Free The Economy

This week we cover poverty in Illinois, J.D. Vance on AI, the future of the Jones Act and the limits of the president’s impoundment powers. Our interview this week is with Stephanie Smith, president and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute. We talk about spending taxpayer dollars, budget reform, cost-sharing with the feds, and the state-level swamp of special interests.Free the Economy is hosted and produced by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer and editor is Destry Edwards. 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 public confidence in the economy, California’s electric vehicle mandate, the prospect of a sovereign wealth fund for the U.S., and what investors talk about when they gather in Las Vegas. Our interview this week is with Nicholas Anthony, policy analyst with the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. We’ll talk all about debanking, including questions about free expression, reputational risk, money laundering, cryptocurrency, and what happens when your bank account gets cancelled.Free the Economy is hosted and produced by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer and editor is Destry Edwards. 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 DEI mandates, financial surveillance at the Securities and Exchange Commission, medical fraud among Alzheimer's researchers, and why Congress should defund green energy subsidies. Our interview this week is with Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association and the man behind the #1 trade show in the world, the legendary Consumer Electronics Show, held every January in Las Vegas. He’s also the author of the recent book, "Pivot or Die: How Leaders Thrive When Everything Changes." We talk about the impacts of Covid-19, succeeding as an entrepreneur, responding to market forces, and why the government does not know enough to plan tomorrow’s technologies.Free the Economy is hosted and produced by Richard Morrison. Our co-producer and editor is Destry Edwards. 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.

Our interview this week is with OJ Oleka, CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation. We’ll talk about how the new administration will affect state financial officers, what states can do about ESG, and the varied ways financial officers can have an impact in their states.Free the Economy is hosted and produced by Richard Morrison and co-produced by Destry Edwards. 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 how the feds are forcing your bank to spy on you, a new strategy for housing abundance, and a promising new policy on crypto and digital assets from the White House. Our interview this week is with Susan Dudley, founder and Senior Scholar at George Washington University’s Regulatory Studies Center and former administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. We’ll talk about federal regulation, Trump’s executive orders, what to expect from Elon Musk and DOGE, and the potential legal challenges ahead.Free the Economy is hosted and produced 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 Trump’s executive orders, the demographics of the 119th Congress, our nation’s narrowing fiscal space, reforms to ESG investing, and a new White House appointee in the healthcare space. Our interview this week is with Rachel Barkley, director of Able Americans, a program of the National Center for Public Policy Research. We’ll talk about disability accommodations, family formation, occupational therapy, caregiver responsibilities, and healthcare resources for the differently abled.Free the Economy is hosted and produced 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 the Los Angeles wildfires, reforms to high-skilled immigration, new leadership at the Department of Energy, legal peril for ESG investing, and a new agenda for the 119th Congress. Our interview this week is with Scott Winship, director of the Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute. We talk about blue-collar wages, social welfare spending, tax credits, and whether the U.S. should be more like Denmark and Sweden.Free the Economy is hosted and produced 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 fake endangered species, Pennsylvania’s climate policy showdown, a robust defense of property rights in New York, and Biden’s lame-duck attack on offshore energy development. Our interview this week is with journalist, author, and legendary public policy hooligan Jim Bovard. We talk about government reform, freedom of speech, the legacy of the FBI, and whether it makes sense to optimistic about shrinking government.Free the Economy is hosted and produced 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 how Americans feel about their jobs, the minerals we’ll need to build the future, and lingering inflation fears. Our interview this week is with Hester Peirce, Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We talk about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, climate-related disclosures, regulatory harmonization with Europe, voluntary vs. mandatory standards, and reform ideas for the SEC.Free the Economy is hosted and produced 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 financial regulation, the Kroger-Albertsons merger, and a spirited defense of ultra-processed foods. Our interview this week is with Mark Calabria, former Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and author of the 2023 bookShelter from the Storm: How a COVID Mortgage Meltdown Was Averted. We talk about interest rates, affordability, the Fannie Mae conservatorship, housing policy in Trump’s second term, and the future of the mortgage market.Free the Economy is hosted and produced 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.