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.
Economics
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...
Trump's Labor Secretary Pick Is a Union Favorite—and a Threat to Right-to-Work Laws
Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s record shows a troubling pattern of undermining workplace freedom and expanding federal control over state labor policies.
Javier Milei Ended Rent Control. Now the Argentine Real Estate Market Is Coming Back to Life.
"The effects were immediately seen by everyone and they were all beneficial," says the former vice president of Argentina's central bank.
Today's Migrants Are Just like Your Immigrant Great-Grandparents
Nearly 40 percent of Americans have at least one ancestor who entered the U.S. through Ellis Island. However, today's migrants may be shut out and deported, a humanitarian tragedy that would profoundly damage the U.S. economy.
Washington's Debt Delusion: Economic Growth Cannot Fix the Deficit
Republicans are betting trillions on the hope that the economy will grow fast enough to cover their deficit spree.
Trump's Tariffs Require Customs Agents To Check All Mail from China
Eliminating tariff exemptions will increase import delivery times and make direct-to-consumer goods more expensive.
This Trump Appointee Could Bring Fiscal Sanity to the White House
"Personnel is policy" has shaped past administrations. Kevin Hassett, who has been tapped to lead the National Economic Council, will have a hand in tax reform, debt reduction, and more.
America Is Going Broke. Will the Department of Government Efficiency Help?
Eliminating the deficit requires cutting the biggest spending—defense, Medicare, Social Security. So far, Trump says he won't touch those.
Trump's Tariff Threats Can't Win the Unwinnable War on Drugs
After promising to stop the flow of drugs during his first term, the president blames foreign officials for his failure.
Here Is How Trump Can Falsely Claim His Tariff Threats Helped Win the Drug War
The president can cite meaningless "adequate steps," ambiguous drug seizure numbers, and a decline in drug deaths that began before he took office.
Trump's Tariff Power Grab May not be Over
Yesterday's deals with Canada and Mexico stopped the trade war for now. But Trump may yet return to asserting sweeping authority to impose whatever tariffs he wants.
Trump's Trade War Will Make Energy More Expensive
From gasoline to nuclear power, tariffs will hurt America's energy sector.
Trump's North American Trade War Accomplished Nothing
Canada and Mexico agreed to keep doing things they were already doing, and Trump revealed that he cannot be trusted with unilateral tariff power.
The European Commission's (Anti)Competitiveness Compass
The European Union doesn’t need a five-year plan—it needs free markets.
Trump's Dumb Trade War
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the implications of Trump personally suing CBS to obtain transcripts from an interview with Kamala Harris.
Trump's Theory of Tariffs Makes No Sense
We can tax our way to prosperity, Trump claims, but we'll just…not do that, I guess?
Challenge Trump's Tariffs Under the Nondelegation and Major Questions Doctrines
Recent Supreme Court precedent suggests such challenges might prevail, though success is not guaranteed.
Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Sets Up Another GOP Budget Showdown
Almost exactly one year after Congress swore off self-inflicted fiscal crises, we're back to the same tired theatrics.
Tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China Could Start This Weekend
Trump's second trade war has apparently arrived. There remains much uncertainty, but expect it to be costly.
Trump's Role Model McKinley Tariffed His Way to Imperialism
Reviving the Monroe Doctrine and 19th century Republican adventurism is not a shortcut to peace.
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.
DOGE's Big Challenge: Americans Who Hate Inefficiency but Love Bloated Government
The public worries about corruption and bureaucracy, but many want more of the same.
Trump's Pro-Growth, Anti-Trade Positions Are on a Collision Course
The stark disconnect not only runs the risk of choking off much of the global commerce the president claims to welcome but threatens to stick U.S. consumers and businesses with higher costs.
