The American Prison Experiment: A 250-Year History of Good Intentions and Bad Results
A strange trip through the U.S. prison system's never-ending cycle of failure and reform
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Professor Investigated for Mocking a University 'Land Acknowledgment' Gets a $600,000 Settlement
The agreement follows a 9th Circuit ruling that the University of Washington violated Stuart Reges' First Amendment rights by treating his dissent as intolerable "disruption."
Robert Anderson's Cold War
How Eisenhower’s treasury secretary became a Cold War fixer, an intelligence go-between, and a man no one wanted to discuss.
If Canada is 'Ripping Off' the U.S., Why Is It Falling Behind?
Americans have been widening the prosperity gap with our neighbors for years.
RFK Jr.'s MAHA Cooking Show Is Government Propaganda. I Kind of Love It?
I think it's cool that conservatives are trying to make it cool to care about nutrition. But this isn't the government's place.
Who Owns California's Gold?
The Gold Rush was not only a scramble for wealth. It was also a scramble for property rights.
Will the Supreme Court Hear the 'Case About Swinging Dicks'?
Olympus Spa—an all-female, nude establishment in Washington state—sued after the government said it had broken the law by refusing to accept a preoperative transgender woman. But the case is more complicated than it looks.
Photo: AI Unfurls an Ancient Scroll
The Vesuvius Challenge awards money to researchers who use AI to decipher ancient scrolls.
Do You Have the Right To Possess an AR-15? The Supreme Court Will Soon Decide.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a pair of cases involving rifle restrictions imposed by Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois.
NYC Law Could Force Uber and Lyft to Keep Dangerous Drivers on the Road
A federal judge temporarily blocked it from taking effect. But the legal fight is ongoing.
The Iraq War Cheerleaders Were Wrong. They're Wrong About Iran Too.
Hawkish pundits predicted both wars would be swift and successful. That's not how it turned out.
A Federal Indictment Charges an ICE Officer With Lying About a Shooting That DHS Eagerly Defended
The habitually dishonest department uncritically accepted a story that was immediately contradicted by video footage and physical evidence.
Texas Terrorism Law Chills Speech for Muslim Group
By labeling this group a terrorist organization, the state is chilling more than Muslims' freedom of expression.
The Right to Trial is Vanishing. Could Bolder Juries Save It?
A new campaign by the Cato Institute aims to educate jurors on their right to vote their conscience against unjust laws and sentences.
The Lindsay Clancy Jury Was Tasked With an Impossible Question
In the court of public opinion, there is little room for ambiguity here. But those who watched the trial know that reality is far less satisfying.
DOJ Says Barring AI Training on Copyrighted Material Could 'Severely Hamper' Tech Progress
Training a model on copyrighted work is the same transformative use exception that protects The New York Times' journalism.
In the White House's Retro Arcade Games, the Trump Administration Always Loses
In MAGAfied versions of Tapper and Tetris, the seed oils will eventually get through and the border wall will be breached.
Trump Is Expanding Executive Power. Democrats Are Already Eyeing the New Tools.
Some Democrats are licking their chops over other economic powers that Trump has claimed for the presidency.
OpenAI Agents Gone Rogue
Plus: Mail-in ballots, mortgage rates reach new high, arcade.gov is a new low, and more...
Maryland Synagogue Challenges Restrictive Gun Law
Montgomery County officials want to prevent houses of worship from making security decisions.
Review: What To Burn, What To Carry Tells the Stories of People Confronted With Disaster
This podcast appeals to both history dads and true-crime girlies.
Review: Outsider Art on Display at a New York City Museum
The American Folk Art Museum curates works by self-taught artists.
This U.S. Citizen Is Suing ICE for Arresting Him 3 Times. His Lawsuit Is Moving Forward.
Despite carrying a REAL ID, Leo Garcia Venegas has been repeatedly detained by immigration agents. Now he’s suing to block immigration raids targeting Latinos on private construction sites.
Trump's Beef Tariff Cut Accidentally Makes the Case for Free Trade
As the president liberalized the market for beef, he also imposed new 50 percent tariffs on some $20 billion worth of Canadian goods. Americans will suffer.
Congress Is Trying (Again) To Ban Boycotting Israel
The bipartisan bill, which passed the House, takes aim at university boycotts of any “major strategic partner.”
Lindsay Clancy, Heehaw the Donkey, and New Magneto Origins
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the stalled jury deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s case and the police killing of Heehaw.
This Wired Article About AI Detection Software Was Really Mean
Pangram founder Max Spero urged social media not to pile on too much though.
State Film Subsidies Lose Money. Trump Wants To Try the Idea Nationally.
There's “no reason to think a federal incentive would work any differently from state incentives,” says one expert.
A New Bill Reflects the Bipartisan Backlash Against Flock-Enabled Mass Surveillance
Criticism from Trump allies and recent survey results show that resistance to widespread deployment of automated license plate readers spans the political spectrum.
ICE Reportedly Lowered Its Standards To Meet Trump's Hiring Goal
Trump has criticized DEI initiatives for lowering hiring standards. A whistleblower now says ICE did that on purpose.
A California County Used Drones To Spy on Homes. A Settlement Will Now Require Warrants.
Sonoma County launched the program to find illegal cannabis grows, but it secretly morphed into a wider search for minor building code violations.
Trump Is Taking a Stake in Venezuela's Oil Industry and This Crony Is Cashing In
Alejandro Betancourt has become the key go-between for the Trump administration, Venezuela’s new regime, and American oil companies.
Trump Can't Deport Legal Immigrants for Protected Speech, Judge Rules
The court struck down the government’s use of immigration law to threaten lawful noncitizens with deportation for protected speech.
Judge Rejects Trump Administration's Plan To Break Up Google's Ad Business
Punishing a company for building the best product doesn't serve the businesses or users antitrust enforcers claim to protect.
Mamdani Bans the Robot Teachers
Plus: Times Square stabbing, free-range kids case, Gloria Steinem dies, and more...
John Roberts Overruled Trump's Tariffs. But He Can't Seem To Stop Trump's Ballroom.
The chief justice finds himself in dissent in his latest showdown with the president.
How St. Paul's Rent Control Experiment Backfired Spectacularly
Construction of new housing collapsed in the Minnesota city as builders took their business elsewhere.
Mamdani Wants To Block a Law Giving Teachers' Aides $10,000 Bonuses. The Teachers Union Is Not Happy.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is sparring with the teachers union over bonuses. But is he really concerned about New York City’s education budget?
Prosecutors Say a North Carolina Teenager Committed Murder by Livestreaming a California Mosque Shooting
The case smacks of a desire for retribution that cannot be satisfied by prosecuting the actual killers, who committed suicide.
USDA Approves Bioengineered American Chestnut Tree That Could Bring Them Back From Near-Extinction
It sets a precedent for releasing other bioengineered organisms into the wild to repair ecological damage.
Trump Is Back To Seeking Regime Change in Iran
With the conflict over Hormuz dragging on, the administration is betting on a strategy that failed at the beginning of the war.
Georgia Cop Claimed Petting Zoo Donkey Was Charging at His Team When He Shot It
In an incident report, the officer who shot the donkey wrote that he had to shoot the donkey to save himself and a K-9 team from injury.
