Podcasts about Cato Institute

Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Who should regulate artificial intelligence? As AI advances at breathtaking speed, the debate over who should set the guardrails is intensifying. Michael explores the choices: federal regulation, state-by-state rules, oversight by AI companies themselves, or no regulation at all. The discussion features arguments from former cyber czar Richard Clarke and Cato Institute policy expert Jennifer Huddleston, plus insight from former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis' case for federal oversight. From fears of deceptive AI behavior to concerns that regulation could stifle innovation, this episode examines the stakes behind one of technology's most urgent policy debates. Listen here and be sure to RATE, REVIEW, and SHARE this podcast! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet.On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about cases considered in latest term by the Supreme Court. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about the aftermath of the Supreme Court's birthright citizenship case, and we discuss the rampant fraud and abuse of government programs. We also visit with Professor and author Larry Bell about his experience with artificial intelligence in his scientific endeavors and some critical questions about the dangers AI presents to humanity.Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and CEO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Keith Flaugh, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, and Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young,Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

Hagar Chemali (former spokesperson for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations) and Nick Anthony (Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute and a Fellow at the Human Rights Foundation) join host Ron Steslow to trace how the financial surveillance regime born after 9/11 is being rebuilt for programmable money. They begin with the machinery of financial surveillance: reporting, identification, blocking, seizing, and exclusion powers banks and payment companies wield on the government's behalf, without warrants or recourse.  Next, they examine how private institutions became the system's front line with millions of suspicious-activity reports a year, billions in compliance costs, and a public that wrongly assumes Fourth Amendment protection.   Then they turn to the shift underway, as stablecoins move those controls off intermediaries and onto individual digital dollars that can be frozen, seized, or burned coin by coin.  Finally, they weigh whether Americans still hold a right to transact privately, and what permissioned money would mean.  In Politicology+, they discuss an unspoken contradiction in the human rights movement: it backs sanctions that rely on centralized financial choke points while also championing Bitcoin, a currency built to erase that system.  POLITICOLOGY+ Not yet a Politicology+ member? Don't miss all the extra episodes on the private, ad-free version of this podcast. Upgrade now at politicology.com/plus. SPONSORS & PROMO CODES: https://bit.ly/44uAGZ8 Send your questions and ideas to podcast@politicology.com Ron Steslow on X: https://x.com/RonSteslow Hagar Chemali on X: https://x.com/HagarChemali Nick Anthony on X: https://x.com/EconWithNick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twenty-five years after 9/11, what has America learned, and what have we forgotten?This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, hosts Chuck Warren and Sam Stone tackle 9/11, socialism, child trafficking, police trauma, and the growing debate over government surveillance and Flock cameras.Dr. Juliana Geran Pilon, Senior Fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization and an author, joins Chuck and Sam to examine what America has and has not learned since 9/11. She warns that America remains vulnerable not only physically, but psychologically and ideologically.Website: www.julianapilon.comIn B's Crime Corner, we break down the Florida operation that recovered 163 missing children. Chuck, Sam, and B discuss vulnerable children, abusive situations, foster care, trafficking, and how predators use dependency, isolation, and trust to exploit victims.Next, Lieutenant Randy Sutton (Ret.), a retired police lieutenant with more than 34 years in law enforcement and founder and executive producer of The Wounded Blue, discusses police suicide, post-traumatic stress, and what happens when injured officers are abandoned by the departments they served. He explains how witnessing death and tragedy can follow officers home and why reducing the stigma around treatment is critical.Sutton also shares how his own experience led him to create The Wounded Blue and Cops Coffee, which donates 100% of its profits to support injured and disabled U.S. law enforcement officers.Check out Randy Sutton and The Wounded Blue:Website: www.thewoundedblue.orgCops Coffee: copscoffee.orgX: @LtRandySuttonInstagram: @lt.randysutton @WoundedBlueFinally, Laura Bondank-Harmon, Manager of Legal Programs for the Cato Institute's Project on Criminal Justice and Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies and Managing Editor of the Cato Supreme Court Review, joins the show to examine Flock cameras, automated license plate readers, AI surveillance, privacy, and the Fourth Amendment.She explains how these systems collect far more than a license plate, creating searchable records of vehicles and their movements. Chuck and Sam ask where the line should be drawn between fighting crime and creating a surveillance state.Check out Laura Bondank-Harmon's work:Cato Institute on X: @CatoInstituteWebsite: Cato.orgCatch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news• X: @breaking_battle• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds• Facebook: Breaking BattlegroundsEnjoy the show? Leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend.Breaking Battlegrounds is one of the top 2.5% most popular shows out of 3,779,399 podcasts globally. We interview policymakers, elected officials, and nationally and world-recognized reporters about the opportunities and hurdles the United States faces.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about cases considered in latest term by the Supreme Court. We visit with Young Voices Content Creator Alexandra Stinson about the details on the oil deal between Venezuela and the United States. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about the aftermath of the Lindsey Clancy case in Massachusetts. We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about his experience with and the enormous benefits of artificial intelligence in his scientific endeavors and some questions about the dangers AI presents to humanity. Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and CEO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Keith Flaugh, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young, and Director for Americans for Prosperity Kent Srtrang. Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

On this week's episode of Security Dilemma, Dr. Emma Ashford of the Stimson Center joined the show to discuss how the 9/11 terror attacks turbocharged the worst impulses of U.S. foreign policy, but that the shift towards interventionism was already well underway in the 1990s. Dr. Ashford is a Senior Fellow with the Reimagining US Grand Strategy program at the Stimson Center, where her work focuses on questions of grand strategy, international security, and the future of US foreign policy. She has expertise in the politics of Russia, Europe, and the Middle East. Ashford is also a columnist at Foreign Policy, and an adjunct assistant professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. Her new book, First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy for a Multipolar World (Yale University Press, 2025), argues that America must fundamentally reconceptualize its role in the world, from global hegemon to shared leadership, and proposes a set of pragmatic, realist principles for policymakers. Her first book, Oil, the State, and War: The Foreign Policies of Petrostates, was published by Georgetown University Press in 2022. Prior to joining the Stimson Center, Ashford was a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's New American Engagement Initiative, which focused on challenging the prevailing assumptions governing US foreign policy. She has also been a research fellow in defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a nonresident fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Reason article: https://reason.com/2026/08/29/9-11-turbocharged-american-interventionism/Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-pass/redeem/QX6fEgITZHc

This week on Breaking Battlegrounds, Chuck Warren and Sam Stone cover the potential cost of the Democratic Socialists of America's agenda, pressure on Iran, Russia's war in Ukraine, the Federal Reserve, and a major breaking development in the Lindsay Clancy case.Adam Michel, Director of Tax Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, breaks down his analysis of the DSA platform and why he estimates its largest proposals could require roughly $70 trillion to $200 trillion in additional federal spending over ten years. Michel explains why taxing wealthy Americans alone would fall far short, while also discussing a federal jobs guarantee, Social Security, declining birth rates, immigration, and America's growing fiscal pressures.Follow Adam on X: @adamnmichelRead his substack Liberty Taxed: A Blog on US Tax PolicyIn B's Crime Corner, we break down the latest twist in the Lindsay Clancy case announced today and the major questions now surrounding what happens next. The conversation looks at the broader implications of the defense arguments and what this case could mean for how postpartum mental health, criminal responsibility, and even workplace or legal decisions involving women are handled in the future.Ludovic Hood, Senior Fellow with Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East and a former U.S. Foreign Service officer, examines Iran, sanctions enforcement, the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf security, Iran's regional influence, and the future of cooperation between Israel and Arab states.Follow Ludovic on X: @Ludo_HoodGary Marx, President of Madison Strategies and the Concord Fund and Senior Advisor to the Judicial Crisis Network, gives an on-the-ground look at Russia's war against Ukraine. After multiple trips to the country, Marx discusses Ukraine's expanding drone war, attacks reaching Moscow and St. Petersburg, missile strikes, air-defense shortages, the battlefield “kill zone,” and how the war could eventually end.Follow Gary on X: @GarymarxListen to Peace & Power UkraineFinally, Gary Gygi, President and CEO of Gygi Capital, breaks down jobs, inflation, interest rates, tariffs, federal deficits, and the Federal Reserve. Gygi explains why upcoming inflation data could influence the Fed's next move and why federal spending remains central to America's fiscal outlook.Follow Gary on X: @GaryGygiGygiCapital.comCatch Breaking Battlegrounds live on 960 AM in Phoenix every Saturday at 9:00 AM, with full episodes and exclusive podcast-only segments dropping every Friday wherever you get your podcasts or watch on Youtube.Stay connected with Breaking Battlegrounds:• Substack: https://substack.com/@breakingbattlegrounds• Website: https://breakingbattlegrounds.vote• News: https://breakingbattlegrounds.news• X: @breaking_battle• Instagram: @breakingbattlegrounds• Facebook: Breaking BattlegroundsIf you enjoy the show, please leave us a 5-star review and share it with a friend. Your support helps keep the podcast growing.Breaking Battlegrounds is one of the top 2.5% most popular shows out of 3,779,399 podcasts globally. We interview policymakers, elected officials, and nationally and world-recognized reporters about the opportunities and hurdles the United States faces.

This week we kick off a new Constitutional Chats Podcast series on socialism.  In our first episode this week we address the basic concept of socialism: what defines it, what is it not and how does it compare with capitalism? Young Americans are embracing socialism in record numbers. A recent survey by the Cato Institute and YouGov finds that 62% of Americans aged 18–29 say they hold a "favorable view" of socialism, while a recent Gallup poll shows that 39% of ALL Americans have a positive view of socialism.  To help us understand this trend and the dangers of it, we are honored to welcome Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education and founding president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

“If a society cannot find a way to deal with something that is actively melting it from within, then that is a terminal symptom.” — Finn Brunton A couple of days ago, Donald Trump Jr.'s investment firm, 1789 Capital, led a billion-dollar funding round in Polymarket. As today's guest, the fintech expert Finn Brunton, notes in an insightful Harper's essay this month, prediction markets like Polymarket and Kalshi are transforming America into an always-on gambling den. No wonder, then, that the Trumps are such gleeful participants in what Brunton calls “the casinoification of modern life.” From the father's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City to the son's Taj on everyone's phone. “Trade on Anything” as Kalshi promises (or threatens) us. In “The Chaos Machine,” Brunton introduces us to two visionaries of prediction marketplaces. On the one hand, there's the idealistic Robin Hanson, who dreamed of prediction markets as machines for truth with experts betting real money and generating trustworthy odds about the future. And then there's Tim May, a self-described crypto-anarchist, the “bad guy,” according to Brunton, who invented the idea of BlackNet as an anonymous marketplace designed to destroy institutional trust from within. Brunton warns that today's prediction marketplaces have bet on May, rather than Hanson. They are insider-trading machines where the smart money is always on the other side of the table. It's no wonder that Donald Trump Jr.'s investment firm is called 1789 Capital. By investing in prediction marketplaces, they are accelerating an anarchic French rather than institutionally trustworthy American-style revolution. These BlackNet operations are both the cause and effect of today's destruction of trust. Polymarket is the polycrisis. It is cashing in on chaos. Five Takeaways •       From Papal Bets to Polymarket. Prediction markets are centuries old — people have wagered on wars, weather, elections, and popes — but the modern idea belongs to the economist Robin Hanson, the hedgehog (per Isaiah Berlin) with one big idea: turn expert opinion into a market. Since experts are famously bad at prediction (Philip Tetlock's research), make them bet: specify the outcome precisely, let the odds be anonymous, and people must wager what they really believe rather than what fits in or stands out. Hanson's markets were meant for specialists — internal corporate markets synthesizing insider knowledge into actionable odds — not Surowiecki's cow-weighing crowds. However disputed, Brunton insists, it was “a fundamentally positive idea”: a machine for honest consensus about the future.•       The Casinoification of Modern Life. Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan credits Hanson outright — then flips him. The modern slogan: “monetize any difference in opinion.” The sportsbook has been absorbed and joined by elections, crude prices, and missile strikes — anything anyone will bet on. The tragedy, per Brunton: an idea about synthesizing expertise became “the spread of gambling into every aspect of contemporary living.” And the experts who do bet are now effectively insider traders — a possibility Hanson, contrarian to the last, actually welcomes, but which has made the platforms “rip-off machines in which people who know what's going to happen… exploit suckers.” The data is unambiguous: a handful of whales win; everyone else loses. The platforms' defense — we just give people what they want — is, Brunton notes, the classic play of buying time against regulation, perfected by YouTube a generation ago. Meanwhile New York's subway ads sell the flattering fantasy that you're not gambling; you're deploying your sophisticated read of the news. No wonder the Trumps are gleeful participants — from the father's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, as Andrew puts it, to the son's Taj on everyone's phone.•       Tim May's BlackNet. The essay's second character is the late Tim May: cypherpunk pioneer, gleeful provocateur, “idealist of the dark web” in Andrew's phrase — and, Brunton says flatly, “a bad guy” whose politics were racist and violent. May's gift was seeing the worst use of every technology, and his masterwork was BlackNet: an anonymous marketplace for secrets — exams, health records, trade secrets, classified plans — whose deeper purpose was to destroy institutional trust from within. Create a world where no one inside any institution knows whom to trust (a Leninist move, Andrew observed), and the institutions dissolve. Brunton's thesis in one line: prediction markets present themselves as the fulfillment of Hanson's vision, but they are really the fulfillment of May's. The evidence is already tabloid fact: the operator of Trump's teleprompter betting on the words of future speeches; a US soldier arrested in April for wagering on operations he knew were coming.•       Polymarket & the Polycrisis. These platforms are worse than casinos: at least the Nevada State Gaming Commission checks that the roulette wheel isn't rigged, while prediction markets are “so thoroughly crooked and corrupt in their current setup” that Brunton — who still cherishes Hanson's original promise — doesn't know where regulation would begin. Andrew's coinage-pairing landed: Polymarket and Adam Tooze's polycrisis are siblings — nested, interlinked crises producing unmanageable volatility, with betting as a way of “interacting with a future that otherwise feels completely out of your control.” Hence Brunton's students on Polymarket: not just addictive app design but “a weirdly rational decision” for a generation with no faith in pensions, home ownership, or the long-term dollar. Lambos or food stamps. The house rule stands: the smart money is always on the other side of the table — and the winners-take-all arithmetic mirrors the broader digital economy.•       Betting on Hanson Over May. Prediction markets, Brunton argues, are the heirs of crypto twice over: the next stop for fevered capital, and — like the Trump family's World Liberty Financial, which horrifies even the Cato Institute — a mechanism for relatively untraceable corruption, a natural extension of the family casino business. Andrew's twist on the firm's name: 1789 Capital is accelerating an anarchic French rather than institutionally trustworthy American-style revolution. His warning is the episode's pull quote: platforms designed to dissolve institutional trust, monetize interference with journalism, and sow paranoia are a solvent, and a society that cannot deal with what is melting it from within shows “a terminal symptom.” But he ends with a fix, and it is refreshingly concrete: KYC. Impose the know-your-customer identity rules we demand of banks, and “you immediately eliminate 95% of the bad actors” — official insider bets become visible, and the markets might even get smarter. A partisan of anonymous speech, Brunton draws the line at anonymous betting on information. Andrew's closer: he's still betting on Hanson over May — Kant over Hobbes. And his verdict: Polymarket is the polycrisis. It is cashing in on chaos. About the Guest Finn Brunton is Professor of Science and Technology Studies and of Cinema and Digital Media at the University of C...

The Jones Act: America's Self-Inflicted Economic WoundIn this episode of the Energy Newsbeat Podcast, hosts Stu Turley and David Blackmon sit down with Colin Grabow, Associate Director of the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, to examine one of America's most counterintuitive and costly laws: the Jones Act. Enacted in 1920 as the Merchant Marine Act, this legislation requires all goods transported by water within U.S. borders to use American-flagged, American-built, and American-crewed vessels. What was intended as a national security measure has instead become an economic anchor, artificially inflating shipping costs and forcing states to import energy from overseas rather than from nearby domestic sources. With the Trump administration's recent suspension of the Jones Act, Grabow presents compelling data showing that in just six months, more energy has been shipped domestically than in any single year over the past 25 years—a real-world experiment that validates decades of economic arguments against the law. The conversation reveals a troubling paradox: while the U.S. claims the Jones Act protects national security, American ships are regularly sent to Chinese shipyards for repairs, and the law has shrunk the merchant marine fleet from 257 ships in 1980 to just 92 today. Through concrete examples ranging from California's refinery crisis to Puerto Rico's energy shortages, this episode exposes how protectionist policies meant to help American workers and shipyards have instead harmed consumers, reduced economic efficiency, and undermined the very security they claim to protect.Check out the Cato Institute Jones Act Tracker: https://www.cato.org/jones-act-waiver-tracker#key-findingsConnect with Colin Grabow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colingrabow/Check out David Blackmon's work on Substack: https://blackmon.substack.com/Check out The Energy News Beat Substack: https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/1. The Jones Act: Definition & OverviewThe podcast opens by explaining the Jones Act (Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920), which requires that goods transported by water within the U.S. must use vessels that are U.S.-flagged, U.S.-built, at least 75% American-owned, and crewed by Americans. This foundational explanation sets up the entire discussion.2. Impact of the Jones Act Waiver on Energy SupplyA major focus is the Trump administration's suspension of the Jones Act, which has dramatically increased domestic energy shipments:California's refinery crisis: With refineries shutting down, the waiver enabled tankers to transport crude oil from Gulf Coast refineries through the Panama Canal to California—preventing a major supply crisisRecord-breaking shipments: In just 6 months, more crude oil, gasoline, and jet fuel were shipped than in any single year over the past 25 yearsCost savings: The waiver has saved consumers millions by enabling efficient domestic shipping3. Economic Inefficiency & Cost to ConsumersThe hosts discuss how the Jones Act artificially inflates shipping costs:U.S.-built tankers cost $210-240 million vs. $52-53 million in AsiaOperating costs for U.S. ships are $8.5 million more per year than foreign-flagged vesselsThis forces states like California and New England to import energy from overseas rather than from nearby U.S. sources4. National Security ParadoxesThe conversation highlights contradictions in the national security argument:The U.S. exports LNG globally but can't ship it domestically to states like New York and MassachusettsPuerto Rico and Hawaii are forced to import energy from foreign sources despite U.S. production capacityU.S. military builds warships in allied countries (Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Finland), yet commercial ships must be U.S.-builtAmerican ships are regularly sent to Chinese shipyards for repairs and maintenance5. Merchant Marine Fleet DeclineColin Grabow presents data showing the Jones Act has failed to maintain a robust U.S. shipping fleet:The fleet has shrunk from 257 ships in 1980 to just 92 todayU.S. shipyards produce only 2.6 ships per year on average vs. 40+ per year in South KoreaThe law hasn't created jobs—it's reduced them6. Regional Energy Crises & SolutionsThe waiver has addressed multiple regional energy shortages:California: 8+ million barrels of crude, 2.4 million barrels of diesel, 1.8 million barrels of jet fuelPuerto Rico: Record propane shipments (2.89 million barrels in 6 months vs. historical averages)New England: LNG and propane imports that were previously impossibleMid-Atlantic: 12 million barrels of crude shipped to refineries7. Political & Lobbying ObstaclesThe hosts discuss why the Jones Act persists despite its costs:Concentrated benefits vs. dispersed costs: Shipyard owners and operators lobby heavily to maintain the law, while consumers bear the costsCongressional gridlock: Previous reform efforts (2006-2007) failed despite support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and APIState interests: Louisiana opposes changes due to port economy dependence8. Hypocrisy & ContradictionsThe podcast highlights the absurdity of current policy:Refineries in New York were buying Russian oil because it was cheaper than Texas oil due to Jones Act shipping costsThe U.S. is the world's leading LNG exporter but can't ship it domesticallyCompanies advocating for the Jones Act for "national security" send their ships to China for repairs9. Potential Solutions & ReformColin Grabow proposes incremental reforms:Allow Americans to buy foreign-built ships (aligning with policy for airlines and trucking)Restrict to allied shipyards (NATO countries, Japan, South Korea)Implement a second registry (like Norway's international registry)Use direct subsidies instead of protectionism for national security needs10. Data-Driven Evidence & Future ResearchThe Cato Institute's Jones Act Waiver Tracker provides concrete evidence:241 voyages, 190 unique vessels, 65 million barrels shippedPlans to update 2018 and 2019 research papers on the Jones Act's economic and national security impactsThe waiver serves as a real-world experiment validating free-market predictionsOverall Theme: The podcast argues that the Jones Act is a self-inflicted economic wound that harms consumers, reduces shipping efficiency, contradicts national security claims, and fails to maintain a competitive merchant marine—and that the current waiver proves reform is both necessary and beneficial.At Energy News Beat, we Make Appendices Great Again.Check out the World's Greatest Podcast Show Notes at EnergyNewsBeat.co or EnergyNewsBeat.com, and the Energy News Beat Substack at: https://theenergynewsbeat.substack.com/A shout-out to Steve Reese and the Reese Energy Consulting group for sponsoring the Podcast https://reeseenergyconsulting.com/.Data2 if you have any business systems, can you trust A? Well, they have the patent on validation. . https://data2.zoholandingpage.com/energyAnd we have WellDatabase rolling, and we use their tools for the Energy News Beat weekly Rig Reports: https://welldatabase.com/Also entering Sponsor Rey Trevino, Pecos Operating https://pecos.energy/

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating over 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about immigration cases considered in latest term of the Supreme Court. We visit with Young Voices Content Creator Jack Verrill about the fascinating story of Palantir, artificial intelligence, and Peter Theil. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about Supreme Court's recent decision on the completion of the White House Ballroom. We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about his experience with and the enormous benefits of artificial intelligence in his scientific endeavors. Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and CEO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Keith Flaugh, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, and Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young. Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

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.

Sterling wants to know what drives you crazy. He also takes time to remember Dolly Parton. If mail-in voting safe? Sterling asks Stephen Richer of the Cato Institute.

Sterling wants to know what drives you crazy. He also takes time to remember Dolly Parton. If mail-in voting safe? Sterling asks Stephen Richer of the Cato Institute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sterling wants to know what drives you crazy. He also takes time to remember Dolly Parton. If mail-in voting safe? Sterling asks Stephen Richer of the Cato Institute.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tax cuts can strengthen incentives to work, save, invest, and build. But what happens when Washington cuts one tax while raising tariffs and continues spending beyond taxpayers' means?Dr. Adam Michel of the Cato Institute joins me to discuss why tax reform and spending restraint must go together. We examine tariffs, deficits, reconciliation, entitlement spending, business investment, and what a simpler, flatter, more pro-growth tax system could look like.The goal isn't simply lower tax rates. It's reducing the overall burden the government places on Americans and creating an economy where people have greater freedom to prosper.Get show notes at vanceginn.substack.com.#TaxPolicy #Economics #FederalSpending #FreeMarkets

Tonight on America At Night with McGraw Milhaven, Alfredo Carrillo Obregon, Trade Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute, discusses the escalating tensions between President Trump and Canada, including Trump's threat to rename Lake Ontario and what the dispute could mean for U.S.-Canada trade and relations. Madison Mills, Senior AI Reporter with Axios, examines the fierce competition for AI talent, including the blunt questions Anthropic candidates are facing about money and compensation as companies battle for top researchers and engineers. Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, discusses Meta's $16.7 billion settlement with California and other states over allegations involving social media addiction, and what the agreement could mean for accountability and online safety. Plus, Braelei Hardt, evolutionary biologist and Assistant Naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation, joins McGraw to explore wildlife, conservation and the natural world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about immigration cases considered in latest term of the Supreme Court. We visit with Economic Analyst for Americans for Prosperity Llana Blumsack about the Democratic Socialists of America policy manifesto, including their world view on housing policy. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about Supreme Court's recent decision on mail-in ballots. We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about his experience with and the enormous benefits of artificial intelligence in his scientific endeavors. Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and CEO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Keith Flaugh, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young, and Founder of the Education Freedom Foundation Erika Donalds. Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

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.

“Just because I think something is dumb doesn't mean I think it should be illegal.” — Nicholas Anthony on meme coins Earlier this month, Elizabeth Warren called for an SEC investigation of Donald Trump's meme coin. Is the Pope Catholic? No surprise there. More revealing are other critics of the “presidential” token which netted our Grifter-in-Chief $636 million last year. Take, for example, Nicholas Anthony, an expert on crypto at the Cato Institute and author of Digital Currency or Digital Control? It's news when an unashamed libertarian from Washington's own temple of free markets calls the president's crypto adventure “completely unnecessary.” Maybe the Pope isn't Catholic. Or maybe Elizabeth Warren should join the Cato Institute. Anthony's verdict is withering because, under his libertarian shell, he's a crypto bro. The meme coin “has been a problem for everyone but Trump,” he argues, because it has held up legislation, invited investigations, and weaponized ethics concerns about crypto. “We have no one to blame except Trump…” Anthony concludes bleakly. “He knew better than to do it, but he saw the opportunity and ran with it.” When I accused Anthony of sounding like Elizabeth Warren, he was more amused than offended. Unlike the Warren crowd, however, he doesn't want to ban crypto. “Just because I think something is dumb,” he says, “doesn't mean I think it should be illegal.” So while Trump-style meme coins are a natural habitat for what he calls “rug pulls,” that shouldn't be an excuse for lawmakers to pull the rug from the entire industry. Crypto can still revolutionize finance, Anthony believes. It can democratize centralized banking. It can make money fairer. Just don't confuse that with a Melania meme coin. Five Takeaways •       A Hard No from Cato. The week's most surprising critic of Trump's meme coin isn't a Democrat — it's a Cato libertarian. Anthony's verdict: “completely unnecessary,” legally gray but ethically indefensible, and “a problem for everyone but Trump” — stalling the crypto legislation the industry actually wants, inviting investigations, and handing opponents a weapon. The explanation is pure self-interest: the first-term Trump attacked crypto as competition to the dollar and pushed policies hostile to the space; the second-term convert was swayed by industry lobbying and campaign money, the opportunity for personal enrichment, and crypto's libertarian-conservative DNA. “We have no one to blame except for Trump… He knew better than to do it, but he saw the opportunity and ran with it.”•       Dumb, But Not Illegal. The libertarian line in one sentence: “Just because I think something is dumb doesn't mean I think it should be illegal.” Meme coins are “a trading card of sorts” — their value is the person behind them, held up only as long as people stay amused — and a natural habitat for rug pulls, where insiders manufacture interest and vanish with the proceeds. Anthony opposes bans; he demands disclosure, and insists fraud be prosecuted whether it's snake oil from a cart or a token from a president. Hence the kicker: a Warren-style investigation of the sitting president is “perfectly reasonable,” and “if it turns out he was doing something behind the scenes, then I think he should be prosecuted for it.” From what he's seen, the fans knew what they were buying — but the line between brilliantly marketed and fraudulently sold is exactly what investigations exist to draw.•       The Dollar Launders Better. Isn't crypto the ideal vehicle for laundering money? “Not so much. The US dollar is definitely the ideal vehicle” — and remains the currency of choice for criminals worldwide. The numbers: roughly one percent of cryptocurrency activity has been identified as illegal, against about five percent of US dollar usage — because the dollar is accepted everywhere, even in criminal circles, and cash, once it leaves your hand, is gone. Most cryptocurrencies, by contrast, run on public blockchains: permanent, searchable records that forensic accounting firms mine daily, and that keep catching criminals who never understood that the ledger remembers everything. The moral panic, Anthony suggests, is aimed at the wrong instrument.•       Free Banking's Revenge. The deeper Cato case: cryptocurrency — born of cypherpunk and libertarian ideas after the 2008 crisis — is “for the first time in over a hundred years, the challenge to the idea that central banks have complete and total ownership of what is money.” Its ancestors are Scottish free banking and the note-issuing American banks that cleared payments for decades before the Federal Reserve existed. The prosecution's exhibits against central banking: Zimbabwe's hyperinflation queues, where friends of Anthony's watched food become unaffordable while they waited in line, and the slower American version — $10,000 bought two Corvettes in 1970 and needs to be $80,000 today. No utopias: Bitcoin won't erase the debt. But competition would supply the missing incentive for governments to be “better stewards of currency” — and the practice already exists, from Argentina and Lebanon to the crypto hubs of Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.•       Swept Up by Trump. The sadder confession concerns his own side: “Sadly, many conservatives have been swept up by Trump… the president can do no wrong” — Ted Cruz and Mike Lee among the obsequious, blocking the ethics language Democrats want attached to crypto legislation. The principled exception is Wyoming's Cynthia Lummis: pro-Trump, yes, but one of the rare members of Congress who has done the technical and philosophical homework. The industry itself — Coinbase included — walks a careful line around the man who will sign its rules into law, seeing the damage but saying little. Anthony acknowledges his privilege: “Here at the Cato Institute, I can call balls and strikes.” As for the wider economy: a storm in a teacup for now — while crypto's speculative fever has migrated to AI, whose models are quietly integrating the coins as their payment rails. It's not what Satoshi envisioned; the cypherpunks and the bankers will split the inheritance. About the Guest Nicholas Anthony is a research fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, a fellow at the Human Rights Foundation, and a member of the Economic Inclusion Group's Advisory Board. His research covers central bank digital currencies, financial privacy, cryptocurrency, and the use of money in society. The author of Digital Currency or Digital Control? Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money, he has testified before Congress, maintains the Human Rights Foundation's CBDC Tracker, and has been published in the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, and Business Insider. Originally from Baltimore, he holds an MA in economics from George Mason University. References: •       Digital Currency or Digital Control? Decoding CBDC and the Future of Money by Nicholas Anthony (Cato Institute).•       Senator Elizabeth Warr...

The United States national debt reached a record-breaking $40 trillion dollars this week. If you spread out that debt to every resident of the U.S., we would each owe more than $115,000 dollars. So how did we get here? To find out more about what our big bad debt means for you, we spoke with Scott Lincicome. He's the vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute.And in headlines, Trump-fixer-turned-frenemy Michael Cohen hosted the president on his radio show, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is relieving the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln, and a Texas court slashes a $50 million judgment against Infowars founder Alex Jones to about $6 million.Show Notes: Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this episode of The Wright Report, Bryan breaks down America's national debt hitting a staggering $40 trillion, tracing how decades of spending and tax cuts under both parties brought the country to this point. Bryan covers a new CATO Institute analysis showing Democratic Socialist policy demands would require up to $212 trillion in new spending, AOC's struggle to explain the difference between socialism and communism, and her party's celebration of Fidel Castro's 100th birthday. He also breaks down a Minnesota state lawmaker's blunt admission that democracy is just a placeholder until a "politburo of loyalists" can take over. Plus, Bryan covers the secret US Navy and CIA flotilla operation now moving nearly half of pre-war oil volumes through the Strait of Hormuz, Israel's airstrike on a Turkish-rebuilt Syrian airbase, a bombshell speech from Ukraine's former defense minister challenging President Zelenskyy to hold elections, and new research linking WWII-era British sugar rationing to longer, healthier adult lives. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32   Keywords: Wright Report, Bryan Dean Wright, national debt, $40 trillion, debt to GDP, Democratic Socialists, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Fidel Castro, communism, Minnesota, Strait of Hormuz, oil blockade, CIA, Israel, Syria, Turkey, Erdogan, Ukraine, Zelenskyy, election, sugar rationing, cancer research

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about a few of the cases considered in latest term of the Supreme Court. We visit with Boo Mortenson about a few recent “good news” items that we may be taking for granted. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about the implications of yesterday's guilty plea by former Fauci aide David Morens We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about the enormous benefits of artificial intelligence in his scientific endeavors. Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and COO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Ryan Kennedy, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young, and President and CEO of the James Madison Institute Dr. Bob McClure

Matthew Cavedon is the Director of the Cato Institute's Project on Criminal Justice. His work concerns the rights of the accused and jurors, government accountability, and the Second Amendment. His scholarship has appeared in the Arizona State Law Journal, Cato Supreme Court Review, and Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy. His commentary has been published by The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, JURIST, and MSNOW. He is a member of the Council on Criminal Justice.FOLLOW: @CatoInstituteVISIT: https://www.cato.org/SUPPORT OUR WORK https://www.judicialwatch.org/donate/thank-youtube/ VISIT OUR WEBSITE http://www.judicialwatch.org

In this Federalist Society America 250 series, experts analyze modern legal and policy debates through the lens of the Founding generation. The Founders gave us the tools to answer many contemporary questions; join us as we explore those answers.In Federalist 23, Alexander Hamilton identified the common defense and the preservation of peace against external attacks as two of the principal purposes served by union. The Constitution that union adopted divides the power to declare war—vested in Congress—and the power to direct war—vested in the President as Commander in Chief. But what does it say about national security more broadly? The Founders were not without reservation about the risks of concentrating the means of defense, with James Madison warning the Constitutional Convention that a “standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.” It was also clear from the start, however, that functions like intelligence gathering belonged more naturally to the executive, whose institutional character supported the necessary secrecy and dispatch.This webinar will explore how the Founders understood national security power beyond the battlefield, how closely subsequent practice tracked their design, and whether today’s allocation of powers serves both the nation's security and its liberty.Featuring:Dr. Alberto Coll, Director, Global Engagement; Vincent de Paul Professor of Law, DePaul University College of LawProf. Matthew Waxman, Liviu Librescu Professor of Law, Columbia School of LawProf. John Yoo, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley; Senior Research Fellow, School of Civic Leadership, Civitas Institute, University of Texas at Austin; Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute(Moderator) Molly Nixon, Senior Fellow in Executive Power, Cato Institute

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about the gerrymandering decisions made in latest term of the Supreme Court. We meet the new Director of the Collier Senior Center – Golden Gate Jessica Perez, and we discuss the many senior services they provide. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about yesterday's Primary election results, and we discuss the Senate's unfinished business before leaving for Summer break. We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about the addictive qualities of artificial intelligence Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and COO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Ryan Kennedy, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young, and Young Voices Content Creator Holly Jean Soto. Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

Susan Pendergrass speaks with Emily Ekins, vice president for policy and society and director of polling at the Cato Institute, about new survey data on Americans' declining civic knowledge and growing openness to socialism. They discuss why younger Americans are less averse to socialism and communism than older generations, what Cato's polling reveals about basic civic knowledge gaps, why the founders prioritized protecting rights and freedoms above solving economic problems, the psychological concept of locus of control and its link to support for socialism, and more. Produced by Show-Me Opportunity

Busy show. Starting with Marshall University Chief Legal Officer Toney Stroud talking about the IDEA District. Fox's Jonathan Savage has the latest on the Iran War. Scott MacFarlane has an update from DC. Then the guys talk Flock Cameras with Kanawha County Delegate Tristian Leavitt. Brad McElhinny wonders what happened to hot & ready meals for SNAP recipients. Tad DeHaven, of the Cato Institute, questions the Trump Administration purchasing stock in companies. 

For the ad-free version of this episode, subscribe to Politicology+ at https://politicology.com/plus In this episode, Ron talks to Nick Anthony (Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute and a Fellow at the Human Rights Foundation) about Central Bank Digital Curriences, their potential to invade privacy, alter the dynamics of financial control, how governments are trying to justify them, and why those arguments are insufficient . They discuss: (04:16) Intro to CBDCs (07:58) How CBDCs would give unprecedented control over how you can spend money  (12:15) The Arguments for and against CBDCs (19:53)The hidden assumptions behind CBDC arguments  (24:50) The real world privacy implications of CBDCs (33:05) CBDCs around the globe  (36:21) The political dynamics in the U.S.  (47:47) Bitcoin vs CBDCs Check out the HRF's CBDC Tracker: https://bit.ly/3WtFb3g Follow Ron and Nick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RonSteslow https://x.com/EconWithNick Email your questions to podcast@politicology.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(202) 455-4558‬  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about some of the decisions from the latest term of the Supreme Court. We visit with Landmark Legal Foundation VP Michael O'Neill about Primary election results in Michigan, and we discuss the implications of Dr. Anthony Fauci's decision to “plead the 5th” at his recent Senate testimony. We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about the Democrat Socialists of America and their cultural and political impact Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and CEO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Keith Flaugh, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, and Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young. Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

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.

We've looked at the Supreme Court's upcoming Second Amendment case against AR-15 bans with the lawyer who helped craft the Court's view of gun rights and with a professor who is a prominent critic of that view from the left. This week, we're doing the same with a pro-gun critic of the Court's test. That critic is Cato Institute scholar and George Mason University law professor Ilya Somin. Ever since the Supreme Court handed down a new Second Amendment test in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, most gun-rights advocates have been happy with the outcome of the cases where the Court has applied it. But there is a contingent of pro-gun lawyers and professors who've disputed whether it's a good precedent. Somin argued that Bruen's reliance on history and tradition creates a lot of grey areas in the law. He said it is "too flabby" as it stands now, and leaves too much wiggle room for judges to impose their own preferences. He noted that liberal critics of the Bruen test have some valid critiques, but where they worry the test will be used to restrict government action, he worries it will be used to restrict Second Amendment rights. He said he's largely agreed with the outcome of the most recent Second Amendment cases at the Supreme Court, but worried what might come in future cases--especially if the balance of the Court moves left. Somin argued for what he considers a more straightforward test based around the original meaning of the Second Amendment. He argued history could inform that meaning, but he said that the existence of historical laws that contradict that meaning shouldn't mean those laws take precedence over the meaning itself.Special Guest: Ilya Somin.

A nuclear power deal can sound like paperwork until the fine print turns into a proliferation crisis. We sit down with Jon Hoffman of the Cato Institute to unpack the reported US Saudi nuclear agreement and the real meaning of a “Section 123 agreement” under the Atomic Energy Act. The headline question is simple and unsettling: does this cooperation keep a civilian program civilian, or does it open the door to Saudi uranium enrichment and a future regional arms race? We also dig into why the timing is so politically loaded. The original framework was tied to Saudi Israel normalization and the Abraham Accords, plus talk of a US security guarantee, but the region's wars keep reshuffling incentives. When leaders publicly “clarify” terms after reports of a signed deal, it creates uncertainty for nonproliferation safeguards, congressional oversight, and everyone watching whether US Middle East policy is driven by strategy or leverage. From there, we zoom out to the battlefield and the map. Yemen, the Houthis (Ansar Allah), and the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint collide with rising Iran tensions and the Strait of Hormuz, putting oil flows and global prices at risk. We push back on escalation rhetoric, ask what “victory” even means without objectives or an exit plan, and talk through hard constraints like depleted US missile interceptor stockpiles. Finally, we turn to Israel's posture and the worsening situation in the West Bank, where settler violence and annexation fears keep growing as the world looks elsewhere.

Last week, Ralph, along with our constitutional law expert, Bruce Fein, organized another symposium in Washington DC on impeaching Donald Trump. On today's program, we play you highlights from that symposium with eight of the participants, each of whom are going to give listeners their perspective on why Donald Trump should be impeached even before the midterm elections.The rhetoric from many Democratic leaders has not kept up with the horror and the urgency of what [Donald Trump] is inflicting on America and the American people. He has moved very, very quickly to develop a fascist dictatorship embodying a kleptocratic corporate state that is marked by non-regulation, tax cuts for the wealthy, and tax escapes for the wealthy and major corporations, as well as expanded corporate welfare in the midst of personal and institutional two-way bribery and extortion. It's very important to punctuate the seriousness of what he's already done.Ralph NaderCelinda Lake is a political strategist and president of Lake Research Partners.What I love about polling is: conventional wisdom is wrong about 90% of the time, plus or minus 5%. Beltway conventional wisdom is wrong about 100% of the time, plus or minus 5%. So, “Everybody knows impeachment is unpopular.” No, it's not. It's very popular. A majority of people support it. “Everyone knows that it'll energize the other side.” No. The other side, to the extent they're going to be energized, they're already energized. We need to energize our side. We need to get our people out to vote… “Everyone knows it's very volatile.” No, it's not. Attitudes about impeachment track with job performance… And finally, “Everybody knows that nobody understands impeachment.” Well, frankly, voters understand it better than a lot of elected officials.Celinda LakeSuparna Reddy is the Senior Counsel for Free Speech For People.Let us be clear: Congress should impeach and remove Trump for each and every one of these hundreds of offenses. And we have a duty to record his every abuse of power. But in the process, we should not miss the forest for the trees— Trump is intentionally and systematically dismantling our democratic institutions to consolidate his own power and line his own pockets.Suparna ReddyRichard Painter is the S. Walter Richey professor of corporate law at the University of Minnesota Law School and was the chief White House ethics lawyer from 2005 to 2007.We have seen serious, indeed, tragic financial conflicts of interest in the executive branch never before seen in the history of our country—unless we look at our very early Presidents who held vast plantations with slave labor, a clear economic conflict of interest with their official duties. A conflict of interest shared by many Senators and Representatives and Justices of the Supreme Court, and indeed a tragic conflict of interest for the first eighty years of our history that ended only with a bloody civil war. But since then, we have not had at least a President who is embroiled in financial conflicts of interest with his official duties.Richard PainterDoug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, specializing in foreign policy and civil liberties.We need to make a persuasive argument for people, whether they like Donald Trump or not, to understand the Constitution transcends this President. The Constitution transcends future Presidents and future crises. We need to convince Americans across the political spectrum to stand with the rule of law, to stand with accountable government, to stand with an accountable executive, responsible legislatures. History tells us that one person making these decisions is not good. Plenty of authoritarians in the past have made these decisions and brought their countries to disaster.Douglas BandowErwin Chemerinsky is the Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.We're now at a moment when the federal government is a threat to our rights. The actions of the Trump administration are unprecedented in the violations of the Constitution. And so I think it's crucial that state and local governments step in so as to protect rights. It's interesting that through American history, Federalism has always been equated, states' rights have always been equated with regressive policies… But now it's time for progressives to use states' rights and look for the opportunities for states to safeguard our constitutionErwin ChemerinskyKeira Havens is a United States Air Force veteran, a former scientist, and a longtime political activist. She is the executive director of Citizens' Impeachment.Everybody has agency. Everybody has a role that they can play. Everybody can take action. As a private citizen, I can say, “Man, there are a lot of things wrong with what's happening.” In fact, I wrote several articles of impeachment: tyranny, treason, obstruction of justice, and of course, corruption, right? Members of Congress have more power than that. They need to do more than say things. They have to take action. Courage is an action. It's what you do after you say the words that really matters. And every single member of Congress is able to take action. They are able to introduce articles of impeachment, and they are refusing.Keira HavensJessica Denson is a former Trump staffer and founder of the Removal Coalition.The American people (and particularly Democratic primary voters) are looking for fighters. For God's sake, what could you do better than to exert the power that you have—this one privilege in the House, Rule 9, that gives any member of the Congress, including the minority, the ability to force a vote any time. Why would you sit on that? Why would you wait? Instead, in my activism, I've had to resort to relying on literally one Congressman. This is so pathetic. He is a dear friend, and I am so grateful for him. But to this day, I think it is pathetic that I have to rely on one Congressman to bring forth articles of impeachment and force votes, and that's Representative Green.Jessica DensonNews 7/31/26* Our top stories this week have to do with the Democratic National Committee. Several stories have recently come out about DNC Chair Ken Martin, ranging from interpersonal issues to his utter failure to raise money for the Democratic Party. The most stunning example of this comes from NOTUS, which reports that Martin “put [the DNC's] physical headquarters up for collateral last year in order to obtain a $15 million line of credit to help invest in off-year elections.” While the party has used this mechanism before, it underlines the gaping disparity between the DNC, which is currently over $2 million in debt compared to the Republican National Committee (RNC), which can boast $128.5 million cash on-hand.* Compounding the issues of the already cash-strapped DNC, the New Republic reports the Democratic National Committee was scammed out of nearly $29,000 by an email from someone pretending to be Chair Ken Martin last year. DNC spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg is quoted saying “The DNC takes seriously our duty to protect the funds provided to us by millions of patriotic Americans chipping in to fund our mission…this was a one-off mistake that was promptly caught and addressed, and no similar issues have occurred since.” That said, only $7,000 worth of this money has been recovered. As TNR puts it, “This has all been very embarrassing. Martin can't raise money, can't keep money, and can't unite the base under the big tent' he likes to talk about.” Martin may also be facing an outright rebellion led by party insiders.* One surprising proposal to this effect is coming from a very unlikely source. The Hill reports veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, while tearing into Martin, opened the door to former DNC Vice-Chair David Hogg taking the reins. Carville said the DNC appears “dysfunctional” and that the committee needs to “figure out a way maybe they could be somewhat relevant,” adding that “If David Hogg wants to take it over, I ain't stopping you…Go ahead, man, I don't really care.” This is a stark turnabout from Carville's position on Hogg when the latter was in DNC leadership; back then, Carville dismissed him as “a contemptible little twerp.” In an interview, Hogg highlighted this exact reversal, while simultaneously saying that he did not want to lead the crumbling Democratic Party organization. Ben Wikler, the former Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair who challenged Ken Martin in 2025 has also resisted calls to take over the DNC, with rumors circulating that he is gearing up to run for Senate in the Badger State next cycle. While pressure continues to mount on Martin, alternative leadership remains elusive.* Speaking of lackluster leadership, Sources Say News reports Capitol CNCT has launched The Scoop which they describe as “a confidential rating system that lets current and former Hill staffers weigh in on the members and offices they have worked for.” As one might imagine, some reviews are extremely scathing. This piece cites one that reads, “Leadership is abusive. Lies about promotions and bonuses…This place will leach at your mental health like a vampire…Beware.” Sources Say highlights the fact that “Unlike most workplaces, Congress has no HR department, which means bad behavior by members and senior staff can go unreported and unchecked for years.” The new site verifies that the posters are or were real employees of these offices, but keeps their names anonymous to protect them from retaliation.* In more news from Congress, POLITICO reports Maryland Representative and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin is launching a new investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, this time focusing on whether the deceased sex offender and financier acted as an unregistered foreign agent. In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Raskin writes that “Jeffrey Epstein never registered as a foreign agent…Yet numerous recently released documents now show he acted aggressively on behalf of multiple foreign governments, including several with interests adverse to the United States, in order to influence policies of the first Trump Administration.” The declassified files reveal that Epstein “offered to serve as a conduit between Saudi Arabia and members of the Trump administration, consulted with Russian officials on engaging with the president and advised former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.” This inquiry is likely to raise fresh questions about not only Epstein's role working on behalf of foreign governments, but his possible connections with intelligence and espionage organizations including the CIA and Mossad.* Other progressive members of Congress, led by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, have issued a formal response to a new Trump administration report on Cuba. These members interpret this report – which claims that the tiny Caribbean nation of 10 million people has “waged a sustained campaign” to “conquer” the United States and is backing “left-wing terrorism on American soil” – is in fact an instrument the administration plans to use to persecute “Trump's perceived political enemies.” Omar, joined by Representatives Jim McGovern, Delia Ramirez, Rashida Tlaib, AOC and more, contend that Trump is “hell-bent on taking America back 70 years to the height of Cold War McCarthyism, when hawkish foreign policy was paired with unsubstantiated accusations of communist subversion and political repression against dissidents at home.” The administration report singled out several organizations and activists, including the National Lawyers Guild, Hasan Piker, and campus activist Isra Hirsi, daughter of Congresswoman Omar. This from Common Dreams.* In more news from the left, POLITICO reports Donavan McKinney – who is challenging incumbent Congressman Shri Thanedar in Detroit – picked up a major batch of endorsements this week from members of the Congressional Black Caucus. These new endorsers include Representatives Steven Horsford, the former chair of the CBC, along with Lateefah Simon and Ayanna Pressley. These endorsements, particularly that of Congressman Horsford, are notable because Thanedar retains the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his deputies, Representatives Pete Aguilar and Katherine Clark. McKinney said he was “honored” by these endorsements, adding that he “[looks] forward to working alongside these incredible leaders to pass critical legislation to protect voting rights, get big money out of our politics, and ensure all families have access to the resources they need to not just survive, but to truly thrive.” McKinney's primary will be held on August 4th, along with the more closely watched Senate primary between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and his moderate, establishment-backed opponent Haley Stevens.* Meanwhile, in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani continues to fulfill campaign promises at an astonishing rate. First, Forbes reports that Mamdani has officially introduced a $124.7 billion city budget which includes funding for five city-run grocery stores which will sell staple foods at a 30% discount compared to private grocery stores. These staples are set to include produce, dairy, bread, select meat and seafood, and approximately 20 other products. Being city-owned, these stores will not have to pay rent or property taxes, ensuring they can operate more cheaply than their competitors in the private sector. This piece notes that similar experiments in smaller cities like Baldwin, Florida, and Erie, Kansas proved unsustainable financially, while proposals in Chicago and Kansas City struggled to get off the ground. There is reason to believe New York will prove a different matter entirely, but that remains to be seen. At the same time, Jacobin reports Mamdani is launching a new initiative called “Talk to Tenants,” which will “send volunteers door-to-door in buildings with chronic housing code violations, connecting renters with organizing resources, neighborhood organizations, and training on tenants' rights and how to build tenant associations.” This effort will be led by the Office of Mass Engagement in partnership with the Office to Protect Tenants. It is extremely encouraging to see Mamdani utilizing a varied array of tools at his disposal – including both direct action by the city as on grocery stores or using city resources to promote the formation of non-governmental organizing efforts – in order to achieve his vision of a just and affordable American metropolis.* In more troubling, if not surprising, news, the Wall Street Journal is out with a new report finding that the Department of Justice is giving a green light to corporate criminals. The Journal cites examples ranging from Alibaba to Boeing and EagleBank to Abbott Laboratories where the Trump DOJ “declined to charge companies even when prosecutors thought executives or managers were involved in the wrongdoing.” This follows from directives given by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who has “said prosecutors shouldn't view prosecuting companies as their goal and should instead focus on holding individual wrongdoers accountable.” This piece cites a December speech by Blanche in which he stated that “Companies don't go to jail, people do.” Yet, it seems that under the Trump Justice Department, neither do.* Finally, in more corporate news, the antitrust lawsuit filed by over a dozen state attorneys general has at least temporarily succeeded in halting the mega-merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and the Ellisons' media conglomerate, Paramount Skydance. After the lawsuit was filed, a federal judge in Oakland ordered a pause on the deal, and since then, the Ellisons themselves have agreed to put the merger “on ice” pending the outcome of the trial, Variety reports. This piece also highlights the private sentiments of anonymous Warner Bros. executives who apparently hope that the deal hits a “legal landmine” and is ultimately “nixed.” However, in an internal memo, David Ellison maintained that “the facts and the law are on our side, and a full hearing will demonstrate why the plaintiffs' arguments should not prevail.”This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven't Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

Standing up a reverse mortgage division can't be that hard, can it? We go through some of the mechanics. Plus, Robbie interviews CATO Institute's Jai Kedia on if the Fed's policy stance is getting closer to its target, and the future of the centralbank under Chair Warsh. And we close with why the 30-year U.S. bond hit a 19-year high in the wake of the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting.Sponsored by Experian Verify, which provides mortgage lenders with automated income, employment, identity, and asset verification solutions that help accelerate underwriting while reducing fraud risk and manual documentation.The Chrisman Commentary is your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.

What if some regulations designed to protect workers are actually making it harder to find better jobs, earn higher wages, and adapt to a changing economy?On this episode of Disunion, David Osborne is joined by Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies, to examine how labor policy affects worker opportunity and economic dynamism.Scott explains how government mandates, often framed as worker protections, can create barriers to hiring, job mobility, and wage growth. The conversation explores why labor market flexibility matters, how government shape employer decisions, and why worker choice is central to a thriving economy.David and Scott discuss:How regulations can increase hiring costs and limit workforce growthWhy job mobility and career changes can drive wage gainsThe unintended effects of benefit mandates and occupational licensingThe growth of independent work and the importance of worker choiceA conversation about labor markets, worker freedom, and the policies shaping the future of work.

⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold Open: Trump on Jobs + RFK Jr.'s "Real Food" 0:54 Good Morning — Today's Rundown 6:00 Tour of the New 4LibertyNetwork.com 8:20 The Central Park Kissing Video & the Internet Manhunt 9:38 What the Comment Section Got Wrong About Two Strangers 12:38 Is Filming Strangers Legal? Reasonable Expectation of Privacy 13:34 Why This Isn't the Coldplay Concert Story 16:09 Making Out in Central Park: A New York Tradition 17:58 The Record-Low 1.6 Fertility Rate Connection 19:09 Bars, Nightclubs & the Death of the Third Place 21:33 If Every Bench Is a Broadcast, What Happens to Public Life? 25:02 Break — Up Next: The Civilian Marksmanship Program 33:07 Half a Million M14s Fed Into the Shredder 33:34 The CMP Announcement: M14s Finally Come Home 34:44 What the M14 Actually Is (Standard Issue, 1957) 36:26 The Same Statute That Governs the Garand & 1903 Springfield 37:59 Why Supply Will Be Tight: 5 Million Garands vs. Scarce M14s 40:28 M14 vs. Springfield M1A: The Receiver Difference 41:47 Not a Functional Gap — a Provenance Gap 42:04 Price Talk: $4,000-$6,000 and a Likely Lottery 43:25 The Maryland & Rhode Island Federalism Wrinkle 44:34 How to Qualify: Gun Clubs, the VFW, the Legion & the FOP 49:18 CMP History: From Teddy Roosevelt to Today 52:20 Up Next: Kansas City's Bid Preference Program 59:26 GUEST: Camellia Peterson, Americans for Prosperity-Missouri 1:00:31 Kansas City Paid for the Study, Then Buried It 1:02:32 Race & Gender Preferences in City Contracts 1:04:42 The Baker Who Says the Program Is All She Has 1:07:20 Countdown to the Missouri Primary 1:08:53 Amendment 4 Explained 1:12:04 Staying Grounded Without Getting Blackpilled 1:23:28 Welcome Back — Rise & Freedom 1:24:49 GUEST: Maggie Modas on What Gen Z Saw in That Video 1:28:00 Why Nobody Can Get a Date Anymore 1:30:00 Alcohol, Risk & Learning to Talk to Strangers 1:34:00 Raising Kids in NYC & School Indoctrination 1:36:00 The Cato Survey: Gen Z Can't Name Why We Left Britain 1:38:00 Public School in Louisiana: What She Walked Into 1:42:00 Teachers as Untouchables — Should Republicans Fight? 1:44:00 America's 250th: Did We Do It Justice? 1:48:05 Starship Troopers: Satire That Became a Recruitment Ad 1:51:45 Mini-Documentary: Mercy Otis Warren THE CMP IS SELLING M14's Today we're celebrating a real win for gun owners. The Civilian Marksmanship Program is bringing the M14 home, and we walk through what kept these American service rifles locked away for thirty years, why that barrier was never actually a law, and what it took to break it. Then we get into the Central Park video that turned two strangers kissing on a bench into a nationwide manhunt, and what it tells us about the surveillance state that showed up in your neighbor's pocket instead of on a government streetlight. Camellia Peterson of Americans for Prosperity joins us on Kansas City's race-and-sex contracting quotas and the lawsuit that could end them, including the part where the city paid for a study telling them to stop and buried it. And fan favorite Maggie Modas breaks down a new Cato Institute survey that found most young Americans can't say what the Fourth of July even celebrates. One more thing: our brand new website is officially live, so come see what we built at https://4libertynetwork.com/.

Thank you so much for listening to the Bob Harden Show, celebrating 15 years broadcasting on the internet. On Wednesday's show, we visit with Cato Institute Chairman Emeritus Bob Levy about the latest term for the Supreme Court. We visit with State Shield Action President Joe Gebbia about the problems created by the aluminum shortage in America. We also visit with Professor and Author Larry Bell about the major international, political and scientific changes that have occurred in the last 80 years and how these changes may affect future generations. Please join us tomorrow when we visit with Founder and CEO of the Florida Citizens Alliance Keith Flaugh, Michael Cannon from Cato Institute, Senior Economist from the Competitive Enterprise Institute Ryan Young, and former Congressman and Ambassador Francis Rooney. Access this and past shows at your convenience on my web site, social media platforms or podcast platforms.

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.

With the upcoming Midterm elections and the balance of power in Congress up for grabs, people are concerned that the Trump administration will meddle in election results. On today's show, guest host Tony Castañeda speaks with election expert Stephen Richer, who says we should have confidence in the free and fair elections process that our local election officials oversee.  In Richer's recent article for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he reaffirms the 2020 presidential election results in Wisconsin. There were several post-election audits that found no cheating or mass fraud. But Richer's criticism of a Trump supporting group's audit of the 2020 Maricopa County election results earned him the ire of the President and MAGA supporters.  There are real concerns coming from the federal government, from Trump's executive orders on election administration that are held up in the courts to the scaling back of cyber security services that are provided to election administrators.  Richer says that the success and security of primary elections this year is a good sign, and he encourages listeners to get involved as temporary election workers, share facts with their friends and family, and reach out to election administrators if you have concerns. At the end of the day, election officials are your neighbors, and we should be concerned not only by the lack of trust in free and fair elections but by the lack of trust in our communities.  Stephen Richer is a Fellow and Lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School, Legal Fellow at the Cato Institute, former elected Republican in Maricopa County, and former lawyer. He's also on the board of the Democracy Defenders Action.  Featured image of a ballot machine via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Fear Election Narratives, not Election Administrators appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Hey BillOReilly.com Premium and Concierge Members, welcome to the No Spin News for Tuesday, July 21, 2026. Stand Up for Your Country.  Talking Points Memo: Bill gives examples to show how radical the state of Minnesota has become. A new poll shows Republicans gaining ground on Democrats heading into the 2026 midterms. What we know about the reported bombing attack at New York City's Federal Plaza. Thomas Berry, Director of Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute, examines the ongoing battle between Trump and the corporate media. Should the United States get out of the war with Iran? Final Thought: Bill's advice to the president.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stijn Schmitz welcomes back Steve Hanke back to the show. Steve Hanke is a Professor of Applied Economics at Johns Hopkins University. Hanke highlights the two major wars—the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran and the Ukraine war—as critical disruptors of global commodity flows. He notes that the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, with Iran controlling it, and the Houthis threaten the Red Sea chokepoint, severely constricting crude and refined product supplies. Russia's cutoff of diesel exports and domestic fuel shortages compound the strain. Oil markets are in backwardation, with spot prices above futures, signaling dangerously low inventories that have cushioned prices so far but are nearing depletion. Hanke warns that once physical inventories run out, oil prices could spike dramatically, potentially later this summer. He advises going long on oil, especially major producers, as a straightforward trade for most investors. On gold, Hanke maintains a bullish outlook, projecting a peak around $6,000 per ounce based on historical ratios to real disposable income. He attributes recent pullbacks to dollar strength and rising interest rates but sees central bank buying as a fundamental driver. He also discusses the pressure on the Fed to monetize debt, which could fuel inflation and support gold. The conversation shifts to the broader commodity supercycle, fueled by deglobalization, underinvestment, and the need for larger precautionary inventories. Copper and tungsten are identified as clear bullish plays due to supply deficits. Hanke notes that high diesel prices are squeezing mining and agriculture, potentially raising output prices. He also touches on dollarization, recommending developing countries adopt the U.S. dollar to expand its use rather than de-dollarize. The interview concludes with Hanke emphasizing the importance of money supply growth as the key determinant of nominal GDP and inflation. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:01:05 – Key Developments on Radar 00:04:58 – Oil Predictions vs Reality 00:10:53 – Inventory and Flow Analysis 00:14:40 – Crack Spreads and Refining 00:16:27 – Demand Destruction Dynamics 00:20:51 – Anticipated Oil Price Spike 00:22:32 – Long Oil Opportunity 00:27:37 – Gold Bull Market Outlook 00:29:38 – Central Bank Buying Drivers 00:45:54 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: X: https://x.com/steve_hanke Website: https://thegoldsentimentreport.com Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Money-Work-Rewrite-Financial/dp/1394257260 Amazon Book: https://www.amazon.com/Capital-Interest-Waiting-Controversies-Additions/dp/3031633970 E-Mail: mailto:hanke@jhu.edu Steve H. Hanke is a Professor of Applied Economics and Founder & Co-Director of the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Troubled Currencies Project at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., a Senior Advisor at the Renmin University of China's International Monetary Research Institute in Beijing, a Special Counselor to the Center for Financial Stability in New York, a contributing editor at Central Banking in London, and a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal's Opinion pages. Prof. Hanke is also a member of the Charter Council of the Society of Economic Measurement and of Euromoney Country Risk's Experts Panel. In the past, Prof. Hanke taught economics at the Colorado School of Mines and at the University of California, Berkeley. He served as a Member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors in Maryland in 1976-77, as a Senior Economist on President Reagan's Council of Economic Advisors in 1981-82, and as a Senior Advisor to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress in 1984-88. Prof. Hanke served as a State Counselor to both the Republic of Lithuania in 1994-96 and the Republic of Montenegro in 1999-2003. He was also an Advisor to the Presidents of Bulgaria in 1997- 2002, Venezuela in 1995-96, and Indonesia in 1998. He played an important role in establishing new currency regimes in Argentina, Estonia, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ecuador, Lithuania, and Montenegro. Prof. Hanke has also held senior appointments in the governments of many other countries, including Albania, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, and Yugoslavia. Prof. Hanke has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Universität Liechtenstein, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, the Free University of Tbilisi, Istanbul Kültür University, Varna Free University, and the D.A. Tsenov Academy of Economics in recognition of his scholarship on exchange-rate regimes. Prof. Hanke and his wife, Liliane, reside in Baltimore and Paris.

Day Break | CHINA HACKED 220 MILLION VOTER FILES? Trump's Explosive Claims --- 00:00 - Monologue 19:16 – Robert Romano, Executive Director of Americans for Limited Government. Romano discusses concerns about undisclosed funding in the American judicial system, arguing that greater transparency is needed to protect the integrity of the courts and preserve the nation's economic competitiveness. 28:18 – Rob Rene, founder of Exodus Strong. Rene discusses the growing popularity of red light therapy, explaining its potential health and recovery benefits while highlighting the return of the company's red light therapy bundle and broader approaches to improving wellness naturally. 38:29 - Monologue Featuring Ivey Gruber 47:31 – Stephen Richer, former Maricopa County Recorder and Legal Fellow with the Cato Institute's Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies. Richer discusses election administration as renewed attention focuses on Georgia and the 2020 election, offering his perspective on election security, public confidence, and ongoing debates over election integrity. 57:47 – Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Dennis J. Laich, retired U.S. Army Reserve two-star general. Laich discusses escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, assessing whether the U.S. military is prepared for a prolonged regional conflict and examining the strategic and logistical challenges such a conflict could present. 1:06:49 – Indy Pederson, author of Sacrificing Humanity: The UFO Is a Portent of Nuclear War. Pederson discusses his book's exploration of unidentified aerial phenomena, nuclear conflict, and theories surrounding elite disaster preparedness, examining why some believe these issues deserve greater public attention. 1:16:59 - Monologue 1:26:00 – Sam Davis, CEO of Bridger Aerospace. Davis discusses the ongoing wildfire season, the impact of smoke on communities, travel, and public health, and explains how aerial firefighting technology is being used to combat increasingly complex wildfire conditions across North America. 1:36:17 – Chris Burgard, filmmaker and director of the documentary Remember the Alamo: Don't Sharia My Texas. Burgard discusses his new documentary, examining the historical significance of the Alamo while drawing connections to contemporary debates over Texas identity, border security, and the state's cultural future. 1:45:11 – Ivey Gruber, President of the Michigan Talk Network. Gruber recaps several notable stories from around the world, including Spain's victory in the FIFA World Cup, inspiring stories of immigrants embracing the American dream, a historic mile world-record performance, and an upcoming FCC vote that could significantly reshape the future of broadcasting. --- Check out our brand new podcast, 'Forgotten America'... Episode 23 is live NOW at Steve Gruber on YouTube! Link below: https://youtu.be/zFbIurpG2H4

Ryan Bourne of the Cato Institute joins the Let People Prosper Show to discuss America's affordability crisis.We examine why housing, healthcare, childcare, energy, and other essentials cost so much, how government policies restrict supply and competition, and why price controls and subsidies often make the problem worse.Subscribe to the show, read the show notes at vanceginn.substack.com, and find more work at vanceginn.com.

President Trump's effort to stretch the limits of the U.S.–Iran MoU after facing criticism for signing it, and why Tehran is signaling that it is willing to fight rather than accept more pressure or concessions.Negar Mortazavi and Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute discuss on Al Jazeera.

Trump imposes a blockade on Iran. Tehran escalates in the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides are back to hot conflict. What are their goals, what is the strategy, and who can absorb more pain over the long run? Negar Mortazavi and Doug Bandow of Cato Institute on Aljazeera

Last week, ICE agents killed a Mexican man in Houston, Texas, who was driving to work and was not the target of an ICE operation – despite what the Department of Homeland Security said initially. And yesterday, ICE agents in Maine killed a Colombian man who was legally permitted to work in the United States. He was also not the target of an operation. This marks two deaths at the hands of ICE officers in the last week alone. For more on what's behind the recent surge of ICE activity – and violence — we spoke to David Bier. He's the Director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute.And in headlines, Trump reverses course on charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh makes his first appearance before Congress, and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett testifies about the sharp increase in threats she's experienced since joining the nation's highest court.Show Notes: Check out David's work – cato.org/people/david-bier Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com

Washington is mourning the sudden passing of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a longtime lawmaker and leading voice on national security. President Trump and lawmakers across Capitol Hill are remembering Graham's decades of public service and his influence on U.S. foreign policy. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) joins the Rundown to reflect on Graham's legacy and the void his death leaves in Congress. Plus, Chairman Crawford weighs in on global security threats and the push to restore a critical intelligence tool. Is America's lack of civics knowledge speeding up our political divide? A recent Cato Institute survey reveals a startling reality: many Americans struggle to answer basic questions about the nation's history and foundational government systems. FOX News Decision Desk member and University of Texas at Austin politics professor Daron Shaw, joins the Rundown to analyze the steady decline of comprehensive civics education over the last several decades. He breaks down how this baseline knowledge gap can leave voters vulnerable to political manipulation and extreme ideas. PLUS, commentary by Tevi Troy, senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute and a former senior White House aide. PHOTO CREDIT: AP IMAGES Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will you be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday July 15? I will be interviewing Francis Fukuyama about how liberalism should respond to the postliberal threat. Find out more and get your free ticket here! —Yascha Yascha Mounk and Deirdre McCloskey discuss why ideas, not capital accumulation, made the modern world rich. Deirdre Nansen McCloskey, sometimes described as “the conscience of economics,” holds the Isaiah Berlin Chair in Liberal Thought at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. In this week's conversation, Yascha Mounk and Deirdre McCloskey discuss why liberalism drives economic growth, how the gradual erosion of inherited hierarchy unleashed centuries of innovation, and what liberals should think about the trans debate. We're delighted to feature this conversation as part of our series on Liberal Virtues and Values. That liberalism is under threat is now a cliché—yet this has done nothing to stem the global resurgence of illiberalism. Part of the problem is that liberalism is often considered too “thin” to win over the allegiance of citizens, and that liberals are too afraid of speaking in moral terms. Liberalism's opponents, by contrast, speak to people's passions and deepest moral sentiments. This series, made possible with the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation, aims to change that narrative. In podcast conversations and long-form pieces, we feature content making the case that liberalism has its own distinctive set of virtues and values that are capable not only of responding to the dissatisfaction that drives authoritarianism, but also of restoring faith in liberalism as an ideology worth believing in—and defending—on its own terms. If you have not yet signed up for our podcast, please do so now by following ⁠this link on your phone⁠. Email: leonora.barclay@persuasion.community Podcast production by Jack Shields and Leonora Barclay. Connect with us! ⁠Spotify⁠ | ⁠Apple⁠ X: ⁠@Yascha_Mounk⁠ & ⁠@JoinPersuasion⁠ YouTube: ⁠Yascha Mounk⁠, ⁠Persuasion⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠Persuasion Community Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Constitution Study with Host Paul Engel – After celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, most of my listeners are probably feeling pretty upbeat. Sadly, a look at the news around us will put a damper on our enthusiasm. Like the Cato Institute survey that found nearly half of Americans didn't know what Celebrate 250 was actually about...