How Trump Imperils Free Markets and Personal Liberties
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank provides a helpful summary, with a little help from me.
Economics
Defaming Businesses Doesn't Protect Consumers
If the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't have enough data to enact a rule, it shouldn't be making informal recommendations either.
Tariffs on Imports From Canada and Mexico Are Still a Terrible Idea
And an increasingly unpopular one. Will Trump pay attention to the polls, if not the economists?
Trump Promised To Lower Prices. Will Congress Help Him Deliver?
At the current rate of inflation, the dollar will lose 33 cents of purchasing power within a decade.
Interest Rates Are Falling—Thank Government Spending Cuts for That
Cuts to government spending mean fewer bonds, lower borrowing costs, and potentially a break for borrowers.
Why Do 36 Percent of Americans Have a Positive View of Socialism?
Socialism promises many things and claims to prioritize people over profits. But what people actually get is different.
Elon Musk, Who Supposedly Is Running DOGE, Is Not Officially in Charge of Anything
The presidential adviser's lack of formal authority complicates his cost-cutting mission.
Is the Jones Act Unconstitutional?
The law is wasteful and protectionist. Now, a new lawsuit argues that it is unconstitutional too.
The House GOP Budget Blueprint Promises More Borrowing, More Debt, and Not Enough Spending Cuts
"If the Republican budget passes, the deficit gets worse, not better," says Rep. Thomas Massie. He's right.
Trump's Love-Hate Relationship With Big Tech
If Trump wants to encourage domestic investment, his antitrust appointees should ditch their Big Tech prejudice.
Does Trump Want Lower Gas Prices or Oil Sanctions on Iran?
The Trump administration’s math on Middle Eastern energy supplies just doesn’t add up.
Florida Sues Target Over Trans Merchandise
Is Florida forgetting that the First Amendment applies there too?
The Sunny Side of Donald Trump's Power Grabs
The president is positioning himself to have much greater control over a smaller, enfeebled federal bureaucracy.
To Cut Government Spending, Trump Targets Pocket Change
The penny is expensive to produce and has long outlived its usefulness.
Meet the New FTC—Same as the Old FTC
Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson reaffirms the flawed 2023 merger guidelines.
Americans Say Government Is Corrupt and Inefficient but Are Lukewarm About DOGE
Democrats seem willing to tolerate a lot to get a larger government, but Republicans aren’t much better.
Meaningful Pentagon Cuts Will Require Rethinking What 'Defense' Means
If Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is serious about reducing military spending, he will need to embrace a narrower understanding of national security.
The New Republican Budget Plan Is Unserious
It tries to offset as much as $4.8 trillion—mostly for tax cut extensions—with only $1.5 trillion in supposed spending reductions.
TSMC May Acquire Fellow CHIPS Act Beneficiary Intel
Collectively, the two companies were promised more than $14 billion in government grants. Now, one is failing and may be partially acquired by the other.
In Defense of Dollar Stores
Critics say they ruin communities and peddle cheap goods, but dollar stores thrive because they offer convenience and low prices where options are scarce.
How To Recover From Debanking
Thousands of people have lost their bank accounts over "suspicious" activity. Here's what to do if it happens to you.
Rand Paul Wants DOGE To Build a $500 Billion Rescission Package for Congress To Approve
"The only way you get less waste is to give them less money to spend," says the libertarian-adjacent senator from Kentucky.
Jim O'Shaughnessy: Don't Squander This Age of Innovation
Wall Street legend Jim O’Shaughnessy discusses how to live well and innovate boldly during the age of Trump, Musk, and AI.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
How the CFPB's Medical Debt Rule Could Backfire
Scrubbing credit reports won’t erase debt—it will just make borrowing harder for low-income Americans.
The Weak, Weird Case Against a Supposed 'Orgasm Cult'
Snakes. Magic. Orgasmic meditation. And a dubious federal case against the leaders of a supposed sex cult.
Reciprocity Is a Misguided Response to U.S. Economic Strength
We do not need to copy Europe’s bad tax ideas.
Google Is Big. Does That Make It a Monopoly?
To understand the federal government's case against Google Search, you need to understand the different visions over monopoly and government power.
The 5 Worst Things About the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The agency—an unelected regulator with a blank check—has spent much of its short life making things harder for the consumers it set out to protect.
Lawsuit Over New Hampshire Donut Mural Heads to Trial
Conway, New Hampshire, is trying to make a local bakery take down a mural of colorful baked goods. The bakery says that violates its First Amendment rights.
200,000 Layoffs
Plus: Possible quid pro quo between the DOJ and Eric Adams, DEI in the federal government, and more...
Trump May Have To Grapple with Returning Inflation
Cutting government spending and calling off the trade war would be steps in the right direction.
Trump's 'Reciprocal' Tariffs Could Be Largest Tax Increase Since World War II
The specifics are still vague, but the White House is reportedly claiming that new tariffs will generate $1 trillion annually.
The Disappointing Results of Trump's 'Deferred Resignation' Plan Are Part of a Pattern
Elon Musk, the president's cost-cutting czar, has a habit of overpromising and underdelivering.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Elizabeth Warren's Hubris Allowed Trump To Defund the CFPB
Instead of isolating the CFPB from Congress' budget-making authority, Warren and former President Barack Obama made it easier for a president to effectively shut it down.
DOGE Is Good. It's Not Enough.
Even if the Department of Government Efficiency eliminates all improper payments and fraud, we'll still be facing a debt explosion—which requires structural reform.
Self-Interest Helps Everyone
Entrepreneurial greed is why we have iPhones, refrigerators, cars that usually work, supermarkets that stay open all night, and many of the things that make our lives better.
Elon Musk Implausibly Claims 'Competence and Caring' Can Cut the Federal Budget Deficit in Half
The DOGE director wildly exaggerates what can be accomplished by tackling "waste, fraud, and abuse" in government spending without new legislation.
Sean McMeekin: Don't Whitewash the History of Communism
Historian Sean McMeekin dissects how communism has enduring and resurgent appeal in the West despite its history of violence and economic disaster.
The DOGE Bait and Switch
The pretend department’s downgraded mission reflects the gap between Trump’s promise of "smaller government" and the reality of what can be achieved without new legislation.
Trump's Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Are Bad News for American Energy
"This really is one of the dumbest things we could be doing."
Trump's New Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Won't Help American Manufacturing
And it's not about "fairness." Quite the opposite, actually.
DOGE vs. Deep State
Plus: A listener asks the editors if there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of freedom in the United States.
Trade Wars That Never Happen Still Have Costs
One CEO says the uncertainty created by Trump's chaotic trade policies is "reminiscent of the adjustments we had to make during Covid-19."
California Teachers Make 6 Figures on Average. Now They Demand More.
Plus: Steel and aluminum tariffs, Venezuelan sanctions and deportations, and more...
