Politics Highlights

President Obama's first executive action was the Open Government Memorandum calling for more transparent, participatory, and collaborative government. It is likely that one of the longest lasting effects of the current administration will be how much it changed the culture of Washington by opening government data and pioneering innovations in policy making. Here Beth Noveck talks on the embracing raw data which is produced by this and using it to our advantage.

Rick Perry's GOP debate debut went pretty well at the start but when he doubled down on his claims that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme that never should have been created in the first place, he drew a clear line in the sand for Republican donors and voters: Does that kind of talk make him unelectable in the general election?

Daniel McCarthy, editor in chief of The American Conservative, says "We're the non-movement conservatives, the individualist conservatives, says McCarthy. "We've certainly got an element of the Russell Kirk stuff. We also have an element of the radical Rothbardian libertarians. We bring them together and let them fight it out and make things as lively as possible."

Andrew Klavan, author of Empire of Lies, sits down with the Hoover Institution's Peter Robinson to discuss his book and the lies told by the liberal media.

John McCain, U.S. senator (R), Arizona, talks about what the Bush administration legacy will be.

“Because police are so important, I think that we should abandon the idea that government needs to provide it.” says Edward Stringham. “Wherever we see government it’s not helpful, it’s bureaucratic, it’s not serving its customers and I would say that especially applies in the area of police.” At FreedomFest 2011, Matt Welch sat down with Stringham to talk about privatizing security, real world examples in the United States and why this won't lead to police protection only for the rich.

At FreedomFest 2011, Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with author and filmmaker J. Neil Schulman to talk about some of his most recent projects.

Professor Philip Bobbitt describes the "wars for the 21st century" as wars against terror. Here he describes the changes in terrorism in the 21st century and how it connects with the changes in constitutional order.

It turns out the apocalyptic shutdown of the nation's busiest freeway, the 405, wasn't apocalyptic at all. Media hyped the billion dollar construction project for weeks, claiming it could "back up traffic as much as 64 miles" and politicians blunted told constituents, "Stay the hell away from the 405." But none of the predictions about a Carmageddon came true. Instead we found politicians ready to sing the praises of the newly added carpool lane and tear down of the Mulholland Bridge.

For the last thirty years, Martin Fletcher has been the gold standard of television war correspondent. His new book Breaking News captures the flavor of those years. He discusses with KQED's Michael Krasny some of the most tumultuous moments of our time, along with his own ambitious, daring, and sometimes hilarious quest for adventure. In this video Fletcher talks about the ability of being a fair reporter.

The new Reason-Rupe Poll finds that Americans like their banks more than their government; that more than one-third would consider voting for Ron Paul as a third-party candidate; that 77 percent do not want to raise the gas tax, and much more. Emily Ekins, director of the poll, explains the top results. The poll is taken quarterly and includes a national sample of over 1,000 people. For full results and ongoing discussion of what they mean, go to...

Current dean at Harvard School of Public Health and the former minister of health in Mexico, Dr. Julio Frenko discusses whether health care is a right or reward.

For days, Occupy LA had been told to evacuate its camp outside Los Angeles City Hall by 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 28. Throughout Thanksgiving weekend, the deadline approached and tension increased. When the police-led evacuation didn't happen, the movement moved into the streets where they were met by members of the Los Angeles Police Department armed with batons, helmets, and other riot gear. Reason.tv spoke with Occupiers and fans of the movement from inside the encampment at City Hall.

Richard North Patterson talks about his thriller Eclipse. This is the spellbinding story of an American lawyer who takes on a nearly impossible case--the defense of an African freedom fighter against his corrupt government's charge of murder.Patterson's many acclaimed books include Balance of Power and Exile. In this segment Patterson talks about the miscalculations and errors that have brought to the current situation in Gaza and the Middle East.