In the White House's Retro Arcade Games, the Trump Administration Always Loses
In MAGAfied versions of Tapper and Tetris, the seed oils will eventually get through and the border wall will be breached.
Federal government
ICE Reportedly Lowered Its Standards To Meet Trump's Hiring Goal
Trump has criticized DEI initiatives for lowering hiring standards. A whistleblower now says ICE did that on purpose.
Anthropic Win Reaffirms Private Sector's Right To Put Conditions on Government Dealings
Trump administration officials didn’t try to hide that they were punishing the company for its views.
Is Alito Making the Same Mistake as Ginsburg by Refusing To Retire?
The conservative justice is sticking around on the Supreme Court. Will conservatives come to regret it?
Trump Threatens To Demolish Kennedy Center Unless He Can Put His Name on It
Just like he's doing with the White House ballroom, Trump suggests he would rather bulldoze a federal structure and build something else in its place, no matter what the law says.
Post-9/11 Fear Grew the Surveillance State. 25 Years Later, It's Still Growing.
The U.S. government responded in ways that are so integrated into daily life that we no longer recognize them.
Trump Once Promised International Students Green Cards. Now The Government Might Charge Them $100,000 To Work.
The White House is formally reviewing a proposal to add a $100,000 fee to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows international students to work in the U.S. for up to three years after graduation.
Planned New Battleships Come With a High Price Tag and an Uncertain Future
Large warships could prove to be expensive drone sponges without a clear mission.
Why Is the Kennedy Center Board Trying To Add Trump's Name to the Building—Again?
Must they keep chipping away at their dignity?
The War on Free-Range Kids Makes The New York Times
For too long, the government has acted as if any child venturing out unsupervised is in danger—and has negligent parents.
Jeff Merkley Wants To Save Big Government From Donald Trump
The Oregon senator's "For Our Republic Act" would check many of the president's abuses while preserving the powerful federal state he commands.
Border Patrol Saves America From Canadian Trucker Delivering Goods in New Mexico
What kind of country would America be if people were freely allowed to peacefully deliver goods that had been consensually bought and sold?
Trump Administration Will Pay $1.2 Billion To Cancel More Offshore Wind Projects, Calling It 'Common Sense'
German energy company RWE decided "there is no path forward to permit these projects in the U.S. for the foreseeable future."
The GOP Is Warning About Socialism While Quietly Embracing It
Federal ownership of private companies has become routine. And it is happening on the right, even as conservatives point fingers at the left for its socialism.
DOGE Claimed $110 Billion in Spending Cuts That Couldn't Be Verified, Audit Finds
The DOGE project was the second Trump administration's best idea. Unfortunately, it was terribly executed.
Why James Madison Wanted Greater Limits on States' Rights
The “father of the Constitution” worried about federal and state overreach.
Trump's New Director of National Intelligence Is a Menace to Liberty
As U.S. attorney, Jay Clayton subpoenaed journalists for reporting embarrassing information about the president's new plane.
There Are 150 Completely Uncompetitive House Races in This Year's Midterms
That's more than one-third of the House. Those districts include more than 84 million Americans, whose input doesn't matter.
'AI Kill Switch Act' Won't Stop Rogue AI, but It Will Slow Down Innovation
A bipartisan bill would give the Department of Homeland Security sweeping power to shut down powerful AI systems, with serious costs for competition and security.
Trump's Newest Tariffs Are Likely Illegal Too
The Section 301 tariffs announced on Thursday overstep the powers granted by Congress and likely run afoul of the major questions doctrine.
FCC Wants To Ban Drones It Already Approved for Sale
If the government wants consumer products pulled from shelves as dangerous, it should at least have to prove its case.
Trump's 18-Month Deadline To Cut Electricity Prices in Half Has Arrived. Rates Are Up 18%.
Yet another broken campaign promise.
This Biotech Company Has Spent Nearly 3 Years in FDA Limbo
The FDA says it can't license Regenative Lab's overseas sales today because it might change its regulations tomorrow. Now, the company is suing.
One Federal Agency's Unused Office Space Costs 'Hundreds of Millions of Dollars' Per Year
According to a new report, nearly 90 percent of the Department of Transportation's owned or leased buildings are more than half-empty.
RFK Jr. Wants the Government To Teach Everyone How To Cook Again
Can we trust the federal government and its ever-changing nutrition guidelines, to teach us how and what to cook?
Why Are Political Independents Less Patriotic Than Ever?
For the same reason their ranks have grown to record highs: They dislike the federal government.
States Will Soon Face Huge Penalties for Their Food Stamp Mistakes
More than $1 of every $10 in SNAP benefits went to people who didn't qualify in 2025.
Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Marks a Pattern of Trying To Profit From the Presidency
Since the beginning of his first term, the president has repeatedly used his office for personal gain.
Shipping Thrived After Trump Waived the Jones Act
Perhaps it's time to scuttle the law once and for all.
Thin-Skinned Government Agents Threaten Yet Another Critic
Politicians who don’t like receiving nastygrams should quit government work.
Can the President Fire Anyone He Wants? Yes, Unless the Target Is Part of the Federal Reserve.
In a pair of decisions on Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have full authority to fire heads of executive branch agencies—but that the Fed is different.
Dire Strait
Plus: A federal flip-flop on AI innovation, the beauty of America as seen through World Cup tourists' eyes, and more...
My Very Long Ride on the MAGA Ferris Wheel
The Great American State Fair promised a celebration of freedom. So why was I stuck in the air?
Prohibition Didn't Stop Marijuana Use. It Stopped Marijuana Research.
Rescheduling marijuana will make it easier to study a drug that tens of millions of Americans already use.
ICE Largely Abandons Plan To Turn Warehouses Into Migrant Detention Facilities
The Department of Homeland Security plans to sell or offload seven warehouses it originally purchased to house migrants.
Bipartisan JAWBONE Act Targets Government Censorship Threats
Government agencies would have to report communications and could be sued for bullying.
The White House vs. Anthropic's New AI Model
The government says this is about national security. But given the history—and ongoing litigation—between the White House and Anthropic, something more may be going on.
The White House UFC Fight Is the Perfect Event for the Present, Not the Past
A cage fight on the South Lawn may be an unusual choice to celebrate the Founding. But it is a mirror of our political moment.
Evidence Destroyed or Lost in Death of ICE Detainee That Was Ruled a Homicide
A medical examiner ruled Geraldo Lunas Campos' death a homicide by asphyxiation. Witnesses say guards choked him to death. Now a government report says evidence is missing.
The Surgeon General's Screen Warning Is Not Science
The screen time advisory reveals why we don’t need a surgeon general.
Trump's Failed Kennedy Center Takeover Shows Why Art and Government Don't Mix
The president's remedy for a "woke" Kennedy Center was to replace one alleged strain of ideological capture with another.
The Feds Wasted $186 Billion on 'Improper Payments' Last Year
That total is a low-ball estimate because some federal agencies didn't report their totals to the Government Accountability Office.
The Government Wants a Monopoly on Conservation
The Department of the Interior embraces its inner statism by banning conservation groups from leasing public land.
The Federal Government Botched the Bicentennial Too
There's a lesson laying there: Make it local, embrace the commercial, and ignore the president.
Markwayne Mullin's Less 'Flashy' DHS Is Using the Same Thuggish Tactics
Mullin's latest idea is to stop processing international arrivals at airports in sanctuary cities.
The Other Vindictive Part of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Case
A judge last week threw out a criminal indictment against him on the grounds that it was tainted by vindictiveness. But that same spirit infects another part of his story that few people have discussed.
250 Years Later, Benjamin Franklin's Warning Is Still Relevant
He famously said the Founders had created "a republic, if you can keep it." How have we kept it? And can we continue?
