Economized: Puzzle #123
"Unthinkingly imitate"
Latest
Trump's $1.1 Billion Tax Hike on Toys and Games
"Maybe the dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally," the president warned in April. That's an understatement.
Self-Driving Cars Will Make the World Safer for Cats—and Humans Too
The accidental death of one cat in San Francisco is triggering calls for banning Waymo. That would be a huge mistake.
This Black Friday, Thank Globalization for Affordable Gifts
Global markets make Black Friday deals and generous holiday gift-giving possible.
Review: Quasi-Government Megacompanies Collide in Alien: Earth
The FX series is a direct prequel to the 1979 movie.
Trump Pardoned Gobble and Waddle. He Should Pardon More Deserving People, Too.
The president loves freeing people. His controversial clemency grants should not obscure the fact that the pardon power is incredibly important.
Uncle Sam Makes Thanksgiving Worse
We have many things to be grateful for this time of year. The government isn't one of them.
Thankfully, We Don't Have To Spend As Much of Our Incomes on Food As Our Ancestors Did
The portion that Americans spend on food has fallen steeply over the last century.
Some Say the Constitution Has Failed. This Thanksgiving, Here's Why It Hasn't.
Most countries emerged from a shared language, lineage, or ancient heritage. The United States built a state first and then had to discover what it meant to be a nation.
2 National Guardsmen Shot in D.C., Suspect in Custody
President Trump has already announced plans to deploy 500 more troops to the nation's capital.
How Special Interests Twisted Federal Sugar Policy To Cost Consumers $2.5 Billion Every Year
Meet Dwayne O. Andreas: The man most singularly responsible for the fact that it is corn, not sugar, in most American sweets.
The Pentagon and the FBI Are Investigating 6 Legislators for Exercising Their First Amendment Rights
The Trump administration is desperately trying to criminalize a video noting that service members have no obligation to follow unlawful orders.
Muriel Bowser Was a Flawed Mayor. We'll Miss Her When She's Gone.
Bowser's apathetic pragmatism sustained D.C.'s turnaround success while keeping a hard-left approach to city government at bay.
What We Get Wrong About the American Revolution
Filmmaker Ken Burns breaks down the myths surrounding America’s founding, explains how the Declaration’s own contradictions ultimately expanded American freedom, and argues for the continued funding of public broadcasting.
Why DOGE Mattered
It didn't meaningfully cut spending or reduce the size of government, but the DOGE project proved that politicians shouldn't be scared of doing those things.
Texas Man Faces Up to 40 Years in Prison for Transporting Constitutionally Protected Pamphlets
The government treats anarchist zines as evidence of terrorism.
Elon Musk's 'Account Based In' Feature Has Already Improved X
Foreign grifters are posting clickbait to make money from X's revenue-sharing program.
Is the Poverty Line Really $100,000?
Plus: The Adams staffer purge, therapyspeak in Tennessee's special election, and more...
Zohran Mamdani and Donald Trump Prove That There Are Two Paths Toward Socialism
As fans of horseshoe theory point out, the political extremes might differ on details, but they have a lot in common.
How ICE Is Watching Your Thanksgiving Drive
ICE and Border Patrol are using license plate cameras for extensive domestic surveillance.
Thanksgiving Traffic Shows the Highway Trust Fund Is Running on Empty
Federal gas taxes no longer cover the cost of highways, leaving taxpayers to fill a growing multibillion-dollar gap.
Thanksgiving Should Worry Today's Socialists
The only reason we celebrate the holiday with lots of food is because the Pilgrims learned—the hard way—that socialism doesn't work.
Trump's Habitual Charges of 'Treason' Reflect His Authoritarian Impulses
The president’s reaction to a supposedly "seditious" video illustrates his tendency to portray criticism of him as a crime.
Taxpayers Still Paying for Hurricane Sandy Relief Mismanagement 13 Years Later, New Report Finds
A recent Transportation Department audit of Hurricane Sandy relief funds found $95 million in questionable costs and $2.9 billion in unspent money.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Says You Can Defeat NIMBYism by Building Less
Plus: The DOJ and RealPage reach a settlement, the ROAD to Housing Act hits a speed bump, and Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani talk housing policy.
Another Afghan Ally Detained Despite Legal Status
Mohammad Ali Dadfar survived the Taliban, the Darién Gap, and a monthslong journey to the U.S. only to be jailed by ICE while his asylum case is still pending.
What Sports Fans Should Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving
Capitalism has blessed us with the ability to watch almost any game we want, whenever we want, and wherever we are.
The Ukraine-Russia Deal That Wasn't
Plus: DOGE takes new form, inside a birth cult, and more...
An Antidote to the FDR Cult
A new biography presents Franklin Roosevelt as one of the greatest scoundrels of American political history.
A Case That Briefly United Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor
Plus: Jimmy Cliff, RIP.
Trump Embraces Mamdani Socialism as 'Practical'
Plus: DOGE is disbanded, Trump attempts to influence the Warner Bros. merger, and Democrats tell the military to reject illegal orders
Federal Judge Dismisses Comey and James Indictments, Saying Trump's U.S. Attorney Appointment Was Illegal
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, so the Justice Department can try again.
The U.N. Has Now Held 30 Climate Change Conferences That Have Accomplished Almost Nothing
COP30 in Brazil just ended and was more of the same.
A Dirge for DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency didn't accomplish much. We still have cause to mourn its official closure.
Psychoactive Hemp Products Will Be Federally Prohibited in a Year Unless Congress Intervenes
A spending bill approved as part of the package that ended the federal shutdown aims to close a loophole that gave birth to $28 billion industry.
'Catch Kits' for Fetal Remains Are Republicans' Latest Dystopian Plan To Punish Abortions
GOP lawmakers in Wisconsin and elsewhere are pushing the idea that abortions are a water quality issue.
Mamdani Understands Something About Trump That European Leaders Don't
Trump respects outreach from opponents more than submissive flattery from friends.
Mass Surveillance Is Powering a New Era of Pretextual Traffic Stops
An extensive network of automatic license plate readers is being used to develop predictive intelligence to stop vehicles, violating Americans’ rights.
What Would Bill Buckley Do?
The National Review founder's flexible approach to politics defined conservatism as we know it.
Most Americans Think Free Speech Is on the Decline, Survey Finds
"Drops in confidence across all political parties contributed to the record-levels of pessimism," writes the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
Trump's Tariffs Are Likely To Make Toys More Expensive This Christmas Shopping Season
In Trump's first term, he exempted many Chinese toys and household items from tariff hikes. This time, they're subject to a 30 percent import tax.
