FBI

Muddling Through the Mar-a-Lago Mess

Plus: The editors reaffirm free speech absolutism in the wake of the recent attack on Salman Rushdie.

|

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie huddle on last week's FBI raid of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

2:01: The FBI raid of Trump's home

26:18: Weekly Listener Question:

The U.S. federal government, since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, has monopsonized COVID vaccines and therapies. Yet, I haven't heard any complaints from Reason-ers about this expansion of government into health care long after I think all of us would agree that the "emergency" should be over. And the government's performance has actually kind of sort of been OK in the last 18 months. What gives? There are now those who are using this experience as an argument that we should make ALL of health care single-payer. How would you respond to Dr. Topol and others like him who say, "This proves single-payer works, we should adopt it for everything"? And then, more broadly, while I believe our health care economic system is broken, I don't see a viable political path toward implementing more market-based reforms to introduce competition, incentivize innovation, and bring down prices. Would it make sense for (small-"L") libertarians to basically give up on health care and "make a deal with the devil," compromising on single-payer health care in exchange for liberalization of other areas of the economy that otherwise wouldn't see liberalization?

35:13: The attack on Salman Rushdie and free speech

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Donald Trump's Handling of Classified Material Looks Worse Than Hillary Clinton's," by Jacob Sullum

"Free to Offend," by Robert Poole

"The Truth Hurts," by Jonathan Rauch

"Why We're Having an Everybody Draw Mohammed Contest on Thursday May 20," by Nick Gillespie

"Salman Rushdie and the Cult of Offense," by Graeme Wood

Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsor:

  • Looking for your next podcast? Check out The Political Orphanage. Host Andrew Heaton is one of the funny guys in Reason TV videos—you may have seen him in "Libertarian PBS,""Game of Thrones: Libertarian Edition," or "Desperate Mayors Compete for Amazon HQ2." The Political Orphanage is designed for people who don't feel at home in the Republican or Democratic Parties. Rather than explaining issues as a slap fight between Red Team and Blue Team, Heaton looks for the underlying problems to big issues and cracks jokes along the way. He does specials like the causes and solutions to homelessness, or how Spock and Scotty would craft gun policy. And he interviews guests like Justin Amash, Andrew Yang, theAstronomer Royal of the United Kingdom, and Daryl Davis—a black jazz musician who has befriended and de-radicalized hundreds of klansmen and neo-Nazis. He also sometimes rants about zoning ordinances. The Political Orphanage looks for the basic concepts affecting politics and explains them, so you can make your own mind up instead of just choosing a team to hate. It's a funny, wonky, nonpartisan show with cool guests, and we think you'll enjoy it. So check out The Political Orphanage.
  • Tired of feeling like someone's always watching you on the internet? Maybe advertisers know a bit too much about you, or you're concerned about the privacy of your identity? Using incognito mode won't solve the problem either. IPVanish VPN is here to protect your right to privacy and help you stay anonymous online. IPVanish helps you safely browse the internet without exposing your private details to third parties, such as hackers, your ISP, or advertisers. You can use IPVanish on unlimited devices without sacrificing speed: your computers, tablets, phones… even devices like your Firestick when you're streaming media. When you use IPVanish, all of your data is encrypted. This means that your private details, passwords, communications, browsing history, and more will be completely shielded from falling into the wrong hands. Even your physical location will be hidden. IPVanish makes you virtually invisible online. It's that simple. Whether I'm at home or in public, I don't go online anymore without using IPVanish. IPVanish is offering an incredible 70 percent off their yearly plan for our listeners with a 30-day, money-back guarantee. That's just like getting nine months for free. IPVanish is super easy to use. All you have to do is tap one button, and you're instantly protected. You won't even know it's on. Stop sharing with the world everything you watch, everything you search for, and everything you buy. Take your privacy back today with the brand rated 4.6/5 on Trustpilot. Go to IPVANISH.com/roundtable and use promotional code ROUNDTABLE to claim your 70 percent savings.

Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve