Cato Event Podcast

In a Q&A, Brandon Garrett and Vikrant Reddy will discuss the new threats that due process faces and how we can respond by better safeguarding fundamental liberty and property rights. They will discuss why people are tempted to place outcomes before fairness—in society and in the courts. They will explore how new technology, including artificial intelligence, has created new threats to fairness...

Religion plays a prominent role in the domestic and foreign policies of Middle Eastern states, particularly in the Persian Gulf. But the ways in which religion, specifically Islam, is used as a tool of statecraft are often misunderstood, leading to mischaracterizations and counterproductive policies. In his new book, Jon Hoffman examines how Islam is marshaled as a tool of statecraft in the Middle...

In this lively new history, Brian Doherty provides a concise, thorough account of the intellectual roots of the American libertarian movement, with helpful summaries of key figures, institutions, and events.  Modern Libertarianism  effortlessly combines historical insights and intellectual profiles of important figures—including Ludwig von Mises, F. A. Hayek, Ayn Rand, Murray Rothbard, M...

In an era when constructive dialogue often takes a back seat to polarized debate, educators like you face unique challenges in teaching effective communication. Recognizing this, Sphere Education Initiatives presents a webinar exploring how you can use rhetoric as a powerful tool for student empowerment and authentic engagement in your educational setting. In the first segment of th...

A flood of government regulations, mandates, and subsidies has not solved the United States’ health care problems—they  are  the problem. They have driven the average employer-plan family premium to nearly $26,000—and then tossed families out of their health insurance when employees leave their jobs. Even as Obamacare creates an insurance shortage, it has nevertheless grown so unaffordab...

A flood of government regulations, mandates, and subsidies has not solved the United States’ health care problems—they  are  the problem. They have driven the average employer-plan family premium to nearly $26,000—and then tossed families out of their health insurance when employees leave their jobs. Even as Obamacare creates an insurance shortage, it has nevertheless grown so unaffordab...

Erec Smith continues his series, Competencies in Civil Discourse, examining how people engage with one another and why they often shy away from discussions with those who hold opposing views. This edition explores the role of comedy as a valuable tool in civil discourse. Smith sits down with filmmaker Rob Feld, director of  Jesters and Fools , a film that highlights the use of comedy during p...

The Cato Institute continues its series of insightful conversations with reporters and scholars tackling today’s most pressing issues. As part of his campaign promises, President Trump vowed to “unleash American energy.” This conversation with Evan Halper, a business reporter for the  Washington Post ; Travis Fisher, Cato’s director of energy and environmental policy studies; and Joshua Louck...

The horrific terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the catastrophic war in Gaza once again put the Israeli‐​Palestinian conflict on the global agenda. Educators across America ask: How do we help our students understand complex contemporary religious differences and conflicts? Is living in peace and harmony attainable? Scholars Mustafa Akyol and Ari Gordon will address these challengi...

Could GLP-1s become the next frontier in harm reduction? Clinical researchers have discovered that GLP‑1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy not only aid with diabetes and weight loss but may also reduce cravings and enhance satiation for alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opioids, and possibly other addictive drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. These exciting developments mean GLP-1s may soon become a new...

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records t...

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records t...

The Cato Institute continues its series of insightful conversations with reporters and scholars tackling today’s most pressing issues. This edition brings together Robert Delaney, the North American bureau chief for the  South China Morning Post , and Cato Institute experts Eric Gomez and Clark Packard for a timely discussion on US-China relations, including the following: What signals is Don...

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records t...

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records t...

The privacy Americans should enjoy over their financial information has been in steady decline for more than 50 years. Regulatory frameworks, such as the Bank Secrecy Act and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Consolidated Audit Trail, grant government access to Americans’ financial transactions. As financial services have become increasingly digitized, the volume of financial records t...

America’s financial system is inseparable from America’s enormous growth, productivity, and prosperity. And while it’s become popular to lay a host of ills at the feet of financial markets, many people would likely be shocked to learn just how many financial market deficiencies have been caused by harmful government policies. In their new book  Financing Opportunity,  authors and Cato sc...

Modern presidents have an extraordinary amount of power that they primarily wield through issuing executive orders and other directives with the force of law. Successive Congresses have gradually delegated much of their power to the president or stood idly by as presidents have usurped more power that is legislative in nature and effect. The president’s power is now so massive that that alone just...

Over the past two years, much of the conversation around technology has been focused on artificial intelligence (AI). While AI may have increased in popularity and already been used in a wide array of products, we are still only just discovering many of its beneficial applications. AI is much more than popular products like ChatGPT and is truly saving and changing lives in fields like medicine and...

For much of the 21st century, public health officials and policymakers have blamed doctors for overprescribing opioids and causing the overdose crisis. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued pain management guidelines aimed at reducing opioid prescriptions. Most states have codified them into law. Federal and local drug task forces have arrested doctors whom they accuse...

The development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) software for a range of applications has sparked intense debate over its implications for privacy and surveillance in multiple contexts. At the same time, police organizations argue that AI could help revolutionize and speed up police investigations by allowing for faster identification of crime suspects or missing or kidnapped persons...

Georgetown University law professor Randy Barnett has played an integral role in the rise of originalism—the movement to identify, restore, and defend the original meaning of the Constitution. But Barnett’s path to becoming an influential professor of constitutional law was not an easy one. Starting from a working-class childhood in Calumet City, Illinois, Barnett’s unusual resume has included sti...

This panel discussion will feature the researchers behind the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s (FIRE’s) 2025 College Free Speech Rankings, which offers insights into the state of free speech across US colleges. The panelists will share and explain the methodology used to rank schools, the contemporary challenges of measuring speech climates, and salient trends discovered from this...

Civil discourse is an important aspect of a free and pluralistic democracy. That said, many people do not participate in civil discourse. There are several reasons for this: fear of being wrong, lack of rhetorical skill, negative emotionality, etc. What’s more, this refusal or inability to speak to those with whom we disagree is growing by the day. Join our virtual discussion as scholars Erec Smit...

What role should tariffs play in the economy? Would tax credits for newborns ease childhood poverty? How might housing be made to be more affordable? In many ways, the 2024 presidential election has been one of dueling and sometimes complementary economic proposals from both major candidates. Join Sphere Education Initiatives on  October 29  from  7:30–8:30 p.m.  EDT for this w...