John Stossel

COVID-19 deaths are up. Politicians tell us to wear masks and get vaccinated. Amid the fear, I'm surprised that we haven't heard more about two drugs that could make COVID-19 much less of a threat. In blind tests, Pfizer's Paxlovid was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization and death by 89%! It was so effective that Pfizer was advised to stop the tests. “They halted the clinical trials!”…

People want “public” rather than “private.” Public is ... free, right? Wide open. Sharing. Available to everyone. All good things. “Private” is ... selfish, closed, for the rich. Clearly, public must be better. But then why do the words “public toilet” make me cringe? I think: dirty, smelly, ugly, maybe dangerous. Lots of people think that. I know because I watch tourists stare at the long…

I've reported how Facebook censors me. Now I've learned that they also censor environmentalist Michael Shellenberger, statistician Bjorn Lomborg and former New York Times columnist John Tierney. Facebook's “fact-checkers” claim we spread “misinformation.” In my new video, Tierney argues that the “people guilty of spreading misinformation are Facebook and its fact-checkers.” He's right…

“Why does Louisiana have the right to stop me from doing what I love to do?” asks Ursula Newell-Davis in my new video. Newell-Davis has helped people. She's a social worker who's worked with kids with special needs for 20 years. She's really good at it. “She helped teach me how to talk to people,” says Kamal, who never had friends before. His mother adds, “She explained to me things that I…

As Virginia's gubernatorial election drew to a close last week, Democrat Terry McAuliffe brought in teachers union president Randi Weingarten. He thought that would help? I suppose he, like many progressives, believes everyone thinks the way he does. “I'm not going to let parents come into schools and ... make their own decisions,” he'd said. “I don't think parents should be telling schools…

Democrats say President Joe Biden won "a strong mandate." His government can do all sorts of good things! I don't believe he has a mandate, but thanks to the selfishness of former President Donald Trump, Democrats control Congress, and that may give them power to shove their worst ideas down our throats. Those include: No. 1: Hate speech laws, No. 2: Expanding the Supreme Court, No. 3: Gun…

There's so much negative news these days. I was glad to see that a new podcast, “American Optimist,” features good things that are coming. It's hosted by Palantir founder and venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale. He interviews entrepreneurs like Sal Churi, who funds companies like Icon, which found a way to 3D print homes in just one day. The process is cool to watch. You can see it in my new video…

America remains bound by often extreme pandemic restrictions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends staying 6 feet away from others. In Oregon, everyone must wear a mask outdoors. In parts of the country, 2-year-olds must wear masks. Are such rules necessary? Recently, Denmark lifted all pandemic restrictions. "Go Denmark!" cheers George Mason University…

Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog Brewery, calls his business a "First Amendment brewery." That's because he keeps going to court to defend beer labels. It started in 1995, when Colorado's Liquor Commission objected to the label, "Good Beer, No S---." Bureaucrats told him, "Pull the beer from the market, or we suspend your license," he says in my new video. That could have put him out of business…

I just sued Facebook. I didn't want to sue. I hate lawsuits. I tried for a year to reach someone at Facebook to fix things, but Facebook wouldn't. Here's the problem: Facebook uses "independent fact-checkers" to try to reduce fake news on their site. That's a noble goal. Unfortunately, at least one Facebook "fact-checker" is a climate-alarmist group that cleverly uses its Facebook connections…

Today's politicians want to spend more on EVERYTHING: Amtrak subsidies, sports stadium subsidies, green energy subsidies, even fossil fuel subsidies ... President Joe Biden says the handouts will "put more money in your pocket." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims they will "protect the planet for the children." They might. But a disproportionate amount of the money will end up in the hands of…

Are you a racist? All white people are, says "White Fragility" author Robin DiAngelo. Race explains everything, says bestselling "How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi. "Every policy is either racist or anti-racist." Kendi's and DiAngelo's books are now recommended reading at schools, corporations and in the military. Both authors command high speaking fees. Isn't that good?…

Georgia (the ex-Soviet Republic, not the U.S. state) is now a remarkable success story. Its economy is growing at 5% per year, and the country ranks ahead of the United States in economic freedom. Yet, 20 years ago, Georgia was even more miserably poor than the rest of the former Soviet Union. So, what can America and the rest of the world learn from Georgia's progress? A lot, says my…

YouTube just froze Sen. Rand Paul's YouTube channel. That's just wrong. Small-minded. Counterproductive. YouTube says Paul violated their COVID-19 misinformation policy when he told an interviewer, “Most of the masks you get over the counter don't work ... virus particles are too small and go right through.” Paul didn't make that up. Properly worn N95 masks are effective, but two peer-reviewed…