Reason Roundtable Podcast: U.S. House Speaker Showdown

In this week’s The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie discuss the government’s censorship-by-proxy of social media companies and Kevin McCarthy’s ongoing showdown for the speakership in the House of Representatives.

3:00: The government’s censorship-by-proxy of social media companies for alleged COVID “misinformation.”

30:45: Weekly Listener Question:

Hello Friends, I just finished listening to the Freakonomics Radio three-part series about Adam Smith. The main thesis of the series is that Adam Smith’s views were more nuanced than we generally think of him; most people tend to cherry-pick favorite ideas from The Wealth of Nations while completely forgetting about his first work, Theory of Moral Sentiments. So, I’m curious. How have Adam Smith’s ideas shaped your own? Have any of you read Adam Smith’s works completely? And maybe most importantly, do you think Adam Smith would be a libertarian if he was alive today?

39:39: Kevin McCarthy battles for speaker of the House.

52:11: This week’s cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

“Under Government Pressure, Twitter Suppressed Truthful Speech About COVID-19,” by Jacob Sullum

“Twitter Files Reveal Politicians, Officials Evading the Constitution’s Restrictions,” by J.D. Tuccille

“Elon Musk Should Take a Clear Stand Against Censorship by Proxy,” by Jacob Sullum

“Bari Weiss Twitter Files Reveal Systematic ‘Blacklisting’ of Disfavored Content,” by Robby Soave

“How Government Officials Bully Social Media Companies Into Censorship,” by Liz Wolfe

“Biden’s Sneaky Censors,” by Jacob Sullum

“These Emails Show How the Biden Administration’s Crusade Against ‘Misinformation’ Imposes Censorship by Proxy,” by Jacob Sullum

“AOC: Facebook’s ‘Disinformation’ Has ‘Sabotaged’ Pandemic Response,” by Matt Welch

“RIP, ‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’,” by Matt Welch

“Republicans Control the House But Can’t Compromise on Someone To Lead It,” by Elizabeth Nolan Brown

“Now Anybody Can Write a Sherlock Holmes Story,” by Joe Lancaster

“Sifting Through the Twitter Files: Live with Nick Gillespie & Zach Weissmueller,” by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller

“Russ Roberts: Adam Smith’s Surprising Guide To Happiness,” by Nick Gillespie

“The Satire Is as Rich as the Clientele in HBO’s The White Lotus” by Glenn Garvin

Nick’s “I’m Not Lazy” T-shirt

Send your questions to [email protected]. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

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Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: “Angeline,” by The Brothers Steve