The Reason Roundtable

How over is the political War on Marijuana, as distinguished from the actually existing laws that continue to prohibit the stuff? This over: Longtime drug warrior Sen. Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.), the Senate minority leader, came out last week in favor of descheduling pot as a controlled substance and removing federal penalties for weed-related activities that are legal within their given states. And he did so in the name of "freedom" and even "federalism." How do you do, fellow libertarians!

The welcome Schumer evolution kicks off the latest editor's roundtable edition of the Reason Podcast, featuring Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch discussing news of the day and week. Also receiving earfuls: the latest Trump/Russia-related histrionics, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's furious tacking to the left in the wake of a progressive challenge, plus Season 2 of Westworld.

Audio production by Ian Keyser.

'Mandingo Tribe' by Trevor Flowers and Iheka-Chama is licensed under CC BY NC ND 4.0

A special all-female edition of the Reason Podcast

You know what's really difficult? Communicating an unpopular message to people who disagree with you. Today's Reason Podcast digs into the nitty gritty of persuading people to think differently about crime and punishment, to talk calmly about gender and genetics, and how to find common ground in a conversation where your interlocutor thinks you're evil and/or insane.

Perhaps not coincidentally, this podcast is also 100 percent women. And it features four—count 'em, four!—ladies. Reason Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward was joined on the stage by Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist, a fellow at the Kinsey Institute, an adviser to Match.com, and the author of several books about gender and the way that our brains work; Lyn Ulbricht, an activist, speaker, and the mother of Ross Ulbricht, who is serving life in prison for his role in running the Silk Road website; and Heidi Bogohsian, the co-host of Law and Disorder, a great radio show and podcast about criminal justice and the executive director of the A.J. Muste Memorial Institute.

Tune in to hear Bogohsian on whether getting arrested repeatedly for activism is a good retirement plan, Fisher suggest some ways to become "an effective human being," and Ulbricht describe the power of presenting as "normal."

The estrogen-packed panel was recorded at Reason's donor weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Mexico's most notorious drug kingpin, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, has been awaiting trial in the United States since his dramatic capture in 2016. Federal prosecutors have filed charges of drug trafficking, murder, money laundering, and kidnapping against Guzmán, who ran the notorious Sinaloa cartel for more than 40 years. El Chapo gained notoriety for his daring prison escapes, and for his controversial 2016 interview with Hollywood star Sean Penn while hiding as a fugitive from the law.

The U.S. and Mexican governments have declared Guzmán's capture a major win in the drug war. Harvard economics professor Jeffrey Miron thinks his story better demonstrates the folly of prohibition.

Produced by Alexis Garcia.

If libertarians are bold, impulsive, quick witted, adventurous, analytical, and willing to ignore social norms, is that because we have especially active dopamine and testosterone systems in our brains?

That’s the hypothesis of the biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, who has developed a pioneering framework for classifying human temperaments. She spoke at the Reason Foundation’s annual donor weekend in West Palm Beach Florida.

Edited by Ian Keyser. Intro by Todd Krainin. 'Sphunx' by Sk'p is licensed under CC BY NC ND 3.0

From Syria to spending, the legislative branch has lost all interest in performing its basic constitutional functions.

While James Comey and the Trump/Russia investigation soak up all the anxiety in Washington, our slow-moving constitutional crisis of Congress abdicating its basic duty continues apace. Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch discuss.

"The movement and struggle to win rights for corporations," says UCLA Law School Professor Adam Winkler, "[is] one of the least well-known, yet most successful civil rights movements in American history."

An important chapter in that history was in 2010, when the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the government to restrict corporations from spending money on political ads right before an election. Many liberal advocacy groups were outraged over the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Last year, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D- N. Mex.) and Martin Heinrich (D- N. Mex.) introduced a constitutional amendment that would overturn the decision.

In his new book titled We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights, Winkler challenges conventional wisdom about Citizens United. He even complicates the narrative about the founding of America.

Interview by Paul Detrick. Edited by Detrick.

Aourourou by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Azalai/Aourourou

Artist: https://www.sessions.blue/

Toothless Slope by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Azalai/Toothless_Slope

Artist: https://www.sessions.blue/

How will Trump and new national security adviser John Bolton respond to a reported chemical attack in a war-ravaged country?

The president said this morning that he would make a decision on responding to the "heinous attack" within the next 24-48 hours, adding that such a "barbaric attack...can't be allowed to happen." As he was making that announcement, the Reason Podcast, featuring Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and me, was wrapping up its Monday episode. In addition to wargaming Syria, assessing new National Security Adviser John Bolton, and wondering what this all does to Trump's favored policy of troop withdrawal, the editorial quartet discussed refugee policy, the president's deployment of National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, our burgeoning trade war with China, and Facebook honcho Mark Zuckerberg's coming perp walk on Capitol Hill.