Politics
The 'Meritocracy' Lie
Two months after he was inaugurated, Trump has smashed many of the government's silly DEI rules. But he hasn't created a new age of meritocracy.
Ghiblifying the Fent Trafficker Deportation
Plus: New York state cut off from federal funding, Phil Magness on tariffs for JAQ, and more...
Pete Hegseth's Carelessness and Dishonesty Mirror Hillary Clinton's
The defense secretary, who shared information about imminent U.S. air strikes in a manifestly insecure group chat, thought Clinton should be prosecuted for her careless handling of sensitive information.
Why Gen Z Is Embracing Trump
Perhaps young people have become resentful of the government's massive transfer of wealth from kids to the elderly.
Brazil Sentenced a Woman to 14 Years for Lipstick Graffiti
Débora Albuquerque scrawled “You lost, dude” on a statue. Now she’s being treated like a national security threat.
Tariff Nation
Plus: NPR/PBS funding possibly threatened, Trump's "war authorities," and more...
DEI Is Dying in the Private Sector
Diversity, equity, and inclusion sound good. But DEI programs divide people more than they empower.
Trump's Attack on the Courts Channels the Worst of Theodore Roosevelt
An unconstitutional act is still unconstitutional even if lots of people support it.
Deportation Standoff
Plus: Rehiring federal workers, using Signal to orchestrate bombing the Houthis, and more...
Apply for the 14th Annual James Wilson Fellowship
Young Lawyers, Law Clerks, and Law Students are welcome to apply for our Summer 2025 Fellowship on August 3-8, 2025.
Trump Ends Program for Legal Migrants From Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela
Over 500,000 migrants used the program to enter and work in the U.S.
New Case Against Khalil
Plus: Sanders supports deportations, tariff tracker, Panama's Jewish enclave, and more...
Trump and Congress Have a Right and a Duty To Kill the Department of Education
The feds have no constitutional authorization to meddle in education.
Brickbats: April 2025
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
Trump Cruelly Terminates Program for Legal Migrants Fleeing Communist Tyranny, and Seeks to Deport them
The Administration ended the CHNV "parole" program for 530,000 migrants from four Latin American nations, including three ruled by authoritarian socialist regimes. They will soon be subject to deportation.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Corner crossing, prison typewriting, and an interview with Webster Bivens.
Pesky Judges
Courts stop DOGE from accessing Social Security Administration data and prevent Homeland Security from deporting Georgetown fellow Badar Khan Suri.
Gavin Newsom Should Work on Governing Rather Than Podcasting
California once was the state where a visionary might start up a gee-whiz concept in a garage. Now bureaucrats and powerful unions would crush that concept in its infancy.
One Federal Clause Allows DOGE To Cancel Contracts at Will
The Federal Acquisition Regulation requires the right for the government to terminate any federal contract "for convenience."
Chuck Schumer Thinks Only Republicans Hate Paying Taxes
The Senate minority leader mocked anti-tax, anti-government views held by most Americans.
Brian Doherty: The Fascinating Women and Weirdos Who Founded Libertarianism
Reason Senior Editor Brian Doherty explores the evolution of libertarian thought in his new book.
Back to Work
Plus: Who's in charge of DOGE, protests over Israel's renewed assault on Gaza, and a tribute to the life of Manuel Klausner.
The Feds' Legal Arguments for These Deportations Are Laughably Weak
A Trump administration official admits that there is little specific evidence tying some deportees to any crime—and argues that the lack of evidence should be taken as proof of criminality.
Lawn-Sign Liberalism vs. Supply-Side Progressivism
"Supply-side progressives" like Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson are ultimately technocrats, not libertarians. But they recognize that more is better than less and that a good society is not zero-sum.
AI Isn't Destabilizing Elections
Researchers analyzed political content made with artificial intelligence and found much of it was not deceptive at all.
Is Trump's Trade War Causing a Recession?
The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow forecast plunged into recessionary territory, stocks wiped out $4 trillion in value, and consumers are pulling back. How long will Washington ignore the warning signs?
Allies Cancel Orders of F-35s, the Fighter Jets That Will Cost $2 Trillion
The U.S., in turn, should cancel the F-35 program altogether.
New Income Tax Proposal Is Progressive and Unworkable
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the Trump administration wants to eliminate income taxes for those making $150,000 or less—an unprecedented shift with major consequences.
