Lower Crime Hasn't Stopped Gun Control Push
Plus: The National Guard deployed to D.C., the Trump-Putin meeting on Ukraine, Texas Democrats flee the state, and a listener question on free speech in the U.K.
This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie are joined by special guest Reem Ibrahim, head of media for the Institute of Economic Affairs. They begin with Jim Acosta's AI-generated interview featuring a deceased child urging gun control, using it as a springboard to discuss nationwide declines in violent crime and the political tendency to focus on banning specific tools. The conversation then shifts to the White House's decision to deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and the dangerous precedent this could set for using federal forces to address local crime.
The panel then turns to President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss Ukraine, weighing whether it could lead to peace or embolden authoritarian demands, as well as the role of European nations. From there, they examine the decision by Texas Democrats to flee the state amid redistricting battles and the FBI's efforts to locate them. A listener question from the United Kingdom prompts a conversation about free speech restrictions and the growing use of psychological studies to justify censorship, leading into a discussion of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression's (FIRE) lawsuit against the Trump administration over immigrant First Amendment rights.
0:00—Media exploitation of children for gun control
11:02—National Guard deployed to D.C. amid falling crime rates
15:02—Trump meeting with Putin in Alaska
25:51—Texas Democrats flee state over GOP redistricting map
35:35—Listener question on free speech rights in the U.K.
47:00—FIRE lawsuit against Trump administration over protected speech
54:55—Weekly cultural recommendations
Mentioned in the podcast:
"Hostile Takeover: Trump Federalizes Law Enforcement and Deploys National Guard in D.C.," by Tosin Akintola
"Big Balls Attacked," by Liz Wolfe
"Trump says crime in D.C. is out of control. Here's what the data shows," by Olivia George, John D. Harden, Jenny Gathright, The Washington Post
"How the New Texas Map Changes the Outlook for Control of the House," by Nate Cohn, The New York Times
"The UK's Online Safety Act is a licence for censorship – and the rest of the world is following suit," by Taylor Lorenz, The Guardian
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- Producer: Paul Alexander
- Video Editor: Ian Keyser
