Cato Podcast

The U.S.-Mexico border is the subject of some strong feelings. Representative Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) talks about his city of El Paso, the benefits of cross-border trade, and the War on Drugs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When New Mexicans moved to eliminate civil asset forfeiture, their message was simple: Civil asset forfeiture is wrong. Hal Stratton, former New Mexico Attorney General comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The foreign policy of Donald Trump leaves little indication what he might fight for if he becomes President. Trevor Thrall comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump's protectionist bombast has its defenders in Congress. Scott Lincicome discusses a key example. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Puerto Rico's massive debts are leading some in Washington to argue for a bailout. Ike Brannon says that would set a bad precedent for financially troubled states like Illinois. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Drug cartels face many of the same incentives and constraints faced by any other business. Tom Wainwright, author of Narconomics, comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer raises important questions about how investigators and prosecutors do their jobs. Cato's Tim Lynch and Shawn Armbrust of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Without pricing the various uses of land, the feds manage to turn land-use disputes into bitter fights. Randal O'Toole comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court's stay of the President's Clean Power Plan complicates efforts to reduce emissions. Sen. James Inhofe, chairman of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Obama says closing Guantanamo Bay would nix a popular talking point for people hostile to America. Ben Friedman argues that not dropping so many bombs in foreign countries might be more effective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump hang their hats on the notion that they recognize the Iraq War as erroneous. Christopher A. Preble argues that foreign policy is more than just errors avoided. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is much for libertarians to like in the opinions of Antonin Scalia. His full record is worth examining. Roger Pilon comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apple CEO Tim Cook wants customers to know that the company will fight a federal effort to compel the company to cripple its own security. Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Antonin Scalia's legacy in both regulation and criminal justice is a mixed one. Walter Olson and Tim Lynch comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What broad constitutional legacy does Antonin Scalia leave? Ilya Shapiro comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal agencies have singled out Muslims for special scrutiny when it comes to terrorism. Patrick Eddington argues that it's not just ineffective, it feeds terrorist narratives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you want to buy ads in Colorado urging people to vote, someone might drag you into court for it. Paul Sherman from the Institute for Justice comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What values animates support for various candidates? Emily Ekins comments.Further reading:Donald Trump Supporters Think about Morality Differently than Other Voters. Here’s How. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Campus speech and its censors received a great deal of attention in 2015. In a just-concluded debate at Cato Unbound, Greg Lukianoff argued that fear of regulators drives many campuses to restrict speech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A fierce supporter of educational freedom even before his decade at the Cato Institute, Andrew Coulson passed away this week. His colleague Neal McCluskey discusses Andrew's contributions to understanding of market education and educational freedom. Further reading: Market Education: The Unknown HistoryAndrew Coulson's Biography Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Rand Paul's exit from the race for the White House, a foreign policy of restraint becomes less likely. Chris Preble and John Samples comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What are the rights of the dying? Barbara Mancini of Compassion and Choices discusses the end of her father's life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders hates SuperPACs even as they've helped his electoral prospects. Paul Sherman from the Institute for Justice comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent research indicates that labor markets may have trouble adjusting to robust free trade. Dan Ikenson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Obama wants to compel many companies to begin reporting salary information to the federal government. Thaya Brook Knight comments.Correction: The proposal would not require companies to provide the information as part of their own tax filings, but would require them to use the information from employees’ Forms W-2 to compile the required disclosure, which would be made to the EEOC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyond economics, what impacts do immigrants have on the United States? Benjamin Powell of Texas Tech University comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal judge Alex Kozinski says the American criminal justice system needs more than minor tweaks to repair its gross injustices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert Fraley, Chief Technology Officer at Monsanto, discusses the promise of and resistance to genetically modified organisms. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2011 was supposed to be the "year of school choice." But last year has plenty to recommend it. Jason Bedrick runs down the impressive recent achievements in advancing educational freedom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders' pitch for tuition-free college wasn't supposed to be the biggest education story in the Presidential race. Neal McCluskey comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As policy, President Obama's 2014 action on immigration may be good. As a constitutional matter, it's highly questionable. Alex Nowrasteh and Ilya Shapiro comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department of Homeland Security appears to have kicked the deadline for REAL ID compliance down the road once again. Jim Harper comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has an opportunity to clarify that spending money to influence voters on a ballot initiative isn't a corrupting influence. Allen Dickerson with the Center for Competitive Politics and Cato's Trevor Burrus comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bernie Sanders wants to turn credit raters into nonprofits. Mark Calabria comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some police agencies are now using online data to assess the "threat score" of suspects. Jim Harper comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court is now weighting Freidrichs v. California Teachers Association. Mark Janus is the lead plaintiff in a near-identical case in Illinois. Jacob Huebert is his attorney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The suspension of "equitable sharing" in the federal civil asset forfeiture program may have been done for the wrong reasons, but it was the right move. Adam Bates comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York Times Washington correspondent Charlie Savage discusses his new book, Power Wars: Inside Obama's Post-9/11 Presidency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President's executive orders on guns contain some relatively benign elements, but parts of the plan could violate the rights of many Americans. David B. Kopel evaluates the plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Transportation Security Administration is again pushing to reject some state IDs for air travel and compel more travelers to go through naked body scanners. Jim Harper comments on the law and politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Immigration enforcement can get easier with better immigration policy. Alex Nowrasteh explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new Islamic military alliance has fewer members than initially claimed. Emma Ashford discusses why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The President's powers are limited, but the President could reschedule (or deschedule) marijuana to make it easier for entrepreneurs in states where federal and state law don't agree. Ilya Shapiro comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following meaningful gains against ISIS by Iraqi Security Forces, just how should American leaders respond to maximize the benefits? Chris Preble comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New guidance asks states to begin providing more details about who gets special tax deals. Will Freeland from the American Legislative Exchange Council comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How well do so-called targeted sanctions on Russia work for effecting policy change? Emma Ashford offers her analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Certificate of need laws can give entrenched providers a role in deciding which competitors are allowed to operate. Darpana Sheth of the Institute for Justice discusses the case of medical imaging in Virginia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Family integrity is hard to maintain when an inmate is held hundreds of miles from home. Molly Gill of Families Against Mandatory Minimums talks about what it means for prisoner reintegration into society. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United States was a grand compromise, one created out of common views of rights and government power. Professor Rob McDonald of West Point discusses what that means. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A popular voucher program may come to an end unless it is reauthorized -- something this year’s federal omnibus spending bill failed to do. Jason Bedrick offers his analysis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.