What We Mean When We Say 'Conspiracy Theory'

The assumptions baked into a familiar phrase

Jesse Walker | 3.15.2015

Bill De Blasio's Affordable Housing Shakedown

The latest economic nonsense from the mayor of New York City.

Ira Stoll | 3.16.2015

Why Medicare Will Always Need Fixing

The limits of the emerging doc fix deal.

Peter Suderman | 3.16.2015

This Kid Was Expelled and Charged for Bringing Pot to School, Even Though He Didn't

Zero tolerance: Virginia school officials stand by their wrongful expulsion of an 11-year-old boy.

Robby Soave | 3.16.2015

Will Casino Country Become Cannabis Country?

Indian tribes mull marijuana business opportunities.

Jacob Sullum | 3.16.2015

VID: Is South by Southwest Too Big to Be Cool?

Paul Detrick | 3.15.2015

Taliban Attacks Two Churches in Pakistan; Christian Mob Riots, Kills Two Suspected Terrorists

At least 15 people were killed in the suicide bombings, leading to Christian protests around Pakistan.

Ed Krayewski | 3.15.2015

How to Survive a Robot Uprising

Seeing dark omens of catastrophe in new tech demos.

Robin Hanson | 3.03.2015

Hi, Robot

How science fiction androids became real-life machines.

Peter Suderman | 3.03.2015

Another Would-Be Critic of Libertarianism Takes on a Straw Man

How refreshing it would be for someone to set forth the strongest case for libertarianism before attempting to eviscerate it.

Sheldon Richman | 3.15.2015

Sex-Trafficking Victims Hurt Most by Senator's Crusade Against Classified Ads

Closing sites like Backpage.com puts trafficking victims at even more risk.

Noah Berlatsky | 3.14.2015

Tremendous Victory for Wyoming's Bipartisan Food Freedom Act

"The free market is suddenly hip on the farm again."

Baylen Linnekin | 3.14.2015

FCC Chairman Says Net Neutrality Won’t Mean New Internet Taxes. Here’s Why One Agency Commissioner Says That’s Wrong.

Peter Suderman | 3.13.2015

Mistaking Peak Prices for "Peak Everything"

Economic Super-cycles and Falling Commodity Prices

Ronald Bailey | 3.13.2015

Students Attack 'Triggering' Anti-Abortion Sign, Cop Says Free Speech Has Limits on Campus

'What I'm here to tell you is that on campus we have additional rules other than just freedom of speech,' said the cop.

Robby Soave | 3.13.2015

You Want to Know Who Benefits from the Ex-Im Bank? Not Small Businesses.

Foreign airlines and oil companies top list of recipients.

Veronique de Rugy | 3.13.2015

Hi, Robot! Reason Welcomes the Automation Revolution.

3.03.2015

Unions Thwarting Attempted Rescue of California Hospital Serving the Poor

Costly contract provisions from the state attorney general are making it more difficult for a hospital to be sold, and saved.

Steven Greenhut | 3.13.2015

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and The Wrecking Crew

Strange tales from the church of Xenu, and the secret weapon of ’60s rock.

Kurt Loder | 3.13.2015

Sports Stadiums Throw Taxpayers for a Loss

It's a play fake that never fails.

Steve Chapman | 3.12.2015

Why Won't Anyone Challenge Hillary?

Despite the generous treatment she's received from the media, Hillary has never been an especially electrifying or potent political power.

David Harsanyi | 3.13.2015

Friday Funnies: Nothing to See Here

Chip Bok | 3.13.2015

ISIS As 'Zionist Enterprise'

Some Muslims in the Middle East insist the Islamic State is an Israeli-funded project despite any evidence that would suggest that.

Charles Paul Freund | 3.12.2015

Frat Brothers Make Execrable Racist Statements, America Forgets First Amendment

A school is exactly the kind of place where evil views should do battle with moral and logical views.

Robby Soave | 3.12.2015

The FCC’s New Internet Rules Put the FCC in Charge of the Internet

New net neutrality rules give the agency veto power over ISP innovations.

Peter Suderman | 3.12.2015

How Terry Pratchett Made Me a Libertarian

The fantasy author whose Discworld novels talked up liberty and self-ownership has died at 66.

Scott Shackford | 3.12.2015

5 Ways States Are Trying to Erode Abortion Access This Week

As a bonus, a few of the measures will also put women and abortion doctors in more danger.

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.12.2015

Senate Republicans Push for War With Iran

If anything can persuade Iran’s rulers to go for a nuke, it’s these hardliners’ lust for war.

Sheldon Richman | 3.12.2015

Rand Paul's Plan for Kurdistan: 'Draw New Lines' and 'Promise Them a Country'

Kentucky's junior senator courts the hawks.

Jesse Walker | 3.11.2015

GOP’s New Foreign Policy Hero Is a Surveillance-Loving Interventionist Nightmare

Freshman Sen. Tom Cotton wants to invade Iran and Syria, jail journalists and whistleblowers, eavesdrop on Americans, and keep the 'savages' locked up in Gitmo.

Matt Welch | 3.11.2015

Arrest Warrant Issued for Florida Mom Who Refuses to Get Son Circumcised

What's the state's interest in this boy's foreskin?

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.11.2015

Obama's Tepid Response to the Clinton Email Scandal

Mr. President, are you not troubled that your secretary of state had a non-secure email account and used it for all of her work?

Andrew Napolitano | 3.12.2015

The United States of Corporate Welfare

Which company got the most targeted tax breaks, subsidies, and grants in the state where you live?

Jason Keisling & Nick Gillespie | 3.11.2015

Sex, Love, and Robots

Will sexbots make human life better, creepier, or both?

Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 3.03.2015

What's Fair?

When government tries to make a free world "fairer" it just gets worse.

John Stossel | 3.11.2015

India Bans BBC's Searing Documentary on the Delhi Gang Rape

But the director's pc plea that rape is a global problem trivializes the violence Indian women confront

Shikha Dalmia | 3.11.2015

Lessons on Sticking It to the Little Guy

Cities throw tax money at big deals while small businesses get the shaft for stupid reasons.

A. Barton Hinkle | 3.11.2015

The Robot Revolution Is Here

They're sweeping my floors, watching my kids, and stealing my job. Here's why I'm not worried.

Katherine Mangu-Ward | 3.03.2015

Darren Wilson's Friendly Trial

The rigged process that exonerated the cop who shot Michael Brown highlights the need for independent prosecutors.

Jacob Sullum | 3.11.2015

Senators Pitch a Bill Legalizing Medical Marijuana in States That Allow It

The CARERS Act would eliminate federal interference with patients and providers.

Jacob Sullum | 3.10.2015

Hillary Clinton Says She Used One Phone and Private Email While Secretary of State for 'Convenience'

Yet just a few weeks ago, she said she used two different phones.

Peter Suderman | 3.10.2015

Breaking: U. of Oklahoma Expels 2 Students Over Racist SAE Chant

Brazen, impulsive, unconstitutional

Robby Soave | 3.10.2015

Polls Show More and More Support for Gay Marriage. Will GOP Candidates Let It Go?

Rand Paul continues trying to thread the needle with "private contract" argument.

Scott Shackford | 3.10.2015

Two Teens Have Sex. Neither Could Legally Consent, But Only the Boy Gets a Felony Charge.

Underage teens having sex is awkward, but it shouldn't be criminal.

Robby Soave | 3.10.2015

Clinton Email Defender Does Not Understand How Email Works

Peter Suderman | 3.10.2015

Why the Supremes Need to Scrap Obamacare's Federal Exchange Subsidy

The court's job is to enforce the law as written, not fix it

Shikha Dalmia | 3.10.2015

It's Stupid Season. Have You Been Vaccinated?

How the press turned a local issue into the first controversy of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Matt Welch | 3.10.2015

How to Count the Defensive Use of Guns

Neither survey calls nor media and police reports capture the importance of private gun ownership.

Brian Doherty | 3.09.2015

Scott Walker's Brave Stand Against Big Labor

The Wisconsin governor has shown courage under fire from organized labor and its allies.

Ira Stoll | 3.09.2015

The Apple Watch Will Make the Wrists of the Super Rich Look A Lot More Like Yours and Mine

The new watch from Cupertino will help reduce income inequality in the way that really matters.

Jim Epstein | 3.09.2015

How to Free-Range Your Kids (And Not Get Arrested)

Flood the streets with kids.

Lenore Skenazy | 3.09.2015

DOJ Report Makes a Strong Case That Darren Wilson Shot Michael Brown in Self-Defense

The feds find that the witnesses who made Wilson look the worst were the worst witnesses.

Jacob Sullum | 3.09.2015

Shockingly Racist Video Gets U. of Oklahoma Fraternity Kicked off Campus

The conduct of these students is truly despicable, and it will rightly haunt them for a very long time.

Robby Soave | 3.09.2015

ISIS, Communism, and the Lure of Violent Utopianism

Jihadi John is nothing new.

A. Barton Hinkle | 3.09.2015

Marijuana Federalism Is Principled and Popular

Republican presidential candidates find a way to achieve a tricky balance.

Jacob Sullum | 3.09.2015

Superbugs Are Outstripping Antibiotics

Bacteria can evolve. Maybe federal policymakers can as well, before it's too late.

Steve Chapman | 3.09.2015

Is Addiction a Chronic Brain Disease?

Drug addiction is not caused by the effects of drugs alone.

Stanton Peele | 3.08.2015

Jacob Sullum on the French Right Not to Be Offended

Under French law, insulting people based on their religion is a crime punishable by six months in jail.

3.08.2015

The War of 1812 Dramatically Changed American People and Government

"Forget self and think of America," wartime pundits urged.

Sheldon Richman | 3.08.2015

"That's It, House of Cards. You Lost Me."

A show that was once darkly great has descended into prosaic moralism. God save us from fictional pols who are serious about jobs programs.

Nick Gillespie | 3.07.2015

Cruel, Unusual, and Crowded

Will Brown v. Plata bring mass incarceration to an end?

Sara Mayeux | 3.07.2015

Could Automation Be Labor Unions' Death Knell?

Automation needn't be scary for workers, but for traditional unions, the robot future may hold a different fate.

Greg Jones | 3.07.2015

France Dishonors Charlie Hebdo By Policing Hate Speech

To grant the state the authority to police hatred is to open the door to the policing of thought, conscience, and morality.

Brendan O'Neill | 3.07.2015

Hillary Clinton’s Question-Dodging Response to the Private Email Scandal

Clinton's behavior shows that her only priority is herself.

Peter Suderman | 3.06.2015

Netanyahu Was Right to Bring Up the Holocaust

The U.S. is now on a path that will enable a force that openly threatens Jews to become far more powerful and dangerous.

David Harsanyi | 3.06.2015

Christian Ethicist Says Freeing Prisoners 'Would Make Their Lives Worse'

Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig argues that sentencing reform "won't work" without more welfare spending.

Jacob Sullum | 3.06.2015

The Blockchain: A Supercomputer for Reality

"Everything that can be decentralized, will be decentralized."

Ronald Bailey | 3.06.2015

UPDATED! 80% of Firemen Are Fat and Out of Shape, Except When It Comes to Compensation

Nick Gillespie | 3.06.2015

How the DOJ Contributed to the Awful Ferguson Police Culture It Condemns

You know who else has a judicial system that is hard to fight and extracts money from citizens?

Scott Shackford | 3.06.2015

Cal State System Bans Campus Groups From Having 'Belief' Requirements

State bill targets university's 'believe it or not' edict.

Steven Greenhut | 3.06.2015

Chappie

A sci-fi misfire from Neill Blomkamp.

Kurt Loder | 3.06.2015

Friday Funnies: Let's Make a Deal

Chip Bok | 3.06.2015

Documents: Hillary Clinton Told Employees Not to Use Private Emails

Hypocrisy confirmed.

Robby Soave | 3.05.2015

Philip K. Dick's Androids

The blurry line between men and machines

Jesse Walker | 3.03.2015

Netflix May Already Regret Its Support for the FCC’s New Net Neutrality Rules

The agency's new Internet rules will only make the Web worse.

Peter Suderman | 3.05.2015

Rand Paul Cancelled a Parks and Rec Cameo Alongside Ron Swanson

Showrunner says Paul bailed at the last minute.

Robby Soave | 3.05.2015

Netanyahu's Impossible Dream

Arms control tends to bring out unwarranted panic and fury, and Netanyahu is squarely in that tradition.

Steve Chapman | 3.05.2015

Pharrell Williams Testifies in 'Blurred Lines' Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

The recording artist says capturing the feel of a song, or an era, isn't the same as infringing on a copyright.

Ed Krayewski | 3.05.2015

America Must Reject Netanyahu’s War Cry on Iran

Netanyahu’s narrative is a fabric of lies and omissions.

Sheldon Richman | 3.05.2015

Obama's Lone Wolf Presidency

When the president effectively writes the laws, Congress is effectively neutered.

Andrew Napolitano | 3.05.2015

Study Confirms That E-Cigarettes Generate Virtually No Toxins

Levels are about the same as those found in air.

Jacob Sullum | 3.04.2015

DOJ Ferguson Report About Treating Residents as Revenue, Not Just Racial Bias

Ed Krayewski | 3.04.2015

Ben Carson’s Gay-Making Prisons, and the Insurgent/Petulant/Crusader Split Among GOP Anti-Establishmentarians

Why not all 'outsiders' are built the same, and how that might benefit Ted Cruz.

Matt Welch | 3.04.2015

Supreme Court Appears Closely Divided Over Legality of Obamacare Tax Subsidies

Sharp questions for both sides. Kennedy and Roberts likely hold the deciding votes.

Damon Root | 3.04.2015

6 Weak Arguments in the Administration’s Obamacare Supreme Court Subsidies Brief

The administration's case is little more than a request for legal permission to rewrite the law.

Peter Suderman | 3.04.2015

Raping Culture

The oft-repeated claim that rape is so common that there is a "rape culture" in the U.S. is utter exaggeration.

John Stossel | 3.04.2015

There’s No Begging Exception to the First Amendment

Laws against panhandling are unconstitutional, yet officials keep trying.

A. Barton Hinkle | 3.04.2015

Medicare and Social Security Tabs Coming Due

Unless we want to drown future generations in a sea of red ink, we need to have a serious conversation about the future of entitlements.

Michael Tanner | 2.06.2015

Unchecked Checkpoints

A federal appeals court gives a pass to unconstitutional harassment by border cops.

Jacob Sullum | 3.04.2015

Can Rand Paul Ever Be Sufficiently Pro-Israel?

Attacking Paul's insufficiently enthusiastic applause for Netanyahu is symbolic of a continuing problem he has with elements of the American Right.

Brian Doherty | 3.03.2015

Predator Bots: U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan

Jason Keisling & Stephanie Slade | 3.03.2015

The President’s Police Reform Dream Journal

A task force on upgrading policing tactics calls for more guidelines, more training, more spending, but lacks introspection on the state of our laws.

Scott Shackford | 3.03.2015

Feminism's Oppression Obsession Hurts Women

What women need is a broad progressive agenda, not identity politics

Shikha Dalmia | 3.03.2015

The Vampire Cure for Aging

Watch out Millennials! Baby Boomers are out for blood.

Ronald Bailey | 2.06.2015

Hillary Clinton Only Had a Personal E-Mail Account While She Was Secretary of State; Broke the Law But What Difference Does it Make?

Breaking the law doesn't come with the same consequences for government officials as it does for the rest of us.

Ed Krayewski | 3.02.2015

How Low Can Oil Prices Go?

The tricky geopolitics of tumbling demand and rising supply

Ronald Bailey | 3.03.2015

In Defense of Drunk Sex

They warned us for years, "Don't drink and drive." Now it's, "Don't drink and fuck."

Brendan O'Neill | 3.01.2015

CPS Decision in Maryland Parents Case: They Are 'Responsible' For 'Unsubstantiated Neglect.' Huh?

Welcome to the intersection of common sense and bureaucratic craziness

Lenore Skenazy | 3.02.2015

How Walmart Made Liberals Turn Right

The left gets a lesson in basic economics.

A. Barton Hinkle | 3.02.2015

Law, Not Policy, Should Guide Supreme Court in Obamacare Subsidies Case

Peter Suderman | 3.02.2015

The Bizarre Priorities of Trans-Pacific Partnership Proponents

Supporters tout the benefits for just the few, when actually we all gain.

Bill Watson | 3.02.2015

Super Safe Playground Surfaces Still Not Safe Enough for Fans of More Regulations

New regulations proposed to make squishy soft playground surfaces even softer.

Lenore Skenazy | 3.02.2015

Obamacare Returns to SCOTUS. What Will Roberts Do?

The Supreme Court prepares for another legal showdown over Obamacare.

Damon Root | 3.02.2015

Why Congress Did Not Stop Marijuana Legalization in Its Backyard

Despite a prohibitionist tantrum, pot is legal in the nation's capital.

Jacob Sullum | 3.02.2015

Fatal Police Shooting of Homeless Man in Downtown LA Caught on Tape

Posted to Facebook, where the police commission president saw it. An officer is heard yelling drop the gun but it's unclear if the man had one.

Ed Krayewski | 3.01.2015

National Security State

The strange powerlessness of the "most powerful man in the world"

Gene Healy | 3.01.2015

How the War of 1812 Eroded U.S. Liberalism

The War of 1812 helped "the State come into its own" by concentrating power and interest in the national government.

Sheldon Richman | 3.01.2015

DHS Kinda/Sorta Still Funded, But Why?

Nick Gillespie | 2.28.2015

Confessions of a Stockton Slumlord

The northern California city of nearly 300,000 has become a key test case on whether cities can reduce their unaffordable public pensions when they head into bankruptcy court

Steven Greenhut | 2.06.2015

The Historic Roots of Homan Square, Chicago's CIA-Style Black Site

The Chicago Police Department didn't need the War on Terror to teach it to violate civil rights.

Noah Berlatsky | 2.28.2015

Taxes and Restrictions Masquerading as Federal Dietary Guidelines

A panel of government-appointed experts has recommended new food taxes, eating less meat, restricting food marketing, and banning some food at the local level.

Baylen Linnekin | 2.28.2015

Top Putin Critic Gunned Down on Streets of Moscow

A day before a planned opposition rally

Scott Shackford | 2.27.2015

The Human Right to Offend

Self-censorship in the face of intimidation has another name: cowardice.

Ronald Bailey | 2.27.2015

3 Charts That Show The FCC is Full of Malarkey on Net Neutrality and Title II

Nick Gillespie | 2.26.2015

Libertarians Will Never Be Successful Because EDWARD SNOWDEN!

Nick Gillespie | 2.27.2015

Dare to Dream: IRS Subject of Criminal Probe Over Missing Emails

They were "missing" much like a box shoved in a closet is "missing."

Scott Shackford | 2.27.2015

California Unions' Double Standard on Flex Time

State’s rigid overtime rules squelch choice and innovation while politically connected unions are exempt.

Steven Greenhut | 2.27.2015