Congress Hasn't Passed a Budget on Time in 27 Years
Congress' end-of-year rush to fund the federal government has become the norm.
Topics
Shoddy Research Reinforces Anti-Vaping Narrative
Thanks to tendentiously sloppy research, most Americans think vaping is just as dangerous as smoking. That’s not true.
How Rising Tuition Poked a Hole in the College Bubble
While the population has grown, the number of college students has declined in the past decade.
Short on Adderall? Blame DEA Production Caps
Each year, the DEA sets production limits for certain drugs, including some ingredients in common amphetamine pills like Adderall.
Candid Cameras in Congress
During the recent multiday battle over the next speaker of the House, media outlets were free to capture Congress members negotiating, debating, and even losing their cool.
These New Laws Stop Cops From Lying to Kids
Yes, even children should have access to an attorney.
Don't Just Hire 'Better Cops.' Punish the Bad Ones.
Convincing law enforcement officers that those who do wrong will suffer consequences is by far the most powerful tool for changing police behavior in the long run.
Bringing the Child Tax Credit Back to Life Is Too Costly
Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation reported that a permanent expansion would cost more than $1.4 trillion over a decade.
Fusion Future, Fission Present
For the first time ever, researchers achieved "ignition" in a fusion reaction, meaning they created a fusion reaction that releases more energy than it consumes.
Google Supreme Court Case Tests Whether Tech Firms Are Liable for User Content
Section 230 helped the internet flourish. Now its scope is under scrutiny.
Innovation Drives Down the Cost of Powering Electric Cars
Americans are increasingly buying electric cars. Electrochemists and their innovations will drive down the cost of powering them.
To See the Country, Road Trips Are the Only Way to Go
When you meet folks in their natural environment, it's easier to appreciate their differences.
Remembering the Great Pizza Funeral of 1973
Fifty years ago, dozens of people gathered in Ossineke, Michigan, for one of the strangest funerals in American history
Neil Gorsuch's LGBT Decision May Doom Affirmative Action in the Supreme Court
Why isn’t affirmative action in college admissions prohibited under the Civil Rights Act?
Ranked Choice Voting Won at the Polls in 2022
On a ranked choice ballot, voters can rank every candidate in a given race. Over time, that could lead more voters to consider candidates outside the two parties.
Kentucky's Governor Shields Medical Marijuana Users From Prosecution
Gov. Andy Beshear issued a conditional pardon aimed at protecting people who use marijuana for medical purposes from criminal prosecution.
Government Keeps Meddling With Private Company Decisions
In the Twitter Files, every conversation with a government official contains the same warning: You can do it happily, or we’ll make you.
Congress Formally Grants Federal Recognition to Gay Marriage
While same-sex marriage was already protected under federal law, that protection was afforded by the Supreme Court, not Congress.
Argentina's Inflation Crisis
Annual inflation was reported at 88 percent in October, up from 50 percent in January 2022.
If China Invades, Taiwan Shouldn't Count on U.S. Support
Compared to Russia, war with China is a deeper nightmare.
How Third Parties Die
This is what it looks like when a political party's branches start to go their own way.
You Can Eat Better Than King Henry VIII, Thanks to Globalization and Burger King
Thanks to globalization, we plebes can pay just $6.49 for a whole Whopper meal fit for a 16th-century king.
The KKK's Push for Compulsory Schooling and a Federal Education Department
In the early 20th century, the Klan's virulent nativism and anti-Catholicism fueled its interest in education policy.
The Courts Are Rejecting Biden's Antitrust Crusade
The Biden administration's antitrust efforts are being shut down by judges, except for a single successful case where best-selling authors were involved.
School Closures Still Link to Learning Loss, Nearly 3 Years Into Pandemic
Reading and math scores declined between 2020 to 2022, reversing two decades of improvement.
Is It 'Treason' To Support Free Trade?
Shipping industry insiders floated a recommendation to charge critics of the Jones Act with treason, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Colorado Voters Delivered a Win for Pharmacological Freedom
A ballot initiative approved in November decriminalizes consumption of natural psychedelics.
Pundits Predicted a Backlash Against Criminal Justice Reform in the Midterms. What Happened?
While rising crime created headwinds for candidates who supported criminal justice reform, the apocalyptic storm never quite arrived.
Chinese Protesters Use Their Bodies as Weapons Against the State
Standing with blank pages in hand, the protesters' goal is to make manifest the implied violence that authoritarian states use to keep order.
One Foot off the Grid, Where We Don't Have To Deal With the City Water Department
Living without government services isn't necessarily cheaper or easier, but it sure beats putting up with municipal bureaucracies.
Against Game of Thrones Christianity
To truly care about virtue is to recognize that it matters how you win: Ends don't justify means.
Biden's Loan Forgiveness Plan Ultimately Means Higher Costs for Higher Ed
If political pressure to forgive debt can work once, why wouldn't it work again every five or 10 years?
California's Ban on Gas-Powered Cars Could Wreak Havoc on Its Energy Grid
If all Californians bought E.V.s tomorrow, it would be a nightmare.
This Teen Was Acquitted of Killing His Accomplice. He Was Punished for It Anyway.
Seventeen retired federal judges, appointed by both Republicans and Democrats, filed a brief supporting his appeal.
Republicans Will Have To Rely on New Deal–Era Court Precedents If They Want a Federal Abortion Ban
The Supreme Court said in 1942 that local activity, not just interstate activity, was subject to congressional regulation.
America Needs 'Low-Skilled' Workers
Yes, America benefits from immigrants who can write code. But we also need ones who can swing hammers.
Biden's 'Marijuana Reform' Leaves Prohibition Untouched
While Biden issued pardons and ordered a review of marijuana's Schedule I status, he still supports the federal ban on weed.
Puerto Rico Inches Toward Self-Determination
"At this point, it is pretty much a fact that Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States," says one observer.
The Inflation Shield?
The Producer Price Index shows that grocery stores appear to be shielding consumers from inflation, not hiking prices to gouge Americans.
The Labor Market Is Broken
Employment is an ultimatum game, where playing along might get workers less than employers, but refusing to play gets everyone zero.
NIMBY Laws Are Blocking Humanity's Future Among the Stars
The regulations that increase building costs on Earth will have the same effect in space.
As Private Space Travel Grows, so Will the Insurance Market
One insurance company started offering a space travel policy last year.
The James Webb Space Telescope Captures a Dying Star
A dying star and a young star orbit each other within a plume of burning dust and gas.
Who Owns the Satellites Orbiting the Earth?
Starlink is the biggest player in the satellite business, for now.
So Long, Soyuz: Russia Is Leaving the International Space Station
Privatization can free orbital innovation from ground-bound politics.
