Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Printed Guns, Scratch and Sniff, Jakarta Traffic (Vol. 18)
Good intentions, bad results.
Economics
New Income Tax Proposal Is Progressive and Unworkable
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says the Trump administration wants to eliminate income taxes for those making $150,000 or less—an unprecedented shift with major consequences.
Pour One Out for Purchasing Power This St. Patrick's Day
Trump’s tariffs will kill the global trade that makes the holiday’s cultural celebration possible.
Trump Makes Canada Free Again
Canada’s retaliation against Trump’s tariffs is wiping American alcohol off store shelves—and fueling an unexpected push to deregulate its own restrictive liquor laws.
How Pokémon Helps Explain DOGE
Musk's fans and critics will keep debating whether DOGE is revolutionizing government or wrecking important institutions.
TSA Screeners' Union Sues the Trump Administration for Violating Its First Amendment Rights
Passengers suing the TSA for First Amendment violations have had a rough time in court.
Howard Lutnick Doesn't Get To Decide What You Buy
There is no "royal we" in the marketplace.
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 Pledged To Support Tesla. His Trade Policies Will Do the Opposite.
Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports inflate the cost of electric vehicles.
Tariffs Raise Prices, Spark Conflicts, and Make Everyone Poorer
We rely on Canadian energy and lumber, and Canadians rely on our products. It's the proverbial win-win.
Elon Musk, Who Promised To Be 'Maximally Transparent,' Makes DOGE's Numbers Even Harder To Check
The cost-cutting initiative's calculation of "estimated savings" is mostly mysterious, and the parts we know about are riddled with errors.
Trump's Threatened 200 Percent Tariffs on European Booze Are His Least Sensible Trade Move Yet
It would make American consumers poorer and hurt American businesses without any promise of benefits.
Congress Just Made It Harder for Congress To Block Trump's Tariffs
The cowardice of Congress will continue fueling the growth of executive power.
Rand Paul: Businesses and Workers Think Tariffs Are a Bad Idea
"I really haven't had anybody come up to me and say, 'Please, please, put tariffs on me,'" says Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.).
Congress and DOGE Can Find Spending Cuts at the Department of Defense
The U.S. can defend itself at a lot less expense.
Why Some American Businesses Want More Tariffs
A quick lesson about concentrated benefits and diffused costs
It's Trump's Economy Now
Plus: A listener asks the editors to discuss the pros and cons of homeownership.
Yes, We Should End Taxes on Tips
Taxing tips generates practically no revenue, burdens workers, and fuels pointless IRS audits.
The American Right Is Abandoning Mises
The Austrian economist's principled thought once served as a check on the intellectual right.
By Ending Contract, Union Officials Claim, Trump Administration Violated 'Dignity and Rights' of TSA Agents
The Department of Homeland Security unilaterally tore up a collective bargaining agreement it had signed with unionized TSA screeners in May 2024.
The FCC and Its Private Taxman Go to Court
FCC v. Consumers’ Research could dismantle a massive slush fund run by unelected regulators and industry insiders.
Trump's Trade War With America's Neighbors Is All Cost and No Benefit
What did we learn from yet another escalation in the North American trade war? Not to do it again.
Possible Travel Bans Coming
Plus: The Trump administration's American dream revisionism, 50 theses on DOGE, what people get wrong about extreme MAGA, and more...
New York's Illegal Prison Guard Strike Challenges Law Limiting the Use of Solitary Confinement
It's also a reminder of the disarray that ensues from strikes put on by state employees, who hold monopolies on public goods.
Yes, Cutting Government Waste Is Important
Entitlements are a much bigger expense, but that doesn't mean the waste doesn't matter.
Is Science Rigged for the Rich?
A recent study claiming inequality of opportunity in the sciences commits statistical and conceptual errors that make its findings meaningless.
Weak Dollar
Plus: Columbia's Hamas apologists, Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, and more...
Contrary to What Trump Said, Even DOGE Does Not Claim To Have Identified 'Hundreds of Billions' in Fraud
The president's assertion is divorced from reality, and so are the "estimated savings" touted by Elon Musk.
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.
Trump Promised a Balanced Budget. Don't Believe It.
It's great to have presidents talking about the need for a balanced budget, but Republicans are backing a plan that will increase borrowing.
America Is Beating Europe
A popular narrative says Europeans are better off because of increased regulation. Reality paints a different picture.
DOGE and Congress Should Take a Chainsaw to Corporate Welfare
Handouts to corporations distort the market, breed corruption, and politicize the economy.
In Speech to Congress, Trump Promises More Tariff Madness
The tariffs Trump has already imposed on Canada, Mexico, and China will cost an estimated $142 billion this year—and he says more are on the way.
Trump Loves Tariffs. Fentanyl Is Just an Excuse.
If tariffs are a poor method of collecting revenue or strengthening trade, they're even less effective at stopping the flow of illegal drugs.
Tariffs Are In Effect. Expect Everything To Become More Expensive.
The Trump administration’s trade war leaves everyone worse off.
Jail Time for Cheap Rides?
D.C.'s bureaucracy violates independent drivers' economic liberty.
Are Cage-Free Laws To Blame for High Egg Prices?
State laws banning caged eggs are cutting off millions from cheaper options.
DOGE and Congress Should Look Hard at Reforming Social Security
Means-test Social Security, raise the retirement age, and let us invest our own money.
The Case Against Ross Ulbricht Was About Government Power
President Donald Trump's pardon of the Silk Road creator is a rare moment of reprieve in an era of relentless government expansion.
How Trump Imperils Free Markets and Personal Liberties
Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank provides a helpful summary, with a little help from me.
Defaming Businesses Doesn't Protect Consumers
If the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't have enough data to enact a rule, it shouldn't be making informal recommendations either.
Tariffs on Imports From Canada and Mexico Are Still a Terrible Idea
And an increasingly unpopular one. Will Trump pay attention to the polls, if not the economists?
