Cato Podcast

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.

The American housing crisis can be fixed mostly by states and localities. How did Montana advance a more rational set of housing policies? Kendall Cotton of Montana's Frontier Institute explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Farm Bill puts food subsidies and healthy eating at odds with one another. Cato's Chris Edwards comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will Medicare and drug companies effectively negotiate on matters of price? What are the real deficiencies in how drugs get to the people who need them? Michael Cannon comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The methods of Maria Montessori aim to help young people take charge of their learning at a younger age. Jesse McCarthy, founder of MontessoriEducation.com, believes those methods prepare young people to thrive and build civil society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Tuttle Twins author Connor Boyack brings that same didactic approach to history in a new series of books aimed at young people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Psychedelics have powerful impacts on the human mind, and researchers are finding new ways to use those drugs to help people overcome mental difficulties. Do they also herald a new freedom of thought? Mason Marks of the Petrie-Flom Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PayPal's entry into stablecoins promises big potential benefits to consumers across the financial sector, but how well founded are regulators' fears? Cato's Jack Solowey highlights the legitimate concerns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Próspera aims to present a new model for governance, and Honduras has led the way in fostering it. J Robertson directs development for Próspera. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tens of millions of Americans use federally illegal drugs, often in states where those drugs are legal. Do those people have the right to possess firearms under the Constitution? The feds seem to think they don’t. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals weighed in last week. Cato's Clark Neily comments on the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former president Trump and more than a dozen codefendants will face charges in Georgia over claimed attempts to subvert the will of Georgia voters in 2020. Cato’s Clark Neily discusses the indictment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New proposed merger guidelines would have a negative impact on consumers and companies of all sizes, according to Cato's Jennifer Huddleston. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well-intentioned though it may be, emulating Australia's "Link Tax" would be disastrous for small journalism outlets in the United States. Paul Matzko is author of a new Cato paper detailing the evidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a parent is hard enough. Labor laws, child safety policies, tax and trade policy, and health policies each add impediments to the decision to have more children. A new Cato paper digs into policy reforms. Coauthor Vanessa Brown Calder comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a shakeup in the highest levels of China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force mean for U.S. commitments to Taiwan? Cato's Eric Gomez offers his analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Argentina has long had big problems with inflation, so why is dollarization such a hard sell there? Cato's Daniel Raisbeck explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States has recently sold weapons to well over 100 countries, many of which have terrible human rights records. Cato's new Arms Sales Risk Index aims to help Congress understand the risks associated with many of those sales. Cato's Jordan Cohen comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that the Supreme Court has tossed his original plan, President Biden plans different routes to forgives billions in student debt. Cato's Neal McCluskey discusses the plans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A week before his trial on charges that his company facilitated prostitution, Backpage founder James Larkin took his own life. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason discusses what's led up to the trial and how prosecutors attempted to stymie the defendants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another credit rating agency has reduced its confidence in U.S. debt. Cato's Romina Boccia explains why it should spur greater interest in a fiscal commission that would stabilize the debt and protect politicians from some of the electoral fallout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, authors Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi dissect the wide range of libertarian thought through history. Coauthor Matt Zwolinski discusses the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cryptocurrency has some powerful enemies, including several members of Congress who appear bent on regulating the products into oblivion. Cato's Nick Anthony explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Green Card Game shows just how time consuming, expensive, and complicated it can be to achieve legal status in the United States. Cato's David Bier and Alex Nowrasteh created the game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rumblings about adding Ukraine in yet another expansion of NATO raises many important questions, most especially about NATO's purpose. Justin Logan explains why NATO membership should not be in the future for Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The tax code penalizes workers who want to control their earnings and their health insurance. Michael Cannon explains why the income tax is the original sin of U.S. health policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Dissident Project’s speakers travel to high schools to speak to students about authoritarianism, drawing on their own experience living under autocratic rule in their home countries. Grace Bydalek and Frances Hui discuss The Dissident Project’s work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Beito is author of The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Atlanta's Cop City represents an expansion of police training to include more potential "urban combat" scenarios. At least one Cop City protestor has been killed with little explanation by authorities. Patrick Eddington discusses what he's found. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes for good rules? Good rules are often "discovered," according to Cato's Deirdre McCloskey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Accredited investors are supposed to be sophisticated, but the designation is rooted in the size of your portfolio and not your expertise. Jennifer Schulp discusses current attempts at reform. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The only way to treat all equally, while advancing genuine tolerance, is the good old American value of limited government. Mustafa Alkyl and Neal McCluskey explain what this ought to mean for education. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bank Secrecy Act requires your financial institutions to snitch on you every time you engage in certain kinds of financial transactions. What's the benefit in terms of reducing crime? Nick Anthony says it's hard to tell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court shot down an extreme version of a relatively new theory of state legislative independence in the context of elections. Walter Olson explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buc-ee's has garnered a reputation as an oasis for the weary traveler, but should taxpayers have to support it financially? Cato's Marc Joffe and John Mozena of the Center for Economic Accountability comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.