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.
Documentaries
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
The Reawakening of the Black Gun-Rights Movement
"I believe that I'm channeling my ancestors," says Second Amendment activist Brent Holmes, who carries an assault rifle to protests in Richmond, Virginia.
Does Google Secretly Manipulate Us To Vote for Democrats? The Evidence Is Flimsy.
Republicans have seized on the dubious claims of a psychologist who thinks Big Tech is shifting millions of votes to the left.
Before the Web: The 1980s Dream of a Free and Borderless Virtual World
Watch part one of a four-part documentary series about the cypherpunk movement of the 1990s.
How California's Environmental Mandates Led to Blackouts
Critics say the state's dependence on solar and wind have made the power grid unreliable and overly expensive.
Why Violent Protests Backfire
Martin Luther King explained why they are "socially destructive and self-defeating."
Let Volunteers Expose Themselves to COVID-19 To Speed Up a Vaccine
"Economists are accustomed to thinking about tradeoffs," says economist and Nobel laureate Alvin Roth. "It appears that at least in some parts of the ethics community, they are not."
Can the Republican Party Survive Trump?
A political party can be destroyed by warring factions after it nominates a celebrity candidate and loses its coherence. That’s what happened…after 1848, when the Whigs backed Zachary Taylor.
Democratic Convention Recap: Biden and Harris Vow To Make Government Even Bigger
We suffered through it so you didn't have to.
Kamala Harris' Dishonest Campaign To Destroy Backpage.com
The vice presidential candidate opportunistically painted the site's co-founders as villains when they were actually helping law enforcement to catch sex traffickers.
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.
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.
