Biden Shouldn't Have Commuted the Sentence of a Judge in the 'Kids for Cash' Kickback Scandal
But that shouldn't detract from the many worthy people who received commutations after spending years on home confinement.
White House
Biden Issues More Pardons and Commutations Under Pressure From Criminal Justice Groups
Biden commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 federal offenders who had been serving the remainder of their sentences on home confinement after being released from prison during COVID-19.
Biden Faces Mounting Pressure To Clear Federal Death Row and Issue More Commutations After Pardoning His Son
Civil rights groups, law enforcement officials, and religious leaders say Biden needs to use his pardon power to fulfill his campaign promises, not just help his son.
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.
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.
Biden Cites the Farcical FBI-Assisted Plot To Kidnap Gretchen Whitmer as an Example of Political Violence
The plot to kidnap the Michigan governor was in large part concocted and encouraged by paid FBI informants and their Bureau handlers.
Biden Keeps Blaming Others for His Economic Mistakes
The president has tried to shift blame for inflation, interest rate hikes, and an overall decimation of consumers' purchasing power.
How California's Ban on Diesel Locomotives Could Have Major National Repercussions
No technology exists today to enable railroads to comply with the state's diktat, which villainizes a mode of transportation that is actually quite energy efficient.
Costly Complexity
The needless complexity of affordable housing programs are hurting people they're supposed to help.
The Obscure Protectionist Law That Will Slow Clean-up of the Baltimore Bridge Disaster
The best time to repeal the Foreign Dredge Act was before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. The next best time to repeal it is right now.
The New York Times Again Worries That Free Speech Endangers Democracy
The newspaper portrays the constitutional challenge to the government's social media meddling as a conspiracy by Donald Trump's supporters.
Was Amazon 'Free to Ignore' White House Demands That It Suppress Anti-Vaccine Books?
The Biden administration's interference with bookselling harks back to a 1963 Supreme Court case involving literature that Rhode Island deemed dangerous.
Biden Expands Pardons for Low-Level Federal Marijuana Offenders
The pardons freed no prisoners, but the White House says they will ease the burden of a criminal record.
How Biden Hobbled His Own Infrastructure Push
At nearly every turn, the infrastructure package opted for policies that limited supplies, hiked prices, added paperwork, and grew government.
Biden Threatens To Block GOP Plan To Send 3,000 People Back to Federal Prison
The White House cited the extraordinarily low recidivism rates among those released and the savings to taxpayers in its veto threat.
Biden Threatens To Veto GOP Spending Bill That Would 'Cut' Amtrak Funding to Double Pre-Pandemic Levels
Amtrak has historically received $2 billion in federal subsidies each year. Under Republicans' "draconian" cuts, they'd receive over $5 billion next year.
Spending Recklessly in Good Times Is a Recipe for Disaster in Bad Times
Years ago, when interest rates were low, calls for the federal government to exercise fiscal restraint were dismissed. That was unwise.
Biden Wants Another $56 Billion in 'Emergency' Spending
Congress is being asked to borrow more money to fund broadband access and other pet projects. Only about $9 billion would be spent on natural disaster recovery efforts.
'America Funded It': Rand Paul Blasts Fauci and the Media for Suppressing the Lab Leak Theory
The notion that COVID-19 came from a lab was once touted as misinformation. But now the FBI, the Energy Department, and others agree with Paul.
Joe Biden's Plan for 31 Subsidized 'Tech Hubs' Is an Old, Tired Idea That's Doomed To Fail
Presidential administrations from both parties keep trying to make "place-based" economic development work.
SCOTUS Will Decide When the Government's Social Media Meddling Violates the First Amendment
The justices agreed to consider whether the Biden administration's efforts to suppress online "misinformation" were unconstitutional.
Hunter Biden Gets Caught in America's Double War on Drugs and Guns
Plus: A listener asks for the editors’ advice on how to spend his money.
There's Plenty of Evidence of Corruption Around Biden
When talking heads say “no evidence,” they mean “no smoking-gun proof.”
The 5th Circuit Agrees That Federal Officials Unconstitutionally 'Coerced' or 'Encouraged' Online Censorship
The appeals court narrowed a preliminary injunction against such meddling but confirmed the threat that it poses to freedom of speech.
Do the Proud Boys Deserve To Be in Prison Forever?
Plus: A listener question concerning porn verification laws.
Joe Biden's Email Aliases Are a Potentially Serious Transparency Problem
Multiple administrations have allowed senior officials to use alias email accounts. The practice undermines the Freedom of Information Act and encourages secrecy.
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.
Biden Escalates Trade War With China
A new national emergency declaration will allow for the creation of an outbound investment screening system targeting Americans' investments in China.
FBI Made 'Inappropriate Use' of Foreign Surveillance Program To Spy on Americans
A White House panel says the FBI's internal control over Section 702 databases are "insufficient to ensure compliance and earn the public's trust."
Why Did Joe Biden Stop Talking About the Deficit?
The federal budget deficit has exploded under Biden's watch, and he can no longer pretend otherwise.
What Would It Mean for Taiwan's President To Visit the White House?
It may be a good idea in theory, but it's probably an impractical pipe dream.
The Next President Needs To Cut Spending
At a minimum, the national debt should be smaller than the size of the economy. A committed president just might be able to deliver.
Banging Our Heads on the Debt Ceiling
Plus: A listener question cross-examines prior Reason Roundtable discussions surrounding immigration, economic growth, and birthrates.
Debt Ceiling Deal Curtails GOP-Backed Budget Cuts, Spending Caps
The deal will freeze non-military discretionary spending this year and allow a 1 percent increase in 2024.
Taxing the Rich Will Have No Meaningful Effect on Our Sky-High National Debt
The U.S. tax system is extremely progressive, even compared to European countries—whose governments rely on taxing the middle class.
Don't Believe the Media Fearmongering About Spending Cuts
In 2019, discretionary spending was $1.338 trillion—or some $320 billion less than what Republicans want that side of the budget to be.
Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden, and the Deeply Unserious Debate Over the Debt Ceiling
An impasse created by years of politicized, myopic decision making in Washington is pushing the federal government ever closer to a dangerous cliff.
The Federal Reserve Was Supposed To Ease Economic Instability. Instead, It's Made It Worse.
A responsible political class would significantly reform the organization. Instead, they will likely continue to give it more power.
James Madison's Decentralized Republic
The Constitution was intended to preserve state sovereignty, not create an all-powerful central government.
Inside the Facebook Files: Emails Reveal the CDC's Role in Silencing COVID-19 Dissent
Throughout the pandemic, the CDC was in constant contact with Facebook, vetting what users were allowed to say on the social media site.
Forget Russia's Twitter Trolls—America's Censorious Officials Are a Bigger Threat
Researchers: Moscow’s social media meddling had little impact on the 2016 election.
A Surly Showdown for Speaker
Plus: Would Adam Smith be a libertarian if he were alive today?
Biden Administration to Require Federal Contractors to Report and Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A new proposed regulation may test the limits of the Executive Branch's authority to impose regulatory requirements on federal contractors.
A GOP-Led Congress May Focus on Owning the Libs. Instead, It Should Focus on Owning Inflation.
If the midterms favor Republicans, their top priority needs to be the fight against inflation—whether or not they feel like they created the problem.
The 'Experts' Were Never Going To Fix Inflation
The idea that the Fed has the knowledge necessary to control the economy with perfectly calibrated policies was always an illusion.
As Inflation Soars, Biden Hosts Cringey Concert Celebrating the Inflation Reduction Act
James Taylor croons while the stock market burns after another ugly report on inflation.
The Queen Is Dead. Anarchy in the U.K.?
Plus: The editors respond to a question about the Forward Party.
