Free The Economy

This week we talk about Consumer-Regulated Electricity, the amazing falling U.S. poverty rate, and how smart TVs are keeping us all connected. Our guest this week is Kevin Kosar, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. We’ll talk about the toxic Congress, the secret Congress, and how the legislative branch can reform itself (with our help). Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about satellite shot clocks at the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh’s digital-dollar beliefs, the burden of aluminum tariffs, and empowering state attorneys general to sue over credit card fees. Our guest this week is Justin Callais, chief economist of the Archbridge Institute. We’ll talk about education, entrepreneurship, taxes, federalism, and which state has the most social mobility. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about the last 50 years of regulatory reform, a new study on climate adaptation, and reforms to Kentucky’s property tax system. Our guest this week is Brian Albrecht, chief economist of the International Center for Law and Economics. We talk about economic growth, happiness, statistics, and the meaning of gross domestic product, or GDP. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about making a living in podcasting, confronting our mounting national debt, and assessing President Trump’s new healthcare plan. Our guest this week is Grant Dever of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, also known as FREOPP. We’ll talk about energy, abundance, permitting, affordability, and the SPEED Act. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about Trump’s 10% credit card interest proposal (and the dangers of populist economics in general), a new report on debanking from Cato Institute analyst (and previous Free the Economy guest) Nick Anthony, and, via previous guest Joey Politano, analysis of the blue-collar jobs that America is losing. Our guest this week is Russ Greene of the Prime Mover Institute. We talk about social security, taxes, retired workers, intergenerational equity, and what Russ has inspired the rest of us to start calling Total Boomer Luxury Communism. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about communist housing policy in New York City, the best economics and history books to read in 2026, a legal setback for unions in California and New York, and the hottest gadgets from CES in Las Vegas. Our guest this week is University of Alabama historian David Beito. We’ll talk about the New Deal, World War II, court packing, civil liberties, and his recent book, FDR: A New Political Life. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about corporate real estate investing, woke pension funds, changing fuel economy rules, and questions about a possible Trump Federal Reserve nominee. Our guest this week is Derek Scissors of the American Enterprise Institute and China Beige Book. We’ll talk about manufacturing, Trump policy, President Xi’s plans for Taiwan, and whether we should give up the Bill of Rights to get more bridges and high-speed trains. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about tariff refunds, Affordable Care Act subsidies, Ryan Young’s Books of the Year for 2025, and how Santa landed on Trump’s naughty list. Our guest this week is Marlo Lewis, Jr., senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We talk about greenhouse gases, the Environmental Protection Agency’s “endangerment finding,” climate models, human health, and the future of environmental policy. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about the decline of electric vehicles, liberation for home appliances, the failure of tariffs to deliver new jobs, and the rise of climate realism. Our guest this week is James Erwin, Director of Innovation Policy at Americans for Tax Reform. We’ll talk about consumer finance, bank regulators, Elizabeth Warren’s view of the world, and when the government is allowed to violate your privacy. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about the economic impact of net-zero policies in blue states and Europe, top targets for environmental policy reform in 2026, a new report on digital debanking from Congress, and why 38% of Stanford students are claiming to be disabled. Our guest this week is Neil Bradley, executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. We’ll talk about taxes, regulation, free enterprise, innovation, and how we can create an economy where everyone can prosper. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about our 150th episode anniversary party, the documentary Dear Mr. President: The Letters of Julia Sand, the new $140,000-a-year poverty level, billionaire envy, and socialist deregulation of small businesses in New York City. Our guest this week is Kurt Couchman, senior fellow in fiscal policy at Americans for Prosperity and author of the excellent new book Fiscal Democracy in America: How a Balanced Budget Amendment Can Restore Sound Governance. We’ll talk about federal spending, the national debt and how it’s dragging down our economy, and why we need to add a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 celebrate the show’s sesquicentennial anniversary – that is, our 150th episode. We look back at the dozens of smart, funny, passionate, and insightful guests we’ve had over the past three years and let you hear from several in their own words. From finance and tech to pop culture and political theory, our guest experts provided us with the data and analysis to make sense of the modern economy and world we see around us every day. Thank you to everyone who has been a guest, helped promote the show, or listened to an episode. We’re looking forward to making hundreds more. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison and edited 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 talk about changes in consumer credit, disappearing fast-food jobs in California, and six things the climate movement gets wrong about China. Our guest this week is popular economics Substacker and chart maker extraordinaire Joey Politano of Apricitas Economics and The Argument. We talk about tariffs, tech jobs, federalism, housing abundance, and more. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about Social Security’s cost of living, conserving rare earth minerals, and why California keeps losing tech jobs. Our guest this week is Prof. Jeremy Horpedahl, director of the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics, associate professor of economics at the University of Central Arkansas, and contributor at Economists Writing Every Day. We talk about economic statistics and what we often get wrong about inflation, unemployment, wages, and tariffs. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about administrative law judges, AI innovation saving lives, environmental regulation creating more wildfires, and more research on the fight against corporate welfare. Our interview this week is with Craig Piercy, CEO of the American Nuclear Society. We talk about innovation, abundance, start-up ventures, regulatory reform, and the future of affordable energy. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about the unintended consequences of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, decarbonization of economic growth, and resources for reporting government corruption at the local level. Our interview this week is with Jeremy Nighohossian, senior fellow and economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We talk about the government shutdown, insurance subsidies, the Affordable Care Act, big pharma, and how to introduce price discipline into healthcare spending. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics, eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, why we don’t need a government agency for jobs data, how market trade builds social capital, and a new article on the managerial tyranny of Boomer environmentalism. Our interview this week is with Stephen Perkins, Chief Operating Officer of the American Conservation Coalition. We talk about oil and gas, wind and solar, permitting and zoning, transmission lines, and the future of U.S. energy abundance. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 talk about the need to build more infrastructure in the UK, an award for public finance leadership in Oklahoma, teaching students to actually read in Mississippi, and shifting the Overton Window on corporate welfare. Our interview is with Ed Hudgins, founder of the Human Achievement Alliance. We’ll talk about innovation, optimism, technological development, and the future of upwing thinking. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 a new study on pharmaceutical tariffs, whether to expect a new Great Depression (via Phil Magness and Marc Wheat in National Review), and how the U.S. auto industry is souring on the electric vehicle revolution. Our interview this week is with Romina Boccia, director of budget and entitlement policy at the Cato Institute, editor of Debt Dispatch on Substack, and co-author of the new book "Reimagining Social Security: Global Lessons for Retirement Policy Changes." We talk about working, saving, budget deficits, and what it will take to reform America’s flagship program for retirement security. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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 future of financial regulation, the end of the left vs. right distinction in politics, and how we all just dodged a bullet on alcohol and public health. Our interview this week is with Alex Trembath, deputy director of the Breakthrough Institute. We’ll talk about energy, housing, bureaucracy, special-interest politics, and the emergent coalition of the abundance movement. Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. 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.