Freed Up

Zohran Mamdani Goes Full Commie on Air Conditioning

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss New York Gov. Zohran Mamdani's proposal to ease pressure on the power grid by having New Yorkers sweat it out at home, then dive into the latest debate over the Supreme Court decision on birthright citizenship. They also cover War and Peace meeting 30 Rock, revisit the best TV comedies of the 2010s, and react to Matthew Yglesias' concerns about the national debt. Later, they unpack Vice President J.D. Vance's attack on Milton Friedman–style economics and debate why House of the Dragon keeps drifting from its source material.   0:00—Mamdani wants you to sweat at home because of the power grid. 7:53—Robby and Christian have many thoughts about birthright citizenship. 32:53—War and Peace meets 30 Rock. 40:30—The TV comedies of the 2010s 57:59—Matthew Yglesias complains about the debt. 1:12:23—Vance wants to "overthrow" Friedman philosophy. 1:19:56—House of the Dragon doesn't follow the source material. The post Zohran Mamdani Goes Full Commie on Air Conditioning [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/07/02/zohran-mamdani-goes-full-commie-on-air-conditioning/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

Mamdani's Socialists Conquer New York City

In this episode of Freed Up, Robby Soave and Jason Russell discuss New York City's election of young radical socialists and what it reveals about the left's growing internal divide. They also react to World Cup visitors embracing American culture. Later, Robby reflects on his recent trip to Ukraine, sharing observations from the war-torn country and what he learned on the ground. The conversation closes with a pop culture discussion about why PLUR1BUS [https://reason.com/2026/03/06/plur1bus/] is worth watching and the return of House of the Dragon. 0:00—NYC elected young radical socialists. 10:02—Robby's 1,007th Bane impression 11:10—The left fights with the left 14:05—The World Cup loves America! 19:23—Robby's trip to Ukraine 45:33—PLUR1BUS [https://reason.com/2026/03/06/plur1bus/] is a great show. 51:55—House of the Dragon is back! The post Mamdani's Socialists Conquer New York City [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/24/mamdanis-socialists-conquer-new-york-city/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

Graham Platner Wins, Backrooms, and Church and State

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi start this episode of Freed Up with how Democrats plan to stand by Graham Platner in Maine no matter what. The conversation then moves from politics and mail-in ballots to cultural complaints, consciousness, internet horror, and generational grumbling. It then turns to movies and franchises, including Sorcerer, Star Wars, and the new Wuthering Heights. Later, they discuss Mormons vs. the Department of War and the inequalities we all face. 0:00—Democrats don't care that Graham Platner may be a bad person 12:30—Mailing ballots to everyone is a dumb idea 18:07—Why do people talk like that? 21:42—Can we define consciousness? 23:26— Backrooms was great 27:20—Kids these days 31:38—The Sorcerer 33:54—They ruined Star Wars 41:15—The Department of War starts a war with the Mormons 50:15—The inequality of religious rights 58:57—The new Wuthering Heights movie is not good 1:06:30—Robby is going to Ukraine! The post Graham Platner Wins, Backrooms, and Church and State [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/10/graham-platner-wins-backrooms-and-church-and-state/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

California Elections, Graham Platner, Recalling COVID Insanity

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi kick off this week's episode of Freed Up with a look at California's socialist elections and Los Angeles' worsening homelessness problem. Then, they discuss why socialism keeps failing, Sen. Ted Cruz's (R–Texas) claim that he is "quite libertarian," and the U.K.'s decision to ban Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur. Later, they break down Graham Platner's growing list of scandals, debate whether Dracula is really a romance story, and consider when science and religion come into conflict. Finally, they talk about Robby's struggles as a light sleeper, revisit the moment COVID-19 experts betrayed the public's trust, examine how annual homelessness counts are calculated, and close with Robby's memory of former President Barack Obama speaking at his university commencement. 0:00—The socialist elections in California 4:50—The Los Angeles homeless problem and Spencer Pratt 11:22—Socialism is bad. 19:48—Cruz claims he is "quite libertarian." 22:49—Piker and Uygur banned from the U.K. 31:12—Platner has had enough scandals. 38:27—Dracula is a romance story. 41:33—When are science and religion in conflict? 50:03—Robby is a light sleeper. 58:13—This was the moment the COVID-19 experts betrayed us [https://reason.com/2026/06/04/this-was-the-moment-the-covid-19-experts-betrayed-us/]. 1:12:30—How they come up with the annual homelessness numbers 1:24:55—Obama was the speaker at Robby's university commencement. The post California Elections, Graham Platner, Recalling COVID Insanity [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/06/04/california-elections-graham-platner-recalling-covid-insanity/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].

James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton, the Pope on AI, and Caves

Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the brewing Texas showdown between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. Then, they break down Rep. Nancy Mace's (R–S.C.) proposal to give boomers a property tax break and Pope Leo XIV's latest encyclical on artificial intelligence. Finally, they wrap up with some lighter debates over The Legend of Zelda, Nicolas Cage movies, retro-futurism, Jill Biden's latest remarks, and whether President Donald Trump's political influence will ever fade. 0:00—Heretics and hypocrites in Texas 14:30—Talarico takes back his former wokeness 19:10—If you can't take it, don't dish it 32:25—Coal mines are cool? 34:00—Mace's boomer luxury communism 39:20—The pope's views on AI 47:40—Why does anyone play video games? 58:59—Nicolas Cage is a good actor 1:05:57—Retro-futurism 1:10:26—Jill Biden's latest remarks 1:18:36—Will Trump's influence ever fade? The post James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton, the Pope on AI, and Caves [https://reason.com/podcast/2026/05/29/james-talarico-vs-ken-paxton-the-pope-on-ai-and-caves/] appeared first on Reason.com [https://reason.com].