Cato Podcast

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.

The Supreme Court has told a woman that despite being shot by police eight times under questionable circumstances, no civil jury should ever hear her case. Clark Neily comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "initial coin offering" has taken on the look and feel of an "initial public offering" for equity investors. Are cryptocurrencies equities or commodities? Are they something different entirely? Diego Zuluaga comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will regulation follow the revelations surrounding Cambridge Analytica's acquisition and use of Facebook data? Walter Olson and Julian Sanchez comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there any way out of the federal spending binge? Jonathan Bydlak is creator of SpendingTracker.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If lawmakers want to get serious about reducing gun deaths, the War on Drugs and suicide are the best places to start. Trevor Burrus evaluates the proposals from those who march against gun violence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The number of steel-exporting countries ensnared by the Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum has shrunk. The President also wants to take new action to shrink trade deficits with countries like China. Inu Manak describes the state of play. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Federal Reserve's new leadership may indicate changes in a few policies. Tate Lacey comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Bolton, an effective communicator of extreme hawkish views, will become the President's new national security advisor. John Glaser and Sahar Khan argue that Bolton articulates views that almost entirely reject serious diplomacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What politicians agree on is more troubling than the partisan rancor, according to syndicated columnist George Will. He spoke at the Cato Institute's January Policy Perspectives in Naples, Florida. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Homeschoolers aren't very ideological. At least, their ideologies vary widely. Author Zak Slayback says politicians should understand that they dismiss or mess with homeschoolers at their political peril. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The feds are taking public comment on nutrition guidelines. Terence Kealey believes the current advice ought to be scrapped. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump rolled out his approach to handling the opioid problem in the United States: treatment for addicts and execution for drug dealers. Cato's Jeffrey Singer says it's disappointing and almost entirely the wrong approach. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can we learn from other countries with mandated paid family leave? Why do so many prominent Republicans view the idea as a conservative one? Vanessa Brown Calder comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do police departments allow rape kits to go untested? Clark Neily comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What impact with the Trump tariffs have on renewed negotiations over North American trade policy? Inu Manak and Simon Lester comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it mean for historical events to be regarded as victories of modern ideologies? Anthony Comegna comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mike Pompeo is expected to replace Rex Tillerson at the State Department, and Gina Haspel, a longtime intelligence agent who oversaw black sites for the CIA, may replace Pompeo at CIA. Chris Preble and Emma Ashford comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In just his first year in office, President Trump signed arms deals at a record pace. What are the costs and benefits of those sales of U.S. weaponry? Caroline Dorminey is author of "Risky Business: The Role of Arms Sales in U.S. Foreign Policy." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The White House seems substantially unprepared for a planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Doug Bandow and John Glaser comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did the President enact a "digital Muslim ban” in a now-withdrawn executive order? Rachel Levinson-Waldman and Alvaro Bedoya offer their thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does new data in Texas tell us about the propensity of immigrants to commit crimes? Alex Nowrasteh is author of a new Cato Institute policy brief, "Criminal Immigrants in Texas." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.