Cato Event Podcast

Congress’s most solemn constitutional duty is to determine whether, where, and against whom the United States will engage in war. Yet for far too long, legislators have ceded that responsibility to the executive branch, allowing multiple administrations to use the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) as a blank check to wage war whenever and wherever the president decides.As Congress determines how to respond to growing demands for a new AUMF, it should beware of proposals that would institutionalize mission creep by surrendering more authority to the executive branch. Instead, Congress should repeal—and not replace—the 2001 AUMF. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With a doctorate from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought and decades of work in the world of international human rights institutions behind him, Aaron Rhodes has written a devastating account of that world’s intellectual confusions and moral corruption. In exquisite detail, and as none before it has, his new book explains how the 20th century’s push to treat economic and social “rights” as human rights has undermined the very idea of human or natural rights. That has led in turn to restrictions on the rights that alone have secured the liberty of countless millions around the world. Please join us for a discussion of the foundations, course, and prospects of the Enlightenment project that has given us the modern world of individual liberty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress is considering a major farm bill this year to extend the current multi-billion-dollar array of subsidies. The last farm bill—in 2014—created two new crop subsidy programs that have cost more than promised. Meanwhile, the crop insurance program has soared in cost and provides handouts to millionaire farm households. There is also concern that crop subsidies harm the environment and undermine America’s international trade relationships.In the wake of the bloated omnibus bill and rising deficits, will Republicans support more giveaways to well-off farmers? And will the Trump administration defend its proposed agricultural reforms and push back against subsidy advocates in Congress? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marijuana is big business in the 29 states that have legalized medical cannabis and in several more that have legalized recreational use. However, the federal prohibition on marijuana prevents banks from serving legitimate marijuana clients—resulting in billions of dollars of marijuana-related profits being handled almost exclusively in cash. A new Federalist Society short documentary, “Medical Marijuana and Money Laundering,” tells the story. Join us May 10 for a screening followed by a roundtable discussion. We will explain the laws that create this peculiar situation, explore the problems it causes, and hash out some potential solutions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America’s Founders placed freedom of speech at the head of the Bill of Rights, yet we still struggle to protect it. In fact, it was not until the 20th century that our courts began to develop a systematic jurisprudence against attacks on speech. In recent years, however, ill-defined “hate speech” has been a particular target—especially on the nation’s campuses, where one would expect speech to enjoy the greatest protection. In her closely argued new book, Nadine Strossen has given us a powerful and incisive defense of even the speech that most offends, carefully distinguishing what should and should not be protected. Her mission, she writes, is to refute the argument that the United States should follow the lead of many other nations and adopt a broad concept of illegal hate speech. In the process, she demonstrates not only that doing so would violate our fundamental principles, but also that it would do more harm than good. Please join us for point and counterpoint on one of the most pressing free speech issues of our day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Iraq, U.S. soldiers often encounter ISIS fighters armed with American-made weapons. Intentionally sold to the corrupt, poorly-trained, ill-disciplined Iraqi military by previous U.S. administrations, many of these weapons have now fallen into the hands of terrorists. Far from an isolated incident, this example underscores the unintended—and often dangerous—consequences of international arms sales.The Trump administration has embraced arms sales, and at such a fever pitch that it is difficult to determine which sales will come with serious consequences that risk American lives. To help policymakers evaluate the possible downstream effects of selling weapons to specific countries, Cato scholars Trevor Thrall and Caroline Dorminey have created a comprehensive risk assessment index. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The school choice debate has largely focused on whether society should have any school choice at all. But not all choice programs are identical. And they certainly do not all produce the same outcomes for students. If school choice policies are to pass, what should they look like? Should we embrace public charter schools, private school choice options, or both? Should financing be through vouchers, tax credits, or education savings accounts? Should funding be public or private? Should the federal government be involved? What types of program regulations promote—or stifle—success? And what does the evidence say about these topics? Join a panel of experts as they tackle these critical policy questions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After three decades of constant gains, global respect for free speech has been in decline since 2004. In the recent past even Europe’s liberal democracies have contributed to the decline by adopting increasingly restrictive measures in the name of national security, the countering of hate speech, and, most recently, standing against “fake news.” Does Europe’s model of “militant democracy” offer promising lessons for embattled democracies or a dangerous abandonment of first principles? Should the United States follow the European lead or remain true to its exceptional protection for extreme and disturbing speech? Please join us for a candid and intriguing discussion of issues that have once again put freedom of speech on the agenda of developed nations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In his new book, Republic in Peril, David C. Hendrickson advances a critique of American policy since the end of the Cold War. America’s outsized military spending and global commitments, he argues, undermine rather than uphold international order. They raise rather than reduce the danger of war, imperiling both American security and domestic liberty. An alternative path lies in a new internationalism in tune with the United Nations Charter and the philosophy of republican liberty embraced by America’s Founders. Please join us for a lively discussion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us for a special private screening of the motion picture Little Pink House. The event includes a Q&A session with Susette Kelo, the real-life plaintiff in the infamous U.S. Supreme Court case Kelo v. New London, along with the film’s director and writer, Courtney Moorehead Balaker, and producer, Ted Balaker, and Institute for Justice President Scott Bullock, who argued Kelo’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Little Pink House has been lauded by the Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, and John Stossel, among others. It stars two-time Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener and Emmy nominee Jeanne Tripplehorn, and it features the original song “Home Free,” written and performed for the movie by rock legend David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash.The movie showcases the true story of Susette Kelo, a small-town paramedic who buys her first home — a cottage — and paints it pink. When politicians plan to bulldoze it for a corporation, she fights back, taking her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Even after she lost in court, her struggle sparked a nationwide backlash against eminent domain abuse that today helps millions of Americans better protect what is rightfully theirs.11:30AM – NoonRegistration and sandwichesNoonPrivate film screening 1:40PMQ&A with lunch and dessert to followDuration of the film is 99 minutes. For more information on the film, visit www.LittlePinkHouseMovie.com.This film screening will not be live streamed online. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.