Cato Podcast

State budgets didn't suffer the fate that was so widely predicted as COVID-19 began spreading throughout the U.S. Why? Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute and Chris Edwards comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When species recover, the feds should remove them from the Endangered Species List. But that's not how it often works. Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite a Supreme Court ruling nudging states in the other direction, Indiana is continuing its fight to lay excessive fines over small-time drug crimes. Sam Gedge with the Institute for Justice is representing Tyson Timbs against Indiana. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The minimum wage debate is rekindled as the Biden Administration plans its push for $15 an hour. Chris Edwards and Ryan Bourne discuss the side-effects and drawbacks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Firey and Will Yeatman offer the soberest of sober assessments of the Trump regulatory record and a few thoughts on what's in store from Team Biden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second impeachment trial for Donald Trump ended up considerably more bipartisan than the last one, but “Citizen Trump" was nonetheless acquitted. So, have Republicans helped set a kind-of precedent by not issuing a conviction? Gene Healy dissects the trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are the icons better known for Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Now they're focusing their notoriety on ending qualified immunity. Ben, Jerry, and Cato's Jay Schweikert comment on the campaign to end the powerful, court-invented doctrine that shields public officials from accountability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U.S. Marshals sometimes act like local police, but with more violence and less accountability. That's according to a new investigation led by the Marshall Project. Reining it in is no easy task, according to co-author Simone Weichselbaum. And the Marshals, like other federal cops, regularly deputize local cops. That makes accountability for misconduct even more difficult, according to Patrick Jaicomo, an attorney at the Institute for Justice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Fusionism," something of an ideological nonaggression pact between libertarians and conservatives, has fallen on hard times. Can it be reborn? Stephanie Slade of Reason discusses her new article on the subject. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President's second impeachment trial begins with most Republicans agreeing that the whole proceeding is a "sham" and is unconstitutional. Gene Healy describes the arguments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fight over leadership at Bogazici University in Turkey again shows how fragile academic freedom can be. Mustafa Akyol comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The conflation of human trafficking and sex work is both destructive and counterproductive, and the Super Bowl offers another opportunity to end myths surrounding sex work. Sex worker advocate Kaytlin Bailey comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stuart Ritchie is author of Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trump Administration rushed more than a dozen federal executions in its final months, but the death penalty itself is now historically unpopular even among conservatives. Hannah Cox with Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty discusses the broad trend away from support for one form of state-sanctioned killing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How free should law enforcement feel to make use of new investigative technology without permission from political authorities? Matthew Feeney and Patrick Eddington discuss facial recognition tech in the wake of last month's Capitol attack. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will regulating stock trades change following last week's big short squeeze executed by retail traders? Jennifer Schulp and Matthew Feeney comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are plenty of fingers pointing after a wild week on Wall Street that left hedge funds bloodied, traders exuberant, members of Congress signaling support for whoever the good guys might be, and trading platforms in a well-earned PR bind. Jennifer Schulp comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.