Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern have announced a merger, creating the first coast-to-coast railroad company. Past railroad mergers have failed to deliver promised efficiencies, and this one is no different.
Economy
Reporting and analysis on the American economy and economic policy: how markets, monopolies, and public policy shape jobs, wages, and opportunity. Includes our long-running coverage of antitrust and corporate power in The Monopolized Economy.
Posted inEconomy
The U.S. Economy Is Stumbling Badly
Don’t get distracted by the recent 3 percent GDP number. A former top Commerce Department official explains why the economic outlook is grim.
Posted inFeatured
Henry Ford vs. Elon Musk: A Century of Hate Speech
The 20th-century auto titan was all in on antisemitism, until falling car sales forced his hand. Now Tesla is tanking, X is in turmoil, and its South African-born mogul is doubling down.
Posted inEconomy
How Trump’s Policies Crush the American Battery Boom
Biden policies put the U.S. in a strong position, but Trump is destroying the American battery industry and good American jobs.
Posted inEconomy
Trump’s Budget Could Break the Economy
For once, the deficit hawks are right. The tax cuts for the wealthy in the Republican budget could cause the third economic meltdown this century. Unlike the Financial Crisis and the pandemic, we couldn’t spend our way out.
Posted inThe Monopolized Economy
The Broadband Story Abundance Liberals Like Ezra Klein Got Wrong
When the New York Times columnist told the Daily Show host about out-of-control regulations ruining a Biden administration rural broadband program, the clip went viral, with Elon Musk’s help. But the story wasn’t true—and the telecom monopolies who were the real saboteurs are still laughing.
Posted inThe Monopolized Economy
How to Fix Our Dangerous Dependency on Foreign Ships and Save American Shipbuilding
A key issue is restoring the long-reviled Jones Act, which can once again help America rule the waves.
Posted inThe Monopolized Economy
Has Trump’s FTC Abandoned Fair Markets?
A decision to drop a lawsuit against Pepsi may signal Trump’s embrace of corporate bullies.
Posted inMagazine
The Secret to Reindustrializing America Is Not Tax Cuts and Tariffs. It’s Regulated Competition.
From airlines to energy, shipbuilding to railroads, America became a capitalist superpower in the 20th century based on careful market rules. It can do so again.
Posted inMagazine
Resurrecting the Rebel Alliance
To end the age of Trump, Democrats must relearn the language and levers of power.
