Freed Up

This week on Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi conduct a postmortem on the 2026 midterm elections and react to how various members of the GOP have responded to the blowout, Vice President J.D. Vance in particular. Next, the boys consider whether these results suggest a vibe shift (Woke 2.0?) before pivoting to cultural commentary, with Christian offering a full-throated recommendation for The Death of Stalin (2017).

If you enjoy Freed Up, come watch Robby debate at our upcoming Reason Versus in Washington, D.C. Tickets are available here.

0:00—2026 midterms postmortem

10:05—Vance blames the Iran war for the Republican wipeout.

15:36—Robby's fantasy novel

19:44—Where do Democrats go from here?

26:37—Electoral demographics

31:28—Ballot initiatives

37:15—Our system is not working for young people.

41:08—They/them pronouns and Woke 2.0

46:26—Kalshi vs. Nate Silver

49:30—The Three Musketeers

51:53—Christian loves The Death of Stalin (2017).

1:04:51—Robby is going to Taiwan and Japan.

1:06:20—Fan fiction

The post Midterms Massacre, Woke 2.0, Fan Fiction appeared first on Reason Magazine.

On this week's episode of Freed Up, Robby "Lestat" Soave and Christian "Lizard" Britschgi sport their Halloween costumes while reviewing Nathan Fielder's buzzy new documentary, You Can See Everything. During their discussion, they analyze the psyche of Elizabeth Holmes as well as the differences between documentaries and biographical dramas, and Christian gets an opportunity to defend his written critique of the film. Next, the boys shift gears and unpack reports that Mary Peltola's Senate campaign in Alaska helped recruit a second "Dan Sullivan" to confuse voters who meant to support the incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R–Alaska).

0:00—Halloween costumes

4:58—Robby and Christian review You Can See Everything

9:05—The ethical dilemmas in You Can See Everything

16:00—Elizabeth Holmes is still a liar

30:00—The Dropout vs. You Can See Everything

42:24—Mary Peltola's dirty tactics come to light.

54:06—Freed Up live for the 2026 midterm elections

If you enjoy Freed Up, come watch Robby debate at our upcoming Reason Versus event in Washington, D.C. Tickets are available here.

The post You Can See Everything, Halloween Costumes, Mary Peltola appeared first on Reason Magazine.

On this week's episode of Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi condemn Vivek Ramaswamy's new attack ad against opponent Amy Acton before discussing their predictions for the 2026 midterm elections. Next, the boys get biblical with references to their favorite parables as they discuss Tyler Cowen's latest article on why he thinks Elizabeth Holmes—and most other non-violent female criminals—should not be in prison. The episode wraps with a thoughtful discussion on aging, state attorneys general, and the latest Meta settlement.

00:00—Vivek Ramaswamy ad controversy

20:00—2026 midterm elections

25:50—Should Elizabeth Holmes be in prison?

49:20—Getting older

58:55—An update on Rep. Ilhan Omar

1:03:10—The importance of grain

1:06:14—Robby and Christian extol author Michael Crichton

1:11:30—The war in Ukraine should end.

1:14:50—Meta settled with the state of New Mexico

1:20:00— Christian continues his crusade against state attorneys general.

If you enjoy Freed Up, come watch Robby debate at our upcoming Reason Versus in D.C. Tickets are available here. 

The post Vivek Ramaswamy, Elizabeth Holmes, and Jesus appeared first on Reason Magazine.

This week, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the federal government's raid of Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington, D.C., residence and question the temporary pause of U.S. intelligence support to Ukraine. Next, the boys exchange mishaps—Robby lost his phone, and Christian had a bad experience at a local restaurant—before decrying the Pentagon's idea to livestream the execution of the Fort Hood shooter. Next, Christian gives a rave review for the new movie Primetime, and Robby shares a positive reaction to Greta Gerwig's first trailer for The Magician's Nephew. Finally, they wrap with some cultural commentary, striving to answer the age-old question of whether or not women dress like "whores" at the gym.

0:00—The politicized raid on Omar

12:40—U.S.-Ukraine dynamics

26:55—Do not lose your phone.

39:10—Christian might leave a two-star restaurant review.

46:00—Livestreaming the Fort Hood shooter's execution was a grotesque idea.

53:20—Christian wholeheartedly recommends Primetime.

1:02:40—Robby enjoyed the trailer for The Magician's Nephew. 

1:10:10—Shane Gillis' Saturday Night Live monologue

The post Ilhan Omar vs. DHS, Russia vs. Ukraine, Shane Gillis vs. Women appeared first on Reason Magazine.

This week on Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi tackle the possibility of another global pandemic—this time from Russia—as well as debates over whether or not superintelligence is sentient. They then turn to Tucker Carlson's growing historical illiteracy and wrap with the simple pleasures of autumn.

0:00—Russian plague

12:21—Debates over sentience in superintelligence

25:15—Glenn Greenwald's comments on anonymity in the Cornell 7 lawsuit

34:43—Christian wants to abolish state AGs.

40:15—Meryl Streep as Aslan in Greta Gerwig's Narnia reboot

50:00—Corrupt Kimberly Guilfoyle

55:55—Tucker Carlson's interview with Jacob Rees-Mogg

1:09:45—2026 Senate race

1:16:28—The season of autumn

The post Russian Plague, Superintelligence, and Tucker Carlson appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave interviews Frances Haugen five years after she disclosed the Facebook Papers, just as her story is about to be dramatized in Aaron Sorkin's upcoming film The Social Reckoning.

Haugen argues that the problem with social media isn't simply bad content, but platform design choices that reward virality, compulsive engagement, and algorithmic recommendations, and she claims that design-based fixes can often reduce harm without requiring censorship. She also discusses her concerns about children's safety, foreign influence operations, political misinformation, and Facebook's role in recommending extreme content; at the same time, she pushes back on sweeping bans on social media for minors. Soave presses her on free speech, parental responsibility, Section 230, and whether platforms should really be responsible for preventing users from organizing around false or extreme beliefs.

The conversation ends with Haugen reflecting on The Social Reckoning and arguing for greater transparency into how platforms rank and recommend content so users and the public can better understand the systems shaping their online lives.

The post Whistleblower Frances Haugen Trashes Facebook's Flawed Fact-Checkers appeared first on Reason Magazine.

This week on Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi unpack the Cornell rape case before talking about their experience at the Data After Dark party. They also talk about Reason's upcoming documentary Escaping Venezuela before discussing how unserious Congress is. Later, the crew digs into the wild story of a co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack a plane. They also cover the botched execution attempt in Tennessee. They wrap things up with a discussion of the documentaries Mr. Death and Tabloid.

0:00—The bizarreness of the Cornell rape case

26:40—Data After Dark party

37:19—Escaping Venezuela first look

43:15—Humor in novels and TV

46:00—Sen. Eric Schmitt's (R–Mo.) gaffe during the Jack Smith hearing

52:12—Christian is reading Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution

58:14—Attempted hijacking on Flydubai

1:03:08—Tennessee's botched execution

1:10:20—The documentaries Mr. Death and Tabloid

The post Cornell Lawsuit, Data After Dark, Botched Execution appeared first on Reason Magazine.

This week on Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi break down former Rep. Mary Peltola's (D–Alaska) latest scandal, the bizarre COVID-conscious lesbian bar story, and the week's biggest culture war debates—from libertarianism and race-conscious admissions to school choice, cult classic movies, and America's prison system.

0:00—Would you feed your boss's chameleon?

11:51—The viral COVID-conscious lesbian bar

20:05—The death of libertarianism?

31:36—Anti-white racism in medical school admissions

35:12—Nikole Hannah-Jones missed the whole point of school choice

42:40—Does Fight Club stand the test of time?

58:00—The Matrix

1:07:40—The history of U.S. prisons

The post Feeding Chameleons, Lesbian Bars, and Fight Club appeared first on Reason Magazine.

This week on Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi have a lot to say about effective altruists who think we are all doomed. They also make the case for Sydney Sweeney fandom, dig into the Texas football photo that set off fights on the right, and explain why Claire Valdez managed to make them mad too. Later, they react to Hasan Piker's comments on al-Qaeda. Christian closes things out by returning once again to Frasier and The Office.

0:00—We have a lot to say about effective altruism

The post Is Effective Altruism Really a Doom Cult? appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi kick things off with President Donald Trump's way-too-long Republican midterm convention speech before debating whether stay-at-home moms should get paid to stay home. Then, Robby picks a fight with car insurance; the guys ask whether AI is going to kill us all, and they reflect on where they were on September 11, 2001.

They end the show by getting excited about the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and revisit Jennifer Lawrence's character in No Hard Feelings. Finally, they close with a Rapture-themed detour through The Leftovers.

0:00—Trump's speech could have been an email.

11:15—Should moms be paid to stay at home?

25:43—Robby starts beef with car insurance.

33:28—Is AI going to kill us all?

54:32—Where were Robby and Christian on 9/11?

1:08:51—The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake

1:16:55—No Hard Feelings

1:22:18—The Rapture and The Leftovers

The post Trump's Bribe, AI Doom Psyop, and the Rapture appeared first on Reason Magazine.