Podcasts by The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
Want to know what comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century.
Further podcasts by The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
Podcast on the topic Politik
All episodes
A New Reason Podcast Is Just Asking Questions from 2023-12-11T16:05:56
Dave Smith joins Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe for the first episode of Just Asking Questions.
Listen
Jeff Kosseff: Why False Speech Deserves First Amendment Protections from 2023-12-06T21:17:40
The former journalist defends misinformation in the Trump era and explains why so many journalists are against free speech.
Listen
Virginia Postrel&Jim Pethokoukis: How To Get a Great Future from 2023-12-01T22:18:41
A conversation about economics, progress, science fiction—and kitchen gadgets.
Listen
Sandra Newman: Reimagining 1984 from Julia's Perspective from 2023-11-29T17:42:52
At the behest of George Orwell's estate, the acclaimed novelist has brilliantly recast his most famous work.
Listen
Jeb Bush: What He Thinks of Trump, Biden, DeSantis, and'Florida Man' from 2023-11-22T21:36:13
The former two-term governor discusses why Florida is attracting more people than any other state in the country.
Listen
Rand Paul: Pursuing Accountability on Lab Leak'Deception' from 2023-11-18T01:34:21
Reason's Zach Weissmueller talked with the senator about his quest to uncover the origins of COVID-19 and hold Anthony Fauci accountable.
Listen
Coleman Hughes: The End of Race Politics? from 2023-11-15T21:01:30
The author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America says colorblindness should remain our North Star during a live conversation with Nick Gillespie.
Listen
Russ Roberts: Life in Israel Since October 7 from 2023-11-10T21:50:26
A discussion with economist, podcaster, and Shalem College President Russ Roberts in the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel
Listen
Colleen Eren: Why Donald Trump Signed the FIRST STEP Act from 2023-11-08T21:51:08
The author of Reform Nation explains how celebrity, philanthropy, and activism produced the most significant prison reform in decades.
Listen
Lyn Alden: Our Money Is Broken from 2023-11-03T20:25:07
"At its core, money is a ledger," writes the investment analyst in her new book, Broken Money.
Listen
Johan Norberg: Why We Need a Capitalist Manifesto from 2023-11-01T20:46:32
Q&A with the author of the book Elon Musk calls "an excellent explanation of why capitalism is not just successful, but morally right."
Listen
Marcos Falcone: Can a Libertarian Still Win in Argentina? from 2023-10-27T21:04:04
Argentine libertarian writer Marcos Falcone breaks down Argentina's recent election results and the upcoming runoff.
Listen
Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott: The Canceling of the American Mind from 2023-10-25T19:38:16
“We've taught young people that any of their missteps or any of their heterodox opinions are grounds to tear them down. That's no way to grow up.”
Listen
Trita Parsi: Is De-escalation Feasible in the Middle East? from 2023-10-20T20:30:26
Parsi, from the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, talks with Zach and Liz about the Israel-Hamas war.
Listen
Shane Mauss: Finding the Humor in Psychedelics from 2023-10-18T18:23:06
The psychedelic comedian talks cognitive liberty and the mind-blowing pace of legalization efforts.
Listen
Max Abrahms: Historic Escalation in the Israel-Hamas War from 2023-10-13T19:33:49
Abrahms holds that Hamas' brutal attack on Israeli civilians is not only immoral but "a major strategic mistake" for the Palestinian cause.
Listen
Alexandra Hudson: How Civility Can Save America—and the World from 2023-10-11T20:06:31
We don't need better manners, we need a commitment to mutual respect and tolerance, and space to live our lives as we see fit.
Listen
Aella: Is Porn Too Pervasive? from 2023-10-06T20:35:25
The former OnlyFans star and outspoken libertarian defender of sex workers considers the acceleration of government crackdowns on online porn, the sexual revolution, and sex work.
Listen
Yascha Mounk: Avoiding The Identity Trap from 2023-10-05T00:33:07
How to battle identity politics and defend liberal values of universalism, free speech, and open inquiry
Listen
Josh Barro: A Republican Presidential Debate Detached From Reality from 2023-09-29T20:35:37
"The orange elephant in the room just never seems to be addressed head on," says Reason's Zach Weissmueller.
Listen
Bjorn Lomborg: How Our Climate Fixation Hurts the World's Poor from 2023-09-27T18:15:37
The 'skeptical environmentalist' offers 12 low-cost, proven policies that he says could save 4.2 million lives and generate $1.1 trillion in new wealth every year.
Listen
Johan Norberg: How Sweden Defied Dire COVID Predictions from 2023-09-22T20:50:28
The attacks on Sweden's laissez faire approach were shortsighted, says the Cato Institute senior fellow.
Listen
Erika Dyck: Are We Living in a Psychedelic Renaissance? from 2023-09-20T20:01:20
Historian Erika Dyck contextualizes the deep roots of and battles over LSD, psilocybin, and other psychoactive substances.
Listen
Aaron Kheriaty: Will COVID Restrictions Persist Indefinitely in Schools? from 2023-09-15T18:24:43
Aaron Kheriaty, author of The New Abnormal, examines the persistent COVID mandates for K-12 schools, college campuses, and health care settings.
Listen
Rick Perry: The Conservative Case for Psychedelics from 2023-09-13T18:44:55
The former Texas governor on helping veterans with PTSD, increasing legal immigration, and the illegal drug he'd most like to try
Listen
Ilya Somin: Should Libertarians Support the Prosecutions of Trump? from 2023-09-08T20:54:44
"If anything is a reprehensible act for a high official in a democracy that deserves retribution, this is a good example," says professor Ilya Somin.
Listen
Rick Doblin: The Man Behind the'Psychedelic'20s' from 2023-09-06T20:09:05
The founder of MAPS talks about FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy and the "psychedelic renaissance" he has helped create.
Listen
Jessie Appleby and Bill Blanken: Do California Community Colleges'Mandate Viewpoint Conformity'? from 2023-09-01T19:25:16
"Science should have no agenda other than a relentless pursuit of the truth.... With DEI, we're expected to search out racism within science curriculum, and it's just not there," says professor Bil...
Listen
Eli Lake: Exploring the Darkest Corners of the Deep State from 2023-08-30T21:06:55
The journalist and podcast host on foreign policy, democracy, and habitual law breaking by the NSA, CIA, and FBI
Listen
Gloria Álvarez and Eduardo Marty: The Potential for a Libertarian President in Argentina from 2023-08-25T21:35:40
A self-described "anarcho-capitalist" leads in the polls ahead of Argentina's upcoming presidential election.
Listen
Carol Roth: You Will Own Nothing! from 2023-08-23T20:07:42
The proponent of "big hair and small government" explains how to flourish in a global financial universe that is indifferent to the individual.
Listen
Jay Bhattacharya&John Vecchione: Biden's Social Media Meddling Was Illegal from 2023-08-18T21:10:13
Plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden allege that federal pressure to remove and suppress COVID-19 material on Facebook and Twitter violates the First Amendment.
Listen
Eric Boehm: How Protectionist Trade Policies Screw Us All from 2023-08-16T18:29:11
The host of Why We Can't Have Nice Things explains how indefensible tariffs cause baby formula shortages, screw Hawaii residents, and increase traffic in the Northeast.
Listen
Rob Long: Welcome to the Age of Blunder in Public Health, Foreign Policy, and…Hollywood from 2023-08-11T21:04:16
The former Cheers producer explains why the studios are failing, the writers and actors are missing the big picture, and creators fear their audience.
Listen
Tara Isabella Burton: Self-Made, From Da Vinci to the Kardashians from 2023-08-09T18:37:38
Since the Renaissance, we've been increasingly able to define who we are as individuals. But is that a false freedom?
Listen
Alex Winter: Is The YouTube Effect Good or Bad on Balance? from 2023-08-04T20:53:55
A new documentary film argues that the second-largest website on the planet is flooded with misinformation. Is that right?
Listen
Doug Stanhope:'Nothing Stands Above Everything Else. Everything Annoys Me Equally.' from 2023-08-02T20:20:22
The libertarian comedian on why he's dreading the presidential election season, how he survived COVID, and why he needs to do more psychedelics.
Listen
Jean Twenge and Elizabeth Nolan Brown: What Do Millennials Want? from 2023-07-28T21:33:31
A boomer, a Gen Xer, and a Millennial discuss the causes and conflicts of today's generational gaps.
Listen
Matt Taibbi: How the Left Lost Its Mind and Legacy Media Its Audience from 2023-07-26T18:37:01
The independent journalist talks about true press freedom, the Twitter Files, Russiagate, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Listen
Matt Ridley: Why Did Anthony Fauci et al. Suppress the Lab Leak Theory? from 2023-07-21T20:54:05
A recent House committee investigation exposed political interference when it came to figuring out the origins of COVID. But why?
Listen
Mike Rowe: The Missing 7.2 Million Male Workers from 2023-07-19T20:29:29
The Dirty Jobs host is freaked out by the number of men who have dropped out of the workplace.
Listen
Alec Stapp: Give Trump Credit for Operation Warp Speed from 2023-07-14T22:07:38
What should governments, private companies, and individuals do differently next time disaster strikes?
Listen
Jonah Goldberg: A NeverTrumper's Take on the 2024 Election from 2023-07-12T20:21:11
The Liberal Fascism author and co-founder of The Dispatch talks candidly about the weird state of the contemporary political right.
Listen
Coleman Hughes and Walter Olson: The Supreme Court Got Its Affirmative Action and Gay Website Cases Right from 2023-07-07T20:28:44
Contra Joe Biden, they argue that these recent rulings show respect for individual rights and concern for racial and sexual minorities.
Listen
Bridget Phetasy: Why I Left California for Texas from 2023-07-05T20:54:52
The wildly popular podcaster is still "politically homeless" but says leaving California and having a kid have improved her life immensely.
Listen
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: COVID, Ukraine, Bitcoin, Guns, Free Speech, and More from 2023-06-30T14:50
The environmentalist and anti-vaccine activist talks about his presidential run and whether he'd jail climate change skeptics.
Listen
Kevin Kelly: Excellent Advice for Living From the World's Leading Optimist from 2023-06-28T20:31:32
Wired's "senior maverick" on his new book of accumulated wisdom, backlash against tech, and why the future still looks bright.
Listen
Brendan O'Neill: A Heretic's Manifesto from 2023-06-21T19:50:52
Spiked's leading polemicist defends J.K. Rowling, Brexit, and Enlightenment values of free speech and pluralism.
Listen
Clark Neily: Regardless of Guilt, Trump Won't Go to Jail from 2023-06-16T20:34:35
The constitutional lawyer and criminal justice reformer talks about our two-tier punishment system and deep-seated corruption at the Justice Department.
Listen
Peter Bagge: From Adam Smith to Punk to Grunge from 2023-06-14T18:13:17
The libertarian creator of alternative comix Hate and Neat Stuff explains why he's fond of the invisible hand and individualism.
Listen
Cody Wilson: The Future of Gun Control and U.S. Politics from 2023-06-09T21:18:24
The man behind 3D-printed guns talks about beating the ATF, his abiding interest in cyberpunk culture, and what comes next for "practical anarchy."
Listen
Kat Timpf: Make America Funny Again! from 2023-06-07T19:02:47
The You Can't Joke About That author says that free speech and dark humor can bring a fragmented country together.
Listen
Dave Rubin: Why Libertarians Should Vote for Ron DeSantis from 2023-06-02T18:26:40
The Rubin Report host makes the case for the Florida governor, who courageously defied lockdowns but is quick to use the state to punish corporations he doesn't like.
Listen
Clea Conner: America Needs More and Better Debates from 2023-05-31T19:30:47
The CEO of Open To Debate wants us to disagree more productively—especially when it comes to presidential debates.
Listen
Eli Lake: Trump, Russiagate, and the End of FBI Credibility from 2023-05-26T17:41
The Durham report is a "black eye" for the FBI, leading Democrats, and the media, says Lake.
Listen
Jesse Singal: How To Stay Honest While Doing Journalism from 2023-05-24T16:30:47
The Blocked & Reported cohost talks about cancel culture, activism vs. truth, and why he quit Twitter.
Listen
Elizabeth Nolan Brown and Scott Winship: Governments Can't Increase Birthrates. They Shouldn't Even Try. from 2023-05-19T22:37:16
The right and the left are pushing pro-natalist polices that have never worked and are deeply misguided.
Listen
Stefan Sagmeister: An Artist Who Believes'Now Is Better' from 2023-05-17T15:00:11
The legendary graphic designer juxtaposes 18th- and 19th-century paintings with visualizations of how much life has improved over the centuries.
Listen
Jaan Tallinn and Robin Hanson: Should We Pause A.I.? from 2023-05-12T21:09:23
The co-creator of Skype says yes. The George Mason University economist says no.
Listen
Vernon Smith: Adam Smith's Relevance, Jimmy Carter's Deregulation, and the Fed's Biggest Mistake from 2023-05-10T15:00:25
"The greatest thing that ever happened to me was to be born in a free country of modest means and to have opportunities," says the Nobel Prize–winning economist.
Listen
Jacob Siegel:'Disinformation'Is the Hoax of the Century from 2023-05-05T19:46:52
From Russiagate to COVID discourse, elites in government and the media are trying to control and centralize free speech and open inquiry.
Listen
Ben Smith: Why It Matters that Gawker, BuzzFeed News, and Breitbart News Failed from 2023-05-03T18:24:55
A decade ago, online startups seemed poised to vanquish legacy media. That didn't happen.
Listen
Vivek Ramaswamy: Why He's Running for President—and Against'Woke Capitalism' from 2023-04-28T15:00:41
The Capitalist Punishment author explains his America First 2.0 agenda, how to fix America's identity crisis, and why he no longer calls himself a libertarian.
Listen
Matt Dallek: The John Birch Society's Deep Influence on Trump's GOP from 2023-04-26T15:00:32
The George Washington University historian argues that the group's paranoid mindset and obsessions are front and center in the modern GOP.
Listen
Connor Boyack and Corey DeAngelis: Why K-12 Education Sucks and How To Fix It from 2023-04-21T21:00:44
The authors of Mediocrity say it's well past time to end "factory schooling" and set kids free to learn.
Listen
Daniel Akst: The World War II Pacifists Who Changed America Forever from 2023-04-19T15:00:51
"Christian libertarians" Bayard Rustin and David Dellinger challenged state power and ended up leading the civil rights movement and anti-Vietnam War protests.
Listen
Ian Vásquez: COVID Accelerated the Global Decline in Human Freedom from 2023-04-14T15:00:19
Overall human freedom peaked in 2007, according to the Cato Institute, and governments' COVID response merely exacerbated the trend toward a radically less-free planet.
Listen
Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi: Who Owns Libertarianism? from 2023-04-12T20:31:23
The authors of The Individualists talk Rand, Friedman, Hayek, Rothbard, and the "struggle for the soul" of the libertarian movement.
Listen
Taylor Lorenz, Peter Van Valkenburgh: Why Banning TikTok Is Stupid and Unwarranted from 2023-04-07T21:34:52
The bipartisan RESTRICT Act is an infringement on a host of civil and economic rights that will strangle free speech and cryptocurrencies.
Listen
Kerry Howley: A Journey Through the Deep State from 2023-04-05T18:00:56
The Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs author and former Reason staffer reports back from post-privacy America.
Listen
Ethan Nadelmann: How To Legalize All Drugs! from 2023-04-01T02:00:13
Q&A about the future of drug policy, drug use, and drug culture.
Listen
Deirdre McCloskey:'What We Want Is a Nonslave Society' from 2023-03-29T18:30:23
The economic historian and Magatte Wade, Alex Gladstein, Mohamad Machine-Chian, Tony Woodlief, and Tom Palmer are challenging authoritarians everywhere.
Listen
Bragg Brothers: Remy Videos, Libertarian Parodies, and Their Acclaimed New Film, Pinball from 2023-03-22T15:00:57
Reason's Austin and Meredith Bragg on satire in an insane world and the man who ended New York's ridiculous, decadeslong ban on pinball.
Listen
Bill Bratton: Fighting Crime Without Shredding Civil Liberties from 2023-03-15T15:00:14
The former head of the NYPD and the LAPD talks about how bad leadership creates police brutality and why he's still against pot legalization.
Listen
Dr. Vinay Prasad: You're Right Not To Trust Public Health from 2023-03-08T16:00:33
The outspoken critic of the CDC and FDA explains what went wrong—and what went right—with COVID policy.
Listen
Hester Peirce, Nic Carter: The Government vs. Cryptocurrencies from 2023-03-01T16:00:49
Meet the SEC commissioner who hates regulation and the bitcoin booster who says the crypto industry needs to police itself better.
Listen
Kat Rosenfield: Why It's Important for Novelists To Speak Freely from 2023-02-22T17:01:42
The mystery writer and cultural critic is an outspoken defender of free thinking and cultural appropriation.
Listen
Dave Cicirelli: Does Selfie Culture Destroy Real Individualism? from 2023-02-15T15:47
The "interactive artist" inspired by Jack Kirby and Barry Goldwater challenges social media and intellectual conformity.
Listen
Marc Andreessen: What the World Needs Most Is More Elon Musks from 2023-02-08T16:53:04
The Netscape co-founder and legendary venture capitalist talks about the future, innovation, and your next beach read.
Listen
Robert Pondiscio: Why Our Kids Can't Read from 2023-02-01T16:55:30
A former teacher says there are bigger problems in K-12 education than CRT and wokeness—and that school choice may not fix them.
Listen
Winsome Earle-Sears: School Choice'Is New Brown v. Board'Fight from 2023-01-25T16:00
Virginia's lieutenant governor wants state education dollars to fund students, not school buildings.
Listen
Mark P. Mills: Get Ready for the Roaring 2020s! from 2023-01-18T16:00:22
Pessimism is everywhere, but the author of The Cloud Revolution says we're entering a golden age of abundant, ubiquitous, and liberating technology.
Listen
Andrew Tatarsky and Maia Szalavitz: How'Harm Reduction'Is Transforming Drug Policy from 2023-01-11T16:00:09
As the drug war retreats, individualist approaches to substance use and abuse will make us all better off.
Listen
Beverly Gage: The Dark Truth About J. Edgar Hoover's FBI from 2023-01-04T16:00:26
The first FBI director wasn't all bad (or a cross-dresser). But he and the agency he created regularly flouted constitutional limits on power.
Listen
Jacob Grier: Craft Cocktail Freedom and the Terrible Science Behind Vaping Bans from 2022-12-21T16:00:37
Q&A with the co-author of Raising the Bar: A Bottle-by-Bottle Guide to Mixing Masterful Cocktails at Home.
Listen
Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley: More People Means More Wealth from 2022-12-14T16:00:18
The Superabundance authors make a compelling case that the world is getting richer for everyone.
Listen
Kaytlin Bailey: Time to Decriminalize—and Destigmatize!—Sex Work from 2022-12-07T19:20:03
Prostitutes have not only provided a much-in-demand service but helped to push the boundaries of freedom and liberty for millennia.
Listen
Robert Draper: The GOP Needs a Post-Trump Reality Check from 2022-11-30T16:31:40
The Weapons of Mass Delusion author says election-deniers like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert may be the Republicans' future.
Listen
Steven Heller: Growing Up Underground from 2022-11-23T17:24:39
The legendary art director talks about the aesthetics of rebellion and his strange journey from Screw magazine to The New York Times.
Listen
Andrew Koppelman:'Delusion and Greed'Have Destroyed Libertarianism from 2022-11-16T16:00:04
The Burning Down the House author says the shift from Hayek's classical liberalism to Rothbard's anarcho-capitalism is a moral and practical disaster.
Listen
Maj Toure: Why Black Guns—and Libertarianism—Matter from 2022-11-09T16:00:09
Gun control is 'the most racist practice in America,' says the Philadelphia native and community leader.
Listen
Andrew Doyle: How the'New Puritans'Created a'Frenzy of Conformity' from 2022-11-02T15:00:08
The journalist and comedian makes the case that "new puritans" espousing the religion of social justice have captured the Western world.
Listen
Larry Krasner: Are Progressive Prosecutors Responsible for the Urban Crime Spike? from 2022-10-26T15:00:24
Q&A with Philadelphia's district attorney, who is facing an impeachment threat because of rising crime.
Listen
Richard V. Reeves: Why Are Men Failing at School, Work, and Life? from 2022-10-19T15:00:13
The Of Boys and Men author documents why the modern male is struggling and suggests solutions that don't come at women's expense.
Listen
Balaji Srinivasan: How To Build Your Own Country in the Cloud from 2022-10-12T15:06:43
The Network State author and serial entrepreneur on the future of freedom, online and offline.
Listen
Is a War on Policing Increasing Crime? Q&A With Rafael Mangual from 2022-10-05T19:15:06
In Criminal (In)Justice, the Manhattan Institute scholar argues that most reforms favored by social justice activists—and many libertarians—make life worse for communities of color.
Listen
How Should Libertarians Think About Ron DeSantis? from 2022-09-28T18:44:11
Reason's Zach Weissmueller and the New York Post's Karol Markowicz talk about life under the most controversial governor in America.
Listen
Ken Burns, Lynn Novick: How Closed Borders Helped Facilitate the Holocaust from 2022-09-21T20:45:55
A new PBS series underscores the long, deadly shadow cast by xenophobia, antisemitism, and restrictive immigration laws.
Listen
Phil Magness: Holding Leftists and Libertarians Accountable from 2022-09-14T21:00:06
The intellectual watchdog keeps tabs on everyone from The 1619 Project's Nikole Hannah-Jones to Mises Institute's Hans-Hermann Hoppe in the name of serious scholarship.
Listen
Russ Roberts: Why Economists Are Irrelevant from 2022-09-07T19:42:25
The host of EconTalk and author of Wild Problems says our biggest decisions don't submit to easy cost-benefit analyses.
Listen
Corey DeAngelis: COVID Lockdowns Made School Choice Inevitable from 2022-09-02T21:45:03
By forcing kids to learn from home, teachers unions did more to promote the need for radical K-12 education reform than a million activists.
Listen
Grant McCracken: The Rise of Artisanal Everything and'Cruelty-Free Capitalism' from 2022-08-31T21:05:40
In Return of the Artisan, anthropologist Grant McCracken explains how we've shifted from an industrial to a handmade economy.
Listen
Julie Holland:'How You Can Feel Good, With or Without Drugs' from 2022-08-26T20:45:21
The psychiatrist and Good Chemistry author has written the definitive account of "the science of connection from soul to psychedelics."
Listen
The Babylon Bee's Kyle Mann:'I'm No More Deserving of God's Grace Than a Transgender Person Is' from 2022-08-24T20:50:11
The Christian satire site's editor on defying Twitter bans, flaying Gen Z's super-thin skin, and being funny while pious.
Listen
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: How To Avoid'Absolutely Catastrophic'COVID Mistakes from 2022-04-20T21:14:13
The anti-lockdown Stanford public health professor on being attacked by Fauci, the loss of trust in medical experts, and how to save science going forward.
Listen
Carl Hart: Legalize All Drugs Now! from 2022-04-13T21:20:38
The controversial Columbia neuroscientist, Air Force vet, and author of Drug Use for Grown-Ups believes deeply in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Listen
Jeff Kosseff: Why Anonymous Speech Is Good—and Constitutional from 2022-04-06T18:28:24
The author of the definitive history of Section 230 is back with a controversial new book, The United States of Anonymous.
Listen
Nathan Rabin: Why Gen X Is Super Media-Literate from 2022-03-30T21:20:44
The Joy of Trash author talks about how D.A.R.E., bad TV, Weird Al Yankovic, and 9/11 created a generation of ironic idealists.
Listen
Tom Sachs: Taking NFTs Where No Man Has Gone Before from 2022-03-23T20:50:28
The artist's Rocket Factory project, which lets users build and own their own virtual spacecraft, is changing how we think about reality.
Listen
Mike Solana:'Thought Crime'Is Essential to Progress from 2022-03-16T19:06:58
The Founders Fund vice president and Pirate Wires author on supporting heretics as a means of social and economic innovation.
Listen
Laura Kipnis: How COVID Supercharged the #MeToo Movement from 2022-03-09T21:30:09
The Love in the Time of Contagion author says sexual paranoia is on the rise.
Listen
Will Ruger: How Libertarians Should Think About Ukraine Invasion from 2022-03-02T22:05:27
The United States needs to be realistic about its interests abroad and the limits of our ability to influence events militarily, says the former nominee to be ambassador to Afghanistan.
Listen
Stephanie Slade: What Kind of Libertarian Are You? from 2022-02-23T21:20:15
Figuring out the limits of big-tent libertarianism is no easy matter, but it's central to the movement's success.
Listen
Jacob Mchangama: How Hate Speech Laws Punish Minorities from 2022-02-16T22:30:29
In the new book Free Speech, the Danish activist defends radical self-expression from Socrates to social media.
Listen
Chris Stewart Wants February To Be'Uncomfortable History Month' from 2022-02-09T20:15:08
Nearly 90 gag-order bills would ban schools from teaching the grisly particulars of American history. This activist is fighting against the censorship and for school choice.
Listen
Kat Rosenfield: Meet Joe Rogan's Dumbest Fans from 2022-02-02T22:02:07
The novelist and essayist attacked CNN's handling of Neil Young vs. Joe Rogan—and promptly drew the ugly ire of the podcaster's admirers!
Listen
Corey DeAngelis: 2021 Was'the Year of School Choice,'But 2022 Will Be Even Better from 2022-01-26T21:15:35
Covid lockdowns, insane teacher-union demands, and fed-up parents are fueling historic breakthroughs in all sorts of education reform.
Listen
Bob Corn-Revere: How Today's Censors Hide Behind Science and Psychology from 2022-01-19T22:40:07
In The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder, the legendary First Amendment lawyer exposes the tricks of today's "anti-free speech movement."
Listen
Michael Shellenberger: How Progressives Ruined American Cities from 2022-01-12T22:20:20
The San Fransicko author on fighting homelessness and mental illnesses without shredding civil liberties.
Listen
David Harsanyi: Why America Must Reject'Eurotrash'Ideas from 2022-01-05T21:10:44
The National Review staffer's new book is a spirited defense of capitalism, individualism, and free speech.
Listen
Why the Pandemic Will End Only When We Demand It's Over from 2021-12-29T21:30:45
Ronald Bailey and Jacob Sullum on the future of COVID-19, the politicization of science, the failure of mandates, and how to talk with anti-vaxxers.
Listen
Karol Markowicz's Escape From New York Should Worry Blue-State America from 2021-12-22T21:22:33
This Brooklyn-bred New York Post columnist and her family are fleeing to Florida due to bad education policy and COVID mismanagement.
Listen
Helen Fisher: Why the'Hot Vax Slutty Summer'Never Happened from 2021-12-15T21:41:17
A new survey of single people confirms that we have more sexual choices than ever. Match.com's chief science adviser explains why such a libertarian outcome doesn't lead to libertinism.
Listen
Kenny Xu: The Growing Attacks on Asian American Excellence from 2021-12-08T21:15:12
The Inconvenient Minority author and head of Color Us United says it's time for the country to become truly colorblind.
Listen
Penny Lane: Can 75 Million Kenny G Fans Be Wrong? from 2021-12-01T18:55:56
The HBO documentary Listening to Kenny G brilliantly explores the gulf between market success and critical acclaim.
Listen
Rachel Laudan: Why Thanksgiving Dinner Is Served All at Once from 2021-11-24T19:10:29
The Cuisine and Empire author dishes on the anti-French origins of Turkey Day, why she hates "organic" food, and the genius of Julia Child.
Listen
John McWhorter: How To Defeat'Woke Racism' from 2021-11-17T21:29:17
The New York Times columnist and Columbia University linguist on the "new religion" he says has "betrayed Black America."
Listen
Nicholas Christakis: How To End the Covid Pandemic from 2021-11-10T22:05:06
Misinformation and bad policy can only be defeated by robust, open debate in the public square.
Listen
Garry Kasparov: Greatest Soviet Chess Champion on the Awful System That Created Him from 2021-11-03T20:35:25
The grandmaster and human rights activist talks about the lessons the world—especially American democratic socialists—must remember three decades after communism's collapse.
Listen
Ethan Nadelmann: How To End the Drug War (and What Comes Next) from 2021-10-27T19:50:36
The Drug Policy Alliance founder and Psychoactive podcast host on how to build a post-prohibitionist America.
Listen
Andrew Yang:'Political Violence Is Becoming More and More of an Inevitability' from 2021-10-20T19:08:40
The former presidential candidate talks about UBI, race relations, ranked-choice voting, his new political party Forward, and how "the duopoly is killing us."
Listen
Steven Pinker: Rationality Has Made Us Richer, Kinder, and More Free from 2021-10-13T21:48:56
The Harvard linguist says Enlightenment reasoning and critical thinking are behind massive increases in material and moral progress.
Listen
How Afghanistan Became the First'Feminist'War from 2021-10-06T19:59:49
Rafia Zakaria's controversial Against White Feminism challenges the status of icons like Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, and Eve Ensler.
Listen
Karla Vermeulen: Inside the Mind of'Generation Disaster' from 2021-09-29T19:57:30
Young people who came of age after 9/11 aren't snowflakes despite being exposed to a series of catastrophic events and apocalyptic news narratives.
Listen
Robby Soave: Today's Bipartisan Tech Panic Is Yesteryear's Freakout Over Video Games from 2021-09-22T21:58:06
The Reason senior editor argues that attempts to break up tech giants and rein in social media are based on flawed arguments.
Listen
George Will: Why He's Against Biden, Trump, and the 1619 Project—And Bullish on the Future from 2021-09-15T20:55:26
When government "gets out of the way, we're going to see again, the creativity of the American people," says the 80-year-old optimist.
Listen
Spencer Ackerman: How 9/11 Destabilized America and Produced Trump from 2021-09-08T19:13:25
The Reign of Terror author on fighting surveillance and interventionism done in the name of stopping jihad.
Listen
Stephen Wertheim: 9/11, Afghanistan, and Failed Foreign Policy from 2021-09-01T20:45:28
"You don’t get to lose a war and expect the result to look like you won it," says the author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy.
Listen
Roger Pielke Jr.: We Are Successfully Adapting To Climate Change from 2021-08-25T16:57:51
The findings of the newest IPCC report on the future of the planet—called a "code red" for humanity—have been wildly distorted.
Listen
Scott Horton: U.S. Should Have Pulled Out Of Afghanistan Years Ago from 2021-08-18T19:50:06
The Enough Already: Time To End the War on Terror author on fixing foreign policy in the Joe Biden era.
Listen
Howard Mortman: Why Does Congress Pray Every Day? from 2021-08-11T19:55:20
The When Rabbis Bless Congress author and C-SPAN honcho on a weird political tradition and the glorious death of legacy media
Listen
Chloe Valdary: How Kendrick Lamar and The Lion King Can Help Close the Racial Divide from 2021-08-04T20:35:43
Forget Robin DiAngelo and White Fragility. Theory of Enchantment uses popular culture to make workplaces more inclusive and welcoming.
Listen
Dave Smith: Libertarians vs. Big Tech, Big Government, and…Other Libertarians from 2021-07-28T18:13:02
The popular podcaster and comedian on the future of the Libertarian Party, his vaccine hesitancy, and fighting the culture war
Listen
Louis Menand:'Freedom Was the Slogan of the Times' from 2021-07-21T21:04:43
Why postwar culture from Jack Kerouac to Andy Warhol to James Baldwin to Susan Sontag to Yoko Ono battled boundaries hemming them in.
Listen
Ted Henken: How Social Media Fuels the Protests in Cuba from 2021-07-14T15:54:36
Demonstrators are making themselves heard via Facebook, Signal, and other platforms. Is that enough to overthrow an authoritarian regime?
Listen
Abigail Shrier: Trans Activists, Cancel Culture, and the Future of Free Expression from 2021-07-07T21:05:37
The Irreversible Damage author talks about getting deplatformed from Target and her support for gender-reassignment interventions.
Listen
Erik Voorhees: Bitcoin's Point Is'To Change the Whole Financial System of the Planet.' from 2021-06-30T18:40:56
The cryptocurrency pioneer explains why governments can't stop bitcoin 'despite all their guns and weapons.'
Listen
Justin Amash: The Libertarian Party Needs To Stop'Edge-Lording'and Get Serious About Elections from 2021-06-25T18:33:58
The former Michigan congressman says "horrible messaging" is a sign of insecurity.
Listen
Vijay Boyapati: The Bullish Case for Bitcoin from 2021-06-23T16:45:41
The former Google engineer talks about inflation, the Austrian school of economics, and how bitcoin is revolutionizing banking.
Listen
Sen. Cynthia Lummis: Why I'm All In on Bitcoin from 2021-06-16T21:35:11
The Wyoming Republican believes bitcoin provides a serious alternative store of value, will spur renewable energy, and just might save the dollar.
Listen
Steven Johnson: How We Doubled Life Expectancy in the 20th Century from 2021-06-09T21:00:47
The Extra Life author on past scientific breakthroughs, COVID-19 vaccines, and renewing trust and confidence in public health agencies.
Listen
Andrew Doyle: Free Speech and Why It Matters from 2021-06-02T19:40:37
The creator of Titania McGrath on cancel culture, government overreach, and younger generations' willingness to censor
Listen
Freddie deBoer: Let's Kill the'Cult of Smart'and Legacy Media from 2021-05-26T21:46:49
A third-generation Marxist critiques the contemporary left and discusses what progressives and libertarians might have in common.
Listen
Scott Winship: Don't Believe Horror Stories About Fertility Rates, Income Inequality, and Economic Mobility from 2021-05-19T22:13:06
Americans have a reputation for being cockeyed optimists, but we're suckers when it comes to "declension narratives" about the fallen state of our world.
Listen
John Samples: Facebook's Oversight Board Was Right To Uphold Trump Ban from 2021-05-12T19:35:37
A member of the board (and a Cato Institute vice president) defends the controversial decision to kick the former president off the social media platform.
Listen
John McWhorter:'The Idea That America Is All About Despising Black People? That's Fantasy.' from 2021-05-05T16:25:59
The Columbia linguist discusses his new book Nine Nasty Words and dismisses the ideological excesses of the 'anti-racism' movement.
Listen
Art Tavana: What Guns N'Roses Tells Us About the American Dream from 2021-04-28T19:43:37
How Axl Rose reflected a country desperate but unwilling to move on from a worn-out postwar consensus on national identity, gender roles, and global hegemony.
Listen
Jane Coaston: Meet the Libertarian New York Times Podcaster from 2021-04-21T19:30:44
"At some point, a regulation or a law with the absolute best of intentions will be wielded by people who may not have the absolute best of intentions."
Listen
Jesse Singal: Why We Keep Falling for Psychological Quick Fixes from 2021-04-14T22:57:42
From "power poses" to the self-esteem movement to implicit bias tests, Americans are suckers for bad ideas from psychologists.
Listen
Chef Andrew Gruel:"I'm Not an Asshole. Gavin Newsom Is." from 2021-04-07T21:20:13
The culinary innovator behind Slapfish on what it's been like to run a business with government at all levels arbitrarily flipping the on-off switch.
Listen
Ronald Bailey: Covid-19 Should Be Our Last Pandemic from 2021-03-31T21:35:20
Technological breakthroughs mean we'll never again have to suffer with disasters like the novel coronavirus—if politicians will get out of the way.
Listen
Melissa Chen:"Ideas Have Consequences. So Does Silence." from 2021-03-24T21:42:15
The Singapore-born journalist and free-speech activist says identity politics are destroying the media, higher ed, and Hollywood.
Listen
Stewart Brand: We Are (Still) As Gods from 2021-03-17T20:51:51
The former Merry Prankster and Whole Earth Catalog founder talks about psychedelics, computers, bringing back woolly mammoths, and his new documentary.
Listen
Peter Suderman: The $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan Has Almost Nothing To Do With Covid from 2021-03-10T21:20:20
Joe Biden's spending bill is a Democratic Party wish list masquerading as a public health measure.
Listen
Elon Musk, Welfare King! from 2021-03-03T22:33:18
The tech billionaire isn't alone among the mega-wealthy in getting piles of money from government at all levels, say the authors of Welfare for the Rich.
Listen
Jason Riley: Thomas Sowell's Unique Insights on Race, Economics, and Politics from 2021-02-24T20:45:23
A new documentary and forthcoming biography pay tribute to the economist's intellectual fearlessness and commitment to empirical research.
Listen
Conor Friedersdorf: Stand Against Left-Wing and Right-Wing P.C. from 2021-02-17T20:56:17
The Atlantic writer says that illiberalism and the urge to shut down debate need to be confronted across the political spectrum.
Listen
Rep. Peter Meijer: Only GOP Freshman Who Voted To Impeach Trump Tells All from 2021-02-10T20:24:41
The 33-year-old successor to Justin Amash's House seat says his party has abandoned limited government, economic freedom, and individualism.
Listen
Grant McCracken: The New Honor Code vs. Radical Wokeism from 2021-02-03T21:50:21
The anthropologist and brand consultant explains why we need fewer blanket accusations of racism and more mutual respect and compassion.
Listen
'Killer' Walkman, 'Insane' Bicycles, and Novels Will Rot Your Brain: Pessimist Archive's Jason Feifer on 'Why We Resist New Things' from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Are you old enough to remember who Louise Brown is? In 1978, she became the first person born through in...
Listen
Meet the New President of the Foundation for Economic Education, America's Oldest Free Market Think Tank from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In the beginning, there was the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE). Founded in 1946 by Leonard Read, FEE is the...
Listen
'Unschooling' Is the Ultimate Laissez-Faire Version of School Choice. But Can Your Kids Teach Themselves How To Read and Do Math? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
One of the most interesting and unconventional forms of school choice doesn't just reject traditional K-12 public and private classrooms...
Listen
Dave Barry on Toilets, Dogs, Helium, and Other Vital Libertarian Concerns from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Dave Barry is the author of approximately eleventy billion books and the recipient of exactly one Pulitzer Prize. For four...
Listen
Inside Hong Kong's Fight To Keep Chinese Authoritarianism at Bay from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Denise Ho is a problem for Chinese and Hong Kong authorities. The 42-year-old celebrity musician became a public face for...
Listen
Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne Used To Hate Donald Trump. Now, He's Kind of a Fan. from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Before Donald Trump took office, it was hard to find a tougher critic of him than Patrick Byrne, the libertarian...
Listen
George Will's Lonely Battle Against Republican Nationalism and Democratic Socialism from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In an interview with Reason's Matt Welch, George Will talks about the importance of rehabilitating America's withered constitutional architecture, ponders what the punditry class got wrong in 2016,...
Listen
National Review's David French Is a Conservative, Evangelical Christian Who Is Getting Worried About Theocracy. So Should You. from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Today's guest is David French, a senior writer for National Review and a columnist for Time. He's one of the most prominent Never Trump conservatives in the country and he recently has been attacke...
Listen
Young Radicals Against Free Speech: Reason's Robby Soave on His New Book, Panic Attack from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Reason's Robby Soave has been writing about culture, free speech, due process, and moral outrage on campus since joining the magazine in 2014. Next week will see the release of his first book, Pani...
Listen
Understanding the Failure of 'Globalism' Is Key to Understanding Donald Trump's Appeal from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
A political scientist by training, Ian Bremmer heads up the Eurasia Group, the world's largest political-risk consultancy. He's also the host of the weekly PBS show GZERO World, which investigates ...
Listen
You Can Get a Year in Jail for Feeding Garbage to a Pig from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Criminal defense attorney Mike Chase, the man behind the popular @CrimeADay Twitter feed, has a new book titled How to Become a Federal Criminal: An Illustrated Handbook for the Aspiring Offender. ...
Listen
What the Battle To Publish Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl' Means to Today's Free-Speech Struggles from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
On today's podcast, Nick Gillespie speaks with Ronald K.L. Collins, a lawyer and scholar at the Newseum's First Amendment Law Center, and the author of a weekly blog called First Amendment News. He...
Listen
Why Instapundit Glenn Reynolds Thinks Twitter, Facebook, and Google Should Be Busted Up from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The founder of Instapundit is Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee who came to be known as the "blogfather" to many of us then toiling on the border between print and pixe...
Listen
The Inside Story of How Denver Decriminalized Magic Mushrooms from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Denver voters shocked the world this month by narrowly passing a ballot initiative decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms by a single percentage...
Listen
Xenophobia and Pseudoscience Shaped U.S. Immigration Policy from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
When Donald Trump claimed in 2015 that Mexican immigrants will ravage our women, destroy our neighborhoods, and taint our ethnic...
Listen
How To Crush 'the Tyranny of Metrics' from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In The Tyranny of Metrics, historian Jerry Z. Muller explains how we got to a place where we're constantly measuring everything we do—and why much of the time we're just not just wasting our time b...
Listen
What Will Drugs Be Like After Prohibition? Q&A with Hamilton Morris from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Hamilton Morris, the host of Hamilton's Pharmacopeia, talks about how the drug war warps everything we think we know about drugs--and how much freer we will be when prohibition ends.
Listen
Trump Obstructed Justice, Says Judge Andrew Napolitano from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Fox News' Judge Andrew Napolitano, a hard-core libertarian, drew the wrath of Donald Trump when he said the president had clearly obstructed justice. Napolitano sat down with Reason's Nick Gillespi...
Listen
Hail Satan? A New Documentary Shows Devil Worshipers Are Unlikely Defenders of the First Amendment from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
"The Satanic Temple is a new religious organization that was founded in 2013, kind of as a prank, but very...
Listen
Right to Try Gives Terminal Patients Access to Potentially Life-Saving Treatments Without FDA Permission from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In May of 2018, President Donald Trump signed a new law allowing patients with life-threatening conditions to access experimental medications without obtaining FDA approval.
In our lat...
Emily Oster Will Help You Be a Better, More Statistically Literate Parent from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Emily Oster is the parenting guru nerds have been waiting for. In her new book, Cribsheet, the Brown University economist examines the evidence on best practices for babies and toddlers. Her advice...
Listen
The 26 Words That 'Created the Internet'—and Why They May Be on the Chopping Block from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
Do you want to know the 26 words that, in the opinion of today's guest, "created the internet?"
"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publishe...
What Will Post-Prohibition Drug Culture Look Like? from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
With the rise of legal recreational marijuana across the country and an unwinding of the drug war on the horizon, more and more people are thinking about how best to shape America's post-prohibitio...
Listen
Surprise: Virtually All Presidential Candidates (Including Trump) Are Good on Pot Legalization from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
One of the most amazing aspects of the 2020 presidential race is that virtually all candidates, including President Donald Trump, have indicated they favor letting individual states decide the lega...
Listen
John McWhorter: America Has Never Been Less Racist from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
The Columbia University linguist discusses the Jussie Smollett hoax, Donald Trump, and "antiracism" as a new secular religion.
Listen
The Yale Professor Attacked by Angry Students Over Halloween Costumes Believes Evolution Wants Us To Get Along from 2021-01-31T22:10:42.023393
In Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society, Nicholas Christakis says our common humanity outweighs divisive tribalism.
Listen
Corey DeAngelis: Why 2021 Is a Turning Point for School Choice from 2021-01-29T22:05:10
The silver lining to disastrous education lockdowns? A massive increase in support for all sorts of student-centered reforms.
Listen
Chris Stewart: Race, COVID-19, and the Future of School Choice from 2021-01-27T22:11:56
Black families need control of their children's K-12 education, says the Minnesota activist. The past year's lockdowns might just make that happen.
Listen
Carl Hart: Drug Use for Grown-Ups from 2021-01-20T21:35:39
The Columbia neuroscientist talks frankly about using heroin responsibly and "chasing liberty in the land of fear."
Listen
Mike Masnick: In Defense of Section 230 and a Decentralized Internet from 2021-01-13T22:06:06
Techdirt's founder wants to give end users, not politicians and tech giants, more control over what we can say and see online.
Listen
Alex Winter: Frank Zappa's Ultra-Individualist Legacy from 2021-01-06T21:52:07
The rock legend fought for free speech and self-expression in ways that appealed to dissidents in America and communist countries alike.
Listen
Charles Wininger: Why We Should Listen To Ecstasy and Other Psychedelics from 2020-12-30T20:36:08
A 71-year-old therapist comes out of the "chemical closet" to promote MDMA as a means of self-discovery
Listen
Sally Satel: The Secret History of the Opioid Epidemic from 2020-12-23T23:05:16
The story of why pain relievers took root in Appalachia begins decades before the introduction of OxyContin.
Listen
Alex Nowrasteh and Benjamin Powell: Immigrants Revitalize Faith in American Institutions from 2020-12-16T22:46:45
A new book, Wretched Refuse?, documents that newcomers not only increase economic activity but often revitalize faith in free market, limited-government institutions.
Listen
Damon Root: Why Frederick Douglass Loved the Constitution (and You Should Too) from 2020-12-09T22:00:56
The escaped slave called the Constitution "a glorious liberty document" that justified extending equality to blacks and women.
Listen
Ajit Pai on Net Neutrality, 5G, and Why He Wants To'Clarify'Section 230 from 2020-12-03T00:05:14
The outgoing FCC chairman discusses 'light-touch' regulation and the future of free speech on the internet.
Listen
Glenn Greenwald on Biden, Free Speech, and Leaving The Intercept from 2020-11-27T16:40:30
There’s no journalist more relentlessly iconoclastic than Greenwald, who won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the Snowden revelations.
Listen
Charles Koch and Brian Hooks: Believe in People from 2020-11-25T20:54:56
The libertarian billionaire and the head of his foundation discuss their new book, leaving partisanship behind, and learning from their critics.
Listen
Virginia Postrel: When Calico Was Treated Like Cocaine from 2020-11-18T19:00:03
The former Reason editor discusses her new book, The Fabric of Civilization, and why she's optimistic about the future.
Listen
Shelby Steele: What Really Killed Michael Brown? from 2020-11-11T20:40:48
A new documentary argues that Great Society liberalism laid the foundation for 2014's police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Listen
Brian Riedl: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and $6 Trillion Budgets from 2020-11-04T22:10:42
How to slow massive and unchecked national deficits in an age of runaway spending and divided government.
Listen
Morris P. Fiorina: Why'Electoral Chaos'Is Here To Stay from 2020-10-28T19:10:32
Whether Trump or Biden wins, the Stanford political scientist says "unstable majorities" will persist in the coming decade.
Listen
Bob Chitester: How Free To Choose Changed the World from 2020-10-21T21:15:30
Here's the inside story of Milton Friedman's path-breaking PBS series about economic and political freedom, from the man who produced it.
Listen
Ira Glasser: Would Today's ACLU Defend the Speech Rights of Nazis? from 2020-10-14T21:39:27
The subject of the new film Mighty Ira explains why social justice warriors are wrong to attack free speech.
Listen
Corey DeAngelis: COVID-19 Is Super-Spreading School Choice from 2020-10-07T19:31:30
Lockdowns are forcing students, parents, educators, and even taxpayers to look for all sorts of alternatives to the status quo.
Listen
Scott Barry Kaufman on Narcissists and Libertarians from 2020-09-30T20:24:11
The author of the new book Transcend updates Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs for an era of pandemics, racial strife, and extreme polarization.
Listen
Jo Jorgensen: Don't Waste Your Vote on Trump or Biden from 2020-09-23T19:10:15
The Libertarian presidential nominee won't win but is upbeat about Gen Z and protests against lockdowns and police violence.
Listen
Taghi Amirani: How the U.S.-Backed 1953 Coup in Iran Is Still Changing Global Politics from 2020-09-16T19:00:56
New documentary explains why installing the shah in 1953 led to ruinous American covert operations throughout the Cold War and beyond.
Listen
Ronald Bailey: The World Is Getting Cleaner, Richer, and Safer from 2020-09-09T20:20:08
Ten Global Trends Every Smart Person Should Know documents the immense, ongoing progress that politicians and media refuse to acknowledge.
Listen
Bridget Phetasy: What American Politics Can Learn From Alcoholics Anonymous from 2020-09-02T21:00:08
The podcaster and comedian offers a 12-step plan for political independence and recovery.
Listen
Nancy Rommelmann: The Disturbing Drift of the Portland Protests from 2020-08-26T20:15:49
Rose City has been on fire for months. Are Portland-style protests coming soon to a town near you?
Listen
Debra Soh: The End of Gender from 2020-08-19T22:36:25
A controversial new book aims to debunk "the myths about sex and identity in our society."
Listen
Greg Gutfeld:'Impulse Control or Lack Thereof Is a Huge Deal Right Now' from 2020-08-12T19:15:42
The Fox News host explains his new self-help book The Plus, the upside of quarantine, and why he thinks Donald Trump will be reelected.
Listen
Cliff Maloney Says Young Americans for Liberty Event Was Canceled for Political Reasons from 2020-08-05T19:45:08
Dallas officials pulled the plug on the event just three days before it was to begin, costing the libertarian student group $200,000.
Listen
Jia Lynn Yang on the Immigration Law that Changed America from 2020-07-29T20:10:43
The author of a new history of immigration worries that the coronavirus is bringing the mythology of America as a nation of immigrants to an end.
Listen
Jonathan Rauch on Cancel Culture and the'Unending Battle'for Free Speech from 2020-07-22T18:54:27
"The idea that wrongheaded, dangerous, heretical, and blasphemous ideas should be not only allowed but protected is preposterous," says Rauch. And yet, it's "the single most successful social princ...
Listen
Kmele Foster: Black Lives Matter'Is Hostile Towards Free Markets and Capitalism' from 2020-07-15T21:49:28
The Fifth Column podcaster on racial identity, cancel culture, libertarianism, and Trump vs. Biden
Listen
Michael Shellenberger: Environmental Alarmism Is Wrong and Harmful from 2020-07-08T21:01:56
The Apocalypse Never author documents that things are getting greener and makes a case for nuclear power.
Listen
Wesley Yang: Woke Protests Against'White Supremacism'May Be the New Normal from 2020-07-01T17:41:10
The Souls of Yellow Folk author says a new "elite consensus" fixated on racial outrage is forming and may destroy our ability to function.
Listen
Glenn Loury on Police Abuse, Systematic Racism, and Hysteria from 2020-06-24T21:30:38
The Brown University economist says prejudice and systemic racism are not the primary problems facing African Americans.
Listen
Katie Herzog and Jesse Singal on Left-Wing Cancel Culture from 2020-06-17T19:00:28
The heterodox hosts of the popular Blocked and Reported podcast talk about surviving internet outrage, the roots of speech repression, and the power of direct financial support from fans.
Listen
Radley Balko on George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the Libertarian Case for Criminal Justice Reform from 2020-06-15T20:45:20
How to reduce police killings and enact lasting change.
Listen
Rory Sutherland on How Red Bull Explains Why Capitalism Is Great from 2020-06-10T19:53:28
The Ogilvy ad man and Alchemy author says Ludwig von Mises is his hero and that efficiency has nothing to do with free markets.
Listen
How Protests Over George Floyd's Death and Police Brutality Could Help Trump Win Reelection from 2020-06-03T19:25:47
Princeton political scientist Omar Wasow says violent protests helped Richard Nixon win the presidency in 1968.
Listen
Edward Snowden, the Surveillance State, and the'Dark Mirror'Still Watching Us All from 2020-05-27T20:13:32
National security journalist Barton Gellman talks about "the surveillance-industrial state," the possibility of a Biden presidency or a second Trump term, and his gripping new book.
Listen
L.P. Presidential Candidate Jacob Hornberger Wants'To Live in a Free Society' from 2020-05-20T17:36:06
The longtime activist is the front-runner for the L.P. presidential nomination and has a special message to young people.
Listen
Have a Good Trip Explores Psychedelic Celebrities from 2020-05-13T19:00:57
New documentary features Sting, Sarah Silverman, Anthony Bourdain, Carrie Fisher, and others discussing the good, bad, and ugly of LSD.
Listen
This App Protects Privacy While Tracing COVID-19 Infections from 2020-05-06T20:52:05
Stanford researcher Tina White and the new nonprofit Covid Watch are committed to protecting both individual rights and public health.
Listen
The Focus on COVID-19 Is Hurting Other Patients: Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer from 2020-05-02T12:00:58
Dr. Jeffrey A. Singer tells Nick Gillespie that the understandable focus on coronavirus will hurt patients whose care for heart disease, cancer, and other ailments has been delayed or foregone. A s...
Listen
Justin Amash Wants To Be the First Libertarian President from 2020-05-01T12:05:36
Five-term Michigan Congressman Justin Amash has announced that he's running for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, which will be decided in late May. The 40-year-old son of Middle Eas...
Listen
How Justin Amash's Presidential Campaign Changes the 2020 Election from 2020-04-29T19:45:22
Justin Amash, the Michigan congressman, has announced his campaign for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, which will be decided at the L.P.'s convention in May. Nick Gillespie talks w...
Listen
Health Care Expert Avik Roy on Saving the Economy From COVID-19 from 2020-04-22T17:45:28
It's unlikely that we'll have ubiquitous #Coronavirus testing or a vaccine anytime soon, says Avik Roy of The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. But he tells Nick Gillespie we still need...
Listen
'We Make the Weather': Why Voluntary Cooperation Is Key To Battling Coronavirus from 2020-04-17T22:24:16
Nick Gillespie talks with Jeremy S. Faust, who trains ER doctors at Harvard Medical School and is pulling daily shifts treating people with COVID-19, about what federal, state, and local responses ...
Listen
What The New York Times' 1619 Project Gets Wrong About Capitalism: Phillip Magness from 2020-04-15T20:17:57
When The New York Times launched its 1619 Project last year, it sought to "reframe the country's history by placing...
Listen
Rick Doblin: 'People Should Have the Fundamental Human Right To Change Their Consciousness' from 2020-04-08T16:05:08
Nick Gillespie talks with Rick Doblin, the founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). They discuss MAPS' ongoing FDA trials to make MDMA a legal drug for use by ps...
Listen
When 'Price Gouging' Is Good: Michael Munger from 2020-04-03T16:15:30
Can price gouging be good, especially for poor people? Michael C. Munger, who teaches economics, political science, and public policy at Duke University, argues that prices contain vital informatio...
Listen
Matt Ridley on How To Beat the Next Pandemic from 2020-04-01T19:02:19
Matt Ridley tells Nick Gillespie why the coronavirus caught him by surprise, when he thinks we'll be able to reopen the world economy, why Brexit is good for Europe, and previews his forthcoming bo...
Listen
'Let's Do a Manhattan Project Against This Virus': Thomas Massie from 2020-03-31T19:45:38
Last week, Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.) became the most-hated man in Washington when he unsuccessfully tried to force a recorded vote in the House of Representatives on the $2 trillion Coronavirus Ai...
Listen
How Many of Us Will Die From the Coronavirus? from 2020-03-27T22:05:43
How many people are infected with the coronavirus, what will it mean for our hospitals, and how many will die? Nick Gillespie talks with Reason's science correspondent, Ronald Bailey, about the co...
Listen
The CDC and FDA Have Failed on Coronavirus from 2020-03-25T21:44:25
Alex Tabarrok, a professor of economics at George Mason University and one of the co-founders of the popular blog and online university Marginal Revolution, is an outspoken critic of the government...
Listen
Richard Epstein: 'More Probable Than Not…Total Number of Deaths at Under 50,000' from 2020-03-18T18:08:41
NYU's Richard Epstein tells Nick Gillespie why he expects the worldwide death toll from coronavirus to peak below 50,000; why planned economic stimulus packages will not work; and why the worst wil...
Listen
Balaji Srinivasan: The Coronavirus Might Eat the World from 2020-03-12T13:23:15
How should the United States government and the rest of us respond to the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization has just declared a global pandemic?
Balaji Srinivasa...
Coronavirus: Don't Worry, Be Happily Informed from 2020-03-04T20:35:45
Reason's Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey tells Nick Gillespie that the freakout over coronavirus/COVID-19 is mostly overblown and that the pandemic currently shutting down trade and travel arou...
Listen
Taylor Lorenz Makes Sense of Online Culture for the Rest of Us from 2020-02-26T17:01:52
The New York Times' Taylor Lorenz is the sharpest chronicler of online culture, especially how it plays out among Millennials and Gen Z. She talks with Nick Gillespie about the "OK Boomer" meme, Mi...
Listen
Has Trump Drained the Swamp or Stocked It With His Own Fish? from 2020-02-19T20:07:32
"What sets the Trump era apart is the rank incompetence of the people" surrounding the president, say Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng, reporters for The Daily Beast and authors of the new book ...
Listen
How Rob Long Went from Cheers to National Review to LSD from 2020-02-12T19:55:24
Rob Long, a former writer and executive producer of Cheers, talks with Nick Gillespie about being a conservative in Hollywood; the politics of comedy, what he dislikes about Trump, Sanders, and the...
Listen
Meet Titania McGrath, the Wokest SJW on Twitter from 2020-02-05T19:30:06
"Say what you will about ISIS but at least they're not Islamophobic." Meet Titania McGrath, the wokest SJW on Twitter, and her creator, the socialist comedian and writer Andrew Doyle.
Listen
School Choice Opponents Need To Stop Gaslighting Parents from 2020-01-29T20:00:53
School-choice advocate Andrew Campanella explains why choice is growing and how opponents are gaslighting parents and taxpayers.
Listen
Molly Jong-Fast on Trump's Impeachment, Democratic Candidates, and Why Twitter Is Great from 2020-01-22T19:22:42
Nick Gillespie interviews novelist and Daily Beast Editor at Large Molly Jong-Fast about Donald Trump's impeachment, Democratic presidential candidates, and why she thinks Twitter is about the best...
Listen
Why LBJ's Great Society Flopped—and What It Means for the 2020 Election from 2020-01-15T20:55:17
In a 1964 speech delivered at the University of Michigan, President Lyndon Johnson announced his plans for what he called...
Listen
Is Trump Winning the Middle East or Doubling Down on Previous Failures? from 2020-01-08T18:25:14
Last week, the United States military took out Iran's top military leader, Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran has responded by raining...
Listen
Anti-Vaping Panic Will Kill More People Than it Saves from 2020-01-01T14:50:10
Every week seems to bring a new story about how vaping is really, really, really bad for you. Only a...
Listen
How To Fight the 'Power of Bad' and the 'Negativity Effect' from 2019-12-25T14:30:14
It's not just in your head: When it comes to how we all experience life, "Bad is generally stronger than...
Listen
The Autobiography of an Ex-Black Man: Thomas Chatterton Williams from 2019-12-18T18:35:24
"I'd become an ex-black man…not because I'd ceased loving what I've been taught to call "black," or because I…wished my...
Listen
A Corbyn Victory Would Kill Brexit, Lead to Venezuelan-Style Socialism, Says E.U. Member of Parliament Daniel Hannan from 2019-12-11T20:25:08
A leading architect of Brexit is warning that the selection of Jeremy Corbyn as British prime minister could lead his...
Listen
Jonah Goldberg on Why He Left National Review, Dislikes Sean Hannity and Seb Gorka, and Is Inching Toward Libertarianism from 2019-12-04T19:05:38
Today's podcast is a "very special episode," though not in the way old TV shows did very special episodes, like...
Listen
Fox's Judge Napolitano: "Evidence of [Trump's] Impeachable Behavior…Is Overwhelming" from 2019-11-27T20:00:01
"The Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have unearthed enough evidence, in my opinion, to justify about three or four...
Listen
Hardcore History's Dan Carlin on Why The End Is Always Near from 2019-11-20T19:00:38
Dan Carlin is the host of the popular podcast Hardcore History and author of the new book The End Is...
Listen
Oscar-Winner Errol Morris on American Dharma, Steve Bannon, and Cancel Culture from 2019-11-13T23:00:59
When Errol Morris debuted American Dharma, his documentary about Stephen Bannon, last year at the Venice Film Festival, he received...
Listen
Greg Gutfeld Is Done With Politics and Ready To Drop Acid from 2019-11-06T21:20:16
Nick Gillespie goes deep with Greg Gutfeld, the best-selling author who is the host of The Greg Gutfeld Show and...
Listen
Meghan Daum Is Done with 'Cancel Culture.' But Is America? from 2019-10-30T19:00:17
Special Note: Scroll down for important news about this and other Reason podcasts! "If 2018 was the year that the...
Listen
Billy Bragg Wants Three-Dimensional Freedom. But Can We Afford That? from 2019-10-23T20:15:18
Over the past four decades, British musician Billy Bragg has carved out a singular position as a modern-day troubadour who...
Listen
Charter Schools Don't Cater To All Parents. Robert Pondiscio Explains Why That's Good. from 2019-10-16T19:30:25
At the 2000 Republican National Convention, the country got one of its first glimpses of a new type of public...
Listen
Why Hong Kong Protesters Are Channeling Bruce Lee from 2019-10-09T18:52:10
Few stories are generating as much as heat and interest as the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, where mostly young...
Listen
How To Fix Social Media and Democracy from 2019-10-02T18:20:08
It's a rare week when a major politician doesn't threaten social media with censorship or other legal action. President Donald...
Listen
Former Trump Fan Joe Walsh Thinks the President Should Be Impeached from 2019-09-26T17:10:02
Editor at Large Matt Welch speaks with former Republican congressman and talk show host Joe Walsh, who is currently mounting...
Listen
How To Have Impossible Conversations in Terrible Times from 2019-09-25T18:40:16
It's hard to think of a time when political and cultural discourse has been more polarized. These days, it seems...
Listen
How the FBI Abets White Supremacists and Terrorists from 2019-09-18T20:00:53
Few organizations elicit more polarized responses than the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Supporters of the FBI claim that it has...
Listen
Stan Lee Co-author Kat Rosenfield on Rise of Cancel Culture in the Literary World from 2019-09-11T17:17:38
When Stan Lee, the legendary head of Marvel Comics for decades and the co-creator of iconic comic-book titles such as...
Listen
Should Amazon (and Google, and Facebook) Be Canceled by Antitrust Law? from 2019-09-04T20:34:13
What a difference a decade makes! Ten years ago, everyone loved big tech companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, and...
Listen
Elizabeth Nolan Brown Talks About the Secret Backpage Memos and What They Mean for Free Speech Online from 2019-08-30T19:15:18
For most of its existence, Backpage.com was mired in legal and political controversy. The website, which hosted online classified ads...
Listen
The Libertarian Case for Term Limits from 2019-08-28T19:30:11
"Congress has given us $22 trillion in debt, the longest war in American history, a broken health care system, a...
Listen
The Libertarian Life and Legacy of David Koch from 2019-08-23T21:50:12
David Koch, the billionaire free market philanthropist, has died at the age of 79. Born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1940,...
Listen
How Bitcoin Is Freeing People in China, Venezuela, Iran, and…America from 2019-08-21T22:30:58
Since launching a decade ago, the decentralized, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency bitcoin has been lauded (and denounced) for its potential to route...
Listen
ProPublica's Dara Lind on Trump's Immigration Raids from 2019-08-16T21:15:13
Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign by warning that America had become a "dumping ground" for immigrants, and that Mexico...
Listen
James Alan Fox: There Is No Evidence of an 'Epidemic of Mass Shootings' from 2019-08-14T21:30:11
The horrific mass killings in El Paso and Dayton have understandably inspired terror in America and calls for expanded gun...
Listen
Christian Satire Site The Babylon Bee Is So Good Snopes.com Treated It Like Real News from 2019-08-07T19:15:32
In 2016, the website The Babylon Bee appeared as "Your Trusted Source for Christian News Satire." If you're not a believer,...
Listen
Kevin O'Leary Talks Shark Tank, Capitalism vs. Socialism, and Trump vs. Trudeau from 2019-08-01T21:40:35
For the past 10 years, the reality TV show Shark Tank has entertained and edified millions of viewers by dramatizing...
Listen
Kevin Williamson on How Mob Politics Got Him Fired from The Atlantic from 2019-07-31T20:15:03
In 2018, the journalist Kevin Williamson was hired away from the flagship publication for the conservative movement, National Review, by...
Listen
Justin Amash on Quitting the Republican Party and Life as an Independent from 2019-07-25T21:00:02
When Michigan Rep. Justin Amash declared his independence from the Republican Party on July 4, he instantly became one of...
Listen
Renegade University's Thaddeus Russell Wants To Blow Your Mind from 2019-07-17T20:30:33
"It's time for a revolution in higher education. It's time for a renegade university." That's the sales pitch for Thaddeus...
Listen