Caitlin Cory

Caitlin Cory is the Communications Coordinator for Discovery Institute. She writes for Discovery’s Fix Homelessness initiative and has previously written about Big Tech and its impact on human freedom. Caitlin grew up in the Pacific Northwest, graduated from Liberty University in 2017 with her Bachelor's in Politics and Policy, and now lives in Maryland with her husband.

Archives

JD Vance Is Right: American Homelessness Is “Third World”

_{Caitlin Cory
July 30, 2026}

This month on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Vice President JD Vance discussed Israel, Jeffrey Epstein, and aliens, topics that have lit up public conversation. Largely overlooked, however, were his thought-provoking remarks about America’s homelessness crisis, which highlight the harmful results of present policies in some of our largest cities and the need to enact new policies that prioritize restoring lives. Vance recalled attending an office Christmas party near Skid Row, the notorious 50-block area in downtown Los Angeles overcome by homelessness, illicit drug use, and crime. He described armed security and “gigantic walls” protecting the party. He told Joe Rogan that it reminded him of visiting the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. “Crazy …

The Cities Hiding Homelessness for the World Cup

_{Caitlin Cory
July 10, 2026}

The final FIFA World Cup game hosted in Seattle ended in the disappointing loss of the United States to Belgium. But for Seattle, a city so overcome by drug addiction, mental illness, and street-level homelessness, the weeks-long event was a smashing success. Downtown sparkled as it welcomed visitors from around the world for the six games it hosted at Lumen Field, rebranded Seattle Stadium for the tournament. In addition to exciting games, soccer fans enjoyed a city with noticeably cleaner streets and few visible signs of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness that are familiar to residents. But this is not what long-term success looks like. Mayor Katie Wilson and her team did not clean up the city. They simply moved the problem elsewhere, like a child shoving his …

HUD Secretary Champions Efforts to Treat Root Causes of Homelessness

_{Caitlin Cory
December 19, 2025}

On December 16, HUD Secretary Scott Turner toured facilities at the Helping Up Mission in Baltimore, Maryland, a faith-based organization serving the homeless for 140 years. This visit was part of a larger tour in which Turner will visit facilities that are successfully helping people transition from homelessness to self-sustained living as HUD reexamines its approach to homelessness. Yesterday, @SecretaryTurner joined Helping Up Mission in Baltimore to see how the organization is serving the most vulnerable on Baltimore’s streets.Helping Up Mission assists their homeless neighbors by going into the roughest neighborhoods in Greater Baltimore, offering meals… pic.twitter.com/phnHoI8MF7— Department of Housing and Urban Development (@HUDgov) December 17, 2025 WMAR 2 News …

Are Human Beings Machines? Surgeon and Historian Go Head-to-Head

_{At COSM 2025, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and Skeptic Magazine editor Michael Shermer faced off on some of the most critical questions of our lives}_{Caitlin Cory
November 24, 2025}

Egnor says there is massive evidence that the mind is not simply what the brain does but Shermer insists that it is all unexplained natural phenomena.

Educating the Tech Workforce: A Powerhouse Panel

_{Former Arizona governor Doug Ducey introduced statewide school choice and since then, sixteen states have followed suit}_{Caitlin Cory
November 20, 2025}

Together, Ducey, Ingraham, and Clark made a robust and compelling case at COSM for education freedom, with Ducey framing it as a matter of fairness.

George Gilder: Wafer Scale Tech Will Have Smartphone’s Impact

_{However, in his COSM 2025 fireside chat with bestselling author Andrew Mayne, he conceded that it is a disruptive technology and many are hesitant to make the leap}_{Caitlin Cory
November 20, 2025}

Mayne noted that many college students today are more entrepreneurial-minded than in the past. They're turning their anxiety about the future into productivity.

Reforms to Involuntary Commitment Law Can Save Lives

_{Caitlin Cory
July 14, 2025}

In its 2026 state budget, New York is putting a concerted effort behind addressing severe mental illness by expanding its involuntary hospitalization law and increasing the number of psychiatric beds. Kendra’s Law, which allows the involuntary hospitalization of those with a mental illness who pose a threat to themselves or others, will now also allow the hospitalization of those who are unable to care for themselves because of their mental illness. Washington state would do well to follow New York’s example. In Washington state, involuntary hospitalizations are handled by designated crisis responders (DCRs) under the state’s Involuntary Treatment Act. DCRs determine whether the individual exhibiting a mental illness or substance use disorder is “in …

New York Governor is Right to Invest in Mental Illness Treatment

_{Caitlin Cory
June 30, 2025}

On April 28, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a $254 billion state budget for fiscal year 2026, which focuses heavily on improving the safety of New York City’s subway system. As part of this effort, the budget includes provisions to enforce laws and beef up police presence. But Governor Hochul’s budget also addresses a related issue: tackling homelessness and treating severe mental illness. The budget includes $25 million for “welcome centers” that will connect homeless and mentally ill people on the subway with essential services. An additional $16.5 million will be set aside for Assisted Outpatient Treatment, $2 million will go to staffing in the Office of Mental Health, and $160 million will create 100 inpatient psychiatric beds. Additionally, Kendra’s Law is being …

Final Release of COSM 2023 Videos!

_{The fourth and final tranche of COSM 2023 videos is now available.}_{Caitlin Cory
May 6, 2024}

The fourth and final tranche of COSM 2023 videos is now available — featuring topics such as how advances in artificial intelligence may affect automobile transportation, solutions to the vast amounts of energy artificial intelligence will require, and why we might be on the brink of seeing the most disruptive innovations the world has ever seen. If you weren’t able to attend, or perhaps you want to revisit some of your favorite speakers, take a look at our COSM 2023 playlist on YouTube! A few highlights of the recently released videos: Cathie Wood, CEO of Ark Invest, tells COSM 2023, “We are at the threshold of the most disruptive period for innovation that the world has ever seen.” She then goes into five different innovation platforms — public blockchain, multiomic …

COSM 2023 Now on YouTube!

_{COSM 2023 explored the nature of artificial intelligence, as well as its future potential and risks.}_{Caitlin Cory
April 9, 2024}

You can now watch the 2023 COSM Technology Summit on YouTube. If you weren’t able to attend, or perhaps you want to revisit some of your favorite speakers, we are now releasing the second tranche of videos for your enjoyment. Click here to go to the COSM 2023 Playlist on YouTube! COSM 2023 explored the nature of artificial intelligence, as well as its future potential and risks. Stephen Wolfram spoke about his efforts to make the world more computable so that computers can help us understand the world. Afterward, George Gilder and Bob Metcalfe joined him in a fascinating discussion about Turing machines, neural networks, and AI-driven language models. A panel featuring William Dembski, Robert Marks, and George Montanez offered three different views on the limits and …

Homelessness: A Profitable Business

_{Caitlin Cory
October 5, 2022}

James A. Brown III has turned sheltering the homeless into a lucrative business for himself, reaping more than $1 million a year in profits. By starting and managing his own security guard company, catering company, and management company — all of which service his shelters.

Musk Offers Twitter $41 Billion, Exciting Free Speech Advocates

_{Will Musk succeed in his effort to "unlock" Twitter's free speech potential?}_{Caitlin Cory
April 14, 2022}

News has moved fast since it was revealed last week that Elon Musk purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter. Since then, Musk was offered a seat on Twitter’s board, an offer he at first accepted, and then declined. Now, Musk has upped the ante by offering to buy Twitter for $41 billion. In his letter to the board, Musk referenced his desire to make Twitter “the platform for free speech around the globe,” and stated that he has the ability to “unlock” Twitter’s “extraordinary potential.” Here’s his full letter: Bret TaylorChairman of the Board,I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is a societal imperative for a functioning democracy.However, …

Pinterest Bans Climate Change “Misinformation”

_{Pinterest might be the first company to implement such a strict ban, but what if it's not the last?}_{Caitlin Cory
April 12, 2022}

Last week, Pinterest banned climate change misinformation from its platform, becoming the first major social media company to do so outright. The policy raises free speech concerns. Since not all scientists agree on the nature of climate change, what causes it, and what the solutions are, how is the issue to be discussed if alternate points of view are banned from public platforms? Image via AdobeStock Pinterest is an image-sharing social media site, where users share ideas that they can “pin” to their own boards on everything from recipes to interior design to fashion. On April 6, Pinterest announced their new climate misinformation policy, aimed at “remov content that may harm the public’s well-being, safety or trust.” As of the policy …

Dorsey Talks Decentralization and Musk Buys Twitter Share

_{Will this be the upset many free speech advocates hope it could be?}_{Caitlin Cory
April 5, 2022}

Last week, I wrote about the buzz around internet decentralization, especially as there appears to be talk at Twitter of moving in such a direction. The buzz continues, this time with vocal support from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, coinciding with a bold financial move from Elon Musk. On April 2, Dorsey reminisced on Twitter about the early, decentralized days of the Internet, and said that centralization “really damaged the internet. I realize I’m partially to blame, and regret it.” the days of usenet, irc, the web…even email (w PGP)…were amazing. centralizing discovery and identity into corporations really damaged the internet.I realize I'm partially to blame, and regret it.— jack (@jack) April 2, 2022 The problems of social media …

Could Decentralization Fix Twitter’s Censorship Problems?

_{Decentralization is not an automatic guarantee of internet freedom, but it may be a good first step}_{Caitlin Cory
March 30, 2022}

Twitter is considering decentralization according to a recent report from The New York Times. But what does decentralization mean, and how would it impact our experience with social media? Is this a solution to all the problems around censorship standards that Big Tech companies have faced in recent years? According to The New York Times, Twitter is following the early vision of a former employee named Blaine Cook by “funding an independent effort to build a so-called open protocol for social media. It is also weaving cryptocurrency into its app, and opening up to developers who want to build custom features for Twitter.” Kate Conger reports: Some skeptics believe Twitter is jumping on the web3 bandwagon, joining a trendy movement in tech to shift …

Generous Donation Gone to Waste on Bad Homelessness Policy

_{Robert Marbut and Caitlin Cory
March 28, 2022}

Seattle civic and business leaders have announced a $10 million collaborative effort to tackle the downtown chronic homelessness problem. “It’s the beginning of some good news,” Mayor Bruce Harrell declared when they announced the financial donation.

Most Cities’ Responses To Homelessness Actually Enable Even More Homelessness

_{Housing First fails because it doesn’t address root causes of homelessness: unaddressed mental illness and substance use disorders.}_{Robert Marbut and Caitlin Cory
March 18, 2022}

If policymakers want to be serious about truly alleviating the suffering of those experiencing homelessness and keeping their streets safe, they need to spend their money wisely on treatment-and-recovery approaches.

Meta Suspends Hate Speech Policy in Countries Near Russia

_{Hate speech and death threats against Russian and Belarusian political leaders and their militaries are temporarily allowed in twelve Eastern European countries}_{Caitlin Cory
March 11, 2022}

In a dramatic change of policy, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) will temporarily allow users of Facebook and Instagram in twelve countries to post hate speech and death threats directed toward Russian and Belarusian military personnel and political leaders within the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The change was first reported by Reuters on Thursday morning. A Meta spokesperson told Reuters, “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.” Calls for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian …

Former Homelessness Czar Sees Hope for the Future

_{Caitlin Cory
March 10, 2022}

I sat down with Dr. Robert Marbut, Jr., a renowned national consultant and the homelessness czar under former President Trump, to discuss why he is optimistic about the future of addressing homelessness with robust solutions.