Steven Malanga

1 week ago | city-journal.org | Steven Malanga

Past presidents of both parties, including Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, railed against federal waste and promised to make Washington more efficient. The Trump administration, though, is actually following through, including with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Californians must be looking on with envy. A recent series of audits has exposed how the Golden State squanders taxpayer money on everything from unemployment insurance to high-speed rail.

1 month ago | city-journal.org | Steven Malanga |Brian Anderson

Steven Malanga joins Brian Anderson to discuss his essay from the City Journal winter issue, “Gone to Pot,” and the failures of the marijuana legalization experiment. Brian Anderson: Welcome back to the 10 Blocks Podcast. This is Brian Anderson. I’m the editor of City Journal. Joining me on today’s show is my colleague, Steven Malanga, he’s been on many times. He’s a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and City Journal’s senior editor.

2 months ago | city-journal.org | Steven Malanga

When marijuana legalization began in the U.S. over a decade ago, advocates promised sweeping benefits: an end to punitive treatment of users, especially minorities—thus striking a blow for social justice—and the creation of profitable, regulated markets driving economic growth. Legalization, they argued, would provide safer products and generate significant tax revenue, with minimal downsides, since so many were already smoking marijuana. Why not bring the industry out of the shadows?

2 months ago | city-journal.org | Steven Malanga

The 2024 elections reshaped the political landscape in Washington, D.C., with Republicans capturing a national trifecta: the White House and both houses of Congress. At the state level, the change was less dramatic. Republicans won eight of 11 governors’ races, retaining their total of 27. Democrats lost full control of two state legislatures, in Minnesota and Michigan, which will now have divided government.

2 months ago | city-journal.org | Steven Malanga

During his first weeks as president, Donald Trump has spent much of his time shaking the foundations of the federal bureaucracy. Now, as he prepares to become the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl, he seems to be aiming his disruptor’s gaze at American sports culture. Until now, most presidents have preferred to sit for a taped interview to be shown on game day (though Joe Biden skipped two of those).