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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Plus: ICE shootings divide the country, the Iran uprising intensifies, and California targets billionaires with a wealth tax
Plus: Trump’s expanding view of U.S. power abroad, Zohran Mamdani touts the “warmth of collectivism,” and Tim Walz won’t seek reelection
The Reason editors examine the most underreported stories of 2025 across politics, economics, global affairs, and culture.
Plus: Debating marijuana at Turning Point USA, Massie and Khanna threaten Bondi with contempt over Epstein files, and Minnesota’s welfare fraud case.
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.
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
Plus: Trump’s economy shows new signs of strain, Congress pushes a $900 billion defense package, and Kalshi stirs backlash over “financializing everything”
The Reason editors answer your questions on policy, politics, pop culture, and more in this annual webathon event.
Plus: War crime allegations against Hegseth, Congress threatens the legal hemp industry, and reflections on the legacy of Tom Stoppard
Plus: DOGE is disbanded, Trump attempts to influence the Warner Bros. merger, and Democrats tell the military to reject illegal orders
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
Plus: Obamacare subsidies take center stage, the abundance agenda meets socialism after Mamdani’s win, and the differences between liberals and libertarians
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
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.
Plus: the “No Kings” protests, Trump pays troop salaries during government shutdown, and the continued bombing of drug boats in Venezuela
Plus: new tariff threats escalate China trade war, federal layoffs begin amidst the government shutdown, and Democrats face a candidate-quality crisis
Katherine Mangu-Ward and Alex Nowrasteh squared off against Rich Lowry and Steven Camarota to debate immigration.
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.
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
Plus: Fallout from the Tom Homan bribery probe, U.S. forces strike Venezuelan drug boats, and Trump considers sending troops back to Afghanistan
Plus: Trump and governors threaten social media regulations, activists push blacklists and firings, and how to resist apocalyptic politics.
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
Plus: The National Guard standoff in Chicago, navigating debates when you’re outnumbered, and a court ruling that could upend Trump’s tariff agenda.
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.
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
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.
Plus: The economic impact of tariffs, ethics concerns around Trump’s foreign business dealings, and a listener question on NCAA deregulation
Plus: Trump’s "woke AI" order, Gawker’s cultural legacy, and a listener question on deregulation and the BBB.
Plus: Tulsi Gabbard accuses Obama of treason, Congress slashes NPR funding, and a listener asks if we actually like each other.
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.
Plus: Trump's E.U. trade deadline, masked ICE agents, and Elon Musk's third party
Plus: Senate GOP releases version of “Big Beautiful Bill” and Republicans shift on gay marriage
The Iran bombings, public land selloffs, and the collapse of big city governance
U.S. involvement in the new Middle East conflict, political violence at home, and the No Kings protests
Are outdated laws ripe for abuse? A listener asks whether it's time to sunset certain old laws.
Plus: A listener asks if the "big beautiful bill" will decrease the deficit.
Plus: A listener asks how to reasonably cut government spending.
Plus: A listener asks if the economic inequality data is bad.
Plus: A listener asks which domestic policy changes could realistically boost U.S. manufacturing without raising costs for consumers.
Plus: A listener asks if we're finally defunding NPR and PBS.
Plus: A listener asks about possible book club books that are "subtly libertarian."
Plus: A listener asks who was the better president: Trump or Obama?
Plus: A listener asks whether or not Thomas Jefferson was right.
Plus: A listener asks if it's time for journalists to stop steel-manning Trump's policies.
Plus: What is a DOGE dance party?
Plus: A listener asks why some American libertarians seem to unquestioningly accept everything Vladimir Putin says.
Plus: A listener asks the editors whether a Kamala Harris presidency would have been preferable.
Plus: A listener asks the editors to discuss the pros and cons of homeownership.
Plus: A listener asks the editors how to best determine whether Trump’s second term is good or bad for individual freedom.
Plus: A listener asks the editors whether it makes sense for a country to have a sovereign wealth fund.
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.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if there are reasons to be optimistic about the future of freedom in the United States.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the implications of Trump personally suing CBS to obtain transcripts from an interview with Kamala Harris.
Plus: A listener asks the editors to name their least favorite national emergency from the list of those currently in effect.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the validity of using emergency measures to restrict movement during the L.A. wildfires.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if Donald Trump is the most libertarian president ever.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about subsidies for trains, planes, and roads.
Surely 2025 will be a freewheeling romp, right?…Right? Happy New Year!
Plus: A listener asks the editors to consider the Second Amendment's key importance for keeping the government in check.
The Bulwark's Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell debate Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch on choosing a side in politics.
Plus: A listener asks the editors to consider the tradeoffs of involuntary commitments to mental institutions.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if libertarians are more prone to believing in conspiracy theories.
The Reason Roundtable will answer all of your burning questions live on YouTube on December 4 at 1 p.m. (EST).
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the libertarian position on doctor-assisted suicide.
Plus: a listener asks the editors about fluoride in the water supply.
Plus: a listener asks the editors why it is acceptable to allow unrestricted border crossings into the United States without penalty.
Plus: A listener asks about Trump's early picks for cabinet positions.
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.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if there are closet Trump voters within the halls of Reason.
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?
Plus: How will the editors vote in the presidential election?
Plus: October 7, one year later.
Plus: A listener asks the editors what a “conservatarian” presidential candidate and agenda might look like.
Special interests and government prevent the free market from working the way it should in the healthcare industry, making many Americans poorer and sicker.
Plus: "Black Nazi,” Oprah interviews Kamala, and yet another looming government shutdown.
Plus: A listener asks the editors to ponder which election was the most important one in their lifetimes.
Plus: A listener asks if rebranding tariffs as taxes would make any difference in reducing their appeal to politicians and voters.
Plus: A listener asks the editors, when it is right to revolt to stop repeated miscarriages of justice?
Plus: Does the government own too much land in Utah? And the latest response to Friends star Matthew Perry’s drug overdose death.
Plus: Special guest Ben Dreyfuss joins the editors this week.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about tariffs and subsidies in the manufacture of electric vehicles.
A very special Reason Roundtable crossover episode with two guests from The Dispatch!
Plus: A listener asks the editors about Project 2025.
Plus: A listener asks the editors if employers should be held responsible for the speech and actions of employees outside of the workplace.
Plus: Is Biden fit to be president today, let alone stand for reelection?
Plus: A listener asks whether Bruce Springsteen's song Born in the U.S.A is actually patriotic.
Plus: The editors reflect on the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Plus: A listener asks if there are any libertarian solutions to rising obesity rates.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the Selective Service.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the Constitution and trains.
Plus: A single-issue voter asks the editors for some voting advice in the 2024 presidential election.
Plus: A listener asks the editors for voting advice and commiseration in a predominantly democratic state.
Plus: Who are the editors' favorite vice presidents of all time?
Plus: The editors field a question from a Gen Z libertarian.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about President Joe Biden holding up arms shipments to Israel.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about cancelling student loan debt.
Plus: A listener asks the editors about the magical thinking behind the economic ideas of Modern Monetary Theory.
Plus: A listener asks the editors to steel man the case for the Jones Act, an antiquated law that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters.
Plus: A listener asks the editors for examples of tasks the government does well (yikes).
Plus: A listener asks the editors for examples of left-leaning thinkers who also hold libertarian ideas.
Plus: A listener asks if Trump or Biden have done anything to secure the blessings of liberty.
Plus: A listener asks about the absurdity of Social Security entitlements.
Plus: A listener asks about Republicans and Democrats monopolizing political power in the United States.
Plus: A listener asks the editors a question about progressive taxation in the United States.
Plus: A listener asks the editors for short quotes from fictional works that are representative of libertarian ideas.
Plus: A listener asks the editors for big picture thoughts on United States foreign policy interventions in other nation states.
Plus: A listener asks if the editors have criteria for what constitutes a good law.
Plus: A listener asks if the state of Oregon’s policy on drug decriminalization should be viewed as a success.
Plus: A listener asks if it should become the norm for all news outlets to require journalists to disclose their voting records.
Plus: A listener asks if libertarians are too obsessed with economic growth.
Plus: Javier Milei’s powerful speech on economic prosperity in Davos
Plus: A listener asks the editors if there are any bad laws that might discourage people from having kids.
Plus: Which is worse, trashing Nancy Pelosi's office or having sex in a Senate hearing room?
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