Cato Event Podcast

As government regulations increasingly encroach upon personal health care choices, patients face growing limitations on their ability to make their own decisions. In Your Body, Your Health Care, Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer validates these frustrations while presenting a bold philosophical framework for reforming the relationship between individuals, the health care system, and the state.Through thoughtful analysis of issues like prescription requirements, self-medication rights, harm-reduction access, and licensing laws, Dr. Singer outlines a path toward health care policy that prioritizes individual rights and adult autonomy.Please join us in discussing the book and its transformative implications with the author. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With less than 5 percent of the world’s population and almost a quarter of its prisoners, the United States indisputably has a mass incarceration problem. The Constitution contains numerous safeguards that check the state’s power to lock people up. Yet since the 1960s, the Supreme Court has repeatedly disregarded these limits, bowing instead to unfounded claims that adherence to the Constitution is incompatible with public safety.In Justice Abandoned, Rachel Barkow highlights six Supreme Court decisions that paved the way for mass incarceration. If the Court were committed to protecting constitutional rights and followed its standard methods of interpretation, none of these cases would have been decided as they were, and punishment in America would look very different than it does today.Barkow shows that sound public policy, fundamental fairness, and the originalist methodology embraced by a majority of sitting justices demands overturning the unconstitutional policies underlying mass incarceration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The September 6, 1901, assassination of President William McKinley by self-professed anarchist Leon Czolgosz triggered a nationwide political backlash against the killer’s like-minded political adherents. It also served as the catalyst for the expansion of nascent federal government surveillance capabilities used against not only anarchists but socialists and members of other social or political movements that were challenging the prevailing political, economic, and social paradigms of the day. And it was the ensuing, decades-long persistent exaggerations of domestic political threats from those movements that drove an exponential increase in the frequency and scale of unlawful government surveillance and related political repression against hundreds of thousands of individual Americans and civil society organizations.The Triumph of Fear is a history of the rise and expansion of surveillance-enabled political repression in America from the late 1890s to early 1961. Drawing on declassified government documents (many obtained via dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits) and other primary sources, Cato Institute senior fellow Patrick Eddington offers historians, legal scholars, political leaders, and general readers surprising new revelations about the scope of government surveillance programs and how this domestic spying helped fuel federal assaults on free speech and association that continue to this day. Join us for a conversation about the book with Eddington led by Caleb Brown, Cato’s director of multimedia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We tend to think of public education as a ladder of opportunity—a system that ensures that no matter a child’s economic circumstances, they will get the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in life. But what if that’s wrong? Indeed, what if the goal is actually the opposite: to keep people docilely in their place, no matter how bad their situation?This is what Raised to Obey, grounded in deep, original research on the timing and targeting of mass education, contends. Public education was very often created not to give children what they needed to do or be whatever they wanted but to keep people in their place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Competencies in Civil Discourse, a series on the effectiveness of civil discourse and the skills it requires, will feature an interview with Ian Rowe, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies in the Bronx. His schools emphasize empowering youth to develop and exercise their agency in American society. Rowe explores these ideas in his book, Agency: The Four-Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for All Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power. In this discussion, we’ll focus on how rhetorical skill is essential to fostering agency in a free and civil society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Sphere Education Initiatives! In this webinar, we will explore the intersection of economics and women’s empowerment, examining how it influences women’s mobility and their role in society. Scholars will highlight how removing barriers to economic participation is not only empowering for women but good for overall human progress. We will examine factors of societies and governments that contribute to uplifting women economically, discuss the influence of the past on the present, and explore where we go from here. You will hear from scholars and Sphere’s content development team on how to integrate economic discussions across disciplines and incorporate narratives from our Human Progress suite of resources into your curriculum, fostering enriching conversations on the intersection of society, economics, policy, and women’s empowerment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Somewhere between the tendency to see everything through the lens of race and racial oppression and the tendency to dismiss those dynamics altogether lies the truth in any given setting, including criminal justice.That there are police officers in this country who hold racist views is a problem the FBI has acknowledged in its own intelligence reports and information-sharing guidance to its agents. But how pervasive are racist views among police at the federal, state, and local levels? To what extent is there empirical evidence that racism among police leads to greater harassment, arrests, or violence against racial, ethnic, or religious minorities? Though the term “white supremacy” may be overused today, even as a synonym for racism, it should not desensitize us to the existence and true nature of white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups nor stop us from asking to what extent such elements have been able to find employment within law enforcement.In Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within, FBI veteran Mike German tackles these and other questions. German spent 16 years with the bureau and conducted extensive and very dangerous undercover work targeting white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups. Join us on March 26 at 1 p.m. EDT as Cato senior fellow Patrick Eddington and Cato legal fellow Mike Fox question German about his new book and his own experiences as an FBI undercover agent who infiltrated violent right-wing groups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jimmy Lai became China’s most prominent political prisoner when he was arrested and convicted on trumped-up charges after Hong Kong imposed its draconian security law in mid-2020. Mark Clifford will tell Lai’s story of escaping China to Hong Kong as a boy, becoming a successful entrepreneur in the fashion industry, and founding and running the wildly popular Apple Daily newspaper and Nextmagazine to criticize China’s Communist Party and advocate for democracy in Hong Kong. The author will discuss why Lai became a stalwart champion of Hong Kong’s freedoms. Jimmy Lai’s son, Sebastien, and Mark Simon will discuss the importance of Lai’s activism, the state of his current national security trial, and any prospects for Lai’s own freedom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In recent years, calls to limit, regulate, or ban social media platforms have escalated from all corners of the political spectrum. These concerns have been as varied as national security, foreign ownership, and the danger of disinformation in a divided democracy. Yet perhaps the most cross‐​partisan concern has come from increasing evidence of social media’s detrimental impact on youth mental health. Join Sphere Education Initiatives on March 10 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for a timely webinar on social media and youth mental health featuring Jennifer Huddleston, senior fellow in technology policy at the Cato Institute, and Clare Morrell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.Offered during Civic Learning Week, which runs March 10–14 this year, this webinar seeks to highlight “the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions that provide the foundation for an informed and engaged populace.” For more information about Civic Learning Week, visit civi​clearn​ing​week​.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In conventional political debate—particularly in Washington, DC—“law” is understood as top-down legislation: rules consciously designed and imposed by central authorities. John Hasnas challenges this unspoken assumption, pointing to the Anglo-American common law, a decentralized, continually evolving system that produces order without conscious design or political control. In his important new book, Common Law Liberalism: A New Theory of the Libertarian Society, he offers a theory of liberalism that demonstrates that the common law can serve as an effective alternative to traditional politically created legislation. Hasnas’s thesis has implications ranging from modest (many government functions can be better supplied by the common law than by centralized legislation) to radical (if human beings do not need the state to make law, do they need the state at all?).Please join us for a discussion of this provocative new book featuring the author and Professor David Schmidtz, director of the Social Philosophy and Policy Center at West Virginia University, moderated by Cato’s Gene Healy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Argentine President Javier Milei came to power nearly a year ago on the campaign promise to abolish the central bank and dollarize his country’s economy. As part of his ambitious reform agenda, the government has eliminated fiscal deficits and significantly reduced public spending and inflation. Milei remains committed to dollarization but has not yet implemented that reform. Given the progress in stabilizing the economy, Emilio Ocampo, Alfredo Romano, and Nicolas Cachanosky will discuss why Argentina should not wait to replace the peso with the dollar. Drawing from regional experiences and Argentina’s own history, they will explain how carrying out such monetary reform sooner rather than later—along with lifting capital controls and freeing the exchange rate—would boost confidence in the Argentine economy and produce tangible economic and political benefits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the founding of the republic through the early 1930s, Congress set tariff rates through legislative revisions to the US tariff schedule. Low tariffs were initially imposed to raise revenue for the federal government, but tariffs became a tool to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. Today, Congress has broadly delegated its constitutional tariff powers to the president, and there is a real risk that the legislative and judicial branches would be unwilling or unable to check a future president’s abuse of US trade law as currently written.In a recent briefing paper titled “Presidential Tariff Powers and the Need for Reform,” Cato scholars examine the current laws that might allow the president to impose broad tariffs without congressional input, as well as the reform options available to Congress for restoring balance between the legislative and executive branches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Higher education is at a crossroads. American universities are facing important questions about accountability and viability, including concerns about ideological influences, rising administrative costs, shifting academic expectations, and the growing challenge of student loan debt. But what are the underlying causes of these challenges, and how can we address them?Join us for a thoughtful discussion with The Honorable Representative Burgess Owens, chairman of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, alongside Cato experts Erec Smith, PhD, and Andrew Gillen, PhD as they examine the challenges facing academia today and explore practical solutions for the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Occupational licensing boards today act like protectors of cartels, often going beyond merely issuing licenses to launching witch hunts and boxing out their competitors. February 2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court decision in North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC. In that case, that state’s dental licensing board was ruled to be acting like a monopolist (using the power given to it by the state government) by trying to drive non-dentist teeth whiteners out of business. This policy forum will discuss the policy landscape that resulted from that decision and what it should mean for liberty-minded policymakers and litigators in the future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a Q&A, Brandon Garrett and Vikrant Reddy will discuss the new threats that due process faces and how we can respond by better safeguarding fundamental liberty and property rights. They will discuss why people are tempted to place outcomes before fairness—in society and in the courts. They will explore how new technology, including artificial intelligence, has created new threats to fairness and rights. And they will discuss how people, from judges to local community leaders, can find common ground around defending due process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Religion plays a prominent role in the domestic and foreign policies of Middle Eastern states, particularly in the Persian Gulf. But the ways in which religion, specifically Islam, is used as a tool of statecraft are often misunderstood, leading to mischaracterizations and counterproductive policies.In his new book, Jon Hoffman examines how Islam is marshaled as a tool of statecraft in the Middle East. The book offers new insight into the geopolitics of religion in the Middle East and how ruling elites in the region use Islam to protect and advance what are inherently political objectives—namely, regime preservation and power projection. Understanding the political incentives behind the manipulation of religion in the region is critical to debates surrounding Islam, democracy, and authoritarianism in the Middle East. The book also raises critical questions for US policy in the Middle East, which often relies on fundamental misunderstandings of Islam and its relationship with politics in the region.Join Hoffman for a discussion on Islam and Statecraft, followed by commentary by Mustafa Akyol, Peter Mandaville, and Annelle Sheline on the politics of Islam in the Middle East. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this lively new history, Brian Doherty provides a concise, thorough account of the intellectual roots of the American libertarian movement, with helpful summaries of key figures, institutions, and events. Modern Libertarianism effortlessly combines historical insights and intellectual profiles of important figures—including Ludwig von Mises, F. A. Hayek, Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, Milton Friedman, and Barry Goldwater—and key institutions such as the Foundation of Economic Education and the Mont Pelerin Society.A superb introduction for the newcomer, yet rich and varied enough for those steeped in the libertarian tradition, Modern Libertarianism is a tribute to those who advocated for the cause of political liberty in America in the 20th century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an era when constructive dialogue often takes a back seat to polarized debate, educators like you face unique challenges in teaching effective communication. Recognizing this, Sphere Education Initiatives presents a webinar exploring how you can use rhetoric as a powerful tool for student empowerment and authentic engagement in your educational setting. In the first segment of the webinar, featured speaker Erec Smith, PhD, will share insights on transforming traditional approaches to teaching rhetoric, emphasizing how it can empower all students’ abilities to achieve their goals, even those considered most vulnerable. The second segment will introduce a comprehensive rhetoric unit for teaching the rhetorical skills of speaking, listening, and fair‐​minded critical thinking in your classroom. Following this segment, you will have the opportunity to explore practical applications of these concepts through a Q&A with Smith and Kobi Nelson, PhD. You will leave with concrete tools for implementing rhetorical techniques and fair‐​minded critical thinking strategies that promote civil discourse in your classroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A flood of government regulations, mandates, and subsidies has not solved the United States’ health care problems—they are the problem. They have driven the average employer-plan family premium to nearly $26,000—and then tossed families out of their health insurance when employees leave their jobs. Even as Obamacare creates an insurance shortage, it has nevertheless grown so unaffordable that enrollees earning $200,000 per year get $12,000 in subsidies. Growing federal debt threatens Medicare and Medicaid patients’ access to necessary care.Reforms circulating on Capitol Hill are not up to the challenge. Some propose more regulations, mandates, and subsidies. Yet if that approach worked, it would have already. Even reforms that are directionally correct fall far short of what is necessary to restore individual rights and make health care more universal.At this two-panel forum, leading health policy scholars will offer meaningful and potentially bipartisan reforms that would bring relief to struggling patients, workers, and taxpayers.The second panel, “Health Reforms That Meet the Need” (10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.), will feature Brian Blase, Michael Cannon, and David Hyman. Panelists will present reforms—including spending cuts—that would address the nation’s health care challenges in a meaningful way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A flood of government regulations, mandates, and subsidies has not solved the United States’ health care problems—they are the problem. They have driven the average employer-plan family premium to nearly $26,000—and then tossed families out of their health insurance when employees leave their jobs. Even as Obamacare creates an insurance shortage, it has nevertheless grown so unaffordable that enrollees earning $200,000 per year get $12,000 in subsidies. Growing federal debt threatens Medicare and Medicaid patients’ access to necessary care.Reforms circulating on Capitol Hill are not up to the challenge. Some propose more regulations, mandates, and subsidies. Yet if that approach worked, it would have already. Even reforms that are directionally correct fall far short of what is necessary to restore individual rights and make health care more universal.At this two-panel forum, leading health policy scholars will offer meaningful and potentially bipartisan reforms that would bring relief to struggling patients, workers, and taxpayers.The first panel, “Who’s Afraid of Cutting Health Spending?” (9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.), will feature Michael Cannon, Robin Hanson, and Mark Miller. Panelists will discuss the many opportunities to eliminate excessive spending—opportunities that close observers of Medicare and Medicaid know about but the public does not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erec Smith continues his series, Competencies in Civil Discourse, examining how people engage with one another and why they often shy away from discussions with those who hold opposing views. This edition explores the role of comedy as a valuable tool in civil discourse. Smith sits down with filmmaker Rob Feld, director of Jesters and Fools, a film that highlights the use of comedy during polarized times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cato Institute continues its series of insightful conversations with reporters and scholars tackling today’s most pressing issues. As part of his campaign promises, President Trump vowed to “unleash American energy.” This conversation with Evan Halper, a business reporter for the Washington Post; Travis Fisher, Cato’s director of energy and environmental policy studies; and Joshua Loucks, a Cato research associate in tax and energy policy, will examine energy policies under the new administration and the impact they will have on Americans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the catastrophic war in Gaza once again put the Israeli‐​Palestinian conflict on the global agenda. Educators across America ask:How do we help our students understand complex contemporary religious differences and conflicts?Is living in peace and harmony attainable?Scholars Mustafa Akyol and Ari Gordon will address these challenging questions with insights from their religious traditions, Islam and Judaism, respectively, explore the nuanced and intertwined relationships among world religions, and share how discovering truths of the past can offer pathways for critical dialogue toward peace and understanding.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could GLP-1s become the next frontier in harm reduction? Clinical researchers have discovered that GLP‑1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy not only aid with diabetes and weight loss but may also reduce cravings and enhance satiation for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opioids, and possibly other addictive drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. These exciting developments mean GLP-1s may soon become a new harm-reduction tool and possibly transform the treatment of substance use disorders. Our expert panel will explore the latest findings, their transformative implications for addiction treatment, and policies to improve affordability and access for those who need them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records to which the government has easy—and often unfettered—access has grown exponentially. And proposals for a central bank digital currency, which involve the government becoming more intimately involved in Americans’ use of money, have the potential to further erode the ability to transact without government surveillance.As policymakers are confronted with questions about evolving technologies, the question of financial privacy must not be shunted to the side. It is time to rethink financial privacy. Does financial convenience have to come at the cost of financial privacy? Does the Constitution provide the protections needed to limit government access to financial information? Can decentralization provide privacy-protecting solutions? Join us for an outstanding program featuring leading policymakers and experts discussing financial privacy at Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives annual conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records to which the government has easy—and often unfettered—access has grown exponentially. And proposals for a central bank digital currency, which involve the government becoming more intimately involved in Americans’ use of money, have the potential to further erode the ability to transact without government surveillance.As policymakers are confronted with questions about evolving technologies, the question of financial privacy must not be shunted to the side. It is time to rethink financial privacy. Does financial convenience have to come at the cost of financial privacy? Does the Constitution provide the protections needed to limit government access to financial information? Can decentralization provide privacy-protecting solutions? Join us for an outstanding program featuring leading policymakers and experts discussing financial privacy at Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives annual conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Cato Institute continues its series of insightful conversations with reporters and scholars tackling today’s most pressing issues. This edition brings together Robert Delaney, the North American bureau chief for the South China Morning Post, and Cato Institute experts Eric Gomez and Clark Packard for a timely discussion on US-China relations, including the following:What signals is Donald Trump sending about his approach to China, and how should we interpret them?How does Trump’s current rhetoric compare to his first term and the Biden administration’s policies?What lies ahead for one of the most complex and consequential bilateral relationships in the world?Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the shifts, continuities, and implications of US-China policy from some of the field’s leading voices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records to which the government has easy—and often unfettered—access has grown exponentially. And proposals for a central bank digital currency, which involve the government becoming more intimately involved in Americans’ use of money, have the potential to further erode the ability to transact without government surveillance.As policymakers are confronted with questions about evolving technologies, the question of financial privacy must not be shunted to the side. It is time to rethink financial privacy. Does financial convenience have to come at the cost of financial privacy? Does the Constitution provide the protections needed to limit government access to financial information? Can decentralization provide privacy-protecting solutions? Join us for an outstanding program featuring leading policymakers and experts discussing financial privacy at Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives annual conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records to which the government has easy—and often unfettered—access has grown exponentially. And proposals for a central bank digital currency, which involve the government becoming more intimately involved in Americans’ use of money, have the potential to further erode the ability to transact without government surveillance.As policymakers are confronted with questions about evolving technologies, the question of financial privacy must not be shunted to the side. It is time to rethink financial privacy. Does financial convenience have to come at the cost of financial privacy? Does the Constitution provide the protections needed to limit government access to financial information? Can decentralization provide privacy-protecting solutions? Join us for an outstanding program featuring leading policymakers and experts discussing financial privacy at Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives annual conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records to which the government has easy—and often unfettered—access has grown exponentially. And proposals for a central bank digital currency, which involve the government becoming more intimately involved in Americans’ use of money, have the potential to further erode the ability to transact without government surveillance.As policymakers are confronted with questions about evolving technologies, the question of financial privacy must not be shunted to the side. It is time to rethink financial privacy. Does financial convenience have to come at the cost of financial privacy? Does the Constitution provide the protections needed to limit government access to financial information? Can decentralization provide privacy-protecting solutions? Join us for an outstanding program featuring leading policymakers and experts discussing financial privacy at Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives annual conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America’s financial system is inseparable from America’s enormous growth, productivity, and prosperity. And while it’s become popular to lay a host of ills at the feet of financial markets, many people would likely be shocked to learn just how many financial market deficiencies have been caused by harmful government policies. In their new book Financing Opportunity, authors and Cato scholars Norbert Michel and Jennifer Schulp bust popular myths about financial markets and propose ways to improve how our financial markets function. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Modern presidents have an extraordinary amount of power that they primarily wield through issuing executive orders and other directives with the force of law. Successive Congresses have gradually delegated much of their power to the president or stood idly by as presidents have usurped more power that is legislative in nature and effect. The president’s power is now so massive that that alone justifies focusing on the office’s means of exercising it. In response to this lamentable trend, the Cato Institute published the Cato Handbook on Executive Orders and Presidential Directives to recommend revoking or amending several executive orders, proclamations, and other directives to move public policy in a more libertarian direction.In the handbook, Cato scholars identify specific executive orders and other presidential directives that violate the Constitution and that conflict with the principles of individual liberty, free markets, limited government, and peace. The handbook suggests revocations and amendments to those executive orders that would affect the federal government’s operations and cover various policy issues like health care, immigration, foreign policy, trade, defense, and others. This handbook is not a comprehensive list of such executive orders but merely the lowest-hanging fruit and best places to begin the long journey back toward a constitutionally limited government.Join several Cato scholars as we discuss specific executive orders and directives that the incoming Trump administration should revoke or amend that affect energy policy, environmental policy, health care, the federal workforce, foreign policy, defense, and other social policies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the past two years, much of the conversation around technology has been focused on artificial intelligence (AI). While AI may have increased in popularity and already been used in a wide array of products, we are still only just discovering many of its beneficial applications.AI is much more than popular products like ChatGPT and is truly saving and changing lives in fields like medicine and disaster response. But as we’ve seen in Europe, the wrong policy approach could prevent the development or deployment of many of these beneficial products.Among the questions to be addressed are: How has policy supported or hindered US innovators and consumers in developing and accessing AI? What lessons might we learn from the policy approaches to past general-purpose technologies? Where does AI and AI policy go next?This policy forum will start with a fireside chat with Rep. Jay Obernolte (R‑CA), a leading voice on AI policy and co-chair of the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence.Following that conversation, a panel of policy experts will discuss the future of AI, the potential impact of policy on this innovation, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For much of the 21st century, public health officials and policymakers have blamed doctors for overprescribing opioids and causing the overdose crisis. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued pain management guidelines aimed at reducing opioid prescriptions. Most states have codified them into law.Federal and local drug task forces have arrested doctors whom they accuse of overprescribing opioids. This has led to a situation where many physicians either undertreat pain or choose to abandon their long-term pain patients. As a result, opioid prescribing has dropped below 1992 levels, while overdose deaths among nonmedical users have skyrocketed.This crackdown has also created a population of “pain refugees”—chronic pain patients who have lost or were abandoned by their doctor and are left searching for a doctor willing to treat them. Many, out of desperation, turn to the black market for relief, while others resort to suicide.Join us to discuss the pain refugee crisis, its causes, and potential solutions. Our panel includes a physician who treats and advocates for pain patients, an attorney who defends these doctors, a civil rights attorney who is also a patient advocate, and a pain refugee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) software for a range of applications has sparked intense debate over its implications for privacy and surveillance in multiple contexts. At the same time, police organizations argue that AI could help revolutionize and speed up police investigations by allowing for faster identification of crime suspects or missing or kidnapped persons.What are the kinds of dangers posed by the use of AI by law enforcement agencies? Are there types of crimes where the application of AI might be beneficial? How well or poorly are legislative bodies dealing with this new technology? What is the state of the law at the federal, state, and local levels regarding AI use by law enforcement organizations? Our panel will tackle all these topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgetown University law professor Randy Barnett has played an integral role in the rise of originalism—the movement to identify, restore, and defend the original meaning of the Constitution. But Barnett’s path to becoming an influential professor of constitutional law was not an easy one. Starting from a working-class childhood in Calumet City, Illinois, Barnett’s unusual resume has included stints as an ice cream truck driver, newspaper ad salesman, prosecutor, libertarian theorist, contract law professor, and Supreme Court advocate. In his new autobiography, A Life for Liberty, Barnett tells the complete story of his personal and professional journey.Barnett’s life story is a model for how libertarians can put their ideas into practice and help change the world. As a young Harvard law student, Barnett had living room debates with Murray Rothbard and served on the board of a libertarian institution with Leonard Liggio and other notable thinkers. Barnett’s focus on individual rights prepared him for the turning point in his career, when he was the only person on a high-profile panel willing to argue that the Ninth Amendment protects “unenumerated rights” from government infringement.After establishing himself as “Mr. Ninth Amendment,” Barnett eventually pivoted his career to constitutional law. His mission to restore “the lost Constitution” took him from the schoolhouse to the courthouse, where he argued the medical marijuana case Gonzales v. Raich in the Supreme Court—a case now taught to every law student. Later, he devised and spearheaded the constitutional challenge to Obamacare. Today, thanks in part to his efforts, a majority of sitting Supreme Court justices self-identify as originalists.In this book forum, Professor Barnett will discuss his life story, the lessons he’s learned, and the ways in which his thinking continues to evolve. Professor Jonathan Turley of the George Washington University Law School will offer commentary on the book, drawing from his own perspective as a fellow legal academic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This panel discussion will feature the researchers behind the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE’s) 2025 College Free Speech Rankings, which offers insights into the state of free speech across US colleges. The panelists will share and explain the methodology used to rank schools, the contemporary challenges of measuring speech climates, and salient trends discovered from this year’s data. Panelists will address issues affecting free expression, including administrative policies, student activism, and faculty perspectives on free speech. The discussion will provide a breakdown of the highest- and lowest-ranking schools to inform students, parents, and policymakers about campus speech environments and encourage colleges to foster a culture of open expression. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Civil discourse is an important aspect of a free and pluralistic democracy. That said, many people do not participate in civil discourse. There are several reasons for this: fear of being wrong, lack of rhetorical skill, negative emotionality, etc. What’s more, this refusal or inability to speak to those with whom we disagree is growing by the day.Join our virtual discussion as scholars Erec Smith and Jonathan Rauch discuss the art of “mutual persuasion” in a turbulent time.This conversation is being supported by Project Sphere, a collaboration between the Cato Institute and the Brookings Institution that creates a constructive space to discuss areas of disagreement in a civil forum. Our goal is to resist political polarization by emphasizing areas of agreement even within contentious conversations. To learn more, visit Pro​ject​Sphere​.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What role should tariffs play in the economy? Would tax credits for newborns ease childhood poverty? How might housing be made to be more affordable? In many ways, the 2024 presidential election has been one of dueling and sometimes complementary economic proposals from both major candidates. Join Sphere Education Initiatives on October 29 from 7:30–8:30 p.m. EDT for this webinar exploring the economic policy visions and proposals of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.In their attempts to persuade voters and build winning coalitions, both major party candidates have offered a slew of proposals to change everything from the tax code to the core tenets of trade policy. Which policies have a realistic shot of implementation? And what would be the practical effect on the economy and our lives should they be successful? Brendan Duke, the senior director of economic policy at the Center for American Progress, and Scott Lincicome, the vice president for general economics at the Cato Institute, will join Sphere Education Initiatives for this timely pre‐​election conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato will continue rising to meet liberty’s greatest challenges—from executive power to out-of-control spending in Congress—because doing so is our moral responsibility. Cato president and CEO Peter Goettler will provide an overview of Cato’s commitment to keeping liberty alive for future generations, our priorities, and the investments we are making to advance our vision of a free and open society in which liberty allows every individual to pursue a life of prosperity and meaning in peace. Peter also looks forward to receiving your feedback in a Q&A session.In 2008, Senior Vice President for Policy Gene Healy wrote The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power because he believed the American presidency had become an extraconstitutional monstrosity and a libertarian nightmare, “the source of much of our political woe and some of the gravest threats to our liberties.” For the 2024 presidential election, Cato is re-releasing Healy’s book with a new foreword calling on Americans to change what we ask of the office—or we’ll continue to get, in a sense, what we deserve.The modern presidency has become a job that is everything from culture warrior in chief to guardian angel. And in our partisan myopia, we’ve unwittingly created the infrastructure for autocratic rule and sectarian warfare. How did we get here, and what can we do to prevent the presidency from tearing the country apart? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato will continue rising to meet liberty’s greatest challenges—from executive power to out-of-control spending in Congress—because doing so is our moral responsibility. Cato president and CEO Peter Goettler will provide an overview of Cato’s commitment to keeping liberty alive for future generations, our priorities, and the investments we are making to advance our vision of a free and open society in which liberty allows every individual to pursue a life of prosperity and meaning in peace. Peter also looks forward to receiving your feedback in a Q&A session.In 2008, Senior Vice President for Policy Gene Healy wrote The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power because he believed the American presidency had become an extraconstitutional monstrosity and a libertarian nightmare, “the source of much of our political woe and some of the gravest threats to our liberties.” For the 2024 presidential election, Cato is re-releasing Healy’s book with a new foreword calling on Americans to change what we ask of the office—or we’ll continue to get, in a sense, what we deserve.The modern presidency has become a job that is everything from culture warrior in chief to guardian angel. And in our partisan myopia, we’ve unwittingly created the infrastructure for autocratic rule and sectarian warfare. How did we get here, and what can we do to prevent the presidency from tearing the country apart? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalists have been the targets of government surveillance, harassment, and violence for over a century—both in America and abroad. Modern surveillance technologies—facial recognition, artificial intelligence, spyware, and more—make it increasingly easy for governments to track not only journalists but also their sources, putting both at risk.How many journalists or news organizations have been negatively impacted by these developments? How is the journalism profession responding to these threats? What measures can democratic governments take to help protect journalists facing these perils? How has the resolution of the Julian Assange case affected the political, legal, and technological dynamics involved in protecting journalists and their sources? Our panel will tackle these and related questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

n the four years since nationwide protests against police misconduct rocked the nation, momentum for police reform has stalled. At the same time, state and local law enforcement entities are constantly seeking to upgrade their abilities to conduct various forms of surveillance—whether using traditional human informants or emerging digital or forensic technologies. These developments arguably represent major day-to-day threats to individual rights.What changes, if any, have we seen in policing practices at the federal, state, and local levels since the George Floyd murder protests in the summer of 2020, particularly as they pertain to monitoring protests and civil society groups? To what extent are law enforcement organizations using human informants to infiltrate groups engaged in First Amendment–protected activities? How have federal courts been dealing with cases involving surveillance, human or technical, since the summer of 2020? Our panel will discuss these and related issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress exempts short-term, limited-duration insurance (STLDI) from nearly all federal regulation. On September 1, the federal government imposed new regulations limiting STLDI policies to no more than three months. Supporters claim the new rules enhance consumer protections. Critics argue the new regulations eliminate consumer protections and will strip health insurance from the sick, leaving them uninsured for up to 12 months. The panelists will discuss whether this rule benefits or harms patients and whether it is vulnerable to legal challenge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gary Shapiro’s new book Pivot or Die looks at the challenges facing today’s technology entrepreneurs and innovators and examines the flexibility and agility that is needed to survive in an increasingly competitive market. How does the regulatory framework enable or prevent such pivots? What lessons are there for future entrepreneurs and policymakers from past case studies? Join us for a conversation with the author and leading scholars about competition, innovation, and the impact of policy and regulation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this year, Congress reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for two years. The final bill included provisions sought by civil liberties advocates, but some critical reforms didn’t make it into the final version. Moreover, that same bill also included a potentially radical expansion of the number of entities that could have their communications traffic swept up under 702. Additionally, Congress has thus far not legislatively addressed several other surveillance abuses and controversies, including those involving new or emerging technologies.What is the actual track record of the Section 702 program, both in terms of constitutional rights violations and successes in the foreign intelligence field? What other federal surveillance programs and authorities need revision or revocation? What role do technology companies play in facilitating government surveillance? What has been the impact on America’s Fourth Amendment and related constitutional rights of federal court decisions involving federal surveillance? The panel will cover all these developments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The medical diagnosis of shaken baby syndrome, or abusive head trauma (SBS/AHT), arose from a hypothesis developed in the early 1970s. Over the decades, it has led to thousands of criminal court convictions and family court determinations taking children from their parents. The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome claims that law enforcement authorities process at least 1,300 SBS/AHT cases per year. The diagnosis has attained iconic status within the medical specialty of child abuse pediatrics. Yet, for the past few decades, outside of the child abuse pediatrics specialty, the scientific, medical, and legal literature has been replete with challenges to the reliability of the diagnosis. With the first-in-the-nation execution of Robert Roberson based on the SBS/AHT diagnosis scheduled two weeks from now in Texas, the trustworthiness of the diagnosis is increasingly relevant. A panel of medical and forensic science experts will examine the issue in depth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discussing presidential elections in a hyperpolarized environment can be challenging. Sphere is excited to support you in these conversations with your students by bringing civil discourse to your classroom. In this webinar, we will equip you with tools and resources that will help you effectively embed healthy conversation habits in your classes when discussing election topics. You will hear from Sphere’s content development team and content contributors Betty Nordengren and Kelly Young‐​Raymore about best practices and strategies so that you can bring these discussions to your classroom in a productive, meaningful manner. The webinar will be broken into two parts. The first part will provide context and guidance on thoughtfully discussing elections with your students; the second part will take a deeper dive into the practical application of these resources by facilitating breakout discussions for middle and high school educators. Attendees will leave with tangible, practical tools to apply in their classes and feel empowered to implement civil discourse in class discussions around the upcoming election. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part memoir, part rumination on the declining moral compass of the American political class, The Unraveling is the first book to place restoring political ethics at the center of the renewal of American democracy. Politics is a brutal game, but Bauer asks: Where does the line fall between the “hardball” of politics and attacks on the very foundation of democracy? Looking back on 46 years in the political arena, Bauer examines what has gone wrong and what shaped his decisions and actions. He also recounts his heresies on campaign finance regulation and his efforts to work across the aisle on issues vital to democracy. He writes about the various personal experiences along the way—the highs, the lows, and the absurd. Bauer presents a smart and serious look at our political culture and the role he has played in shaping it. The Unraveling will be essential reading for anyone interested in American politics of the past 50 years—and the next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The horrific terror attacks of October 7 and the catastrophic war in Gaza once again put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the global agenda. Some pessimists believe that peace is unattainable, as the conflict is not merely between two peoples claiming the same land but also between two civilizations with clashing values: the Judeo-Christian West versus the Muslim world.In his new book, Mustafa Akyol offers a remarkably different vision. By going through much-forgotten episodes in history, and by a careful study of theology, he reminds audiences of all religious persuasions that for over a millennium, there was a Judeo-Islamic tradition. He shows that Islam and Judaism are kindred religions whose adherents have often coexisted peacefully, supported each other, and even learned from each other. He also argues that Jews and Muslims can still be partners for peace in the Middle East and stand together for freedom everywhere.Join Akyol for a discussion of the key ideas in The Islamic Moses, followed by commentary by Ari Gordon on the past and the future of the Judeo-Islamic tradition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.