Trump Says He Downplayed the Coronavirus Threat To Avoid 'Panic.' That Helps Explain His Policy Failures.
In interviews with Bob Woodward, the president said he knew COVID-19 was much more serious than he let on.
Donald Trump
Is the U.S. Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic Better Than Europe?
Trump's new coronavirus adviser Dr. Scott Atlas says yes.
The Incredible Shrinking Third Party Voter
If Biden retains his 2–1 advantage among 2016 Libertarian and Green voters, Trump is probably toast.
Trump's Struggle To Win the Gary Johnson Vote
Sadly for the president, 2016 Libertarians are not "all Republican voters." Sadly for us, his opposition to "endless wars" doesn't translate into ending them.
More Ideas that Can Help Repair and Extend the Rule of Law
These proposals augment those made in Paul Rosenzweig and Vishnu Kannan's important recent article on the subject.
Bridget Phetasy Is Politically Homeless. You Probably Are Too.
Bridget Phetasy on why Trump and Biden fail to inspire and how new media are reshaping politics.
The FIRST STEP Act Has Reduced Prison Terms for More Than 7,000 People
While that's nothing to sneeze at, it is a modest accomplishment in the context of a federal prison system that keeps more than 150,000 Americans behind bars.
NSA Ruling Reminds Us That Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National Security Is a Bipartisan Impulse
A federal appeals court concludes that the agency's mass collection of phone records was illegal and probably unconstitutional.
Congress Could Postpone the Electoral College To Prevent Election Chaos
Voting during COVID means "we are not going to know who won this on election night," Utah's Republican gubernatorial nominee warns. Postponing post-election deadlines can help.
A Payroll Tax Holiday Is No Free Lunch
Forgiving payroll taxes is a bad way of stimulating the economy and would leave Social Security benefits underfunded.
Bridget Phetasy: What American Politics Can Learn From Alcoholics Anonymous
The podcaster and comedian offers a 12-step plan for political independence and recovery.
Is Sweden's COVID-19 Policy 'Relatively Rational' or 'Calamitous'?
If the goal is minimizing the death toll over the long run, it is too soon to say.
Both Biden and Trump Plan to Spend Well Beyond the Government's Means
Whether Biden or Trump wins this November, we're in for big, unaffordable government. How much bigger and how unaffordable are the only real questions.
Trump's Vague Commitment to Criminal Justice Reform
The president's daughter says "we’re just getting started." Some details would be nice.
Poll: Americans Worry COVID-19 Vaccine Approval Is Politicized
67 percent say they would get vaccinated as soon as an inoculation becomes available.
Kentucky Authorities Offered Leniency to Breonna Taylor's Ex if He Would Implicate Her in Drug Crimes
Plus: Biden asks America: "Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?"
Everybody Is Losing Their Damn Fool Minds
The Reason Roundtable spits fire at street violence, poison politics, and the nationalization of every local story.
Trump Promotes the Outlandish Claim That COVID-19 Has Killed a 'Minuscule' Number of Americans
The assertion, which contradicts the president's own warnings about the virus, is based on a misinterpretation of CDC data.
President Donald Trump Pardons Alice Marie Johnson
Two years after commuting her life sentence, the president has pardoned Alice Marie Johnson.
Trump, Self-Proclaimed Ender of Endless Wars, Is Reducing the U.S. Troop Presence in Iraq to Where It Was in 2015
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Pentagon will be reducing troop levels in Iraq by a third.
Nixon May Be Trump's 'Law and Order' Model, but He Was Smarter on Crime
He did not overpromise, and he had the good sense to stop talking about a country beset by violence when he ran for a second term.
Trump Warns America: 'Biden's America' Will Look Like Trump's America
Plus: Alice Marie Johnson's RNC speech, Twitter bans bots pretending to be disillusioned black Democrats, and more...
No, Donald Trump Did Not 'Shrink' Government
Annual federal spending grew by $940 billion under his signature, even before the coronavirus.
Biden Rejects Pelosi's Advice To Skip Debates with Trump
Better still: Let's have lots of debates that include all candidates who can technically win the election.
Chen Guangcheng Fled China to America, and Last Night He Spoke at the RNC. How About Opening Our Doors to Oppressed Hongkongers Too?
"In China, expressing beliefs or ideas not approved by the CCP—religion, democracy, human rights—can lead to prison."
Trump's Staged Naturalization Ceremony Does Not Make Him a Friend of Immigrants
He has done everything in his power to stop immigrants from gaining citizenship.
In Convention Speech, Pence Warns: 'You Won't Be Safe In Joe Biden's America'
Plus: What's the evidence for social distancing?, WeChat ban would be bad for businesses, and more...
Trump Authorizes Deployment of 2,000 National Guard Troops to Kenosha
Protests and riots have broken out in the Wisconsin city following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
CDC Issues New Guidelines That Discourage COVID-19 Diagnostic Testing
The president wasn't kidding that he told public health officials, ‘Slow the testing down, please!’
Nancy Rommelmann: The Disturbing Drift of the Portland Protests
Rose City has been on fire for months. Are Portland-style protests coming soon to a town near you?
The Shaky Foundation of Trump's Pose As a Criminal Justice Reformer
The president's case rests on two accomplishments, while his plans for a second term echo the mindless toughness he intermittently condemns.
Melania Trump Wows With Lackluster Speech on Second Night of Republican National Convention
Plus: the RNC is a case study in why Big Tech is good, the GOP's libertarian purge, and more...
Trump's War on Economic Freedom
In the president’s mind, trade is not a right to be respected but a process to be managed by politicians.
Trump Pardons Inmate-Turned-Activist Jon Ponder and Praises 'Second Chances'
"I will continue to give all Americans, including former inmates, the best chance to build a new life and achieve their own American dream," Trump said.
Trump's Jokes Just Aren't As Funny Anymore
It's always awkward when a jester turns king.
At the RNC, Rand Paul Is Right About the Need To End Wars, but Trump Hasn't Ended Any
Trump even vetoed a bill that would stop him from military action in Iran without congressional approval.
The Trump Administration Prepares to Set a Modern Record for Federal Executions
Lezmond Mitchell is scheduled to die Wednesday, over the objections of the Navajo Nation to which he belongs and on whose land the murder took place.
The Republican National Convention Isn't Out To Convert Anyone
Plus: Lawsuits challenge Trump's TikTok ban, the police abolition movement explained, and more...
The RNC Can't Figure Out Where It Stands on Criminal Justice Reform
Sen. Tim Scott (R–S.C.) criticizes Joe Biden's record on mass incarceration.
Mike Godwin, the Creator of Godwin's Law, Is Suing Trump Over His TikTok Executive Order
"I know what moral panics look like; they look kind of like this."
Political Conventions Should Be NC-17
The Reason Roundtable assesses one convention, previews another, and pleads with everyone to get their kids out of politics.
Trump Promises Manned Moon Base, Mission to Mars During Second Term
The Trump administration has expanded a bipartisan drive to commercialize more of NASA's space operations.
The 2020 Republican Convention Doesn't Have a Platform—It Has Trump's Pet Peeves
Plus: Protesters could lose right to vote in Tennessee, Apple and Microsoft fight over Fortnite, and more...
Wall Funding Scandal Exposes Steve Bannon's False Populism
Bannon, who says he stands for the little guy, was just charged with stealing over $1 million from donors who thought they were helping to build a border wall.
The Democratic Convention Was a Brief for Biden's Character. Policy Got Left Behind.
The focus on personality over policy obscures as much as it reveals.
Post Office Expects $9 Billion Loss This Year, Will Prioritize Mail-in Ballots Before Election Day
Postmaster Louis DeJoy told members of Congress that the post office must make changes to survive. Will Congress let it?
