A Burrito Costs How Much?
Plus: The economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, inflation is outpacing wage growth, Trump is still mad about birthright citizenship, and more...
Policy
FCC Rule Change Would Allow More Broadcast Mergers, but It's Not Clear the FCC Has That Power.
It's not clear if the agency even has the legal authority to make the change. But if it goes through, there's little to worry about.
The YIMBY-Libertarian Convergence
An eminent domain case out of Rhode Island shows how YIMBY regulatory reforms and libertarian constitutional law activism work in tandem.
FCC Bans Foreign-Made Robots, Including Roombas
The ban on new foreign-made robotic devices comes soon after regulators nearly killed Roomba maker, iRobot.
Did Elon Musk Sentence Millions to Death by Dismantling USAID?
The study cited by Rep. Ro Khanna as the basis for that claim is statistical nonsense.
Trump Said Tariffs on Aluminum Would Boost Domestic Production. The White House Now Admits That Didn't Happen.
It's been more than eight years since Trump's first aluminum tariffs were imposed. How long do we have to wait before calling this a failure?
Federal Court Rules Against Rhode Island Town's Use of Eminent Domain for NIMBY Purposes
The local government sought to use eminent domain to block a housing project local NIMBYs objected to.
Rand Paul's Biosimilar Drug Bill Could Cut Costs, Speed Patient Access
The Expedited Access to Biosimilars Act enables FDA approval of pharmaceutically equivalent biologic medications.
The Trump Administration Just Named a Front-Runner in the Robotaxi Race
Zoox got the first commercial exemption for a driverless car. It came with a promise that safety regulations would evolve “as Zoox's technology advances.”
New NYU Brennan Center Article on "Using State Constitutions to Combat Exclusionary Zoning"
It explains how to better use both existing state constitutional provisions, and constitutional amendments. Based on a longer academic article, coauthored with Joshua Braver.
Economic Development Subsidies Create a Lot of Jobs—Mostly for Lobbyists
According to a newly published study, states that issued "extraordinarily large" economic development subsidies saw more lobbyists located in the state capital.
Federal Court Slaps Down Rhode Island Town's Surprise Seizure of Family's Land
A district court ruled that Johnston, Rhode Island, can't use its own bespoke eminent domain process to block an affordable housing development.
New Article on "The State Constitutional Case Against Exclusionary Zoning"
It is the first comprehensive analysis of how to use state constitutional law to combat exclusionary zoning. Coauthored with Josh Braver.
A Year After the Wildfires, L.A. Homelessness Spikes
Plus: A new lawsuit challenges New York's rent freeze, a study affirms new supply helps everyone, and the battle between data centers and clouded leopards.
The Democrats Have a Socialism Problem
Plus: the DSA's policy agenda, Trump hits pause on Iran, and deregulating peptides
The Peptide Gray Market Is Already Here. The FDA Is Just Catching Up.
A key FDA advisory committee vote could bring clarity to the biohacking and alternative medicine world.
The Best and Worst States To Be a Smoker
Tobacco is the most taxed consumer product in the U.S., and those taxes largely dictate cigarette prices.
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.
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.
Nashville Considers Using Eminent Domain To Stop a Planned Data Center From Irritating Zoo Animals
The Nashville Zoo says the vibrations from next door's planned data center might negatively affect hearing-sensitive animals.
Trump's FAA Moves To End the 50-Year Ban on Domestic Supersonic Flight
Supersonic flight is legally limited to the ocean. But the federal bureaucracy is (slowly) changing, and at least one company wants to take advantage.
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...
E.U. Fines Google $1 Billion and Orders It To Give Competitors Equal Treatment
European regulators claim to promote innovation while extracting billions from the companies producing it.
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.
This Bipartisan Senate Bill Would Make Your Google Search Results Less Useful
Regulating search results when AI is upending the industry is a fool’s errand.
Nobody Likes Red Tape, Not Even Mamdani
Eliminating burdensome small business regulations is a win for everyone.
Trump's New DOJ Nominee Wants To Ban Online Porn and Prosecute Big Tech
Adam Candeub has been nominated to head the Justice Department's Antitrust Division.
When Is a Park Fee Unconstitutional?
Plus: San Francisco slashes affordable housing mandates, wide support for streamlining environmental review, and Mamdani's rent ripoff report.
Mamdani's Zombie Apartment Nightmare
New York’s rent freeze will turn more rent-stabilized units into unlivable “zombie apartments.”
SCOTUS Said You Can't Lose Gun Rights for Smoking Pot. But You Could Still Lose a Government License To Work.
An old drug conviction could still stop you from waxing eyebrows, cutting hair, or giving massages.
A Pipeline Company Seized Their Land and Left Them With a $383,000 Bill. What Will the Supreme Court Say?
Leonard Hoffmann and his neighbors in North Dakota went to court to fight for fair market value—as the Constitution promises—after WBI Energy Transmission said it would take their land at a discount.
As the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Hits a 40-Year Low, It's Time To Scrap It
Presidents have repeatedly used the SPR to manipulate markets and shield consumers from the consequences of bad policies.
The 'Nuclear Nightmare' That Was Manufactured by the Media
Despite decades of panic, a new reactor has been approved for the first time in 10 years.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Ignores Trump's Order To Revise Radiation Exposure Limits
The agency pretends to loosen scientifically unjustified regulations but does nothing of the sort.
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.
Taking the W
Developers rush to use California's new apartments-near-transit law, North Carolina eliminates parking requirements, and the federal housing bill finally becomes law.
Did Lindsey Graham Push Trump Toward War?
Plus: Trump's escalating war with Iran, the bipartisan congressional housing bill, and Graham Platner's campaign collapse
Trump Accounts Add Confusion to Savings Accounts Without Adding Much Benefit
Let's simplify this system instead of making it even more complicated.
Trump Administration Continues Push for Liberalized Gun Rules
The ATF is reconsidering some of its dumber regulations as the feds sue states with restrictive gun laws.
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.
How Both Biden and Trump Helped Kill Spirit Airlines
No single factor is wholly responsible for the low-cost airline's failure, but the government certainly didn't help.
A.I. Predictions Failing To Come True
Plus: Democrats taking a new tack, the popularity of social media bans, an influencer correspondent, and more...
