The Fantastic Four: First Steps Positions Superheroes as Benevolent Techno-Authoritarians
A good enough take on Marvel's First Family that ignores its most interesting ideas.
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X's Win in Federal Court Is a Victory for Free Speech and Open Disclosure
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has placed minor restraints on the government’s ability to impose gag orders on secret subpoenas issued to tech companies.
Famine in Gaza
Plus: The Columbia settlement as a "blueprint" for going after other universities, South Park lampoons Trump, and more...
Extreme Measures: Puzzle #105
"Idea that the 'far right' and the 'far left' are closer together than they think"
The Online Right's Fairy-Tale Gender Politics
Would wealthy men really choose a Waffle House waitress over a girlboss?
Norms Matter in Free, Democratic Societies
Trump's ability to shift acceptable policy debates poses dangers, given that many of the shifts obliterate political norms.
Abolish the U.S. Surgeon General
This “public health” position has long been a sinecure for professional activists.
Baseball, and the Vanishing Art of Forgiveness
Can this weekend's Hall of Fame induction of Dick Allen and Dave Parker teach us a lesson about politics?
Review: Denmark's Viking Ship Museum Offers a Glimpse Into Life at Sea
On display are five real Viking ships, intentionally sunk in Roskilde Fjord around 1,000 years ago to form a defensive barrier.
This Bill Would Fine Social Media Companies $5 Million Every Day for Not Fighting 'Terrorism'
The STOP HATE Act wants social media platforms to report their moderation policies and outcomes to the government. And it’s not the only censorial measure Rep. Josh Gottheimer wants.
Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Is Unconstitutional, Says the First Appeals Court to Consider the Issue
The judgment is not surprising, since the president's reading of the 14th Amendment contradicts its text and history, plus 127 years of Supreme Court precedent.
The Feds Roll Back Their Influence Over NPR Only To Claim Greater Influence Over TikTok
Politicians' interest in controlling the content you see shifts from public media to social media.
Gary Taubes: MAHA, Ultra-Processed Foods, and Bad Science
Science journalist Gary Taubes discusses the MAHA Report, new dietary guidelines, and bad nutrition science on the latest episode of Just Asking Questions.
Here's How the AI Action Plan Will Accelerate—and Throttle—AI Innovation
The American AI industry doesn't need industrial policy, just freedom.
Meet Stephen Colbert's Biggest Fans: Congressional Democrats
When even Keith Olbermann is providing a much-needed sanity check, it says something.
Columbia's $200 Million Deal Will Placate Trump—for Now
To reinstitute $400 million in federal funding, the university agreed to implement plans to combat antisemitism and to appoint an independent monitor to oversee changes.
California Is Advancing a Bill To Punish Social Media Companies for Not Suppressing Speech
Senate Bill 771 would fine platforms up to $1 million if their algorithms relay hate speech to users.
Court Rules New York State Police Must Disclose Officer Names in Misconduct Records
The New York Civil Liberties Union and the New York State Police have been fighting for years over misconduct records that the state legislature made public in 2020.
Did USAID Really Save 90 Million Lives? Not Unless It Raised the Dead
A Lancet study’s inflated numbers are being used to push a partisan narrative, not inform public policy.
Trump Doesn't Need To Fire Jerome Powell. He Needs To End America's Spending Addiction.
The executive branch wants to use the Federal Reserve as a tool to accommodate the government's frenzy of reckless borrowing.
Treasonous Conspiracy
Plus: Columbia settles, State Department releases murderer, and more...
Curtailing Federal Control Over Emissions Should Be Done by Congress, Not the EPA
By going through the courts, the Trump administration risks perpetuating the regulatory ping-pong that has plagued Washington, D.C., for decades.
What Neil Gorsuch Gets Wrong About Judges and Government Power
Plus: Ozzy Osbourne, RIP.
A Beatnik Tourist in Ayahuasca Country
William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg's trip reports form one of the most entertaining books in the Beat canon.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Is Dead Wrong About Outlawing Climate Geoengineering
An unholy alliance between MAGA and progressives to ban research on an emergency backup plan to cool the planet may be emerging.
Virginia Is Using AI To Identify Illegal and Redundant Regulations
While other states are focused on regulating AI, Virginia is using the technology to repeal regulations.
Trump Administration Opens New Investigation Into Harvard, Escalating Pressure
The investigation comes only two days after a federal judge cast doubt on the Trump administration’s argument in Harvard’s lawsuit over federal funding.
Police Officer Threatens To Run Over Protester for Filming on the Sidewalk
The city of Allentown has spent more than $2 million settling excessive force claims, and yet the police still crack down on civilians exercising their constitutional rights.
Can Wall Street Survive a Socialist Mayor?
If Zohran Mamdani turns socialist rhetoric into policy, New York’s financial giants may not stick around to see how that plays out.
The New Right's War on Capitalism
A growing number of conservatives agree with the left that free markets are to blame for society's ills.
Trump's 'Deal' With Japan Is Another Loser for Americans
Not only does it raise taxes on American consumers, but it leaves American automakers at a distinct disadvantage relative to their Japanese competitors.
Streaming Music Isn't a Free Market. It's a Regulated Monopoly.
Rock legend David Lowery draws on his decades in the music industry to explain how government-imposed licensing fees and price controls helped streaming platforms flourish while eroding artist rights and income.
So You Wanted Flying Cars?
Plus: Chinese state-sponsored hackers, Trump-Epstein bromance, and more...
Sacramento Uses Smart Electric Meters To Spy on Residents
The city’s police consider “high” power consumption evidence of cannabis cultivation.
Lawmakers Wonder Why a Mountain Climber Was Prosecuted for Climbing a Mountain
Two members of the House Judiciary Committee say the case against Michelino Sunseri epitomizes the overcriminalization that the president decries.
Trump Administration Plans To Spend $1.26 Billion on an Immigrant Detention Center in Texas
The latest detention facility will house up to 5,000 detainees and function as a central hub for deportation operations.
Defending Its Speech-Based Deportation Policy, the Trump Administration Says 'No Such Policy Exists'
The government's gaslighting strategy suggests that federal officials are not confident about the constitutionality of punishing students for expressing anti-Israel views.
A Social Security Bailout Would Cost Younger Workers $157,000 in Higher Taxes
To keep Social Security solvent without cutting benefits would require a massive hike in payroll taxes, which would fall entirely on working Americans.
Tom Homan's Plan To 'Flood the Zone' in Sanctuary Cities Will Lead to More Due Process Violations
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan blamed the shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer on the policies of sanctuary cities like New York.
'Alligator Alcatraz' Contracts Disappeared From a Florida State Database
A state official says the contracts contained "proprietary information," so they were scrubbed and replaced with bare-bones summaries.
Is Housing 'Out of Reach' for More Than Half of Workers?
Plus: Single-stair reform in Nashville, an inclusionary zoning lawsuit in Seattle, and a zoning-created full-service Popeyes in Illinois.
Rent Prices Are Falling Fast in America's Most Pro-Housing Cities
From January 2024 to January 2025, average rent in Sarasota fell from $3,290 to $1,886 per month.
5 Years After Breonna Taylor Was Killed, 1 Officer Gets 33 Months
Brett Hankison was convicted of violating Breonna Taylor’s Fourth Amendment rights during a fatal no-knock police raid.
