Sweating the Little Things
The freedom to build in-law suites and home additions is crucial, even if it doesn't get us all the way to housing "abundance."
Policy
Ignore the Entertainment Companies
Plus: Lost Vegas, Gen Z listlessness, Kushner mystique, Nvidia goes to China, and more...
Why Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump Hate the Netflix Deal
Plus: Trump’s economy shows new signs of strain, Congress pushes a $900 billion defense package, and Kalshi stirs backlash over “financializing everything”
Our Amicus Brief in the Pung v. Isabella County Home Equity Theft Takings Case
I wrote it (with help from others) on behalf of the Cato Institute and a group of takings and property scholars.
Non-Paywalled Version of My Washington Examiner Article on "Foot Voting, Housing, and Affordability"
The Cato Institute has posted one on its website.
Donald Trump Says He'll 'Be Involved' in Choosing Who Gets To Merge With Warner Bros.
Paramount Skydance is banking on the Ellison family's relationship with Trump following Netflix outbidding the company to acquire Warner Bros.
Trump's Tariffs Were Supposed To Cut the Trade Deficit and Boost U.S. Manufacturing. They're Not Working.
For Trump, tariffs are a solution to every problem, and his trade war is more about the vibes than the economics.
Virginia's New Blue Trifecta Puts Right-To-Work on the Line
Democrats retook full control in Richmond and are already advancing right-to-work repeal, testing whether incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger will stand by her campaign promise.
Warner Bros. Accepts Netflix's $83 Billion Bid, but Antitrust Threats Still Loom
If antitrust regulators allow the deal to go through, consumers stand to benefit from a less expensive Netflix–HBO Max bundle.
What America Can Learn From Japanese Housing
On housing policy, America needs to be less fascist King Kong and more free-market Godzilla.
My New Washington Examiner Article on "Foot Voting, Housing, and Affordability"
We can make housing more affordable and empower people to "vote with their feet" by curbing exclusionary zoning. Left and right should support that instead of counterproductive snake oil like rent control, tariffs, and deportations.
New Car Prices Hit $49,766 in October. Rolling Back Fuel Economy Regulations Could Bring Relief.
Here's a Trump reform that could actually make something more affordable.
The Horseshoe of Doom: Populists Left and Right Say America Is Failing. The Facts Don't.
When voters believe they're living through an economic apocalypse, they're willing to embrace the very policies that would create one.
Federal Trade Commission Staff Endorses Proposal to End American Bar Association Monopoly on Law School Accreditation
FTC staff support the proposal by the Texas Supreme Court to allow for alternative means of accreditation.
In Connecticut, Zoning Reform Is Back From the Dead
Plus: A challenge to the Trump administration's shift away from "housing first" and reflections on the West's "Great Downzoning"
The Poverty Line Isn't a Vibe
A more robust welfare state won't change the fact that tradeoffs exist, even for relatively wealthy Americans who choose to have kids.
Republican Socialism: Trump Is Taking Federal Stakes in Private Companies
The Trump administration's pivot toward socialism did not come without warning.
Knitters Need Free Trade: Trump's Tariffs Are Making Crafting Supplies Harder To Get
"Every supplier I have, minus one, from major to minor, has had a price increase," a Tennessee yarn shop owner tells Reason.
Trump Slammed Biden's $52 Billion CHIPS Act. Then He Used It To Buy a Federal Stake in Intel.
Biden said "companies are investing in America again." Instead, America is investing in companies—and getting little in return.
Uncle Sam Makes Thanksgiving Worse
We have many things to be grateful for this time of year. The government isn't one of them.
Muriel Bowser Was a Flawed Mayor. We'll Miss Her When She's Gone.
Bowser's apathetic pragmatism sustained D.C.'s turnaround success while keeping a hard-left approach to city government at bay.
D.C. Circuit Upholds Energy Department Ban on Non-Condensing Furnaces and Water Heaters
After this decision, rescinding this Biden Administration rule may be more difficult.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Says You Can Defeat NIMBYism by Building Less
Plus: The DOJ and RealPage reach a settlement, the ROAD to Housing Act hits a speed bump, and Donald Trump and Zohran Mamdani talk housing policy.
A Dirge for DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency didn't accomplish much. We still have cause to mourn its official closure.
Trump's Tariffs Are Likely To Make Toys More Expensive This Christmas Shopping Season
In Trump's first term, he exempted many Chinese toys and household items from tariff hikes. This time, they're subject to a 30 percent import tax.
Can the Government Mandate a Vaccine for Your Own Good? This Federal Court Says Yes.
The 9th Circuit made a ruling this year that could allow far-ranging government interference with private health decisions.
Meta's Victory Over the Federal Trade Commission Shows the Market Moves Faster Than Antitrust Enforcement
The decision ends the witch hunt begun under the first Trump administration.
People Like Having Too Much Content, Says Swiss Study on Information Abundance
Plus: FTC loses Facebook case, building a fertility abundance agenda, ICE staffer arrested in underage sex sting, and more...
A 50-Year Mortgage Won't Make Homes Affordable
Ultra-long mortgages create the illusion of affordability but lock borrowers into decades of extra interest because leaders won’t fix the supply crunch.
Can We Make Flophouses Great Again? And Should We?
The government destroyed the last century's privately provided housing safety net. Bringing it back is harder than you might think.
How Lina Khan Is Busy Striving To Maximize Mamdani's Power
Using the mighty power of government to…make stadium hot dogs cheaper? It's one of many ways Khan's petty populism could be coming to New York City.
Mamdani's Win Offers Terrible Temptation for Democrats
Rent freezes will discourage construction, government-run grocery stores are a joke, and free buses will become roving homeless shelters.
Los Angeles City Council Votes To Lower Rent Caps on 650,000 Rent-Stabilized Apartments
The new rules would permit landlords to raise rents by a maximum of 4 percent per year, a decrease from the 8 percent maximum allowable increase under the current rules.
A New Lawsuit Says New York's Rent Law Is Forcing Landlords To Keep Apartments Empty
Landlords argue that rent caps on vacant units prevent them from financing the costs of legally mandated renovations.
The End of 'Housing First'
Plus: Shutdown over, Mexican murder rate, UES spews Mamdani hate, and more...
The Trump Administration's Latest Housing 'Fix' Could Inflate Another Bubble
Socializing risk to subsidize demand isn't a solution to the housing crisis, but it is a good start to another financial crisis.
The 50-Year Mortgage: Completely Fine or a Total Flop?
Mortgage experts are divided on the wisdom of a 50-year mortgage. No one seems to think it's the key to making homeownership affordable.
Trump Baselessly Accuses Meat Packers of 'Criminally Profiting at the Expense of the American People'
There are several reasons why beef prices are at a record high. Collusion isn't one of them.
Don't Send Cubans and Venezuelans Back To Suffer Under Communism
Despite Trump promising to stand "with the good people of Cuba and Venezuela," his administration has fast-tracked deportations for victims of communism.
Federalist Society National Lawyers Convention Panel on Zoning, Property Rights, and the Housing Crisis
I participated along with James Burling (Pacific Legal Foundation), Prof. Peter Byrne (Georgetown), and Prof. Sara Bronin (George Washington University).
New York Voters Say Yes to Faster Housing Approvals
Does that mean they want more housing generally?
Good Riddance, Andrew Cuomo
The former governor had a bad record, a worse attitude, and zero vision.
6 Zohran Mamdani Campaign Promises That New York City Can't Afford
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani has been elected mayor by promising New Yorkers “free” programs and services with their own money.
New Jersey Sticks With a Conventional Democrat
Mikie Sherrill will mostly continue business as usual—but with the possibility of some regulatory reform.
Election Day
What races in New York City, New Jersey, and Virginia can tell us about the future of housing policy.
Mamdani's Socialist Mayorship Will Make New York a Worse Place To Live and Do Business
His plans to offer "free" buses and daycare, freeze rents, and create city-owned grocery stores are expensive and proven failures.
