This week we cover terrible advice on poverty from the United Nations, reforming the way we regulate banks, and possible new policy directions at the Federal Reserve. Our guest this week is John Berlau, Director of Finance Policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and author of George Washington: Entrepreneur: How Our Founding Father’s Private Business Pursuits Changed America and the World. We celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence with a conversation about how the father of our country was also an innovator and businessman.

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover reforming the SEC’s stock trading database, banning AI exports, a climate lawsuit from Boulder, Colorado, and the latest episode of the American Institute for Economic Research’s The Economist Next Door podcast. Our guest this week is Peggy Little, Senior Litigation Counsel at the New Civil Liberties Alliance. We talk about how the Securities and Exchange Commission has been gagging anyone who settles an enforcement action, and what NCLA and allies have been doing to overturn this unconstitutional limit on free speech.

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover U.S. companies getting hammered by tariffs, jobs that are surprisingly not getting replaced by AI, and some good news for people whose assets have been seized by the police. Our guest this week is Stephen Davies, historian and author of the new book The Great Realignment: Why the New Right is Here to Stay. In that book, Stephen synthesizes decades of research to explain a fundamental shift in our political landscape from economic interest to national identity. This conversation features special guest interviewer Iain Murray, Vice President for Strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com.

This week we cover America’s low-income churn, reforms to civil asset forfeiture, changes to vehicle emissions testing, a shout out to the new podcast Everyday Abundance. Our guest this week is Jared Walczak, Senior Fellow at the Tax Foundation and president of Walczak Policy Consulting. We’ll talk about the current vogue for raising taxes on millionaires and billionaires (and what to do when they all move out of your state).

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover promising new classroom technology, increasing productivity (and avoiding layoffs) with AI, and the repeal of the SEC’s climate disclosure rule. Our guest this week is Thomas Savidge, research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. We’ll talk about state budgets, pensions, government employees, unions, and the possibility of a federal bailout.

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover bank privacy, SNAP benefits, a new study on tariffs, and a great new podcast about ideas and innovation. Our guest this week is Kent Lassman, president and CEO of the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We’ll talk about what it takes to run a Washington, DC nonprofit and do aggressive policy advocacy in 2026.

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover higher inflation numbers, a strike on the Long Island Railroad, and new disability tech from Meta. Our guest this week is Parker Thayer, investigative researcher at the Capital Research Center. We’ll talk about the Medicaid billing fraud that has been uncovered across the country, and in particular the on-the-ground investigation in Columbus, Ohio that Parker took on with Luke Rosiak of Daily Wire.

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover more legal headaches for the Trump tariffs, keeping kids safe in an AI world, and California’s latest government boondoggle. Our guest this week is Jarrett Skorup, vice president for marketing and communications at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. We talk about his latest study, “Unions and ESG: From Worker Representation to Shareholder Activism.” 

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com.

This week we cover how to make the moral case for capitalism, affordable housing via regulatory reform, and tracking the economic resilience of all 50 states. Our guest this week is David Ditch, a Senior Analyst in Fiscal Policy at the Economic Policy Innovation Center. We talk about David’s recent study, “Highway Robbery: How Wasteful Diversions from the Highway Fund Pave the Road for Tax Hikes.” 

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com. 

This week we cover childcare in the 50 states, employers and health coverage, the new Institute for Consumer Financial Choice at George Mason University, and rising costs for climate policy in New York. Our guest this week is Derek Freifels, CEO of Prospr Aligned. We’ll talk about federalism, taxes, regulation, and Derek’s recent article for National Review, “Why Corporate America Is Coming Home to the Heartland.” 

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. Interview transcripts are at greatcapitalism.substack.com.