The Reason Roundtable

Just Asking Questions is a new Reason podcast hosted by Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe. Each week they bring you long-form conversations diving deep into a single topic for an hour or more, with data, media clips, and guests who can teach, challenge, and have fun. To hear future episodes, subscribe to Just Asking Questions and watch video premieres on Reason's YouTube channel every Thursday.

In this inaugural episode of Just Asking Questions, podcaster Dave Smith joins the show to tackle a fundamental question: "What is a libertarian?"

Smith discusses what has recently transpired in the Libertarian Party; his past and present disagreements with Reason-style libertarians; whether politicians are incompetent, evil, or both; and his greatest libertarian "white pill" for the future.

The post A New Reason Podcast Is Just Asking Questions appeared first on Reason.com.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman consider the ouster of Rep. George Santos (R–N.Y.) from Congress and unpack the debate between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Gov. Gavin Newsom, before examining the legacy of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

01:33 - Rep. George Santos (R–N.Y.) ousted from Congress

12:42 - What matters when donating to Reason

17:19 - Gov. Ron DeSantis vs. Gov. Gavin Newsom debate aftermath

34:19 - Weekly listener question

47:03 - This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"George Santos Arrested, Indicted on 13 Federal Counts, Pleads Not Guilty," by Joe Lancaster

"The Political Lies That Really Matter," by Nick Gillespie and Justin Zuckerman

"How Do We Solve a Problem Like George Santos?" by Matt Welch

"Why Did George Santos Lie About His Past To Get Elected to Congress?" by Scott Shackford

"Ask Reason Magazine's Editors Anything: Webathon 2023!" by Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman

"The DeSantis-Newsom Debate Was Really a Debate About COVID," by Eric Boehm

"Is California Over?" by Nick Gillespie and Regan Taylor

"Florida vs. California," by Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie

"Jeb Bush: Why Florida Is Winning," by Nick Gillespie, Adam Czarnecki, and Justin Zuckerman

"California's Recall Is a Revolt Against Gov. Gavin Newsom's Progressive Agenda," by Zach Weissmueller

"Henry Kissinger's Deadly Career Gives the Lie to the Myth of the Disinterested Statesman," by Christian Britschgi

"In Search of Libertarian Realism," by Matt Welch, Sheldon Richman, William Ruger, Christopher Preble, and Fernando Tesón

"A Tribute To Henry Kissinger," by Howard Landis

"Poor, Misunderstood Kissinger," by Jacob Sullum

"Henry Kissinger Rollins on Statecraft" by Nick Gillespie 

"Reason Can Do More Good With Your Money Than Government Can: Contribute to Our Annual Webathon," by Katherine Mangu-Ward

"How Reason Changes Minds, Lives, and Laws by Covering Criminal Injustice," by Matt Welch

"Give to Reason and Help Create the Next Generation of Libertarians!" by Nick Gillespie

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsors:

Audio production by Ian Keyser

The post Goodbye to George Santos and Henry Kissinger appeared first on Reason.com.

It's that special time of year again when we ask you to open your wallets, dear listener, and make a tax-deductible donation to Reason's annual webathon.

In this special video episode of The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman respond to an array of listener questions. 

More Christians in the liberty movement? Is it a weird time for libertarianism? How to best celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States? Plus, Nick's treasured pen, Katherine's socks, Peter's power of the Mai Tai, and Matt's favorite pizza.

All this and so much more on this week's extra special episode of The Reason Roundtable.

Now go donate, you wonderful swashbuckling bunch of free-thinking freaks!

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve 

Videography by Isaac Reese, Justin Zuckerman, and Adam Czarnecki; edited by Adam Czarnecki.

The post Ask Reason Magazine's Editors Anything: Webathon 2023! appeared first on Reason.com.

In a special bonus Reason Roundtable podcast, Reason's very own Floridians Peter Suderman, Stephanie Slade, Zach Weissmueller, and C.J. Ciaramella discuss stories specific to the Sunshine State culled from the upcoming Florida-themed issue of the magazine. Topics include the origins of the infamous "Florida Man," monkeys with herpes, the colorful history of Key West, and alligator knowledge.

09:30—The Villages, a unique retirement community

21:44—Origins of the "Florida Man" meme

41:00—Key West, the Conch Republic

39:50—The Bushwacker cocktail

44:54—Favorite weird Florida stories

Mentioned in this podcast:

"The Villages Is America's Boomer Boomtown," by Zach Weissmueller

"Monkey Herpes, Face Eating, and the Pork Chop Gang: How Public Records Laws Created the Florida Man," by C.J. Ciaramella

"Long Live the Conch Republic," by Stephanie Slade

"How the Bushwacker Cocktail Migrated to Florida," by Peter Suderman

"Florida vs. California," by Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post A Bonus Reason Roundtable Featuring Four 'Florida Men' of Our Own appeared first on Reason.com.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman compare and contrast Florida and California politics ahead of this week's debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

0:54—Ron DeSantis will debate Gavin Newsom this week.

24:43—Hamas begins releasing hostages.

34:29—Weekly Listener Question

45:35—Elizabeth Warren and a sandwich shop monopoly

50:49—This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Jeb Bush: What He Thinks of Trump, Biden, DeSantis, and 'Florida Man,'" by Nick Gillespie

"Jeb Bush on Why Florida Thrives: 'We Don't Try To Micromanage People's Lives,'" Nick Gillespie

"Jayhawk Down: Economic freedom may be just another word for nothing else to do," by Nick Gillespie

"Infographic: Who's Moved to Florida Since COVID Started?" by Erin Davis

"Is California Over?" by Nick Gillespie and Regan Taylor

"Bridget Phetasy: Why I Left California for Texas," by Nick Gillespie

"Why I Left California for Florida," by Zach Weissmueller

"Ron DeSantis: Good or Bad for Florida?" by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie

"Chef Andrew Gruel on Capitalism, Cuisine, and Calling Gov. Gavin Newsom an Asshole," by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller

"I'm increasingly frustrated by whataboutist libertarian takes on indefensible Hamas terrorism," says Nick Gillespie

"Is Javier Milei a 'Doctrinaire Hayekian' and a Secret Reason Science Project?" by Nick Gillespie

"The World's First Libertarian President," by Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie

"Elizabeth Warren Wants the Government To Investigate America's 'Sandwich Shop Monopoly,'" by Christian Britschgi

"Does Bob Dylan Have a Politics and if Yes, What the Hell Are They?" by Nick Gillespie

"'Bob Dylan Is the Shakespeare of Our Time'—Penn Jillette on the Nobel Prize Winner" by Nick Gillespie and Meredith Bragg

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's Sponsor:

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post Florida vs. California appeared first on Reason.com.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman laud the election of libertarian economist Javier Milei in Argentina and parse the results of the federal case involving the online advertising platform Backpage.

0:31—Javier Milei elected president of Argentina

16:25—Verdicts in the Backpage trial

36:43—Weekly Listener Question

46:44—Sam Altman out at OpenAI

54:48—This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Marcos Falcone: Can a Libertarian Still Win in Argentina?" by Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe

"Is Javier Milei's Movement in Argentina a Cult of Personality in the Name of Liberty?" by Jose Benegas and Antonella Marty

"Photo: Argentina's Libertarian Moment?" by Jason Russell

"Gloria Álvarez and Eduardo Marty: The Potential for a Libertarian President in Argentina," by Zach Weissmueller

"The Argentine Libertarian Dog-Friendly Darling?" by Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie

"Don't Confuse Javier Milei With Jair Bolsonaro," by Daniel Raisbeck

"Backpage: The Monumental Free Speech Case the Media Ignored," by Matt Welch

"Why Kamala Harris Won't Be Asked About the Suicide of a Newspaperman She Persecuted," by Matt Welch

"Backpage Founder, Alt-Weekly Entrepreneur, and Free Speech Warrior James Larkin Has Died," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

"Prosecutors Say Backpage Defendants Shouldn't Be Allowed To Reference the 1st Amendment," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

"5 Years After the Backpage Shutdown, Sex Workers—and Free Speech—Are Still Suffering," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

"The Sex-Ad Law FOSTA Was a Mistake. Some Lawmakers Want to Fix It." by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

"Maggy Krell Repackages Her Bogus Backpage Prosecution Into a Book," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

"The War on Backpage.com Is a War on Sex Workers," by Paul Detrick

"The Senate Accused Them of Selling Kids for Sex. The FBI Raided Their Homes. Backpage.com's Founders Speak for the First Time," by Elizabeth Nolan

"Are Right-Wingers More Prone to Believe Conspiracy Theories than Left-Wingers?"  by Ilya Somin

"RFK Jr.: The Reason Interview," by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller

"Would Anarcho-Capitalism Be a Disaster? A Soho Forum Debate," by Gene Epstein, Bryan Caplan, and Yaron Brook

"I Used ChatGPT To Make Pokémon Versions of Trump, Biden, and RFK Jr.," by Nick Gillespie

"Will AI Destroy Humanity?" by Gene Epstein

"Biden Issues 'A.I. Red Tape Wishlist,'" by Ronald Bailey

"Competition, Not Antitrust, Is Humbling the Tech Giants," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

"Coleman Hughes: The End of Race Politics?" by Nick Gillespie

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's Sponsor:

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post The World's First Libertarian President appeared first on Reason.com.

Last week, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman recorded an episode of The Reason Roundtable in front of a live audience at Reason's brand-new Washington, D.C., office. Topics ranged from Lina Khan's crusade against corporations at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to deciding which foreign policy views of the remaining Republican candidates are the least bad. 

1:15—The administrative state and Lina Khan's anti-corporatism 

17:53—Presidential politics and what Republican candidates think about Israel

33:08—The sequel to Choice: The Best of Reason 

46:54—Pieces of art or whatever that are about Washington, D.C. 

Mentioned in this podcast:

Why We Can't Have Nice Things, hosted by Eric Boehm.

"Is it Time to Trust-Bust Taylor Swift?" by Peter Suderman

"Cypherpunks Write Code," by Jim Epstein

"How Virginia's Hospital Licensing Laws Led to an Infant's Death," by Eric Boehm

"The Paranoid Center," by Jesse Walker

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Video edit by Adam Czarnecki; audio production by Luke Allen; assistant production by John Carter and Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post A Bonus Reason Roundtable. Live From Washington, D.C.! appeared first on Reason.com.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman commend the victories for pot legalization and abortion from last week's elections.

02:56: Election week takeaways

18:41: Sen. Joe Manchin (D–W. Va.) announces he's retiring.

33:33: Weekly Listener Question

38:40: Lightning round on last week's GOP debate

45:20: This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Abortion's Big Night," by Liz Wolfe

"Ohio Becomes the 24th State To Legalize Recreational Marijuana," by Jacob Sullum

"Is Wichita Mayor-Elect Lily Wu a Libertarian?" by Eric Boehm

"Republicans Blow Another Opportunity at the Ballot Box," by J.D. Tuccille

"Exit poll: Most Ohio voters still largely favor legal abortion," by Ariel Edwards-Levy

"In Defense of Roe," by Nick Gillespie

"The U.S. Needs a Fiscal Commission Because Congress Won't Do Its Job," by Veronique de Rugy

"Joe Manchin Isn't the Fiscal Conservative We Need, but He's the Best We've Got," by Veronique de Rugy

"3 Reasons Mitt Romney and Republicans Lost Big in Election 2012," by Nick Gillespie and Meredith Bragg

"Mitt Romney, Like So Many NeverTrumpers, Was Hobbled by His Own Grubby Political Ambitions," by Matt Welch

"Third Party Candidates Shouldn't Get Their Hopes Up," by Andy Craig

"The Real Worry Behind the Unhinged Freakout Over No Labels," by Matt Welch

"Joe Manchin Is Once Again Telling Republicans and Democrats What They Don't Want To Hear," by Eric Boehm

"Exit Poll: Most Voters Think Trump, Biden Should Not Run in 2024," by Eric Boehm

"Are We Really Doing a Trump vs. Biden Rematch?" by Steven Greenhut

"Are Republicans Finally Getting Serious About Social Security?" by Eric Boehm

"The Libertarian Party's Internal Strife Is as Old as the Party Itself," by Brian Doherty

"What is the Ideal Strategy for the Libertarian Party?" by Nicholas Sarwark, Dave Smith, and Gene Epstein

"'A Tyranny of the Minority': Why This College Dropout Wants To Cancel Cancel Culture," by John Stossel

"The Canceling of the American Mind, by FIRE's Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott," by Eugene Volokh

"Why Are College Kids Terrified?" by Nick Gillespie

"Jeff Flake Is a Casualty of Collectivist Conflict," by Matt Welch

Reason's interview with Vivek Ramaswamy, by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's Sponsor:

Audio production by Luke Allen; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post The Two-Party System Abides appeared first on Reason.com.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman assess President Joe Biden's tanking poll numbers and parse the continuation of seething protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

1:04: New polls are bad news for Joe Biden.

15:09: Protests surge against Israel-Hamas war.

36:54: Weekly Listener Question

44:11: An executive order attempts to regulate artificial intelligence tech.

49:37: This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Are We Really Doing a Trump vs. Biden Rematch?" by Steven Greenhut

"Both Biden and Trump Are Bad Candidates," by John Stossel

"Stop Calling Hillary Old," by Nick Gillespie

"Third Party Candidates Shouldn't Get Their Hopes Up," by Andy Craig

"RFK Jr. Dumps Democrats, Libertarian Party Blasts RFK Jr.'s Stance on Israel," by Robby Soave

"The Real Worry Behind the Unhinged Freakout Over No Labels," by Matt Welch

"Joe Biden More Vulnerable in 2024 Primary Than Donald Trump Ever Was in 2020," by Matt Welch

"The Very Strange New Respect for Authoritarian Democrat Robert F. Kennedy Jr.," by Matt Welch

"Blinken's Mission, Impossible," by Robby Soave

"Yascha Mounk: Avoiding the Identity Trap," by Nick Gillespie with Yascha Mounk

"Far-Left Support for Hamas is not an Aberration," by Ilya Somin

"Blaming Hamas Shouldn't Mean Ignoring the Palestinians' Plight," by Bonnie Kristian

"Is Restricting Pro-Israel-as-Jewish-Democracy Speech National Origin/Ethnicity Discrimination or Harassment?" by Eugene Volokh

"Don't Blame the Maine Shootings on 'Woefully Weak' Gun Laws," by Jacob Sullum

"Biden Issues 'A.I. Red Tape Wishlist,'" by Ronald Bailey

"Priscilla Is an Elvis Movie That Isn't About Elvis," by Peter Suderman

"Mitt Romney, Like So Many NeverTrumpers, Was Hobbled by His Own Grubby Political Ambitions," by Matt Welch

"Consultant in Chief," by Peter Suderman

"The Appeal of the Underdog," by Joseph A. Vandello, Nadav P. Goldschmied, and David A. R. Richards, in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsor:

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post No Malarkey: Even Democrats Think Biden Is Too Old appeared first on Reason.com.

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman assess the latest batch of troublesome responses to the Israel-Hamas war, discuss Janet Yellen's shoddy wartime "girl math," and check in on the weird economy under President Joe Biden.

1:25: Distressing responses to Israel-Hamas war

24:17: Biden's weird economy

34:24: Weekly Listener Question

43:47: Rep. Mike Johnson (R–La.) is the new speaker of the House of Representatives

50:36: This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"Should pro-Hamas students be blacklisted?" by Nick Gillespie

"The Decolonization Narrative Is Dangerous and False," by Simon Sebag Montefiore

"What Should Israel Do Next?" by Ian Bremmer

"3 Myths About American Decline," by Nick Gillespie

"Feeling Good About the Future After an Ugly Election," by Nick Gillespie

"Joe Biden's Endless River of Debt and Regulation," by Nick Gillespie

"The Debt Crisis Is Getting Real," by Eric Boehm

"'Bidenomics' Is Failing Everyday Americans," by Veronique de Rugy

"Inflation Jump Highlights Biden's Vulnerability on Energy," by J.D. Tuccille

"New Speaker Mike Johnson's First Good Idea: A Debt Commission," by Eric Boehm

"Mike Johnson Is the Unlikely New Speaker of the House," by Eric Boehm

"Salman Khan: The Education Visionary," by Nick Gillespie

"'Micro-Schools' Might Be the Next Big Education Thing," by Nick Gillespie and Ian Keyser

"Saturday Night Live Fires New Cast Member Shane Gillis for Using Offensive Language," by Robby Soave

"In French Thriller Anatomy of a Fall, the Law Is No One's Friend," by Peter Suderman

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Check out the new podcast The Best of Reason Magazine. Every Tuesday, listen to a curated selection of some of the best writing from Reason, read aloud to you by a robot voice modeled off Editor in Chief Katherine-Mangu Ward.

Audio production by Ian Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

The post Don't Believe Janet Yellen's Shoddy Wartime 'Girl Math' appeared first on Reason.com.