Trump's War on Harvard
Plus: A listener asks how to reasonably cut government spending.
Money
Billionaire Cliff Asness: Can Technology Outrun 'Stupider and Stupider' Government?
Co-founder of AQR Capital Management, Cliff Asness, discusses the decline of market efficiency, the dangers of populist economics, and his libertarian outlook on capitalism.
Judge Halts Federal Scrutiny of $200 Transactions
The temporary restraining order allows time to challenge burdensome reporting requirement.
Gold Tops $3,000
Despite efforts to rein in government debt, gold prices keep rising—suggesting investors aren’t buying the promises of fiscal responsibility.
15 Years of Super PACs
The SpeechNow ruling expanded political speech and reshaped elections.
Sleepwalking Into a Cashless Society
Central bank digital currencies would destroy any chance for financial privacy, but society is willingly moving in that direction.
Taking $200 Out of an ATM Should Not Trigger Federal Financial Surveillance
No, not even if you do it in a county that borders Mexico.
Trump's (Un)strategic Crypto Reserve
If the government wants to encourage cryptocurrency innovation, "buying coins is actually a pretty lousy way of doing that," says one economist.
To Cut Government Spending, Trump Targets Pocket Change
The penny is expensive to produce and has long outlived its usefulness.
The Government Says Money Isn't Property—So It Can Take Yours
In a jaw-dropping argument, the Department of Justice claims seizing $50,000 from a small business doesn’t violate property rights because money isn’t property.
Photo: The Disappearing Satoshi Nakamoto Statue
An Italian bitcoin enthusiast pays homage to the person or people who started the cryptocurrency revolution.
IMF Offers a Glimpse at the Perils of Central Bank Digital Currencies
Government-controlled digital money could mean the end of financial privacy and independence.
Bidenomics Goes Out With a Whimper
There's a good reason Biden eventually stopped saying Bidenomics. Americans didn't like the results of his economic policies.
If You Support the Right To Own and Trade Bitcoin, Support Reason!
We’ve been making the case for stateless money and financial freedom since Day One. Donations are being matched today!
Reform Social Security for Those Who Need It Most
As it stands, the program effectively redistributes money from younger and poorer people to richer people.
Trump Panders to Auto Industry, Proposes Making Car Loan Interest Tax Deductible
The former president's increasingly lopsided economic policy proposals have the feel of throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Universal Basic Income Shows Why Giving People 'Free Money' Doesn't Work
According to recent data, people work less—and actually end up deeper in debt.
How Does the Democratic Party Actually Feel About Billionaires?
Sen. Bernie Sanders calls them "oligarchs," while Gov. J.B. Pritzker gets cheers when touting his own billionaire status.
Operation Rolling Thunder: The Shocking Truth Behind Spartanburg's Traffic Stops
A 21-month legal battle unveils the dark side of South Carolina's annual traffic crackdown.
Here's How To Pay for Trump's Tax Cuts
There seems to be general bipartisan agreement on keeping a majority of the cuts, which are set to expire. They can be financed by cleaning out the tax code of unfair breaks.
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
Biden and Trump Are Both Disastrously Wrong About Tariffs
Yes, cheap imports hurt some American companies. But protectionist trade policy harms many more Americans than it helps.
Biden, Trump, and RFK Jr. Are All Anti-Freedom
Those three presidential candidates are making promises that would have bewildered and horrified the Founding Fathers.
Federal Budget Deficit Forecast Jumps $400 Billion, Fueled by Student Debt Forgiveness
The Congressional Budget Office reports the 2024 budget deficit will near $2 trillion.
The National Debt Is Now So High That Every American Essentially Owes $100,000
We could grow our way out of our debt burden if politicians would limit spending increases to just below America's average yearly economic growth. But they won't even do that.
The Education Department Will Probably Mess Up Next Year's FAFSA Too
A letter from higher education professionals warns that next year's FAFSA will likely face delays.
Biden Keeps Blaming Others for His Economic Mistakes
The president has tried to shift blame for inflation, interest rate hikes, and an overall decimation of consumers' purchasing power.
This New York Charter School Is Helping Low-Income Students. But the City Is Holding It Back.
Government school advocates say competition "takes money away" from government schools. That is a lie.
The GOP Once Claimed To Be the Party of 'Fiscal Responsibility.' So Why Not Reform Social Security?
Reasonable options include gradually raising the minimum retirement age, adjusting benefits to reflect longer life expectancies, and implementing fair means-testing to ensure benefits flow where they're actually needed.
The Congressional Budget Office's Alternative Scenarios Forecast a Dire Economic Picture
Why aren't politicians on both sides more worried than they seem to be?
The Illusion of Financial Privacy
Decades of legislation have chipped away at the financial privacy Americans believe they still have.
Australians Abandon Physical Cash and the Freedom It Protects
Digital payments are easy to use, but also to monitor and block.
No, Politicians Can't 'Fix' Prices—and That's OK
Price controls lead to the misallocation of resources, shortages, diminished product quality, and black markets.
A SWAT Team Blew Up This Innocent Couple's Home and Left Them With the Bill. Was That Constitutional?
Mollie and Michael Slaybaugh are reportedly out over $70,000. The government says it is immune.
This Elderly Man Was Arrested After Shooting a Burglar in Self-Defense—for Carrying the Gun Without a License
Vincent Yakaitis is unfortunately not the first such defendant. He will also not be the last.
Congress Yet Again Abuses 'Emergency Spending' for Non-Emergency Purposes
Let's just call this what it is: another gimmick for Congress to escape its own budget limits and avoid having a conversation about tradeoffs.
