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.
War
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.
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...
What Is Syria Like 1 Year After Its Revolution?
A former leader of Al Qaeda has convinced Washington that he’s a liberal reformer. Now comes the hard part of following through.
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.
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.
Is Economic Anxiety Driving People to Socialism?
Plus: War crime allegations against Hegseth, Congress threatens the legal hemp industry, and reflections on the legacy of Tom Stoppard
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.
The Ukraine-Russia Deal That Wasn't
Plus: DOGE takes new form, inside a birth cult, and more...
Trump's Shameful Attempt to Reprise the Munich Agreement With Ukraine - and What to do About it
Trump's 28-point "peace" plan for the Russia-Ukraine War is a reprise of the 1938 Munich agreement, which dismembered Czechoslovakia for the benefit of Nazi Germany. But US and European supporters of Ukraine can do much to resist it.
Trump's Venezuela Escalation Could Destroy MAGA, Warns Rand Paul
Blowing up boats won’t stop drugs—but it could sink Trump.
The Alien Enemies Act and the Major Questions Doctrine
The Trump administration's claims that illegal migration and drug smuggling qualify as an "invasion" or a "predatory incursion" under the Alien Enemies Act go against the major questions doctrine.
Trump Is Quietly Expanding the U.S. Military Role in Syria and Gaza
The U.S. government is reportedly looking to put boots on the ground in Damascus to guard the border with Israel.
Checked Out
Plus: Gender on passports, New York's gang database, SNAP fight continues, and more...
My New Article "Immigration is Not Invasion"
It comprehensively explains why illegal migration and drug smuggling do not qualify as "invasion" under the Constitution and the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Veterans Are Suffering Because of Government Red Tape
Filmmaker Jon Shenk and former Navy SEAL Marcus Capone discuss how psychedelics are helping veterans recover from war trauma.
Dick Cheney, Vice President and Self-Described 'Darth Vader,' Was a Champion of the War State
The former vice president liked being compared to the supervillain as a joke. But he had seriously villainous effects on millions of people in real life.
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.
Let Europe Defend Europe
Debt-ridden and challenged around the world, the U.S. should encourage Europe to defend itself.
Why Fentanyl Smuggling isn't War and Cannot Justify Extrajudicial Killing
Thus, Trump's attacks on boats in the Carribean have no moral or legal justification.
Trump Dares Congress To Take Its War Powers Seriously in Venezuela
The president bet that no one would stop him from land attacks in Venezuela. And Congress hasn’t given him any reason to think otherwise.
War Is Over
Plus: Zohran Mamdani's new allies, NBA returns to China, free Ayn Rand, and more...
Trump's Art of the Deal for Peace in the Middle East
Plus: new tariff threats escalate China trade war, federal layoffs begin amidst the government shutdown, and Democrats face a candidate-quality crisis
All 20 Surviving Hostages Freed
Plus: Luigi Mangione and the death penalty, LLMs and their gambling addictions, and more...
Ceasefire Working
Plus: Letitia James' legal trouble, everything's TV (and that's bad), millionaire explosion, and more...
What Changed Over the Past Seven Months of War in the Middle East?
The war in Gaza was already over in January. Trump let it reopen and expand. A ceasefire is good—but it should have happened much earlier.
Is the War Over?
Plus: Zohran Mamdani's bus plan makes no sense, Kristi Noem's description of antifa makes no sense, and more...
The U.S. Government Doesn't Want You To Read This Report on Israel's Business Deals
Whether or not one accepts the report's characterization of Israel's actions, the report itself is an interesting read on the economics of war.
Afghan Man Freed After Viral Arrest and Over 100 Days in ICE Custody
“I still believe in America. I do not feel betrayed. I feel hopeful because of how many Americans stood up for me when I was arrested.”
European Nations Again Consider Using Frozen Russian State Assets to Fund Ukraine's War Effort
Over $300 billion in Russian state assets are frozen in the West. It's long past time they were used to help Ukraine resist Vladimir Putin's war of aggression.
Defending the Summary Execution of Suspected Drug Smugglers, Trump Declares an 'Armed Conflict'
The president thinks he can transform murder into self-defense by executive fiat.
How the U.S. Sold Its Longest War with a Bodyguard of Lies
Filmmaker Dan Krauss explains how U.S. leaders misled the public about Afghanistan, why the media failed to push back, and how money and power kept America’s longest war alive long after it was lost.
Why Does Trump Want U.S. Troops Back in Afghanistan?
Mike Waltz is no longer national security adviser, but his plans for Bagram Air Base seem to have stuck in the president's head.
The Government Was Lying to You About Afghanistan. Dan Krauss Has the Receipts.
Reason is sharing an exclusive clip from Bodyguard of Lies, an upcoming documentary about the failed war in Afghanistan.
Donald Trump Is Not a Peace President
Trump struggles to articulate any foreign policy view with much coherence, and has a fragile ego that makes world conflicts all about him.
U.S. Plan To Disarm Hezbollah Is a Diplomatic Dead End
Washington’s proposal to link Israeli withdrawals with Hezbollah’s surrender ignores decades of political entrenchment and risks fueling wider conflict.
Navy SEALs Reportedly Killed North Korean Fishermen and Mutilated Their Bodies To Hide a Failed Mission
It’s impossible to tell how many other times U.S. special operations failed and killed innocent bystanders in the process.
Trump's Unjust and Illegal Killing of 11 Venezuelans
Killing suspected drug traffickers is both unjust and illegal. And it could be the start of an effort to turn the already awful War on Drugs into something more like a real war, thereby making it even worse.
'We're Going In'
Plus: Bombing "narco-terrorists" in the Caribbean, American manufacturing shrinks for the sixth consecutive month, Massie wants the Epstein files, and more...
Trump Critics Should Stop Treating Diplomacy Like a Gift to America's Enemies
His negotiations with North Korea and Russia should be judged by their results. But opposing those talks from the beginning is a pro-war position.
For Ukraine, 'Losing Slowly' Might Be a Winning Strategy
Inching backward while bleeding Russia dry, Ukraine is relying on a time-tested military truth: You don’t need to outgun an invader—you just need to outlast them.
From Terror Sanctions to Military Strikes? Trump's Cartel Policy Sidesteps Congress
Federal terrorist lists were not supposed to be an open-ended war authorization. But it sure looks like it’s being used as one.
The Occupation
Plus: Mental health evaluations for little kids, elite worship of socialism, and more...
