Can People in Frog Costumes Beat Fascism?
The "State of the Swamp" event highlights the power and limits of absurdity and whimsy in political protest.
Portland Protests
Trump's National Guard Plan Edges the U.S. Closer to a Permanent Federal Police Force
A newly revealed Pentagon directive instructs every state to train riot-control units within their National Guards—raising questions about federal overreach and the growing militarization of domestic emergencies.
9th Circuit Court Upholds Trump's Deployment of National Guard in Portland
The decision “erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States’ control over their States’ militias and the people’s First Amendment rights,” Judge Susan P. Graber warned in her dissent.
Trump Won't Invoke the Insurrection Act—As Long As He Can Use the National Guard However He Wants
If the courts try to enforce legal limits on the president's military deployments, he can resort to an alarmingly broad statute that gives him more discretion.
Why a Trump Appointee Ruled That His National Guard Deployment in Portland Was Illegal
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut concluded that the president's description of "War ravaged Portland" was "simply untethered to the facts."
Trump's Troops Return to a City That Moved On: Dispatch From Portland
Five years after the city’s fiery 2020 protests, Portland is mostly calm. That hasn’t stopped Trump from reviving old battles, fueled by false memories and made-for-TV outrage.
How Oregon's Drug Experiment Backfired
The lesson isn’t that decriminalization can’t work. It’s that Portland-style governance is broken.
Los Angeles Is Not Burning: Dispatch from L.A.
The truth is less dramatic—and more important.
Prediction: 2024 Will See Deadly Political Violence in the Streets
And there's still time left in 2023, the way things are going lately in New York.
Investigators Say Portland Activist Michael Reinoehl Likely Fired at Police Before He Was Fatally Shot
Reason is still waiting on public records related to the shooting after a judge blocked its requests until the investigation was completed.
The Dream of the '90s Died in Portland
Once an up-and-coming city, Portland was destroyed from within by radical activism and political ineptitude.
Even With a Biden Win, Portland's Protesters Vow to Keep Smashing Stuff
Portland’s protesters aren’t going to fade away after the election, but are they stuck in a rut?
The Kids Are All Right
The only creepy thing at the “Capitalism Is Spooky” Halloween rally in Portland was a conspicuous lack of fun.
Cops Clash with Protesters in America and Around the World
Plus: Pennsylvania restaurant wins lockdown lawsuit, Pakistan bans TikTok, and more...
The Portland Protest Shooter's Death Looks More and More Like Excessive Force—but Trump Keeps Bragging About It
Plus: A tale of two townhalls, Matt Welch interviews Jo Jorgensen, Bill Gates talks antitrust, Ajit Pai moves on Section 230 study, and more...
The Feds Invade Portland
The Trump administration deployed more than 100 federal law enforcement officers to Portland to quell weeks of unrest. The administration claimed it was simply protecting a federal courthouse.
The Conservative Trans Woman Who Went Undercover With Antifa in Portland
Confessions of a black bloc mole
Resolve the 'Anarchist Jurisdictions' Dispute With Less Government Meddling
Peace will come only from leaving other people alone on the condition that they do the same for us.
Two Lawyers Walk Into an 'Anarchistic Jurisdiction'
Perspectives on the proposed federal classification of Portland and other cities in crisis.
The Justice Department Sees 'Anarchy' Overtaking New York City. If Only That Were Remotely True.
The Big Apple is practically a black hole of overpolicing and regulation.
Attorney General Bill Barr Encourages Federal Prosecutors To Charge Violent Protesters With Sedition
The Wall Street Journal reports that Barr told prosecutors to pursue federal charges, including sedition charges, whenever possible.
'You're Not Allowed To Film': The Fight To Control Who Reports From Portland
Both sides are getting their information through purposely bottlenecked media reports, and the results are predictably distorted and dangerous.
Police Kill Antifa Protester Who Confessed to Portland Shooting
Plus: D.C. admits to racist gun-law enforcement, Trump mulls more tech bans, Homeland Security wants more biometric data, and more...
When a Killing Becomes a Rorschach Test: Dispatch From Portland
Different factions in Portland react to a death in the streets.
Everybody Is Losing Their Damn Fool Minds
The Reason Roundtable spits fire at street violence, poison politics, and the nationalization of every local story.
Joe Biden Condemns Riots: 'Setting Fires Is Not Protesting'
"Do I look like a radical socialist with a soft spot for rioters? Really?"
How Portland's Protests Drifted into 'Dangerous Territory'
"When terror is seen as justified, I think it's inevitable that something terrible is going to happen," journalist Nancy Rommelmann told Nick Gillespie last week.
Bourgeois Libertarianism Can Save America
Reliance on persuasion, freedom, property, and markets might deliver both peace and justice where "No Justice, No Peace" has so far failed.
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?
Kenosha Doesn't Have To Be a Vision of America's Future
Neither does Portland. But the fact that the violence is continuous and seems to be escalating is cause for concern.
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.
When You Say Yes to Hate: Dispatch From Portland
The situation in Portland on Day 87 is not getting better.
A Night of Aimlessness, Surrounded by Flames: Dispatch From Portland
An oddly enervated black bloc flows into Portland's neighborhoods
A Quiet Night in Portland
The J.V. squad was out looking for trouble and the battle over who counts as press continues.
Trump's Latest Executive Actions Are Likely Ineffective and Possibly Unconstitutional
Plus: Hong Kong police arrest pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai, Portland demonstrators set fire to police union headquarters, protests erupt against "Europe's last dictator," and more...
Kindergarten Cop Is Canceled, Likened to Birth of a Nation
Portland's Northwest Film Center pulls film from summer drive-in schedule after critics say it promotes "school-to-prison pipeline."
Federal Cops Are Leaving Portland. But Will the Standoff Really End?
With many of the city's entertainment options shut down, protesting has become a form of nightlife.
After Failing To Quell Unrest, the Feds Will Depart From Portland
President Trump sent federal agents to squash protests, but the situation has continuously escalated.
Coronavirus, Protests, and Policing Expose Government Failure at Every Level
The summer of 2020 got a lot crappier over the weekend, according to the Reason Roundtable podcast.
The Feds Are Still the Jackbooted Thugs We Were Warned About
Government agents brutalizing people are in the wrong, whether or not we sympathize with those on the receiving end.
Dispatch From Portland: The Morning Crew
A tarot card-reading liberal arts major, a Sudanese immigrant, and a former restaurant worker explain why they are out protesting in Rose City.
Portland Protesters Get the Immigrant Treatment
Trump sics his border police on Americans: We are all immigrants now
Judge Orders Federal Officers in Portland To Stop Harassing and Assaulting Journalists and Legal Observers
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon reminds the feds that they are bound by the First Amendment.
Dispatch From Portland: The Fire Next Time
The protests continue, as does the tear gassing.
What It's Like To Work in the Portland Jail During the George Floyd Protests
The federal police presence in Portland has enraged demonstrators. It's also taken pressure off the local justice center.
Dispatch From Portland: A Distinct Lack of Crowbars and Cops
Up close with the #WallofMoms on night 53 of the protests
Sen. Brian Schatz Says 'Libertarians Should Be Freaking Out About Portland.' Where Has He Been?
The Hawaii senator fails to fully consider the causes of bad policing.
