The Cato Weekly Podcast

By Cato InstituteNews Government News Commentary Politics

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The Cato Weekly Podcast episodes

October 27 The Myth of the Good Old Days
Housing, healthcare, groceries, and the cost of living give us plenty to worry about. But how bad was life before modern conveniences transformed human life?

Paul Meany sits down with Chelsea Follett, author of The Grim Old Days: An Introduction to the Preindustrial Past, to explore what everyday life was really like before antibiotics, refrigeration, indoor plumbing, and modern sanitation. From romanticized visions of the past to the extraordinary improvements we often take for granted, they examine why understanding that history matters for how we see the world today.

Buy Chelsea's new book here: https://www.cato.org/books/grim-old-days

Producer: Barbara Galletti
Post Production: Sedona LaMarre
Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman
Original Music: Cecil Sherman
Director of Photography: Darren Walker
Assistant Editors: Lester Romero and Shaneen Gevorgiz
Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields
Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
October 20 Trading Democracy for Oil? The Venezuela-US Deal
Everything about the Trump administration’s oil deal with Venezuela is troubling: It was negotiated in secret, raises questions about its legality and transparency, and was made with Venezuela’s unelected interim government.

Ian Vasquez joins Laura Bondank-Harmon to explain why the agreement could undermine Venezuela’s democratic transition.

Read more of Ian's work here: https://www.cato.org/blog/everything-about-us-venezuela-oil-deal-troublesome

Producer: Barbara Galletti
Post Production: Sedona LaMarre
Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman
Original Music: Cecil Sherman
Director of Photography: Darren Walker
Assistant Editor: Lester Romero
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields
Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 min
October 13 How Bad Policy Delays Adulthood
Young Americans are leaving home, finding jobs, buying homes, starting families, and saving for retirement later than previous generations. But is this a problem with young people, or are bad policies getting in their way?

Rikki Schlott sits down with Cato’s Ryan Bourne to explore how regulations, inflation, and government intervention can make these steps into adulthood harder and more expensive.

Read Cato's "Handbook on Affordability" here:
https://www.cato.org/handbook-affordability

Read Rikki's article "The Peter Pan State: How Bad Policy Delays Adulthood" here:
https://www.cato.org/free-society/spring/summer-2026/peter-pan-state-how-bad-policy-delays-adulthood

Producer & Video Editor: Barbara Galletti
Post Production: Sedona LaMarre
Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman
Original Music: Cecil Sherman
Director of Photography: Jonathan Fields
Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde
Assistant Editor: Lester Romero
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields
Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 min
October 06 Is the US Already Quasi-Socialist?
Socialism is making a comeback in American politics, but do people actually know what "socialism" means?

In this episode of the Cato Weekly Podcast, Paul Meany sits down with Marian Tupy to unpack the rise of “democratic socialism,” the growth of the welfare state, and the crucial difference between government assistance and government control.

Read Marian's article here:
https://www.cato.org/commentary/bill-mahers-category-error-socialism
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
September 29 The Controversy Over Flock Cameras
Flock cameras and other forms of surveillance technology are spreading across America, promising to help police solve crimes. But the technology has also created a vast network for tracking where Americans go.

Join Laura Bondank-Harmon and Clark Neily as they discuss how much privacy and freedom we’re giving up in the name of security.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
38 min
September 22 How Hard Is It to Rig an American Election?
How Hard Is It to Rig an American Election?

Election fraud claims are increasingly more common.

Walter Olson joins Stephen Rowe to separate genuine election irregularities from viral fraud claims. They explain what the evidence tells us about mail-in voting, voter ID, foreign interference, and the integrity of the US election system.

Read Walter's work here:
https://www.cato.org/people/walter-olson

Producer: Barbara Galletti
Post Production: Sedona LaMarre
Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman
Original Music: Cecil Sherman
Director of Photography: Darren Walker
Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde
Assistant Editor: Lester Romero
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields
Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 min
September 15 Uncle Sam Owning Private Companies?
In an unprecedented expansion of its role in the marketplace, the Trump administration has acquired ownership interests in dozens of firms.

Cato's Scott Lincicome joins Laura Bondank-Harmon to discuss this radical move from the US government, the seen and unseen costs of intervening in the private sector, and how should Congress act if they want to put a stop to it before it's too late.

Read more of Scott's work here:
https://www.cato.org/free-society/winter-2026/conspicuous-fist-trumps-state-corporatism

Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall
Producer: Barbara Galletti
Post Production: Sedona LaMarre
Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman
Original Music: Cecil Sherman
Director of Photography: Darren Walker
Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde
Assistant Editor: Lester Romero
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 min
September 08 How Much Would the DSA's Agenda Cost?
Free health care, housing, college, paid leave, and retirement benefits may sound appealing... but how would we pay for them?

Rikki Schlott sits down with Cato’s Adam Michel to unpack the Democratic Socialists of America’s ambitious agenda and the staggering cost of its proposals. If taxing the rich and corporations is not enough to foot the bill, who would be paying next?

Access Adam Michel's research here:
https://www.cato.org/blog/who-will-pay-democratic-socialisms-200-trillion-cost

Executive Producer: Kristina Kendall
Producer: Barbara Galletti
Post Production: Sedona LaMarre
Audio Engineer: Cecil Sherman
Original Music: Cecil Sherman
Director of Photography: Darren Walker
Assistant Producer: Elcid Demonteverde
Assistant Editor: Lester Romero
Motion Graphics: Jonathan Fields
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 min
September 01 Coming Soon: The Cato Weekly Podcast
Every Tuesday on The Cato Weekly Podcast, leading scholars and policymakers from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Whether unpacking current events, debating civil liberties, exploring technological innovation, or tracing the history of classical liberal thought, we promise insightful analysis grounded in rigorous research and Cato’s signature libertarian perspective.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2 min
August 27 How to Spot a Wrong Number
A number that's precise, dramatic, and politically convenient should raise your suspicion, not lower it. Aaron Brown, author of Wrong Number:
How to Extract Truth from a Blizzard of Quantitative Disinformation, joins Cato's Ryan Bourne to break down the warning signs of a bad statistic, from missing context to claims that arrive straight from a press release.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
41 min

About The Cato Weekly Podcast

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Every Tuesday on The Cato Weekly Podcast, leading scholars and policy analysts from the Cato Institute delve into the big ideas shaping our world: individual liberty, limited government, free…