Cato Podcast

Congress has yet to make clear changes of policy with respect to police brutality, but Colorado has moved in a big way. Leslie Herod is a Democratic state representative in Colorado. Her proposals to reform use of force and liability for police officers is now law in Colorado. She describes how states can replicate Colorado’s efforts to hold police accountable to the public. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The owner of the New England Patriots is pushing a strong defense against solicitation charges filed against him, and what first looked like a big win for prosecutors against a high-profile defendant is now looking more like a major headache. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason says that the Robert Kraft case should highlight what happens to people charged with victimless crimes who don’t happen to be fabulously wealthy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Paycheck Protection Program was meant to help firms maintain payrolls during economic disruption caused by the coronavirus. How has it worked out? Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to private school choice programs that exclude parents who would send their children to religious school. Cato's Ilya Shapiro, director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, and Neal McCluskey, director of the Center for Educational Freedom, comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the challenges that might face a Biden Administration, restoring trading relationships should probably be high on the list. Simon Lester comments on where a President Biden might land on the freedom to trade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What have been the effects of COVID-19 on the housing and mortgage markets? Will Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to move toward exiting conservatorship? Mark Calabria directs the Federal Housing Finance Agency. We discussed mortgages and changes in the housing landscape driven by a global pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In April and May, states embarked on what now appear to be ambitious plans to reopen thanks to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Jeff Singer discusses the mistaken search for a single answer to a complicated problem. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist Bruce Yandle suggests that for the last several months, the U.S. has largely been a command economy. That's thanks largely to the coronavirus and the subsequent government interventions. He discusses recent economic data and some of its quirks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has ended one tactic by the Trump White House to end Obama-era protections for some immigrants. A new proclamation from the President aims to broadly suspend many more workers from coming to the U.S. Alex Nowrasteh comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal agencies charged with the management of, creation of, and dissemination of knowledge have performed poorly in this pandemic. Does it have to be this way? Peter Van Doren, editor of Regulation, comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reporters who want to clearly detail the level of police professionalism to the public must first contend with the linguistic flourishes present in police reports. Radley Balko of The Washington Post calls it "the exonerative tense." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Biden might pick Senator Kamala Harris as his runningmate, the President issues an executive order on policing, and we should all remember, according to Cato's Trevor Burrus, that the Drug War broke policing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court finds that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does pertain to firing workers merely for being transsexual. Walter Olson says there are good reasons to support Justice Gorsuch's interpretation of the relevant law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

ibertarians have long wanted to radically reduce the level of police involvement in our lives. But what does #DefundPolice mean to the broad range of people currently protesting police abuse? And what might be the risks of rapidly and emotionally making radical changes to police funding or abolishing police departments outright? Jonathan Blanks of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has swept away all current challenges to qualified immunity, effectively keeping the doctrine's attendant problems alive for the time being. Cato's Jay Schweikert calls the decision a "dereliction of duty." He and Cato's Clark Neily comment on what can and should come next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will contact tracing for COVID-19 inevitably become a new police power to be used to track or generate criminal suspects? Patrick Eddington and Matthew Feeney comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The police killing of 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor has rocked Louisville, Kentucky. Radley Balko argues that the warrant used to enter her home was illegal. Louisville has since banned the use of no-knock warrants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State pensions typically rely on stock market returns to fund the benefits to retirees, and fall back on taxpayers when stocks are down. What about when taxpayers are also down, in a sense, because of a viral pandemic? AEI's Andrew Biggs comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The coronavirus pandemic has knocked big holes in the budgets of cities across the United States. What are the cheapest ways for cities to get the economic engines humming again? Patrick Tuohey of the Better Cities Project makes his case Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The punishment dealt by the coronavirus was bad enough, but many journalists and other creators have been doubly sandbagged by a California law that limits their ability to work on a freelance basis. The Cato Institute has filed a brief in the case of American Society of Journalists and Authors v. Becerra. Trevor Burrus, one of the author's of Cato's brief, describes what's at issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protests against government abuse sometimes ultimately serve to strengthen existing regimes. Mustafa Akyol details what American protestors can learn from the Gezi Park protests in Turkey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Protests against government abuse sometimes ultimately serve to strengthen existing regimes. Mustafa Akyol details what American protestors can learn from the Gezi Park protests in Turkey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Trump has fired numerous inspectors general of federal agencies. A few of those are problematic. Will Yeatman explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As federal revenues falter, economic growth after the COVID-19 pandemic matters more than ever. The White House appears keenly aware of that fact. Will Yeatman comments on the "deregulate to stimulate" agenda on paper and in practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As federal revenues falter, economic growth after the COVID-19 pandemic matters more than ever. The White House appears keenly aware of that fact. Will Yeatman comments on the "deregulate to stimulate" agenda on paper and in practice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under what circumstances can a U.S. President use the military to put down protests in American cities? Gene Healy explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has again delayed the possibility of accepting a case challenging qualified immunity, a doctrine invented by the High Court that practically protects cops from the consequences of abuse. Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The relationships between police and communities are as thin as they've ever been. How do protest movements that achieve concrete ends actually do it? Fabio Rojas is a sociologist at Indiana University. We discussed recent high-profile killings and how protestors can maximize their impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President and several U.S. Senators seem not to understand how key provisions of federal law protect social media platforms and other websites from their unwanted advances. Matthew Feeney comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China has continued to assert greater control of Hong Kong. What is the appropriate U.S. response? Doug Bandow comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Community Reinvestment Act is supposed to correct inequities in mortgage lending to low-income Americans. A new regulatory rule adopted recently made some changes. Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been massive government errors and bureaucratic bungling in the COVID-19 response in the U.S. How does Ecuador compare? Gabriela Calderon de Burgos comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would the U.S. look like 15 years after the end of the War on Drugs? Trevor Burrus explores this question in his chapter of the new book, Visions of Liberty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding how innovation happens is crucial to keeping it going. Matt Ridley is author of How Innovation Works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some policy choices made by the government in Italy had consequences that would have been hard to predict. Others, like price controls, tend to deliver predictable results. Alberto Mingardi comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some policy choices made by the government in Italy had consequences that would have been hard to predict. Others, like price controls, tend to deliver predictable results. Alberto Mingardi comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thanks to the disruption of COVID-19, universities may have an opportunity to reshape education to deliver greater value to students. How will they do it? Where should they look for guidance? Emily Chamlee-Wright of the Institute for Humane Studies comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The unemployment picture looks grim right now for tens of millions of Americans. Cato's Ryan Bourne comments on what idled workers expect and what the future might hold for ramping employment back up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are trade and foreign policy good ways to exact a price from China over COVID-19? Doug Bandow and Simon Lester comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rationales new and old for limiting immigration, even in a pandemic, collapse upon scrutiny. David Bier explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elective surgeries aren't necessarily frivolous. In a pandemic, delaying elective surgery can create an emergency for those who need treatment. Jeff Singer comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is under scrutiny for its failures to properly check overzealous federal authorities. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says the court is not constitutional, but he's still offering reforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri wants the U.S. to exit the World Trade Organization, but it's not clear how Americans would benefit. Dan Ikenson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court this week will examine cases involving qualified immunity for a possible oral argument. Reuters recently examined more than 500 appellate decisions involving qualified immunity and found courts favoring the government more regularly in recent years. Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert believe it is likely the court will take one or more of the thirteen cases they'll consider this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the President moving disaster relief from less politically advantageous to those that will help him politically? If so, is that new? Steven Horwitz discusses his upcoming article in Regulation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harvard Magazine's depiction of homeschooling as authoritarian stands at odds with reality. Kerry McDonald explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato's John Samples will join Facebook's new oversight board. We discussed what content moderation looks like for big speech platforms today and what governance institutions might look like going forward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When state law bans an at-home test for coronavirus before it's even approved, maybe it's time to be less aggressive. Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should the feds bail out states or maybe just states with better fiscal management? Is bankruptcy really on the table for cash-strapped states? Jonathan Williams of the American Legislative Exchange Council says it would be largely unprecedented. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many of the regulations suspended during this outbreak aren’t needed at all. Identifying and eliminating those regulations systematically is the critical task. Matt Mitchell of the Mercatus Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.