Washington
Massachusetts Voters Protect the Right To Work for Tips
The tug-of-war over what role the government should play in regulating compensation for tipped workers has subverted typical partisan lines.
To Get Through This Election, Take an Edible
Whether you're facing existential dread about this election's outcome or just hoping that we at least know the outcome before the week is over, cannabis can be a welcome stress reliever.
To Get Through This Election, Eat Some Ethiopian Food
Escape the election madness with a shared platter of Ethiopian food and a side of togetherness.
Kamala Harris Says She Owns a Handgun—Despite Fighting To Ban Others From Doing the Same
Journalists should be interested in interrogating this contradiction, should the 2024 presidential candidate continue giving interviews.
D.C.'s COVID-Era Eviction Policies Come Back To Bite
Plus: Massachusetts NIMBYs get their day in court, Pittsburgh one-step forward, two-steps back approach to zoning reform, and a surprisingly housing-heavy VP debate.
States Will Choose Whether To Adopt or Abandon Ranked Choice Voting
There are any number of reasons to support or oppose a switch to ranked choice voting, but most of the opposition comes from the majority parties.
The 'Pro-Worker' GOP Is Anti-Worker
The New Right talks a big populist game, but their policies hurt the people they're supposed to help.
Ketanji Brown Jackson Joins Conservative Justices in Upending Hundreds of January 6 Cases
Her concurrence is a reminder that the application of criminal law should not be infected by personal animus toward any given defendant.
Banning Flavored Tobacco Products Doesn't Work—We Have the Trash To Prove It
Researchers examined garbage placed in public receptacles in Washington, D.C., and New York City and found that the locales’ bans on flavored tobacco products have unquestionably failed.
The Supreme Court May Be on the Brink of Radically Restricting Bureaucrats' Power
Chevron deference, a doctrine created by the Court in 1984, gives federal agencies wide latitude in interpreting the meaning of various laws. But the justices may overturn that.
New York and New Jersey Want To Let Felons Serve on Juries. Here's Why.
Bans have resulted in what some have called the "whitewashing" of American juries.
Trump Promised To 'Drain the Swamp.' He Did the Opposite.
Total spending under Trump nearly doubled. New programs filled Washington with more bureaucrats.
Seattle Is Getting Rid of Gifted Schools in a Bid To Increase Equity
When schools get rid of advanced offerings, they hurt smart, underprivileged students.
No, Blocking Traffic Is Not Protected by the First Amendment
The freedom to protest is essential to the American project. It also does not give you carte blanche to violate other laws.
Seattle Banned Landlords From Rejecting Tenants Based on Criminal Records. Will the Supreme Court Step in?
The political push behind the law was well-meaning. But it will backfire on many prospective renters.
Poisonous Atmosphere
Plus: Eric Adams vs. migrants, SBF is back, Arnold Schwarzenegger for speaker?, and more...
The Real Scandal in Washington Is the Government's Reckless Spending
Those sounding the loudest alarms about possible shutdowns are largely silent when Congress ignores its own budgetary rules. All that seems to matter is that government is metaphorically funded.
Review: The Big Break Documents Trump's Washington
Washington Post reporter Ben Terris offers a fair treatment to both conservative and liberal activists in the Trump era.
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Do D.C. and Rhode Island Really Need $200 Million for Broadband Access?
How not to distribute federal funds
In State Legislatures, Targeted Bills and Bipartisan Support Were Key To Passing Housing Reforms
Meanwhile, big, partisan "everything bagel" zoning reform bills that tried to squeeze through the entire YIMBY agenda floundered.
Police Almost Beat Him To Death. After His Conviction Was Dismissed, Prosecutors Are Recharging Him.
Joseph Zamora spent nearly two years in prison after being convicted of assaulting police officers. The Washington Supreme Court overturned his conviction, but local prosecutors want to charge him again to show him the "improperness of his behavior."
Biden's New Budget Would Hike Taxes and Wage Class Warfare
The higher taxes on small businesses and entrepreneurs could slow growth. Less opportunity means more tribalism and division.
America Needs a Better Kind of Capitalism
Big corporations and entire industries constantly use their connections in Congress to get favors, no matter which party is in power.
Biden Embraces the Fearmongering, Vows To Squash D.C.'s Mild Criminal Justice Reforms
In rebuking the legislation, the president showed that he may not know what's in it.
The End of a Weed Paradise
D.C. is destroying its thriving cannabis industry with bureaucracy and red tape.
The Real Political Scandal Is That Too Many Documents Are Classified
Many Democrats and Republicans were outraged when Trump and Biden respectively were found with classified documents. But both sides are missing the point.
Washington, D.C., Banned Bird E-Scooters: 'Arbitrary and Capricious,' Says Company
The company scored 445 points on the city's checklist—one fewer point than a company that did receive a permit.
A New FBI Building Would Cost Billions. Do We Even Need One?
Congress' end-of-the-year omnibus bill was delayed by arguments over where to build the new facility.
Washington Has Been Much More Successful Than California in Displacing the Black Market for Pot
Lighter regulation is one likely explanation.
Worries About Inflation Didn't Stop Voters From Approving Minimum Wage Increases
A minimum wage increase passed in Nebraska and appears to have done the same in Nevada. In D.C., tipped workers will get a possibly unwelcome increase as well.
Bikini Baristas Win Lawsuit Over Unconstitutional Dress Code
Plus: Fiona Apple fights for court transparency, ACLU asks SCOTUS to consider boycott ban, and more...
Netflix Teams Up With the Obamas To Produce Big Government Propaganda
The G Word, a new documentary, only occasionally covers serious issues. But it opts not to do honest reporting.
School Choice Is Winning in Arizona—and Beyond
"There's a new special interest group in town: parents."
D.C.'s Preschool Teacher Education Requirement Won't Help Working Families
Even if credentialed teachers help kids learn more, it’s not worth making D.C. day cares prohibitively expensive and pushing experienced teachers out of jobs.
NYC and San Francisco Prioritize 'First Doses First' for Monkeypox Vaccine. Why Won't the CDC Do the Same?
The CDC and FDA, when confronted with scarce vaccine supply, refuse to learn from their COVID-19 mistakes.
Pete Buttigieg Is Moving to Michigan. He Should Take the Transportation Department With Him.
It would signal that the transportation future involves decentralization and rapid change rather than Washington-style command-and-control.
Blocking a Highway Is Not a Legitimate or Effective Form of Protest
Climate protesters who blocked an interstate outside D.C. likely cost a man his parole.
Secret City Recounts the Gay History of D.C.
In his new book, James Kirchick focuses on homosexuals' relationship with national politics during a time when gays were banned from working for the federal government.
Seattle City Council Passes Rent Control by Another Name. Is It Legal?
New bills passed earlier this week require landlords to give tenants 180 days' notice before raising rents and pay relocation expenses to low-income tenants who move in response to rent hikes.
D.C. Gyms Want To Require Vaccination Instead of Masks. The City Said No.
Officials would rather if everybody were masked than vaccinated.
Unlicensed Dog Grooming Alarms Local News Reporter
Do we really need the state to step in over an unfortunate tragedy?
D.C. Council's Ban on Flavored Tobacco Products Is a License for More Over-Policing of Minorities
Legislators cannot have it both ways.
