Review: Netflix's Real-Life Spinoff Can't Recreate Squid Game's Allure
In Squid Game: The Challenge, contestants don't really risk their lives.
Economics
Shrinkflation Is Real—and It's Largely Biden's Fault
The president criticized companies for selling "smaller-than-usual products" whose "price stays the same." But it was his and his predecessor's spending policies that caused the underlying issue.
Film Produced by Travis Kelce To Benefit From Green Energy Tax Credits
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 apportioned billions of dollars for green energy tax credits while also allowing them to be sold to other taxpayers.
Did Decriminalization Boost Drug Deaths in Oregon?
Recent research finds "no evidence" that it did, undermining a key claim by critics of that policy.
The Best of Reason: The Bankruptcy of Bidenomics
Biden's economic policies gave us three years of excessive, wasteful, and poorly targeted federal spending.
Tucker Dreams of Moscow
Plus: Aid for Ukraine, remote learning for 5-year-olds, intermittent fasting for Palestine, and more...
Michigan Is Spending Millions Trying To Refurbish a Ski-Flying Hill. It's Not Working.
Copper Peak revitalization was pitched as an economic development project for the Upper Peninsula, which already has two working ski jumps.
Biden's Bizarre 'Shrinkflation' Nonsense
The White House should stop taking policy and messaging tips from Elizabeth Warren.
Will Outdoor Recreation Save Appalachia?
Smokestack-chasing is out. A diversified economy based on environmental protection is in. But will it work?
A Rare Win for Sanity in U.S. Tariff Policy
The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously to reject a nakedly protectionist proposal that would have made canned goods more expensive.
Surging Immigration Will Reduce Deficits by $1 Trillion
New Congressional Budget Office data shows how higher-than-expected immigration is a win for the economy and the federal budget.
Georgia Lawmakers Propose Modest Changes to State Film Tax Credits
The credits cost the state over $1.3 billion per year with a 19 percent return on investment. Lawmakers' proposals will do little to change that.
Federal Government Will Borrow Another $20 Trillion in the Next Decade
Three things to know about the new Congressional Budget Office report on the growing federal deficit.
This Company Coal Town in Iowa Was a 'Black Utopia'
It was integrated, it was unionized—and it was a company town.
Bureaucrats Are Moving To Cap Bank Overdraft Fees, Which Will Hurt the People It's Meant To Help
Many who see overdraft protection as preferable to other short-term credit options will have fewer choices as some banks decide the service isn't worth offering anymore.
Elizabeth Warren's 'Shrinkflation' Rant Is an Incredible Exercise in Blame-Shifting
The Massachusetts senator blames corporate greed for price increases that were caused by inflationary federal spending she supported.
The Best of Reason: Can Free Markets Win Votes in the New GOP?
As the party grows more populist, ethnically diverse, and working class, will Republicans abandon their libertarian economic principles?
The Real Student Loan Crisis Isn't From Undergraduate Degrees
Misled by a bad law, graduate students are drowning in debt.
Trump's Terrible, Popular Tariffs
Plus: A listener asks if it should become the norm for all news outlets to require journalists to disclose their voting records.
Endless War Continues
Plus: An immigration deal that's already collapsing, more expensive Big Macs, and Taylor Swift (because why not).
The Bankruptcy of Bidenomics
Biden's economic policies gave us three years of excessive, wasteful, and poorly targeted federal spending.
Can Free Markets Win Votes in the New GOP?
As the party grows more populist, ethnically diverse, and working class, will Republicans abandon their libertarian economic principles?
Study Funded by Shell Convinced Pennsylvania To Give Shell $1.6 Billion Tax Break
The tax credits currently rank as the largest subsidy in state history.
How Increasing Immigration Can Reduce the Deficit
And why the Congressional Budget Office does a poor job of making those estimates.
Millionaire Mars Missions
Plus: Republicans are trying to expand a tax deduction they once wanted to cap, a "shocking" and "stunning" January jobs report, and street blocking protestors in D.C.
Why Are Pickup Trucks Ridiculously Huge? Blame Government.
Regulations, tariffs, and other government-imposed hurdles reward American car companies for building bigger, more expensive trucks and keep out any potential competitors.
Politicians Need To Stop Pretending the National Debt Is Sustainable
The reality raises questions about the kind of future we want to leave for the next generation.
The Bankruptcy of Nostalgianomics
Americans are wealthier today than in the 1960s. That's not because of Bidenomics; it's because of six decades of progress.
David Stockman: Trump's War on Capitalism and Freedom
Reagan's former budget director says Donald Trump killed prosperity—and the GOP's core beliefs in capitalism and freedom.
David Stockman on Why Trump Can't Fix the Debt: 'This Guy Is Part of the Swamp'
Reagan's former budget director says pro-inflation policies destroyed prosperity—and that the only solution is a new, anti-statist political party.
Argentina, Once One of the Richest Countries, Is Now One of the Poorest. Javier Milei Could Help Fix That.
The new libertarian president believes in free markets and the rule of law. When people have those things, prosperity happens.
A New Pain Medication Could Reinforce the Disastrous Crackdown on Prescription Opioids
When the government is systematically interfering with medical decisions, a non-opioid alternative may not actually increase treatment options.
Nike Sued Him for Making 400 Pairs of a Reimagined Air Jordan 1
"How small do you have to be for Nike not to care?"
Debunking Antitrust Assumptions: More Concentration in an Industry Doesn't Necessarily Mean Higher Prices
The Biden administration's antitrust policy depends too much on the dubious belief that industrial concentration leads to higher prices.
Javier Milei vs. Big Labor
Milei's swift action intended to transform Argentina's floundering economy provoked the country's biggest labor union to call tens of thousands to protest in Buenos Aires against his libertarian agenda.
Politics Created the Border Crisis
Plus: A listener asks if libertarians are too obsessed with economic growth.
California Stopped San Francisco's $1.7 Million Toilet. The City Can't Build Something Cheaper.
"Why isn't there a toilet here? I just don't get it. Nobody does," one resident told The New York Times last week. "It's yet another example of the city that can't."
iRobot Lays Off 350 Employees as Amazon Kills Merger Elizabeth Warren Opposed
The robot vacuum company is based in Massachusetts, meaning some of the terminated employees are likely Warren's constituents.
Josh Hawley Thinks the White House Can Force an Aluminum Plant To Stay Open
Should there be any limits to a president's power to centrally plan the economy? Apparently not.
Study: If You Let People Buy Beer at Grocery Stores, the Liquor Stores Still Survive
Liquor store owners and store association lobbyists claimed that allowing alcohol sales on Sunday would negatively impact their livelihoods.
What Javier Milei Could Teach Democrats and Republicans About Capitalism
His speech in Davos challenged the growing worldwide trend of increased government involvement in economic affairs.
Guarantors of Poverty
Plus: Chatbots vs. suicidal ideation, Margot Robbie vs. the patriarchy, New York City vs. parents, and more...
The Government Is Better at Picking Losers Than Winners
It's taxpayers who lose when politicians give gifts, grants, and loans to private companies.
St. Louis Schools Lost $260 Million to Economic Development Subsidies
According to a report from Good Jobs First, St. Louis' public schools took the brunt of the loss at nearly 65 percent of the total.
The Best of Reason: Is ESG Already Over?
CEOs are beginning to wonder what to do when environmental, social, and governance factors are at odds with performance.
Massive Migrant Reduction
Plus: Deepfakes of Biden, complaints of Californians, filters for aircrafts, and more...
Filterworld Is a Confused Critique of Algorithms
It's Super Size Me for internet intellectuals.
