Meet the Trans Activists Fighting for Sex Worker Freedom
Decriminalization bills have floundered in recent months in New York and Washington, D.C, but advocates hope that the latest push for criminal justice reform could re-energize the movement.
Documentaries
Kamala Harris: Drug Warrior, Vice Cop, Draconian Prosecutor
Biden picked a V.P. candidate whose record on police and criminal justice reform is as terrible as his own.
Teachers Unions Try To Protect Their Monopoly as Parents Flee Traditional Schools
As families flock to virtual charter schools and "pandemic pods," California blocks the money from following the child.
Why Americans Fear the COVID-19 Vaccine
Government failure eroded public trust. Fact-based persuasion and brutal honesty about scientific uncertainty are the only way to win it back.
Joe Biden's $2 Trillion Green New Deal Is Just a Worn-Out Democratic Jobs Program
The presidential candidate wraps old special-interest programs in green camouflage.
Don't 'Abolish the Police.' Privatize Them.
"A lot of people think that law enforcement must be provided by a [government] monopoly," says economist Edward Stringham. But "there are plenty of private examples of people working to create order and safety in society."
Trump's Failed Promise To Stop America's 'Endless Wars'
"The best aspect of the Trump foreign policy is that he has revealed the mind of the foreign policy establishment," says historian Thaddeus Russell. "The worst part... he's a mass murderer just like the rest of them."
Let Us Drink Outside! Relaxing Liquor Laws Could Save Bars and Restaurants
Allowing cocktails-to-go and outdoor drinking can help bartenders and restaurant staff survive the COVID-19 shutdowns.
The Next Pandemic Will Be Caused by the National Debt. It Will Crater the Economy.
Debt held by the public equals about 100 percent of GDP. That's hurting growth and will fuel a major crisis.
Hong Kong Is in Trouble. Let Its People Escape China by Coming to America.
It would be smart foreign policy and beneficial to the U.S. economy.
Why Bad Cops Aren't Punished: The Case Against Qualified Immunity
Police officers shouldn't be above the law.
Drakeo the Ruler Recorded an Album on a Prison Phone
The rapper, whose real name is Darell Caldwell, is speaking out about his lyrics and videos being used against him in a murder trial.
OnlyFans Didn't Save Sex Workers, Sex Workers Saved Themselves.
Camming sites foster autonomy and creativity, while eliminating middlemen and thwarting vice cops.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Unwavering Opposition to Violence Still Matters
His famous line that a "riot is the language of the unheard" is often taken out of context.
Are the COVID-19 Lockdowns Constitutional?
Several courts have invalidated elements of state shelter-in-place orders. Constitutional law Professor Josh Blackman says that the longer they continue, the less legal they become.
Sen. Ron Wyden Wants To Stop the Government From Spying on Your Internet Searches
The Wyden-Daines Amendment would've prohibited warrantless monitoring of web activity, but it lost by one vote in the Senate. Will Nancy Pelosi bring it back in the House?
Joe Biden's 'Bold' Thinking Shredded Civil Liberties and Destroyed Lives
On crime, drugs, immigration, and foreign policy, his 44-year policy record is a cautionary tale of bipartisanship in response to perceived crises.
How Fashion Designers Are Thwarting Facial Recognition Surveillance
Privacy activists say we should be alarmed by the rise of automated facial recognition surveillance. Transhumanist Zoltan Istvan says it's time to embrace the end of privacy as we know it.
Were the COVID-19 Lockdowns a Mistake?
Andrew I. Friedson says they flattened the curve. Lyman Stone disagrees.
Eisenhower's Military-Industrial Complex Speech in the Age of Coronavirus
The 1961 speech by President Dwight Eisenhower foreshadowed the current government's response to COVID-19.
How to Track COVID-19 Without Mass Surveillance
Apple and Google's Bluetooth-based app would reportedly be voluntary and anonymous. Privacy advocates say we should accept nothing less.
Will New York Ever Recover From COVID-19?
Urbanist Joel Kotkin says the pandemic will accelerate America's urban decline. Richard Florida is "100 percent convinced" NYC will be just fine.
Snorkel Respirators, 3D-Printed Masks, and Other Grassroots Efforts To Fight COVID-19
People around the world are working together in unprecedented ways to help their neighbors and produce critical medical supplies.
How China Corrupted the World Health Organization's Response to COVID-19
Trump isn't absolved of his own failures in confronting the pandemic, but the WHO's response to the coronavirus destroyed much of its credibility and damaged the field of public health.
Hospital Technicians Ignore Copyright Law to Fight COVID-19
They trade tips and manuals through a decentralized information-sharing network. Biomedical technicians say it's the fastest and easiest way to get life-saving information.
Will Coronavirus Fears Lead to an Assault on Gun Rights?
Power-seeking public officials thrive on our fear.
How Coronavirus Is Kickstarting the 21st Century
A global pandemic has done what 30 years of internet manifestoes never accomplished: a mass migration into our screens.
Health Care Workers Need Masks (and the Rest of Us Need Them, Too)
DIY manufacturers scramble to reduce shortages, as public health officials send mixed messages about the efficacy of broader use.
The Coronavirus Testing Debacle Stems From Decades of Bad FDA Policy
The agency's emphasis on caution over speed led to needless suffering and loss of life long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
China's Censorship Helped Start a Pandemic. Can Free Speech End It?
The contagious spread of information is in a race against the contagious spread of coronavirus.
Impossible Foods: Capitalism Is the Most Powerful Lever To Fight Climate Change
Impossible Foods says that animal agriculture is a leading cause of climate change. Instead of trying to pass laws to ban meat, it's providing tasty, plant-based alternatives.
Coronavirus Is the Health of the State
The disease will leave behind a residue of laws, spending, and precedents for future government actions.
Trump's Tariffs Are Hiking the Price of Your Favorite Whisky
American whisky and wine drinkers are being punished for trying to amicably trade what they have for what they want.
Why Are Public Schools Fighting To Keep Home School Kids Off Their Teams?
In West Virginia, advocates have been fighting to pass the Tim Tebow Act since 2011. They're on the verge of scoring a partial legislative victory.
Density or Sprawl? How To Solve the Urban Housing Crisis
Land use regulation is making cities unaffordable. In an unfettered market, how would Americans choose to live?
Venezuelans Fleeing Socialism Find Community at a Miami Storage Facility
Raíces Venezolanas, or Venezuelan Roots, gives household items and a heavy dose of moral support to immigrant families showing up in South Florida.
Michael Bloomberg and the Imperious Presidency
Until we start denuding the Oval Office, we will continue getting the royals we deserve.
In California, Protecting Workers Means Outlawing Their Jobs
Assembly Bill 5 was designed to constrain the growth of the so-called gig economy. In practice, it's closing off opportunities
Inside the Campaign to Legalize Magic Mushrooms in California
A ballot measure would create a regulatory framework for recreational sales.
Whatever Happened to the Classroom of the Future?
Clayton Christensen, father of the theory of "disruptive innovation," predicted that half of high school classes would be delivered online by 2018. What went wrong?
Population Control Isn't the Answer to Climate Change. Capitalism Is.
Discredited 18th-century economist Thomas Malthus still haunts the environmental debate.
California Killed 1.2 Million Birds To Stop a Virus. Pet Owners Say They Were Terrorized.
The euthanasia campaign may be necessary to prevent the spread of the Newcastle disease, but bird owners say that it's being carried out in a cruel manner.
The 2010s: When the Media Lost Their Gatekeepers
Media theorist Marshall McLuhan's work best explains how the world changed in the 2010s—and what we can expect in the decade ahead.
More Impeachments! Dumping Bad Presidents Should Be No Big Deal
"Somehow we've decided that the one job in America that gets the most job protection is the one where you actually get nuclear weapons," says the Cato Institute's Gene Healy.
Activists vs. One Man's Skee-Ball Arcade: How Red Tape Is Ruining San Francisco
Joey Mucha wanted to convert his warehouse into a restaurant, bar, and arcade. Then community activists intervened.
Los Angeles Is Spending Over $1 Billion To House the Homeless. It's Failing.
Los Angeles County saw disease outbreaks and 1,000 homeless deaths last year.
Inside America's First Restaurant for Weed
West Hollywood's Lowell Farms Cafe serves food, drinks, and marijuana.
Why 'Free College' Is a Terrible Idea
A bachelor's degree isn't a prerequisite to a satisfying career—it's a costly way of signaling the fortitude to withstand suffering.
