Cato Podcast

Who Actually Pays Federal Taxes?

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 10:45:00 GMT

The top 10% pays 60% of all federal taxes, the bottom 20% pays effectively nothing, and last year's tax cuts added new complexity. Cato's Chris Edwards and Adam Michel unpack the numbers and make the case for real reform.

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Orbán's Hungary: Model or Cautionary Tale?

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Vice President JD Vance traveled to Hungary this week to campaign for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, hailing him as a defender of Western civilization. Cato's Ryan Bourne sits down with Johan Norberg to discuss Orbán’s actual record in government: weakened checks and balances, crony capitalism, and social policies that have fallen short of Orbán’s ambitions.

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Birthright Citizenship on Trial

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Trump's executive order challenges 150 years of birthright citizenship law, hinging on four words in the 14th Amendment. The Cato Institute's Tommy Berry, Dan Greenberg, and David Bier unpack the constitutional stakes and what the justices signaled at oral arguments.

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The Great Political Realignment

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Steve Davies’s new book, The Great Realignment, argues that the key political divide of the past century — markets versus state control — is being displaced by a new aligning issue: nationalism, sovereignty, and collective identity versus cosmopolitanism and globalism. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks with Davies about why today’s biggest political fights seem less about tax and spending and more about borders, culture, and who governs, how these non-economic conflicts still have deep economic roots, and what this new alignment persisting would mean for libertarians and economic policy.

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Congressional Feuding and Airport Chaos

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

TSA agents are staying home; airport lines are hours long, and Congress still cannot agree on a DHS funding bill. The Cato Institute's Pat Eddington and Chris Edwards say this is a consequence of tying aviation security to the federal budget; a mistake other high-income countries do not make. With high failure rates in covert screening tests and a long trail of civil liberties abuses including secret watchlist criteria and a mass domestic passenger surveillance program, the case for privatizing airport security is stronger than ever.

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The Flaws of Rent Ceilings

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Massachusetts is weighing a ballot initiative that would cap rent increases at the rate of inflation with no vacancy decontrol, one of the most stringent rent control regimes proposed in the country. Cato's Ryan Bourne and Jeff Miron walk through why economists are nearly unanimous in opposing rent control: it shrinks rental supply, degrades housing quality, and tends to benefit longer-term, higher-income tenants rather than the low-income renters it claims to help. As Cambridge's own history shows, the policy doesn't just fail to solve the affordability problem; it actively makes it worse.

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Surf, Speech, and Government Cartels

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

In Newport Beach and along California's state beaches, government-created monopolies have effectively banned independent surf instructors from earning a living, with one instructor fined $40,000 after an undercover sting operation. Stephen Slivinski, Caleb Trotter of Pacific Legal Foundation, and Cato's Tommy Berry explore why First Amendment claims may be the sharpest tool available for fighting back against occupational protectionism. If these cases succeed, the precedent could crack open economic liberty litigation far beyond California's coastline.

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Talkin’ ’Bout My Generation (Z)

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Cato’s new media fellow, Rikki Schlott, joins Ryan Bourne to talk Gen Z: how social media shaped them, why online life has made young people both more anxious and more persuadable, and how the socialist left and the alt-right have each found fertile ground. They discuss the strange incentives of the attention economy, what Mamdani and other online political entrepreneurs get right, and whether libertarian ideas can be made to resonate with a generation raised on algorithms.

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Who's Watching the $170 Billion?

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

A 30-day DHS shutdown hasn't slowed ICE or Border Patrol, because nearly $170 billion in One Big Beautiful Bill funding keeps them running with minimal transparency and almost no congressional oversight. Cato's Dominik Lett and David Bier break down how the shutdown exposes a deeper dysfunction: both parties have turned spending into a ratchet, growing the government they want while refusing to review what the other side built. The appropriations process isn't just broken; Congress has quietly agreed to stop fixing it.

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Anthropic, Albany, and the AI Backlash

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

AI policy discussions increasingly hinge on control: who sets the terms for how AI can be used, what it can say, and who gets access. Cato's Ryan Bourne hosts Jennifer Huddleston, Senior Fellow in Technology Policy, to discuss the federal government’s escalating dispute with Anthropic, New York’s proposal to police chatbot advice, and the public fears making restrictive AI policy more politically attractive.

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The Strait of Hormuz and the Price of War

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:45:00 GMT

Beyond the immediate crisis, the conversation explores the unintended consequences of military escalation in the Middle East and the limits of U.S. policy responses once global energy flows are disrupted. Cato's Evan Sankey and Colin Grabow examine how great-power politics, alliance commitments, and domestic economic pressures will shape the administration’s next moves as the conflict unfolds.

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Unlawful Voting Is a Tiny Problem

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:45:00 GMT

The push for new federal databases and legislation like the SAVE Act is often justified as necessary to stop widespread unlawful voting. But according to election administrators and investigators, confirmed cases are vanishingly rare. Cato's Walter Olson and Stephen Richer explore how voter roll audits actually work, why database matching can produce misleading headlines, and what the evidence reveals about the scale of the problem.

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War Powers and the Road to Iran

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 11:45:00 GMT

As the White House signals openness to escalation and murky and conflicting objectives, uncertainty clouds both the legal basis and strategic endgame of U.S. involvement in Iran. The Cato Institute's Justin Logan, Thomas Berry, and Brandan P. Buck examine the constitutional and political questions surrounding the U.S. war on Iran. They explore whether the president has legal authority to initiate hostilities without congressional approval, why President Trump launched the war and how it might end, and why Congress struggles to reclaim its war-making authority.

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Rhetoric vs. Reality in the State of the Union

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

President Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday was a full-throated victory lap: America is supposedly “bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever.” Cato’s Ryan Bourne, Clark Neily, and Evan Sankey separate truth from exaggeration—testing the economic claims, unpacking the legal fight over tariff power, and decoding the foreign-policy moves behind the applause lines.

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Who Decides When America Goes to War?

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

Cato’s Katherine Thompson sits down with Matt Duss of the Center for International Policy to examine the persistent conflict between Congress and the presidency over war powers. From potential military action against Iran to past debates over Yemen and Venezuela, they explore how successive administrations have expanded executive authority and why Congress has struggled to reclaim its constitutional role.

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No Tax on Tips, New Tax on Billionaires?

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:47:24 GMT

Ryan Bourne sits down with Cato’s Adam Michel to unpack what the 2026 tax year will bring, including new provisions commonly described as “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime." They also explore the economics of California's billionaire tax ballot initiative, and whether Trump Accounts are a good savings vehicle.

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Ed Crane and the Ideas That Changed Washington — and the World

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 21:45:00 GMT

From organizing pioneering conferences in China and the Soviet Union to insisting on rigorous scholarship and principled advocacy, Ed Crane brought classical liberal ideas into mainstream policy debates. Ian Vásquez, Jim Dorn, and Aaron Steelman share firsthand stories about Cato’s growth, Crane’s strategic vision, and the long-term approach that shaped debates on markets, foreign policy, and individual liberty around the world.

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Raging Against Modernity

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

A new ideology is gaining influence on the American right: postliberalism. In this episode, Cato Institute economist Ryan Bourne speaks with Phil Magness of the Independent Institute about what postliberalism is, where it came from, and why it matters in today’s political debates.

They explore the key thinkers and personalities behind the postliberal movement, its critique of classical liberalism, and its views on executive power, the American founding, constitutionalism, and contemporary public policy. The conversation examines how postliberal ideas are shaping modern conservatism and what they could mean for the future of American politics.

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Why Globalization Wins on the Field

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

Cato’s Scott Lincicome sits down with Washington Post editorial writer Dominic Pino to explore what professional sports reveal about trade, immigration, and competition. From a talent-filled, globe-spanning World Series to the NHL’s influx of Soviet and Russian players, they show how “imports” raise quality, delight consumers, and expose the contradictions in protectionist thinking.

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Protest, Carry, Die: Rights in Conflict

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

As debates over gun rights intensify, recent shootings in Minnesota reveal how quickly constitutional protections can unravel in practice. Cato's Clark Neily and Matthew Cavedon discuss the dangers of treating firearms as intrinsic hazards, the hypocrisy of selective Second Amendment support, and why protecting unpopular speakers and armed protesters is essential to preserving civil liberties for everyone.

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Reforming the Federal Reserve, Brick by Brick

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

For more than a century, the Federal Reserve has accumulated responsibilities far beyond monetary policy, from bank regulation to payments and emergency lending. The Cato Institute's Nick Anthony, Norbert Michel, and Jai Kedia break down what the Fed actually controls, what it does not, and why inflation, debt, and financial instability cannot be fixed by interest-rate tweaks alone.

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Why Propping Up Maduro’s Allies Won’t Save Venezuela

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

After more than two decades of socialist rule, Venezuela faces a rare opportunity for democratic transition following Maduro’s removal. Ian Vásquez and Marcos Falcone trace the regime’s record of repression and economic collapse, explain why regime insiders cannot credibly deliver reform, and make the case for immediate engagement with María Corina Machado and the opposition that overwhelmingly won the 2024 election.

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History Makes Clear: School Choice Is Necessary in a Diverse Society

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

Cato’s Neal McCluskey is joined by Cheryl Fields-Smith, Matthew Lee, and Ron Matus to discuss the new book Fighting for the Freedom to Learn and the centuries-long movement for school choice in America. They challenge the myth that school choice is a modern or partisan project, showing how diverse communities, religious groups, progressives, and parents have long sought pluralistic education options, which is the only way to deliver education consistent with a free and diverse society.

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Iran on the Brink: Another Middle East War in the Making?

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

With aircraft carriers moving into position and calls for “new leadership” in Tehran growing louder, the risk of U.S. military action remains high despite the absence of a coherent strategy. The Cato Institute's Brandan P. Buck and Jon Hoffman argue that vague objectives, inflated threat perceptions, and regime-change fantasies threaten to pull the United States into a costly war that Americans do not want.

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What’s Missing from the White House’s Health Care Plan

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:03:22 GMT

From over-the-counter drugs to employer-controlled health benefits, Cato's Michael Cannon and Dr. Jeffrey Singer argue that real health reform means giving patients control over their own money rather than reshuffling subsidies. They explain how freeing short-term plans, deregulating prescriptions, and ending tax favoritism for employer insurance could deliver lower prices, broader choice, and more durable reform than another round of federal spending.

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Fallout From the Minnesota Fraud Scandal

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

Cato's David Bier and Chris Edwards discuss the welfare fraud scandals in Minnesota, including the $250 million Feeding Our Future scam, to explain how federal money flowing through state programs creates weak oversight and incentives for abuse. They argue that the structure of federal aid to states, not immigration or individual bad actors, is the core driver of fraud in welfare, housing, and health programs.

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Free Markets for Electricity

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

As data centers begin demanding power at the scale of entire cities, the electricity system is running headlong into regulatory barriers built for a different era. The Cato Institute's Travis Fisher sits down with Glen Lyons, the founder of Advocates for Consumer Regulated Electricity, to explore proposals for off-grid utilities, Senator Tom Cotton’s new legislation, and how market-based approaches could accelerate supply while protecting consumers from rising costs and reliability risks.

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When Presidents Decide to Go to War Alone: Venezuela Edition

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

The arrest of Nicolás Maduro raises hard questions about presidential power, congressional authority, and the legal boundaries of military force. Cato's Brandan P. Buck and Clark Neily analyze the operation’s status under U.S. and international law, its implications for future conflicts, and why ambiguity has become the executive branch’s most dangerous tool.

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Debanked for Dissent: How Putin’s Reach Extends Abroad

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

A Russian dissident living in exile finds her US bank accounts closed after being labeled an extremist by the Kremlin. Nicholas Anthony interviews Anna Chekhovich of the Anti-Corruption Foundation about her experience being debanked. Together, they unpack how sanctions, anti-money laundering rules, and financial surveillance systems enable authoritarian governments to silence critics beyond their borders.

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Banking on Moral Hazard: The Push for $10 Million Deposit Insurance

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:45:00 GMT

A plan to massively expand FDIC insurance is gaining traction in Washington, despite little evidence that customers or community banks are asking for it. Cato's Nicholas Anthony, Norbert Michel, and Jill Castilla, CEO of Citizens Bank of Edmond, show how the proposal would subsidize wealthy depositors, weaken market discipline, and entrench bailout expectations across the banking system.

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Australia’s Social Media Ban and the Illusion of Online Safety

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

From Australia’s social media ban to U.S. and UK age-verification laws, governments are increasingly treating online access as something to be licensed. Cato's Jennifer Huddleston and David Inserra explore how these policies collide with free expression, parental autonomy, and privacy, and why empowering families works better than sweeping government bans.

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How Fuel Economy Rules Made Cars Bigger, Pricier, and Less Safe

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Intended to save fuel and protect consumers, CAFE standards have instead penalized efficient small cars, subsidized trucks and SUVs, and created a de facto electric-vehicle mandate. Cato's Chad Davis, Brent Skorup, and Peter Van Doren trace how decades of regulatory layering have increased vehicle manufacturing costs, reduced affordability for consumers, and locked automakers into an endless cycle of policy reversals.

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Social Security’s Popularity Problem

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

A new Cato survey reveals that Americans overwhelmingly support Social Security while fundamentally misunderstanding its structure, finances, and long-term viability. Romina Boccia and Emily Ekins explore how myths about personal accounts, proportional benefits, and trust-fund solvency shape public opinion — and why ignorance makes meaningful reform politically elusive.

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The Global Freedom Slump

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Cato's Ian Vásquez and the Fraser Institute's Matt Mitchell walk through the 2025 edition of the Human Freedom Index, documenting a worldwide decline in economic, civil, and personal freedoms that began before the pandemic and sharply accelerated after it. They explain how populism, authoritarian emergency powers, trade restrictions, and speech controls have left nine in ten people living in less free societies, and why the recovery remains uneven and fragile.

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Better Care for Billions Less: Fixing Medicaid’s Long-Term Care Incentives

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Cato's Michael Cannon and the Center for Long-Term Care Reform's Stephen Moses examine how Medicaid’s long-term-care eligibility rules let middle- and upper-middle-class households shelter assets and shift costs onto taxpayers, driving up spending and lowering quality for the poor. Drawing on Moses’s new Cato paper Better Long-Term Care for Billions Less, they explain how perverse incentives, generous exemptions, and weak estate recovery undermine private planning and inflate a program already consuming one-third of Medicaid’s budget.

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Strategy Without Strategy: Inside the New NSS

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

The Cato Institute's Katherine Thompson and Josh Shifrinson join Justin Logan to dissect the most contentious passages of the National Security Strategy, including its warnings about European “civilizational erasure,” its revived Monroe Doctrine instincts, and the absence of military escalation language on China. The discussion weighs whether this NSS truly reflects restraint and realism or simply refines old habits under a new rhetorical wrapping.

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Repeal Day: Alcohol Prohibition and the Hypocrisy of the Drug War

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

The Cato Institute's Jeff Singer and Michael Fox mark Repeal Day by examining how alcohol prohibition and the modern drug war share the same destructive logic: criminalizing peaceful people, fueling black markets, corrupting law enforcement incentives, and empowering violent traffickers. Drawing on real-world examples of overdose deaths, civil forfeiture, and policing excesses, they argue for a consistent, liberty-based framework that treats drug users with the same legal respect afforded to alcohol consumers.

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NIH's Lost Mission

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Cato adjunct scholars Terence Kealey and John Early join Ryan Bourne to discuss the pair's new Cato working paper Mission Lost: How NIH Leaders Stole Its Promise to America. Kealey and Early detail how the National Institutes of Health's shift from financing mission-led research to funding basic science has reduced its effectiveness in improving Americans' health, all the while crowding out cutting-edge commercial science, and funnelling taxpayer dollars to a range of questionable projects.

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Superabundance at Thanksgiving

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Is your Thanksgiving dinner more or less affordable this year? Human Progress's Marian Tupy joins the Cato Institute's Ryan Bourne to discuss the political battle over affordability, the long-term costs of high inflation, and how time-prices show most goods becoming more abundant over time. Plus, the pair discuss human progress developments and why they are both thankful for the USA.

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Energy Realism: Climate Policy Meets Actual Economics

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Cato's Chad Davis and Travis Fisher examine the gulf between symbolic climate pledges and the real-world complexities of energy use — from EV carbon costs to fossil-fueled resilience against natural disasters. They argue that the “climate homicide” narrative misreads the data, and that abundant, affordable energy remains humanity’s greatest defense against climate risk.

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The Disaster Aid System: How FEMA Rewards Risk

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:45:00 GMT

FEMA was meant to help only when disasters exceeded state capacity. Yet today it functions primarily as a national subsidy machine, encouraging development in floodplains, bailing out wealthy coastal states, and shifting costs onto taxpayers far from the danger zones. The Cato Institute's Dominik Lett and Chris Edwards discuss how well-intentioned federal aid has created perverse incentives, bureaucratic delays, and a long tail of spending that continues decades after storms like Katrina.

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The Shutdown That Solved Nothing

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Romina Boccia, Michael F. Cannon, and Adam Michel break down the 43-day government shutdown driven by demands to extend temporary Obamacare subsidies for upper-income households earning well into six figures. The trio examines how the stalemate exposed deeper structural problems: runaway entitlement growth, perverse state incentives, a fragile food stamp and air-traffic control system, and a federal budget process unable to handle partisan deadlock.

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Don’t Do It, Mr. President: The Prospect of a US War in Venezuela

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:44:39 GMT

The Cato Institute's Justin Logan and Brandan P. Buck unpack the Trump administration’s shifting justifications for military action in Venezuela, from fentanyl and cocaine interdiction to Monroe Doctrine revivalism. They explore the legal and strategic risks of invoking war powers under dubious pretenses, warning that the push for regime change could repeat the mistakes of Libya and Iraq while doing little to solve the hemisphere’s drug or governance problems.

Show Notes:

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dont-do-it-mr-president/

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/when-peace-through-strength-means-war-is-peace/

https://www.cato.org/commentary/us-military-cant-solve-fentanyl-crisis

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The Supreme Court’s $300 Billion Tariff Showdown

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 13:00:38 GMT

Can a president tax Americans at will under the guise of a national emergency? The Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome and Brent Skorup dissect the high-stakes Supreme Court battle over Trump’s “fentanyl tariffs,” the broadest assertion of trade power in modern U.S. history. They explore how the case could reshape executive authority, revive dormant constitutional doctrines, and determine whether Congress or the White House truly controls U.S. trade policy.

Show Notes:

https://www.cato.org/blog/emergency-tariff-refunds-theres-easy-way-very-hard-way

https://www.cato.org/blog/why-three-cato-trade-scholars-filed-amicus-brief-us-supreme-court

https://www.cato.org/commentary/striking-down-tariffs-wont-hurt-anybody

https://www.cato.org/legal-briefs/trump-v-vos-selections-learning-resources-v-trump

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What a Long Shutdown It's Been

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 15:33:56 GMT

Romina Boccia joins Nicholas Anthony to discuss how the shutdown centers on demands to extend subsidies for earners making well above median household income—all the way up to $500,000 annually. Federal workers and SNAP recipients have been offered up as political collateral for a deal that would cause an unprecedented $1.5 trillion in additional deficit spending—all while we continue trucking toward a fiscal cliff.

Show Notes:

Romina Boccia and Tyler Turman, "Food Stamp Shutdown Reveals the Fragility of Federal Welfare," Cato at Liberty Blog, October 30, 2025

Romina Boccia and Tyler Turman, "End Obamacare’s Welfare for the Wealthy COVID Credits," Cato at Liberty Blog, October 23, 2025

Romina Boccia and Tyler Turman, "Welfare Digest | End the ACA Subsidies for the Well-Off," Debt Dispatch, October 22, 2025

Romina Boccia and Ritvik Thakur, "Debt Digest | Remove Obamacare Regulations Instead of Extending COVID-era Credits," Debt Dispatch, October 14, 2025

Romina Boccia, "Shutdown Theatrics Just Distract Us from the Real Problem: Obscene National Debt," New York Post, October 2, 2025

Romina Boccia and Ritvik Thakur, "Debt Digest | Let Obamacare COVID Credits Expire," Debt Dispatch, October 2, 2025

Romina Boccia, "Thoughts About the Government Shutdown," Cato at Liberty Blog, October 1, 2025

Romina Boccia, Ritvik Thakur, and Ivane Nachkebia, "Debt Digest | Government Shutdown Is Likely," Debt Dispatch, September 8, 2025

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The $650,000 Question: How Steel Protectionism Fails

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:00:00 GMT

For 60 years, the U.S. government has protected the steel industry through tariffs, quotas, and Buy American mandates. Yet steel costs remain among the highest globally, and protectionism has extracted a staggering price: $650,000 in economic damage for every steel job saved, and 75,000 manufacturing jobs lost in 2019 alone. Cato's Clark Packard and Alfredo Carrillo Obregon investigate why protectionism failed and what market-based solutions would actually work.

Show Notes:

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/steeled-protectionism

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Five* Types of Innovative "Schools"

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 14:09:04 GMT

School choice isn’t just about choosing different schools—it’s about unbundling education itself and trying new things to get kids excited about learning. Cato scholars Neal McCluskey and Colleen Hroncich envision a future where adults educated through innovative institutions bring diverse perspectives to workplaces and communities.

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Political Pressure and Monetary Policy

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:00:00 GMT

Both Republicans and Democrats pressure the Fed toward different agendas, revealing deeper institutional problems. Norbert Michel and Jai Kedia argue that broad discretion and an inflated view of the Fed's influence enable mission creep and capture regardless of who holds power. The solution? Congressional legislation establishing clear rules.

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Feeding AI's Energy Appetite

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Travis Fisher and Jennifer Huddleston discuss how outdated energy policies created barriers to new generation just as AI data centers began demanding unprecedented amounts of power. They imagine a path forward using free market policies in both AI and electricity to create previously unimaginable levels of human flourishing and prosperity.

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Peace President?

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT

President Trump is taking a victory lap for brokering peace in Gaza—while simultaneously escalating the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine and launching airstrikes against suspected cartel boats. Our panel assesses Trump’s Nobel ambitions, celebrates this year’s actual Peace Prize winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.

Justin Logan, "The Case for Withdrawing from the Middle East," Defense Priorities, September 2020.

Ian Vasquez, “Maria Corina Machado, Venezuelan Champion of Freedom, Wins the Nobel Peace Prize,” Cato at Liberty blog, October 10, 2025.

Ian Vasquez and Marcos Falcone, “Liberty Versus Power in Milei’s Argentina,” Free Society, October, 2025.

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Protecting Immigration Enforcement Officers and the Constitution

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 13:39:57 GMT

According to recent government data, immigration enforcement has become a much more dangerous job. David Bier and Patrick Eddington discuss the policy tradeoffs driving these numbers, previous administrations' efforts at mitigating mass immigration, and how to craft a more just, effective and safe immigration policy.

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Trump Universities?

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT

President Trump’s new “Compact with Academia” aims to reshape higher ed using the leverage of federal funds. Our panel unpacks the constitutional risks of Washington’s latest salvo in the campus culture wars. Plus, shutdown week two: will the administration deliver on federal job cuts or is it Grim Reaper cosplay?

Neal McCluskey, "Higher Ed Compact Is More of the Same, Worse," Cato at Liberty blog, October 7, 2025.

Adam Michel, "Six Reasons to Not Extend the Enhanced Obamacare Subsidies," Cato at Liberty blog, October 7, 2025.

Neal McCluskey, "Court Rightly Finds for Harvard Against Trump Administration," Cato at Liberty blog, September 4, 2025.

Dominik Lett, "Revoking IEEPA Tariffs Will Not “Lead to Financial Ruin,”" Cato at Liberty blog, October 3, 2025.

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Protecting Expression in Crisis

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Robby Soave, senior editor at Reason and co-host of The Hill's Rising, join's Cato's Thomas A. Berry and David Inserra to discuss the state of free speech following the Charlie Kirk assassination and Jimmy Kimmel suspension. They examine how recent administrations have engaged in government jawboning to suppress speech and conclude that consistent First Amendment principles must prevail regardless of which party controls government power.

Show Notes:

https://www.cato.org/blog/kimmel-cancellation-dangerous-sign-free-speech

https://www.cato.org/blog/americans-must-remain-committed-free-expression-after-assassination-charlie-kirk

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Shutdowns and Shadow Dockets

Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The federal government shuts down as the Supreme Court returns. Our panel looks at the Trump team’s plan to use the shutdown for mass layoffs —and previews a new Supreme Court term packed with big fights over tariffs, emergency powers, and the future of “independent” agencies.

Romina Boccia, "Thoughts About The Impending Government Shutdown," The Debt Dispatch, September 30, 2025.

Jeffrey Miron, "Some Libertarians Cheer When Government Shuts Down: Here's Why They Shouldn't," Vox, January 21, 2018.

Ryan Bourne, "The Libertarian Experiment That Isn't," Cato at Liberty blog, January 11, 2019.

Thomas A. Berry, Brent Skorup, and Charles Brandt, "Learning Resources v. Trump," Cato Amicus Brief, July 30, 2025.

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How Government Shutdowns Actually Work

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Will congressional inaction lead to a government shut down? Do shutdowns halt the government in its tracks, and if not, who decides what stays and what goes? What does it mean for President Trump -- or the rest of us?

Cato's VP for Government Affairs, Chad Davis, in conversation with Patrick Eddington, senior fellow in homeland security and civil liberties at the Cato Institute.

Correction: The 35-day shutdown in late 2018 into early 2019 was over Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in federal funds for a border wall. The shutdown over Dreamers was three days in January 2018.

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Doing It the Hard Way

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

FCC chair Brendan Carr’s “easy way or hard way” threat to TV broadcasters lit a censorship firestorm this week. Our Cato panel digs into the government's jawboning, broadcast licensees' “junior-varsity” First Amendment rights, and whether it’s time to scrap the FCC altogether. Plus, the latest on AI regulation and the art of the TikTok deal.

Brent Skorup, "Jimmy Kimmel, the FCC, and Why Broadcasters Still Have “Junior Varsity” First Amendment Rights," September 19, 2025.

Ilya Somin, "Abolish the FCC," September 18, 2025.

David Inserra and John Samples, "Kimmel Cancellation a Dangerous Sign for Free Speech," September 24, 202

Jennifer Huddelston, "Trump’s TikTok Reprieve Won’t Fix the Law’s Free Speech Problems," February 3, 2025.

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SEC Commissioner Challenges Financial Surveillance

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce joins Jennifer Schulp and Cato's Norbert Michel to discuss how government financial surveillance has eroded Americans' constitutional privacy rights through tools like the Consolidated Audit Trail. Peirce advocates for principles-based regulation that protects individual financial privacy while allowing innovation to flourish, arguing that current prescriptive rules create barriers to entry and stifle competition. The conversation explores how new technologies could restore individual sovereignty over personal financial data, enabling Americans to reclaim control over their private information.

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Free Speech and Domestic Tranquility

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Are Americans becoming dangerously tolerant of political violence? After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, our Cato panel looks at trends in public opinion, past episodes of political terrorism, and new risks to free expression. Plus, Milei’s electoral setback in Buenos Aires province—what now for Argentina's libertarian experiment?

Alex Nowrasteh, "Politically Motivated Violence Is Rare in the United States," September 11, 2025.

Emily Ekins, "The State of Free Speech and Tolerance in America," October 2017 Survey Report.

YouGov, "What Americans really think about political violence," September 12, 2025.

Ian Vasquez, "Deregulation in Argentina." Spring 2025.

Lorenzo Bernaldo de Quirós, "Argentine President Milei Should Let the Peso Float," September 17, 2025.

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The Rise of University Administration

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 17:55:22 GMT

When Syracuse University forced its social work faculty to partner with a for-profit corporation that takes two-thirds of online tuition revenue, professor Kenneth Corvo began investigating where student money actually goes in higher education. His findings reveal a systemic problem across American universities: more administrators than faculty at the college level, expanding bureaucracies focused on "student experience" and compliance, and minimal transparency about how tuition dollars are spent. The discussion with Cato's Walter Olson traces how federal funding, regulatory requirements, and the erosion of scientific rigor have combined to create institutions that increasingly fail their core educational mission.

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The Purse and the Sword

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

This week, Congress returns to looming shutdowns and a “pocket-rescission” power grab. Abroad, President Trump pushes “America First” by rebranding the Pentagon as the Department of War—and launching an airstrike on a Venezuelan cartel boat. Our panel asks what all this says about America’s fiscal sanity and its foreign-policy compass.

Adam N. Michel and Dominik Lett, “Reconciliation 2.0: Fix or Fiasco?,” Cato at Liberty (September 3, 2025)

Romina Boccia and [co-author unspecified], “Coming Budget Debates and How Congress Should Navigate Them,” Cato at Liberty (September 2025)

Brandan P. Buck, “The Lost Liberalism of America First,” Free Society (June 30, 2025)

Brandan P. Buck, “The Cognitive Shift: How the Terrorist Label May Lead to Another Forever War,” Cato at Liberty (March 19, 2025)

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Cato Cage Match: Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Norbert Michel and Dominic Lett square off over whether fiscal or monetary policy is the bigger mess. Lett highlights how entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare are driving unsustainable debt levels, while Michel explains how post-2008 Federal Reserve changes have created risks of “fiscal dominance,” where monetary policy is increasingly shaped by government borrowing needs. Both stress that without structural reforms and political restraint, the U.S. faces uncertain and potentially catastrophic economic consequences.

Show Notes:

https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/comprehensive-evaluation-policy-rate-feedback-rules#

https://www.cato.org/books/crushing-capitalism

https://www.cato.org/blog/medicaid-driving-deficits-republicans-are-scarcely-tapping-brakes

https://www.cato.org/news-releases/senate-bill-could-increase-debt-6-trillion-cato-analysis#

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First, Do No Harm

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

What should “public health in a free society” look like, and what limits should courts impose on executive trade powers? This week’s panel covers the shakeup at the CDC, asks whether America really needs a Surgeon General, and unpacks a blockbuster ruling from the Federal Circuit declaring most of President Trump’s global tariffs illegal.

Adam Thierer, “Breaking the Government’s Grip on the Medical Debate,” Cato at Liberty (August 28, 2025)

J.A. Singer, “Unnecessary Relics,” Policy Analysis (July 2025)

Thomas A. Berry, Brent Skorup, and Charles Brandt, “V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump,” Legal Briefs (July 8, 2025)

Brent Skorup, Ilya Somin, and Walter Olson, “Tariffs, Emergencies, and Presidential Power: A Conversation with Ilya Somin and Walter Olson,” Multimedia Event (May 27, 2025)

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Righting the Endangerment Finding

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Join Cato's Alex Nowrasteh and Travis Fisher as they unpack a pivotal moment in climate policy reform. The duo explores Fisher's tenure at the Department of Energy and the groundbreaking report that could reshape the discourse on greenhouse gases.

Travis Fisher, “Why I Helped Organize the Department of Energy’s Climate Report,” Cato at Liberty (August 6, 2025)

Travis Fisher and Joshua Loucks, “The Budgetary Cost of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Subsidies,” Policy Analysis (March 11, 2025)

Patrick J. Michaels, “Cato Releases Report on EPA Endangerment Finding,” News Releases (October 31, 2012)

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High-Stakes Intel

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

"Golden shares” at home, grand bargains abroad. In this episode, Cato scholars weigh Trump’s push for equity stakes in U.S. firms under the CHIPS Act and his effort to strike a quick deal with Putin on Ukraine. What does state capitalism at home mean for American liberty—and can deal-making diplomacy abroad actually end the U.S. entanglement in Ukraine?

Scott Lincicome, “The government’s Intel stake is antithetical to American greatness”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/08/24/trump-intel-government-marketplace/

Justin (and Dan Caldwell) on security guarantees: https://thefederalist.com/2025/08/26/if-ukraine-wants-security-guarantees-it-should-get-them-from-europe/

Ryan Bourne, “Trump’s cronyism is quietly unravelling American capitalism,”

https://www.thetimes.com/us/business/article/trumps-cronyism-is-quietly-unravelling-american-capitalism-jxlwwf7dw

Ryan Bourne, Industrial Policy was the Gateway Drug to Cronyism

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TikTok: Free Speech or Security Threat?

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Cato’s Jennifer Huddleston and Tommy Berry examine the 2024 TikTok divest-or-ban law and what it means for Americans. They explain how the law could reshape the app market, restrict free speech, and expand government power far beyond TikTok itself.

Jennifer Huddleston, “Could the Latest TikTok ‘Ban’ Pass Constitutional Muster?,” Cato at Liberty (blog) (March 12, 2024)

Jennifer Huddleston, “Competition and Content Moderation: How Section 230 Enables Increased Tech Marketplace Entry,” Policy Analysis no. 922 (January 31, 2022)

Jennifer Huddleston and Tommy Berry, “TikTok Users Await Looming US Ban; SCOTUS May Intervene,” Cato Daily Podcast (January 16, 2025)

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Capital Punishments

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 11:50:00 GMT

As President Trump’s “crime emergency” puts troops on D.C.’s streets, socialist Zohran Mamdani surges ahead in the New York mayoral race. On the panel, Cato scholars debate whether America’s capitals of politics and finance are becoming laboratories for failed ideas.

Ryan Bourne, “Zohran Mamdani’s ‘War on Prices’,” Commentary (June 13, 2025) cato.org

Scott Lincicome, “State-Run Supermarkets: A (Bad) Statist Solution in Search of a Problem,” Commentary (July 10, 2025) cato.org

Marian L. Tupy, “Marian L. Tupy Discusses His Experiences Living Under Communism on Prager U’s Stories of Us Podcast,” Media Highlights TV (November 14, 2023)

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Trade, Power, and Tension: The U.S.-China Story

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Justin Logan and Clark Packard break down the twists and turns of the U.S.-China relationship—from trade liberalization and consumer benefits to lost manufacturing and rising geopolitical tensions. They unpack how economic integration shaped today’s challenges and what it means for America’s future.

Justin Logan, “Liberty at Home, Restraint Abroad: A Realist Approach to Foreign Policy,” Free Society (June 20, 2024)

Justin Logan, “Uncle Sucker: Why U.S. Efforts at Defense Burdensharing Fail,” Policy Analysis no. 940 (March 7, 2023)

Clark Packard, Course Correction, Policy Analysis no. 897 (July 21, 2020)

Clark Packard and Scott Lincicome, “Presidential Tariff Powers and the Need for Reform,” Briefing Paper no. 179 (October 9, 2024)

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Summits, Guns, and Money

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

As President Trump pushes to unwind one proxy war—with Russia in Ukraine—he’s ramping up another in this hemisphere: ordering the Pentagon to ready battle plans against Latin American drug cartels. On our panel, Cato scholars weigh the odds of a Putin deal and the risk of replaying past drug war disasters.

Justin Logan, “Trump Shouldn’t Settle for European Spending Pledges,” Foreign Policy, July 25, 2025

Brandan P. Buck, “Invading Mexico Will Not Solve the Cartel Problem,” The American Conservative, December 17, 2024

Ian Vasquez, “Deregulation in Argentina: Milei Takes “Deep Chainsaw” to Bureaucracy and Red Tape,” Free Society (Spring 2025)

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From Risk to Innovation: Analyzing Trump's New AI Action Plan

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Senior Fellow in Technology Policy Jennifer Huddleston and Technology Policy Research Fellow Matthew Mittelsteadt break down the Trump administration's new AI Action Plan and what it means for American innovation.

Matt Mittelsteadt, “The AI Action Plan: Taking AI Innovation Seriously,” Cato at Liberty (July 28, 2025)

Matt Mittelsteadt, “The Safety Risks of the Coming AI Regulatory Patchwork,” Cato at Liberty (June 24, 2025)

Jennifer Huddleston, “Content Creators, Entrepreneurial Users, and the Impact of Tech Policy,” Policy Analysis (April 29, 2025)

Jennifer Huddleston, “Is AI a Horse or a Zebra When It Comes to the First Amendment,” Cato at Liberty (July 28, 2025)

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Offers You’d Better Not Refuse

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Last week, President Trump ramped up pressure on two favorite targets: elite universities and Fed Chair Jerome Powell. In the “War on Woke U,” the administration landed a $50 million settlement from Brown—the third Ivy to cut a deal—and added Duke and UCLA to the hit list with new civil rights probes and a funding cutoff. Meanwhile, after the Fed held rates steady, Trump escalated his campaign to oust Powell, denouncing him as a “stubborn MORON” on Truth Social.

In this episode, Cato scholars break down the Art of the Forcible Deal. What risks do Trump’s pressure tactics pose for monetary stability? Will they reform broken institutions—or just deepen their politicization? And is Trump’s strongarm approach an aberration, or a preview of the modern presidency’s future?

Show Notes:

David Beckworth, “The Consolidated Government Budget Constraint Does Not Care About Your Fed Independence Feelings,” Substack (July 25, 2025)
Ryan Bourne, “A Case for Federal Deficit Reduction,” Cato Policy Analysis no. 973 (April 18, 2024)
Michael Chapman, “A Win for Liberty: Congress Defunds CPB, NPR, and PBS,” Cato@Liberty (July 23, 2025)
Jeffrey A. Miron and Jacob P. Winter, “Giving Up Federal Funds Would Do Harvard Good,” Harvard Crimson (April 30, 2025)
Norbert Michel and Jai Kedia, “A Check-In on the Fed: Why Politically Motivated Monetary Policy Is Dangerous and Counterproductive,” Cato Video (July 22, 2025)

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Atomic Economics

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Peter Van Doren and David Kemp bring libertarian skepticism to the bipartisan political support for nuclear power. They analyze why regulatory reform alone may not solve nuclear's economic problems and discuss how recent U.S. projects have failed to deliver on promises of cost-effectiveness even after a supposed "renaissance" in the late 2000s. They finish up with a discussion on whether small modular reactors (SMRs) are the nuclear silver bullet.

Show Notes:

Peter Van Doren and David Kemp, Nuclear Power in the Context of Climate Change, Cato Institute Working Paper, April 27, 2023. https://www.cato.org/working-paper/nuclear-power-context-climate-change.

David Kemp and Peter Van Doren, "Would a Carbon Tax Rejuvenate Nuclear Energy?" Regulation 45, no. 3 (Fall 2022). https://www.cato.org/regulation/fall-2022/would-carbon-tax-rejuvenate-nuclear-energy.

David Kemp, "Nuclear Power’s Newest Cautionary Tale," Cato at Liberty (blog), January 23, 2024. https://www.cato.org/blog/nuclear-powers-newest-cautionary-tale.

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One and a Half Cheers for SCOTUS

Thu, 31 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Cato's Clark Neily and Mike Fox give the most recent SCOTUS term a B- grade on criminal law. While they celebrate some unanimous victories like Barnes v. Felix (requiring courts to consider totality of circumstances in police use-of-force cases) and Martin v. United States (allowing federal tort claims against law enforcement), they express frustration with the Court's repeated refusal to hear cases involving the "petty offense doctrine," appellate waivers in plea bargains, and felon-in-possession gun laws—all issues with clear circuit splits that affect large numbers of people.

The episode concludes with a celebration of Fox's efforts that led to presidential pardons for John Moore and Tanner Mansell, achieving justice where the courts failed.

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SCOTUS Roundup

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Thomas A. Berry and Brent Skorup analyze five major Supreme Court cases from the recently concluded term, describing it as a "mixed bag" with more government victories than libertarians would prefer. They discuss key decisions including Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton (upholding Texas age verification requirements for adult content), Trump v. Casa Inc. (ending universal injunctions by federal judges), and several other significant rulings on transgender rights and religious liberty in schools.

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The Good, The Bad and the Beautiful

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Adam Michel, Michael Cannon, and Dominik Lett break down the One Big Beautiful Bill. Is it $3.4 trillion, or actually $6 trillion? Is Medicaid getting a cut or a trim? With spending cuts pushed to later years and tax benefits front-loaded, the scholars dissect the political calculations and baseline accounting that shaped this massive piece of legislation.

Show Notes:

Michael F. Cannon, “Congress Must Cut and Reform Medicaid,” Cato at Liberty (blog), July 18, 2023. https://www.cato.org/blog/congress-must-cut-reform-medicaid.

Chris Edwards, “The Senate’s Big, Beautiful Blunder Could Increase the Debt by $6 Trillion,” Cato at Liberty (blog), October 30, 2023. https://www.cato.org/blog/senates-big-beautiful-blunder-could-increase-debt-6-trillion.

“Senate Budget Serves Dessert First, Spinach Later,” Cato Institute, October 26, 2023. https://www.cato.org/news-releases/senate-budget-serves-dessert-first-spinach-later.

Romina Boccia, “Fiscal Hawks to the Defense of the GOP’s Deficit-Busting Budget Bill,” Cato at Liberty (blog), November 1, 2023. https://www.cato.org/blog/fiscal-hawks-defense-gops-deficit-busting-budget-bill.

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Cato Cage Match: Education vs. Health Care

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Michael F. Cannon and Neal McCluskey let us listen in on their ongoing 20-year debate over who has the more difficult job -- fixing health care or education. McCluskey argues that government's monopolistic control over K-12 education and compulsory schooling creates a more fundamental threat to freedom, while Cannon contends that health care is even more dysfunctional due to cascading government interventions that have created the world's most expensive and gap-ridden health system. Both scholars explore how government subsidies drive up costs in their respective sectors and outline their visions for more libertarian, market-based alternatives.

Show Notes:

https://www.cato.org/free-society/summer-2025/federal-failure-parental-freedom-story-movement

https://www.cato.org/blog/supreme-court-right-reading-opt-outs-thats-not-enough

https://www.cato.org/blog/top-5-reasons-end-us-department-education

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Aimless Rivalry: U.S. and China in the Middle East

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Justin Logan and Jon Hoffman delve into Hoffman's latest policy analysis, "Aimless Rivalry: The Futility of U.S. China Competition in the Middle East." They debunk justifications for U.S. Middle East policy based on competition with China and challenge prevailing narratives in international relations. Tune in for a thorough discussion that puts threats in context and examines U.S. policy through a skeptical lens.

Show Notes:

Hoffman, Jon. Aimless Rivalry: The Flawed Assumptions Driving U.S. Middle East Policy. Policy Analysis no. 956. Washington, DC: Cato Institute, July 24, 2023. https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/aimless-rivalry.

Gholz, Eugene, and Daryl G. Press. “Why the Middle East Still Doesn’t Matter.” Politico Magazine, October 15, 2014. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/why-the-middle-east-still-doesnt-matter-111747/.

Ashford, Emma. The Case for Withdrawing from the Middle East. Washington, DC: Defense Priorities, 2019. https://www.defensepriorities.org/reports/the-case-for-withdrawing-from-the-middle-east/.

Preble, Christopher A., and Jon Hoffman. “Middle East Security.” In Cato Handbook for Policymakers, 9th ed., 406–13. Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2022. https://www.cato.org/cato-handbook-policymakers/cato-handbook-policymakers-9th-edition-2022/middle-east-security.

Hoffman, Jon. “The U.S. Has Nothing to Fear from China in the Middle East.” Cato Institute, June 20, 2023. https://www.cato.org/commentary/us-has-nothing-fear-china-middle-east.

Hoffman, Jon. “Jon Hoffman Participates in Event: U.S.-China Competition and the Value of the Middle East.” Cato Institute, April 25, 2023. https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/jon-hoffman-participates-event-us-china-competition-value-middle.

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Stablecoins and the Fight for a Level Playing Field

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

What are stablecoins, how do they work, and what does the future hold for these innovative financial instruments? Join Norbert Michel and Jennifer Schulp from the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives as they delve into the evolving landscape of stablecoin legislation. Whether you're a seasoned crypto enthusiast or just curious about digital currencies, this discussion will provide valuable insights into the regulatory environment and the potential impacts on the financial system.

Show Notes:

Norbert J. Michel and Jack Solowey. “Stablecoin Bills Galore: How Do They Stack Up?” Cato at Liberty (blog), July 27, 2023. https://www.cato.org/blog/stablecoin-bills-galore-how-do-they-stack.

Jack Solowey. “Stablecoin Legislation Must Ensure Financial Privacy.” Cato Institute, August 15, 2023. https://www.cato.org/commentary/stablecoin-legislation-must-ensure-financial-privacy.

Nicholas Anthony. “The GENIUS Act Is a Good Start. Congress Could Make It Smarter.” Cato Institute, June 6, 2023. https://www.cato.org/commentary/genius-act-good-start-congress-could-make-it-smarter.

“Stablecoins, Market Structure, and More: Evaluating the Crypto Legislative Landscape.” Cato Institute Video, August 29, 2023. https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-video/stablecoins-market-structure-more-evaluating-crypto-legislative-landscape.

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The Rise and Fall of DOGE 1.0

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Alex Nowrasteh and Ryan Bourne delve into the intriguing journey of Doge 1.0 under Donald Trump's administration. From Elon Musk's ambitious overhaul to the eventual departure of key figures, they explore the chaotic, amusing, and concerning facets of this government efficiency experiment. With insights into the economic impacts, legislative hurdles, and potential future in Doge 2.0, this discussion sheds light on the complexities of attempting a bureaucratic revolution. Join Alex and Ryan as they dissect the promises, failures, and hopes of a libertarian downsizing dream.

Show Notes:

Alex Nowrasteh and Ryan Bourne, "Cato Institute Report to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)" White Paper, December 11, 2024

Ryan Bourne and Alex Nowrasteh, "Small-Government Conservatives Should Give DOGE a Chance" The Dispatch, December 30, 2024

Ryan Bourne and Alex Nowrasteh, "DOGE Can’t Just Trim Waste. It Has to Cut Government — A Lot" U.S. News & World Report, January 7, 2025

Ryan Bourne, "DOGE: Efficiency Requires Elimination" The War on Prices, March 14, 2025

Alex Nowrasteh and Ryan Bourne, "Six Ways to Understand DOGE and Predict Its Future Behavior" cato.org, March 17, 2025

Ryan Bourne, "Does DOGE Show That There’s Little Government Waste?" The War On Prices May 9, 2025

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Misinformation in the Age of AI

Tue, 08 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Is misinformation really a new crisis—or just the latest chapter in a centuries-old debate over truth, speech, and power? In this episode, Cato Institute’s Jennifer Huddleston and David Inserra unpack the cultural and policy panic surrounding misinformation and disinformation in the age of AI, deepfakes, and viral tweets. Who should decide what counts as truth online? Plus, why humility, media literacy, and a competitive internet might be better solutions than censorship.

Show Notes:

Jennifer Huddleston, "AI and the Future of Our Elections" Testimony, September 27, 2023

Jennifer Huddleston and David Inserra, "Oversight Board Comment on Misinformation and Manipulated Media: The Importance of Free Expression in the Debate over Misinformation" cato.org, October 25, 2023

Jennifer Huddleston, "The Rush to Regulate AI Coule be the Death of Parody" National Review (Online), January 26, 2024

David Inserra and Jennifer Huddleston, "Actually, Tim Walz, the First Amendment Does Protect Misinformation and ‘Hate Speech’" National Review, August 11, 2024

Jennifer Huddleston and Emma Hopp, "What the Past Can Teach Us about Our AI Fears" Reason, October 29, 2024

David Inserra and Brent Skorup, "Comments in Response to FCC “Delete, Delete, Delete” Initiative" cato.org, April 11, 2025

David Inserra, "The Misleading Panic over Misinformation" Policy Analysis No. 999, June 26, 2025

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The Illusion of Financial Privacy

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Is your financial life really private? In this eye-opening episode, Cato Institute's Norbert Michel and Nicholas Anthony take us deep into the world of financial surveillance, starting with the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act. What was originally sold as a tool to catch tax cheats has quietly evolved into a sprawling system of government oversight—with banks and financial institutions acting as unwitting watchdogs. From suspicious activity reports to the third-party doctrine, Norbert and Nicholas explain how the erosion of Fourth Amendment protections has happened largely out of public view. They break down the law’s legacy, how it expanded post-9/11, and why $10,000 isn’t the large sum it once was. But there's reason for optimism. With growing public awareness, privacy-focused tech, and new reform legislation finally on the table, change might be within reach. If you thought your bank account was your business, think again—this episode will make you see it in a whole new light.

Show Notes:

Norbert Michel and Jennifer J. Schulp, "Revising the Bank Secrecy Act to Protect Privacy and Deter Criminals" Policy Analysis No. 932, July 26, 2022

Nicholas Anthony, "The Right to Financial Privacy" Policy Analysis No. 945, May 2, 2023

Norbert Michel, "The Bank Secrecy Act Is a Bigger Threat than FISA" Forbes, April 17, 2024

Nicholas Anthony and Naomi Brockwell, "The Illusion of Financial Privacy" Reason.com, May 30, 2024

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One Big Beautiful Podcast

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 11:00:00 GMT

In this episode, Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome and Adam Michel dive deep into the sweeping new legislation—dubbed "The One Big Beautiful Bill"—moving through Congress. They break down what’s at stake as key provisions of the 2017 tax reform are set to expire, unpack the bill’s complex mix of tax cuts, new carve-outs, and industrial subsidies, and examine why temporary tax policy and policy uncertainty could derail economic growth. Plus, they confront the fiscal fiction behind tariffs as a reliable revenue source and make the case for a cleaner, more permanent pro-growth tax system. If you're looking for a sharp, honest take on where tax and trade policy stand in 2025—and where they should go—this one’s for you.

Show Notes:

Adam Michel, "Republicans’ One, Big, Beautiful Tax Bill Needs a Makeover" Cato.org, May 14, 2025

Adam Michel, "Four Things the Senate Can Do to Improve the House Tax Bill" Cato.org, May 22, 2025

Scott Lincicome, "Republicans Can’t Pay for Their Tax Cuts with Fantasy Revenue Sources" The Washington Post, May 27, 2025

Scott Lincicome, "Trump’s Latest Tariff Idea Is Dangerously Foolish" The Dispatch, June 19, 2025

Adam Michel, "Senate Big Beautiful Bill: More Growth, More Subsidies, More Debt" Cato.org, June 30th, 2025

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An Announcement from the Cato Institute

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Starting July 1, we’ll be trying some new things on this feed, starting with conversations between Cato Institute scholars. We hope you’ll join us. Please consider listening to some of our other podcasts on cato.org/podcast.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: A Would-Be Home Distiller Fights Back in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Caleb O. Brown hosted the Cato Daily Podcast for nearly 18 years, producing well over 4000 episodes. He has gone on to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute. This is one among the best episodes produced in his tenure, selected by the host and listeners.

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.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Is Converting Vacant Commercial Property a Housing Solution?

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The housing crunch affects so many parts of the country. In Arizona, it’s harder to build than you might think. Leo Biasiucci is the Republican majority whip of the state’s House of Representatives. We talked about how best to advance flexibility for new housing.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: When Lawmakers Don’t Make the Laws (State Government Edition)

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The people who write the rules under which we must live generally ought to be subject to accountability from voters. That’s not a controversial proposition, but how it works in practice is more complicated. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Why Do Rights-Violating University Officials Get Qualified Immunity?

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

What happens when public university officials violate your free speech rights? Often, they get qualified immunity, thus shielding them from the consequences of those actions. Casey Mattox with Americans for Prosperity comments.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Psychedelics and the Advance of Cognitive Liberty

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Psychedelics have powerful impacts on the human mind, and researchers are finding new ways to use those drugs to help people overcome mental difficulties. Do they also herald a new freedom of thought? Mason Marks of the Petrie-Flom Center comments.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Don’t Stop Impeachin’

Fri, 13 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Impeachment isn’t a dirty word. Gene Healy explains why Congress should consider it more often.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 18:01:16 GMT

Textiles are everywhere, and before the Industrial Revolution, even tiny advances in textile development had massive ripple effects. Virginia Postrel traces this amazing history in The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: What's the Benefit of Religious Charter Schools?

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Religious charter schools may grow in the coming years, but it’s not clear what the benefits are to the schools or religious institutions that would run them. Neal McCluskey comments.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Remembering Nat Hentoff

Tue, 10 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The world lost the great civil libertarian, journalist, and Cato scholar Nat Hentoff last week. Scott Bullock comments on his several legacies.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: How the U.S. Failed to Adjust to China's Economic Rise

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

What should the U.S. do to adjust to China’s rise? Tariffs and shattering the global trading system aren’t the answer, according to Scott Lincicome.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Detailing The Libertarian Mind

Fri, 06 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Cato Executive Vice President David Boaz answers a few questions about and related to his new book, The Libertarian Mind.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: One Local Impediment to Free-Range Kids

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Parents might embrace their children’s independence, but how much support do those parents have in the form of local infrastructure? Andrea Keith of Let Grow explains.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: The Conservative Sensibility

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Rights precede government. That’s the core of the American founding, and George F. Will argues that it’s worth preserving. His new book is The Conservative Sensibility.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: The Gathering Storm in State Pensions

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 12:00:00 GMT

“Denial” is the single word that the Reason Foundation’s Peter Constant uses to describe the attitude many state governments have taken toward pension finance problems.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Let’s Render Some Federal Codes Unenforceable

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:05:46 GMT

Civil disobedience over victimless crimes may be encouraged under an idea by author Charles Murray.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Ben and Jerry and the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity

Fri, 30 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are the icons better known for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Now they’re focusing their notoriety on ending qualified immunity. Ben, Jerry, and Cato’s Jay Schweikert comment on the campaign to end the powerful, court-invented doctrine that shields public officials from accountability.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Judicial Activism in Defense of Liberty

Thu, 29 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: The Life and Death and Future Life of Fusionism

Wed, 28 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

“Fusionism,” something of an ideological nonaggression pact between libertarians and conservatives, has fallen on hard times. Can it be reborn? Stephanie Slade of Reason discusses her new article on the subject.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory

Tue, 27 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Henry Clay, Cassius Clay and Political Compromise

Mon, 26 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Equal Protections and Marriage

Fri, 23 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Remembering Milton Friedman

Thu, 22 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Courage is the Secret to Liberty

Wed, 21 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

In presenting the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty to Danish newspaper editor Flemming Rose, former ACLU president Nadine Strossen discusses the importance of unfettered freedom of speech.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Real Problems for REAL ID

Tue, 20 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: The Libertarian Mind

Mon, 19 May 2025 16:10:41 GMT

Libertarianism — the philosophy of personal and economic freedom — has deep roots in Western civilization and in American history, and it’s growing stronger. Cato Institute Executive Vice President David Boaz talks about the renewed appetite for smaller government and more freedom.

The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom by David Boaz

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Is the Welfare State Justified?

Fri, 16 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Is Strip Searching Students in a School Covered by Qualified Immunity?

Thu, 15 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Discussions of qualified immunity focus almost exclusively on police. What about when public school administrators clearly violate the rights of students? Should parents of those children be able to hold administrators accountable in civil court? Chris Kemmitt is the deputy director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: A Realistic, Quick Path to Ending Cannabis Prohibition?

Wed, 14 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

What’s the best path forward to end cannabis prohibition without loading it up with needless federal regulation? Jim Higdon is the co-founder of Cornbread Hemp and an advocate for an end to cannabis prohibition. He says the Farm Bill is the key.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: A Few From The Dirty Dozen

Tue, 13 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Mitch McConnell’s Legacy Includes Freeing Political Speech

Mon, 12 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: By the People: Rebuilding Liberty without Permission

Fri, 09 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Communicating Economics in Troubled Times

Thu, 08 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Repeal the 17th Amendment?

Wed, 07 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Rights, Powers and the Libertarian Vision

Tue, 06 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: POTUS as Chief Magistrate

Mon, 05 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Fifty Years of the Military Industrial Complex

Fri, 02 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Abolish the Department of Homeland Security

Thu, 01 May 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: You Have the Right to Remain Innocent

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Don’t talk to the police, even if you want to help them solve a crime. James Duane says that’s the advice police and lawyers give their own children. He explains why in his new book, You Have the Right to Remain Innocent.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Taking Back Congressional Power over Tariffs and Trade

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

The freedom to trade is morally good. Congress has sadly delegated many of its powers over trade to the White House. That poses particular risks today. Senator Rand Paul (R‑KY) discusses his efforts at reclaiming legislative power over trade.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Women Are More Than Their Interactions with the State

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

As many voters are licking their wounds after failing to elect the first female U.S. President, Anthony Comegna talks about how the important historical role of women on behalf of liberty is more than mere interactions with the state.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Why have five or more children? Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Pakaluk details the stories and reasoning of dozens of women who have gone well beyond replacement-level fertility.

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Smoot-Hawley 81 Years Later

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

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Best of Cato Daily Podcast: Asserting Liberty and the Power of ‘No’

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 12:00:00 GMT

In the long history of the ebb and flow of liberty, some examples stand out. Jim Otteson of Wake Forest University offered a few of those examples at Cato Club 200.

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Caleb O. Brown Bids Farewell to the Cato Daily Podcast

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Caleb O. Brown has hosted the Cato Daily Podcast since 2007, CatoAudio since 2008, and all told has created several thousand interviews, videos, and other pieces for the Cato Institute. On his final episode, he is interviewed by Cato's Deirdre McCloskey about the art of the interview and his pending move to head Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute.

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Threats to Migrants' Speech Threaten Americans' Speech

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:43:18 GMT

It should come as no surprise to learn that when some people in the US are targeted for their speech, it does no service to your right to speak freely. David Bier and Tommy Berry explain why immigration crackdowns triggered by speech are so dangerous.

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Court Orders and Administration Responses on Illegal Deportations

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 14:29:57 GMT

El Salvador is receiving prisoners snatched by the US federal government. The Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to "facilitate" the return of one prisoner. Ilya Somin details some of the more troubling aspects of this struggle. We spoke April 11, 2025.

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Meta on Trial

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 20:12:23 GMT

Meta's trial for alleged monopolistic practices could change how mergers get done and if they get done. Cato's Jennifer Huddleston and CEI's Alex Reinauer comment.

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A Lawsuit to End 'Liberation Day' Tariffs

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:35:24 GMT

The so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs use emergency powers from a statute that makes no mention of tariffs. Ilya Somin explains why that's one reason the tariffs are on shaky legal/constitutional ground and why a new lawsuit is challenging them.

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End Federal Withholding to Clarify What Government Takes

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 07:00:00 GMT

Federal withholding may among the most insidious of government policies. It hides the full scale of what government takes from us, and makes you feel like you're getting a bonus when you get your own money back. Cato’s Adam Michel makes the case.

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Taxpayers Like Their Special Handouts, Dislike Yours

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 18:24:06 GMT

Cato's Adam Michel ran a bracket of the worst offenders among "tax expenditures," or special benefits for some taxpayers. Turns out people like their own tax benefits and dislike the ones that benefit someone else.

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Free Trade Didn’t Kill the Middle Class

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 17:51:46 GMT

The case for tariffs hinges critically on a misunderstanding of the relevant data. Contrary to the claims from the President and Vice President, free trade has substantially enriched most Americans. Cato's Norbert Michel counters the false rhetoric.

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Bad Arguments for Terrible Tariffs

Thu, 10 Apr 2025 18:14:27 GMT

The arguments for tariffs lack the kind of useful perspective provided by a basic economics course. Cato's Colin Grabow picks them apart.

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Governments That Pursue Tariffs Are Terrible Role Models

Wed, 09 Apr 2025 21:03:29 GMT

The tariff policies dubiously adopted by President Trump have echoes of previous authoritarian governments. Ian Vasquez explains.

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The 'Liberation Day' Tariffs Aren't Reciprocal and Other Reasons They Don't Make Sense

Tue, 08 Apr 2025 18:52:10 GMT

There are several errors, misconceptions, and confusing assumptions that went into the creation of Donald Trump's new wealth-destroying tariff regime. Scott Lincicome explains a few of them.

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Don’t Ask the Fed to Fix Bad Trade Policy

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 16:31:28 GMT

The Federal Reserve can blunt the impact of a good deal of politically driven economic mischief. What about the new punitive tariff regime from the President? Jai Kedia suggests that you not get your hopes up.

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The Triumph of Fear: Domestic Surveillance and Political Repression from McKinley Through Eisenhower

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:51:44 GMT

With respect to the substantial federal power to repress and surveil Americans, how did we get here? Patrick Eddington provides the first part of the story in The Triumph of Fear: Domestic Surveillance and Political Repression from McKinley Through Eisenhower.

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Is Rooftop Solar a Threat to Stable Electricity?

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 21:29:53 GMT

Big energy facilities make the grid more stable, but rooftop solar reduces the need for those plants. Regulators have a hard time negotiating the tension. Economist Lynne Kiesling comments.

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Challenge Your Narrative & Confront Uncomfortable History

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 19:07:33 GMT

History can be a weapon. Obscuring inconvenient history can be a weapon. And Left and Right are both guilty of it. Phil Magness provides some helpful examples.

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Tribalism is Dumb: Where It Came from, How It Got so Bad, and What to Do About It

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:25:49 GMT

It's become easier to hate those with whom we disagree on matters of policy and politics, and our ideological tribes insulate us from thoughtful challenge. Andrew Heaton hopes to help you navigate a coarsening culture with his book, Tribalism is Dumb.

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The Crisis of Dependency: How Our Efforts to Solve Poverty Are Trapping People in It and What We Can Do to Foster Freedom Instead

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:30:09 GMT

Government-administered aid to the poor is routinely wasted. Many well-intended charitable programs undermine self-determination and fail to restore dignity. James Whitford discusses a new way to think about poverty and its alleviation in The Crisis of Dependency.

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State Licensing Reform Liberates Workers

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 18:19:21 GMT

Several states have recently moved ahead with recognizing occupational licenses issued elsewhere. Ed Timmons explains what it means for employment, worker mobility, and consumer welfare.

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The 'How' of Ending the US Department of Education

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 15:34:24 GMT

Ending the US Department of Education is an important policy goal that appears closer than ever, and it should occur both within the bounds of the US Constitution and as soon as possible. Tommy Berry and Neal McCluskey comment.

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Government Dietary Advice and the New Alcohol Prohibitionists

Wed, 26 Mar 2025 21:22:05 GMT

A late change by President Biden in how alcohol is treated in dietary guidance will mean more finger wagging from health officials. The change highlights the problem of government health advice. Eric Boehm of Reason and Cato's Jeff Singer comment.

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Trump-Era Financial Surveillance Aims to Track Small Transactions

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 19:59:29 GMT

Under the guise of targeting illegal immigration, the Trump administration is moving to curtail Americans' financial privacy even further. Nick Anthony explains how.

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Administrative Courts and Presidential Deportations

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 21:03:30 GMT

They’re not real courtrooms, of course, but administrative courts are being used in the context of immigration. What is their role in adjudicating immigration issues? David Bier and Will Yeatman comment.

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Pharmacists Can Do Much More; States Should Let Them

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 20:17:06 GMT

Pharmacists regularly help patients navigate both prescriptions and physicians’ advice, but they can do more. A few states have begun to recognize their capabilities that have otherwise largely gone untapped. Alicia Plemmons of the Knee Regulatory Research Center comments.

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The Phony Invasion at the Heart of Trump's Deportations under the Alien Enemies Act

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 13:05:49 GMT

Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act to whisk alleged gang members to an El Salvador prison should not be allowed to stand for a variety of reasons. Ilya Somin explains why it might put Americans at risk.

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Terrorism and Immigration 1975–2024

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 19:48:00 GMT

The federal government’s security resources should be allocated to the most efficient means of reducing the costs of terrorism. Alex Nowrasteh details a new paper.

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By Targeting Certain Law Firms, the President Is Threatening the Constitution

Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:53:13 GMT

President Trump has issued executive orders targeting law firms that have represented his opponents in court. It strikes at the heart of several constitutional protections. Walter Olson and Mike Fox comment.

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Which Is Worse: The Regime Uncertainty or the Tariffs?

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 18:38:42 GMT

The Trump tariffs are bad enough, but the uncertainty surrounding trade policy is making everything much worse. Scott Lincicome explains.

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Price Transparency Is a Consequence of Robust Health Care Markets

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 18:39:02 GMT

Legislative attempts to compel price transparency from health care providers ignores an important factor: Price transparency emerges naturally from well-functioning markets. Michael Cannon explains.

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Christian Asylum Seekers Thwarted by Trump Immigration Policy

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 21:46:19 GMT

Donald Trump created a "faith office" to protect religious liberty and a DOJ task force to combat anti-Christian discrimination, but his immigration policy leaves foreign Christians facing persecution without a way to escape to the US. David Bier explains.

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Perttu v. Richards

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 12:00:00 GMT

When a prisoner accuses a prison official of sexual abuse, what do courts owe him? In Perttu v. Richards, the Supreme Court will weigh in. Cato's Mike Fox comments.

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Ending the Inflation Reduction Act Could Save Trillions in Handouts

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 07:00:00 GMT

The Inflation Reduction Act didn't do much to stem inflation, but it did commit taxpayers to decades of special handouts for preferred technologies. Cato's Travis Fisher and Joshua Loucks discuss their new paper describing the budgetary impact.

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Capping Credit Card Interest Is Another Bad Idea That Won't Die

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:35:33 GMT

Capping credit card interest would punish less creditworthy people and breed new life into the ranks of more unsavory lenders. Nick Anthony and Norbert Michel comment on the new proposal from Senators Sanders and Hawley.

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Trade, Tariffs, and Our Big Spending Congress

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:15:13 GMT

The tariff policies preferred by President Trump will be a "disaster" for the United States according to Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. We discussed trade, tariffs, and his hope to make spending cuts identified by DOGE permanent.

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Federal Spending Today: Budget Gimmicks and Increasing Debt

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

The feds spend too much. It doesn't appear the Republican-controlled U.S. House is doing much about it. Romina Boccia explains.

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The White House's Confused & Chilling Message on AI Regulation

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

In Europe, Vice President J.D. Vance issued speech-threatening and trade-restricting demands for future American AI systems. Matt Mittlesteadt comments.

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Corporate Welfare in the Federal Budget

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:00:00 GMT

“Corporate welfare” programs burden taxpayers and undermine economic growth. Chris Edwards has identified $181-billion in these useless subsidies.

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The Federal Trade Commission Gears up to Punish Tech Platforms

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 18:55:06 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission appears to be preparing multiple lines of attack against the autonomy of big tech firms in the name of cracking down on content moderation. Why? David Inserra and Jenniffer Huddleston comments.

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In Asking for New Federal Scrutiny of Civil Society Groups, Is HUAC Back?

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 20:58:29 GMT

The House Un-American Activities Committee marks a dark chapter for Congress. In targeting some advocacy groups for scrutiny, is HUAC making a comeback? Patrick Eddington comments.

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Modern Libertarianism

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 20:59:39 GMT

In Modern Libertarianism, the new book from Libertarianism.org, Brian Doherty details the people and groups that defined libertarian thinking and advocacy in the 20th century.

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How Deporting Immigrants Harms American Workers

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:33:42 GMT

The popular narrative that American workers' job prospects improve when illegal immigrants are deported deserves more scrutiny. Scott Lincicome explains.

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Your Body, Their Rules

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 20:46:42 GMT

When police lean on medical professionals to violate their oaths, there is good news about how seriously those professionals take that pledge. Jeff Singer and Mike Fox comment.

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Government Racial Categories Are (at Best) Pointless

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 22:05:22 GMT

There are many examples of governments using racial categories in nefarious ways, and the upside for cataloging people by race seems vanishingly small. Cato's John Early explains.

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Questions about Trump's Second Amendment Executive Order

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 03:09:13 GMT

Patrick Eddington details some of the missed opportunities and looming issues relating to President Trump's executive order on firearms.

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Texas Top Cop Shop, Inc. v. Garland

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 21:39:47 GMT

The feds want millions of businesses and other corporations to turn over sensitive information so they can snoop for evidence of crimes. It’s an affront to financial privacy, anonymous association, and other liberties. The requirement is laid out in the Corporate Transparency Act, now the subject of litgation at the Fifth Circuit. Caleb Kruckenberg represents the Texas Top Cop Shop and others in the case.

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Fentanyl Smugglers Don't Care about Your Stinkin' Laws

Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:17:43 GMT

Lawmakers wouldn't truly change current federal fentanyl policy with the HALT Fentanyl Act; they'd simply continue a framework that has failed over the past seven years to stop sellers of illicit fentanyl from meeting market demand. Jeff Singer explains.

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Immigrants Still Use Less Welfare

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 18:11:56 GMT

Immigrants consumed 21 percent less welfare and entitlement benefits than native-born Americans on a per capita basis in 2022. Alex Nowrasteh explains why in a new paper.

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To Shrink Government, DOGE Needs Congress

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

The Department of Government Efficency, such as it is, can't really do much to cut government without Congressional approval. Gene Healy discusses what a more serious approach to spending and regulatory reform will have to entail.

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The Good and Bad of Trump's Education Executive Orders

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 21:50:14 GMT

Some of what is implicated by President Trump's executive orders in the realm of education simply can't happen without Congress. Neal McCluskey breaks down what's in them.

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Considerations for the Near-Term Future of 'Debanking'

Thu, 13 Feb 2025 22:01:52 GMT

It's hard to function without a bank account, which is why "debanking" disfavored people and groups works so well. Nicholas Anthony explains how the feds encourage it, and how it can be used to punish ideological opponents.

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Tariffs, North American Carmakers, and EV Handouts

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 22:20:25 GMT

The long and winding supply chains inherent in auto manufacturing face signifcant threats from presidentially imposed tariffs. Reporter Christopher Otts at The Wall Street Journal discusses the impact on car prices and manufacturers decisions.

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Where Is State-Level Leadership on Housing Reform?

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 22:38:41 GMT

The American housing crunch demands some state-level legislative reform. Christian Britschgi of Reason identifies a few bright spots in state efforts to get government out of the way of housing creation.

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Tariff Threats and Real-World Impacts

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 20:28:41 GMT

Even the credible threat of a tariff can make businesses rethink their currently profitable trading relationships. Brian Albrecht of the International Center for Law & Economics evaluates the current tariff threats and how it may impact business decisions.

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When Sex Work Is Treated Like Sex Trafficking

Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:09:05 GMT

The difference between prostitution and sex trafficking should be clear, but thinking among law enforcement and lawmakers seems to blur the distinction at every turn. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason details the implications of Commonwealth v. Garafalo, a case in Massachusetts that may ultimately define all sex work as sex trafficking.

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EPA and the Coming Water Fluoridation Fight

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 19:57:52 GMT

The EPA routinely uses punitive regulation on local water systems, and the costs are sometimes crippling for local governments. The benefits are less than clear. The Manhattan Institute's Judge Glock makes a case for ending federal control over municipal water systems just as a new fight over water fluoridation is set to emerge.

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Trump's Open Disrespect for Law Could Be a Calculated Gamble

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

The White House is asserting the ability to defy longstanding legal and constitutional rules. It's almost certainly not an accident. Walter Olson comments.

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What Congress Can Do for Financial Privacy, Innovation, and Freedom

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Financial regulation comes in many forms, and freeing Americans from the most pernicious ones should be a high priority for Congress. Jennifer Schulp and Norbert Michel explain where to start.

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Would Wider Access to GLP-1s Throttle Addiction?

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Drugs like Ozempic show potential to help those with addiction with little downside risk. How quickly can their availability be expanded? Nicholas Reville of CASPR makes his case.

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Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

What does a Christian theology consistent with liberal values and institutions look like? Jonathan Rauch suggests something has gone wrong in communities of faith in the US, and hopes for a reckoning in Cross Purposes: Christianity's Broken Bargain with Democracy.

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Libertarianism Oversimplified?

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

If you are a libertarian, odds are good that you started with a particular writer or thinker. Political philosopher Matt Zwolinski suggests you read more broadly before committing yourself to one particular vision for libertarian society.

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Facebook, Content Moderation, and Federal Jawboning

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 22:20:54 GMT

Did Facebook roll over for the Trump administration? Content moderation at scale is incredibly difficult, and the company will be criticized no matter what it does. David Inserra and John Samples discuss the state of play.

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Making Legal Immigration More Difficult Is Part of the Trump Agenda

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 20:41:10 GMT

Republicans often talk tough when it comes to illegal immigration, but dramatically reducing legal immigration is key to the Trump agenda, and that fact makes the oft-repeated "just immigrate legally" canard fall apart. David Bier explains.

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What's the Best Way to End the Department of Education?

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 08:00:00 GMT

There are multiple ways to end the Department of Education. The method chosen matters. Neal McCluskey explains why.

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Trump Trade Tactics against Canada and Greenland

Thu, 23 Jan 2025 21:08:00 GMT

Are Trump threats aimed at Canada and Denmark (over Greenland) anything more than bluster? Cato's Doug Bandow and Clark Packard talk about the implications for trade and foreign relations.

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The Pardon Power's Importance amid Presidential Abuses

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:38:47 GMT

US Presidents past and present have abused the constitutional pardon power, but the abuses of that power in just the last week by Presidents Biden and Trump should get special scrutiny. Clark Neily explains.

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Assessing the Nuclear Triad

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 20:03:16 GMT

The three delivery systems for nuclear weapons deserve a reassessment. Eric Gomez explains.

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Should the US Scrap the Presidency?

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:47:33 GMT

Should the US presidency be replaced with a prime minister? Adam Gurri of Liberal Currents entertains the idea.

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Supreme Court Allows TikTok Divest-or-Ban Order to Proceed

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:46:07 GMT

The Supreme Court today said it will allow a federal order for TikTok to end its availability in the US. Cato’s Tommy Berry and David Inserra evaluate the court's opinion and detail possible repercussions for tech and free speech.

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The Policy Choices that Make California Wildfires More Devastating

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:11:51 GMT

California wildfires are not yet fully contained, and the policy choices that led to the death and destruction deserve examination. Cato's Ryan Bourne and Steve Slivinski break down how California can improve as it rebuilds.

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Tiktok Users Await Looming US Ban; SCOTUS May Intervene

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 19:48:37 GMT

The divest-or-ban order deadline for the social media app, TikTok, is just days away. SCOTUS may weigh in at any time. Jennifer Huddleston and Tommy Berry evaluate the oral argument.

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Opportunities for State Policymakers in 2025

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:11:28 GMT

As state legislatures get back to work, where are the best opportunities for getting government out of the way of civil society? Steve Slivinski has a rundown.

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"Dark Money" and Election Outcomes

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 21:04:06 GMT

Will spending by 'dark money' groups face more restrictions from Congress? Luke Wachob of People United for Privacy believes it may depend on how politically threatened incumbents feel by that kind of speech.

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Small Entrepreneurs Left Behind by the Accredited Investor Rule

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 20:52:11 GMT

Your lack of wealth shouldn't limit your investment options, but the SEC has for decades actively prevented lower-wealth Americans from making certain investments. Nick Morgan of the Investor Choice Advocates Network and Cato's Jennifer Schulp explain.

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Housing, Building Codes, and State-Level Reform

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 19:03:42 GMT

The housing market needs less government intervention, both in terms of zoning and building codes that add enormously to construction costs. Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center comments.

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Trump, His 'Enemies List,' and the Next Four Years Federal Law Enforcement

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:37:03 GMT

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump said that his political rivals should be prosecuted. Now, his appointees will head the Justice Department and other federal law enforcement agencies. Clark Neily discusses the potential turnabout in the use of federal law enforcement’s coercive tactics.

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The Corporate Transparency Act Compels Americans to Incriminate Themselves

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 21:50:34 GMT

A little-noted federal law – currently on hold – dramatically expands government surveillance of millions of Americans by requiring tens of millions of businesses to collect and send specific data about the businesses' beneficiaries. Jennifer Schulp and Brent Skorup comment.

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Revisiting The Constitution of Liberty

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:18:34 GMT

Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty is worth revisiting in part because of its call for a liberalism that takes seriously the contributions of fields well beyond economics. Paul Meany explains why that's important.

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Common Law Liberalism: A New Theory of the Libertarian Society

Thu, 02 Jan 2025 20:55:21 GMT

John Hasnas says the common law has a lot to recommend it over lawmaker legislating. He makes his case in Common Law Liberalism: A New Theory of the Libertarian Society.

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Wildfire Risks and Mitigation

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:00:00 GMT

Who controls currently federal lands can tell us quite a bit about how wildfire risks are likely to be managed. Hannah Down of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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State Preemption, Zoning, and "Local" Control

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 03:52:55 GMT

What's the middle ground between local zoning tyrannies and state preemption? Mark Miller of the Pacific Legal Foundation discusses ways to expand housing production amid restrictionist local zoning.

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Is the War on Flavored Vapes in Its Final Stretch?

Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:07:43 GMT

Flavored e-cigarettes are a popular whipping boy for would-be regulators. Jeff Singer explains why it's terrible policy to punish would-be former smokers.

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Renewing Small Towns with Zoning Reform

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Downtowns built 100 years ago are still viable, so why are they so hard to build today? Andrew Cline is president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy. We talked about what's instructive about the changes in New Hampshire's zoning rules that have left so many towns unable to renew themselves.

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Nowhere to Live: The Hidden Story of America's Housing Crisis

Thu, 19 Dec 2024 20:56:09 GMT

The history of government control over how and where people live is told in Nowhere to Live: The Hidden Story of America's Housing Crisis. Jim Burling is the book's author.

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What Policy Questions Are Too Big for State Executive Agencies?

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 21:57:20 GMT

The major questions doctrine from the Supreme Court places some limits on the kinds of questions the executive branch can handle alone. Are there similar "too large" delegations at the state level? Adi Dynar of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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The Human Freedom Index 2024: A Decade of Tracking Human Freedom Across the Globe

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 14:07:45 GMT

The Human Freedom Index is now in its tenth year. What have we learned about the state of and trends in human freedom? Author Ian Vasquez explains.

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State Powers vs. Central Bank Digital Currency

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 21:05:47 GMT

How would states respond to the threat posed by central bank digital currency? Niklas Kleinworth of the Idaho Freedom Foundation has considered how states have and should respond to the looming possibility of a federal CBDC.

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How Will the New Regulatory Landscape Change Congress?

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 21:17:17 GMT

Federal courts won't be deferring to federal agencies as often going forward. How does that change Congress's need for expertise when legislating? Joe Luppino-Esposito of the Pacific Legal Foundation has a few ideas.

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Cato Identifies Trillions in Spending Cuts for DOGE

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 19:21:16 GMT

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been tasked with identifying regulatory and spending reforms to shrink government. The new report for the informal agency from the Cato Institute identifies trillions in spending cuts and other reforms. Cato’s Alex Nowrasteh and Ryan Bourne detail the substantial spending and regulatory cuts.

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Certificate of Need Laws and Pandemic Response

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 23:07:51 GMT

States with certificate of need laws, where incumbent firms get to shut down their would-be competitors' plans, had more difficulties handling the pandemic. Jaimie Cavanaugh of the Pacific Legal Foundation explains.

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Licensing Would Reduce Access to Lactation Support Services

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 20:28:22 GMT

Evidence suggests breastfeeding protects babies against short- and long-term health problems, so why license those who would help women do it? Cato's Jeff Singer and coauthor Sofia Hamilton discuss their new paper.

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The Work Yet to Be Done to Free Workers from State Licensing

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 20:28:51 GMT

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Decarbonizing the Grid Means Accepting Tradeoffs

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

It's hard to take seriously a push for decarbonization that doesn't involve nuclear power and yet might impose large personal costs on individual consumers. Jason Hayes of the Mackinac Center details some of the tradeoffs involved in changing energy markets with an eye toward reducing carbon emissions.

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Understanding the FCC's Massive Power to Punish and Promote Speech

Thu, 05 Dec 2024 18:09:36 GMT

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US Continues Making Troubling Promises to Ukraine

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 20:55:46 GMT

The US has given the green light for Ukraine strike targets deep into Russia with US weapons. Eric Gomez comments on that and other big shifts in Russia's war on Ukraine ahead of the US transfer of executive power.

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Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 19:21:54 GMT

Dr. Marty Makary has been nominated to head the Food and Drug Administration. In October, he sat down with Cato's Jeff Singer to discuss his new book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health.

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Threats to Donor Privacy Persist

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 21:31:55 GMT

Whether you're a generous supporter of the Cato Institute or any other nonprofit, make no mistake: Threats to donor privacy and tax-advantaged giving are still out there, and are largely politically motivated. Luke Wachob and Peter Lipsett explain.

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War with Mexico over Fentanyl Would Be Disastrous

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 08:00:00 GMT

Concerns over fentanyl imports are leading some in Congress to call for an actual invasion of Mexico with the US military. Brandan Buck explains why a fresh war with a next-door neighbor continues to be a terrible idea.

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A Fresh Challenge to Government-Run Theft (Civil Forfeiture)

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:06:37 GMT

When the FBI searched hundreds of safe deposit boxes, they kept the contents of safes containing more than $5000 in cash or valuables. A challenge is now in federal circuit court in Washington, DC. Tommy Berry explains what the court should do.

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Federal Regulation and the 'Department' of Government Efficiency (DOGE)

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 20:37:28 GMT

How much should we expect in terms of enhanced liberty and savings for taxpayers from the "Department" of Government Efficiency? Cato's Tom Firey and the Pacific Legal Foundation's Willie Yeatman break down some elements of the challenge.

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Will the New FCC Meddle More or Less?

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:00:40 GMT

The next Trump Administration will feature a new head of the FCC, Brendan Carr. He's said he stands on the side of the First Amendment when it comes to some FCC roles, but also views many tech firms as central to a "censorship cartel." Cato’s Jennifer Huddleston and Brent Skorup comment.

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The Conductor: The Story of Rev. John Rankin, Abolitionism's Essential Founding Father

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 22:49:42 GMT

A key figure in the end of slavery in America has never been treated to proper biography until now. Caleb Franz is author of The Conductor: The Story of Rev. John Rankin, Abolitionism's Essential Founding Father.

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Trump Nominees Need Senate Appraisal, not Senate Abdication

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 08:00:00 GMT

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Some Cold Economics on the Biden Plan to Expand Nuclear Power

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 20:27:57 GMT

The economics of nuclear power should signal that Biden's late-term commitment to its expansion doesn't mean a whole lot, at least not for a few decades. David Kemp comments.

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The Worst Argument for CBDCs

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 14:04:15 GMT

Central bank digital currency will be a looming threat for some time to come, and arguments in their favor often depend on your ignorance of the power of the technology. Will Luther and Nick Anthony explain.

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Tales of Illuminatus! for Conspiratorial Times

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 18:13:31 GMT

The sci-fi classic The Illuminatus! Trilogy is well-suited to our current moment of widespread, mindbending conspiracy theories with real-world impacts. Bobby Campbell is heading up a comic book adaptation of that series.

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Yes, End the Department of Education

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 18:58:02 GMT

Though ending the Department of Education is a good idea, even fans of school choice ought to be wary of President-elect Trump's plan to nationalize school choice. Neal McCluskey explains why.

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The Social Security Trust Fund and Other Fictions

Wed, 13 Nov 2024 21:47:36 GMT

No, it's not real. The Social Security trust fund is a gimmick. And if it were real, it would be full of IOUs. Romina Boccia lays to rest several fictions surrounding Social Security.

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RFK Jr., #MAHA, and Public Health

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:12:02 GMT

Robert Kennedy Jr. may carry significant influence in public health policy in the near term. Even if he seems to recognize a few big problems inherent to federal policymaking, many of his most prominent ideas are seriously misguided. Jeff Singer comments.

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The State-Run Corporate Handouts That Help Politicians and Harm Taxpayers

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 17:32:12 GMT

State governments regularly engage in corporate handouts to boost their electability. The evidence that they're good for taxpayers is still weak. John Mozena of the Center for Economic Accountability and Cato’s Steve Slivinski comment.

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The Voters and Issues That Returned Trump to the White House

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 17:41:39 GMT

Immigration and inflation loomed large in the race for the White House. Emily Ekins details the what changed since 2020.

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Ballot Issues in 2024

Thu, 07 Nov 2024 21:06:29 GMT

Americans voted on more than just a contentious Presidential fight. Ranked-choice voting, labor reform, and drugs were among the issues decided. Walter Olson details a few of them.

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Trump Again

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 22:51:33 GMT

For freedom-enhancing policy, a second Trump term provides obvious, large downsides and risks, but there are likely policy upsides to a second Trump term. Alex Nowrasteh explains what Donald Trump might do in his now-secured second term.

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'Shaken Baby Syndrome' and the Death Penalty in Texas

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:50:40 GMT

A man currently on death row in Texas is probably innocent, and it’s taken more effort than you might hope to get his case re-examined. Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison comments on the legislature’s temporary delay to Robert Roberson’s execution.

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A Better Way to Pick Judges?

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 14:11:25 GMT

The work of judges is often opaque to the public and poorly understood generally, and yet voters are regularly expected to vote on them. Clint Bolick of the Arizona Supreme Court makes his case for a better way.

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Antitrust Policy under Harris or Trump

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:39:53 GMT

The Biden administration's FTC has earned the ire of many who support a more freewheeling business sector. Would a Harris administration maintain that skepticism toward big business? Or are those ideas about punishing big companies more suited to Team Trump? Jennifer Huddleston comments.

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The State of the IVF Debate

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Public machinations over in vitro fertilization have stepped up since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, including a high-profile endorsement of federal subsidies from presidential candidate Donald Trump. Vanessa Brown Calder says that plan is wrongheaded and provides some context.

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Anarchy, State, and Utopia at 50

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:14:40 GMT

Robert Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia is 50. Professor Eric Mack discusses its relevance today.

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Rising Tripwires in the Fight over Ukraine

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 17:17:00 GMT

The introduction of soldiers from both North and South Korea in Russia's assault on Ukraine poses significant risks for the US. Cato's Doug Bandow explains.

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The Presidential Abuse of (Delegated) Tariff Powers

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 18:39:06 GMT

Congress has broadly delegated its tariff powers to the president. There is a real risk that the legislative and judicial branches would not check a future president’s abuse of US trade law as currently written. Cato's Clark Packard provides details.

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The US Should Welcome 'Digital Nomads'

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 14:52:16 GMT

Digital nomads are people who can do their work from anywhere and regularly do. Unclear rules governing foreigners working in the US make our country relatively less welcoming to these travelers. David Bier explains.

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We Need to Talk about the Federal Funds Rate

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:57:05 GMT

The Federal Reserve directly controls a rate that for a long time drove interest rates. Does it still work that way? Cato's Jai Kedia looked at the evidence.

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US Policy and China's Military Dance Surrounding Taiwan

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 07:00:22 GMT

China's irregular military exercises around Taiwan express Beijing's displeasure with Taiwanese leadership, so how seriously should the US take those demonstrations? Eric Gomez comments.

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A Paradox of Protectionism

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 19:49:15 GMT

Protectionist measures like tariffs often harm the very firms and people they're supposed to help. Paul Best explains in a new piece in Free Society.

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Christian Nationalism Then and Now

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 21:10:30 GMT

Paul Matzko discusses some of the long history of American-style mashups of faith traditions and the direction of government.

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Education Entrepreneurs Ramping Up

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 21:13:44 GMT

Education entrepreneurship has grown dramatically since the pandemic. Kerry McDonald details how to protect these innovative learning environments from regulators.

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Taking Back Congressional Power over Tariffs and Trade

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 13:56:08 GMT

The freedom to trade is morally good. Congress has sadly delegated many of its powers over trade to the White House. That poses particular risks today. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) discusses his efforts at reclaiming legislative power over trade.

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Dispelling the Fear and Loathing over Ranked-Choice Voting

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 16:40:06 GMT

As many voters will consider changes to voting processes, what does recent experience tell us about ranked-choice voting? Walter Olson explains.

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Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2024

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 07:00:00 GMT

How did your governor perform on various fiscal policy metrics? Cato's Chris Edwards details the Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors 2024.

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Courts Grappling with Realities of Retaliatory Arrests

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 19:27:32 GMT

What makes an arrest retaliatory and what evidence ought to be up for consideration when courts decide if an arrest was, in fact, a retaliation? Thanks in part to a clarifying decision from the Supreme Court earlier this year, courts now must grapple more seriously with that question. Patrick Jaicomo of the Institute for Justice offers his thoughts.

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The Great American Homeschooling Surge

Fri, 11 Oct 2024 19:46:37 GMT

Homeschooling has been having a moment that seems to have been going on for a few years. Angela Watson of Homeschool Hub and Cato's Colleen Hroncich discuss the implications.

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A Bigger Government Means Giving Up Almost Half Your Paycheck

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 13:21:19 GMT

In the absence of significant reforms, Americans should be prepared for a future that looks more like the European tax system. Adam Michel discusses what that would mean in a new Cato paper.

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When State Executive Agencies Take You to Their Own 'Court'

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 20:04:50 GMT

Federal agencies can haul you into their own court-like rooms and delay your day in a real court. State agencies often do the same. This isn't how it ought to be. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation discusses how state officials avoid making their arguments in real courts.

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Financing Opportunity: How Financial Markets Have Fueled American Prosperity for More than Two Centuries

Tue, 08 Oct 2024 20:28:26 GMT

America's financial system is inseparable from America's enormous growth, productivity, and prosperity. Many myths about financial markets persist. Norbert Michel and Jennifer Schulp detail the many critical benefits of robust financial markets in Financing Opportunity.

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Hayek's Nobel at 50

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:38:02 GMT

F.A. Hayek's contributions to economics are hard to overstate. This week marks fifty years since Hayek became a Nobel Laureate for that work. Economists Peter Boettke and Bruce Caldwell detail some of Hayek's enduring contributions.

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These Candidates Have Terrible Views on Freedom of Speech

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 19:04:42 GMT

Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz seems to have a poor understanding of what the First Amendment protects. Donald Trump pledges to use the Department of Justice to punish Google over the presentation of negative news stories about him. Cato's Brent Skorup and Nico Perrino of FIRE detail the candidates' troubling views.

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Harris and Trump Have No Plans to Substantially Liberate Health Care

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 19:25:41 GMT

Federal health programs contribute to massive and unsustainable government overspending. Government control of most health care dollars continues apace. Neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris has a plan to fix it. Michael Cannon explains.

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Buckeye v. IRS

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 20:28:33 GMT

Ohio's Buckeye Institute is challenging the IRS practice of collecting and storing information on major donors to American nonprofits. Buckeye president Robert Alt explains why the case matters.

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Reforming State and Local Economic Development Subsidies

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 20:42:38 GMT

Offering subsidies is how many states show interest in bringing in a new business enterprise and states regularly try to offer more than other states can, but it doesn't have to be that way. Marc Joffe explains how states can get out of the trap of playing the subsidies game against their neighbors.

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Could We Have Better Presidential Debates?

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 14:54:42 GMT

A few changes might make for broadly better political debates, especially debates among presidential candidates. Erec Smith makes his case.

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How States Might Address the 'Squatter or Trespasser' Problem

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 19:49:02 GMT

Squatters pose a challenge for property owners, law enforcement, and state legislatures. Kyle Sweetland of the Pacific Legal Foundation offers some ways for states to address the issue to give owners more control over their property.

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Where Are the Rooming Houses?

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 19:17:43 GMT

An old and common law on many cities' books was meant to crack down on houses of prostitution. Today those same laws are used to effectively ban boarding houses or college student housing. Deirdre McCloskey and Art Carden tell the tale.

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The Search for Accountability for Warrantless Surveillance

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 20:22:37 GMT

Cato's Patrick Eddington details what he's learned about how intelligence agencies handle requests for information about their own internal accountability measures.

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Don't Get Your Hopes Up for a New Iran Nuclear Deal

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 19:14:26 GMT

Discussions about renewing or adopting something like the JCPOA to slow Iran's advance toward nuclear weapons should be tempered by the evidence. Justin Logan believes it's a dead letter.

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Trump Pitches Voters on a Price Control for Credit Card Interest

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 20:14:30 GMT

When the government sets the allowable interest rate on credit cards, that's a straightforward price control. Nick Anthony explains why Donald Trump's recent proposal to limit credit card interest would be disastrous.

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A New Chapter in Mexico's Hard Turn against Liberalism

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 20:11:22 GMT

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has continued his largely successful push to centralize power in Mexico under him. Cato's Ian Vasquez says the turn away from markets and freedom will bring dire results for average people.

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Shifting Views on Religious Education and School Choice

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 21:05:57 GMT

The legal landscape for parents seeking religious education for their children has become friendlier, thanks in large part to court rulings relating to school choice and religious discrimination. Neal McCluskey details where things stand now.

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TikTok Divest-or-Ban Law Goes to Court

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 18:48:46 GMT

A new law challenging TikTok's presence in the US went before a federal court this week. Cato's Jennifer Huddleston and Tommy Berry detail the arguments presented.

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Defending Financial Privacy Matters More than Ever

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 19:30:43 GMT

At the Cato Institute's conference on financial privacy, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) discussed the civil liberties implications of pervasive financial surveillance of Americans among other issues with Cato's Jennifer Schulp.

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When the Fed Hates Your Financial Innovation

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:09:44 GMT

When the Federal Reserve uses a ministerial task to punish financial innovation, what's a bank to do? Take them to court, for one. Caitlin Long is CEO of Custodia Bank. She and Cato's Jack Solowey detail how and why the Fed is cracking down on innovators.

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Oprah Joins the AI Conversation

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In evaluating the potential outcomes of the expansion of AI, the natural tendency is to downplay the benefits and highlight the risks. Oprah Winfrey recently jumped into the conversation. Jennifer Huddleston comments.

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Does Fighting Corporate ESG Mean Ending Private Environmental Efforts?

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:11:08 GMT

Protecting our earthly environment is a worthy task, so why do many conservatives seem to believe that the private sector should have a severely limited role? Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center offers his take.

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Future MDMA Treatment Following FDA's Rejection

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 16:03:06 GMT

The FDA's rejection of MDMA as a treatment may well be a short-term setback for legally helping people with PTSD and other disorders. Mason Marks of Harvard Law School’s Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy offers his assessment.

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How Is Free Speech Doing at American Colleges?

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 18:42:27 GMT

After months of protest, counterprotest, and administrative overreaction over the last school year, the protection of free speech on college campuses seems less certain than ever. Angela Erickson of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression discusses their new College Free Speech Rankings.

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The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 18:40:48 GMT

In The Islamic Moses, Mustafa Akyol provides a theological and historical exploration of the connection between Islam and Judaism through the single most-mentioned character in the Quran.

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Freedom Conservatives in 2024

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 16:50:23 GMT

What will/should conservatism look like after this election year? John Hood of the John William Pope Foundation comments.

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Economic Growth Is (Still) Underappreciated

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:16:43 GMT

The "degrowth" movement has many adherents, so it's worth emphasizing the manifold benefits of economic growth to the lives of humans across the globe. Justin Callais of the Archbridge Institute explains.

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X (and More) Banned in Brazil

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 13:20:22 GMT

What appears to have started as a judge's request to have critical content removed from X (Twitter) has escalated into the country's highest court banning the service altogether. Cato’s David Inserra discusses how the US should respond.

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Hard Data on States That Impose Big Regulatory Burdens

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Getting a handle on the state-level regulatory burdens can identify inexpensive ways for states to step away from useless intervention. Patrick McLaughlin of the Mercatus Center details a new index aimed at that task.

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Illegal Public Sector Electioneering against School Choice?

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Fights over whether states should give parents a broader range of education options don't get much more pointed than public school officials leveraging state resources to advocate against public questions. Jacob Huebert of the Liberty Justice Center details two current cases of that kind of electioneering.

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Prescribing Psychologists and Access to Care

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

What should we expect from the state-level advance of prescribing psychologists, non-physicians who are able to prescribe certain medications? Jeff Singer says their potential for helping patients is strong.

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Harris's Price-Control Free Plan to Control Grocery Store Prices

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

It's still just a wisp of an idea, but Kamala Harris's plan to ban so-called "corporate price gouging" assumes a lot (wrongly) about how grocery stores operate. Scott Lincicome offers his thoughts.

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Parental Empowerment in Education Works for West Virginia

Wed, 28 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Parents in West Virginia have new education options thanks to the Hope Scholarship. It's also dramatically expanded education entrepreneurship in the state. Jessi Troyan of the Cardinal Institute explains what it means for other efforts to broaden the range of choices available to families.

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The Parallel Handouts from Trump and Harris Campaigns

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 19:10:49 GMT

A large child tax credit is among a handful of remarkably similar campaign pledges from the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Vanessa Brown Calder offers some analysis.

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Police and Prosecutor Misconduct Protections and A Possible Path Forward

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:44:23 GMT

At Cato University earlier this month, journalist Radley Balko discussed a range of ways that public sector officials, particularly police and prosecutors, are largely able to escape accountability for misconduct. He offers at least one way to evaluate certain incidents to prevent tragic outcomes for Americans going forward.

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Federal Reserve Commitment to a Rule and Credible Monetary Policy

Sat, 24 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Federal Reserve, when committed to a policy rule, could enhance its own institutional credibility while giving Congress a means to hold the central bank more accountable. Jai Kedia explains.

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Threats to Free Speech (Still) Abound

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 20:17:00 GMT

From Tim Walz misunderstanding what the First Amendment protects to European regulators trying to squelch speech on American platforms, the threats to free speech are numerous. David Inserra comments.

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Ukraine's Moves in Russia Should Mean More Cautious US Policy

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 20:09:22 GMT

The US ought to take a step back from the war in Ukraine. Doug Bandow explains why.

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Candidates Should Stop Pushing Special Tax Carveouts

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 14:28:13 GMT

Presidential candidates Harris and Trump both seem amenable to special tax benefits for their favored groups of voters, be they tipped workers or recipients of Social Security benefits. Is that good tax policy? Adam Michel explains.

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Does Expanding Educational Freedom Hammer State Budgets?

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 21:38:14 GMT

Giving parents a wider variety of choices for their own kids means disrupting existing institutional power. But does enhancing parental choice in education "blow a hole" in state budgets? Cato’s Neal McCluskey evaluates the case of Arizona.

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Americans Seem Fine with Protectionism as Long as It's Costless

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 20:47:30 GMT

New polling from the Cato Institute asks Americans to weigh their preferences for Buy American policies against the very real likelihood that protectionism will hit them in their pocketbooks. Scott Lincicome and Emily Ekins detail the results.

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Google and What Makes a Monopoly

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 20:19:34 GMT

What makes a monopoly depends on who you ask and what’s being monopolized. In the case of Google, it's a narrow focus on one element of its business: search. Jennifer Huddleston details how a court concluded that Google, despite its many competitors, is still a search monopolist.

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Is 2024 a Crypto Election?

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 21:15:03 GMT

How have candidates navigated the thorny politics of cryptocurrency? Nicholas Anthony discusses how crypto crept into the 2024 election.

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Prospects for Immigration Reform amid Declining Public Support

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 19:45:23 GMT

Public support for fostering robust legal immigration has taken a dramatic negative turn. What's likely under a Trump or Harris administration on immigration? David Bier comments.

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Candidates Harris and Trump on Tech Policy

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 16:58:45 GMT

Does a former U.S. Senator from the Bay Area have more than the usual sympathy for tech firms fearing the heavy hand of federal regulators? Cato's Jennifer Huddleston evaluates candidates Trump and Harris on tech policy and regulation.

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State of Emergency: An Economic Analysis

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 21:06:47 GMT

Many states declared states of emergency during the recent pandemic, and those declarations conferred fresh powers to the executive branch. What do those powers do in terms of saving lives? Christian Bjørnskov is coauthor of State of Emergency: An Economic Analysis.

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Project 2025, the GOP, and Trump on Education

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 18:24:13 GMT

Project 2025 has effectively become an epithet for many Democrats. The project was aimed at providing the next administration with a roadmap for reform in a wide variety of areas, some more controversial than others. Neal McCluskey offers a couple cheers aimed at the education portion of the document.

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Helping Parents Navigate the New School Choice Landscape

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 19:29:14 GMT

When parents have choices to make in education, it's an opportunity for parents to engage with what schools are offering. Colleen Hroncich and Jamie Buckland detail how states should proceed with helping those parents navigate the new landscape.

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The Housing Crisis and Looming Federal Intervention

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 15:09:18 GMT

Large increases in home prices mean both home appreciation and closing off housing options for would-be buyers. Housing researcher Nolan Gray discusses a range of federal options for removing some state and local regulatory barriers to new housing.

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Trump and Harris Aren’t Free Traders

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 21:45:06 GMT

Neither Donald Trump nor Kamala Harris will make a full-throated defense of the freedom to trade, and both would use trade restrictions to score points or compel Americans' behavior. Scott Lincicome discusses their policy preferences.

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Past and Present Efforts to Obscure Presidential Health Problems

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 20:29:28 GMT

It is no small matter to attempt to hide a physical or mental infirmity in the President of the United States. The ramifications could be severe. Walter Olson discusses considerations in any attempt to insert some transparency into what the public and Congress should know about the chief executive’s wellbeing.

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Trump and Harris on Energy Policy

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 20:12:40 GMT

Cato's Travis Fisher walks us through the record and pronouncements of candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris on critical energy issues.

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Joe Biden's Departure and the Unserious Challenges to State Electoral Deadlines

Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:07:23 GMT

Republicans seem so concerned about Joe Biden's departure from the presidential race that some groups have threatened litigation over any Biden replacement on Americans' ballots. Walter Olson comments.

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Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth

Tue, 23 Jul 2024 18:44:39 GMT

Why have five or more children? Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Pakaluk details the stories and reasoning of dozens of women who have gone well beyond replacement-level fertility.

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J.D. Vance on Immigration

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 21:50:28 GMT

Donald Trump's running mate this time around is a consistent opponent of immigration and doesn't draw the typical – and reasonable - distinctions between legal and illegal immigrants. David Bier comments.

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Free Trade in the Name of National Security

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Protectionism is frequently justified on national security grounds, but there are strong reasons to liberalize trade in the name of American security, as well. Colin Grabow explains.

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The Ever-Expanding Definition of 'Public Health'

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 17:03:06 GMT

The One Weird Trick of public health advocacy seems to be to define as much as possible as a public health concern to justify massive intervention into the lives of Americans. Jeff Singer explains.

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Two Problems That Vanish with the End of Cannabis Prohibition

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:43:04 GMT

Most Americans have access to either medical or recreational cannabis, but prohibition at the federal level persists, and that prohibition keeps in place at least two big problems. Paul Best explains.

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Regulating AI and Free Expression

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 01:20:00 GMT

David Inserra says looming regulation of artificial intelligence has huge implications for the future of free expression.

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Social Security Still Poses Massive Fiscal Risks

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 22:29:10 GMT

The fiscal picture for the federal government is increasingly dire. Social Security’s worsening finances figure prominently in that story. Cato's Romina Boccia and Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute tell the tale.

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What about the Feds’ Junk Fees?

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 21:34:31 GMT

The federal government has its own problematic junk fees, according to Cato's Nick Anthony.

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More Thoughts on Trump v. United States

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

It's hard to get a handle on the breadth of protections handed to current and future presidents in Trump v. United States. Cato's Walter Olson says much of the immunity from prosecution handed to these heads of state is wholly invented by SCOTUS.

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The NetChoice Cases Deliver Win for Freedom of Speech

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 14:10:08 GMT

State laws seeking to compel social media companies to allow certain content or people on their platforms failed to pass muster at the Supreme Court. Jennifer Huddleston evaluates what's next.

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'Jawboning' and Murthy v. Missouri

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 18:52:03 GMT

In Murthy v. Missouri, the Supreme Court clarified the evidence that would be required to prove government coercion with respect to online speech platforms. Cato's Walter Olson and Brent Skorup discuss the case.

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Adjudicating Federal Agency Claims after Jarkesy

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 19:41:21 GMT

The Supreme Court's Jarkesy decision will mean more cases brought federal agencies will end up in court instead of the court-like rooms inside the agencies themselves. Will Yeatman of the Pacific Legal Foundation and Cato’s Jennifer Schulp explain the importance of the change.

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Initial Thoughts on Trump v. United States

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 19:01:20 GMT

The Supreme Court's decision giving absolute immunity to the President of the United States from prosecution for certain actions raises as many questions as it answers. Cato’s Clark Neily offers some initial thoughts.

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America's Birth Certificate in Context

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in human history. Cato's Roger Pilon details the philosophical underpinning of America's Birth Certificate.

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Examining the Evidence on Immigrant Crime

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Texas collects data on the immigration status of those accused of crimes in the state. What it tells us about the crime rates of immigrants versus native-born Americans is valuable. Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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Supreme Court Ends Chevron Deference

Tue, 02 Jul 2024 22:24:25 GMT

Courts will no longer defer to federal agencies when it comes to interpreting certain statutes. Tommy Berry explains the Supreme Court's opinion that ended so-called Chevron deference.

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A Tiny Silver Lining for Liberty in the NDAA

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 07:40:34 GMT

One galling and unAmerican provision typical of recent National Defense Authorization Acts may finally be on the way out. Patrick Eddington details how it happened.

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Streetcars Won't Solve Any of Your City's Problems

Sat, 29 Jun 2024 07:00:22 GMT

Streetcars are great for politicians' ribbon cutting events, but not much else. Marc Joffe explains.

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Considering Options as Presidential Age Takes Center Stage

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 22:42:34 GMT

After President Joe Biden appeared distracted in last night’s debate with Donald Trump, some lawmakers are now discussing the 25th Amendment's provisions to remove a mentally unfit chief executive. And how would a political party replace a candidate after the selection process in states has largely concluded? Gene Healy and John Samples explain.

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The Future of Military Conscription?

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 08:56:30 GMT

Some members of Congress want to make it easier to draft both men and women into wartime military service. Doug Bandow explains why that's a terrible idea at odds with liberty in America.

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The Second Amendment and United States v. Rahimi

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 18:10:51 GMT

Big changes may be ahead for legal gun ownership in the United States. Clark Neily explains the potential implications following the Supreme Court's Rahimi decision.

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Police Lies, Malicious Prosecution, and Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 20:28:45 GMT

When police use underhanded tactics to wrongly charge you with a crime, should they get a free pass if they bring along some legitimate charges, as well? The Supreme Court says "no." Tommy Berry explains the case of Chiaverini v. City of Napoleon, Ohio.

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Federal Taxes on Unrealized Income and Moore v. United States

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 08:00:26 GMT

The Supreme Court hasn't closed the door entirely on taxes on unrealized income, but the door isn't exactly open. Thomas A. Berry explains the court's decision in Moore v. United States.

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Intuit Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 21:40:14 GMT

For many Americans, it is jarring to find themselves subject to severe financial, reputational, and professional penalties in adjudications very different from a courtroom. Brent Skorup explains.

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Community Financial Services Association of America

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The CFPB has long been controversial. Its unique structure makes it powerful in ways other agencies are not. Jennifer Schulp and Tommy Berry detail the recent Supreme Court holding that the agency's funding doesn't violate the Appropriations Clause.

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Digital Currency or Digital Control?: Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money

Tue, 18 Jun 2024 19:35:49 GMT

Arguments on behalf of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) don't stand up to scrutiny. Nicholas Anthony runs down and interrogates the arguments in his new book, Digital Currency or Digital Control?: Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money.

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How to Achieve the Lowest Tax Rates in A Century

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:47:20 GMT

Between the needless complications of the tax code and various special-interest giveaways in it, overall tax rates are higher than they could be otherwise. Adam Michel explains in a new paper what would be required for Congress to lower overall rates.

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Biden Executive Order Makes Life Harder for Asylum Seekers

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 19:36:03 GMT

A new executive order from President Joe Biden will make seeking asylum in The Land of the Free that much more difficult. David Bier explains.

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Guns, Dope, Hunter Biden, and Constitutional Rights

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 21:41:16 GMT

The conviction of the President's son, Hunter Biden, on charges relating to lying about drugs to get a gun makes for an interesting case for those who care about Second Amendment rights and ending the War on Drugs. Clark Neily comments on the case, appeals, and the broader justice system.

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David Boaz: The Libertarian Exponent

Wed, 12 Jun 2024 20:54:09 GMT

David Boaz was an intellectual leader of the Cato Institute for four decades and a libertarian thinker of the first order. In addition to his speeches, books, and clear-headed communication of libertarian ideas in the public sphere, David was a friend and mentor. David passed away on June 7, 2024. Aaron Ross Powell, founding director of Libertarianism.org, and Cato Senior Fellow Tom G. Palmer discuss the work and legacy of David Boaz.

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David Boaz: "Now, It’s Your Turn"

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:20:58 GMT

David Boaz, longtime executive vice president of the Cato Institute, has passed away at the age of 70. His contributions to the advance of libertarian ideas in the public sphere are hard to overestimate. These are his remarks at the Students for Liberty LibertyCon in February.

David Boaz Memorial Page

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Congress Should Stop Hindering Private Saving

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 18:19:37 GMT

Following his related testimony on Capitol Hill, Cato's Adam Michel details why Congress should move toward ending a wide variety of penalties aimed squarely at Americans who save.

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Don't Freeze Technological Advancement to Stem AI

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:43:27 GMT

Slowing or freezing technological advancement could be devastating for the many benefits that artificial intelligence can bring to a wide variety of problems we face. Jack Solowey and Jennifer Huddleston explain what's at stake.

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Clawing Back Emergency Executive Authorities

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 20:39:31 GMT

Presidents of both parties have been handed – decade over decade – a growing list of powers to be only unlocked in the event of an emergency, but those powers rarely get reviewed on a consistent basis. What's a better path for handing over and taking back emergency power? Satya Thallam of Americans for Responsible Innovation comments.

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Social Movements and Profit Opportunities

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Serving the underserved is a well-established path to profits for entrepreneurs and acceptance for minority populations. Economist Nathan Goodman explains.

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Donald Trump Convicted

Fri, 31 May 2024 18:22:17 GMT

Former President Donald Trump has been convicted on felony charges of falsifying business records to conceal crimes. Cato's Clark Neily discusses the trial in the context of how criminal prosecutions work generally.

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What Impedes Social Mobility?

Fri, 31 May 2024 17:31:49 GMT

Social mobility means helping people improve their prospects for creating and building long-term wealth. What stands in the way? The Archbridge Institute's Gonzalo Schwarz discusses what he's learned.

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Assessing the Intelligence Risks of Chinese-Made Drones

Wed, 29 May 2024 18:27:13 GMT

Should Congress take steps to ban certain foreign-made drones that, despite being owned and used by Americans in a wide variety of helpful ways, could be sending sensitive data to antagonistic foreign governments? Will Duffield discusses the state of play.

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Trump, RFK Jr., and the Libertarian Party

Tue, 28 May 2024 19:57:50 GMT

Two notably illiberal politicians headlined at the Libertarian Party's convention over the weekend. What does it reveal about the brand of libertarianism advanced by the LP? Aaron Steelman and Andy Craig comment.

Related: “Trump is hardly libertarian. But neither is today’s Libertarian Party.” By Peter Goettler, The Washington Post, May 23, 2024

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New Leadership in Taiwan as China Threat Looms

Mon, 27 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Will a new president in Taiwan mean a greater focus on defending against a potential Chinese attack? Eric Gomez comments.

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How the ‘Open Fields Doctrine’ Nullifies the Fourth Amendment

Sat, 25 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

How much US land receives Fourth Amendment protections under the so-called "Open Fields Doctrine"? Authors Joshua Windham and David Warren explore that issue in a new article in Regulation Magazine.

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Marking a Century of Broken Immigration Policy

Fri, 24 May 2024 16:10:32 GMT

Should the government prove you shouldn't be allowed to immigrate, or should individuals have to prove that they should be allowed to immigrate? A century ago today, immigration policy shifted from the former to the latter. David Bier explains how the change has implicated Americans’ rights.

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The Fatal Fallacy for Fans of CBDCs

Thu, 23 May 2024 12:33:24 GMT

The notion that there can ever be a "level playing field" between decentralized, private cryptocurrencies and state-issued ones is entirely wrong. Nick Anthony explains.

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John Stuart Mill, Harriet Taylor Mill, and The Subjection of Women

Wed, 22 May 2024 18:04:25 GMT

The contours of freedom advanced in The Subjection of Women apply to us all. The influence of his wife, Harriet Taylor Mill, in the work’s final form is hard to miss. That is in part why the essay remains a favorite of Libertarianism.org's Grant Babcock.

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A Guide to Content Moderation for Policymakers

Tue, 21 May 2024 18:44:59 GMT

Humility is a good starting point for lawmakers seeing to understand content moderation. David Inserra offers a helpful guide to policymakers.

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J.S. Mill, On Liberty, and How Liberals Think

Mon, 20 May 2024 15:08:50 GMT

Paul Meany of Libertarianism.org walks us through the importance of John Stuart Mill through his powerful treatise On Liberty.

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Congress Should Make No Law Setting Speech Rules for Universities

Sat, 18 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

In the wake of protests at many universities over the Israeli war in Gaza, what's the role for Congress to regulate? Unsurprisingly, it's not much. Cato's Neal McCluskey and Nico Perrino of FIRE comment.

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Confront Errors in "Pandemic Inflation"

Fri, 17 May 2024 17:26:31 GMT

In David Beckworth's essay in The War on Prices, he explains what must be true for narratives of a pandemic-driven inflation to be true.

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The Wage Gap and The War on Prices

Thu, 16 May 2024 14:44:27 GMT

The US wage gap between men and women consistently drives calls for deep federal intervention into the labor market in the name of preventing discrimination. Analyzing that gap more critically reveals far less clarity about its causes and potential solutions. Vanessa Brown Calder explains in her essay in the new book, The War on Prices.

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Rent Control: Another Bad Idea That Never Dies

Wed, 15 May 2024 15:46:02 GMT

Rent control doesn't make housing more affordable. It makes affordable housing less available. Jeff Miron explains in his essay in the new book, The War on Prices.

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The Pink Tax and The War on Prices

Tue, 14 May 2024 04:00:00 GMT

Are the prices men and women pay for similar products evidence of discrimination that calls for a heavy-handed government response? Ryan Bourne is editor of the new Cato book, The War on Prices.

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The Punishing Effects of Credit Card Interest Caps

Mon, 13 May 2024 19:32:33 GMT

For the marginally creditworthy, mandatory interest rate caps on credit cards would end access to a convenient form of credit. Nick Anthony discusses his essay in Cato's new book, The War on Prices.

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What Should We Learn from New Data on Price Gouging Laws?

Fri, 10 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

It's not exactly a silver lining, but data from the pandemic has some lessons in it about the effectiveness of price gouging laws. Gavin Roberts, an economist at Weber State University, discusses his findings.

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Will AI Power a Better Future for Local Journalism?

Thu, 09 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

As smaller local newspapers continue to shrink, what's the potential for AI to help deliver local news to happy customers? Paul Matzko makes his hopeful case to foster a better-informed public.

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Exploring Tensions among the US, China, and Europe

Wed, 08 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

European leaders think very differently than US officials about China, both as a rising economic power and a military threat. Doug Bandow discusses why.

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Discrimination and Identity Politics Have No Place in Medical Education

Tue, 07 May 2024 18:59:20 GMT

Ideological commitments shouldn't harm your ability to receive medical treatment. Erec Smith and Jeff Singer discuss a troubling evolution in how medical education is delivered in the US.

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Trump and Biden Aren't Free Traders, so What's the Difference?

Mon, 06 May 2024 19:03:06 GMT

There aren't big, glaring differences between Trump and Biden on giving Americans maximum freedom to trade across the globe, but the style of the candidates' protectionism differs somewhat. Scott Lincicome explains.

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Medicare Can't and Won't Go on Like This

Fri, 03 May 2024 20:22:15 GMT

Medicare represents a massive fraction of the federal budget, and its spending is effectively on autopilot. That needs to change sooner than later. Paragon Health Institute chief Brian Blase and Cato's Michael Cannon comment.

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Will Your Financial Advisor Soon Have to Snitch on You?

Thu, 02 May 2024 18:43:44 GMT

New regulations under consideration would hold financial advisors accountable to elements of the Bank Secrecy Act, which currently compels banks to turn over certain financial data to the feds. How would that change your relationship with that advisor? Jennifer Schulp comments.

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Descheduling Is Preferable to Rescheduling Cannabis

Wed, 01 May 2024 18:38:21 GMT

The DEA is likely to change its federal designation for cannabis in the coming months. It's a good sign for research and for the ability of Americans to receive medical treatments involving the plant, but descheduling and ending federal prohibition is still a worthy goal. Jeff Singer explains.

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Feds Beat the Drum for Early Childhood Education Spending

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 20:12:15 GMT

How productive is federal spending to advance early childhood education? Following her testimony on Capitol Hill, Cato's Colleen Hroncich says there are several problems with the assumptions about its benefits.

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Upsides and Risks of Increasing State Capacity

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:12:14 GMT

What does the case of Peru have to teach us about state capacity to foster (or hamper) human flourishing? Edwar Escalante of Angelo State University discusses the upsides and downsides of increasing state capacity.

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Biden Continues Transferring Student Debt to Taxpayers

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

The Heroes Act was insufficient authority for the President to cancel massive amounts of student debt. The Biden White House has instead been moving to cancel (transfer) smaller amounts of student debt using different executive authority. Neal McCluskey explains the issues.

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How Much Immunity from Future Prosecution Is Due to Former Presidents?

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 18:39:57 GMT

Former President Trump's lawyers argued before the US Supreme Court that the President ought to be broadly immune against misdeeds committed in office, even many that are clearly criminal. The Supreme Court is now weighing where to draw the lines both for this former President and future former Presidents. Clark Neily discusses the oral argument at the high court.

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Reputation, Dynamism, and Strangers with Candy

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 14:07:44 GMT

Economics is everywhere, and its implications are subtle and beautiful. The essays in Art Carden's book, Strangers with Candy, uses both economic and biblical insight to show how welcoming strangers can make us both better and wealthier people.

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Congressional Fans of Warrantless Surveillance on Americans Win Another Round

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:16:21 GMT

There was a point when Cato's Patrick Eddington believed warrantless snooping on Americans might be on the wane. He was very wrong. Congress instead voted to continue unconstitutional surveillance of Americans for at least two more years.

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North Carolina Made Big Promises to VinFast and Locals Are Paying the Price

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

North Carolina's pursuit of VinFast to make electric vehicles in the state has placed dozens of homeowners in a difficult spot. Paul Best explains how economic development ran headlong into homeowners' property rights.

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Wielding Federal Power with Accountability to Congress

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:52:01 GMT

There are two avenues to fixing a big issue with federal appointments, that of individuals not confirmed by Congress nonetheless wielding significant federal power. Tommy Berry explains the problem and the solutions.

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Housing Wealth and Generational Wealth

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 20:16:21 GMT

Housing plays a large role in growing wealth for Americans, but it remains an area where economist Jeremy Horpedahl is pessimistic for the near term.

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Reduce Deficits Now to Avoid Fiscal Crisis

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 19:09:01 GMT

Federal budget deficits are projected to remain alarmingly high for many years to come, but as Cato's Ryan Bourne notes, things that can't go on ... don't. His new paper on debt, spending, and fiscal crisis is available today.

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Tariffs Are Taxes, but Who Pays the Tax?

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 18:55:22 GMT

When countries impose tariffs, that begins a chain reaction that frequently doesn't end in the outcomes preferred by tariff advocates. Erica York of the Tax Foundation separates fact from fiction on tariffs.

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Bitcoin Mining and the Price of Energy

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 20:58:09 GMT

Bitcoin miners are under the microscope for what some call "parasitic" consumption of energy, but is distaste for some consumers of electricy enough to make it harder for them to buy it? Cato's Nick Anthony and Travis Fisher explain the implications.

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Income Taxes Are Scheduled to Go Up in 2026

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 15:01:27 GMT

Income taxes are on pace to increase on virtually all Americans in 2026. Cato's Adam Michel has some reforms in mind.

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What Has the US Promised to Taiwan?

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Measuring the Relationships between Human Freedom and Prosperity

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 19:59:38 GMT

Human freedom and prosperity go together, but what does that look like specifically? Cato adjunct John Early explains.

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Inflated Revenue Claims in Pursuit of a Wealth Tax

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 20:42:26 GMT

Would a tax on unrealized income produce big dividends for Americans? Economic historian Phil Magness says the predicted revenues wouldn't materialize.

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Reevaluating the US/Israel Relationship

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 19:38:56 GMT

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.

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A Reform Agenda for the Securities and Exchange Commission

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 17:01:50 GMT

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.

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Does the Great Realignment Make More Room for Libertarian Ideas?

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 07:00:33 GMT

Amid the shifting ideological commitments among the voting public, how welcoming will voters be toward more liberty-friendly ideas? Stephanie Slade of Reason comments.

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Ensuring Election Speed, Efficiency, and Security

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 20:17:42 GMT

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.

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The High Cost of Mandatory Parking

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:09:31 GMT

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.

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There Is No Such Thing as a Wage-Price Spiral

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 21:25:46 GMT

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.

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The Nuclear Ratchet: Crisis, Leviathan, and Atomic Weapons

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 15:05:16 GMT

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.

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Replacing Federal Bureaucrats and the Trump Agenda

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:37:26 GMT

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.

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Courts Should Affirm First Amendment Rights of Youths in the Digital Age

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 04:00:00 GMT

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.

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United States v. Apple

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Private School Enrollment in the Wake of COVID-19

Tue, 26 Mar 2024 19:42:09 GMT

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.

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A Would-Be Home Distiller Fights Back in Ream v. U.S. Department of Treasury

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 18:52:36 GMT

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.

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The Canceling of the American Mind

Sat, 23 Mar 2024 07:00:37 GMT

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.

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SCOTUS Tells Feds They Can't Wish Away Certain Cases

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 20:35:25 GMT

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.

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The China Dilemma?: Rethinking US-China Relations through Public Choice Theory

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 21:42:16 GMT

Ryan Yonk is coauthor of The China Dilemma?: Rethinking US-China Relations Through Public Choice Theory.

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The Fertility Gap and Economic Freedom

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:22:19 GMT

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.

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Gaming War Games

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 19:07:42 GMT

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.

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The President Proposes a Homeowner Handout

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 20:50:52 GMT

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.

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Biden Seeks to Weaken Short-Term Health Plans

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 21:32:11 GMT

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.

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The SEC's Big New Climate Disclosure Rule

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 20:42:49 GMT

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.

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Congress's Proposed Effective Ban on TikTok Advances

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 21:14:05 GMT

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.

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Why Do Puerto Rico's Potatoes Come from Canada? (It's the Jones Act)

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 21:11:26 GMT

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.

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How Courts Grapple with "Reverse Warrants"

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 22:16:49 GMT

Courts have witnessed the rise of "reverse warrants." Brent Skorup discusses how courts so far have managed the process.

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Undivide Us

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 21:40:55 GMT

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.

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Dozens of States Continue to Attack Donor Privacy

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 21:25:00 GMT

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.

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A Massive Federal Database Contains All of Your Trading Information

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 21:56:47 GMT

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.

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White House Strongly Supports Widely Abused Surveillance Authorities

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 22:11:12 GMT

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.

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Mitch McConnell’s Legacy Includes Freeing Political Speech

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 21:25:53 GMT

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.

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SCOTUS Hears the NetChoice Cases

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 22:16:32 GMT

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.

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A Frosty Reception for Wendy's over Dynamic Pricing

Wed, 28 Feb 2024 19:21:36 GMT

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.

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Presidential Candidates Speak (or Not) on Central Bank Digital Currency

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 20:52:20 GMT

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.

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Chiaverini v. Evanoff

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 23:11:17 GMT

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.

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FERC's Quorum Problem and US Energy

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 22:21:40 GMT

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.

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Dollarization at the End of the Javier Milei Honeymoon

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 20:36:58 GMT

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.

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Has US Middle East Policy Failed?

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 22:00:01 GMT

The US has a particular way of engaging with the Middle East, and it doesn't serve US interests particularly well. Jon Hoffman explains.

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State Fiscal Health and Cost‐Saving Strategies

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 21:16:26 GMT

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.

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The President's Odd and Expansive Conception of "Junk Fees"

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

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.

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The Broken Budget Process Demands Fixes Big and Small

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 21:45:50 GMT

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.

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97% of Green Card Applications Will Not Get Approved This Year

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 21:56:30 GMT

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.

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Frederick Douglass among Heroes of Progress

Wed, 14 Feb 2024 20:09:00 GMT

Author Alexander Hammond details the contributions that puts Frederick Douglass in the ranks of the Heroes of Progress.

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How Committed Is the US to NATO?

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 21:37:39 GMT

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.

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Congress Should Reject the OECD's Planned Tax Cartel

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 20:28:42 GMT

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.

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Biden's Liquefied Natural Gas Export "Pause" Makes No Sense

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 22:11:26 GMT

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.

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As Surveillance Fight Rises Again, New Fed Spyware Is Revealed

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 12:09:40 GMT

When the feds turn ads into spyware, surveillance tools demand more public scrutiny. Patrick Eddington explains.

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The Road to Freedom: Estonia's Rise from Soviet Vassal State to One of the Freest Nations on Earth

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 17:54:11 GMT

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.

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Cato Institute Lands on FBI's "Vexsome" List for FOIA Requests

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:08:33 GMT

Why did the Cato Institute land on the FBI's list of "vexsome" filers of FOIA requests? Patrick Eddington explains.

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Containing Medicaid Costs at the State Level

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 16:20:25 GMT

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.

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Reviving Federalism to Tackle the Government Debt Crisis

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 20:55:37 GMT

An important way to tackle America’s debt problem is to devolve a large part of federal spending to the states, allowing them to fund it themselves. Chris Edwards explains in a new paper.

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"Nicotinophobia" Is for the Children

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:49:47 GMT

The anti-tobacco crusade morphed ever so slowly into an anti-nicotine crusade. If it continues unimpeded, the costs could be quite high. Jeff Singer explains.

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Context for the Fresh Calls for War with Iran

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 20:55:48 GMT

An attack on a US outpost leaves three service members dead, and some Republicans want war with Iran sooner than later. But the calls for war happily ignore several uncomfortable facts and critical context. Justin Logan explains.

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Fresh Chaos at the Border Doesn't Change What's Needed to Rationalize Immigration

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:24:36 GMT

It's utterly irrational to expect that making illegal immigration the only immigration would give US policymakers better options at the border. David Bier explains.

What Biden Can Do After Another Failed Border Deal

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Milei at the World Economic Forum

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 23:26:41 GMT

Daniel Raisbeck evaluates both Javier Milei's message to the World Economic Forum and the status of the Milei agenda in Argentina.

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Taiwanese Elections and the Looming China Threat

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 21:14:59 GMT

How will elections in Taiwan change the country's posture with respect to China's desire to seize control? Cato's Eric Gomez comments.

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How Do Europe's Speech Restrictions Impact US Speakers?

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:37:32 GMT

Europe's heavy-handed regulatory approach to tech and speech may not leave US speakers unaffected. Cato's David Inserra and Jennifer Huddleston explain.

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Will China's Military Dysfunction Buy Taiwan Time to Build Its Defenses?

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 22:01:54 GMT

Taiwan should arm up according to Cato's Eric Gomez. Corruption and other problems in China's military could give them the time to do so.

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National Rifle Association v. Vullo

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT

When a New York regulatory agency tried to get groups doing business with the NRA to end those business relationships, it may have run afoul of the First Amendment. Cato's Walter Olson and Andrew Grossman comment on National Rifle Association v. Vullo.

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The SEC's Embarrassing Hack Should Deliver Greater Scrutiny

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 20:33:15 GMT

In the wake of the SEC's market-moving hack on social media, it's appropriate to examine where the agency ought to do more (securing its own data) and less (collecting too much data). Jennifer Schulp explains.

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New Punitive Crypto Rules Attack Financial Privacy

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 22:17:17 GMT

A new federal law means jail time and fines if you don't report the identities of people providing you with large amounts of crypto. Nick Anthony explains why it's another federal assault on financial privacy.

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Farm Bill Sows Dysfunction for American Agriculture

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 01:58:44 GMT

Why are some farmers so troubled by farm subsidies? Cato's Paul Best explains.

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Tech Regulation and Legal Challenges in 2024

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 01:54:23 GMT

Last year was a wild one for would-be tech regulators. State governments, Congress, and federal agencies are all still champing at the bit to impose some new restrictions on big and small tech firms alike. David Inserra and Jennifer Huddleston comment.

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Nitazenes and the Consequences of Drug Prohibition

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 17:03:04 GMT

Nitazenes are a relatively new category of opioids, and their high potency demands a rational policy response. Jeff Singer explains.

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The Milei Agenda for Argentina So Far

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 21:19:26 GMT

Argentina’s Javier Milei has an ambitious regulatory agenda, but lawmakers will still have their say on a large portion of it. Daniel Raisbeck discusses what Argentina's new president has announced so far.

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The Influence of Herbert Spencer

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 21:33:34 GMT

Sociologist Herbert Spencer was "light years" ahead of his contemporaries in grappling with some very modern problems of political economy. Libertarianism.org's Paul Meany explains.

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The Sociology of Herbert Spencer

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 21:20:38 GMT

Herbert Spencer once loomed large in social science. Is he receiving his due in the modern era? Paul Meany discusses how a major thinker was celebrated, forgotten, and remembered again.

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Certificate of Need and Government-Run Health Care

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 22:28:52 GMT

For many states in the southeast, certificate of need laws have needlessly complicated the delivery of health services. Cato's Jeff Singer describes some differences among CON and non-CON states. We spoke in November.

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Human Freedom Continues Worrying Decline

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 17:36:14 GMT

The Human Freedom Index tracks human freedom across multiple dimensions for the bulk of humanity. Ian Vasquez details the latest iteration.

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The Big Impact of FDA's Drug Delays

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 17:32:53 GMT

The FDA's decisions to approve or delay drugs can have major impacts well beyond the health of Americans. Michael Cannon explains how FDA's delays approving contraception impacted women in the labor market.

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Globalization Delivers the Goods (and Liberates Our Time)

Wed, 27 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Even critics of globalization admit that it's delivered the world's bounty to our doorsteps. Gabriella Beaumont-Smith details how globalization also gives us back our valuable time.

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The Fundamentals of International Trade They Don't Want You to Know

Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Trade is a positive-sum game, and when you keep a few fundamentals of trade front and center, it becomes harder for politicians to confuse the issue. Economist Andreas Freytag explains.

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Globalization Brings the World's Food to Our Table

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

It's getting more difficult to remember times when seasonal produce was only available for a brief window. Cato’s Scott Lincicome is old enough to remember those dark times of avocado deprivation. He explains how globalization has dramatically expanded the range of foods available all year.

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Institutional Investors and the Housing Crunch

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT

How much blame should be given to institutional investors for our current housing woes? Vanessa Brown Calder comments.

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Tallying the Big Gains for Educational Freedom in 2023

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 14:30:54 GMT

This year was yet another banner year for educational freedom in states, and while a few states faced substantial setbacks, the broad trend toward more and universal school choice continues. Jason Bedrick details his research.

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2023 Was A Big Year for Housing Reformers

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 18:16:59 GMT

States are starting to understand how zoning and other housing restrictions have contributed to the housing crisis gripping so much of the United States. Nolan Gray of California YIMBY explains.

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Biden Wants to 'March In' to Fix Drug Prices

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 21:32:00 GMT

Does "march in" authority have hope for bringing drug prices down? Should it? What are the secondary effects of changing who can produce what drugs? Cato's Michael Cannon and Peter Van Doren comment.

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US Should Pivot Away from Ukraine Fight

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 21:59:32 GMT

Joe Biden keeps advancing the delusion that Ukraine can achieve total victory against Russia. Congress is under no obligation to join in that delusion. Justin Logan explains.

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What Does Data Tell Us about Certificate of Need in Health Services?

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:00:38 GMT

No matter how you slice the data, it tells a clear story: Certificate-of-need laws make health care services relatively less available or more costly. Jaimie Cavanaugh of the Institute for Justice explains.

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How Arizona Became the Leader in Educational Freedom

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 22:24:37 GMT

Ben Toma is the Republican Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives. We discussed his state's role as the trendsetter for advancing educational freedom for families.

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Nikki Haley Wants to Trash Anonymous Online Speech

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 22:03:09 GMT

Presidential candidate Nikki Haley recently suggested that anonymity on the internet should be compromised on behalf of national security. Edward Longe of the James Madison Institute argues that it would trash an important element of free speech.

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Let Pharmacists Prescribe

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 17:47:06 GMT

There are many kinds of medical professionals who are legally prevented from delivering care for which they are trained. Jeff Singer describes how pharmacists could be allowed to step up.

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Due Process and Federal Agency Adjudications

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 22:07:03 GMT

It's hard to take seriously the federal agencies that undertake their own adjudications and often award damages to themselves. Adi Dynar of the Pacific Legal Foundation discusses how "due process" works in administrative law courts.

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Is Converting Vacant Commercial Property a Housing Solution?

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 05:00:00 GMT

The housing crunch affects so many parts of the country. In Arizona, it's harder to build than you might think. Leo Biasiucci is the Republican majority whip of the state's House of Representatives. We talked about how best to advance flexibility for new housing.

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Supreme Court Ponders Federal Agencies That Act Like Courts

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 05:00:00 GMT

The Supreme Court recently heard the case of Securities and Exchange Commission vs. Jarkesy. Cato's Tommy Berry and the Pacific Legal Foundation's Oliver Dunford evaluate what the court heard.

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Looking Ahead to Shrinking Federal Surveillance Powers

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 20:57:38 GMT

Federal lawmakers are continuing to ponder the end of some warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens. Patrick Eddington provides a brief history lesson and an assessment of where things stand now.

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Defending Gestational Surrogacy

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 22:03:32 GMT

Gestational surrogates provide a valuable service for many couples who want children, but the process has drawn significant criticism. Cato's Vanessa Brown Calder dispels the misconceptions.

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Occupational Licensing Reform in 2023 and Beyond

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 23:41:24 GMT

States are advancing policies that embrace universal recognition of various occupational licenses and others that end a broad range of certificate of need requirements. Ed Timmons runs the Knee Regulatory Research Center. He details the progress.

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Tracking CBDCs Before They Launch

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 06:00:00 GMT

The central bank digital currency is on the wish list for many central banks despite the lack of compelling use cases for the currency and troubling rollouts of CBDCs thus far. Nicholas Anthony details the Human Rights Foundation's new tracker for CBDCs.

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Addressing Big Impediments to Delivering Civil Justice

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 22:53:08 GMT

America's civil justice system has a variety of problems that must be addressed. Bridget Mary McCormack, a former chief justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and the current head of the American Arbitration Association, has a few ideas.

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Canada's Link Tax Delivers Dire Warning

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 18:54:06 GMT

Link taxes are supposed to help prop up ailing print media outlets by charging big tech firms for the privilege of linking to news content. The case of Canada’s link tax is challenging that hope. Cato's Paul Matzko comments.

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Illinois Handed Immense Power to Government Unions, So How's It Going?

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Last year, Illinois voters handed breathtaking new powers to collective bargaining agreements for government employees. Mailee Smith of the Illinois Policy Institute evaluates the status.

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What Does OPEC Do and Should We Care?

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Contrary to conventional beliefs about how the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries operates, there are many reasons to believe OPEC has fewer degrees of freedom than most people believe. That misperception can serve the needs of politicians searching for a bogeyman. Peter Van Doren and David Kemp explain why in a new paper.

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One Local Impediment to Free-Range Kids

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Parents might embrace their children's independence, but how much support do those parents have in the form of local infrastructure? Andrea Keith of Let Grow explains.

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What Incentives Do State Regulators Face?

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 17:44:09 GMT

It may not be shocking to learn that state-level regulators face many of the same incentives as federal regulators. State lawmakers should pay close attention to how those regulators do their work, says Joe Luppino-Esposito of the Pacific Legal Foundation.

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Is Javier Milei, Argentina's Next President, A Libertarian?

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 19:52:47 GMT

Javier Milei, the next President of Argentina, says he's a supporter of free trade, dollarization, and big cuts to the public sector. Cato’s Daniel Raisbeck evaluates the Milei platform against Argentina’s economic and political realities.

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Cataloging the Myriad Ways You Can Land in Jail

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 19:45:57 GMT

It's an immense task to understand the criminal penalties that attach to a vast array of federally disfavored behavior. Patrick McLaughlin of the Mercatus Center details what he's learned in undertaking exactly that task.

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Taiwan's Defense and US Policy

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 22:24:58 GMT

Eric Gomez is author of the new Cato Institute paper, "Taiwan's Urgent Need for Asymmetric Defense."

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Are Public School Libraries Accomplishing Their Mission?

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 21:06:02 GMT

If public school libraries are supposed to represent a broad range of views, do they? Neal McCluskey details his new paper exploring the question.

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Expiring Authority for Warrantless Surveillance Meets Resistance

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 00:25:58 GMT

A bipartisan group in Congress wants reform to federal surveillance authorities before signing off on reauthorization. What would that reform do? Cato's Patrick Eddington and James Czerniawski of Americans for Prosperity comment.

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The New Right Gets Mugged by an Old Reality

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 21:26:33 GMT

Political reality demands that we recognize that any power we might claim for ourselves will ultimately be wielded by our ideological opponents. Scott Lincicome explains how that lesson is being learned the hard way yet again.

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Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 15:54:35 GMT

The freedom of speech is under constant threat, and broad public support for that freedom has eroded in recent years. Nadine Strossen, in Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know, details why that right is worth defending.

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An Expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 21:41:32 GMT

What does the forced exodus of Afghans from Pakistan tell us about the domestic politics of Pakistan? Sahar Khan explains.

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The Trouble with Methadone Clinics

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 21:18:01 GMT

Methadone is a powerful drug that is often dosed out by the government for those in the criminal legal system who are able jump through the proper legal hoops. Helen Redmond of Filter says it serves as a mechanism for government control of people.

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Recovery and the Unfulfilled Promises of Obamacare

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 21:09:09 GMT

Michael Cannon details why the promises of Obamacare would be better delivered by giving consumers dramatically more power over health care dollars. Cannon's new book is Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector.

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Government Censorship by Proxy

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 15:47:57 GMT

During the pandemic, governments placed significant public and private pressure on social media companies to remove speech protected by the First Amendment, blurring the line between acceptable government speech and unconstitutional censorship by proxy. Concerns about this “jawboning” only grew with the recent decisions in Missouri v. Biden finding that the pressure applied by various government actors likely violated the First Amendment. But this case also revealed the limitations of broadly prohibiting government communications with private companies or merely relying on the courts to police government abuse. Join us as the panel discusses the options available to policymakers and why greater transparency is essential to combating such censorship.

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Biden's Big, Early Move to Regulate Artificial Intelligence

Thu, 02 Nov 2023 19:51:14 GMT

The Biden White House is out with a massive executive order on artificial intelligence. Why? Jennifer Huddleston and Jack Solowey comment.

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US Weapons Arm Both Israeli and Hamas Fighters

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 19:35:01 GMT

It should be troubling that the bloodshed in Israel and Gaza is being fueled somewhat by US policy with respect to weapons transfers. Where is the appetite for revisiting those polices? Jordan Cohen comments.

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A Mindset for Embracing Educational Freedom

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:57:30 GMT

Which school choice programs respect families most? Andrew Clark, president of yes. every. kid., offers his thoughts.

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'American Deindustrialization' Is a Dangerous Myth

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 21:00:45 GMT

By any relevant measure, the U.S. manufacturing sector is a dynamo. Retreating from globalized supply chains can threaten that success. Colin Grabow details the evidence.

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What Should Libertarians Expect from House Speaker Mike Johnson?

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 17:25:09 GMT

From reining in debt and spending to freeing up American healthcare, incoming House Speaker Republican Mike Johnson has an opportunity to bring seriousness to critical pending policy issues. Cato's Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 18:03:39 GMT

There is a word for self-styled conservatives who nonetheless want to the power of the state to compel certain social outcomes: illiberal. Kevin Vallier is author of All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism.

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Who Decides What 'News Distortion' Means?

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 19:15:23 GMT

Political actors are more than happy to attempt to bend media outlets to serve their preferred narratives. The history of it in the U.S. is less well known. Paul Matzko discusses a chapter in the history of crackdowns on news "distortion."

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For Good and Ill, Your Car Is Collecting Your Data

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 20:47:21 GMT

What are the privacy implications for cars that collect all manner of data about us and our driving habits? Jennifer Huddleston explains the good and bad.

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Where Does Speech End and 'Jawboning' Start?

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 20:52:06 GMT

When lawmakers wag their fingers in the faces of tech companies, when are they trying to exact compliance for activities that are otherwise perfectly legal? David Inserra helps us draw the lines.

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Ecuador's Emerging Opportunity to Exit '21st Century Socialism'

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

What does the election of Daniel Noboa as president of Ecuador mean for the country’s engagement in the global economy? Cato's Gabriela Calderon de Burgos comments.

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How States, Feds, and Countries Are Approaching 'Online Safety

Fri, 20 Oct 2023 21:37:33 GMT

The approaches taken by governments to online safety vary widely. Matthew Feeney and Jennifer Huddleston discuss how various states and countries are handling the issue and assess the risks to privacy.

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Are States Trying to Subvert Donor Privacy Since Bonta?

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 19:35:50 GMT

Since 2020's Bonta decision at the U.S. Supreme Court, states have broadly taken two approaches to donor privacy, according to Luke Wachob of People United for Privacy Foundation.

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As Universal School Choice Advances, Hurdles Remain

Wed, 18 Oct 2023 21:51:30 GMT

Marc LeBlond directs policy at EdChoice.

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The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 21:06:38 GMT

Johan Norberg is author of The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World.

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Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 18:58:24 GMT

In his new book, Recovery: A Guide to Reforming the U.S. Health Sector, Michael Cannon walks readers through a variety of ways to make health care in the United States better, more transparent, more secure, and more universal.

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Balancing the Loud, Local Voices Opposing New Housing

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 20:37:47 GMT

The housing crisis is actually myriad local crises. Combating that will, at some point, require some local ingenuity. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project has a few ideas to help generate the will to build more.

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State-Level Strategies for Constraining Spending

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 04:00:00 GMT

States are under more serious constraints than the feds when it comes to spending levels. There are still more steps governments can take to do so. Vance Ginn with the Pelican Institute details some of the ways states can get more control over budgets.

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Counting the Costs NIMBYism Imposes on Everyone Else

Tue, 10 Oct 2023 04:00:00 GMT

It's worth knowing just how costly it is to effectively give the loudest voices at a zoning board meeting the power of the veto. Chris Denson of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation discusses the tax NIMBYs impose on the rest of us.

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State Drug Sentencing amid Increasing Fentanyl Overdoses

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 12:31:27 GMT

Misconceptions about the motivations of drug dealers and users have likely worsened the increases in drug overdoses. Are state lawmakers rethinking how they approach drug-related sentencing? Lauren Krisai of the Justice Action Network comments.

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When Lawmakers Don't Make the Laws (State Government Edition)

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

The people who write the rules under which we must live generally ought to be subject to accountability from voters. That's not a controversial proposition, but how it works in practice is more complicated. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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High Interest Rates and the Debt Doom Loop

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

The ability for the U.S. to escape the consequences of high spending and massive debt may be declining faster than conventional wisdom would have predicted. Cato's Norbert Michel and Romina Boccia detail the issue.

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Pregnant Workers, Fairness, and Maximizing Workplace Flexibility

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 20:37:26 GMT

So many well-intentioned laws run into basic incentive problems. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act appears to be another law aimed at protecting many women from mistreatment that may create perverse incentives. Vanessa Brown Calder comments.

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An Overbroad Federal Swipe at 'Gamified' Investing

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 11:33:14 GMT

New tech threatens the ability for investors to understand what they're doing, or so the leaders of the SEC seem to believe. But what would their proposed federal regulations do to change that? Jack Solowey and Jennifer Schulp comment.

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The Unprecedented Removal of the U.S. House Speaker … and What’s Next

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 20:39:51 GMT

The U.S. House is without a Speaker after a small revolt within the Republican Party that removed Kevin McCarthy from that job. With yet another fight over spending just a few weeks away, Cato’s John Samples and Chad Davis explore what might be coming next.

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Defending Globalization Means Embracing Comparative Advantage

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 18:40:52 GMT

When politicians decry the production that's done overseas, it's a good time to take stock of a most basic economic concept: comparative advantage. Don Boudreaux discusses what it means.

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Feds vs. States on Trimming Medicaid Rolls

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 21:25:47 GMT

The Biden White House has urged states to slow the pace of trimming Medicaid enrollees. Why? Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute comments.

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A Federal Plan to Expand Racial Categories Is a Bad Idea

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:55:51 GMT

Why does the Office of Management and Budget want to expand racial categories in the United States? Alex Nowrasteh discusses his new paper that explains why such an expansion is a bad idea.

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California May Join States Legalizing Psychedelics

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:48:55 GMT

California Governor Gavin Newsom is mulling legislation that would legalize possession of small amounts of multiple psychedelic drugs. Cato's Jeff Singer discusses the implications for medical practitioners.

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The Nonemergency Emergency Spending Causing a Fiscal Emergency

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 13:12:48 GMT

The emergency spending that's come to characterize an increasing share of federal outlays has contributed mightily to current fiscal woes. Jonathan Bydlak of the R Street Institute comments.

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A Glimpse at a Trump Foreign Policy Agenda for 2025

Sun, 24 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Donald Trump might prefer to leave Congress out of the loop on decisions about which nations or actors receive U.S. weapons. A new Heritage Foundation report also leans toward giving POTUS fewer checks on foreign policy moves. Jordan Cohen comments.

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The Supreme Court's Opportunity to Restore Unsung Rights

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

The Supreme Court long ago erred in gutting a key provision of the 14th Amendment. Anastasia Boden says a case the court could take up this term gives them an opportunity to repair that mistake.

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How Putin and Kim Meeting Changes the War in Ukraine

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:08:22 GMT

Seeking fresh weaponry for his war in Ukraine, Russia's Vladimir Putin met with North Korea's Kim Jong Un recently. Eric Gomez discusses the geopolitical considerations.

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Saudi Arabia: Pariah or Partner?

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 19:39:50 GMT

What does the United States get in terms of security enhancement given its informal, but pricey financial commitment to Saudi Arabia? President Biden is advancing a plan that would formalize security guarantees to Saudi Arabia. Cato's Jon Hoffman comments.

Pariah or Partner: Reevaluating the U.S.-Saudi Relationship

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Does School Choice Raise the Price of Private Education?

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 19:03:30 GMT

School choice is on the march so it's reasonable to ask if the shift toward relatively more students receiving private school educations will raise prices at those schools? Cato adjunct Jason Bedrick comments.

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Guns, Drugs, Hunter Biden, and the Selectively Long Arm of the Law

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:50:18 GMT

The President's son, Hunter Biden, now faces charges related to his drug use and gun ownership. It illustrates, as Clark Neily details, the enormous discretion wielded by prosecutors.

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The Tremendous Upside of Humanitarian Sponsorship for Escapees of Authoritarianism

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT

"Parole sponsorship" allows individuals in the U.S. to sponsor people fleeing unstable or authoritarian regimes. The Biden administration has reinvigorated the program for people from a handful of countries. David Bier says it delivers great benefits.

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Why Do Rights-Violating University Officials Get Qualified Immunity?

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:33:23 GMT

What happens when public university officials violate your free speech rights? Often the get qualified immunity, thus shielding them from consequences of those actions. Casey Mattox with Americans for Prosperity comments.

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Joe Overton, Policy Change, and the 'Overton Window‘

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 18:31:38 GMT

Policy change can be a long slog. The now-famous "Overton Window" gives us a way of thinking about how change happens. Joe Lehmann of the Mackinac Center discusses how the late Joe Overton thought about policy change.

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Defending Globalization Today

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Globalization's opponents are loathe to admit that the process of expanding the movement of goods, services, and people relatively freely across borders has paid enormous dividends for a very long time. Scott Lincicome explains why free trade and migration deserves a vigorous defense.

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A New Nicotine Prohibition Push in States

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:24:33 GMT

States and localities, grimly unaware of the predictable consequences of prohibition, are moving ahead with plans to make cigarettes and other nicotine products a matter of criminal law. Jacob Grier is author of The New Prohibition.

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The Local Tradeoffs That Can Address the Housing Crisis

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:44:48 GMT

The American housing crisis was largely created by local governments. Fixing it demands local innovation. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project details some local fixes to address the mismatch between supply and demand in American housing.

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Are Lifetime Bans on Firearm Ownership 'Cruel and Unusual' Punishment?

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:39:58 GMT

What are the implications of a federal court panel's decision that a lifetime ban on voting rights for felons is "cruel and unusual punishment"? Cody Wisniewski of the Firearms Policy Coalition comments.

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State-Level Handouts to the Middle Class

Thu, 07 Sep 2023 20:01:30 GMT

State-level programs intended for the very poor should not be expanded to include the middle class. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center details some such programs states are working to expand.

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NatCons vs. FreeCons

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 12:42:14 GMT

National conservatism (or conservative nationalism) may have had its moment, but a group of so-called Freedom Conservatives have unveiled a statement of principles that includes a more robust voluntary sector of society. Stephanie Slade of Reason comments.

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Montana's Bipartisan Housing Turnaround

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 16:37:33 GMT

The American housing crisis can be fixed mostly by states and localities. How did Montana advance a more rational set of housing policies? Kendall Cotton of Montana's Frontier Institute explains.

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Contradictions of the Farm Bill

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:02:12 GMT

The Farm Bill puts food subsidies and healthy eating at odds with one another. Cato's Chris Edwards comments.

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Setting the Table for Medicare's Drug Price Negotiations

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 23:05:16 GMT

How will Medicare and drug companies effectively negotiate on matters of price? What are the real deficiencies in how drugs get to the people who need them? Michael Cannon comments.

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Building Confidence and Competence through Montessori Education

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 04:00:00 GMT

The methods of Maria Montessori aim to help young people take charge of their learning at a younger age. Jesse McCarthy, founder of MontessoriEducation.com, believes those methods prepare young people to thrive and build civil society.

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Teaching Kids How to Learn from the Past

Tue, 22 Aug 2023 04:00:00 GMT

The Tuttle Twins author Connor Boyack brings that same didactic approach to history in a new series of books aimed at young people.

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Psychedelics and the Advance of Cognitive Liberty

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 04:00:00 GMT

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PayPal Makes Big Entry into Stablecoins

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 12:38:44 GMT

PayPal's entry into stablecoins promises big potential benefits to consumers across the financial sector, but how well founded are regulators' fears? Cato's Jack Solowey highlights the legitimate concerns.

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The Promise of a Special Economic Zone in Honduras

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 19:53:01 GMT

Próspera aims to present a new model for governance, and Honduras has led the way in fostering it. J Robertson directs development for Próspera.

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Do Pot Smokers Have Second Amendment Rights?

Wed, 16 Aug 2023 17:30:57 GMT

Tens of millions of Americans use federally illegal drugs, often in states where those drugs are legal. Do those people have the right to possess firearms under the Constitution? The feds seem to think they don’t. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals weighed in last week. Cato's Clark Neily comments on the case.

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New Trump Indictment: Georgia Edition

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 19:08:24 GMT

Former president Trump and more than a dozen codefendants will face charges in Georgia over claimed attempts to subvert the will of Georgia voters in 2020. Cato’s Clark Neily discusses the indictment.

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Will Consumer Welfare Cease to Guide Corporate Mergers?

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 15:03:08 GMT

New proposed merger guidelines would have a negative impact on consumers and companies of all sizes, according to Cato's Jennifer Huddleston.

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A 'Link Tax' Won't Save Struggling Newspapers

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 20:58:56 GMT

Well-intentioned though it may be, emulating Australia's "Link Tax" would be disastrous for small journalism outlets in the United States. Paul Matzko is author of a new Cato paper detailing the evidence.

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Freeing American Families

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 17:11:27 GMT

Being a parent is hard enough. Labor laws, child safety policies, tax and trade policy, and health policies each add impediments to the decision to have more children. A new Cato paper digs into policy reforms. Coauthor Vanessa Brown Calder comments.

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China Reshuffles Its Rocket Force

Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:40:09 GMT

What does a shakeup in the highest levels of China's People's Liberation Army Rocket Force mean for U.S. commitments to Taiwan? Cato's Eric Gomez offers his analysis.

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Argentina Should Dollarize Now

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 21:16:39 GMT

Argentina has long had big problems with inflation, so why is dollarization such a hard sell there? Cato's Daniel Raisbeck explains.

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Why Does the U.S. Sell Arms to Authoritarian Regimes?

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 19:38:26 GMT

The United States has recently sold weapons to well over 100 countries, many of which have terrible human rights records. Cato's new Arms Sales Risk Index aims to help Congress understand the risks associated with many of those sales. Cato's Jordan Cohen comments.

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After SCOTUS Rebuke, Biden Changes Tactics on Student Loan Bailout

Sat, 05 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Now that the Supreme Court has tossed his original plan, President Biden plans different routes to forgives billions in student debt. Cato's Neal McCluskey discusses the plans.

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Amid Trial Preparations on Federal Prostitution Charges, Backpage Founder Takes His Own Life

Fri, 04 Aug 2023 22:59:43 GMT

A week before his trial on charges that his company facilitated prostitution, Backpage founder James Larkin took his own life. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason discusses what's led up to the trial and how prosecutors attempted to stymie the defendants.

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Will Credit Downgrades Spur Greater Interest in a BRAC-like Fiscal Commission?

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:45:39 GMT

Another credit rating agency has reduced its confidence in U.S. debt. Cato's Romina Boccia explains why it should spur greater interest in a fiscal commission that would stabilize the debt and protect politicians from some of the electoral fallout.

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The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism

Wed, 02 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT

In The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, authors Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi dissect the wide range of libertarian thought through history. Coauthor Matt Zwolinski discusses the book.

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Some in Congress Have Regulatory Knives Out for Crypto

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 17:48:25 GMT

Cryptocurrency has some powerful enemies, including several members of Congress who appear bent on regulating the products into oblivion. Cato's Nick Anthony explains.

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The Green Card Game Shows Why Legal Immigration Is so Difficult

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 10:00:00 GMT

The Green Card Game shows just how time consuming, expensive, and complicated it can be to achieve legal status in the United States. Cato's David Bier and Alex Nowrasteh created the game.

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Ukraine Should Not Be A NATO Member

Sat, 29 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT

The rumblings about adding Ukraine in yet another expansion of NATO raises many important questions, most especially about NATO's purpose. Justin Logan explains why NATO membership should not be in the future for Ukraine.

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The Original Sin of U.S. Health Policy

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 18:59:09 GMT

The tax code penalizes workers who want to control their earnings and their health insurance. Michael Cannon explains why the income tax is the original sin of U.S. health policy.

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The Dissident Project Brings Escapees from Authoritarians to American High Schools

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 21:08:52 GMT

The Dissident Project’s speakers travel to high schools to speak to students about authoritarianism, drawing on their own experience living under autocratic rule in their home countries. Grace Bydalek and Frances Hui discuss The Dissident Project’s work.

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The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 16:07:22 GMT

David Beito is author of The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights: The Untold Story of FDR’s Concentration Camps, Censorship, and Mass Surveillance.

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An Assessment of #StopCopCity and Training Centers for 'Urban Combat' Policing

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 21:27:05 GMT

Atlanta's Cop City represents an expansion of police training to include more potential "urban combat" scenarios. At least one Cop City protestor has been killed with little explanation by authorities. Patrick Eddington discusses what he's found.

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The Impossibility of Policy

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 20:18:52 GMT

What makes for good rules? Good rules are often "discovered," according to Cato's Deirdre McCloskey.

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New Attempts to Reform Rules for Accredited Investors

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 21:53:35 GMT

Accredited investors are supposed to be sophisticated, but the designation is rooted in the size of your portfolio and not your expertise. Jennifer Schulp discusses current attempts at reform.

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Defuse the Culture War with Liberated Education

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 20:17:35 GMT

The only way to treat all equally, while advancing genuine tolerance, is the good old American value of limited government. Mustafa Alkyl and Neal McCluskey explain what this ought to mean for education.

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The Bank Secrecy Act Delivers A Lopsided Privacy Tradeoff

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:51:46 GMT

The Bank Secrecy Act requires your financial institutions to snitch on you every time you engage in certain kinds of financial transactions. What's the benefit in terms of reducing crime? Nick Anthony says it's hard to tell.

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SCOTUS Nixes Souped-Up Independent State Legislature Theory

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 21:02:09 GMT

The Supreme Court shot down an extreme version of a relatively new theory of state legislative independence in the context of elections. Walter Olson explains.

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Big Taxpayer Bucks for Buc-ee's

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 21:41:03 GMT

Buc-ee's has garnered a reputation as an oasis for the weary traveler, but should taxpayers have to support it financially? Cato's Marc Joffe and John Mozena of the Center for Economic Accountability comment.

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Congressional Democrats Keep Pushing This One Big Tax Deduction

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 20:56:48 GMT

The state and local tax deduction has been curtailed, but many Congressional Democrats wish it would come back in full force. Cato's Adam Michel comments.

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SCOTUS Will Weigh in on Taxing Unrealized Income

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 21:20:53 GMT

The Supreme Court will take up the case of a one-time tax hike for a highly selective group of Americans on some of their unrealized income. Tommy Berry explains.

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An Object Lesson in States Holding Local Governments Accountable

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 19:53:50 GMT

How do states hold counties and cities accountable for their financial management? Marc Joffe details a tightening of some accounting requirements in North Carolina.

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AI Regulation in Europe versus the U.S.

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 19:55:22 GMT

Europe's data privacy rules make regulating artificial intelligence an easier step to take. How will those rules affect the deployment and investment in this new technology elsewhere? Jennifer Huddleston comments.

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Standing, the Right Not to Speak, and 303 Creative v. Elenis

Thu, 06 Jul 2023 01:19:51 GMT

The Supreme Court’ 303 Creative v. Elenis decision correctly applies First Amendment law to vindicate one of the most important dimensions of human liberty: the right not to speak. Walter Olson explains.

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After SCOTUS Rejects Biden Plan, Will Student Debt Cancellation Get Another Round?

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 08:00:00 GMT

The Supreme Court rejected President Biden’s ambitious plan to give away hundreds of billions of dollars on behalf of student debtors. The President claimed his legal authority to do so came from 2003’s Heroes Act. Biden has pledged to try again. Tommy Berry evaluates the case.

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SCOTUS Clarifies 'True Threats'

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 19:57:00 GMT

In Counterman v. Colorado, the Supreme Court clarified what should be treated as a "true threat" going forward. Jay Schweikert discusses the court's opinion.

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The End of Racial Preferences in College Admissions

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 20:25:55 GMT

The Supreme Court has effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions. Cato's Anastasia Boden comments on the cases.

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SCOTUS Leans on Constitutional Avoidance in United States v. Hansen

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 21:04:00 GMT

The Supreme Court upheld the federal criminal prohibition on encouraging or inducing violations of immigration law, and how they did so is notable and disappointing. Tommy Berry comments.

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Mr. Modi Goes to Washington

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 21:31:33 GMT

What would India and the U.S. get out of a stronger relationship? Is that even likely? Cato's Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar comments.

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A Few Avenues for Fixing Broken Federal Budgeting

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 23:51:45 GMT

Congress is pretty good at avoiding accountability, opting instead for budgeting gimmicks that aim to hide the true cost of government. Romina Boccia highlights some of the ideas that could change that.

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Appealing Questionable Convictions after Jones v. Hendrix

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 20:54:04 GMT

A likely bad conviction, a sloppily written law, and the Supreme Court have come together to provide a strange and troubling outcome in Jones v. Hendrix. Cato's Jay Schweikert details what happened.

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For the Vast Majority, Legal Immigration to the U.S. Is Virtually Impossible

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:34:26 GMT

David Bier explains why the "just immigrate legally" crowd display a profound ignorance of how immigration does and doesn't work in the United States.

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The War on Vaping Proceeds Apace

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 21:04:34 GMT

Cato's Jeff Singer discusses the accelerating war on vaping and why the consequences will be as predictable as most prohibitions.

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Improving Youth Online Safety without Sacrificing Privacy and Speech

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 21:28:29 GMT

Jennifer Huddleston argues that currently proposed policy approaches to youth online safety are overly blunt tools that will cause more harm than good.

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Is Congress Tackling Tough Questions on Crypto Regulation?

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 21:27:06 GMT

Jack Solowey and Jennifer Schulp give a review of recent moves in Congress on cryptocurrency regulation.

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Rent/Landlord Control Challenged in NYC

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 04:00:00 GMT

New York City's strict rent control law also restricts the ability of landlords to exit the market. Tommy Berry details a challenge the Supreme Court may take up in the next term.

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When Debate Stops Being the Battle of Ideas

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 17:22:17 GMT

James Fishback, founder of Incubate Debate, believes that the changing nature of debate as a competitive event does young people a profound disservice.

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ESG Fans and Opponents Can't Seem to Agree on What ESG Means

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:36:47 GMT

Investing that targets certain environmental, social, and governance goals (ESG) has its fans and opponents, but they can't seem to settle on a common definition. That's enabled all manner of troubling policy proposals. Jennifer Schulp explains.

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Why the Car Market Went Crazy

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:44:34 GMT

Among the pandemic, new regulations on auto production, tax credits, and microchip supply constraints, it's been a wild few years for the car market. Scott Lincicome discusses what normal might look like in the near term and why government has made a stabilizing situation somewhat more volatile.

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A Libertarian Take on Family Policy

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 20:05:35 GMT

At the Cato Institute Benefactor Summit held in May, Vanessa Brown Calder spoke with Alex Nowrasteh on how libertarians ought to approach issues of broad importance to families.

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Donald Trump's Federal Criminal Indictment

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 18:47:21 GMT

If it weren't for the fact that Donald Trump is a former President who is seeking that job for a third time, the dozens of federal criminal charges relating to purloined classified documents he now faces would be straightforward. Clark Neily comments.

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The End of Home Equity Theft and the Future of Takings

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Geraldine Tyler will get her thousands of dollars back from her local government thanks to a recent Supreme Court opinion ending the practice known as "home equity theft." What's that mean going forward? Tommy Berry comments.

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What's the Benefit of Religious Charter Schools?

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:18:30 GMT

Religious charter schools may grow in the coming years, but it's not clear what the benefits are to the schools or religious institutions that would run them. Neal McCluskey comments.

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Industrial Policy Fans Hit with Harsh Political Realities

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 20:15:39 GMT

Fans of government intervention into the economy in the pursuit of largely agreeable social goods are running into the realities of lawmaking. Scott Lincicome offers some comfort.

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Central Bank Digital Currency versus The Constitution

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:04:33 GMT

Would a Fed-issued central bank digital currency (CBDC) run afoul of the Constitution? Christina Skinner of the Wharton School and Cato's Norbert Michel comment.

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The High Price of Buying American

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 20:55:45 GMT

Policies that privilege domestic producers of various products punish consumers, taxpayers, and producers alike while delivering few benefits. Cato's James Bacchus comments.

You can read "The High Price of Buying American" here.

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Voters as Mad Scientists

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:56:47 GMT

In Voters as Mad Scientists, economist Bryan Caplan explores various aspects of voter irrationality and how we might correct for our own errors of thinking.

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How Government Rigged the Adjudicative Process to Facilitate Its Unlawful Exercise of Power

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 21:29:37 GMT

At the Cato Institute's Benefactor Summit, Clark Neily details how government itself substantially altered the process of criminal adjudication and stacked the deck against average Americans.

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Sackett v. EPA Is Finally Resolved

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 20:03:23 GMT

The Sackett family has finally gotten its relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. Charles Yates of the Pacific Legal Foundation represented the Sackett family.

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A Tentative Debt Limit Deal Moves to Congress

Tue, 30 May 2023 20:07:48 GMT

The debt limit deal hammered out by House Speaker McCarthy and President Biden won't do much on its own to prevent a fiscal crisis, but it does set up some potentially productive negotiations to limit spending and debt in the coming years. Chris Edwards comments.

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Can Congress Regulate Artificial Intelligence?

Mon, 29 May 2023 08:00:00 GMT

What do we give up in any attempt to regulate the development of artificial intelligence? Matt Mittelsteadt of the Mercatus Center and Cato's Jennifer Huddleston comment.

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The FBI’s Ongoing War on Encryption

Sun, 28 May 2023 08:00:00 GMT

The FBI's war on encryption poses threats well beyond the private sector. In fact, as Cato's Patrick Eddington points out, the FBI itself faces threats from widespread compromised private communication technology.

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Section 230 Will Return to the Supreme Court

Sat, 27 May 2023 08:00:00 GMT

What protections do/should platforms have to use algorithms to suggest content to viewers? Will Duffield and Jennifer Huddleston comment on recent and future cases at the Supreme Court.

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Housing Markets and Housing First

Fri, 26 May 2023 21:14:16 GMT

Where do "housing first" policies to address homelessness succeed or fail? Vanessa Brown Calder is coauthor of a new Cato briefing paper examining several of these attempts to make permanent housing a prerequisite for other assistance.

Briefing Paper: Housing Markets First: Housing Supply and Affordability Are Key to Reducing Homelessness

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Making the Broad Case for Liberty

Thu, 25 May 2023 20:33:10 GMT

Former Congressman Justin Amash, for a time the only Libertarian member of that body, discusses how he approaches making a compelling case for liberty and civil society. This conversation is from the Cato Institute's Benefactor Summit.

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What Does the Constitution Tell Us About the Debt Limit?

Wed, 24 May 2023 23:31:36 GMT

As the fight continues over how to handle mounting U.S. debt, Cato's Robert A. Levy has a few thoughts on how the Constitution ought to inform the debate.

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Understanding Jimmy Lai's Determination for Freedom

Mon, 22 May 2023 21:26:05 GMT

William McGurn speaks about Jimmy Lai at the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, introduced by Cato President Peter Goettler.

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A Few Thoughts on the Role of the Entrepreneur

Wed, 17 May 2023 13:03:27 GMT

One of the biggest misconceptions that drives mischief in the economy is the widespread belief that entrepreneurship is easy, and if it's not easy, it's at least formulaic. Deirdre McCloskey explains why that attitude can be so destructive.

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Will Assistant Physicians Be Allowed to Fill Emerging Gaps in Health Care?

Tue, 16 May 2023 19:51:47 GMT

There are several needless bottlenecks in certifying medical professionals on behalf of the patients who need them. Some states have moved ahead with allowing "assistant physicians" to take a more prominent role in delivering health care. Cato's Jeff Singer explains.

Watch the Policy Forum related to this topic online May 22nd: Expanding Access to Primary Care by Removing Barriers to Assistant Physicians.

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The Hong Konger

Mon, 15 May 2023 20:51:47 GMT

Jimmy Lai has become a powerful symbol of the struggle for democratic rights and press freedom in Hong Kong as China’s Communist Party exerts ever greater control over the territory. Lai will receive the 2023 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty this week. Eric Kohn is a producer on The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai’s Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom.

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The Stakes for Elections in Turkey

Fri, 12 May 2023 18:56:36 GMT

Turkey's President Erdogan has taken big steps to consolidate his power. Is it reasonable to expect an election that could remove him will be free and fair? Cato's Mustafa Akyol discusses where Turkey sits on the road to tyranny.

Related Policy Forum: Turkey’s Centennial Election: What Is at Stake?

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Addressing the Oppressive Burden of Occupational Licensing

Thu, 11 May 2023 20:35:22 GMT

Occupational licensing places enormous burdens on people who want to use their skills in the marketplace. State-level reform efforts have been slow going. Kentucky Republican state Representative Steven Doan and the Pacific Legal Foundation's Steven Slivinski comment.

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Regulatory Power vs. the Right to a Jury Trial

Wed, 10 May 2023 21:56:41 GMT

When can a federal regulatory agency nix your right to a jury trial and instead subject you to their own internal court? That's a question now moving through the courts. Cato's Tommy Berry describes the case of Burgess v. Whang.

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Baby Ninth Amendments: How Americans Embraced Unenumerated Rights and Why It Matters

Tue, 09 May 2023 18:50:08 GMT

Anthony Sanders is author of the new book, Baby Ninth Amendments: How Americans Embraced Unenumerated Rights and Why It Matters.

You can watch a replay our book forum for Baby Ninth Amendments here.

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AOC Wants the Feds to Squelch Fox News. Can They?

Mon, 08 May 2023 21:41:49 GMT

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants the federal government to step in to punish what appears on a news network. Can they? Should they? Jesse Walker of Reason Magazine comments.

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P.G. Wodehouse: The Sensitivity Reader Edit

Fri, 05 May 2023 19:49:59 GMT

Many long-dead authors have had their works scrubbed by so-called "sensitivity readers," the latest of which is P.G. Wodehouse. Why? Writer Christian Schneider discusses the new scrutiny aimed at old books.

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The Federal Reserve Reviews the Failure of Silicon Valley Bank

Fri, 05 May 2023 11:41:14 GMT

The Fed's report on the failure of Silicon Valley Bank doesn't just lay blame at the private sector. Norbert Michel details the most important and valuable takeaways.

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What Is 'Race Essentialism'?

Wed, 03 May 2023 20:13:24 GMT

How do "race essentialists" think about how people ought to view and interact with each other? Erec Smith, a visiting scholar at the Cato Institute, discusses what it means to be a race essentialist.

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The Digital Age Demands Robust Financial Privacy

Tue, 02 May 2023 14:15:50 GMT

Our arrival in the digital age has not been good for financial privacy. Nick Anthony's new Cato paper offers a framework for eliminating warrantless surveillance of our financial lives.

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After the Biden-Yoon Summit, What Did the U.S. and Korea Get?

Mon, 01 May 2023 20:44:54 GMT

What do South Korea and the U.S. want from each other? Cato's Doug Bandow and Eric Gomez explain.

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The Many and Varied Explanations for the Explosion in Human Wealth

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 21:05:47 GMT

There are many competing theories that purport to explain the dramatic and sustained increase in wealth and well-being for humans these last two centuries. Cato’s Deirdre McCloskey discusses why she believes liberty is the secret sauce of growing prosperity.

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In Search of the 15-Minute City

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:09:19 GMT

What stands in the way of people having quick residential access to most of life's amenities? How should that be balanced against the desire for many Americans who love suburbia? Cato's Marc Joffe discusses the dream of the "15-minute city."

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Going to War in Mexico over Fentanyl is a Terrible Idea

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 21:28:28 GMT

We're unfortunately used to going to war overseas for dubious purposes, but what about a war with a next-door neighbor over fentanyl? Justin Logan details the proposals now in Congress.

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SCOTUS Lets Challenges to Administrative Courts Proceed

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:14:40 GMT

You should be able to access a court to challenge an administrative agency seeking to prevent you from taking a matter to court. So says the Supreme Court. What does it mean for future litigation? Cato’s Tommy Berry and Will Yeatman of the Pacific Legal Foundation comment.

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Biden's Economic Advisors Are Crypto Skeptics

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 20:56:37 GMT

President Biden's Council of Economic Advisors have for the first time produced a report with a special chapter on "digital assets," and their skepticism toward cryptocurrencies is worth noting. Jack Solowey explains why.

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Can Congress Make Federal Spending Cuts a Top-Tier Issue?

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 21:03:40 GMT

Putting the brakes on federal spending and debt will require Congressional will and a plan to minimize political fallout. William Glass of the Millennial Debt Foundation and Cato's Romina Boccia discuss how to make it happen.

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Fox News, Dominion Voting Systems, and Libel Law in America

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 16:28:47 GMT

Fox News has settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million dollars over election-related libel claims. What does or should that mean for efforts to change libel laws in the United States? Walter Olson explains.

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Four Ways to Simplify Taxpaying

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:46:50 GMT

Politicians on both sides of the aisle often get carried away with designing new or expanded tax programs without considering what is already in the tax code. Adam Michel details how to make it simpler.

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Steps to Reforming the Internal Revenue Service

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 19:27:06 GMT

The IRS possesses "the power to destroy" and a mindset focused heavily on enforcement, but the agency is a mess in serious need of reform. Cato adjunct scholar Joe Bishop-Henchman details how it should be done.

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Understanding the Newest Intelligence Leak

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 20:07:24 GMT

A young member of the National Guard somehow accessed classified military plans relating to Ukraine and shared them with friends on social media. What are the implications for security, military intelligence, and the broader problems relating to classified documents? What are the key similarities and differences between this and other intelligence leaks? Cato’s Patrick Eddington and Eric Gomez explain.

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Generative AI and Copyright

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 21:33:28 GMT

What threat does copyright law pose to new generative AI technology? Writer Tim Lee comments.

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As Pandemic Concerns Fade, 'Cops Practicing Medicine' Returns

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 19:28:48 GMT

Pandemic-driven rules governing the prescribing of certain drugs are due to expire. Cato's Jeff Singer explains why government intrusions into the practice of medicine leaves patients hurting.

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Would New Legislation Actually Make Kids Safer Online?

Tue, 11 Apr 2023 20:14:53 GMT

State legislatures and Congress hope to create new rules to protect young people online, but those proposals come with their own costs and risks to privacy for young people. Jennifer Huddleston discusses her new paper analyzing the proposals.

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What Do Americans Think of Central Bank Digital Currency?

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 20:29:12 GMT

The federal impositions that would be enabled by central bank digital currency (CBDC) are hard to overstate. A new poll from the Cato Institute indicates that the more Americans know about it, the less they like it. Cato’s Emily Ekins describes what the poll tells us.

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Cannabis Legalization vs. Nanny Statism in Ireland

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 18:31:42 GMT

As Ireland ponders cannabis legalization, Paul Meany suggests that the debate is an opportunity to more clearly establish that individuals are morally entitled to make these kinds of decisions for themselves.

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About That Xi and Putin Meeting ...

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 04:00:00 GMT

War in Ukraine has supposedly brought China and Russia closer together. Facts on the ground make that narrative less compelling. Eric Gomez comments on the recent meeting between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.

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The U.S. Has Too Many Classified Documents

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Federal agencies are already swimming in classified documents, and most of that secrecy is unwarranted. The problem promises to get worse. Patrick Eddington detail the scope of the problem and how it ought to be addressed.

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Assessing the Risks and Dispelling the Myths Surrounding Central Bank Digital Currency

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Central bank digital currencies are still not widely understood, but that's not stopping governments from moving ahead with the new technology. Nick Anthony is coauthor of a new Cato Institute paper exposing some of the myths and risks of CBDCs.

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All the President's Budget Assumptions

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 19:28:07 GMT

Presidents are known to make rosy assumptions when they propose budgets to Congress. How realistic are they? Cato's Adam Michel comments on the recent White House budget proposal.

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United States v. Hansen

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT

When are your words of mere encouragement to a friend criminal under federal law? Tommy Berry details a case that holds serious implications for freedom of speech.

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TikTok Grandstanding and National Security

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 20:45:20 GMT

Congressional anger at the popular app TikTok could be better aimed at making Americans' data more secure from snoopers and hostile foreign governments. Cato's Jennifer Huddleston and Will Duffield discuss the recent Congressional hearing on TikTok.

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The House-Passed 'Parents Bill of Rights' Is Unconstitutional

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 20:35:53 GMT

Congress wants to promote transparency in public schooling, but its means are dubious. Neal McCluskey discusses the House-passed "parents bill of rights."

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SEC Moves to Revamp Retail Trading

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 20:27:22 GMT

Securities and Exchange Commission leadership seems to believe that some big changes to how trades get executed will better protect retail traders. Jennifer Schulp says it's not clear retail traders are currently poorly served.

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The Consequences of Big Electric Vehicle Handouts

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 21:34:18 GMT

Getting certain members of Congress to sign off on big ticket legislation sometimes means cutting some deals that mitigate the impact of your bigger goals. In the case of electric vehicle subsidies, Scott Lincicome says the negative impacts are typical for industrial policy.

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Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 21:16:20 GMT

In Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable, author Joanna Schwartz details the myriad ways police have been immunized or otherwise protected from the consequences of violating Americans' rights.

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Equalities of Outcome/Opportunity/Permission

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 19:11:53 GMT

When policymakers pursue “equality,” which equality should they pursue? Deirdre McCloskey believes neither "equality of outcome" nor "equality of opportunity" is a great option.

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PTSD, Veteran Mental Health, and Psychedelics

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 12:55:54 GMT

Psychedelics show enormous promise in the treatment of PTSD and depression. Those treatments are largely unavailable domestically to veterans and others who might be helped. Call it a casualty of the War on Drugs. Jesse Gould runs the Heroic Hearts Project to help overcome those hurdles for veterans who might benefit from psychedelic treatment.

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The Fiscal Impact of Immigration in the United States

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 12:45:19 GMT

How does immigration affect the public treasury? In most scenarios, that effect is positive. Alex Nowrasteh is coauthor of the new paper, "The Fiscal Impact of Immigration in the United States."

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Appreciating Israel Kirzner

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 14:28:36 GMT

What are the big takeaways from the insights of the long career of Austrian economist Israel Kirzner? Economist Peter Boettke has some ideas.

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Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 20:10:27 GMT

It took 30 years and one dedicated young man to get New York to throw out its ban on pinball. Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game tells the story of Roger Sharpe, a journalist at GQ and a pinball aficionado. Austin and Meredith Bragg are the film's directors. The film is in theaters and available for streaming today.

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Panic at the Chatbot

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 18:56:07 GMT

Fears of artificial intelligence have been goosed recently with the emergence of services like ChatGPT that can deliver longform coherent text addressing fairly specific prompts. Cato's Will Duffield says many of the fears it has inspired are unfounded.

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FDIC Sets Bad Precedent in SVB Failure

Wed, 15 Mar 2023 18:28:38 GMT

Shareholders are getting hosed by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, but depositors ought to be more on the hook for losses than, say, depositors at other banks. Norbert Michel discusses the bad precedent set by the FDIC.

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Shelter from the Storm: How a COVID Mortgage Meltdown Was Averted

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT

In his new book, Shelter from the Storm, Cato's Mark Calabria details his time as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency during one of the most turbulent times for housing finance.

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Nigeria's Disastrous Rollout of Central Bank Digital Currency

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT

Nigeria's experience with central bank digital currencies should give pause to advocates for the privacy killing monetary innovation. Cato's Nick Anthony comments.

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Search Warrants and the Police Killing of Breonna Taylor

Sat, 11 Mar 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Police killed Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky three years ago. The warrants that led to her death remain a black eye for the judicial branch there. Julie Kaelin is a circuit judge in Louisville who has tried to reform warrant approval in Kentucky.

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Home Equity Theft at the Supreme Court

Fri, 10 Mar 2023 20:09:06 GMT

The Cato Institute has filed a brief in the Supreme Court case of Tyler v. Hennepin County. Tommy Berry details the argument against the government's taking of Ms. Tyler's home and all the equity it contains.

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Local Consequences of Certificate of Need in Health Care

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 20:03:29 GMT

Ron Shultis of the Beacon Center in Tennessee details some of the local costs that certificate of need laws can impose on health care consumers.

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New Hampshire's Governor on the Regulatory State, Accountable Cops, and Ukraine

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 13:09:10 GMT

New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu (R) discusses devolving the regulatory state, police accountability, and U.S. support in the war in Ukraine.

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The 1619 Project and Capitalism

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 14:46:24 GMT

The 1619 Project has been converted to a television production on Hulu. Cato's Paul Meany takes a look at a few of the more controversial claims.

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Do Effective Policy Solutions to the ‘Baby Bust’ Exist?

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 21:53:20 GMT

Americans aren't having as many kids these days. It reflects a global trend, and the consequences of the slowdown may be dire. Still, it's not clear that policy has any especially respectful solutions to address it. Writer Tim Carney (a father of six) discusses what to do – in policy and in the culture – about the "baby bust."

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A Path Forward in Fights over African American History

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 08:00:00 GMT

In January, Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced an end to AP classes in African American history in state schools. Historian David Beito details why that history matters, what's missing in common treatments of African American history, and why choice in education is as important as ever.

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Scope of Practice and the Delivery of Health Care

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

At least some of the modern fights over health care can be traced back to divvying up the healthcare marketplace in statute. Jeff Singer discusses the problems inherent in pervasive scope of practice regulation.

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The New Attacks on Globalization

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

The new skepticism toward globalization has a bipartisan zeal with new concerns about the environment and national security thrown in. Johan Norberg explains why these new attacks are no smarter than the old ones.

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Destroying Anonymous Online Speech 'for the Children

Fri, 24 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Much will be lost when platforms are compelled to collect our personal details in the name of protecting children online. Author Jeff Kosseff comments on the new push to force platforms to identify every user.

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When Problematic Prosecutors Enjoy Absolute Immunity

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 08:00:00 GMT

When should victims of blatant proseutorial abuse be able to sue? Ben Field of the Institute for Justice details a troubling case of prosecutorial immunity.

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Should Every Felony Squelch Your Second Amendment Rights?

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 18:51:32 GMT

If you state made jaywalking a felony, should that necessarily mean you should never be able to own a firearm again? Clark Neily details the practical debate over gun rights now brewing in federal court and says the implications for the average American are substantial.

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Federal Task Forces and Holding Corrupt Local Cops Accountable

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 13:55:55 GMT

A Minnesota police officer may avoid accountability for criminally sending some teenagers to federal prison for two years because she's a deputized federal agent. Patrick Jaicomo of the Institute for Justice represents one of the teenagers.

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Big Spending and Big Debt Require Big Solutions

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 13:53:00 GMT

Congress and the President regularly have big spending plans, and too often they agree on them. The rapid rise in debt issued by the federal government is clearly unsustainable, so what would serious reform look like? Romina Boccia explains.

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Swifties, Ticketmaster, and the Role of Antitrust

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 13:49:40 GMT

Is there more to the story of Ticketmaster's handling of Taylor Swift tickets beyond mere supply and demand? Jennifer Huddleston discusses why Congress and federal regulators are looking more closely.

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States Working to Make 2023 A Year of Universal School Choice

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 19:38:02 GMT

2021 was a big year for school choice, but this year more states are advancing so-called universal school choice programs. Colleen Hroncich discusses the trend.

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More Thoughts on Algorithms and Section 230 at SCOTUS

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 21:40:50 GMT

Will Duffield provides additional context ahead of the Supreme Court's consideration of liability under Section 230 of Communications Decency Act.

Related Cato Daily Podcast: Do Algorithms Get a Pass Under Section 230? featuring Thomas A. Berry and Caleb O. Brown

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Why Shadow Banking Didn’t Cause the Financial Crisis

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:34:51 GMT

In his new book, Why Shadow Banking Didn’t Cause the Financial Crisis, Norbert Michel explores the main problems with the conventional story about the 2008 crisis and explains why it does not justify expanding bank‐like regulations throughout financial markets to mitigate systemic risks.

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Tyre Nichols and Fostering a Police Culture of Accountability

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 17:49:06 GMT

It's a heavy lift to create a culture of accountability within policing that could reduce police killings. Jay Schweikert discusses the brutal police killing of Tyre Nichols and why the case was both exceptional and alarming.

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DeSantis Scrubs Florida Public Schools

Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:17:26 GMT

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has asserted more direct control over the state's public schools. Neal McCluskey details why public institutions necessitate public control.

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Do Algorithms Get a Pass Under Section 230?

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 21:15:10 GMT

A case going before the U.S. Supreme Court at long last puts Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act front and center. Specifically, the court is being asked to rule on the status of algorithms that help platforms decide what content to offer up to users. Tommy Berry explains.

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Do Big Transit Spending Plans Make Sense Anymore?

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 21:13:58 GMT

Workers have largely maintained their out-of-office work arrangements. Do big spending plans for transit still make sense? Marc Joffe provides details.

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DeSantis Likes E-Verify Despite Its (Many) Failures

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 22:18:50 GMT

The federal labor market imposition known as E-Verify doesn't work very well, and it could be used in myriad ways to deny Americans’ employment. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis seems to like it anyway, having punished private employers who have refused to use the program. David Bier explains why the program is at best a bothersome federal intervention.

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How Certificate of Need Obstructs Birthing Centers

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 15:38:44 GMT

Birthing can be a tense process. The comfort of pregnant women is of utmost importance for a smooth delivery. Still, many states tell future mothers they don't need facilities that specialize in providing that comfort. Anastasia Boden explains how certificate of need laws interfere with the preferences of parents in how their children are born.

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How Non-Compete Agreements Work in Labor Markets

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 21:13:39 GMT

What does research tell us about the use and abuse of non-compete agreements? Brian Albrecht of the International Center for Law and Economics comments.

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Feds Back Down (Temporarily) on Expanded Financial Snooping

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:07:52 GMT

It's hard to square rhetoric surrounding high-earners who attempt to avoid taxes with a now-suspended plan to snoop on small financial transactions. Nick Anthony and Scott Lincicome comment.

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Immigrants Continue to Consume Less in Welfare Benefits

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 23:25:13 GMT

Why do immigrants consistently consume less in welfare benefits than native-born Americans? Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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Scope of Practice and the Supply of Health Care Services

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 15:10:13 GMT

When you wait three months for an appointment only to spend a few minutes with a physician, would you say that you had adequate access to your doctor? How would expanding scope of practice help? Elizabeth Stelle with the Commonwealth Foundation comments from the Cato Institute’s State Health Policy Summit held earlier this month.

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State-Run Home Equity Theft Goes before SCOTUS

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 14:43:59 GMT

A dozen states and DC steal home equity from often unsuspecting homeowners. The process known as “home equity theft” leaves many people both homeless and without a large fraction of their retirement savings. The Pacific Legal Foundation will bring a case to the U.S. Supreme Court this year. Researcher Angela C. Erickson and attorney Larry Salzman comment.

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The Human Freedom Index 2022

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 10:30:00 GMT

The latest edition of the Human Freedom Index shows that the pandemic was devastating for freedom across the globe. Ian Vasquez is the co-author.

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The Political Opposition to Prescribing Psychologists

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 21:19:24 GMT

An emergent turf war over who gets to prescribe medication means delaying mental health care. Claudia Mosier is a prescribing psychologist in two states and believes what she's offering could help many Americans secure their own mental health.

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Prescribing Psychologists and Mental Health Care

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

How might expanding the ranks of prescribing psychologists fill the gap in providing mental health care? What stands in the way? Beth N. Rom-Rymer is a clinical psychologist and advocate for the expansion of mental health access.

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Biden, Trump, and Purloined Classified Documents

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:16:50 GMT

It's too soon to say if the classified material found in the home and former office of President Joe Biden represents a serious security vulnerability, but Patrick Eddington says it easily represents a breach for which most of us would already be in jail.

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The Return of the Pre-COVID Regulatory Hurdles

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 15:20:35 GMT

Many regulations were suspended or relaxed as COVID-19 surged in the United States. So why are they coming back? Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute explains.

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'Strategic Whac-A-Mole' and FBI v. Fikre

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Yonas Fikre spent years on the federal "no fly" list. Now he's seeking the opportunity of redress. The FBI wants nothing to do with it and pledges not to put Fikre back on the list. Tommy Berry details why the claim of “mootness” has this case before SCOTUS.

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Don't Build the Great Firewall of America

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Some members of Congress appear to want to choke off all manner of innovation enabled by cryptocurrencies, and doing so would require a great deal more intrusive government. Jack Solowey explains.

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Chevron Deference Returns to SCOTUS

Wed, 18 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Chevron deference, the doctrine under which courts defer to agencies in interpreting statutory authority, has long been controversial. Now the Supreme Court will look at the doctrine again. Tommy Berry comments.

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Drug Paraphernalia Laws and Overdoses

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 13:11:46 GMT

Laws aimed at controlling drug paraphernalia can end up harming efforts to prevent overdoses. Jeff Singer explains.

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Nationalism Stinks

Fri, 13 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

Nationalism effectively outsources your ideological commitments to whatever the state wants. That's not a good thing. Alex Nowrasteh explains why.

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Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

The United States is an outlier (in a good way) in the protection of speech. Jacob Mchangama is author of Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media.

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The Risks of Sending Ukraine Heavier Firepower

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT

The U.S. shouldn't stumble its way into a war with Russia, but there are plans under consideration that put the U.S. at greater risk of a direct confrontation. Eric Gomez details why sending heavier firepower to Ukraine risks greater American entanglement.

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As Unions Decline, They Get Creative

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 14:29:46 GMT

Courts have given public sector employees the ability to walk away from their unions, so unions have had to get creative in retaining those members. Ken Girardin of the Empire Center discusses the state of unions today.

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Zoning and Housing Reform in 2022

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 20:03:54 GMT

The housing crunch is showing signs of breaking, at least when it comes to states where the availability of affordable housing has been most visible. Nolan Gray, author of Arbitrary Lines, discusses what changed in 2022.

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Making Fun of Cops Online Is Protected Speech

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Thomas A. Berry details two cases that may provide an opportunity for the Supreme Court to bolster its reputation as protectors of free speech and weaken the troubling court-invented doctrine of qualified immunity.

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North Carolina and Cleaner Energy Production

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Are there lessons for other states in North Carolina's plan to set guardrails on shifting energy sources? André Béliveau of the John Locke Center makes his case.

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Aligning Incentives for Durable Conservation Efforts

Thu, 29 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Conservation needs willing parties to participate, so aligning incentives voluntarily is generally preferable to federal mandates. That from Brian Yablonski of the Property and Environment Research Center.

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High-Profile Union Gains amid Unions' Steady Decline

Wed, 28 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

The Mackinac Center's Jarrett Skorup believes the high-profile unionization of some businesses this year should be put in the broader context of the larger, steadier decline of union membership nationally.

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Understanding Cato’s Letters (Part Two)

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Paul Meany of Libertarianism.org details the ideas and influence of Cato’s Letters on the American founding era.

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Understanding Cato’s Letters (Part One)

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Paul Meany of Libertarianism.org discusses the cultural environment in which Cato's Letters arrived and their impact on the American Revolution.

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2022's Big State Subsidy Binge

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

This year is looking more like a historic year for government handouts to well-heeled companies. John Mozena with the Center for Economic Accountability details how federal spending has fueled big state-level corporate giveaways.

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The Myth of American Inequality: How Government Biases Policy Debate

Thu, 22 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

This mismeasurement of income inequality has given us costly and unjustified policy interventions to boost redistribution. That's the argument from the book coauthored by Cato's John F. Early, The Myth of American Inequality.

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In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Wishing the United States were less of a global hegemon doesn't mean giving up on engagement with the globe, as Christopher Coyne argues in his new book, In Search of Monsters to Destroy: The Folly of American Empire and the Paths to Peace.

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How the Feds 'Thanked' Distilleries When They Shifted to Hand Sanitizer

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT

When we knew little about COVID-19 and hand sanitizer was in short supply, distilleries stepped in to fill the gap. For their efforts, the federal government thanked them with ... a hefty bill. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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Congressional Dysfunction and Separation of Powers

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 05:00:00 GMT

Outgoing Republican Representative Peter Meijer of Michigan would like to see Congress reassert powers over war from the executive branch and address its own dysfunction. We discussed what he’s learned in his term in Congress, if his party plans to engage in any form of introspection, and what’s next for him.

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Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet's Biggest Problems

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 18:35:12 GMT

Todd Myers is author of Time to Think Small: How Nimble Environmental Technologies Can Solve the Planet's Biggest Problems.

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Criminal Justice Reform on Behalf of Workers

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 19:04:52 GMT

Productive employment is associated with avoiding entanglement in the criminal justice system, but for those already entangled that fact may be of little comfort. Scott Lincicome explains why criminal justice reform may also be pro-worker policy reform in his chapter of Empowering the New American Worker.

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Health Care and the New American Worker

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 17:39:49 GMT

Employment and health care are inextricably linked, and often that means limiting the choices of workers across the economy. Michael Cannon authored the health care chapter in Cato's new book, Empowering the New American Worker.

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What Has Joe Biden Gotten Right on Immigration?

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 21:09:21 GMT

The President hasn't done much with respect to immigration, but there are a few bright spots. David Bier discusses the Biden record on immigration so far and a new paper on guest workers.

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Occupational Licensing and the Private Market Actors Who Make the Rules

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 22:36:25 GMT

It's a clear conflict of interest when industry insiders get to control who participates in that industry, but that's exactly how occupational licensing functions. And, as Steve Slivinski of the Pacific Legal Foundation notes, it's worse than you might think.

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Government Impediments to Lower Cost of Living

Fri, 09 Dec 2022 23:30:00 GMT

Higher salaries are great, but the cost of living impacts quality of life every bit as much. In her chapter in Cato's new Empowering the New American Worker book, Gabriella Beaumont-Smith details the myriad ways basic goods cost more than they should.

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Keeping North Carolina’s Housing Affordable

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:18:17 GMT

Mike Tanner's new paper on the path forward for housing affordability in North Carolina shows that some of the biggest impediments to new housing exist in more states than just New York and California.

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From Federal Spending Spree to Congressional Lame Duck

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 21:08:37 GMT

Congress loves to avoid accountability. Our current and most recent former presidents have both presided over unprecedented spending. To make matters worse, the flashpoint of accountability elections provide is two years or more away. Jonathan Bydlak of the R Street Institute says this is the time when we should expect to see lawmakers at their least accountable as many (but not all) traditional opponents of profligate spending have shifted focus more immediate culture war fights.

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Housing for the New American Worker

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 22:11:23 GMT

The cost of housing is at historic highs and largely without good reason. Vanessa Brown Calder discusses what needs to change to make housing more affordable for average Americans.

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On A Matter of $8000 Stolen by the Government

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 16:22:11 GMT

Cristal Starling of Rochester, New York just wants her money back. The government took it without even charging her with a crime. Lee McGrath of the Institute for Justice is representing her in court.

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Smashing the Liquor Machine

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 21:05:18 GMT

The temperance movement in the U.S. that culminated with Prohibition wasn't the only one, though the results were similar. Mark Lawrence Schrad is author of Smashing the Liquor Machine.

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God in Commerce

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 21:54:18 GMT

What is the proper way for Christians to engage with the world around them? Many theologians believe Christians are called upon to be socialists. Deirdre McCloskey disagrees. Her forthcoming book is God in Commerce.

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Challenges to Donor Privacy New and Old

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 21:00:00 GMT

The nonprofit world largely weathered the pandemic, but the longstanding threats remain to the ability of nonprofit donors to remain anonymous haven’t gone anywhere. Peter Lipsett of DonorsTrust comments.

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Transportation and the New American Worker

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 19:44:32 GMT

American workers need to get to work, and the systems that support our transportation infrastructure need reform. Colin Grabow authored the transportation chapter in Cato's Empowering the New American Worker book.

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North Korea’s Missile Tests a Regular Source of Anxiety

Sun, 27 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

North Korea’s missile tests are a regular source of anxiety, but it’s important not to let the country’s saber rattling turn into a high-stakes cycle of increasing belligerence. Cato’s Eric Gomez details the current state of play.

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Iran's Struggle against Mandated Religious Practices

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Protests in Iran continue to highlight the struggle against mandated religious practices by Iran’s government. Cato’s Mustafa Akyol comments.

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Items on Americans' Ballot

Fri, 25 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Items on ballots this month included the typical crop of candidates, but voters also weighed in on ballot issues on how people vote, abortion, the separation of powers, involuntary servitude, and ending some drug prohibition. Cato’s Walter Olson discusses some of the more notable ballot measures voters faced this year.

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The Next American Economy

Thu, 24 Nov 2022 14:56:51 GMT

There are several paths forward for the American economy, but one path readily advanced by a movement on the right looks a lot like a loser’s playbook: protect industries and workers with the heavy hand of government and otherwise move toward more state interventions into economic affairs. Samuel Gregg is author of the new book, The Next American Economy.

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Fire Suppression versus Forest Management

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 04:06:32 GMT

There are ways to mitigate and prevent catastrophic wildfires if only the feds would allow them. Hannah Downey of the Property and Environment Research Center explains.

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Biden's Apparently Temporary but Also Seemingly Permanent Medicaid Expansion

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 03:45:41 GMT

The Biden White House continues to delay a return to normalcy in the Medicaid program, and that's putting states on the hook for more spending. Marc Joffe comments.

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Empowering Independent Work

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 21:00:00 GMT

Independent contractors perform vital functions throughout the economy so why do many states and the federal government want to disempower that kind of work. Scott Lincicome is editor of the new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker.

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How States Protect and Punish Political Speech

Thu, 17 Nov 2022 19:37:40 GMT

How do states rank when it comes to protecting the right to speak publicly about politics? Scott Blackburn is author of The Free Speech Index at the Institute for Free Speech.

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Education and the New American Worker

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Public institutions dominate the education landscape, but those institutions do not serve the needs of workers particularly well. Neal McCluskey is author of two chapters dealing with education in the new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker.

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Lessons from Montana's Growing Pains

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Kendall Cotton of Montana’s Frontier Institute discusses how the state can make room for new Montanans and prevent long-term economic problems in the process.

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Home-Based Business and the New American Worker

Fri, 11 Nov 2022 13:40:22 GMT

Businesses run out of homes represent a massive and unseen part of our economy. Governments should take steps to empower rather than punish these firms. Chris Edwards is author of a chapter in the new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker.

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Takeaways from Election Day 2022

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 21:28:23 GMT

Despite what was described just months earlier as a great political environment for Republicans, the anticipated "red wave" didn't materialize. Cato's Emily Ekins provided some analysis.

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Empowering the New American Worker

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 08:00:00 GMT

The new Cato book, Empowering the New American Worker, digs deep into policy reforms that would give American workers far greater freedom to plot their own professional lives. Scott Lincicome is the book's editor.

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A Case for Limiting the Time and Term of Supreme Court Justices

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 21:33:21 GMT

What's the case for limiting the time or term of Supreme Court justices? Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School made his case at the Cato Institute's Constitution Day festivities in September.

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Prospects for Regulatory Reform in 2023

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 01:36:26 GMT

What does West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency portend for regulatory reform? Is there hope for other regulatory reform with a new Congress? Joe Luppino-Esposito of the Pacific Legal Foundation gives his take.

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Are Social Media Algorithms a Form of Speech?

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 21:19:17 GMT

When social media companies decide what to show you, are the algorithms they use to automate the process a form of speech? It matters for civil liability. Paul Matzko comments.

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Conservatives' Time for Choosing on The One Ring of Big Government: #TeamFrodo or #TeamBoromir

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:02:36 GMT

Is a massive, powerful state something to be feared and destroyed … or wielded like a weapon? Many self-styled conservatives have decided that The One Ring of big government is a gift to conservative policy goals. Tony Woodlief disagrees.

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30 Years Later, Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights Has Been Decimated

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 20:58:28 GMT

Thirty years ago, Colorado's Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) was meant to strictly limit spending and taxes. That's not how it's worked out. Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute details for the benefit of other states how TABOR opponents wore it down.

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Is Democratic Opposition to School Choice on the Wane?

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 18:12:15 GMT

Recent shifts by some leading Democratic candidates for governor may indicate that the partisan political divide over school choice is shrinking. Rebekah Bydlak of the American Federation for Children explains.

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Suppressing Truthful Information about Judges Violates the First Amendment

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 19:53:30 GMT

Tragic circumstances have inspired federal lawmakers to try to protect basic biographical information about judges from distribution online, but the proposal runs headlong into the First Amendment. Tommy Berry explains.

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Big Takeaways from Large Declines in Student Achievement

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 20:45:11 GMT

We knew it was coming, but the magnitude of declines in student test scores on the National Assessment of Education Progress still shocked many parents. So what should parents do on behalf of their kids now? Colleen Hroncich comments.

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Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 19:49:07 GMT

New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's agenda appears to be lighter than the one advanced by his immediate predecessor. The difficult work of regulatory reform appears to be nowhere on the agenda. Ryan Bourne comments.

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The Low-Key Housing Turnaround in Auburn, Maine

Tue, 25 Oct 2022 21:06:17 GMT

Boosting the production of new housing keeps young people engaged in communities they might otherwise feel compelled to leave. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project discusses the housing redemption for policymakers in Auburn, Maine.

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Resist the Urge to Suggest Jared Polis Is a Libertarian

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 19:04:55 GMT

Colorado's governor Jared Polis gets good press for his libertarian sympathies. Jon Caldara of Colorado's Independence Institute humbly asks the media to please cut it out and look at the evidence.

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Is Kentucky’s Pension Mess Improving?

Sat, 22 Oct 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Kentucky is among the worst performers in managing state pensions. Those pensions are promises to government workers that, if not managed properly, represent a massive new liability for taxpayers. Allison Ball is Kentucky's state treasurer.

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Evaluating California's Progress on Poverty and Inequality

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 17:53:52 GMT

Cato's Project on Poverty and Inequality in California is a year old, so how has the Golden State changed in that time? Cato's Michael Tanner comments.

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Cato Files Suit to Stop Biden's Student Bailout

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 20:41:10 GMT

Does the President have unilateral authority to spend billions of dollars to provide college students a bailout? The Cato Institute has filed suit to stop the mass debt cancellation undertaken by the Biden Administration. Clark Neily comments.

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If Some Jones Act Defenders Had Their Way, Cato Employees Would Face Treason Charges

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 20:10:56 GMT

It's laughable, right? Right? At least one high-level Jones Act supporter would like to see Cato Institute "members" charged with treason for daring to speak out about the century-old protectionist shipping law. Colin Grabow and Scott Lincicome won't plead the Fifth.

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Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors 2022

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 21:22:53 GMT

Governors play a key role in state fiscal policy. This report grades governors on their fiscal policies from a limited‐government perspective. Chris Edwards is the report's author.

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The Municipal Financial Crisis

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 19:51:52 GMT

Mark Moses is author of The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting.

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How the Regulatory Sandbox Works for Utah

Thu, 13 Oct 2022 20:53:33 GMT

Utah adopted a first-in-the-country regulatory sandbox to address needs of entrepreneurs and get businesses up and running with a big, temporary reprieve from government red tape. So how is it going? Connor Boyack of the Libertas Institute discusses the power of the sandbox to submit existing regulation to greater scrutiny.

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Does the Regulatory State Fuel Populism?

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 21:34:38 GMT

Cato adjunct scholar Bryan Caplan speaks at the New Challenges to the Free Economy conference on the subject of how (or if) the regulatory state fuels populism.

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Ignoring versus Overstating the Tradeoffs Inherent in Crafting Policy

Tue, 11 Oct 2022 20:37:53 GMT

Where do the Left and Right go wrong when considering economic policy? Economist Jason Furman spoke at the Cato Institute's New Challenges to the Free Economy conference held last week.

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Kentucky Gives School Choice Its Day in Court

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 20:54:13 GMT

Kentucky is late to the school choice party, but its education opportunity accounts (#KYEOA) would deliver new education options for parents seeking better choices for their children. The Kentucky Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about EOAs this week. Akia McNeary is a parent seeking better education for her kids. David Hodges is an attorney at the Institute for Justice.

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Biden Moves to Begin the End of Cannabis Prohibition

Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:13:44 GMT

The end of cannabis prohibition is long overdue. The Biden administration appears to recognize that, and is making substantial moves to bring that reality closer. Trevor Burrus discusses the importance of each of the President's directives.

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U.S. and Europe Should Welcome Russian Draft Dodgers

Thu, 06 Oct 2022 18:33:16 GMT

If you want to weaken an adversary who is escalating a war on a neighbor while scrambling global energy markets, you could do a lot worse than welcoming people who are trying to escape the regime. Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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Will Inflation Ever Get Back to 2%? Does It Matter?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 13:19:30 GMT

Norbert Michel details why the Fed needn't focus on returning to a pre-pandemic price level in its attempt to bring inflation down.

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Property Rights Fight in Sackett Returns to the Supreme Court

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 20:21:35 GMT

The Sackett family's long struggle over how or if they may use their private property to build a home may be nearing an end after this week's argument before the Supreme Court. PLF's Charles Yates and Cato's Tommy Berry discuss the oral argument.

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Unresolved Questions Following the School Choice Victory of Carson v. Makin

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 20:46:35 GMT

School choice litigation has come a long way in the modern era of advancing educational freedom. Michael Bindas of the Institute for Justice details the big win in Carson v. Makin and what might come next.

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What Will Post-Pandemic Litigation over Government Emergency Powers Yield?

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 21:03:25 GMT

The Big Board in Washington D.C. faced some seemingly capricious government action in its attempts to stay open without policing customers. Robert Alt of the Buckeye Institute is representing the bar in its challenge to D.C. government.

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Congress Wants to Subsidize (Some) Americans’ Savings

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 22:51:17 GMT

What's in the EARN Act, legislation nominally aimed at boosting Americans' savings? Romina Boccia explains.

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California Ponders Punishing Doctors Sharing COVID ‘Misinformation’

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 18:09:15 GMT

Will California move to prevent doctors from sharing information with patients that the state deems "COVID misinformation"? Cato's Jeff Singer discusses the likely consequences.

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Will Banning Congressional Stock Trading Achieve Anything?

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 18:49:22 GMT

Transparency is the best way to curb members of Congress who might wish to use their positions to enrich themselves, according to Jennifer Schulp. She argues that a ban on stock trading probably won't achieve that much tangible benefit.

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The Vaccine Mandate Cases in Retrospect

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 20:51:25 GMT

The vaccine mandate cases handled by the Supreme Court earlier this year deserve discussion for their implications for emergency powers going forward. Ilya Somin parsed the cases at Cato's Constitution Day event.

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Another Take on West Virginia v. EPA

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:27:16 GMT

While reining in the administrative state is a worthy goal, Jonathan Adler is not impressed with the reasoning and doctrine of West Virginia v. EPA. He spoke at the Cato Institute's Constitution Day festivities.

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Sourcing Flatware, Footwear, and Other Vital National Security Issues

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 20:22:32 GMT

The sourcing decisions for some pretty strange products are presented as vital national security matters by straight-faced members of Congress. Colin Grabow takes down some of the most galling justifications for limiting consumer choices.

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Team Libertarian on the Guardrails of Democracy

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 21:41:07 GMT

What do experts with ideological commitments view as the most important elements of protecting the "guardrails of democracy" in America? Walter Olson (Team Libertarian) makes the case.

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Cloudflare's About-Face over Kiwi Farms

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 20:43:00 GMT

A service that keep sites online despite attacks often protects sites whose bad reputations are well earned. Elizabeth Nolan Brown and Will Duffield discuss Cloudflare and its change of heart over providing service to the infamous troll haven known as Kiwi Farms.

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The Fractured Schoolhouse: Reexamining Education for a Free, Equal, and Harmonious Society

Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:49:41 GMT

American public schooling was established to unify diverse people and prepare citizens for democracy. How has it fared? Neal McCluskey is author of The Fractured Schoolhouse: Reexamining Education for a Free, Equal, and Harmonious Society.

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The Jones Act and the Price of Gas

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 15:50:27 GMT

The inefficiencies that the Jones Act creates for American oil supply chains have ripple effects across the globe. Colin Grabow explains.

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How the Fed Thinks about Inflation, Cryptocurrencies, and NGDP Targeting

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 16:10:48 GMT

Cato Institute president Peter Goettler and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell discuss approaches to inflation, cryptocurrencies, the Fed's dual mandate, and other elements of monetary policy at the Cato Institute's 40th Annual Monetary Conference.

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Russia Looks to North Korea for Weaponry in War over Ukraine

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 20:27:18 GMT

How should the U.S. view Russia's move to resupply ammunition from North Korea? Cato's Jordan Cohen comments

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Postal Banking: A Dead Idea Walking

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 20:44:22 GMT

Turning post offices into banks is a bad idea. So why does it keep coming back? Nick Anthony explains.

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Is Biden's Big Student Debt Cancellation Legal?

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 18:46:01 GMT

There are significant legal problems with the President's plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt. Tommy Berry explains.

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Liz Truss, UK Prime Minister

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 18:56:03 GMT

Cato's Ryan Bourne details what we might expect from Liz Truss at the helm of the UK government.

Related content:

Brexit, Trade, and Regulatory Barriers in Great Britain featuring Liz Truss and Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast, September 20, 2018

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What Can Presidents Take with Them When It's Time to Leave?

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 05:00:00 GMT

Since 1978, departing U.S. Presidents have to leave the office — and almost everything in it — behind. Why is that? And what are the implications for former President Trump's legal problems? Patrick Eddington explains.

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Why Immigration Visa Backlogs Are Pushing This CEO and Veteran Overseas

Sat, 03 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Tech CEO and veteran Matt McGuire and his foreign-born fiancee want to get married and live in the United States. So why won't the feds even look at her application for a fiancee visa? McGuire and Cato's David Bier explain the myriad problems with the massive backlog of visa applications.

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Inflation, Tangential Goals, and the Fed's Dual Mandate

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 21:05:05 GMT

Does the Federal Reserve's dual mandate allow the central bank to target goals well outside of that mandate? Economist Thomas Hogan comments.

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Jawboning over Social Media's Handling of Hunter Biden

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:53:14 GMT

The Hunter Biden laptop story was suppressed by Facebook and other social media over a general request regarding “election disinformation” from the FBI. It’s the kind of compliance that government probably couldn't get through legislation. Will Duffield discusses the difficult situations that arise from Congressional jawboning over social media moderation.

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U.S. Policy amid Pakistan's Uncertain Future

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 20:35:44 GMT

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imram Khan is touring the country assailing what he believes is U.S. intervention in domestic affairs as he seeks new political power. Sahar Khan explains why the U.S. shouldn't wave off Imram Khan's growing popularity in a nuclear-armed country.

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Mainstream Islam and Freedom of Expression

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 20:19:28 GMT

Following an assault on author Salman Rushdie, it's worth remembering that even mainstream Muslims defend laws against blasphemy. Mustafa Akyol makes the case for more tolerance for a robust freedom of expression.

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Biden Announces Big Student Loan Bailout

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 19:55:27 GMT

President Biden aims to cancel a large piece of outstanding student loans in the United States. Neal McCluskey explains the numerous ways that's a bad idea.

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The Inflation Reduction Act Won't Quell Inflation, but It Will Boost Debt

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 18:42:24 GMT

The Inflation Reduction Act has a lot of new spending in it. Big spending rarely does much to reduce inflation, but it does increase debt. And the U.S. is already saddled with massive debt. Romina Boccia explains.

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Are Cryptocurrencies Securities? Should It Matter?

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 19:59:36 GMT

Regulators are fighting over which of them get to regulate cryptocurrencies. A core question remains: Are cryptos securities? Jennifer Schulp and Jack Solowey comment.

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The 1619 Project Deserves Consideration and Criticism

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 12:32:14 GMT

The 1619 Project aims to deepen our understand of American slavery, while also attempting to reframe current debate about it. Despite its laudable goal to elucidate the complexities of that institution, it fails on a number of fronts according to Phil Magness, author of The 1619 Project: A Critique.

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The Feds Are in No Danger of Making a Profit from Student Loans

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 13:05:28 GMT

Concerns from Senator Elizabeth Warren and others about the federal government earning a profit from student lending are substantially misguided. Neal McCluskey explains why.

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A Gay Bar and Some Polygamists Had a Fight over Zoning …

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 14:20:35 GMT

Ryan Yonk of the American Institute for Economic Research details some of the perverse and costly incentives built into our systems of zoning land for various uses.

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That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:34:50 GMT

Lou Perez is a comedian and author of the new book, That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy.

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How Serious Are the New Claims against President Trump?

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 20:15:18 GMT

A recent FBI search of former President Trump's home revealed many boxes containing classified documents that the federal government has been trying to recover for several months. Julian Sanchez and Cato's Patrick Eddington comment on the arguments defending Trump and how these cases typically resolve.

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Congress Chooses Mandates over Markets to Control Medical Costs (Again)

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 18:02:40 GMT

Lowering costs for critical medical needs like insulin needn't be more mandates piled atop other mandates. Cato's Michael Cannon explains.

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Should SEC Set Environmental, Social, and Governance Goals?

Sat, 13 Aug 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Is the Securities and Exchange Commission well positioned to tell investors and the world what qualifies as environmentally friendly? Jennifer Schulp comments.

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The Big Shiny Promise of Big Shiny Economic Development Giveaways

Fri, 12 Aug 2022 22:28:35 GMT

The incentives are aligned in a bad way for state governments pondering wasteful economic development giveaways. Economist Peter Calcagno explains.

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When (if Ever) Should Former Presidents be Charged with Crimes?

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 19:50:20 GMT

Would it set a dangerous new norm to charge former presidents for crimes that they actually may have committed? Walter Olson weighs the considerations.

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Social Media Fights over the Definition of ‘Recession'

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 14:23:22 GMT

Economists use a variety of metrics to pinpoint recessions, and those determinations often come after the fact. Social media companies nonetheless try to police language about recession. Ryan Bourne and John Samples discuss the fight over "recession."

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What Do New Conservatives Believe about the Economy?

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 20:27:36 GMT

The apparent tenets of modern conservative thought have changed in recent years. So what do these "new conservatives" believe about the economy? Scott Lincicome and Norbert Michel comment.

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U.S. Job Openings Can Explain Border Crossings

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 19:00:00 GMT

With millions of available and unfilled jobs, Alex Nowrasteh says job openings in the U.S. does more to explain migrant border crossings than almost any of the smaller details of immigration enforcement.

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The Baby Formula Crunch Continues

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 17:52:54 GMT

Why has the baby formula crisis continued for so long? Cato's Gabriella Beaumont-Smith explains why it's largely domestic regulation and foreign trade rules standing in the way of a functioning market for this critical product.

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A Glimmer of Hope for an End to Qualified Immunity?

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 20:50:15 GMT

Institute for Justice attorney Patrick Jaicomo discusses current litigation on qualified immunity and a new tool for discovering if you might be able to overcome the doctrine when your rights are violated by state agents.

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Are Massive Federal Deficits Now Inevitable?

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:46:43 GMT

In the "modern budget era," we have federal spending increases baked into the cake. Economist Ed Lopez says that makes massive overspending in good times and bad extremely hard to avoid.

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Active Denial and U.S. Military Strategy in Asia

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 15:14:12 GMT

The United States has many foreign policy commitments that it may not be able to credibly execute in the coming years, most especially in Asia. Eric Gomez discusses what he believes should move U.S. Asia policy to a better state.

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How the Academy Rehabilitated Karl Marx

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 17:51:10 GMT

Karl Marx made serious contributions to the field of economics, but they don't justify his strangely elevated status in American university courses. Phil Magness with the American Institute for Economic Research details how the Soviets and universities rehabilitated the academic reputation of Karl Marx.

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Do Administrative Courts Deliver Due Process?

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 11:42:08 GMT

Some recent cases shed light on the degree to which federal administrative law courts deliver due process to defendants. Will Yeatman explains why it's concerning.

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Is Fair Trade Coffee Effective at Helping Low-Income Farmers?

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 21:47:54 GMT

Is fair trade coffee better? Does it help low-income farmers? Economist Victor Claar makes his case.

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Does the Fed's Dual Mandate Primarily Serve the Fed?

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 21:24:12 GMT

Economist Thomas Hogan discusses the ways in which the Federal Reserve's "dual mandate" has led monetary policy astray.

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Occupational Licensing Reform and Family Flexibility

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 21:52:26 GMT

Vanessa Brown Calder details how some straightforward occupational licensing and other labor market reforms can help working families.

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Latin America’s Leftward Lurch

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 20:10:22 GMT

What explains the leftward lurch of several Latin American countries? Cato’s Daniel Raisbeck says it’s complicated.

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Educational Freedom after Carson v. Makin

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 20:33:56 GMT

School systems that are inherently discriminatory may be the next big target for the educational freedom movement. Neal McCluskey comments.

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Federal Reserve Tests the Waters of Central Bank Digital Currency

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 21:08:00 GMT

What exactly is the Federal Reserve planning for any central bank digital currency? So far, responses to the mere suggestion that they'll adopt one are overwhelmingly negative. Nick Anthony explains.

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Elizabeth Warren Wants to Nab Price Gougers

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 11:14:33 GMT

Price gouging is difficult to identify, and it's difficult to say that people willing to pay more for basic necessities during an emergency should never have that opportunity. Ryan Bourne details Elizabeth Warren's plan to crack down on emergency prices and why it’s mistaken.

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The Supreme Court's Term on Criminal Justice

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 21:12:43 GMT

How did the Supreme Court's latest term stack up for criminal justice? Jay Schweikert and Clark Neily comment.

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Some Mechanics of Inflation Worth Remembering

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 21:06:38 GMT

How much grace are Congress and the President really due as Americans grapple with high inflation? Norbert Michel comments.

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Immigration and Unionization in America

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 16:13:27 GMT

Alex Nowrasteh discusses recent work on the relationship between immigration and rates of unionization in the United States.

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Law Enforcement Continues to Meddle in Pain Management

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 17:45:07 GMT

Even after a Supreme Court decision that appears to protect some physicians, law enforcement will continue to target physicians for improper prescribing. Cato's Jeff Singer argues that police generally have precious little knowledge of how medicine works.

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When Universities Screen for Ideology

Thu, 07 Jul 2022 21:29:13 GMT

Universities that use "diversity statements" as a screening mechanism for faculty may stand at odds with other commitments to independent thought. Daniel Ortner of the Pacific Legal Foundation discusses the implications for litigation.

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Who Gets to Hand out the Occupational Licenses?

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 21:14:29 GMT

When governors pick members of licensing boards, the range of nominees is often limited to those with the explicit approval of industry groups. How does that change occupational licensing? Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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Supreme Court Curtails EPA’s Creative Assertions of Power

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 20:58:54 GMT

A Supreme Court majority found in West Virginia v. EPA that the federal agency lacked authority to make bold assertions of authority based on old vague statutes in areas where Congress clearly chose not to act. Will Yeatman authored Cato's brief in the case. He explains the case's importance to administrative law going forward.

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The Immense, Unchecked Power of the California Coastal Commission

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 18:20:01 GMT

The California Coastal Commission exercises largely unchecked powers to regulate along much of the west coast. Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Oliver Dunford details his client's long fight with the agency.

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Supreme Court Protects Right to Bear Arms

Fri, 24 Jun 2022 19:50:56 GMT

The Supreme Court has thrown out a New York law that gave itself discretion over whether law-abiding citizens could truly "bear" arms. Trevor Burrus explains.

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Trump's Worst Trade Error

Thu, 23 Jun 2022 19:08:02 GMT

Exiting the Trans Pacific Partnership was a costly Trump administration error that Americans will have to live with for a long time. Scott Lincicome explains why.

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Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:02:15 GMT

There are many social and economic ills that could be addressed by dramatically reducing or abolishing zoning. That task is far from simple. M. Nolan Gray's new book is Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It.

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Educational Freedom, Blaine Amendments, and Carson v. Makin

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 17:46:37 GMT

The Supreme Court's decision in Carson v. Makin comes at the end of a long line of cases relating to state-level discrimination against schools and other institutions of a religious nature. Neal McCluskey discusses the case and its implications.

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The January 6 Committee and Electoral Reform

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 21:05:03 GMT

The wild theories advanced to help Donald Trump hang onto the White House again highlight the need for a bit more clarity in how presidential elections should proceed. Thomas Berry explains.

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The Bank Secrecy Act and Inflation

Fri, 17 Jun 2022 20:48:50 GMT

Financial privacy in the U.S. is very much on the wane, and inflation only makes the problem worse. Nick Anthony explains.

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Fed Accelerates Rate Hikes to Combat Inflation

Thu, 16 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT

The Fed's uneven response to inflation highlights some of the central bank's more longstanding problems: the framework adopted in the wake of the financial crisis and its dual mandate to combat both inflation and unemployment. Norbert Michel explains.

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Drug Paraphernalia Laws Stymie Harm Reduction

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 18:56:14 GMT

State and federal laws governing "drug paraphernalia" make it more difficult to set up and operate private programs to get people clean needles and other services. Jeff Singer explains.

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Has the American Right Abandoned Free Speech?

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 20:55:21 GMT

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may be the best exemplar of a movement on the right to view corporations as political punching bags when those firms display ideological commitments contrary to Republican preferences. Paul Matzko comments.

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Toward Accountability for FBI Misconduct

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Recent revelations about wide-scale FBI misconduct raises the question: What would appropriate accountability look like? Patrick Eddington comments.

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Promise and Pitfalls in Taking Psychedelic Medicine Mainstream

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 20:33:14 GMT

The promising results thus far in the clinical use of psychedelics shouldn't obscure the pitfalls of the regulatory processes. Researcher William Leonard Pickard discusses what the future might hold for psychedelic medicines.

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The Laws of War for Social Media

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 19:36:58 GMT

What changes when people trying to make effective use of social media are active participants in a war? How advisable is it for large social media platforms to effective pick sides in a conflict? Will Duffield comments.

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The Illinois Experiment in Legal Cannabis so Far

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 20:40:01 GMT

Illinois has struggled with its cannabis legalization, and it's not hard to see why. Adam Schuster of the Illinois Policy Institute details the several problems with the state's legalization so far.

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When the Feds Mandate an Impossible Task

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 13:20:17 GMT

A man was on California's sex offender registry, then reformed and the state eventually expunged the case. Then the feds got involved. Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Caleb Kruckenberg details the strange case of John Doe.

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The Chinese Government Is Still Fighting 'Tank Man'

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 14:08:25 GMT

When Robert Anthony Peters tried to screen his short film, Tank Man, at various events and film festivals in the United States, he learned that the chilling effect emanating from Beijing is strong more than three decades after a lone anonymous man stood down tanks in Tiananmen Square.

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The Trans Complication in Facial Recognition Technology

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 14:11:55 GMT

For its numerous failings, facial recognition technology is proving to have surprisingly invasive capabilities. Matthew Feeney details the latest.

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Evaluating Amendment One in Illinois

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 22:00:00 GMT

Amendment One is a ballot initiative in Illinois presented as a workers' rights amendment. Adam Schuster of the Illinois Policy Institute describes the stunning expansion of labor union power that the amendment would foster.

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Equality before the Law versus Equity

Tue, 31 May 2022 21:10:41 GMT

In many contexts, some policy entrepreneurs have replaced the near-universal value of equality before the law with a far more nebulous "equity." Wen Fa, attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, explains the distinction and its implications.

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The Economics of Gifting Revisited

Sat, 28 May 2022 17:16:02 GMT

Economists often love to point out the inefficiency of giving gifts in lieu of cash. Economist Tony Gill revisits the idea.

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Policy Hurdles in the Fight against Aging

Fri, 27 May 2022 13:34:05 GMT

How the FDA characterizes aging plays a large role in how the agency looks at drugs to mitigate or reserve the aging process. Economist Arthur Diamond comments.

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Risks of Increased Border Militarization

Fri, 27 May 2022 12:54:22 GMT

There are a range of risks associated with the increased militarization at the U.S. border. Economist Nathan Goodman offers details.

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End the Tax Exclusion for Employer‐Sponsored Health Insurance

Wed, 25 May 2022 21:08:06 GMT

It's an accident of history that predates modern health insurance and is roughly as old as the income tax itself, and yet it's mangled our health care system in America. Michael Cannon says it's well past time to eliminate it.

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IRS Will Finally Hand Over Civil Forfeiture Data

Wed, 25 May 2022 13:15:18 GMT

It's been a legal fight for seven years. A secretive IRS database detailing the size and scope of federal civil forfeiture will finally receive outside scrutiny. Kathy Sanchez, a researcher at the Institute for Justice, explains what they might find.

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Central Bank Digital Currency Poses Enormous Risks to Freedom

Mon, 23 May 2022 20:52:22 GMT

As lawmakers and the Federal Reserve discuss a potential central bank digital currency, just remember that your privacy is on the table. Will Luther comments.

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Black Liberation through the Marketplace

Fri, 20 May 2022 16:52:25 GMT

Black Liberation through the Marketplace details some of the work necessary to begin to make good on the promises of property rights, freedom of contract, and the protection of the rule of law for all Americans, most especially those Americans to whom those promises have not been delivered. Rachel Ferguson is the book's coauthor.

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The High Costs to Cities of Police Misconduct

Fri, 20 May 2022 16:41:51 GMT

Cities have a role to play when it comes to insuring against the high legal costs of police misconduct. Patrick Tuohey of the Better Cities Project details some ways that local governments can begin to reassert control.

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Against the ‘Vetocracy’

Wed, 18 May 2022 15:39:41 GMT

There are too many points at which agents of the state may veto new enterprises or exchanges. How should lawmakers approach the problem with an eye toward expanding liberty? Will Rinehart with the Center for Growth and Opportunity comments.

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Biden Administration Revives ‘Slush Fund’ Federal Settlements

Tue, 17 May 2022 16:06:52 GMT

When you're fined by the feds, the public treasury should get the money. But a practice common during the Obama years has been revived by President Biden: Allow companies to settle for less if they agree to fund pet causes of the administration. Will Yeatman comments.

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The U.S. Should Welcome China's Young Elites Seeking Exit

Mon, 16 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

In the wake of devastating Covid lockdowns, young and educated Chinese elites are looking for the exits. The U.S. should make it easier for them to escape. Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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The Baby Formula Freakout’s Predictable Causes

Fri, 13 May 2022 20:36:31 GMT

Between trade restrictions and domestic regulatory hurdles, the supply crunch for baby formula in the U.S. has well-known causes. Gabriella Beaumont-Smith discusses how we got here.

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Joe Biden Isn't Doing All He Can to Mitigate Inflation

Wed, 11 May 2022 15:36:24 GMT

The politics of inflation are not all that complicated. The incentive for political actors remains to reward constituencies to enhance electoral prospects. Scott Lincicome details how the Biden Administration could, but probably won't act on inflation.

Make Landowners Partners in Wildlife Protection

Tue, 10 May 2022 20:24:53 GMT

Landowners are often victims of wildlife conservation efforts rather than partners in the process. Megan Jenkins of the Center for Growth and Opportunity believes that can change.

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An Alternative Case for Universal Basic Income

Mon, 09 May 2022 13:35:07 GMT

Is there a case to be made for universal basic income as a tool to get more brainpower off the sidelines? Economist Otto Lehto believes so.

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The Trouble with Universal (Mandatory) Voting

Fri, 06 May 2022 15:08:39 GMT

Compelling your fellow Americans to go to the polls (or else) has several downsides. Walter Olson explains.

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How San Antonio Reduced Homelessness

Thu, 05 May 2022 18:52:19 GMT

Mary Theroux discusses her documentary, Beyond Homeless.

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The SEC's Gag on Potential Critics Now Faces Court Challenge

Wed, 04 May 2022 21:16:47 GMT

The SEC's longstanding rule that gags those who settle with the agency now faces a court challenge. The Cato Institute and others have filed a brief in the case. Will Yeatman and Jennifer Schulp discuss the challenge.

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Takeaways from the Leaked Draft SCOTUS Opinion on Abortion

Tue, 03 May 2022 19:11:42 GMT

What's the big takeaway from a leaked draft (not final) draft opinion of a Supreme Court justice? Walter Olson comments on the substance of the violation in protocol at the High Court.

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Some Historical Lessons for the War for Ukraine

Mon, 02 May 2022 04:00:00 GMT

If Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden are listening, Paul Matkzo has some lessons from history that might be instructive in proper responses to the war for Ukraine.

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Biden Could Help Address High Gas Prices with This One Weird Trick

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 04:00:00 GMT

Expensive inputs are critical to the development of new oil and gas supplies. The Biden White House is maintaining artificially high prices for some of those inputs. Gabriella Beaumont-Smith explores the issue.

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The Economic Engine of Home-Based Business

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 17:00:20 GMT

About half of the businesses in the U.S. are based in homes. Why do local governments actively work against them? Chris Edwards explains.

"Deregulate Home Food Businesses" by Chris Edwards, Cato at Liberty

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Twitter: A New Project of @elonmusk

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:56:33 GMT

Content moderation poses a huge challenge for even the best-run social media platforms. Add to that challenge the vitriol and handwringing associated with Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. Will Duffield comments.

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The Muslim World and the Invasion of Ukraine

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 20:16:19 GMT

How has the Muslim world reacted to Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Mustafa Akyol comments.

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Where Russian Propaganda Thrives and Fails

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:24:35 GMT

The propaganda machine in Russia has been working overtime to sell its war in Ukraine as just and necessary. Will Duffield analyzes why this effort has failed so remarkably while other efforts have succeeded.

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Modern Monetary Theory in Inflationary Times

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Has Modern Monetary Theory weathered the historic inflation we face today? Economist Jeremy Horpedahl comments.

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When Should the Federal Reserve Have Moved on Inflation?

Sat, 23 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

The Federal Reserve appears late to the inflation fight. How much grace is due them? Economist Will Luther makes his case.

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Texas Messes with Social Media, Makes Mess

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Texas wants to treat social media companies as common carriers, but their arguments to support their imposition don't hold water. Tommy Berry explains why.

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Narrow the Fed’s Mandate

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:08:06 GMT

If Congress wants to hold the Federal Reserve accountable, why not narrow the Fed's mandate? Economist Alexander William Salter explains the upside.

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The Big Student Bailouts Move Forward

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 16:35:31 GMT

The President would like to expand debt forgiveness from the federal government. Neal McCluskey says the arguments for handing a massive windfall to former college students don't hold up.

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The SEC's Gargantuan Pending Climate Change Rule

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 13:22:45 GMT

The Securities and Exchange Commission proposes to compel public firms to make a broad range of disclosures related to climate change. Jennifer Schulp details why the massive rule now under consideration looks a tad hasty.

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A Few Reasons for Optimism in Changing Times

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 21:32:50 GMT

Writer Bari Weiss discusses optimism about the future of media and academia.

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Prospects for Stability in Pakistan

Fri, 15 Apr 2022 14:32:16 GMT

Leadership in Pakistan has again changed amid charges of U.S. meddling there. What are the prospects for U.S. relations there? Sahar Khan comments.

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Supreme Court Clears One Hurdle to Claims of Malicious Prosecution

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 20:47:52 GMT

What does it take to move a malicious prosecution claim forward? The Supreme Court tackled that question last week. Jay Schweikert explains what they decided.

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Against Scientific Gatekeeping

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 20:10:50 GMT

Owning ourselves means having the right and power to medicate ourselves as we choose. That's not the story of modern medicine. Jeff Singer discusses his new article in Reason, "Against Scientific Gatekeeping."

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Cato FOIA Work Uncovers Substantial FBI Misconduct

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 20:51:19 GMT

Getting a sense of the FBI's handling of its agents' misconduct has occupied a lot of Patrick Eddington's time the last two years. Earlier this year, the agency has begun providing some of the requested documents.

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Immigration Restrictions Worsened the Labor Crunch

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 20:28:53 GMT

Donald Trump's immigration restrictions helped lay the groundwork for employers' current labor woes. Joe Biden has done precious little to fix it. David Bier explains.

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Wither Consumer Welfare to Guide Antitrust Regulators?

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 16:23:55 GMT

The team in charge of the Federal Trade Commission appear to have very different ideas about what should guide the agency's actions. Duke economist Michael Munger discusses why the "consumer welfare" standard for antitrust action is on the ropes and what it means for a free economy.

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Deregulate Low-Income Entrepreneurs to Address American Poverty

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 16:07:07 GMT

The poverty rate in the United States is generally unmoved in recent years despite many trillions of dollars in spending. Creighton University economist Colin O'Reilly says there's a better way.

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Do Immigrants Use More Welfare?

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 21:09:51 GMT

Alex Nowrasteh is coauthor of "Immigrant and Native Consumption of Means-Tested Welfare and Entitlement Benefits in 2019."

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Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 14:58:12 GMT

What happened to the jury trial, something considered essential to the Founders' vision for a criminal justice system? Dan Canon traces the slow death of the American jury trial in Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class.

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The If, Who, Why, and How of Weapons Transfers to Ukraine

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Who should and shouldn't send weapons to Ukraine? What weapon transfers should be viewed as provocation of war? What tends to happen after weapons transfers? Cato's Jordan Cohen discusses the ins and outs of weapons transfers.

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Joe Biden's Taxing Plans for Unrealized Capital Gains

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:00:12 GMT

If you like business investment and the innovation that comes with it, Joe Biden's plan to tax certain unrealized capital gains makes no sense. Chris Edwards explains.

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The Biden Plan for Universal Pre-K

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 21:15:00 GMT

Colleen Hroncich is author of the new Cato paper, "Universal Preschool: Lawmakers Should Approach with Caution."

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Full Senate Considers SCOTUS Nomination for Ketanji Brown Jackson

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 16:40:53 GMT

The Senate will now consider what it knows and has heard about the record of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson before a vote on her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Tommy Berry and Jay Schweikert discuss the most important parts of the hearings.

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Development with Dignity

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 20:46:47 GMT

Putting an end to poverty means prioritizing the dignity of the individuals involved. Matt Warner is coauthor of the new book, Development with Dignity.

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Narratives of Public Schools, Narratives of Educational Freedom

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 07:00:00 GMT

School choice had a big year in 2021, but 2022 is different, and a particular faction of the school choice movement is clearly winning. That troubles Chris Stewart, CEO of Brightbeam. We discussed the culture war fights now taking center stage in state legislatures.

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'Naked Collectivism' Animates Putin's War in Ukraine

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:00:06 GMT

Cato Institute senior fellow Tom Palmer is on the ground in Poland and Ukraine. We discussed the broad liberty movement's role in providing humanitarian aid and the collectivism animating Vladimir Putin's aggression.

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Will the U.S. Welcome Ukrainian Refugees?

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 18:55:02 GMT

The less-than-warm welcome by the United States for refugees fleeing Ukraine again highlights the lackluster immigration policy of President Biden. David Bier details the issue.

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Biden's ‘Buy American’ Plans Deny Opportunities to Build Cheaply

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 20:28:15 GMT

How much will "Buy American" rules cost Americans paying for government infrastructure in the coming years? Colin Grabow details some troublesome rhetoric and policy from President Biden.

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The Harsh Realities of No-Fly Zones

Fri, 18 Mar 2022 16:50:21 GMT

What's actually involved in creating a "no-fly zone" over Ukraine? Eric Gomez explains why it would likely mean the U.S. engaging in direct war with Russia.

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NATO and War in Ukraine

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 20:53:16 GMT

How has NATO altered European security? What has NATO's role been in setting the stage for war in Ukraine? Stephen Wertheim, a senior fellow in the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Cato Institute senior fellow Ted Galen Carpenter comment.

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Crowdfunding a Ukrainian Defense Revisited

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 21:44:42 GMT

Economist Garrett Wood revisits Ukraine's unique defense arrangement.

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FDA Moves Toward Prohibition of Menthol Cigarettes

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 21:06:00 GMT

The FDA is moving ahead with plans to ban menthol cigarettes. Guy Bentley and Jeff Singer discuss the likely, if unintended side effects of such a policy change.

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Let's Be Reasonable: A Conservative Case for Liberal Education

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 19:51:09 GMT

Where have universities failed to deliver education to help foster reasonable adults? Jonathan Marks is author of Let's Be Reasonable: A Conservative Case for Liberal Education.

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Some Unfortunate Consequences of Politics

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:48:05 GMT

The nature of politics is that some win and some lose, and that can have negative consequences for our own senses of compassion. Alexander William Salter, a professor of economics at Texas Tech, and Aaron Ross Powell discuss the simple idea that politics makes us worse.

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A New Kind of Government in Prospera

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 18:59:21 GMT

Prospera is an attempt to allow many different regulatory structures to exist simultaneously, and its creators hope to offer a new way of thinking about the rules we live by. Joel Bomgar is the president of Prospera.

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How Federal Regulators Keep Crypto out of Your Portfolio

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 17:29:40 GMT

If you're doing your taxes and you have cryptocurrency purchases and sales, get ready for some headaches. Cato's Jennifer Schulp explains why federal regulators have chosen to keep it as difficult as possible for investors to have crypto exposure without the Tax Day complications.

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The Immigrant Superpower

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 21:47:19 GMT

What makes America great? Author Tim Kane believes immigrants are a key component. He makes his case in The Immigrant Superpower: How Brains, Brawn, and Bravery Make America Stronger.

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Oxfam Confuses Inequality with Poverty

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 21:58:39 GMT

Johan Norberg details why inequality isn't the same thing as poverty. In human efforts at eradicating poverty, Norberg says our planet has plenty to celebrate.

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Will A Putin-led Cyberwar Visit Ukraine?

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:56:57 GMT

In the early stage of Russia's war in Ukraine, cyberwar has been largely absent. Brandon Valeriano discusses why.

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The Infuriating Five of Administrative Law (Part Two)

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 16:15:56 GMT

Will Yeatman details even more infuriating cases in administrative law. Part one is here.

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The Infuriating Five of Administrative Law (Part One)

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 21:52:36 GMT

Will Yeatman details some of the worst cases in American administrative law history.

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Biden Nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to SCOTUS

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 21:41:13 GMT

District of Columbia Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is President Biden's nominee to replace the retiring Stephen Breyer on the U.S. Supreme Court. Cato's Thomas Berry discusses her professional background and qualifications.

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Should Ukraine Have Kept Its Nukes?

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 19:29:06 GMT

In the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine suddenly became a major nuclear power, but maintaining a nuclear arsenal isn't exactly simple. As major powers became very concerned about the proliferation of both nuclear technology and know-how, Ukraine became convinced to give up the arsenal. Would keeping the nuclear weapons have deterred Russia today? Eric Gomez details some of the history of why Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons.

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How the FBI Crime Lab Promotes and Defends Junk Science

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 19:57:57 GMT

The FBI's crime lab is considered one of the very best, but the agency also has a long record of scientific errors that have contributed to false convictions. Radley Balko details the latest scandal.

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Senate Republicans Shocked to Learn about False Convictions

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:12:22 GMT

A few U.S. Senators speaking in opposition to a candidate for a federal judgeship appeared shocked to learn a few facts about false convictions. Clark Neily discusses the nomination of Nina Morrison to serve as a judge in U.S. District Court.

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Biden's Big Promises on Seized Afghanistan Cash

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 21:25:44 GMT

Joe Biden's promises about what to do with seized assets from Afghanistan face both problems and problematic implications. Sahar Khan explains.

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SEC Moves to Curtail Public Input on Regulation

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 21:20:34 GMT

The disconnect between the public and the massive regulatory state was already large. Now one federal agency, the SEC, appears ready to reduce the amount of time the public has to comment on pending regulation. Jennifer Schulp and Will Yeatman comment.

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Is Strip Searching Students in a School Covered by Qualified Immunity?

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 21:33:34 GMT

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Conservatives Embrace Big Government over Big Tech

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:35:18 GMT

How have conservatives changed their tune about large tech companies, so-called Big Tech? Matthew Feeney and Ryan Bourne comment.

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School Choice > Partisan Culture War

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 19:02:48 GMT

The goal of school choice advocacy ought to be more educational freedom for families. Embracing culture war fights that school choice would naturally alleviate is a mistake. Neal McCluskey makes his case.

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High Tension at Ukraine’s Border

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 21:25:58 GMT

The brink of war has arrived in Ukraine, so what could have prevented it? What’s the path forward for the United States? What has NATO's role been in hiking tensions? Doug Bandow and Will Ruger comment.

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The CIA's Collection and Storage of Sensitive Information about Americans

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 18:07:22 GMT

The CIA has been collecting and storing sensitive information about Americans, and it's possible that the agency circumvented the law in doing so. Patrick Eddington and Julian Sanchez comment.

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Ideker Farms v. United States and What Makes a Taking

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 21:47:19 GMT

Under the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause, the federal and state governments must pay “just compensation” for taking private property for public use. Sam Spiegelman discusses Ideker Farms v. United States.

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The Electoral Count Act and the 20th Amendment

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 21:05:02 GMT

Time is getting away from Congress in fixing the Electoral Count Act. Thomas Berry argues that bipartisan agreement on counting electoral votes will be easier before it's clear who the next group of presidential candidates will be.

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IRS Snooping on Small Digital Transactions Is Underway

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 22:34:32 GMT

The IRS and enough members of Congress appear to believe financial privacy isn't a good enough reason not to hand over vast amounts of previously private financial data so the agency can do a bit of snooping. Julian Sanchez and Nicholas Anthony comment.

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Police Conduct Warrantless Surveillance with Stingrays and Fudge Facts When Confronted

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 21:22:20 GMT

Police use "cell site simulators" to gather cellphone data and it's rarely done under the authority of a warrant. Nondisclosure agreements local police sign at the behest of the federal government mean cops are regularly less than truthful when confronted in court. Nathan Freed Wessler of the ACLU discusses his work to try to learn what exactly is going on.

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Let Solar Tariffs Die

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 08:00:00 GMT

The Biden administration has decided to keep solar tariffs on the books. Gabriella Beaumont-Smith explains why they need to go.

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Why Cops in California Rob Armored Cars

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 19:07:14 GMT

Police in California are robbing armed cars and turning the cash over to the FBI. Never mind that in California, the armored car company is well within the law transporting the proceeds of legal cannabis products. Dan Alban of the Institute for Justice represents owners of an armored car company.

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American Entrepreneurship: An Immigrant’s Take

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:50:39 GMT

What do immigrants think about the environment for entrepreneurship in the U.S.? Amjad Masad is the CEO of of Replit. He offers his take.

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Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 22:15:29 GMT

Richard Hanania is author of Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy: How Generals, Weapons Manufacturers, and Foreign Governments Shape American Foreign Policy.

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Remembering Terry Teachout

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 21:57:27 GMT

Walter Olson describes the career of his friend and wide-ranging writer Terry Teachout.

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In Replacing Breyer, Counterbalance Former Prosecutors

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

The next justice to serve on the Supreme Court should buck the long-term trend of successful candidates with experience working mainly on behalf of government. Clark Neily suggests a candidate who worked for the defense.

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Stephen Breyer on Administrative Law and Textual Interpretation

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 21:08:06 GMT

Stephen Breyer has been a nuanced jurist on the Supreme Court. Cato's William Yeatman and Thomas Berry detail Breyer's work in administrative law and how he approached interpreting the Constitution and statutes.

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Congress and School Choice

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 21:50:30 GMT

According to the Constitution, the federal government has no role in education. So how can Congress best get out of the way of education reforms underway in several states? John Moolenaar is a Republican member of Congress from Michigan and is a member of the “School Choice Caucus.”

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A Freedom to Trade Wish List

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 19:55:56 GMT

What should trade policy look like in 2022? Inu Manak and Gabriella Beaumont-Smith say it should be a lot freer than it has been over the past five years.

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For #SchoolChoiceWeek, Scoring the Rhetoric of Educational Freedom

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 20:07:39 GMT

For fans of educational freedom, is "Fund students, not systems" a slogan worth repeating? Does it earn new supporters or is it just insider language? Jason Bedrick offers his thoughts.

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Pandemic Response Will Again Drive School Choice in 2022

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 21:28:58 GMT

This year has given schools no respite in responding to a global pandemic. It's unlikely that school choice reforms will top 2021, but this year could be another big year for educational freedom. Neal McCluskey comments.

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What Do the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine Want from Each Other?

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

The U.S. and Russia are ramping up pressure over Ukraine, but what exactly is the U.S. security interest there? Cato's Doug Bandow and Brandon Valeriano comment.

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Election Reform for Serious People

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:12:16 GMT

Whether your concern is ballot harvesting, a lack of properly identified voters, or voter disenfranchisement, there are reforms people should be able to agree on to make election outcomes more credible. Walter Olson provides a few ideas.

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How to Fix The Electoral Count Act

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 21:42:37 GMT

The Electoral Count Act is confusing and vague and could again contribute to confusion over just which candidate has won the White House. So why isn't it front and center for election reform? Walter Olson details some ways to fix it.

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State-Level Reforms for Addressing Opioids

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 17:09:21 GMT

When politicians start telling doctors how much pain medication they may prescribe, they're essentially practicing medicine. For pain patients, the consequences can be devastating. Jeff Singer argues that trusting patients and physicians is key to properly addressing patient needs. Law enforcement, he says, should play no role in questions about the standard of care patients should receive.

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Did COVID Help Courts Reform Themselves?

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 21:03:15 GMT

When you swear an oath to justice, you shouldn't follow through only when there's not a raging pandemic. Marc Levin discusses how COVID may have compelled some reforms that ought to stick around.

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The Policy Implications of Joe Biden's Bad Misreading of the Election of 2020

Fri, 14 Jan 2022 21:08:59 GMT

So many voters chose Joe Biden to restore a sense of normalcy. His ambitious policy agenda and numerous attempts to intervene in Americans' lives have put that hope to rest. National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru comments.

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Supreme Court on Federal Vaccine Mandate

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 20:31:21 GMT

The Supreme Court weighs in on the Biden administration's vaccine mandate. Ilya Shapiro provides his expectation.

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How Is Congress Going to Tax Crypto?

Wed, 12 Jan 2022 15:38:35 GMT

Taxes on cryptocurrencies are coming to the infant industry, though it's less than clear how Congress would do it and if their revenue estimates are rooted in reality. Nicholas Anthony comments.

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Squelching Speech and 'Shouting Fire in a Crowded Theater’

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 22:03:36 GMT

It’s a tired old phrase meant to justify all manner of speech restrictions. People using it should at least understand what it means. Author Jeff Kosseff evaluates some of the political state of play over the freedom of speech online.

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Balancing State Budgets for the Long Term

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 14:59:41 GMT

Where should states look for stable budgets that balance through business cycles? Kurt Couchman of Americans for Prosperity offers his thoughts.

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Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 08:00:00 GMT

Even our best efforts at being rational are beset by biases that skew our thinking. Steven Pinker's new book is Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters. He spoke at the Cato Club retreat in 2021.

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A Radical Leftist Shift in Chile

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 15:08:21 GMT

Chile has elected a radical leftist as president, part of a long trend. There are lessons for the United States. Ian Vasquez describes what he believes enabled the shift.

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Disappointing Biden Immigration Policy So Far

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 17:30:09 GMT

As we approach the end of the first year of the Biden administration, his anemic immigration policy hasn't undone many of the restrictions left by the Trump administration. David Bier and Alex Nowrasteh discussed immigration for this month’s CatoAudio.

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Anti-Gouging Laws Can Make Disasters Worse

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 21:55:23 GMT

When disasters hit, law enforcement leaps into action to punish some of the people bringing in desperately needed supplies. Ryan Bourne describes the overblown threat of price gouging.

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Democrats Denying Reality on Inflation

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 19:51:06 GMT

Prominent Democrats have either denied the reality of inflation or prescribed the wrong solution. Norbert Michel describes what might come next on the inflation front.

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Trade Is Voluntary Exchange for Mutual Benefit

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 13:02:35 GMT

It's easy to imagine trade is entire countries making big decisions. As Scott Lincicome and Alex Nowrasteh explain, it's individuals making millions of small decisions to benefit themselves through voluntary exchange. Curtailing trade violates that liberty. They spoke at the 2021 Cato Club event.

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Defending Startups and Their Angel Investors

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 20:46:55 GMT

Startups need capital to compete with bigger companies, and taxes on capital gains can stem the flow of angel investment. Chris Edwards makes his case for angel investors.

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Health Policy Innovation in a Waning Pandemic

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 16:15:48 GMT

Charlie Katebi of Americans for Prosperity argues that some of the policy innovations driven by the pandemic have shown significant benefits and ought to continue even after the threat abates.

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Back to Basics in Separation of Powers

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 04:05:39 GMT

A few principles ought to guide efforts to push branches of government back into their proper roles. Daniel Dew of the Pacific Legal Foundation offers his recommendations.

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Freedom in Decline for Most of the World's People

Sat, 25 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

The Human Freedom Index tracks freedom across a variety of metrics for most of the world's countries. The trend over the past decade has not been good. Ian Vasquez, the report's coauthor, describes the data.

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School Choice, Housing, and Thriving Neighborhoods

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

How does the availability of school choice affect housing decisions? William Mattox of the James Madison Institute offers his thoughts.

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Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Polarization

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 17:52:08 GMT

Despite some bumps in the road, advocates for ranked-choice voting see a bring future. Scot Turner, a former state lawmaker in Georgia, advocates for the instant runoff style of elections.

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The Busybody Coalition against Short-Term Rentals

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 22:15:16 GMT

The coalition that wants to keep you from using your property in accordance with your needs and values is extremely bipartisan. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center discusses the busybody coalition that wants to ban short-term rentals and how states ought to fight back.

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Partisanship, Polarization, and Political Hatred

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 22:02:11 GMT

The rise of political polarization and hatred should be of genuine concern, and Joe Biden's pledge to deliver a sense of normalcy and boredom seems to have been just another broken campaign promise. Gene Healy made his case at the most recent Cato Club event.

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Biden's No Good, Very Bad Record on Federal Spending

Sat, 18 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

The new spending approved under the Biden administration may soon top the new spending approved by two of his predecessors. Jonathan Bydlak walks through the implications.

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The Tuttle Twins Go Animated

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 20:33:07 GMT

The Tuttle Twins series of books teaching economics and liberty-friendly values to young people is now an animated series. Book series author Connor Boyack describes the new venue.

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The "Regular Order" Won't Restrain Spending

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 21:53:15 GMT

Former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker has some ideas for restraining the spending and debt currently being accrued at a faster clip than ever.

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From Nervous to Apocalyptic: Grading the Rhetoric against School Choice

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 19:19:39 GMT

Whether the proposed school choice program is big or small, the breathless warnings from public school defenders are predictably dire. Jason Bedrick of EdChoice says the lesson for lawmakers is clear: Choose the more robust choice program.

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West Virginia's Worst to First Move on School Choice

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 16:51:23 GMT

Among the many states that created or expanded school choice programs, West Virginia stands out for its innovative, big new program. Jessi Troyan with the Cardinal Institute explains.

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Labor Department, ESG, and Risks to Retirees

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 22:16:26 GMT

How the Department of Labor regulates pension funds and other retirement plans holds big implications for retirees, so how do so-called ESG (environmental, social, and governance) preferences change things? Jennifer Schulp comments.

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Mark Meadows and Congressional Power to Subpoena

Sat, 11 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

What powers does Congress have to access information from former executive branch officials? It's not totally clear, according to Julian Sanchez.

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Erdogan vs. the Lira

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 21:00:33 GMT

Turkey's president enjoys his control over various aspects of his country, and yet the value of Turkey's currency is demonstrably out of his control. Cato's Mustafa Akyol provides the context.

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Complications in the Metaverse

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 19:48:43 GMT

The metaverse offers an opportunity to replicate real-world human interaction, but it also presents some new and unique problems. Given the strength of current players in this market and the ever-present threat of regulation, how might the growth of this new simulated reality play out? Will Duffield comments.

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West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 20:57:28 GMT

To what extent can Congress delegate away the authority to make laws? Will Yeatman details a case before the Supreme Court that holds big implications for the future of delegated legislative power.

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I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Governance

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 14:37:44 GMT

Are Americans really suited to self-government? If so, why do so many who study politics seem to think otherwise? Tony Woodlief is author of I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Governance.

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Purchasing Submission: Conditions, Power, and Freedom

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 23:42:50 GMT

By placing conditions on government benefits, gifts, or licenses, governments can often achieve compliance in ways that would otherwise be blatantly unconstitutional. Philip Hamburger details how it works in his new book, Purchasing Submission.

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Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19

Sat, 04 Dec 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Where does the evidence stand on the so-called "lab leak" theory regarding the beginnings of Covid-19? Matt Ridley is coauthor of Viral: The Search for the Origin of Covid-19.

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Who Buys (and Who Achieves) the American Dream?

Fri, 03 Dec 2021 22:21:25 GMT

Optimism about achieving the American Dream is on the wane, or so we are told. Gonzalo Schwarz of the Archbridge Institute says that's not quite right.

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The Tech/Innovation Policy Conversation We Need

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 12:19:20 GMT

The heavy lifts to getting government out of the way of innovation in many cases simply aren't happening. Will Rinehart of the Center for Growth and Opportunity believes the people who need to do that hard work are distracted.

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New Hampshire Takes Top Honors in Freedom in the 50 States

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 16:54:46 GMT

New Hampshire takes top honors in the Cato Institute's new Freedom in the 50 States report. Authors Will Ruger and Jason Sorens discuss the report and its criteria.

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Workforce Development and Broadband Spending

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

How should success be measured in state-led efforts to provide rural broadband? Will Rinehart of the Center for Growth and Opportunity comments.

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Collective Bargaining and Public Sector Accountability

Sat, 27 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

In many states, when teacher or police unions bargain over wages, benefits, and accountability, the public is left entirely outside the process. Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center details how that complicates holding the public sector accountable.

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Police Power and Protecting Privacy in Montana

Fri, 26 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

How should states assert that police power to use new technology must exist within by basic constitutional limits? Kendall Cotton of Montana’s Frontier Institute comments.

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Two More Thanksgiving Arguments

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Among the topics to avoid at the Thanksgiving table, the nature and causes of inflation and mask mandates rank high on the list. Economist Michael Munger discusses why those topics can and probably will inspire spirited disagreement this year.

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A Bipartisan Effort to Curtail Presidential Warmaking

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

The push to give presidents of both parties the power to make unrestrained war (on a number of occasions) was bipartisan. Will the effort to reclaim those powers for Congress draw a diverse majority coalition? Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) hope so.

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New Rochelle’s New Housing Blueprint

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 14:22:11 GMT

New Rochelle, a community in New York, seems to have found a way to streamline the production of new housing. Patrick Tuohey of the Better Cities Project explains how they did it.

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The Struggle to End Qualified Immunity So Far

Sat, 20 Nov 2021 01:13:26 GMT

Clark Neily details how qualified immunity came to be and why Americans must end it.

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The Utah Strategy for Medical Cannabis

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Utah is ahead of more than a dozen states in approving medical cannabis. How did a conservative state like Utah get it done? How well does its program serve patients? Molly Davis with the Libertas Institute and the Utah Cannabis Association comments.

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A Policy Lesson from Elon Musk

Wed, 17 Nov 2021 22:17:29 GMT

Getting policy right means engaging in the right steps in the right order. Eli Dourado of the Center for Growth and Opportunity details a lesson for policymakers from a manufacturing titan.

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Missouri Kinda Learns a Lesson in Data Collection & How to Treat Journalists

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 21:58:22 GMT

Missouri threatened journalists with lawsuits after the journalists told them about their own errors in collecting and storing data online. Mike Masnick of Techdirt says, months later, the Show Me State hasn't learned all that much.

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Supply Chain Trouble and the Federal Policies That Make It Worse

Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:42:35 GMT

There are many reasons for our supply chain disruptions. Colin Grabow details how the feds have made it worse.

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Biden Swings and Misses on Stablecoins

Fri, 12 Nov 2021 21:51:52 GMT

The President wants to isolate banks from the competition provided by the unregulated issuance of stablecoins. Norbert Michel and Jennifer Schulp comment.

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Congress's January 6 Reckoning vs. Basic Government Oversight

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 22:08:21 GMT

Is Congress's focus on this year's attack on the Capitol preventing or giving lawmakers a pass on basic oversight? Pat Eddington comments.

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Tribal Sovereignty and Environmental Conservation

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

What do Native American tribes have to teach the rest of us about land management and environmental conservation? Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center explains.

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A New Federal Nudge (for Now) to Corporate America

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 15:09:57 GMT

How the feds cajole or compel corporate behavior should be of great concern to customers and shareholders. The first step to nudging corporations toward "social responsibility" appears to be with corporate disclosures. Adam Millsap with Stand Together comments.

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Litigating to Make Forest Management Worse

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 08:00:00 GMT

Managing forests is more than putting out fires, and people suing the feds over forest management plans can make the risk and consequences of fires worse. Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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The Cannabis Industry Has Its Own Entrenched Interests

Sat, 06 Nov 2021 04:00:00 GMT

Most Americans now live in states where cannabis is legal for either medical or recreational use, and that has brought with it industry insiders trying to drive regulation going forward. Shanita Penny is a cannabis educator and consultant who's seen it unfold.

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Fixing Food: An FDA Insider Unravels the Myths and the Solutions

Fri, 05 Nov 2021 07:00:00 GMT

The FDA has a massive impact on our food supply. Can the agency actually execute on its mandate? Should it? How might consumers gain more control over their choices? Richard A. Williams is author of Fixing Food: An FDA Insider Unravels the Myths and the Solutions.

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When Schools Digitally Spy on Kids

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:46:29 GMT

The pandemic may have accelerated the trend of schools using digital tools to watch kids well beyond their activities during the school day. Neal McCluskey and Julian Sanchez detail why a reckoning with this kind of surveillance is overdue.

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Room for Improvement in New Virginia Governor's School Choice Plan

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 18:13:13 GMT

Republican Glenn Youngkin capitalized on parental anger over schools to become Virginia's next governor, but his own plans to expand choice for parents are, to put it mildly, weak. Neal McCluskey comments on the surprise upset in Virginia and what it means for state politics elsewhere.

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Monetizing Anger on Facebook (and in Print)

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:24:01 GMT

You’ll be forgiven if you squint a bit when establishment media outlets breathlessly report a social media outlet effectively monetizing anger. After all, media outlets have a long-established tradition of doing exactly that. Walter Olson comments.

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Health Savings Accounts Boost Retirement Savings

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 20:56:58 GMT

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a powerful innovation for health care payments, but they're also perhaps the single best financial vehicle for retirement savings. Michael Cannon explains.

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States versus Feds in Emerging Tech

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 16:04:49 GMT

Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute details the technologies where feds should play a muted role in setting the rules of the road.

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What Drives Regulators' Fears over Stablecoins?

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 15:55:40 GMT

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that track government money. Why do they strike such fear in the hearts of federal regulators? Norbert Michel discusses his new paper.

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Steps to Making America’s Supply Chains Less Brittle

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 21:10:33 GMT

The pandemic introduced a variety of shocks to the global economy, but the policies already on the books didn't help supply chains adjust appropriately. Now we have a serious problem getting goods from producers to buyers. Scott Lincicome offers some advice to lawmakers and the President.

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How Medicare Impacts Quality of Care

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 21:14:58 GMT

How does Medicare's incentive structure impact the quality of care it delivers? Cato's Michael Cannon is coauthor of a new paper exploring the question.

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Pennsylvania's Uncomfortable School Choice Consensus

Fri, 22 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has seen large expansions in school choice programs in recent years under a Democratic governor. Marc Leblond of the Commonwealth Foundation describes how the politics aligned to make it happen.

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Does the Supreme Court Need Fixing?

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 04:00:00 GMT

There are many ideas for how to fix the Supreme Court. At Cato's recent Cato Club event, Ilya Shapiro said it's far from clear that it needs fixing at all.

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How Should Congress and the Fed Deal with Growing Inflation?

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 12:24:48 GMT

The long-feared specter of inflation is here, even though it's a far cry from the inflation of the 1970s. Cato's Norbert Michel discusses how Congress and the Federal Reserve ought to respond.

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What Will 2021's School Choice Boom Give Students?

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 21:57:49 GMT

School choice exploded this year. What does that mean for students? Jason Bedrick comments.

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Immigrants and the Labor Crunch

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 22:40:43 GMT

The restrictive immigration policies of Donald Trump have sadly been mostly maintained by Joe Biden, and that means bad things for employers seeking workers. David Bier explains how executive action could free immigration and alleviate the labor crunch.

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The Broad Coalitions That Stop Corporate Welfare

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 21:11:21 GMT

he threat of big government handouts to well-funded special interests demands an opposition that is, if not well-funded, at least ideologically diverse. John Mozena of The Center for Economic Accountability comments.

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Political Sectarianism and the Presidential Cult

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 18:02:32 GMT

Increasing political polarization is real, according to political scientists. To what extent have the powers of the presidency helped drive it? Gene Healy comments.

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Million Dollar Fines for 'Incompatible' Landscaping?

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 13:55:17 GMT

Could you prove that your landscaping was "compatible" with that of your neighbors? Is it excessive to fine homeowners $1000 a day for "incompatible" plants? Is there a true victim when disfavored landscaping arrives in your neighborhood? Maurice Thompson of the 1851 Center for Constitutional Law has just such a case in Ohio.

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Federal Cops, Qualified Immunity, and Effective Absolute Immunity

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 21:43:28 GMT

Bringing claims against state cops for violating your rights is hard enough, but it's even harder when the cop is a fed. Patrick Jaicomo is an attorney at the Institute for Justice. We discussed current cases where federal cops stepped on American rights.

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Will the Feds Make Federal Cases out of Local School Battles?

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 21:12:22 GMT

Local public schooling fights over hot button political issues have attracted attention from the Department of Justice and the FBI. Neal McCluskey offers a way out of the escalating fights.

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Abu Zubaydah (Figuratively) at the Supreme Court

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Why does the U.S. continue to imprison Abu Zubaydah without trial? Julian Sanchez discusses how assertions of the "state secrets privilege" by the federal government has complicated this case for most of the last two decades.

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How Wealth Fuels Growth: The Role of Angel Investment

Fri, 08 Oct 2021 21:22:55 GMT

Angel investors provide a unique source of support for America’s entrepreneurs, particularly in leading-edge industries. What does that mean for economic performance and taxing and spending? Chris Edwards explains.

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The Innocence Project Receives the 2021 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 20:29:58 GMT

Last week, the Cato Institute gave the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty to The Innocence Project for its work exonerating the wrongly convicted and recommending policy change supporting a better criminal justice system. Cato’s Clark Neily sat down with Innocence Project cofounders Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld and executive director Christina Swarns at a dinner honoring their achievements advancing human liberty.

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The Unsung Promise of Health Savings Accounts

Wed, 06 Oct 2021 14:02:23 GMT

Health Savings Accounts were a legislative stowaway that have since become one of the most promising avenues for reforming American health care. Michael Cannon explains how they work.

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The Patriot Act Twenty Years Later

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 21:02:32 GMT

In the wake of September 11th, 2001, it's important to note what changed with respect to federal power. The Patriot Act delivered a massive increase in federal police authority. Christopher J. Coyne comments.

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New Cato Polling: Vaccine Hesitancy and Mandates

Sat, 02 Oct 2021 13:42:42 GMT

Are heavy handed tactics with respect to vaccines helpful to people not sure if they want to get a jab? Cato's Jeff Singer discusses the new polling.

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China's Crypto Crackdown Shouldn't Encourage U.S. Regulators

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 21:02:10 GMT

China's prohibition on crypto transactions shouldn't tell U.S. regulators to follow suit. George Selgin discusses U.S. regulators' concerns over stablecoins.

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Biden and the Big Student Bailouts

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 18:35:23 GMT

The Biden Administration wants to give indebted students a bailout, but aren't the bailouts already underway? Mike Riggs of Reason discusses the Bush-era law that holds big implications for student debt.

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When Think Tanks Train Future Politicians

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 20:18:14 GMT

What's the case for think tanks training candidates to challenge incumbents? Matt Paprocki of the Illinois Policy Institute makes the argument.

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Why, As a Muslim, I Defend Liberty

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 16:07:17 GMT

Mustafa Akyol's new book is Why, As A Muslim, I Defend Liberty, available at Libertarianism.org.

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Why, As A Muslim, I Defend Liberty

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 16:05:04 GMT

Mustafa Akyol's new book is Why, As A Muslim, I Defend Liberty, available at Libertarianism.org.

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Luxury Housing, Market-Rate Housing, and Affordable Housing

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 21:13:34 GMT

The fights over housing in California and other states with high housing costs will spill over into other states with similar policies. The fights will continue for years to come. Timothy Lee of Full Stack Economics comments.

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Illinois Has a Public Pension Warning for Your State

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 15:52:56 GMT

The problems faced by Illinois today will be faced by many other states down the road, and it threatens to bring states close to bankruptcy. Adam Schuster of the Illinois Policy Institute says pension reform needs to come sooner than later.

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Police Brutality Case of Brownback v. King Continues

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:09:20 GMT

When members of a state-federal task force beat James King unconscious after mistaking him for someone else, he ultimately sued to hold them accountable. Even after the Supreme Court ruled on King’s case, the case continues. King and his attorney Patrick Jaicomo discuss the case.

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Politics and Policy of Policing in Virginia

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 20:43:35 GMT

States are moving forward with changes to how policing works with mixed results. Nick Freitas, a Republican delegate in the Virginia House, discusses the reform proposals his state is considering.

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California Takes Important Step to Relieve Housing Costs

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 20:27:09 GMT

New laws in California will start the process of allowing more housing development. Michael Tanner argues that it's probably not enough to relieve high housing costs for average Californians, but it's a great first step.

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Joe Biden's Big Taxing, Subsidizing, and Bank Account Snooping Plans

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 19:25:00 GMT

Joe Biden wants to raise taxes on some, subsidize others, and snoop on everyone's bank accounts. What could go wrong? Chris Edwards explains.

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Parsing the Biden COVID Employer Mandate

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 07:00:00 GMT

The Biden Administration plans to compel employers to compel employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or get regular testing. How strong is the legal argument? Walter Olson explains.

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The FDA's Flawed Analysis Delayed Rapid COVID Tests

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:34:18 GMT

Rapid testing was supposed to be one of the key pillars of escaping this pandemic sooner than later. The FDA's processes didn't allow it. Scott Lincicome comments.

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Trends in State-Level Criminal Justice Reform in 2020

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 18:28:04 GMT

How did states alter the landscape of policing and broader criminal justice issues in 2020? Robert Alt is president of the Buckeye Institute and author of a forthcoming report on state-level criminal justice trends.

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AFPF v. Bonta and Donor Privacy

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:31:42 GMT

Bradley Smith of the Institute for Free Speech details key takeaways from the Supreme Court's AFPF v. Bonta case.

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9/11 and the Targets of the New War on Terror

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 13:59:37 GMT

Muslims around the world soon felt targeted following September 11, 2001. Mustafa Akyol and Doug Bandow discuss the War on Terror's targets, and the impact on Muslims worldwide.

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9/11 Launched an Unprecedented Surveillance State

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 04:00:00 GMT

The attacks of September 11, 2001 provided cover for an unprecedented and largely ineffective surveillance apparatus that is broadly with us today. Patrick Eddington discusses how little we still know about how we're being watched.

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State-Level Digital Taxes: How Do They Work?

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 13:02:16 GMT

Maryland is experimenting with levying taxes on entities that engage in digital advertising in the state, and they will bring inevitable headaches and legal complications. Joe Bishop-Henchman with the National Taxpayers Union Foundation comments.

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Cooperation & Coercion: How Busybodies Became Busybullies and What that Means for Economics and Politics

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 19:28:50 GMT

Humans can generally either cooperate or coerce to get what they want. Antony Davies is coauthor of Cooperation & Coercion: How Busybodies Became Busybullies and What that Means for Economics and Politics.

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Will Onerous Regulations Stay Gone after COVID?

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 16:05:25 GMT

When states suspended regulations to better equip private actors for handling COVID-19, it raised an important question: Why did we have them to begin with? Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute comments on some of the bright spots in healthcare during the pandemic.

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Kentucky Policing Reform Since Breonna Taylor's Death

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 21:03:13 GMT

Scandals in Kentucky police departments long precede the police killing of Breonna Taylor, the unarmed woman gunned down in her own apartment by police last year. So what policing reform did Kentucky do? Josh Crawford of Kentucky's Pegasus Institute says it was significant.

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Public Opinion on War and Terror: Manipulated or Manipulating?

Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:00:50 GMT

People are regularly bombarded with ideas, and as they sort through these ideas, they pick and choose which to embrace and which to fear. John Muller is author of Public Opinion on War and Terror: Manipulated or Manipulating?

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What Is the Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K?

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 13:39:27 GMT

Sahar Khan details the relationship between the Taliban and ISIS-K in Afghanistan.

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The Trouble with Housing in California

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 23:26:47 GMT

The regulatory environment and decades of less than adequate housing production has contributed to a dramatic rise in housing prices in California. Housing researcher Nolan Gray details how we got here.

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The Rocky, Necessary 'Trump-Biden' Afghanistan Withdrawal

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 13:42:50 GMT

The U.S. departure from Afghanistan proceeds, but how much of the bloodshed and other bungling was avoidable? William Ruger was the Trump Administration nominee for Ambassador to Afghanistan and is a Cato Institute research fellow.

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Harm Reduction amid COVID-19

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 15:18:47 GMT

We should admit to ourselves and each other that harm reduction will be a far less destructive strategy for dealing with COVID-19 than harsh lockdowns and other mandates. Jeff Singer is author of the new Cato paper on the subject.

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Congress Fighting over Qualified Immunity

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 19:06:05 GMT

The sticking point over policing reform in Congress is qualified immunity, the court-invented doctrine that regularly lets cops off the hook when they violate Americans' rights. Cato’s Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert discuss the negotiations.

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Eyes to the Sky: Privacy and Commerce in the Age of the Drone

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 13:11:38 GMT

In the new book, Eyes to the Sky: Privacy and Commerce in the Age of the Drone, essayists detail both the promising and troubling potential uses of drone technology. Matthew Feeney is the book's editor.

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Reign of Terror

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 20:47:54 GMT

The War on Terror was an ill-defined campaign that eroded the safeguards built into American institutions, enhanced execute power, and gave federal agencies license to engage in torture and other crimes. Spencer Ackerman is author of Reign of Terror.

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Why Twitter Allows the Taliban

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 19:35:31 GMT

Social media companies have differing ideas about allowing the Taliban on their platforms. Will Duffield explains what social media means for the people and (new) government of Afghanistan.

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The Taliban New and Old

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 20:52:42 GMT

The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan. Is there any reason to think their assurances to Afghans are worth anything? Mustafa Akyol comments.

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The Taliban "Inkblot" in Afghanistan Had Been Expanding for Years

Wed, 18 Aug 2021 14:05:05 GMT

The expanding influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, a decade or more of American government lies about “progress” in the war, and a fast U.S. military exit contributed to the Taliban’s speedy takeover of the country. Justin Logan offers perspective.

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What Would Serious Election Reform Look Like?

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 20:11:13 GMT

How much of the election reform passed this year in states makes sense? Walter Olson disentangles some of the motivations.

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What Should the U.S. Do for Afghan Refugees?

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 20:37:09 GMT

In the immediate wake of U.S. departure from Afghanistan and the rapid collapse of the government there, the U.S. owes something to the people who helped sustain this ill-fated war. Alex Nowrasteh details some history and offers ideas for the future.

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Advancing Liberty with Broad Perspective

Fri, 13 Aug 2021 20:41:09 GMT

Culture war battles, however seductive in the moment, are a distraction to the long-term fight for liberty, and broader perspective can help focus our attention. Wolf von Laer of Students for Liberty comments.

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Military Affiliation in the Attack on the Capitol

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:09:00 GMT

The attack on the Capitol in January was serious, but it's important not to overstate the size of the threat the groups involved pose. Abigail Hall comments.

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Overcoming the Hurdles to Seasteading

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 20:52:22 GMT

Creating new cities or countries on the ocean has long been just a dream. Is seasteading getting closer. Joe Quirk of the Seasteading Institute thinks so.

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New School Year, Big Shifts for Parents

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 19:21:54 GMT

The next school year looks to be as uncertain or more uncertain than the last one. Kerry McDonald discusses what the pandemic has changed.

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Louisiana Regulators Crush Services for Special Needs Families

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 21:00:00 GMT

Louisiana regulators have sharply limited competition in special-needs childcare because, well, it would make their jobs more difficult if they allowed it. Anastasia Boden of the Pacific Legal Foundation says that's not a good enough reason.

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A New Proposal to Begin the End of the Drug War

Sun, 08 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT

The Drug War marks its 50th year this year. That's five decades too long. Democratic Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey has a few ideas about how to jumpstart the process.

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Biden Ignores Court Rulings and Legal Counsel to Extend Eviction Ban

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 07:00:00 GMT

President Biden has been surprisingly frank in his belief that the eviction moratorium he's just extended probably won't hold up to legal scrutiny. In fact, it's what courts and his own legal counsel have told him. Walter Olson comments.

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Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 21:13:06 GMT

How does our own government's propaganda shape our views of efforts to fight wars or to even go to war in the first place? Abigail R. Hall is coauthor of Manufacturing Militarism: U.S. Government Propaganda in the War on Terror.

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How the ‘Regulatory Sandbox’ Works in Utah

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 17:04:40 GMT

Regulation has the potential to stop new business before it starts. What if it didn't? Connor Boyack of the Libertas Institute details "the regulatory sandbox" experiment in Utah.

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A Bumpy Road to Ranked-Choice Voting

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 19:20:42 GMT

Supporters of ranked-choice voting argue that it might reduce partisanship and compel candidates to be less polarizing. New York’s recent confusing experience with ranked-choice voting offers some lessons. How does it work? Is it ready for greater adoption? Adam Kissel of the Cardinal Institute offers his take.

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Unionization after Janus

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 20:25:38 GMT

Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center explains some of the reasons why unionization in Michigan has fallen so dramatically after the Supreme Court's Janus decision in 2018 and what that might mean for unionization elsewhere.

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The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 20:57:04 GMT

The processes that have given rise to so much new knowledge show signs of sputtering. Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of Knowledge argues that it's time to restore respect for the "how" of creating new knowledge.

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New York's Counterproductive Half Measure on Sex Work

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 07:00:00 GMT

When New York decided to stop cracking down on sex workers, it maintained harsh policing of sex workers' customers. Kaytlin Bailey of The Old Pro Project explains why New York should just decriminalize the whole enterprise.

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Trade Is Good for Your Health

Fri, 30 Jul 2021 22:12:30 GMT

James Bacchus is author of the new paper, "Trade is Good for Your Health.”

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New Avenues in the War on Big Tech

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 20:22:04 GMT

Members of Congress continue to fight against large technology platforms, and many hope antitrust claims will give them sway that the First Amendment does not. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason discusses the contours of this new fight.

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Whole Foods in a Pandemic

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 17:28:55 GMT

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey says the long-term changes to business many expect to come in the wake of the pandemic may be overstated. He discusses how the grocery chain has dealt with the pandemic, and how it's stressed labor markets and supply chains.

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Single Family Zoning and Race

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 21:46:00 GMT

Residential zoning goes back a full century, and that zoning carried with it the specific intent of racial segregation. Patrick Tuohey of the Better Cities Project details why there should be a public reckoning over the racist legacy of zoning.

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Suspicionless FBI Snooping on Concerned Women of America

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 21:30:03 GMT

Do FBI agents have too much free time? Cato's Patrick Eddington has discovered that Concerned Women of America have been subjected to FBI inquiries with no claims of criminal activity.

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NSO Group Software Used to Surveil Journalists, Activists, and Governments

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 22:11:44 GMT

A data leak reveals thousands of potential targets of digital surveillance using software from Israeli firm NSO Group. Targets include reporters, activists, and allegedly some leading government officials. Julian Sanchez and Patrick Eddington comment.

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Safe Consumption of Opioids and Harm Reduction

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 12:13:18 GMT

Reducing social costs associated with drugs like heroin means seeking solutions beyond mere criminal enforcement. Safe injection sites are one of these policies. Rhode Island has legalized safe injection sites, but federal hurdles remain. Jeff Singer comments.

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How Government Boosts Low-ROI Graduate Degrees

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 18:57:19 GMT

Even some graduate degrees from elite institutions deliver few earnings benefits. Why do people get them? And how do government payoff programs make the cost of those degrees appear lower than they really are? Neal McCluskey explains.

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How Are Plea Bargains Coercive?

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 16:27:40 GMT

The plea bargain as it's practiced by prosecutors has become a tool that helps pervert justice by penalizing people who seek a jury trial. Somil Trivedi of the American Civil Liberties Union is bringing a suit in Maricopa County, Arizona to challenge how the plea bargain is used.

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The President Wants More Control over Shipping Goods

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 04:00:00 GMT

The President wants to remove some barriers to shipping goods across the U.S. and among nations, but has been recently silent about restrictions that are substantially counterproductive to Americans’ well being. Colin Grabow and Scott Lincicome explain.

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The Departure from Afghanistan So Far

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 19:28:41 GMT

The planned U.S. departure from Afghanistan is underway, but the Biden Administration seems reluctant to give up the authority to go back in at any moment. John Glaser comments.

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Cybersecurity: Defense and Offense

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 20:53:19 GMT

Brandon Valeriano argues that defense against cyberattacks means actually doing the work of hardening systems against attacks rather than issuing threats after the fact.

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The Enormous Human Cost of China's Communist Party

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 18:04:45 GMT

As the CCP marks 100 years, the party's human rights abuses, mass slaughter of Chinese people, crackdowns on free speech, and internment camps for minorities won't be front and center. Doug Bandow and Eric Gomez comment.

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Don't Stop Repealin' (Authorizations for the Use of Military Force)

Fri, 09 Jul 2021 19:24:12 GMT

At some point, says Gene Healy, Congress will get around to repealing the authorization for the use of military force that has enabled so much American-led global meddling.

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A High Court Win for Nonprofit Donor Privacy

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:17:30 GMT

In AFPF v. Bonta, the Supreme Court made clearer that donors to nonprofits deserve greater privacy protection from state actors. Trevor Burrus examines the case

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Thomas Again Urges Supreme Court to Address Qualified Immunity

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 07:00:00 GMT

A case of university led prior restraint spurred Clarence Thomas to urge his fellow justices to take up a case regarding qualified immunity. Jay Schweikert details the case.

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Yes, You Have the Right to Record Police

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 05:00:00 GMT

A Florida appeals court has let cops off the hook after they arrested a woman after she recorded those cops doing their jobs. James Craven details why clarity on this issue is more important than ever.

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Baltimore's Persistent Aerial Surveillance Ruled Unconstitutional

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 05:00:00 GMT

Persistent aerial surveillance may make the jobs of cops easier, but it's no solution if it endangers your rights. Matthew Feeney discusses the case of Balitmore's aerial surveillance program.

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SCOTUS Opens Door to Reining in the Administrative State

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 21:15:02 GMT

A patent case decided by the Supreme Court in June holds much larger implications for federal regulators. Thomas Berry comments.

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Counting the Costs of the Jones Act

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 15:31:44 GMT

In restricting transportation of all manner of products, the Jones Act disproportionately harms the poor and raises prices for everyone else. Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah and Cato's Colin Grabow discuss the new effort to eliminate the law.

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Big Federal COVID Spending > Big Waste and Fraud

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 20:08:40 GMT

In the wake of an especially massive outflow of federal money, the accounting for how the money was spent is just beginning. Cato's Will Yeatman says that we shouldn't get our hopes up that the money was spent well.

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What’s Next after SCOTUS Rebukes NCAA?

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 02:32:04 GMT

The Supreme Court's ruling against the NCAA regarding benefits paid to student athletes virtually guarantees that there will be future litigation on strikingly similar issues. The NCAA is hoping for time to change its rules. Ilya Shapiro comments.

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The Ugly Bipartisan History of Crack Cocaine Sentencing

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 19:26:15 GMT

Federal sentencing for drug crimes has never made sense, most especially the disparity between cocaine and crack. Kevin Ring of FAMM details how we got here.

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The Ugly Bipartisan History of Crack Cocaine Sentencing

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 17:21:12 GMT

Federal sentencing for drug crimes has never made sense, most especially the disparity between cocaine and crack. Kevin Ring of FAMM details how we got here.

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False Confessions and Trust in Police

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 16:55:51 GMT

Interrogation methods that elicit false confessions speaks to the quality of policing. Marissa Boyers Bluestine of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School details the costs.

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The Evidence on Post-COVID Employment Hesitancy

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 20:52:02 GMT

How much of the current difficulties faced by employers are driven by extra unemployment benefits? Ryan Bourne explains.

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Omnibus "For the People Act" Is a Wish List of Constitutional Violations

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:37:55 GMT

There's more to voting rights in the For the People Act, and the fact that the massive piece of legislation is only partially constitutional just isn't good enough. Walter Olson offers his thoughts.

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Shouldn't Conservatives Be Big Advocates for Decentralized Tech?

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 20:18:31 GMT

Conservatives like to bemoan their treatment at the hands of companies like Facebook and YouTube, but fostering decentralized alternatives is somehow nowhere in their stump speeches. Matthew Feeney comments.

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Critical Race Theory and School Choice

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 19:57:59 GMT

An obvious way to diffuse fights over schooling is to put parents more directly in charge of the kinds of educations their kids receive. Neal McCluskey comments in the context of the latest fight over public schooling and critical race theory.

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Campaign Contributions and "Things of Value"

Sat, 19 Jun 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Campaign finance laws are complicated. They leave well-meaning people on the hook for potential criminal violations. Allen Dickerson of the Federal Election Commission details just one example.

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The Anarchist Handbook

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 18:25:36 GMT

Michael Malice says many of the criticisms of anarchism boil down to a description of the status quo. His new book, The Anarchist Handbook, provides a useful diversity of anarchist views.

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El Salvador Goes All-In on Bitcoin

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 21:22:59 GMT

The government El Salvador has adopted Bitcoin as its currency, but that has problems. What does that mean for average people, and how could they have done it better? George Selgin offers a few ideas.

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Biden Wants to Give IRS More Money and Power

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 20:32:38 GMT

The IRS is a broken agency with a poor record of giving advice and securing data about taxpayers. Joe Biden wants the agency to get bigger and stronger. Andrew Moylan of the National Taxpayers Union Foundation comments.

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Counting Costs and Benefits in Corporate Mergers

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 23:19:39 GMT

There's a lot that we don't know about which mergers are going to pay off. In fact, there's a lot that companies don't know when faced with that prospect. Sam Bowman of the International Center for Law and Economics discusses antitrust and mergers in the U.S. and Great Britain.

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The Pentagon Papers at 50

Fri, 11 Jun 2021 12:21:52 GMT

The Pentagon Papers launched a decades-long fight over how to protect the public from threats while respecting the public's right to know how government works. Patrick Eddington and Julian Sanchez discusses the 50th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers.

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Local Barriers to Economic Recovery

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 19:34:50 GMT

As many thousands of businesses have been bankrupted or closed because of the pandemic, there are ways for state and local governments to foster a more robust recovery. Chris Edwards explains.

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Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich: How The Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 20:35:36 GMT

Art Carden is coauthor of Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich: How The Bourgeois Deal Enriched the World.

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Social Entrepreneurship vs. Focusing on the Bottom Line

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 20:35:41 GMT

There are downsides to social entrepreneurship, according to Kimberlee Josephson of Lebanon Valley College. She details what she sees as risks of focusing on goods other than the bottom line.

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What Happened after New Mexico Ended Civil Forfeiture?

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 11:38:30 GMT

New Mexico ended civil forfeiture in 2015. What's happened in policing since then? Jennifer McDonald of the Institute for Justice crunched the numbers.

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Congressional Stimulus for Homebuyers? Now? Really?

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 19:44:36 GMT

In an especially hot housing market with significant supply constraints, why spend taxpayer money to goose demand? Housing researcher Nolan Gray argues it's precisely the wrong policy response.

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Banning Menthols Will Have Predictable (Bad) Consequences

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 17:40:56 GMT

The long-awaited FDA ban on menthol cigarettes is now in the works. Guy Bentley of the Reason Foundation believes the social consequences will be both negative and predictable.

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Cities Should Welcome Long-Term Innovation

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 12:36:55 GMT

Cities have great opportunities to drive higher incomes and tax revenue by fostering innovative problem solving, but future beneficiaries of gig work and home-based businesses are rarely the loudest voices in the room. Greg Brooks of the Better Cities Project comments.

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Follow the Science on Opioids

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 20:50:32 GMT

"Follow the science" is good advice for lawmakers, but in so many contexts where dominant scientific views change, it should mean lawmakers intervene less often. Jeff Singer explains.

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Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions

Mon, 31 May 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Can Congress oversee the Federal Reserve? Can Congress even oversee the Fed's adherence to a monetary rule? Alexander William Salter is coauthor of Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions.

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States Opting out of Enhanced Unemployment Benefits

Sat, 29 May 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Many state leaders frustrated with the slow pace of re-employment have opted to quit offering enhanced unemployment benefits. Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute discusses what that means for Ohio and many other states.

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The Big Taxing Plans of Joe Biden

Fri, 28 May 2021 21:12:05 GMT

Big spending means high taxes for President Joe Biden. What are the real consequences? Chris Edwards explains.

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Second Amendment Returns to SCOTUS

Thu, 27 May 2021 21:14:54 GMT

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to a New York state law that allows residents to carry a concealed handgun only if they can demonstrate a special need beyond a general desire for self-protection. Josh Blackman comments.

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When the Feds Buy Data about You

Wed, 26 May 2021 20:53:57 GMT

What happens when the feds buy data about you and use it to surveil or prosecute you? Is it an end-run around laws meant to prohibit exactly that? Cato's Julian Sanchez and Patrick Eddington comment.

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Don’t Be like China: Why the U.S. Government Should Cut Its Science Budget

Tue, 25 May 2021 19:51:21 GMT

President Biden unveiled plans to increase the U.S. government’s science funding by some 20 percent over the next year, but the reasoning behind it is flawed. Terence Kealey explains why.

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Why 'Just Put Out the Fire' Is Suboptimal Forest Management

Mon, 24 May 2021 20:55:40 GMT

The blank check that has accompanied forest management has done damage to forest ecosystems in ways you probably wouldn't imagine. Holly Fretwell and Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center detail why protecting America's forests requires some counterintuitive thinking.

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The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong

Fri, 21 May 2021 15:42:22 GMT

In The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They're Wrong, Cato's Alex Nowrasteh considers the most common arguments against immigration and rejects them using sound reasoning and evidence.

Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast's 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners.

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Waiving the Jones Act Would Boost Responsiveness to Shocks

Wed, 19 May 2021 20:28:24 GMT

The Jones Act keeps private sector actors from responding nimbly when economic disruptions occur, like a ransomware attack on a pipeline. Colin Grabow explains why.

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China: Rise or Demise?

Tue, 18 May 2021 20:58:16 GMT

China, even if it rises, does not present much of a security threat to the United States, according to Cato's John Mueller.

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Policing Reform Demands an End to Qualified Immunity

Mon, 17 May 2021 13:49:35 GMT

As Congress mulls policing reform, it's still unclear if an end to qualified immunity will be included. Clark Neily details reform options on the table and why the invented Supreme Court doctrine needs to go.

Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast’s 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners.

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Steelmanning 101

Fri, 14 May 2021 11:55:16 GMT

Showing respect for an opponent's argument may be difficult, but it's important if we care about having productive and civil discourse. Greg Rehmke runs economicthinking.org and has spend decades teaching young people how to engage in proper debate.

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What Does Good Social Entrepreneurship Demand?

Thu, 13 May 2021 15:37:34 GMT

Social entrepreneurs still face a bottom line. Sam Staley of Florida State University discusses what is required to engage in charity and business simultaneously.

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Secretive Federal Court Again Stands Down on Warrantless Spying on Americans

Wed, 12 May 2021 18:53:04 GMT

You would expect a court designed for foreign intelligence surveillance would use a stronger hand in punishing agencies that illegally snoop on Americans. Julian Sanchez discusses why that's not exactly what's going on.

Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast’s 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners.

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Immigrants to the Right, Guns to the Left

Tue, 11 May 2021 19:11:02 GMT

The Left's blind spot about guns mirrors the Right's blind spot about immigrants. Trevor Burrus explains.

Help us celebrate the Cato Daily Podcast’s 15th anniversary by receiving a small token of our appreciation for listeners.

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How Do the Feds Tax Capital Gains?

Mon, 10 May 2021 20:46:59 GMT

The Biden Administration hopes to hike capital gains taxes for high earners. What are the likely results? Cato’s Jennifer Schulp comments.

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Saudi Arabia and Iran Are Talking, and That's Fine

Sat, 08 May 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Should the U.S. care that Saudi Arabia and Iran are talking? Doug Bandow explains.

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The Era of 'The Era of Big Government Is Over' Is Over

Fri, 07 May 2021 19:49:19 GMT

As Republicans have come to love big government, Democrats have stopped pretending to care about fiscal restraint. Eric Boehm of Reason details the absence of serious fights over spending.

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High Court Takes up Free Speech for Students

Thu, 06 May 2021 21:43:06 GMT

How does an off-campus profane rant implicate student discipline for schools? The Supreme Court is looking at the case of a teenager disciplined for that kind of speech. Cato's Thomas Berry talks about why the student will probably prevail.

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Facebook Oversight Board Upholds Trump Ban ... with Conditions

Wed, 05 May 2021 18:05:54 GMT

The Facebook Oversight Board generally approved of the company's ban on Donald Trump, but the board attached some directions for Facebook, as well. John Samples, a vice president at Cato, is a member of the oversight board.

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Medical Malpractice Litigation: How It Works -- Why Tort Reform Hasn't Helped

Tue, 04 May 2021 19:18:21 GMT

How well does the medical malpractice system compensate injured patients and spur better care? Charlie Silver is coauthor of Medical Malpractice Litigation: How It Works — Why Tort Reform Hasn’t Helped.

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New Cato Polling: Understanding American Support & Opposition on Immigration

Mon, 03 May 2021 20:02:58 GMT

A new Cato Institute poll drills down on why Americans feel the way they do about immigration. Emily Ekins directed the research.

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California v. Donor Privacy

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 21:32:26 GMT

California wants to maintain a database of the identities of donors to all manner of charities throughout the U.S. Paul Sherman of the Institute for Justice says it's an imposition on privacy and association.

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Is It Possible to Crowdfund a Common Defense?

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 21:30:28 GMT

The experience of Ukraine may offer lessons for public defense. Economic researcher Garrett Wood has looked into the creative but imperfect means of crowdfunding small-scale defense in Ukraine.

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Above the Law: How 'Qualified Immunity' Protects Violent Police

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 21:03:40 GMT

Qualified immunity is an insult to Americans whose rights have been violated by public officials. Ben Cohen tells some of those stories in Above the Law: How 'Qualified Immunity' Protects Violent Police. We were joined by Cato’s Jay Schweikert and Clark Neily.

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New Mexico Ends Virtually All Qualified Immunity for Public Officials

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 04:00:00 GMT

New Mexico has eliminated qualified immunity for almost all public officials. New Mexico House Speaker Brian Egolf (D) discusses how it happened and why it's an important reform.

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Federal Nicotine Limits and Back Door Prohibition

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 20:21:56 GMT

The Biden Administration is reportedly considering a federal mandate to lower nicotine levels in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. Is that just back door prohibition? Tom Firey and Jeff Singer comment.

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Another Take on Vaccine Certifications

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 22:20:43 GMT

The arguments from self-described libertarians on private vaccine certifications often disrespects the freedom of people to define their own associations. Sam Staley of Florida State University comments.

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For Criminal Justice Reform, We Need Better Criminal Justice Data

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 17:34:20 GMT

Criminal justice reformers should turn their eyes to how data is collected in myriad ways within the criminal justice system. Stuart Buck of Arnold Ventures details how credible data can drive reform efforts.

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Congress Preps to End Cannabis Prohibition

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 13:47:44 GMT

As Democrats prepare to roll out the end of federal cannabis prohibition, it's worth taking stock of where cannabis legality stands today. Erin Partin details how states have moved over the past decade, and how the feds ought to move forward.

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Biden Backpedals on Immigration Reform

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 00:18:34 GMT

President Joe Biden lost credibility in his own party by failing to make good on campaign promises to increase the cap for refugee admissions to the United States. David Bier says Biden has no reason to back down from his immigration promises.

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New Hate Crimes Legislation Moving in Congress

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 07:00:00 GMT

Defining a hate crime is a challenge and definitions vary by jurisdiction, but Congress is moving ahead with revising and expanding those laws federally. Walter Olson comments.

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In the Name of Fairness, A Push for Big New Labor Market Regulation

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 20:37:27 GMT

The rigidity that Democrats want in labor markets doesn't serve women well, and Republicans are far from innocent in pushing for new mandates. Rachel Greszler of the Heritage Foundation comments.

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Certificate of Need and Access to Health Care

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 19:51:19 GMT

Defenders of certificate-of-need laws make big claims, like those laws effectively protect access to health care services. Economist James Bailey at Providence College has examined that claim. He says there’s not much evidence to support it.

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Housing Churn and Housing Bubbles

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 00:28:21 GMT

The housing market's normal churn has been all but absent in this pandemic. Does that make for a housing bubble? Tom Firey comments.

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Dick Durbin, Counterterrorism, and Patriot Act 2.0

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 22:07:30 GMT

New proposed authorities to combat domestic terrorism after the attack on the Capitol again pose challenges for basic constraints on government like probable cause and particularized suspicion. Patrick Eddington comments.

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Is 2021 the Best Year for School Choice Ever?

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 21:03:50 GMT

Parents, put in a bind by a pandemic, have focused their attention on the options available to them for their kids' education. This year may be the very best for the expansion of school choice so far. Jason Bedrick explains how it happened.

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Vaccine Passports vs. Private Vaccine Certifications

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 07:00:00 GMT

The price we all would ultimately pay for a central government database of our vaccination status to regulate our public engagement could be very high. Can we get the benefits without the costs? Julian Sanchez and Jeff Singer comment.

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Economics in One Virus: An Introduction to Economic Reasoning through COVID-19

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 07:00:00 GMT

The pandemic has shown us that there is a price to be paid for failing to understand economic consequences. Ryan Bourne catalogs many of the missteps in his new book, Economics in One Virus: An Introduction to Economic Reasoning through COVID-19.

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Reopening Muslim Minds: A Return to Reason, Freedom, and Tolerance

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 06:00:00 GMT

Islamic thinkers once inspired great Western thinkers. How can Islam fully embrace respect for science, reason, liberty, and other religions? Mustafa Akyol is author of Reopening Muslim Minds.

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Local Criminal Justice Reform and State Preemption

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 14:09:21 GMT

Local efforts at criminal justice reform can be preempted by state-level edict. How should states and localities work to get along? Rachel Elise Barkow, author of Prisoners of Politics, comments.

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Is Congress Ready to Rein in Executive War Power?

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 20:06:29 GMT

The authorizations that have enabled two decades of American-led war across the globe should be repealed. Congress may finally agree. Gene Healy and John Glaser explain why.

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Biden's Big Unnecessary Infrastructure Push

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 20:07:01 GMT

The Biden administration hopes to spend trillions of new dollars on public infrastructure, and while it's at it, massively subsidize private infrastructure. Cato's Chris Edwards says it's utterly unnecessary.

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Section 230 and the PACT Act

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 19:57:10 GMT

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has a new piece of would-be reform legislation, though the proposal highlights just how hard it is to do content moderation at scale. Mike Masnick of techdirt and Cato's Will Duffield comment.

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A Clarification on Systemic Racism

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 20:03:39 GMT

Understanding what systemic racism is requires an understanding of what it isn't. Jonathan Blanks of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity details a few important distinctions.

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The Black Police Experience and Qualified Immunity

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 20:54:56 GMT

What does a former cop think about qualified immunity? Sonia Pruitt is head of The Black Police Experience.

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Pollsters Still Perplexed over GOP Performance at the Polls

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 20:43:12 GMT

Pollsters got it wrong again in 2020, underestimating support for Donald Trump and Republicans more broadly. How are they going to get it right? Emily Ekins discusses the theories.

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Medicare Is ‘Junk Coverage’

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 19:39:00 GMT

The people who set the prices for a lot of Medicare-funded services point out many of the problems that leads Michael Cannon to conclude that the behemoth of government health care provides "junk" coverage.

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Loosening Telehealth Rules Beyond the Pandemic

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 22:03:40 GMT

Big players expanding telehealth offerings while a great deal of state regulation is temporarily suspended might mean a vast expansion of telehealth offerings going forward. Jeff Singer comments.

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Fostering Inclusive Economic Recovery in California

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 20:44:29 GMT

California's poverty is dramatically more stark than in other states. Delivering on an inclusive economic recovery from a pandemic means addressing several underlying policy problems. Michael Tanner comments ahead of his conference in April.

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How Biden Can Do Right by Kids Crossing the Border

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 20:56:17 GMT

The Biden administration has ways to make good on pledges to treat young people crossing the border fairly. David Bier comments.

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Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980

Fri, 19 Mar 2021 20:50:33 GMT

Rick Perlstein's Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980 details a downtrodden GOP approaching irrelevance ahead of the surprising resurgence of Ronald Reagan.

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The Stupidity of War

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 21:11:44 GMT

Stupid wars go back a long time, but the idea that war is stupid is relatively new. John Mueller explores the modern idea in The Stupidity of War.

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When Will the U.S. Exit Wars in Yemen and Afghanistan?

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 20:28:35 GMT

When will President Biden withdraw all support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen? Does Joe Biden own the war in Afghanistan if he doesn’t stick to the current timeline for U.S. departure? Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California discusses the Biden foreign policy so far.

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The Burglary That Revealed Hoover’s Corrupted FBI

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 14:11:21 GMT

Fifty years ago this month, a group of anti-war activists broke into the FBI and revealed terrible crimes committed by that agency under the secrecy of COINTELPRO. Patrick Eddington details the history.

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Are Libertarians Too Influential in Federal Court Decisions?

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 20:04:23 GMT

Do judges feel undue influence from libertarian legal scholars? Sheldon Whitehouse may believe that's the case, and he'd like to change the way groups like the Cato Institute are allowed to engage with the judiciary. Ilya Shapiro comments.

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Breonna Taylor’s Killing One Year Later

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 05:00:00 GMT

A year after Louisville police killed Breonna Taylor, what's changed? Peter Kraska is a policing researcher at Eastern Kentucky University who worked on the Taylor case. He comments on police reform efforts now underway.

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The Urge to Punish and Criminal Justice Reform

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 15:03:51 GMT

It's easy to want to throw the book at someone who's engaged in some egregious conduct, but it's harder to understand what even seemingly minor punishments entail. Author and criminal justice scholar John Pfaff discusses the incentives inherent in the way criminal justice is carried out in America.

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End the National Security Free Pass for Presidential Meddling in Trade

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 08:00:00 GMT

The Trump administration made extensive use of national security justifications for restricting trade. It's time for the law that allows it to go. Inu Manak and Scott Lincicome comment.

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When Are Online Platforms Culpable for Users' Criminal Behavior?

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 21:44:29 GMT

Should online platforms get blamed for criminal behavior that occurs online, even when police fail to act? Will Duffield comments.

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Vaccine Distribution, Harm Reduction, and Winding Down a Pandemic

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 08:00:00 GMT

How governments have opted to distribute COVID-19 vaccines leaves a lot to be desired. And precisely what does the end of this pandemic look like? Comedian Andrew Heaton guest hosts in a conversation with Jeff Singer.

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Impeachment and Its Aftermath for the GOP

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 22:47:18 GMT

The last days of the Trump Administration saw an attack on the Capitol and an historic second impeachment for a sitting President. For Republicans who voted to bring that President to trial, what now? Republican Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler offers her thoughts.

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First, Do No Harm to the Global Supply Chain

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 22:43:53 GMT

The domestic politics of global supply chains are full of unfortunate incentives even now, when the stakes are historically high. Scott Lincicome comments.

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Some Initial Thoughts on Why Texans Froze

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 20:57:17 GMT

Texans are still dealing with the aftermath of that recent deep freeze. Peter Van Doren breaks down the relevant facts and provides some early economic analysis.

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Will Biden Accept Trump's Gift of A Quick Exit from Afghanistan?

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 23:51:02 GMT

America's longest war, Afghanistan, continues. Joe Biden has a unique opportunity to end it once and for all, thanks in part to Trump Administration efforts to shorten U.S. involvement. Doug Bandow and Will Ruger comment.

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Free Political Speech Online vs. Democrats' Election Reforms

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 22:12:10 GMT

An amalgam of proposals from Democrats would strictly regulate online speech, and make more costly other forms of public communication on policy issues. Will Duffield comments on the proposal.

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Is the Supreme Court Beginning to Curtail Qualified Immunity?

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 21:03:14 GMT

The Supreme Court created and has long supported a tortured reading of federal law that helps public officials escape accountability for violating your rights. That may be changing in a small way. Still, Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert argue that qualified immunity will continue to protect malicious public officials until lawmakers step in to fix it.

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Were Trump's Judicial Appointments Worth It?

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 21:48:59 GMT

Some in the conservative legal movement view Trump's (and Mitch McConnell's) success at confirming judges as simply not worth the rest of the Trump presidency. Billy Easley, a senior policy advisor at Americans for Prosperity, is one of them. His new Libertarianism.org essay is entitled, “The Myth of Trump’s Judicial Success."

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The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 22:20:44 GMT

Statistics are typically meant to influence, and influence can be achieved with bad statistics. Tim Harford tries to help you discern truth from fiction in The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics.

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Criminal Justice and "The Vanishing Trial"

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 19:24:37 GMT

Why do so few defendants get their day in court? Kevin Ring of FAMM discusses The Vanishing Trial. You may also host a screening of the film.

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The COVID-19 State Budget Shortfall That Wasn’t

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:39:56 GMT

State budgets didn't suffer the fate that was so widely predicted as COVID-19 began spreading throughout the U.S. Why? Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute and Chris Edwards comment.

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The COVID-19 State Budget Shortfall That Wasn’t

Mon, 22 Feb 2021 20:34:43 GMT

State budgets didn't suffer the fate that was so widely predicted as COVID-19 began spreading throughout the U.S. Why? Logan Kolas of the Buckeye Institute and Chris Edwards comment.

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The Gray Wolf Is a Recovered Species, So Why Won't the Feds Say So?

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 08:00:00 GMT

When species recover, the feds should remove them from the Endangered Species List. But that's not how it often works. Jonathan Wood of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Indiana Continues to Fight for Excessive Fines

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 20:48:24 GMT

Despite a Supreme Court ruling nudging states in the other direction, Indiana is continuing its fight to lay excessive fines over small-time drug crimes. Sam Gedge with the Institute for Justice is representing Tyson Timbs against Indiana.

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The Costs of Biden's Big Minimum Wage Boost

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 21:16:02 GMT

The minimum wage debate is rekindled as the Biden Administration plans its push for $15 an hour. Chris Edwards and Ryan Bourne discuss the side-effects and drawbacks.

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Federal Regulation from Trump to Biden

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 22:17:46 GMT

Tom Firey and Will Yeatman offer the soberest of sober assessments of the Trump regulatory record and a few thoughts on what's in store from Team Biden.

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Did Republicans Inoculate Future Presidents against Impeachment?

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 22:18:20 GMT

The second impeachment trial for Donald Trump ended up considerably more bipartisan than the last one, but “Citizen Trump" was nonetheless acquitted. So, have Republicans helped set a kind-of precedent by not issuing a conviction? Gene Healy dissects the trial.

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Ben and Jerry and the Campaign to End Qualified Immunity

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 22:31:35 GMT

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are the icons better known for Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Now they're focusing their notoriety on ending qualified immunity. Ben, Jerry, and Cato's Jay Schweikert comment on the campaign to end the powerful, court-invented doctrine that shields public officials from accountability.

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U.S. Marshals, Federal Task Forces, and Unaccountable Cops

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 14:32:26 GMT

U.S. Marshals sometimes act like local police, but with more violence and less accountability. That's according to a new investigation led by the Marshall Project. Reining it in is no easy task, according to co-author Simone Weichselbaum. And the Marshals, like other federal cops, regularly deputize local cops. That makes accountability for misconduct even more difficult, according to Patrick Jaicomo, an attorney at the Institute for Justice.

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The Life and Death and Future Life of Fusionism

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 21:49:14 GMT

"Fusionism," something of an ideological nonaggression pact between libertarians and conservatives, has fallen on hard times. Can it be reborn? Stephanie Slade of Reason discusses her new article on the subject.

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A Second Senate Trial for Donald Trump

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 13:54:32 GMT

The President's second impeachment trial begins with most Republicans agreeing that the whole proceeding is a "sham" and is unconstitutional. Gene Healy describes the arguments.

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Erdogan, Bogazici University, and the Struggle over Liberal Thought in Turkey

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 22:05:35 GMT

The fight over leadership at Bogazici University in Turkey again shows how fragile academic freedom can be. Mustafa Akyol comments.

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The Enduring Myth of Super Bowl Weekend Sex Trafficking

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 08:00:00 GMT

The conflation of human trafficking and sex work is both destructive and counterproductive, and the Super Bowl offers another opportunity to end myths surrounding sex work. Sex worker advocate Kaytlin Bailey comments.

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Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth

Fri, 05 Feb 2021 22:36:38 GMT

Stuart Ritchie is author of Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth.

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The Death Penalty’s Days are Numbered

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 23:42:06 GMT

The Trump Administration rushed more than a dozen federal executions in its final months, but the death penalty itself is now historically unpopular even among conservatives. Hannah Cox with Conservatives Concerned about the Death Penalty discusses the broad trend away from support for one form of state-sanctioned killing.

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Facial Recognition Tech and the Attack on the Capitol

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 18:37:40 GMT

How free should law enforcement feel to make use of new investigative technology without permission from political authorities? Matthew Feeney and Patrick Eddington discuss facial recognition tech in the wake of last month's Capitol attack.

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The Big Short Squeeze and Regulating Markets (and Social Media)

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 21:50:59 GMT

How will regulating stock trades change following last week's big short squeeze executed by retail traders? Jennifer Schulp and Matthew Feeney comment.

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GameStop, AMC, Robinhood, and the Big Short Squeeze

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

There are plenty of fingers pointing after a wild week on Wall Street that left hedge funds bloodied, traders exuberant, members of Congress signaling support for whoever the good guys might be, and trading platforms in a well-earned PR bind. Jennifer Schulp comments.

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A Realistic, Quick Path to Ending Cannabis Prohibition?

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 21:43:41 GMT

What's the best path forward to end cannabis prohibition without loading it up with needless federal regulation? Jim Higdon is the cofounder of Cornbread Hemp and an advocate for an end to cannabis prohibition. He says the Farm Bill is the key.

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The Fairness Doctrine Hot Takes Have It Almost Completely Wrong

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 23:07:04 GMT

The refrain is "Bring back the Fairness Doctrine!" Paul Matzko, author of The Radio Right, explains where reviving and expanding government control of broadcast and cable (and streaming) content will inevitably lead.

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Is Biden's Trade Policy Just Warmed-Over Trumpism?

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 21:02:28 GMT

Now that the loudly protectionist Trump team has departed the White House, should we expect anything better from Joe Biden? Scott Lincicome comments.

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Countering Violent Extremism and Where It Can Lead

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 22:38:23 GMT

The attack on the Capitol has renewed calls to more closely monitor and punish extremism in the United States. In some sense, the United States has been here before. Patrick Eddington and Julian Sanchez weigh in.

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A Declaration of Genocide in China

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 22:02:19 GMT

The Trump State Department accused China of Genocide with respect to Uyghur Muslims there. That designation is likely to stick. Eric Gomez and Mustafa Akyol offer their thoughts.

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Trump Is No Longer in Office, So Why Put Him on Trial?

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Senate is awaiting an article of impeachment from the House regarding Donald Trump's activities leading up to a deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. Why should the Senate proceed with a trial for a President who has already left office? Gene Healy offers his thoughts.

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Trump Is No Longer in Office, So Why Put Him on Trial?

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:00:00 GMT

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Is Trading Too Easy on Robinhood?

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 08:00:00 GMT

The "gamification" of stock trading has raised the hackles of state-level financial regulators. So what's the big deal if Robinhood throws up confetti when you make a trade? Jennifer Schulp evaluates the claims.

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Transitioning to Biden Administration Foreign Policy

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 15:05:20 GMT

Team Biden won't deliver restraint, but it may deliver a basic regard for diplomacy across the globe. Eric Gomez and John Glaser comment.

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The Biden Immigration Plan Includes Massive Legalization

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 21:37:21 GMT

Among other reforms, the incoming Biden Administration would legalize many millions of immigrants now in the United States illegally. Alex Nowrasteh describes what we know now about the soon-to-be-released plan.

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Federal No Fly Lists Deserve More Scrutiny after Capitol Attack

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 08:00:49 GMT

Placing people on federal no-fly lists without charging them with any crime poses significant due process issues. Patrick Eddington details the case of Capitol rallygoers who probably weren't rioters, but ended up unable to fly.

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Trump’s Blackwater Pardons

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 08:00:30 GMT

The pardon power is broad, and many pardons that Presidents grant are questionable. In the case of pardons for security personnel working for Blackwater in Iraq, they might make relations for the U.S. and Iraq worse. Sahar Khan comments.

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Trump Team Stymies Diplomacy in Yemen

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 21:52:04 GMT

The Trump Administration has declared Houthis a terror group. In doing so, the road to a diplomatic resolution of the Saudi-led war in Yemen is that much more difficult. John Glaser comments.

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Social Media Reaction to the Attack on the Capitol

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 18:02:44 GMT

Twitter banned President Trump after he used the platform to help spin up a crowd just before last week's deadly Capitol attack. That should seem like an easy call. But what about similar bans on some Trump supporters? The removal of accounts on various platforms appeared to be fairly widespread. Will Duffield and Matthew Feeney comment.

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Social Media Reacts to the Attack at the Capitol

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 18:02:34 GMT

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Trump Impeached (Again)

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 00:15:22 GMT

Donald Trump's latest impeachment in the U.S. House now triggers a Senate trial. An impeachment trial isn't a criminal proceeding, so how will the Senate weigh evidence? And why did some in GOP leadership push instead for “censure” just days after running for their lives from a Trump-inspired mob that killed at least four people? Gene Healy comments.

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Myths of American Exceptionalism Left and Right

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 21:30:13 GMT

Does the ideal of American exceptionalism demand anything? That is, how can the U.S. be exceptional without people working to make it that way? Historian Anthony Comegna talks about the myths that surround the notion of American exceptionalism.

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In the Wake of the Pro-Trump Attack on the Capitol, Let’s Clarify What ‘Sedition' and ‘Incitement' Mean

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 19:40:50 GMT

Donald Trump urged his followers to go directly to Congress on Wednesday. Was he inciting them to riot? The pro-Trump mob that shortly thereafter invaded the Capitol engaged in criminal behavior. Was it sedition? Was it treason? Walter Olson says we should define our terms clearly.

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Impeachment, the 25th Amendment, or Don't Bother?

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:36:28 GMT

As the U.S. enters the final two weeks of the presidency of Donald Trump, the pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol is spurring lawmakers to renew calls to remove the President by either impeachment and removal or invoking the 25th Amendment. Gene Healy explains how those Constitutional processes would work.

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Pro-Trump Rioters Storm the Capitol

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 01:27:21 GMT

Pro-Trump forces hoping to overturn the 2020 presidential election broke police barricades, broke windows to enter the Capitol, entered members offices, and looted. David Boaz comments on how the conservative movement ended up here.

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Markets versus Central Planners on Vaccine Distribution

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 21:31:59 GMT

The heavy hand of government is getting heavier during the slow rollout of COVID-19 vaccine doses. Jeff Singer comments.

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Biden’s Pick for Secretary of Education

Mon, 04 Jan 2021 22:05:53 GMT

Joe Biden's pick for Secretary of Education will face pressure for the department to hand down "guidance" to tell schools when and how to open or close as the pandemic continues. Neal McCluskey explains why the feds need to stay out of it.

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Campaign Finance and American Democracy: What the Public Really Thinks and Why It Matters

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 08:00:00 GMT

How has the Citizens United decision changed the competitiveness of politics? Do voters have a basically fair understanding of how campaign spending functions? David M. Primo and Jeffrey D. Milyo are authors of Campaign Finance and American Democracy: What the Public Really Thinks and Why It Matters.

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Open: The Story of Human Progress

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 16:11:36 GMT

Despite the backlash against openness in much of the world, Johan Norberg says it's a source of strength. His new book is Open: The Story of Human Progress.

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Biden Shouldn’t Back Down on Immigration Reform

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 16:06:19 GMT

Joe Biden has no reason to back away from his ambitious immigration reform plans. David Bier explains why.

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Ever-Expanding Hopes for A Student Loan Bailout

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 17:12:20 GMT

It wasn't a big piece of the presidential campaign, but since the election, proposals to bail out student loan borrowers have become dramatically more ambitious. Neal McCluskey explains the folly of more freebies for the well-off.

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How Do Immigrants Vote?

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 22:07:24 GMT

Immigrants make up a valuable group of voters in American elections. How did they vote in 2016 and 2020? Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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Regulating Cannabis in 2021

Sat, 26 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Cannabis descheduling at the federal level had a brief moment this year, but ultimately it didn’t happen. What does next year hold for continuing the trend toward decriminalizing or legalizing cannabis? Trevor Burrus explains.

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Salaam Alaikum and Merry Christmas

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Understanding the role of Jesus in Islam may be a key to expanding mutual religious toleration. Mustafa Akyol explains why.

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Religious Persecution Across the Globe

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Religious persecution around the globe continues. How would a Biden Administration differ in foreign policy relating to religion?

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How COVID-19 Changed the Federal Reserve

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 17:34:36 GMT

The Federal Reserve's expansion into credit allocation during the COVID-19 pandemic will be difficult to roll back. Jim Dorn comments.

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Team Biden and the Means to "Full Employment"

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 14:55:25 GMT

What new government programs would be justified in pursuit of a target of "full employment" in the economy? Ryan Bourne discusses what the Biden economic team might be planning.

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Sizing Up the SolarWinds Hack

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 21:54:34 GMT

The devastation and expense of the attack on customers of SolarWinds, including many secretive government agencies, won't be known for some time. Julian Sanchez details some of what we know now.

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Trump, Biden, and Reviving the Iran Nuclear Deal

Sat, 19 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Team Trump pulled out of the Iran Nuclear Deal, and that appears to have placed Iran closer to achieving nuclear weapons. John Glaser discusses what it would mean for the U.S. to try to revive the deal in a Biden Administration.

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Vaccine Distribution When Demand Far Exceeds Supply

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 21:33:05 GMT

What's the libertarian answer to distributing a vaccine against a deadly disease when supply is so low relative to the demand? Michael Cannon makes his case.

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Are Facebook's Newer Properties Evidence of Monopoly?

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 21:35:05 GMT

Was Facebook's purchase of Instagram and other properties evidence of monopolistic practices? Will Duffield and Ryan Bourne are skeptical.

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Waivers and Secretaries of Defense

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 23:14:31 GMT

Lloyd Austin is Joe Biden's pick to head the Defense Department? Why does he need a waiver to serve. Eric Gomez explains.

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Electoral College Politics in 2020

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 20:02:16 GMT

The Electoral College has cast its votes for President. It should come as no surprise that Joe Biden won. Cato Chairman Robert A. Levy details the current process and the hurdles to changing it for future elections.

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A Boring Biden Presidency? Don’t Bet on It

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 22:16:34 GMT

Will a Biden Administration bring us nothing more than an undoing of the executive actions of the Trump team? That's an unlikely outcome, according to Gene Healy.

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Access, Quality, and Educational Freedom

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 21:21:22 GMT

There exists a tension among educational freedom advocates between the broad freedom for parents to make meaningful choices about the educations their children receive and guarantees of equity and quality. Jason Bedrick explains why the policy choice between freedom and equity is often a false one.

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Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the "Real America"

Wed, 09 Dec 2020 20:56:53 GMT

Kevin D. Williamson is author of Big White Ghetto: Dead Broke, Stone-Cold Stupid, and High on Rage in the Dank Woolly Wilds of the "Real America".

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The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 14:55:17 GMT

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Supreme Disorder: Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America's Highest Court

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 21:32:46 GMT

Judicial confirmations are a partisan affair, and that's hard to square with what we expect from judges. Ilya Shapiro elucidates the confirmation process in Supreme Disorder: Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America's Highest Court.

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Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 15:45:25 GMT

How did the U.S. go from skepticism of foreign entanglements to setting the stage for its role as a dominant global power? Stephen Wertheim explains in Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy.

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The Radio Right: How a Band of Broadcasters Took on the Federal Government and Built the Modern Conservative Movement

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 20:09:53 GMT

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A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution

Fri, 27 Nov 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Was the Constitution an anti-slavery document or a “covenant with death”? Damon Root explores the struggle through the eyes of Frederick Douglass in his new book, A Glorious Liberty: Frederick Douglass and the Fight for an Antislavery Constitution.

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Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Stoicism is built to deliver mental clarity in difficult times. Ryan Holiday is author of Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius.

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The Faithless?: The Untold Story of the Electoral College

Wed, 25 Nov 2020 20:52:41 GMT

The Electoral College is still poorly understood. Emily Conrad demystifies the institution in her new book, The Faithless?: The Untold Story of the Electoral College.

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Setting Trumpster Fires in Foreign Policy

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 05:00:00 GMT

The lame duck Trump team appears to be working to stymie the Biden foreign policy agenda. John Glaser explains how.

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Trumpism and Tylerism Revisited

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Four years ago, Anthony Comegna argued that President John Tyler offered the greatest parallel to Donald Trump's presidency. As the Trump Administration winds down, Comegna argues that the parallels are as strong as ever.

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Government and Pandemics

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 19:09:01 GMT

Governments have roles to play in a pandemic. But the roles that governments choose to play often turn out to fail or make matters worse. Tom Firey details his new Cato paper.

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Yet Another Challenge to Obamacare before SCOTUS

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 22:02:38 GMT

How did Supreme Court justices receive the new case against Obamacare? Ilya Shapiro and Michael Cannon discuss the oral argument.

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SCOTUS Gives Hope for the Beginning of the End of Qualified Immunity

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 22:05:35 GMT

Qualified immunity, the court invented doctrine that protects public officials from civil liability even in cases of egregious conduct, took a small hit at the Supreme Court recently. Jay Schweikert explains what it might mean long term.

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2020's Ephemeral Blue Wave and Persistent Polling Problems

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 16:28:39 GMT

Do we really know anything more about voters than we did before Election Day this year? Why were polls again so bad at clearly predicting results? Emily Ekins explains.

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An Unnerving Shakeup at Pentagon and DHS

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 22:20:20 GMT

The housecleaning at the top ranks of the Pentagon could have concerning implications, but it’s perhaps good news that we still don’t seem to know exactly why it happened. John Glaser and Eric Gomez comment.

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Pfizer, Operation Warp Speed, and the Race for a Vaccine

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:37:49 GMT

Pfizer is among the leaders in the development of a vaccine or COVID-19, but it did so without subsidy from the U.S. government. Terence Kealey describes why that matters.

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President-Elect Biden and the Freedom to Trade

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 22:23:45 GMT

Partisan alignment over trade has become scrambled in the Trump years. Does a Biden Administration hold promise for enhancing free trade? Simon Lester and Dan Ikenson offer their assessments.

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Election 2020 and the Virtues of Divided Government

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:05:09 GMT

The news of this election and who controls what levers of federal power is a mixed bag, but divided government might be one bright spot for libertarians. Political strategist Liz Mair makes her case.

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Libertarians Spoiled 2020 for Donald Trump?

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 19:36:50 GMT

In close races, any Libertarian candidate attracting enough votes can get tagged as a "spoiler." It's not clear that's what happened in 2020's race for the White House. David Boaz explains.

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Postal Banking: A Bad Idea That Is Very Much Alive

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 21:47:08 GMT

Should the Postal Service hold your bank accounts? Should the Postal Service extend credit to Americans? You’ll be hearing more about this ideas soon enough. Diego Zuluaga explains the flaws in postal banking.

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Ballot Measures Legalize (Some) Freedom

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 15:59:38 GMT

Voters in various states chose to legalize drugs, nullify labor regulations, and turn away tax hikes at the ballot box. Walter Olson details some of the initiatives on state ballots in 2020.

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In a Close Presidential Race, Send in the Lawyers

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 20:04:50 GMT

The race for the White House is very close. What would this fight look like in courts? Ilya Shapiro comments.

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Costs and Benefits of the Electoral College

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 18:48:06 GMT

Some people claim the Electoral College, the method by which Americans choose a President, has racist origins, that it protects rural states at the expense of big cities, and that the institution should be replaced by a national popular vote. John Samples discusses the claims.

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The Antitrust Case against Google

Mon, 02 Nov 2020 22:13:59 GMT

What is the substance of the antitrust case against Google? Geoffrey Manne of the International Center for Law & Economics evaluates the claims.

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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Executive Power

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 07:00:28 GMT

The answers Joe Biden and Kamala Harris gave to a longstanding survey on executive power are less than promising for separation of powers. Gene Healy explains.

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Trump's Dubious Success at Cracking Down on Immigrants

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 21:11:31 GMT

Whether you like it or not, Donald Trump has has broad success at limiting immigration flows into the United States. In doing so, economic costs are likely to follow. David Bier comments.

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Will France's Response to Islamist Killings Backfire?

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 22:08:14 GMT

The killing of a schoolteacher in France over the display of images of Muhammad has inspired outrage, but France's official response to it may ultimately fail to achieve its goal. Mustafa Akyol comments.

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A Brutal Murder, Freedom of Speech, and Islamism in France

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 21:44:13 GMT

Has France reacted appropriately to attacks that included the beheading of a schoolteacher over a kind of blasphemy? What are the implications for free expression there? Flemming Rose comments.

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Revisiting Immigration and Crime in Texas

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 20:53:53 GMT

Data from Texas shows that illegal immigrants tend to commit crimes at lower rates than native-born Americans. Alex Nowrasteh explains why puncturing the myth of immigrant crime is so important.

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Joe Biden's Tax and Spending Plans

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 21:08:06 GMT

The assumptions underlying Biden campaign's tax and spending plans give us a false picture of what those policies would mean for the economy. Chris Edwards explains why.

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Following the Science and Pandemic Policy Outcomes

Sat, 24 Oct 2020 07:00:10 GMT

What does it mean for politicians to follow the science when scientists disagree and the policy outcomes might give us unintended consequences? Jeff Singer comments.

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The Investments Most of Us Can’t Buy

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 20:27:27 GMT

Regular folks don't have access to a vast array of investments, and that's because of Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Why is that? Jennifer Schulp explains.

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Helicopter Money and Federal Reserve Performance in a Pandemic Recession

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 07:00:38 GMT

Helicopter money – money dropped on various recipients by the Federal Reserve with no expectation of repayment – sounds like a great way to lever-up the economy. Is it? George Selgin details his new Pandemics and Policy essay.

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Nice White Parents and School Choice in New York

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 21:13:18 GMT

A podcast aims to detail the changes brought by gentrification to one school and leaves many critical questions unasked. Robert Pondiscio of the Fordham Foundation offers his thoughts.

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DHS Moves Toward Requiring Massive New Biometrics Collection

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 21:01:33 GMT

A looming Department of Homeland Security rule would require collection of biometric information on not just immigrants, but related Americans. Patrick Eddington and Matthew Feeney say the rule has massive civil liberties implications.

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Political Conspiracy Theorizing Then and Now

Sat, 17 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Conspiratorial thinking has a long history in American politics. And yet, it’s tempting to think about our current moment as a golden age of conspiratorial thinking. Jesse Walker of Reason magazine traces the history.

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The Globalized Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 20:50:57 GMT

Countries across the globe are working toward the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. How might the late protectionism of the United States affect that effort? Scott Lincicome comments.

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North Korea’s Parade of New Military Hardware

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 20:18:27 GMT

What can we infer from the new weaponry unveiled by North Korea? Eric Gomez and Doug Bandow describe how the U.S., South Korea, and China ought to respond.

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“Amy Coney Barrett and the Administrative State

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 19:06:12 GMT

As she endures questions in the Senate, there isn't much we can say with confidence about Amy Coney Barrett's general view of the legitimacy of the administrative state. Will Yeatman comments.

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American Election Security in 2020

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 21:41:39 GMT

The United States seems unprepared for a wide variety of ways in which elections might be disrupted. One saving grace, says Brandon Valeriano, is the distributed nature of American elections.

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Some Bad Arguments in Favor of Qualified Immunity

Sat, 10 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The judicial doctrine known as qualified immunity is being misrepresented by law enforcement advocates. The only remaining question is whether those advocates understand the doctrine at all. Jay Schweikert details the errors.

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Presidential COVID-19 Treatments and the Right to Self Medicate

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 13:34:47 GMT

When should you be able to play a decisive role in your own medical treatment? Pretty much all the time, according to Cato's Jeff Singer. He argues that the FDA should get out of the way of those who want to make decisions about their own treatments.

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Rising Fears of an End to Legal Gay Marriage

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 20:00:37 GMT

Some comments by Justice Clarence Thomas made in an opinion earlier this week appear to some to indicate a desire to overturn the Obergefell decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Walter Olson discusses the fear and its basis.

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Health Care Regulation's Pandemic Errors

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 21:54:41 GMT

Jeff Singer's Pandemics and Policy essay details the combination of officious health care regulation and viral pandemic that have worsened economic and health outcomes for those affected.

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The ’New Hampshire Advantage’ and Sound Fiscal Policy

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 04:00:00 GMT

What makes it relatively easy for New Hampshire to maintain low taxes and spending? New Hampshire's Republican Governor Chris Sununu has a few ideas. Sununu received an "A" on Cato's new Fiscal Policy Report Card for Governors.

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Public Health, Private Decisions, and COVID-19

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 19:52:42 GMT

Science is great, but scientific determinations do not and should not dictate all behavior. Peter VanDoren discusses some of the limits of science in his new Pandemics and Policy essay.

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Revisiting the 'Friedman Doctrine' on Business

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 20:19:54 GMT

Fifty years ago, Milton Friedman used the pages of The New York Times Magazine to suggest that businesses should focus solely on profits. The magazine revisited his claims. Diego Zuluaga sticks up for Milton.

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What We Need to Know about Nuclear Weapons

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 19:44:42 GMT

What do we need to know now about nuclear weapons policy? Cato's Eric Gomez wrote the lead essay for this month's edition of Cato Unbound.

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Amy Coney Barrett and Government Accountability

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 13:40:11 GMT

Would a Justice Amy Coney Barrett hold government officials to high standards? With whom is she most aligned on the High Court? Andrew Grossman explains.

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Amy Coney Barrett and Judicial Philosophy

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 20:02:29 GMT

What do Amy Coney Barrett's writings and judicial opinions tell us about her judicial philosophy? Casey Mattox, Vice President for Legal & Judicial Strategy and Americans for Prosperity gives his take.

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Julian Assange's Extradition and Press Freedom

Sat, 26 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

What does the fight over bringing Julian Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges mean for press freedom? J.D. Tuccille of Reason Magazine comments.

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Preserving Free Trade in a Pandemic

Fri, 25 Sep 2020 20:59:23 GMT

Many critical supply chains have suffered during the pandemic, which means everyone along those supply chains has also suffered. Dan Ikenson details how to make sure trade isn't a casualty of this pandemic.

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Policy to Foster an Inclusive Pandemic Recovery

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 22:08:31 GMT

The pandemic has left millions of Americans poorer. How can the economic recovery best benefit those most harmed economically? Michael Tanner contributed an essay to Cato's new Pandemics and Policy.

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Breonna Taylor, Indicting Cops, and the War on Drugs

Wed, 23 Sep 2020 22:19:39 GMT

One of three Louisville police officers involved in the raid on Breonna Taylor's home has been charged with crimes. The charges are for behavior not strictly related to Taylor's death. Clark Neily discusses what it should mean for police reform.

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A New Supreme Court Nomination Fight Begins

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 14:56:41 GMT

With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, yet another bitter and contentious Supreme Court nomination battle has begun. Ilya Shapiro, author of Supreme Disorder, comments.

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Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 13:48:36 GMT

Cato adjunct scholar David Post clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg twice. He offers some of his remembrances.

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Could New York Require Cops to Carry Liability Coverage?

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

One way to prevent misconduct is to price misconduct-prone police out of that line of work. Alessandra Biaggi, a Democratic State Senator in New York. says requiring cops to carry liability coverage is a good idea.

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Police Power and Pandemics

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 13:48:25 GMT

Orders governing individual behavior during this pandemic have been, to say the least, inconsistent and have often violated individual rights. Ilya Shapiro discusses his essay in Pandemics and Policy.

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Pandemics and Policy: Decentralize K–12 Education

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 10:17:31 GMT

For students and parents hoping to return to a normal schooling environment, state lawmakers should be providing as much flexibility in the meantime as possible. Neal McCluskey discusses his recommendations from his Pandemics and Policy essay.

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Privacy and Pandemic Contact Tracing

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Contact tracing was among the many solutions presented to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Many problems with the plans rolled out by states emerged almost immediately. Julian Sanchez and Matthew Feeney discuss their chapter in the new Pandemics and Policy report.

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Wage and Price Controls in a Pandemic

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The Cato Institute's new Pandemics and Policy details the various ways this pandemic should change how governments operate. Ryan Bourne discusses the role of prices in helping economic actors to adjust to new realities.

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What Does the FBI Teach Its Own about the FBI's History of Violating Rights?

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 20:32:29 GMT

The FBI's history is replete with examples of egregious violations of Americans' rights. Patrick Eddington looked into what the FBI tells its own future agents about that past.

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You’re Hired!: Untold Successes and Failures of a Populist President

Fri, 11 Sep 2020 20:24:38 GMT

From immigration to trade to regulation to health care, the Trump Administration's impact on longstanding policies is hard to overstate. Where did they succeed and fail? Casey Mulligan is author of You're Hired!, which details his time on the President's Council of Economic Advisors.

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State-Level Criminal Justice Reforms in 2019

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

With some exceptions, state legislatures moved in the direction of easing criminal penalties in a variety of areas in 2019. Robert Alt of the Buckeye Institute details his research.

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Can the CDC Order A Pause in Rental Evictions?

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The CDC order stopping some rental evictions from moving forward is predicated on some pretty weak federal statutory authority. Walter Olson comments.

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The Forgotten Overdose Deaths in a Pandemic

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The pandemic may have exacerbated the problems of drug addiction and dependence. State and federal responses have not been particularly helpful. Jeff Singer comments.

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Property Rights and Drilling in the American Arctic

Sat, 05 Sep 2020 07:00:00 GMT

What’s the impact of drilling in the American Arctic? How could the process have been undertaken to give environmentalists a chance to bid on oil leases? Shawn Regan of the Property and Environment Research Center explains why property rights should be viewed as a key component to both energy production and wildlife conservation.

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Federal Appeals Court Declares NSA Metadata Program Unconstitutional

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 21:27:44 GMT

The program has been shuttered, but a federal appeals court says the NSA’s bulk metadata program violated Americans’ rights. Ed Snowden claims vindication. Julian Sanchez discusses the case and what it means for future challenges to unwarranted snooping.

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An Increased Fed Tolerance for Inflation

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 17:56:47 GMT

What happens when the Federal Reserve decides to tolerate a bit more inflation to hit a 2% target? George Selgin comments.

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Do Rising Homeschooler Ranks Signal an Exodus from Public Schools?

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 16:04:03 GMT

The ranks of homeschoolers are increasing amid pandemic, but that may not signal an exodus from public schools. Some school systems have made accommodations to homeschoolers during this difficult time. Jason Bedrick of EdChoice comments.

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Biden’s Disappointing Vision for a ‘Normal’ Foreign Policy

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 20:20:30 GMT

What does a "normal" foreign policy look like in Joe Biden's conception? His own record doesn't give us many clues given its consistent inconsistency. Emma Ashford comments.

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COVID-19 Spurs Schools to Punish "Virtual Truancy"

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 19:59:54 GMT

When your kids don't log onto Zoom for their daily classes, they might find themselves (and you) to be punished as "virtual truants." Kerry McDonald comments.

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The "Unfortunate Innovation" of Leverage Policymaking

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 20:43:25 GMT

It sounds like a mafia tactic, but "leverage policymaking" is all too real for companies tied up in federal court. Will Yeatman discusses the problem with policymaking without underlying legislation and delivers some promising recent pushback.

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Masks, Mandates, and Tradeoffs

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 20:47:18 GMT

The culture war fights that have exploded over decisions as simple as wearing a mask to reduce the spread of the coronavirus could make use of some economic thinking. Cato’s Tom Firey comments.

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Freedom in the Muslim World

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 20:05:33 GMT

Muslim-majority countries do not have a great reputation when it comes to human freedom. So how are they doing? Mustafa Akyol is author of "Freedom in the Muslim World."

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Understanding Antidumping Duties

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 20:12:25 GMT

Antidumping duties are "tariffs by fiat" according to Cato's Dan Ikenson, author of the new paper, "Tariffs by Fiat: The Widening Chasm between U.S. Antidumping Policy and the Rule of Law."

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Auditing the Books of Chinese Firms on U.S. Stock Exchanges

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 21:14:04 GMT

What's the proper way to ensure accounting compliance among Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges? Jennifer Schulp comments.

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Some Economics of Shuttered Military Bases

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 21:27:13 GMT

Closing military bases can disrupt economies, but those closures can present opportunities for local economics, as well. Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation details cases of military base closures in New Mexico.

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Will Democrats or Republicans Contest the 2020 Election Outcome?

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 16:13:48 GMT

Will the 2020 election be contested no matter which candidate for the White House wins? J.D. Tuccille of Reason explains why he believes it's a distinct possibility, and why he believes it would harm the legitimacy of celebrated American institutions.

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Breaking Down Belarus

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 21:10:02 GMT

Cato’s Emma Ashford details the more and less complicated politics in the dictatorship of Belarus.

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New York Aims to Dissolve the NRA

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 19:34:56 GMT

What's the precedent for dissolving a massive national membership organization over accusations of corruption by the leadership? New York's Attorney General is working to dissolve the NRA over those kinds of claims. Walter Olson comments.

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Prosecutor Turned Senator Kamala Harris on Criminal Justice

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:28:09 GMT

Kamala Harris, now a candidate for Vice President, did some things as a prosecutor that should make people question her fidelity to the law, but that doesn't place her outside the mainstream of prosecutors. Jay Schweikert comments on Harris's background.

Related:
“Kamala Harris and the Authoritarian Impulse” featuring Elizabeth Nolan Brown and Caleb O. Brown (June 3, 2019)
"The Kamala Harris Plan to Address the Gender Pay Gap” featuring Ryan Bourne and Caleb O. Brown (June 1, 2019)

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Trump Executive Orders on COVID-19 vs. Congressional Prerogatives

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:09:47 GMT

The President's most recent orders adjusting unemployment benefits, student loan payments, and payroll taxes deserve scrutiny for both the manner in which Congress has given away power and Presidential aggrandizement. Gene Healy comments.

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Before Punishing ‘Bias’ in Social Media, Let’s Define It First

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 19:53:59 GMT

Is regulating "bias" on internet speech platforms a proper role for Congress? Will Duffield comments.

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Coronavirus vs. One-Size-Fits-All Education

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 20:45:25 GMT

The coronavirus has inspired some widely varying schooling decisions for parents. How do public bureaucracies need to adapt? Neal McCluskey comments.

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Federal Task Forces Reduce Police Accountability

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 07:00:00 GMT

When is your local cop not a local cop? When he's deputized as a federal agent. That can pose problems for state and local police accountability. Simone Weichselbaum of The Marshall Project and Patrick Jaicomo of the Institute for Justice comment.

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Worries over the World's Reserve Currency

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:30:17 GMT

Is the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency at risk? George Selgin discusses the concern.

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Combating Neo-Malthusianism in India and China

Wed, 05 Aug 2020 21:32:05 GMT

Chelsea Follett is author of "Neo‐Malthusianism and Coercive Population Control in China and India: Overpopulation Concerns Often Result in Coercion."

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The Decidedly Interventionist Foreign Policy of Joe Biden

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 19:28:43 GMT

Would the Joe Biden brand of foreign policy be an improvement? John Glaser evaluates the Biden track record.

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A Pandemic Pod for Every Child?

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 20:48:46 GMT

Seeking to mitigate risks associated with the coronavirus and the current decision paralysis in many school districts, parents and teachers are opting out in favor of what's being called "pandemic pods." Kerry McDonald discusses how they work.

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Austrian Economics: An Introduction

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Every time we embark on a given plan of action, big or small, we make a choice. Whereas many economists model people’s behavior using idealized assumptions, economists of the Austrian School don’t. The Austrian School of Economics takes people as they are and constructs economic theories by examining the logical structure of the choices they make. Steve Horwitz discusses Austrian Economics: An Introduction.

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A Terrible, Terrible Quarter for GDP

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 21:48:32 GMT

How bad was the last quarter? What are the prospects for a reasonably quick recovery? Jeremy Horrpdahl of the University of Central Arkansas comments.

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Deregulating Housing or "Destroying" the Suburbs?

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 18:27:26 GMT

President Trump fears that a President Biden would "destroy" the suburbs of the United States. How true is that? Nolan Gray of the Mercatus Center discusses the federal role in local housing and zoning decisions.

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Understanding Federal Police Surges in American Cities

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 19:44:22 GMT

What do we know about the federal police surges planned for several American cities? There are important distinctions among the agencies tasked with federal police action in American cities. Patrick Eddington and Walter Olson comment.

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The U.S. Response to Probable Chinese Espionage

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 18:52:38 GMT

What are the risks of Chinese espionage in the United States? Did the U.S. respond appropriately? Brandon Valeriano comments.

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Tens of Thousands of Employers Harmed by Trump Immigration Restrictions

Sat, 25 Jul 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The Trump Administration doesn't care for immigration even apparently if tens of thousands of employers are harmed in the process of putting up immigration hurdles. David Bier comments.

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Testing the "China Shock"

Fri, 24 Jul 2020 21:32:04 GMT

Were economists and others wrong about China with respect to trade? Cato's Scott Lincicome is author of "Testing the 'China Shock.’"

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The Case against The Jones Act

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 20:57:06 GMT

The Jones Act, little studied but incredibly costly to Americans, has been on the books for 100 years. A new Cato Institute book, The Case against the Jones Act, takes aim at this destructive protectionist policy. Colin Grabow and Inu Manak are the book's editors.

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Scrutinizing Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of (Special) Rights

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 14:10:56 GMT

In many states, law enforcement officers accused of misconduct get special protections from the criminal justice system. Those protections harm efforts to hold police accountable. Cato's Walter Olson explains how it works.

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Civil Liberties vs. Federal Cops in Portland

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 15:45:19 GMT

Federal police authority to "protect monuments" has instead delivered a substantial challenge to civil liberties. Patrick Eddington discusses the current federal police action in Portland, Oregon.

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Trump Commutes Roger Stone’s Sentence & May Try to Pardon Himself

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 19:08:17 GMT

Notorious political dirty trickster and federal inmate Roger Stone got a commutation from the President. Was it corrupt? Is the pardon power truly plenary? Gene Healy comments.

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Trump Commutes Roger Stone’s Sentence & May Try to Pardon Himself

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 19:03:53 GMT

Notorious political dirty trickster and federal inmate Roger Stone got a commutation from the President. Was it corrupt? Is the pardon power truly plenary? Gene Healy comments.

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The Local, State, and Federal Rules that Make Your House More Expensive

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 22:04:20 GMT

People concerned about housing costs should look to government at every level for regulations and restrictions that contribute to the high cost of housing. Cato's Scott Lincicome comments.

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Schools Reopening and New Evidence on COVID-19

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 21:22:53 GMT

How will schools adapt to an ongoing viral pandemic? What flexibility should parents be given to make different choices? Cato's Jeff Singer and Neal McCluskey comment.

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Engagement versus Belligerence with China

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 21:07:28 GMT

The pendulum of U.S. engagement with China is swinging back to confrontation. What's a better path forward? Eric Gomez and John Glaser comment.

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Understanding Oklahoma’s New (Old) Indian Country

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 21:09:44 GMT

McGirt v. Oklahoma may shift a great deal of how we think about "Indian Country" in the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch's opinion in the case was a big win for Native American interests. Walter Olson comments.

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Trump Puts International Students and Cautious Universities in a Bind

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 21:00:53 GMT

If universities go online-only in the Fall, many international students will have to leave the country. It’s all thanks to a directive from the Trump White House. Alex Nowrasteh explains why this could be a costly mistake.

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SCOTUS: States May Punish "Faithless" Electors

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 21:03:41 GMT

The Supreme Court vigorously agrees that states may fine or otherwise punish Electoral College electors who "go rogue." The court added that there are limits to the restrictions. Walter Olson comments on the context and history of the decision.

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Russian Bounties on U.S. Soldiers Should Spur Quicker Exit from Afghanistan

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 18:51:59 GMT

If claims of Russian-paid bounties on U.S. soldiers turn out to be true, an obvious response should be to exit our decades-long failed war in Afghanistan. Cato's John Glaser makes the case.

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Seila Law v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 19:46:16 GMT

It wasn't one of the blockbuster Supreme Court cases of the term, but it will shape how power is vested in federal agencies. Cato's Diego Zuluaga and Will Yeatman comment on Seila Law v. CFPB.

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Colorado Acts on Police Accountability While Congress Dithers

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 06:00:00 GMT

Congress has yet to make clear changes of policy with respect to police brutality, but Colorado has moved in a big way. Leslie Herod is a Democratic state representative in Colorado. Her proposals to reform use of force and liability for police officers is now law in Colorado. She describes how states can replicate Colorado’s efforts to hold police accountable to the public.

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Why Is Florida Still Pushing Prostitution Charges for Robert Kraft?

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 06:00:00 GMT

The owner of the New England Patriots is pushing a strong defense against solicitation charges filed against him, and what first looked like a big win for prosecutors against a high-profile defendant is now looking more like a major headache. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason says that the Robert Kraft case should highlight what happens to people charged with victimless crimes who don’t happen to be fabulously wealthy.

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An Early Evaluation of the Paycheck Protection Program

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 01:19:26 GMT

The Paycheck Protection Program was meant to help firms maintain payrolls during economic disruption caused by the coronavirus. How has it worked out? Diego Zuluaga comments.

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School Choice, Religious Freedom at the Supreme Court

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 18:55:36 GMT

The Supreme Court has dealt a blow to private school choice programs that exclude parents who would send their children to religious school. Cato's Ilya Shapiro, director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, and Neal McCluskey, director of the Center for Educational Freedom, comment.

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How Would A Biden Administration Tackle Trade?

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 12:39:56 GMT

Among the challenges that might face a Biden Administration, restoring trading relationships should probably be high on the list. Simon Lester comments on where a President Biden might land on the freedom to trade.

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Mortgage Markets and COVID-19

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 19:08:08 GMT

What have been the effects of COVID-19 on the housing and mortgage markets? Will Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to move toward exiting conservatorship? Mark Calabria directs the Federal Housing Finance Agency. We discussed mortgages and changes in the housing landscape driven by a global pandemic.

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For States Trying to Relaunch Their Economies, Some Mixed COVID-19 Facts

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 19:17:40 GMT

In April and May, states embarked on what now appear to be ambitious plans to reopen thanks to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Jeff Singer discusses the mistaken search for a single answer to a complicated problem.

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Unprecedented Quirks in Economic Data Thanks to COVID-19

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 21:23:24 GMT

Economist Bruce Yandle suggests that for the last several months, the U.S. has largely been a command economy. That's thanks largely to the coronavirus and the subsequent government interventions. He discusses recent economic data and some of its quirks.

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Assessing Economic Damage from Trump's Latest Immigration Ban

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 17:04:07 GMT

The Supreme Court has ended one tactic by the Trump White House to end Obama-era protections for some immigrants. A new proclamation from the President aims to broadly suspend many more workers from coming to the U.S. Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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FDA, CDC, and Managing Knowledge in a Pandemic

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 21:11:18 GMT

Federal agencies charged with the management of, creation of, and dissemination of knowledge have performed poorly in this pandemic. Does it have to be this way? Peter Van Doren, editor of Regulation, comments.

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Cops, Reporters, and "the Exonerative Tense"

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 20:13:58 GMT

Reporters who want to clearly detail the level of police professionalism to the public must first contend with the linguistic flourishes present in police reports. Radley Balko of The Washington Post calls it "the exonerative tense."

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The Drug War’s Perverse Effects on Policing

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 21:20:11 GMT

Joe Biden might pick Senator Kamala Harris as his runningmate, the President issues an executive order on policing, and we should all remember, according to Cato's Trevor Burrus, that the Drug War broke policing.

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Reading the Relevant Statute in Bostock vs. Clayton County, Georgia

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:36:43 GMT

The Supreme Court finds that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does pertain to firing workers merely for being transsexual. Walter Olson says there are good reasons to support Justice Gorsuch's interpretation of the relevant law.

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Peril and Promise for the Push to #DefundPolice

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 19:43:50 GMT

ibertarians have long wanted to radically reduce the level of police involvement in our lives. But what does #DefundPolice mean to the broad range of people currently protesting police abuse? And what might be the risks of rapidly and emotionally making radical changes to police funding or abolishing police departments outright? Jonathan Blanks of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity comments.

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High Court Rejects Qualified Immunity Challenges

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 18:57:43 GMT

The Supreme Court has swept away all current challenges to qualified immunity, effectively keeping the doctrine's attendant problems alive for the time being. Cato's Jay Schweikert calls the decision a "dereliction of duty." He and Cato's Clark Neily comment on what can and should come next.

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Pandemic Contact Tracing as a New Police Power

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 04:00:00 GMT

Will contact tracing for COVID-19 inevitably become a new police power to be used to track or generate criminal suspects? Patrick Eddington and Matthew Feeney comment.

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Was the Warrant That Ended in Breonna Taylor's Death Illegal?

Sat, 13 Jun 2020 04:00:00 GMT

The police killing of 26-year-old EMT Breonna Taylor has rocked Louisville, Kentucky. Radley Balko argues that the warrant used to enter her home was illegal. Louisville has since banned the use of no-knock warrants.

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COVID-19 Takes State Pensions for a Ride

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 19:49:04 GMT

State pensions typically rely on stock market returns to fund the benefits to retirees, and fall back on taxpayers when stocks are down. What about when taxpayers are also down, in a sense, because of a viral pandemic? AEI's Andrew Biggs comments.

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Getting Cities Back to Work

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 21:07:11 GMT

The coronavirus pandemic has knocked big holes in the budgets of cities across the United States. What are the cheapest ways for cities to get the economic engines humming again? Patrick Tuohey of the Better Cities Project makes his case

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American Society of Journalists and Authors v. Becerra

Wed, 10 Jun 2020 16:49:18 GMT

The punishment dealt by the coronavirus was bad enough, but many journalists and other creators have been doubly sandbagged by a California law that limits their ability to work on a freelance basis. The Cato Institute has filed a brief in the case of American Society of Journalists and Authors v. Becerra. Trevor Burrus, one of the author's of Cato's brief, describes what's at issue.

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Lessons from Gezi Park Protests for Americans

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 20:55:18 GMT

Protests against government abuse sometimes ultimately serve to strengthen existing regimes. Mustafa Akyol details what American protestors can learn from the Gezi Park protests in Turkey.

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Lessons from Gezi Park Protests for Americans

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 20:53:50 GMT

Protests against government abuse sometimes ultimately serve to strengthen existing regimes. Mustafa Akyol details what American protestors can learn from the Gezi Park protests in Turkey.

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The Trouble with Trump’s Trouble with Inspectors General

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:11:02 GMT

President Trump has fired numerous inspectors general of federal agencies. A few of those are problematic. Will Yeatman explains why.

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White House Continues Deregulatory Push

Sat, 06 Jun 2020 07:00:00 GMT

As federal revenues falter, economic growth after the COVID-19 pandemic matters more than ever. The White House appears keenly aware of that fact. Will Yeatman comments on the "deregulate to stimulate" agenda on paper and in practice.

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The Truth about Coercive Plea Bargains

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 21:05:55 GMT

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Trump Wants to Use the MIlitary to Forcibly End Protests

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 14:56:38 GMT

Under what circumstances can a U.S. President use the military to put down protests in American cities? Gene Healy explains.

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Supreme Court Again Kicks the Can of Qualified Immunity

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 20:04:24 GMT

The Supreme Court has again delayed the possibility of accepting a case challenging qualified immunity, a doctrine invented by the High Court that practically protects cops from the consequences of abuse. Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert comment.

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Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Protest Movements That Get Things Done

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 20:52:37 GMT

The relationships between police and communities are as thin as they've ever been. How do protest movements that achieve concrete ends actually do it? Fabio Rojas is a sociologist at Indiana University. We discussed recent high-profile killings and how protestors can maximize their impact.

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Trump Needs A Factcheck on How Twitter, the First Amendment, and Section 230 Operate

Sat, 30 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The President and several U.S. Senators seem not to understand how key provisions of federal law protect social media platforms and other websites from their unwanted advances. Matthew Feeney comments.

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China Seizes Greater Control of Hong Kong

Fri, 29 May 2020 21:32:03 GMT

China has continued to assert greater control of Hong Kong. What is the appropriate U.S. response? Doug Bandow comments.

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The Community Reinvestment Act and Subsidized Gentrification

Thu, 28 May 2020 21:33:26 GMT

The Community Reinvestment Act is supposed to correct inequities in mortgage lending to low-income Americans. A new regulatory rule adopted recently made some changes. Diego Zuluaga comments.

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The COVID-19 Lockdown in Ecuador

Wed, 27 May 2020 21:27:22 GMT

There have been massive government errors and bureaucratic bungling in the COVID-19 response in the U.S. How does Ecuador compare? Gabriela Calderon de Burgos comments.

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Visions of Liberty: The War on Drugs

Tue, 26 May 2020 21:26:16 GMT

What would the U.S. look like 15 years after the end of the War on Drugs? Trevor Burrus explores this question in his chapter of the new book, Visions of Liberty.

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How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom

Sat, 23 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Understanding how innovation happens is crucial to keeping it going. Matt Ridley is author of How Innovation Works.

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Italy's Unfortunate Policy Responses to COVID-19

Fri, 22 May 2020 19:53:45 GMT

Some policy choices made by the government in Italy had consequences that would have been hard to predict. Others, like price controls, tend to deliver predictable results. Alberto Mingardi comments.

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Italy's Unfortuate Policy Responses to COVID-19

Fri, 22 May 2020 19:43:05 GMT

Some policy choices made by the government in Italy had consequences that would have been hard to predict. Others, like price controls, tend to deliver predictable results. Alberto Mingardi comments.

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What Should Fall 2020 Look Like on College Campuses?

Wed, 20 May 2020 21:47:05 GMT

Thanks to the disruption of COVID-19, universities may have an opportunity to reshape education to deliver greater value to students. How will they do it? Where should they look for guidance? Emily Chamlee-Wright of the Institute for Humane Studies comments.

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Where Does Unemployment Go from Here?

Tue, 19 May 2020 19:33:19 GMT

The unemployment picture looks grim right now for tens of millions of Americans. Cato's Ryan Bourne comments on what idled workers expect and what the future might hold for ramping employment back up.

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The Trouble with ‘Make China Pay’ over Coronavirus

Mon, 18 May 2020 13:38:48 GMT

Are trade and foreign policy good ways to exact a price from China over COVID-19? Doug Bandow and Simon Lester comment.

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Immigration Restrictionists on the March

Sat, 16 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The rationales new and old for limiting immigration, even in a pandemic, collapse upon scrutiny. David Bier explains.

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Even in A Pandemic, Elective Surgery Doesn't Mean Nonessential

Fri, 15 May 2020 22:01:29 GMT

Elective surgeries aren't necessarily frivolous. In a pandemic, delaying elective surgery can create an emergency for those who need treatment. Jeff Singer comments.

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Reining in Unwarranted Surveillance of Americans

Wed, 13 May 2020 20:02:23 GMT

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is under scrutiny for its failures to properly check overzealous federal authorities. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says the court is not constitutional, but he's still offering reforms.

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Senator Hawley’s Muddled Case against the World Trade Organization

Wed, 13 May 2020 15:56:09 GMT

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri wants the U.S. to exit the World Trade Organization, but it's not clear how Americans would benefit. Dan Ikenson comments.

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Is the Supreme Court Ready to End Qualified Immunity?

Tue, 12 May 2020 20:49:39 GMT

The Supreme Court this week will examine cases involving qualified immunity for a possible oral argument. Reuters recently examined more than 500 appellate decisions involving qualified immunity and found courts favoring the government more regularly in recent years. Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert believe it is likely the court will take one or more of the thirteen cases they'll consider this week.

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The Politicization of Disaster Relief

Mon, 11 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Is the President moving disaster relief from less politically advantageous to those that will help him politically? If so, is that new? Steven Horwitz discusses his upcoming article in Regulation.

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Is Homeschooling Authoritarian?

Fri, 08 May 2020 22:08:21 GMT

Harvard Magazine's depiction of homeschooling as authoritarian stands at odds with reality. Kerry McDonald explains.

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Facebook and Credible Content Oversight

Wed, 06 May 2020 16:50:00 GMT

Cato's John Samples will join Facebook's new oversight board. We discussed what content moderation looks like for big speech platforms today and what governance institutions might look like going forward.

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FDA Approves At-Home Coronavirus Test, But It's Already Banned in Some States

Tue, 05 May 2020 17:19:27 GMT

When state law bans an at-home test for coronavirus before it's even approved, maybe it's time to be less aggressive. Walter Olson comments.

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For States, Is It Bailout or Bankruptcy?

Mon, 04 May 2020 15:17:58 GMT

Should the feds bail out states or maybe just states with better fiscal management? Is bankruptcy really on the table for cash-strapped states? Jonathan Williams of the American Legislative Exchange Council says it would be largely unprecedented.

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Identifying #NeverNeeded Regulation after COVID-19

Sat, 02 May 2020 13:37:27 GMT

Many of the regulations suspended during this outbreak aren’t needed at all. Identifying and eliminating those regulations systematically is the critical task. Matt Mitchell of the Mercatus Center comments.

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Threat Perception and COVID-19

Fri, 01 May 2020 20:52:25 GMT

How does a global pandemic reshuffle priorities given the threats that we face? Chris Preble comments.

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Supreme Court Considering Challenges to Qualified Immunity

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 13:18:14 GMT

The Supreme Court has been reluctant to take a case challenging qualified immunity, a doctrine that protects police from the consequences of violating Americans' rights. That may change soon, according to Cato's Jay Schweikert.

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The Role of Science during a Pandemic

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 21:48:39 GMT

Why have some Asian nations performed so well relative to the United States in containing the coronavirus without nearly the devastating economic fallout? Terence Kealey argues that it comes down to prevailing attitudes about the role of science.

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Evasive Entrepreneurs and the Future of Governance

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 07:00:00 GMT

nnovators who don’t always conform to social or legal norms are using new technological capabilities to circumvent traditional regulatory systems. Adam Thierer is author of Evasive Entrepreneurs and the Future of Governance.

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Asserting the Right to Know Your COVID-19 Status

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 21:05:40 GMT

The right to know your own health status is no less important in a pandemic, and yet pre-emptive prohibitions on some kinds of tests can prevent you from exercising that right. Jeff Singer comments.

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Pandemic Lockdowns and Valuing Lives

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 13:52:04 GMT

Economist David Henderson believes the lockdowns in response to COVID-19 need to end sooner than later.

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Trump Declares 'Total' Authority over Governors, Backs Down Almost Immediately

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 12:29:55 GMT

It would be hard to misunderstand federalism more, particularly if you're the President of the United States. Gene Healy discusses a week in new and erroneous executive power claims amid the coronavirus outbreak.

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A Trump Immigration Ban Would Slow Economic Recovery

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 13:16:26 GMT

Even if an immigration ban made sense at this point in a global pandemic, it would harm the economic recovery while doing very little to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Alex Nowrasteh discusses the President's forthcoming executive order.

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Negative Oil? Really?

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 20:02:14 GMT

The bumpy ride for oil markets is far from over. How does the dramatic demand shock in the oil market change relations among large and influential oil-producing countries? Emma Ashford comments.

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Regime Uncertainty for Developers of Coronavirus Tests

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 07:00:00 GMT

When the FDA takes action against developers of diagnostic tests, it seems to come primarily during times when new tests are desperately needed. Will Rinehart of the Center for Growth and Opportunity discusses the problem.

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Pandemic Spurs States, Feds to Liberate Telemedicine

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Allowing medical services to cross state lines more easily may prove crucial during this stressful time for our medical system. Many states and the feds are wisely getting out of the way. Jeff Singer comments.

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Will Sweden Prove to be a Model for Coronavirus Response?

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:06:00 GMT

We won't know the truth for some time, but there are reasons to believe that Sweden's light touch in response to COVID-19 may ultimately be less costly than lockdowns and other harsh government mandates. Johan Norberg comments.

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Some Bad Ideas for Fighting COVID-19”

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:03:59 GMT

The Christmas tree that was the relief package that moved through Congress recently did manage to avoid some particularly bad ideas in its final form. Still, those ideas will be back, according to Diego Zuluaga.

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Surveillance and Civil Liberties in a Pandemic

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 21:26:24 GMT

Is there a role for government surveillance during a pandemic? And if so, does the genie go back in the bottle when the threat has passed? Matthew Feeney comments.

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Pointless Partisanship over Potential COVID-19 Treatments

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 15:41:37 GMT

The struggle over how best to address COVID-19 has become increasingly partisan. The public fight over the value of hydroxychloroquine as a helpful treatment should be (but isn't) driven by the evidence, according to Cato's Jeff Singer.

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Conservative Nationalism’s Next Steps?

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 21:21:27 GMT

Adrian Vermeule argues that traditional conservative views of the Constitution ought to be replaced. What he believes ought to replace it is pretty troubling if you care about liberty. Stephanie Slade of Reason Magazine comments.

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Can the President Quarantine States?

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The President tossed out a tweet suggesting he might quarantine whole states where COVID-19 has hit especially hard. Is that constitutional? Gene Healy comments.

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What's the Value Proposition for Higher Ed Now?

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 21:26:35 GMT

The pandemic sweeping the globe has temporarily shuttered in-person higher education. Does the mass adoption of online education reduce the stigma long associated with institutions of higher learning that exist only online? Cato’s Neal McCluskey comments.

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Noble Lies and COVID-19

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 20:06:02 GMT

Lying for noble reasons is still lying, but those lies harm the credibility of people who are supposed to be experts. Alex Nowrasteh argues that noble lies about the coronavirus carry substantial costs.

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Defense Spending Priorities and COVID-19

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:10:14 GMT

What's the military's role in a global pandemic? How should spending priorities change in response? Chris Preble comments.

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What Does Oversight Mean for That Sudden $2-Trillion in New Spending?

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 21:04:27 GMT

What are the oversight structures built into the massive relief package recently approved by Congress? Will Yeatman describes the multiple layers of oversight included.

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States Suspend Certificate-of-Need Laws to Address COVID-19

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:34:58 GMT

Which states are standing in the way of a better pandemic response? Angela Erickson of the Pacific Legal Foundation discusses why some states have relaxed health care certificate-of-need requirements while others are effectively preventing a more robust private sector response to the crisis.

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China’s Confused Coronavirus Response

Sat, 04 Apr 2020 16:49:24 GMT

There are many reasons to be skeptical of the adequacy of China's response to the coronavirus outbreak. How does that impact relations among countries? Eric Gomez comments.

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Federalism vs. Federal Power in a Pandemic

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 13:58:41 GMT

What prevents a federally ordered national lockdown as a response to COVID-19? Federalism, for one. Walter Olson explains.

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Homeschooling's Past, Present, and Future

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 18:43:36 GMT

Parents were caught flatfooted with respect to schooling during a pandemic. Kerry McDonald discusses modern homeschooling's origins and what learning outside a conventional classroom might look like when normalcy returns.

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Tariffs in a Pandemic Are Taxes on Lifesaving Goods

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 07:00:00 GMT

The Trump Administration will delay the collection of some tariffs, but won't lower the taxes that Americans pay to receive foreign goods. Simon Lester explains.

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Online Resources for New Homeschoolers

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 13:56:51 GMT

How are public school officials making the compelled transition to homeschooling easier? What online resources are out there to help families? Kerry McDonald comments.

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Key Tax Provisions in Massive Economic Relief Bill

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 22:03:17 GMT

That massive relief bill passed by Congress last week contains some provisions that affected businesses will appreciate. Nicole Kaeding with the National Taxpayers Union comments.

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Evaluating Federal Reserve Moves amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 19:16:12 GMT

The Fed apparently understands the nature of this recession far better than many members of Congress, but Cato’s George Selgin argues that the central bank runs the risk of blurring the lines between monetary and fiscal policy.

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Emergency Powers and Civil LIberties During a Pandemic

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:22:10 GMT

Vigilance toward overweening government is no less important during a pandemic. Cato's Patrick Eddington discusses some federal efforts to claim emergency powers.

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A Pandemic Recession Is Different

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 13:23:23 GMT

Understanding the nature of recessions caused by pandemics is critical to crafting a policy response. Ryan Bourne explains.

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Containing Coronavirus after FDA Missteps

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 13:20:10 GMT

Bureaucratic errors made containing the novel coronavirus considerably more difficult. Michael Cannon details some important next steps.

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COVID-19, Supply Shocks and Stimulus

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 13:14:52 GMT

Congress may misunderstand the nature of the economic downturn spurred by the novel coronavirus. Chris Edwards comments.

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Facilitating a Smooth Election amid Pandemic

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Election days are an opportunity for COVID-19 to spread widely among vulnerable populations. Kentucky is among states that have delayed primaries while evaluating what changes to the election process may be necessary. Republican Michael G. Adams is the Secretary of State for Kentucky.

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Foes of Suspicionless Surveillance Score a Small Win

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 13:19:51 GMT

Amendments will finally be offered to the broad federal surveillance powers granted by Congress. Patrick Eddington discusses what that means for liberty and privacy.

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We Are All Homeschoolers Now

Sat, 21 Mar 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Thanks to COVID-19, many parents find themselves with kids at home all day. What's the best way to keep them engaged in their educations? Kerry McDonald, author of Unschooled, comments.

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Coronavirus, Oil Markets, and Foreign Policy

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 21:04:07 GMT

What do current historic lows for the price of oil mean for foreign policy in a time of pandemic? Cato's Emma Ashford explains.

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COVID-19 Spurs Suspension of Regulations That Were #NeverNeeded

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 20:29:27 GMT

Just what has Congress done to fight COVID-19? What powers are unlocked for the President in a pandemic-driven emergency? What are the mechanics of relaxing or ending regulations that otherwise would stymie this fight? William Yeatman comments.

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Courts Shift Gears as COVID-19 Spreads

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:21:41 GMT

When you are incarcerated, the criminal justice system has assumed total responsibility for your life. What changes in a pandemic? Clark Neily comments.

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Even in a Pandemic, Trade Is Cooperation

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 21:38:38 GMT

In a global pandemic, trade is more important than ever. Simon Lester gauges the trade-related response to the spread of this coronavirus.

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The Pandemic Travel Bans

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 18:59:03 GMT

Do restrictions on travel into the United States make sense during a pandemic? Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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Solvency, Liquidity, and Help for the Cash-Strapped During Pandemic

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 13:10:59 GMT

Banks will no longer face certain regulatory scrutiny for helping cash-strapped people during this pandemic. Diego Zuluaga comments.

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The EARN IT Act and the Integrity of the Internet

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 18:55:22 GMT

An effort to crack down on material that sexually victimizes young people effectively would put internet platforms under the thumb of the federal government. Eric Goldman argues that the proposal won't solve its targeted problem.

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A Correction on Deference and SCOTUS

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 21:45:45 GMT

It turns out that the Supreme Court isn't as deferential to executive agencies than the court's recent moves might indicate. Will Yeatman comments.

Related podcast: Why Did the Supreme Court Turn Away This Case on Regulatory Overreach?

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Clearview and the Cops

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 13:10:34 GMT

A tech company promises to link up photos of unknown people with their presence on the web for private clients and police. What does that mean for privacy, and for how police do their jobs? Matthew Feeney comments.

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Billionaires Bloomberg, Steyer Spent Big Money to Win and Came Up Empty

Fri, 06 Mar 2020 23:07:56 GMT

Billionaires spent big to win the White House this election cycle and failed spectacularly. What's the lesson for policymakers? Scott Blackburn of the Institute for Free Speech comments.

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Bernie Sanders and the Cuban Literacy Programs

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 20:46:30 GMT

It's an odd defense for an authoritarian regime like Cuba, but Bernie Sanders presented the country's literacy programs to rebut details of the regime's harsh treatment of Cubans. Ian Vasquez comments.

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Takeaways from Super Tuesday

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 20:43:38 GMT

Did Bernie Sanders have an exaggerated expectation about how much Democratic voters wanted a socialist nominee for President? David Boaz comments.

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The Counterintuitive Impacts of Better Missile Defense

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 08:00:00 GMT

Missile defense should be an easy sell politically, but a better missile defense can make some nuclear arms negotiations more fraught. Eric Gomez explains how.

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An End to Our Longest War?

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:00:00 GMT

There is a glimmer of hope that the United States may soon be able to exit its longest war. What stands in the way? Chris Preble and John Glaser explain.

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Where Are the Republican YIMBYs?

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 21:00:31 GMT

People who want dynamism in housing markets and urban development ought of find common ground with Republicans, so why do there seem to be so few Republican YIMBYs? Nolan Gray of the Mercatus Center comments.

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A White House Intelligence Problem

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 21:58:29 GMT

The ongoing uncertainty over who will fill a high-level White House intelligence position illustrates a larger problem with how the chief executive handles inconvenient information. Julian Sanchez comments.

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Why Did the Supreme Court Turn Away This Case on Regulatory Overreach?

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 20:00:31 GMT

A case that looked tailor made for Supreme Court review of aggressive regulatory agencies won't get High Court review. Will Yeatman explains a few possible reasons why.

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Cops Partner with Ring to Deliver Doorbell Surveillance

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 21:16:26 GMT

Amazon’s Ring provides handy surveillance of the front porches of many Americans. What happens when localities partner with the company to make it easier for cops to get the footage?

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Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide: How the New FBI Damages Democracy

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 22:48:56 GMT

How did the FBI turn into a domestic intelligence agency? How does the FBI do its job today? Mike German is author of Disrupt, Discredit, and Divide: How the New FBI Damages Democracy.

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Seeking Accountability for Cops in Brownback v. King

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 13:26:06 GMT

James King was cornered and beaten by members of a joint task force after he was falsely identified as a fugitive. Police are seeking to avoid accountability for the officers involved. Patrick Jaicomo of the Institute for Justice is representing King in Brownback v. King.

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Association for Community Affiliated Plans v. Treasury

Thu, 20 Feb 2020 22:14:13 GMT

Congress has exempted some short-term insurance from the statutory requirements otherwise applicable to individual health insurance plans. A new lawsuit might end those plans entirely. Why does that matter? Michael Cannon explains.

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Jarchow v. State Bar of Wisconsin

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 21:28:56 GMT

A case awaiting acceptance by the Supreme Court challenges required fees paid by attorneys to State Bar of Wisconsin. Much of that money then goes to fund extensive lobbying. Trevor Burrus and Andrew Grossman comment.

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An Effort to Reform Warrantless Surveillance

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:30:44 GMT

Ending longstanding warrantless surveillance of Americans has long been a desire of libertarians. So how do Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) plan to accomplish it?

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Individuality and Intersectionality

Sat, 15 Feb 2020 13:38:46 GMT

Your intersections are part of what make you, the individual. So why do so many individualists cringe at the notion of examining intersectionality? Historian Anthony Comegna comments.

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Another Big Spending Trump Budget Proposal

Fri, 14 Feb 2020 22:42:38 GMT

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The Indian Child Welfare Act and Brackeen v. Bernhardt

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 20:49:43 GMT

How does the Indian Child Welfare Act change the rules that would otherwise govern the removal of children from homes? What does a case now before the Fifth Circuit mean for native children and tribal sovereignty? Walter Olson comments.

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Utah Wants State-Based Worker Visas

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 21:31:05 GMT

States should have more flexibility to accept immigrants to accommodate the needs of employers. So says Gary Herbert, the Republican Governor of Utah.

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A Big Change to Mortgage Lending Rules

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 22:52:50 GMT

What will a change to mandates in mortgage lending mean for borrowers and the market for mortgage credit? Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Will Free Trade Suffer after Brexit?

Mon, 10 Feb 2020 20:10:13 GMT

The United Kingdom is out of the European Union, so how does that impact the freedom to trade? Simon Lester comments.

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Make Congress Great Again!

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 22:42:50 GMT

Congress doesn't like doing oversight, but it's a critical function that should keep the administrative state at bay. How can it be fixed? William Yeatman comments.

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Elizabeth Warren Has A Plan to Criminalize Some Online Election Lies

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 20:56:08 GMT

Elizabeth Warren would seek to make certain online election‐related speech subject to criminal and civil penalties. What speech could bring those penalties? Matthew Feeney explains.

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Did Impeachment Matter?

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 13:36:23 GMT

Does impeachment without removal merely inoculate the President against future complaints from Congress? Gene Healy comments.

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Bernie Sanders and the Disastrous Rent Control Plan

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 14:29:11 GMT

There isn't much disagreement among economists about what a national rent control policy would do to harm renters, housing prices, housing stock, and the incentive to build new housing. Nonetheless, Bernie Sanders persists. Ryan Bourne comments.

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In Impeachment Trial, Democrats Exaggerate National Security Threats

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 22:33:43 GMT

Is Ukraine's security really America's security? In the impeachment trial, Democrats presented the defense of Ukraine as a vital national security interest. Emma Ashford comments.

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Tolerance and School Choice

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 21:46:38 GMT

What does tolerance demand of us in the realm of school choice? Cato's Neal McCluskey comments.

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Brexit Day!

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 21:59:43 GMT

It may still be too early to say how Brexit will impact trade and other international relations, but the ever-changing details of the Brexit plan took an unlikely path to deliver a big win for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Ryan Bourne comments.

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National Environmental Policy Act: "An unlimited license to write papers"

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 21:39:09 GMT

The Trump Administration plan to roll back regulatory review for large government infrastructure projects won't have much of an impact on environmental quality. Peter Van Doren explains why.

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Malthus: Cautious Optimist?

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 22:09:23 GMT

Was Thomas Robert Malthus almost completely misunderstood? Ross Emmett of the Center for the Study of Economic Liberty at Arizona State University explains why Malthus might ought to be viewed as a type of optimist.

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Principles of Harm Reduction

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 21:48:33 GMT

Cato's Jeff Singer and former U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders discuss harm reduction in the contexts of drug use and sex education.

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Feds Mull Restrictions on Homesharing

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 14:51:51 GMT

Many states and localities are placing restrictions on home sharing. Now the feds are considering a move that would worsen the landscape for renters and rentees alike. Romina Boccia of the Heritage Foundation comments.

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Scholarship Tax Credits in Pennsylvania

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 22:08:32 GMT

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Citizens United at 10

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 23:00:00 GMT

The fight over Citizens United free speech ruling has raged on years after the Supreme Court weighed in. Scott Blackburn of the Institute for Free Speech explains why the case's detractors are so very mistaken.

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Reasons for Concern in Two New Trade Deals

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 20:24:09 GMT

Between the "starter" trade deal with China and the revamped North American trade deal just approved by the U.S. Senate, there are still reasons to be concerned that this administration will again launch trade wars. Simon Lester and Inu Manak comment.

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Immigrants Remain Less Likely to Use Means-Tested Welfare

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 21:56:52 GMT

When it comes to means-tested welfare programs, immigrants continue to be less likely than native-born Americans to take advantage. Alex Nowrasteh explains how and why.

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Population Flows out of High-Tax States

Sun, 19 Jan 2020 20:27:42 GMT

New data highlights the flow of residents from high-tax states to low-tax states. Chris Edwards provides details.

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"Iran is burning."

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 22:47:26 GMT

The unrest in Iran in recent months is indicative of more than just recent violence with the U.S. It indicates a much larger failure of the Iranian regime. So says Cato's Mustafa Akyol.

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Voting Rights for Former Felons and Continuing Controversy over Clemency

Thu, 16 Jan 2020 20:37:01 GMT

Legal researcher Guy Hamilton-Smith was among the thousands of people in Kentucky whose voting rights were restored last month. We discuss his story and the continuing controversy over pardons issued by former Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin.

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Zoning, Discrimination, and State Constitutions

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 20:47:14 GMT

Zoning has long been used for less than public spirited purposes. Constitutional litigator Maurice Thompson of the 1851 Center details a useful case of pointless local zoning in Ohio.

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As State Lawmakers Get Back to Work, What Happens to Excess Revenue?

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 22:33:46 GMT

When state governments run surpluses, the temptation to spend is almost irresistible. Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute describes what should happen to those excess tax dollars.

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Executive Power Claims and the Soleimani Strike

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 18:47:10 GMT

Under what legal authority did the President order the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani? Apparently the public isn't entitled to know. Gene Healy comments.

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What Unions Won’t Let Employers Say

Sun, 12 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

How does labor law restrict communications between workers and employers? Ken Girardin of the Empire Center in New York discusses some of the "Dos and Don'ts" in public sector labor law.

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How Long Does the Third Party Doctrine Have Left?

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 05:00:00 GMT

Courts routinely have trouble keeping up with technology, so how long before the Third Party Doctrine is radically altered or eliminated? Billy Easley analyzes tech policy at Americans for Prosperity.

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Is the Cato Institute under Deep State Surveillance?

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 20:54:21 GMT

Cato's Patrick Eddington wants Congress to make clear if domestic policy groups are among those currently targeted for federal surveillance.

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Are Big Banks Bad Banks?

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 21:44:36 GMT

What are the costs and risks associated with banking consolidation? Should it be concerning that the biggest banks decades ago are still the biggest? Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Rounds of U.S./Iranian Attacks on Pause

Thu, 09 Jan 2020 02:31:30 GMT

What ought to follow hostilities between Iran and the United States after Iran's military response to the death of a high ranking general? Chris Preble and John Glaser comment.

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Trump's Major Escalation against Iran

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 21:36:45 GMT

By killing Iranian leader Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, the Trump Administration has undertaken a major escalation of hostilities in the region. Cato's Emma Ashford and John Glaser comment.

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Reforming the Community Reinvestment Act

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 20:35:40 GMT

Some proposed reforms to the Community Reinvestment Act come directly from research conducted by Cato's Diego Zuluaga. He describes why, short of getting rid of the law, reform is so essential.

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The Antiquities Act, Protecting Land, and Executive Authority

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 22:26:41 GMT

What is the proper balance to protecting natural resources while respecting the value of those lands for alternative uses? Jonathan Wood with the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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Sphere: Should Drug Prohibition Be Ended Nationwide?

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 17:38:29 GMT

In the first episode of Sphere we ask the simple question: Should drug prohibition be ended nationwide? Our commenters are Trevor Burrus of Cato, Paul Larkin of the Heritage Foundation, and Jonathan Rauch of Brookings.

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Getting Honest on Bail Reform

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 23:38:33 GMT

What is bail for? What is pretrial detention for? How do we fix bail for the benefit of society and defendants? Josh Crawford with the Pegasus Institute comments.

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Understanding Models of Legal Sex Work

Sat, 28 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

Sex work is only legal in parts of Nevada, and there it is highly restricted. What are some of the other models for legal sex work, and which models best respect the individuals involved? Kaytlin Bailey is with Decriminalize Sex Work.

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Local Governments and Basic Checkbook Transparency

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

What do local governments owe the people in terms of transparency? Patrick Ishmael directs government accountability at the Show-Me Institute.

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The Big Numbers Behind Economic Development Freebies

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

The staggering sums that states and localities spend on economic development subsidies rarely deliver the benefits promised. John Mozena directs the Center for Economic Accountability.

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Civil Forfeiture Disenfranchises the Poor

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

No one suffers more from civil forfeiture than people too poor to fight it. Alan Clemmons is a Republican lawmaker in South Carolina working to impose the most basic level of oversight on the process.

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Poverty Eradication vs. Reducing Income Inequality

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

The confusion between policies designed for poverty eradication versus reducing income inequality is widespread and mistaken. Orphe Divounguy of the Illinois Policy Institute comments.

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Trump's Decent Record on Regulation (So Far)

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 19:02:48 GMT

For those concerned about the size of the administrative state, there are reasons to be cheerful about the regulatory record of the Trump Administration. Will Yeatman comments.

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A Highly Restrictive North American Trade Pact

Sun, 22 Dec 2019 14:43:07 GMT

The USMCA trade agreement among the U.S., Mexico, and Canada is moving forward, but forward into what? Simon Lester and Dan Ikenson discuss the deal's terms.

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When the Fed Runs out of Moves

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMT

There are good reasons to be concerned about monetary stability in our current economic good times. Economist Eric Sims makes the case.

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“A Secretive Court’s Rebuke of the FBI over Foreign Intelligence Warrants

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMT

Julian Sanchez details some of the structural problems in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court after a rare rebuke of the FBI's mishandling of warrant applications.

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From Impeachment to Senate Trial

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 18:47:16 GMT

The House has impeached President Trump, but there are still sticking points about the terms of a Senate trial. What new information might be produced in the trial? Gene Healy looks ahead at the likely outcomes.

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Copyright and Georgia v. PublicResource.org

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 17:03:32 GMT

A case argued recently before the U.S. Supreme Court takes aim at a state that allows a private company to hold and enforce the copyright on the state's "annotated code." Trevor Burrus describes what's at issue.

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Parsing the Articles on #ImpeachmentEve

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:13:41 GMT

A day ahead of an impeachment vote in the U.S. House, why these particular articles of impeachment? Gene Healy comments.

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States Nudge NCAA to Give Student Athletes a Break

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 05:00:00 GMT

First California did it, and now Florida is looking at ways to give student athletes a way to profit from their own likenesses and names, rejecting NCAA rules. Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute details the idea.

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Elizabeth Warren, Trust Buster

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren wants to break up big tech firms and impose new regulation on firms with high revenues. Walter Olson discusses what that might look like in practice.

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Protecting Liberty with State Constitutions

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 06:00:00 GMT

State constitutions continue to serve as powerful and underappreciated protectors against overweening government. Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty comments.

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The Jones Act and Hawaii

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMT

The shipping regulation known as the Jones Act turns 100 next year. It's long past time for it to go according to Keli'i Akina of Hawaii's Grasroot Institute.

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The Bernie Plan to Regulate Labor Markets

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 21:46:49 GMT

Bernie Sanders has a series of labor market interventions he'd like to see, including ending at-will employment. Ryan Bourne says it's a terrible idea.

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The Long Lie about Afghanistan

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 22:51:15 GMT

Newly revealed interviews show the misrepresentations and frustrations over a U.S.-led war in Afghanistan that went badly awry. John Glaser argues that one clear lesson is to stay skeptical of government justifications for war.

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Politics, Fed Independence, and Paul Volcker

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 14:27:36 GMT

The Federal Reserve is nominally independent, but the enormous pressure often aimed at Fed chairs past indicates that it's not that simple. Sir Paul Tucker is author of Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State.

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The Allure of Profits and Forest Restoration

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 22:01:26 GMT

Forest restoration bonds issued by some self-interested private firms are delivering benefits for forests, communities, and investors. Holly Fretwell comments.

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Is the Best Inflation Target Zero?

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 08:00:00 GMT

What does the Constitution say about money? And how should that inform the work of the Federal Reserve? Economist Judy Shelton comments.

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Sports Betting Regulation and State Revenues

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 22:22:01 GMT

What are some best practices as states begin to more broadly adopt legal sports betting? Doug Kellogg is with Americans for Tax Reform.

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The Myth of Independence: How Congress Governs the Federal Reserve

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 20:44:46 GMT

How do markets evaluate the interplay between Congress and the Federal Reserve? Mark Spindel is coauthor of The Myth of Independence: How Congress Governs the Federal Reserve.

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The Unsung Scourge of Home Equity Theft

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 19:59:19 GMT

When the government takes your home to pay a fine, they should at least give you back the rest of the value of your home. In many states, that's not how it works. Christina Martin with the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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The Fed’s Dual Mandate Is a Gift to Congress

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 15:50:49 GMT

It's not clear that the Federal Reserve's dual mandate (concern for both inflation and unemployment) helps workers. It definitely helps Congress, though. So says economist Peter Ireland.

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Natural Language Processing versus FedSpeak

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 06:00:00 GMT

How can natural language processing keep the Fed from using obfuscating language? Charles Calomiris comments

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Tuttle Twins, Free Market Rules, and Teaching Families Economics

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 06:00:00 GMT

How can families engage with basic economic concepts in ways that give young people a solid footing in how markets work? Connor Boyack, author of the Tuttle Twins books, has a few ideas.

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Disagreeing Productively

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 09:00:00 GMT

What's the audience for libertarian ideas? Do libertarians know how to communicate them? Jennifer Thompson directs the Center for the Study of Liberty in Indianapolis.

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Doing Business North America

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 21:04:31 GMT

A new data-driven project aims to help researchers find out how easy it is to do business in American cities, and why some cities outperform others. Stephen Slivinski directs the Doing Business North America project.

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Bagehot: The Life and Times of the Greatest Victorian

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 04:14:19 GMT

James Grant is author of Bagehot: The Life and Times of the Greatest Victorian.

Cato Book Forum: Bagehot: The Life and Times of the Greatest Victorian

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The Politics of Making Cities Work

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 19:00:23 GMT

Is the partisan divide between cities and everywhere else simply intractable? Patrick Tuohey directs policy at the Better Cities Project.

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Are Government Workers Aware of Their Rights?

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Since the Janus ruling freed millions of state and local government workers from the fees associated with public sector unions, are those workers aware of their rights? Joe Lehman of the Mackinac Center comments.

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A Week of Impeachment Hearings

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 14:48:39 GMT

What have we learned after presidential impeachment testimony of Donald Trump's ambassador to the European Union? Do any of the claims rise to the level of maladministration or violation of public trust? How have the President's Republican defenders performed? Gene Healy comments.

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Do We Need Hate Speech?

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 21:58:02 GMT

"Hate speech" is not a legal category, and banning it wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. Lou Perez is the producer of a new short film, Five Reasons We Need Hate Speech.

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State Occupational Licensing Reform in 2020

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 21:37:14 GMT

Even as some presidential candidates are talking about occupational licensing, state governments must take the lead in driving reform. Erica Jedynak of Stand Together provides reasons to be optimistic about reform in 2020.

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The Evolution of School Choice in North Carolina

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 22:37:48 GMT

How does the public school establishment view the innovative choice options for parents in North Carolina? Bob Luebke of the Civitas Institute comments.

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How State Lawmakers Can Curb Overreaching Local Regulators

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 20:08:06 GMT

Few people pay much attention to local regulation, but it's where some of the most substantial infringements on liberty occur. Christina Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute comments.

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The Impeachment Inquiry Begins

Sat, 16 Nov 2019 14:58:08 GMT

Julian Sanchez addresses some common objections raised during the first week of presidential impeachment proceedings.

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The New Push to Ban "Hate Speech"

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 22:18:20 GMT

Is a ban on hate speech a solution to any actual problem? Matthew Feeney comments.

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Sharing the "Freedom Philosophy" with Young People

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 22:07:31 GMT

What works and what doesn't in trying to show young people the superiority of Leonard Read's "Freedom Philosophy" for organizing society? Zilvinas Silenas, the new president of the Foundation for Economic Education, explains.

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Easy State-Level Immigration Fixes

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 21:22:26 GMT

There's no reason states have to abide all of the federal restrictions on immigration. In fact, there are many policies states and localities can adopt to make immigrants welcome. Josh Smith with the Center for Growth and Opportunity comments.

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Rust Buckets: How the Jones Act Undermines U.S. Shipbuilding and National Security

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMT

The Jones Act prevents U.S. territories from buying U.S. products, and does almost nothing to protect the industries that advocates claim the law supports. Colin Grabow explains the implications in his new paper, "Rust Buckets."

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Exploring Wealth Inequality

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 21:36:40 GMT

What evidence is there that disparities between rich and poor harm the poor, the economy, and our political system? Chris Edwards and Ryan Bourne are authors of the new paper, "Exploring Wealth Inequality."

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Kentucky Puts the Kibosh on Entrepreneurial Freedom

Sat, 09 Nov 2019 08:00:00 GMT

Kentucky wants a would-be entrepreneur to get permission from his would-be competitors to operate in the commonwealth. Larry Salzman of the Pacific Legal Foundation details the case of Phillip Truesdell and Legacy Medical Transport.

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Citizen Activism vs. Missouri Regulators

Fri, 08 Nov 2019 21:11:24 GMT

Ron Calzone wins a round in court. A federal appeals court says the independent Missouri activist doesn't have to register as a lobbyist to talk to lawmakers. Zac Morgan of the Institute for Free Speech details the case.

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Innovation and Choice Remain Critical to Environmental Improvement

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 15:07:54 GMT

The innovations that markets deliver also create efficiencies that clean the environment. Todd Myers of the Washington Policy Center comments.

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Reforming Parole and Probation

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 21:42:39 GMT

What are some steps to save taxpayers money and achieve better outcomes for people on parole and probation? Marc Levin of the Texas Public Policy Foundation comments.

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Celebrating the New Nobel Laureates with One Caveat

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 22:06:18 GMT

The new Nobel laureates in economics deserve the prize, but it's important to understand the limits of some findings. So says Swami Aiyar.

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Road Diets and Pedestrian Deaths

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 20:37:06 GMT

What's a "road diet"? Randal O'Toole comments.

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How to Be a Dictator

Sat, 02 Nov 2019 07:00:00 GMT

How to be a Dictator tells the stories of unique individuals who gained power and held it with typically disastrous results. Frank Dikötter is the book's author.

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The Jones Act, Liquified Natural Gas, and Russia

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 20:41:03 GMT

When Puerto Rico wants to buy liquified natural gas, it's pointless to buy from America. Thank the Jones Act. Colin Grabow comments.

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Poverty and Freedom: Case Studies on Global Economic Development

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 21:30:54 GMT

What are the alternatives to foreign aid? Matt Warner is editor of Poverty and Freedom: Case Studies on Global Economic Development. Warner is president of the Atlas Network.

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The SHIELD Act and Free Speech

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 14:03:39 GMT

New legislation aimed at curbing foreign influence in U.S. elections also appears to be aimed at curbing Americans' influence in U.S. elections. Scott Blackburn of the Institute for Free Speech comments.

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Big Brother in the Exam Room: The Dangerous Truth about Electronic Health Records

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 21:45:25 GMT

If not for doctors or patients, for whom do the complicated electronic health records exist? Twila Brase explains in her book, Big Brother in the Exam Room: The Dangerous Truth about Electronic Health Records.

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Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool

Thu, 24 Oct 2019 21:20:55 GMT

Economist Emily Oster’s new book, Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool, cuts through the alarmist rhetoric and fearmongering that surrounds modern-day parenting with a cool-headed look at the data. She spoke at the Cato Institute in September.

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A Seemingly Small Change to Federal Regulating

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 16:58:46 GMT

Ike Brannon details why a small change from the Office of Management and Budget holds big implications for federal regulation.

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A Case Study in Whistleblowing

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 21:54:23 GMT

Cato's Patrick Eddington details the adventure he and his wife Robin undertook that ended with startling revelations about what came to be known as Gulf War Syndrome.

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The Rediscovery of Tobacco: Smoking, Vaping, and the Creative Destruction of the Cigarette

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 20:59:32 GMT

While it's generally agreed that vaping is far safer than cigarette smoking, it's been swept up in a new prohibitionist frenzy where e-cigarettes are viewed as similar enough to cigarettes to warrant identical treatment. Is there a path back to tolerance for smokers and vapers? Jacob Grier is author of The Rediscovery of Tobacco: Smoking, Vaping, and the Creative Destruction of the Cigarette.

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Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America's Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Recover)

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 01:49:10 GMT

John Glaser and Trevor Thrall detail the new Cato book, Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America's Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Recover).

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Turks, Kurds, and the U.S. Role in Reconciliation

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 21:51:54 GMT

If not a direct military role, what role can the U.S. play in reducing violence among Turks and Kurds? Mustafa Akyol notes that the two groups were not always enemies.

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Medicare for All and the Vermont Experience with Single Payer

Tue, 15 Oct 2019 13:21:31 GMT

What does Vermont's experience with single payer healthcare have to tell us about how much the Bernie Sanders "Medicare for All" proposal might cost? Peter Suderman of Reason comments.

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Can the President ‘Decline’ an Impeachment Inquiry?

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 21:34:51 GMT

The President will not play along with a House impeachment inquiry. What now? Gene Healy comments.

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How the Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence, and the Battle Over School Choice

Fri, 11 Oct 2019 20:33:43 GMT

What makes a entire network of charter schools perform so far above average? What demands are placed on parents to help get that performance? Robert Pondiscio is author of How The Other Half Learns: Equality, Excellence, and the Battle Over School Choice.

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A Survey of State-Level Criminal Justice Reform

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 12:48:58 GMT

Robert Alt of the Buckeye Institute details his examination of state-level criminal justice reform in the last two years.

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An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know

Wed, 09 Oct 2019 12:07:18 GMT

Reducing the Supreme Court's jurisprudence to just 100 cases is quite a challenge. Josh Blackman is coauthor of An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know.

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How the Feds Impede Evidence-Based Opioid Treatments

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 22:05:34 GMT

What can the federal government do to foster evidence-based opioid treatments? Cato’s Jeff Singer explains.

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Vaping-Related Deaths and Harm Reduction

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 17:34:04 GMT

Understanding the causes of vaping-related deaths has massive implications for public health. Jeff Singer comments.

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Is It Important That the Government Know Identity of Whistleblower

Fri, 04 Oct 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Whistleblowing in the national security sphere is complicated and difficult. Irvin McCullough of the Government Accountability Project says the current Ukraine whistleblower is a poster child for following the rules.

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Crisis of Conscience

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 20:46:58 GMT

Why do whistleblowers do it? It's not like they're in for immediate adulation. It's a very difficult and stressful decision, and a long and difficult road. Tom Mueller is author of Crisis of Conscience.

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The Consistent Challenge of Delivering Accountability for War Crimes

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 16:12:22 GMT

Among countries that report to no higher authority for their actions, assuring that war crimes are punished properly remains a serious challenge. John Glaser comments.

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What Is and Is Not Required of Whistleblowers?

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 16:18:56 GMT

A claim that has made the rounds this week in conservative media goes like this: Until recently, would-be whistleblowers needed firsthand knowledge of wrongdoing in order to see their claims advanced. The problem with the claim is this: It's wrong. Julian Sanchez comments.

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Bernie Sanders Wants to Boost Your Credit Score

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Bernie Sanders wants to create a public credit scoring system. What does that mean for understanding borrowers' ability to repay? Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Politics and Criminal Justice Reform Since the First Step Act

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 19:48:40 GMT

States still lead the way on criminal justice reform, but what bright spots exist at the federal level? John Malcolm of the Heritage Foundation comments.

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House Launches Impeachment Inquiry

Thu, 26 Sep 2019 21:36:26 GMT

Gene Healy discusses the U.S. House impeachment inquiry launched this week. Healy is author of Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power.

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Yes, in Fact, There Are Laws When You Are Drinking White Claws

Wed, 25 Sep 2019 19:48:43 GMT

The official boozy bubbly of this Summer was White Claw. Why didn't this happen sooner? Cato's Will Yeatman discusses the tax implications of spiked seltzer.

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Trumpian Conservatives and the Fever Swamps

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 15:16:47 GMT

Conservatives’ tolerance for illiberal views needs to end sooner than later. Do libertarians have a similar problem? David Boaz makes his case.

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Are A Disproportionate Number of Federal Judges Former Prosecutors?

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Would prosecutors object if they faced more judges who'd spent their earlier careers working for the defense? Clark Neily comments on his new study.

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Cashless Stores vs. Congressional Action

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 21:05:35 GMT

Congress is considering a ban on cashless stores. What does that mean for businesses that already don't take cash? Cato's Diego Zuluaga comments.

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How Should States Start to Protect Privacy?

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 20:59:48 GMT

State-level changes can protect the privacy of residents from the prying eyes of governments. So how should states do it? Jonathon Hauenschild of the American Legislative Exchange Council comments.

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Political Corruption from Beyond the Grave?

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 21:00:51 GMT

When you die, there are few benefits you can receive for a political donation. Why does that matter? Attorney Alan Gura is challenging some recent changes to rules for political donations.

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The Perverse Effects of Banning Flavored Vaping Products

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Would a prohibition on flavored vaping products be a net-negative in reducing smoking-related illness? Jeffrey Miron discusses the apparent White House plan to ban flavors of vaping products.

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Attack in Saudi Arabia Inspires U.S. Drumbeat for War with Iran

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 18:05:49 GMT

The attack on a Saudi oil facility has many in the Trump Administration pushing for a U.S. response. John Glaser and Doug Bandow say the U.S. ought to stay out of another Saudi-led war.

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Trump White House Mulls Monitoring the Mentally Ill for Future Violence

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:19:34 GMT

The White House’s potential plan to use consumer tech to monitor those deemed mentally ill for potential violence already has some bipartisan support. The problem is that it won't work. Julian Sanchez comments.

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San Francisco Deems NRA a Terrorist Group

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 19:00:39 GMT

Why take seriously San Francisco's declaration that the National Rifle Association is a domestic terror group? Walter Olson explains.

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What Do Democrats Running for President Want from Criminal Justice Reform?

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 17:03:10 GMT

A few Democratic candidates running for President have flagged the police protection known as qualified immunity as worthy of reform. Clark Neily discusses the various criminal justice proposals offered by Democratic White House hopefuls.

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Challenging the Friends of Endless War

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 18:06:43 GMT

Ending or sharply curtailing U.S.-led wars across the globe has popular support. How should that energy translate to action? Stephen Wertheim is a cofounder of the new Quincy Institute.

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Bolton Ends Tenure as National Security Advisor

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 22:28:25 GMT

What opportunities for better foreign policy emerge in John Bolton's departure from the White House? Eric Gomez and Chris Preble comment.

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A Case for Worrying about America’s Low Fertility Rates

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 00:56:47 GMT

Lyman Stone argues that, yes, even libertarians should care about the policies that affect fertility rates. Stone is a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies.

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School Choice and Segregation

Fri, 06 Sep 2019 20:16:00 GMT

Are school choice advocates indifferent to segregation? Neal McCluskey counters the new/old argument against school choice.

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Will Changes to Overtime Pay Actually Help Workers?

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 20:43:00 GMT

There may be some benefit to expanding the pay rates at which workers are eligible for overtime, but Ryan Bourne argues those benefits will be short term.

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Can the President Order Companies to Stop Doing Business in China?

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 02:46:00 GMT

A presidential tweet ordered American companies to begin looking away from China for trade. What's the legal basis for such a claim? Gene Healy comments.

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A Conservative Evaluation of Conservative Nationalism

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 21:40:00 GMT

What do conservatives think of the emerging nationalist conservatism that rejects much of recent decades of conservative and libertarian thinking? Richard Reinsch of Law and Liberty gives his assessment.

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Property Rights as a Foundation for Conservation

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 20:55:00 GMT

Are property rights the enemy of conservation? Holly Fretwell of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Johnson & Johnson, Opioids, and Public Nuisance Law

Sat, 31 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Johnson & Johnson went to court to fight claims of its contribution to the "public nuisance" of the opioid crisis. They lost. Walter Olson discusses what public nuisance torts mean for future litigation.

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Federal Rules and Housing Affordability

Fri, 30 Aug 2019 20:55:00 GMT

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has altered Obama-era federal housing rules. What does that mean for making housing more affordable and plentiful? Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center comments.

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The Galling Push for a Student Debt Bailout

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 15:06:00 GMT

Leading Democratic presidential contenders want the feds to bail out students with school debt. What about the young people who made more modest choices? Christian Barnard of the Reason Foundation comments.

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Trump’s "Flimsy" Steel Tariffs Challenged

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 21:39:00 GMT

A case in federal court challenge the Trump Administration over steel tariffs. Cato's Simon Lester and Will Yeatman comment.

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What Could Cause the Next Housing Crash?

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 15:31:00 GMT

Are rules governing housing finance setting the stage for the next crash? If so, what ought to change? Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Farewell to the Cadillac Tax on Health Plans?

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 14:46:00 GMT

Like the promise of Medicare cuts, the so-called "Cadillac Tax" on health plans was probably never going to last long. David Hyman explains why.

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The Weak Conservative Case for Industrial Policy

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 19:07:00 GMT

Nationalist conservatives like Oren Cass are pushing industrial policy. Ryan Bourne says the case for this manufacturing-focused industrial policy is weak.

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British MP: Give Hong Kongers British Citizenship

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 15:30:00 GMT

A British Parlimentarian suggests giving British citizenship to people in Hong Kong. Is it a good idea, and what would be the likely impacts? Chris Preble and Alex Nowrasteh comment.

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How Do Protests in Hong Kong End?

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 21:13:00 GMT

How might the protests in Hong Kong end? Can Hong Kong residents expect China to back down or accept reasonable protections for civil liberties? Doug Bandow comments.

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A Case Study in Warrants for Location Data

Tue, 20 Aug 2019 15:05:00 GMT

An assault in Manhattan leads a prosecutor to get a warrant for cellphone location data from Google. Is this how it's supposed to work? Julian Sanchez comments.

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What Is and Isn’t Currency Manipulation?

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 21:20:00 GMT

Are China's moves to prop up the RMB more than a reaction to Trump Administration tariffs? Cato's Dan Ikenson comments.

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American-Style Nationalism Past and Present

Sat, 17 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Nationalism largely rejects individualism, and conservative nationalism is no different. Historian Anthony Comegna argues that "national purpose" is at best a misnomer.

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Name and Shame Politics in Action

Thu, 15 Aug 2019 20:33:00 GMT

When public officials or those running for office call out the political donations of people they don't like, what's the goal? Is it merely to shame them? Walter Olson comments.

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Immigration and the Perversion of the "Public Charge"

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security finalized a regulation this week that bans “public charges” from receiving legal status in the United States, a sweeping change. David Bier comments on the likely consequences for immigration.

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Exiting Afghanistan

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

A new Cato policy analysis makes the case for ending America's longest war. John Glaser is co-author of that report.

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Workplace Immigration Raids: Terrifying, Devastating, and Ineffective

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

For the crime of working in the U.S. without relevant paperwork, workplace immigration raids are a great way for the feds to project power and punish consensual work arrangements. Problem is that they aren't very effective at dealing with illegal immigration. Cato's David Bier comments.

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FBI vs. FTC vs. FB: Surveillance and Secure User Data

Sat, 10 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

The FBI, Facebook, and the Federal Trade Commission need to have a talk about what it means to "secure user data.” The FBI wants to engage in more surveillance and the FTC wants Facebook to do a better job protecting user data from outsiders. Matthew Feeney comments on a new fight over surveillance and Facebook user privacy.

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How Important Are the Ideologies of Mass Killers?

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 14:16:00 GMT

The ideologies that drove mass killings in Texas and Ohio are still not totally clear, but how valuable is it to know that information? Should all mass killings be characterized as terrorism? Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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Gun Policy Is Hard

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 21:14:00 GMT

Most neat and clean solutions to the problem of gun violence have significant problems. Trevor Burrus comments.

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Does "Addictive" Social Media Demand More Government?

Wed, 07 Aug 2019 20:28:00 GMT

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) says social media is addictive and Big Tech hasn’t done much for the public interest lately. What should that mean for government regulation of big tech? Ryan Bourne and Matthew Feeney comment.

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The Elizabeth Warren Trade Policy Checklist

Tue, 06 Aug 2019 21:02:00 GMT

Elizabeth Warren's priorities for trade agreements may differ from the current President, but the final result may simply be less liberalized trade. Dan Ikenson and Simon Lester comment.

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Congressional Delegation of Regulatory Authority and Time

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

When Congress delegates its regulatory authority, the regulators take the ball and run. How should Congress reengage with its essential oversight functions with respect to regulation? Will Yeatman comments.

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Taking Conservative Nationalism Seriously

Sat, 03 Aug 2019 07:00:00 GMT

The aims of national conservatism (or conservative nationalism) will differ based on who you ask, but it rejects a great deal of the conservatism of the last few decades, and libertarian thinking is among the ideologies in its crosshairs. Aaron Ross Powell and Stephanie Slade discuss why it should be taken seriously.

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PragerU and Ongoing Confusion over Anti-Conservative Bias

Fri, 02 Aug 2019 19:01:00 GMT

What are the users of Google, Facebook, and Twitter due, exactly? If anti-conservative bias exists on big speech platforms, is federal law or the Constitution on the side of the conservatives? Matthew Feeney comments.

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What Makes a Qualified Director of National Intelligence?

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 21:02:00 GMT

How does a Director of National Intelligence do a good job? Julian Sanchez discusses the new nominee for the job, Rep. John Ratcliffe.

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Boris Johnson: Immigration’s Anti-Trump

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 20:39:00 GMT

New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has long supported relatively open immigration. The U.S. should take note. Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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America’s Nuclear Crossroads

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 08:00:00 GMT

As the United States adjusts to a changing global balance of power, nuclear deterrence is poised to return to a level of importance in U.S. national security not seen since the end of the Cold War. What are the emerging issues in nuclear weaponry and global power that policymakers should consider? Caroline Dorminey and Eric Gomez are editors of America’s Nuclear Crossroads.

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Trophy Hunting and African Development

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 21:22:00 GMT

The tensions between what wealthy westerners want for and from Africa and what actual Africans want is coming into increasing tension. Catherine Semcer of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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How Will North Korean Missile Launches Impact Diplomacy?

Fri, 26 Jul 2019 20:42:00 GMT

What are the risks of downplaying North Korea's latest warning in the form of missile launches? As diplomacy with North Korea moves forward, how should the U.S. view the North's provocations? Eric Gomez comments.

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What Will Trigger An American Debt Crisis?

Thu, 25 Jul 2019 19:37:00 GMT

As the President and Congress push through another massive, debt-laden budget, deficits and debt continue to pile up. Chris Edwards discusses what might trigger an American debt crisis.

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Bernie Sanders and Bad Justifications for Minimum Wage Hikes

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 21:28:00 GMT

The tiff between workers for the Bernie Sanders campaign and the campaign leadership illustrates some of the tradeoffs inherent in mandating wage floors. Ryan Bourne is author of a new paper on minimum wage hikes and bad justifications for them.

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Resisting the Drive to War with Iran

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 00:38:00 GMT

Small incidents can magnify a tense U.S. situation with Iran. How should the Trump Administration proceed to lower tensions? Doug Bandow comments.

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Lofgren and Amash on Polarization, Civil Discourse, and Getting Things Done in Congress

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 20:53:00 GMT

As civil discourse falters in the United States, House Democrat Zoe Lofgren and House independent Justin Amash discuss the process of lawmaking with Cato's Jeff Vanderslice. This was recorded on Capitol Hill at the Cato Institute's #SphereSummit held this week.

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Grizzly Bears and Endangered Species Recovery

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 16:59:00 GMT

Species recovery is a key goal of the Endangered Species Act. So why are recovering species so rarely removed from the list? Brian Yablonski of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Let Conservationists Compete for Use of Federal Lands

Wed, 17 Jul 2019 17:35:00 GMT

Conservations are not a part of the conversation when it comes time to lease federal lands. Should that change? Shawn Regan of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Montana School Choice at SCOTUS

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 17:40:00 GMT

Montana parents want to use a scholarship tax credit program to send their kids to religious schools. Montana’s high court says no. The Supreme Court will ultimately decide the issue this term. Erica Smith with the Institute for Justice comments.

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National Security, Freedom to Trade, and Huawei

Mon, 15 Jul 2019 12:11:00 GMT

Chinese tech company Huawei is widely perceived to pose a threat to US national security. Considering the high costs of mitigating that threat the way US policy makers seem to be demanding, the US public first should be convinced that the threat is dire and that the prescribed measures are necessary. Dan Ikenson comments.

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Justin Amash and the Downtrodden Anti-War Conservatives

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Justin Amash's departure from the GOP means the continued fracturing of anti-war conservatives and libertarians. Jim Antle of The American Conservative comments.

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Defining War Down

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT

There is no credible way to conclude that the United States is not at war. Ah, but "endless war" Is another thing altogether, right? Gene Healy comments.

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The Community Reinvestment Act in the Age of Fintech and Bank Competition

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT

The Community Reinvestment Act should be scrapped wholesale. Failing that, it should be dramatically restructured. Diego Zuluaga is author of "The Community Reinvestment Act in the Age of Fintech and Bank Competition."

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Is Auer Deference Truly Hobbled?

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 20:58:00 GMT

The Kisor case decided recently by the Supreme Court reined in so-called "Auer deference," but what changes about regulating going forward? Will Yeatman comments.

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Will 2020 Yield A Real Conversation about Educational Freedom?

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 21:34:00 GMT

A Supreme Court challenge implicating state-level Blaine Amendments and Democrats' revival of school busing as an issue could force a real conversation about educational freedom. Neal McCluskey comments.

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The Conservative Sensibility

Fri, 05 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Rights precede government. That's the core of the American founding, and George F. Will argues that it's worth preserving. His new book is The Conservative Sensibility.

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A Troubling Military Pageant in Washington

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 07:00:00 GMT

The President's decision to flex military hardware at an Independence Day celebration is at odds with a commemoration of liberty. Chris Preble comments.

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The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 19:38:00 GMT

One of the ways Chicago is special is the way in which all power appears to flow out of the mayor's office. It causes massive and relatively intractable problems. It's not a problem of personalities, but of structure. Ed Bachrach and Austin Berg are authors of The New Chicago Way.

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Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 21:12:00 GMT

In the land of the free, how has U.S. militarism changed domestic policing? Chris Coyne and Abigail Hall are authors of Tyranny Comes Home: The Domestic Fate of U.S. Militarism.

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Who Wins in Opportunity Zones?

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:03:00 GMT

Opportunity Zones are a part of the 2017 tax bill, but who benefits? And how is it appropriate to single out some places for special investment tax breaks? Chris Edwards comments.

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Sen. Hawley's Bad Answer to Anti-Conservative Bias: License Speech Platforms

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 13:15:00 GMT

In an attempt to take on what he calls "censorship" on big speech platforms online, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) would prefer to effectively compel big tech firms to secure federal licenses to operate. John Samples comments.

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Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump

Thu, 27 Jun 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Many young protestors on college campuses appear intent on achieving something new: Ending campus debate on controversial ideas. Robby Soave is author of Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump.

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Testing the Limits of Congressional Delegation in Gundy

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 14:38:00 GMT

Congress can't just delegate all of its duties away. Where should the line be drawn? In Gundy, the Supreme Court turned away a challenge to one particular Congressional delegation, but new challenges are coming. Trevor Burrus and Ilya Shapiro comment on the case.

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Growing Abuse of the National Security Rationale for Restricting Trade

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 16:46:00 GMT

Many of the trade restrictions imposed by the White House have been accompanied by concerns over national security. Simon Lester is coauthor of a new paper detailing how this rationale can and has been abused.

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Facebucks? Zuckercoin? Libra.

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 12:02:00 GMT

A new currency offered by Facebook among others stands to be a substantial financial innovation, but important elements about the sort-of cryptocurrency have yet to be revealed. Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Double Jeopardy Alive and Well after Gamble

Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:01:00 GMT

The Supreme Court has given new life to a large exception to a Constitutional prohibition on double jeopardy. Ilya Shapiro and Clark Neily discuss the Gamble case.

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Dubious Legal Authority in the Push for War with Iran

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 18:45:00 GMT

Nearly two decades ago, one Congress voted once to strike back against those who perpetrated 9/11. Now that same legal authority is enabling a push to take the U.S. to war with Iran. Gene Healy comments.

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Public Access and Free Speech at SCOTUS

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:58:00 GMT

In Manhattan Community Access Corporation v. Halleck, the Supreme Court affirms that private platforms are not state actors, and are therefore not subject to First Amendment constraints. Trevor Burrus comments.

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The Growing Green Card Backlog

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 12:28:00 GMT

Legal immigration is becoming more challenging. David Bier explains how in a new paper.

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Is This Time Different? Schumpeter, the Tech Giants, and Monopoly Fatalism

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Remember MySpace? What about Kodak? These companies seemed to be unstoppable monopolies. So what happened? Ryan Bourne is author of the new Cato paper, "Is This Time Different? Schumpeter, the Tech Giants, and Monopoly Fatalism."

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What Is Postal Banking?

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 20:24:00 GMT

Postal banking offered in financial reform legislation is a solution to a problem created by current interventions in the banking sector. So says Cato's Todd Zywicki.

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The Jones Act Spikes the Price of Hawaiian Rum

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:06:00 GMT

Bob Gunter's Koloa Rum is extremely expensive to ship to the mainland U.S., all thanks to the Jones Act.

Learn more about the Jones Act

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More from The Wealth Explosion

Wed, 12 Jun 2019 22:13:00 GMT

What makes modernity persist? When do efforts to perfect modernity undermine it? Stephen Davies is author of The Wealth Explosion.

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The SEC's New Enforcement Action against Kin Cryptocurrency

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 20:50:00 GMT

When does the SEC make a decision to go after a particular cryptocurrency offering? What standards apply? The case of Kik and its related crypto offering, Kin, isn't yielding any answers. Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Arabic Numerals and Open Societies

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 19:08:00 GMT

What are the important lessons from Islam's inward turn centuries ago? Mustafa Akyol comments.

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A New Presidential Power Grab over Mexican Tariffs

Sat, 08 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Is the president's assertion of authority to unilaterally lay a five-percent tariff on all Mexican goods authorized under law and the Constitution? Gene Healy comments.

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Elizabeth Warren’s ‘Economic Patriotism’

Fri, 07 Jun 2019 20:26:00 GMT

Senator Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign has presented a broad economic plan that includes a shift in priorities for trade under the banner of "economic patriotism." Simon Lester comments.

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Next Steps in Prison Reform

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 21:08:00 GMT

Many federal inmates are about to be released under the First Step Act, but the road ahead for prison reform should focus more directly on putting fewer people in prison to begin with. Kevin Ring, president of FAMM Foundation, comments.

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When Regulators Are Also Competitors

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 20:46:00 GMT

The Supreme Court turned away a challenge to Amtrak's regulatory power wherein the agency/company regulates its private sector rivals. What does that mean for competition between private and public entities in the future? William Yeatman comments.

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Parsing the Julian Assange Indictment

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 03:42:00 GMT

How much of Julian Assange's alleged espionage was the kind of thing good reporters do every day? Patrick Eddington comments.

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Kamala Harris and the Authoritarian Impulse

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 07:00:00 GMT

The policy and professional choices of U.S. Senator and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris seem to be rooted in … no particular ideology. But her past uses of prosecutorial power show a willingness to abandon her own kinder and gentler public political commitments. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason looked into the longtime prosecutor's statements and record.

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The Kamala Harris Plan to Address the Gender Pay Gap

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Would taxing big firms that fail to pay men and women the same achieve gender pay equity? Ryan Bourne comments on a new proposal from Senator Kamala Harris.

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Trump Threatens New Tariffs on Mexican Goods

Fri, 31 May 2019 19:24:00 GMT

After the President threatens new tariffs on Mexican goods, other countries hoping to secure trade agreements with the U.S. may think twice. Simon Lester explains why.

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A New Model for Helping Students Assert Freedom of Speech

Thu, 30 May 2019 22:02:00 GMT

When Speech First is the defendant, students who want to speak freely don't have to make themselves targets for harassment or ostracism. Nicole Neily is president of Speech First.

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The Warren and Sanders Plans for Student Loans and Free College

Wed, 29 May 2019 21:02:00 GMT

Two Democratic U.S. Senators running for President have unveiled their plans for potential federal roles in managing the costs of college. Diego Zuluaga describes the plans and their problems.

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Congress Sleeps While Trump Spends and Spends

Tue, 28 May 2019 21:15:00 GMT

Congress should guard its power of the purse. In the case of handouts to farmers injured as a result of Trump tariffs, members of Congress are fighting to make sure their farmers get some. William Yeatman comments.

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The Wealth Explosion and Why It Might Not Continue

Mon, 27 May 2019 07:00:00 GMT

When parts of Europe began to develop faster economically than ever before, it was only unprecedented because that rapid development still hasn’t stopped. There are historical examples or rapid economic development that did stop, and Stephen Davies examines them all in his new book, The Wealth Explosion.

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Punishment without Crime Examines Our Broken Misdemeanor System

Sat, 25 May 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Alexandra Natapoff argues forcefully in Punishment without Crime that the misdemeanor system in the United States consistently fails low-income people and makes America more unequal.

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The Surge of Populism in Mexico

Fri, 24 May 2019 20:20:00 GMT

Mexico’s President ALMO, as he is known, came to power pledging to raise living standards and lower the murder rate. How he’s going about it troubles Roberto Salinas-León, President of the Mexico Business Forum and Director of Atlas Network’s Center for Latin America.

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New York City Takes a Gun Restriction to the Supreme Court

Thu, 23 May 2019 20:23:00 GMT

The Supreme Court will weigh in on a curious gun restriction in New York City. Matthew LaRosiere comments.

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Sweeping Executive Privilege vs. Congressional Subpoenas

Wed, 22 May 2019 12:02:00 GMT

The President asserts a broad executive privilege in fighting Congressional subpoenas. It's not a privilege rooted in the Constitution, so where does it come from? Gene Healy comments.

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Feds Should End Aid to States

Tue, 21 May 2019 20:10:00 GMT

The feds don't just offer handouts to individuals and corporations, they also subsidize state and local activities. Chris Edwards explains why this should end in "Restoring Responsible Government by Cutting Federal Aid to the States.”

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Neoliberalism 101

Fri, 17 May 2019 18:00:00 GMT

Neoliberalism has a long history, and yet neoliberals think about many issues very differently than libertarians do. Jeremiah Johnson directs policy at the Neoliberal Project. And yes, this is a crossover episode.

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How Congress Could Legalize Immigrants

Fri, 17 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

A new Cato paper details several ways Congress could legalize immigrants. Alex Nowrasteh and David Bier comment for the latest edition of Cato Audio.

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Facebook, Content Moderation, and Free Expression

Wed, 15 May 2019 20:24:00 GMT

At the Cato Institute's city seminar in San Francisco last month, John Samples discussed the challenge of respecting the values of free expression while moderating content on a massive platform.

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A Bankrupt Plan to Cap Credit Card Interest

Tue, 14 May 2019 10:13:00 GMT

A new proposal would likely sharply curtail the issuance of credit cards and the extension of unsubsidized credit to lower-income people. Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Watering the Tree of Liberty Today

Mon, 13 May 2019 21:22:00 GMT

What does the struggle for liberty look like today? Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) discussed some of his ideas at the Cato Institute Benefactor Summit in April.

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Considering the 'New START' for Nuclear Arms Reduction

Fri, 10 May 2019 12:55:00 GMT

Will the Trump Administration have enough time, or interest, in nuclear arms reductions before 2020? Eric Gomez discusses what's driving the discussions surrounding the New START treaty.

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Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, and the Regulatory Challenge

Thu, 09 May 2019 07:00:00 GMT

At a live recording of the Cato Daily Podcast in San Francisco, Cato's Diego Zuluaga and Matthew Feeney explored the costs and benefits of a relatively unregulated cryptocurrency marketplace.

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What Does the U.S. Expect to Get with 'Maximum Pressure' on Iran?

Wed, 08 May 2019 07:01:00 GMT

The "maximum pressure" being applied to Iran is definitely costly to the U.S. and its allies, so we should expect to get a lot out of the policy, right? Emma Ashford and John Glaser explain why that's less than clear.

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A Risk Analysis of Foreign and Native-Born Terrorists

Tue, 07 May 2019 08:00:00 GMT

The Trump Administration has ratcheted up rhetoric on the threat of terrorism on U.S. soil, calling for costly policy changes to foil foreign-born terrorism. The data don't support the claims. Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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Trump Threatens More Tariffs on Chinese Goods

Mon, 06 May 2019 21:19:00 GMT

New threats of heightened tariffs may further complicate efforts to resolving trade relations with China. Dan Ikenson discusses what that means for Americans.

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The Politics on the Ground over School Choice

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 20:24:00 GMT

As founder and head of schools of Capital Prep schools, Steve Perry knows how school choice works, and the bankrupt politics that inhibit educational freedom.

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The Telegraph As Technological Singularity

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 21:40:00 GMT

The telegraph was supposed to liberate humanity. So what happened? Historian Anthony Comegna explains.

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Donald Trump: Standing on the Shoulders of Tyrants

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 15:22:00 GMT

How does the Trump record of aggrandizing the Oval Office compare to his predecessors? Cato's Gene Healy details his case in a new article in Reason.

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Congress Should Consider Impeachment More Often

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 21:03:00 GMT

Impeachable offenses aren't merely what members of the House agree they are. It's a substantial authority with some clear guidelines. One problem is, according to former Obama White House Counsel Bob Bauer, Congress is too afraid to launch inquiries.

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The Mueller Report Is Out (Mostly)

Tue, 23 Apr 2019 21:46:00 GMT

The long-awaited Mueller report into Russian meddling in U.S. elections is now available in a redacted form. Julian Sanchez discusses what's new in the report and how Congress could use the information.

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Trump Imposes A Bad Deal on Major League Baseball

Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:54:00 GMT

A deal that would have made it easier for Cuban baseball players to join MLB has been nixed by the Trump Administration. Dara Lind, a senior correspondent at Vox, discusses the change.

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Educational Freedom, Teacher Sickouts, and Bloated Higher Ed

Thu, 18 Apr 2019 10:40:00 GMT

At the Cato Institute's Benefactor Summit, Neal McCluskey and Corey DeAngelis discussed the bloat and expense of modern higher ed, the data on school choice options, and why choice is second-best to educational freedom.

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Devin Nunes Has a Cow

Wed, 17 Apr 2019 14:31:00 GMT

California Congressman Devin Nunes is suing Twitter for facilitating what he calls defamatory comments about him. He's also suing political strategist Liz Mair. Mair says Nunes doesn't understand how civil liberties work.

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Antitrust and Big Tech

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 18:27:00 GMT

The benefits and rationale for subjecting large tech firms to antitrust claims seem less clear than the costs, according to Kristian Stout with the International Center for for Law and Economics.

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Trump's Planned Drawdown in Afghanistan Is a Good Sign

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 12:49:00 GMT

Between the start of talks with the Taliban and moving forward with plans to draw down U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Donald Trump deserves some credit. Emma Ashford explains why.

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How Do Doctors Think about Harm Reduction?

Sat, 13 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Harm reduction isn’t an alien concept for doctors. The problem in the context of opioids is that the feds and states won’t get out of the way to let it happen. Jeff Singer comments.

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A New Day Dawns for Trade in Africa

Fri, 12 Apr 2019 21:31:00 GMT

A new trade deal will dramatically reduce tariffs among participating countries in a new African trade zone. Alexander C. R. Hammond of African Liberty discusses the upside for regional trade.

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Eisenhower’s Relevance to Peace, War, and Liberty Today

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 21:35:00 GMT

Eisenhower's presidency still has enduring lessons for prospects for peace and liberty today. Chris Preble, author of the forthcoming book, Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy, offers his thoughts.

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Why Mark Zuckerberg Is Mistaken to Welcome Federal Regulation of Facebook

Tue, 09 Apr 2019 12:10:00 GMT

John Samples is author of the new Cato paper, "Why the Government Should Not Regulate Content Moderation of Social Media."

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How Governments Seize Guns with 'Red Flag Laws'

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 14:01:00 GMT

Red flag laws are aimed at getting guns away from people who are at risk of suicide or crime. David Kopel explains the due process implications of these preemptive gun seizures.

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Cannabis and Opioid Overdoses

Sun, 07 Apr 2019 01:31:00 GMT

Can cannabis become a key player in stemming the tide of opioid overdoses? Adrianne Wilson-Poe is a neuroscientist who studies the potential of cannabis in the opioid overdose epidemic.

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A Big-Spending Divided Congress

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Will a divided Congress yield lower spending? Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending comments.

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How Supervised Injection Works for Heroin Users

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 13:16:00 GMT

Some heroin users have never injected the drug themselves, and other heroin users know nothing about how to inject safely. Darwin Fisher runs a supervised injection facility, Insite, in Vancouver, BC. He explains why safe injection matters.

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Counting the Costs of a Trump Border Shutdown

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 04:00:00 GMT

The president says it would be a "money making operation" to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border, but that's simply not true. The costs would be enormous. Dan Ikenson and David Bier make the case.

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How Does Heroin-Assisted Treatment Work?

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Addiction to and dependence on heroin can create a cycle that consumes other parts of a person's life. Scott MacDonald is the lead physician at the Crosstown Clinic in Vancouver, Canada. The clinic provides, among other services, heroin-assisted treatment.

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The Opioid Crisis Is Driven by Prohibition

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Dr. Daniel Ciccarone says that in order to understand opioid use and abuse, we need to understand today's users in real time. Prohibition makes that understanding more difficult.

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Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration

Fri, 29 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

How does our criminal justice system fail, and why does it seem to do so systematically? Rachel Elise Barkow is author of Prisoners of Politics: Breaking the Cycle of Mass Incarceration.

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Data Privacy Protection for the Future

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Data privacy is important, so why don't we treat it that way? Would more civil action against tech firms that misuse or fail to secure data help? Lindsey Barrett of the Georgetown University Law Center comments.

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Gullible Superpower: U.S. Support for Bogus Foreign Democratic Movements

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 10:19:00 GMT

Over the last forty years, there is a distressing history of foreign insurgent groups being able to manipulate U.S. policymakers and opinion leaders into supporting their cause. Cato's Ted Galen Carpenter discusses his new book, Gullible Superpower.

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To Make Better Cities, Drop the Big Plans

Tue, 26 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

To make cities thrive, what's the proper role for elected officials? How, precisely, should they get out of the way of entrepreneurship and development? Greg Brooks is president of the new Better Cities Project.

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The Mueller Report Arrives (Sorta)

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 21:12:00 GMT

Attorney General William Barr has released a brief description of the findings of Robert Mueller in his investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. elections. Many questions remain. Julian Sanchez comments.

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Social Media's Content Challenge

Mon, 25 Mar 2019 04:00:00 GMT

Moderating content in a polarized political climate while also respecting the value of free speech is a challenge still vexing social media companies. Thomas Kadri of the Yale Information Society Project comments.

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Development Economics and 'The Outsider's Dilemma'

Sat, 23 Mar 2019 04:00:00 GMT

What helps the world's poor to become prosperous? Matt Warner, president of the Atlas Network, describes some of the problems of development economics, the aid industry, and provides some hope for the future.

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Lessons from the Great Recession, Part 2317

Sat, 23 Mar 2019 01:28:00 GMT

A decade later, we're still discovering lessons from the Great Recession. Economist Vincent Reinhart discussed a few at the Cato Institute Monetary Conference in 2018.

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Rent Control Goes Statewide in Oregon

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 17:31:00 GMT

A new Oregon law is a first-of-its-kind statewide rent control regime. It’s effects may be fairly weak, given its provisions. Ryan Bourne discusses the winners and losers in the new regime.

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Does Mass Transit Help Low-Income Workers?

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 17:28:00 GMT

The case for transit would seem to rest on its ability to cheaply get low-income Americans to work. Randal O'Toole argues that it's not that simple.

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Does Marsy’s Law Protect Cops from Accountability?

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 21:37:00 GMT

Many states are pushing so-called Marsy's Laws as a way to protect victims of crime from some of elements of the criminal justice system. How might police use these laws to escape accountability? Jonathan Blanks comments.

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Trade and American Leadership: The Paradoxes of Power and Wealth from Alexander Hamilton to Donald Trump

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 15:58:00 GMT

Does the U.S. retreat from freer trade have political implications? How should trade policy adjust to the shrinking U.S. share of the global economy? Craig VanGrasstek is author of Trade and American Leadership.

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Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy

Sat, 16 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Christopher A. Preble is author of Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy. This is a special presentation from the March 2019 edition of Cato Audio.

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The Trump Foreign Policy and Its Trump Administration Opponents

Fri, 15 Mar 2019 20:31:00 GMT

Is it too rich to hear former Vice President Cheney complain about the Trump foreign policy? Was the Pentagon really caught unawares by the President's decree that the U.S. leave Syria? Jim Antle is editor of The American Conservative magazine.

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Threat Inflation Season Is Appropriation Season

Thu, 14 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

How much do we know about the ratio between foreign-born and American-born terrorist threats? Does it matter? Patrick Eddington comments.

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How Regulation Cripples Online Political Speech

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:43:00 GMT

Online political speech is often dramatically different from the speech presented via terrestrial broadcasting. That difference is critical to protecting speech in the face of one-size-fits-all regulatory regimes. Attorney Allen Dickerson with the Institute for Free Speech comments.

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Jones Act Repeal Lands in the Senate

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

Legislation is now on the table to end the Jones Act. Colin Grabow discusses its likely prospects.

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Anyone's Game: Sports-Betting Regulations after Murphy v. NCAA

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 07:00:00 GMT

A big Supreme Court case has fundamentally altered the landscape of sports betting. So what comes next? Patrick Moran comments.

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Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 01:48:00 GMT

The 2016 election revealed a great deal about how rural America functions and how it doesn't. Tim Carney makes a case in Alienated America that there may be ways to bridge growing divisions.

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A Voluminous Congressional Attack on Free Political Speech

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 22:41:00 GMT

A massive new plan unveiled by Democrats is a wish list of restrictions on free political speech. Luke Wachob of the Institute for Free Speech comments.

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If Sex Workers Are Victims, Why Charge Them with Felonies?

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 22:01:00 GMT

The police raids on massage parlors in Florida initially promised a blockbuster story of sex trafficking. So far, the story hasn't panned out. Elizabeth Nolan Brown, an associate editor at Reason magazine, explains.

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Criminal Immigrants in 2017: Their Numbers, Demographics, and Countries of Origin

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 08:00:00 GMT

For all the bluster about immigration, the idea that immigrants pose a unique crime problem still doesn't show up in the data. Alex Nowrasteh discusses his new paper.

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Customs and Border Patrol in the "Constitution-Free Zone"

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 21:12:00 GMT

What grants border patrol agents more invasive powers in a 100-mile wide band around the edges of the United States? Chris Montoya is a former longtime Customs and Border Patrol agent.

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Medicare at 50 Would Double Down on Failure

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 22:32:00 GMT

A new proposal would expand Medicare to include Americans as young as 50. It's a throw-money-at-it solution to problems largely caused by government intervention in health care, according to Cato’s Michael Cannon.

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Kim and Trump, Together Again

Tue, 26 Feb 2019 14:07:00 GMT

Will the diplomatic push between the U.S. and North Korea produce more substantive agreement? Will South Korea get on board with the long-held goal of U.S. troops departing the peninsula? Eric Gomez comments.

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The Dramatic Growth of Higher Ed Bureaucracy

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 08:00:00 GMT

What are all these university administrators doing, exactly? Cato senior fellow Todd Zywicki doesn't know, either.

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Dignity in Work Requires Value in Work

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 08:00:00 GMT

Dignity and productivity are strongly linked, but it's easy to misunderstand. Ryan Bourne comments.

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Cato Sues the SEC Over Gag Orders: A CatoAudio Roundtable

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 16:00:00 GMT

On the new CatoAudio, we devote our roundtable to the new lawsuit the Cato Institute has filed against the Securities and Exchange Commission policy of imposing gag orders on settling defendants. Cato's Clark Neily and Bob McNamara of IJ comment.

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Does the FCC’s "Public Interest" Mandate Extend to E-Cigarette Ads?

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:55:00 GMT

A dispute among members of the FCC indicates that there is an appetite on the commission for banning e-cigarette ads in the name of the "public interest." Commissioner Brendan Carr says he stands with the First Amendment.

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When Sweetheart Economic Development Deals Fail

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 01:00:00 GMT

Between the pullback of FoxConn's commitments to Wisconsin and Amazon's HQ2 withdrawal from New York, it's worth examining taxpayer-provided incentives for economic development. John Mozena is president of the Center for Economic Accountability.

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Evaluating the President's Legal and Factual Justifications for a "National Emergency"

Mon, 18 Feb 2019 21:01:00 GMT

Massive delegations of authority may strengthen the President's claim of a "national emergency" at the southern border. The facts of the emergency are not on his side. Will Yeatman and Alex Nowrasteh comment.

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How the U.S. Failed to Adjust to China's Economic Rise

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 14:50:00 GMT

What should the U.S. do to adjust to China's rise? Tariffs and shattering the global trading system aren't the answer, according to Scott Lincicome.

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How Would You Tax Wealth?

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 14:47:00 GMT

A proposal to tax wealth runs into Constitutional problems, but how would it work otherwise? Michael Tanner comments.

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Evaluating Modern Monetary Theory

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 21:28:00 GMT

Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) hinges critically on government having sole dominion over money. George Selgin discusses some of the new and old ideas MMT encapsulates.

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Jack Bogle and the Small Investor

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:33:00 GMT

Vanguard founder Jack Bogle revolutionized American investing on behalf of the little guy. Diego Zuluaga comments on his passing.

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The Syria Withdrawal and Complicating Factors

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 21:24:00 GMT

The announced removal of U.S. troops from Syria was a long time coming. So, what now? John Glaser comments.

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The Green New Deal: Sprawling & Sparse

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 18:23:00 GMT

The Green New Deal may just be a resolution or a wish list, but the challenges would be massive and the benefits less than clear. Peter Van Doren discusses the initial draft of the Green New Deal.

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U.S. Dietary Advice Takes Another Hit

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 13:53:00 GMT

A new meta-analysis points to the notion that U.S. dietary advice has been fatally flawed for more than four decades. Terence Kealey explains.

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As Brexit Deadline Looms, Agreement Seems Ephemeral

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 13:50:00 GMT

A no-deal Brexit could be devastating on a number of fronts. Where do things stand now? Ryan Bourne and Emma Ashford comment.

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Maduro, Venezuela, and the U.S. Role in Transition

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 13:48:00 GMT

Is there anything the U.S. should do to support Venezuelans who want to reassert their liberties? Juan Carlos Hidalgo comments.

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The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 21:30:00 GMT

Why does life improve in your 50s, 60s, and beyond? Jonathan Rauch makes his case in The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50.

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A Challenge to Conventional Narratives on Opioid Overdoses

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 22:27:00 GMT

New data is revealing that the doctor-centered narratives on opioid addiction and overdose are, at best, severely flawed and possibly entirely wrong. Jeffrey A. Singer describes why.

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Unprofitable Schooling: America's Broken Ivory Tower

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 21:23:00 GMT

Complaints about higher education in the U.S. are ubiquitous. College costs are up as student debt loads become more unsustainable, while criticisms of the quality of university education mount. Todd Zywicki is co-editor of the forthcoming book, Unprofitable Schooling.

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The Wild West of CBD Is Now

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 22:45:00 GMT

CBD is a chemical derived from cannabis, and its legal status is still not totally clear. Mike Riggs of Reason details how the drug is being treated by various federal agencies.

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Transparent Medical Pricing and the $89,000 Snake Bite

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 08:00:00 GMT

After Eric Ferguson was treated for a venomous snake bite, he received a bill including an $80,000 charge for $750 in antivenom.

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Toward a Less Disruptive Government Shutdown

Sun, 27 Jan 2019 08:00:00 GMT

Government shutdowns don't need to be so disruptive. Chris Edwards argues the key is devolving a great deal of federal control.

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The Nonstarter Compromise on DACA

Sat, 26 Jan 2019 08:00:00 GMT

A White House compromise plan to change the Delayed Action on Childhood Arrivals program (in exchange for funding for a wall at the border) was hardly a compromise at all. Instead, it would have stripped protection from many “Dreamers." David Bier comments on what a compromise measure ought to look like.

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Is the U.S. A Force for Good in Venezuela?

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 22:11:00 GMT

The United States has a long history of involvement in overthrowing governments in the Americas. Is this round of support for opposition leaders in Venezuela different? John Glaser comments.

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The Redacted Manafort File

Thu, 24 Jan 2019 21:38:00 GMT

What we still don't know about what former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told prosecutors is telling. Julian Sanchez comments.

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Trump Should Mail (or Tweet) in the State of the Union

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 20:00:00 GMT

The State of the Union is a blustery and vacuous ritual, and it doesn't have to be that way. Nancy Pelosi has offered Donald Trump a great opportunity to mail it in. Gene Healy comments.

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How "Market Failure" Arguments Lead to Misguided Policy

Tue, 22 Jan 2019 14:24:00 GMT

What makes a 'market failure'? Ryan Bourne is author of the new paper, "How ‘Market Failure’ Arguments Lead to Misguided Policy.”

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An Overdue Pardon for the 'Groveland Four'

Fri, 18 Jan 2019 22:41:00 GMT

Gilbert King's Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America details the decades-old wrongful arrest of four young black men on rape charges in Florida and the work of Thurgood Marshall and other attorneys to assert basic Constitutional rights on behalf of the defendants. The last of the Groveland Four died in 2012, but thanks in large part to the book, they have now been officially pardoned.

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The Myth of the Cyber Offense

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 20:32:00 GMT

Do cyber operations among rival states achieve their stated objectives? What are the escalation risks? Brandon Vareriano is co-author of the new Cato paper, "The Myth of the Cyber Offense: The Case for Restraint."

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Defining 'National Emergency' Down

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 15:45:00 GMT

What does the Constitution have to say about national emergencies, both real and imagined? Gene Healy comments.

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The Case for an Immigration Tariff

Tue, 15 Jan 2019 22:40:00 GMT

As a pressure valve against our broken immigration system, why not let immigrants pay for the privilege? Alex Nowrasteh makes his case in a new Cato paper.

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Dark Money and 'Lawless Prosecutions'

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 15:04:00 GMT

A new documentary showcased by PBS presents Montana as a success story of campaign finance reform and Wisconsin's John Doe investigations as a failure. Steve Klein of the Pillar of Law Institute details some omissions in the Dark Money documentary.

Related podcasts:

Wisconsin’s ‘John Doe’ Raids Two Years Later October 2, 2015
“John Doe” Prosecutors Lose Big in Wisconsin October 6, 2016

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Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate

Fri, 11 Jan 2019 19:29:00 GMT

The right to self medicate has a long history. It's time Americans rediscovered it. Jessica Flanigan makes her case in the new book Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate.

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Excessive Fines and Timbs v. Indiana

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 19:24:00 GMT

What makes a government fine excessive? Timbs v. Indiana, now before the U.S. Supreme Court, may provide some important clarification. Sam Gedge is an Institute for Justice attorney representing Tyson Timbs before the high court.

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Wisconsin's State-Run Butter Taste Test

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 19:19:00 GMT

Tasting butter is a matter of, well, taste. In Wisconsin, certified butter tasters are a part of the normal regulatory process. Anastasia Boden of the Pacific Legal Foundation is handling an ongoing legal case on behalf of a small butter maker.

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A Simple State-Level Reform for Prescription Drugs

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 15:59:00 GMT

One big cost associated with prescription drugs is going to a doctor for a prescription. Naomi Lopez Bauman of the Goldwater Institute describes one reform that could drive those costs down.

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What Drives Drug Prices? What Should Change?

Mon, 07 Jan 2019 15:55:00 GMT

Prescription drug prices continue moving up. What can discipline the process of setting drug prices? Charles Silver is coauthor of the Cato Institute book, Overcharged.

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How States Can Protect Data Privacy

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 15:46:00 GMT

The feds have a poor record of protecting data privacy, but there are moves that states can make to do so. Connor Boyack discusses one such effort in Utah.

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Monetary and Fiscal Policy Errors and Corrections

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 00:54:00 GMT

Why is it so hard to get monetary and fiscal policy right in troubled economic times? Jeffrey Frankel of Harvard's Kennedy School comments.

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Why Are American-Made Ships So Expensive?

Wed, 02 Jan 2019 20:15:00 GMT

The Jones Act is supposed to protect U.S. shipbuilders. So why does the industry fail to compete globally? Economist Thomas Grennes comments.

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Abusive Market Concentration in the Jones Act

Mon, 31 Dec 2018 21:37:00 GMT

Manuel Reyes, head of the Puerto Rico Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution Chamber, argues that the costs of the Jones Act have accelerated. We spoke during Cato's conference on the Jones Act this month.

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Academic Freedom and Freedom of Speech on Private College Campuses

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 16:30:00 GMT

When private universities pledge to enshrine academic freedom and freedom of speech, how much teeth does that promise have? Rick Esenberg is with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

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When Unions Want to Stop Paying Dues

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 02:43:00 GMT

When a local union wants to escape the expense of its state affiliate, what recourse do they have? David Osborne is with the Fairness Center. He discusses the case of a firefighter's union in Pennsylvania that has had enough.

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If You're Middle Class, Are You in Poverty?

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 21:54:00 GMT

What does it mean for policy and welfare programs when the definition of poverty creeps up into the middle class? Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center comments.

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False Promises of the Jones Act

Thu, 27 Dec 2018 15:45:00 GMT

How does the Jones Act make some American industries less competitive? Bryan Riley of the National Taxpayers Union comments.

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Radical Weirdness and the English Civil War

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 14:34:00 GMT

We can trace some powerful advances in human freedom to the ideas pushed by marginalized people and groups. Anthony Comegna walks us through the weirdos who stood up for freedom during the English Civil War.

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Stoicism for Troubled Times

Wed, 26 Dec 2018 04:50:00 GMT

Control what you can control and don't let the rest trouble you. The great stoics of centuries past have much to offer our contemporary lives. Ryan Holiday comments on engaging with what matters.

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How Trump Changed Political Comedy

Mon, 24 Dec 2018 21:13:00 GMT

Donald Trump has altered political comedy, and not for the better. Comedian and satirist Andrew Heaton argues that it may be a short-term phenomenon, but it's up to comedians to adjust.

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Judicial Deference and Kisor v. Wilkie

Sun, 23 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

A new case headed to the Supreme Court may challenge a great deal of deference courts currently afford federal agencies. Andrew Grossman comments.

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The Federal Reserve's Ongoing Mission Creep

Fri, 21 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

What problem was the Federal Reserve meant to solve? How does that compare with its assumed mandate today? Jeffrey Lacker is a former head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He discusses the original Fed charter and the powers it now claims.

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Why Exiting Syria is the Right Move

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 17:37:00 GMT

American participation in the conflict in Syria was never approved by Congress, and the benefits of being involved are far from clear. The President has ordered an end to U.S. participation in the conflict. Cato's John Glaser and Chris Preble believe it’s the right move.

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FIRST STEP Act Passes the Senate

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

What makes the FIRST STEP Act the most significant criminal justice reform in years? Shon Hopwood teaches law at Georgetown University. He discusses what he believes ought to be the next steps in criminal justice reform.

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How Legalizing Marijuana Is Securing the Border

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

How effective would a border wall be against drug smugglers? The answer can tell us a lot about how effective it would be against illegal migrants. Cato's David Bier is author of a new policy analysis on the subject.

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Home-Based Businesses and the Long Arm of the Law

Tue, 18 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

As home-based businesses grow, regulators should try to get out of the way. Christina Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute comments.

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Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi War in Yemen, and Modern Journalism

Mon, 17 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

The death of a U.S. journalist may have been the last straw for members of the Senate in considering the U.S-Saudi relationship. Spencer Ackerman of The Daily Beast discusses journalism and its risks in fraught times. We spoke at the 2018 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference.

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Creativity in Advancing Liberty

Sat, 15 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Data, numbers, charts, and white papers are fine, but advancing liberty in the future will require humor, creativity, and art in crafting compelling stories. John Papola comments on art as a tool to advance freedom.

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Human Freedom Index 2018

Fri, 14 Dec 2018 15:31:00 GMT

The Human Freedom Index continues to show the strong relationship between economic freedom and political and social freedom. Ian Vasquez discusses the latest edition of the report.

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The New York Response to Janus

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 21:35:00 GMT

The Janus ruling curtailing union power is not self-executing. Ken Girardin of The Empire Center discusses how New York has reacted to the ruling.

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FDA's Overcaution Carries Deadly Consequences

Tue, 11 Dec 2018 00:19:00 GMT

When the FDA sets out to evaluate a potential new drug, the agency's overcaution makes the exercise more expensive and potentially deadly from patients who might benefit. Mark Flatten of the Goldwater Institute comments.

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The Inclusive Economy: How to Bring Wealth to America's Poor

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 08:00:00 GMT

The Inclusive Economy, the new book by Cato’s Michael Tanner, examines welfare from the perspective of how government keeps many Americans poor. The book is available now.

You can support the Cato Daily Podcast and the Cato Institute by becoming a Podcast Sponsor.

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The Simon Abundance Index

Thu, 06 Dec 2018 23:08:00 GMT

Are we measuring resource availability properly? The Simon Abundance Index is an attempt to give the world a clearer picture of the abundance that surrounds us. Marian Tupy comments.

You can support the Cato Daily Podcast and the Cato Institute by becoming a Podcast Sponsor.

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Bank Stability Ten Years after the Financial Crisis

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 22:14:00 GMT

How has the banking system performed a decade after the financial crisis? Are there still reasons to worry? Tobias Adrian is Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the International Monetary Fund.

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Open Police Complaints

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 20:42:00 GMT

It's difficult to file a complaint with many police departments. In some cases, it's hard to know even how to file one. Steve Silverman of Flex Your Rights discusses the group's new project, Open Police Complaints, which aims to smooth the process and bring transparency to the process of registering a complaint against cops.You can support the Cato Daily Podcast and the Cato Institute by becoming a Podcast Sponsor.

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What Is Classical Liberal History?

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 16:22:00 GMT

History isn't merely a set of facts and events, and history doesn't emerge from a singular perspective. Michael J. Douma is co-editor of What is Classical Liberty History?

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New Mexico Begins Innovative Fix to Occupational Licensing

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 16:21:00 GMT

It outgoing New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has her way, New Mexicans will soon have a much bigger say in which businesses are allowed to serve them. Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation discusses the beginnings of a new and substantial occupational licensing reform.

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A Daunting Brexit Sales Pitch

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 21:08:00 GMT

A Brexit deal is on the table. How ugly could it be? Ryan Bourne discusses the challenging sales pitch and complicated politics of Britain leaving the European Union.

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In Weyerhaeuser, the Frog Never Had a Chance

Tue, 27 Nov 2018 21:17:00 GMT

The Weyerhaeuser decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court was nominally about protecting a frog's (potential) habitat. Holly Fretwell of the Property and Environment Research Center says protecting endangered species requires a deeper dive into the workings of the Endangered Species Act. We spoke in October before the decision was handed down.

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Understanding the Real Rate of Interest

Mon, 26 Nov 2018 20:52:00 GMT

How should we think about the real rate of interest? What changes can alter or obfuscate it? Claudio Borio of BIS comments.

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Teacher Outrage, Teacher Compensation

Fri, 23 Nov 2018 09:07:00 GMT

Do the claims that drove teacher protests in 2018 bear scrutiny? Victor Riches is President of the Goldwater Institute. He discusses some of the data on teacher compensation.

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Dental Therapy and Health Care Monopolies

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 09:00:00 GMT

Dental therapy offers a way to extend dental care to more Americans. Why isn't it more available? Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute comments.

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In the Pursuit of Self Government, Does Quality News Matter?

Wed, 21 Nov 2018 12:00:00 GMT

How much does quality newsgathering matter if the goal is self government? Anthony Comegna says it's not as important as we might hope.

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Wild Horses, Property Rights, and Public Lands

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 20:11:00 GMT

Wild horses don't care who owns the land under their hooves, but the apparent conflict between horses and property owners isn't as intractable as you might think. Hannah Downey of the Property and Environment Research Center explains.

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Bail Reform and Public Safety

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:51:00 GMT

Criminal defendants sometimes pose a risk to the public and should not be released, but that risk often doesn't correlate with bail that a judge might set. Daniel Dew of the Buckeye Institute comments on how bail works in courtrooms and how it might be reformed.

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The Impeachment of Andrew "Tennessee" Johnson

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 20:12:00 GMT

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson might offer a few lessons for today. Gene Healy is author of "Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power.”

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Disciplining China's Trade Practices at the WTO

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:26:00 GMT

China's trade practices are questionable, but are tariffs the proper response? Simon Lester is author of the new Cato paper, "Disciplining China's Trade Practices at the WTO: How WTO Complaints Can Help Make China More Market-Oriented."

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Trump Endorses Serious Sentencing Reform

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 01:42:00 GMT

President Trump has endorsed legislation that would make some federal drug sentencing reform retroactive. Molly Gill of Families Against Mandatory Minimums discusses the proposal and what a new Congress should focus on in the next term.

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Debt, Credit, and Consumer Protection

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Some of the large drivers of financial problems facing consumers are the regulators who are trying to protect us. New Cato senior fellow Todd Zywicki comments.

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Social Media and the Pipe Bomber

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 21:31:00 GMT

Before Cesar Sayoc sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats, he threatened Cato adjunct scholar Ilya Somin.

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Sex Worker Freedom in Nevada Holds Steady

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 15:56:00 GMT

Voters in Lyon County, Nevada rejected a proposal to ban brothels there. Meanwhile, brothel owner Dennis Hof won election to state office despite his death weeks earlier. Alice Little, a sex worker in Nevada, describes what's next for defending and advancing sex worker freedom.

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The 'Protectionist Moment' That Wasn’t

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 18:02:00 GMT

Donald Trump's protectionist tendencies may have reached their natural limit. Scott Lincicome discusses his new trade bulletin on the subject.

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Jeff Sessions "Fired for Doing the Right Thing"

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 22:43:00 GMT

Jeff Sessions has resigned as Attorney General, a move that opens up many questions about the future of investigations into the White House and harsh federal law enforcement. Trevor Burrus and Alex Nowrasteh comment.

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Divided Government Won in 2018

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 18:04:00 GMT

Democrats will run the U.S. House and Republicans will hang onto the Senate. What does that mean for limited government? What were the bright spots for liberty at the state level? Michael Tanner comments.

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New Polling on Pre-Existing Conditions Coverage Costs and Benefits

Tue, 06 Nov 2018 19:30:00 GMT

Democrats have pinned some of their hopes on protecting Americans from pre-existing conditions from losing certain coverage mandates. What does polling have to say about it? Emily Ekins comments.

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What Does the U.S. Get out of New Sanctions on Iran?

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 15:32:00 GMT

What benefits does the U.S. derive from new sanctions on Iran? Iranian leaders have long said they are willing to negotiate, and the U.S. has already poked holes in its own hard line toward the regime. John Glaser and Emma Ashford comment.

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The Threat of Creeping Overcriminalization

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 20:42:00 GMT

Shon Hopwood is both a former felon and a professor of law at Georgetown. At Cato Club 200, he detailed his case for sweeping criminal justice reform.

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Walling Off Liberty

Fri, 02 Nov 2018 00:48:00 GMT

Federal tactics aimed at enforcing immigration law should be very concerning to law-abiding American citizens. Matthew Feeney discusses the findings of his new paper.

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What Do Parents Think of Private School Choice?

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 21:41:00 GMT

A large survey of parents who make use of private school choice in Florida reveals that, yes, parents really do like school choice. Jason Bedrick of EdChoice comments.

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Trump Claims Power to End Birthright Citizenship

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 20:58:00 GMT

The President may not understand the substantive requirements to alter the Constitution, but his desire to end birthright citizenship with a mere executive order is wrongheaded for a number of other reasons, as well. Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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Regressive Regulation and Economic Opportunity

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Regulations that disproportionately harm the poor should get special scrutiny. Cato's Ryan Bourne and Vanessa Brown Calder joined Diane Katz of the Heritage Foundation for a live Cato Daily Podcast at Cato Club 200.

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U.S. Plans to Abandon Nuclear Treaties

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 12:58:00 GMT

Nuclear nonproliferation has long been viewed as an admirable goal. Is there a security benefit to casting aside agreements that limited the U.S. nuclear arsenal? Caroline Dorminey and Eric Gomez discuss the likely end of some longstanding limits on nuclear weapons.

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Impeach Kavanaugh?

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 07:00:00 GMT

What's the history of impeachment of judges, specifically justices of the Supreme Court? And what are the specific claims people would use to impeach Brett Kavanaugh? Gene Healy comments.

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Does Trump Have a Trade Strategy?

Wed, 24 Oct 2018 20:15:00 GMT

It's hard to figure just what the White House believes are the long-term benefits of trade protectionism and stunted trade deals? Simon Lester comments.

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Have Republicans Given Up on Limited Government?

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 16:51:00 GMT

Given Congressional Republicans' abdication on the nuts and bolts of limited government, does the GOP deserve an electoral beat-down in November? Republican U.S. Representative Mark Sanford comments.

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Defending Free Speech in the 21st Century

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 21:12:00 GMT

Big internet platforms for speech are privately owned, but those who would pressure private firms to restrict speech are often the same people who would substantially restrict the rights of people to speak. John Samples and Emily Ekins discuss how Americans think about free speech today and ways to defend it in the modern age. We spoke at Cato Club 200 in Middleburg, Virginia.

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A Libertarian Case for Class-Action Lawsuits

Fri, 19 Oct 2018 16:48:00 GMT

The class-action lawsuit should become a tool for people who have been wronged by their governments, according to Maurice Thompson of the 1851 Center in Ohio. We spoke last week in Salt Lake City.

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FDA’s Roadblocks to Self-Driven Health Care

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 21:29:00 GMT

If you want to try an unapproved drug in the United States, you must be wealthy or lucky. Naomi Lopez Bauman of the Goldwater Institute discusses some promising reforms. We spoke at the State Policy Network Annual Meeting.

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Jamal Khashoggi and the Necessary U.S. Divorce from Saudi Arabia

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:29:00 GMT

The U.S./Saudi relationship should be under the microscope like never before following the probable death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Emma Ashford comments.

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Union Fees after Janus

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 21:22:00 GMT

Unions will not go gently following the Janus Supreme Court decision. Robert Alt of the Buckeye Institute discusses a few cases that follow on the Janus ruling.

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Cannabis Reform Comes to Utah

Mon, 15 Oct 2018 13:49:00 GMT

Utah is a conservative state, but the legislature is poised to begin the process of loosening restrictions on medical cannabis, a response to a medical marijuana ballot initiative voters will face this November. Connor Boyack of the Libertas Institute comments.

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The False Promise of Native American Tribal Sovereignty

Fri, 12 Oct 2018 20:39:00 GMT

Just how sovereign are Native American tribal lands? Terry L. Anderson is a cofounder of the Alliance for Renewing Indigenous Economies and the author of Free Market Environmentalism.

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Adam Smith: Father of Economics

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:20:00 GMT

Is it proper to consider Adam Smith the father of social psychology as well as economics? Jesse Norman MP discusses his new book, Adam Smith: Father of Economics.

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Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts

Wed, 10 Oct 2018 16:40:00 GMT

Our ability to reason should guide our decisions, but too often our emotions get the better of our ability to make good choices. Annie Duke explains how to empower our reason in Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts.

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Missing Property Rights on Native American Lands

Tue, 09 Oct 2018 15:45:00 GMT

On tribal lands, Native Americans are lacking key property rights. It's hindering development on those so-called sovereign lands. Adam Crepelle comments.

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Romance of the Rails

Mon, 08 Oct 2018 12:58:00 GMT

In Romance of the Rails, author Randal O'Toole details the rise and fall of trains as a mode of transportation why it's quite likely we can never go back to it.

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The Fourth Amendment in the Digital Age

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The U.S. could perform better at protecting the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures. For a live recording of the Cato Daily Podcast at Cato Club 200 event in Middleburg, Virginia, Matthew Feeney and Julian Sanchez explain how courts think about those rights in the digital age.

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The Fading Relevance of Mass Transit

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 20:13:00 GMT

American mass transit systems face challenges from demographics, how people work, and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. Randal O'Toole discusses what agencies should do to respond.

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Challenging the FAA’s Speed Limit in the Sky

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 21:03:00 GMT

The FAA's longstanding ban on supersonic commercial air travel needs to go. Alan McQuinn of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation discusses the promise of high-speed commercial flight.

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Canada Mulls Banning (Domestic) Paid Blood Plasma

Tue, 02 Oct 2018 22:20:00 GMT

Why are Canadians considering prohibiting other Canadians from being paid for providing blood plasma? Peter Jaworski comments.

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Will the Feds Make Occupational Licensing Worse?

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 12:32:00 GMT

While some states are leading the way in reforming occupational licensing that affects many millions of workers and would-be workers, the feds may get involved. Lee McGrath of the Institute for Justice says it's fraught with risk.

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Philadelphia's 'Forfeiture Machine' Winds Down

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 12:34:00 GMT

If a judge accepts the agreement, Philadelphia's process of seizing many millions of dollars in property from innocent owners will be dismantled. Darpana Sheth of the Institute for Justice explains why.

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How the Feds Spy on Reporters

Wed, 26 Sep 2018 12:49:00 GMT

New information provides more context surrounding the circumstances and legal rationales for government spying on journalists. Julian Sanchez comments.

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Economic Freedom of the World 2018

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The long slide of the United States in economic freedom appears to have halted. Ian Vasquez comments on the new edition of Economic Freedom of the World.

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Banned Books Week and Conflicts of Values

Mon, 24 Sep 2018 21:35:00 GMT

The fight over banning books from school libraries is only worsened by the public school establishment. Neal McCluskey comments.

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Double Game: Why Pakistan Supports Militants and Resists U.S. Pressure to Stop

Fri, 21 Sep 2018 20:13:00 GMT

U.S. relations with Pakistan are strained not just by war in neighboring Afghanistan, but also by Pakistan's domestic concerns. Sahar Khan is author of "Double Game: Why Pakistan Supports Militants and Resists U.S. Pressure to Stop."

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Brexit, Trade, and Regulatory Barriers in Great Britain

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 20:19:00 GMT

How is Brexit going? What do British Conservatives think of Donald Trump's broad and punitive tariff hikes? Elizabeth Truss is a British MP and Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

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F.A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy

Wed, 19 Sep 2018 13:25:00 GMT

The project of F. A. Hayek had its historical context, and it’s worth exploring. Peter J. Boettke is author of F.A. Hayek: Economics, Political Economy and Social Philosophy.

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'Professional Speech': a Distinction without a Difference

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 17:40:00 GMT

The NIFLA Supreme Court case could undo a substantial amount of regulation governing "professional speech" in the coming years. Robert McNamara of the Institute for Justice comments.

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Is Public Assistance a Subsidy or Tax to Employers?

Mon, 17 Sep 2018 20:36:00 GMT

Senator Bernie Sanders believes that public assistance benefits provided to workers constitute subsidies to their employers. He couldn't be more wrong, according to Ryan Bourne.

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Notions of (and Reactions to) Islam

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 21:10:00 GMT

How have European countries responded to large inflows of Muslims? What makes America so special when it comes to assimilating people of different backgrounds? Mustafa Akyol comments.

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'Indispensable' Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution's Impeachment Power

Wed, 12 Sep 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Impeachment of a President is a substantial power handed to Congress. How has it been used in the past and how should it be used? Gene Healy discusses his new paper on the history and meaning of impeachment.

“Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power,” by Gene Healy, White Paper, September 12, 2018.

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None of My Business

Tue, 11 Sep 2018 19:26:00 GMT

In his new book, P.J. O'Rourke takes on money, banking, retirement, investing and all the reasons neither you nor P.J. are rich. The book is None of My Business.

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The Elizabeth Warren Plan to Reorganize Public Companies

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 13:47:00 GMT

Senator Elizabeth Warren would like to see employees of large publicly traded companies have a role in selecting some board members. What does that mean for corporate governance and competitiveness of those companies? Walter Olson comments.

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States Push to Hobble Short-Term Health Plans

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 20:55:00 GMT

Short-term health plans have been freed from many restrictions, but now states are moving to restrict or outright prohibit this kind of coverage. Michael Cannon says by outlawing the plans, states will expose their own residents to high bills, poor access, and bankruptcy.

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Education Research and Correlation vs. Causation

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 15:10:00 GMT

The dimensions along which parents choose schools for their children are never entirely captured by test scores. Corey DeAngelis examines a new piece of education research.

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The Coddling of the American Mind

Wed, 05 Sep 2018 15:15:00 GMT

Whatever the benefits of protecting kids from all manner of emotional disturbances, the costs may be among others, robbing kids of their own sense of competence. Greg Lukianoff is co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind.

The Coddling of the American Mind, Book Forum, October 1, 2018

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Government and the Cost of Living: Income-Based vs. Cost-Based Approaches to Alleviating Poverty

Tue, 04 Sep 2018 18:13:00 GMT

What would market-based welfare reform look like? Embracing reforms to lower prices for many of the most basic essentials for living would have the added benefits of not further burdening taxpayers. Ryan Bourne details his new paper on the subject.

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Two Sides of a Potential Stormy Impeachment

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 07:00:00 GMT

How should we think about impeachment? Does it require a crime? What are the cases for and against a payoff to an adult film star being criminal and/or an impeachable offense? Gene Healy comments.

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Attorney-Client Privilege and the Crime-Fraud Exception

Fri, 31 Aug 2018 20:18:00 GMT

When courts demand testimony, a large exception is carved out for attorneys representing their clients. What breaks that privilege? Paul Rosenzweig of the R Street Institute comments on the case of Donald Trump and Michael Cohen.

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Trump vs. Google Searches

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 20:29:00 GMT

The President says he is unhappy with the manner in which Google searches present information about him. John Samples comments on how the comments ought to be considered.

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U.S. Citizens Targeted by ICE

Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:01:00 GMT

New data shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does a poor job making sure that U.S. citizens aren't caught up in harsh detention and deportation policies aimed at undocumented immigrants. David Bier has examined data from Texas.

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How Should Young People Learn History?

Tue, 28 Aug 2018 20:55:00 GMT

How young people learn history today raises issues over what should be presented, but any history text privileges some information over others. Anthony Comegna discusses how and if young people should grapple with history.

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Let Conservationists Lease Federal Lands

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 20:41:00 GMT

Conservationists usually have one lever to pull to alter federal land use: lobbying. Why shouldn't those who want to conserve species be able to lease federal lands for that purpose? Holly Fretwell of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Off the Grid

Fri, 24 Aug 2018 23:00:00 GMT

Productive ideological sparring should be rooted in honest disagreement. In Matt Kibbe's new film, he explores the values and unconventional life of Republican Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie.

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Bootleggers, Baptists, and Retrograde Booze Laws

Thu, 23 Aug 2018 20:03:00 GMT

Economist Jeremy Horpendahl discusses just how far some states lag behind in regulating alcohol, and why some of those arrangements are very difficult to fix.

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Tom Cotton Picking Fights over Sentencing Reform

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Federal sentencing reform is overdue, and many leading Republicans are now on board for change. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, however, wants to stop it. Kevin Ring, President of FAMM, comments.

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Freedom in the 50 States 2018

Tue, 21 Aug 2018 16:20:00 GMT

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Tomorrow 3.0: Transaction Costs and the Sharing Economy

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 21:08:00 GMT

The sharing economy has the potential to create massive disruption. How we handle that disruption is of critical importance. Michael Munger is author of Tomorrow 3.0: Transaction Costs and the Sharing Economy.

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Faith, Libertarianism, and the Common Good

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 18:44:00 GMT

How best to reconcile faith with the common good and libertarian thinking poses challenges. Stephanie Slade of Reason argues that those challenges are often merely in how other people perceive libertarian approaches to maximize human flourishing.

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Big Private Platforms for Speech and Alex Jones

Thu, 16 Aug 2018 19:59:00 GMT

Several big internet platforms removed or hobbled conspiracy slinger Alex Jones, but any concerns that raises do not implicate the Constitution. John Samples comments.

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The Feds Dial Back on Regulating Higher Ed

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 19:57:00 GMT

Changing the way the feds oversee higher education may be helpful, but it's not clearly a win for liberty. Neal McCluskey comments.

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3-D Printed Guns and Freedom of Speech

Tue, 14 Aug 2018 19:14:00 GMT

Distributing plans for 3-D printed guns and the attempt to restrain that distribution is a clear First Amendment issue. Josh Blackman is an attorney for Defense Distributed, the company currently mired in legal wrangling over gun blueprints.

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As Jones Act Hampers Puerto Rico Recovery, Congress Remains Confused

Mon, 13 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Some in Congress seem mystified that the Jones Act, a law to stifle competition in shipping, is making recovery more difficult for Puerto Rico. Colin Grabow explains.

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Al Qaeda, Yemen, and the U.S./Saudi Relationship

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 08:00:00 GMT

If the United States has cut deals with Al Qaeda in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, what does that say about the corrosive nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia? Sahar Khan and John Glaser comment.

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The New Target for Paid Family Leave Boosters: Social Security

Thu, 09 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Proposals to turn Social Security into a bank for families wishing to take time off to care for new kids are flawed along a number of dimensions. Charles Blahous and Vanessa Brown Calder comment.

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Is Obamacare Now Truly Optional?

Wed, 08 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Several changes to the terms of the Affordable Care Act have enabled more substantial health care choices for millions of Americans. Michael F. Cannon explains.

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Should Investors Pay an Inflation Tax?

Tue, 07 Aug 2018 15:37:00 GMT

Congress can protect investors from bad fiscal and monetary policy changes by indexing capital gains taxes to inflation. Why won't they do it? Mattie Duppler of the National Taxpayers Union comments.

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If You Want to End Mass Incarceration, End the Drug War

Mon, 06 Aug 2018 21:01:00 GMT

How do states take their cues from the feds when it comes to drug laws? And how has that driven the massive increase in prison population in the United States? Economist Daniel J. D'Amico comments.

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TSA Is Spying on Americans with "Quiet Skies" Program

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMT

"Quiet Skies" monitors American travelers who are on a secret watchlist. Are you on the list? Matthew Feeney discusses the problems with this unwarranted surveillance.

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How to #AbolishICE

Thu, 02 Aug 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is an agency that ought to go, but doing so would require removing the authorities granted to the agency by Congress. Alex Nowrasteh explains how best to #AbolishICE.

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Even with a $32-Trillion Price Tag, Would 'Medicare for All' Save Money?

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 07:00:00 GMT

A new estimate puts the cost of "Medicare for All" at more than $32-trillion over ten years. Charles Blahous says that estimate assumes that the program works according to plan. He and Michael Cannon discuss how it probably wouldn’t go according to plan.

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An EU/US Ceasefire in the Trade War? Not Really.

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

An agreement struck between the European Union and the United States over trade is less substantive than fans of free trade would hope. Simon Lester comments.

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POTUS Threatens Security Clearances & Misconstrues FISA Surveillance

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The President's threatened removal of security clearances for his public critics is a message to future whistleblowers, according to Patrick Eddington. He also discusses a recently released FISA warrant application.

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The Continuing Crackdown on Sex Work

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

New federal laws are aimed at making communication more difficult for sex workers. Alice Little is a legal sex worker and sex educator in Nevada. She discusses the worlds of legal and illegal sex work.

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New Leadership in Pakistan

Fri, 27 Jul 2018 20:28:00 GMT

How will Pakistan's new leadership impact relations with the United States and security in the region? Sahar Khan comments.

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The Problem Is What They Know

Thu, 26 Jul 2018 18:58:00 GMT

The private sector collects a lot of data about you. What are the implications for liberty when that data inevitably leaks? Charles Fain Lehman is author of a new essay at libertarianism.org, "The Problem Is What They Know."

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NAACP v. Alabama and Associational Privacy

Wed, 25 Jul 2018 19:51:00 GMT

What does a decades-old ruling on the First Amendment tell us about the right of associational privacy today. Bradley Smith of the Institute for Free Speech comments on the ongoing relevance on the 60th anniversary of NAACP v. Alabama.

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Academic Renegades for Radical Free Speech

Mon, 23 Jul 2018 20:26:00 GMT

At the Voice and Exit Conference in Austin, Thaddeus Russell and Bret Weinstein discussed free speech on campus, why most universities are basically the same, and how those schools must adapt to changing circumstances.

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The Enduring Allure of College Debt

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Despite the dramatic rise in college costs relative to the benefits, college debt remains an attractive option for students and their parents. Isaac Morehouse and T.K. Coleman of Praxis discuss why they believe parents and young people still make that big bet on student loans.

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Kavanaugh and NSA Surveillance

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's record with respect to warrantless government surveillance of Americans is worthy of scrutiny. Matthew Feeney discusses Klayman v. Obama.

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Losing Count: The Empty Case for 'High-Capacity' Magazine Restrictions.

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 15:57:00 GMT

Bans or restrictions on so-called "high-capacity" magazines are at best ineffective, and at worst counterproductive. That's according to Matthew LaRosiere, author of "Losing Count: The Empty Case for 'High-Capacity' Magazine Restrictions."

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TrumPutin in Helsinki

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 19:30:00 GMT

On a scale of "Tremendous" to "Treasonous," how did the Trump/Putin summit in Helsinki go? Chris Preble comments.

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The Next Round of Destructive Trump Tariffs

Fri, 13 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The President is now considering levying additional tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods, amping up trade-related antagonism. Dan Ikenson discusses the likely fallout for workers, consumers, and downstream producers in the United States.

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Kavanaugh’s Record on Executive Power and Surveillance

Thu, 12 Jul 2018 20:09:00 GMT

Brett Kavanaugh has extensive experience in federal executive branch matters, either as an investigator or staffer. What does his record show about how he might rule on executive power and federal surveillance if he is elevated to the Supreme Court? Gene Healy comments.

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What Brett Kavanaugh’s Court Record Doesn’t Show

Wed, 11 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Brett Kavanaugh, the new nominee to the Supreme Court, doesn't have a deep record when it comes to many areas libertarians care about. Walter Olson comments.

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Brett Kavanaugh Nominated to Supreme Court

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 16:19:00 GMT

Brett Kavanaugh is Donald Trump's pick to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Cato adjunct scholar Andrew Grossman comments on Kavanaugh's record on the DC Circuit.

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Why Does the Federal Government Issue Damaging Dietary Guidelines?

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 04:00:00 GMT

Even when the federal government began issuing dietary guidance to Americans, it wasn't clear if the advice was sound. Terence Kealey's new Cato paper is "Why Does the Federal Government Issue Damaging Dietary Guidelines?"

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The Feds' Demonization of Dietary Fat

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 19:21:00 GMT

Why have the feds strongly encouraged Americans to avoid dietary fat for more than 40 years? Terence Kealey is author of the forthcoming Cato paper, "Why Does the Federal Government Issue Damaging Dietary Guidelines?"

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'Professional Speech’ before SCOTUS

Fri, 06 Jul 2018 21:22:00 GMT

Freedom of speech came before the Supreme Court in multiple ways this term. In National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, the court's opportunity was to address what crisis pregnancy centers are required to say by law.

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Trump Administration Aims to Reduce Legal Immigration

Thu, 05 Jul 2018 21:16:00 GMT

Dramatically reducing legal immigration appears to be one of the primary ends of anything the Trump Administration calls reform. David Bier comments.

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Vital Economics Lessons for Kids

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

What are the essential lessons of economics that stick with kids? Connor Boyack has written several books detailing these lessons for children. We spoke at FEECon in Atlanta in June.

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Leftist Populism Wins for Mexico's Next President

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

How will the victory of Andrés Manuel López Obrador change relations with the U.S. or Mexico's approach to trade, the drug war, and other issues? Ian Vásquez comments.

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Surveillance after Carpenter

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Since the Supreme Court found recently that cops generally need a warrant to access certain data that gives away your location, how does surveillance change? Patrick Eddington and Matthew Feeney comment.

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Habeas Data: Privacy vs. the Rise of Surveillance Tech

Sat, 30 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

In his new book, Habeas Data: Privacy vs. the Rise of Surveillance Tech, Cyrus Farivar details how courts have failed to update privacy protections for the digital age.

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Greatest Hits (and Misses) of Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 17:20:00 GMT

Anthony Kennedy has a decidedly mixed record on the Supreme Court. Walter Olson and Roger Pilon discuss Kennedy's record as he steps down from the bench.

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The Jones Act: A Burden America Can No Longer Bear

Thu, 28 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The Jones Act was passed in response to worries about U.S. reliance on foreign shipping during World War I. Why is it still on the books, raising prices and damaging U.S. economic performance? Dan Ikenson discusses his new Cato paper on the subject.

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Janus Case Affirms First Amendment Rights

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 18:53:00 GMT

The Supreme Court holds that government "extraction of agency fees from nonconsenting public-sector employees violates the First Amendment" in the case of Janus v. AFSCME. Trevor Burrus comments on the case.

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Should Cryptocurrencies Be Regulated like Securities?

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The rise of ICOs has raised the question of whether cryptocurrencies are securities. Is the nascent, but valuable technology deserving of that kind of treatment? Diego Zuluaga is author of a new Cato paper on the subject.

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Supreme Court Finds Rational Basis in Trump Travel Ban

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 20:06:00 GMT

The Supreme Court upholds the original Trump travel ban imposing restrictions on would-be immigrants from several majority-Muslim countries. Ilya Shapiro discusses the case.

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A Massive Increase in Military Spending

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

How much security are we getting for a more-than $80 billion increase in military spending? Caroline Dorminey examines the new Pentagon budget.

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Trade War with China Escalates

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 04:00:00 GMT

China and the United States continue to trade threats of tariffs. Where does this end? Colin Grabow and Simon Lester comment.

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Cops Need a Warrant (Usually) for Your Cell Data

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:22:00 GMT

If the police want your cell-based location, they'll need to first get a warrant, at least most of the time. Cato's Ilya Shapiro and Julian Sanchez comment on the Supreme Court's decision in Carpenter v. United States.

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SCOTUS and Lucia v. SEC

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The newly clarified role and status of administrative law judges will drive litigation for years, now that the Supreme Court has weighed in. Walter Olson and Trevor Burrus comment on Lucia v. SEC.

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Patriotism’s Nonexistent Heyday

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 04:00:00 GMT

American patriotism now seems synonymous with fealty to the state and its military. But did patriotism ever have a moment that wasn't marred by ugly history? Historian Anthony Comegna comments.

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Trump Administration Policy Puts Kids in Cages

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Various new policies adopted by the Trump Administration have resulted in parents and children being separated at the U.S. border. Alex Nowrasteh discusses the problems created by the changes.

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War State, Trauma State (Part Two)

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

If the U.S. military had understood insights from psychology in 2001, the mission in Afghanistan might have been substantially smaller. Erik Goepner is author of the new Cato paper, "War State, Trauma State."

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War State, Trauma State (Part One)

Mon, 18 Jun 2018 13:27:00 GMT

The U.S. mission in Afghanistan may have been compromised before it began. Decades of trauma visited upon people in Afghanistan may have left the country a poor candidate for reform. Erik Goepner is author of "War State, Trauma State,” a new Cato Institute paper.

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The Contracts Clause and Sveen v. Melin

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 20:30:00 GMT

A case recently decided at the Supreme Court again chips away at the Contracts Clause in the Constitution. Roger Pilon discusses Sveen v. Melin.

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After the North Korea Summit

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 19:55:00 GMT

The recent meeting between leaders of North Korea and the United States may help the Hermit Kingdom engage positively with a broader part of the world. Doug Bandow and Eric Gomez discuss what should come next.

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The Cost-Benefit Calculation for College

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 19:18:00 GMT

Author Zak Slayback says too few young people seriously consider the costs and benefits of college versus other choices.

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Florida’s Tone Deaf Rules on Hearing Aids

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 20:50:00 GMT

The rules that Florida has imposed governing hearing aid sellers and customers are onerous and in conflict with federal law. Larry Salzman, a senior attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation, discusses a new lawsuit challenging those rules.

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Trump's Bad Trade Economics

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 15:08:00 GMT

The confusion over trade that continues to infect the White House has real consequences. Don Boudreaux discusses the latest round of errors following the G-7 talks.

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Cops (with the Help of Amazon) May Be Watching You

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Using Amazon's “Rekognition," a video and image analysis program, police in at least two cities have the ability to identify and track many people as they go about their business. Matthew Feeney comments on the implications.

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With Help from Kim Kardashian, Alice Johnson's Sentence Is Commuted

Wed, 06 Jun 2018 21:04:00 GMT

Kim Kardashian's advocacy on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson earns a commutation from the President as uncontroversial Congressional legislation to reform prisons appears to be stalled. Molly Gill of FAMM comments.

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Trump Claims Power to Pardon Himself

Tue, 05 Jun 2018 14:50:00 GMT

Can the President pardon himself? Donald Trump thinks so. Gene Healy comments.

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The Pursuit: Eminent Domain and Civil Forfeiture

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 20:50:00 GMT

A new podcast from Libertarianism.org digs into the twin issues of civil forfeiture and eminent domain. Tess Terrible is the host and producer of the show.

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U.S. Allies Will Retaliate over Tariffs

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 16:27:00 GMT

U.S. allies are preparing their retaliatory response to new tariffs on aluminum and steel. Colin Grabow and Simon Lester comment.

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A Devastated Puerto Rico Must Still Contend with the Jones Act

Thu, 31 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Puerto Rico still struggles to recover from Hurricane Maria. And yet the Jones Act continues to stymie potential economic progress. Colin Grabow comments.

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Student Loans Balances Explode and Taxpayers Are on the Hook

Wed, 30 May 2018 21:29:00 GMT

Student loan balances in the United States recently crossed above $1.5 trillion. Should taxpayers be footing the bill for financing college education? Diego Zuluaga and Neal McCluskey comment.

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ZTE, Trump Tariffs, and Creeping Cronyism

Tue, 29 May 2018 20:52:00 GMT

The special deal President Trump cut for Chinese tech firm ZTE challenges both concerns about national security and free, open trade with few exceptions. Dan Ikenson discusses how we can take security concerns seriously while promoting more free trade.

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Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health Care

Mon, 28 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health Care details, among other things, how Medicare fails and why it costs so much. Charles Silver is a coauthor of the book.Conference on June 8, 2018: Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health CareJoin the conversation on Twitter and stay tuned for updates with #OverchargedBook.

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The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South

Fri, 25 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Two medical professionals operated virtually unchecked to put defendants away for long prison terms. Their methods were dubious and their science was bad. Two cases of exoneration are featured in the new book, The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist by Radley Balko and Tucker Carrington.

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Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech

Thu, 24 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

What is the role of universities in defending freedom of speech? Keith Whittington makes his case in Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech.

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Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

Wed, 23 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Things are getting better, and The Enlightenment deserves a large amount of the credit. Steven Pinker's new book is Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.

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The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life

Tue, 22 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

We tell ourselves stories about what motivates us to do we do what we do. The reality is far more complicated. Robin Hanson is the coauthor of The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life.

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Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship

Mon, 21 May 2018 21:10:00 GMT

How do well-meaning restrictions on so-called "hate speech" fail? How are the counterproductive? Nadine Strossen makes her case in Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship.

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Operation Car Wash and Brazilian Corruption

Fri, 18 May 2018 15:02:00 GMT

The corruption revealed in Brazil's Operation Car Wash scandal was widespread, brazen, and seemingly unstoppable. One of the judges who helped bring the scandal to light is Sérgio Moro. Moro was interviewed by Mary Anastasia O’Grady of The Wall Street Journal during the 2018 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty dinner held in New York this week.

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Lessons from Europe on Freedom of Speech

Thu, 17 May 2018 19:00:00 GMT

Freedom of speech is worth protecting, and Europe is offering the United States lessons in how not to protect it. Jacob Mchangama directs the Danish think tank, Justitia. He spoke at the Cato Institute in April.

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Legal Authority Governing Torture Remains Unclear

Wed, 16 May 2018 13:20:00 GMT

Questions remain about the White House Office of Legal Counsel and CIA attorneys over the approval of torture programs. Gina Haspel's nomination to head CIA was an opportunity to clear them up. Patrick Eddington makes his case.

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Is There a Sequence for Success?

Tue, 15 May 2018 21:05:00 GMT

If you make some specific choices in life, a life of poverty is not in the cards, or so goes the argument. How should we think about the so-called "sequence for success"? Michael D. Tanner comments.

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Amalgamated Handouts in the Farm Bill

Mon, 14 May 2018 19:35:00 GMT

The Farm Bill is a collection of handouts unlike any other. It's designed almost entirely to earn majority support for hundreds of billions of dollars in handouts. Chris Edwards comments.

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Your Next Government?: From the Nation State to Stateless Nations

Fri, 11 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

It is becoming easier for many people around the world to make significant choices about the qualities of their government. Tom Bell is author of Your Next Government?: From the Nation State to Stateless Nations.

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Evidence on Immigration and the Welfare State

Thu, 10 May 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Immigrants are still less likely than native born Americans to make use of welfare programs. Alex Nowrasteh details his new report.

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How the Endangered Species Act Works (and Doesn’t)

Wed, 09 May 2018 19:55:00 GMT

Some small changes to the Endangered Species Act could have a large impact on helping species emerge from the threat of extinction. Jonathan Wood of the Pacific Legal Foundation comments.

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U.S. Violates Iran Nuclear Deal

Tue, 08 May 2018 20:51:00 GMT

The United States is leaving the Iran Nuclear Deal by violating its terms. Emma Ashford discusses the uncertainty it will foster in the region.

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Are New Teacher Uprisings Justified?

Mon, 07 May 2018 22:09:00 GMT

The fights in Oklahoma, Arizona, Kentucky, Colorado, and West Virginia are over money. How justified are the complaints? Neal McCluskey comments.

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Tariffs Not Only Impose Immense Economic Costs but Also Fail to Achieve Their Primary Policy Aims and Foster Political Dysfunction Along the Way

Fri, 04 May 2018 19:48:00 GMT

The future of trade policy may be one in which American trading relationships falter as the rest of the world takes its business elsewhere. Scott Lincicome comments.

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If the Feds Were Serious about Spending Restraint …

Thu, 03 May 2018 20:01:00 GMT

What would a credible challenge to ever increasing spending look like? Kurt Couchman, a Vice President at Defense Strategies, has written some of those kinds of plans for lawmakers.

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Long-Term Fiscal Outlook Worsens

Wed, 02 May 2018 21:01:00 GMT

Tax cuts and spending hikes are worsening an already bleak fiscal picture. Ryan Bourne discusses the fragile future for U.S. fiscal policy.

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Cross-Border Pollution As Local Nuisance

Tue, 01 May 2018 17:22:00 GMT

Should pollution that crosses state and international borders be subject to nuisance regulation at the local level? Andrew Grossman comments.

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Reasserting Article I Power on War and Everything Else

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 15:37:00 GMT

For at least the last several decades, Congress has handed vast powers to the Executive Branch. Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH) discusses his hopes to get those powers back where they belong.

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Putting "American Decline" in Perspective

Fri, 27 Apr 2018 13:47:00 GMT

What does "American decline" look like? Chris Preble comments.

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Prelude to Direct Talks with North Korea

Thu, 26 Apr 2018 18:14:00 GMT

The "border summit" between North and South Korea sets the stage for direct high-level talks in a few months. Eric Gomez offers his thoughts.

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Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission

Tue, 24 Apr 2018 19:02:00 GMT

Administrative law judges tend to work in obscurity. In Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission, the proper role of these administrators is squarely before the U.S. Supreme Court. Andrew M. Grossman comments.

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: It’s Still Unaccountable

Mon, 23 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still a bureaucracy that is not accountable to Congress, and largely unaccountable to the President. Mick Mulvaney made that point before Congress. Cato's Diego Zuluaga discusses Mulvaney's appearance.

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Little Pink House and Kelo

Sat, 21 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The story of Kelo v. City of New London is now in theaters in Little Pink House. Scott Bullock argued the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Courtney Balaker directed the film, which is now in theaters.

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Cannabis Prohibition’s Waning Days

Fri, 20 Apr 2018 12:19:00 GMT

The President has quietly endorsed an end to federal interference in legal-cannabis states, former U.S. House Speaker John Boehner joins the cannabis industry, and the FDA is seeking input from the public on the plant. Trevor Burrus comments on the accelerating change of cannabis policy.

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"Void for Vagueness" Returns in Sessions v. Dimaya

Thu, 19 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMT

When lawmakers hand to judges the power to determine the scope of a law, something has gone wrong. Clark Neily discusses the recently decided case of Sessions v. Dimaya.

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Repeal, Don’t Replace, Trump’s War Powers

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 15:32:00 GMT

The Constitution is supposed to make it difficult for a President to take the U.S. to war. Why would Congress want to make it easier? Gene Healy and John Glaser comment.

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Extreme Vetting of Immigrants: Estimating Terrorism Vetting Failures

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 16:35:00 GMT

In his new Cato Institute paper, David Bier details what works and doesn't in keeping likely terrorists out of the United States.

Join the conversation on Twitter and stay tuned for updates with #CatoImmigration.

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The Bias to Action and Airstrikes on Syria

Mon, 16 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT

The pull to "do something" about Syria is one that the current President did not resist, despite his warnings for years about the folly of engaging more directly in the Syrian conflict. Emma Ashford comments.

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Public Opinion and Counterterrorism Policy

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 19:02:00 GMT

Why is the public so fearful about terrorism more than a decade after 9/11? John Mueller is coauthor of a new Cato paper, "Public Opinion and Counterterrorism Policy."

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FOSTA and the Federal Seizure of Backpage.com

Thu, 12 Apr 2018 15:25:00 GMT

A new law that's supposed to crack down on sex trafficking will likely make sex work less safe and compel internet forums to shut down or spy on their users. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of Reason comments.

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Attorney-Client Privilege, Prosecutorial Accountability, and Overcriminalization

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:01:00 GMT

The invasion of the relationship between client and attorney is a very big deal indeed, and should be reserved for only the most special cases. Clark Neily comments on the case of the president of the United States and his personal attorney.

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Checkpoint America: Monitoring The Constitution Free Zone

Wed, 11 Apr 2018 13:25:00 GMT

Checkpoint America is a new website launched by the Cato Institute to detail the implications of a "Constitution-free zone" along the U.S. border. Patrick Eddington explains.

Join the conversation on Twitter and stay tuned for updates with #CheckpointAmerica.

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Congress Whiffs on Curbing Civil Forfeiture

Tue, 10 Apr 2018 15:36:00 GMT

When Congress passed that big spending plan, an anticipated reform to civil forfeiture had been curiously abandoned. Darpana Sheth of the Institute for Justice comments.

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POTUS Lacks Authority to Strike in Syrian Quagmire

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 22:11:00 GMT

The President lacks the authority necessary to undertake hostilities in the Syrian conflict. John Glaser explains.

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Is Robert Mueller's Evidence "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree?"

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 14:21:00 GMT

We don't know what evidence Robert Mueller has or how much of it was gathered, but critics of his investigation say much of it is already tainted. David G. Post says that argument is very likely exactly wrong.

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Nobody Wins a Trade War

Fri, 06 Apr 2018 19:37:00 GMT

Proposed tariffs are the responses that both China and the United States have chosen as the battle lines are being drawn in this trade war. Simon Lester and Inu Manak comment.

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From Statutes to Regulations to Guidance to Confusion

Thu, 05 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMT

Congressional action often leaves regulatory agencies a wide berth under which to issue rules, but sometimes those rules are less than clear. And the guidance to clarify those rules creates its own problems. Walter Olson comments.

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Cops Shoot Woman, SCOTUS Tells Her She May Not Sue

Wed, 04 Apr 2018 07:00:00 GMT

The Supreme Court has told a woman that despite being shot by police eight times under questionable circumstances, no civil jury should ever hear her case. Clark Neily comments.

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Is Cryptocurrency Its Own Asset Class?

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 08:00:00 GMT

The "initial coin offering" has taken on the look and feel of an "initial public offering" for equity investors. Are cryptocurrencies equities or commodities? Are they something different entirely? Diego Zuluaga comments.

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Cambridge Analytica and the Trump Campaign

Mon, 02 Apr 2018 18:27:00 GMT

Will regulation follow the revelations surrounding Cambridge Analytica's acquisition and use of Facebook data? Walter Olson and Julian Sanchez comment.

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A Big-Spending, Big-Borrowing Week in Washington

Sat, 31 Mar 2018 00:05:00 GMT

Is there any way out of the federal spending binge? Jonathan Bydlak is creator of SpendingTracker.org.

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Serious Proposals to Reduce Gun Deaths

Thu, 29 Mar 2018 13:30:00 GMT

If lawmakers want to get serious about reducing gun deaths, the War on Drugs and suicide are the best places to start. Trevor Burrus evaluates the proposals from those who march against gun violence.

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Trump’s Tariffs, Retaliation, and Trade Deficits

Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:47:00 GMT

The number of steel-exporting countries ensnared by the Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum has shrunk. The President also wants to take new action to shrink trade deficits with countries like China. Inu Manak describes the state of play.

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New Fed, Same As the Old Fed?

Tue, 27 Mar 2018 20:44:00 GMT

The Federal Reserve's new leadership may indicate changes in a few policies. Tate Lacey comments.

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It's Bolton Time

Sat, 24 Mar 2018 06:58:00 GMT

John Bolton, an effective communicator of extreme hawkish views, will become the President's new national security advisor. John Glaser and Sahar Khan argue that Bolton articulates views that almost entirely reject serious diplomacy.

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The Awful Consensus in Washington

Fri, 23 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMT

What politicians agree on is more troubling than the partisan rancor, according to syndicated columnist George Will. He spoke at the Cato Institute's January Policy Perspectives in Naples, Florida.

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Truth and Perception of Homeschoolers

Thu, 22 Mar 2018 21:31:00 GMT

Homeschoolers aren't very ideological. At least, their ideologies vary widely. Author Zak Slayback says politicians should understand that they dismiss or mess with homeschoolers at their political peril.

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The Government (Sorta) Wants Your Input on Nutrition

Wed, 21 Mar 2018 20:53:00 GMT

The feds are taking public comment on nutrition guidelines. Terence Kealey believes the current advice ought to be scrapped.

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Trump’s Disappointing Approach to Opioids

Tue, 20 Mar 2018 19:32:00 GMT

Donald Trump rolled out his approach to handling the opioid problem in the United States: treatment for addicts and execution for drug dealers. Cato's Jeffrey Singer says it's disappointing and almost entirely the wrong approach.

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The Trouble with Paid Family Leave

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 20:25:00 GMT

What can we learn from other countries with mandated paid family leave? Why do so many prominent Republicans view the idea as a conservative one? Vanessa Brown Calder comments.

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Massive Numbers of Untested Rape Kits

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 20:58:00 GMT

Why do police departments allow rape kits to go untested? Clark Neily comments.

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#CatoConnects: NAFTA and the Trump Tariffs

Thu, 15 Mar 2018 20:54:00 GMT

What impact with the Trump tariffs have on renewed negotiations over North American trade policy? Inu Manak and Simon Lester comment.

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The Abolition of Slavery and Libertarian Thought

Wed, 14 Mar 2018 19:36:00 GMT

What does it mean for historical events to be regarded as victories of modern ideologies? Anthony Comegna comments.

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#Rexit at State Department, Mike Pompeo, and Gina Haspel

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 15:11:00 GMT

Mike Pompeo is expected to replace Rex Tillerson at the State Department, and Gina Haspel, a longtime intelligence agent who oversaw black sites for the CIA, may replace Pompeo at CIA. Chris Preble and Emma Ashford comment.

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Risky Business: The Role of Arms Sales in U.S. Foreign Policy

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 04:00:00 GMT

In just his first year in office, President Trump signed arms deals at a record pace. What are the costs and benefits of those sales of U.S. weaponry? Caroline Dorminey is author of "Risky Business: The Role of Arms Sales in U.S. Foreign Policy."

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Trump to Meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 19:14:00 GMT

The White House seems substantially unprepared for a planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Doug Bandow and John Glaser comment.

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A ‘Digital Muslim Ban’

Fri, 09 Mar 2018 21:04:00 GMT

Did the President enact a "digital Muslim ban” in a now-withdrawn executive order? Rachel Levinson-Waldman and Alvaro Bedoya offer their thoughts.

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Criminal Immigrants in Texas

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 20:27:00 GMT

What does new data in Texas tell us about the propensity of immigrants to commit crimes? Alex Nowrasteh is author of a new Cato Institute policy brief, "Criminal Immigrants in Texas."

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Italian Elections Boost Populists

Wed, 07 Mar 2018 21:14:00 GMT

The Five Star Movement and Northern League have shaken the political establishment in Italy, and both groups make protection, cultural and economic, a key element of their platforms. Alberto Mingardi comments on the changes.

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Trump’s Tariffs Will Intensify Trade War

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 22:06:00 GMT

The Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum will punish American manufacturers and invite retaliation from trading partners. The national security rationale for the tariffs is also pretty flimsy. Dan Ikenson comments.

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Putin’s New Deadly Toys

Mon, 05 Mar 2018 21:55:00 GMT

How does the announcement of a new breed of Russian nuclear weapons alter the calculus for defending against the nuclear threat? Emma Ashford and Eric Gomez comment.

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Why Won’t Courts Question Qualified Immunity?

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 23:07:00 GMT

Courts are loathe to take cases that might alter or weaken qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that protects police from some of the consequences of serious misconduct. Why? William Baude of the University of Chicago Law School comments.

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Won't Someone Please Think of the Parents?!?

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 21:51:00 GMT

Parents enmeshed in the child protective services system often are asked to prove a negative, that they've done nothing wrong, in order to get their children back. Dan Greenberg of Advance Arkansas Institute comments on recent legislative efforts.

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The Case against Qualified Immunity

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 05:00:00 GMT

"Qualified immunity" is a doctrine that protects police from misconduct that would send someone without a badge to jail. Clark Neily and Jay Schweikert discuss the controversy.

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Some Bad Reasons to Love/Hate Bitcoin

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 20:36:00 GMT

When fans and detractors of cryptocurrencies talk, they need to understand the economic fundamentals behind what they're saying. Will Luther comments.

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Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 22:19:00 GMT

Can the state ban you from wearing any political message at the polling place? Wen Fa is an attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation. We discussed his case before the Supreme Court, Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky.

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Clashing over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 14:06:00 GMT

Trade plays a huge role in the wealth that Americans enjoy, so why has it been so controversial? Douglas A. Irwin is author of Clashing over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy.

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Realizing A Freedom Philosophy

Thu, 22 Feb 2018 14:16:00 GMT

The struggle over ideas needs people to tell stories to make real the costs and benefits of putting those ideas into practice. Bob Chitester of the Free to Choose Network has spent decades working on this broad project. We spoke this weekend in Chicago.

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Gerrymandered Battle Lines before SCOTUS

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 15:57:00 GMT

The Supreme Court faces two cases of partisan gerrymandering this term. Why hasn't Congress dealt with this issue? Walter Olson comments.

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The Right to Try Unapproved Drugs and the Prohibition of Truth in Marketing

Tue, 20 Feb 2018 09:00:00 GMT

You should be able to try any drug you want to save your own life. And doctors and drug companies should be allowed to converse honestly about potential drug benefits without the fear of jail. Christina Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute comments.

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Free-Range Kids vs. Fretful Mother Magazine

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:29:00 GMT

How do give our children the autonomy they deserve without fear? Lenore Skenazy has a few ideas.

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Trump and the GOP Congress Spend Big with Your Money

Fri, 16 Feb 2018 20:54:00 GMT

Despite some substantial plans to privatize some infrastructure and cut other needless federal spending, the infrastructure and other spending plans by Donald Trump and the GOP Congress are substantial budget busters. Chris Edwards comments.

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#CatoConnects: The Nunes Memo, Surveillance, and Secret Courts

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:38:00 GMT

Intelligence experts have generally been skeptical of the conclusions of the "Nunes memo," but the fight over this document may do long-term damage to attempts to provide important oversight for the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Julian Sanchez comments.View full event

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Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man

Wed, 14 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT

It's difficult to overestimate what Frederick Douglass overcame to become one of the greatest advocates for liberty in the 19th century. Timothy Sandefur is author of the new Cato book, Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man.

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The Republic of Virtue: How We Tried to Ban Corruption, Failed, and What We Can Do about It

Tue, 13 Feb 2018 16:09:00 GMT

What can be done to counter public corruption? Frank Buckley is author of The Republic of Virtue: How We Tried to Ban Corruption, Failed, and What We Can Do about It.

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The Unbelievable Case of McCoy v. Louisiana

Mon, 12 Feb 2018 14:15:00 GMT

Is it unconstitutional for defense counsel to concede the defendant's guilt over that defendant's express objection? In McCoy v. Louisiana, the Supreme Court has an opportunity to affirm that a competent defendant may play an important role in his own defense strategy. Jay Schweikert comments.

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Lives of the Necromancers

Sat, 10 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Politicians testing the credulity of Americans with outlandish statements is far from unprecedented. Anthony Comegna is editor of the new volume, Lives of the Necromancers by William Godwin.

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The Tax Bill Didn’t Kill Obamacare

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:44:00 GMT

Obamacare lives. Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute discusses what that means for states trying to make reforms.

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Cutting Aid and Cutting Remarks over Pakistan

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 21:16:00 GMT

The President's rhetoric and tone don't bode well for getting cooperation from Pakistan, even on shared goals. Sahar Khan comments.

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Bad Math on Counterinsurgency

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 20:15:00 GMT

Killing insurgents on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan seems to end up giving us more of them. Erik Goepner comments on how that math does and doesn't add up.

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Little Nukes, Big Deal

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 18:28:00 GMT

Would expanding low-yield nukes in our nuclear arsenal make us safer? Eric Gomez comments on the new nuclear posture review from the Pentagon.

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Fear of Terrorism Drives Anti-Immigrant Push

Fri, 02 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Anti-immigration forces would like you to believe that immigrants pose an outsize risk with respect to terrorism. They don't. Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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The Vast Powers of Customs and Border Protection

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 22:10:00 GMT

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is imbued with vast powers, and evidence shows those powers are used without many of the checks that exist in other federal agencies. Alex Nowrasteh and Matthew Feeney comment.

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A Big-Spending, Flag-Waving State of the Union

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 15:22:00 GMT

The State of the Union is a tradition that probably ought to go, but this one had the big spending plans Americans have come to expect. Cato's John Glaser, Chris Edwards, and Neal McCluskey comment on the substantive policy proposals.

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The New and Old Tech of Border Surveillance

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Technology to intercept illegal immigrants can also be used to hassle American citizens. Much of the new technology doesn't work as well as advertised. Meanwhile, the logistical problems with building a massive border wall have barely begun. Matthew Feeney and David Bier comment.

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The New National ID Systems

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 15:00:00 GMT

A world where authorities no longer have to even ask for ID is a scary one, especially if you have no recourse in how that massive collection of data gets used. Jim Harper is author of "The New National ID Systems."

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Trump Immigration Plan Would Dramatically Reduce Legal Immigration

Tue, 30 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT

The draconian restrictions on legal immigrants proposed by the Trump White House would exclude nearly 22 million people from the opportunity to immigrate legally to the United States over the next five decades. David Bier comments.

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Puncturing Persistent Myths about Immigrant Crime

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 05:00:00 GMT

If you're worried about crime, worry more about the criminality of your fellow Americans and less about the criminality of immigrants. Alex Nowrasteh discusses the data on immigrants and crime.

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Who Pays the Price When You Don’t Get A Speedy Trial? You Do

Fri, 26 Jan 2018 20:17:00 GMT

Why don't prosecutors and judges pay a price when the right to a speedy trial is violated? Clark Neily comments.

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The 2017 Human Freedom Index

Thu, 25 Jan 2018 05:01:00 GMT

"The Human Freedom Index” presents the state of human freedom in the world based on a broad measure that encompasses personal, civil, and economic freedom. It is co-published by the Cato Institute, the Fraser Institute, and the Liberales Institut at the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. Ian Vasquez is the report's co-author.

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That Memo, the Deep State, and the FISA Court

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 21:58:00 GMT

An as-yet-undisclosed memo circulating in the House of Representatives promises to challenge the credibility of some elements in the FBI, but if the claims it contains are substantial, it may pose challenges for the secretive FISA court. Julian Sanchez comments.

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This Year 'Big Content' Likely Won't Push to Extend Copyright

Wed, 24 Jan 2018 15:10:00 GMT

Without action by Congress, a whole class of copyrighted works will fall into the public domain next year. And yet, Big Content isn't fighting to stop it. Timothy B. Lee of Ars Technica discusses why.

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How Not to Subsidize Renewable Energy

Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:19:00 GMT

The renewable portfolio standard is meant to encourage the production of renewable energy in states. One side effect is higher energy costs for low-income people according to Dave Stevenson of the Cesar Rodney Institute.

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The Public Benefit of Private Schooling

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 21:44:00 GMT

What is the impact of private schooling in countries' quality of public schooling? Corey DeAngelis is author of "The Public Benefit of Private Schooling."

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#CatoConnects: The Feds’ Retrograde War on Pot

Fri, 19 Jan 2018 22:09:00 GMT

With more discretion given to U.S. Attorneys to enforce federal marijuana laws, what effects will it have on states that have legalized? Trevor Burrus discussed various elements of cannabis prohibition on #CatoConnects.

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The Opioid Crisis Is Really a Heroin Crisis

Thu, 18 Jan 2018 22:40:00 GMT

Clearly understanding what’s driving the rise in drug overdoses is critical if we want to craft a credible policy response. Jeff Singer is author of the forthcoming Cato paper, "Abuse-Deterrent Opioids and the Law of Unintended Consequences." We spoke at the Cato Institute's State Health Policy Summit.

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Campus Speech and the Libertarian Student Movement

Wed, 17 Jan 2018 18:10:00 GMT

Do libertarians misunderstand the opponents of free speech on campus? Wolf von Laer is President of Students for Liberty.

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The Antics of State Legislatures

Tue, 16 Jan 2018 22:40:00 GMT

How do state legislatures obfuscate, trick, and leave the public in the dark? Jack McHugh watches state legislatures for the Mackinac Center.

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The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America

Mon, 15 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT

What role did governments play in the segregating of America? Richard Rothstein describes the explicit policies that separated black and white America in The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America.

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The Regulators Are Coming for Bitcoin

Sat, 13 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT

As cryptocurrencies hit new highs, is federal regulation far behind? And if it is, can regulators really do anything to crack down on these decentralized networks? Jerry Brito of Coin Center offers an analysis.

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Still Waiting for Spending Cuts

Fri, 12 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT

Republicans' desire to cut spending is sharp as a knife when they're in the minority. But facts don't do what they want them to now that the GOP runs Congress. Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending discusses prime spending cuts their prospects in 2018.

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New Changes May Ease Medicaid Costs for States

Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:05:00 GMT

States attempting to grapple with the costs of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act may welcome new changes to Medicaid. Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute offers his thoughts.

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Salvadoran Refugees Get the Trump Boot

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 19:41:00 GMT

What does the end of "temporary protected status" for Salvadoran refugees mean for those families? Are they of any particular risk to Americans? Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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New Signs of a Waning War on Cannabis

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 14:22:00 GMT

A notorious outlaw industrial-scale marijuana farmer is about to get a fairly light sentence for his activities as U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions shows himself to be a somewhat toothless pot warrior. Jim Higdon is author of The Cornbread Mafia. He discusses the numerous signs pointing to the approaching end of marijuana prohibition.

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Fed Policymaker Musical Chairs in 2018

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:15:00 GMT

The Federal Reserve policymaking body will change considerably this year. Tate Lacey comments on what that means and what it should mean for the unwinding of the Fed balance sheet.

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‘Swatting’ and Police Accountability

Fri, 05 Jan 2018 22:21:00 GMT

How can the public send a clear message to police that they, and not malicious tipsters, are ultimately responsible when cops kill innocent people? Clark Neily comments.

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American Foreign Policy in 2018

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 20:32:00 GMT

As world leaders debate the relative size of their red buttons, what role should the U.S. play in skirmishes around the globe? Christopher A. Preble comments.

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Prime (Spending) Cuts Congress Should Put on the Chopping Block

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 22:04:00 GMT

Tax reform is done. But without any Democratic support, bipartisan spending cuts may be a bridge too far. Chris Edwards says there are many spending cuts that could get bipartisan support.

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Cardiac Arrest: Five Heart-Stopping Years as a CEO on the Feds' Hit-List

Sat, 30 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

When the feds thought Vascular Solutions would be a good target for a fraud investigation, CEO Howard Root thought it was merely a shakedown. He was wrong. Howard Root is author of Cardiac Arrest: Five Heart-Stopping Years as a CEO on the Feds' Hit-List.

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Inside Private Prisons

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

What incentives govern private prisons? Are they fundamentally different from state-run facilities? Do private prison operators or the unions that represent prison workers hold undue sway over policymakers? Lauren-Brooke Eisen is author of Inside Private Prisons.

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A Look at Financial Reform in 2018

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 16:24:00 GMT

Will elements of Dodd Frank and the Patriot Act that burden banks go away in 2018? Bert Ely discusses elements of financial regulation that might get changed.

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Judicial Nomination Fights Blaze on

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 14:35:00 GMT

You might hold higher hopes that the worst days are gone in the fight over judicial nominations. Ilya Shapiro says they may be poised to get more rancorous and bitter.

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Two Killings by Police, Strikingly Different Results

Tue, 26 Dec 2017 22:31:00 GMT

The police killings of Walter Scott and Daniel Shaver provide more reason to change how laws punish bad and incompetent cops. Clark Neily comments.

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In Trying Times, Take Lessons from the Stoics

Mon, 25 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

Author Ryan Holiday says it's no surprise that stoicism has a resurgence when times are tough.

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Disney, Streaming, and Long Copyright

Sat, 23 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

Disney's vast catalog is about to expand with the acquisition of the assets of 20th Century Fox. How do decades-long copyright terms affect streaming companies' business models? Peter Van Doren discusses Disney's move.

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The Fate of Obamacare in 2018

Fri, 22 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

The Affordable Care Act's individual mandate will be zeroed out in 2019 when some provisions of the tax bill take effect. What is the likely fallout? Michael Cannon comments.

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NSA, North Korea, and the WannaCry Attack

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

An exploit known to the NSA was likely used by North Korean hackers to disrupt thousands of computer systems globally. Julian Sanchez discusses the case.

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Toward a More Robust Tax Reform

Wed, 20 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

Ike Brannon describes the tax reform that didn't happen, but should have.

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Trump on National Security Strategy

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 17:07:00 GMT

How valuable are national security documents? And speeches about those documents? Trevor Thrall comments on the latest presidential speech on national security.

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Tax Cuts (Not Spending Cuts) Are on the Way

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 00:04:00 GMT

The centerpiece of the Republican tax reform plan is a substantial cut in the corporate tax rate. Spending cuts will apparently have to wait. Chris Edwards comments.

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The Federal Reserve’s Unresolved Questions

Sat, 16 Dec 2017 08:30:00 GMT

With the Federal Reserve likely to raise interest rates at this week’s FOMC meeting, another step will be have been taken in the Fed’s “Normalization” plan. The Fed will, however, enter 2018 facing many more issues. Tate Lacey comments.

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Peril and Promise in Facial Recognition Technology

Fri, 15 Dec 2017 22:26:00 GMT

How governments and corporations make use of your face will grow in importance in the coming years. Protections for your privacy are currently hard to come by. Clare Garvie of the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology comments.

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The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 22:53:00 GMT

How is policing being changed by new technology? Andrew G. Ferguson is author of The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement.

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Protecting the Prairie Dog and Federal Overreach

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 22:57:00 GMT

Protecting species is often a complicated task. It doesn't help when the feds overreach. Reed Watson of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Liberating Telemedicine

Tue, 12 Dec 2017 22:24:00 GMT

Many hurdles remain in place for innovation in the sphere of telemedicine. Shirley Svorny offers her thoughts in a new Cato paper, "Liberating Telemedicine: Options to Eliminate the State-Licensing Roadblock."

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Finally, An Audit for the Pentagon

Mon, 11 Dec 2017 21:03:00 GMT

Whatever turns up in a planned audit for the Pentagon won't address a larger problem: The U.S. military does too much in too many places. Still, it’s a good idea. Chris Preble discusses what an audit might reveal.

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A Proposed Ban on ‘Bump Stocks’ and State Reciprocity for Gun Permits

Fri, 08 Dec 2017 14:57:00 GMT

A ban on so-called "bump stocks" earned a surprise endorsement from some Republicans. As Congress considers a bump stock ban and the creation of state reciprocity of gun permits, Dave Kopel offers his thoughts.

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Oral Argument in the Case of Masterpiece Cakeshop

Thu, 07 Dec 2017 22:10:00 GMT

The arguments are varied in the case of the Masterpiece Cakeshop baker who refused a commission from a gay couple. What did the oral argument reveal? Ilya Shapiro comments.

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Will Tax Reform End the Individual Mandate?

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 22:22:00 GMT

One casualty of tax reform may be the mandate that hides the costs of Obamacare. Michael F. Cannon discusses the change.

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Police Snooping and Collins v. Virginia

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 20:54:00 GMT

In Collins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court has an opportunity to reaffirm that your home is truly your castle. Jay Schweikert discusses the Cato Institute’s brief in the case.

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Assessing the North Korea Threat

Mon, 04 Dec 2017 22:14:00 GMT

Is North Korea ready to talk? Is the United States? Cato Senior Fellow Doug Bandow comments.

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The Flynn Plea

Sat, 02 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMT

What does it mean to be a "cooperating witness" in an FBI investigation, especially one looking into potential collusion between a campaign and the Russian government? Michael Flynn is finding that out. Clark Neily comments.

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The Proper Response to Russian Election Meddling

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 22:13:00 GMT

What's the best way to handle the continuing attempts by foreign governments to destabilize American institutions with social media and mere advertising? Flemming Rose discusses the importance of not taking the wrong lessons.

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The Trump Foreign Policy a Year Later

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 20:45:00 GMT

A year later, what does the Donald Trump foreign policy look like? Cato's Sahar Khan and John Glaser comment.

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The Continuing Fight over the Throne at CFPB

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 22:20:00 GMT

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is less accountable than most federal agencies by design. That's in part why outgoing director Richard Cordray felt perfectly comfortable naming his own replacement. Thaya Brook Knight discusses the fight.

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Water Rights, Water Fights in the American West

Tue, 28 Nov 2017 15:35:00 GMT

In the American west, if you don't use your water rights, you can lose them. That's not a great plan for conserving water. Reed Watson of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Eliminate the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 08:00:00 GMT

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is a subsidy to developers, and it's a credit that creates many opportunities for mischief. Chris Edwards and Vanessa Brown Calder discuss their new report on the subject.

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The Narrow Path of Fixing Health Insurance and Complying with Obamacare

Fri, 24 Nov 2017 08:00:00 GMT

Complying with Obamacare while innovating in health coverage is a difficult task, according Rea Hederman of the Buckeye Institute. We spoke at the State Policy Network annual meeting in San Antonio.

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The Rent Was Too Damn High (1830s Edition)

Thu, 23 Nov 2017 08:00:00 GMT

How did selective grants of corporate power culminate in a war on rent in New York in the 1830s and 1840s? Cato's Anthony Comegna explains.

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China’s Economic Slowdown and Institutional Change

Wed, 22 Nov 2017 15:57:00 GMT

Economist Charles Calomiris examines the relative strength of the Chinese economy in light of the country's economic slowdown, capital controls, and continued broad central planning.

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The New State of Occupational Licensing

Tue, 21 Nov 2017 20:31:00 GMT

Occupational licensing represents a potentially serious impediment to economic progress, and yet eliminating licenses is a long, laborious process. Lisa Knepper and Jennifer McDonald of the Institute for Justice discuss their License to Work report.

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The New Attempts to Restrict Bitcoin

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 16:17:00 GMT

Bitcoin's turbulent times have been driven in part by technical considerations and government attempts to crack down on the cryptocurrency. Will Luther, a professor of economics at Kenyon College, comments.

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Demographics and Monetary Policy

Fri, 17 Nov 2017 21:00:00 GMT

How do demographic trends interact with monetary policy? Would a change in the Fed's mandate change how the agency looks at demographics? Loretta J. Mester, President of the Cleveland Fed, comments.

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With Cordray’s Departure, Can CFPB Be Scrapped?

Thu, 16 Nov 2017 19:41:00 GMT

Richard Cordray will leave his post as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Does this mean the agency can finally be scrapped? Thaya Brook Knight comments.

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#CatoConnects: The Science of Nutrition and Public Choice

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 21:59:00 GMT

Are governments institutionally incapable of giving accurate nutrition advice? Cato Visiting Senior Fellow Dr. Terence Kealey is author of Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal.

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Higher Education and Tax Reform

Tue, 14 Nov 2017 22:19:00 GMT

How will elimination of education-related deductions and other tax changes affect higher education? Neal McCluskey comments.

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How Airlines Compete and How They’re Regulated

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 22:25:00 GMT

Government control over air travel is still onerous, and that can limit both choice and the safety of travel. Gary Leff of the Mercatus Center and the blog View from the Wing discusses the latest fight over air travel.

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Evaluating Changes at the Federal Reserve

Sat, 11 Nov 2017 05:00:00 GMT

Tate Lacey discusses the changes that are coming to the Federal Reserve.

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Education Savings Accounts and Customized Education

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 20:39:00 GMT

How do education savings accounts (ESAs) work? Jonathan Butcher of the Goldwater Institute and the Heritage Foundation discussed their merits at the State Policy Network Annual Meeting in San Antonio.

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What’s the Matter with Kansas (on Taxes and Spending)?

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 21:22:00 GMT

When Kansas cut taxes and raised spending, state lawmakers make a serious (and obvious) error. Dave Trabert of the Kansas Policy Institute offers his thoughts.

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POTUS’s Saudi Friends Shake up Government

Wed, 08 Nov 2017 22:10:00 GMT

Donald Trump has alienated the leaders of many governments, but Saudi Arabia's leaders are not among them. Now, the Saudis are making radical changes in governance, economics, and traditions. Emma Ashford comments.

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The Real Impact of Money on Elections

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 22:13:00 GMT

There's too much money in politics, or so goes the chestnut. Economist Jeff Milyo offers some perspective.

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Assessing Misconduct among Border Patrol Agents

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 07:00:00 GMT

The data on misconduct and corruption among border patrol agents is especially murky, but we have some evidence available to us. Alex Nowrasteh is author of "Border Patrol Termination Rates," a new policy analysis from the Cato Institute.

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Asserting Liberty and the Power of 'No'

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT

In the long history of the ebb and flow of liberty, some examples stand out. Jim Otteson of Wake Forest University offered a few of those examples at Cato Club 200.

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Architect of Prosperity: Sir John Cowperthwaite and the Making of Hong Kong

Tue, 31 Oct 2017 15:18:00 GMT

How did Hong Kong rise to prominence as a hub of global commerce? Neil Monnery is author of Architect of Prosperity: Sir John Cowperthwaite and the Making of Hong Kong.

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Pay to Play on Public Lands

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 12:34:00 GMT

Should you be subsidizing hikers and cyclists on public lands? Holly Fretwell of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Conservatism on the Rocks

Fri, 27 Oct 2017 19:01:00 GMT

Conservatism has seen better days. Jeff Flake, Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona, discussed what he sees as problems in the conservative movement at Cato Club 200 in Laguna Beach, California.

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Unions vs. Home Health Care Workers in Pennsylvania

Thu, 26 Oct 2017 17:02:00 GMT

Home health care workers in Pennsylvania are struggling to stay out of unions. David Osborne of the Fairness Center discusses his case to keep unions out of Pennsylvania homes.

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Guns, Cars, and Regulation

Wed, 25 Oct 2017 15:36:00 GMT

Treating guns like cars might not end up with the kind of regulation that gun prohibitionists want. But thinking about guns like we think about cars might get us to a more productive conversation. Trevor Burrus comments.

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Elections, Independence, and European Populism

Tue, 24 Oct 2017 16:33:00 GMT

European populism is on the march, but it's less clear how sustainable the various movements are. Alberto Mingardi of the Istituto Bruno Leoni provides some perspective.

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The Case for Protecting Commercial Speech

Mon, 23 Oct 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Should commercial speech receive diminished First Amendment protection? Martin Redish of Northwestern Law School made his case at the Cato Institute's conference on the First Amendment.

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The Art of Being Free: How Alexis de Tocqueville Can Save Us from Ourselves

Fri, 20 Oct 2017 08:00:00 GMT

What does Alexis de Tocqueville have to offer Americans today? James Poulos explains in his new book, The Art of Being Free: How Alexis de Tocqueville Can Save Us from Ourselves.

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Local Zoning vs. State Economies

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Zoning mostly done at the local level, but should states take charge of the process in the name of economic efficiency? Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center comments.

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Zoning, Land-Use Planning, and Housing Affordability

Wed, 18 Oct 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Do federal housing subsidies end up subsidizing restrictive zoning at the local level? And how does zoning drive housing costs? Vanessa Brown Calder examines the relationship in a new Cato Policy Analysis.

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Examining the Ideological Divide over Free Speech

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 21:18:00 GMT

What are the areas of agreement across the ideological spectrum when it comes to freedom of speech? Robert Bauer, White House counsel under Barack Obama, makes his case.

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Endless Distraction vs. Living the Good Life

Mon, 16 Oct 2017 19:59:00 GMT

In a world of endless distraction, it's easy to avoid conscious growth. And, in a world of endless distraction, it's more important than ever to control ourselves. At Cato’s 40th anniversary celebration, Charles Murray discussed the good life.

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The Continuing Challenge to Individual Rights on Campus

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 21:33:00 GMT

2012 felt like a better year for individual rights on college campuses, according to Greg Lukianoff of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Then things got much, much worse.

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The Bad New Days of Occupational Licensing

Thu, 12 Oct 2017 20:49:00 GMT

States need a comprehensive way to judge which occupational licenses are justified and which aren't. Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center comments.

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Why Make a Federal Case out of College Sports?

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 18:23:00 GMT

Why is the FBI involved in investigating college sports recruiting scandals? Ilya Shapiro comments.

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What Made the 1986 Tax Reform Happen?

Tue, 10 Oct 2017 15:51:00 GMT

The last major tax reform was 30 years ago. How did it happen? Cato Institute Vice President John Samples comments.

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Protecting Extremist Speech, Regulating ‘Fake News’

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Drawing a legal line around what might constitute "extremist" speech for the purpose of regulation or prohibition is virtually impossible. The same goes for "fake news." Flemming Rose comments.

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Shredding Iran Nuclear Deal Is an Unforced Error

Fri, 06 Oct 2017 13:32:00 GMT

Whatever you think of the Iran Nuclear Deal, the alternatives are worse. That’s according John Glaser and Emma Ashford, authors of the new Cato paper, "Unforced Error: The Risks of Confrontation with Iran."

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Mandatory Union Fees Return to the Supreme Court

Thu, 05 Oct 2017 20:07:00 GMT

How free should unions be to take fees from workers? When do those fees violate the First Amendment? Attorney Jacob Huebert discusses Janus v. AFSCME, which will soon go before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Assessing the New GOP Tax Plan

Wed, 04 Oct 2017 20:30:00 GMT

Chris Edwards discusses the tax plan now circulating in Congress.

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Why the U.S. Should Welcome China’s Economic Leadership

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:48:00 GMT

Colin Grabow is author of "Responsible Stakeholders: Why the United States Should Welcome China’s Economic Leadership."

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Trump Revises Travel Ban, Rejects More Refugees

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 13:00:00 GMT

A new draft of Donald Trump's travel ban may be the most confusing yet. At the same time, the U.S. will take far fewer refugees than in years past. Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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Status Report on Renegotiating NAFTA

Sat, 30 Sep 2017 04:00:00 GMT

Where does the desired renegotiation of NAFTA now stand? Inu Manak discusses the costs and benefits of reopening the massive trade deal.

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CFPB and the Equifax Breach

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter discusses the "unconstitutional structure" of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and possible litigation against Equifax.

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An Afghanistan Strategy with No Measure of Success

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 13:57:00 GMT

What would it mean for the war in Afghanistan to show improvement? Without metrics, it's hard to say. Chris Preble discusses why the war sits in a holding pattern.

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Challenging a Powerful Exception to the Fourth Amendment

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 19:07:00 GMT

When Customs and Border Patrol search your computer, what rights do you retain? Matthew Feeney comments.

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A New Party in the Bundestag

Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:07:00 GMT

Marian Tupy comments on this week's German elections.

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The Failing Argument for Mandatory Minimums

Mon, 25 Sep 2017 04:00:00 GMT

New research indicates that the role of mandatory minimums in reducing crime has been smaller than proponents would have you believe. Kevin Ring of Families Against Mandatory Minimums comments.

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Does Public Radio Have a Diversity Problem?

Sat, 23 Sep 2017 04:00:00 GMT

Does public radio have a diversity problem? Jon Caldara, president of Colorado's Independence Institute, believes it does.

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The Next State to Adopt Scholarship Tax Credits Is …

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 20:24:00 GMT

What's the record for scholarship tax credits and other school choice programs so far? Jason Bedrick of EdChoice discusses the most recent changes.

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Big Government Crowds out Voluntary Disaster Relief

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 21:32:00 GMT

How do the feds crowd out disaster relief from friends, neighbors, industry, and even other states? Chris Edwards comments.

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Freedom of Religion vs. the War on Drugs

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 21:11:00 GMT

Courts should defer to groups that want to use drugs in their religious practice. Eric Sterling of The Criminal Justice Policy Foundation provides a brief history of drug laws versus religious liberty.

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Americans Distrust Wall Street and Its Regulators

Tue, 19 Sep 2017 15:36:00 GMT

Americans don't trust either financial firms associated with Wall Street or the regulators who are trying to control financial firms' activities. Thaya Brook Knight and Emily Ekins discuss the findings of a new Cato Institute survey.

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‘Medicare for Some’ Isn’t Exactly Great

Mon, 18 Sep 2017 21:27:00 GMT

It's not even clear that "Medicare for Some" is a good idea, let alone "Medicare for All.” Michael F. Cannon comments.

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The Fiscal Pitch for State-Level Criminal Justice Reform

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 19:16:00 GMT

The cost to public safety of reducing spending on criminal justice programs can be effectively zero. That's according to Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute.

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Why September 14, 2001 Matters

Thu, 14 Sep 2017 17:01:00 GMT

After 16 years of war, it's time to reckon with the less-appreciated anniversary of September 14, 2001, when Congress gave the President a relatively open-ended power to make war. Gene Healy explains why.

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How States Should Respond to Opioid Crisis

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 12:56:00 GMT

Is heavy-handed punishment a particularly good way to handle the opioid crisis? I spoke with Greg Newburn of Families Against Mandatory Minimums at the State Policy Network Annual Meeting in San Antonio.

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The Other Monuments Problem

Tue, 12 Sep 2017 19:21:00 GMT

The naming of national monuments creates a few underappreciated problems. Hannah Downey of the Property and Environment Research Center comments.

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Market Anarchy in Utah (You Know, for Kids!)

Fri, 08 Sep 2017 07:28:00 GMT

Utah has removed many of the pointless licensing requirements for businesses operated by minors. Connor Boyack of the Libertas Institute discusses the importance of giving kids a taste of truly free enterprise.

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Resolving the Tullock Paradox

Thu, 07 Sep 2017 16:04:00 GMT

Why is there so little rent seeking? Is rent seeking itself still misunderstood? Matthew Mitchell of the Mercatus Center discussed the issue at FEECon in June.

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A Fraught Case for Exiting the Iran Nuclear Deal

Wed, 06 Sep 2017 21:28:00 GMT

United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley’s public pitch explaining the problems of the Iran nuclear deal spent precious little energy discussing what happens if the U.S. exits the deal. Emma Ashford evaluates the arguments.

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Trump Will ‘Wind Down’ DACA

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 20:23:00 GMT

The White House will end President Obama's Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but Jeff Sessions' defense of ending DACA on policy grounds misunderstands immigration almost entirely. Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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The Coming Debt Fight

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 21:05:00 GMT

Choosing the size of the national debt is a fight worth having. So why doesn't anyone want to have it? Michael Tanner comments.

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A Debt against the Living

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 03:56:00 GMT

Ilan Wurman is author of A Debt against the Living.

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Carpenter v. United States

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 03:49:00 GMT

The Supreme Court has an opportunity to change how governments may track Americans. Jim Harper comments.

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Trump Moves to Accelerate Militarization of Cops

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 14:36:00 GMT

The Obama White House narrowed the scope of military gear that could be distributed to local police forces. The Trump White House has undone those small restrictions. Clark Neily and Adam Bates discuss the change.

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A Balanced Threat Assessment of China’s South China Sea Policy

Mon, 28 Aug 2017 12:12:00 GMT

What does the U.S. gain by risking war in the South China Sea? Not much, according to "A Balanced Threat Assessment of China’s South China Sea Policy," a new Cato Institute paper. John Glaser and Eric Gomez comment on the dispute.

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End Pot (Research) Prohibition

Sat, 26 Aug 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Marijuana is legal to consume in a handful of states. So why is researching marijuana virtually impossible? Trevor Burrus discusses the federal role in prohibiting pot research.

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The Paradox of Tolerance

Fri, 25 Aug 2017 21:02:00 GMT

How do we tolerate intolerance? Jason Kuznicki comments.

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Debasing Monuments to the Confederacy

Thu, 24 Aug 2017 19:16:00 GMT

Should monuments to the Confederacy be removed or merely reframed? And where should that line of thinking stop? Walter Olson offers a few ideas.

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Trump on Afghanistan: ‘No Nationbuilding’ in Name Only

Wed, 23 Aug 2017 15:35:00 GMT

The Afghanistan strategy laid out by Donald Trump looks a lot like one that previous battlefield commanders have suggested is sorely wanting. Trevor Thrall and Erik Goepner comment.

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Doomed to Repeat It: The Long History of America’s Protectionist Failures

Tue, 22 Aug 2017 13:42:00 GMT

The successes of protectionism are grossly exaggerated. Scott Lincicome discusses his new paper, "Doomed to Repeat It: The Long History of America’s Protectionist Failures."

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Neo-Nazis to One Side, Antifa to the Other

Sat, 19 Aug 2017 07:00:00 GMT

A full-throated rejection of Nazism in its various forms doesn't compel anyone to ally with the strongly anti-liberal elements of the Antifa movement. Daniel McCarthy of The American Conservative discusses the sad events in Charlottesville.

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China Spells out Its (Limited) Commitments to North Korea

Fri, 18 Aug 2017 21:25:00 GMT

China has presented to the U.S. and North Korea its perceived commitments if the two countries decide to tangle. Chris Preble comments.

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Evaluating the Practical War Power of Presidents

Thu, 17 Aug 2017 21:46:00 GMT

What powers are granted to the President to make war? What are the costs and benefits of constraining it further? Gene Healy comments.

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School Choice, Public Schools, and Bigotry

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 18:03:00 GMT

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.

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Preserving the Iran Nuclear Deal: Perils and Prospects

Tue, 15 Aug 2017 14:08:00 GMT

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."

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Chicago Sues Feds over Immigration Mandates

Sat, 12 Aug 2017 04:00:00 GMT

Chicago is suing the federal government over the withholding of funds if the city doesn't obey federal dictates on immigration. Alex Nowrasteh comments.

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The Soul of the First Amendment

Fri, 11 Aug 2017 16:06:00 GMT

What are the emerging threats to the rights enshrined by the First Amendment? Floyd Abrams' new book is The Soul of the First Amendment.

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The High Cost of Turning Local Cops into Immigration Cops

Thu, 10 Aug 2017 14:06:00 GMT

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.

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Must E-Verify Go National?

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 13:52:00 GMT

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.

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Understanding the Opioid Crisis

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 12:50:00 GMT

Some misconceptions persist around opioids, addiction, and chemical dependence. Jeffrey Singer comments on the opioid crisis.

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Applied Mainline Economics

Mon, 07 Aug 2017 20:00:00 GMT

In Applied Mainline Economics, authors Peter J. Boettke and Matthew D. Mitchell provide some thoughts of particular use to the young economist.

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Confirmation Bias and Democracy in Chains

Fri, 04 Aug 2017 20:21:00 GMT

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.

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A Second Amendment Victory in D.C.

Thu, 03 Aug 2017 13:44:00 GMT

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.

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Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition

Wed, 02 Aug 2017 04:00:00 GMT

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.

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A Bipartisan Giveaway: The Low Income Housing Tax Credit

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 19:56:00 GMT

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.

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Dictatorship on Schedule in Venezuela

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 20:58:00 GMT

How should the U.S. respond to the arrival of true dictatorship in Venezuela? Juan Carlos Hidalgo comments.

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The Push and Pull of Innovation and Regulation

Sat, 29 Jul 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Should Regulators #BreakUpAmazon?

Fri, 28 Jul 2017 20:48:00 GMT

Is Amazon a monopoly? And if so, should regulators begin the process of separating the massive retailer's operations? Walter Olson comments.

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How to End Warrantless Surveillance

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:05:00 GMT

How can we end the federal government's warrantless snooping on Americans? Senators Ron Wyden and Rand Paul talk to Cato's Patrick Eddington.

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The Unserious 25th Amendment Solution

Wed, 26 Jul 2017 19:27:00 GMT

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.

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Don’t Stop Impeachin’

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 20:22:00 GMT

Impeachment isn't a dirty word. Gene Healy explains why Congress should consider it more often.

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Jeff Sessions Expands Civil Forfeiture

Mon, 24 Jul 2017 13:28:00 GMT

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.

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Democracy in Chains and Methods of History

Sat, 22 Jul 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Too Many Cooks in the Regulatory Kitchen

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 07:00:00 GMT

The costs and benefits of regulations need more scrutiny and lawmakers should understand clearly that regulations aren't costless. Thaya Brook Knight comments.

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Privatization for the Sake of Better Management

Thu, 20 Jul 2017 20:57:00 GMT

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.

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Reforming the National Flood Insurance Program

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 06:00:00 GMT

Federal flood insurance is effectively a subsidy to wealthy coastal homeowners. Ike Brannon believes it should be scrapped.

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The Medicalization of Psychedelics

Tue, 18 Jul 2017 04:00:00 GMT

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.

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Drug Violence and Populism in Mexico

Mon, 17 Jul 2017 19:03:00 GMT

Prohibition-related drug violence in Mexico may be fueling a growing populism. Ian Vasquez comments.

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The Senate’s New Health Care Measure Is (Still) Fatally Flawed

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 21:20:00 GMT

The Senate's new measure aimed at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act still has deep flaws. Michael Cannon makes the case.

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Trump Can’t Stop Global Trade

Thu, 13 Jul 2017 15:31:00 GMT

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.

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Henry David Thoreau at 200

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 21:05:00 GMT

How important is Henry David Thoreau as a libertarian? And how important is he in American history? Anthony Comegna comments.

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How the FDA Regulates (and Doesn’t Regulate) Supplements

Tue, 11 Jul 2017 20:45:00 GMT

The manner in which the FDA regulates supplements leaves much to be desired and leaves customers perhaps too trusting. So says Peter Van Doren.

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Stepping Back from the Failed War on Terror

Mon, 10 Jul 2017 12:29:00 GMT

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."

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Restarting Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)

Sat, 08 Jul 2017 20:15:00 GMT

Modernizing the military means closing extraneous bases. Christopher A. Preble discusses an effort to get that process started.

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Democracy in Chains versus Public Choice

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 20:19:00 GMT

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.

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Overreaction Works in North Korea’s Favor

Thu, 06 Jul 2017 21:48:00 GMT

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un tested missiles on July 4th. Doug Bandow discusses what ought to be next steps for the United States.

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What Is Dark Money?

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 15:02:00 GMT

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.

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Do Libertarians Exist?

Tue, 04 Jul 2017 15:42:00 GMT

How do we measure the number of libertarians? Why do those measures vary so widely? Emily Ekins offers some caution.

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Canada, the U.S., and the 19th Century’s Fuzzy Borders

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 18:16:00 GMT

What kind of libertarian are you? Anthony Comegna provides a history lesson that might help puzzle it out.

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A Weak Defense of Property Rights at the Supreme Court

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Was Trinity Lutheran a Big Win for School Choice?

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 21:22:00 GMT

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?

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Would More Government Infrastructure Spending Boost the U.S. Economy?

Thu, 29 Jun 2017 12:24:00 GMT

Does the U.S. need a boost in infrastructure spending? Ryan Bourne explains that most American infrastructure, broadly defined, is private.

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Time to Privatize Air Traffic Control

Wed, 28 Jun 2017 13:51:00 GMT

Air traffic control privatization isn't unprecedented and could improve quality and safety. Chris Edwards makes the case.

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Jeff Sessions May Be Confused about the Drug War

Mon, 26 Jun 2017 21:46:00 GMT

Is it drug trafficking or drug prohibition that is inherently violent? Adam Bates comments on the strange arguments from the Attorney General.

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Bitcoin Itself Isn’t the 'Main Event' of Bitcoin

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 21:07:00 GMT

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.

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Pyongyang Changes and Stays the Same

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Senate Health Care Bill: Worse Than Doing Nothing

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 19:01:00 GMT

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.

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A Troubling Turn for U.S. Policy in Syria

Wed, 21 Jun 2017 19:01:00 GMT

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.

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A Victory for Big Government in Kansas

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 23:43:00 GMT

Did tax cuts "fail" in Kansas? Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform comments.

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Bullish on Millennials, Bearish on Central Planners

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 21:04:00 GMT

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.

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The Federal Budgeting Process Is (Still) Broken (Again)

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 14:23:00 GMT

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.

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Social Security Won’t Save You from Yourself

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:57:00 GMT

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.

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‘Big Ed’ and the Value of a College Degree

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 20:48:00 GMT

Is the value of a college degree declining? Neal McCluskey comments.

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Warrantless Surveillance, the Saudis, and Foreign Policy

Tue, 13 Jun 2017 19:50:00 GMT

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.

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Interchange Fees Credit Card Miles/Points/Bonuses

Mon, 12 Jun 2017 21:43:00 GMT

What's happened since so-called "interchange fees" have been limited by federal law? Thaya Brook Knight explains.

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Gulf States Reject Qatar

Sat, 10 Jun 2017 07:01:00 GMT

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As Brexit Looms, Conservatives Lose Their Majority

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 19:15:00 GMT

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.

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After the Comey Hearing (Part II)

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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After the Comey Hearing (Part I)

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 21:09:00 GMT

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.

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Before the Comey Hearing

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 20:54:00 GMT

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

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Uncertainty Following U.S. Exit from Paris Climate Agreement

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 16:14:00 GMT

The President has removed the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement. Ryan Maue comments.

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Lone Wolf Attacks and ISIS Desperation

Mon, 05 Jun 2017 21:18:00 GMT

Lone wolf attacks for which ISIS claims credit should smack of desperation, not sophistication. Trevor Thrall explains why.

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Criminal Trial Evidence and Evidence.com

Fri, 02 Jun 2017 19:20:00 GMT

What happens when gathering evidence is stymied by software and hardware terms and conditions? Matthew Feeney discusses the case of Evidence.com.

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A Paradox in Our Reactions to (Some) Deaths from Terrorism

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 21:21:00 GMT

How we think about and respond to terrorist attacks depends a great deal, perhaps too much, on where they happen. Chris Preble comments.

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Feds Make the Case for Ending Civil Asset Forfeiture

Wed, 31 May 2017 21:16:00 GMT

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.

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Trump’s Big Trip Abroad

Tue, 30 May 2017 20:46:00 GMT

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.

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A Really Good Day

Sun, 28 May 2017 10:00:00 GMT

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.

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The Political Solution of CAFE Standards

Sat, 27 May 2017 09:00:00 GMT

Federal fuel economy standards (CAFE) are effectively a tax on cars, but how is that tax distributed? Peter Van Doren comments.

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Trump Unveils Budget That Eventually Would Balance

Fri, 26 May 2017 17:29:00 GMT

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.

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Real Spending Reform Means Cutting Spending

Thu, 25 May 2017 15:16:00 GMT

Can Congress achieve real spending cuts without a credible cap on total spending? Jonathan Bydlak of the Coalition to Reduce Spending has some ideas.

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The Three Languages of Politics

Wed, 24 May 2017 21:16:00 GMT

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.

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Jeff Sessions Escalates the Drug War

Mon, 22 May 2017 21:03:00 GMT

What does Attorney General Jeff Sessions want to get out of harsher prosecutions? Kevin Ring of Families Against Mandatory Minimums comments.

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A Misplaced Focus on Trump/Russia ‘Collusion’

Fri, 19 May 2017 18:33:00 GMT

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.

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Trump Travels to Saudi Arabia

Thu, 18 May 2017 17:46:00 GMT

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.

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Bill Nye and the Risks of Scientific Public Policy

Wed, 17 May 2017 13:16:00 GMT

Science-driven public policy has the potential to run roughshod over ethical considerations and important values. Trevor Burrus comments.

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FCC’s Legal Authority and Net Neutrality

Tue, 16 May 2017 20:18:00 GMT

What should drive FCC policy regarding net neutrality? Berin Szoka of TechFreedom comments.

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FCC to Vote on Net Neutrality and Title II Internet Regulation

Mon, 15 May 2017 15:09:00 GMT

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai says the decision to roll back the 2015 internet regulations will mean greater infrastructure investment and better quality products.

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Avoiding the Avoidable Conflicts with Iran

Sat, 13 May 2017 20:20:00 GMT

Hardliners in the U.S. regarding Iran may empower the Iranian hardliners regarding the U.S. Emma Ashford and Ben Friedman comment.

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Assessing the Iran Nuclear Deal So Far

Fri, 12 May 2017 20:14:00 GMT

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.

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Comey Fired from FBI, but the Rationale Seems Thin

Thu, 11 May 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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How the Hell Did This Happen?

Wed, 10 May 2017 07:00:00 GMT

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.

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Does the President Know What It Means to Know Something?

Tue, 09 May 2017 07:04:00 GMT

Some of the Donald Trump's problems should alarm Americans. That from syndicated columnist George F. Will.

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A Brief History of the Cato Institute: A Live #Cato40 Daily Podcast

Mon, 08 May 2017 19:32:00 GMT

At the recent Cato40 celebration, Cato's David Boaz, Ian Vasquez and Roger Pilon discussed Cato's history and its role in promoting liberty.

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Failure: The Federal Misedukation of America's Children

Thu, 04 May 2017 07:21:00 GMT

Has putting feds in the classroom done anything to improve American education? Vicki E. Alger, author of Failure: The Federal Misedukation of America's Children, says the Department of Education has achieved nothing, at best.

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Men without Work: America’s Invisible Crisis

Wed, 03 May 2017 07:00:00 GMT

The proportion of working-age men who aren't working has been in steady decline for decades? Why? Nicholas Eberstadt is author of Men without Work: America's Invisible Crisis. He spoke at the Cato Institute in January.

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Tax Reform Needs Universal Savings Accounts

Tue, 02 May 2017 12:22:00 GMT

President Trump's tax reform plans should include a key benefit for savers: Universal Savings Accounts. Chris Edwards and Ryan Bourne comment.

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Independent Political Speech, Then and Now

Mon, 01 May 2017 20:11:00 GMT

The playing field for independent speech has improved, but there are challenges still for small groups that want to influence elections. Michael G. Adams and Neil Reiff are campaign finance attorneys in Washington.

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Trump at 100 Days of Actual Foreign Policy

Sat, 29 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Has Donald Trump been captured by conventional foreign policy thinking? Trevor Thrall comments.

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The Dictatorial Mandate of a "100 Days" Presidential Metric

Fri, 28 Apr 2017 20:46:00 GMT

What does a successful first 100 days as President look like if not other branches of government rolling over? Gene Healy comments.

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"Trumpism" and "Tylerism"

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 15:21:00 GMT

What lessons does the accidental presidency of John Tyler have to tell us about the "Trumpism" emanating from the White House? Anthony Comegna comments.

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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis‎

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 21:17:00 GMT

Can the public sector truly address the problem of modern poverty in the United States? J.D. Vance is author of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis‎.

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What Do We Get for Federal Transportation Security Spending?

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 20:11:00 GMT

Each layer of transportation security should be evaluated for its cost and contribution. John Mueller comments on which layers of security spending give us the biggest and smallest improvement.

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Fixing Elements of Medical Malpractice with Contract

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 20:51:00 GMT

Typical medical malpractice reform efforts are aimed at lowering costs for physicians, but what if many problems associated with medical malpractice could be handled via contract? Walter Olson explains.

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To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police

Thu, 20 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Policing in America has often become insular and adversarial toward the communities police are supposed to protect and serve. Norm Stamper discusses his new book, To Protect and Serve: How to Fix America's Police.

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The Playground Fight: Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 14:13:00 GMT

In Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia v. Pauley, the Supreme Court considers to what extent a government giving used tires to a church playground can constitute a state establishment of religion. Trevor Burrus comments.

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The Politics of Perfection: Technology and Creation in Literature and Film

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 00:55:00 GMT

What does pop culture have to tell us about our own hopes and fears about technology? Kimberly Hurd Hale is author of The Politics of Perfection: Technology and Creation in Literature and Film.

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The Drive to Mandate Paid Family Leave

Tue, 18 Apr 2017 01:43:00 GMT

What can federally mandated unpaid family leave tell us about the likely impacts of a proposed mandate for paid family leave? Vanessa Brown Calder comments.

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The Welfare of Nations

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 10:00:00 GMT

What damage is being done by failing welfare states? What lessons can be learned from the best welfare states? James Bartholomew is the author of The Welfare of Nations.

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Homeland Security Wants Drones That Recognize Your Face

Thu, 13 Apr 2017 14:12:00 GMT

The Department of Homeland Security wants border drones that can recognize faces and track individuals over long distances. Matthew Feeney discusses the implications for liberty and privacy.

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Should The Feds Put Social Security into Stocks?

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 21:12:00 GMT

Putting Social Security revenues into the stock market and giving the feds control over those investments would be a big mistake. So says Michael Tanner.

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Trump’s Grand Nonstrategy?

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 18:23:00 GMT

What underlies Donald Trump's assault on Syria? Even if it's not a grand strategy, it might indicate a ready willingness to engage in further ill-advised conflict. John Glaser comments.

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Russia, Trump, and Bombing Syria

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 18:18:00 GMT

What does Russia get from backing Bashar al Assad in the face of U.S. throwing bombs at Syria? Emma Ashford comments.

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Trump Attacks Syria without Congressional Approval

Fri, 07 Apr 2017 21:06:00 GMT

President Trump has attacked Syria with apparently no support from Congress or other world leaders. Chris Preble comments.

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Federal Dietary Advice and The Case Against Sugar

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 13:43:00 GMT

Knocking down a scientific hypothesis is easier than knocking down a regulation built upon that hypothesis. Gary Taubes, author of The Case Against Sugar, argues there are big problems in how institutions conduct scientific inquiry today.

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Understanding the Urge to Muzzle Campus Speech

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 21:19:00 GMT

Understanding the apparent surge in attempts to shut down speakers on college campuses is an important task. Steve Simpson of the Ayn Rand Institute offers his analysis.

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Regulation at 40

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:55:00 GMT

Regulation Magazine celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The magazine's editor, Peter Van Doren, details some of what we now know thanks to the magazine's continuing run.

Regulation at 40, by Peter Van Doren and Thomas A. Firey.

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Combating the Hurdles and Hoops of Occupational Licensing

Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:08:00 GMT

The mindset of the regulator has overtaken so many professions by imposing licensing, but fighting back requires a strategy to re-engage the judiciary. Clark Neily of the Institute for Justice comments.

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The Election in Ecuador & New Fights over Free Trade

Thu, 30 Mar 2017 20:15:00 GMT

This week Ecuador could remove President Correa from office. What might that mean for the country? And why are we fighting the same old fights over free trade? Mary Anastasia O'Grady of the Wall Street Journal comments.

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Defending Free Speech in Uncertain Times

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 07:00:00 GMT

Defending free speech amid cries of "fake news" from the highest levels of government is a unique challenge. Flemming Rose comments.

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Lee v. United States and Jury Nullification

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 14:00:00 GMT

The Supreme Court takes up Lee v. United States today. The Cato Institute filed a brief in the case regarding the right to and rationality of defendants asking for a jury trial. Tim Lynch comments.

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The Smart Way to Repeal ObamaCare

Mon, 27 Mar 2017 15:19:00 GMT

How should Congress repeal and replace ObamaCare now that the American Health Care Act has failed? Michael Cannon explains.

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The Driverless Cars Are Coming

Fri, 24 Mar 2017 13:20:00 GMT

Driverless cars will change where you live, how you work, and will reshape whole industries. And they'll be here before you know it. Randal O'Toole comments.

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Trump’s Border Wall Means Seizing Private Land

Thu, 23 Mar 2017 21:36:00 GMT

Donald Trump's proposed border wall will require one of the largest seizures of private property in recent American history. Ilya Somin discusses the complicating factors.

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Why Have Supreme Court Nomination Hearings?

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:41:00 GMT

What exactly did the public, much less the Senate, get out of the nomination hearings of Neil Gorsuch? Ilya Shapiro comments.

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Clarity on Immigration and Crime Rates

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 19:16:00 GMT

How do the crime rates of immigrants compare to native-born Americans? Alex Nowrasteh explains in his new paper, Criminal Immigrants: Their Numbers, Demographics, and Countries of Origin.

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The Wikileaks CIA Dump and Domestic Surveillance

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 19:24:00 GMT

Do any real safeguards assure that Americans' data isn't being collected by intelligence agencies? The new Wikileaks revelations about CIA hacking tools offer little comfort. Patrick Eddington comments.

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A Proposed Cut to HUD

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 21:01:00 GMT

The proposed cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development amount to a tiny fraction of total federal welfare spending. Vanessa Brown Calder comments.

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Real Regulatory Change Means Changing Statutes

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 20:55:00 GMT

Peter Van Doren explains why substantive regulatory change will mean changing statutes, not merely reorganizing the executive branch.

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Does Trump Care about Spending Reform?

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 21:02:00 GMT

The successful spending reforms of other countries may not yet be on the President's radar. They should be. Dan Mitchell explains.

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Unwarranted: Policing without Permission

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 21:32:00 GMT

A great deal of government surveillance of Americans is done without a warrant. And asserting your right against such surveillance is often virtually impossible. Barry Friedman, author of Unwarranted, comments.

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Make Health Insurance Legal Again

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 21:40:00 GMT

The focus of reforming health coverage should be to legalize more varieties of it. So says Dr. Jeffrey Singer, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute.

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End the Federal Prohibition on Marijuana

Thu, 09 Mar 2017 21:53:00 GMT

As long as the feds refuse to enforce marijuana laws uniformly across the United States, Rep. Thomas Garrett (R-VA) says it's time to end federal cannabis prohibition.

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The Disappointing Replacement Plan for ObamaCare

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 21:38:00 GMT

Republicans had the better part of a decade to come up with a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. The House leadership plan retains many of Obamacare's elements. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) comments.

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The (Revised and Redacted) Trump Travel Ban

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 21:44:00 GMT

The Trump travel ban covering several majority Muslim countries is a slight improvement, but contains many of the same flaws as the original. Alex Nowrasteh explains.

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White House Confusion on Wiretapping

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 02:28:00 GMT

Julian Sanchez traces the origin and likelihood of a strange claim from the White House of wiretapping by the previous administration.

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Regulators of Beer, Regulators of Speech

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 21:31:00 GMT

The regulation of alcohol may be antiquated, but sometimes regulators cross into regulating commercial speech. Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog Brewery, talks about regulation of beer and regulation of speech.

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