Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All.
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With His Grandiose White House Ballroom Plan, Trump Again Asserts the Power To Do As He Pleases
"No statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have," U.S. District Judge Richard Leon concluded when he enjoined the project.
Trump's College Sports Executive Order Adds Chaos to an Already Wild Legal War
Plus: Fox and Sinclair go crying to the FCC over sports streaming, and the Masters ticket lottery makes it too hard to get in
Sex Educators Say They're Being Harmed by Age Verification Laws
Plus: Wisconsin governor vetoes porn age-check bill, more charges for penis protester, the Komodo dragon theory of social media, and more...
Ro Khanna: Congress Has Surrendered on War
The California congressman discusses the Iran war, unchecked executive power, California’s wealth tax debate, and the search for a shared American identity.
'I Am Blowing Up Everything'
Plus: There is no exit strategy in Iran, Artemis II approaches the Moon, federal taxpayers get to beautify D.C., and more...
As the Death Toll Rises in Trump's Immigration Crackdown, Support for ICE Shrinks
Deaths in ICE custody hit a 20-year high in 2025 and a majority now say the agency's actions make Americans less safe.
Nationwide Injunctions, a Crucial Check on Presidential Power, Are Not Dead Yet
Both Donald Trump and Joe Biden asked the Supreme Court to abolish nationwide injunctions, which allow federal judges to stop a federal policy from going into effect.
The Labor Department Just Freed Contractors—Again. Congress Still Needs To Act.
The government's new rule reverses a Biden-era anti-contracting directive and returns to a more contractor-friendly posture. But will this tug of war ever end?
Trump Realized He Can Just Do Things. Who Can Stop Him?
There are far too few checks left on executive power.
The U.K. Is Set To Spend $183 Billion on Pensions This Year. Nigel Farage Vows To Keep Hiking Payments.
The leader of Reform U.K. pledged to keep the "triple lock" mechanism in place, which is driving the state pension program to financial unsustainability.
Trump's Call for a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Is Irresponsible, Wasteful, and Unrealistic
The proposal is "an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars and would make Americans less, not more, safe." Thankfully, Congress is unlikely to adopt it.
Trump's Answer to Iran's Hormuz Crisis: Sell Oil We Don't Have
The administration claims we're a "net oil exporter," but unfortunately that's not quite true.
Maine Bill Proves States Are Capable of Adopting Bad Data Center Policies Without Federal Intervention
A week after Bernie Sanders introduced legislation to pause AI data center construction indefinitely, Maine is poised to institute the first statewide ban.
Colorado Becomes First State To Protect Defendants Against Faulty Roadside Drug Tests
A 2024 study estimated that 30,000 people every year may be getting wrongly arrested due to unreliable roadside drug tests used by police.
The Zendaya Romance The Drama Is Weirder and More Uncomfortable Than You Expect
A movie about marriage, memory, and the difficulty of knowing another person.
Bye-Bye, Bondi
Plus: pro-tech media sells to big tech, Trump's new tariffs, jobs numbers, and more...
The Republican Plan To Nationalize Elections Is Performative Nonsense
There is no voting crisis that demands federal intervention.
Review: Church Committee Report on Illegal Spying Is Relevant Again in the Trump Era
A new book revisits this 50-year-old Watergate report as President Donald Trump pursues his own politically motivated investigations.
Review: Flavor-Changing Gum Is Finally a Reality
Unfortunately it's nothing like Willy Wonka's "three-course dinner gum."
The World Bank Used To Champion Markets. Now It's Surrendering to State-Led Industrialization.
The reversal wasn't because the economics changed. It is because their biggest shareholders turned toward industrial policy.
Pam Bondi's Loyalty to Trump Wasn't Enough To Save Her Job
Ultimately, Bondi's fulsome defense of the president could not overcome blowback over her handling of the Epstein files.
Alabama Birthing Center Regulations Are Nearly Impossible To Comply With. State Supreme Court Could Intervene.
"It shouldn't be this hard to give birth safely in the state of Alabama, and it doesn't have to," said the ACLU's lead counsel on the case.
Satanic Temple Wins Legal Fight Over 10 Commandments Monument in Arkansas
A federal judge ruled the Ten Commandments monument at the state Capitol must be removed.
Infographic: Who Really Pays for Tariffs? These Scholars Tracked a Bottle of Wine To Find Out.
Consider it a boozy, tariff-themed version of "I, Pencil."
The Daily Mail's Dishonesty About Charlie Kirk's Alleged Killer
This is how a conspiracy theory grows.
Justice Department Drops 23,000 Cases To Make Room for Trump's Immigration Crackdown
The agency refused to prosecute alleged national security, labor, and white-collar crime while increasing immigration cases, a new report finds.
Birthright Citizenship, Noem Family Circus, and Project Hail Mary
A wide-ranging episode of Freed Up covering foreign policy, legal battles, internet stupidity, airport misery, and a few unexpectedly spirited culture debates.
Florida Cop Punished With 'Training/Counseling' for Farting in Colleague's Face
Police often call their profession a brotherhood, but two Palm Beach sheriff's deputies took the analogy too far.
Gorsuch, Barrett, and Roberts Raise Fatal Objections to Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order
Understanding the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in Trump v. Barbara.
War and/or Peace
Plus: back to the moon, one year since "Liberation Day," birthright citizenship at the Supreme Court, Jonathan lives, and more...
On 'Liberation Day,' Trump Promised a Manufacturing Boom. The Data Tell a Different Story.
More than 89,000 manufacturing workers lost their jobs in the past year as tariffs caused input prices to rise and squeezed blue-collar industries.
A Year After 'Liberation Day,' Trump's Tariffs Will Never Be Legitimate Without a Vote in Congress
The Trump administration keeps trying to find legal loopholes, but the will of the people is the final judge of any major policy.
Trump's Mercurial, Constantly Changing Import Taxes Took American Businesses on a Wild Ride
There was little rhyme or reason to the president's "emergency" tariffs, which fluctuated wildly depending on his mood.
Artemis II Launches a New Era of Lunar Exploration
Artemis might return astronauts to the moon, but only after years of delays and a price tag far exceeding the government’s projections.
Trump Bullying Allies To Help in Iran Suggests He Knows the War Is Not Going Well
NATO allies aren’t obligated to join the war. The sooner Trump accepts that, the better.
Trump Keeps Taking Equity Shares of Private Companies. A New GOP Bill Would Codify the Practice.
The bill would not only codify Trump's actions into law, it would establish a framework for both this and future administrations to do it too.
Does the Government Own You—or Do You Own Yourself?
"Why should somebody else have this right to decide the direction of my own life?" asks Timothy Sandefur, author of the book You Don't Own Me.
The Islanders Expelled To Build the West's Middle East Fortress
The British Empire evacuated the Chagos Islands to build a military base, which the U.S. is using in the Iran War. Now, a court ruling is giving the original owners hope of going home.
There Are Many Good Reasons To Criticize Kristi Noem. Her Husband's Sexual Interests Are Not Among Them.
Who cares if Bryon Noem likes pretending to have giant breasts?
How Capitalism Lost the Working Class
Brink Lindsey discusses the gap between mass prosperity and mass flourishing, capitalism’s crisis of inclusion, and the implications of falling fertility.
What If the U.K. Had Free Speech Like the U.S.?
The U.K. said it would stop investigating "legal" social media posts, but free speech advocates demand more change.
Illegal To Defund NPR?
Plus: Judge stops Trump's ballroom, Iran announcement incoming, NASA takes steps to go back to the moon, and more...
