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The Reason Roundtable

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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  • 22 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 1 hr 8 min
  • English

Episodes 22

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  • April 6 · 1 hr 5 min

    Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?

    This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss President Donald Trump's escalating rhetoric around the war in Iran, including a profanity-laced Easter weekend Truth Social post. They examine what it reveals about a conflict with shifting timelines, unclear objectives, and little public support, along with the domestic consequences of the war, including rising gas prices surging above $4 per gallon. The panel also weighs Trump's proposal for a $1.5 trillion defense budget, the largest in modern history, and what it says about the administration's priorities. Next, the panel turns to the broader federal budget, where rising spending continues without any serious attempt to address the deficit. The editors then check in on NASA's Artemis program, weighing the excitement of returning to the moon against persistent delays, cost overruns, and the growing role of private space companies. They also answer a listener's question about what libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All might look like, focusing on deregulation, catastrophic coverage, and restoring price signals in the health care system. Reason is hiring! Check out the two open roles on the video team now: https://reason.org/jobs/associate-producer/ https://reason.org/jobs/producer/ 0:00—Trump's Truth Social Easter rant 14:57—The $1.5 trillion defense budget 22:36—The New York Times student debt story 28:55—Listener question on Medicare for All 43:41—Analyzing Artemis 51:58—Weekly cultural recommendations Mentioned in the podcast: "'I Am Blowing Up Everything,'" by Eric Boehm "Ro Khanna: Congress Has Surrendered on War," by Nick Gillespie "Trump's Call for a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Is Irresponsible, Wasteful, and Unrealistic," by Eric Boehm "10 Years Ago Today, Trump Promised To Eliminate the National Debt. Instead, It Has Doubled," by Eric Boehm "Debt Denialists," by Matt Welch "Generational Warfare," by Nick Gillespie and Veronique de Rugy "Why I Prefer French Health Care," by Matt Welch "Artemis II Launches a New Era of Lunar Exploration," by Natalie Dowzicky "NASA's Artemis Program Is a Monument to Government Waste. It Can Only Go Up From Here," by Quade MacDonald "The Zendaya Romance The Drama Is Weirder and More Uncomfortable Than You Expect," by Peter Suderman Green Lantern/Green Arrow, by Dennis O'Neill and Neal Adams Captain America #156 The post Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever? appeared first on Reason.com.

  • March 30 · 1 hr 9 min

    You're Wrong About Social Media Being Addictive

    This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss the recent verdicts against Meta and the growing legal and cultural push to treat social media like a harmful, addictive product. Multiple juries decided that platforms such as Instagram and YouTube were negligently designed and that they contributed to mental health harms among young users, raising comparisons to Big Tobacco and intensifying the debate over which online activities are protected speech. The panel considers whether the real issue is design features such as infinite scroll and algorithmic feeds or simply content itself. The panel then examines the latest developments in the Iran conflict, where the White House has suggested that the war may be nearing its end even as the Pentagon prepares plans that could include ground troops and the seizure of Iran's nuclear stockpile. They also take up a listener question about how libertarians can make the case for community and human connection without relying on government. Finally, they discuss the deployment of ICE agents to airports during the DHS shutdown. Are those agents helping ease delays, or are they making an already strained system worse? Reason is hiring! Check out the two open roles on the video team now: https://reason.org/jobs/associate-producer/ https://reason.org/jobs/producer/ 0:00–Is social media addictive? 25:29–Conflicting narratives on Iran war 38:40–Divisions on the right over Iran 41:54–Listener question on collectivism 49:06–ICE agents at airports 54:05–Weekly cultural recommendations Mentioned in the podcast: "A Jury Hit Meta With a $375 Million Verdict. The Open Internet May Pay the Price," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown "#Addiction," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown "Taylor Lorenz: Is Social Media Responsible for Bad Parenting?" by Nick Gillespie "Hail to the Censor!" by Matt Welch "More War," by Christian Britschgi "Trump's 'Military Operation' Wordplay Can't Hide Iran War," by Joe Lancaster "Trump's War in Iran Risks Ruining His Entire Foreign Policy," by Daniel Deptris "How Will Congress Fund a $300 Billion War With Iran?" by Veronique de Rugy "Trump Can't TACO His Way Out of Iran," by Matthew Petti "The Iran War Has Already Hurt Oil Production More Than the '70s Energy Crisis Did," by Reem Ibrahim "'What Are the Goals?' Some Republicans Questioning $200 Billion for Iran War," by Eric Boehm "Sovereignty Is Such a Lonely Word," by Matt Welch "Peace Is Hell," by Nick Gillespie "Mamdani's Promise of the 'Warmth of Collectivism' Is a Lie. Just Ask All the Failed Communes," by John Stossel "A Socialist Swearing In," by Christian Britschgi "I Spent Over 3 Hours in a TSA Line. Why Haven't We Abolished This Agency?" by Billy Binion The post You're Wrong About Social Media Being Addictive appeared first on Reason.com.

Showing 21–22 of 22 episodes