Policy ideas only matter when they move beyond the page. At R Street, that is already happening. Our scholars are shaping conversations on the issues in front of lawmakers, staff, regulators, and civic leaders right now, from technology and energy to criminal justice, governance, and public health. The work is not sitting on a shelf. It is reaching the people making decisions, informing debate, and helping turn serious research into real-world impact. That is the value of investing in ideas that actually travel. @realPOTUS2040 @AdamThierer @courtneyatlas @LoganSeacrest

Ohio’s violent crime rate sits below the national average. That is good news. But the state’s clearance rates for serious violent crimes remain far too low. Public safety is not just about reducing crime. It is also about solving crime. More from @IamAcop_Jill: bit.ly/43VgAHF

Policymakers cannot claim that adversaries pose grave national security threats while simultaneously making it easier for those same adversaries to profit from energy markets. That contradiction weakens http://U.S. leverage and emboldens bad actors. Read @PCRossetti: bit.ly/4ons8gu

Adults using non-tobacco-flavored ENDS had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.9 for making a quit attempt and 1.7 for achieving quit success compared with nonusers. Among frequent users of non-tobacco flavors, the adjusted odds ratio for quit success rose to 4.0. Flavor is not cosmetic here. It is functional. 🔗 Read the full comment by Jeffrey S. Smith here: bit.ly/4eNIzQt

Sanctions are only as strong as the credibility behind them. If the United States imposes energy sanctions one year and relaxes them the next because prices are painful, adversaries learn an obvious lesson: just wait us out. More from @PCRossetti: bit.ly/4oj45ir

The evidence for problem-oriented policing is strong. A systematic review of 34 studies found a 33.8 percent reduction in crime and disorder relative to controls, with 31 of the 34 studies favoring treatment. That is a serious result, especially given the limited displacement and some diffusion of benefits. 🔗 Read the full piece by @IamAcop_Jill here: bit.ly/4eI56OC

In 2022, 7 in 10 violent crimes reported to police in Ohio were not cleared. That is not just a statistic. It means victims are left waiting for justice and communities are left wondering whether the system can deliver. @IamAcop_Jill on how Ohio can do better: bit.ly/4ekH5LI

Teen takeovers are chaotic, dangerous and impossible for cities to ignore. But dragging parents into court is not a serious public safety strategy. It is a political shortcut. The real question is not whether cities should respond. They must. The question is whether the response actually prevents the next takeover. That means targeting the behavior, interrupting the cycle, limiting the online fuel that turns disorder into spectacle and giving young people something better to do before the streets become the stage. Public safety requires more than punishment after the fact. It requires a plan that works. @LoganSeacrest explains more!

AI is too important to be controlled by government. Whether it comes through outright nationalization, equity stakes or forced “partnerships,” government control would politicize AI and weaken the very innovation that made America a technology leader. Read @AdamThierer: bit.ly/43JzUI5

If the products most helpful to adult smokers remain difficult to approve, expensive to buy, or politically vulnerable to reversal, then the public health upside of authorization will remain smaller than it should be. What matters now is whether policy follows through. 🔗 Read more here: bit.ly/4wFupr4

The central policy problem is that the flavors most appealing to youth are also often the flavors most effective for adults trying to quit smoking. Treating fruit, candy, and sweet flavors as if they are only a youth-risk issue ignores the role they play in adult switching. 🔗 Read the full comment by Jeffrey S. Smith here: bit.ly/431B3tV

Government taking stakes in AI companies is not “oversight.” It is a step toward state control of one of the most important technologies of our time. America should lead in AI by encouraging innovation, competition and freedom—not by nationalizing the future. @AdamThierer explains: bit.ly/43qd08g

here is @RSI response from @JGWithrow & me regarding the AI legislative grand compromise being considered that would trade a bit of preemption for several unconstitutional federal online safety bills. Such a deal must be rejected.

Problem-oriented policing treats the problem itself as the unit of police work. That can mean combining enforcement with code enforcement, better lighting, landlord accountability, environmental redesign, or social services. The goal is not just response. It is changing the conditions that keep generating harm. 🔗 Read the full piece by @IamAcop_Jill here: bit.ly/4wkDK7j

Energy policy is national security policy. When America eases sanctions on adversaries whenever energy prices rise, it sends a dangerous message: pressure campaigns only last until they become politically inconvenient. @PCRossetti explains: bit.ly/4xj2LAg

Since 2021, Ohio has invested more than $87 million in violent crime reduction grants. That is a serious investment. But spending money is not the same as knowing whether those dollars are working. @IamAcop_Jill makes the case for stronger reporting, evaluation and accountability. Read more: bit.ly/4xjXYyv

Here's why anti-jawboning legislation is desperately needed: “Four Simple Reforms to Address Government Jawboning and Protect Speech" by @SpenceKjell & me via @RSI: rstreet.org/commentary/four-…

A flavored-vape authorization is a sign that the FDA is moving a little closer to the evidence on adult smoking cessation. But unless that shift becomes a stable and predictable regulatory standard, the market will still operate under deep uncertainty and smokers will still face limited legal options. 🔗 Read more here: bit.ly/43u4Vzr

Bad ideas never die in Washington DC: everyone's favorite bill to punish Big Tech for making conveniently integrated products that consumers love to use has, somehow, returned. My statement about it is up on R Street's website:

Following common congressional tradition, this deeply flawed bill’s name has one implication, but it would do the exact opposite of what it claims. New statement from @RSI’s @JGWithrow. ⬇️

Another rigorous trial found quit rates of 18.0 percent for e-cigarettes versus 9.9 percent for nicotine replacement therapy at one year. That is not a small edge. It is close to twice as effective, which is exactly why access to the most effective products matters so much. 🔗 Read the full comment by Jeffrey S. Smith here: bit.ly/4d6wyUR