Golf courses and factories use just as much water and electricity as data centers, yet only the latter draws local protests and construction bans. Cato's Rikki Schlott sits down with Travis Fisher and Jennifer Huddleston to make the case for energy abundance and technological advancement over fearmongering and warn that moratoriums could hand China the AI edge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

60% of Americans say their rights and freedoms are at risk. Yet nearly two thirds still call America the land of opportunity and three quarters believe the American dream is personally achievable. Cato's Stephen Rowe and Emily Ekins dig into Cato's new survey on what Americans really think at 250 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Republicans and Democrats are finding rare common ground: taxing AI. But should they? Cato's Adam Michel and Daniel Bunn of the Tax Foundation dismantle the three biggest arguments around the idea: showing why the data doesn't support the claims that AI is replacing workers, labor is losing out to capital, or the tax code unfairly favors automation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abundance liberals want a politics focused on delivering more homes, energy projects, infrastructure, and innovation, and will even countenance deregulation to achieve it. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks to Ilya Somin and Jeremiah Johnson about whether libertarians should ally with this movement—or whether shared ground on housing, permitting, trade, and immigration masks irreconcilable disagreements over the role and size of government. Ilya Somin, "Two Cheers for Abundance Liberalism," The Volokh Conspiracy, April 23, 2026.Matt Yglesias, "What Libertarians Get Wrong About Freedom," The Argument, May 20, 2026.Ilya Somin, "Matt Yglesias on Libertarianism, Abundance Liberalism, and a Possible Alliance Between the Two," The Volokh Conspiracy, May 20, 2026.David Friedman, "Libertarians and Abundance Liberals," David Friedman’s Substack, May 28, 2026.Ryan Bourne, "One and a Half Cheers for Supply-Side Progressivism," The War on Prices, September 16, 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before 1776, the world was largely run by monarchies and despots. The Declaration changed that. Cato's Paul Meany and Tommy Berry explore why its principles remain relevant, why 53% of Americans can't explain it, and why it’s still the best tool we have for checking concentrated power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new Global Justice Report associated with Thomas Piketty urges near-zero growth for rich countries, sweeping redistribution, global wealth taxes, shorter working hours, and rapid decarbonization. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks to Marian Tupy about what degrowth gets wrong—and why its promise of justice masks a dangerous agenda of government control. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social Security crowds out private savings, the tax code penalizes investment, and Trump accounts can leave families worse off than a plain brokerage account. Cato's Romina Boccia and Adam Michel break down what's wrong with Trump accounts and why universal savings accounts are the fix. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ticket prices, scalpers, tourists, visas, turf, trade, and politics: the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a rich case study for economists. Cato’s Ryan Bourne talks with AEI’s Stan Veuger about why match prices are so high, why hosting the tournament rarely delivers an economic boom, how soccer became an exemplar of globalization, and what FIFA teaches us about the benefits and risks of global governance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Anti-Weaponization Fund started as a $10 billion lawsuit Trump filed against the IRS in his personal capacity and ended as a $1.776 billion slush fund with no appeals, no transparency, and a tax immunity addendum that looks a lot like a self-pardon. Tad DeHaven and Daniel Greenberg join Molly Nixon to unpack what happened and why it should alarm everyone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kidneys, surrogacy, prostitution, gambling, price gouging, assisted dying: some transactions make people recoil, even when all parties consent. Cato's Ryan Bourne talks with Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth about his new book, Moral Economics, what makes markets “repugnant,” what economists can add to moral debates, and why banning exchange rarely makes scarcity, exploitation, or hard trade-offs disappear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.