It’s Monday, March 23. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Sam Harris talks to Coleman Hughes. Niall Ferguson and Aaron MacLean on the latest in Iran. Eli Lake on the death of Robert Mueller. Tyler Cowen cheers on the billionaires giving up the “Giving Pledge.” And much more.
But first: Olivia Reingold investigates the billion-dollar experiment in paying ex–gang members to keep the peace on Chicago’s streets.
This fall, a Chicago headline caught my eye: A man who had posed with Governor J.B. Pritzker at a “Peacekeepers” anti-violence event had just been charged with murder.
The man was part of a state-funded program designed to prevent gang violence by paying locals—often former gang members—to mediate conflicts on the street. About a week after appearing with the governor, prosecutors say, the man participated in a smash-and-grab robbery of a Louis Vuitton shop. In the chaotic getaway, another man was killed: Mark Carlo Arceta, whose son was born the next day without a father.
The story raised obvious questions: What exactly is a Peacekeeper? And how often do people in this program end up back in cuffs?
The local press quickly moved on. I started digging.
After three months of Freedom of Information Act requests, door-knocking, and speaking with ex–gang members, I answer those questions in today’s story.
The Peacekeepers program is just a single piece of an experiment in crime-fighting that has attracted around a billion dollars. It also is a program that a growing chorus of city leaders, law enforcement officials, and even one donor now say doesn’t work. One city alderman called it a “scam.” A member of the mayor’s own public safety team told me it is a “revolving door” for gang members.
Read my investigation, and watch our video report, on whether the Peacekeepers really keep the peace on Chicago’s streets.
—Olivia Reingold
While Congress argues over funding for immigration enforcement, 50,000 TSA officers are working without pay. With security lines out the door at airports across the country, a veteran officer of 23 years describes how the mounting strain on airport security puts us all at risk. In his firsthand account, he pleads with Congress not to leave people like him caught in the middle.
Soaring oil prices, Iranian minelayers, a standoff with U.S. allies over who will reopen the Strait of Hormuz: The war with Iran has seen a cascade of exactly the kinds of pitfalls you would have thought the U.S. hoped to avoid when it launched the strike. So: Did Trump miscalculate? That’s the question host Aaron MacLean and Free Press columnist Niall Ferguson tackle on the latest episode of the School of War podcast. Listen to their conversation about how we got here, and how we could get out.
“I’m glad he’s dead.” So said the president on the news of the passing of former FBI chief Robert Mueller this weekend. After a long and notable career, Mueller didn’t deserve Trump’s insults. But Eli Lake argues that Mueller tarnished his legacy by fumbling his most important investigation. Read Eli on how Mueller missed the chance to debunk the phony Trump-Russia scandal, and ended up discrediting the agency to which Mueller had devoted much of his life.
Billionaires are turning their back on the Giving Pledge. The promise to donate at least half of your wealth counts Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as signatories and was once all the rage amongst the super-rich. Not anymore. Tyler Cowen thinks that is good news. He lays out why in his column.
Philosopher and neuroscientist Sam Harris is one of the most provocative thinkers of our time. He’s also the latest guest on Conversations with Coleman. The host of the Making Sense podcast sat down with Coleman to discuss why he’s in favor of the Iran war but pessimistic about the chances of success. They also discuss Zionism and antisemitism, the Epstein files, and why Harris thinks the doomsday scenarios that many people view as implausible deserve more attention.
Over the weekend, the online prediction market Polymarket hosted a publicity stunt in Washington, D.C. Its “Situation Room” was supposed to be a kind of sports bar for “monitoring the situation.” Think sipping a beer while tracking the price of a barrel of oil. We sent Nicholas Clairmont to report on the scene—only for technical difficulties to turn the event into Washington’s equivalent of the Fyre Festival. Read Nicholas’ report on what happened when there were no monitors on which to monitor the situation.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS
THE NEWS
On Saturday night, President Trump said on Truth Social he would give Iran 48 hours to “FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz,” or else the U.S. would “hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS.” Meanwhile, European leaders are sounding the alarm after an Iranian missile aimed at a U.S.-UK base 2,500 miles away signaled that the regime has the capability to attack major European cities.
The Senate narrowly rejected a measure that would have banned transgender athletes in women’s sports. The proposed amendment to Title IX required 60 votes and failed along party lines, with 49 Republicans in favor and 41 Democrats opposed.
Last week, President Trump said he thought he’d have “the honor of taking Cuba.” This week, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister shot back on Meet the Press that his country “would not accept to become a vassal state or a dependent state.” The nation is currently in its second nationwide blackout in a week amid a fuel shortage. Meanwhile, far-left activists from Code Pink and podcaster Hasan Piker visited Cuba to paint a friendship mural.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in a case about whether mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but arrive after polls close can still be counted. A 5th Circuit panel previously ruled that “election day” refers to the day the ballot must be in the hands of officials, striking down a Mississippi law that allows ballots to be counted if received within five business days.
Switzerland has blocked new arms sales to the U.S., citing a long-standing policy of neutrality toward countries involved in armed conflict. In 2025, the U.S. bought $120 million of military goods from Switzerland, including guns used by the military and law enforcement agencies.
I can't believe the Senate still failed on the "transgender athletes" act. Will these people never give up their twisted view of reality that has been hurting us so badly over the last few years? Is their nonsense now written in stone, and all we have left is to live with it? Please stop the lies. They're killing us.
While ballistic missiles from Iran can now reach the UK, apparently Starmer said that he doesn't think that the UK was the reason the Iranians attacked Diego Garcia. So there is nothing he needs to do. How did the UK go from "WW2 and the stiff upper lip" to that spineless useless pathetic weasel? It is quite the cautionary tale.
So the ChiCom funded antisemitic antidemocracy antiAmerican Islamo-fascist lovers of Code Pink and Hasan Piker went and stayed at a 5 star luxury hotel in Havana that has electricity, food and aircon, while the average Cuban has none of these things. And this is to show support for whom exactly?
So Switzerland won't sell us guns. Boohoo...Ok. I am pretty sure the US military can find alternatives. Maybe an American gun manufacturer? I believe there are still a few of those. Funny that the US military spent money on Swiss guns but we require Israel to buy only American products with their US military grant. Maybe we should require the same of our Pentagon. ...Just a thought....