Cato Podcast

What's the best path forward to end cannabis prohibition without loading it up with needless federal regulation? Jim Higdon is the cofounder of Cornbread Hemp and an advocate for an end to cannabis prohibition. He says the Farm Bill is the key. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The refrain is "Bring back the Fairness Doctrine!" Paul Matzko, author of The Radio Right, explains where reviving and expanding government control of broadcast and cable (and streaming) content will inevitably lead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now that the loudly protectionist Trump team has departed the White House, should we expect anything better from Joe Biden? Scott Lincicome comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The attack on the Capitol has renewed calls to more closely monitor and punish extremism in the United States. In some sense, the United States has been here before. Patrick Eddington and Julian Sanchez weigh in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trump State Department accused China of Genocide with respect to Uyghur Muslims there. That designation is likely to stick. Eric Gomez and Mustafa Akyol offer their thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. Senate is awaiting an article of impeachment from the House regarding Donald Trump's activities leading up to a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Why should the Senate proceed with a trial for a President who has already left office? Gene Healy offers his thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The U.S. Senate is awaiting an article of impeachment from the House regarding Donald Trump's activities leading up to a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Why should the Senate proceed with a trial for a President who has already left office? Gene Healy offers his thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "gamification" of stock trading has raised the hackles of state-level financial regulators. So what's the big deal if Robinhood throws up confetti when you make a trade? Jennifer Schulp evaluates the claims. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Team Biden won't deliver restraint, but it may deliver a basic regard for diplomacy across the globe. Eric Gomez and John Glaser comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among other reforms, the incoming Biden Administration would legalize many millions of immigrants now in the United States illegally. Alex Nowrasteh describes what we know now about the soon-to-be-released plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Placing people on federal no-fly lists without charging them with any crime poses significant due process issues. Patrick Eddington details the case of Capitol rallygoers who probably weren't rioters, but ended up unable to fly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pardon power is broad, and many pardons that Presidents grant are questionable. In the case of pardons for security personnel working for Blackwater in Iraq, they might make relations for the U.S. and Iraq worse. Sahar Khan comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trump Administration has declared Houthis a terror group. In doing so, the road to a diplomatic resolution of the Saudi-led war in Yemen is that much more difficult. John Glaser comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twitter banned President Trump after he used the platform to help spin up a crowd just before last week's deadly Capitol attack. That should seem like an easy call. But what about similar bans on some Trump supporters? The removal of accounts on various platforms appeared to be fairly widespread. Will Duffield and Matthew Feeney comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twitter banned President Trump after he used the platform to help spin up a crowd just before last week's deadly Capitol attack. That should seem like an easy call. But what about similar bans on some Trump supporters? The removal of accounts on various platforms appeared to be fairly widespread. Will Duffield and Matthew Feeney comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump's latest impeachment in the U.S. House now triggers a Senate trial. An impeachment trial isn't a criminal proceeding, so how will the Senate weigh evidence? And why did some in GOP leadership push instead for “censure” just days after running for their lives from a Trump-inspired mob that killed at least four people? Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the ideal of American exceptionalism demand anything? That is, how can the U.S. be exceptional without people working to make it that way? Historian Anthony Comegna talks about the myths that surround the notion of American exceptionalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump urged his followers to go directly to Congress on Wednesday. Was he inciting them to riot? The pro-Trump mob that shortly thereafter invaded the Capitol engaged in criminal behavior. Was it sedition? Was it treason? Walter Olson says we should define our terms clearly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the U.S. enters the final two weeks of the presidency of Donald Trump, the pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol is spurring lawmakers to renew calls to remove the President by either impeachment and removal or invoking the 25th Amendment. Gene Healy explains how those Constitutional processes would work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pro-Trump forces hoping to overturn the 2020 presidential election broke police barricades, broke windows to enter the Capitol, entered members offices, and looted. David Boaz comments on how the conservative movement ended up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The heavy hand of government is getting heavier during the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Jeff Singer comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Biden's pick for Secretary of Education will face pressure for the department to hand down "guidance" to tell schools when and how to open or close as the pandemic continues. Neal McCluskey explains why the feds need to stay out of it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How has the Citizens United decision changed the competitiveness of politics? Do voters have a basically fair understanding of how campaign spending functions? David M. Primo and Jeffrey D. Milyo are authors of Campaign Finance and American Democracy: What the Public Really Thinks and Why It Matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the backlash against openness in much of the world, Johan Norberg says it's a source of strength. His new book is Open: The Story of Human Progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Biden has no reason to back away from his ambitious immigration reform plans. David Bier explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It wasn't a big piece of the presidential campaign, but since the election, proposals to bail out student loan borrowers have become dramatically more ambitious. Neal McCluskey explains the folly of more freebies for the well-off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immigrants make up a valuable group of voters in American elections. How did they vote in 2016 and 2020? Alex Nowrasteh explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cannabis descheduling at the federal level had a brief moment this year, but ultimately it didn’t happen. What does next year hold for continuing the trend toward decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis? Trevor Burrus explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding the role of Jesus in Islam may be a key to expanding mutual religious toleration. Mustafa Akyol explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Religious persecution around the globe continues. How would a Biden Administration differ in foreign policy relating to religion? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Federal Reserve's expansion into credit allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic will be difficult to roll back. Jim Dorn comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What new government programs would be justified in pursuit of a target of "full employment" in the economy? Ryan Bourne discusses what the Biden economic team might be planning. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The devastation and expense of the attack on customers of SolarWinds, including many secretive government agencies, won't be known for some time. Julian Sanchez details some of what we know now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Team Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, and that appears to have placed Iran closer to achieving nuclear weapons. John Glaser discusses what it would mean for the U.S. to try to revive the deal in a Biden Administration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's the libertarian answer to distributing a vaccine against a deadly disease when supply is so low relative to the demand? Michael Cannon makes his case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Facebook's purchase of Instagram and other properties evidence of monopolistic practices? Will Duffield and Ryan Bourne are skeptical. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lloyd Austin is Joe Biden's pick to head the Defense Department? Why does he need a waiver to serve. Eric Gomez explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Electoral College has cast its votes for President. It should come as no surprise that Joe Biden won. Cato Chairman Robert A. Levy details the current process and the hurdles to changing it for future elections. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will a Biden Administration bring us nothing more than an undoing of the executive actions of the Trump team? That's an unlikely outcome, according to Gene Healy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There exists a tension among educational freedom advocates between the broad freedom for parents to make meaningful choices about the educations their children receive and guarantees of equity and quality. Jason Bedrick explains why the policy choice between freedom and equity is often a false one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin D. Williamson is author of Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the "Real America". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Textiles are everywhere, and before the Industrial Revolution, even tiny advances in textile development had massive ripple effects. Virginia Postrel traces this amazing history in The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Judicial confirmations are a partisan affair, and that's hard to square with what we expect from judges. Ilya Shapiro elucidates the confirmation process in Supreme Disorder: Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America's Highest Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did the U.S. go from skepticism of foreign entanglements to setting the stage for its role as a dominant global power? Stephen Wertheim explains in Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Was the Constitution an anti-slavery document or a “covenant with death”? Damon Root explores the struggle through the eyes of Frederick Douglass in his new book, A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stoicism is built to deliver mental clarity in difficult times. Ryan Holiday is author of Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Electoral College is still poorly understood. Emily Conrad demystifies the institution in her new book, The Faithless?: The Untold Story of the Electoral College.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The lame duck Trump team appears to be working to stymie the Biden foreign policy agenda. John Glaser explains how. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Four years ago, Anthony Comegna argued that President John Tyler offered the greatest parallel to Donald Trump's presidency. As the Trump Administration winds down, Comegna argues that the parallels are as strong as ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.