Freed Up

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi kick off the show by unpacking newly surfaced footage of Alex Pretti's encounters with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis ahead of his fatal shooting last weekend. Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, was killed by Border Patrol officers on January 24 during heightened immigration enforcement operations, sparking intense protests and national debate over federal law enforcement tactics.

They then pivot to a broader civil liberties discussion, highlighting why Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) has been particularly effective on issues of government overreach—especially regarding law enforcement abuses of power.

Finally, on a lighter note, Robby and Christian wrap up the episode with a fun conversation about Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and other standout prestige TV shows—blending pop culture talk with their usual political insights.

00:00—Even more federal abuse of power

02:35—New Alex Pretti footage

14:10—President Donald Trump is backing off in Minnesota?

17:35—Rand Paul is right about Immigration and Customs Enforcement

27:20—The source of outrage

32:20—Kanye West and the nature of conspiracy theories

43:10—Barack Obama's ridiculous energy efficiency standards

55:00—D.C. had literally no plan to get rid of the snow

1:05:32—The height of prestige TV

1:18:42—Robby and Christian's Reason origin stories

The post Alex Pretti, Prestige Television, and How Joe Biden Broke Everything appeared first on Reason Magazine.

The episode opens with Christian Britschgi joking about hiding out in a church from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the government in general, and Don Lemon, before turning into a broader roast of Lemon's interpretation of the First Amendment.

Robby vents about flu vaccine pressure, New Year's gym chaos, and the strange ecosystem of muscle men and gym bros. Then he shares the latest chapter in his ongoing saga of getting his scooter stolen. The mood shifts to some good news as the crew notes that murder rates are way down, followed by a darkly funny debate over whether a firing squad is the ideal way to go.

From there, they dive into the unbelievable world of "looksmaxxing," since Nick Fuentes, Andrew Tate, and assorted internet characters converged in Miami this week. The show wraps up with a surprisingly sincere note on why King Charles II might actually be a great historical hang.

0:00—Christian is hiding in a church from ICE, the government, and Don Lemon?

4:40—Lemon doesn't understand the First Amendment.

15:30—Robby complains about the flu vaccine.

18:15—The New Year gym swarming

26:15—Muscle Man and the larger gym bro universe

35:34—Robby's scooter gets stolen…again.

41:19—Murder rates are way down.

52:11—Robby would choose the firing squad?

55:04—"Looksmaxxers" Nick Fuentes, Clavicular, and Andrew Tate come together in Miami.

1:00:48—No one cares about Greenland.

1:18:16—You'd want to hang out with King Charles II.

The post Don Lemon's Bad Day, Looksmaxxing, and King Charles II appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi break down how the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis have changed over time and what that says about broader political tensions. They then shift to Sen. Rand Paul's (R–Ky.) appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where Paul and Rogan discussed the idea of challenging Anthony Fauci's pardon. To wrap things up, Robby and Christian dive into a lively debate on the Star Wars prequels—finally addressing what many listeners have been waiting to hear.

0:00—The wine moms have become radicalized.

9:13—Joe Rogan is the American swing voter.

12:01—Press secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked Niall Stanage.

15:46—Speaking of Pakistan

24:30—Are people more depressed?

28:43—The Star Wars prequels

45:35—Rand Paul's side quest on Rogan's podcast

1:01:32—Taxing OnlyFans?

1:07:45—Bringing back colorblindness

1:23:23—We love geography bees and Wordle

The post ICE vs. Wine Moms, Rogan on Fauci's Crimes, and the Star Wars Prequels appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are back this week to break down how 2026 has somehow already gone off the rails. They dive into the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting in Minnesota, and make the case that Mad Men is secretly some of the best Randian television. And don't worry—there are plenty of detours along the way, including Robby's elaborate homemade Risk boards and Christian's surprisingly formative stint working in a salmon factory.

0:00—They try to kidnap Christian from Venezuela

3:23—Are we becoming regime change-pilled?

10:33—Not every U.S. intervention is the Iraq war

14:00—Risk is a very flawed game

19:40—Minnesota really is the main character of 2026 so far

39:24—Comrade Zohran Mamdami's appointee Cea Weaver

52:12—We eat an ungodly amount of bread

58:43—Mad Men is Randian

1:07:00—Single-family homes are not owned by corporations

1:20:43—Christian is not a "beltwaytarian"

The post The Media Are Wrong About the ICE Shooting Video appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Nick Shirley's viral video about Minnesota day care fraud, then dig deeper into how Gov. Tim Walz has little respect for American taxpayers. You'll also appreciate that both hosts (yes, they finally agree) are quite excited about the new Dune movie and the next Avengers installment coming in 2026. They finish the episode by talking about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in ceremony and how the GOP is squandering its opportunity to actually pass laws.

0:00—Christian's daycare center

2:57—Fraud, fraud, fraud, and more fraud

24:16—We can say Christmas now

30:11—X-Men, Avengers, Dune, and The Grinch in 2026

44:44—Mask-off moment for Mamdani

57:38—President Donald Trump's Kennedy Center and what the heck is the GOP doing

1:10:28—2025 was a happy year for a lot of people

The post Minnesota Daycare Fraud, Mamdani's Takeover, and the X-Men Movies appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi are back on Freed Up to break down another unhinged week in the news. They start with the FBI and Director Kash Patel's bizarre podcast appearance following the shooting at Brown University, then dig into the war on white men, Bernie Sanders' call to halt the construction of AI data centers, and why pretending to be in the military is a hard "no" for them.

0:00—Kash "Money" Patel

7:02—It's always the FBI

8:35—Which one of us is the most hungover?

15:30—Christian had a dream

19:32—War on white men

28:35—RIP Rob Reiner

40:19—Survivor and Candace Owens

47:18—The "For You" page on X

52:31—Bernie Sanders wants to stop new AI data centers

1:01:10—Stolen valor

1:08:57—The European dynasty

1:20:20—Guan Heng's case

The post White Male Discrimination Is the FBI's AI Data Center appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi bring you another episode of Freed Up where they talk about RFK Jr.'s airport pull ups, prison gangs, welfare fraud, Avatar, and the most based fonts. Tune in every Friday as they unpack the week's most ridiculous news and dust off the cultural references you didn't even know you remembered.

0:00- Airport pull ups?

12:15- Prison gangs and welfare fraud

22:45- The big tech debate

43:25- Avatar, but no noble savages here

1:13:09- Holiday travel?

1:19:44- Crack 4 Kids is back

The post RFK Jr.'s Airport Gym Woke Font Abolition appeared first on Reason Magazine.

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi bring you the debut episode of Freed Up—technically not the first they've recorded, just the first our editors would let us publish. Tune in every Friday as they unpack the week's most ridiculous news and dust off the cultural references you didn't even know you remembered.

0:00—Fraud in Minnesota

13:01—Facebook, social justice warriors, and censorship

21:08—Robby is seduced by nostalgia

28:00—Eddington is the best COVID movie

39:16—Catholicism is on the rise

56:06—Hatred for two-factor authentication

1:06:20—So many First Amendment cases, so many

1:11:50—Artificial intelligence made a Pikachu poem

1:15:38—College students can't write good essays

1:25:13—First strike, second strike, what?

The post Tim Walz Called Out After Rampant Welfare Fraud appeared first on Reason Magazine.