Blog
After the Incentive Auction: Reimbursing Broadcasters for Channel Relocation Costs
This month, the FCC will kick off a much-awaited incentive auction that could reshape America’s airwaves.
Blog
Human Achievement of the Day: Fashion
On March 19, I will celebrate Human Achievement Hour instead of Earth Hour. The choice is easy: take an hour out of the evening to feel…
International Business Times
Feds Propose Two Crew Member Minimum On Trains, Irking Rail Industry And Drawing Praise From Safety Advocates
International Business Times discusses the Federal Railroad Administrations regulation that undermines technology. Marc Scribner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank…
Blog
Human Achievement of the Day: Polio Eradication
Polio used to be a parent’s worst nightmare. The virus mostly affects children, and hampers the brain’s ability to communicate with muscles. While its…
Blog
Questions for CFPB Director Richard Cordray
Tomorrow, Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will face questions from the House Financial Services Committee. Here are some of the questions…
Heartland Institute
Questions Arise Concerning Whether GOP Candidates Remain Climate Skeptics
The Heartland Institute speaks with Myron Ebell on the presidential candidates' mentions of climate policy. “I don’t see any significant changes in the…
National Review
The CFPB is a Great Example of Why People Feel Powerless
Tomorrow, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray takes the stand at a House Financial Services Committee hearing. He deserves to be hauled over the…
Forbes
GOP Releases Contested 2017 Balanced Budget Proposal — With A Regulatory Budget Alongside
House Republican leadership released their 2017 “Balanced Budget for a Stronger America” fiscal year budget proposal. It seeks to balance the budget in 10…
Daily Caller
Hillary Calls Her Own Supporters Science Deniers
The Daily Caller discusses the effects of Hillary Clinton's climate policies with Myron Ebell. “Although Hillary Clinton is eager to kill the…
Daily Caller
Proposed Railway Rule Slammed As Union Giveaway
The Daily Caller discusses a new regulation by the Federal Railroad Administration with Marc Scribner. “It forces a redundancy that won’t improve safety…
Westlaw
Ted Frank’s cy pres cert petition goes to SCOTUS conference Friday
Reuter's Westlaw reports on a case the U.S. Supreme Court is considering hearing based on Center for Class Action Fairness's objection to an unfair class action…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Free the Market: Ending the Corporate Welfare Racket
Blog
Oversight Hearing Will Find Federal Regulatory Transparency Quite Opaque
The 2015 edition of White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) annual Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal Regulations was latest we’ve seen…
Blog
USA Act Increases Accountability, Restores Congress’ Power of the Purse
Separation of powers is one of the United States government’s most basic principles. But for several decades, presidents from both parties have gradually concentrated more…
Blog
DOT Compromises Safety and Efficiency for Union Favoritism
Today, a draft proposed rule from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration has been making the rounds. It will be published in the…
Letters
CEI Joins 12 Organizations Supporting the Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act
Blog
Collusive Deals with Class Action Lawyers before the Supreme Court
Class-action lawsuits are commonly settled for things that benefit the lawyers bringing them, not the class of allegedly victimized people they are supposedly suing on…
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week in Regulation
It was just another week in the world of federal regulation, with new rules covering everything from Nixon’s archives to black bears. On to the…
Washington Examiner
Want to save lives? Don’t regulate e-cigarettes
Smoking kills nearly half a million Americans every year. Tobacco-less vaping products, like electronic cigarettes, have helped many people kick their deadly smoking habit. So…
Daily Caller
Supreme Court Could End Trial Lawyer Paydays
The Daily Caller reports on the Center for Class Action Fairness's case the Supreme Court is considering hearing. The high court will decide…
Wall Street Journal
Hillary’s Soft Despotism
The Wall Street Journal cites Wayne Crews's study on the size of the federal regulatory burden and it's effects. According to the most recent…
Blog
Advancing Capitalism at the New Intellectual Forum
Yesterday, my colleague Fred Smith and I co-hosted the New Intellectual Forum, an exciting event that brought business leaders and free market intellectuals together for…
CNS News
Skittish About ‘Capitalism’ – But Who Is Really Rigging the Game?
This political season, Americans are skittish about capitalism. Some fear it will create inequality and wage stagnation, while others simply lack clarity on what capitalism…
Politico
Politico Morning Money – GOP debate wrap
Politico's Morning Money highlights John Berlau's response to a Slate piece on the fiduciary rule and financial radio broadcasters. Berlau Pushes Back —…
Daily Caller
Cornell Study Finds Raising The Vaping Age Actually Increases Teen Smoking
The Daily Caller discusses the study on how raising the vaping age increases teen smoking with Michelle Minton. “This study provides some evidence…
Breitbart
Attorney General Loretta Lynch Wants to Prosecute ‘Deniers’: Here’s Why She’ll Fail
Breitbart discusses CEI's Freedom of Information Act case to obtain documents from a GMU professor and quotes Chris Horner on the case. Unfortunately…
News Release
CEI’s Center for Class Action Fairness Appeals Bad Settlement Deal in Walgreen-Boots Merger
The Center for Class Action Fairness at the Competitive Enterprise Institute appealed a settlement deal that granted $370,000 in fees to plaintiffs’ lawyers and gave…
Blog
FCC’s New Privacy Mandates – What’s Next, Internet Czar?
Today, the Federal Communications Commission unveiled a proposal to regulate how broadband providers may collect and use their customers’ information. If the FCC’s impending privacy…
Blog
Bashing Trade Is a Popular Election Year Target
Pundits are opining that Bernie Sanders’ significant win in the Democratic primaries in Michigan was primarily due to his vehement anti-trade stance. Donald Trump’s surge…
Blog
NLRB vs. McDonald’s: The Trial Begins
The long awaited McDonald’s trial in National Labor Relations Board joint employer case begins today. In RealClearPolicy, I discuss the less-than-transparent proceedings leading up…
News Release
Attorney General Lynch Discussed Federal Action against Climate ‘Deniers’
Earlier this week United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch removed herself from any consideration for the Supreme Court, and just yesterday she admitted in a…
Politico
Senate Commerce FAA bill heads for Wednesday markup
Politico's Morning Transportation quotes Marc Scribner on the costs of the FAA reauthorization bill. But the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Marc Scribner maintained that…
Reason
Giancarlo Ibarguen, R.I.P.
Real Clear Policy
Labor Regulators Target McDonald’s
Imagine the government brings charges against you but won't tell you what you're accused of. The judge insists you should know and proceeds with the…
Foundation for Economic Education
Government Targets the App Economy
The sharing economy promises such radical change that economist Klaus Schwab is calling it The Fourth Industrial Revolution. But unlike the previous revolutions, its…
Daily Caller
McDonald’s Fights Feds For The Soul Of Its Business Model
The Daily Caller speaks with Trey Kovacs on the McDonald's National Labor Relations Board joint employment trial. “These hearings are scheduled to go…
Wall Street Journal
Will the Fiduciary Rule Silence Media Personalities?
The Wall Street Journal discusses John Berlau's analysis of the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule. Early this month, the Competitive Enterprise Institute said…
Daily Caller
Oregon Bans Coal-Fired Power, Effectively Hiking Electricity Prices
The Daily Caller discusses Oregon's coal power plant shut down legislation with Myron Ebell. “Oregon, along with Idaho and Washington, is blessed with…
Forbes
Yes, The Fiduciary Rule Could Censor Dave Ramsey And Others Providing Over-The-Air Financial Tips
If there were a “fiduciary” rule requiring pundits to accurately describe a pending bill or regulation to their readers, Slate’s Helaine Olen would be in…
Blog
Beware of Misleading CBO Score of the AIRR Act
The AIRR Act (H.R. 4441), the FAA reauthorization bill in the House, contains badly needed reforms of U.S. air traffic control. See my FAQ on what…
Study
Union Time on the Taxpayer’s Dime
Originally published at the Yankee Institute Full Document Available in PDF As of early 2016, Connecticut was in collective bargaining negotiations…
Blog
In Memoriam: Giancarlo Ibarguen
Forbes
Three Decades On, The Fight For Economic Freedom Continues
Americans want honorable, thoughtful government but are no longer sure that result is possible. Government has now grown so gigantic, arrogant, powerful, and pervasive that…
Forbes
EPA Remains A Paragon Of Government Waste, Fraud And Abuse
Forbes discusses William Yeatman's compilation of comments on the EPA's Clean Power Plan. EPA has a long history of actions that are illegal,…
New American
Proposed Federal Regulation Could Squelch Popular Financial Advisers
The New American discusses the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary rule with John Berlau. The Obama administration has proposed a regulation that the…
Daily Caller
Critics Bash GOP’s Failure To Stop Obama From Funding The U.N.’s Global Warming ‘Slush Fund’
The Daily Caller discusses with Myron Ebell the omnibus rider prohibiting Obama from giving money to the United Nations global warming fund. “The…
Blog
Not Much Business Sense on Capitol Hill
Members of Congress, even some Democrats, are finally coming to terms that the Department of Labor’s proposed overtime rule may be bad for business. Why…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Unauthorized Climate Treaty & Biofuel Scandal
Blog
Regulation Poses Biggest Threat to Monarch Butterflies
Like many nature lovers and gardeners, last year I launched a milkweed garden for monarch butterflies, starting from seed. After a long summer of manually picking pesky…
Blog
Obama Administration Policy Threatens Youth Job Opportunities
The National Labor Relations Board’s long-awaited trial involving McDonald’s will begin this week on March 10. The case puts the franchise model in the…
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week in Regulation
After several years and multiple lawsuits, the TSA deigned to issue a formal rule for its use of full-body scanners. CEI’s Marc Scribner finds that the…
Washington Examiner
A Trump-Clinton race means the end of free-trading America
The Washington Examiner discusses the problems with the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with Iain Murray. As Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
Heartland Institute
Amid Industry Decline, Obama Proposes New Oil Tax
The Heartland Institute discusses President Obama's proposed oil tax with Myron Ebell. Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at…
The Blaze
Here’s Why a New Obama Regulation Could Mean Trouble for Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman
The Blaze reports on the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule and highlights John Berlau's report on the proposed rule. “In fact, according to…
Daily Caller
Feds Paid $709,000 To Academic Who Studies How Glaciers Are Sexist
The Daily Caller speaks with Marlo Lewis on a study from the University of Oregon that states glacier research is intertwined with gender relations. …
NewsBusters
How Convenient: Labor Dept. Rule May Remove Financial Advice From the Airwaves
Media Research Center's NewsBusters mentions John Berlau's article on how the fiduciary rule will censor financial radio personalities. As John Berlau at the…
Western Journalism
Wow: The Obama Admin Is About To Do Something That Could Crush Dave Ramsey
Western Journalism reports on the Department of Labor's fiduciary rule and highlights John Berlau's study on the proposed rule. In a study by…
National Law Journal
Brief of the Week: Will Battery Class Action Energize Supreme Court?
The National Law Journal features Ted Frank's work on the Center for Class Action Fairness's case Frank v. Poertner. Fank's beef is that many…
Townhall
Who Ya Gonna Call? How To Tackle The “Ghost Teacher” Problem
Townhall mentions Trey Kovacs's report on the practice known as release time and its cost to taxpayers. The abuse of “ghost teachers” in Philadelphia…
Blog
Oregon Legislature Approves Aggressive Renewable Power Law
Oregon lawmakers this week approved a bill (S.B. 1457) to increase the state’s renewable portfolio standard from the current target of 25% by 2025…
Blog
Chairman Smith Turns Spotlight on RICO20 Ringleader
Who says climate politics is a battle between greedy corporations and idealistic scientists? In “The Climate Change 1%,” the Wall Street Journal reports that…
Blog
Is Conservative Opposition to the Passenger Facility Charge Softening?
CEI is a strong supporter of transportation user fees. We prefer tolls over fuel taxes, and local airport user fees over tax-funded federal…
Forbes
Nobody Knows The Cost Of Antitrust Regulation, And That’s Bad
Antitrust regulation is hardly insignificant, and its costs need to be recognized in today’s world. We’ve seen interference into ATT‘s attempted merger with T-Mobile, delays…
Forbes
How Fiduciary Rule May Censor Financial Broadcasters Like Dave Ramsey
Popular financial radio show host Dave Ramsey caused a firestorm on Twitter last week when he weighed in against the “fiduciary rule”—the controversial pending Department…
Watchdog.org
Have conservatives been hypocritical on cronyism?
Watchdog.org reports on a CPAC panel discussion on cronyism moderated by Bill Frezza. Bill Frezza, host of the Real Clear Radio Hour, kicked…
Forbes
Yet Another Good Reason To Abolish The Department Of Education
Forbes discusses issues with the Department of Education with Hans Bader. Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) attorney Hans Bader, who formerly worked for the…
Blog
Australian Bank Devalues Rewards Scheme in Anticipation of Interchange Fee Cap
I fear I am beginning to sound like a broken record on the subject of payments card interchange fees, with the needle stuck on “We…
Blog
Uber Publishes Core Principles to Guide Seattle’s Union Election Procedures
Uber maintains that Seattle’s recent ordinance that extends collective bargaining privileges to ridesharing drivers is illegal. However, to cover its bases, Uber issued a letter…
Natural News
Lawless, tyrannical EPA actively trying to circumvent Supreme Court ruling on emissions standards
Natural News discusses whether the EPA will abide by the Supreme Court stay on the Clean Power Plan with Marlo Lewis. According to experts…
Washington Times
Hindering worker opportunities
Congress passes laws that can upend entire industries, hinder worker opportunities, and raise prices on consumers. But when such laws impact Congress itself,…
Politico
House and Senate may soon settle on 3-month FAA extension
Politico's Morning Transportation quotes Marc Scribner on the Department of Transportation's ban of e-cigarettes on all U.S. commercial flights. ‘Vapes on a plane’…
Cato
You Ought to Have a Look: Paris Climate Agreement, Clean Power Plan, Canadian Carbon Taxes, and New Science
Cato at Liberty highlights Marlo Lewis's study on the Paris Climate Agreement as a treaty demanding Senate approval. First up is an examination…
Daily Caller
REPORT: Feds Are Destroying Free Choice In The Retirement System
The Daily Caller discusses John Berlau's report on the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary rule. The Department of Labor (DOL) has argued people…
The John William Pope Center
What If Federal Regulations for Colleges Are Themselves Illegal?
The John William Pope Center cites Hans Bader on the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights letter to give college and university officials guidance…
USA Today
TSA defends full-body scanners at airport checkpoints
USA Today quotes Marc Scribner's statement on the Transportation Security Administration's rule to use full body scanners. Marc Scribner, a fellow at the Competitive…
Washington Free Beacon
Report: Rule Would Cost Middle Class $80 Billion in Lost Savings
The Washington Free Beacon highlights John Berlau's report on the Department of Labor rule that will hurt middle-class investors. The Department of Labor…
Think Advisor
Speaker Ryan Continues to Assail DOL Fiduciary Rule
Think Advisor highlights John Berlau's report on the Department of Labor's proposed fiduciary rule that will harm middle-class investors. Today, the Competitive Enterprise…
Daily Signal
House Probe Reveals Audit Detailing Climate Change Researcher’s ‘Double Dipping’
The Daily Signal discusses with Marlo Lewis Congress's findings that George Mason Professor mismanaged millions of dollars of taxpayer money. “The irony here is…
Daily Caller
Study: Banning GMOs Would Devastate Earth, Despite Enviro Claims
The Daily Caller speaks with Greg Conko on genetically modified organisms. “[W]e know we’ll need to nearly double again the amount of food…
Daily Caller
If Europe Wants Fracking, It Needs Property Rights
The Daily Caller discusses fracking in Europe with Myron Ebell. “National governments in Europe own the subsurface rights, which is the principal reason…
News Release
Report: Obama’s ‘Fiduciary Rule’ Harms Middle Class Investors
The Obama Department of Labor’s fiduciary rule will devastate middle class investors by blocking access to investment choices and guidance for their 401(k)s and IRAs,…
News Release
CEI Responds to TSA’s Final Rule on Airport Body Scanners
Today the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) issued a final rule on the agency’s use of body scanners in direct response to CEI’s court victory…
News Release
CEI Responds to GMU Professor’s Alleged Illegal Funding
News Release
CEI Attacks the DOT Ban on Electronic Cigarettes on Airplanes
CEI fellow Marc Scribner said: The Department of Transportation’s decision to ban electronic cigarettes on commercial flights has less substance to it than the…
Blog
Barack Obama as FCC Chairman
The saga of executive branch overreach continues, and we got a twofer today. The House Judiciary Task Force on Executive Overreach held a hearing this…
CapX
Today’s Free Trade: Not Free and Not Trade
This Thursday, the US Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on “Lessons from the past” in implementing free trade deals. There’s a lot to…
Bloomberg BNA
Subway Foot-Long Sandwich Settlement Approved
Bloomberg BNA reports on Center for Class Action Fairness's objection to the Subway class action lawsuit settlement over measurements of their footlong sandwiches. The…
Federal News Radio
Pressure mounts on official time as bill moves to House floor vote
Federal News Radio discusses with Trey Kovacs a bill that requires Office of Personnel Management to submit reports on official time. Trey Kovacs, policy…
Study
The Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule for Dummies (But Not the Dummies They Think We Are)
Whether you're a portfolio manager or an everyday investor you should learn how the fiduciary rule can affect you.
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Millennial Politics & Choice
Blog
DC Streetcar Opens as a Monument to Morally Bankrupt Urban Planning
On Saturday, February 27, the DC Streetcar finally opened its 2.2-mile stretch on H Street and Benning Road N.E. Years delayed and for a cost…
Blog
UnChartered Cronyism: The FCC’s Attempts to Block Cable Merger
When you hear about “crony capitalism,” what comes to mind? The Export-Import Bank? The ethanol mandate? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Tax credits and loan…
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week in Regulation
As the 2016 Federal Register passed the 10,000-page mark, new regulations cover everything from salmon to wine. On to the data: Last week, 67 new final regulations…
Bloomberg BNA
FLSA Litigation’s Greatest Hits: Taking Care of Business, and Working Overtime
Bloomberg BNA discusses the Department of Labor's proposed overtime rule with Trey Kovacs. Trey Kovacs, a labor policy expert at the Competitive Enterprise…
Daily Caller
Feds: Here’s Another HUGE Problem With Green Energy
The Daily Caller discusses the unreliability of green enery with Myron Ebell. “The intermittency of renewable sources of electricity is already threatening reliability…
Blog
Opening Briefs Filed in Case Challenging EPA Greenhouse Gas Rules for Existing Power Plants
The opening briefs (here and here) for the petitioners in West Virginia et al v. EPA—the lawsuit challenging the EPA’s greenhouse gas rule for existing power…
Blog
Ethanol Mandate Is Immortal Unless Congress Repeals It
In last week’s Texas presidential primary debate, one of the candidates opined that he did not need to call for repeal of the Renewable Fuel…
Blog
Minimum Wage: The End of Teenage Work Experience?
A new report from JP Morgan Chase & Co. finds that the summer employment rate for teenagers is nearing a record low at 34 percent. The…
Blog
The One Year Anniversary of Net Neutrality
In the pen and phone era, one of the many examples of the descent into arbitrary lawmaking influencing an entire sector of the economy is…
Blog
NLRB Undercuts its Own Employees’ Rights
If the NLRB cannot respect the rights of its own employees, is it really capable of governing all private-sector labor relation disputes?…