200,000 Layoffs
Plus: Possible quid pro quo between the DOJ and Eric Adams, DEI in the federal government, and more...
Trump Administration
Trump May Have To Grapple with Returning Inflation
Cutting government spending and calling off the trade war would be steps in the right direction.
Elon Musk's 'Proof' of Government Waste Is in the Pudding
Is the fraud in the room with us right now? Yes.
Trump's 'Reciprocal' Tariffs Could Be Largest Tax Increase Since World War II
The specifics are still vague, but the White House is reportedly claiming that new tariffs will generate $1 trillion annually.
The Disappointing Results of Trump's 'Deferred Resignation' Plan Are Part of a Pattern
Elon Musk, the president's cost-cutting czar, has a habit of overpromising and underdelivering.
DOGE Begins Publishing Data After Transparency Complaints
After Elon Musk promised "maximum transparency," the DOGE's website posted organizational charts of federal agencies and statistics on the federal work force.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Elizabeth Warren's Hubris Allowed Trump To Defund the CFPB
Instead of isolating the CFPB from Congress' budget-making authority, Warren and former President Barack Obama made it easier for a president to effectively shut it down.
Is Trump Getting Ready To Cut Ukraine—and Europe—Loose?
The push for Russian-Ukrainian peace is about more than Ukraine.
The War on Bureaucracy
Plus: Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, padlocked playgrounds, and more...
I Tried To Fix Government Tech for Years. I'm Fed Up.
Maybe DOGE will succeed where the U.S. Digital Service (mostly) failed.
DOGE Is Good. It's Not Enough.
Even if the Department of Government Efficiency eliminates all improper payments and fraud, we'll still be facing a debt explosion—which requires structural reform.
Trump Bans A.P. From Oval Office for Not Saying 'Gulf of America'
A dust-up over geographical nomenclature is silly, but it signals the Trump administration's hostility to the First Amendment and freedom of the press.
Elon Musk Implausibly Claims 'Competence and Caring' Can Cut the Federal Budget Deficit in Half
The DOGE director wildly exaggerates what can be accomplished by tackling "waste, fraud, and abuse" in government spending without new legislation.
Elon's 'Daily Proctology Exam'
Plus: Vance's AI speech, bubble boy playgrounds, Delaware antagonizes founders, and more...
The DOGE Bait and Switch
The pretend department’s downgraded mission reflects the gap between Trump’s promise of "smaller government" and the reality of what can be achieved without new legislation.
Marc Fogel, Who Was Imprisoned in Russia for Having Medical Marijuana, Is Freed
Fogel's story closely mirrored that of Brittney Griner's. But he did not receive the same urgency from the Biden administration, even though he was arrested six months prior.
Donald Trump Goes to War Against Universally Hated Paper Straws
The White House's new executive order halts federal purchases of paper straws and calls for the creation of a national anti–paper straw strategy.
Trump's Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Are Bad News for American Energy
"This really is one of the dumbest things we could be doing."
Will Trump Try To Shut Down the Department of Education?
While Trump can't dissolve the department by executive action, getting rid of it through legislation is still a good idea.
Why Are We Fighting?
When regulations limit what kind of housing can be built, the result is endless arguments about what people really want.
Trump's New Tariffs on Steel, Aluminum Won't Help American Manufacturing
And it's not about "fairness." Quite the opposite, actually.
Trump's Empty and Expensive Plan To Build 250 Statues of 'American Heroes'
The president's planned National Garden of American Heroes might be a nice idea, but it would be extremely costly—and unnecessary.
'All Hell Is Going To Break Out' in Israel
Plus: OpenAI vs. Musk, Eric Adams corruption charges dropped, and more...
Will Trump and the New GOP Congress Get to the Bottom of COVID-19's Origin?
It's a good sign that the president is calling on critics of the federal government's lack of transparency to staff his administration.
Trade Wars That Never Happen Still Have Costs
One CEO says the uncertainty created by Trump's chaotic trade policies is "reminiscent of the adjustments we had to make during Covid-19."
Kill the Federal Department of Education
We could decentralize education, improve outcomes, and help reduce the size of the federal Leviathan.
Trump's Labor Secretary Pick Is a Union Favorite—and a Threat to Right-to-Work Laws
Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s record shows a troubling pattern of undermining workplace freedom and expanding federal control over state labor policies.
Can the Trump Administration Unilaterally Cut Indirect Costs for NIH Grants?
As with some other recent executive branch actions, the Trump Administration appears to have overreached.
Calls for Popular Constitutionalism in the Rear-View Mirror
Suggestions that the Executive Branch Ignore Federal Court Rulings May Look Different Today than When They Were Proposed.
Two Injunctions Against Trump's Citizenship Decree Expose the Weakness of His Arguments
Federal judges in Washington and Maryland say the president's attack on birthright citizenship flouts the 14th Amendment and 127 years of judicial precedent.
Will Elon Musk Cut as Much Government as Al Gore Did?
In the early 1990s, Bill Clinton's administration set out to "reinvent" government. What can the mercurial Tesla CEO learn from their efforts?
Has DOGE Already Lost Its Way?
Much cutting. Very waste. But the Department of Government Efficiency might not have the legal and budgetary chops to actually reduce spending.
Washington's Debt Delusion: Economic Growth Cannot Fix the Deficit
Republicans are betting trillions on the hope that the economy will grow fast enough to cover their deficit spree.
Trump's Tariffs Require Customs Agents To Check All Mail from China
Eliminating tariff exemptions will increase import delivery times and make direct-to-consumer goods more expensive.
John Cochrane: How Will DOGE 'Disrupt' the Government?
Stanford economist John Cochrane discusses DOGE, tariffs, and what it will take to prevent a debt crisis.
Trump's Foreign Policy Is a Lot of Noise
It’s hard to tell how serious his threats are—and maybe that’s by design.
USAID Paying for Politico Is a Nontroversy
There are many legitimate criticisms of both USAID and Politico; this is not one of them.
The Freakout Over 'Big Balls' and DOGE
Plus: NYC trans medicine protest, airplane collision (again), and more...
This Trump Appointee Could Bring Fiscal Sanity to the White House
"Personnel is policy" has shaped past administrations. Kevin Hassett, who has been tapped to lead the National Economic Council, will have a hand in tax reform, debt reduction, and more.
Trump's Tariff Threats Can't Win the Unwinnable War on Drugs
After promising to stop the flow of drugs during his first term, the president blames foreign officials for his failure.
Trump's FBI Purges Could Reduce Danger Posed by the Bureau—or Make It His Weapon
A defanged FBI could minimize our reliance on politicians’ (rarely) good intentions.
Here Is How Trump Can Falsely Claim His Tariff Threats Helped Win the Drug War
The president can cite meaningless "adequate steps," ambiguous drug seizure numbers, and a decline in drug deaths that began before he took office.
Trump's North American Trade War Accomplished Nothing
Canada and Mexico agreed to keep doing things they were already doing, and Trump revealed that he cannot be trusted with unilateral tariff power.
FEMA Is a Disaster. Trump Is Right To Demand Changes.
The agency is ineffective, duplicative, and expensive.
Is DOGE a 'Constitutional Crisis'?
Plus: USAID and Education Department cuts, tariff deal reached, and more...
Will Trump Embrace the AI Future or Succumb to His Protectionist Impulses?
Trump and Biden both backed trade restrictions that ultimately lead to higher prices for the computer chips necessary to power artificial intelligence.
Trump's Dumb Trade War
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the implications of Trump personally suing CBS to obtain transcripts from an interview with Kamala Harris.
