Cato Podcast

Political reality demands that we recognize that any power we might claim for ourselves will ultimately be wielded by our ideological opponents. Scott Lincicome explains how that lesson is being learned the hard way yet again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The freedom of speech is under constant threat, and broad public support for that freedom has eroded in recent years. Nadine Strossen, in Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know, details why that right is worth defending. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the forced exodus of Afghans from Pakistan tell us about the domestic politics of Pakistan? Sahar Khan explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Methadone is a powerful drug that is often dosed out by the government for those in the criminal legal system who are able jump through the proper legal hoops. Helen Redmond of Filter says it serves as a mechanism for government control of people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael Cannon details why the promises of Obamacare would be better delivered by giving consumers dramatically more power over health care dollars. Cannon's new book is Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During the pandemic, governments placed significant public and private pressure on social media companies to remove speech protected by the First Amendment, blurring the line between acceptable government speech and unconstitutional censorship by proxy. Concerns about this “jawboning” only grew with the recent decisions in Missouri v. Biden finding that the pressure applied by various government actors likely violated the First Amendment. But this case also revealed the limitations of broadly prohibiting government communications with private companies or merely relying on the courts to police government abuse. Join us as the panel discusses the options available to policymakers and why greater transparency is essential to combating such censorship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden White House is out with a massive executive order on artificial intelligence. Why? Jennifer Huddleston and Jack Solowey comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It should be troubling that the bloodshed in Israel and Gaza is being fueled somewhat by US policy with respect to weapons transfers. Where is the appetite for revisiting those polices? Jordan Cohen comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Which school choice programs respect families most? Andrew Clark, president of yes. every. kid., offers his thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By any relevant measure, the U.S. manufacturing sector is a dynamo. Retreating from globalized supply chains can threaten that success. Colin Grabow details the evidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From reining in debt and spending to freeing up American healthcare, incoming House Speaker Republican Mike Johnson has an opportunity to bring seriousness to critical pending policy issues. Cato's Alex Nowrasteh comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is a word for self-styled conservatives who nonetheless want to the power of the state to compel certain social outcomes: illiberal. Kevin Vallier is author of All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Political actors are more than happy to attempt to bend media outlets to serve their preferred narratives. The history of it in the U.S. is less well known. Paul Matzko discusses a chapter in the history of crackdowns on news "distortion." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the privacy implications for cars that collect all manner of data about us and our driving habits? Jennifer Huddleston explains the good and bad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When lawmakers wag their fingers in the faces of tech companies, when are they trying to exact compliance for activities that are otherwise perfectly legal? David Inserra helps us draw the lines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the election of Daniel Noboa as president of Ecuador mean for the country’s engagement in the global economy? Cato's Gabriela Calderon de Burgos comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The approaches taken by governments to online safety vary widely. Matthew Feeney and Jennifer Huddleston discuss how various states and countries are handling the issue and assess the risks to privacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since 2020's Bonta decision at the U.S. Supreme Court, states have broadly taken two approaches to donor privacy, according to Luke Wachob of People United for Privacy Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marc LeBlond directs policy at EdChoice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johan Norberg is author of The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector, Michael Cannon walks readers through a variety of ways to make health care in the United States better, more transparent, more secure, and more universal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The housing crisis is actually myriad local crises. Combating that will, at some point, require some local ingenuity. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project has a few ideas to help generate the will to build more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

States are under more serious constraints than the feds when it comes to spending levels. There are still more steps governments can take to do so. Vance Ginn with the Pelican Institute details some of the ways states can get more control over budgets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's worth knowing just how costly it is to effectively give the loudest voices at a zoning board meeting the power of the veto. Chris Denson of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation discusses the tax NIMBYs impose on the rest of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Misconceptions about the motivations of drug dealers and users have likely worsened the increases in drug overdoses. Are state lawmakers rethinking how they approach drug-related sentencing? Lauren Krisai of the Justice Action Network comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The people who write the rules under which we must live generally ought to be subject to accountability from voters. That's not a controversial proposition, but how it works in practice is more complicated. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ability for the U.S. to escape the consequences of high spending and massive debt may be declining faster than conventional wisdom would have predicted. Cato's Norbert Michel and Romina Boccia detail the issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So many well-intentioned laws run into basic incentive problems. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act appears to be another law aimed at protecting many women from mistreatment that may create perverse incentives. Vanessa Brown Calder comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New tech threatens the ability for investors to understand what they're doing, or so the leaders of the SEC seem to believe. But what would their proposed federal regulations do to change that? Jack Solowey and Jennifer Schulp comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. House is without a Speaker after a small revolt within the Republican Party that removed Kevin McCarthy from that job. With yet another fight over spending just a few weeks away, Cato’s John Samples and Chad Davis explore what might be coming next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When politicians decry the production that's done overseas, it's a good time to take stock of a most basic economic concept: comparative advantage. Don Boudreaux discusses what it means. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden White House has urged states to slow the pace of trimming Medicaid enrollees. Why? Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does the Office of Management and Budget want to expand racial categories in the United States? Alex Nowrasteh discusses his new paper that explains why such an expansion is a bad idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is mulling legislation that would legalize possession of small amounts of multiple psychedelic drugs. Cato's Jeff Singer discusses the implications for medical practitioners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The emergency spending that's come to characterize an increasing share of federal outlays has contributed mightily to current fiscal woes. Jonathan Bydlak of the R Street Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump might prefer to leave Congress out of the loop on decisions about which nations or actors receive U.S. weapons. A new Heritage Foundation report also leans toward giving POTUS fewer checks on foreign policy moves. Jordan Cohen comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court long ago erred in gutting a key provision of the 14th Amendment. Anastasia Boden says a case the court could take up this term gives them an opportunity to repair that mistake. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seeking fresh weaponry for his war in Ukraine, Russia's Vladimir Putin met with North Korea's Kim Jong Un recently. Eric Gomez discusses the geopolitical considerations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the United States get in terms of security enhancement given its informal, but pricey financial commitment to Saudi Arabia? President Biden is advancing a plan that would formalize security guarantees to Saudi Arabia. Cato's Jon Hoffman comments.Pariah or Partner: Reevaluating the U.S.-Saudi Relationship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

School choice is on the march so it's reasonable to ask if the shift toward relatively more students receiving private school educations will raise prices at those schools? Cato adjunct Jason Bedrick comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President's son, Hunter Biden, now faces charges related to his drug use and gun ownership. It illustrates, as Clark Neily details, the enormous discretion wielded by prosecutors. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Parole sponsorship" allows individuals in the U.S. to sponsor people fleeing unstable or authoritarian regimes. The Biden administration has reinvigorated the program for people from a handful of countries. David Bier says it delivers great benefits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when public university officials violate your free speech rights? Often the get qualified immunity, thus shielding them from consequences of those actions. Casey Mattox with Americans for Prosperity comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Policy change can be a long slog. The now-famous "Overton Window" gives us a way of thinking about how change happens. Joe Lehmann of the Mackinac Center discusses how the late Joe Overton thought about policy change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Globalization's opponents are loathe to admit that the process of expanding the movement of goods, services, and people relatively freely across borders has paid enormous dividends for a very long time. Scott Lincicome explains why free trade and migration deserves a vigorous defense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

States and localities, grimly unaware of the predictable consequences of prohibition, are moving ahead with plans to make cigarettes and other nicotine products a matter of criminal law. Jacob Grier is author of The New Prohibition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American housing crisis was largely created by local governments. Fixing it demands local innovation. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project details some local fixes to address the mismatch between supply and demand in American housing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the implications of a federal court panel's decision that a lifetime ban on voting rights for felons is "cruel and unusual punishment"? Cody Wisniewski of the Firearms Policy Coalition comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State-level programs intended for the very poor should not be expanded to include the middle class. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center details some such programs states are working to expand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National conservatism (or conservative nationalism) may have had its moment, but a group of so-called Freedom Conservatives have unveiled a statement of principles that includes a more robust voluntary sector of society. Stephanie Slade of Reason comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.