This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch examine Argentina's $20 billion bailout and what it means for President Javier Milei's promise of a libertarian turnaround. They debate whether foreign aid undermines his free market agenda and what the deal suggests about Washington's own commitment to fiscal restraint.
The editors also discuss this weekend's "No Kings" protests. They analyze Trump's growing use of executive authority during the ongoing government shutdown, including his decision to keep paying troop salaries amid federal layoffs. The panel then looks to Trump's continued bombing of the alleged drug boats off Venezuela's coast, and the decision to repatriate survivors. Finally, a listener asks what checks and balances could exist in a truly libertarian country to prevent the kind of centralization of power seen in the United States today.
0:00—The U.S. bailout of Javier Milei's Argentina
15:11—The "No Kings" protests and Trump's response
32:54—Growing executive power during the government shutdown
41:45—Listener question on checks and balances
48:56—Bombing of alleged Venezuelan drug boats
57:05—Weekly cultural recommendations
Mentioned in This Podcast
"Javier Milei's Libertarian Experiment is in Jeopardy. Argentina's Midterm Elections Will Determine Its Fate," by César Báez
"Vast Right-Wing Astroturf Conspiracy Revealed!" by Matt Welch
"Medical Mosh Pits," by Jesse Walker
"Forget Obama: Trump's Pen and Phone Are Bigger Even Than FDR's," by Matt Welch
"Did the U.S. Just Kill a Random Fisherman?" By Liz Wolfe
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- Producer: Paul Alexander
- Video Editor: Ian Keyser
The post Does Argentina's Bailout Prove Libertarians Wrong? appeared first on Reason.com.
