Will a Shutdown Finally Shrink Government?
Plus: the Comey indictment, Trump deploys the National Guard to Portland, Eric Adams exits New York City's mayoral race, and a listener asks about cyclical theories of history
Podcast: 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.
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Free Speech Means You Can Criticize Anyone
Plus: Fallout from the Tom Homan bribery probe, U.S. forces strike Venezuelan drug boats, and Trump considers sending troops back to Afghanistan
To Honor Charlie Kirk, Reject Cancel Culture
Plus: Trump and governors threaten social media regulations, activists push blacklists and firings, and how to resist apocalyptic politics.
MAGA Is Wrong About AI. Trump Is Right.
Plus: a weak jobs report and Trump’s economic record, New College of Florida weighing privatization after its clash with DeSantis, and the DOJ pushes to block transgender Americans from gun ownership
RFK Jr.'s Wild Week
Plus: The National Guard standoff in Chicago, navigating debates when you’re outnumbered, and a court ruling that could upend Trump’s tariff agenda.
Is It Too Late To End the Fed?
Plus: What the new E.U. trade deal means for tariffs and prices, a listener question about Rahm Emanuel’s presidential appeal, and the FBI raids John Bolton’s home.
The Trump Economy Is Now Pay To Play
Plus: Trump talks with Putin in Alaska, federal troops flood D.C., a controversial Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee, and a listener question about the hosts as a band
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.
The New York Times Doesn't Understand Men
Plus: The economic impact of tariffs, ethics concerns around Trump’s foreign business dealings, and a listener question on NCAA deregulation
South Park Is Saving Free Speech!
Plus: Trump’s "woke AI" order, Gawker’s cultural legacy, and a listener question on deregulation and the BBB.
What Should Libertarians Make of the Epstein Files?
Plus: Tulsi Gabbard accuses Obama of treason, Congress slashes NPR funding, and a listener asks if we actually like each other.
Trump and Mamdani Battle for the Populist Crown
Tune in on July 15 at 6:20 p.m. Eastern to hear four co-hosts' unflinching critiques of the latest in politics, culture, and whatever fresh hell awaits us all.
The Insanity of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill
Plus: Trump's E.U. trade deadline, masked ICE agents, and Elon Musk's third party
Did NYC Vote for Socialism or Against the Establishment?
Plus: Senate GOP releases version of “Big Beautiful Bill” and Republicans shift on gay marriage
Anti-War President Starts New War. Again.
The Iran bombings, public land selloffs, and the collapse of big city governance
Israel Strikes Iran. Is Escalation Inevitable?
U.S. involvement in the new Middle East conflict, political violence at home, and the No Kings protests
Fake Immigration Crisis Triggers Actual Violence
Are outdated laws ripe for abuse? A listener asks whether it's time to sunset certain old laws.
Artificial Intelligence Is Making Everything Weird
Plus: A listener asks if the "big beautiful bill" will decrease the deficit.
The GOP Budget Is Big, Bloated, B.S.
Plus: A listener asks if the economic inequality data is bad.
What Did We Learn From DOGE?
Plus: A listener asks which domestic policy changes could realistically boost U.S. manufacturing without raising costs for consumers.
Trump's Independent Voter Problem
Plus: A listener asks about possible book club books that are "subtly libertarian."
Why Due Process Matters
Plus: A listener asks who was the better president: Trump or Obama?
Why Trump's China Tariffs Won't Work
Plus: A listener asks whether or not Thomas Jefferson was right.
Can Anyone Stop Trump's Tariffs?
Plus: A listener asks if it's time for journalists to stop steel-manning Trump's policies.
Trump's War With the Courts
Plus: A listener asks why some American libertarians seem to unquestioningly accept everything Vladimir Putin says.
Why We Don't Need the Department of Education
Plus: A listener asks the editors whether a Kamala Harris presidency would have been preferable.
It's Trump's Economy Now
Plus: A listener asks the editors to discuss the pros and cons of homeownership.
Trump vs. Zelenskyy: Democracy Dies in Drama?
Plus: A listener asks the editors how to best determine whether Trump’s second term is good or bad for individual freedom.
Are Democrats Actually in Disarray?
Plus: A listener asks the editors whether it makes sense for a country to have a sovereign wealth fund.
Justin Amash on Why the President Isn't Above the Law
Plus: A listener asks the editors to guess if the real reason Donald Trump is so passionate about tariffs is because he sees them as a deal-making tool rather than a purely economic instrument.
DOGE vs. Deep State
Plus: A listener asks the editors if there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of freedom in the United States.
Trump's Dumb Trade War
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the implications of Trump personally suing CBS to obtain transcripts from an interview with Kamala Harris.
The Cultural Consequences of Trump's Victory
Plus: A listener asks the editors to name their least favorite national emergency from the list of those currently in effect.
Donald Trump's Chaotic and Contradictory Day 1
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the validity of using emergency measures to restrict movement during the L.A. wildfires.
How Awful Policies Fueled the L.A. Fires
Plus: A listener asks the editors if Donald Trump is the most libertarian president ever.
Why MAGA Is Fighting Over High-Skilled Immigration
Plus: A listener asks the editors about subsidies for trains, planes, and roads.
2024's Most Undercovered Stories
Surely 2025 will be a freewheeling romp, right?…Right? Happy New Year!
Was Biden Right To Take Prisoners Off Death Row?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to consider the Second Amendment's key importance for keeping the government in check.
Do You Have To Choose a Side in Politics? Reason Versus The Bulwark
The Bulwark's Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell debate Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch on choosing a side in politics.
Biden's Messy Mercy
Plus: A listener asks the editors to consider the tradeoffs of involuntary commitments to mental institutions.
Why Socialists Are Cheering the Death of an Insurance CEO
Plus: A listener asks the editors if libertarians are more prone to believing in conspiracy theories.
Libertarians Answer Your Questions: Webathon 2024!
The Reason Roundtable will answer all of your burning questions live on YouTube on December 4 at 1 p.m. (EST).
Biden's Final Insult to Our Intelligence
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the libertarian position on doctor-assisted suicide.
Trump's Chaos Cabinet
Plus: a listener asks the editors about fluoride in the water supply.
How Elon Musk and DOGE Can Deliver on Smaller Government
Plus: a listener asks the editors why it is acceptable to allow unrestricted border crossings into the United States without penalty.
