Latest
Brickbats: February 2025
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Biden Strengthened the Refugee Resettlement System. Will Trump Undo It?
Refugee resettlements last year hit a 30-year high, but that progress is fragile.
The Improbable Rise of MAGA-Musk
Is Elon Musk a reactionary with a defective bullshit meter or the best part of the second Trump administration?
Isabelle Boemeke: Time for the Nuclear Option?
Isodope founder Isabelle Boemeke discusses the ongoing potential renaissance of nuclear energy.
He Lost the Title to His Home Over a Small Property Tax Debt. Years Later, He's Finally Getting It Back.
A local government gave ownership of Kevin Fair's Nebraska house—and all of its value—to a private investor, in a practice known as home equity theft.
Bernie Sanders Is Still Wrong About Immigration
The Vermont senator criticized the H-1B guest worker program, drawing praise from the most toxic elements of the MAGA movement.
Ohio Lawmakers Sneak In a New Law to Charge Public for Police Body Camera Videos
Civil liberty groups and press advocates worry that excessive fees could stifle police oversight.
Mike Johnson Is Speaker of the House. Again.
After a delay, Johnson secured the slimmest of majorities.
Blocking the U.S. Steel Sale Is a Perfectly Disgraceful End to Biden's Political Career
It's a disgraceful decision that serves as a perfect epitaph for Biden's political career.
Is Biden Teeing Up an Iran War for Trump?
Trump was considered reckless for wanting to start a war at the end of his term. Now, Biden is doing the same.
Corpse President Says Companies Can't Do What They Want
Plus: Subway system crime by the numbers, Bernie Sanders' H-1B visa hate, surgeon general still stupid, and more...
The Socialists and Suffragettes of Oz
Long before Wicked came along, America's homegrown fairyland was filled with politics.
Is America Entering Her Kakistocracy Era?
Rule by incompetent, power-hungry fools is a bipartisan problem.
Review: Drug Prohibition Leads to Violence in The Penguin
An HBO series set in the Batman universe reminds us that when a substance is outlawed, the market will provide one way or another.
Review: UFO 50 Pays Homage to '80s Video Games
Playing this digital collection of new retro-style games is like rediscovering a box of old cartridges.
Weak Allegations of Shaken Baby Syndrome Keep Tearing Families Apart
Nick Flannery faces 12 years in prison for allegedly shaking his 2-month-old son. Child protective services are ignoring the other possible causes of his son's medical problem.
New Jersey Makes One Last Desperate Attempt at Sabotaging Congestion Pricing in New York City
The state is asking that $9 congestion tolls that will be charged to drivers entering lower Manhattan starting Sunday be stopped while its legal challenge to them is ongoing.
Will Thomas Massie Get To Pick the Next Speaker of the House?
The libertarian-adjacent congressman says he "definitely has no Fs to give now" and promises to vote against Mike Johnson.
Ohio Legislature Passes Bill Ending Driver's License Suspensions for Court Debts
Media investigations found over 3 million active license suspensions in the state.
Restaurant Reservation Markets Are Good. Outlawing Them Is Not.
Reselling restaurant reservations helps allocate seats to those who most want them.
Medical Marijuana Legalization Takes Effect in Nebraska After Lawsuit Dismissal
Voters overwhelmingly favored the new policy, which a former state legislator unsuccessfully tried to block.
The U.S. Tax Code Is Way Too Complex. Here's How To Fix It.
The high cost of complying with our tax code encourages wasteful tax avoidance strategies and distorts work and investment decisions.
The European Commission Wants You To Use USB-C Forever
Product differentiation is instrumental to technological innovation.
The Lie of the Year Was Joe Biden's Decline
It was the greatest cover up of presidential ability since FDR.
Photo: The Disappearing Satoshi Nakamoto Statue
An Italian bitcoin enthusiast pays homage to the person or people who started the cryptocurrency revolution.
Helen Prejean: Why This Nun Is Fighting To End the Death Penalty
Billy Binion speaks to Sister Helen Prejean about her activism to end the death penalty, as depicted in her book Dead Man Walking.
Wicked and the Importance of the Public Domain
Movies like Wicked draw on classic works no longer under copyright protection.
The 10 Most Infuriating Challenges to Free-Range Parenting in 2024
Here's hoping for a free-range 2025!
Sister Helen Prejean on Capital Punishment, Justice, and Meeting Victims' Families
"Jesus said, 'Love your enemy.' Jesus didn't say, 'Execute the hell out of the enemy,'" the Catholic nun and anti–death penalty activist tells Reason.
The Racist Roots of Gun Control
Measures restricting gun ownership still disproportionately harm black and brown people, says Maj Toure, founder of "Black Guns Matter."
Supreme Court Can Protect Property Owners From Eminent Domain Abuse
A Utica, New York, land grab offers the justices an opportunity to revisit a widely criticized precedent.
The Best of Reason: 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.
A University President Accused of Squandering Public Money Resigns in Exchange for a $2 Million Payout
Western New Mexico University's Board of Regents approved the severance package for Joseph Shepard after a state audit highlighted $364,000 in "wasteful" and "improper" spending.
State Tax Hikes Set To Raise Energy Costs in 2025
Residents of California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will get hit with the higher taxes.
Bootleggers and Baptists in the U.S. Steel Deal
Progressives and environmental groups have teamed up with a rival steelmaker to lobby against the U.S. Steel deal.
IRS Failed To Properly Dispose of Sensitive Tax Documents, Report Finds
Some IRS offices routinely threw away sensitive material with regular trash, while others used unlocked or damaged storage bins.
Unprecedented Rise in Homelessness
The latest federal homelessness survey finds an 18 percent annual rise in the number of people living without permanent shelter.
Bible Back in Texas Schools After Being Pulled for Sexual Content
Canyon Independent School District pulled sections of the Bible from its library shelves over concerns that its "sexually explicit" material violated Texas law.
Pay Up, Trump
Plus: Biden's last-minute Ukraine cash surge, Tennessee age-verification law blocked, Kentucky man killed by cop who showed up at wrong house, and more…
Moderate Drinking Linked to Lower Overall Mortality Rate, Says National Academy of Sciences
So let's all enjoy a moderate toast to a Happy New Year!
