Random stuff I find interesting and you may not.
On Saturday, there was no way for the masked terrorists — green headbands wrapped around their anonymous faces — even to attempt hiding the hideous abuses they had inflicted on their captives. No showy stage parade could distract the world from what was plainly visible: three Israeli civilians, violently abducted from their homes, now bearing … Read more
I review a very good new book on occupational licensing, The Licensing Racket by Rebecca Haw Allensworth, in the WSJ. Most people will concede that licensing for hair braiders and interior decorators is excessive while licensing for doctors, nurses and lawyers is essential. Hair braiders pose little to no threat to public safety, but subpar … Read more
Tycoons might be lining up to appease Donald Trump, but stocks are traded on economic reality. Thank God for the stock market. The market is one of the only things Donald Trump can be expected to listen to—likely more than polls and certainly more than his advisers—even when he doesn’t want to hear what it’s … Read more
Pundits should take responsibility when they get something wrong. I will do so eventually for this prediction. But not yet. I concede that there’s no evidence so far that Americans on the losing side of the last election “feel like the social contract itself is breaking.” Political analyst Mark Halperin expected, and I agreed, that … Read more
This day had to come. I find myself with the inescapable view that Sen. Chuck Schumer is being treated unfairly. There, I said it. Edward R. Martin, Jr., the Interim D.C. U.S. Attorney, recently announced that he is investigating Schumer. The possible criminal charge is linked to Schumer’s infamous speech on the steps of the … Read more
“Rule by indefinite emergency edict risks leaving all of us with a shell of a democracy and civil liberties just as hollow.”—Justice Neil Gorsuch That didn’t take long. Within days of Donald Trump’s second term, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights disappeared from the White House’s website. While the Trump Administration insists the removal … Read more
In a jaw-dropping argument, the Department of Justice claims seizing $50,000 from a small business doesn’t violate property rights because money isn’t property. As a lawyer who sues the government, you get used to the different kinds of arguments that government lawyers use to justify abuses of individual rights—sweeping claims of government power, bad-faith procedural … Read more
Whether China will build a hundred new coal plants in 2025 is uncertain. Nobody, including Mr. Bessent, has a crystal ball. Yet his larger point about China is correct. Though China is often lauded as a world leader in renewable energy (and in some ways it is), in recent years it has ramped up coal … Read more
As National Review’s resident teenage knife-fighting expert, I was disappointed to read that the actor Idris Elba wants the British government to circumcise all of the privately owned knives in the United Kingdom in the hope that doing so will help reduce crime. Here’s Elba, talking to BBC Radio 4: “Not all kitchen knives need … Read more
Yes, folks, we’re talking about New Jersey again because we are gathered here today to pour one out for my man Bob Menendez, the rodent-like former Democratic senator who two years ago was caught in a corruption scandal noteworthy even in the annals of the Clam State. He was on the take from Egyptians who, … Read more
When President Donald Trump won a second term in November, the economy topped most voters’ concerns. Many felt the pain of higher prices, and they voted with their wallets. Trump talked repeatedly about runaway grocery prices during the campaign, pledging that if elected, paying over $4 for a carton of eggs would be a thing … Read more
Catholic America is reeling from the surprise of the new presidency’s political appointments at every level, which are decisively reshaping the political landscape. One of the most unexpected developments has not come from the White House but from the Vatican: the retirement of Cardinal Wilton Gregory as Archbishop of Washington left a vacancy for Rome … Read more
The DOGE people in the Trump administration are considering shedding a big portion of the massive office space that the government owns or leases nationwide, managed by the General Services Administration (GSA), including selling two-thirds of the office space the government owns and terminating three-quarters of the leased office space, according to the WSJ. Much … Read more
If there is one thing all would-be caudillos love, it is an emergency. Or a capital-E Emergency, in some cases. In 1975, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency throughout the country—the “emergency” being that her political support was evaporating—and she pursued the sorts of “emergency” measures one would expect: She locked … Read more
IDF troops of the 769th Brigade uncovered underground tunnels belonging to the Iran-backed Lebanese terror group Hezbollah while operating in the Saluki area of southern Lebanon, the military said on Friday. Engineering troops examined the subterranean infrastructure before demolishing it. Inside a mosque, troops found a weapons storage facility, along with weapons loaded onto a … Read more
One of the advantages of finding myself in recent years without a political home is that I feel no temptation, let alone an obligation, to justify or minimize unsavory behavior from either side of the political aisle. My disenchantment with both the Republican and Democratic camps has its drawbacks, but one advantage is that it … Read more
Paul Ingrassia is President Trump’s new liaison to the Department of Justice. In April 2023, between Trump’s administrations, he wrote, “Without Trump, Putin is the most powerful leader in the international arena standing up for traditional Christianity and Western values — and it’s not even close.” This is a common line of thought in America. … Read more
The riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was a national disgrace. It was also a crime. Protesters physically forced Congress to adjourn its constitutionally mandated joint session and evacuate the building. There were assaults on police, theft, and an estimated $2.88 million in damage to property. A dozen police officers spent months recovering … Read more
“It concerns me in terms of what kind of precedent it sets and how the rest of the world looks [at] us as a nation of laws.” So said President-elect Joe Biden in 2020, responding to rumors that Donald Trump planned to issue preemptive pardons of himself, members of his family, Bombay Sapphire Nosferatu Rudy … Read more
Societal opinions often change slowly, but occasionally they shift rather quickly. Gambling is a good example of a relatively rapid shift. People have always gambled, but it was done more quietly. How many movies do we have about underground gambling rings? There was something slightly unseemly about gambling, or at least talking all the time … Read more
Yesterday, I celebrated Biden’s exit from Washington. We have 50-plus years of evidence showing he is a corrupt, big-government mediocrity. Good riddance. But Biden being bad does not imply Trump being good. Instead, he’s an incoherent mix. Some of his policies are good and some are bad. In today’s column, I’m going to outline my … Read more
In the last days of the Biden presidency, with the media focused on Senate hearings for Donald Trump’s second-term cabinet, now is a good time to recall just how historically inept Joe Biden’s cabinet members have been. Secretary of the Treasury Janet “the inflation is only transitory” Yellen, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro “the border … Read more
How ADHD became the luxury malady of the anxious upper classes. What a coincidence that it’s always the most irritating people who get diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Sue Perkins, Jamie Oliver, Owen Jones – the list of celebs who have this trendy malady reads like a roll-call of people you’d flee a … Read more
Only hours after a possible ceasefire deal was announced between Israel and Hamas, Khalil al Hayya, chairman of the terrorist organization, declared victory, contending that the mass murder of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, would “forever be a source of pride for our people.” Speaking from the safety of Qatar, Hayya didn’t express a … Read more
Corporate cronyism is bad all the time. Long before “woke” and “DEI” entered the mainstream political lexicon, I’ve been complaining about businesses tailoring their policies to win favor from Washington and about Washington trying to force ideological priorities on businesses. I started writing my first book to rail against precisely this sort of corporatism. Lander … Read more