In a global landscape marked by supply chain shifts, rising state-led economies, and new geopolitical frictions, America’s trade policies have been a focus of the news cycle this presidential campaign season. Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have proposed anti-free trade approaches, and these strategies raise questions about the implications for markets, individual choice, and the true cost of protectionism. Let us take a look at how their records stack up.

Ready for a pre-Halloween scare?

For forty years, the dominant political philosophy on the mainstream American right was the fusionist conservativism of Ronald Reagan. Under Reagan’s formulation, the right formed an alliance between free-market economics, social traditionalism, and a strong anti-communist defense policy. The American right has changed in recent years, with the current GOP presidential ticket looking more like a bean bag chair than Reagan’s three-legged stool. While elements of the other planks remain, nowhere is this shift more apparent than in the political right’s retreat from free markets. In its place we have seen the emergence of a populist New Right typified by Ohio senator and vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance.

An article featured in Annals of Internal Medicine highlights an ongoing effort by the Food and Drug Administration to bring more nicotine replacement therapies (often called NRTs) to market. Although rates have plummeted over the past several decades, smoking remains one of the most common causes of preventable death in the U.S. 

Whatever the politicians say during the presidential campaign, the United States will continue to need a significant number of immigrants and Latin America will need to continue exporting part of its population to this country.

Millions of Americans have turned to weight-loss injections to help them lose weight and live healthier lives. As of May 2024, about 25,000 people have begun using Wegovy (the most common injectable weight loss treatment) each week. Similar treatments are being used off-label to help adolescents lose weight. The New York Times reports Wegovy may soon be used to treat addiction. 

In every politician’s career, there comes a time when one must decide how ambitious one wants to be and if one is ready to go after more power and greater glory—for Justin Trudeau, that moment occurred in 2012 with the “Thrilla on the Hilla” boxing charity event. 

The final numbers for the U.S. government’s spending and revenues during its 2024 fiscal year have finally come in. From October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024, the U.S. government’s spending exceeded its revenues by $1.833 trillion.

On October 21, 2021, the Global Encryption Coalition organized the first “Encryption Day” to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding privacy. Over 150 different organizations participated in the event, which consisted of workshops, petitions, and a coordinated push for media placements. Since 2021, October 21st has become an unofficial recurring “holiday” and an opportunity to communicate how efforts to weaken encryption risk eroding civil liberties. Although Encryption Day may be new, the conflict over private communications is not.

Three state bills that would have reduced investment in California housing have died.