Study Finds Vapers Not More Likely To Get COVID-19
The pervasive anti-vaping narrative at the beginning of the pandemic had real consequences.
Public Health
California Backs Off Plan To Force Workers To Keep Masking Up
The state is going to "reopen" June 15. That includes ending most mask mandates for vaccinated people.
The Doubling of Life Expectancy Is the Greatest Achievement in 100 Years
Science writer Steven Johnson, author of the new book Extra Life, on vaccines, medical breakthroughs, and life after Covid.
Steven Johnson: How We Doubled Life Expectancy in the 20th Century
The Extra Life author on past scientific breakthroughs, COVID-19 vaccines, and renewing trust and confidence in public health agencies.
Empowered by Voters, Pennsylvania Legislators Are Poised To End the Governor's 15-Month COVID-19 Emergency
The resolution is part of a broader movement to rein in executive power during emergencies.
Anthony Fauci May Not Have 'Lied' About Face Masks, but He Was Not Exactly Honest Either
The COVID-19 adviser's unsatisfying explanation of his conversion feeds skepticism about the value of a sensible precaution.
Performative Pandemic Panic
Officials’ cynical manipulation of the public damaged their own credibility as well as the world at large.
Why Is the TSA Making Vaccinated Air Travelers Wear Masks?
The agency's rule, which it recently extended until mid-September, makes no sense as a safety measure.
Ron DeSantis Threatens To Capsize Cruise Ship Industry if Boats Require Vaccinations
Plus: Poll finds belief in QAnon conspiracy theory high, bill would nix double-taxing of teleworkers, and more…
Plexiglass Barriers Are Everywhere, but They're Probably Useless
There's a good chance they haven't been preventing the spread of COVID, and they might even be counterproductive.
Study: Mask Mandates Didn't Help Slow Spread of COVID-19
Plus: ACLU and Planned Parenthood sue over Arkansas abortion ban, heartland states see fastest growth in foreign-born residents, and more...
An Epidemiologist Confirms That the CDC Director Misrepresented Her Study of Outdoor COVID-19 Transmission
A co-author of the article that Rochelle Walensky cited says outdoor settings probably account for "substantially less than 1 percent" of infections.
Teen Cigarette Smoking Went Up Following Flavored Tobacco Ban
Plus: Debate over critical race theory bans, Oklahoma City takes on major occupational licensing reform, and more...
Medicare for All Is Bad Medicine
A better prescription would be to get government entirely out of health care.
New Life for Wuhan Lab Leak Hypothesis
Plus: Protesters increasingly hit with "civil disorder" charges, why cryptocurrency prices are falling, and more...
Wanted: A Better Way To Think About Health Care
If social insurance plans had been designed by libertarian-leaning policy mechanics, what might they have produced?
A New Study Confirms That Reopening Texas '100 Percent' Had No Discernible Impact on COVID-19 Cases or Deaths
Critics said Gov. Greg Abbott's decision was "extraordinarily dangerous" and reflected "Neanderthal thinking."
In Army of the Dead, a Zombie Outbreak Becomes an Excuse for a Public Health Power Grab
In Zack Snyder's latest, zombies are a public health issue, much like COVID-19.
The New York Times Promotes a COVID Cult of Caution That Requires Vaccinated People To Act As if They're Not
The paper gives short shrift to evidence that vaccines nearly eliminate the risk of infection.
Why Americans Can't Trust the CDC's COVID-19 Advice
The agency continues a pattern of arbitrary, dubious, and ever-changing recommendations.
Some Officials Want To Keep Mandating Masks, Despite the CDC Guidance
Want to keep wearing a mask yourself? That's fine. Want to force fully vaccinated people to join you? The science doesn't support that.
The CDC's Ever-Shifting COVID-19 Advice Shows the Agency Is Ill-Suited To Decide Which Risks Are Acceptable
The CDC's recommendations have never been purely a matter of science.
CDC Says Vaccinated People Don't Need To Wear Masks or Socially Distance At All
Local officials should end most pandemic restrictions immediately.
The CDC Director Misrepresented the Study She Cited To Justify Her Misleading Estimate of Outdoor COVID-19 Risk
Rochelle Walensky's gloss is puzzling in light of the evidence presented in the systematic review on which she relied.
Epidemiologists Still Urge Dubious Levels of Caution, Even for the Vaccinated
Most would still refuse a hug, according to a New York Times survey.
New Lawsuit Argues That D.C.'s Ban on Dancing at Weddings Violates the First Amendment
A bride-to-be says the regulation is an irrational and unconstitutional restriction on her special day.
Our Moral Judgments Affect Our Perception of COVID Risk
Plus: Wired is wrong about Section 230, the Democratic disagreement over a SALT deduction cap, and more...
Why COVID-19 May Be the Last Pandemic
Medical breakthroughs mean we will never again suffer through diseases like the novel coronavirus—if politicians will get out of the way.
A 5th Federal Court Has Struck Down the CDC's Eviction Ban
The latest ruling from the a U.S. District Court in D.C. finds the agency vastly exceeded its powers in banning landlords from trying to evict non-paying tenants.
Federal Regulators Require Rent Collectors To Lie About the CDC's Illegal Eviction Moratorium
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau claims to be enforcing a law that prohibits "false or misleading representations."
Andrew Cuomo, Ron DeSantis Announce Major Rollbacks of Pandemic Restrictions
Two governors defined by their differing approaches to COVID-19 are both moving in the same direction.
If COVID-19 Herd Immunity Is 'Not Attainable,' Does It Matter?
The emphasis on a goal that may be impossible to reach reduces the incentive to get vaccinated.
Freedom Becomes a Long-Haul COVID Victim
Emergency measures to deal with the crisis are likely to linger long after COVID-19 is gone.
D.C. Weddings Only Permitted If No One Stands or Dances
Plus: Woke CIA ads, Zillow's antitrust woes, and more...
COVID-19 Vaccination Rates Plummet Since Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Pause
Plus: Groups pressure Biden to fight "disinformation," Bill de Blasio promises July 1 reopening for NYC, and more...
Don't Call CPS on Parents Who Mask Their Kids; Don't Call the FCC on Tucker Carlson
Plus: 15,000 marijuana prosecutions pardoned, the latest sex trafficking urban legend, and more...
A New Study of COVID-19 Transmission Questions the Adequacy of the Six-Foot Rule and the Rationale for Many Occupancy Limits
The researchers highlight the danger posed by tiny, well-circulated respiratory droplets.
A Ban on Menthol Cigarettes Will Lead to More Confrontations Between Black People and Police
If public health scolds get their way, they will worsen the nation’s overcriminalization problem.
The COVID-19 Disaster That Did Not Happen in Texas
Cases are rising mainly in states with stricter disease control policies.
Blue States Reopen Their Economies but Double Down on Mask Mandates
Connecticut, California, Oregon, and Colorado have all signaled that their mask mandates will outlast their pandemic restrictions on businesses.
Arbitrary THC Limits Could Wipe Out Much of the Cannabis Industry
If states generally don't limit the potency of distilled spirits, why is such a safeguard necessary for a much less hazardous product?
Public Health Experts Have Lost the Benefit of the Doubt
The decision by the CDC and FDA to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was a disastrous misstep.
Prohibited Prayer and the Limits of Public Health Authority
The Supreme Court reaffirms that COVID-19 regulations must comply with the First Amendment.
The FDA's Decision To Pause J&J Vaccination Will Kill People
The risks of blood clots are much lower than the risks of COVID-19 illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Supreme Court Blocks California's COVID-19 Restrictions on Private Prayer Groups
The majority reminds the 9th Circuit that the First Amendment puts limits on COVID-19 policies.
Joe Biden Learns To Love Gun Control by Presidential Fiat
The president's unilateral restrictions are legally dubious and unlikely to "save lives."
Chef Andrew Gruel: "I'm Not an Asshole. Gavin Newsom Is."
The culinary innovator behind Slapfish on what it's been like to run a business with government at all levels arbitrarily flipping the on-off switch.