Law and Liberty
Milton Friedman’s Revenge
It’s rapidly becoming the received wisdom that an important reason President Trump won the 2024 election was because inflation matters. Too many hard-working…
Wall Street Journal
A Thumb on the Scale for Wegovy
The Biden administration announced one more bit of executive overreach on its way out the door. On Nov. 26, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid…
National Review
Please, Somebody Google ‘Hubris’
The pretense of knowledge is on full display in the Department of Justice’s proposed remedies for the Google trial. The government’s…
City Journal
Defying Administrative Tyranny
Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law, by Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze (HarperCollins, 304 pp., $25.60) It’s daunting…
National Review
“It Is Time for One Agency to Enforce Antitrust”
James Edwards with the Committee for Justice explores the benefits of the One Agency Act, which would strip the FTC of its antitrust authority.
Reason
Return of the ‘Tariff Man’
Reason writes in memoriam of CEI’s founder passing In Memoriam: Fred Smith, the quirky and brilliant founder of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), passed away…
Blog
Circuit Courts split over the SEC’s regulatory treatment of proxy advisors
The Fifth and Sixth Circuits are currently split over the legality of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Proxy Advisory Rule. Depending on what…
Blog
Republicans shouldn’t do anything lame in the lame duck
Next year is looking good for Republicans at the federal level. Control of the House, Senate, and the White House is a recipe for legislative…
News Release
Trump promises day-one tariffs to the detriment of consumers
President-elect Trump says he will sign an executive order on his first day in office imposing new tariffs on goods from China, Canada, and Mexico.
LewRockwell.com
Fred L. Smith, Jr. R.I.P.
Thomas DeLorenzo mentions Fred Smith’s passing Fred Smith, founder of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, has passed away. I first met Fred and his wife Fran…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Pear handling and airport construction
CEI founder Fred Smith passed away at age 83. Few people were as effective as Fred in pushing back against regulatory excesses, and nobody did it…
News Release
Competitive Enterprise Institute Founder Fred L. Smith, Jr. (1940-2024)
Powerline
Fred Smith, RIP
Very sad news today of the passing of Fred Smith. Fred founded one of the most important and feisty think tanks of all time, the…
National Review
Telehealth Is Less Promising Than It First Seemed
A key issue facing Congress in its postelection, “lame duck” session is whether to extend regulatory flexibilities expiring at year end that make telehealth services more…
WSJ Opinion
Recipe for a Regulatory Spring Cleaning
Despite bold promises from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, skeptics doubt that the Department of Government Efficiency can deliver sweeping changes. The scope of federal regulation makes…
Blog
Thank you, Fred Smith
When I was fresh out of college, I attended a large classical liberal conference. After one day’s sessions wrapped up, I had dinner at a…
CNN
Trump’s Labor secretary pick is surprisingly pro-union. It doesn’t mean his administration will be
CNN’s Chris Isidore relays Sean Higgins’s misgivings about the Trump Labor Dept. nominee “While it is hard to predict what (Chavez-DeRemer) would do as a…
Blog
At minimum, keep the de minimis import exemption
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has just issued its recommendations for China policy. One of them is to eliminate the de minimis…
Blog
Concerning transmission provisions in the Energy Permitting Reform Act
As Congress enters its lame duck period, the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, introduced by Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and John Barrasso (R-WY),…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Political drinking with Jarrett Dieterle
In this week’s episode we cover student loans, revenue from tariffs, democracy in Hong Kong, and the impact of podcasts…
Blog
Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer is not qualified to be Labor Secretary
President-elect Donald Trump is considering Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) for the position of…
Forbes
A Trump 2.0 Agenda For Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence represents an unprecedented economic opportunity as well as a complex security challenge for the United States. As Trump gets set to begin his…
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Commentary: Automation could be a problem in retail theft
Headed into the holiday season, the retail industry is wrangling with a surge in shoplifting and possible solutions to prevent theft. The upsurge may be an…
DC Journal
Debanking May Be a Problem for Melania Trump and Many Others
In her new memoir, former First Lady Melania Trump reveals that she was abruptly dropped by a bank with which she had a long-standing financial relationship.
Forbes
“Why Trump May Consolidate Federal Antitrust Enforcement”
Former FTC general counsel Alden Abbott argues that the FTC’s antitrust authority should be consolidated in the Department of Justice.
Washington Examiner
DOGE target: Paperwork hits 10 billion hours, equals 15,000 lifetimes
Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on financial regulation “For periodic real-time assessments, the OMB maintains an online landing page for ‘Government-Wide Totals for Active Information…
Blog
From cuts to costs: Why federal paperwork keeps piling up
The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) release of the 2023 Information Collection Budget (ICB) paints a troubling picture of not just of growing federal…
Daily Caller
Trump Could Make Biden’s EV Mandates Obsolete, Revamp Auto Industry With One Move
The Daily Caller cited CEI’s expert on EPA under the Clean Air Act “The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) could make a determination that…
Forbes
Durban-Marshall & Reg II Benefit Big Retail at Customers’ Expense
Stop, thief! It’s common knowledge that looting and burglaries are often most successful when people are distracted by an attention-getting event – be it a…
The Washington Times
Thanksgiving dinner will cost less this year as inflation cools
The Washington Times cited CEI’s expert on inflation “Even without the drop in turkey prices, Thanksgiving would still be more affordable than last year,” said Ryan…
News Release
Louisiana’s market-based approach to permitting reform: CEI report
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report analyzes Louisiana’s progress in reforming its environmental permitting system. Efforts to reform permitting in Louisiana include the establishment…
Study
Mardi Gras for Permits
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s (LDEQ) Expedited Permit Program, established in 2006, represents an innovative approach to speeding up environmental permit approvals. This report…
Blog
Biden overtime rule overruled
A Texas court last week threw out the Biden’s administration’s attempt to rewrite the rules for overtime. The court said that the Department of Labor…
Blog
Swamp things: Why DOGE moving Beltway agencies to states isn’t deregulation
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), expected to be established by president-elect Trump and led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to slash regulations,…
National Review
The Price of Credit-Card Convenience Is Not a Matter for Big Government
Card is $8, cash is $7,” said the taco-truck employee to me. I paid for my tacos by card because I rarely carry cash, and $1…
News Release
CEI Report: Wi-Fi success shows permissionless innovation is a competitive advantage
Wi-Fi is ubiquitous in the United States. It provides Americans with broadband access in countless locations, including homes, schools, hotels, coffee shops, offices, airports, and…
Study
No Permission Needed
Robust, resilient, and high-capacity internet service is critical to America’s economic prosperity and success. A key part of internet service is Wi-Fi, which provides Americans…
Blog
NLRB moves to silence employers during union drives
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the independent federal agency that oversees union activity, ruled Wednesday in a case involving Amazon…
Blog
Tariffs are lousy revenue generators
President-elect Donald Trump has proposed cutting income taxes and raising tariffs to replace some of the revenue. Economists of all political stripes have been…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: Mergers and mail
The 2024 Federal Register topped 90,000 pages and is now the second-longest ever, dating back to 1936, with more than a month still to go.
New York Post
As EPA czar, Lee Zeldin should scrap these three awful Biden rules FAST
President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) to serve as the new Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Once confirmed, he’ll have a big…
The Daily Economy
Why Fewer Are Trying to Climb the Corporate Ladder
Someone once told me that my career fitted the dictionary definition of the word – a headlong rush, usually downhill. For most people, however, the…
Blog
The ‘Carbon’ Futures Trading Commission vows to decarbonize futures trading
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently approved one of its most controversial guidance document to date. Under this new policy, the CFTC will…
The Hill
DOGE is no joke — don’t underestimate Trump’s attack on government inefficiency
The Hill cited CEI on Federal Regulatory Burdens Ditto the regulatory burden that stems from excess government red tape spewed across businesses and individuals. The…
Blog
Republicans should wait for real permitting reform in the new Congress
The 2024 election has dramatically shifted the political landscape, with Republicans securing control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. As Washington prepares…
Financial Times
“US Regulators Plan to Investigate Microsoft’s Cloud Business”
The Financial Time reports on the FTC’s preparations to investigate the tech company.
E&E News
EPA in Elon Musk’s crosshairs
E&E News cited CEI’s expert on the EPA’s future under DOGE Wayne Crews, a fellow of regulatory studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a free market…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Debt and taxes with Jack Salmon
In this week’s episode we cover the death of ESG investing, next moves on regulatory reform, Wall Street enthusiasm for a…
Washington Examiner
Biden’s swamp record: $1.8 trillion in regulations, 800x Trump
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s experts on tracking regulation Besides breaking the cost burden on America with his regulations, Biden is on a path…
Capitol Matters
Biting the Science That Feeds Us: The War against Fertilizers
Advocates of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) movement urge shareholders and corporations to look beyond the bottom line toward a better…