The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative from Silicon Valley and self-described progressive capitalist, discusses war powers and Congress reclaiming control over military force. He tackles California’s wealth tax and population shifts, the threat of billionaire influence on democracy, and how to balance AI, tech innovation, and worker protections.

Brink Lindsey, senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and author of The Permanent Problem, explores how industrial-era abundance met rising pessimism. He discusses globalization’s winners and losers, slowing innovation and declining dynamism, the cultural fallout of capitalism, fractures between college-educated elites and others, falling fertility, and the social role of religion and community.

Taylor Lorenz, tech journalist and founder of User Mag, who covers online culture, breaks down courtroom drama from a landmark trial. She recounts testimony about family abuse and how Instagram was used in that dynamic. They debate whether social media is a scapegoat, legal precedents, age verification risks, and how big platforms shape regulation and competition.

Adam Carolla, comedian and pioneering podcaster who left radio to build independent media, rips into soft, access-driven interviews and legacy outlets’ leftward monocultures. He discusses why Californians and productions are fleeing high taxes and stifling regulations. He also explains the rise of podcasting, California’s overregulation, and why a builder mentality matters for policy and culture.

Stewart Brand, writer and founder of the Whole Earth Catalog and the Long Now Foundation, reflects on long-term stewardship and the hidden art of upkeep. He discusses why maintenance underpins civilization, how tinkering and manuals (including YouTube teardowns) spread practical know-how, and the tradeoffs between simplicity and precision in design.

Mark Chenoweth, president and chief legal officer of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, is a constitutional lawyer fighting administrative-agency overreach. He discusses agency gag rules that silence defendants, the SEC’s settlement practices and Powell v. SEC, censorship tied to government pressure on social platforms, and how courts are pushing back against agency power.

Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch and longtime conservative commentator, discusses the rise of the populist right and why many new movements are anti-conservative. He critiques personality-driven politics, the loyalties of figures like J.D. Vance, and the shifting intellectual roots of post-liberalism. He also talks about institutional decline and the case for rebuilding fact-driven conservatism.

Pete Buttigieg, former South Bend mayor and ex-Transportation Secretary, speaks as a national political figure. He critiques militarized immigration raids and calls for transparency to rebuild trust. He discusses appealing to libertarian voters, federal spending and efficiency, trade policy, and ideas for renewing Democratic politics and civic service.

Michael Shermer, founding publisher of Skeptic magazine and author focused on skepticism and the psychology of belief. He explains how the Epstein file releases fuel pattern-seeking conspiracies. He discusses ambiguous video evidence, the collapse of institutional trust after COVID, the rise of science denialism, and how online platforms amplify conspiratorial narratives.

Fardad Farahzad, primetime anchor of 24 on Iran International and veteran Iranian reporter in exile, discusses how Iranians bypass censorship to get news. He describes threats to exile journalists and how protests grew beyond previous cycles. Conversation covers Reza Pahlavi's rising role, the regime's limited options, and the risks and limits of outside intervention.