Apocalypse Tomorrow: Trump's Looming Indictment
Plus: the terrible case for pausing A.I. innovation
In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman anticipate the historic arraignment on criminal charges of former President Donald Trump this week in New York City, before turning back to the unfolding discussion surrounding potential risks posed by artificial intelligence.
1:07: Former President Donald Trump awaits arraignment on criminal charges.
19:16: Do A.I. systems pose serious risks to humanity and society?
38:48: Weekly Listener Question
43:45: Terrible things about the proposed RESTRICT Act
49:59: This week's cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"The Shaky New York Case Against Trump Reeks of Desperation To Punish a Reviled Political Opponent," by Jacob Sullum
"Trump Indictment Could Be the Jolt His Flailing 2024 Campaign Needs," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"Is the Manhattan D.A. Upholding or Flouting the Rule of Law by Prosecuting Trump?" by Jacob Sullum
"Transforming Stormy Daniels' Hush Payment Into a Felony Would Reinforce Trump's 'Witch Hunt' Complaint," by Jacob Sullum
"Elon Musk, Andrew Yang, and Steve Wozniak Propose an A.I. 'Pause.' It's a Bad Idea and Won't Work Anyway." by Ronald Bailey
"Debate: Artificial Intelligence Should Be Regulated," by Ronald Bailey and Robin Hanson
"What Are the Bots Doing to Art?" by Crispin Sartwell
"Introducing AI Progress," by Matthew Mittelsteadt and Brent Skorup
"Mark P. Mills: Get Ready for the Roaring 2020s!" by Nick Gillespie
"Rand Paul Is Right: Banning TikTok Would Be Idiotic," by Robby Soave and John Osterhoudt
"Could the RESTRICT Act Criminalize the Use of VPNs?" by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"Nobel Prize–Winning Economist: Democrats Are Committed 'To Spending Other People's Money,'" by Nick Gillespie and Justin Zuckerman
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:
- Andrew Heaton is one of the funny people in Reason TV videos, like "Star Trek: The Libertarian Edition," or "Star Wars Libertarian Special." So it won't surprise you to discover he hosts a science fiction podcast: Alienating the Audience. Alienating the Audience does deep dives into science fiction, like Robert Heinlein's free love libertarianism, the economics of Dune, Kurt Vonnegut and the warfare state, and how Star Wars: Andor loves public choice theory. Guests on the show have included Peter Boghossian on what first contact with aliens would be like, Jonathan Last from The Bulwark defending the Empire in Star Wars, Tim Sandefur of Goldwater Institute on Star Trek's Cold War hot takes, and even Katherine Mangu-Ward has joined to discuss the work of Dan Simmons. If you don't like science fiction, do not listen to Alienating the Audience, as there's an excellent chance your virginity will grow back. But if you DO like science fiction, and with a dollop of politics and economics, served fresh by a mid-level comedian, then check out Alienating the Audience wherever you get your podcasts.
Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve