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The Cato Weekly Podcast

Cato Institute

Every Tuesday on The Cato Weekly Podcast, leading scholars and policy analysts from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Whether unpacking current events, debating civil liberties, exploring technological innovation, or tracing the history of classical liberal thought, we promise insightful analysis grounded in rigorous research and Cato’s signature libertarian perspective.

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#3
September 22 · 27 min
How Hard Is It to Rig an American Election?
How Hard Is It to Rig an American Election? Election fraud claims are increasingly more common. Walter Olson joins Stephen Rowe to separate genuine election irregularities from viral fraud claims. They explain what the evidence tells us about mail-in voting, voter ID, foreign interference, and the integrity of the US election system. Read Walter's work here: https://www.cato.org/people/walter-olson Producer: Barbara Galletti Post Production: Sedona LaMarre Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman Original Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren Walker Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester Romero Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#2
September 15 · 29 min
Uncle Sam Owning Private Companies?
In an unprecedented expansion of its role in the marketplace, the Trump administration has acquired ownership interests in dozens of firms. Cato's Scott Lincicome joins Laura Bondank-Harmon to discuss this radical move from the US government, the seen and unseen costs of intervening in the private sector, and how should Congress act if they want to put a stop to it before it's too late. Read more of Scott's work here: https://www.cato.org/free-society/winter-2026/conspicuous-fist-trumps-state-corporatism Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall Producer: Barbara Galletti Post Production: Sedona LaMarre Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman Original Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren Walker Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester Romero Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#1
September 8 · 21 min
How Much Would the DSA's Agenda Cost?
Free health care, housing, college, paid leave, and retirement benefits may sound appealing... but how would we pay for them? Rikki Schlott sits down with Cato’s Adam Michel to unpack the Democratic Socialists of America’s ambitious agenda and the staggering cost of its proposals. If taxing the rich and corporations is not enough to foot the bill, who would be paying next? Access Adam Michel's research here: https://www.cato.org/blog/who-will-pay-democratic-socialisms-200-trillion-cost Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall Producer: Barbara Galletti Post Production: Sedona LaMarre Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman Original Music: Cecil Sherman Director of Photography: Darren Walker Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde Assistant Editor: Lester Romero Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
September 1 · 1 min
Coming Soon: The Cato Weekly Podcast
Every Tuesday on The Cato Weekly Podcast, leading scholars and policymakers from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Whether unpacking current events, debating civil liberties, exploring technological innovation, or tracing the history of classical liberal thought, we promise insightful analysis grounded in rigorous research and Cato’s signature libertarian perspective. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#120
August 27 · 40 min
How to Spot a Wrong Number
A number that's precise, dramatic, and politically convenient should raise your suspicion, not lower it. Aaron Brown, author of Wrong Number: How to Extract Truth from a Blizzard of Quantitative Disinformation, joins Cato's Ryan Bourne to break down the warning signs of a bad statistic, from missing context to claims that arrive straight from a press release. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#119
August 25 · 34 min
Heller's Sequel Has a New Weapon
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Vermont versus Cook County, its biggest Second Amendment case since Heller. The Cato Institute's Clark Neily, who worked on the original Heller case, joins Rikki Schlott to explain what's at stake for the 20 to 25 million Americans who already own an AR-15 style rifle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#118
August 20 · 30 min
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Affordability?
Rep. Kevin Fitzpatrick (R) and Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D) lead one of Washington's only bipartisan caucuses, the Problem Solvers Caucus, and they've teamed up on an affordability agenda that touches housing, energy, health care, and immigration. Ryan Bourne walks through where their plan overlaps with Cato's own affordability handbook, and where free market and interventionist solutions still diverge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#117
August 18 · 28 min
Can Government Run a Grocery Store?
New York City Mayor Mamdani wants five city owned grocery stores selling staples 30% below cost, at $70 million to build and $100 million a year to run. Cato's Rikki Schlott talks with Don Boudreaux about why private supermarkets survive on 2% profit margins, and what actually happens when government tries to run a store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
#116
August 13 · 42 min
Bad Ways To Improve Housing Affordability
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.
#115
August 11 · 27 min
The Eternal Quest for More Tariffs
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 for more information.
#114
August 6 · 38 min
Wealth Taxes Failed Abroad. Why Try Them Here?
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.
#113
August 4 · 26 min
Iran: Schrodinger's War
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.
#112
July 30 · 41 min
AI: Must We Act Now?
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.
#111
July 28 · 26 min
Happy 60th Birthday, Now Pay the Bill
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.
#110
July 23 · 42 min
The Wisdom of Crowds: An Intro to Prediction Markets
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.
#109
July 21 · 29 min
The Fight Against Financial Surveillance
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.
#108
July 16 · 40 min
Why Is Childcare So Expensive?
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.
#107
July 14 · 30 min
The Amendment That Wouldn't Bend
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.
#106
July 9 · 38 min
Injuries and Usurpations, 250 Years Later
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 information.
#105
July 7 · 35 min
Data Centers Turn Electricity into Breakthroughs
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.

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