The Insurrection Act, Which Trump Keeps Threatening To Invoke, Is Alarmingly Vague and Broad
The antiquated statute arguably allows the president to deploy the military in response to nearly any form of domestic disorder.
Military
Why Doesn't Regime Change Ever Seem To Work?
The problem is not that revolution is bad or that some cultures can’t rule themselves—it’s that social engineering is hard.
Eric Trump Congratulates His Father for a Drop in Fentanyl Deaths That Happened Before He Took Office
The president's son also claims destroying cocaine boats somehow reduces fentanyl overdoses, echoing his father's confusion.
Seizing Greenland Might Be the Least Popular Idea in American Political History
This foolish, unnecessary, bellicose idea is running up against the "Lizardman's Constant."
Iran's Inflation Protests Turned Into an Uprising. Will Trump Get Involved?
The unrest started with a merchants' strike, escalated into a bloody crackdown—and might become an American war.
The Trump Administration Owns Responsibility for Whatever Comes Next in Venezuela
By deposing Maduro but keeping his brutal regime in power, the U.S. implicitly endorses its crimes.
I Once Supported Regime Change in Iraq. That's Why Venezuela Worries Me.
When we use our military and roll the dice with the fate of nations, the consequences play out in a much longer time frame than social media trends.
A Recent Book Shows Why Invading Greenland Would Be a Dumb Idea
Polar War demonstrates how difficult it is for armies to operate in the high north—and just how far America is behind Europe in Arctic warfare.
The 'Law Enforcement' Rationale for Invading Venezuela Is an Open-Ended License for War
If an indictment is enough to justify military action, why bother seeking congressional approval?
Did Marco Rubio Lie to Congress About Venezuela?
His explanation for why the Trump administration attacked Venezuela without congressional authorization does not stand up to scrutiny.
Americans Are Increasingly Skeptical of Foreign Military Intervention
Nicolás Maduro’s removal should be welcomed by anyone who values liberty. Yet data show Americans—led by the youngest adults—are turning noninterventionist.
Donald Trump Says the U.S. Will 'Run' Venezuela After Maduro's Ouster
When asked who would be in charge, Trump said: “We’re designating those people.”
Trump Should Have Tried To Get Congressional Authorization If He Wanted To Strike Venezuela and Capture Maduro
The strikes against Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro might be popular or defensible. They were not legal.
Photos: What Is the National Guard Doing in D.C.?
Uniformed and armed men and women can be seen all over the city wielding leaf blowers, hoses, and brooms as they do municipal chores.
The DOJ Thinks Cocaine Couriers Are Not Worth Prosecuting. Trump Thinks They Deserve To Die.
Even as the president blows up drug boats, the government routinely declines to pursue charges against smugglers nabbed by the Coast Guard.
A Socialist Swearing In
Plus: the limits of Zohran Mamdani's ability to ruin New York, Trump's National Guard withdrawal, and a deadly New Year's blaze in Switzerland
3 Areas Where the Courts Pushed Back Against Trump's Attempts To Avoid Judicial Review in 2025
The president asserted broad powers to deport people, impose tariffs, and deploy the National Guard based on his own unilateral determinations.
How Politicians and Cops Tried To Dodge Responsibility in 2025
Presidents, legislators, and police officers were desperate to blame anyone but themselves.
Thoughts on the Supreme Court Ruling Against Trump in the Illinois National Guard Case
The decision is a preliminary "shadow docket" ruling. But it strongly suggests the majority believes Trump's use of the Guard is illegal.
Refusing To Let Trump Deploy the National Guard in Chicago, SCOTUS Adds a New Wrinkle To the Debate
The justices suggested the president is misinterpreting "the regular forces," a key phrase in the statute on which he is relying.
Trump's Designation of Fentanyl As a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction' Is a Drug-Fueled Delusion
The executive order does not accomplish much in practical terms, but it jibes with the president's conflation of drug trafficking with violent aggression.
Hegseth Won't Let Us See a Video That Might Undermine Support for Trump's Bloodthirsty Anti-Drug Strategy
The defense secretary claims the video, which shows a second strike that killed two floundering survivors, would compromise "sources and methods."
If the Syrian War Is Over, Why Are Americans Still Getting Killed in Syria?
The weekend’s ISIS attack came as the Trump administration is trying to expand the U.S. presence in Syria.
Congress Gives the Military $8 Billion More Than It Asked for
The version of the NDAA passed by the House is larger than the administration’s budget request.
Trump's Word Games Can't Conceal the Murderous Reality of His Anti-Drug Strategy
Calling suspected cocaine smugglers "combatants" does not justify summarily executing them.
Trump Is Still Claiming He Saves '25,000 American Lives' When He Blows Up a Suspected Drug Boat
So far, by the president's reckoning, he has prevented 650,000 U.S. drug deaths—eight times the number recorded last year.
Hegseth Mulls Releasing a Video That Illustrates the Brutality of Trump's Murderous Anti-Drug Strategy
The footage shows what happened to the survivors of the September 2 attack that inaugurated the president's deadly campaign against suspected drug boats.
Boat Strike Inquiry
Plus: Hep B vaccines, national parks nonsense, Trump involvement in Netflix deal, and more...
The 'Threat' That Supposedly Justified Killing 2 Boat Attack Survivors Was Entirely Speculative
The commander who ordered a second missile strike worried that the helpless men he killed might be able to salvage cocaine from the smoldering wreck.
Boat Attack Commander Says He Had To Kill 2 Survivors Because They Were Still Trying To Smuggle Cocaine
Adm. Frank M. Murphy reportedly told lawmakers a controversial second strike was necessary because drugs on the burning vessel remained a threat.
Rand Paul Bashes Pete Hegseth Over Boat Bombings: 'He Was Lying…or He's Incompetent'
Paul says Hegseth misled Congress about deadly strikes on alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean.
Hegseth's 'Fog of War' Is No Excuse for Summarily Executing Suspected Drug Smugglers
Regardless of what the defense secretary knew or said about the September 2 boat attack, the forces he commands are routinely committing murder in the guise of self-defense.
The Law of War Was Not Designed for Trump's Bogus 'Armed Conflict' With Drug Smugglers
Instead of asking whether a particular boat attack went too far, Congress should ask how the summary execution of criminal suspects became the new normal.
No One Left Alive
Plus: Vaccine committee meets, privatizing air traffic control, the digital land as a fairy-tale realm, and more...
Hegseth's Alleged Order To 'Kill Everybody' Complicates Trump's Defense of His Murderous Anti-Drug Campaign
Even if you accept the president's assertion of an "armed conflict" with drug smugglers, blowing apart survivors of a boat strike would be a war crime.
'Kill Everybody'
Plus: War with Venezuela looms, a National Guard member shot in D.C. dies, and Sean Duffy wants you to stop flying in your pajamas.
2 National Guardsmen Shot in D.C., Suspect in Custody
President Trump has already announced plans to deploy 500 more troops to the nation's capital.
The Pentagon and the FBI Are Investigating 6 Legislators for Exercising Their First Amendment Rights
The Trump administration is desperately trying to criminalize a video noting that service members have no obligation to follow unlawful orders.
Trump's Habitual Charges of 'Treason' Reflect His Authoritarian Impulses
The president’s reaction to a supposedly "seditious" video illustrates his tendency to portray criticism of him as a crime.
Trump Embraces Mamdani Socialism as 'Practical'
Plus: DOGE is disbanded, Trump attempts to influence the Warner Bros. merger, and Democrats tell the military to reject illegal orders
Trump Says Legislators Committed Treason by Noting That Soldiers Are Not Obligated To Obey Unlawful Orders
The president's authoritarian response to a video posted by six members of Congress, who he says "should be arrested and put on trial," validates their concerns.
Some Democrats Urge the Military To 'Refuse Illegal Orders.' What if the IRS, ATF, and EPA Did the Same?
Much of what the federal government does on a daily basis flouts constitutional protections and offends human decency.
Checked Out
Plus: Gender on passports, New York's gang database, SNAP fight continues, and more...
Trump Says His 'Armed Conflict' With Drug Traffickers Does Not Involve 'Hostilities'
The government is tying itself in knots to cast murder as self-defense and avoid legal limits on the president's use of the military.
Trump's National Guard Plan Edges the U.S. Closer to a Permanent Federal Police Force
A newly revealed Pentagon directive instructs every state to train riot-control units within their National Guards—raising questions about federal overreach and the growing militarization of domestic emergencies.
