Free The Economy
Free The Economy is a weekly podcast hosted by Richard Morrison of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, examining the intersection of news, policy, and economics featuring guests that include writers, policymakers, explorers, contrarians, and free thinkers of all kinds.
Episodes
120 episodes
Reforming Washington's 10,000 Commandments with Wayne Crews
This week we cover the political roots of totalitarianism, why we should put Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out to pasture, the World Bank’s pivot on nuclear power, and human environmental impact in Medieval Europe. Our interview this week is with ...
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Episode 120
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47:52
Economic Ideas for American Workers with Ryan Young
This week we cover teaching with AI, clearing the way for new nuclear development, and eliminating soda and candy from government food aid programs. Our interview this week is with Ryan Young, Senior Economist at the Competitive Enterprise Inst...
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Episode 119
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47:46
Trade Myths (and Facts) with Prof. Michael Coon
This week we cover smartphones for kids, insomnia and anxiety in pre-industrial times, and a blueprint for modernizing the Environmental Protection Agency. Our interview this week is with Michael Coon, Associate Professor of Economics in the Sy...
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Episode 118
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44:06
An Affordable and Reliable Future with Gabriella Hoffman
This week we cover Republicans for the Green New Deal, diminishing returns from industrial policy in China, and the bottleneck on nuclear development in the United States. Our interview this week is with Gabriella Hoffman, Director of the Cente...
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Episode 117
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49:00
Working for a Better Tomorrow with Vinnie Vernuccio
This week we cover America’s founding principles, the Cato Institute’s recommendations for reforming financial regulation, why Republicans shouldn’t be busting the SALT cap, and declining egg prices in historical perspective. Our interview this...
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Episode 116
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39:02
Tariffs, Tax Cuts, and Trustees with Dominic Pino
This week we cover retirement investing, pivoting to India, housing on federal land, and priorities for slashing federal spending. Our interview this week is with Dominic Pino of National Review. We talk about tariffs, labor unions, tax cuts, p...
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Episode 115
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54:40
Broadcasting Liberty with Jeff Westling
This week we cover Trump tariffs, the death of the climate hawks, and California’s experiment with fast food wages. Our interview this week is with Jeff Westling, Director of Technology and Innovation Policy at the American Action Forum. We tal...
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Episode 114
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56:44
Striving for Shareholder Value with Matt Cole
This week we cover executive branch powers at the Supreme Court, BP’s pivot back to being an oil and gas company, and the trials and tribulations of Bud Light. Our interview this week is with Matt Cole, CEO of Strive and CIO of Strive Asset Man...
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Episode 113
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43:28
Alabama Does DOGE with Stephanie Smith
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 t...
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Episode 112
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43:47
Defend Yourself from Debanking with Nick Anthony
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 Nicho...
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Episode 111
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48:44
Pivot or Die with Gary Shapiro
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,...
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Episode 110
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49:23
Improving State Finances with OJ Oleka
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...
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Episode 109
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37:01
Trump vs. the Regulatory State with Susan Dudley
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 S...
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Episode 108
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45:55
Able Americans with Rachel Barkley
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 ...
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Episode 107
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39:09
Welfare Costs and Benefits with Scott Winship
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...
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Episode 106
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50:16
Draining the Swamp with Jim Bovard
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...
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Episode 105
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50:27
Changes in Financial Regulation and ESG with Hester Peirce
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 t...
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Episode 104
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34:06
Mortgage Market Analysis with Mark Calabria
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 au...
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Episode 103
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44:07
Tax and Budget Showdown 2025 with Erica York
This week we cover new climate disclosure rules for public companies, the case against price controls on credit card networks, and why tariffs can’t pay for tax cuts. Our interview is with Erica York of the Tax Foundation. We talk about the big...
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Episode 102
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38:30
The Value of Work with David Bahnsen
This week we cover new leadership at the SEC, China’s ban on critical mineral exports, conservative fiscal reform ideas, and the health toll of not embracing nuclear power. Our interview is with David Bahnsen of the Capital Record podcast and t...
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Episode 101
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47:26
Big Tech, Antitrust, and the Courts with Patrick Hedger
This week we cover the DOGE effort to reform government spending, survey results about transportation choices, and a sad loss for the liberty movement. Our interview is with Patrick Hedger of NetChoice. We talk about legal troubles and disputes...
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Episode 100
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46:44
Political Drinking with Jarrett Dieterle
This week we cover student loans, revenue from tariffs, democracy in Hong Kong, and the impact of podcasts on the 2024 election. Our interview is with Jarrett Dieterle of the R Street Institute. We talk about beer, wine, tequila, and all the go...
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Episode 99
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46:27
Debt and Taxes with Jack Salmon
This week we cover the death of ESG investing, next moves on regulatory reform, Wall Street enthusiasm for a new administration, and Saudi Arabia’s new city in the desert. Our interview is with Jack Salmon of Philanthropy Roundtable. We talk ab...
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Episode 98
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1:02:13
Nuclear Renaissance with Nick Loris
This week we cover a new vision for the Securities and Exchange Commission, affordable housing in Hong Kong, and how Millennials are killing it financially. Our interview is with Nick Loris of C3 Solutions. We talk about renewables, fossil fuel...
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Episode 97
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49:23
Understanding the National Debt with Thomas Savidge
This week we cover whether Americans feel better off than they were four years ago, why we have more billion-dollar natural disasters than we used to, where tomorrow’s strategic minerals will come from, and why we shouldn’t subject new technolo...
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Episode 96
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52:55