New York City voters didn’t just elect a self-proclaimed democratic socialist mayor — they handed the keys to the transition team to someone whose regulatory philosophy has already reshaped Washington: former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan. During her tenure, Khan oversaw what CNBC’s Jim Cramer called a “one Read more…
Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger campaigned as a centrist fixated on one theme: affordability. Voters were told she would govern as a level-headed moderate, skeptical of ideological excesses and focused squarely on cost-of-living relief. But as Market Institute Senior Fellow Norm Singleton writes in RealClearMarkets, Spanberger’s record in Congress tells a Read more…
As the FTC develops its Strategic Plan for 2026–2030, the agency has a rare chance to reset after years of mission drift. But as Norm Singleton writes in RealClearMarkets, the draft plan released in October misses the mark—ignoring statutory requirements and failing to address the central problem: the continued influence Read more…
A common refrain from Trump supporters is that everything he is doing is “common sense.” And at some level, they’re right. Taking aggressive measures to lower crime, strengthen the economy, and fix broken markets like pharmaceuticals sounds like exactly what a president should do. But as Charles Sauer writes in Read more…
Populism has always had political appeal—and as recent elections show, it can win. But as Market Institute President Charles Sauer argues in RealClearHealth, some forms of populism trade long-term prosperity for short-term applause. “Populism makes sense as a political strategy – as we can see from Momdani’s win in NY, Read more…
California Governor Gavin Newsom, often floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, recently vetoed SB-771 — a bill that would have made social media platforms legally liable for “recklessly” allowing so-called hate speech to appear on their sites. As Charles Sauer writes, the measure “would hold social media companies liable Read more…
One reason libertarians don’t trust the government is because so many well-intentioned programs end up either making things worse for the supposed beneficiaries, enriching powerful interests — or both. Norm Singleton highlights one such example: the federal Section 340B prescription drug program, which has quietly ballooned into a multi-billion-dollar market Read more…
Following the end of the government shutdown, Congress and the White House are preparing to negotiate a Fiscal Year 2026 spending bill. One of the key issues on the table will be whether to extend the so-called “temporary” Obamacare subsidies first passed as part of the 2021 Covid relief bill. Read more…
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Andrew Ferguson may not always align perfectly with free-market principles, but his recent defense of American businesses and consumers against the European Union’s regulatory overreach deserves praise. As Norm Singleton writes in RealClearMarkets, Ferguson’s actions mark a welcome shift from his predecessor Lina Khan—who “assisted Read more…
What is Canada’s greatest export—Molson’s, hockey, or Neil Young? For over 50 years, Young has been one of the world’s most celebrated and versatile artists. But as Charles Sauer writes in RealClearMarkets, his latest move hits a sour note. In a recent decision, Neil Young announced he would pull his Read more…