Double Think: Puzzle #142
"Great song, slangily"
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Lawsuits Targeting Social Media Are an Attack on Free Speech
Tech companies that create social media apps should not be blamed for the complex mental issues of everyone who might use them.
Review: A Cognitive Neuroscientist's Take on How AI Models Think
Author Christopher Summerfield engages seriously with skeptics who claim that large language models are really thinking.
Review: Giant Dramatizes Roald Dahl's Antisemitism Controversy
The play presents characters subtly negotiating the entanglements of identity and the perils of cancel culture.
Los Angeles Teen Blinded in One Eye by DHS Agent at 'No Kings' Rally, Attorney Says
The 18-year-old college freshman had to have his right eye surgically removed after a federal agent allegedly shot him in the head with a less-lethal weapon.
Trump Won With the MAHA Vote. Now He Might Be Losing It.
A new poll shows Make America Healthy Again supporters are drifting from Trump, but their “health first” politics may reshape conservative politics in the process.
Would U.S. Wildlife Laws Turn Greenland's Hunters Into Criminals?
Greenlandic hunters fear a U.S. takeover because Americans "think whales and seals are cute and shouldn’t be hunted."
FBI Goes After Whistleblower Who Helped Unmask the 'Fort Bragg Cartel'
The feds have arrested an Army staffer who spoke to a journalist for a book about special operations. The journalist says it's retaliation for exposing corruption.
What if Social Security Was Capped at $100,000 Annually?
One weird trick could extend Social Security's solvency while reducing payments to the wealthiest households. But it doesn't go far enough.
What Does the New Right Believe?
From trade to migration to personal freedom, the conservatives of the global New Right hold a philosophy incompatible with individualism.
Trump's New Budget—Which Proposes $1.5 Trillion for Defense—Is Unserious. You Should Still Take It Seriously.
It would be easy to wave it away and move on. But that's how the U.S. got in such a dire fiscal situation.
Strait Talk
Plus: Mamdani vs. self-driving cars, blue state wealth and exit taxes, Hillary Clinton's awful affordability agenda, and more...
Lindsey Graham Says the President Can Start a War, but Only Congress Can End It
The feeling is perfectly consistent: Graham feels it should be as easy as possible for the U.S. to start a war, and as hard as possible to end one.
The Supreme Court's Next Big Fourth Amendment Case
How the digital privacy rights of millions are at stake in Chatrie v. United States.
Trump v. Second Amendment: The Administration Is Trying To Selectively Apply Gun Rights
Trump and his underlings seem less inclined to worry about the Second Amendment when it protects people outside the MAGA coalition.
Pete Buttigieg on Immigration, Policing, and His Pitch to Libertarians
"I think a lot of people who voted for this administration did so believing that they would prioritize the most dangerous" undocumented immigrants, the possible 2028 presidential candidate tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
You Don't Have To Like Kanye West To Hate His Ban From Britain
The British government has stopped the rapper from headlining at the London Wireless music festival. Why is that the British government's business?
Active Military Spouse Faces Removal Proceedings
The newlywed couple thought they were doing “everything the right way” by reporting to the base to start their lives together.
Their Children Were Alone Outside. So Police Visited the Family—Twice.
Nick and Shaley Knickerbocker’s story shows how some people’s idea of “neglect” goes well beyond real risk.
Has the Iran War Ceasefire Already Ceased?
Both sides claim that they’ve agreed to stop fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, but the fighting is still happening and Hormuz is still closed.
Ron DeSantis Clamps Down on Free Speech in the Name of Fighting Terror
A new Florida law would allow state leaders to designate certain groups as terror organizations.
'They're Going To Go Elsewhere': Steve Forbes on Why Taxing the Rich Backfires
"For the first time since California came into the union," the publisher and businessman says, "they're having out-migration."
Minneapolis Might Bring Back Bathhouses As Spaces for Sex and Queer Community
It’s a public health matter, say proponents of the new bathhouse ordinances.
Sam Altman's (Not So) New Deal for Superintelligent AI
The plan’s deregulatory planks merit praise. Its calls for central planning and redistribution do not.
The Rise of the Information State
Jacob Siegel discusses how the internet reshaped political power, the rise of technocratic rule, and why information control keeps failing.
Viktor Orbán and His American Apologists All Deserve To Lose
J.D. Vance in Budapest: 'We have got to get Viktor Orbán reelected as Prime Minister of Hungary, don't we?'
Innocent Property Owners Deserve 'Just Compensation' When Cops Wreck Their Homes or Businesses
Two petitions ask the Supreme Court to uphold the remedy required by the Fifth Amendment.
Police Destroyed Innocent People's Property—and Left Them With the Bill. Will the Supreme Court Step In?
The Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause promises "just compensation" when private property is taken for public use. But some courts have ruled that it does not always apply when police are involved.
Trump Is Openly Targeting Innocent Civilians
He's using tools that were advertised as humane, but he isn't hiding the cruelty involved.
Lara Trump and Katie Miller Cite Junk Poll About Gen-Z Tradwives
In the culture war, no survey is too sketchy and no generalization too broad.
New York Wants a Cut of Counter-Strike's Loot Boxes
Attorney General Letitia James says they're a form of illegal gambling. But the state seems more interested in untaxed revenue than consumer protection.
'Every Bridge in Iran Will Be Decimated'
Plus: Artemis astronauts set record, D.C.'s terrible electricity policy, Ye returns, and more...
Zoning's War on Cuddly Animals, Cute Kids, and Christian Charity
A recent string of zoning controversies show how land use regulations have become the enemy of all good things.
Why SCOTUS Ruled 8–1 Against Colorado's 'Conversion Therapy' Ban
Understanding the Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles v. Salazar.
Brickbats: May 2026
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world
Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All.
With His Grandiose White House Ballroom Plan, Trump Again Asserts the Power To Do As He Pleases
"No statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have," U.S. District Judge Richard Leon concluded when he enjoined the project.
Trump's College Sports Executive Order Adds Chaos to an Already Wild Legal War
Plus: Fox and Sinclair go crying to the FCC over sports streaming, and the Masters ticket lottery makes it too hard to get in
Sex Educators Say They're Being Harmed by Age Verification Laws
Plus: Wisconsin governor vetoes porn age-check bill, more charges for penis protester, the Komodo dragon theory of social media, and more...
Ro Khanna: Congress Has Surrendered on War
The California congressman discusses the Iran war, unchecked executive power, California’s wealth tax debate, and the search for a shared American identity.
'I Am Blowing Up Everything'
Plus: There is no exit strategy in Iran, Artemis II approaches the Moon, federal taxpayers get to beautify D.C., and more...
As the Death Toll Rises in Trump's Immigration Crackdown, Support for ICE Shrinks
Deaths in ICE custody hit a 20-year high in 2025 and a majority now say the agency's actions make Americans less safe.
