American constitutional design rests on a theory of balance. Congress writes the laws. The president executes them. The courts interpret them. Each branch checks the […]
How Landlords Make Cheap Rent More Expensive
For people searching for a rental home, the advertised monthly price is often the first number that determines whether a property seems affordable. A home listed for $1,800 a month might fit comfortably within a household's budget, while another listed for $1,950 might not. But what happens when the advertised price omits charges that tenants have no choice but to pay? That question is at the center of a major federal consumer protection case announced November 6th. Progress Residential, one of the country's largest managers of single-family rental homes, and its owner, private equity firm Pretium Partners, have agreed to…
When the Government Questions Your Vote
Election security is a fundamental responsibility of government. Voters need confidence that elections are conducted fairly, that ballots are counted accurately, and that only eligible people participate. But efforts to protect elections can create their own problems when investigations rely on questionable information or put eligible voters under unnecessary scrutiny. That concern is at the center of a legal battle unfolding just days before the November midterm elections. A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to restrict Department of Homeland Security investigations into suspected noncitizen voter registration and voting in nine states. The judge found that the…
America Is Making It Harder to Become American
For many immigrants, becoming a U.S. citizen is the culmination of years of hard work, paperwork, and patience. It can mean finally voting in an American election, traveling without the same concerns about maintaining permanent resident status, and gaining the security of knowing that their future in the country is settled. But for thousands of people who have followed the rules and applied for citizenship, the finish line appears to be moving farther away. According to a recent report from The Washington Post, federal officials approved approximately 173,000 people for citizenship during the first eight months of 2026, a 72…
When the Government Questions Your Vote
Election security is a fundamental responsibility of government. Voters need confidence that elections are conducted fairly, that ballots are counted accurately, and that only eligible…
America Is Making It Harder to Become American
For many immigrants, becoming a U.S. citizen is the culmination of years of hard work, paperwork, and patience. It can mean finally voting in an…
When AI Reads Your Medical Records
For years, artificial intelligence in health care was largely discussed as a future technology. Doctors might someday use AI to identify diseases, analyze medical images,…
The Growing Alarm Over Facial Recognition and ICE Detentions
For years, debates about facial recognition technology largely centered on local police departments, airport security, and private sector data collection. More recently, however, a different…
The Cost of Closing Forest Research
The U.S. Forest Service is closing 23 research and development facilities across more than a dozen states as part of a sweeping reorganization of the…
When Politics Enters the Science: The Fight Over What Judges Should Know
The courts routinely deal with questions that judges cannot answer through legal precedent alone. What caused an environmental disaster? How reliable is a particular scientific…
How Landlords Make Cheap Rent More Expensive
For people searching for a rental home, the advertised monthly price is often the first number that determines whether a property seems affordable. A home…
Why Financial Literacy Matters More Than Ever
For generations, financial literacy has been viewed as a personal skill that helps people budget wisely, save for retirement, and avoid unnecessary debt. Today, it…
Measles Is Back. Is America Ready?
For more than two decades, measles was a disease most Americans knew from history books, old photographs, or stories told by older relatives. The United…
When Saving Medicaid Money Could Cost States More
Starting in January 2027, millions of lower-income Americans enrolled in Medicaid will face a new requirement that has been presented as a way to reduce…
The Stock Market Is Not the Economy
When the stock market rises, headlines often declare that the economy is strong. When it falls, commentators warn of a looming recession. The two are […]
Women’s Hockey Champions Reduced to a Joke
Team USA’s women just pulled off the thing we claim to love most in American sport: They stared down their toughest rival, took Canada’s best […]
Lead Exposure Never Went Away
For many Americans, lead poisoning feels like a solved problem. It belongs to the past, alongside leaded gasoline and peeling paint in abandoned buildings. The […]
The Economics Behind “Free” Apps
Open your phone, and almost everything feels free. Messaging, maps, social media, photo storage, news, fitness tracking, and even sophisticated creative tools often cost nothing […]
Voter ID Is a Solution Without a Problem
Claims of widespread voter fraud have become a familiar feature of American politics. They surface before elections, spike after close results, and are often used […]
Why Medicine Is Losing Its Workforce
For years, headlines have warned about clinician shortages as if the problem were purely demographic. Too many older doctors are retiring. Too few nurses are […]
The Fantasy of the Free Market
Few ideas in modern economics are as powerful, or as misleading, as the notion of the “free market.” In popular imagination, an unregulated market is […]
The Difference Between Scientific Evidence and Scientific Headlines
If you follow science through news coverage alone, it can feel like reality changes every week. Coffee is bad, then good. Eggs are dangerous, then […]
The Internet Isn’t Decentralized Anymore
The Internet was built to route around failure. That origin story is not just nostalgia. It describes a set of architectural instincts that shaped how […]