Do Democrats Still Have a Big-City Crime Problem?

This week, editors Peter Suderman, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch are joined by Associate Editor Liz Wolfe to discuss New York City’s falling crime rates and whether Democrats have really solved their big-city crime problem. The panel looks at the recent Penn Station stabbings, subway disorder, fare evasion, and why many New Yorkers still feel uneasy even as murders and shootings decline.

Next, the editors discuss California’s recent elections, including Spencer Pratt’s bid for Los Angeles mayor, and what these results reveal about voter attitudes toward political leadership and governance. They then examine the political and economic fallout from President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. The panel also discusses proposals from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) and Trump to give the federal government a stake in artificial intelligence companies. Finally, a listener asks whether AI-powered surveillance threatens individual liberty.

0:00—New York City’s declining murder rate

18:16—California election results

28:22—The economic fallout of the Iran war

38:33—Listener question on AI threats to liberty

49:47—The push to nationalize artificial intelligence

55:45—Weekly cultural recommendations

Mentioned in the podcast:

“D.C.’s Crime Drop Didn’t Require a Military Deployment,” by Tosin Akintola

“Trump’s Middle Eastern Ceasefire: Fiery But Mostly Peaceful,” by Matthew Petti

“Trump and Bibi Are Fighting,” by Liz Wolfe

“Bernie Sanders’ AI Wealth Fund Bill Shows That He Doesn’t Understand AI or Wealth,” by Tosin Akintola

“Native Americans Taught Colonists How To Fight—and To Live Without Kings,” by Charles C. Mann

“Neil Gorsuch on the Declaration of Independence, Originalism, and Separation of Powers,” by Nick Gillespie