Want to know what comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century.
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Today's guest is Johan Norberg , a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and the author of Peak Human: What We Can Learn From the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages . He talks with Nick Gillespie about the historical patterns behind flourishing civilizations, from the Roman Republic to modern America. Norberg argues that societies thrive when they remain open to trade, immigration, experimentation, and new ideas, but begin to decay when fear and nostalgia push them toward protectionism, centralization, ...
Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff are co-authors of The Future of Free Speech , a new book examining what they describe as a global "free speech recession." In this episode, Mchangama and Kosseff talk with Nick Gillespie about why democracies are increasingly embracing speech restrictions once associated with authoritarian regimes, how fears about misinformation and child safety are reshaping internet policy, and why both the political left and right have grown more skeptical of free expression. ...
Today's guest is Sen. John Fetterman (D–Pa.), who just a decade ago looked like the future of Bernie Sanders–style populism, a tattooed Colossus clad in downscale hoodies and gym shorts who championed higher minimum wages, pot legalization, criminal justice reform, and more spending on social welfare programs. After 13 years as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, one of the poorest towns in the state during his tenure, and a term as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, he beat physician Mehmet Oz f...
This week, Nick Gillespie sits down at the U.S. Supreme Court with Justice Neil Gorsuch to discuss his new children's book, Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence , co-authored with Janie Nitze. Gorsuch and Gillespie examine why the United States is a creedal nation built on shared ideas rather than ethnicity or religion, and why those ideas require constant effort and courage to sustain. They discuss originalism, equal justice under law, the risks of government overreach, ...
Today's guest is the legendary actor and director Andy Serkis , who has played everyone from Gollum to proto-punk icon Ian Dury to King Kong to Marvel villain Ulysses Klaue. His latest project is a controversial animated adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm , which he directed and is out on May 1 from Angel Studios. He talks with Nick Gillespie about the new movie; what, if anything, ties together some of his signature roles; and whether technology advances or undermines art. 0:00—Why Serki...
This week, guest host Billy Binion is joined by Jennifer Doleac , an economist whose research focuses on crime and public safety. She is executive vice president of criminal justice at Arnold Ventures and author of the recent book The Science of Second Chances . In their conversation, Doleac delves into some of her more counterintuitive findings—many of which surprised even her. Perhaps most notably, she explains why long prison sentences do far less to deter crime than many assume. She instead ...
This week, Andrew Heaton is joined by Grammy-nominated rapper Afroman , who recently turned a police raid on his home and the lawsuit that followed into an unlikely free speech victory and a new chapter in his career. Afroman explains how officers raided his house, damaged his property, seized cash, and then sued him after he used the security footage in his music videos to mock them. He argues that the real issue was not just the raid itself, but the lack of accountability that followed, and sa...
Today's guest is Stimson Center Senior Fellow Emma Ashford , a foreign policy analyst who has written widely on post–Cold War strategy, the Middle East, and the limits of American power. An adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program, a columnist at Foreign Policy , and a former Cato Institute staffer, Ashford is the author of First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World . She talks with Nick Gillespie about the incoherence of President Donald Trump's I...
This week, guest host Zach Weissmueller is joined by Jacob Siegel , a journalist and author of The Information State , a sweeping examination of how power has shifted in the digital age from traditional democratic institutions into a new system of governance shaped by technology, media, and elite coordination. Siegel traces the emergence of what he calls the "information state," where control is exercised not primarily through laws or elected bodies but through digital infrastructure, platform m...
Today's guest is Rep. Ro Khanna (D–Calif.), a self-styled "progressive capitalist" who represents such major Silicon Valley cities as San Jose, Santa Clara, and Cupertino in Congress but who also supported the independent Vermont socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders for president. He has shown an increasingly rare willingness to work across the aisle, cosponsored with the libertarian-leaning Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) a war powers resolution aimed at President Donald Trump's bombing of Iran. He also jo...
Today's guest is the Niskanen Center 's Brink Lindsey , whose connection to Reason magazine goes back decades and who for years worked at the Cato Institute. His new book is called The Permanent Problem: The Uncertain Transition from Mass Plenty to Mass Flourishing , and it raises important questions about life in the 21st century. Thanks to capitalism, he argues, we've essentially conquered poverty, but are progress and growth slowing down? People in advanced economies are increasingly pessimis...
In a precedent-setting verdict this week , a Los Angeles jury held Meta and YouTube responsible for addicting a young woman to their services and exacerbating her mental health struggles. The jury recommended the two companies pay $6 million to the plaintiff, now 20, identified in court documents as Kaley or KMG. The verdict came a day after a New Mexico jury found that Meta harmed the mental health of children, failed to protect them from sexual predators, and violated state law. In this specia...
In a recent interview with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a likely contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, veteran news anchor Katie Couric asked him whether he "had a Zoolander" problem, fretting that being "so ridiculously good looking" might make it hard for him to be taken seriously. That exchange set off today's guest, podcaster Adam Carolla, who saw in it a microcosm of much of what's wrong with contemporary media and politics. Couric's fawning betrays a clear politica...
Today's guest is the legendary Stewart Brand , who has spent decades shaping how we think about technology, the environment, and the future. He first came to prominence in the 1960s as a Merry Prankster and the co-creator of the Whole Earth Catalog , the counterculture bible that helped inspire personal computing, the hacker ethic, and the modern environmentalist movement. Since then he's launched the Long Now Foundation , championed nuclear power and deextinction , and pushed us to think in 10,...
Mark Chenoweth is president and chief legal officer of the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a nonprofit that brings lawsuits and files amicus briefs designed to reduce the power of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Trade Commission, and other parts of the administrative state . In 2019, the NCLA litigated against President Donald Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to levy tariffs, a case that helped set the s...
Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, analyzes the current state of the Republican Party, arguing it's becoming anti-conservative. He criticizes Donald Trump's "bullshit" approach to truth and politics, highlighting its impact on figures like J.D. Vance and Tucker Carlson. Goldberg also explores the rise of Christian nationalism, the Democratic Party's challenges, and the potential for new political realignments. He emphasizes the importance of fact-driven arguments and institution-building for the future of classical liberal and libertarian ideas.
Today's guest on The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie is Pete Buttigieg , former secretary of transportation and already a leading, if undeclared, contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. Buttigieg reflects on his time in government, his evolving views on federal power, and why he thinks DOGE was a good idea that was poorly executed. An outspoken critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under Donald Trump, Buttigieg says that the use of masked agents and marti...
Today's guest is Michael Shermer , founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of the new book Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters . Shermer explains how the release of the Epstein files has fueled conspiracy thinking, particularly through guilt by association and pattern seeking. He explains why ambiguous evidence invites overinterpretation, how skepticism differs from cynicism, and why the demand for total certainty often leads people away from truth rather than t...
This week, guest host Zach Weissmueller is joined by Fardad Farahzad , a prominent Iranian journalist and the primetime anchor of 24 with Fardad Farahzad , a nightly news program on Iran International , a Persian-language channel based in London that broadcasts into Iran via satellite. Farahzad discusses what it's like working for a media outlet that the Islamic Republic has labeled a terrorist organization , and the personal risks that come with reporting on Iran from exile. Farahzad and Weissm...
Today's guest is Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.). He joins Zach Weissmueller to discuss why he coauthored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, what motivated him to put his political career at risk, and why he believes the Justice Department (DOJ) has engaged in a long-running cover-up to protect powerful figures connected to Jeffrey Epstein. Massie walks through what he saw while reviewing the unredacted files at the DOJ, including disputed redactions, internal FBI documents, and evidence suggesting ...
This week, guest host Billy Binion is joined by Jeff Asher , a nationally recognized crime data analyst and former CIA employee who leads the analytics firm AH Datalytics . He also publishes independent crime statistics and analysis through his Substack, Jeff-alytics . Binion and Asher discuss the sharp decline in murders over the past several years and why 2025 may have recorded the lowest murder rate in modern American history. They examine how crime statistics are collected, why the public of...
This week, guest host Eric Boehm is joined by J.C. Bradbury , an economist at Kennesaw State University and one of the leading critics of taxpayer-funded sports stadiums. Bradbury is the author of a forthcoming book, This One Will be Different , on the "false promises and fiscal realities" of stadium subsidies. Boehm and Bradbury discuss why stadiums rarely deliver on the economic benefits touted by team owners and local politicians, and how public officials, media outlets, and hired consultants...
This week, guest host Zach Weissmueller is joined by Freddy Guevara , a Venezuelan opposition leader who was imprisoned by the regime of Nicolás Maduro and now lives in exile. Guevara first entered politics as a student activist opposing Hugo Chávez, later becoming the youngest elected city council member in Venezuelan history before winning a seat in the National Assembly. After the government stripped the assembly of power and escalated repression, Guevara spent three years as a political refu...
This week, guest host Eric Boehm is joined by Colleen Shogan , the former archivist of the United States and head of the National Archives, the federal agency responsible for preserving presidential records and stewarding the nation's historical documents. Shogan explains what the archivist actually does, how the National Archives approaches custodianship of presidential records, and why those materials belong to the public rather than to individual presidents. The conversation then turns to the...
This week, guest host Billy Binion is joined by Scott Jennings , a political analyst best known for his viral debates on CNN, where he is often the lone conservative voice. Jennings is also the author of A Revolution of Common Sense , a new book arguing that President Donald Trump's political comeback is rooted in what Jennings calls a common-sense governing platform. Jennings and Binion discuss whether Trump's policies on such issues as tariffs, deportations, and foreign affairs live up to that...
This week, guest host Eric Boehm is joined by Lauren Hall , a political science professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the author of The Radical Moderate's Guide to Life , a Substack newsletter that encourages readers to reject binary thinking and keep politics from consuming every part of their lives. Hall's work focuses on the roots of tribalism and political polarization, examining where they come from, why they are so powerful, and how they distort both public debate and pers...
This week, guest host Eric Boehm is joined by Tony Gilroy , the creator, writer, and director of Andor , the critically acclaimed Star Wars series that reimagines the origins of the Rebel Alliance. While Andor is set in a familiar sci-fi universe, it stands apart for its focus on the mechanics of authoritarian rule. Gilroy discusses how Andor portrays the Galactic Empire not as a cartoonish evil but as a bureaucratic system that centralizes authority, normalizes surveillance, and absorbs previou...
This week, guest host Zach Weissmueller is joined by Keonne Rodriguez, the founder of Samourai Wallet, a noncustodial bitcoin privacy tool. Rodriguez is currently facing a five-year federal prison sentence for conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business, while Samourai's former chief technology officer, William Hill, faces four years. The conversation was recorded just 48 hours before Rodriguez was scheduled to report to prison. Rodriguez explains why he created Samourai Wall...
This week, guest host Zach Weissmueller is joined by Katherine Dee , a writer chronicling the subcultures of the internet at her Substack default.blog and in columns for The Spectator , Tablet , GQ , UnHerd , and various other publications. Dee also hosts a weekly call-in show that's an homage to the late-night AM radio show Coast to Coast . Dee talks about the internet as a mystical "other place": fairyland or the astral plane, somewhere you journey and play by different rules, interact with un...
Today's guest is Sarah McLaughlin , a senior scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) and author of Authoritarians in the Academy: How the Internationalization of Higher Education and Borderless Censorship Threaten Free Speech . She explains how governments in places like China and the United Arab Emirates restrict academic freedom and expression not just in their own countries but also at colleges and universities in America by exploiting speech codes and threatenin...
