Cato Podcast

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.

Is the value of a college degree declining? Neal McCluskey comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The warrantless surveillance of Americans authorized by the FISA Amendments Act needs reform sooner than later. That from Democratic U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's happened since so-called "interchange fees" have been limited by federal law? Thaya Brook Knight explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Prime Minister May called for elections ... and she got them, good and hard. Ryan Bourne describes the path forward for Brexit now that British Conservatives have lost their hold on Parliament. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wink-and-nudge questioning of former FBI director James Comey in the Senate seemed to indicate that there may be far more to the Russia election tampering probe than we now know. And yet, several important issues weren’t covered at all. Cato's Julian Sanchez and Patrick Eddington comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not much has changed (legally speaking) following the testimony of former FBI director James Comey before the intelligence committee in the Senate. So says Cato's Ilya Shapiro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former FBI Director James Comey will discuss conversations he had with President Trump with the Senate on Thursday. Julian Sanchez describes what we know now and why it matters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President has removed the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Ryan Maue comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lone wolf attacks for which ISIS claims credit should smack of desperation, not sophistication. Trevor Thrall explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when gathering evidence is stymied by software and hardware terms and conditions? Matthew Feeney discusses the case of Evidence.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How we think about and respond to terrorist attacks depends a great deal, perhaps too much, on where they happen. Chris Preble comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two reports from federal agencies help make the case for reforming, if not ending civil asset forfeiture. Darpana Sheth of the Institute for Justice comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does Donald Trump's trip abroad reveal about his emerging foreign policy? Is there any chance for the U.S. to back away from regional conflicts on the other side of the globe? Emma Ashford comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When attorney and author Ayelet Waldman was contemplating suicide, she chose instead to try tiny doses of LSD. Her book, A Really Good Day, details her experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal fuel economy standards (CAFE) are effectively a tax on cars, but how is that tax distributed? Peter Van Doren comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The federal spending plan offered by the White House would eventually balance the budget, and would do so largely with reductions in spending of several programs. Michael Tanner takes the good with the bad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can Congress achieve real spending cuts without a credible cap on total spending? Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending has some ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How we choose to talk about politics can explain a lot about what motivates our reasoning toward political issues. Arnold Kling is author of The Three Languages of Politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does Attorney General Jeff Sessions want to get out of harsher prosecutions? Kevin Ring of Families Against Mandatory Minimums comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the new investigation turns up no specific and explicit collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, is that the end of the story? Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do Trump and the Saudis have in common? Can Americans who oppose intervention hope for much out of this international trip? Emma Ashford comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Science-driven public policy has the potential to run roughshod over ethical considerations and important values. Trevor Burrus comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What should drive FCC policy regarding net neutrality? Berin Szoka of TechFreedom comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says the decision to roll back the 2015 internet regulations will mean greater infrastructure investment and better quality products. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hardliners in the U.S. regarding Iran may empower the Iranian hardliners regarding the U.S. Emma Ashford and Ben Friedman comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How has the Iran nuclear deal performed so far? Judging by rhetoric from the White House, it's done a decent job at keeping Iran's nuclear plans at bay. Ben Friedman and John Glaser comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The reasons offered by the White House for removing James Comey from his perch at the FBI are remarkably weak. So says Julian Sanchez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The continued challenge posed by populism in the U.S. and across the globe is concerning, but history should temper that concern. P.J. O'Rourke is author of How the Hell Did This Happen? We spoke at the Cato Institute's 40th Anniversary Celebration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.