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Science, Tylenol and Autism
When claims are made that one of the most widely used medications during pregnancy may cause autism, the public understandably pays attention. Scientists, healthcare professionals, and even judges, however, must ask: What does the evidence actually show? That question is now before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. The court is re
SAVE Act isn't about voter ID. It's fodder for conspiracy theorists
The political furor of the moment is over the SAVE America Act, or the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.” Based on that title, you would think that the bill is about voting. And it started out that way, with a requirement to show photo ID to vote in federal elections (the federal government can’t regulate state and local elections). Voter ID is an 8
The SAVE Act and Our Toxic Politics
The political furor of the moment is over the SAVE Act, or the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act.” Based on that title, you would think that the bill is about voting. And it started out that way, with a voter ID requirement for federal elections. Voter ID is an 80-20 issue. Republicans, who have been championing voter ID for two decades, have won the
Both Yes and No on Intermediary Liability
This week courts have given us two different and contradictory verdicts about intermediary liability. In a case going all the way back to 2018, Cox Communications, the cable and broadband company, was accused of failing to live up to its legal obligation to limit music piracy. To simplify, Cox had an obligation to cancel the accounts of users who had been wa
Previewing the Birthright Citizenship Argument (and IPI's Renewing America 250 Project)
On Wednesday, April 1, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on President Trump’s attempt to change birthright citizenship policy through executive order. We’ll be listening to the oral arguments here , and so can you. There are two issues. The first is the procedural question: Can a president change the interpretation and application of the Constitutio
The Obligatory Tax Day TaxByte
Random observations on this most ominous of days—Tax Day. So much for broader, flatter, simpler. President Trump’s (and Congress’) 2017 tax reform included significant simplification of the tax code, lowering rates and broadening and flattening the base. All that was great. But the 2025 tax bill backslid on 2017. Free-market tax philosophy since 1980 has str
Trump Can Secure a Big Win for Air Travel
The Trump administration has reworked the $42 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program with an eye toward greater efficiency and less top-down regulation. As a result, states are projected to come in roughly $21 billion under budget on broadband deployment. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is actively soliciting
The Dignity Act Is not Amnesty -- History Proves It
Every few years, some brave souls in Congress propose immigration reform — and every time it happens, critics react with the same knee-jerk accusation: “ Amnesty !” But this radioactive charge is inaccurate when lobbed against the Dignity Act (H.R. 4393), a bipartisan proposal that gives Congress a chance to do what it seems to have forgotten how to do — leg
Europe's Rules Could Cost America the AI Race
The ability of Americans to engage freely and fairly in international commerce is a critical element in the American economy. Since our founding, the United States has leveraged our rich natural resources and our unique ingenuity to compete globally. But our continued ability to compete is now under direct threat from the European Union (EU). The EU is attem
Don't Railway Safety Act My Surface Transportation Reauthorization
Every five- or six-years Congress must reauthorize the major federal surface transportation programs, including rail, highways and infrastructure, public transit and major transportation safety programs. And 2026 is the next reauthorization deadline. The last reauthorization was the bloated “infrastructure bill” passed in 2021 during the Biden administration
Trump's Housing Agenda Depends on Fixing the Senate's Mistake
Aspirational Americans are being priced out of homes . A recent poll found that 65% of Americans believe they will not be able to purchase a home “in the foreseeable future.” Singles who want to put down roots and families who want to grow are growing discouraged about their prospects. So when the Senate passed a bipartisan housing bill 89-10 in March, there
Careening Toward Fiscal Disaster
A deeply troubling threshold has been crossed. In recent weeks, the national debt (debt held by the public) of the United States has exceeded our gross domestic product (GDP) . In other words, we owe more than we produce. This is the first time since World War II that national debt has exceeded GDP. I’m guessing you haven’t heard anything about it, since nei
It's Hopeless to Fight Fraud in a Ginormous Government
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about government benefits fraud, and the Trump administration has appointed Vice President J.D. Vance to head a new “White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.” Government benefits fraud is an enormous problem. It plagues all federal benefits programs to one degree or another, like Medicare and Medicaid, Obamacare, Social Secu