In this episode of Peach Pundit, hosts Jason Pye, Scot Turner, and Buzz Brockway reflect on their predictions for 2024, discussing the outcomes and unexpected developments in politics, including the implications of Trump's legal challenges and Biden's candidacy. They also share their predictions for 2025, touching on key political figures and potential government actions. In this conversation, the speakers discuss various political predictions and the implications of personal loss on political decisions. They delve into the upcoming Attorney General race in Georgia, the potential Democratic nominees, and the current state of the Democratic Party. The discussion also covers the future of government efficiency, local government inefficiencies, and the potential for lawsuits challenging the state election board's composition. Additionally, they touch on Senate confirmations and the controversy surrounding Geoff Duncan's party status. The conversation delves into various themes surrounding Georgia politics, including the legacy of Georgia Tech baseball, the implications of party politics and allegations against Geoff Duncan, the importance of due process within the Republican Party, and the focus on contested elections. The discussion also touches on Reese Adler's new book, immigration legislation like the Lake and Riley Act, and Trump's controversial proposal regarding Greenland. The episode concludes with a reflection on the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter.

Predictions for 2025

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Nick Gillespie welcome a very special guest, Andrew Sullivan, to discuss President Donald Trump's defiance of court orders on deportations, his antagonism toward Canada, and the COVID-19-era lies told by Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

11:55—Trump deportations ignore due process and defy court order

38:19—Canada as the 51st state?

50:38—Weekly listener question

58:09—The five-year anniversary of COVID-19 and Fauci's lies

1:07:30—This week's cultural recommendations

Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.


Today's sponsors:

Do you know a student looking for a transformative opportunity that supports the foundations of a free society? Reliance College invites students aged 16 to 24 to the 2025 Great Connections Seminar in Chicago, from July 26th to August 2nd. This year's theme, "Reason and Free Will," dives into timeless ideas from writers such as Thomas Jefferson, Ayn Rand, and Aristotle. Students sharpen critical thinking in small, dynamic groups, developing the intellectual tools needed to thrive in a free society. Outside the classroom, they'll explore Chicago's vibrant culture—touring museums, trying improv comedy, and building lifelong connections. Parents, this program equips students to think, reason, and act independently. Go to reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply. Registration is just $800, including room and board for the full week, with scholarships available. Don't miss out! Visit www.reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply.
Therapy can feel like a big investment, but the state of your mind is just as important as your physical health. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up fast, but with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save, on average, up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it—and now, it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus, switch therapists at any time. Your well-being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com/roundtable today to get 10% off your first month.

Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

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Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


Trump’s War With the Courts

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch recorded a live episode in Austin, Texas, at Reason Weekend and covered a wide range of topics: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tariffs, deportations without due process, and President Donald Trump on free speech.


02:18—What does the audience think about Trump?

04:28—A DOGE dance party?

15:56—Trump announces new tariffs

22:11—Deportations without due process

29:28—Is Trump good for free speech?

38:27—What is the funniest thing about Trump 2.0?

44:09—Democrats and the abundance agenda

50:37—Manny Klausner, RIP

57:24—This week's cultural recommendations


Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsors:

Do you know a student looking for a transformative opportunity that supports the foundations of a free society? Reliance College invites students aged 16 to 24 to the 2025 Great Connections Seminar in Chicago, from July 26th to August 2nd. This year's theme, "Reason and Free Will," dives into timeless ideas from writers such as Thomas Jefferson, Ayn Rand, and Aristotle. Students sharpen critical thinking in small, dynamic groups, developing the intellectual tools needed to thrive in a free society. Outside the classroom, they'll explore Chicago's vibrant culture—touring museums, trying improv comedy, and building lifelong connections. Parents, this program equips students to think, reason, and act independently. Go to reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply. Registration is just $800, including room and board for the full week, with scholarships available. Don't miss out! Visit www.reliancecollege.org/reason to learn more and apply.
Therapy can feel like a big investment, but the state of your mind is just as important as your physical health. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up fast, but with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save, on average, up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it—and now, it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus, switch therapists at any time. Your well-being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com/roundtable today to get 10% off your first month.

Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


Time for a DOGE Dance Party

CONGRATS, US Attorney General PAM BONDI! This week, you've earned yourself a free Johnny Punish song—personally dedicated to your brazen contempt, grotesque behavior, and utter disregard for the U.S. Constitution, due process, and the Supreme Court. What a legacy!

She walks in like a loaded gun
Heart full of chaos, lips taste like fun
Takes your number, carves it in her shoe
Says Baby, I see right through you

She’s got stilettos, sharp as knives
Collects ex-lovers like trophies in a dive
Gold card smile, jet-black soul
You’re just another name on her scroll

She's sugar with a razor blade twist
Kiss her once and she don’t miss

Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
She’s the queen of charm as she steals your loot
Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
She’ll kiss your neck then cut it loose
Yeah!

Came from money, never had to beg
Daddy bought her first hit, a bootleg
She cuts her wrist on a Mar-A-Lago shrine
Burning sage while committing her crimes

Drives a Jag like a wrecking ball
Crashes hearts and dances at the fall
Every red flag’s a fascist choice
Wrapped in chaos with a velvet voice

She’s venom in a perfume cloud
Laughs at your pain and says it out loud

Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
Flashing that smirk in a pair of jackboots
Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
She’ll ruin your world, ready set aim and shoot!
Check it out!

She’s got your records, your shirts, your band tee
Now she’s dating your drummer just to watch you bleed
Tells your mom you’re doing okay
While she’s lighting your memory on fire each day

No regrets no apologies
She’s punk rock with a law degree
Wears insanity like it’s haute couture
You’re just another body on her tour

Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
The devil wears heels she's a prostitute
Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
Don’t say her name or she’ll prosecute
Beautiful blonde in a psychopath suit
The Constitution is what they wrote
Due process is not a joke
You psycho-pathhhhhh in a SUIT!!!
Go away!
Suit
Psychopathhhhh
Suit
Suit

==========
Written by Johnny Punish
Produced by Punish Studios, enhanced by AI

Beautiful Blonde in a Psychopath Suit

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch discuss how President Donald Trump is de-prioritizing due process by not adhering to a ruling from the Supreme Court. They also talk about how Harvard University's tax status could be in jeopardy and reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis.

0:00—Introduction

0:12—The Pope's legacy

5:56—Is the democracy emergency here?

15:27—Deportations without due process

29:19—Harvard funding pause

41:25—Weekly listener question

48:11—Lightning round: What's happening at the Pentagon? What's going on with tariffs now? And what's next for AI?

54:33—Weekly cultural recommendations

Today's sponsors:

Join the 2025 Great Connections Seminar in Chicago, July 26–Aug 2.  Designed for students 16–24, this week-long experience builds the core skills of entrepreneurship: critical thinking, persuasive communication, and intellectual independence. This year's theme, "Reason and Free Will," explores great minds like Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and Jefferson—not through lectures, but in dynamic, small-group discussions that train students to lead and innovate. Outside the classroom, they'll tour Chicago's museums, try improv, and connect with ambitious peers. In a world of AI and automation, original thinking is your competitive edge. Tuition is just $800, including room and board.  Scholarships available. Apply today at www.reliancecollege.org/reason

Therapy can feel like a big investment, but the state of your mind is just as important as your physical health. Let's talk numbers. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from $100 to $250 per session, which adds up fast, but with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save, on average, up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions, saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it—and now, it's within reach. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus, switch therapists at any time. Your well-being is worth it. Visit betterhelp.com/roundtable today to get 10% off your first month.

Subscribe at YouTube: http://youtube.com/reasontv
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magazine
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason
Visit the archive: https://reason.com/tags/reason-podcast


Why Due Process Matters

A pop song about Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Yunseo Chung and America becoming a fascist nation.

America is a Lie

She came here with her family

Only 8 years old.

Grew up like the other kids

America is her home

She went away to college

To learn and to be free

She joined protests 

for what she believed

She joined protests 

for what she believed


They ordered her arrested

‘cause our gov did not agree

She had no right to speak out

She had no freedom of speech

They tried to send her flying,
To a place she'd never known
like other students rising
She was not alone.

Because America

Is a lie

She found out America

Is a lie


He fled poverty and violence 

To a fabled promised land

The greatest nation in the world 

His future in our hands

He dreamed of a great life

Help me if you can

He said Help me if you can yea

He said Help me if you can yea


They ripped him from his car

As his child wailed and cried

They denied him all his rights

As his future quickly died

They forced him on a plane

Head bowed and wrapped in chains.

They asked for his confession

To hide their lies and shame

Because America

Is a lie

He found out America

Is a lie


We voted against Freedom

In America

We voted for fascism

In America

We voted for oppression

In America

We may never vote again

In America


Say Goodbye

Say Goodbye  

Say Goodbye

America

America Is a Lie (Kilmar Abrego Garcia)

We examine the roots of the American practice of "deportation" -- from colonial banishment of heretics, through the political upheaval over Alien & Sedition Acts, to the age of Chinese Exclusion -- which paved the way for the federal government to exercise virtually unlimited & absolute power over aliens, whom they placed outside the protection of the Constitution.

Suggested further reading: Kanstroom, "Deportation Nation: Outsiders in American History"

Image: East Asian women & children in a holding cell, Angel Island immigration station, Calinfornia, ca. 1920

Please sign on as a patron to hear all patron-only lectures, including the most recent on the modern history of the Papacy! -- https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=5530632

The History of Deportation in America -- pt. 1: Banishment By Another Name

It is increasingly well understood that the criminal justice system is one of the most significant and valuable intervention points for getting people into recovery. When people are given access to the services they need to enter and maintain recovery, the success stories are common. 

But providing those resources in jails can be tough, especially in small, rural counties. For one, there are a number of policies and laws that jails have to consider when seeking funding for resources. 

And worse, when addiction goes unaddressed - whether due to cost, or lack of local services, or more, recidivism tends to be higher, which makes the problem even more expensive, and even tougher for counties to solve. 

Our guest this month is Libby Jones, Associate Vice President of the Overdose Prevention Initiative. Her organization is currently working with the U.S. Congress on three bipartisan federal bills that seek to improve this situation: the Re-Entry Act, the Due Process Continuity of Care Act, and the Peer Support Act. In this conversation, we talk about what these bills seek to do and how they could potentially benefit county governments, the ongoing history of bipartisanship at the federal level when it comes to fighting the overdose crisis, how Tennessee legislators have been leaders in this fight, and finally, how the best policies come from the local level. 

As always, this episode is intended to be educational, and is not to be taken as an endorsement or rejection of any legislation. Any opinions or views or specific language presented in this episode does not reflect the opinion of the University of Tennessee.

Original music by Blind House. Hosted and produced with additional scoring by Jeremy Kourvelas. 
Learn more:
Overdose Prevention Initiative: https://www.advocacyincubator.org/program-areas/injury-prevention/overdose-prevention
The Re-Entry Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2586
Due Process Continuity of Care Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1510
Peer Support Act: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2741/text 
SMART: www.smart.tennessee.edu

Related reading: Critical Issues in Policing 2025: Opioid Deaths Fall as Law Enforcement and Public Health Find Common Ground (https://perf.memberclicks.net/assets/Opioids2025.pdf) 

LISTEN HERE: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qbzONIr0hlWxiQsPwkXHM

Funding Recovery Behind Bars: Bipartisan Solutions for Jail-Based Treatment

Premieres on December 2, 25 at 6:45 PM
Ramon Ontiveros’ conspiracy to defraud the United States is not an anomaly, it is a lesson learned from a system built to look away. This essay examines how Ontiveros’ actions reveal deeper failures within the U.S. immigration and labor structures: a culture that rewards coercion, punishes vulnerability, and turns immigrant fear into an economic resource. Rather than treating the immigration system as “broken,” this work asks a more urgent question: what if the system is functioning exactly as designed? What if its inefficiencies, contradictions, and abuses are not errors, but features? Through political reflection, philosophical analysis, and firsthand insight into coercion, retaliation, and institutional silence, this essay confronts the uncomfortable possibility that exploitation in America is not an accident, it is an expectation.

Samuel Martínez Roque vs. The United States of America: Political Essays on American Hypocrisy

Ramon Ontiveros’ Conspiracy to Defraud the United States (Trailer)

Premieres on December 16, 25 at 6:45 PM
The United States of Hunger is a searing political essay that exposes the contradiction at the heart of the American project: a nation that praises freedom while punishing truth, and that celebrates justice while weaponizing hunger against the vulnerable. Through personal testimony and rigorous political reflection, Samuel Martínez Roque examines how systems built to protect citizens become tools of coercion for immigrants, where reporting abuse results in retaliation, where police defend threats as “protected speech,” and where bureaucracy functions as a modern form of cruelty. This essay exposes hunger as a political instrument, silence as a survival strategy, and truth as an act of rebellion. With unflinching clarity, Martínez Roque reveals how deprivation becomes policy, how the border becomes a stomach that digests the poor, and how liberty becomes a privilege reserved for those whose lives the system values. A philosophical, legal, and deeply human indictment of the American myth, The United States of Hunger asks the question the nation fears most: What kind of freedom is it when your survival depends not on how much English you speak, but on how much truth you can swallow just to be allowed to eat?

The United States of Hunger (Trailer)

Mexican writer based in El Paso, TX, specializing in poetry, essays, and narrative prose. His work blends political reflection, personal testimony, and lyrical philosophy, exploring themes of migration, identity, injustice, and resilience. His writing spans poetry collections, long-form political essays, and reflective prose pieces that merge personal experience with larger social realities.

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

The Reason Roundtable
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.

The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie
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.

The Soho Forum Debates
Reason presents a libertarian-themed debate series recorded monthly before a live audience in New York City. Moderated by former Barron's Economics Editor Gene Epstein, the Soho Forum features Nobel prize winners, radical thinkers, and other public intellectuals facing off over the future of bitcoin, veganism, sex work, illegal drugs, electric vehicles, abortion, robotics, government debt, and other controversial topics.

History lectures by Samuel Biagetti, a historian (and antique dealer) with a Phd in early American history; my dissertation was on Freemasonry in the 1700s. I focus on the historical myths and distortions, from "the Middle Ages" to "Race," that people use to rationalize the world in which we live.   More info at www.historiansplaining.com

Please see my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632, if you want to keep the lectures coming, and to hear the patron-only materials.

MUSIC INTEGRITY! Punish Studios creates music that matters written by REAL HUMAN BEINGS! Created by artist Johnny Punish in 2008, Punish Studios is committed to creating outstanding media and music in the Rock, Country, and Hip-Hop genres.  Along with traditional studio recording techniques, we use A.I. to enhance our well-crafted-human-written songs.  Our writers are members of ASCAP.  For more detailed information, please www.PunishStudios.com

Guitarist and songwriter Jeff Saxxon blends acoustic warmth with electric edge, pairing soulful and politically charged lyrics with timeless melodies.

New tracks tagged #due process