Economics
Release the Kelly Clarkson Tapes
The pop star's feud with Art of Play—a Brooklyn toy store—shows how quickly personal beefs can become a national emergency. In this case, there's only one way out.
Michigan Congressman Proposes Using Tariff Revenue for Tariff Relief Fund
Rep. John James admits that Trump's tariffs are hurting Michigan businesses. His solution? Make them fill out more paperwork.
Mamdani's $131.5 Million DoorDash Settlement Is Not What He Says It Is
The mayor characterized it as a victory against corporate greed. Meanwhile, 65 percent of affected drivers were underpaid by $1 or less, and the average underpayment was $7.70.
The Great British Exodus: Taxes, Housing Costs, and Terrible Healthcare Are Driving Young Brits Away
More than 1.2 million British nationals have left the United Kingdom since 2021.
Anthropic Is Banning 'Cruel Behavior' Toward Claude. Chatbots Are Still Not Your Friends.
The AI company's decision might be a justifiable idea. But it appears it was made for the wrong reason.
The Federal Government Just Posted the Largest Annual Budget Deficit Since COVID
Tax revenue increased by about 3 percent last year, but spending increased twice as fast. And interest payments on the debt cost more than $1.1 trillion.
Live Reason Roundtable 10th Anniversary Show!
Join Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch as they celebrate a decade of the show with a special live taping.
J.D. Vance Accidentally Comes Out as a Socialist
At a press conference, the vice president offered a strange new definition of the word. But his full remarks revealed a deeper irony.
D.C. Wants To Protect Ride-Share Jobs. Riders Could Pay the Price.
Unions rallied against a D.C. robotaxi bill that already favors them. Riders would pay for their win in higher fares and more dangerous roads.
Republicans Are Getting Grilled Over Trump's Tariffs
From Maine to Michigan, voters are fed up with tariffs and trade wars.
Price Controls Don't Work. So Why Do So Many Democrats and Republicans Love Them?
Price controls are seductive because any benefits are highly and immediately visible, while their grave costs are often harder to spot.
Ruben Gallego's Plan To Save America's Middle Class: Higher Taxes and More Unions
The senator wants to “triple union density by 2035” and pay for a host of social welfare programs with new taxes on data centers and AI companies.
Why Trillionaires Will Be Good for America
The problem isn't how rich someone is. It's how they got it.
NYC Officials Bizarrely Want To 'Save' an AMC Movie Theater From a Hospital Expansion
Who needs a bigger hospital when you can enjoy movie magic?
TSA Screeners Union Hopes Passengers Protest Petty Rule Change That Only Affects Screeners
The Trump administration has taken away TSA agents' chairs. Now the union wants the flying public to 'take a stand' for their return.
Are Economists Measuring the Wrong Things?
Nobel Prize–winning economist James Heckman discusses what really drives economic mobility, the failures of universal preschool, and how AI is transforming his research.
10 Years of The Reason Roundtable
The good, the bad, and the ugly of our decade of just podcasting right through the crazy news
The Bond Market Doesn't Trust the Treasury
To judge from rising 10-year interest rates, the bond market doesn't seem to expect Trump to bring inflation or spending under control.
My New Lawfare Article on Why "The President Doesn't Have Unlimited Power to Impose Import Bans"
Many of the same constitutional and other constraints apply as with tariffs.
The Federal Government Ran Up a $2 Trillion Deficit in 2026
Congress hasn’t balanced the budget in 25 years.
America Hits a New Debt Record at $40 Trillion and Counting
President Donald Trump has surpassed Barack Obama's record for most debt amassed by a president.
Mamdani Promised To Freeze the Rent. Now His Rent Freeze Is in Court.
A lawsuit alleges New York City's Rent Guidelines Board broke the law by arbitrarily predetermining the outcome.
Justice Gorsuch on Abuse of Emergency Powers
In a recent talk, he decried a situation where "everything is an emergency."
I Asked the White House's New AI Chatbot About Tariffs. It Told the Truth.
America.gov says that tariffs "can raise the price buyers pay. Domestic goods that compete with those imports can also become more expensive."
The National Debt Has Exploded. The Reckoning Is Still Coming.
Even the best-case scenario means less investment, slower wage growth, and a budget increasingly spent on past obligations.
Trump's Iowa Steel Mill Is a Win for Steelmakers. What About Everyone Else?
U.S. steel prices have surged, while overall manufacturing employment has fallen.
How Regulation, Immigration Policy, and Tariffs Made Your BLT More Expensive
A BLT looks simple, but bacon rules, lettuce labor shortages, and tomato tariffs show how government meddling can make even lunch more expensive.
Americans Are Wealthier Than 30 Years Ago. Here's the Data To Prove It.
Americans with upper, middle, and lower incomes are all better off today than in the 1970s or 1990s, new CBO data shows.
Axel Kaiser Explains the Javier Milei Effect
Axel Kaiser discusses Latin America’s political realignment, the battle over culture, and why libertarians need to talk about virtue.
Trump's Iran War Is Losing With Everyone (Even Republicans)
Plus: rising debt and mortgage rates, whether AI will make government obsolete, and how to pitch Reason to your friends
Data Centers and Their Discontents
Plus: Talarico and black turnout, an artist trial at the Vatican, hospitals use AI (for ill), and more...
Once Recession-Proof, D.C. Feels the Pain From Federal Workforce Reductions
Formerly tax-supported workers are discovering the uncertainties the private sector faces every day.
'I Would Be the Greatest Communist in History'
President Donald Trump's joking tone belies his very real moves to take government ownership of private companies.
No, Private Equity Isn't Ruining Your Sandwiches, Your Apartment, or Grandma's Nursing Home
Much of the hatred directed at private equity is just a familiar form of opposition to free markets.
Trump Says He Wants To Beat China With Tariffs. He's Made the U.S. Weaker Instead.
China does present some real national security challenges. But the Trump administration's policies have made it harder to address those, all while damaging American prosperity.
The Collapse of Farm Exports Is the Most Underappreciated Story in American Politics
It was a direct result of President Donald Trump's trade war, as even the Department of Agriculture now admits.
Anthony Scaramucci: How America Got Trump
Anthony Scaramucci discusses how China’s rise, the War on Terror, and the 2008 financial crisis fueled populist anger.
My New Montreal Economic Institute Paper on "The Legal Battle Over Trump's Tariffs: Implications for Canada"
The paper provides an overview of the legal vulnerabilities of the Trump tariffs against Canadian goods, and what can be done to prevent a recurrence of his abuses.
President Trump Stubbornly Clings to Archaic Mercantilist Economics
He who dies with the most hoarded cash does not, in fact, win.
In the Name of Tax Fairness, Politicians Propose Special Tax Penalties on Data Centers
State and federal policymakers are attempting to exclude data centers from run-of-the-mill tax exemptions.
Congress Doesn't Agree on Much. Except That Your Car Needs AM Radio.
The push to mandate AM radios has brought Ted Cruz together with Bernie Sanders.
No, Cutting Off Trade With Europe Would Not Make America Wealthier
Trump's zero-sum trade talk is wrongheaded and authoritarian.
Canada Is Moving Closer to Europe. Trump's Tariffs Help Explain Why.
As Ottawa’s trade war with the U.S. worsens, Brussels proposes closer trade, security, and technology ties, including an unprecedented "associate member” status.
The Fed Can't Fight Inflation Alone. Will Congress Do Its Part?
Lawmakers have to show they'll back the national debt with future fiscal surpluses, which means reining in government spending.
A Russia Sanctions Bill Would Give Trump Vast New Tariff Powers
The bill, which passed the House and Senate, would let Trump impose tariffs up to 100 percent on certain countries, but it fails to properly define which.
Best Credit in the World
Plus: Rent freeze setback, AI misalignment, Bolshevik ridiculousness, and more...
