Bureaucracy, Labor, & Tariffs: How Government Is Making BLTs More Expensive
The BLT—a delicious celebration of the power of markets—exemplifies political attacks on the free movement of goods and people.
Economics
California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis
Standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to the state's goat herders, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger. The costs are unsustainable.
For Thousands of New York City Apartment Buildings, the Math Doesn't Math
This year’s rent freeze is just the latest regulation pushing New York City’s rent-stabilized housing stock toward financial and physical collapse.
Second Lawsuit Challenging Trump's New Section 301 Tariffs Filed
It was filed by several businesses, including Learning Resources, Inc., which was also involved in the IEEPA tariff litigation.
Liberty Justice Center Files First Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Massive New Section 301 Tariffs
The complaint explains why the tariffs violate the requirements of Section 301, and also run afoul of the major questions and nondelegation doctrines.
Airports Are Opting for Private Security Over the TSA. The Union Says That's a Public Safety Threat.
Airport security screeners at the 20 private-contract airports get paid during a government shutdown. A public sector union wants to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Trump's Newest Tariffs Are Likely Illegal Too
The Section 301 tariffs announced on Thursday overstep the powers granted by Congress and likely run afoul of the major questions doctrine.
Tariff Man
Plus: House votes on war powers as Trump enters Iran war "revenge mode," Ted Cruz worries about AI, Marvel movies are planned through 2042, and more...
Trump Imposes Massively Harmful and Illegal Section 301 Tariffs
The new policy is based on sham investigations, and runs afoul of the major questions and nondelegation doctrine.
Lots of Trump's Tariffs Expire on Friday. It's Thursday Afternoon, and No One Knows What Will Replace Them.
The U.S. economy is not a reality show. The Trump administration should stop acting like it is.
Zohran Mamdani Tells Jon Stewart Socialism Is Just Having a Library
Please stop letting these people lie about what their preferred economic system entails.
The DSA, MAGA, and the New Policy Nihilism
From rent control and Medicare for All to tariffs, politicians left and right are embracing policy ideas that have been repeatedly shown to not work.
The People Fighting Technology That Could Save Thousands of Lives
Automation will destroy some jobs—and create others.
Nobody Likes Red Tape, Not Even Mamdani
Eliminating burdensome small business regulations is a win for everyone.
Trump's New 50% Tariff on Canadian Goods Is Actually an Admission That Trade Wars Don't Work
The trade war caused exports to Canada to fall. Now, Trump is pointing to that fact to justify more tariffs.
Trump Plans to Impose New Illegal Tariffs on Canada
The 50% tariffs on many Canadian imports are based on the long-defunct Section 338 of the notorious Smoot-Hawley tariff act.
Contradictions of Socialist Prison Abolitionism
Many "democratic socialists" want to abolish prisons. But this is in conflict with their objective of making many more activities illegal.
Is the War in Iran Spiraling Out of Control?
Plus: new tariffs on Brazil, Trump's primetime address on election security, and the growing popularity of democratic socialism.
Britain's New Prime Minister Andy Burnham Promises 'Stronger Public Control' of Stagnating Economy
Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade inherits weak growth, record-high taxes, and a swelling welfare bill. His proposed cure is an even larger role for the state.
Working Class Hero
Plus: Platner fallout, gas prices hit $4 per gallon, it's Kamala Harris' world (and we're just living in it), and more...
The "Free Market" is More Popular than "Capitalism"
Such anomalies are common when polling often-ignorant voters. But libertarians would do well to take note, anyway.
Trump's Pernicious Threat to Impose Tariffs on Canada in Response to Wildfires
The idea is simultaneously harmful and illegal.
Labor Unions Hate Robots—and It's Stopping Democrats From Delivering on Affordability
Labor unions almost always value union jobs over technologies that save time, money, and lives.
America Has a Huge Trade Surplus With Brazil. Trump Just Put 25% Tariffs on Brazilian Goods Anyway.
It's almost like there is no real underlying principle guiding the Trump administration's tariff policies.
A 22% Social Security Cut Is Coming. Will the Senate Act?
Once the trust fund is empty, Social Security can pay out only what it collects. Yet few candidates are talking about this in any serious way.
D.C. Wants To Charge Robotaxis $6 Million. Unions Still Say No.
A proposed bill would legalize commercial autonomous vehicles in D.C. under one of the country’s most expensive regulatory frameworks, but unions still want the brakes applied.
12 States Sue, Call Paramount–Warner Bros. Merger an Antitrust Violation
If successful, it could do more harm than good to the entertainment industry.
The Fed's Tough Mission
Plus: More strikes on Iran, Nayib Bukele runs for a third consecutive term, private dinosaur-bone ownership, and more...
Ohio Cut Red Tape. Now Its Business Sector Is Thriving.
America's most business-friendly states are proof that permitting reform works. Still, they have a bad habit of handing out tax breaks to favored industries.
4 Takeaways From the Supreme Court's 2025–2026 Term
From executive power to civil liberties, what to make of a momentous year at SCOTUS?
Trump Accounts Add Confusion to Savings Accounts Without Adding Much Benefit
Let's simplify this system instead of making it even more complicated.
Tariff Refund Update [Updated]
Important progress has been made on repaying illegally collected tariffs. But serious problems remain, including some caused by the Trump Administration's efforts to keep some of the illegally collected loot.
Trump's Tariffs Have Been Particularly Costly for Small Businesses
The Federal Reserve reports that small businesses were less likely to be able to avoid tariff costs during 2025 and are more pessimistic about employment and revenue in 2026.
How Do We Feel About Women's Work?
Plus: Rampant illiteracy, teen-suicide rates and screens, and more...
Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Marks a Pattern of Trying To Profit From the Presidency
Since the beginning of his first term, the president has repeatedly used his office for personal gain.
The Social Security Fix That Would Send Tax Rates Soaring
There are only a handful of ways to shore up Social Security. Sens. Bernie Moreno and Elizabeth Warren are backing one of the most expensive.
Rhode Island Is Regulating Grocery Checkout Lines Now
A new law requires grocery stores to keep one staffed checkout open for every three self-checkout stations.
Robert Reich's CEO Pay Chart Is Wrong. Here's the Real Math.
The former U.S. labor secretary presents economic data in deceptive ways.
Clarence Thomas Doubled Down on Presidential Power
The conservative justice pushed for greater executive authority even in cases in which Trump won.
The Sindex: Gas Prices Rose 29% in 2 Months After Trump Went to War With Iran
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
Video of National Constitution Center Conference on "2026 Supreme Court Review: Key Decisions, Executive Power, Civil Discourse"
Three different VC bloggers were among the speakers: Jonathan Adler, Keith Whittington, and myself.
Trump Tries To Take Credit for a Walmart July 4 Grocery Sale
He understands economics about as well as he understands the limits of presidential power.
Warren's Plan To 'Fix' Social Security Would Be Largest Tax Increase in Over 40 Years
Her plan is being pitched as a tax on the wealthy, but half the burden would fall on businesses. That would have dire consequences for the economy.
Europe, A.C., and the Housing Exception to America's Economic Success Story
Plus: L.A. criminally charges contractors offering to build an ADU in the Palisades, South Carolina streamlines squatter removal, and a Florida city uses eminent domain to thwart state housing law.
The U.S. Could Eventually Win a Men's World Cup—With Enough Immigration and Capitalism
Plus: Should Folarin Balogun have been allowed to play? The simple fix for red card suspensions.
The Roberts Court vs. the Trump Court
Why Trump lost big in the Supreme Court cases he cared the most about
