The Rise and Fall of Ma Bell
The making and unmaking of a telephone monopoly
Regulation
Gina Hinojosa Wants To Freeze Electricity Rates in Texas. New Jersey Shows Why That Won't Work.
In New Jersey, a rate freeze touched only part of the bill, and in some cases left ratepayers with higher bills than before.
A Major Reform of California's Environmental Regulations Looks Destined for Failure
While votes are still being counted, a majority of voters appear to have said no to a major overhaul of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Prediction Markets Called the Midterms. Lawmakers Still Call Them Gambling.
You can bet the incoming Democratic majority is watching the action on prediction markets.
Congress Has a Chance To Fix the Endangered Species Act
Next week, Congress will vote on a bill to modernize the regulation that hurts property owners and conservation efforts.
D.C. Regulators Shut Down a Halloween Bar Crawl Under the District's 'Public Nuisance' Order
In the nation's capital, organizing a Halloween pub crawl can land businesses thousands of dollars in fines.
California Voters Have a Chance To Address the State's Broken Environmental Regulations
The California Environmental Quality Act has led to long delays, enormous costs, and special interests that use the process to stop projects they dislike.
Ireland Is Banning Vape Flavors. This Shop Owner Warns It Could Cost Lives.
The government says it's protecting children, but the restrictions could drive adults back to smoking and hand business to the black market.
A Supreme Court Case Underlines the Absurdity of the Federal Ban on Home Distilling
Criminalizing the hobby is morally indefensible and inconsistent with the treatment of wine and beer.
The U.K.'s Online Safety Act Has Been a Failure. Regulators Want To Broaden It Anyway.
A new report reveals more shortcomings of the U.K.’s Online Safety Act.
Under Proposed Treasury Rule, Corporate Homebuyers Who Don't Track Their Receipts Face $1 Million Fines
The proposed regulations implement the restrictions on large investor purchases of single-family homes passed by Congress this year.
Even Under Mamdani, New York City's Ballot Questions Might Cut Red Tape and Public Review Hearings
Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency put forward ballot proposals to cut red tape.
Kalshi's CEO Wants 1 Set of Rules. The States Want 50.
Tarek Mansour argues prediction markets can police insider trading themselves, but regulators still see a gambling app.
Javier Milei's Case Against AI Regulation
"Keep AI unregulated," the Argentine president wrote in support of his proposed plan to boost artificial intelligence.
RFK Jr. Wants To Cut Red Tape in Kidney Care. He Should Go Further.
HHS recognizes that government regulations have stifled competition. Its plan does little to reduce the government's grip on the market.
Are Prediction Markets Just Gambling? Kalshi CEO Responds
Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour discusses the fight to regulate prediction markets, why ordinary people can outperform Wall Street, and the future of American capitalism.
Trump Administration Urges SCOTUS To Uphold Federal Ban on Distilling Liquor at Home
The justices will decide the case later this term.
Britain Wants To Punish Microsoft for Being Too Successful
Britain's regulator says Microsoft's products are “useful,” “secure,” and “good value for money.” Apparently, that’s a problem.
A Months-Old Anti-Robotaxi Group Is Steering Transportation Policy From Albany to D.C.
Even though its claims about job loss and safety don't hold up, the group has convinced the likely next mayor of D.C. to slow Waymo's development.
Be Prepared for Elizabeth Warren's Reign of Economic Error
The progressive Democrat, whose party may take control of the Senate, is sounding alarms over consolidation in the hot sauce business.
Will Pennsylvania's Vape Ban Create More Cigarette Smokers?
Starting next week, retailers will face steep fines for selling unapproved e-cigarettes, potentially pushing consumers back toward smoking or into illicit markets.
The Government Doesn't Know What's Best for You. Why Let It Decide What You Should Eat?
Governments are moving beyond mere advice and trying to regulate people's diets more directly.
SpaceX Found a Way Around the FCC
The company’s spectacular IPO obscured a quieter breakthrough that could transform satellite communications.
Don't Blame AI Labs for What Hackers Do With Their Tools
AI executives are planning for a public revolt after a major attack. A federal power grab is the wrong response.
The NFL Chooses States, Not the CFTC, in Fight Over Prediction Market Regulation
The league's amicus brief warns about game integrity and underage betting, but the NFL has a financial stake in keeping prediction markets under state control.
NYC Officials Bizarrely Want To 'Save' an AMC Movie Theater From a Hospital Expansion
Who needs a bigger hospital when you can enjoy movie magic?
FTX Is Gone, but Its Memory Still Drives Federal Crypto Policy
One line in a user agreement could bring every trade on a crypto exchange under federal oversight.
Federal Court Slaps Down Utah's VPN Restrictions
A judge blocked a rule that would have required adult sites to block VPNs or age-check the world.
Sam Altman Says 'Some Bad Things' Will Happen With AI. That Doesn't Mean We Should Stop It.
Progress has always required accepting risk.
The Millennial Internet Is Dead, and Politicians Killed It.
Social media use is declining, and what's left has shifted from conversation to passive scrolling.
Rand Paul Was Right To Block the Senate's Attempt To Censor the Internet
The bill’s “duty of care” could pressure platforms to suppress lawful speech in the name of protecting children.
Federal Contractors Responsible for 'Biased' Alcohol Study Should Be Punished, Oversight Committee Says
Rep. James Comer is asking the HHS to consider disciplinary action against anti-alcohol activists empowered by the Biden administration.
Smoking Is Bad for You. Nicotine Isn't—but Politicians Keep Trying To Ban It.
Nicotine has become associated with the worst harms of smoking, even though the chemical is not responsible for the cancers or lung disease caused by combustible tobacco.
Trump Wants AI Companies To Police Themselves. His FTC Isn't Waiting.
While the White House settles for a voluntary accord, the Federal Trade Commission is preparing subpoena-like demands and plans to compel testimony from frontier lab executives.
Trump Orders Mosquitoes and Rats Out of the District of Columbia
Time to deploy gene drives to eliminate these disease-carrying pests?
The FDA Promises To Streamline the Dauntingly Complex Rules for Approving Nicotine Products
The planned reforms could promote harm reduction by addressing a huge backlog that has resulted in routine violations of a statutory deadline.
Hazy Drug Classification Criteria Invite Dubious Bureaucratic Judgments
A GAO report notes that the Controlled Substances Act does not define "potential for abuse" or "accepted medical use."
The Way the FDA and DEA Ban Drugs Is Unaccountable and Arbitrary
A new report from the Government Accountability Office reveals that federal drug regulators do not have any clear policies or procedures for making scheduling decisions.
In Chicago, Putting a Hot Dog in a Bun Can Get You in Trouble
I've been working in law and public policy for over 15 years, and even I had a hard time making sense of Chicago's permit rules for food vendors.
Is AI Going To Wipe Out Humanity? Don't Build That Bunker Yet.
Measures to slow AI development are more likely to trigger human lawsuits against AI companies than accomplish anything useful.
Review: Jeremy Clarkson vs. British Bureaucracy
On Clarkson's Farm, the Top Gear star runs afoul of local government.
OpenAI Preaches AI Safety. The Australia Incident Shows What It Practices.
Sam Altman called for international regulation and "speedy incident reporting" at the U.N. on the same day Australia's prime minister said OpenAI took too long to disclose a breach.
Half the Public Wants To Pause AI. Would Regulation Actually Make It Safer?
A new poll finds widespread support for slowing advanced AI, but government controls could create risks of their own.
The 'AI Safety' Movement Is Making AI Less Safe
The fear of superintelligence is driving decisions that make AI less transparent and more consolidated.
Congress Doesn't Agree on Much. Except That Your Car Needs AM Radio.
The push to mandate AM radios has brought Ted Cruz together with Bernie Sanders.
Trump's $1.4 Billion Crypto Haul Sinks the Senate's Crypto Bill
The Clarity Act's ethics provisions leave plenty of room for the president to keep profiting, and its regulatory framework hands bureaucrats too much discretion.
AI Could Make Our Lives Better. So Why Are We Trying To Stop It?
Anthropic's CEO wants federal regulation that would slow down AI (and his competitors' innovations). Has that ever worked?
