In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie welcome back sudden special guest (and former Roundtable host) Andrew Heaton! The editors reflect on President Biden's recent State of the Union address and look ahead to the unavoidable slog of eight more months of election coverage.

04:11 - President Biden's feisty, yet empty, State of the Union address

24:27 - Third party election outlook

46:43 - Weekly Listener Question

55:49 - This week's cultural recommendations

Today's sponsor:

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Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

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The Reason Roundtable

The State of the Union Is Shouty

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Reason reporter Eric Boehm unpack the passage of President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, focusing on its tax carve-outs, special-interest subsidies, and what happens when key provisions expire in 2028. They also examine the potential fallout from Trump's looming trade deadline with the European Union, answer a listener question about the legality of masked federal law enforcement, and discuss the viability of Elon Musk launching a new political party.

0:00—America is still the greatest country on earth

6:18—The One Big Beautiful Bill becomes law

12:39—Medicaid cuts and what they mean

20:51—Sunset clauses will cause more instability

33:33—Listener question on masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents

42:16—Elon Musk announces new third party

49:47—Weekly cultural recommendations

Today's Sponsors:

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The Insanity of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill

Founded in 1968, Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Our podcast offerings include:

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Every Monday, the libertarian editors of the magazine of “Free Minds and Free Markets”—Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Peter Suderman—discuss and debate the week’s biggest stories and what fresh hell awaits us all.

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Want to know what comes next in politics, culture, and libertarian ideas? Reason’s Nick Gillespie hosts relentlessly interesting interviews with the activists, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, newsmakers, and politicians who are defining the 21st century.

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New tracks tagged #Third Parties