Freed Up

In this episode of Freed Up, Robby Soave and Jason Russell discuss New York City's election of young radical socialists and what it reveals about the left's growing internal divide. They also react to World Cup visitors embracing American culture.

Later, Robby reflects on his recent trip to Ukraine, sharing observations from the war-torn country and what he learned on the ground. The conversation closes with a pop culture discussion about why PLUR1BUS is worth watching and the return of House of the Dragon.

0:00—NYC elected young radical socialists.

10:02—Robby's 1,007th Bane impression

11:10—The left fights with the left

14:05—The World Cup loves America!

19:23—Robby's trip to Ukraine

45:33—PLUR1BUS is a great show.

51:55—House of the Dragon is back!

The post Mamdani's Socialists Conquer New York City appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi start this episode of Freed Up with how Democrats plan to stand by Graham Platner in Maine no matter what. The conversation then moves from politics and mail-in ballots to cultural complaints, consciousness, internet horror, and generational grumbling. It then turns to movies and franchises, including Sorcerer, Star Wars, and the new Wuthering Heights. Later, they discuss Mormons vs. the Department of War and the inequalities we all face.

0:00—Democrats don't care that Graham Platner may be a bad person

12:30—Mailing ballots to everyone is a dumb idea

18:07—Why do people talk like that?

21:42—Can we define consciousness?

23:26— Backrooms was great

27:20—Kids these days

31:38—The Sorcerer

33:54—They ruined Star Wars

41:15—The Department of War starts a war with the Mormons

50:15—The inequality of religious rights

58:57—The new Wuthering Heights movie is not good

1:06:30—Robby is going to Ukraine!

The post Graham Platner Wins, Backrooms, and Church and State appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi kick off this week's episode of Freed Up with a look at California's socialist elections and Los Angeles' worsening homelessness problem. Then, they discuss why socialism keeps failing, Sen. Ted Cruz's (R–Texas) claim that he is "quite libertarian," and the U.K.'s decision to ban Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur.

Later, they break down Graham Platner's growing list of scandals, debate whether Dracula is really a romance story, and consider when science and religion come into conflict. Finally, they talk about Robby's struggles as a light sleeper, revisit the moment COVID-19 experts betrayed the public's trust, examine how annual homelessness counts are calculated, and close with Robby's memory of former President Barack Obama speaking at his university commencement.

0:00—The socialist elections in California

4:50—The Los Angeles homeless problem and Spencer Pratt

11:22—Socialism is bad.

19:48—Cruz claims he is "quite libertarian."

22:49—Piker and Uygur banned from the U.K.

31:12—Platner has had enough scandals.

38:27—Dracula is a romance story.

41:33—When are science and religion in conflict?

50:03—Robby is a light sleeper.

58:13—This was the moment the COVID-19 experts betrayed us.

1:12:30—How they come up with the annual homelessness numbers

1:24:55—Obama was the speaker at Robby's university commencement.

The post California Elections, Graham Platner, Recalling COVID Insanity appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the brewing Texas showdown between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Then, they break down Rep. Nancy Mace's (R–S.C.) proposal to give boomers a property tax break and Pope Leo XIV's latest encyclical on artificial intelligence. Finally, they wrap up with some lighter debates over The Legend of Zelda, Nicolas Cage movies, retro-futurism, Jill Biden's latest remarks, and whether President Donald Trump's political influence will ever fade.

0:00—Heretics and hypocrites in Texas

14:30—Talarico takes back his former wokeness

19:10—If you can't take it, don't dish it

32:25—Coal mines are cool?

34:00—Mace's boomer luxury communism

39:20—The pope's views on AI

47:40—Why does anyone play video games?

58:59—Nicolas Cage is a good actor

1:05:57—Retro-futurism

1:10:26—Jill Biden's latest remarks

1:18:36—Will Trump's influence ever fade?

The post James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton, the Pope on AI, and Caves appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Republican Rep. Thomas Massie's primary defeat in Kentucky and how his refusal to be a Trump yes-man cost him his seat in Congress. Then, they break down why Jeff Bezos is going viral after floating a proposal to eliminate income taxes for the bottom 50 percent of earners. Finally, they dissect Christian's reporting trip to California for his feature article, "Samurai vs. Squatters: On the Street With the Hired Swords Reclaiming California Property Owners' Stolen Homes."

0:00—Tough loss for Massie

18:25—Bezos made some claims about taxes.

28:40—"Teen takeovers" in Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.

37:06—The anti-data center people are giving Robby an aneurysm.

50:37—"Samurai vs. Squatters"

1:00:38—The Boys' new season is bad.

1:11:00—Euphoria is the hot people show.

1:17:18—Robby loves complicated board games.

The post Thomas Massie Falls, 'Samurai vs. Squatters,' Jeff Bezos appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi dive right in to the latest news: A CIA whistleblower is alleging that his agency revised its assessment of COVID-19's origins under pressure from…Anthony Fauci! Next up, the boys discuss the spread of hantavirus and whether it's OK to quarantine the cruise ship passengers. Then, they talk about a dubious accusation against Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.). Finally, they wrap up by going over their favorite Frances McDormand movies.

0:31—CIA whistleblower exposes Fauci

15:11 —Quarantining hantavirus victims?

23:29—AI data centers debate

38:39—Miso soup and Dracula

48:36—Was Troy good?

55:43—iPads for prisoners?

1:00:26—Thomas Massie smeared

1:07:09—True crime lies

The post CIA Whistleblower Reveals COVID Lab Leak Cover-Up appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi cover a wide range of topics, opening with a critique of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortes' claims about billionaires and wage theft. Then they dig into a philosophical debate over what it means to be American—heritage vs. creedal identity—then turn to a discrimination lawsuit against The New York Times. On the lighter side, the duo reacts to a new trailer for an Odyssey film adaptation and ranks Christopher Nolan's movies. They also weigh in on a bizarre story involving Donald Trump and the National Mall reflecting pool, discuss Jeffrey Epstein's reported suicide note, and close out talking about the Roman Empire.

0:00—AOC bashing billionaires again

11:09—The hantavirus cruise needs to go.

16:18—Heritage Americans vs. creedal Americans

27:51—Discrimination suit against The New York Times

41:17—A new Odyssey trailer is out.

50:40—Ranking Christopher Nolan movies

1:01:23—Donald Trump drove through the reflecting pool?

1:09:24—Epstein's suicide note

1:19:45—Always thinking about the Roman Empire

The post AOC Hates Billionaires, Heritage Americans, and Ranking Christopher Nolan Movies appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi break down how extreme the COVID cover-up has been. They also discuss how Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) is gung-ho on prosecuting Anthony Fauci even though he has a full pardon from the Biden administration. Then they talk about their favorite revolutions and maybe even some of their favorite monarchies. Finally, they talk about Mr. Beast, The Matrix, and how complicated intellectual property and patents are.

0:00—Will Congress try to test the power of Anthony Fauci's pardon?

8:27—James Comey has been arrested for the silliest reason.

10:40—Celebrating the American revolution and some other revolutions

19:39—The White House Correspondents' Dinner chaos

32:58—Christian visits James Garfields' grave.

39:04—Robby and Christian are pro-science, but not pro-scientists.

43:39—Mr. Beast's Red Button vs. Blue Button test

51:05—Pro-libertarian takes on pirates?

54:28—The Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean sequels

1:04:11—It's too easy to get a patent

The post Prosecuting Fauci, Pirate Economy, and Mr. Beast's Red Button Blues appeared first on Reason Magazine.

On this episode of Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi unpack a wild slate of stories: the Department of Justice's (DOJ) explosive allegations that the Southern Poverty Law Center funneled money to extremist groups, Hasan Piker's comments seeming to endorse violence on a recent New York Times show, and how One Battle After Another skewers leftists. They also end on a high note with some encouraging news on marijuana rescheduling.

0:00—The DOJ comes for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

19:45—Gerrymandering gave us the lobster congressional district in Virginia.

29:14—Democrats are betting on themselves on Kalshi?

38:49—Hasan Piker endorses violence and stealing.

46:36—One Battle After Another makes fun of leftist activists.

55:09—White House Correspondents' Association dinner parties

1:02:30—The Reason workplace is unique.

1:06:15—Trump is good on psychedelics and marijuana.

The post Chaos with the SPLC, Hasan Piker Endorses Violence, and Predictions Markets Run Amok appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the allegations against former congressman Eric Swalwell and how that will affect the gubernatorial race in California. Then they jump to talking about President Donald Trump's feud with the pope and the "shadow fleet" in Iran. Finally, they end by defending Waymo and autonomous vehicles and complaining about filing their taxes.

0:00—All things Eric Swalwell

13:21—Katie Porter's role in Swalwell's downfall

16:14—Former Lt. Gov. of Virginia Justin Fairfax

23:01—Is it easier to sift through sexual assault allegations now with the internet?

27:09—Police in TV shows are "the biggest morons."

31:03—The pope is feuding with Trump.

40:54—Christian explains the "shadow fleet" in Iran.

43:38—Robby finally finished his fantasy novel.

51:34—Richard Hanania's essay about AI writing

1:08:34—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) is so bad on economics and AI.

1:16:34—D.C. mayor brought back the teen curfew

1:21:04—Robby and Christian did not fight as children.

1:29:10—Doing taxes drives Robby and Christian crazy.

The post Eric Swalwell, Pope Fight, Tax Day Woes appeared first on Reason Magazine.