As a pressure valve against our broken immigration system, why not let immigrants pay for the privilege? Alex Nowrasteh makes his case in a new Cato paper.

A new documentary showcased by PBS presents Montana as a success story of campaign finance reform and Wisconsin's John Doe investigations as a failure. Steve Klein of the Pillar of Law Institute details some omissions in the Dark Money documentary. Related podcasts: Wisconsin’s ‘John Doe’ Raids Two Years Later October 2, 2015 “John Doe” Prosecu ...…

The right to self medicate has a long history. It's time Americans rediscovered it. Jessica Flanigan makes her case in the new book Pharmaceutical Freedom: Why Patients Have a Right to Self Medicate.

What makes a government fine excessive? Timbs v. Indiana, now before the U.S. Supreme Court, may provide some important clarification. Sam Gedge is an Institute for Justice attorney representing Tyson Timbs before the high court.

Tasting butter is a matter of, well, taste. In Wisconsin, certified butter tasters are a part of the normal regulatory process. Anastasia Boden of the Pacific Legal Foundation is handling an ongoing legal case on behalf of a small butter maker.

One big cost associated with prescription drugs is going to a doctor for a prescription. Naomi Lopez Bauman of the Goldwater Institute describes one reform that could drive those costs down.

Prescription drug prices continue moving up. What can discipline the process of setting drug prices? Charles Silver is coauthor of the Cato Institute book, Overcharged.

The feds have a poor record of protecting data privacy, but there are moves that states can make to do so. Connor Boyack discusses one such effort in Utah.

Why is it so hard to get monetary and fiscal policy right in troubled economic times? Jeffrey Frankel of Harvard's Kennedy School comments.

The Jones Act is supposed to protect U.S. shipbuilders. So why does the industry fail to compete globally? Economist Thomas Grennes comments.

Manuel Reyes, head of the Puerto Rico Food Marketing, Industry and Distribution Chamber, argues that the costs of the Jones Act have accelerated. We spoke during Cato's conference on the Jones Act this month.

When private universities pledge to enshrine academic freedom and freedom of speech, how much teeth does that promise have? Rick Esenberg is with the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

When a local union wants to escape the expense of its state affiliate, what recourse do they have? David Osborne is with the Fairness Center. He discusses the case of a firefighter's union in Pennsylvania that has had enough.

What does it mean for policy and welfare programs when the definition of poverty creeps up into the middle class? Jarrett Skorup of the Mackinac Center comments.

How does the Jones Act make some American industries less competitive? Bryan Riley of the National Taxpayers Union comments.

We can trace some powerful advances in human freedom to the ideas pushed by marginalized people and groups. Anthony Comegna walks us through the weirdos who stood up for freedom during the English Civil War.

Control what you can control and don't let the rest trouble you. The great stoics of centuries past have much to offer our contemporary lives. Ryan Holiday comments on engaging with what matters.

Donald Trump has altered political comedy, and not for the better. Comedian and satirist Andrew Heaton argues that it may be a short-term phenomenon, but it's up to comedians to adjust.

A new case headed to the Supreme Court may challenge a great deal of deference courts currently afford federal agencies. Andrew Grossman comments.

What problem was the Federal Reserve meant to solve? How does that compare with its assumed mandate today? Jeffrey Lacker is a former head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. He discusses the original Fed charter and the powers it now claims.

American participation in the conflict in Syria was never approved by Congress, and the benefits of being involved are far from clear. The President has ordered an end to U.S. participation in the conflict. Cato's John Glaser and Chris Preble believe it’s the right move.

What makes the FIRST STEP Act the most significant criminal justice reform in years? Shon Hopwood teaches law at Georgetown University. He discusses what he believes ought to be the next steps in criminal justice reform.

How effective would a border wall be against drug smugglers? The answer can tell us a lot about how effective it would be against illegal migrants. Cato's David Bier is author of a new policy analysis on the subject.

As home-based businesses grow, regulators should try to get out of the way. Christina Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute comments.

The death of a U.S. journalist may have been the last straw for members of the Senate in considering the U.S-Saudi relationship. Spencer Ackerman of The Daily Beast discusses journalism and its risks in fraught times. We spoke at the 2018 Cato Institute Surveillance Conference.

Data, numbers, charts, and white papers are fine, but advancing liberty in the future will require humor, creativity, and art in crafting compelling stories. John Papola comments on art as a tool to advance freedom.

The Human Freedom Index continues to show the strong relationship between economic freedom and political and social freedom. Ian Vasquez discusses the latest edition of the report.

The Janus ruling curtailing union power is not self-executing. Ken Girardin of The Empire Center discusses how New York has reacted to the ruling.

When the FDA sets out to evaluate a potential new drug, the agency's overcaution makes the exercise more expensive and potentially deadly from patients who might benefit. Mark Flatten of the Goldwater Institute comments.

The Inclusive Economy, the new book by Cato’s Michael Tanner, examines welfare from the perspective of how government keeps many Americans poor. The book is available now. You can support the Cato Daily Podcast and the Cato Institute by becoming a Podcast Sponsor.

Are we measuring resource availability properly? The Simon Abundance Index is an attempt to give the world a clearer picture of the abundance that surrounds us. Marian Tupy comments. You can support the Cato Daily Podcast and the Cato Institute by becoming a Podcast Sponsor.

How has the banking system performed a decade after the financial crisis? Are there still reasons to worry? Tobias Adrian is Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the International Monetary Fund.

It's difficult to file a complaint with many police departments. In some cases, it's hard to know even how to file one. Steve Silverman of Flex Your Rights discusses the group's new project, Open Police Complaints, which aims to smooth the process and bring transparency to the process of registering a complaint against cops.You can support the ...…

History isn't merely a set of facts and events, and history doesn't emerge from a singular perspective. Michael J. Douma is co-editor of What is Classical Liberty History?

It outgoing New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez has her way, New Mexicans will soon have a much bigger say in which businesses are allowed to serve them. Paul Gessing of the Rio Grande Foundation discusses the beginnings of a new and substantial occupational licensing reform.

A Brexit deal is on the table. How ugly could it be? Ryan Bourne discusses the challenging sales pitch and complicated politics of Britain leaving the European Union.

The Weyerhaeuser decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court was nominally about protecting a frog's (potential) habitat. Holly Fretwell of the Property and Environment Research Center says protecting endangered species requires a deeper dive into the workings of the Endangered Species Act. We spoke in October before the decision was handed ...…

How should we think about the real rate of interest? What changes can alter or obfuscate it? Claudio Borio of BIS comments.

Do the claims that drove teacher protests in 2018 bear scrutiny? Victor Riches is President of the Goldwater Institute. He discusses some of the data on teacher compensation.

Dental therapy offers a way to extend dental care to more Americans. Why isn't it more available? Sal Nuzzo of the James Madison Institute comments.

How much does quality newsgathering matter if the goal is self government? Anthony Comegna says it's not as important as we might hope.

Wild horses don't care who owns the land under their hooves, but the apparent conflict between horses and property owners isn't as intractable as you might think. Hannah Downey of the Property and Environment Research Center explains.

Criminal defendants sometimes pose a risk to the public and should not be released, but that risk often doesn't correlate with bail that a judge might set. Daniel Dew of the Buckeye Institute comments on how bail works in courtrooms and how it might be reformed.

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson might offer a few lessons for today. Gene Healy is author of "Indispensable Remedy: The Broad Scope of the Constitution’s Impeachment Power.”

China's trade practices are questionable, but are tariffs the proper response? Simon Lester is author of the new Cato paper, "Disciplining China's Trade Practices at the WTO: How WTO Complaints Can Help Make China More Market-Oriented."

President Trump has endorsed legislation that would make some federal drug sentencing reform retroactive. Molly Gill of Families Against Mandatory Minimums discusses the proposal and what a new Congress should focus on in the next term.

Some of the large drivers of financial problems facing consumers are the regulators who are trying to protect us. New Cato senior fellow Todd Zywicki comments.

Before Cesar Sayoc sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats, he threatened Cato adjunct scholar Ilya Somin.

Voters in Lyon County, Nevada rejected a proposal to ban brothels there. Meanwhile, brothel owner Dennis Hof won election to state office despite his death weeks earlier. Alice Little, a sex worker in Nevada, describes what's next for defending and advancing sex worker freedom.

Donald Trump's protectionist tendencies may have reached their natural limit. Scott Lincicome discusses his new trade bulletin on the subject.