In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch are joined by The Gist 's Mike Pesca to discuss the Trump administration's escalating campaign against Harvard. The conversation explores how government overreach in education threatens civil liberties and stable institutional governance. They also discuss corruption concerns they have over Donald Trump's memecoin. 0:00—Introduction 2:53—Trump continues to attack Harvard 7:10—Trump is using the ...
May 27, 2025•1 hr 4 min
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch critique President Donald Trump's proposed tax legislation and its fiscal irresponsibility, discuss the national deficit and credit rating downgrade, examine the media and political cover-up of former President Joe Biden's cognitive decline, and highlight the broader consequences of institutional failure and partisan denial. 0:00—"Big beautiful bill" breakdown 2:21—The MAGA (Money Account for Growth and Ad...
May 19, 2025•1 hr 17 min
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch critique the apparent wind down of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, highlighting its lack of transparency and failure to achieve meaningful spending cuts. They also analyze the GOP's new tax plan, which contradicts promises of fiscal responsibility by significantly increasing the deficit. Finally, the hosts defend classical liberalism against critics like C. Bradley Thomps...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 2 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch are joined by Reason reporter Christian Britschgi to discuss President Donald Trump's proposal for a 100 percent tariff on foreign-made films and his broader attacks on cheap consumer goods, arguing that it represents a bipartisan slide into anti-consumer, anti-capitalist populism. They also criticize the federal government's creeping surveillance and bureaucratic overreach, especially when it c...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 4 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss how many current political frustrations— with tariffs, executive overreach, and economic stagnation—are vindicating longstanding libertarian critiques, even as the public resists identifying as libertarian. They also explore Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" agenda. 1:34—Libertarians were right 10:06—The best case for libertarianism in the Trump era 16...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 10 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss how President Donald Trump is de-prioritizing due process by not adhering to a ruling from the Supreme Court. They also talk about how Harvard University's tax status could be in jeopardy and reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis. 0:00—Introduction 0:12—The Pope's legacy 5:56—Is the democracy emergency here? 15:27—Deportations without due process 29:19—Harvard funding pa...
Apr 21, 2025•1 hr 6 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Nick Gillespie , Matt Welch , and special guest Mary Katharine Ham discuss President Donald Trump's trade war with China. They also talk about the taxes they hate the most—just in time to celebrate Tax Day. 4:30—Trump's trade war with China 15:36—How will Trump's tariffs affect the U.S. manufacturing industry? 23:06—Is the U.S. middle class hollowed out? 34:52—Tax Day is upon us, once again 43:31—Listener question about Thomas Jeffe...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 13 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss the economic and political fallout from President Donald Trump's new tariffs. They debate the role Congress, the courts, and billionaire influencers like Elon Musk could play in reversing these policies. 2:00—What goods could be most affected by Trump's tariffs? 8:10—Can Congress stop Trump's tariffs? 18:00—Can the courts challenge Trump's tariffs? 22:00—Will Musk stop T...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 9 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch recorded a live episode in Austin, Texas, at Reason Weekend and covered a wide range of topics: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tariffs, deportations without due process, and President Donald Trump on free speech. 02:18—What does the audience think about Trump? 04:28—A DOGE dance party? 15:56—Trump announces new tariffs 22:11—Deportations without due process 29:2...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 7 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie welcome a very special guest, Andrew Sullivan, to discuss President Donald Trump's defiance of court orders on deportations, his antagonism toward Canada, and the COVID-19-era lies told by Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 11:55—Trump deportations ignore due process and defy court order 38:19—Canada as the 51st state? 50:38—Weekly li...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 21 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch explain why eliminating the Department of Education entirely is long overdue. 02:52—Trump administration cuts to the Department of Education 25:55—Mahmoud Khalil detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement 37:13—Weekly listener question 45:22—Lightning round: Congress passes a continuing resolution budget deal 53:41—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podc...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 8 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss the frantic uncertainty in the economy due to President Donald Trump's various tariff policies and trade war antics. 03:22—Trump's tariff uncertainty 26:15—Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) check-in 38:35—Weekly listener question 49:01—Five years since COVID-19 56:12—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: " Trump's Trade War With America...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 11 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch react to last week's dramatic exchange in the White House over the war in Ukraine between President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 04:08—Trump and Zelenskyy clash in the Oval Office 27:30—House Republicans agree to increase federal budget deficit 40:32—Weekly listener question 47:18—Lightning round: National Security Agency ...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 5 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss democratic messaging and policy in the age of Trump, before turning to President Donald Trump's shifting stance on the war in Ukraine and its implications for global politics. 02:11—Democrats losing the plot on messaging and policy 20:28—Trump and Ukraine 41:39—Weekly listener question 43:43—Lightning round: Argentine President Javier Milei's memecoin, Department of Gove...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 5 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie welcome special guest Justin Amash to weigh in on President Donald Trump vs. the rule of law, Congress' inability to budget, and Vice President J.D. Vance's big trip to Europe. 04:04 - Trump quotes Napoleon 19:36 - DOGE wants to cut, Congress still wants to spend big 29:05 - Defunding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 38:37 - Weekly listener question 47:21 - Vance goes to Europe 56:58...
Feb 18, 2025•1 hr 10 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and special guest Christian Britschgi assess the first steps taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government spending and slash federal agencies. 01:52—DOGE vs. the Deep State 39:50—Weekly listener question 46:50—Lightning round: Gaza takeover, RFK Jr. confirmation, President Donald Trump sues CBS 55:28—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: " Wil...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 2 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and special guest Eric Boehm lament the beginning of what could become a terrible trade war between the United States and its three largest trading partners—Canada, Mexico, and China. 01:51—President Donald Trump signs orders imposing tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China 24:18—The Trump administration attempts to freeze federal aid and offers federal workers buyouts 43:20—Weekly listener ques...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 10 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie attempt to describe the ongoing cultural shifts occurring in the wake of President Donald Trump's re-election. 01:53—Donald Trump and cultural "vibe shift" 30:40—Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) 41:00—Weekly listener question 45:50—Trump outrage lightning round 53:55—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: " Trump Barely Won th...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 6 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Peter Suderman , Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie react to the second inauguration of President Donald Trump. The gang parses some of his contradictory ideas before touching on the saga of banning TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media application, in the United States. 01:46 - Donald Trump's second inauguration 14:20 - Trump's Day 1 executive actions 28:34 - Joe Biden's farewell address 42:25 - Weekly listener question 48:04 -...
Jan 21, 2025•1 hr 7 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman reflect on the failed policy decisions that have exacerbated the L.A. wildfire crisis, as well as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement that the company is ditching third-party fact checking on Facebook. 01:54—L.A. wildfires and failed policy 28:06—Weekly listener question 37:36—Zuckerberg announces the company nixes third-party fact checking 47:06—This week's cultural recomme...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 1 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman chime in on the ongoing online debate over a federal visa program for high-skilled workers and look back at the legacy of former President Jimmy Carter. 04:04—H-1B visa debate 21:07—Biden blocks sale of U.S. Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel 30:49—Weekly listener question 41:13—Former President Jimmy Carter dead at 100 57:59—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this pod...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 10 min
In the last episode of The Reason Roundtable in 2024, editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman select undercovered stories from the past year across three categories: politics, global affairs, and private industry. Au revoir , 2024! 00:14—Undercovered stories in politics 18:07—Undercovered stories in global affairs 33:14—Undercovered stories in private industry/commerce 48:24—2024 under the radar cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: " No, Cal...
Dec 30, 2024•58 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Peter Suderman welcome special guest Tim Carney to the show. The panelists discuss Joe Biden's commutations of 37 out of 40 federal death row sentences, before unpacking the latest on the traditional end-of-year struggle in Congress to pass a spending deal. 00:39 - Joe Biden commutes federal death row sentences 06:41 - Congress scrambles to pass spending deal 29:32 - Weekly listener question 36:12 - Will Trump...
Dec 23, 2024•59 min
For the very first Reason Versus debate this week, Reason was joined by The Bulwark for a lively, thought-provoking discussion. The resolution: "You Don't Have To Pick a Side in Politics." Reason' s Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch argued for the affirmative, while The Bulwark 's Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell argued for the negative. The debate was moderated by Reason 's Peter Suderman. Whether you've made up your mind about the necessity of choosing sides or are questioning the whole premise, this...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 26 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie welcome special guest Jacob Sullum to discuss President Joe Biden's latest batch of pardons and clemency grants, as well as President-elect Donald Trump's plans to pardon January 6 Capitol rioters. 01:01—Biden's clemency grants and pardons 14:13—Trump intends to pardon January 6 rioters 37:57—Weekly listener question 50:36—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: " Biden I...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman assess the situation in Syria after Bashar al-Assad flees the country and dig into the health care policy debate in the wake of the recent assassination of United Healthcare's CEO, Brian Thompson. 02:58 - Bashsar al-Assad ousted in Syria 15:36 - Murdered United Healthcare CEO's death stirs debate 34:42 - Weekly listener question 48:56 - This week's cultural recommendations Menti...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In this special live episode of The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman will respond to your burning questions. Tune in at 1 p.m. (EST) on December 4 on YouTube , X, or wherever you watch your podcasts. Watch the episode live here: https://youtube.com/live/JOrlrWLmttc . It's that time of year again, dear listener, when we ask you to open your wallets and make a tax-deductible donation to Reason 's annual webathon! Go to reason.com/dona...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman react to President Joe Biden's blanket pardon of his son Hunter Biden and President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Kash Patel for the role of FBI Director. 04:47—President Joe Biden pardons Hunter Biden 23:14—Kash Patel nominated to lead the FBI 38:13—Weekly listener question 47:33—This week's cultural recommendations Mentioned in this podcast: " Joe Pardons Hunter ," by Rob...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman chime in on the latest developments in Donald Trump's cabinet appointments and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 00:28 - Fred Smith tribute 04:58 - Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) takes shape 18:58 - Trump's FCC pick and free speech 31:38 - Weekly listener question 38:54 - Tulsi Gabbard vs. the Deep State 49:31 - This week's cultural recommendations Ment...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 5 min
In this week's The Reason Roundtable , editors Matt Welch , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Peter Suderman assess the current shape of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks and policy priorities. 00:27 - New Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) 14:48 - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz nominated for Trump cabinet positions 31:37 - Weekly listener question 41:46 - Trump's foreign policy cabinet picks 48:22 - This week's cultural recommendatio...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr
