The Reason Roundtable

By The Reason Roundtable

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 storie... more

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Number 1: Why Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students
This week, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie are joined by Senior Producer Zach Weissmueller to discuss why public schools have lost 1.4 million students since the pandemic even as their budgets have grown. They examine the rise of school choice, microschools, and other alternatives to traditional public education. They discuss why families are increasingly opting out and whether declining enrollment will finally force public schools to rethink how they operate. The panel then discusses Vice President J.D. Vance's proposal to make federal childcare subsidies available to married couples with a stay-at-home parent. They also reflect on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and the ways the government's response permanently changed American life, from the formation of the Transportation Security Administration to warrantless surveillance and the growth of the national security state. Finally, a listener asks whether recent food safety scares can be blamed on cuts to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and how markets could keep food safe with a much smaller regulatory role. 0:00—School choice is winning. 25:12—Federal subsidies for stay-at-home parents 39:15—Listener question on the FDA and food safety 46:59—What has changed most since 9/11? 57:20—Weekly cultural recommendations Upcoming Reason Events The Reason Roundtable's 10th Anniversary—Live in NYC! October 7 Mentioned in the podcast: "We Have Already Passed Peak Public School," by Matt Welch "American Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students Since COVID. Their Budgets Grew by 34% Anyway," by Tosin Akintola "The Rise of Florida's 'Microschools,'" by Zach Weissmueller "Why I Left California for Florida," by Zach Weissmueller "Does School Choice Help Students Learn? All Signs Point To Yes," by Nick Gillespie "The Decade of Decline in Seattle Public Schools," by Sandeep Kaushik "Trump Officials Draft Plan to Pay At-Home Parents, Using Funds for Working Ones," by Coral Davenport "Storks Don't Take Orders From the State," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown "Make America Fertile Again: The Strange Bedfellows of the New Baby Boom Agenda," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown "J.D. Vance and the Politics of Victimhood," by Stephanie Slade "Study: Even Well-Intentioned Regulators Do More Harm Than Good," by J.D. Tuccille The post Why Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students appeared first on Reason Magazine.
September 08, 20261h 9min
Number 2: Trump Wants the FCC To Punish His Enemies
On this special edition of The Reason Roundtable, Senior Editor Robby Soave is joined by Associate Editor Liz Wolfe, reporter Reem Ibrahim, and Senior Producer Zach Weissmueller to discuss President Donald Trump's latest threat to use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Meet the Press host Kristen Welker. They debate Trump's willingness to use government power against speech he dislikes, whether the FCC has become obsolete in the age of digital media, and what the president's attacks on the press say about the Republican Party's commitment to free speech. The panel also discusses Trump's escalating war with Iran, Meta's $17 billion settlement over alleged harms to children and whether parents or the government should be responsible for limiting kids' social media use, and the deportation of Milo Yiannopoulos amid his feud with Laura Loomer. 0:00—Trump wants the FCC to punish Welker 13:58—U.S. and Iran trade strikes in the Strait of Hormuz 23:56—Meta settles lawsuit for $17 billion 45:15—Yiannopoulos gets deported 52:08—Weekly cultural recommendations Upcoming Reason Events The Reason Roundtable's 10th Anniversary—Live in NYC! October 7 Mentioned in the podcast: "Trump Declared NBC's Kristen Welker Will Be 'Reported To the FCC For Rebuke or Punishment'," by Liz Wolfe "A Liberal Think Tank and an Air Force Major Are Trump's Latest Targets for Speech Policing," by Joe Lancaster "What Craigslist and Backpage Can Tell Us About the Meta Settlement," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown "Haidt's Moment," by Liz Wolfe "9/11 Turbocharged America's Worst Foreign Policy Impulses—but Didn't Change Its Direction," by Emma Ashford "Milo Yiannopoulos Wanted Millions Deported. He Didn't Mean Himself," by Billy Binion The post Trump Wants the FCC To Punish His Enemies appeared first on Reason Magazine.
August 31, 20261h 1min
Number 3: How Did America Get $40 Trillion in Debt?
This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie are joined by Reason Senior Editor Robby Soave to discuss the national debt hitting $40 trillion and whether decades of fiscal irresponsibility are finally beginning to have consequences. They examine how the debt doubled in less than a decade, why federal spending continues to outpace revenue, and whether turmoil in the bond market could force politicians to take deficits seriously. They also consider why both parties abandoned the fiscal restraint that helped produce balanced budgets in the 1990s and what it would take to reverse course. The editors also discuss President Donald Trump's escalating trade war with Canada and his administration's refusal to return tariff revenue collected illegally, the growing bipartisan backlash against AI data centers, and whether economic growth can realistically help America escape its debt problem. They examine the government's case against Meta and the latest effort to blame social media for harms to children, then turn to calls for restrictions on journalists following the death of Cambridge professor Jason Arday. Finally, a listener asks whether AI could shrink the federal workforce and dramatically reduce the cost of government. 0:00—National debt hits $40 trillion 15:26—Canadian trade war intensifies 26:37—Backlash to data centers 41:52—Listener question on AI and the federal workforce 53:27—Jason Arday and speech regulations 1:03:08—Weekly cultural recommendations Upcoming Reason Events The Reason Roundtable's 10th Anniversary—Live in NYC! October 7 Mentioned in the podcast: "$40 Trillion and Parents' Night Out," by Liz Wolfe "Why We Need To Shrink the National Debt, and Fast!" by Nick Gillespie Nick Gillespie on X: "For those of us concerned about national debt, here is federal spending and revenue expressed as pct. of GDP and per capita in 2017 dollars. We are spending too much, not taxing too little." "How many civilian jobs are in the US federal government?" by USA Facts "Trump Imposes Harmful and Illegal Section 338 Tariffs Against Many Canadian Imports," by Ilya Somin "Bad Reasons and Worse Reasons to Hate Data Centers," by Robby Soave "Data Centers Are Doing Your Dirty Work for You," by Christian Britschgi "Sen. Ed Markey doesn't know what AI he is using," by Taylor Lorenz "Censors Seize on Jason Arday's Death as Excuse To Demand More Censorship," by Reem Ibrahim "Tony Is an Anthony Bourdain Origin Story," by Peter Suderman "Travel Shows Were Boring as Fuck. Then Came Anthony Bourdain," by Todd Krainin The post How Did America Get $40 Trillion in Debt? appeared first on Reason Magazine.
August 24, 20261h 21min
Number 4: Are Socialists Actually Leaving Wokeness Behind?
This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's admission that "Woke 1 was crazy" and whether the Democratic Socialists of America's (DSA) new focus on affordability represents a genuine break from the politics of 2020. They debate whether progressives have actually moved on from the excesses of the pandemic era, whether the DSA's economic agenda is any more workable, and why affordability has become such a potent message on the left. The editors also examine how the cost of living is driving infighting on the right, from the online battle over $20 burritos to the larger splits over tariffs, immigration, and the Iran war. They discuss President Donald Trump's latest attempt to end birthright citizenship and what the Jason Arday plagiarism scandal at Cambridge University says about academia's lingering ideological problems. Finally, a listener asks whether enormous CEO pay packages and widespread layoffs undermine the case for capitalism. 0:00—Ocasio-Cortez says "Woke 1 was crazy" 15:19—Conservatives debate the cost of burritos 28:49—Trump's birthright citizenship order 33:12—Listener question on capitalism 46:08—Arday scandal and resignation 55:54—Weekly cultural recommendations Upcoming events: Nick Gillespie discusses THC, INC., on Tuesday, August 11, in New York City. Tickets are free but must be reserved. Mentioned in the podcast: "The Socialist Surge Revives Failed and Hateful Ideas," by J.D. Tuccille "The 'Affordability' Agenda That Taxes Your Dinner," by C. Jarrett Dieterle "Can You Imagine a Future Where Adults Don't Believe in Socialism?" by Steven Greenhut "Socialist Moment," by Peter Suderman "Abdul El-Sayed Says He's Not a Socialist. His Policy Agenda Says Otherwise," by Robby Soave "Socialists Are Trying To Take Hold of the Democratic Party—and They're Winning," by Zach Weissmueller "The GOP Is Warning About Socialism While Quietly Embracing It," by Veronique de Rugy "Francesca Hong's Hateful Holidays, Burrito Prices, and Woke 1.0," by Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi "A Burrito Costs How Much?" by Eric Boehm "A Viral Tweet Set Off a Discourse on $20 Burritos. Here's the Truth About Inflation," by Reem Ibrahim "Trump's New Birthright Citizenship Executive Orders Are Mostly Theater," by Billy Binion "Trump Issues Another Unconstitutional Executive Order Targeting Birthright Citizenship," by Ilya Somin "The Trump Administration Promises the 'Largest Denaturalization Effort Ever,'" by Billy Binion "Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business," by Milton Friedman, John Mackey, and T.J. Rodgers "Milton Friedman Accused of Making Corporations Greedy," by Brian Doherty "Phil Magness: Holding Leftists and Libertarians Accountable," by Nick Gillespie "The 1619 Project Unrepentantly Pushes Junk History," by Phillip W. Magness "What The New York Times' 1619 Project Gets Wrong About Capitalism: Phillip Magness," by Nick Gillespie "One Night Only Is a Rare Rom-Com About Regulation," by Peter Suderman The post Are Socialists Actually Leaving Wokeness Behind? appeared first on Reason Magazine.
August 10, 20261h 13min
Number 5: Who Pays for Medicare for All?
This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Matt Welch are joined by reporter Reem Ibrahim to discuss whether America can afford Medicare for All and the broader Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) agenda. They examine the enormous cost of expanding government-run health care, why taxing billionaires wouldn't come close to covering the bill, and what the experiences of the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and other countries reveal about the tradeoffs of universal health care. They also consider whether either major political party is prepared to confront America's growing deficits and looming fiscal crisis. The editors then turn to the DSA's growing influence within the Democratic Party and the pushback from Democrats wary of socialism. They discuss President Donald Trump's efforts to reduce America's military presence abroad, including his decision to pull back from exercises with South Korea, and whether his approach represents a genuine foreign policy retrenchment or simply more erratic decision making. The panel also makes the case for giving children more independence and questions laws that punish parents for letting their kids play outside unsupervised. Finally, a listener asks when, during each panelist's lifetime, the government has been most effective and worked best for the American people. 0:00—Medicare for All and American health care 19:12—The DSA's influence in the Democratic Party 28:58—Trump cancels joint military exercises in South Korea 36:21—Listener question on government effectiveness 46:34—The case for free-range parenting 54:39—Weekly cultural recommendations Upcoming Reason Events The Reason Roundtable's 10th Anniversary—Live in NYC! October 7 Mentioned in the podcast: "The DSA's Agenda Could Cost More Than $200 Trillion—and You'll Be Picking Up the Tab," by Reem Ibrahim "Socialists Claim Public Libraries Are Examples of Their Policies. Don't Believe Them," by J.D. Tuccille "Hong's Swan Song," by Liz Wolfe "It Can Happen Here," by Arnold Kling, David R. Henderson, and Maurice McTigue "Trump's Assault on Judicial Review Undermines a Crucial Safeguard Against Tyranny," by Jacob Sullum "The War on Free-Range Kids Makes The New York Times," by Lenore Skenazy "In Widow's Bay, the Real Monster Is Utilitarianism," by Christian Britschgi The post Who Pays for Medicare for All? appeared first on Reason Magazine.
August 17, 20261h 8min