The Associated Press just published a damning investigation of one of President Obama’s biggest “green” policies: corn ethanol. Green is in quotation marks there because, despite being touted as such, corn ethanol fails to reduce emissions—its big selling point—and America’s ever-increasing quotas for the biofuel have incentivized the destruction of five million acres of land […]

For the first time in sixty years, Americans’ desire to drive is waning. Wonder what the next 20 years might bring? Last week, economist David Levinson penned a retrospective analysis on America’s changing traffic patterns…dated November 4, 2030. This hypothetical blog post (h/t Reihan Salam) imagines a world in which per capita miles driven has plummeted, and attempts […]

The results from the latest education report card are in, and the results are discouraging: well under 50 percent of American 4th and 8th graders are below proficiency in reading and math. These numbers, the result of the National Assessment of Education Progress, are actually better than those in previous years, but they still suggest that we […]

Amazon has already mastered the art of fast shipping for online shopping, but it’s about to do itself one better. Partnering with the USPS, Amazon will soon be able to ship packages on Sunday, at no extra charge to the customer. Beginning next week, the feature will be on offer only in New York City […]

As Ukraine prepares for a hugely important vote on a free trade deal with the EU later this month, it is becoming more defiant toward its former Soviet master. Kiev has long sought to reduce its dependence on expensive Russian natural gas, and as of last Friday Ukraine’s state-owned gas firm has ceased importing gas […]

Good news from Illinois is hard to come by these days, either at the state or municipal level. CNBC reports today that the state’s nerve center is continuing its downward slide: Fitch has downgraded Chicago’s bond ratings, citing poor economic growth and total inertia on its union pension liabilities: The credit ratings agency said it […]

Venezuelans are flocking to electronics stores ahead of the Christmas season after Nicolás Maduro’s government accused several retailers of unjustifiably hiking prices and instituted a “fair price” policy.With inflation running at 54 percent, people are understandably eager for a good deal. But the enthusiasm got out of hand in Valencia on Sunday, as shopping turned […]

How can a college survive when the students stop coming? That’s the question facing a number of mid-level private schools in the US, which are facing enrollment declines unlike any they have seen in recent years. For the past few decades, enrollment at most private colleges has generally risen or remained flat, but as the WSJ reports, […]

Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, secretly runs a financial empire that would give the Shah a run for his money. The business interests of Khamenei’s little-known organization, called Setad, include a dizzying array of properties, oil and gas holdings, telecommunications, even ostrich farming. Reuters estimates that Setad oversees assets worth $95 billion.The first part […]

It’s that time of year again: the time when green policy wonks up their personal carbon footprints by flying from all over the world to a central location to pat one another on the back for acknowledging that climate change is, by all accounts, happening. This year, delegates are dithering in Warsaw, hoping to “advance […]