Free The Economy

This week we cover the new book “What Went Wrong with Capitalism?,” the problem with price controls, Gen Z employees calling in sick, and an upcoming conference on financial privacy. Our interview this week is with Jennifer Huddleston, senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute. We talk about consumer privacy, government databases, identity theft, revealed preferences, and legislative proposals to avoid.Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer is Destry Edwards, and the show is edited by Bilander Media. Keep up with new episodes by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.

This week we report from the State Policy Network’s annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona and some of the great reform proposals being put forward by groups like the Property and Environment Research Center, the Institute for Justice, the Mountain States Policy Center, and Opportunity Arkansas. Our interview this week is with Patrick Carroll, managing editor at the Foundation for Economic Education. We talk about artificial intelligence, job losses, creative destruction, innovation, and economic resiliency.Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer is Destry Edwards, and the show is edited by Bilander Media. Keep up with new episodes by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.

This week we cover corporations playing politics, Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat, and a tale of two high-speed rail projects. Our interview this week is with Eric Peterson, policy director at Satoshi Action Fund. We talk about Bitcoin, banking, civil liberties, due process, and the future of cryptocurrency.Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer is Destry Edwards, and the show is edited by Bilander Media. Keep up with new episodes by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.

This week we cover weaponization of banking rules, the massive cost of federal regulation, and politicized pension fund management. Our interview this week is with Andrew Stuttaford, editor of National Review’s Capital Matters. We talk about macroeconomic trends, subsidies and industrial policy, tax cuts, interest rates, and economic growth.Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer is Destry Edwards, and the show is edited by Bilander Media. Keep up with new episodes by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.

This week we cover California’s minimum wage for fast-food workers, overturning the FCC’s universal service fee, and pushing back on rude customers in Japan. Our interview this week is with Marc Scribner, Senior Transportation Policy Analyst at the Reason Foundation. We talk about mass transit, organized labor, construction costs, and whether the U.S. should try to be more like Europe.Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer is Destry Edwards, and the show is edited by Bilander Media. Keep up with new episodes by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.

Sal Amadeo, a documentary filmmaker and YouTuber, dives into the world of shopping malls and retail nostalgia. He discusses the rise and fall of malls, revealing how their cultural significance has evolved over time. Amadeo shares insights on abandoned retail spaces and the communal sense of loss attached to them. He contrasts the social interactions of the past with today's digital third places. Tune in for a thoughtful examination of how nostalgia shapes our connection to retail, and what the future holds for these iconic structures.

This week we cover Capital One buying Discover, solutions for high housing prices, China’s soft-power investment strategy, and President Biden’s call for national rent control. Our interview this week is with Kurt Couchman, senior fellow at Americans for Prosperity. We’ll talk about shrinkflation, government spending, growing deficits, the cost-of-living crisis, and how inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog. 

This week we cover the end of Chevron deference at the Supreme Court, the economic impact of future Trump tariffs, the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to ban non-compete agreements, and evolving American attitudes toward the role and scope of government. Our interview this week is with Ronald Bailey, science correspondent for Reason Magazine. We’ll talk about innovation, growth, optimism, and the new progress movement. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at  @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we  cover, at cei.org/blog.

This week we cover how the SEC is going to spam investors with a deluge of low-quality disclosures, the Supreme Court’s decision on social media censorship in Murthy v. Missouri, and the massive scope of Covid-era tax fraud. Our interview this week is with Scott Hodge, president emeritus & senior policy advisor at the Tax Foundation and the author of the excellent new book Taxocracy: What You Don't Know About Taxes and How They Rule Your Daily Life. We talk about deductions, perverse incentives, reform options, and the reason 18th century British buildings had so few windows. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.

This week we cover the SEC’s new climate rule, the recent Supreme Court decision on income taxes, and why the Social Security Administration has finally updated its jobs list from 1977. Our interview this week is with Timothy Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute. We talk about cronyism, economic development, protecting taxpayers, and amending state constitutions. Free the Economy is produced and hosted by Richard Morrison. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episode summaries, with links to the stories we cover, at cei.org/blog.