Reason Podcast

On this week's Reason Podcast, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Matt Welch discuss everything that's wrong with the Republican tax-reform bills, what they would mean for Obamacare, whether the never-ending stream of sexual-assault revelations will turn America into a desert wasteland of fierce Beyoncé woman warriors, gubernatorial candidate and Ohio Supreme Court Justice William O'Neill's announcement that "in the last 50 years" he has been "sexually intimate with approximately 50 very attractive females," and whether Harvey Weinstein is the "Charles Manson" of the 21st century.

As a candidate, President Donald Trump ran on a platform that called for the deportation of 11 million immigrants. In this, he was merely supercharging policies that had been put in place by his predecessors Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, all of whom targeted illegals among us in various ways and to varying degrees. In a powerful, richly reported piece in the latest issue of Reason, Shikha Dalmia traveled to Arizona to investigate how Trump's war on illegal immigration is causing all sorts of collateral damage in the lives of American citizens and businessmen. There is, she argues, no way to surgically remove millions of people—most of whom are law-abiding and productive members of society—without causing incredible pain to those of us who have every legal right to go about our lives without interference from immigration and border agents. The war on immigration has taken a great toll on unauthorized aliens, its targets. But it is also badly affecting Americans themselves, its intended beneficiaries. Those who think they can escape the crossfire because they are authorized, naturalized, or native-born, with American ancestors going back generations, are simply fooling themselves. In the newest Reason Podcast, Nick Gillespie talks with Dalmia about the unexamined toll of immigration crackdowns on legal residents. From illegal imprisonment to politically motivated audits to invasive internal checkpoints, we all suffer when immigration policies and realities are way out of whack.

As a candidate, President Donald Trump ran on a platform that called for the deportation of 11 million immigrants. In this, he was merely supercharging policies that had been put in place by his predecessors Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, all of whom targeted illegals among us in various ways and to varying degrees. In a powerful, richly reported piece in the latest issue of Reason, Shikha Dalmia traveled to Arizona to investigate how Trump's war on illegal immigration is causing all sorts of collateral damage in the lives of American citizens and businessmen. There is, she argues, no way to surgically remove millions of people—most of whom are law-abiding and productive members of society—without causing incredible pain to those of us who have every legal right to go about our lives without interference from immigration and border agents. The war on immigration has taken a great toll on unauthorized aliens, its targets. But it is also badly affecting Americans themselves, its intended beneficiaries. Those who think they can escape the crossfire because they are authorized, naturalized, or native-born, with American ancestors going back generations, are simply fooling themselves. In the newest Reason Podcast, Nick Gillespie talks with Dalmia about the unexamined toll of immigration crackdowns on legal residents. From illegal imprisonment to politically motivated audits to invasive internal checkpoints, we all suffer when immigration policies and realities are way out of whack.

On November 3, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward and I debated Vivek Chibber and Bhaskar Sunkara of Jacobin magazine in New York City. The proposition under discussion was "Is capitalism the best way to improve standards of living, ensure political and economic freedom, and provide opportunity? Could socialism do better?" The event was held in Cooper Union's Great Hall—a historic venue perhaps most famous for Abraham Lincoln's famous anti-slavery speech—and the debate was moderated by New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg. About 900 people were in attendance—and almost all of them were hostile to capitalism and Reason's arguments in favor of "free minds and free markets." At least that's the way it seemed sometimes from the stage.

On November 3, Reason magazine Editor in Chief Katherine Mangu-Ward and I debated Vivek Chibber and Bhaskar Sunkara of Jacobin magazine in New York City. The proposition under discussion was "Is capitalism the best way to improve standards of living, ensure political and economic freedom, and provide opportunity? Could socialism do better?" The event was held in Cooper Union's Great Hall—a historic venue perhaps most famous for Abraham Lincoln's famous anti-slavery speech—and the debate was moderated by New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg. About 900 people were in attendance—and almost all of them were hostile to capitalism and Reason's arguments in favor of "free minds and free markets." At least that's the way it seemed sometimes from the stage.

Since sexual assault and harassment charges have come to light against film mogul Harvey Weinstein, there's been an outpouring of other, similar charges against male entertainment figures, journalists and politicians. Most recently, comedian Louis C.K. has admitted to masturbating in front on non-consenting women and Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore has been accused of sexual improprieties with a 14 year old girl back in the 1980s. And at least since the outing of Bill Cosby as an alleged serial predator, the dismissal of Fox News chief Roger Ailes, and the Donald Trump tape where he brags about grabbing women by the genitals, sexual harassment has been a major topic of conversation. Is what's happening the purging of the last vestiges of the old patriarchy? Or is it a long-delayed equalizing of the sexes that has barely gotten started? And is there a risk that a new puritanism will arise that essentially criminalizes workplace banter and romance? To discuss all this and more, Nick Gillespie talks with Cathy Young, a contributing editor to Reason and a columnist for Newsday. She's been writing about gender since the 1990s and is the author of the essential book, Cease Fire: Why Women and Men Must Join Forces to Achieve True Equality.

Since sexual assault and harassment charges have come to light against film mogul Harvey Weinstein, there's been an outpouring of other, similar charges against male entertainment figures, journalists and politicians. Most recently, comedian Louis C.K. has admitted to masturbating in front on non-consenting women and Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore has been accused of sexual improprieties with a 14 year old girl back in the 1980s. And at least since the outing of Bill Cosby as an alleged serial predator, the dismissal of Fox News chief Roger Ailes, and the Donald Trump tape where he brags about grabbing women by the genitals, sexual harassment has been a major topic of conversation. Is what's happening the purging of the last vestiges of the old patriarchy? Or is it a long-delayed equalizing of the sexes that has barely gotten started? And is there a risk that a new puritanism will arise that essentially criminalizes workplace banter and romance? To discuss all this and more, Nick Gillespie talks with Cathy Young, a contributing editor to Reason and a columnist for Newsday. She's been writing about gender since the 1990s and is the author of the essential book, Cease Fire: Why Women and Men Must Join Forces to Achieve True Equality.

After Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was assaulted by his neighbor while mowing the lawn, a surprising number of commentators have implied that he probably had it coming. In today's podcast, Reason's Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, and Katherine Mangu-Ward discuss the ire some mainstream pundits have for libertarians. They also talk about what Tuesday's Democratic sweep means for Trump, Donna Brazile's tell-all book about Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, and the debate over background checks following Sunday's mass shooting in Texas.

After Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was assaulted by his neighbor while mowing the lawn, a surprising number of commentators have implied that he probably had it coming. In today's podcast, Reason's Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, and Katherine Mangu-Ward discuss the ire some mainstream pundits have for libertarians. They also talk about what Tuesday's Democratic sweep means for Trump, Donna Brazile's tell-all book about Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, and the debate over background checks following Sunday's mass shooting in Texas.

In 2006, when Egypt was ruled by strongman Hosni Mubarak, then 22-year-old Cynthia Farahat co-founded the Liberal Egyptian Party, the first secular, classical liberal political party in the country's modern history. Reason's Justin Monticello spoke with Farahat about her mission to bring a true political alternative to the region, why she vociferously advocates for the Muslim Brotherhood to be labeled a terrorist organization, how Coptic Christians in Egypt are persecuted and blamed for American foreign policy, and why she believes people across the Middle East are hungry for civil liberties and free markets. Produced by Justin Monticello. Cameras by Meredith Bragg and Zach Weissmueller. Music by Silent Partner.

In 2006, when Egypt was ruled by strongman Hosni Mubarak, then 22-year-old Cynthia Farahat co-founded the Liberal Egyptian Party, the first secular, classical liberal political party in the country's modern history. Reason's Justin Monticello spoke with Farahat about her mission to bring a true political alternative to the region, why she vociferously advocates for the Muslim Brotherhood to be labeled a terrorist organization, how Coptic Christians in Egypt are persecuted and blamed for American foreign policy, and why she believes people across the Middle East are hungry for civil liberties and free markets. Produced by Justin Monticello. Cameras by Meredith Bragg and Zach Weissmueller. Music by Silent Partner.

As the former chief economist for The New York Stock Exchange, a longtime economics editor at Barron's, and author of Econospinning: How to Read Between the Lines When the Media Manipulate the Numbers, Gene Epstein has been locked in an intellectual battle with Keynesians and big-government conservatives for decades. He remains a fixture of the New York libertarian scene as the co-founder and moderator of the Soho Forum, a monthly debate series designed to hash out pressing issues among libertarians and their ideological opponents on the left and the right. A devotee of the Austrian School of economics who has called Murray Rothbard his "intellectual mentor," Epstein is also an associate of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama. Reason's Nick Gillespie spoke with Epstein about the curious lack of inflation (so far), why he thinks Donald Trump is a "lunatic" on free trade, how military spending is ruinous to the economy, possible solutions for native workers displaced by immigrants, and whether the general public is more economically literate than in generations past.

As the former chief economist for The New York Stock Exchange, a longtime economics editor at Barron's, and author of Econospinning: How to Read Between the Lines When the Media Manipulate the Numbers, Gene Epstein has been locked in an intellectual battle with Keynesians and big-government conservatives for decades. He remains a fixture of the New York libertarian scene as the co-founder and moderator of the Soho Forum, a monthly debate series designed to hash out pressing issues among libertarians and their ideological opponents on the left and the right. A devotee of the Austrian School of economics who has called Murray Rothbard his "intellectual mentor," Epstein is also an associate of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama. Reason's Nick Gillespie spoke with Epstein about the curious lack of inflation (so far), why he thinks Donald Trump is a "lunatic" on free trade, how military spending is ruinous to the economy, possible solutions for native workers displaced by immigrants, and whether the general public is more economically literate than in generations past.

On Sunday, November 5, a man identified as 26-year-old Devin Kelley opened fire in a church outside of San Antonio, Texas, killing 26 people and wounding at least another 20. Reason's Nick Gillespie speaks with Robert VerBruggen, the deputy managing editor of National Review and a gun-policy analyst, about what can be done to reduce mass shootings without eviscerating the Second Amendment. In this new podcast they discuss the changing nature of mass shootings, whether an armed society is actually a safer one, how Kelley was able to obtain guns despite being flagged for domestic abuse and a bad-conduct discharge from the military, and what policies can be put in place to limit mass shootings.

On Sunday, November 5, a man identified as 26-year-old Devin Kelley opened fire in a church outside of San Antonio, Texas, killing 26 people and wounding at least another 20. Reason's Nick Gillespie speaks with Robert VerBruggen, the deputy managing editor of National Review and a gun-policy analyst, about what can be done to reduce mass shootings without eviscerating the Second Amendment. In this new podcast they discuss the changing nature of mass shootings, whether an armed society is actually a safer one, how Kelley was able to obtain guns despite being flagged for domestic abuse and a bad-conduct discharge from the military, and what policies can be put in place to limit mass shootings.