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The Cato Weekly Podcast – Cato Institute — Government
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Copyright: © Cato Institute 2025

Latest Episodes:

The Cure for the WHO Apr 30, 2026

Show notes

The United States has left the World Health Organization, but infectious diseases remain one of the clearest cases for cross-border cooperation. Cato’s Ryan Bourne is joined by Roger Bate of the International Center for Law & Economics to discuss how the WHO suffered from damaging mission creep, why it failed so badly during Covid, and what a narrower, more accountable global health institution might look like.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress Is AWOL in America's Iran War Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

The War Powers Resolution allows the president up to 60 days of defensive latitude in introducing U.S. forces into hostilities; it is not a blank check for open-ended war. Cato's Molly Nixon and Katherine Thompson examine what the law actually says, how Trump's strikes on Iran test its limits, and whether the looming 60-day deadline could force Congress to act.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Subsidize a Diagnosis, Get More Diagnoses Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Medicaid spending on autism therapy jumped from $300 million to $2 billion in just eight states over seven years. Cato's Ryan Bourne, Jeff Singer, and Adam Omary argue the cause isn't an epidemic; it's distorted incentives and a diagnostic manual that keeps expanding.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Surveillance Program Congress Can't Quit Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

For 18 years, the NSA has collected Americans' communications under FISA Section 702 with no probable cause warrant required. Cato's Patrick Eddington and Maria Sofia break down the latest reauthorization fight and what genuine reform would look like.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Fix Washington's Affordability Crisis Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

Consumer prices are up 28% in six years and inflation is accelerating again. Cato's Ryan Bourne, Jai Kedia, Colin Grabow, and Stephen Slivinski unpack Cato's new Handbook on Affordability and the macroeconomic and supply-side reforms that could actually help.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who Actually Pays Federal Taxes? Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Orbán's Hungary: Model or Cautionary Tale? Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Birthright Citizenship on Trial Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Great Political Realignment Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congressional Feuding and Airport Chaos Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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