A new wave of age-verification laws for app stores and internet services like social media have been proposed at both state and federal levels. These laws raise pressing constitutional concerns about privacy, free speech, and the proper role of government in regulating online behavior. The Supreme Court decided Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton , a pivotal case challenging a requirement that users verify their age, such as by uploading government-issued identification, to access online adult conte...
Jul 08, 2025•1 hr 4 min
In this episode, Erec Smith speaks with Andrew Hartz, a practicing clinical psychologist and Founder, President, and Executive Director of the Open Therapy Institute. Hartz and Smith discuss the detrimental effect that identity politics have had on talk therapy and how the Open Therapy Institute works to remedy that effect. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jul 08, 2025•36 min
One of the hottest topics on the Hill is the future of the Department of Education and the current administration’s education priorities. As national conversations grow around school choice, federal overreach, and the role of states in shaping curricula and standards, many in Congress are reevaluating the federal government’s place in our educational system. Join us for a fireside chat with Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota and the Cato Institute’s Director for the Center for Educational Freed...
Jul 07, 2025•36 min
The current administration has enacted the most active immigration policy in American history, issuing unprecedented executive orders, attempting to deport one million people a year, and imposing new restrictions on legal immigration. David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, and Stuart Anderson, executive director of the National Foundation for American Policy, will provide analysis of the current administration’s policies on deportation, the rule of law, legal immig...
Jun 27, 2025•59 min
Join us for an afternoon dedicated to discussing barriers to capital formation and the solutions to break through them. Small businesses are central to the US economy. Not only are small businesses the primary generators of new jobs, but they are also the incubators of innovation and the pipeline for future large businesses. Small businesses rely on many different sources of financial support, but the capital markets play an important role in helping small businesses grow. Unfortunately, tapping...
Jun 25, 2025•58 min
Join us for an afternoon dedicated to discussing barriers to capital formation and the solutions to break through them. Small businesses are central to the US economy. Not only are small businesses the primary generators of new jobs, but they are also the incubators of innovation and the pipeline for future large businesses. Small businesses rely on many different sources of financial support, but the capital markets play an important role in helping small businesses grow. Unfortunately, tapping...
Jun 25, 2025•55 min
Join us at the Cato Institute for an in-depth fireside chat featuring Congressman Rich McCormick and Matt Mittelsteadt , Cato policy fellow in technology. This timely conversation will explore the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity policy , and the state of AI in Congress. Join us for a discussion on the current state of AI governance at the federal and state levels, the proposal for a 10-year moratorium on state and local AI regulations (what it means, and what...
Jun 25, 2025•51 min
From declining enrollments and skyrocketing tuition to the stifling of intellectual diversity, Richard Vedder’s Let Colleges Fail exposes how centralized control, administrative bloat, and ideological orthodoxy have corroded our college campuses. But rather than lament, Vedder’s book proposes market-oriented reforms that could revive academic freedom and restore genuine competition in the world of ideas. Can higher education be saved from the grip of bureaucracy and groupthink? What policies mig...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 18 min
NATO member states will gather June 24–26 in the Netherlands for the 2025 NATO Summit. This comes as NATO member states’ disparate interests, competing priorities, and varying perspectives on the future of Ukraine threaten the cohesion of the alliance. For both domestic and strategic reasons, US leaders from across the political spectrum seek a rebalanced alliance in which European states would take increasing responsibility for conventional deterrence on the continent. Yet while many European l...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 32 min
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 17, 2025•35 min
Proposals to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) at the state level continue to increase. Unfortunately, these proposals could potentially disrupt advances in this important technology, even if there is strong federal policy. This policy forum, which is related to an upcoming policy analysis on the topic, will explore the potential economic costs of state-level AI regulation as well as the potential barriers in the market it creates for both consumers and innovators. Are there ways state AI po...
Jun 12, 2025•1 hr
In this episode of Competencies in Civil Discourse , Erec Smith speaks with attorney Kaitlin Puccio, Director at the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights. They discuss the ethical foundations of human dignity, bioethics in a pluralistic world, and how civil discourse can guide policy across cultural and ideological divides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 10, 2025•45 min
In this episode of Competencies in Civil Discourse, I speak with Chris Bush and Joia Houheneka, the co-founders of 1776 Forward and hosts of the Free Speech Forward Podcast . 1776 Forward is a for-profit organization dedicated to sparking a cultural-political-philosophical revolution based on Philosophical Liberalism—an ideal that maximizes human freedom, flourishing, and greatness. They host the podcast "Free Speech Forward" in partnership with the Institute for Liberal Values and publish "The ...
Jun 04, 2025•45 min
One hundred years ago, the US Supreme Court famously wrote, “The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” That ruling was Pierce v. Society of Sisters , which launched the parental rights movement that has become especially ascendant, but also controversial, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special conference, we will first tackle...
Jun 02, 2025•41 min
One hundred years ago, the US Supreme Court famously wrote, “The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” That ruling was Pierce v. Society of Sisters , which launched the parental rights movement that has become especially ascendant, but also controversial, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special conference, we will first tackle...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr
One hundred years ago, the US Supreme Court famously wrote, “The child is not the mere creature of the State; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.” That ruling was Pierce v. Society of Sisters , which launched the parental rights movement that has become especially ascendant, but also controversial, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this special conference, we will first tackle...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Can the president unilaterally impose tariffs under his emergency powers? In this webinar, legal scholars Ilya Somin, a professor at Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University who is co-counsel in the pending tariffs case VOS Selections v. Trump , and Walter Olson explore the constitutional and statutory limits of presidential authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and other statutes. They’ll discuss President Trump’s recent efforts to justify sweeping ...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 2 min
US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has been given an unusual mandate: to end the department she has been tasked with overseeing. As out of the ordinary as that might be, it is the right mission, because the Constitution gives the federal government no authority to govern in education, and the department’s practical track record has been terrible. Join us for a very special fireside chat—shortly after the department celebrated its 45th birthday, on May 4th—where we will discuss why the depar...
May 15, 2025•45 min
School and district leaders are uniquely positioned to implement interdisciplinary civil discourse as schoolwide practices that empower educators and allow for each student’s voice to be heard. By doing so, leaders build positive school cultures where students and staff bridge diverse viewpoints and have space for discussion, understanding, and reflection. In this webinar, you will hear from a panel of current educational leaders on how they build and foster civil discourse practices. They will ...
May 13, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Tech policy has created more opportunities for entrepreneurship than just Silicon Valley startups. The availability of online platforms has empowered a new wave of entrepreneurs who might never reach household fame but who are contributing both to their own households and the greater economy. Jennifer Huddleston, a senior fellow in tech policy, speaks with two content creators about how these platforms and tech policy have impacted their businesses and changed their lives. Hosted on Acast. See a...
May 13, 2025•21 min
In this episode of Competencies in Civil Discourse , Erec Smith welcomes William Deresiewicz to explore the mission of the Matthew Strother Center for the Examined Life. Together, they unpack the role of intellectual courage, liberal education, and moral seriousness in reviving thoughtful dialogue in an age of ideological conformity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 12, 2025•44 min
Populist narratives are gaining traction across the political spectrum, claiming that free markets have failed the American middle class. Critics argue that trade, immigration, and technological change have hollowed out manufacturing jobs and created an economy that no longer works for most Americans. In Crushing Capitalism: How Populist Policies Are Threatening the American Dream , economist Norbert J. Michel challenges this bleak interpretation. Drawing on historical data and contemporary anal...
May 12, 2025•1 hr
The United States and Iran are on a collision course. Iran is closer to developing a nuclear weapon than at any point in the country’s history. Mixed messages from Washington and Tehran—coupled with rising pressure from hardliners on both sides—are complicating negotiations. Meanwhile, several flashpoints across the Middle East could set off a conflict. The prospects of American or Israeli military action against Tehran are growing, and the window for diplomacy is closing. Though serious distrus...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 25, 2025•48 min
When Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), it was told the new energy tax credits would cost about $270 billion over a decade. Revised official estimates put the cost at multiple times that amount. But congressional scorekeepers may still be getting the long-term cost of the IRA energy subsidies wrong. Recent Cato research quantifies the IRA’s fiscal time bomb, showing how its unchecked expansion of government spending with no clear end date could cost almost $5 trillion by 2050. Jo...
Apr 25, 2025•53 min
Sphere is excited to introduce a new suite of interdisciplinary globalization resources to spark discussion with students about the impacts of globalization on society and progress. Globalization has been evolving and connecting societies for centuries, but it has faced renewed attention, particularly in relation to trade and tariff policies. Through moderated discussion with Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics and the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy ...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Join us for a compelling conversation with Alex Nowrasteh , Cato’s Vice President of Economic and Social Policy Studies, and Clark Neily , Senior Vice President for Legal Studies, as they discuss the alarming rise in deportations without due process and the erosion of due process protections across the United States. They’ll explore the sweeping actions of the Trump administration—what’s really happening, why it matters, and how it reflects a dangerous expansion of executive power. Hosted on Aca...
Apr 23, 2025•29 min
Polarization threatens American democracy, deeply pervading politics, schools, and everyday life. What sits at the root of this trend and how might we turn the tide? Philosopher Robert Talisse offers a compelling examination of these issues and offers a provocative solution—civic solitude. Join the Cato Institute and Sphere Education Initiatives on April 17th at 11 am EST, in person or online, for a discussion of Talisse’s new book, Civic Solitude: Why Democracy Needs Distance . About Civic Soli...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min
As government regulations increasingly encroach upon personal health care choices, patients face growing limitations on their ability to make their own decisions. In Your Body, Your Health Care, Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer validates these frustrations while presenting a bold philosophical framework for reforming the relationship between individuals, the health care system, and the state. Through thoughtful analysis of issues like prescription requirements, self-medication rights, harm-reduction access...
Apr 15, 2025•1 hr 29 min
With less than 5 percent of the world’s population and almost a quarter of its prisoners, the United States indisputably has a mass incarceration problem. The Constitution contains numerous safeguards that check the state’s power to lock people up. Yet since the 1960s, the Supreme Court has repeatedly disregarded these limits, bowing instead to unfounded claims that adherence to the Constitution is incompatible with public safety. In Justice Abandoned, Rachel Barkow highlights six Supreme Court ...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 1 min
