Pandemic
Rand Paul's Annual Festivus Report Highlights $1.6 Trillion in Wasteful Spending
These wasteful boondoggles add up. So do the programs that many Americans insist are important but refuse to reform.
Muriel Bowser Was a Flawed Mayor. We'll Miss Her When She's Gone.
Bowser's apathetic pragmatism sustained D.C.'s turnaround success while keeping a hard-left approach to city government at bay.
Homeschooling Hits Record Numbers
Last academic year, DIY education grew at nearly three times the average rate it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research.
'Emergency' Has Become Washington's Favorite Loophole. It's Cost Taxpayers $15 Trillion.
Over the last decade, roughly one in every 10 dollars of budget authority has worn an emergency tag.
Review: Eddington Takes on the Chaotic 2020 Politics of COVID
The first half of the film comes off as libertarian but then it takes a weird turn.
Vaccine Skeptics Said That COVID Shots Would Cause Mass Death. We're Still Here.
Their predictions that millions, even billions would die haven't borne out.
Economic Freedom Begins Recovery From COVID-Era Government Meddling
Authoritarian pandemic policy made the world poorer and less free.
The White House Just Defunded a Federal Watchdog
The decision to close two federal watchdog agencies has drawn criticism from a pair of Republican senators.
Defend Speech Even When Your Side Hates It
Civil liberties attorney Jenin Younes recounts her role in Murthy v. Missouri, her opposition to pandemic mandates, and why she believes Trump poses an even greater threat to free speech than Biden.
The Trump Administration Misses Key Deadlines for Imposing Restrictions on Gain-of-Function Research
Biosafety advocates worry the administration is backtracking on its promise to implement meaningful restrictions on the type of research that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Anti-Lockdown Imposters of the New Right
Today’s MAGA intellectuals rail against COVID restrictions, but in 2020 many cheered them on—or demanded even harsher crackdowns.
Zach Cregger's Weapons Is a Horror Film That Doesn't Tell You What To Think
A twisted, terrifying follow-up from the director of Barbarian
Canada Seeks To Jail Freedom Convoy Organizers for 8 Years
Too many government officials see dissent as the worst crime imaginable.
Chronic Absenteeism Hasn't Gone Away After Lockdowns. Research Shows Poor Kids Are Hurt Most.
"The income gap really was the main driver that showed up over and over again," said one researcher.
Is Donald Trump To Blame for a COVID Lab Leak?
Criticisms of the president's alleged flip-flopping on gain-of-function research funding miss some key context.
Trump's Budget Calls for $17 Billion Cut to NIH, Citing Lax Oversight of Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan
The White House budget plan says the agency's failure to prove it was not complicit in a possible lab leak shows it's "too big and unfocused."
Will Jay Bhattacharya Get Gain-of-Function Research Under Control?
The past three administrations have tried and failed to implement binding regulations on risky research that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pandemic Lockdowns Made the World Ruder
The new, coarser world will likely be with us for years to come.
Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe and Effective?
Five years after Donald Trump declared a national COVID-19 emergency, here's what the research says.
Review: Charting the Rise of Anti-Lockdown Activism
Chaos Comes Calling unsympathetically characterizes activism springing from COVID lockdowns as a far-right takeover.
Tom Woods: The COVID Lessons We Can't Forget
The historian and podcaster joins us on the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 emergency to relive all the pandemic policy failures.
How Many Americans Have Died of COVID-19?
Adding up COVID-19's toll since Donald Trump declared a national emergency five years ago.
Do Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin Work?
Five years after Donald Trump declared a national COVID-19 emergency, here's what the research says.
Do Face Masks Work?
Five years after Donald Trump declared a national COVID emergency, here's what the research says.
Jay Bhattacharya's Confirmation Hearing Proves the Lockdown Skeptics Won
Trump's nominee for NIH director once stirred major controversy for criticizing lockdowns, mask mandates, and school closures. Yesterday, Senate Democrats didn't even raise the issue.
Will Trump and the New GOP Congress Get to the Bottom of COVID-19's Origin?
It's a good sign that the president is calling on critics of the federal government's lack of transparency to staff his administration.
Years After the Pandemic, the Lowest-Performing Students Are Still Significantly Behind
New scores from the Nation's Report Card test reveal continued declines for already struggling students.
Trump Reportedly Preparing an Executive Order Banning Federal Funding of Gain-of-Function Research
The past three administrations have tried to limit gain-of-function research. The second Trump administration might be the first one to be successful at doing so.
Many Workers Don't Want To Return to the Office. That Could Help Shrink the Government.
Remote work is a plus for many people and businesses, but that’s not necessarily true of D.C.
The Way Out of Our Inflation Mess
For all the excitement about the incoming administration and a return to the 2019 economy, market stability rests on the precarious assumption that the government will eventually put its fiscal house in order.
41 Percent of Chicago Teachers Were Chronically Absent Last Year, Report Finds
The problem is likely widespread across the country.
Girls May Have Been Hit Hardest by Pandemic Learning Loss
New research indicates that, particularly in math, girls' test scores plummeted when compared to boys.
Will 2025 Be the Year of U.S. Fiscal Sanity?
With inflation risks persisting and entitlement spending surging, the situation cannot be ignored. But we never should have gotten to this point to begin with.
Hypocrisy on Bodily Autonomy at the DEA
Trump’s pick for federal drug enforcement was ousted for not respecting personal freedom. Too bad that that’s a job requirement.
COVID-19 Lockdowns Unleashed a Wave of Murder
Researchers find that pandemic policies sparked a wave of violent crime.
Biden's COVID-19 Response Eroded Civil Liberties
Mandates, school closures, and overreach defined an administration that doubled down on failed policies.
The PPP Was a COVID-Era Disaster. Trump Wants To Promote the Guy Who Ran It.
After overseeing the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was a bloated, wasteful mess, Michael Faulkender is failing up.
Matt Gaetz's Personality Irked His GOP Colleagues. There Are Better Reasons To Oppose His Nomination.
The nominee for attorney general passes the Trump loyalty test, but he lacks relevant experience and has repeatedly demonstrated poor judgment.
Trump's First Term Wasn't Fiscally Responsible. Will His Second Be Different?
Even before the pandemic spending increase, the budget deficit was approaching $1 trillion. The GOP has the chance to embrace fiscal sanity this time if they can find the political will.
The Impact of Trump's Cost-Cutting Initiative Hinges on What He Means by 'Government Efficiency'
Narrowly understood, the president-elect's familiar-sounding plan to tackle "massive waste and fraud" may not give us "smaller government" in any meaningful sense.
How the Political Spectrum Turned Inside Out
From 9/11 to the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis moments keep reshaping the political landscape.
Biden and Harris' Record on Spending and Debt Is a Tragedy of Epic Proportion
When they entered the White House, the budget deficit was a pandemic-influenced $2.3 trillion, and it was set to fall to $905 billion by 2024. It's now twice what it was supposed to be.
Neither Harris Nor Trump Is a Friend of Free Speech
Both presidential candidates (and their running mates) seem confused about the constraints imposed by the First Amendment.
Anthony Fauci, the Man Who Thought He Was Science
On Call, Anthony Fauci's new memoir, can't disguise the damage caused by his COVID-19 policies.
Don't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy
If the former president wins the 2024 race, the circumstances he would inherit are far more challenging, and several of his policy ideas are destructive.
The Best of Reason: Should We Blame Fauci for the COVID Pandemic?
America's COVID celebrity is facing scrutiny for funding risky research that may have sparked the pandemic—and for allegedly covering it up.
Should We Blame Fauci for the COVID Pandemic?
America's COVID celebrity is facing scrutiny for funding risky research that may have sparked the pandemic—and for allegedly covering it up.
