Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All.
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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You're Wrong About Social Media Being Addictive
Plus: The Pentagon prepares for possible ground troops in Iran, a listener asks how libertarians should answer the appeal of collectivism, and ICE descends on airports.
It's Time To Abolish the TSA
Plus: the real legacy of Cesar Chavez, blue state tax policies are driving out wealth, and a jury clears Afroman in a free speech case.
Why the Media Pushes Public Health Myths
Plus: The FCC threatens broadcast licenses over war coverage, J.D. Vance positions himself as an Iran war skeptic, and remembering Reason Senior Editor Brian Doherty.
Will the War in Iran Crash the Global Economy?
Plus: Kristi Noem is fired as DHS secretary, a listener asks about libertarian drug use, and new polling reveals Americans distrust AI and each other.
Trump's War With Iran Is Unjustified and Unpopular
Plus: Congress is reluctant to assert its war powers, the Pentagon brands Anthropic a national security threat, and a listener asks whether regime change is ever morally defensible.
Trump Replaces Old Illegal Tariffs With New Illegal Tariffs
Plus: The U.S. could be going to war with Iran, the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, and why AI surveillance is worrying civil libertarians
DHS Wants To Unmask Online Critics
Plus: The FCC targets Disney and Comcast, new Epstein associates revealed, and Trump’s tariffs cause growing rifts with U.S. allies.
Libertarians Tried To Warn You About Executive Power
Plus: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson embraces warrantless ICE searches, the Super Bowl halftime culture war, and Trump continues funding the Department of Education
Do Republicans Want To Control Elections?
Plus: assessing Trump’s first year, the dysfunction of Washington, D.C., and the politics of the Super Bowl. (Recorded live in Washington, D.C.)
Democrats Are Flipping Trump Districts in Texas?
Plus: a partial shutdown over ICE funding, Kevin Warsh to lead the Fed, and Moltbook’s AI society
When Did Republicans Stop Caring About Gun Rights?
Plus: DHS escalation in Minnesota, Trump loses support on ICE tactics, and how politics influence the Oscar nominations
Is America Really Going to War for Greenland?
Plus: Threats of new tariffs on NATO allies, masked federal agents stir unrest in Minnesota, and Trump’s new health care proposal.
End the Fed? Or Turn It Over to Trump?
Plus: ICE shootings divide the country, the Iran uprising intensifies, and California targets billionaires with a wealth tax
What Does It Mean To 'Run' Venezuela?
Plus: Trump’s expanding view of U.S. power abroad, Zohran Mamdani touts the “warmth of collectivism,” and Tim Walz won’t seek reelection
What the Media Didn't Tell You in 2025
The Reason editors examine the most underreported stories of 2025 across politics, economics, global affairs, and culture.
Can J.D. Vance Stop a MAGA Civil War?
Plus: Debating marijuana at Turning Point USA, Massie and Khanna threaten Bondi with contempt over Epstein files, and Minnesota’s welfare fraud case.
Reason Vs. Breaking Points: Does Big Tech Do More Good Than Harm?
Reason's Robby Soave and Elizabeth Nolan Brown go head to head with Emily Jashinsky and Ryan Grim from Breaking Points in a thought-provoking debate about Big Tech.
Should Libertarians Support Federal AI Regulation?
Plus: reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug, mass shootings at Bondi Beach and Brown University, and the U.S. seizes a Venezuelan oil tanker
Why Elizabeth Warren and Donald Trump Hate the Netflix Deal
Plus: Trump’s economy shows new signs of strain, Congress pushes a $900 billion defense package, and Kalshi stirs backlash over “financializing everything”
Ask Us Anything: Libertarians Answer Your Questions
The Reason editors answer your questions on policy, politics, pop culture, and more in this annual webathon event.
Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?
Plus: War crime allegations against Hegseth, Congress threatens the legal hemp industry, and reflections on the legacy of Tom Stoppard
Trump Embraces Mamdani Socialism as 'Practical'
Plus: DOGE is disbanded, Trump attempts to influence the Warner Bros. merger, and Democrats tell the military to reject illegal orders
How the Epstein Files Turned MAGA Against Trump
Plus: Tariff rollbacks and the affordability debate, Trump considers direct talks with Maduro as unauthorized strikes continue, and a listener asks what it would take to move healthcare out of government hands
Did Democrats Blow It on the Government Shutdown?
Plus: Obamacare subsidies take center stage, the abundance agenda meets socialism after Mamdani’s win, and the differences between liberals and libertarians
Will a Mamdani Victory Push the Democrats Further Left?
Plus: Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, a court ruling extending SNAP funding during the shutdown, and Trump’s tariff fight reaches the Supreme Court
Javier Milei's Libertarian Policies Win Shock Election
Plus: Trump’s new tariffs on Canada, more unauthorized military strikes in Venezuela, and what a Mamdani victory in NYC could mean for the country.
Does Argentina's Bailout Prove Libertarians Wrong?
Plus: the “No Kings” protests, Trump pays troop salaries during government shutdown, and the continued bombing of drug boats in Venezuela
Trump's Art of the Deal for Peace in the Middle East
Plus: new tariff threats escalate China trade war, federal layoffs begin amidst the government shutdown, and Democrats face a candidate-quality crisis
Reason Versus National Review: Is Mass Immigration Good for America?
Katherine Mangu-Ward and Alex Nowrasteh squared off against Rich Lowry and Steven Camarota to debate immigration.
Does Bari Weiss Prove Woke Media Is Collapsing?
Plus: the legality of Trump’s National Guard deployments, Democrat A.G. nominee’s leaked texts about shooting GOP rival, and what Argentina’s crisis means for libertarians.
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
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.
