Season 1, Episode 2 Free Trade
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: The Ghosts of Protectionism Past
The U.S. tariff code is "quite regressive and somewhat misogynist" because the most powerful lobbyist in Washington is muscle memory.
Foreign Policy
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Biden Escalates Trade War With China
A new national emergency declaration will allow for the creation of an outbound investment screening system targeting Americans' investments in China.
Why the U.S. Hasn't Declared a Coup in Niger
The U.S. is prioritizing foreign militaries over democracies.
Ukraine's Sluggish Counteroffensive Raises Questions About U.S. Support
Should the U.S. continue to bankroll the counteroffensive?
Is the Budget Process Broken, or Is Congress Just Refusing To Do Its Job?
Since Congress designed and implemented the last budget process in 1974, only on four occasions have all of the appropriations bills for discretionary spending been passed on time.
Amicus Brief Defending Legality of Immigration Parole Program for Migrants Fleeing Socialism, Oppression, and Violence in Four Latin American Nations
The program extends the successful Uniting for Ukraine policy to migrants fleeing Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti.
When Our Weapons Go Missing
Washington is doing a poor job of monitoring whether the weapons it sends to Ukraine are ending up in the right hands.
Season 1 Free Trade
Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 1
A six-part podcast series on trade policy launching next week
Say Goodbye to Permissionless Travel
Americans will need a visa to visit Europe in 2024. Meanwhile, Europeans who have been to Cuba are discovering they can't come to the U.S., because terrorism.
Industrial Policy Isn't About Creating Jobs
It's a short-sighted approach that distracts us from the more important question.
Judge Blocks Biden Administration's Strict Asylum Restrictions
Plus: Digital rights groups protest "bad internet bills," the FTC might be readying another lawsuit against Amazon, and more...
Let Asylum-Seeking Migrants Work
Taking this step would benefit both the migrants themselves and the American economy. It would also eliminate burdens on local governments.
Sweden Learns That NATO Has Strings Attached
Turkey takes advantage of its new leverage.
What Would It Mean for Taiwan's President To Visit the White House?
It may be a good idea in theory, but it's probably an impractical pipe dream.
NATO Made a Mistake by Promising Membership to Ukraine
The chance of open U.S.-Russia conflict really would increase if Ukraine were admitted to NATO.
Cluster Bombs Aren't the Only Weapons That Kill People After a War Is Over
Progressive Democrats' opposition to sending cluster bombs to Ukraine is welcome. Their arguments apply to much of the military aid the U.S. is sending the country.
Trade War Heats Up With China's Export Restrictions on Two Critical Minerals
China and the U.S. are locked in a mutually destructive economic conflict.
A Private Libertarian City in Honduras
Próspera Inc. is creating a voluntary free market mini-state inside one of Latin America's poorest nations.
When More Troops Mean Less Security
NATO could increase its "ready" troops from 40,000 to 300,000. That isn't certain to make us safer.
The NATO Treaty Does Not Supersede the Constitution
A group of senators is challenging the conventional interpretation of Article 5's an-attack-on-one-is-an-attack-on-all provision.
C-SPAN Video of Cato Institute Event on the Private Sponsorship Revolution in Immigration Policy
Participants included Prof. Adam Cox (NYU), David Bier (Cato), Kit Taintor (Welcome.US), and myself.
Adam Smith Said Colonists Should Join the British Union. Was He Serious?
Reading between the lines of The Wealth of Nations
Fearmongering Won't Solve Climate Change
Global warming is an issue. But there are other pressing problems that deserve the world's attention.
Modi's Rotten Human Rights Record Didn't Keep Biden From Hosting Him
"During the visit, Biden could have refrained from deep public embraces of Modi or from emphasizing India's democracy. He chose to do neither," says Michael Kugelman.
Russia Looks Increasingly Medieval After the Coup That Wasn't
Feudal-style squabbling with the control of nuclear weapons at stake.
Michael McFaul Makes the Case for Reaching out to the "Russian Diaspora"
A leading US expert on Russia advocates outreach to Putin's Russian opponents and encouraging emigration from Russia. The best way to encourage Russians to leave is to allow more of them to come to the West.
Anticlimactic End to Wagner Group's Armed Rebellion in Russia
Plus: Florida drag law ruled unconstitutional, Meta cancels Canadian news posts, and more...
Bombing Mexican Cartels Won't Stop Fentanyl
A Republican-sponsored resolution would authorize the president to "use all necessary and appropriate force" against foreigners involved in fentanyl trafficking.
Don't Shame the OceanGate Crew for Taking Huge Risks
But don't expect taxpayers to rescue adventurers when they fail, either.
World Refugee Day is a Good Time to Consider Expanding the Ridiculously Narrow Legal Definition of "Refugee"
The definition excludes a vast range of people fleeing horrific violence and oppression.
RIP Daniel Ellsberg, Who Told the World the Truth About the Vietnam War
The Pentagon Papers leaker risked prison to reveal that American military officials were lying to Congress and the public about Vietnam. He died today at age 92.
The Rail Safety Act Is About Union Handouts, Not Safety
The legislation—which was introduced in response to the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio—pushes pet projects and would worsen the status quo.
In Ukraine's Struggle for Survival, a Reminder of War's Harsh Moral Compromises
There’s no neat and clean way to fight a war, even for victims of aggression.
Upcoming Cato Institute Event on the Private Sponsorship Revolution in Immigration Policy
Participants include Prof. Adam Cox (NYU), David Bier (Cato), Kit Taintor (Welcome.US), and myself.
The Debt Ceiling Deal Does Not Go Nearly Far Enough
Projections of huge savings are making the rounds. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Socialism Is Bad for the Environment
"All the time we hear socialists say, 'Next time, we'll get it right.' How many next times do you get?"
Congressional Commission's Taiwan Plan Is a Mixed Bag for U.S. Interests
The bipartisan plan encourages greater involvement by the U.S. military than past policy.
California Lawmakers Want To Make Tech Companies Subsidize News Media
Plus: Debt ceiling deal passes House, Congress wants to childproof the internet, lactation consultant licensing law is unconstitutional, and more...
Rejoice Georgians: You Don't Need a Government Permit To Advise Breastfeeding Moms
The state’s Supreme Court strikes down an absurd, unneeded occupational licensing demand.
Even Pennsylvanians Can Now Buy Wine in Grocery Stores, but New Yorkers Still Can't
A bill that would expand wine sales in the Empire State is meeting familiar resistance from entrenched interests.
Childproofing the Internet
How online “child protection” measures could make child and adult internet users more vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, and snoops.
Senators Want To Declare Fentanyl a National Security Threat
Plus: SCOTUS won't hear Reddit sex trafficking case, debt deal would increase spending on SNAP benefits, and more...
Debt Ceiling Bill 'Locks in the Inflated Spending Levels of Recent Years'
Plus: Artificial intelligence and jobs, how government caused a lifeguard shortage, and more...
Frederick Douglass's Classic 1871 Decoration Day Speech
Memorial Day originated as Decoration Day, an occasion to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. Douglass' 1871 speech may be the greatest-ever address associated with this occasion.
Have a Lifeguard Shortage at Your Pool? Here's a Big, Underreported Reason Why
Memorial Day ushers in the unofficial start of summer. But if your pool is missing lifeguards, issues with immigration may be the culprit.
More Evidence that Biden's Private Sponsorship Migrant Parole Policy Reduced Illegal Migration by Making the Legal Kind Easier
A new study by the conservative Manhattan Institute concludes that the expansion of private sponsorship parole to migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela has reduced illegal migration across the southern border by about 98,000 per month.
