Cato Podcast

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.

The Five Star Movement and Northern League have shaken the political establishment in Italy, and both groups make protection, cultural and economic, a key element of their platforms. Alberto Mingardi comments on the changes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum will punish American manufacturers and invite retaliation from trading partners. The national security rationale for the tariffs is also pretty flimsy. Dan Ikenson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the announcement of a new breed of Russian nuclear weapons alter the calculus for defending against the nuclear threat? Emma Ashford and Eric Gomez comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Courts are loathe to take cases that might alter or weaken qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that protects police from some of the consequences of serious misconduct. Why? William Baude of the University of Chicago Law School comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Parents enmeshed in the child protective services system often are asked to prove a negative, that they've done nothing wrong, in order to get their children back. Dan Greenberg of Advance Arkansas Institute comments on recent legislative efforts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Qualified immunity" is a doctrine that protects police from misconduct that would send someone without a badge to jail. Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert discuss the controversy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When fans and detractors of cryptocurrencies talk, they need to understand the economic fundamentals behind what they're saying. Will Luther comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can the state ban you from wearing any political message at the polling place? Wen Fa is an attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation. We discussed his case before the Supreme Court, Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trade plays a huge role in the wealth that Americans enjoy, so why has it been so controversial? Douglas A. Irwin is author of Clashing over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The struggle over ideas needs people to tell stories to make real the costs and benefits of putting those ideas into practice. Bob Chitester of the Free to Choose Network has spent decades working on this broad project. We spoke this weekend in Chicago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court faces two cases of partisan gerrymandering this term. Why hasn't Congress dealt with this issue? Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You should be able to try any drug you want to save your own life. And doctors and drug companies should be allowed to converse honestly about potential drug benefits without the fear of jail. Christina Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do give our children the autonomy they deserve without fear? Lenore Skenazy has a few ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite some substantial plans to privatize some infrastructure and cut other needless federal spending, the infrastructure and other spending plans by Donald Trump and the GOP Congress are substantial budget busters. Chris Edwards comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Intelligence experts have generally been skeptical of the conclusions of the "Nunes memo," but the fight over this document may do long-term damage to attempts to provide important oversight for the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Julian Sanchez comments.View full event Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's difficult to overestimate what Frederick Douglass overcame to become one of the greatest advocates for liberty in the 19th century. Timothy Sandefur is author of the new Cato book, Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What can be done to counter public corruption? Frank Buckley is author of The Republic of Virtue: How We Tried to Ban Corruption, Failed, and What We Can Do about It. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it unconstitutional for defense counsel to concede the defendant's guilt over that defendant's express objection? In McCoy v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court has an opportunity to affirm that a competent defendant may play an important role in his own defense strategy. Jay Schweikert comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Politicians testing the credulity of Americans with outlandish statements is far from unprecedented. Anthony Comegna is editor of the new volume, Lives of the Necromancers by William Godwin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Obamacare lives. Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute discusses what that means for states trying to make reforms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President's rhetoric and tone don't bode well for getting cooperation from Pakistan, even on shared goals. Sahar Khan comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Killing insurgents on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan seems to end up giving us more of them. Erik Goepner comments on how that math does and doesn't add up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would expanding low-yield nukes in our nuclear arsenal make us safer? Eric Gomez comments on the new nuclear posture review from the Pentagon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Anti-immigration forces would like you to believe that immigrants pose an outsize risk with respect to terrorism. They don't. Alex Nowrasteh explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is imbued with vast powers, and evidence shows those powers are used without many of the checks that exist in other federal agencies. Alex Nowrasteh and Matthew Feeney comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The State of the Union is a tradition that probably ought to go, but this one had the big spending plans Americans have come to expect. Cato's John Glaser, Chris Edwards, and Neal McCluskey comment on the substantive policy proposals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Technology to intercept illegal immigrants can also be used to hassle American citizens. Much of the new technology doesn't work as well as advertised. Meanwhile, the logistical problems with building a massive border wall have barely begun. Matthew Feeney and David Bier comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A world where authorities no longer have to even ask for ID is a scary one, especially if you have no recourse in how that massive collection of data gets used. Jim Harper is author of "The New National ID Systems." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The draconian restrictions on legal immigrants proposed by the Trump White House would exclude nearly 22 million people from the opportunity to immigrate legally to the United States over the next five decades. David Bier comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.