The Insanity of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill
Plus: Trump's E.U. trade deadline, masked ICE agents, and Elon Musk's third party
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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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Are outdated laws ripe for abuse?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.
Trump Won. What's Next?
Plus: A listener asks about Trump's early picks for cabinet positions.
Live On Election Eve With The Reason Roundtable!
Tune in on November 4 at 6:30 p.m. (EST) on YouTube to hear the four co-hosts' unflinching critiques of the latest in politics, culture, and whatever fresh hell awaits us all.
How Trump and Harris Meaningfully Differ
Plus: A listener asks the editors if there are closet Trump voters within the halls of Reason.
Should We Trust the 2024 Election Polls?
Plus: A listener asks the editors if the prospect of Supreme Court nominations is reason enough to favor Trump over Harris in this year’s presidential election?
Harris and Trump's Terrible Tax Ideas
Plus: How will the editors vote in the presidential election?
Eric Adams and New York City's Corruption Problem
Plus: A listener asks the editors what a “conservatarian” presidential candidate and agenda might look like.
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can Mark Cuban Make Prescriptions Affordable Again?
Special interests and government prevent the free market from working the way it should in the healthcare industry, making many Americans poorer and sicker.
Get Your Gross Sex Out of My Sick Politics!
Plus: "Black Nazi,” Oprah interviews Kamala, and yet another looming government shutdown.
Why Do They Keep Shooting at Donald Trump?
Plus: A listener asks the editors to ponder which election was the most important one in their lifetimes.
What Libertarians Would Ask Trump and Harris at the Debate
Plus: A listener asks if rebranding tariffs as taxes would make any difference in reducing their appeal to politicians and voters.
How Should the U.S. Respond to Hamas Executing Americans?
Plus: A listener asks the editors, when it is right to revolt to stop repeated miscarriages of justice?
