The Sling

Economic Analysis and Competition Policy Research

Image: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak at a Fight Oligarchy rally. K.M. Cannon / Las Vegas Review-Journal / TNS via Getty Images file

In February 2022, I wrote a piece in The American Prospect advocating for antitrust enforcement as a means to combat inflation. I wasn’t totally wrong. In light of personal experience in price-fixing litigation and the fate of the Biden administration, however, my perspective has shifted. Antitrust can be part of the solution, but it can’t... Read More

Image: The neoclassical school was a category originally used by Thorstein Veblen to group the Austrian school of thought with the “marginalists.”

These past few months have had more than their share of decade-long weeks. Not even three months in, the second Trump administration has already totally shattered norms and scrambled the playing field, challenging everything we thought we knew about the government’s role in the economy. We thought that Congress had the power of the purse,... Read More

Image: Musk has usurped congressional power and initiated the dismantling of agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

After Elon Musk poured almost $300 million into his campaign last year, President Trump returned the favor by endowing Musk with unrestricted authority to restructure the federal government. In just over two months, Musk has usurped congressional power and initiated the dismantling of agencies like USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Department of... Read More

Image: The abandoned Bethlehem Steel plant's gas blowing room. (Source: Abandoned America)

Free trade is under increasing attack by both the progressive left and the populist right. Although the left and the right offer different policy solutions—the progressive left stresses combining industrial policy, antitrust policy, and support for labor with targeted tariffs, while the populist right advocates a wider use of tariffs combined with stricter immigration policy—supporters... Read More

Image: Rep. Ben Cline has introduced a bill eliminating the Federal Trade Commission.

Representative Ben Cline, apparently an ardent supporter of antitrust laws, has introduced a bill eliminating the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the independent federal agency that enforces the antitrust laws. Elon Musk, possibly the head of DOGE although it isn’t quite clear, is on board with the bill. Some have argued that the elimination of the... Read More

Image: Napheesa Collier celebrates a win with young WNBA fans.

Last October, the WNBA’s players opted out of their collective bargaining agreement. After very little news for months, stars like Napheesa Collier, Angel Reese, and DiJonai Carrington all indicated recently that the players will hold out if the WNBA doesn’t start paying the players better. The statements suggest a labor dispute might be coming to the... Read More

Image: President Trump announced a partnership between SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX called “Stargate,” named after the sci-fi franchise.

For years, American tech titans have insisted that AI will be the determinative advancement of the 21st century, and that we need to give them billions of public funds for the United States to maintain its spot as the world’s foremost technological developer. And many pundits and politicians leapt to champion that position. They all... Read More

Image: Former Attorney General John Mitchell (via Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs)

Richard Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell famously declared: “Watch what we do, not what we say.” When that was done to him, he wound up in prison. A similar lesson applies to understanding the courts. Academics can debate whether cartels can contribute positively to consumer welfare under some (unlikely) circumstances. Indeed, Penn law professor Herbert Hovenkamp... Read More

Image: Chair Andrew Ferguson has been tweeting a lot since taking the helm of the FTC.

FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, freshly appointed by President Trump, made what seemed to be a stunning announcement. On X, he posted that the FTC and DOJ would continue to use the 2023 Merger Guidelines, as conceived by his predecessor, Lina Khan. This appeared to be a stunning victory for New Brandeisians, one that upset the... Read More

Image: Successful firms are firing workers to appease Wall Street. (Getty Images)

Imagine two business partners, Sue and Steve, form a company. The company finds success and is acquired by a larger competitor. After the sale has been consummated but before the payment has arrived, Sue seeks to dissolve the partnership, asserting that Steve does not deserve any of the proceeds from the sale. While the fair... Read More

Image: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak at a Fight Oligarchy rally. K.M. Cannon / Las Vegas Review-Journal / TNS via Getty Images file

By Hal Singer May 10, 2025

Image: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak at a Fight Oligarchy rally. K.M. Cannon / Las Vegas Review-Journal / TNS via Getty Images file

By Dylan Gyauch-Lewis April 28, 2025

Image: The neoclassical school was a category originally used by Thorstein Veblen to group the Austrian school of thought with the “marginalists.”

By Daniel A. Hanley April 10, 2025

Image: Musk has usurped congressional power and initiated the dismantling of agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

By Mark Glick and Gabriel Lozada April 2, 2025

Image: The abandoned Bethlehem Steel plant's gas blowing room. (Source: Abandoned America)

By Darren Bush April 1, 2025

Image: Rep. Ben Cline has introduced a bill eliminating the Federal Trade Commission.

By David Berri March 27, 2025

Image: Napheesa Collier celebrates a win with young WNBA fans.

By Dylan Gyauch-Lewis March 5, 2025

Image: President Trump announced a partnership between SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX called “Stargate,” named after the sci-fi franchise.

By Peter Carstensen February 22, 2025

Image: Former Attorney General John Mitchell (via Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs)

By Darren Bush February 19, 2025

Image: Chair Andrew Ferguson has been tweeting a lot since taking the helm of the FTC.

By Hal Singer February 19, 2025

Image: Successful firms are firing workers to appease Wall Street. (Getty Images)

By Hal Singer May 10, 2025

Image: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speak at a Fight Oligarchy rally. K.M. Cannon / Las Vegas Review-Journal / TNS via Getty Images file

Image: The neoclassical school was a category originally used by Thorstein Veblen to group the Austrian school of thought with the “marginalists.”

Image: Musk has usurped congressional power and initiated the dismantling of agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Image: The abandoned Bethlehem Steel plant's gas blowing room. (Source: Abandoned America)

Image: Rep. Ben Cline has introduced a bill eliminating the Federal Trade Commission.

Image: Napheesa Collier celebrates a win with young WNBA fans.

Image: President Trump announced a partnership between SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle, and MGX called “Stargate,” named after the sci-fi franchise.

Image: Former Attorney General John Mitchell (via Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs)

Image: Chair Andrew Ferguson has been tweeting a lot since taking the helm of the FTC.

Image: Successful firms are firing workers to appease Wall Street. (Getty Images)

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By Hal Singer
May 10, 2025

By Dylan Gyauch-Lewis
April 28, 2025

By Daniel A. Hanley
April 10, 2025

By Mark Glick and Gabriel Lozada
April 2, 2025

By Darren Bush
April 1, 2025

By David Berri
March 27, 2025

By Dylan Gyauch-Lewis
March 5, 2025

By Peter Carstensen
February 22, 2025

By Darren Bush
February 19, 2025

By Hal Singer
February 19, 2025

By Hal Singer
May 10, 2025