Price Controls Don't Work. So Why Do So Many Democrats and Republicans Love Them?
Price controls are seductive because any benefits are highly and immediately visible, while their grave costs are often harder to spot.
Populism
Americans Are Wealthier Than 30 Years Ago. Here's the Data To Prove It.
Americans with upper, middle, and lower incomes are all better off today than in the 1970s or 1990s, new CBO data shows.
Axel Kaiser Explains the Javier Milei Effect
Axel Kaiser discusses Latin America’s political realignment, the battle over culture, and why libertarians need to talk about virtue.
3 Mistakes That Made Donald Trump
In an exclusive interview with Reason, Anthony Scaramucci identifies three Washington decisions that helped fuel the anger that Trump harnessed.
Anthony Scaramucci: How America Got Trump
Anthony Scaramucci discusses how China’s rise, the War on Terror, and the 2008 financial crisis fueled populist anger.
Trump and Vance's Plan To Bribe Voters With $5,000 Checks Shows MAGA Is Out of Ideas
By quickly endorsing Trump's ridiculous plan to bribe voters in the midterms, J.D. Vance reveals something about the future of Trumpism. There isn't one.
J.D. Vance's Interest in Huey Long Should Be a Red Flag for Conservatives
Long's motto, "every man a king," was not a call for individual sovereignty. It was a populist pitch for wealth taxes and a more powerful government.
Can America Survive Its Political Divide?
Kurt Andersen discusses the politicization of everyday life, generational conflict, and whether markets have failed younger Americans.
How a Top Democratic Operative Lost Faith in Her Party
Evan Barker discusses the Democratic Party's growing disconnect from working-class voters, the realities of political fundraising, and the future of populism in America.
What To Expect From Colombia's New President
He ran a MAGA-style campaign in a nation beset by partisan violence. Will he make Colombia freer or more authoritarian?
Why Populism Leads to Decline
Johan Norberg discusses what makes societies prosperous, why protectionism and nostalgia keep returning, and how populism feeds cultural decline.
U.K. Elections Show Populist Uprising Is Far From Over
Polling shows angry voters are prepared to reject the establishment in elections to come.
What Does the New Right Believe?
From trade to migration to personal freedom, the conservatives of the global New Right hold a philosophy incompatible with individualism.
Ro Khanna: Congress Has Surrendered on War
The California congressman discusses the Iran war, unchecked executive power, California’s wealth tax debate, and the search for a shared American identity.
The World Bank Used To Champion Markets. Now It's Surrendering to State-Led Industrialization.
The reversal wasn't because the economics changed. It is because their biggest shareholders turned toward industrial policy.
Jonah Goldberg: The GOP Is Becoming Anti-Conservative
Jonah Goldberg discusses the Iran war, Trump’s governing style, the rise of the populist right, and why he believes the GOP is drifting away from conservatism.
Yes, the Middle Class Is Shrinking—Because It's Moving Up
The real squeeze comes from government-distorted markets, not economic decline.
Trump's War on Interest Rates
No one likes high interest rates on credit cards and loans, but artificially lowering interest rates via executive power is not a solution.
How Marjorie Taylor Greene Went From QAnon Acolyte to MAGA Exile
You don't need a detailed theory to explain the departing congresswoman's journey.
In 2026, Republicans Will Have To Decide What Comes After Trump
Is the party heading deeper into the right wing fever swamps?
The Politics of Permanent Outrage
Lauren Hall looks at the roots of political tribalism, why voters feel trapped between false choices, and how radical moderation offers a way out of constant polarization.
When Washington Crossed the Delaware on Christmas 1776, It Wasn't in the Name of Christian Nationalism
America was not founded to be a theocracy and it should not strive to become one.
The Bipartisan War on Prices Is Coming for Your Credit Card
The strange new alliance between democratic socialists and nationalist populists isn't a sign of political healing. It's a sign that people have lost their grip on basic economics.
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.
The Democratic Party Is Offering a False Choice Between Socialism and Technocracy
By looking to the past, Democrats could chart a pro-freedom blueprint for their party’s future.
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.
The Democratic Thrill for Mamdani Is a Tell
What political insurgencies can teach us about major parties
What Happened to the Republican Party?
Former Sen. Jeff Flake discusses how Trump reshaped the GOP, why populism betrayed conservative values, and why he believes the system can still be reformed.
MAGA Is Wrong About AI. Trump Is Right.
Plus: a weak jobs report and Trump’s economic record, New College of Florida weighing privatization after its clash with DeSantis, and the DOJ pushes to block transgender Americans from gun ownership
Trump and Mamdani Battle for the Populist Crown
Tune in on July 15 at 6:20 p.m. Eastern to hear four co-hosts' unflinching critiques of the latest in politics, culture, and whatever fresh hell awaits us all.
Trump's Tax Plan Is a Leftist Economic Agenda Wrapped in Populist Talking Points
The administration shows no coherent commitment to free market principles and is in fact actively undermining them.
Quinn Slobodian Bastardizes Hayek and Mises
A historian tries to tie two classical liberal economists to the racialist right, and scrambles their words in the process.
The Conspiracy Jokers
A new book explores the legacy of the Report on Iron Mountain, while another probes the life of the novelist and essayist Robert Anton Wilson.
The Socialists and Suffragettes of Oz
Long before Wicked came along, America's homegrown fairyland was filled with politics.
After This Election, Is America Still the World's 'Indispensable' Nation?
The key reason America is so prosperous is because it has been the world's beacon of liberty, welcoming to immigrants and open to trade.
Us-Versus-Them: The Pronouns of Populism
Populism’s pronoun usage taps into the darker elements of the human condition.
How the Political Spectrum Turned Inside Out
From 9/11 to the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis moments keep reshaping the political landscape.
What Kamala Harris' Coronation Says About the Democratic Party
Plus: A listener asks the editors about Project 2025.
The 'Pro-Worker' GOP Is Anti-Worker
The New Right talks a big populist game, but their policies hurt the people they're supposed to help.
J.D. Vance Is a Bridge to Trumpism Beyond Trump
Vance's vibes are Trumpian but also traditional—a potent and dangerous combination.
J.D. Vance Turned an Inspiring Personal Story Into an Unsatisfying Political Sales Pitch
If voting was the solution to the ills of America's working class, wouldn't it have worked by now?
Teamsters Boss Sean O'Brien Put Political Spectacle Ahead of His Job
The high-profile fight with UPS didn't improve working conditions as much as O'Brien promised.
Grand Old Populists
Plus: Classified documents case dismissed, 1968 all over again, venture capitalists finally get representation, and more...
Is Violent Rhetoric To Blame for the Trump Assassination Attempt?
Plus: Is Biden fit to be president today, let alone stand for reelection?
Trump's Defiance of an Assassin's Bullet Reaffirmed Populist Appeal
Can the candidate turn crowd-pleasing nostrums into a program that will do more good than harm?
France's Messy Elections Make American Politics Look Orderly
The U.S. flirtation with populism barely holds a candle to the situation across the Atlantic.
Ian Vasquez: What Has Javier Milei Accomplished in Argentina?
The Cato Institute's Ian Vasquez recently organized a conference in Argentina featuring President Javier Milei. He gives an update on the presidency.
