Cato Podcast

What powers are granted to the President to make war? What are the costs and benefits of constraining it further? Gene Healy comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new attack on school choice appears to be claiming that proponents are bigoted in some way, or at least the roots of school choice arose from racist impulses. Neal McCluskey evaluates the bold claim. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since he started his bid for office, President Donald Trump has been a forceful detractor of the Iran nuclear deal, repeatedly vowing to dismantle it. But the nuclear deal affords the United States a number of opportunities. Ariane Tabatabai is author of "Preserving the Iran Nuclear Deal: Perils and Prospects." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chicago is suing the federal government over the withholding of funds if the city doesn't obey federal dictates on immigration. Alex Nowrasteh comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the emerging threats to the rights enshrined by the First Amendment? Floyd Abrams' new book is The Soul of the First Amendment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 287(g) program allows local cops to become deputy federal law enforcers for immigration and the Trump Administration is working to expand it. The program's effectiveness so far is less than stellar. Matthew Feeney comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The flawed E-Verify program is voluntary so far, but making the program mandatory would balloon the technical errors and due process problems while threatening to throw millions of Americans out of work. David Bier makes the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some misconceptions persist around opioids, addiction, and chemical dependence. Jeffrey Singer comments on the opioid crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Applied Mainline Economics, authors Peter J. Boettke and Matthew D. Mitchell provide some thoughts of particular use to the young economist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why didn't Nancy MacLean speak with the scholars most familiar with the work of Nobel laureate James Buchanan when she wrote Democracy in Chains? Steve Horwitz comments on what he sees as errors in the book. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A federal court has thrown out a District of Columbia requirement for carrying a gun. What does that mean for the rights of District residents going forward? Alan Gura comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The economic recovery is now showing up in state budgets, but massive threats still loom for state budgets. Chief among those threats is the pressure of state pensions. Eileen Norcross of the Mercatus Center comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is supposed to help low-income people secure housing, so why give the benefits directly to developers? Vanessa Brown Calder explains why it should go away. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How should the U.S. respond to the arrival of true dictatorship in Venezuela? Juan Carlos Hidalgo comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Regulators sometimes have a hard time keeping up with innovation, and that poses problems for consumers and the broader public. Virginia Postrel of Bloomberg comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Amazon a monopoly? And if so, should regulators begin the process of separating the massive retailer's operations? Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can we end the federal government's warrantless snooping on Americans? Senators Ron Wyden and Rand Paul talk to Cato's Patrick Eddington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A member of the U.S. House wants to have the President's head examined. It's far from an ideal response to an erratic chief executive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Impeachment isn't a dirty word. Gene Healy explains why Congress should consider it more often. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Attorney General has expanded the abuse of due process known as civil forfeiture. Clark Neily explains how the process harms low income and disenfranchised people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who inspired the young James Buchanan decades before he received a Nobel Prize? Nancy MacLean presents a few ideas in her book, Democracy in Chains. Economic historian Phil Magness believes her bold claims need some scrutiny. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The costs and benefits of regulations need more scrutiny and lawmakers should understand clearly that regulations aren't costless. Thaya Brook Knight comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The biggest reason to privatize much of the federal government is that the feds just don't manage those resources very well. Chris Edwards makes the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal flood insurance is effectively a subsidy to wealthy coastal homeowners. Ike Brannon believes it should be scrapped. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The drug MDMA - also known as ecstasy - is now entering Phase III trials as part of the FDA approval process for use as a treatment. How did we get here? Mike Riggs of Reason tells the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prohibition-related drug violence in Mexico may be fueling a growing populism. Ian Vasquez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Senate's new measure aimed at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act still has deep flaws. Michael Cannon makes the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An emerging trade agreement between the European Union and Japan shows that Donald Trump's pronouncements on trade won't stop the rest of the world from lowering trade barriers. Simon Lester explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How important is Henry David Thoreau as a libertarian? And how important is he in American history? Anthony Comegna comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The manner in which the FDA regulates supplements leaves much to be desired and leaves customers perhaps too trusting. So says Peter Van Doren. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What price did the U.S. pay for a massive decade-long (and still ongoing) war on terrorism? Was it worth it? Trevor Thrall makes his case in his new report, "Step Back: Lessons for U.S. Foreign Policy from the Failed War on Terror." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Modernizing the military means closing extraneous bases. Christopher A. Preble discusses an effort to get that process started. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new book Democracy in Chains paints Nobel Laureate and Cato Distinguished Senior Fellow James Buchanan as the scholar who would help bring down democracy using the methods of public choice. Michael Munger of Duke University comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un tested missiles on July 4th. Doug Bandow discusses what ought to be next steps for the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Wachob of the Center for Competitive Politics argues that the misnomer of "dark money" is hardly the scourge it's made out to be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we measure the number of libertarians? Why do those measures vary so widely? Emily Ekins offers some caution. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What kind of libertarian are you? Anthony Comegna provides a history lesson that might help puzzle it out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court's Murr decision may leave many future property owners in the lurch when local and state governments decide to change laws governing property. Roger Pilon comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neal McCluskey and Ilya Shapiro discuss the Supreme Court ruling in Trinity Lutheran. Was it as big a win for school choice as some people think? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the U.S. need a boost in infrastructure spending? Ryan Bourne explains that most American infrastructure, broadly defined, is private. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Air traffic control privatization isn't unprecedented and could improve quality and safety. Chris Edwards makes the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it drug trafficking or drug prohibition that is inherently violent? Adam Bates comments on the strange arguments from the Attorney General. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bitcoin's new highs are no particular cause for celebration or alarm, says Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne. He discusses the blockchain, Whole Foods joining with Amazon, and the troubling trade agenda of the President. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The death of a student who had been sentenced to decades of hard labor for a minor crime reveals that some things haven't changed in Pyongyang. Some things have changed. Cato’s Doug Bandow, fresh from his trip to North Korea, discusses the Kim Jong Un regime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Senate's long-awaited health care bill is out. Michael F. Cannon says its provisions would be worse than doing nothing to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The civil war in Syria appears to be drawing the U.S. further into a costly no-win scenario. Emma Ashford discusses the latest incidents there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did tax cuts "fail" in Kansas? Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Glenn Jacobs is better known as Kane from WWE, but he's becoming known both as an outspoken advocate for liberty and a political commodity in his home of Tennessee. He discusses failure, millennials, and the cost of government at #FEECon held this weekend in Atlanta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The federal budgeting process hasn't worked for more than a decade. How should it be fixed? Bloomberg's Megan J. McArdle suggests that Congress should focus on programs, not broad signaling, and get back to legislating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gallup reports that a growing number of young people believe Social Security will form a primary source of retirement income. Mike Riggs of Reason worries that young people (and libertarians) aren't concerned enough about their own financial independence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.