World War II was marked by the persecution and forced displacement of millions of people. Among them was Ludwig von Mises, one of the most brilliant minds in economics, whose ideas challenged the growing totalitarianism in Europe. Although there are few written records of his escape from Europe, this article provides several previously unpublished details, based on rare and never-before-published documents.

Today in Politico, finance reporter Victoria Guida takes a look at the prospects for any meaningful reform that might rein in the Fed’s runaway powers that have expanded far beyond its historical remit in recent years.

It seems the prospects are not good. 

It should go without saying that asking generals and other Pentagon bureaucrats about defense spending is like asking your barber if you need a haircut. They are hardly disinterested observers. 

With a few exceptions, several epistemological procedures in the science of economics are heavily swayed by the gale force of empiricism or logical positivism. Consequently, we increasingly find the science of economics compartmentalized into various methodological schools which, to various degrees, are keen on importing the methods of the natural sciences at the expense of the actual task of economics.

Elon Musk—of Tesla, SpaceX, and X fame—will be tasked by incoming President-elect Donald Trump to review federal government efficiency with the intent to cut federal spending, reform existing programs, possible shutdown of federal agencies, etc. Elon should be encouraged to study a herculean report done in the first term of President Ronald Reagan called The President’s Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, also called the President’s Private Sector Survey (PPSS).

The Mises Institute is currently in a campaign to distribute copies of Rothbard’s What has government done to our money. You can order free copies from the front page of Mises.org.

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Minor Issues podcast. I’m Mark Thornton coming to you from the Mises Institute. Please like, share, and subscribe. Thank you.

[Editor’s Note: In this selection from his new essay “Seeds of Resistance,” William Hartung provides some interesting context on the important role of public opinion and public pressure in pushing back against aggressive foreign policy in any presidential administration. Essentially, Hartung expresses hope that perhaps Trump will be something like Ronald Reagan whose bellicose pre-election rhetoric was far worse than the actual policies that Reagan eventually employed.