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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This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason senior editor Robby Soave to discuss President Donald Trump's unexpectedly warm White House meeting with New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and why he now describes the socialist's agenda as "practical." They examine what this moment suggests about Trump's shifting political instincts, how it fits with his recent comments on tariffs and the state of the economy, and what the disbanding of the Depa...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm to unpack President Donald Trump's sudden shift on the Jeffrey Epstein files after trying to block the vote, the GOP pressure campaign behind it, and what the episode suggests about his grip on the party. They also examine Trump's mixed signals on tariffs, including his move to roll back duties he imposed in the first place, and whether this moment reinforces the basic economic ...
This week, Reason editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Matt Welch are joined by the editor in chief of The Argument , Jerusalem Demsas, to discuss the end of the government shutdown and what Democrats actually gained from it. They examine the renewed focus on Obamacare subsidies and how both parties are struggling to articulate a coherent health care vision that moves beyond stale talking points. The group then turns to Zohran Mamdani's win in New York and what it reveals about th...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss the upcoming New York City mayoral election and what a Zohran Mamdani victory could mean for both the city and national politics. They weigh the best-case/worst-case scenarios of a leftward turn in New York, asking whether Mamdani represents a lasting anti-AI socialist movement or simply the newest iteration of the Democratic big tent. The editors then turn to the governor's races in Virginia and N...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch are joined by associate editor Liz Wolfe to discuss Argentine President Javier Milei's strong midterm showing and what it suggests about the durability of his libertarian reform agenda. They debate whether the results vindicate Trump's earlier currency-swap bailout, how Milei's spending-cut program is playing out, and what lessons his success may hold for other governments confronting inflation. The editors then turn to Washingt...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch examine Argentina's $20 billion bailout and what it means for President Javier Milei's promise of a libertarian turnaround. They debate whether foreign aid undermines his free market agenda and what the deal suggests about Washington's own commitment to fiscal restraint. The editors also discuss this weekend's "No Kings" protests. They analyze Trump's growing use of executive authority during the ongoing g...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch celebrate the release of over 2,000 hostages, political prisoners, and detainees, while considering whether President Donald Trump's Israel–Gaza deal represents a genuine step toward lasting peace in the Middle East. They discuss whether Trump's foreign policy approach is consistent, examining his recent strikes in Venezuela, and whether his record abroad compares favorably to his chaotic record at home. T...
Reason and the Cato Institute go head-to-head with our friends at the National Review and the Center for Immigration Studies in a thought-provoking debate on one of America's most divisive issues: immigration. Resolution: Mass Immigration Is Good for America Affirmative: Reason's Katherine Mangu-Ward and Cato's Alex Nowrasteh Negative: National Review 's Rich Lowry and Center for Immigration Studies' Steven Camarota Moderator: Peter Suderman Reason Versus is a debate series where Reason journali...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm to discuss Paramount's $150 million acquisition of The Free Press and Bari Weiss' promotion to editor in chief at CBS News. They examine whether this represents a backlash to "woke" media, and debate if the success of outlets on Substack and YouTube shows that journalism may be entering a period of entrepreneurship and renewal rather than decline. The panel then turns to Preside...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch discuss whether the impending government shutdown will actually rein in the federal bureaucracy. They consider whether there is anything to gain from a shutdown, how past shutdowns have played out, and whether the risk of growing executive power outweighs the risk of uncontrolled spending. They also examine the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey and whether it's about retribution or substance, P...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch examine President Donald Trump's claim that overwhelmingly negative coverage of him is "no longer free speech," suggesting that criticism of the president could be treated as illegal. They explore how this rhetoric fits into his broader war on the press, from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pressure that pushed ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel to new speech restrictions floated by senior officials, ...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch confront the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination. They open with reflections about the history of political violence in the U.S. and whether reactions online are amplifying fear rather than clarity. The panel critiques early attempts to pin the blame on social media—highlighting Trump and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's calls for new restrictions—while contrasting them with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis's argume...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch dig into Sen. Josh Hawley's (R–Mo.) speech at the National Conservatism Conference, where he denounced artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies as threats to liberty. They debate why MAGA populists are embracing anti-tech rhetoric, how this mirrors parts of the labor left, and what it means for President Donald Trump's simultaneous push for AI investment and closer ties with Silicon Val...
This week, editors Katherine Mangu-Ward and Matt Welch are joined by Senior Producer Zach Weissmueller and Senior Editor Robby Soave to unpack RFK Jr.'s tumultuous week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from leadership shake-ups and changes to COVID-19 vaccine access to mounting backlash from employees and former agency directors. They examine what this chaos says about the politicization of public health and the risks of concentrating so much authority in a single agency....
This week, editors Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm to break down Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's signals of an upcoming interest rate cut and President Donald Trump's very public pressure campaign on the Fed. They discuss what a rate cut could mean for jobs, inflation, and investment, how tariffs are distorting basic economic signals, and why the Fed's growing politicization should worry anyone who values a functional economy....
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch dig into the Trump administration's increased meddling in the tech sector, from profit-sharing deals to a possible government stake in Intel. They discuss the recent spike in the consumer price index, the president's controversial pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and what the latest data signal for the economy. The conversation then shifts to Washington, D.C., where President Donald Trump has d...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie are joined by special guest Reem Ibrahim , head of media for the Institute of Economic Affairs. They begin with Jim Acosta's AI-generated interview featuring a deceased child urging gun control, using it as a springboard to discuss nationwide declines in violent crime and the political tendency to focus on banning specific tools. The conversation then shifts to the White House's decision to deploy the National Guard to...
This week, editors Peter Suderman and Matt Welch are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm and special guest Emily Jashinsky , host of After Party . They begin with the media's growing fixation on men and masculinity, from a wave of New York Times essays to broader questions about dating, education, and work. What does this coverage reveal about how the media sees men, and about younger male voters drifting from the Democratic Party? The panel then examines President Donald Trump's escalating tar...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Matt Welch are joined by Reason Senior Editor Robby Soave to discuss the $1.5 billion renewal of South Park and why the show remains one of the most important libertarian pop culture creations of the past 30 years. They reflect on its enduring relevance, its crude but effective political metaphors, and its broad appeal across ideological lines. The panel also revisits the Hulk Hogan lawsuit which led to the fall of Gawker and what it...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch examine what, if anything, the Jeffrey Epstein saga reveals about the MAGA movement and its ties to conspiracy culture. They debate whether the scandal could derail President Donald Trump's agenda or simply reinforce the need for more government transparency. The editors also weigh in on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's explosive allegations that former President Barack Obama and his admin...
Join us on July 15 at 6:20 E.T. to hear from Reason 's Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch for a live episode of The Reason Roundtable from New York City. It will be a night of unscripted, uncensored, and unhinged conversation about whatever the hell is happening in America this week—including the bizarre reality that President Donald Trump and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani each represent a kind of populism. What does it mean when a word applies to...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie and Reason reporter Eric Boehm unpack the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, focusing on its tax carve-outs, its special-interest subsidies, and what happens when key provisions expire in 2028. They also examine the potential fallout from Trump's looming trade deadline with the European Union, answer a listener question about the legality of masked federal law enforcement, and discuss the viabi...
This week, Reason editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Matt Welch are joined by Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson to analyze Zohran Mamdani's primary win over Andrew Cuomo in New York City's mayoral race and what it signals about the future of Democratic politics. They also discuss the Senate GOP's version of President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" and how Republican views on gay marriage have shifted since the Obergefell decision in 2015. Finally, a listener quest...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , Nick Gillespie , and Matt Welch examine the latest U.S. military strike on Iran, unpacking the bipartisan pattern of anti-war campaign rhetoric followed by hawkish foreign policy once in office. They debate whether intervention is ever justified, what escalation might look like, and why Congress keeps abdicating its war powers. The hosts also tackle a listener question about public land sales and libertarian principles. Finally, they sur...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Matt Welch are joined by Reason reporter Matthew Petti to break down the fallout from Israel's strike on Iran, the likelihood of escalation, and what role the U.S. is already playing in the conflict. They also cover the Minnesota assassinations and the growing fears of political violence, and offer a firsthand account from one of the nationwide No Kings protests. Finally, they answer a listener's question about libertarian reactions ...
This week, editors Peter Suderman , Katherine Mangu-Ward , and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason reporter Eric Boehm to discuss the political fallout from President Donald Trump's immigration raids and deployment of the National Guard to riots in Los Angeles. They also cover last week's feud between Trump and Elon Musk over the GOP's mega spending bill. Finally, they examine the evolving role of drone warfare, particularly in Ukraine, while expressing concerns about technological militarizatio...
Artificial intelligence is making everything weird, impacting everything from scams and education to entertainment and geopolitics. The panel discusses the fear and excitement surrounding AI's effects on jobs and culture, as well as policy responses in the US and China. The conversation also touches on the Democratic Party's struggles with young men, a controversial NASA appointment, a listener question about the budget deficit and Stephen Miller's claims, and the court battles over Trump's tariffs. Finally, the hosts share their cultural recommendations, including documentaries and music.
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 ...
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...
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...
