Neocons Wage a Rearguard Action Against Trump's Middle East Peace Drive
Trump wants to negotiate instead of bombing Iran. Jilted war hawks are blaming his advisers.
Defense
Hegseth Faces the Senate
Plus: L.A.'s price gouging crackdown, more Rachel Maddow in your life, and more...
The Pentagon Keeps Losing Equipment and Buying Stuff It Doesn't Need
How the U.S. military busts its budget on wasteful, careless, and unnecessary 'self-licking ice cream cones.'
Pete Hegseth's Acceptance to West Point Is a Story
When bureaucrats mislead you, expose them.
Congress Is Fiscally Reckless. Will Lawmakers Step Up?
Trump is talking about cutting government spending, but that's mostly in Congress' hands.
Belated Loosening of Restrictions on Ukraine Leaves World Stumbling Towards Greater Danger
Ukrainians may be too exhausted to benefit from the new rules.
Lindsey Graham's Bipartisan Vision To Keep America In the Middle East Forever
The Republican senator wants to bring Biden and Trump together to commit American lives to Saudi Arabia in order to "change the region and change the world."
Pentagon Fails 7th Audit in a Row but Hopes To Pass by 2028
Congress required all federal agencies to submit annual financial reports in 1990. The Pentagon finally got around to complying in 2018, and it still hasn't passed an audit.
America's Trial Courts Have a NIMBY Problem
Plus: the transformation of California's builder's remedy, the zoning reform implications of the Eric Adams indictment, and why the military killed starter home reform in Arizona.
RFK Jr. Pays Lip Service to the Debt While Pushing Policies That Would Increase It
It's good to hear a candidate actually talk about our spending problem. But his campaign promises would exacerbate it.
The National Debt Is Crossing an Ominous Line
The U.S. has successfully navigated past debt challenges, notably in the 1990s. Policymakers can fix this if they find the will to do so.
The National Debt Is Now So High That Every American Essentially Owes $100,000
We could grow our way out of our debt burden if politicians would limit spending increases to just below America's average yearly economic growth. But they won't even do that.
Glenn Greenwald and Alan Dershowitz Debate Bombing Iran
The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Glenn Greenwald takes on famed lawyer and author Alan Dershowitz.
Biden Wants a Defense Pact With Saudi Arabia While 9/11 Victims Are Suing the Kingdom
The White House announced a “near final” defense pact with Saudi Arabia yesterday, just as new evidence about Saudi links to 9/11 is emerging.
World War War III May Already Have Started—in the Shadows
Cyber intrusions, arson, bombings, and other mayhem feature in the conflict between West and East.
U.S. Defense Spending Continues To Spiral Out of Control
Increased spending does not automatically equate to higher quality—something that is often lost in this debate.
Say No to This: America's Fiscal Norms Are in Decline
Despite their informal nature, those norms have historically constrained U.S. fiscal policy. But they're eroding.
Opposition to U.S. Steel Sale Shows How Similar Biden and Trump Are on Trade
Economic nationalists are claiming the deal endangers "national security" to convince Americans that a good deal for investors, employees, and the U.S. economy will somehow make America less secure. That's nonsense.
Trump Had a Point About NATO Free-Riding Off American Defense
It’s true that the U.S. pays too much of the continent’s defense bills even as it’s going broke.
War With Russia Teaches Ukraine To Value Private Guns
Survey finds growing acceptance of civilian firearms among the country’s population.
Pentagon Fails Sixth Audit in a Row
Though federal law has required annual financial reports, the Department of Defense simply did not complete them until 2018. It has since failed each year.
The U.S. Needs a Fiscal Commission Because Congress Won't Do Its Job
In the last 50 years, when the budget process has been in place, Congress has managed only four times to pass a budget on time.
Americans Learned a Lesson About Interest Rates. Washington Has Not.
Higher rates lead to more debt, and more debt begets higher rates, and on and on. Get the picture?
Blaming Hamas Shouldn't Mean Ignoring the Palestinians' Plight
Terrorism does not thrive on peace and normalcy. It thrives on war and chaos and overbroad revenge projects.
Bahrain's Dictatorship Gets More Biden Administration Help
The U.S.-Bahraini security pact is the first step towards a future U.S.-Saudi “mega-deal.” Critics say it violates the U.S. Constitution and aids torturers.
Politicians Continue To Make a Mockery of 'Emergency Spending'
Legislators abuse the emergency label to push through spending that would otherwise violate budget constraints.
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Is the Budget Process Broken, or Is Congress Just Refusing To Do Its Job?
Since Congress designed and implemented the last budget process in 1974, only on four occasions have all of the appropriations bills for discretionary spending been passed on time.
Cluster Bombs Aren't the Only Weapons That Kill People After a War Is Over
Progressive Democrats' opposition to sending cluster bombs to Ukraine is welcome. Their arguments apply to much of the military aid the U.S. is sending the country.
The Debt Ceiling Deal Does Not Go Nearly Far Enough
Projections of huge savings are making the rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Senators Want To Declare Fentanyl a National Security Threat
Plus: SCOTUS won't hear Reddit sex trafficking case, debt deal would increase spending on SNAP benefits, and more...
Of Course Washington and Moscow Are Fighting a Proxy War
That doesn't mean Russia is right. It means we're being honest about how much the U.S. is involved.
Two Decades Later, the War in Iraq Is Over—Right?
There’s no vital U.S. interest served by this indefinite advise-and-assist mission in the region.
PredictIt Helps Forecast Election Results. Bureaucrats Are Trying To Kill It.
Election betting markets are often more reliable than pundits. Did the site steal user funds? No. Did they lie to people? No. Harm anyone? No.
North America's UFO Weekend
Plus: States move to curtail internet anonymity, Amsterdam cracks down on cannabis, sex, and booze, and more...
The Fight Over the Debt Ceiling Is Just Beginning
Legislators will increasingly argue over how to spend a diminishing discretionary budget while overall spending simultaneously explodes.
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
The GOP's Current Plan To Cut Spending Is a Political Failure
Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are still the chief drivers of our future debt. But Republicans aren't touching them.
The Hidden Subtitle of the NDAA That Will Ban Basic Facts About Judges Online
No judge should have to fear for their lives as they defend the rule of law. But that doesn’t mean they can infringe on other civil liberties to protect their information.
America's Loose Ends in the Middle East
They say the U.S. is pivoting to other conflicts, but the Pentagon hasn't exactly left the Middle East and North Africa behind.
Biden Is Set To Sign $858 Billion Pentagon Budget—One of the Biggest Ever
Plus: North Carolina strikes down voter ID law, more turmoil at Twitter, and more...
That Fuzzy Blob Is Not a UFO
Science writer Mick West examines alleged UFO sightings. He finds that they almost always have far more obvious explanations.
The U.S. Says the UAE Has 'Significant Human Rights Issues.' They Might Enter a Defense Agreement Anyway.
The Biden administration is reportedly considering a security agreement that would further intertwine the U.S. with an authoritarian, untrustworthy regime.
The Army Thinks Printers Cost Over $1 Million
Poor accounting practices mean the Department of Defense can't even tell how much money or equipment it has lost.
New York's Body Armor Ban May Be Stupidest Gun Legislation Yet
Protective devices incapable of offensive use are now unavailable for legal purchase by New Yorkers.
Is Russia About To Expand Its Warmongering?
Russia’s threats to reach into Transnistria could be a cheap distraction or an expansion of the conflict.
