Libertarian Reporting for 2026-05-05
Today’s news coverage from libertarian media sources.
Pay Day: Learn Who Cashed In When Trump Went to War
Donald Trump campaigned on ending forever wars. He said so in rallies, in debates, in interviews, repeatedly and without ambiguity. The MAGA base that swept him back to the White House believed him. O...
The Libertarian Institute
May 4, 2026 - libertarianinstitute.org
How a Bill Banning AI Companions for Kids Could Usher in Widespread ID Checks Online
Plus: Supreme Court pauses ban on mail-order abortion pills, TikTok's artistic merit, a defense of pickup artists, and more...
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Justice Neil Gorsuch: 'Aspirations for Power Need To Be Checked'
The Supreme Court justice discusses the Declaration of Independence, how unchecked power threatens liberty, and what the Founders can teach future generations.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Some Links
TweetThe Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal decries the consequences of Lina Khan & Co.’s “neobrandeisian” revival of highly interventionist antitrust. A slice: Recall how Timothy Wu, Jonathan...
Cafe Hayek
May 4, 2026 - cafehayek.com
Trump's New European Car Tariffs Demonstrate Why His 'Deals' Are Worthless
A trade deal that can be terminated by one person at any time and for any reason isn't really a trade deal at all.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
The week in regulations: Marine terminal fires and marijuana rescheduling
The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, and outgoing Chairman Jerome Powell will remain on the Fed’s Board of Governors when Kevin Warsh takes over. GDP rebounded to 2 percent growth in the fi...
Blog Posts Archive - Competitive Enterprise Institute
May 4, 2026 - cei.org
How Bad Facts Make Good First Amendment Law
Jay Near was a hateful man whose litigation set a vital precedent for free speech.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Tariffs blunt positive impacts of tax cuts
Phil Gramm and Michael Solon examine the interplay between tariffs and tax cuts. Republicans are counting on voters being pleasantly surprised by larger-than-expected tax refunds this spring thanks to...
John Locke Foundation
May 4, 2026 - johnlocke.org
Project Freedom
Plus: Rudy Giuliani hospitalized, rules relaxed for foreign physicians, cities without children, and more...
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
AI Companies Learn the Word No
Some of the people building AI have started acting like it might be dangerous.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Open Letter: North Carolina Should Reclaim the NCInnovation Endowment
This letter was sent to members of the North Carolina Senate on April 30, 2026. Dear Senator, On behalf of the John Locke Foundation, I urge the Senate to support reclaiming the taxpayer-funded NCInno...
John Locke Foundation
May 4, 2026 - johnlocke.org
The Kyle Anzalone Show with Dave DeCamp: The Ceasefire Is Dying, Israel Waits for Trump’s Greenlight to Restart War
Trump is posting like the Strait of Hormuz is a light switch he controls, but the shipping data, tanker seizures, and oil price spikes point to something far more dangerous: a grinding maritime confro...
The Libertarian Institute
May 4, 2026 - libertarianinstitute.org
A Key Difference Between Trump and Milei
The presidents of the United States and Argentina are political allies, but that does not mean they share the same views on all issues. The biggest difference is probably that Javier Milei is an arden...
International Liberty
May 4, 2026 - danieljmitchell.wordpress.com
Condemning Nicotine Pouches, Trump's Surgeon General Nominee Reveals Her Hostility to Harm Reduction
Nicole Saphier seems determined to obscure the health advantages of a much less hazardous alternative to cigarettes.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Just "Felonious Peccadillos"; I'm "Overqualified for Oklahoma"; Bar Association, "Bring It on Bitch": Surprisingly Ineffective in Fighting Disbarment
Some excerpts from the long opinion in State ex rel. Oklahoma Bar Ass'n v. Barlean, decided Tuesday by the Oklahoma… The post Just "Felonious Peccadillos"; I'm "Overqualified for Oklahoma"; Bar Associ...
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Seattle's Socialist Mayor Laughs at Wealthy Residents Leaving To Escape High Taxes
“Bye!” Mayor Katie Wilson says with a wave to those who want out.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Highway robbery in plain sight and how to fix the Highway Trust Fund
Established to provide a dedicated, user-financed stream for highway investment, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was once a model of fiscal alignment between revenue and spending. That alignment has take...
Blog Posts Archive - Competitive Enterprise Institute
May 4, 2026 - cei.org
The Little Red Hen goes digital: No data centers, no internet
The politics of data centers increasingly resemble the fable of The Little Red Hen. Everyone wants the bread — AI, cloud computing, streaming, financial markets that clear in milliseconds — but fewer ...
Blog Posts Archive - Competitive Enterprise Institute
May 4, 2026 - cei.org
The Bureaucratization of Assisted Suicide
Across the West, the most final act a state can authorize is being routed through the least solemn of its institutions.
Law & Liberty
May 4, 2026 - lawliberty.org
Justice Alito Enters Administrative Stay of Mifepristone Order
The Court responds to the mifepristone shadow docket filings.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Posting Video of 10-Year-Old Hockey Player's "Tantrum" Isn't Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
In Mufarreh v. Google, Inc., decided Friday by the Illinois Appellate Court (Justice Raymond Mitchell, joined by Justices Sharon Oden-Johnson… The post Posting Video of 10-Year-Old Hockey Player's "Ta...
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Mifepristone Returns to the Shadow Docket
Drug makers seek interim relief after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocks FDA rule allowing mifepristone prescriptions via telemedicine.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Focusing needed attention on the demands of wartime mobilization
Todd Harrison explores the demands associated with wartime mobilization. Recent wars have exposed a reality that peacetime defense planning often understates: Stockpiles are finite, production does no...
John Locke Foundation
May 4, 2026 - johnlocke.org
Ron Paul asks Is ‘Project Freedom’ Just Another Trump Scam?
On today’s Ron Paul Liberty Report: As gas prices continue to skyrocket in the US, President Trump has rolled out a new product, Project Freedom, which he claims will open up the Strait of Hormuz. Dub...
Antiwar.com Blog
May 4, 2026 - antiwar.com
Exposing flaws in ‘climate economics’
Roger Pielke writes about the faulty research behind climate alarmism. The scientific journal Nature in December retracted one of the most influential climate economics papers of the past decade. The ...
John Locke Foundation
May 4, 2026 - johnlocke.org
The Myth of “Voluntary” ESG
Despite the “vibe shift” since 2024, ESG policies still undermine the American financial system.
Law & Liberty
May 4, 2026 - lawliberty.org
Michael Auslin Guest-Blogging This Week About "National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America"
I'm delighted to report that Michael Auslin, a Distinguished Research Fellow here at Hoover, will be guest-blogging this week about… The post Michael Auslin Guest-Blogging This Week About "National Tr...
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
Today in Supreme Court History: May 4, 1942
5/4/1942: Wickard v. Filburn argued. The post Today in Supreme Court History: May 4, 1942 appeared first on Reason.com.
Reason.com
May 4, 2026 - reason.com
The Jim Webb Podcast Launches Nationwide
The Jim Webb Podcast, a new daily podcast focused on war, foreign policy, freedom, personal liberty, and global power dynamics, officially launches nationwide May 4, 2026. Hosted by James R. Webb, a t...
Antiwar.com Blog
May 4, 2026 - antiwar.com
Trump’s New War Powers Workaround – Will It Pay Off?
Will Congress buy Trump's War Powers explanation? It may not matter.
Main Feed
May 4, 2026 - libertynation.com
Democrats and the Affordability Mirage
The platform, dubbed the New Affordability Agenda, is modeled after the Contract With America that Newt Gingrich and Republicans released during their road to victory in the 1994 midterm elections.
Main Feed
May 4, 2026 - libertynation.com
Want to Cut Taxes? Reduce Government Spending.
Politicians love to claim they are cutting taxes all the while running up ruinous debts and deficits. If they wish to get serious about cutting taxes, they first need to cut spending.
Mises Institute
May 4, 2026 - mises.org
How Government Debt Reshapes the Economy
The system does not break all at once; it wears down slowly, through a steady loss of purchasing power that households are already beginning to feel.
Mises Institute
May 4, 2026 - mises.org
From Ma Bell to FaceTime: Why the next Telecom Act must embrace innovation over regulation
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Telecom Act), a landmark law that Congress is considering updating. Lawmakers should begin with a clear-eyed assessment of what...
Blog Posts Archive - Competitive Enterprise Institute
May 4, 2026 - cei.org
Recent Books on the Constitution
My seminar picks for 2026 (and every year since 2005)
Reason.com
May 3, 2026 - reason.com
How European Libertarians Differ From American Ones [Updated]
As I saw at a recent conference, the two groups are similar in many ways. But there are a few notable differences.
Reason.com
May 3, 2026 - reason.com
LibertyCon 2026: Europe’s Liberty Movement Comes to Spain
After 6 years, LibertyCon Europe returned to Madrid, with the event’s fourteenth edition on April 24-26. The last time Students For Liberty’s largest annual conference took place in Spain, it was 2020...
Blog - Students For Liberty
May 3, 2026 - studentsforliberty.org
Jacob Mchangama & Jeff Kosseff Guest-Blogging About "The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy's Most Essential Freedom"
I'm delighted to report that Profs. Jacob Mchangama (Vanderbilt) & Jeff Kosseff (Naval Academy, moving this year to Minnesota) will… The post Jacob Mchangama & Jeff Kosseff Guest-Blogging About "The F...
Reason.com
May 3, 2026 - reason.com
Our Coblogger Stewart Baker Has Died
It grieves me to report that our coblogger, and my friend, Stewart Baker died suddenly a few days ago at… The post Our Coblogger Stewart Baker Has Died appeared first on Reason.com.
Reason.com
May 3, 2026 - reason.com
Civilians Across the Middle East React to the Iran War: 'A Fear That Settles in Your Heart'
"Now they are hitting everything. Nowhere is safe. But don't worry, we are okay," one Iranian woman texted her American relative.
Reason.com
May 3, 2026 - reason.com
Exit Now: IP: The Property That Isn’t
In comments I suggested: IP is Not “Not Property” Intellectual Property Rights as Negative Servitudes “Conversation with an author about copyright and publishing in a free society” IP: The Property Th...
C4SIF.org
May 3, 2026 - c4sif.org
The Left Should Love Data Centers
What’s the deal with leftists hating data centers? I don’t get it. The post The Left Should Love Data Centers appeared first on Free the People.
Free the People
May 3, 2026 - freethepeople.org
4/30/26 Larry Johnson on Trump’s Tenuous Ceasefire with Iran
Download Audio. Scott interviews Larry Johnson about where things stand with Trump’s war on Iran. The two dig into the cards each side holds as this ceasefire limps along, reflect on the troubling lac...
The Libertarian Institute
May 3, 2026 - libertarianinstitute.org
US, Israel Reject Hamas Proposal to Disarm in Exchange for Palestinian Statehood
The US and Israel have rejected a peace proposal from Hamas that would see the Palestinian group disarm in the process of the creation of an independent Palestinian state. A senior Palestinian source...
The Libertarian Institute
May 3, 2026 - libertarianinstitute.org
Today in Supreme Court History: May 3, 1802
5/3/1802: Washington D.C. incorporated as the capital of the United States. Article I, Section 8 empowers Congress to "To exercise… The post Today in Supreme Court History: May 3, 1802 appeared first ...
Reason.com
May 3, 2026 - reason.com
China Shock 2.0 vs. China Shock 1.0
TweetThis post by Oxford economist J. Zachary Mazlish is very good; I encourage you to read it. (HT David Levey) Nevertheless, there are two points that I think to be worth making in response to Mazli...
Cafe Hayek
May 3, 2026 - cafehayek.com
Trump Renews Call for Israel to Give Netanyahu a Pardon
President Donald Trump is ramping up pressure on Tel Aviv to grant a pardon to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader is battling multiple corruption charges. Trump told the Is...
The Libertarian Institute
May 3, 2026 - libertarianinstitute.org
As US Operation in Iran Passed 60 Days, Trump Reiterated Cuba Is �Next�
President Donald Trump on Friday expanded US sanctions on Cuba’s regime, signaling the island nation is still very much on his mind.
Main Feed
May 3, 2026 - libertynation.com
Kill Switch Law Ushers in New Level of Surveillance in Your Car
But a new law passed in the Biden era, which has yet to take effect, will usher in a whole new level of intrusion with a kill switch inside your car.
Main Feed
May 3, 2026 - libertynation.com
From the Back Forty: The King Is Making Sense
Trump and Charles III - two kings in a castle?
Main Feed
May 3, 2026 - libertynation.com
Statism in Five Images
I had two columns mocking statism last year (here and here), so it’s time to augment our collection. Let’s start with this cartoon that could be considered a visual depiction of Mitchell’s Law. Our ne...