The Reason Roundtable
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The Reason Roundtable
Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets”—Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman—discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.
Recent Episodes
147 episodes
Did Lindsey Graham Push Trump Toward War?
Plus: Trump's escalating war with Iran, the bipartisan congressional housing bill, and Graham Platner's campaign collapse
Can You Hate the Government and Still Love America?
Plus: World Cup tourists embrace America, the Supreme Court expands gun rights, and Europe's resistance to air conditioning
Is Socialism Going Mainstream?
Plus: the DSA's policy agenda, Trump's chaotic Iran strategy, and America's 250th birthday
Why U.K. Socialism Could Soon Be America's Problem
Plus: the rise of Democratic Socialists, Trump's Iran negotiations, and ICE abandons detention center plans
Bernie Sanders Is Wrong About Trillionaires
Plus: the Supreme Court's biggest pending decisions, renewed court-packing debates, and the economic fallout from the Iran war
Do Democrats Still Have a Big-City Crime Problem?
Plus: What California's election results tell us, the economic costs of war with Iran, and the push to nationalize AI
Why Socialism Won't Deliver Government Efficiency
Plus: the Democratic Party's candidate problem, property tax breaks for seniors, and the UFC on the White House lawn
Does Anyone Know What's Happening in Iran?
Plus: Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign rattles Los Angeles, Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund" sparks backlash, and the editors revisit Project 2025
Why Is Trump Trying To Purge Thomas Massie?
Plus: inflation surges, Mamdani claims he closed New York City’s budget gap without cutting services, and a listener asks how to develop political con...
Gavin Newsom's Free Diaper Disaster
Plus: AOC attacks billionaires, Trump heads into Xi talks weakened by the Iran conflict, and redistricting battles escalate nationwide
Why Do Big City Democrats Keep Electing Socialists?
Plus: Trump announces “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz, King Charles visits the U.S., and a listener asks why voters keep rewarding bad polit...
The Shooter's Manifesto Was Uncomfortably Normal
Plus: Mamdani’s city-run grocery plan, the Trump administration considers a Spirit Airlines bailout, and Iran peace talks drift without a clear endgam...
Can New York Survive Mamdani's Tax Plan?
Plus: Trump orders psychedelic drug research, Palantir calls for national service, and confusion surrounds Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
Is the War in Iran Totally Pointless?
Plus: Viktor Orbán loses in Hungary, Kamala Harris and Eric Swalwell raise questions about Democratic candidate quality, and Anthropic’s newest AI mod...
Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to...
You're Wrong About Social Media Being Addictive
Plus: The Pentagon prepares for possible ground troops in Iran, a listener asks how libertarians should answer the appeal of collectivism, and ICE des...
It's Time To Abolish the TSA
Plus: the real legacy of Cesar Chavez, blue state tax policies are driving out wealth, and a jury clears Afroman in a free speech case.
Why the Media Pushes Public Health Myths
Plus: The FCC threatens broadcast licenses over war coverage, J.D. Vance positions himself as an Iran war skeptic, and remembering Reason Senior Edito...
Will the War in Iran Crash the Global Economy?
Plus: Kristi Noem is fired as DHS secretary, a listener asks about libertarian drug use, and new polling reveals Americans distrust AI and each other.
Trump's War With Iran Is Unjustified and Unpopular
Plus: Congress is reluctant to assert its war powers, the Pentagon brands Anthropic a national security threat, and a listener asks whether regime cha...
Trump Replaces Old Illegal Tariffs With New Illegal Tariffs
Plus: The U.S. could be going to war with Iran, the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and why AI surveillance is worrying civil libertarians
DHS Wants To Unmask Online Critics
Plus: The FCC targets Disney and Comcast, new Epstein associates revealed, and Trump’s tariffs cause growing rifts with U.S. allies.
Libertarians Tried To Warn You About Executive Power
Plus: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson embraces warrantless ICE searches, the Super Bowl halftime culture war, and Trump continues funding the Depart...
Do Republicans Want To Control Elections?
Plus: assessing Trump’s first year, the dysfunction of Washington, D.C., and the politics of the Super Bowl. (Recorded live in Washington, D.C.)
Democrats Are Flipping Trump Districts in Texas?
Plus: a partial shutdown over ICE funding, Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed, and Moltbook’s AI society
When Did Republicans Stop Caring About Gun Rights?
Plus: DHS escalation in Minnesota, Trump loses support on ICE tactics, and how politics influence the Oscar nominations
Is America Really Going to War for Greenland?
Plus: Threats of new tariffs on NATO allies, masked federal agents stir unrest in Minnesota, and Trump’s new health care proposal.
End the Fed? Or Turn It Over to Trump?
Plus: ICE shootings divide the country, the Iran uprising intensifies, and California targets billionaires with a wealth tax
What Does It Mean To 'Run' Venezuela?
Plus: Trump’s expanding view of U.S. power abroad, Zohran Mamdani touts the “warmth of collectivism,” and Tim Walz won’t seek reelection
What the Media Didn't Tell You in 2025
The Reason editors examine the most underreported stories of 2025 across politics, economics, global affairs, and culture.
Can J.D. Vance Stop a MAGA Civil War?
Plus: Debating marijuana at Turning Point USA, Massie and Khanna threaten Bondi with contempt over Epstein files, and Minnesota’s welfare fraud case.
Reason Vs. Breaking Points: Does Big Tech Do More Good Than Harm?
Reason's Robby Soave and Elizabeth Nolan Brown go head to head with Emily Jashinsky and Ryan Grim from Breaking Points in a thought-provoking debate a...
Should Libertarians Support Federal AI Regulation?
Plus: reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, mass shootings at Bondi Beach and Brown University, and the U.S. seizes a Venezuelan oil tanker
Why Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump Hate the Netflix Deal
Plus: Trump’s economy shows new signs of strain, Congress pushes a $900 billion defense package, and Kalshi stirs backlash over “financializing everyt...
Ask Us Anything: Libertarians Answer Your Questions
The Reason editors answer your questions on policy, politics, pop culture, and more in this annual webathon event.
Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?
Plus: War crime allegations against Hegseth, Congress threatens the legal hemp industry, and reflections on the legacy of Tom Stoppard
Trump Embraces Mamdani Socialism as 'Practical'
Plus: DOGE is disbanded, Trump attempts to influence the Warner Bros. merger, and Democrats tell the military to reject illegal orders
How the Epstein Files Turned MAGA Against Trump
Plus: Tariff rollbacks and the affordability debate, Trump considers direct talks with Maduro as unauthorized strikes continue, and a listener asks wh...
Did Democrats Blow It on the Government Shutdown?
Plus: Obamacare subsidies take center stage, the abundance agenda meets socialism after Mamdani’s win, and the differences between liberals and libert...
Will a Mamdani Victory Push the Democrats Further Left?
Plus: Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, a court ruling extending SNAP funding during the shutdown, and Trump’s tariff fight reaches the Suprem...