The Specifics Matter
Plus: DOGE watch, pivot to Reason, and more...
Trump Administration
District Judge Blocks Trump's Refugee Resettlement Pause, Saying It 'Crossed the Line'
“I cannot ignore Congress’ detailed framework for refugee admissions and the limits it placed on the president’s ability to suspend the same,” said Judge Jamal Whitehead.
Trump Gaza Is Finally Here
Plus: The House spending bill passes, Elon Musk's intelligence, Aella in The Atlantic, and more...
Will Absorbing the ATF Into the FBI Rein in Each Agency's Abuses?
The ATF, charged with regulating firearms, has a history of abuse and incompetence.
The FTC Has No Business Trying To Make Sure Social Media Are 'Fair'
Chairman Andrew Ferguson’s assault on "Big Tech censorship" aims to override editorial decisions protected by the First Amendment.
Elon Musk, Who Supposedly Is Running DOGE, Is Not Officially in Charge of Anything
The presidential adviser's lack of formal authority complicates his cost-cutting mission.
D.C.'s U.S. Attorney Is a Menace to the First Amendment
Interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin puts loyalty to Donald Trump ahead of loyalty to the Constitution.
Trump Administration Moves To Streamline Environmental Reviews
From forest restoration to energy infrastructure, NEPA delays projects that would benefit the economy and environment.
The House GOP Budget Blueprint Promises More Borrowing, More Debt, and Not Enough Spending Cuts
"If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better," says Rep. Thomas Massie. He's right.
Trump's Love-Hate Relationship With Big Tech
If Trump wants to encourage domestic investment, his antitrust appointees should ditch their Big Tech prejudice.
Mandate to DOGE
Plus: Romanian democracy, FEMA's insane policies, Maher on trans kids, and more...
Does Trump Want Lower Gas Prices or Oil Sanctions on Iran?
The Trump administration’s math on Middle Eastern energy supplies just doesn’t add up.
What Did You Do Last Week?
Plus: German elections, how I almost got arrested this weekend, and more...
RIP to Government Acronyms
One perk that may materialize from Elon Musk upending the federal bureaucracy is the downfall of the government’s obsessive use of abbreviations.
The Sunny Side of Donald Trump's Power Grabs
The president is positioning himself to have much greater control over a smaller, enfeebled federal bureaucracy.
Will FBI Director Kash Patel Be a Principled Reformer or a Trump Hatchet Man?
The newly confirmed head of the country's leading law enforcement agency has a history of advocating politically motivated investigations even while condemning them.
To Cut Government Spending, Trump Targets Pocket Change
The penny is expensive to produce and has long outlived its usefulness.
Trump Will Create 520,000 More Illegal Immigrants by Undoing Haitians' Protected Status
The move effectively retcons J.D. Vance's claim that legal Haitian immigrants were actually here illegally.
Meet the New FTC—Same as the Old FTC
Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson reaffirms the flawed 2023 merger guidelines.
The Progressive Betrayal of Trans Americans
How well-intentioned laws created new cultural conflicts—and eroded personal liberty
Best Executive Order Yet?
Plus: The Democratic Party's insecurities, protesting Trump via interpretive dance, the Yosemite locksmith, and more...
Has the Imperial Presidency Arrived?
There's little question that Trump is taking the concept of the imperial presidency to its apogee.
Randy Barnett: How Legal Is Trump's Agenda?
Georgetown constitutional law professor Randy Barnett discusses the legality of DOGE, Trump's executive orders, and birthright citizenship.
Meaningful Pentagon Cuts Will Require Rethinking What 'Defense' Means
If Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is serious about reducing military spending, he will need to embrace a narrower understanding of national security.
FTC Chair Throws Stones in a Glass House
Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson hypocritically engages in the very partisanship for which he faults the American Bar Association.
This UVA Law Student Was Threatened With Expulsion for Sitting Outside With Protest Signs
Kirk Wolff set out to peacefully protest Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Then an administrator and a police officer drove by.
Ninth Circuit Denies Government Request for Emergency Relief in Birthright Citizenship Case
The first of what may be many appellate rulings on the Trump Administration's most controversial and questionable Executive Order.
Cutting 8 Percent
Plus: Border update, a shift in U.S. policy on Taiwan (Beijing is pissed), and more...
Education Department Orders Schools To Stop All Racial Discrimination
The letter mostly builds on existing civil rights law.
Rand Paul Wants DOGE To Build a $500 Billion Rescission Package for Congress To Approve
"The only way you get less waste is to give them less money to spend," says the libertarian-adjacent senator from Kentucky.
Did Biden Blow the Best Chance of Preventing War in Ukraine?
While the U.S. publicly insisted on an “open door” policy, Zelenskyy says he was privately told that Ukraine couldn’t join NATO.
Social Security's Insolvency Is Driven by Benefits for the Living, Not Fraud by the Dead
Elon Musk claims to have uncovered massive fraud within Social Security, but those data are already well known and not a major problem.
DOGE's Complicated Story
Plus: When FOIA stops working, how the pandemic shifted young people to the right, and more...
As Migrant Arrests and Deportations Increase, Remember You Have the Right To Record ICE
Law enforcement acts better when officers know the public is watching.
Trump Has Good Reason To Complain About Limits on His Ability To Fire Executive Officers
His position is grounded in concerns about the separation of powers that presidents of both major parties have raised for many years.
Justin Amash on Why the President Isn't Above the Law
Plus: A listener asks the editors to guess if the real reason Donald Trump is so passionate about tariffs is because he sees them as a deal-making tool rather than a purely economic instrument.
In DOGE Lawsuit, Judge Declines To Block White House Emailing Federal Employees
Citing Reddit posts and podcast interviews, pseudonymous government employees are arguing that DOGE violated federal privacy regulations when setting up a government-wide email system.
Where Deportees Are Being Held
Plus: Talks with Russia, Zizian death cult leader arrested, and more...
U.S. Tells Europe To Handle Its Own Defense
The U.S. is no longer willing to subsidize prosperous countries that won’t defend themselves.
Could School Choice Work at the Federal Level?
A nationwide tax credit could expand education freedom overnight—but could also open the door to new forms of federal overreach.
Trump's White House Says 'Gulf of Mexico' Is Misinformation
Misinformation concept creep is getting out of hand.
J.D. Vance Brings the Culture War to Europe: 'There Is a New Sheriff in Town'
The Munich Security Conference was supposed to be a foreign policy forum. Instead, the vice president lectured Europeans about democracy.
DOGE Needs Data To Survive. These Lawsuits Are Trying To Starve It of Information.
Nearly a dozen lawsuits allege that DOGE's access to government payment and personnel systems violates a litany of federal privacy and record-handling laws.
200,000 Layoffs
Plus: Possible quid pro quo between the DOJ and Eric Adams, DEI in the federal government, and more...
Trump May Have To Grapple with Returning Inflation
Cutting government spending and calling off the trade war would be steps in the right direction.
Elon Musk's 'Proof' of Government Waste Is in the Pudding
Is the fraud in the room with us right now? Yes.
Trump's 'Reciprocal' Tariffs Could Be Largest Tax Increase Since World War II
The specifics are still vague, but the White House is reportedly claiming that new tariffs will generate $1 trillion annually.
