Cato Podcast

The rules that Florida has imposed governing hearing aid sellers and customers are onerous and in conflict with federal law. Larry Salzman, a senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, discusses a new lawsuit challenging those rules. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The confusion over trade that continues to infect the White House has real consequences. Don Boudreaux discusses the latest round of errors following the G-7 talks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Using Amazon's “Rekognition," a video and image analysis program, police in at least two cities have the ability to identify and track many people as they go about their business. Matthew Feeney comments on the implications. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kim Kardashian's advocacy on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson earns a commutation from the President as uncontroversial Congressional legislation to reform prisons appears to be stalled. Molly Gill of FAMM comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can the President pardon himself? Donald Trump thinks so. Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new podcast from Libertarianism.org digs into the twin issues of civil forfeiture and eminent domain. Tess Terrible is the host and producer of the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U.S. allies are preparing their retaliatory response to new tariffs on aluminum and steel. Colin Grabow and Simon Lester comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Puerto Rico still struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria. And yet the Jones Act continues to stymie potential economic progress. Colin Grabow comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Student loan balances in the United States recently crossed above $1.5 trillion. Should taxpayers be footing the bill for financing college education? Diego Zuluaga and Neal McCluskey comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The special deal President Trump cut for Chinese tech firm ZTE challenges both concerns about national security and free, open trade with few exceptions. Dan Ikenson discusses how we can take security concerns seriously while promoting more free trade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health Care details, among other things, how Medicare fails and why it costs so much. Charles Silver is a coauthor of the book.Conference on June 8, 2018: Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health CareJoin the conversation on Twitter and stay tuned for updates with #OverchargedBook. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two medical professionals operated virtually unchecked to put defendants away for long prison terms. Their methods were dubious and their science was bad. Two cases of exoneration are featured in the new book, The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the role of universities in defending freedom of speech? Keith Whittington makes his case in Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Things are getting better, and The Enlightenment deserves a large amount of the credit. Steven Pinker's new book is Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We tell ourselves stories about what motivates us to do we do what we do. The reality is far more complicated. Robin Hanson is the coauthor of The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do well-meaning restrictions on so-called "hate speech" fail? How are the counterproductive? Nadine Strossen makes her case in Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The corruption revealed in Brazil's Operation Car Wash scandal was widespread, brazen, and seemingly unstoppable. One of the judges who helped bring the scandal to light is Sérgio Moro. Moro was interviewed by Mary Anastasia O’Grady of The Wall Street Journal during the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty dinner held in New York this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freedom of speech is worth protecting, and Europe is offering the United States lessons in how not to protect it. Jacob Mchangama directs the Danish think tank, Justitia. He spoke at the Cato Institute in April. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Questions remain about the White House Office of Legal Counsel and CIA attorneys over the approval of torture programs. Gina Haspel's nomination to head CIA was an opportunity to clear them up. Patrick Eddington makes his case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you make some specific choices in life, a life of poverty is not in the cards, or so goes the argument. How should we think about the so-called "sequence for success"? Michael D. Tanner comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Farm Bill is a collection of handouts unlike any other. It's designed almost entirely to earn majority support for hundreds of billions of dollars in handouts. Chris Edwards comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is becoming easier for many people around the world to make significant choices about the qualities of their government. Tom Bell is author of Your Next Government?: From the Nation State to Stateless Nations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immigrants are still less likely than native born Americans to make use of welfare programs. Alex Nowrasteh details his new report. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some small changes to the Endangered Species Act could have a large impact on helping species emerge from the threat of extinction. Jonathan Wood of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States is leaving the Iran Nuclear Deal by violating its terms. Emma Ashford discusses the uncertainty it will foster in the region. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fights in Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, Colorado, and West Virginia are over money. How justified are the complaints? Neal McCluskey comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The future of trade policy may be one in which American trading relationships falter as the rest of the world takes its business elsewhere. Scott Lincicome comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What would a credible challenge to ever increasing spending look like? Kurt Couchman, a Vice President at Defense Strategies, has written some of those kinds of plans for lawmakers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tax cuts and spending hikes are worsening an already bleak fiscal picture. Ryan Bourne discusses the fragile future for U.S. fiscal policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should pollution that crosses state and international borders be subject to nuisance regulation at the local level? Andrew Grossman comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For at least the last several decades, Congress has handed vast powers to the Executive Branch. Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH) discusses his hopes to get those powers back where they belong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does "American decline" look like? Chris Preble comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "border summit" between North and South Korea sets the stage for direct high-level talks in a few months. Eric Gomez offers his thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Administrative law judges tend to work in obscurity. In Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission, the proper role of these administrators is squarely before the U.S. Supreme Court. Andrew M. Grossman comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still a bureaucracy that is not accountable to Congress, and largely unaccountable to the President. Mick Mulvaney made that point before Congress. Cato's Diego Zuluaga discusses Mulvaney's appearance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of Kelo v. City of New London is now in theaters in Little Pink House. Scott Bullock argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Courtney Balaker directed the film, which is now in theaters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President has quietly endorsed an end to federal interference in legal-cannabis states, former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner joins the cannabis industry, and the FDA is seeking input from the public on the plant. Trevor Burrus comments on the accelerating change of cannabis policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When lawmakers hand to judges the power to determine the scope of a law, something has gone wrong. Clark Neily discusses the recently decided case of Sessions v. Dimaya. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Constitution is supposed to make it difficult for a President to take the U.S. to war. Why would Congress want to make it easier? Gene Healy and John Glaser comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new Cato Institute paper, David Bier details what works and doesn't in keeping likely terrorists out of the United States.Join the conversation on Twitter and stay tuned for updates with #CatoImmigration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pull to "do something" about Syria is one that the current President did not resist, despite his warnings for years about the folly of engaging more directly in the Syrian conflict. Emma Ashford comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is the public so fearful about terrorism more than a decade after 9/11? John Mueller is coauthor of a new Cato paper, "Public Opinion and Counterterrorism Policy." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new law that's supposed to crack down on sex trafficking will likely make sex work less safe and compel internet forums to shut down or spy on their users. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The invasion of the relationship between client and attorney is a very big deal indeed, and should be reserved for only the most special cases. Clark Neily comments on the case of the president of the United States and his personal attorney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Checkpoint America is a new website launched by the Cato Institute to detail the implications of a "Constitution-free zone" along the U.S. border. Patrick Eddington explains.Join the conversation on Twitter and stay tuned for updates with #CheckpointAmerica. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Congress passed that big spending plan, an anticipated reform to civil forfeiture had been curiously abandoned. Darpana Sheth of the Institute for Justice comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President lacks the authority necessary to undertake hostilities in the Syrian conflict. John Glaser explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We don't know what evidence Robert Mueller has or how much of it was gathered, but critics of his investigation say much of it is already tainted. David G. Post says that argument is very likely exactly wrong. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Proposed tariffs are the responses that both China and the United States have chosen as the battle lines are being drawn in this trade war. Simon Lester and Inu Manak comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congressional action often leaves regulatory agencies a wide berth under which to issue rules, but sometimes those rules are less than clear. And the guidance to clarify those rules creates its own problems. Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.