Cato Event Podcast

Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) is a U.S. government program that provides resources to targeted communities, predominantly American Muslims, ostensibly to root out extremism before it results in violence. The program involves law enforcement agencies that partner with community leaders such as teachers, religious leaders, and health professionals to identify allegedly at-risk community members and steer them away from violence.The program is controversial for a variety of reasons. Is the government’s theory of radicalization sound? Is the Muslim community unfairly singled out? Are targeted communities compromising their rights by assisting the government, or is this a productive partnership? Has the election of Donald Trump changed the CVE discussion? Join us for a timely and important debate. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The First Amendment has moved to the center of American political conflict. On college campuses, students and faculty demand protection from speech and speakers. Polls show students and young people in general evince less support for free speech than previous generations had shown. In legal and public debate, the free exercise of religion conflicts with the right to marriage, thereby placing the First Amendment at the center of vitriolic cultural clashes. Moreover, the challenges for the First Amendment seemed fated to grow. Modern surveillance methods can chill speech even absent malign intent from officials. The global nature of the Internet also means that regulations arising from nations less protective of speech than the United States might become the rule for all. If this were not enough, traditional First Amendment issues such as campaign finance remain controversial during and after hard-fought elections. Cato's first conference on the First Amendment, a new biennial effort, offers provocative and tho

The First Amendment has moved to the center of American political conflict. On college campuses, students and faculty demand protection from speech and speakers. Polls show students and young people in general evince less support for free speech than previous generations had shown. In legal and public debate, the free exercise of religion conflicts with the right to marriage, thereby placing the First Amendment at the center of vitriolic cultural clashes. Moreover, the challenges for the First Amendment seemed fated to grow. Modern surveillance methods can chill speech even absent malign intent from officials. The global nature of the Internet also means that regulations arising from nations less protective of speech than the United States might become the rule for all. If this were not enough, traditional First Amendment issues such as campaign finance remain controversial during and after hard-fought elections. Cato's first conference on the First Amendment, a new biennial effort, offers provocative and tho

The First Amendment has moved to the center of American political conflict. On college campuses, students and faculty demand protection from speech and speakers. Polls show students and young people in general evince less support for free speech than previous generations had shown. In legal and public debate, the free exercise of religion conflicts with the right to marriage, thereby placing the First Amendment at the center of vitriolic cultural clashes. Moreover, the challenges for the First Amendment seemed fated to grow. Modern surveillance methods can chill speech even absent malign intent from officials. The global nature of the Internet also means that regulations arising from nations less protective of speech than the United States might become the rule for all. If this were not enough, traditional First Amendment issues such as campaign finance remain controversial during and after hard-fought elections. Cato's first conference on the First Amendment, a new biennial effort, offers provocative and tho

The First Amendment has moved to the center of American political conflict. On college campuses, students and faculty demand protection from speech and speakers. Polls show students and young people in general evince less support for free speech than previous generations had shown. In legal and public debate, the free exercise of religion conflicts with the right to marriage, thereby placing the First Amendment at the center of vitriolic cultural clashes. Moreover, the challenges for the First Amendment seemed fated to grow. Modern surveillance methods can chill speech even absent malign intent from officials. The global nature of the Internet also means that regulations arising from nations less protective of speech than the United States might become the rule for all. If this were not enough, traditional First Amendment issues such as campaign finance remain controversial during and after hard-fought elections. Cato's first conference on the First Amendment, a new biennial effort, offers provocative and tho

The First Amendment has moved to the center of American political conflict. On college campuses, students and faculty demand protection from speech and speakers. Polls show students and young people in general evince less support for free speech than previous generations had shown. In legal and public debate, the free exercise of religion conflicts with the right to marriage, thereby placing the First Amendment at the center of vitriolic cultural clashes. Moreover, the challenges for the First Amendment seemed fated to grow. Modern surveillance methods can chill speech even absent malign intent from officials. The global nature of the Internet also means that regulations arising from nations less protective of speech than the United States might become the rule for all. If this were not enough, traditional First Amendment issues such as campaign finance remain controversial during and after hard-fought elections. Cato's first conference on the First Amendment, a new biennial effort, offers provocative and tho

This September, Congress will work to reauthorize the expiring National Flood Insurance Program (NFIB). This effort comes on the tail of the worst flooding in Texas history after Hurricane Harvey dropped an estimated 27 trillion gallons of rainfall around the Gulf Coast causing catastrophic damage to both lives and property.In this environment, what should Congress understand as it undertakes reforms to the flood insurance program? The magnitude and depth of the program's insolvency, arbitrary actuarial standards, and restrictive competitive road blocks all bedevil the effective operation of the NFIB. Are there promising avenues for reforms that would allow market forces to enhance the stability and reliability of consumers' insurance needs?What about flooding itself—what impact does climate change have on the need for flood insurance in the first place? Can we expect more frequent and more dangerous storms in the future? Further, what role do local and regional zoning regulations have on impervious gro

With a new president and Congress in place since January 2017, how has the congressional oversight dynamic changed since the Obama administration with respect to America’s 17 intelligence agencies? Has the “Russiagate” episode altered the relationship between the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and their congressional overseers? What are the prospects for domestic surveillance reform? Are the House and Senate Intelligence Committees even properly structured and staffed to perform their jobs in the twenty-first century? Join us in a discussion covering these subjects and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces three interrelated challenges over the next generation. It will double its population to two billion by 2045. By then, more than half of Africans will be living in the cities. And this group of mostly young people will be connected with each other and with the world through mobile devices. Properly harnessed, Africa's youth could be a force for economic growth and political change. Without economic growth and jobs, however, Africa's demographic expansion could prove to be a political and social catastrophe. Old systems of patronage and of muddling through will no longer work. If African leaders want to remain in power, they will have to do more to enable high economic growth rates. Making Africa Work aims to ensure that African growth is based on more than the export of commodities and that it creates jobs on the continent. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You think you know why our government in Washington is broken, but you really don't. You think it's broken because politicians curry favor with special interests and activists of the left or right. There's something to that, and it helps explain why these politicians can't find common ground. But this theory misses the root cause. A half century ago, elected officials in Congress and the White House figured out a new system for enacting laws and spending programs—one that lets them take credit for promising good news while avoiding blame when the government produces bad results. With five key tricks, politicians of both parties now avoid accounting to us for what government actually does to us.While you understand that these politicians seem to pull rabbits out of hats, hardly anyone sees the sleight of hand by which they get away with their tricks. Otherwise, their tricks wouldn't work. DC Confidential exposes the sleights of hand. Its author argues that we can stop the tricks, fix our broken governmen

The Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies Presents a Symposium through the Generosity of George M. YeagerCato's annual Constitution Day symposium marks the day in 1787 that the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the U.S. Constitution. We celebrate that event each year with the release of the new issue of the Cato Supreme Court Review and with a day-long symposium featuring noted scholars discussing the recently concluded Supreme Court term and the important cases coming up. Past speakers have included Judges Alex Kozinski, Diane Sykes, and Douglas Ginsburg, Professors Richard Epstein, Michael McConnell, and Nadine Strossen, and Supreme Court litigators Paul Clement, Neal Katyal, and Walter Dellinger. 5:00—6:00PMANNUAL B. KENNETH SIMON LECTURE: THE ADMINISTRATIVE THREAT TO CIVIL LIBERTIES Philip Hamburger, Maurice & Hilda Friedman Professor of Law, Columbia Law School See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies Presents a Symposium through the Generosity of George M. YeagerCato's annual Constitution Day symposium marks the day in 1787 that the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the U.S. Constitution. We celebrate that event each year with the release of the new issue of the Cato Supreme Court Review and with a day-long symposium featuring noted scholars discussing the recently concluded Supreme Court term and the important cases coming up. Past speakers have included Judges Alex Kozinski, Diane Sykes, and Douglas Ginsburg, Professors Richard Epstein, Michael McConnell, and Nadine Strossen, and Supreme Court litigators Paul Clement, Neal Katyal, and Walter Dellinger. 3:45—5:00PMPANEL IV: LOOKING AHEAD: OCTOBER TERM 2017 Moderator: Ilya Shapiro, Editor-in-Chief, Cato Supreme Court ReviewChristopher Landau, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLPNeal Katyal, Partner, Hogan LovellsNina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent, NPR See

The Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies Presents a Symposium through the Generosity of George M. YeagerCato's annual Constitution Day symposium marks the day in 1787 that the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the U.S. Constitution. We celebrate that event each year with the release of the new issue of the Cato Supreme Court Review and with a day-long symposium featuring noted scholars discussing the recently concluded Supreme Court term and the important cases coming up. Past speakers have included Judges Alex Kozinski, Diane Sykes, and Douglas Ginsburg, Professors Richard Epstein, Michael McConnell, and Nadine Strossen, and Supreme Court litigators Paul Clement, Neal Katyal, and Walter Dellinger. 2:15—3:30PMPANEL III: PROPERTY, RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR Moderator: Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Cato InstituteRoger Pilon, Vice President for Legal Affairs, Cato InstituteRick Garnett, Paul J. Schierl/Fort Howard Corporation Professor, University of Notre Dame Law School

The Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies Presents a Symposium through the Generosity of George M. YeagerCato's annual Constitution Day symposium marks the day in 1787 that the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the U.S. Constitution. We celebrate that event each year with the release of the new issue of the Cato Supreme Court Review and with a day-long symposium featuring noted scholars discussing the recently concluded Supreme Court term and the important cases coming up. Past speakers have included Judges Alex Kozinski, Diane Sykes, and Douglas Ginsburg, Professors Richard Epstein, Michael McConnell, and Nadine Strossen, and Supreme Court litigators Paul Clement, Neal Katyal, and Walter Dellinger. 1:00—2:15PMPANEL II: MONEY AND CRIME Moderator: Trevor Burrus, Research Fellow, Cato InstituteDavid Goldberg, Lecturer in Law, Stanford Law SchoolDavid Post, Professor of Law Emeritus, Beasley School of Law at Temple UniversityThaya Brook Knight, Associate Director, Fi

The Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies Presents a Symposium through the Generosity of George M. YeagerCato's annual Constitution Day symposium marks the day in 1787 that the Constitutional Convention finished drafting the U.S. Constitution. We celebrate that event each year with the release of the new issue of the Cato Supreme Court Review and with a day-long symposium featuring noted scholars discussing the recently concluded Supreme Court term and the important cases coming up. Past speakers have included Judges Alex Kozinski, Diane Sykes, and Douglas Ginsburg, Professors Richard Epstein, Michael McConnell, and Nadine Strossen, and Supreme Court litigators Paul Clement, Neal Katyal, and Walter Dellinger. 10:30—10:45AMWELCOMING REMARKSRoger Pilon, Vice President for Legal Affairs and Director, Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato InstituteINTRODUCTIONIlya Shapiro, Senior Fellow in Constitutional Studies and Editor-in-Chief, Cato Supreme Court Review10:45—12:00PMPANEL I: FIRST

What is the state of human freedom and progress around the world? If human well-being is getting better, why do so many people remain pessimistic?Evidence from academic institutions and international organizations shows dramatic improvements in human well-being. These improvements are especially striking in the developing world. Unfortunately, there is often a wide gap between the reality and public perception of human well-being. To make matters worse, the media emphasizes bad news, while ignoring many positive long-term trends.We think freedom is a big part of the story. Because freedom is inherently valuable and plays a role in human and economic progress, it is worth carefully tracking. Join Cato scholars to analyze the evolution of global freedom since the Institute's founding 40 years ago and explore the prospects for the next 40 years of expanding human freedom.The 40th Anniversary e-Briefing Series offers Cato Sponsors a special opportunity to engage with Cato's leadership and scholars as the Institut

During the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, political dictators were not only popular in their own countries, but were also admired by numerous highly educated and idealistic Western intellectuals. The objects of this political hero-worship included Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro and more recently Hugo Chavez, among others. Hollander will discuss the sources of these misjudgments and misperceptions, the specific appeals of particular dictators, and the part played by their charisma, or pseudo-charisma. He will shed new light not only on the political disposition of numerous Western intellectuals — such as Martin Heidegger, Eric Hobsbawm, Norman Mailer, Ezra Pound, Susan Sontag and George Bernard Shaw — but also on the personality of those political leaders who encouraged, and in some instances helped to design, the cult surrounding their rise to dictatorship. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The legal sale of recreational marijuana remains limited to a handful of states, but 29 states plus the District of Columbia allow the prescription and distribution of medical marijuana. Ten of those states—which represent 115 electoral votes—went for President Trump in the 2016 election. National polling shows that just over half of Americans favor marijuana legalization, but a much larger majority want the federal government to leave marijuana alone in states where it is legal. While candidate Trump promised to protect medical marijuana on the campaign trail, President Trump's Justice Department wants to be more aggressive against state-legal marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Ultimately, Congress holds the reins on the Department of Justice's ability to enforce particular provisions of the CSA and determines which substances should be under federal control. While marijuana decriminalization is often thought to be a Democrat-friendly topic, some of the best arguments for federa

A key question in debates over whether states should implement Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, and whether Congress should repeal Obamacare entirely, is whether government expansions of health insurance coverage improve health, and if so, how much. A new study by Bernard Black and colleagues finds that the uninsured "consume fewer healthcare services, but their health (while alive) does not deteriorate relative to the insured, and, in our central estimates, they do not die significantly faster than the insured." Come hear Professor Black and leading scholars discuss one of the most important but least understood aspects of health reform. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why is Westeros mired in 8,000 years of economic stagnation? Should Daenerys firebomb King's Landing to prevent a longer war? The world of Game of Thrones is teeming with fascinating interactions between institutions, incentives, and power that creates a sweeping geopolitical mega-saga just begging to be theorized. An examination of these issues through the lens of economics, law, international relations, and power politics promises to be both instructive and entertaining. The day after the Season 7 finale airs, join the Cato Institute and the R Street Institute in an exploration of the intrigue and game theory (and inevitable analogies to our current political landscape) that pervade the world of ice and fire. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.