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Cato Podcast
30 episodes
Bad Ways To Improve Housing Affordability
Ep 116 · Aug 13, 2026 · 43 min
Nearly 60% of housing markets in the United States have been characterized as “unaffordable.” Cato's Ryan Bourne talks with Howard Husock of the American Enterprise Institute about why rent freezes, vouchers, and government run housing tend to make the problem worse, using New York City as a cautionary case study. They lay out what actually works instead: zoning reform, faster permitting, and more small multifamily housing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Eternal Quest for More Tariffs
Ep 115 · Aug 11, 2026 · 28 min
Earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled that the president could not use the "International Emergency Economic Powers Act" (IEEPA) to impose tariffs and the administration immediately turned to other legal mechanisms to assert that power. Laura Bondank-Harmon interviews Clark Neily and Ilya Somin to unpack the legal battles over Trump’s tariffs, the statutes the administration is now invoking, and the constitutional limits on the president’s power to tax. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…
Wealth Taxes Failed Abroad. Why Try Them Here?
Ep 114 · Aug 6, 2026 · 39 min
Most rich countries that tried annual wealth taxes eventually scrapped them, but now California and Elizabeth Warren want to run the experiment in the United States. Ryan Bourne talks with Adam Michel about how a “modest” 3 percent levy can swallow 60 percent of an asset’s 5 percent return—and leave workers footing much of the bill. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Iran: Schrodinger's War
Ep 113 · Aug 4, 2026 · 26 min
The conflict with Iran is simultaneously ending and escalating, and Justin Logan says that's no accident. He tells the Cato Institute's Laura Bondank-Harmon why the strategic case never existed, even as the death toll, price tag, and oil prices keep climbing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
AI: Must We Act Now?
Ep 112 · Jul 30, 2026 · 41 min
Artificial intelligence could transform productivity, employment, and living standards. But does that mean governments should “act now” to “steer” the technology? Economist John Cochrane joins Cato’s Ryan Bourne to explain why he thinks a prominent economists’ letter gets the problem wrong, whether fears of mass job loss are justified, and how speculation about AI’s potential is already shaping public policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Happy 60th Birthday, Now Pay the Bill
Ep 111 · Jul 28, 2026 · 26 min
Medicare spent $1.2 trillion in 2025 and still can't show it's saving lives. The Cato Institute's Laura Bondank-Harmon is joined by Michael Cannon and David Hyman to mark the program's 60th anniversary, explaining how it broke health care pricing and why "Medicare for All" would only make it worse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
Ep 110 · Jul 23, 2026 · 42 min
Prediction-market pioneer Robin Hanson joins Cato's Ryan Bourne to explain this new industry's promise, how betting can improve decision-making, and whether we should worry about insider trading, manipulation, and sabotage as these markets proliferate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Fight Against Financial Surveillance
Ep 109 · Jul 21, 2026 · 29 min
Financial surveillance in America is expanding. In this episode, host Nicholas Anthony sits down with Representative Warren Davidson to discuss the growing reach of the Bank Secrecy Act, and why it’s time to scale back the surveillance of law-abiding Americans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Why Is Childcare So Expensive?
Ep 108 · Jul 16, 2026 · 40 min
Parents in many parts of the country face eye-watering childcare bills, yet providers often operate on thin margins and workers remain modestly paid. Cato's Chelsea Follett joins Ryan Bourne to discuss the economics behind America’s childcare crunch, the regressive regulations that make care scarcer, and the supply-side reforms that could give families more affordable options. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Amendment That Wouldn't Bend
Ep 107 · Jul 14, 2026 · 31 min
Trump's executive order tested the limits of the 14th Amendment and lost, 6-3. Cato's Laura Bondank-Harmon is joined by David Bier and Tommy Berry to understand why, and how the ruling fits into an immigration agenda that's closing legal pathways even as it loses in court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Injuries and Usurpations, 250 Years Later
Ep 106 · Jul 9, 2026 · 38 min
Americans know the Declaration’s soaring opening case for natural rights and government by consent. Fewer remember its long list of “injuries and usurpations” against King George III. Cato’s Tommy Berry joins Ryan Bourne to discuss Cato's new book - A History of Repeated Injuries—and whether modern governments have revived threats to liberty that the Declaration denounces, from taxes and juries to immigration and executive power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf…
Data Centers Turn Electricity into Breakthroughs
Ep 105 · Jul 7, 2026 · 35 min
Golf courses and factories use just as much water and electricity as data centers, yet only the latter draws local protests and construction bans. Cato's Rikki Schlott sits down with Travis Fisher and Jennifer Huddleston to make the case for energy abundance and technological advancement over fearmongering and warn that moratoriums could hand China the AI edge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Proud to Be American, Worried About What's Next
Ep 104 · Jul 2, 2026 · 28 min
60% of Americans say their rights and freedoms are at risk. Yet nearly two thirds still call America the land of opportunity and three quarters believe the American dream is personally achievable. Cato's Stephen Rowe and Emily Ekins dig into Cato's new survey on what Americans really think at 250 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Dangerous Push to Tax AI
Ep 103 · Jun 30, 2026 · 32 min
Republicans and Democrats are finding rare common ground: taxing AI. But should they? Cato's Adam Michel and Daniel Bunn of the Tax Foundation dismantle the three biggest arguments around the idea: showing why the data doesn't support the claims that AI is replacing workers, labor is losing out to capital, or the tax code unfairly favors automation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Abundance Alliance?
Ep 102 · Jun 25, 2026 · 46 min
Abundance liberals want a politics focused on delivering more homes, energy projects, infrastructure, and innovation, and will even countenance deregulation to achieve it. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks to Ilya Somin and Jeremiah Johnson about whether libertarians should ally with this movement—or whether shared ground on housing, permitting, trade, and immigration masks irreconcilable disagreements over the role and size of government. Ilya Somin, "Two Cheers for Abundance Liberalism," The Volo…
What the Declaration Still Has to Say in 2026
Ep 101 · Jun 23, 2026 · 28 min
Before 1776, the world was largely run by monarchies and despots. The Declaration changed that. Cato's Paul Meany and Tommy Berry explore why its principles remain relevant, why 53% of Americans can't explain it, and why it’s still the best tool we have for checking concentrated power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Degrowth Temptation
Ep 100 · Jun 18, 2026 · 47 min
A new Global Justice Report associated with Thomas Piketty urges near-zero growth for rich countries, sweeping redistribution, global wealth taxes, shorter working hours, and rapid decarbonization. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks to Marian Tupy about what degrowth gets wrong—and why its promise of justice masks a dangerous agenda of government control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Retirement System That Works Against You
Ep 99 · Jun 16, 2026 · 27 min
Social Security crowds out private savings, the tax code penalizes investment, and Trump accounts can leave families worse off than a plain brokerage account. Cato's Romina Boccia and Adam Michel break down what's wrong with Trump accounts and why universal savings accounts are the fix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Economics In One World Cup
Ep 98 · Jun 11, 2026 · 45 min
Ticket prices, scalpers, tourists, visas, turf, trade, and politics: the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a rich case study for economists. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks with AEI’s Stan Veuger about why match prices are so high, why hosting the tournament rarely delivers an economic boom, how soccer became an exemplar of globalization, and what FIFA teaches us about the benefits and risks of global governance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When the President Sues the Government He Controls
Ep 97 · Jun 9, 2026 · 47 min
The Anti-Weaponization Fund started as a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS in his personal capacity and ended as a $1.776 billion slush fund with no appeals, no transparency, and a tax immunity addendum that looks a lot like a self-pardon. Tad DeHaven and Daniel Greenberg join Molly Nixon to unpack what happened and why it should alarm everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Markets We Love to Ban
Ep 96 · Jun 4, 2026 · 47 min
Kidneys, surrogacy, prostitution, gambling, price gouging, assisted dying: some transactions make people recoil, even when all parties consent. Cato's Ryan Bourne talks with Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth about his new book, Moral Economics, what makes markets “repugnant,” what economists can add to moral debates, and why banning exchange rarely makes scarcity, exploitation, or hard trade-offs disappear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What "All Men Are Created Equal" Actually Meant
Ep 95 · Jun 2, 2026 · 34 min
Most Americans can recite the Declaration's second paragraph. Far fewer understand what it really means. Paul Meany sits down with Timothy Sandefur to dig into his new book Proclaiming Liberty to recover the Declaration as a scientifically grounded, universally applicable claim about human nature, not just a founding myth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Louisiana v. Callais and the Future of the Voting Rights Act
Ep 94 · May 28, 2026 · 34 min
The Supreme Court's Callais decision signals that drawing districts with race in mind is now legally hazardous, whether the goal is minority representation or not. Cato's Thomas A. Berry and Walter Olson unpack the ruling, the collision between the 14th and 15th Amendments, and why a simple compactness rule could solve most of this if Congress had the will. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Get a Warrant!
Ep 93 · May 26, 2026 · 28 min
The third party doctrine has gutted the Fourth Amendment in the digital age, letting the government collect your data without ever getting a warrant. Cato's Nick Anthony and Naomi Brockwell of the Ludlow Institute discuss a new bill that would change that, and what you can do to protect yourself today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Out to Lunch: California’s $20 Fast-Food Wage
Ep 92 · May 21, 2026 · 48 min
California’s $20 fast-food minimum wage cut employment by roughly 18,000 jobs and pushed up restaurant prices. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks to UC San Diego economist Jeff Clemens about California’s wage-floor experiment—and the broader lessons for state and federal minimum wage policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Kicking the Can to Xi's September Visit
Ep 91 · May 19, 2026 · 37 min
The US-China summit produced few deliverables and no breakthroughs on Taiwan, Iran, or trade. Cato's Clark Packard and Evan Sankey break down what was actually agreed, why rare earths and semiconductors have created a strategic stalemate, and what the US should do before Xi comes to Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Immigration Crackdown You’re Not Hearing About
Ep 90 · May 14, 2026 · 41 min
Asylum entries are down 99.9%. Student visas, family visas, and H-1B applications have all cratered. Ryan Bourne is joined by Cato's David Bier to examine how President Trump's executive actions have blocked far more legal immigrants than illegal ones, and why the president's stated support for legal immigration doesn't match his policy record. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Washington's Tariff Whack-a-Mole
Ep 89 · May 12, 2026 · 23 min
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 sat dormant for 50 years for good reason. Cato's Clark Packard and Alfredo Carrillo Obregon break down why courts keep rejecting the administration's tariff theories and what the looming Section 301 investigations mean for American importers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Growing Farm Subsidy Boondoggle
Ep 88 · May 7, 2026 · 40 min
Federal farm subsidies have kept growing from occasional disaster relief into a sprawling system of commodity supports, crop insurance, sugar protection, and bailouts. With the backdrop of the Farm Bill, Cato’s Ryan Bourne, Chris Edwards, and Clark Packard discuss who really benefits, why reform never sticks, and how tariffs hurt farmers that Congress then subsidize. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Rethinking How America Treats Opioid Addiction
Ep 87 · May 5, 2026 · 40 min
People call methadone a life sentence, a ball and chain. Cato's Dr. Jeffrey Singer talks with Helen Redmond, author of "Liquid Handcuffs," about how a Nixon-era crime control program became America's dominant addiction treatment model, and why it needs to be abolished. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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