Child Welfare Systems Are Trapping Innocent Families
Georgia parents were accused of child abuse after they took their daughter to the doctor. Does the state's story add up?
August/September 2024
The Debt Lies We Tell Ourselves
Both parties—and the voters—are to blame for the national debt fiasco.
Features
Congress 'Can Regulate Virtually Anything'
How legislators learned to stop worrying about the constitutionality of federal drug and gun laws by abusing the Commerce Clause
The Afghan Allies Left Behind in the Graveyard of Empires
Thousands of people who helped the U.S. in Afghanistan are still looking for an escape.
Interview
Glenn Loury on Economics, Black Conservatism, and Crack Cocaine
The Brown University economist's new memoir Late Admissions covers capitalism, addiction, race, and the academy.
Editor's Note
Numb to the Numbers
The national debt has become an alarm bell ringing in the distance that people are pretending not to hear, especially in the city that caused the problem.
Topics
Biden's Election Year Border Order
The president's plan to address security at the Mexican border drew backlash both from immigration advocates and border hawks.
Plastics Are Better for the Climate Than Aluminum and Glass, Actually
Producing plastics from fossil fuels emits a lot of carbon dioxide, but a new study finds the life cycle emissions are actually lower than glass and aluminum.
Don't Blame Dealers for Fentanyl Deaths. Blame Drug Warriors.
Prosecutors' attempts to convert accidental overdoses into homicides are dangerous and morally dubious.
Both Trump and Biden Are Promising More Tariffs
Yes, trade tariffs cause higher prices. Trump never understood that, and now Biden apparently has forgotten it.
Guernica's Recovery From Ruin
The bombing of a Basque town during the Spanish Civil War gave rise to art—and cultural resilience.
The Feds Are Skirting the Fourth Amendment by Buying Data
The government needs a warrant to spy on you. So agencies are paying tech companies to do it instead.
New Jersey Wants Your Baby's Genes
Collecting and analyzing newborns' blood could allow the state to surveil people for life.
Trump Wants Police To Be Above the Law
Donald Trump pledged to give cops "immunity from prosecution." The idea is both legally illiterate and dangerous.
What Free Speech Rights Do Anti-Israel Activists Have on College Campuses?
Public colleges must have viewpoint-neutral policies, but they don't have to allow protester encampments.
Culture
The Republican Radical Who Helped Launch the Gay Rights Movement
Dorr Legg saw the government as homosexuals' enemy.
Books
What Causes Capitalism?
British economist Geoffrey M. Hodgson argues private property and individual enterprise fueled the Great Enrichment.
Nuclear War: A Scenario Is a Disaster Porn Thriller
Author Annie Jacobsen envisions a swift end of the world after nuclear conflict erupts.
When Attacks on Anarchists Accidentally Improved Free Speech Law
After the crackdown on anarchists died down, it became more difficult to imagine anyone could go to jail in America solely for political heresy.
Reviews
Review: A Satirical How-To Guide for Imperialists
Freedom "requires you to curtail freedom of speech and freedom of the press," write economists Christopher Coyne and Abigail Hall.
Review: James Retells Huckleberry Finn From Jim's Perspective
Author Percival Everett reimagines Mark Twain's novel from the enslaved character's point of view.
Review: The Women Entrepreneurs of Impoverished Countries
She Rises Up manages to be inspirational without being sappy, like so many documentaries are.
Review: Is Fallout Actually a Good Game-to-TV Crossover?
Staying true to the game, producers of the Amazon show even leave room for side quests and open-ended exploration.
Review: A Former Foster Child Lambasts the 'Luxury Beliefs' of Wealthy Elites
Rob Henderson's new book documents his journey from a troubled adoption to Yale and Cambridge.
Review: A South Korean Film Explores Nativism and Authoritarianism After a Disaster
Concrete Utopia is a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power under any circumstances.
Review: Documenting Julian Assange's Legal Battles
Kym Staton's documentary also tries to debunk several accusations against the WikiLeaks founder.
Crossword
Federal IOU: August/September 2024 Puzzle
"Period during which America's national debt was about $75 million"
ETC.
Jay Bhattacharya on COVID, Social Media Censorship, and Trump vs. Biden
"It’s not like public health is infallible," the Stanford professor and Great Barrington Declaration author tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
Brickbats: August/September 2024
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
