Senior Lecturer in Economics, Harvard University
Senior Lecturer in
Economics and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard
University and a senior fellow at the
Cato Institute
PROFILE
Jeffrey Miron
Guest
FROM Jeffrey Miron
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
“Ganjapreneurs” and the Case to Reclassify Pot These seem to be booming days for the marijuana industry, as more states move to decriminalize it. Legal pot businesses raised more than $100 million last year, according to one research firm. Even Silicon Valley is getting into the game: A prominent venture capital firm run by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel recently became pot’s first major investor, putting millions into a cannabis company. So is pot the next big moneymaker? Also, a federal judge in Northern California has agreed to hear arguments to reclassify pot so it’s no longer a Schedule I drug. What are the implications of the case?
Which Way, L.A.?
Are the Out-of-Work about to Be Out of Benefits? As the Great Recession rolls on, unemployment benefits have already been extended more than ever before. But the jobless picture has not improved, and the extensions have run out. Weeks ago, the Congress approved another three-month extension , but only two Republicans in the Senate will go along. With a vote expected tomorrow, President Obama made the case today.
To the Point
Are the Out-of-Work about to Be Out of Benefits? As the Great Recession grinds on, more than two million Americans have had their unemployment benefits cut off this moth could get them back. The House has voted another three-month extension , but all but two Republicans in the Senate refuse to go along. Some say benefits discourage the search for work. Others call the $34 billion cost too much to pay at a time when the deficit's rising. With a showdown expected tomorrow when a new Democrat Senator will replace the late Robert Byrd of West Virginia, President Obama made the case at the White House today.
Recommended
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?