Today, John Cochrane argues that markets, not governments, should steer individual decisions on whether to rent or buy housing; Andrew Roberts speaks with Nigel Biggar about a controversy Biggar experienced with one of his books; and Victor Davis Hanson evaluates what’s going well with the war against Iran’s regime, and where the Trump administration could improve its approach.
Revitalizing History
A district court in Oakland, CA, has ruled to uphold the expressed wishes of Li Rui, a former secretary to Mao Zedong, to have his personal archives made publicly available for preservation and study at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University. The Hoover Institution and Stanford University undertook more than five years of legal proceedings and invested significant resources to defend in a U.S. court of law Li’s right to have his collection made available for study by scholars, historians and the public. Witnesses for both sides testified that, if returned to China, the collection and all of its history would at minimum be censored and would most likely be banned. Hoover Institution Director Condoleezza Rice said, “This decision ensures one of the most valuable firsthand accounts on the history of modern China will be freely available for study.” Read more here.
On the latest episode of Secrets of Statecraft, Distinguished Visiting Fellow Andrew Roberts sits down with Oxford theologian and historian Nigel Biggar to explore the personal and intellectual firestorm surrounding his work on empire, colonialism, and reparations. Biggar recounts how his “Ethics and Empire” project triggered a coordinated campaign to shut it down, how a major publisher canceled his book at the last minute, and how it ultimately went on to become a bestseller. Along the way, Biggar challenges what he calls the “tyranny of imaginary guilt” shaping modern debates about Britain’s past, questions the case for reparations, and reflects on the broader implications of his experiences for academic freedom, free speech, and the politics of history in the West today. Read more here.
Freedom Frequency
In this week’s Grumpy Economist Weekly Rant, Senior Fellow John Cochrane makes a case for treating renting as a normal and often preferable form of housing rather than a policy failure to be corrected. American housing policy, he argues, heavily favors homeownership through mortgage subsidies, tax preferences, and political hostility toward large-scale rental ownership—even though renters need housing just as much as buyers do. Cochrane challenges the cultural and political assumption that owning is always superior to renting. He argues that professional landlords can provide well-managed housing, that stable societies such as Germany’s function perfectly well with far higher rates of renting, and that owner-occupied housing is often overrated as an investment. The better approach, he suggests, is not to privilege one model over another but to let housing markets provide what people actually need at different stages of life. Watch or read here.
Politics, Institutions, and Public Opinion
In an essay at his Blade of Perseus site, Senior Fellow Victor Davis Hanson analyzes the current state of the war with Iran both at home and abroad. Militarily, Hanson sees several clear objectives: “(1) the destruction of Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon; (2) demolishing its missile and drone forces and ability to manufacture both; (3) cutting off arms and aid to Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis; and (4) ending Iran’s 47-year-long killing of Americans and disruption of the strategically important Middle East.” But Hanson cautions that the administration’s “workmanlike but not inspired” communications about the war have “hurt public support for its Iranian agenda.” Hanson considers how the messaging might get back on track and what the conflict could mean for the midterms. He also calls on the administration “to counter left-wing and far-right hysteria about the supposedly undue influence of Israel.” Read more here.
Security and Defense
Speaking on CBS News, Senior Fellow H.R. McMaster explained how drones are changing the way the United States and other nations wage war. McMaster emphasized the increased battlefield transparency drones can provide, acting as sensors collecting information on the environment. McMaster discussed how drones, when paired with other capabilities like low Earth orbit satellites, enable more precise targeting of enemy combatants and infrastructure. McMaster also stressed how targeting now takes place “at greater depth” behind an adversary’s front lines, and why it will be important going forward for US forces to have the capability to “blind” enemy sensors and weapons, including drones, for defensive purposes. Watch here.
Revitalizing American Institutions and Tech Policy
The Hoover Institution's Center for Revitalizing American Institutions, in partnership with the Hoover Technology Policy Accelerator, invites you to join us for an engaging conversation: Americans’ Confidence in Science, Scientists, and Scientific Institutions, with scholars Russ Altman, Mark Horowitz, Arthur Lupia, and Amy Zegart, on April 1, 2026, 10:00–11:30 am PT. This webinar will examine how Americans think about and trust science in an era of rapid technological change and political polarization. Through data-driven analysis and discussion, panelists will explore trends in public confidence toward scientists and toward the institutions that produce scientific knowledge, and the social and cultural factors that shape these attitudes. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of what strengthens or undermines trust in science—and what that means for policymaking, education, and the health of American democracy. Learn more and register free here.
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