By Shooting Down Balloon, the Expensive, Useless F-22 Fighter Finally Won a Dogfight
After $67 billion and more than 20 years, the F-22 finally won a dogfight against an unarmed, nearly immobile opponent.
National Security
Nothing About the Chinese Balloon Saga Makes Sense
Plus: The French face "le wokisme," a Tennessee "eyelash specialist license" would require 300 hours education, and more...
TikTok Is Not a National Security Threat
Bipartisan efforts to ban the app in America would be a great blow to our economy and our liberty.
'There's Nothing There,' Biden Said the Day Before the FBI Found More Classified Documents in His House
If Trump's handling of government secrets was "totally irresponsible," how should we describe Biden's conduct?
Yet Another Shady, Hypocritical Document Hoarder
Plus: The editors field a listener question on college admissions and affirmative action.
Biden Looks Careless, Shady, and Hypocritical After the Revelations About His Handling of Classified Material
Prosecuting Trump for keeping government records at Mar-a-Lago now seems doomed for political as well as legal reasons.
Like Trump, Biden Had a Private Stash of Secret Documents, but It Was Much Less Impressive
In both cases, proving criminal intent would be a tall order.
Real ID Enforcement Has Been Pushed Back. Again.
The Real ID Act was passed in 2005. 17 years later, it's worth asking if it's finally time to scrap the law.
Trump's Declassification Claims Are Implausible and Irrelevant
The potential crimes that the FBI is investigating do not hinge on the current classification status of the records that the former president kept at Mar-a-Lago.
The FBI Regains Access to Mar-a-Lago Documents That Trump Claims He Mentally Declassified
Even if Trump did declassify those records, the 11th Circuit says, he "has not identified any reason that he is entitled to them."
Judge Reviewing Mar-a-Lago Documents Complains That Trump Has Offered No Evidence He Declassified Them
In any case, that issue does not seem relevant under the statutes that the FBI cited in its search warrant.
Trump's Lawyers Say It's Not Clear Whether 'Purported' Classified Documents at Mar-a-Lago 'Remain Classified'
The former president's legal team notably did not endorse his claim that he automatically declassified everything he took with him.
Trump's Document Trove Reportedly Included Information About a Foreign Nation's Nuclear Capabilities
"Nuclear weapons issue is a Hoax," says the former president, who insists that nothing at Mar-a-Lago was actually classified.
Trump Lawyers' 'Diligent Search' for Classified Documents at Mar-a-Lago Missed More Than 100
That failure adds to the evidence that Trump or his representatives obstructed the FBI's investigation.
The Redacted Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Sheds Light on the FBI's Concerns and Trump's Defense
There are still lingering questions about the former president's criminal liability and the threat posed by the documents he kept.
Trump Reportedly Retained Hundreds of Documents That Were Marked As Classified
We still know almost nothing about their contents, which is relevant in assessing the decision to search Mar-a-Lago.
If We See an Expurgated Version of the Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit, What Will It Tell Us?
Although U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart is inclined to unseal the document, redactions demanded by the Justice Department could make it hard to understand.
It's Not Clear Why Trump Thinks Disclosing the Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Would Help His Case
Reinforcing the FBI's suspicions was the whole point of that document, which is likely to remain sealed.
Trump's Defense Suggests His Treatment of Classified Material Was Remarkably Cavalier
Whatever threat it may have posed, the trove of government documents seized by the FBI does not reflect well on the former president's judgment.
Donald Trump's Handling of Classified Material Looks Worse Than Hillary Clinton's
The former president thought his 2016 opponent should go to prison for recklessly endangering national security.
Proposed Bill Would Protect Journalists Like Julian Assange From Espionage Charges
A senator and two congressmen team up to help protect whistleblowers from vindictive prosecution.
The CHIPS Act Is Corporate Welfare Disguised as Industrial Policy
If you believe that moving most of our chip production onshore is good for national security, you should labor for regulatory reforms rather than subsidies.
The Biden Administration Sees Free Speech As a Public Menace
The alarm aroused by the Disinformation Governance Board is understandable given the administration’s broader assault on messages it considers dangerous.
'Fear Is the Tool of Totalitarians': Ron Paul on War, Money, and the Libertarian Moment
The former Texas congressman and presidential candidate says his goal was to get people to think about freedom.
Biden Has His Eye on Bitcoin
The president's anticipated executive order stopped short of feared regulations but suggests federal unease with uncontrolled development.
More Defense Spending Does Not Equal More Safety
Congress continues to allocate funds to produce weapons that the Pentagon itself says it doesn't need.
Cooler Heads Must Prevail in Ukraine
The risk of escalating the conflict between Russia and Ukraine into a nuclear standoff is far too real to let emotions get in the way.
The Defense Department Shrugs Off Drone Strike That Killed 7 Children as 'Honest Mistake'
According to the Pentagon, no crimes were committed.
Even COVID-19 Couldn't Kill REAL ID
The ID overhaul, presented as a national security safeguard more than 15 years ago, still hasn't been fully implemented.
American Indifference Allowed the War in Afghanistan to Drag On
We’ll have to pay attention this time to ensure a conclusion to the accidental forever war.
REAL ID Deadlines Threaten America's Post-COVID Travel Plans. Could We Please Kill This Law?
More than half of Americans don’t have these new licenses. Airports are supposed to start checking them by October.
White House Sanctions Staffers Over Past Marijuana Use
Plus: FTC commissioner on antitrust action against Facebook, FIRE's Greg Lukianoff on the "marketplace of ideas" metaphor, and more...
U.S. Used Facial Recognition on Millions of Air Travelers Last Year, Found No Imposters
Plus: Biden won't pursue Trump's TikTok and WeChat bans, Mitt Romney's child allowance plan, and more...
Americans Shouldn't Be Treated Like ISIS Insurgents
Adopting "counterinsurgency" tactics for use against wide swaths of Americans can only make the situation worse.
Biden's Natsec Team Is Conventional in Style—and, Unfortunately, Policy
Joe Biden's natsec team fulfills his campaign promise of a return to normalcy and conventional Washington. That also means maintaining the failed status quo of the post-9/11 era.
The Justice Department's Investigation of John Bolton Seems Like a Witch Hunt
The Trump administration should discredit the former national security adviser's ideas, not subject him to a retaliatory investigation.
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."
Fifth Circuit Upholds Constitutionality of Male-Only Draft Registration—But only Based on Precedent
The issue may be headed for the Supreme Court, which hopefully will reverse its 1981 ruling in Rostker v. Goldberg.
Judge Royce Lamberth Condemns John Bolton's Conduct, But Declines to Block Publication of Bolton's Memoir
"By the looks of it, the horse is not just out of the barn—it is out of the country."
Edward Snowden, the Surveillance State, and the 'Dark Mirror' Still Watching Us All
National security journalist Barton Gellman talks about "the surveillance-industrial state," the possibility of a Biden presidency or a second Trump term, and his gripping new book.
When Border Defense Becomes Border Offense
Militarized borders and military intervention are two sides of the same coin.
All U.S. Travelers Abroad Should Submit to Facial Recognition Scans, Says Homeland Security
Plus: "Right to be forgotten" follies, research on direct cash aid, Elizabeth Warren on sex work, and more...
Giving Government Vast Snooping Authority Is One Thing Democrats and Republicans Both Like
They simply disagree over who should be in charge of misusing and abusing those excessive powers.
Congress Is Worried About Chinese Plot to Use Buses, Rail Cars to Spy on Passengers
Both the House and the Senate want transit agencies to stop buying rolling stock from Chinese-owned companies.
