Trump and Biden Agree: Just Call Debt 'Wealth' Instead!
Both party leaders are selling the idea of a sovereign wealth fund, but it’s more political fantasy than fiscal fix.
Economics
Trump and Harris Both Favor Tax Hikes That Would Hurt Ordinary Americans
The costs of steep tariffs and a higher corporate income tax extend far beyond the advertised targets.
The Best of Reason: How Inflation Breaks Our Brains
From salt riots to toilet paper runs, history shows that rising prices make consumers—and voters—grumpy and irrational.
Kamala Harris Pledges To Soak the Rich—But Her Policies Have Showered Them In Cash
Corporate subsidies and regressive tax breaks show who really benefits from Harris' agenda.
Trump Endorses Federal Marijuana Reforms and Reiterates His Support for Legalizing Pot in Florida
His new stance could encourage Vice President Kamala Harris to emphasize her opposition to federal marijuana prohibition.
Google Goes On Trial (Again) Today
Democrats' aggressive antitrust agenda threatens to upend Google's ad tech business—and make U.S. markets less free.
How Inflation Breaks Our Brains
From salt riots to toilet paper runs, history shows that rising prices make consumers—and voters—grumpy and irrational.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Fossils, Price Controls, and Traffic Lights (Vol. 17)
Good intentions, bad results.
Harris' Candidacy Puts a Spotlight on California's Failed Policies
From overspending to the state's overly powerful unions, California keeps sticking to the taxpayer.
Bob Murphy: How Bad Is the National Debt?
Economist Bob Murphy explains the technical details of government debt and why Modern Monetary Theory is so dangerously wrong.
Don't Blame Coca-Cola and Pepsi for America's Israel Policy
American firms are not responsible for how the taxes they pay are spent.
Season 2, Episode 1 Free Markets
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can Mark Cuban Make Prescriptions Affordable Again?
Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs project brings a bit of free market flair to the health care industry, but the lack of meaningful price signals is only part of the problem.
When Leftists Were Free Traders
In Pax Economica, historian Marc-William Palen chronicles the left-wing history of free trade.
The Government's Permitting Regime Is Choking the Economy
Housing costs, job availability, energy prices, and technological advancement all hinge on a web of red tape that is leaving Americans poorer and less free.
Eric Boehm: Why Is American Health Care So Dysfunctional?
The host of Why We Can't Have Nice Things returns to discuss the podcast's second season, which focuses on how government makes Americans poorer and sicker.
Leave U.S. Steel Alone
Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and J.D. Vance agree that U.S. Steel needs to be controlled from Washington. They are all wrong.
My New The Hill Article on How Trump and Harris Cater to Political Ignorance
Both propose awful economic policies that appeal to public ignorance.
Trump Repeats an 'Urban Legend' by Invoking 'Fentanyl Laced Marijuana'
At least he draws the right conclusion from this imaginary hazard, acknowledging the dangers created by prohibition.
Help Workers By Breaking Down Barriers to Labor Mobility
Labor Day is the right time to remember that we can make workers vastly better off by empowering more of them to vote with their feet, both within countries and through international migration.
The Teamsters' Alliance With the 'New Right' Was Never Going To Work
Autonomous vehicle developer Waymo is at the center of a fight between labor unions and venture capital that's dividing the populist right.
First-Ever Commercial Space Walk Delayed After Overcautious FAA Grounds SpaceX Rocket
The Federal Aviation Administration has called an unnecessary halt on launches following the Falcon 9 mishap on August 28.
Gavin Newsom's 'Price Gouging' Shtick Is Running on Empty
Gas prices in California are exceptionally high because of the state's high taxes and anti-oil regulations, not because gas station owners there are greedier.
Hair-Braiding Business Denied Permission To Operate Over Fears of Competition
Since when do government officials get to decide that a market is “oversaturated”?
Kyla Scanlon: What's Actually Wrong With the Economy?
Economist and author Kyla Scanlon discusses inflation, economic narratives, and the housing market.
Idaho Child Care Program Faces $16 Million Deficit as Bureaucrats Overextend Benefits
As conservatives push for cuts, lasting reform will require closing accountability gaps and restructuring entitlements.
Trump's Proposals Would Add $5.8 Trillion to the Deficit
Vice President Kamala Harris would add about $2 trillion to the deficit.
U.S. Officials Tried To Block Baby Formula Imports—During a Shortage
One official was concerned that lifting tariffs would lead to "lots of questions from domestic dairy producers."
Plastics Are Better for the Climate Than Aluminum and Glass, Actually
Producing plastics from fossil fuels emits a lot of carbon dioxide, but a new study finds the life cycle emissions are actually lower than glass and aluminum.
Kamala Harris' Plan To Hike Corporate Income Taxes Would Fall on All Americans
As with Trump and his tariffs, Harris appears unwilling to acknowledge the obvious consequences of hiking taxes on businesses.
Racetrack Can Sue Alleging COVID Shutdown Enforcement Targeted Speech, Violated "Fruits of Their Labor Clause"
That’s the Fruits of Their Labor Clause of the North Carolina Constitution.
J.D. Vance's Revisionist History
Plus: Brat summer revisited, Telegram CEO arrested, and more...
Ford Wants To Build Hybrids Instead of All-Electric Cars. The EPA Hates That.
The automaker is choosing to prioritize hybrids, which are more popular and provide a better option for many motorists. But the EPA only foresees a minor role for hybrids.
Democrats Are Talking About 'Freedom' Because Voters Really Like Freedom
And probably because Republicans have foolishly abandoned it as a unifying theme.
Presidents Don't Create Jobs, No Matter What Bill Clinton Said
Dynamic economies operate independently of the political party of whoever was elected most recently.
Trump and Harris' Economic Plans Are Depressingly Similar
Both campaigns represent variations on a theme of big, fiscally irresponsible, hyper-interventionist government.
Kamala Harris' Affordability Agenda Is a Good Idea Backed by Terrible Policies
Americans need a politician dedicated to unwinding decades of government interventions that have driven up the cost of middle-class living.
The Dumb and Dumber of Kamala's 'Greedflation' Narrative
The American economy is robustly competitive. The federal government could just mess it up.
How Does the Democratic Party Actually Feel About Billionaires?
Sen. Bernie Sanders calls them "oligarchs," while Gov. J.B. Pritzker gets cheers when touting his own billionaire status.
Economic Liberty Now Has No Place In Either Party
The rise of neopopulism means those who prioritize free markets have no political home.
Kamala Harris' 'Price Gouging' Ban: A New Idea That Has Failed for Thousands of Years
A half-baked idea that is just as dubious as Donald Trump's tariffs.
In Argentina, the Private Sector May Save Soccer
Javier Milei’s plan to let nonprofit teams convert to for-profit entities may inject capital into a struggling soccer league.
If Joe Biden Saved the Economy, Why Do We Need Kamala Harris' Price Controls?
Democrats are pushing a jarringly disconnected economic message.
Why Libertarians Hate Kamala Harris' Economic Platform
Plus: Special guest Ben Dreyfuss joins the editors this week.
