Last weekend, we hosted our annual Chapter Leader Retreat in Alexandria, VA, bringing together new leaders from across the country for community building, training, and planning for the year ahead.

.@jordanmcgillis recently joined our “Readers’ Roundtable” to discuss his critiques on the CHIPS Act and provide insights into America’s energy woes stemming from our deficiencies in semiconductor production. Read his entire @CityJournal piece here:

.@AllisonSchrager discusses how recent policy proposals to lower food prices will ultimately repeat mistakes from past decades that led to shortages and market disruptions.

.@WSJ finds that restaurant chains like Chipotle and Sweetgreen are betting big on robots to boost productivity, using expensive machines to mix greens, cook burgers, and peel avocados.

Why do many policymakers ignore soaring debt? @Brian_Riedl cites 3 reasons:. ➡️ 'Deficits don’t matter' mindset.➡️ Politicized deficits amid gridlock.➡️ Fixing deficits means touching Social Security, Medicare, and middle-class taxes.

The US debt outlook is fragile. Results for 88% of @economics forecast simulations show borrowing on an unsustainable path.

As interest rates recede, mortgage rates might not be poised to follow. @ManhattanInst

“Data not only paints a murky picture of the past, it also clouds our vision of the future.” @opinion

“With labor and housing markets still tight, the dry tinder for further inflation remains,” write @SteveMiran and Sander Gerber. @barronsonline

“Annual issuance of U.S. Treasurys has exploded, nearly doubling since the pandemic began.” @WSJ

Rising Treasury yields have given investors attractive alternatives for income outside of dividend stocks. @ManhattanInst

Despite high rents and the shift to remote work, jobs, amenities, and density continue to attract young people to cities. @CityJournal

We hosted our second annual Capstone Retreat in Palm Beach in early March. It featured Smith Soc members in conversation with Edward Blum, Jay Newman, Michael Greenwald, and @AllisonSchrager and @ishapiro on topics ranging from DEI to AI and more.

“[T]he challenge will be to find the right balance that maximizes productivity, innovation, and well-being—both for firms and the cities that previously relied on their presence.” - @arpitrage @CityJournal

Despite the mixed signals and the evolving narratives, evidence points to the reality that remote work, in some form, is here to stay. @CityJournal

ICYMI: @SteveMiran joined Readers' Roundtable to discuss how the Biden administration is making it more expensive to build in the U.S. and weakening national security. What would be the free-market solution to these problems? Stephen Miran answers:

Why are Americans still so down about the economy? @allisonschrager finds a possible answer in some data about date night. @opinion

“It’s premature to say that a sustained pickup in productivity is unfolding, but all the factors seem to be coalescing.” @WSJopinion

Home price increases in 2023 outpaced the last 35 years of annual average home price gains. @ManhattanInst

Big tech companies including Microsoft, Meta and Amazon have swelled their workforces, even after announcing hefty job cuts. @WSJ