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December 17, 2025

Welcome to The Lighthouse, the weekly email newsletter of the Independent Institute covering politics, economics, current events, and everything in between.

Dear Readers,

In this week’s roundup, our writers examine the many pressures reshaping American life—from artificial intelligence and regulation to civil rights and public health policy.

This week, Matthew B. Crawford writes about the emergence of artificial intelligence and its transformation of social dynamics, posing a risk to the “knowledge class.” Ultimately, Crawford calls for reclaiming human distinctiveness and the guardian of human judgment and potential.

In a pair of articles, Allen Gindler interprets Trump’s announcement regarding “tiny cars” as a significant acknowledgment that U.S. regulations have been hindering the development of micro-vehicles—not consumer preferences. Gindler argues this action is therefore a reduction of bureaucratic authority rather than a presidential “endorsement.” Additionally, the recent interest rate reduction by the Federal Reserve reveals a complex web of unfavorable tradeoffs.

On the latest episode of The Independent, Scott welcomes back Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice. They discuss the work being done on civil rights and freedom in America today.

Lastly, Lloyd Billingsley writes about the rebuke of California’s kratom ban by current CDC Administrator Dr. Robert Redfield, who urges evidence-based policy over outdated, fear-driven prohibitions.

Enjoy.

Jonathan Hofer
Managing Editor

Top picks this week
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** Ownership of the Means of Thinking ([link removed])
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** On the political economy of the Cloud and AI ([link removed])
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** by Matthew B. Crawford
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As near as one can tell, the business rationale for AI rests on the hope that it will substitute for human judgment and discretion. Is that wise?
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** The Tiny Car vs. Big Government ([link removed])
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** The curious case of “approving” tiny cars. ([link removed])
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** by Allen Gindler
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Trump has announced his “approval” of tiny cars—but as is usually the case, it is necessary to translate his “Trumpish” to English.
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** Employment vs. Inflation 2025 ([link removed])
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** What the Fed’s split decision reveals about the state of things ([link removed])
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** by Allen Gindler
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The Fed’s latest rate cut exposes the tension between interest as both the price of money and the price of time.
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** VIDEO
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** Harmeet Dhillon | Trump DOJ: Ensuring Election Integrity and Fixing Immigration ([link removed])
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Scott welcomes back Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice, to discuss election integrity and the contentious issue of immigration.
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** Dr. Redfield Calls Out California Over Kratom ([link removed])
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** Former CDC director, “threatened and ostracized” during COVID, calls for “rigorous science” in public policy ([link removed])
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** by K. Lloyd Billingsley
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Dr. Redfield paid a high price for advancing his COVID hypothesis. “I expected it from politicians. I didn’t expect it from science,” he said.
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** FEATURED BOOK
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** Crossroads for Liberty
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** Recovering the Anti-Federalist Values of America’s First Constitution
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** by William J. Watkins, Jr.
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“Given that the Anti-Federalists’ predictions about the growth of national power have come true, their views of the weaknesses of the Constitution deserve to be heard.”

—Randy E. Barnett, Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center
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