Economics
No, Trade With China Did Not Kill the U.S. Economy
A new comprehensive review finds the negative effects of trade with China have been significantly exaggerated.
Overruling Trump's Tariffs Should Be an Easy Decision for SCOTUS
Plus: A love letter to the heavy metal band Slayer.
What Ronald Reagan's Fusionist Politics Teach Us About Liberty, Virtue, and Their Limits
Fusionism holds that virtue and liberty are mutually reinforcing, and that neither is possible in any lasting or meaningful way without the other.
Morning Consult Poll Indicates Judicial Invalidation of Trump's Tariffs is Popular
The poll finds 55% approve and only 30% disapprove of the recent ruling against his IEEPA tariffs.
Michael McConnell on the Tariff Cases and their Significance
A leading conservative legal scholar explains why striking down Trump's IEEPA tariffs is vital to protecting the separation of powers.
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Will Add $2.4 Trillion to the Deficit
That total will rise to about $3 trillion once the interest costs of more borrowing are included.
Belated Republican Objections to the One Big Beautiful Bill Glide Over Its Blatant Fiscal Irresponsibility
House members who discovered objectionable elements only after voting for the package nevertheless underline the unseemly haste of the legislative process.
A First Amendment Right To Preach Orgasm?
As the prosecution rests in the OneTaste case, the defense lays out the free speech implications if the government succeeds.
Trump's Haste Begets Lawlessness
The president treats legal constraints as inconveniences that can be overridden by executive fiat.
D.C. Pauses Plans To Hike Minimum Wage for Tipped Workers
The issue has long polarized a city that is dominated by liberal and progressive politics and politicians, some of whom have confronted that good intentions do not equal good outcomes here.
It's Rand Paul and Elon Musk vs. Donald Trump Over the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Paul said he refuses to support "maintaining Biden spending levels," and Musk said the Trump-backed tax bill is "a disgusting abomination."
Does the Smoot-Hawley Act Justify the Trump Tariffs? Probably Yes, Says Jed Rubenfeld
Probably yes, says Jed Rubenfeld; no, says Philip Zelikow.
Compendium of Writings About the Trump Tariff Case [Updated]
Links to my writings about our case against Trump's "Liberation Day" Tariffs and related issues.
The Tariff Downturn
Plus: Drilling in the Alaskan wilderness, Harvard tries "wastefulness" argument, Stephen Miller tells on himself, and more...
These 4 Industries Successfully Lobbied Trump for Tariff Exemptions
Trump's trade war has created a carve-out bonanza for industries with political connections and big lobbying budgets.
Trump's Attack on the Federalist Society Is a Bad Omen for Originalism
The MAGA loyalty that Trump demands is anathema to everything that originalism is supposed to be about.
Welcoming Anti-Trump Liberals to the Free Trade Club
The real case for free trade is not "my enemies hate it" or "it's cheaper for me, personally" but "it makes the world richer, freer, and more peaceful."
How Trump's Tariffs and Immigration Policies Could Make Housing Even More Expensive
Out-of-control housing costs helped Trump win the 2024 election. Is he about to make the problem worse?
Hub and UnPopulist Podcasts About the Tariff Case
The podcasts cover the case and its relationship to the more general problem of abuse of emergency powers.
DOGE's Newly Listed 'Regulatory Savings' for Businesses Have Nothing to Do With Cutting Federal Spending
DOGE says regulatory changes will save $29.4 billion, but that does not amount to a reduction in government outlays, the initiative's ostensible target.
Two Courts Have Ruled Against Trump's Tariffs—but Not for the Same Reasons
Both are wins for free trade, but only one vindicates the separation of powers.
Congress Must Vote on Tariffs
For both practical and constitutional reasons, this is the obvious way out of the chaos Trump's tariffs have created.
My New Atlantic Article on the Tariff Case and its Significance
It explains how the ruling is a win for separation of powers and the rule of law.
Trump's Syrian Outreach Turns an Enemy Into a Friend
Hawks in Washington often make it sound hard to end conflicts with other countries, but the United States and Syria are fixing relations overnight.
How Our Tariff Case Came About
The Wall Street Journal, CBC, and Time published good articles on the story behind the case filed by the Liberty Justice Center and myself.
Tariff Legal Battle Plays Out
Plus: Javier Milei puts state-run TV to good use, Texas' THC antagonism, rent control lunacy, and more...
Some Interviews About Our Tariff Case
Some of the more informative interviews I have done about our win in the case against Trump's tariffs, in lawsuit filed by the Liberty Justice Center and myself.
Federal District Court Issues Another Ruling Against Trump's IEEPA Tariffs
The decision by Judge Rudolph Contreras of the US District Court for the District Columbia holds IEEPA doesn't authorize the president to impose tariffs at all.
Federal Circuit Issues Brief Administrative Stay in Our Tariff Case
This is a standard order imposing a brief stay of the trial court ruling, while the parties litigate the issue of whether a longer stay should be imposed.
David Stockman: Trump Is a 'Faker' on the Debt
Reagan's budget chief warns that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could balloon the national debt to $60 trillion, risking a catastrophic bond market crisis.
Did 'Activist Judges' Derail Trump's Tariffs?
No. One of the judges in Wednesday's unanimous ruling was a Trump appointee, and the ruling rested on important legal and constitutional principles.
Are We Headed for Another Disaster With Fannie and Freddie?
If the Trump administration fails to implement real reform, Main Street taxpayers could once again be conscripted into subsidizing lucrative Wall Street deals.
We Won Our Tariff Case!
The Court of International Trade just issued a decision striking down Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs and other IEEPA tariffs.
A Federal Court Just Blocked Trump's Tariffs
The Court of International Trade ruled that Trump's emergency economic powers do not include the authority to impose tariffs on nearly all imports.
Elon Musk Is Right. The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Is a Bad Deal.
Musk's opinion about the bill matters, since he is one of the few people in conservative politics who can get away with defying Trump.
Video of Cato Institute Virtual Event on "Tariffs, Emergencies, and Presidential Power"
I spoke along with my Cato colleague Walter Olson.
More Government Intervention Won't Make Concert Tickets Cheaper
There's only one way to eliminate the scalping market: Charge more for tickets.
The Pentagon Is Getting $150 Billion From the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Giving the Defense Department even more taxpayer money is a recipe for waste, not security.
The Trade War Is Eroding America's Soft Power
The debate over free trade should include more than the costs of Trump's tariffs versus the value of cheaper stuff.
Mitchell Berman on Conditional Federal Grants and the Constitution
While there is no constitutional right to receive grants, the Constitution does bar grant conditions that undermine constitutional rights.
Thoughts on the Oral Argument in the Oregon Case Against Trump's IEEPA Tariffs
Like that in the similar case filed by Liberty Justice Center and myself, this one indicated judicial skepticism of Trump's claims to virtually unlimited power to impose tariffs.
