Cato Podcast

It's been 45 years since the US made certain promises to Taiwan in the form of the Taiwan Relations Act, so what exactly has the US committed to provide? Eric Gomez discusses the strategic ambiguity of those American promises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Human freedom and prosperity go together, but what does that look like specifically? Cato adjunct John Early explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would a tax on unrealized income produce big dividends for Americans? Economic historian Phil Magness says the predicted revenues wouldn't materialize. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US continues to provide Israel with roughly $3.8 billion annually in addition to other arms deals and security benefits. What exactly the United States gets in return for this relationship remains unclear. Jon Hoffman explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are several ways the Securities and Exchange Commission could be reformed to make the agency more welcoming to regulatory comments, align its actions with statutory authority, and follow proper administrative procedures. Jennifer Schulp explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amid the shifting ideological commitments among the voting public, how welcoming will voters be toward more liberty-friendly ideas? Stephanie Slade of Reason comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Separating credible election reforms from those born of conspiracy theories is a valuable task, especially when some current proposed reforms threaten to make elections slower, less efficient, and less secure. Walter Olson provides details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If markets demand parking, it will largely be provided. In so many cases, however, it's governments setting the rules for how much parking must be provided for new housing or commercial ventures. Requiring all that parking raises costs and make lots of unique development unaffordable. Author M. Nolan Gray explains why markets are generally far better at setting the right mix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wage-price spiral is a popular explanation for why a temporary inflation might persist or even accelerate. Economist Bryan Cutsinger says the wage-price spiral narrative is unsupported by the empirical evidence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The growth in the size and scope of government can be understood along multiple dimensions. Economist Abigail Hall has studied crisis and the growth of government in the context of nuclear proliferation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump-supporting organizations are hoping that making it easier to fire career bureaucrats will make achieving the presidential hopeful's agenda easier. Cato's Tom Firey has some bad news for that plan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fears around children’s and teenagers’ online safety are basically as old as the internet itself. That's no reason to abridge the rights of young people online. Jennifer Huddleston explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Department of Justice accuses Apple of behaving like a monopoly. Patrick Hedger of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance and Cato's Jennifer Huddleston discuss the merits of the case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The ability of private schools to better meet parent demand compared with public schools may help explain rising demand for private school education. Neal McCluskey explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An engineer and brewer thought he would take up home distilling as a hobby, but he then learned it's a federal crime. In Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury, he's fighting back. The Buckeye Institute's Robert Alt explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are fine concepts, but DEI offices on college campuses appear to have fostered a problematic culture. Greg Lukianoff is coauthor of The Canceling of the American Mind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yonas Fikre , a US citizen, challenged his placement on the federal No Fly List and the feds removed him from the list. Did that moot the case? The Supreme Court says "no." Tommy Berry and Patrick Eddington explain why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryan Yonk is coauthor of The China Dilemma?: Rethinking US-China Relations Through Public Choice Theory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Women tend to prefer more children than they have. How much can expanding economic freedom shrink the gap? Economist Clara E. Piano details her research. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

War games are supposed to help train the military, expose weaknesses, and provide guidance on resource allocation. That last part can provide an incentive to game the war gaming system. Economist Garrett Wood comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subsidizing both the buying and selling of homes in a seller's market means most of the subsidy will be absorbed by sellers. Mark Calabria explains why the President's plan won't create much new housing and offers some better ways to help Americans secure affordable housing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A proposal to limit short‐​term health plans is not an attempt to protect consumers. It is the opposite: an attempt to punish consumers who choose a perfectly legal and valid product that competes with the product the Departments favor. Michael Cannon explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What benefit does the Securities and Exchange Commission's new climate disclosure rule offer investors? Jennifer Schulp offers a few ideas why the agency adopted the new disclosure mandate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

t's an immensely popular social media app, but if a proposed new law goes into effect, TikTok would face a nationwide ban in the U.S. if the app isn't divested from Beijing-based ByteDance. It raises questions for both the free speech rights of producers and users, and the property rights of company owners. Cato's Jennifer Huddleston and Paul Matzko comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Jones Act's costs are especially high in Puerto Rico, where the 100-year-old shipping law affects everything from where food comes from to the mix of industries that Puerto Ricans might undertake. Economist Russell Hillberry explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Courts have witnessed the rise of "reverse warrants." Brent Skorup discusses how courts so far have managed the process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many Americans believe that civil dialogue with their fellow Americans is virtually impossible. Kristina Kendall's new film, Undivide Us, addresses that notion directly and offers a hopeful way forward for productive conversation in a polarized age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The privacy of donors who give to nonprofits deserves protection, and indeed the Supreme Court has protected that privacy on more than one occasion. Some states aren't getting the message. Matt Nese of People United for Privacy Foundation explains how. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Want to keep your trades private? Good luck. The Securities and Exchange Commission wants that data. Jennifer Schulp and Brent Skorup detail the warrantless collection of your private trading data. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are new wrinkles in the struggle to renew federal surveillance authorities, and the White House doesn't seem concerned about the programs' long history of abuse. Patrick Eddington explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In assessing the legacy of Mitch McConnell as a Republican leader in the U.S. Senate, it's important to include his large role in radically reducing the regulation of Americans’ political speech. Cato's John Samples explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court this week heard arguments challenging and defending laws in Florida and Texas that constrain internet platforms in setting their own rules for users. How did the justices receive those arguments? David Inserra, Jennifer Huddleston, and Tommy Berry comment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wendy's toyed with the idea of dynamic pricing for their menus, and then quickly walked those comments back. But the general ire for dynamic pricing shouldn't invite politicians to get involved. Ryan Bourne explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trump and Biden have different takes on CBDCs, to say the least. And now states are moving in a variety of ways to account for the proposed new currency in their commercial codes. Nick Anthony explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If an arrest warrant is issued without probable cause that a crime has been committed, the person arrested can sue for “malicious prosecution.” But there's a catch, and the Supreme Court will have to grapple with it this term. Tommy Berry explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has a role to play in managing the multistate movement of energy, but it's not clear the agency will be able to do the job in the near term. Cato’s Travis Fisher explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

His most recent package of reforms has stalled. Will Javier Milei now turn his full attention to securing dollarization to rescue Argentina from the costs of inflation? Daniel Raisbeck and Gabriela Calderon de Burgos explain the stakes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US has a particular way of engaging with the Middle East, and it doesn't serve US interests particularly well. Jon Hoffman explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

State fiscal health was surprisingly good during and after the pandemic, but state debt expenses have increased as the Federal Reserve has tried to quell inflation. Marc Joffe offers some advice for states seeking cost savings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you hear complaints from the White House about "junk fees," it's worth digging into what that refers to and notably what it does not refer to. Ryan Bourne parses the rhetoric. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last few decades, the share of spending subjected to a normal budget process has been very small. Fixing it should be a high priority in Congress. Romina Boccia explains the high stakes for acting sooner versus later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The approval rate for green card applications is remarkably low. David Bier explains in a new paper how to improve the backlogged process of welcoming new people to the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author Alexander Hammond details the contributions that puts Frederick Douglass in the ranks of the Heroes of Progress. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remarks from Donald Trump on how the US would treat a Russia-led attack on fellow NATO members earned the ire of the group’s defenders, so it's worth asking: What are US obligations to the alliance? Justin Logan comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an era marked by global trade and digital transformation, the international tax landscape is at a crucial juncture. The OECD would like to create an international tax cartel. Adam Michel explains why Congress should reject the proposal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

US-derived LNG exports can serve a variety of American interests at once, and yet the Biden White House seems to want to keep it in the ground. Travis Fisher details the President's error. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the feds turn ads into spyware, surveillance tools demand more public scrutiny. Patrick Eddington explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, The Road to Freedom: Estonia’s Rise from Soviet Vassal State to One of the Freest Nations on Earth, Matthew D. Mitchell and his coauthors recount the fall and rise of Estonian freedom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did the Cato Institute land on the FBI's list of "vexsome" filers of FOIA requests? Patrick Eddington explains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Medicaid is consistently among the top two expenditure categories in every state budget, but Medicaid spending levels vary greatly among states. Marc Joffe discusses how to shrink the program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.