Cato Podcast

Economist Emily Oster’s new book, Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool, cuts through the alarmist rhetoric and fearmongering that surrounds modern-day parenting with a cool-headed look at the data. She spoke at the Cato Institute in September. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ike Brannon details why a small change from the Office of Management and Budget holds big implications for federal regulation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato's Patrick Eddington details the adventure he and his wife Robin undertook that ended with startling revelations about what came to be known as Gulf War Syndrome. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While it's generally agreed that vaping is far safer than cigarette smoking, it's been swept up in a new prohibitionist frenzy where e-cigarettes are viewed as similar enough to cigarettes to warrant identical treatment. Is there a path back to tolerance for smokers and vapers? Jacob Grier is author of The Rediscovery of Tobacco: Smoking, Vaping, and the Creative Destruction of the Cigarette. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Glaser and Trevor Thrall detail the new Cato book, Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America's Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Recover). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If not a direct military role, what role can the U.S. play in reducing violence among Turks and Kurds? Mustafa Akyol notes that the two groups were not always enemies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does Vermont's experience with single payer healthcare have to tell us about how much the Bernie Sanders "Medicare for All" proposal might cost? Peter Suderman of Reason comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President will not play along with a House impeachment inquiry. What now? Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a entire network of charter schools perform so far above average? What demands are placed on parents to help get that performance? Robert Pondiscio is author of How The Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence, and the Battle Over School Choice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Alt of the Buckeye Institute details his examination of state-level criminal justice reform in the last two years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reducing the Supreme Court's jurisprudence to just 100 cases is quite a challenge. Josh Blackman is coauthor of An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can the federal government do to foster evidence-based opioid treatments? Cato’s Jeff Singer explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding the causes of vaping-related deaths has massive implications for public health. Jeff Singer comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whistleblowing in the national security sphere is complicated and difficult. Irvin McCullough of the Government Accountability Project says the current Ukraine whistleblower is a poster child for following the rules. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do whistleblowers do it? It's not like they're in for immediate adulation. It's a very difficult and stressful decision, and a long and difficult road. Tom Mueller is author of Crisis of Conscience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among countries that report to no higher authority for their actions, assuring that war crimes are punished properly remains a serious challenge. John Glaser comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A claim that has made the rounds this week in conservative media goes like this: Until recently, would-be whistleblowers needed firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing in order to see their claims advanced. The problem with the claim is this: It's wrong. Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders wants to create a public credit scoring system. What does that mean for understanding borrowers' ability to repay? Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

States still lead the way on criminal justice reform, but what bright spots exist at the federal level? John Malcolm of the Heritage Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gene Healy discusses the U.S. House impeachment inquiry launched this week. Healy is author of Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The official boozy bubbly of this Summer was White Claw. Why didn't this happen sooner? Cato's Will Yeatman discusses the tax implications of spiked seltzer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conservatives’ tolerance for illiberal views needs to end sooner than later. Do libertarians have a similar problem? David Boaz makes his case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would prosecutors object if they faced more judges who'd spent their earlier careers working for the defense? Clark Neily comments on his new study. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress is considering a ban on cashless stores. What does that mean for businesses that already don't take cash? Cato's Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State-level changes can protect the privacy of residents from the prying eyes of governments. So how should states do it? Jonathon Hauenschild of the American Legislative Exchange Council comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you die, there are few benefits you can receive for a political donation. Why does that matter? Attorney Alan Gura is challenging some recent changes to rules for political donations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would a prohibition on flavored vaping products be a net-negative in reducing smoking-related illness? Jeffrey Miron discusses the apparent White House plan to ban flavors of vaping products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The attack on a Saudi oil facility has many in the Trump Administration pushing for a U.S. response. John Glaser and Doug Bandow say the U.S. ought to stay out of another Saudi-led war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The White House’s potential plan to use consumer tech to monitor those deemed mentally ill for potential violence already has some bipartisan support. The problem is that it won't work. Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why take seriously San Francisco's declaration that the National Rifle Association is a domestic terror group? Walter Olson explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A few Democratic candidates running for President have flagged the police protection known as qualified immunity as worthy of reform. Clark Neily discusses the various criminal justice proposals offered by Democratic White House hopefuls. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ending or sharply curtailing U.S.-led wars across the globe has popular support. How should that energy translate to action? Stephen Wertheim is a cofounder of the new Quincy Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What opportunities for better foreign policy emerge in John Bolton's departure from the White House? Eric Gomez and Chris Preble comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lyman Stone argues that, yes, even libertarians should care about the policies that affect fertility rates. Stone is a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are school choice advocates indifferent to segregation? Neal McCluskey counters the new/old argument against school choice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There may be some benefit to expanding the pay rates at which workers are eligible for overtime, but Ryan Bourne argues those benefits will be short term. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A presidential tweet ordered American companies to begin looking away from China for trade. What's the legal basis for such a claim? Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do conservatives think of the emerging nationalist conservatism that rejects much of recent decades of conservative and libertarian thinking? Richard Reinsch of Law and Liberty gives his assessment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are property rights the enemy of conservation? Holly Fretwell of the Property and Environment Research Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Johnson & Johnson went to court to fight claims of its contribution to the "public nuisance" of the opioid crisis. They lost. Walter Olson discusses what public nuisance torts mean for future litigation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has altered Obama-era federal housing rules. What does that mean for making housing more affordable and plentiful? Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Leading Democratic presidential contenders want the feds to bail out students with school debt. What about the young people who made more modest choices? Christian Barnard of the Reason Foundation comments.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A case in federal court challenge the Trump Administration over steel tariffs. Cato's Simon Lester and Will Yeatman comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are rules governing housing finance setting the stage for the next crash? If so, what ought to change? Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like the promise of Medicare cuts, the so-called "Cadillac Tax" on health plans was probably never going to last long. David Hyman explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nationalist conservatives like Oren Cass are pushing industrial policy. Ryan Bourne says the case for this manufacturing-focused industrial policy is weak. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A British Parlimentarian suggests giving British citizenship to people in Hong Kong. Is it a good idea, and what would be the likely impacts? Chris Preble and Alex Nowrasteh comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How might the protests in Hong Kong end? Can Hong Kong residents expect China to back down or accept reasonable protections for civil liberties? Doug Bandow comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An assault in Manhattan leads a prosecutor to get a warrant for cellphone location data from Google. Is this how it's supposed to work? Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are China's moves to prop up the RMB more than a reaction to Trump Administration tariffs? Cato's Dan Ikenson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.