Freed Up

Thomas Massie Falls, 'Samurai vs. Squatters,' Jeff Bezos

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss Republican Rep. Thomas Massie's primary defeat in Kentucky and how his refusal to be a Trump yes-man cost him his seat in Congress. Then, they break down why Jeff Bezos is going viral after floating a proposal to eliminate income taxes for the bottom 50 percent of earners. Finally, they dissect Christian's reporting trip to California for his feature article, "Samurai vs. Squatters: On the Street With the Hired Swords Reclaiming California Property Owners' Stolen Homes [https://reason.com/2026/05/18/samurai-vs-squatters-i-rode-along-with-the-armed-enforcers-handling-californias-squatter-crisis/]." 0:00—Tough loss for Massie 18:25—Bezos made some claims about taxes. 28:40—"Teen takeovers" in Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. 37:06—The anti-data center people are giving Robby an aneurysm. 50:37—"Samurai vs. Squatters" 1:00:38—The Boys' new season is bad. 1:11:00—Euphoria is the hot people show. 1:17:18—Robby loves complicated board games. The post Thomas Massie Falls, 'Samurai vs. Squatters,' Jeff Bezos [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/21/thomas-massie-falls-samurai-vs-squatters-jeff-bezos/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

CIA Whistleblower Reveals COVID Lab Leak Cover-Up

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi dive right in to the latest news: A CIA whistleblower is alleging that his agency revised its assessment of COVID-19's origins under pressure from…Anthony Fauci! Next up, the boys discuss the spread of hantavirus and whether it's OK to quarantine the cruise ship passengers. Then, they talk about a dubious accusation against Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.). Finally, they wrap up by going over their favorite Frances McDormand movies. 0:31—CIA whistleblower exposes Fauci 15:11 —Quarantining hantavirus victims? 23:29—AI data centers debate 38:39—Miso soup and Dracula 48:36—Was Troy good? 55:43—iPads for prisoners? 1:00:26—Thomas Massie smeared 1:07:09—True crime lies The post CIA Whistleblower Reveals COVID Lab Leak Cover-Up [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/15/cia-whistleblower-reveals-covid-lab-leak-cover-up/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

AOC Hates Billionaires, Heritage Americans, and Ranking Christopher Nolan Movies

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi cover a wide range of topics, opening with a critique of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortes' claims about billionaires [https://reason.com/2026/05/08/contra-aoc-you-dont-have-to-be-a-billionaire-to-be-a-leech/] and wage theft. Then they dig into a philosophical debate over what it means to be American—heritage vs. creedal identity—then turn to a discrimination lawsuit against The New York Times [https://reason.com/2026/05/07/did-the-new-york-times-discriminate-against-a-while-male-employee/]. On the lighter side, the duo reacts to a new trailer for an Odyssey film adaptation and ranks Christopher Nolan's movies. They also weigh in on a bizarre story involving Donald Trump and the National Mall reflecting pool, discuss Jeffrey Epstein's reported suicide note, and close out talking about the Roman Empire. 0:00—AOC bashing billionaires again 11:09—The hantavirus cruise needs to go. 16:18—Heritage Americans vs. creedal Americans 27:51—Discrimination suit against The New York Times 41:17—A new Odyssey trailer is out. 50:40—Ranking Christopher Nolan movies 1:01:23—Donald Trump drove through the reflecting pool? 1:09:24—Epstein's suicide note 1:19:45—Always thinking about the Roman Empire The post AOC Hates Billionaires, Heritage Americans, and Ranking Christopher Nolan Movies [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/08/aoc-hates-billionaires-heritage-americans-and-ranking-christopher-nolan-movies/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

Prosecuting Fauci, Pirate Economy, and Mr. Beast's Red Button Blues

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi break down how extreme the COVID cover-up has been. They also discuss how Sen. Rand Paul (R–Ky.) is gung-ho on prosecuting Anthony Fauci even though he has a full pardon from the Biden administration. Then they talk about their favorite revolutions and maybe even some of their favorite monarchies. Finally, they talk about Mr. Beast, The Matrix, and how complicated intellectual property and patents are. 0:00—Will Congress try to test the power of Anthony Fauci's pardon? 8:27—James Comey has been arrested for the silliest reason. 10:40—Celebrating the American revolution and some other revolutions 19:39—The White House Correspondents' Dinner chaos 32:58—Christian visits James Garfields' grave. 39:04—Robby and Christian are pro-science, but not pro-scientists. 43:39—Mr. Beast's Red Button vs. Blue Button test 51:05—Pro-libertarian takes on pirates? 54:28—The Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean sequels 1:04:11—It's too easy to get a patent The post Prosecuting Fauci, Pirate Economy, and Mr. Beast's Red Button Blues [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/01/prosecuting-fauci-pirate-economy-and-mr-beasts-red-button-blues/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

Chaos with the SPLC, Hasan Piker Endorses Violence, and Predictions Markets Run Amok

On this episode of Freed Up, Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi unpack a wild slate of stories: the Department of Justice's (DOJ) explosive allegations that the Southern Poverty Law Center funneled money to extremist groups, Hasan Piker's comments seeming to endorse violence on a recent New York Times show, and how One Battle After Another skewers leftists. They also end on a high note with some encouraging news on marijuana rescheduling. 0:00—The DOJ comes for the Southern Poverty Law Center. 19:45—Gerrymandering gave us the lobster congressional district in Virginia. 29:14—Democrats are betting on themselves on Kalshi? 38:49—Hasan Piker endorses violence and stealing. 46:36—One Battle After Another makes fun of leftist activists. 55:09—White House Correspondents' Association dinner parties 1:02:30—The Reason workplace is unique. 1:06:15—Trump is good on psychedelics and marijuana. The post Chaos with the SPLC, Hasan Piker Endorses Violence, and Predictions Markets Run Amok [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/04/23/chaos-with-the-splc-hasan-piker-endorses-violence-and-predictions-markets-run-amok/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].