The Reason Roundtable

Why the Media Pushes Public Health Myths

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss the legacy of Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb, and the enduring impact of the overpopulation panic he helped popularize. They examine how dire predictions of mass famine and societal collapse dominated headlines for decades, why those forecasts failed to materialize, and how elite institutions and media outlets often continue promoting similar narratives with little reflection on past errors. Next, the panel discusses the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) threat to revoke broadcast licenses over war coverage the White House dislikes, before analyzing Vice President J.D. Vance's effort to position himself as an Iran war skeptic inside the White House. Then, the editors answer a listener's question about whether the Department of Homeland Security still serves a useful purpose as a centralized hub for intelligence sharing. Finally, the panel remembers Reason Senior Editor Brian Doherty by reflecting on his enormous influence as a historian of the libertarian movement. Reason is hiring! Check out the two open roles on the video team now:https://reason.org/jobs/associate-producer/https://reason.org/jobs/producer/ 0:00—The myth of overpopulation panic 19:22—The FCC threatens broadcasters over war coverage 24:05—Vance positions himself as an Iran war skeptic 31:46—Listener question on Department of Homeland Security 38:55—Remembering Brian Doherty 46:59—Weekly cultural recommendations Mentioned in the podcast: "Population Doomster and False Prophet of Ecological Apocalypse Paul Ehrlich Has Died," by Ronald Bailey "60 Minutes Promotes Paul Ehrlich's Failed Doomsaying One More Time," by Ronald Bailey "Civilization Is Doomed, Says Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich (Again)," by Ronald Bailey "Population Doomster Paul Ehrlich's New Forecast: 'Biological Annihilation,'" by Ronald Bailey "Doomster Paul Ehrlich Unrepentant: 'My language would be even more apocalyptic today.'" By Ronald Bailey "Betting on Humanity's Future," by Ronald Bailey "Paul Ehrlich Sounds the Trump of Doom Again: And This Time It's A 'Consensus,'" by Ronald Bailey "Paul Ehrlich Goes Up Against 'Well-Funded, Merciless Enemies' to Save the Earth from Certain Destruction. Again," by Katherine Mangu-Ward "Julian Simon Was Right: Ingenuity Leads to Abundance," by J.D. Tuccille "FCC Chair Threatens Media Outlets That Don't Report Good Iran War News," by Joe Lancaster "Trump Wants To Cover Up Bad News About the Iran War," by Matthew Petti "Trump and Vance Promised 'No New Wars.' What Happened To That?" by Steven Greenhut "Homeland Insecurity," by Brian Doherty "Abolish the Department of Homeland Security," by Nick Gillespie and Justin Zuckerman "Brian Doherty, Historian of the Libertarian Movement, Dead at 57," by Matt Welch "Remembering Brian Doherty, Chronicler of and Participant in Wild and Wonderful Subcultures," by Nick Gillespie "Brian Doherty: The fascinating women and weirdos who founded libertarianism," by Nick Gillespie "I Dreamed I Saw Joey Ramone Last Night: The P.C. eulogizing of a punk rocker," by Nick Gillespie and Brian Doherty "Me and the Orgone—The True Story of One Man's Sexual Awakening," by Orson Bean "Marian Tupy and Gale Pooley: More People Means More Wealth," by Nick Gillespie "One Battle After Another Lets Leftist Radicals Off the Hook," by Peter Suderman Producer: Paul AlexanderVideo Editor: Ian KeyserThe post Why the Media Pushes Public Health Myths appeared first on Reason.com.

Will the War in Iran Crash the Global Economy?

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss the escalating war with Iran and its growing economic consequences. With oil prices surging past $100 a barrel, the panel examines the risks to global energy markets and the broader economy. They also debate the war's trajectory after Iran elevates a new hardline supreme leader and launches wider counterattacks, raising fears of global escalation, nuclear proliferation, and the White House signaling that Cuba could be the next target. They also discuss the removal of Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security and what her turbulent tenure says about the popularity of hardline immigration tactics. Then, the editors look at new polling showing that Americans dislike artificial intelligence more than Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), continue to view government as the country's biggest problem, and report collapsing levels of social trust. They also answer a listener's question about drug use in libertarian circles. 0:00—Economic fallout of war with Iran 10:12—China and the risk of global escalation 25:04—Noem removed as secretary of Homeland Security 35:36—Listener question on libertarian drug use 44:27—New polling on AI, social trust, and government approval 57:30—Weekly cultural recommendations Mentioned in the podcast: "Regime Change in Cuba: 'Just a Matter of Time,'" by Matt Welch "What Is Life Like Beneath the Bombs of the Iran War?" by Matthew Petti "Jobs Are Down While the U.S. Spends $2 Billion a Day on War With Iran," byJoe Lancaster "Trump Bragged About Lower Gas Prices. Then He Bombed Iran," by Joe Lancaster "Senate Punts on Iran War Powers as Ground War Grows More Likely," by Matthew Petti "Yes, the Iran War Is a 'War of Choice,' and a Bad One," by Nick Gillespie "The Iran War Is Unconstitutional," by Damon Root "Temporary Doves," by Matt Welch "Kristi Noem's Lies About DHS Shootings Don't Seem To Have Figured in Trump's Decision To Fire Her," by Jacob Sullum "Trump Fires Kristi Noem From DHS," by Robby Soave "In Senate Testimony on DHS Shootings, Kristi Noem Lies About Her Lies," by Jacob Sullum "DHS Spent $220 Million on Ads Featuring Kristi Noem. Both Parties Grilled Her About It in the Senate," by Autumn Billings "Reason's Classic Pot Brownies," by Katherine Mangu-Ward Producer: Paul AlexanderVideo Editor: Ian KeyserThe post Will the War in Iran Crash the Global Economy? appeared first on Reason.com.

Trump's War With Iran Is Unjustified and Unpopular

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss the U.S. military strikes against Iran, and why the United States repeatedly finds itself pulled into wars in the Middle East. The panel examines the White House's original narrative around the 2025 bombings of Iran's nuclear facilities and what evidence supports claims that Tehran posed an imminent threat to U.S. national security. They debate whether President Donald Trump's approach reflects a coherent strategy or a slide toward another open-ended conflict. The editors also consider Congress' reluctance to assert its war powers, the limited public support for the operation, fractures within Trump's coalition, and the risk of escalation. They also unpack the Pentagon's clash with Anthropic after the AI company was labeled a supply chain risk when it refused to drop safety guardrails on its technology, a move that will shut the firm out of federal contracts. The editors discuss what that authority means in practice, how it shapes the relationship between Silicon Valley and the military, and what it signals about AI's growing role in national defense. They also respond to a listener's question about whether regime change wars are morally distinct from other conflicts and whether preemptive self-defense fits within libertarian principles. 0:00—How does the White House justify bombing Iran? 9:11—Do the strikes on Iran need congressional authorization? 16:21—Trump's mixed messaging on Iran 29:49—Conservative influencers divided over Iran 38:18—Listener question on regime change 48:13—Anthropic gets blacklisted by the Pentagon 1:00:02—Weekly cultural recommendations Mentioned in the podcast: "Bombed Iran," by Robby Soave "Trump Should Have Made His Case for War to Congress and the American People," by J.D. Tuccille "The Goalposts of the Iran War Keep Shifting," by Matthew Petti "Why Don't Democratic Leaders Want To Vote on the Iran War?" by Matthew Petti "Obama's Doctrine of Preemptive War," by Matt Welch "Anthropic Labeled a Supply Chain Risk, Banned from Federal Government Contracts," by Jack Nicastro Producer: Paul AlexanderVideo Editor: Ian KeyserThe post Trump's War With Iran Is Unjustified and Unpopular appeared first on Reason.com.

Trump Replaces Old Illegal Tariffs With New Illegal Tariffs

This week, Reason reporter Eric Boehm joins editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie to discuss the Supreme Court's decision striking down President Donald Trump's "emergency" tariffs. They examine the major questions doctrine, Justice Neil Gorsuch's concurring opinion, and whether the ruling meaningfully restrains executive power or just invites years of new litigation. The panel also considers what the decision means for businesses and foreign governments that rushed to cut deals, and they talk about what Trump's irritated response reveals about his next moves. They then turn to the Middle East, where a rapid buildup of U.S. military forces has raised fresh fears of a possible war with Iran and renewed debate over how to respond to hostile regimes pursuing nuclear weapons. A listener asks whether a libertarian dream matchup of Rand Paul versus Jared Polis could ever happen and what it would take to convince reluctant candidates to run. The editors also discuss AI, surveillance, and privacy in light of new reporting on how tech companies handle user data. 0:00–Supreme Court ruling on Trump's tariffs 10:33–Congressional authority over tariff policy 24:22–Are we going to war with Iran? 36:52–The Winter Olympics 46:45–Listener question on Rand Paul vs. Jared Polis 54:22–AI surveillance and privacy concerns 1:05:22–Weekly cultural recommendations Mentioned in This Podcast "Trump's New Tariffs Are Probably Illegal Too," by Eric Boehm "Why Trump's Section 122 Tariffs Are Illegal," by Andrew McCarty "Iran's Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated—and Suggestions Otherwise are Fake News," by the White House "The Hawks Are Lying Us Into Yet Another Middle Eastern War," by Matthew Petti "The Trump Administration Plans To Deport Iranians Amid Deadly Crackdown in Iran," by Matthew Petti Producer: Paul AlexanderVideo Editor: Ian KeyserThe post Trump Replaces Old Illegal Tariffs With New Illegal Tariffs appeared first on Reason.com.

DHS Wants To Unmask Online Critics

This week, editors Peter Suderman and Katherine Mangu-Ward are joined by Senior Editor Robby Soave and reporter Reem Ibrahim to discuss the rapidly expanding global fight over free speech. The conversation begins with reporting that the Department of Homeland Security is seeking identifying information on Americans who criticize Immigration and Customs Enforcement online. They also examine President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC and the broader international trend toward regulating social media and criminalizing online speech. The panel then turns to the Federal Communications Commission chair's pressure campaign against Disney and Comcast and calls from Republican officials to investigate Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, and what those moves say about the state of free expression in the United States. They also unpack the latest developments in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, including new reporting on UCLA professor Mark Tramo, the widening circle of consequences for Epstein's associates, and whether the moment resembles a belated reckoning similar to #MeToo. A listener asks how libertarians should think about free speech in the age of AI-generated deepfakes, before the panel examines Trump's failing tariff strategy and the growing rift between the U.S. and key allies. 0:00—DHS wants to identify online critics 05:37—The global attacks on free speech 14:00—The FCC's soft censorship 25:51—Is the Epstein saga a nothingburger? 42:03—Listener question on AI-generated deepfake nudes 51:10—Trump tariffs fail, cause global rifts 1:02:44—Weekly cultural recommendations Producer: Natalie DowzickyVideo Editor: Ian KeyserThe post DHS Wants To Unmask Online Critics appeared first on Reason.com.