Cato Podcast

The federal government has never made good on its threat to shut down air travel for citizens from states that haven't gone along with the REAL ID Act. Edward Hasbrouck explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Police officers get many benefits not afforded to the public. Many protections protect corrupt cops from paying for their crimes. Walter Olson discusses the push for a "bill of rights" just for police officers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If courts treat data as property under the Fourth Amendment, rulings on surveillance may afford Americans greater privacy. Jim Harper explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Civil disobedience may be the only avenue left for millions of Americans who just want to go about their business undisturbed. Charles Murray explains his dangerous idea in the new book, By the People: Rebuilding Liberty without Permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A promising theory that's hard to justify in practice. Michael D. Tanner discusses the idea of a "guaranteed national income." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Second Circuit federal court of appeals has rejected the government's arguments about the necessity of collecting all Americans' phone data. Julian Sanchez explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Tesla's new battery technology speed the adoption of rooftop solar panels? Perhaps, says Peter Van Doren, but he argues that may not be a good thing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many terror plots foiled by the FBI were largely orchestrated by the agency. John Mueller discusses many of the cases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the U.S. military trying to accomplish in Syria? Emma Ashford comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do new methods for securing petroleum-based energy threaten to alter the balance of global power and destabilize parts of the world? Eugene Gholz, an Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, argues that it's hard to find clear connections.National Security Implications of New Oil and Gas Production Technologies Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Montana's move to rein in militarization of police may serve as a model for states wishing to exercise greater control of their police forces. Adam Bates comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The firing rate for federal workers is a small fraction of the rate in the private sector. Chris Edwards explains why that needs to change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prominent Republicans like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio support blanket spying on Americans even though it's been shown to deliver few dividends. Julian Sanchez explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Republicans Scott Walker and Ted Cruz may have plenty to argue about on the debate stage when it comes to immigration. Alex Nowrasteh discusses their positions and proposed state-based worker visa programs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jailing or denying a driver's license to parents who can't afford child support payments is, at best, totally incoherent. Walter Olson explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court has made it a little harder for police to detain motorists following the end of a legitimate traffic stop, but it won't end the use of drug-sniffing dogs. Jim Harper comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Government Accountability Office has some authority to look into how the Federal Reserve does its business, but is that sufficient? Former GAO comptroller general David Walker comments.Should GAO Audit the Federal Reserve? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There may be few self-identified libertarians, but there are millions of Americans who hold broadly libertarian views. Emily Ekins comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Columbia University professor John McWhorter argues that the Drug War has worsened poverty in America. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the role of the private sector in addressing poverty? Harriet Karr-McDonald of the Doe Foundation offers her thoughts at the Cato Institute conference "Can We End Poverty?" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the U.S. get for more than a trillion dollars in annual anti-poverty spending? Michael D. Tanner puts the spending in perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There appears to be some appetite for surveillance reform in Congress. Patrick Eddington discusses the reasons why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A terrorist plot in Newburgh, New York turned out to be largely a production of federal law enforcement agencies. Filmmaker David Heilbroner details the case in his new film, "The Newburgh Sting."The Newburgh Sting and the FBI's Production of the Domestic Terrorism Threat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What will legal marijuana look like in the years ahead? Bruce Barcott, author of Weed the People, offers his assessment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are serious issues for any summit of the Americas, but those issues likely aren't on the table. Juan Carlos Hidalgo comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The DEA had its own phone records collection program years before September 11, 2001. Julian Sanchez comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sentencing reform should be a key element of any criminal justice reform package this year, according Mike Riggs of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How will "disparate impact" be viewed at the U.S. Surpeme Court this year? Walter Olson explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Religious Freedom Restoration Acts don't quite function the way you've been told, according to Mollie Hemingway, a senior editor at The Federalist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed by the federal government and 19 states enshrine discrimination as its critics claim? Roger Pilon offers his thoughts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Utah's compromise on discrimination and religious liberty a good deal? Walter Olson comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would switching the Federal Reserve's target from interest rates to nominal GDP give the central bank much-needed discipline? Economist Scott Sumner says yes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even if virtually everyone agrees that certain speech is offensive, it still deserves protection. Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So-called Blaine Amendments were created to keep states from sending public funds to support Catholic education. And today, those laws foil many efforts at giving parents more choice in education. Following the premiere of the Cato Institute film, Live Free and Learn: Scholarship Tax Credits in New Hampshire, Dick Komer, a senior attorney at the Institute for Justice, described the history and trouble with Blaine Amendments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stingrays trick your cellphone into connecting with local police, all without your knowledge. It's warrantless surveillance at the local level, says Adam Bates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Far from being something Americans should try to wipe out or even merely tolerate, the presence of offensive speech indicates that we live in a free society. It should, therefore, be vigorously protected. Trevor Burrus comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barack Obama's record as a drug warrior is somewhat mixed. At the very least, his record is more mixed than that of his predecessors. Adam Bates comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia complicate our foreign policy? Emma Ashford comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cato Executive Vice President David Boaz answers a few questions about and related to his new book, The Libertarian Mind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What stands in the way of jumpstarting the economy? Robert Strom of the Kauffman Foundation offers a few ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Civil disobedience over victimless crimes may be encouraged under an idea by author Charles Murray. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we really spending more and getting less out of the U.S. military? Chris Preble comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The federal government owns most of the western states, but it's not clear why. Holly Fretwell from the Property and Environment Research Center has analyzed how well states and feds manage western lands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If NATO members face such dire threats, why do those countries spend so little on their own defense? Doug Bandow comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reputational capital has the potential to revolutionize commerce and development without the heavy hand of government. Max Borders, editor of The Freeman, comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A criminal record can permanently change your life for the worse. James B. Jacobs analyzes the use and abuse of criminal records in his new book, The Eternal Criminal Record. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Federal provision of "new start funding" for rail transit projects may lead local governments to spend more on shiny new projects and less on maintenance of existing transit. Randal O'Toole comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jay Cost argues that the United States has turned from a republic into a special interest democracy. His new book is A Republic No More. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economist Antony Davies discusses the "we owe it to ourselves" theory of national debt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Understanding the dynamics of income over time requires more than a few momentary snapshots. Economist Steve Horwitz explains. This interview was recorded at the International Students for Liberty Conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.