindspot.
Trump's War on Whisky Is a Dram Shame
Whisky has become collateral damage in a long-running spat between the U.S. and the E.U. over subsidies to airplane manufacturers.
Elizabeth Warren Is a Teachers Union Pet
Despite costing less to educate, Boston's charter students significantly outperform their peers in both reading and math. So why is Warren still opposed?
U.S. Fertility Reaches All-Time Low as People Choose Things Other Than Children
The global total fertility rate fell by more than half, from 5 births per woman in 1960 to 2.4 today. But don't panic!
Culture
On the Money: Presidential Portraiture and Power in D.C.
Kehinde Wiley's pre-presidential works criticized inequalities and hierarchies of power. His presidential portrait doesn't do the same.
Books
Good Riddance to the Roman Empire
Maybe Rome needed to disintegrate before the West could grow wealthy.
Reviews
Watchmen
The new HBO show explores how systems of authority fail those for whom they are ostensibly responsible.
Fault Lines
The relics of terrible segregationist government policies are still felt in East Austin, an area that's quickly gentrifying
Future Tense Fiction
"A good science fiction story can help re-sensitize us" to the peril and promise of the new.
ETC.
Judge Napolitano on the Politics of Impeachment
"Each president has more authority than his predecessors."
Brickbats: March 2020
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world
