Prospect

Quinn Slobodian’s new book shimmers with libertarian dreams but fails to demonstrate that zones are splintering national governments.

Today on TAP: Biden’s achievements are significant, but don’t provide the kind of direct individual aid that people actually notice.

Drug patents are supposed to expire in 20 years. Thanks to legal trickery, though, it usually takes a lot longer than that.

In 2021, Congress issued grants to stabilize the child care system. Now the money is about to run out.

The Netflix series ‘Transatlantic,’ on the 1940-1941 rescue of refugees from Marseille, is well worth watching, and contrasting with the shameful neglect of refugees in 2023.

Today on TAP: Rep. Pramila Jayapal explains why the Fiscal Responsibility Act puts Democrats in a difficult position.

Black and Latino borrowers are more likely to get trapped in cycles of debt, because they have few other options for dealing with structural poverty.

In our final X-Date, we note how Congress is already scheming to avoid restrictions on military spending.

Last Thursday, the Supremes ruled against a union of cement-mixer drivers—but their very odd decision could have been lots worse for American workers.

Today on TAP: Why does the mainstream media keep depicting lunatic-right Republicans and normal Democrats as equidistant from the center?

The Fiscal Responsibility Act approved several items on fossil fuel industry wish lists, with nothing for renewable energy. That kills leverage for a broader deal.

Through a ‘tribal justice’ front group, the infrastructure arm of the California and Texas utility owner has lobbied for gas exports that could raise prices for its own customers.

Two new books call ‘private equity’ what it actually is, but neither offers much hope for emancipation from our eternal hostile takeover.

Tragedy + Tragedy + Tragedy + Tragedy …

Today on TAP: More Democrats than Republicans voted for the Biden-McCarthy deal. Here’s why.

David Dayen explains what’s in this thing.

Gov. Wes Moore’s credibility in the largest city in Maryland rides on building a light-rail line long blocked by racist fears.

A review of Chegg, an online education tutor that’s threatened by ChatGPT, suggests that a bigger problem than AI is what we allow businesses to get away with.

Hollowing out government capacity and leveraging executive power to harm political enemies is at the heart of the Trump-DeSantis project. Will we hear about that?

Advocates question whether new enrollees will pour into the food assistance program, given bureaucratic barriers and no additional resources for caseworkers and agencies.