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The economic case for third-party litigation financing
The US is often described as overly litigious, and it’s true that there need to be better methods to disincentivize frivolous lawsuits.
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RCP8.5: Dead and buried
On April 29, American Enterprise Institute scholar and Substack author Roger Pielke, Jr. announced that RCP8.5, the high-end emission scenario that dominated…
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Sanctioning Russia Act: Tariffs won’t change Putin’s mind
When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) passed away last week, he left behind a bill called the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026. Congress is…
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Moment of truth: Reassessing Obamacare enrollment predictions
In 2025, several organizations predicted Obamacare enrollment in a world without the ACA’s expanded subsidies. That world became reality this year. Some groups’ predictions…
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Free the Economy podcast: Ethical consumers and sustainable capitalism with Kimberlee Josephson
In this week’s episode we cover the latest inflations numbers, reforming $1 trillion worth of federal grantmaking, and a new…
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A new Endangered Species Act final rule removes improper interpretation of “harm”
On July 14, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) published an important final rule in the…
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The Regulatory Costberg is melting—or is it? An update on Trump’s “one-in, ten-out” initiative
In the first Trump administration, the longstanding Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (the Agenda) was instrumental in assessing…
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The ROAD to Housing Act’s Moving to Work expansion still misses the bigger housing issue
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is Congress’s most sweeping housing legislation in years. As I previously covered, the legislation deserves…
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Can Trump proposed rule pull the plug on bad appliance regulations?
Many Americans dislike federal home appliance regulations, perhaps nobody more so than the current White House occupant, who routinely rails against them at his…
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Hopping the fence: The failures of social media bans
There is growing global momentum toward mandatory age verification and stricter internet safety regulations. A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 56…
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Six takeaways from the recent Obamacare announcements
Every year, health insurers participating in the Exchanges (Obamacare) must announce their planned premium increases for the following year well in advance, so federal…
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Time’s up: Why housing permits need a shot clock
Governments routinely impose deadlines on businesses and individuals. Miss a tax filing deadline or fail to renew a license on time, and you face…
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Free the Economy podcast: Educating for liberty with Richard Lorenc
Our guest for this week’s episode is Richard Lorenc, formerly of the Foundation for Economic Education and Iron Light and now President…
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Congress should fight piracy, not make ISPs internet police
Online piracy is a serious problem for content creators and rightsholders. Studies estimate that unauthorized streaming and downloads cost the US economy billions…
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Why Big Tech is postponing the AI jobs doomsday
The heads of big tech have recently changed their tune regarding artificial intelligence’s effect on jobs. The emerging technology will bolster the workforce,…
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The Rulemakers: Which federal agencies dominate Trump’s 2026 Agenda?
Over the Independence Day holiday, the Trump administration released its 2026Regulatory Plan and Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (Agenda), which…
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How permitting is a hidden tax on housing
Imagine being a housing developer so entangled in permits, legal challenges, and environmental reviews that it takes five decades to have a housing project…
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Diary of deconstruction: White House releases 2026 Unified Agenda of Federal Regulations
Since 1983, the often-tardy semiannual Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (the Agenda) has surveyed recently completed and forthcoming rulemaking priorities across…
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The week in regulations: Supersonic flight and circuit board acquisition
America turned 250 years old on July 4. The Unified Agenda, which lists all upcoming regulations, came out in the July 3 holiday weekend…
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Free the Economy podcast: George Washington, entrepreneur with John Berlau
In this week’s episode we cover terrible advice on poverty from the United Nations, reforming the way we regulate banks, and…
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Europe’s heat wave tragically demonstrates the need for air conditioning
Western European nations take a very different approach from the United States on many issues — immigration, defense, welfare, energy, health care, and more.
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Mamdani’s road to housing hell is paved with rent freezes
As housing affordability becomes increasingly elusive, there are few things more politically alluring than telling voters their rent will not increase. It was a…
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The Living Wage for All Act leaves hourly workers behind
Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced the Senate version of the Living Wage for All Act, which raises the federal minimum…
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CEI and the minimum wage
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) recently proposed a bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $25. Listed below are 18 arguments against raising the…
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Mid-year 2026: Is Washington actually deregulating?
It’s June 30, mid-year 2026 — almost America’s birthday. In terms of conventional issuance of rules and regulations in the Federal Register, the Trump…
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A $25 minimum wage cannot legislate away the high cost of living
Affordability is the political buzzword for 2026. Last week, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) announced plans to introduce the Living Wage for All Act,…
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Murphy’s minimum wage bill would stiff waiters and waitresses
Among its other bad features, Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-CT) proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour would also eliminate the…
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With apologies to The Who, agencies just met the new boss, not the same as the old boss
The Supreme Court overruling Humphrey’s Executor restores an important constitutional principle: those who exercise executive power are not protected from at-will removal and should…
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RCP8.5: Climate establishment officially retires extreme scenario (Part II)
Part I can be found here. Victim of its own success? Perhaps to save face or even boast of being right…
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RCP8.5: Climate establishment officially retires extreme scenario (Part I)
Thanks to the scholarship, courage, and perseverance of a handful of independent researchers, notably Roger Pielke, Jr., Justin Ritchie, and Hadi…