The 'Affordability' Agenda That Taxes Your Dinner
Food-related taxes are rising in popularity, though they hurt restaurants and customers—and may even fail as a revenue-raising tool.
Local Government
Mamdani's Tax Database Doxed Wealthy New Yorkers
The New York City mayor painted a target on wealthy taxpayers.
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.
What Jimothy the Raccoon Reveals About Seattle
A local lawmaker said she wants to "keep my measured distance from him so he can live his good little life." What about humans?
The Hidden Problem With Democrats' $25 Minimum Wage Bill
The legislation would eliminate the tip credit for restaurant workers and other tipped employees—which has not worked out well in the past.
Local Officials Vow To Shield the Public from Virginia's Authoritarian New Gun Laws
A new chapter in the never-ending battle between centralized power and local control.
L.A. Delays Its $30 Hotel 'Olympic Wage' Until After the Olympics
It's a temporary reprieve for a sector that has been struggling for years. But the fight is just getting started.
Mamdani Got His Rent Freeze Wish. Don't Expect New York City Housing To Become More Affordable.
The NYC Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rent for approximately 1 million apartments on Thursday night.
Secret Emails Reveal Sketchy Tactics in California Public Health's Tobacco Ban 'Endgame'
Here are the sketchy tactics California’s public health agency is using to convince towns and cities to ban tobacco sales.
The Mayor Who Loves Bodegas Is Building Taxpayer-Funded Competitors
Zohran Mamdani's administration has not studied how New York City's government-backed grocery stores will affect nearby mom-and-pop outlets, which operate on thin profit margins.
How Worried Should We Be About a Socialist Mayor in D.C.?
In Tuesday's Democratic primary, voters overwhelmingly voted for Janeese Lewis George, a socialist who's promised to resist Donald Trump.
'Find Some Kids': How Health Officials Drummed Up Fake Support for Tobacco Bans in Massachusetts Towns
State health officials scouted towns, scripted hearings, recruited teen witnesses, and celebrated each ban as a "win."
J.D. Vance and Mike Johnson Slam L.A. Mayoral Primary Outcome
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss renewed Republican criticism of California's slow election results.
Instacart Is Suing New York City Over Its $22.13 Minimum Wage for Delivery Drivers
The economic fallout of the law has been significant. Is it even legal?
Elon Did DOGE. Now Mamdani Is Trying COGE.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s COGE sounds like DOGE, but New Yorkers should not expect the mayor to shrink the city’s bureaucracy.
Mamdani 'Balanced' New York City's Budget—With a Bailout From Albany
The mayor eliminated a $12 billion deficit with an infusion of cash from the state government, as well as by putting off some of today's obligations for tomorrow.
Self-Checkout Is Under Fire Across the Country. Is Theft Really the Reason?
The restrictions are often framed as a crime prevention measure. But the fine print points to a different motivation: adding union jobs.
A $33 Burger? As New York City Eyes $30 Minimum Wage, Restaurants Brace for Impact
The proposal would eliminate the tipped-wage credit and send labor costs skyrocketing in an industry notorious for its tight margins.
Can Zohran Mamdani Make NYC Affordable?
Zephyr Teachout and John Ketcham debate the mayor of the Big Apple.
ICE Is on a $45 Billion Building Spree. Can Small Towns Support These New Migrant Warehouses?
The government is selling the policy with the same arguments you’d expect for subsidized factories or sports stadiums.
62-Year-Old Protester Acquitted on All Charges for Wearing Penis Costume
The judge felt there was probable cause for an arrest but he declined to go so far as to convict.
State vs. Local, State vs. State
A popular revolt against state-led zoning reform in Colorado, Massachusetts' contradictory approach to housing supply, and how municipalities lobby to kill housing.
Chicago Progressives Voted To Freeze Minimum Wage Hikes for Restaurant Workers. Why Won't the Mayor Listen?
While eliminating the tipped wage may sound like a win on paper for waiters, the results have been disconcerting.
Seattle's Minimum Wage Laws Backfired on Uber and Lyft. Now the Union Wants To Limit Drivers.
As demand for trips has plummeted in the wake of the wage hikes, the Drivers Union is trying to limit the number of gig workers on the road.
NYC Transit Just Got Rid of MetroCards for Fares. The Successor Could Put Your Privacy at Risk.
Unlike the MetroCard, the OMNY system requires train and bus riders in New York City to give their name and phone number to the government.
Mamdani's 'Rental Ripoff' Hearings Won't Fix New York Housing
Demonizing landlords might make for good social media, but it does nothing to reduce the regulations that make New York housing so expensive.
Zohran Mamdani's $70 Million Grocery Gamble
Amid a $5.4 billion budget deficit, the mayor of New York City is pushing forward with a proposal that has historically yielded terrible results.
It Looks Like the End of the Road for Rideshare Alternative Empower in D.C.
The company may soon shutter its operations in the District of Columbia, following recent decisions by the D.C. Superior Court and Court of Appeals.
Virginia Democrats' Push for Mandatory Government Unions Is Not an 'Affordability' Agenda
The legislation would almost certainly lead to a higher cost of living in the form of substantial tax increases.
In Mamdani's War on Delivery Apps, New Yorkers Are the Collateral Damage
New York City's own past policies are to blame for much of the gig economy drama, which Mayor Mamdani will further exacerbate.
States and Local Governments Are Still Sitting on Billions of Dollars of 'Emergency' COVID Relief
The Biden administration said the $350 billion bailout was urgent and necessary. Five years later, that doesn't seem true.
Blame Overregulation for High Child Care Costs
Politicians like New York’s Mayor Mamdani promise to solve a problem that they created.
Can Congress Get 'YIMBY Grants' Right?
Plus: The House passes housing reform, Florida advances ADUs, and Zohran Mamdani hosts show trials for bad landlords.
