How Flamin' Hot Cheetos Became a Cultural Sensation
Maybe their self-proclaimed inventor, Richard Montañez, did lie about his role. What matters most is how this fiery snack has been repurposed and reinterpreted by legions of fans.
Documentaries
Is California Over?
Why the Golden State is losing people, business, and a congressional seat
Mayor Francis Suarez Wants To Turn Miami Into an Un-Woke, Pro-Bitcoin, Tech Billionaire's Paradise
Ignore the hype: Latin American immigration is (still) the city’s greatest strength.
Will the Spike in Murder and Violence Undermine Criminal Justice Reform?
Growing criticism of big-city progressive D.A.s George Gascón and Chesa Boudin underscores the importance of distinguishing necessary reform from simply failing to enforce the rule of law.
How Detectives Caught the Golden State Killer—and Unleashed a Catastrophe for Civil Liberties
Police were finally able to catch the serial killer using DNA genealogy databases—violating many innocent people's constitutional right to privacy.
Why COVID-19 May Be the Last Pandemic
Medical breakthroughs mean we will never again suffer through diseases like the novel coronavirus—if politicians will get out of the way.
12 Years to Disaster? How Climate Activists Distort the Evidence
The data behind apocalypse 2030 is based on placing blame, not predicting the future.
Biden's Plan to Stop Ghost Guns Is Doomed To Fail
"There's this growing gap between what's on paper and what is enforceable in law," says Kareem Shaya, the co-founder of Open Source Defense.
More Than A Dozen States Are Trying To Nullify Federal Gun Control
Conservative state legislators are taking a page from the playbook of pro-immigration activists and the marijuana legalization movement.
Does National Debt Still Matter? America's Greatest Gamble
Fiscal hawks have been sounding the alarm about rising debt levels for decades, but their nightmare scenario of runaway inflation hasn't come to pass. How do we know if this time is different?
High-Speed Rail Advocates Should Pay Attention to California's Costly Disaster
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says we should be "dreaming big." But the Golden State's vaunted high-speed rail project is turning out to be a train to nowhere.
A New 'War on Terror' Would Be Just as Disastrous as the Original
"We don't need to use a faulty model and apply it to the very real terrorism problem that we have at home," says terrorism expert Max Abrahms.
Lanny Friedlander: The Eccentric Genius Who Created Reason Magazine
Reason was the anti-establishment brainchild of a brilliant but erratic 20-year-old student who lived with his mother and drove a delivery van for a living.
California's Teachers Unions Are Still Fighting To Keep Children at Home
Despite billions in additional funding and assurances from the CDC and Anthony Fauci that schools can operate safely in person, the unions are holding out for 100 percent vaccination and lower transmission rates.
These Doctors Exemplify the Virtues of Free Market Medicine
"Direct primary care is about as close to a free market in health care as you've ever seen in our country," says Dr. Lee Gross.
The Victims of the Eviction Moratorium
A coalition of Chinese immigrant landlords in New York say they're on the verge of losing everything because of tenants who have stopped paying rent.
How To Fight Deplatforming: Decentralize
Meet the visionaries building a new, un-censorable, peer-to-peer web using the tools of encryption and cryptocurrency.
What Disney Can Teach Us About Covid-19: Lockdowns Fail
Two states and two Disneys—California vs. Florida—and their radically different approaches to dealing with the pandemic.
How Socialism Wiped Out Venezuela's Spectacular Oil Wealth
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves. It's out of gasoline.
My Family Has School Choice. So Should Yours.
The pandemic showed me how many choices I have about my kids’ education. Everyone should have the same options.
How the U.S. Covered Up the Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Oscar-winning filmmaker Bryan Fogel fought Saudi censorship to make his new documentary, The Dissident.
Don't Let the Capitol Riot Reignite the War on Terror
Government grows in response to a crisis.
We Could Be Vaccinating Twice as Fast. The Government Won't Allow It.
"Let's do the thing, which saves the most lives," says economist Alex Tabarrok: Instead of holding back second doses, use them all right away.
How To Respond to the Great Deplatforming of 2021
We need an open digital commons, where individuals maintain ownership of their own identities and where speech is highly resistant to political pressure.
The Case for Impeaching Trump
"The question of whether incitement to riot is an impeachable offense is pretty easy," says the Cato Institute's Gene Healy. "Clearly, yes."
Californians Are Revolting Against the Lockdown
Small business owners and sheriffs are leading the revolt against Governor Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders, which they say are unscientific and ineffective.
The Fracturing of Communist Cuba's Propaganda Machine
"When I started my blog," says journalist Yoani Sánchez, "it was like an exorcism of something that was inside of me."
What Drug Warriors Got Wrong About the Opioid Epidemic
The original formulation of OxyContin didn’t create the opioid crisis, argues psychiatrist Sally Satel, and removing it from the market didn’t make the problem go away.
Are These Vulgarity-Spouting Birds a Threat to Democracy?
Aaron Reynolds is just trying to make people laugh, but his content may have been flagged on Instagram for interfering with the election.
Why President Trump Should Free Ross Ulbricht
The Silk Road’s creator has a lot to teach drug prohibitionists.
Frederick Douglass vs. the 1619 Project
A new book explicates the escaped slave and renowned orator's argument that the Constitution is "a glorious liberty document" that justified ending slavery.
The Prosecution of Julian Assange Is an Assault on the First Amendment
Though journalists tend to despise the WikiLeaks founder, his fate could impact the future of their profession.
Los Angeles County Banned Outdoor Dining. There's Zero Evidence It Spreads COVID-19.
Restaurant owners speak out about the "crippling" order, which will last at least three weeks.
The History of Fabric Is the History of Civilization
Virginia Postrel's new book explores economics, politics, and technology through textiles.
How to Stop America's 'Endless Wars'
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft is promoting a more restrained foreign policy from inside the Beltway. But will the Biden administration listen?
Shelby Steele on the Implications of Michael Brown's Tragic Death
In a new documentary, Steele argues that the "story of victimization" was an attempt to "win power."
Joe Biden's Disastrous Record of Using 'Bold Federal Action' To Solve America's Problems
It's unclear what Biden will ultimately be able to accomplish as president, but he has been trying to bring transformative change since the 1970s.
Joe Biden's $11 Trillion Plan To Bankrupt America
The president-elect promised record levels of spending and taxes on the campaign trail. Will he succeed?
What's Next for the Libertarian Party After Jo Jorgensen Got 1%?
What went right and wrong in 2020, the L.P.’s internal divisions, and the party’s strategy for the future.
Unions Lost a Major Battle in Their War on the Gig Economy
Nearly 60 percent of Californians approved a proposition to exempt Uber and Lyft from most of Assembly Bill 5.
Joe Biden's Endless River of Debt and Regulation
There are at least 11 trillion reasons to be very scared about what comes next.
America's Disastrous Drug War Is Finally Unravelling
Voters came out for legalizing marijuana, removing criminal penalties for psychedelic use, and treating drug addiction as a public health concern.
Trump's Foxconn Deal Became Just Another Government Development Debacle
The Taiwanese manufacturer promised Trump and then–Governor Scott Walker 13,000 new jobs and a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant. They've delivered a mostly empty building that's one-twentieth the promised size.
Bitcoin and the End of History
The final installment in a four-part documentary series "Cypherpunks Write Code"
Voting Is Overrated
It might be better to find something else you'd rather do on Election Day.
When Encryption Was a Crime: The 1990s Battle for Free Speech in Software
Part three in Reason's documentary series, "Cypherpunks Write Code," tells the story of the U.S. government's long battle to keep strong cryptography out of the hands of its citizens
The Complicated Truth About the Boogaloo Movement
These Hawaiian shirt-wearing, gun-toting Gen Z activists say they stand with Black Lives Matter, against gun control, and are preparing for total state collapse.
Cryptography vs. Big Brother: How Math Became a Weapon Against Tyranny
Part two of a four-part series on the history of the cypherpunk movement
