Don't Cry for Me: December 2026 Puzzle
"Budgetary policy pursued by the Milei government"
Economics
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.
The U.S. Tax System Gets a Middling Score
Fortunately, we do better on overall economic freedom, despite losing ground.
Peter Pan Tariffs for Companies That Never Grow Up
Against the argument for "infant industry" protectionism
France Is a Warning to California's Tax-the-Rich Crowd
The French economist pushing California's billionaire tax should instead see his country as a cautionary tale.
My Jury Duty Was a Master Class in Government Inefficiency
Some court workers work hard, and many want to help people. But they're stuck in a system where saving people's time brings them no rewards.
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Trump's 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods Illegally Rely on a Superseded Statute, a Lawsuit Argues
The import taxes fit a pattern of dubious legal rationales for the president's protectionist policies.
Trump's $8 Billion Diesel Bailout Pays Farmers for a Problem He Created
The new Harvest Fuel Relief program is the latest payment to farmers squeezed by the president’s own war and tariffs.
Liberty Justice Center Files First Lawsuit Challenging Trump's Section 338 Tariffs Against Canadian Imports
The tariffs are illegal for multiple different reasons.
France's Welfare State Is Finally Imploding
Plus: Trump's tariffs lose support among his own voters, a five-day White House press secretary, and Elizabeth Warren's crusade against corporate mergers
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.
3 Reasons To Cancel This Year's 3.6% Social Security Boost
Or at least change how the cost-of-living adjustment is calculated.
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.
Some Progressives Tried To Abolish the Tipped Minimum Wage. Now They're Backtracking.
Policymakers across the country are confronting the unfortunate—and predictable—economic results of prohibiting restaurants from paying servers a lower base wage supplemented by tips.
Presumptive D.C. Mayor Janeese Lewis George Demands Halt to Waymo Legalization To Protect Drivers' Jobs
The socialist D.C. council member is wrong to assume that autonomous vehicles will reduce employment.
Bitcoin Is a Threat to Government-Controlled Money
Brazilian economist Fernando Ulrich discusses Bitcoin's challenge to state-controlled money, the AI boom's impact on crypto, and Javier Milei's economic reforms.
As D.C. Embraces State Economic Control, a Hopeful Project Seeks to Restore Free Enterprise
Government ownership of private companies threatens American prosperity.
Why Some Americans Living Abroad Would Rather Renounce Their Citizenship Than File Taxes
Most Americans who reside overseas owe the IRS nothing, but complying with U.S. financial regulations can cost them their foreign bank accounts.
To Avoid Criticizing Trump's Tariffs and War, Vivek Ramaswamy Takes on Data Centers
Republicans who want to speak to voters' anger over higher prices without criticizing the president who's caused them are in a bind.
Social Security Is Running Out of Money. Benefits Are Rising 3.6% Next Year Anyway.
Congress has yet to address a looming funding shortfall that could leave the retirement program unable to pay 22 percent of scheduled benefits by 2032.
The Federal Government Collected $5.4 Trillion. It Still Can't Pay Its Bills.
Entitlement spending, defense spending, and interest payments on the debt continue to climb.
Even Blue-Collar Workers Have Turned Against Trump's Unpopular Tariffs
A new poll shows that Americans are soundly rejecting the Trump administration's big government policies.
Trump Keeps Coming Up With Legally Dubious Tariff Justifications
Trump launched his third round of broad tariffs after his first two attempts ran into legal trouble.
Mark Cuban: 'I'd Get Rid of All Political Parties'
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban discusses breaking up Big Medicine, why he wants to abolish political parties, and how Ayn Rand shaped his views on capitalism.
MLB's Salary Cap Fight Isn't About Competitive Balance, It's About Limiting Labor Costs
Even if a small market team wins the World Series, it won’t stop the owners from wanting a salary cap.
Release the Kelly Clarkson Tapes
The pop star's feud with Art of Play—a Brooklyn toy store—shows how quickly personal beefs can become a national emergency. In this case, there's only one way out.
Michigan Congressman Proposes Using Tariff Revenue for Tariff Relief Fund
Rep. John James admits that Trump's tariffs are hurting Michigan businesses. His solution? Make them fill out more paperwork.
Mamdani's $131.5 Million DoorDash Settlement Is Not What He Says It Is
The mayor characterized it as a victory against corporate greed. Meanwhile, 65 percent of affected drivers were underpaid by $1 or less, and the average underpayment was $7.70.
The Great British Exodus: Taxes, Housing Costs, and Terrible Healthcare Are Driving Young Brits Away
More than 1.2 million British nationals have left the United Kingdom since 2021.
Anthropic Is Banning 'Cruel Behavior' Toward Claude. Chatbots Are Still Not Your Friends.
The AI company's decision might be a justifiable idea. But it appears it was made for the wrong reason.
The Federal Government Just Posted the Largest Annual Budget Deficit Since COVID
Tax revenue increased by about 3 percent last year, but spending increased twice as fast. And interest payments on the debt cost more than $1.1 trillion.
Live Reason Roundtable 10th Anniversary Show!
Join Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch as they celebrate a decade of the show with a special live taping.
J.D. Vance Accidentally Comes Out as a Socialist
At a press conference, the vice president offered a strange new definition of the word. But his full remarks revealed a deeper irony.
D.C. Wants To Protect Ride-Share Jobs. Riders Could Pay the Price.
Unions rallied against a D.C. robotaxi bill that already favors them. Riders would pay for their win in higher fares and more dangerous roads.
Republicans Are Getting Grilled Over Trump's Tariffs
From Maine to Michigan, voters are fed up with tariffs and trade wars.
Price Controls Don't Work. So Why Do So Many Democrats and Republicans Love Them?
Price controls are seductive because any benefits are highly and immediately visible, while their grave costs are often harder to spot.
Ruben Gallego's Plan To Save America's Middle Class: Higher Taxes and More Unions
The senator wants to “triple union density by 2035” and pay for a host of social welfare programs with new taxes on data centers and AI companies.
Why Trillionaires Will Be Good for America
The problem isn't how rich someone is. It's how they got it.
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?
TSA Screeners Union Hopes Passengers Protest Petty Rule Change That Only Affects Screeners
The Trump administration has taken away TSA agents' chairs. Now the union wants the flying public to 'take a stand' for their return.
Are Economists Measuring the Wrong Things?
Nobel Prize–winning economist James Heckman discusses what really drives economic mobility, the failures of universal preschool, and how AI is transforming his research.
10 Years of The Reason Roundtable
The good, the bad, and the ugly of our decade of just podcasting right through the crazy news
The Bond Market Doesn't Trust the Treasury
To judge from rising 10-year interest rates, the bond market doesn't seem to expect Trump to bring inflation or spending under control.
My New Lawfare Article on Why "The President Doesn't Have Unlimited Power to Impose Import Bans"
Many of the same constitutional and other constraints apply as with tariffs.
The Federal Government Ran Up a $2 Trillion Deficit in 2026
Congress hasn’t balanced the budget in 25 years.
America Hits a New Debt Record at $40 Trillion and Counting
President Donald Trump has surpassed Barack Obama's record for most debt amassed by a president.
