Congress Gave Away Its Authority To Declare War and Enabled Trump's Iran War
Congress hasn't voted to declare war since 1942, yet the legislative branch constantly refuses to rein in presidents.
Iran
Why Do Big City Democrats Keep Electing Socialists?
Plus: Trump announces “Project Freedom” in the Strait of Hormuz, King Charles visits the U.S., and a listener asks why voters keep rewarding bad politicians.
Project Freedom
Plus: Rudy Giuliani hospitalized, rules relaxed for foreign physicians, cities without children, and more...
Civilians Across the Middle East React to the Iran War: 'A Fear That Settles in Your Heart'
"Now they are hitting everything. Nowhere is safe. But don't worry, we are okay," one Iranian woman texted her American relative.
A Pointless War: How Iran Hawks Finally Got Their Way
President Donald Trump and his predecessors spent decades putting the U.S. on a path toward war against Iran.
Trump Had 60 Days To End the Iran War. Instead, He's Just Pretending It's Over.
Legally, Trump must either cease operations or ask Congress for approval. He did neither, and Congress just went on recess.
How High
Plus: FISA reauthorization passes the House, a very capitalist museum, escalation in the redistricting wars, and more...
War Hawks' 'Credibility' Obsession Makes America Less Credible
Trump is making the same mistakes Nixon did, doubling down on pointless threats to save face.
The Shooter's Manifesto Was Uncomfortably Normal
Plus: Mamdani’s city-run grocery plan, the Trump administration considers a Spirit Airlines bailout, and Iran peace talks drift without a clear endgame
'Shoot and Kill'
Plus: California fails to unmask ICE agents, the illogic of medical-only marijuana rescheduling, driverless cars in D.C., and more...
Rubio Falsely Accuses Iranian Exiles of Being Soleimani's Nieces
The State Department and ICE claimed to have caught Islamic Republic nepo babies “enjoying a lavish lifestyle.” Instead, they tore apart an innocent family.
How the Media Failed American Foreign Policy
America is a global empire that needs information about itself in order to function.
Neither War nor Peace With Iran
The Trump administration is stuck in a standoff that is unstable and damaging to the entire world.
The Lobster Triumphs
Plus: Tit-for-tat gerrymandering, D.C.'s flowing fountains, more war in the Strait of Hormuz, and more...
The Trump Administration Is Worried About High Fertilizer Prices. Its Top Trade Official Lobbied for Them.
Before joining the Trump administration last year, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer lobbied for tariffs that limited fertilizer imports and drove up prices for American farmers.
Trump's Pro-Union Labor Secretary Out
Plus: Scandal at the Department of Labor, the real reasons people use psychedelics, more problems with Trump's triumphal arch, and more...
Can New York Survive Mamdani's Tax Plan?
Plus: Trump orders psychedelic drug research, Palantir calls for national service, and confusion surrounds Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump Signs Psychedelics Order
Plus: ship seizures, the best free bread in America, and more...
Trump's Iran Deal Looks a Lot Like the Previous Ones He Hated
What exactly was the point of killing thousands of people and destroying the world economy?
The U.S. Military Has Finally Left Syria
After considering a permanent U.S. presence, the Trump administration instead evacuated American troops once and for all.
Pete Hegseth's Pulp Fiction Prayer Isn't the First Time He's Used Religion To Justify Illegal War in Iran
From the war to its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is expanding the power of the state under the guise of religion.
Congress Declines Again To Rein in Trump's Iran War
Republicans can’t decide whether the war is too early to stop, too late to stop, or nonexistent in the first place.
Another Drug Boat Bombing
Plus: The U.S. blockade widens, Los Angeles teachers get a pay bump, the sunny side of a treeless national mall, and more...
Trump's Illegal War in Iran Is Financed by Your Taxes. That's a Good Reason To Stop Paying Them.
If Congress will not deploy the power of the purse to restrain a lawless administration and an illegal war, then it falls to the public to do so.
How the Iran War Could Backfire
Emma Ashford discusses Trump’s incoherent Iran strategy, the failures of post–Cold War foreign policy, and why a multipolar world limits American power.
Trump's Reaction to the Jesus Flap Compounds Concerns About His Mental Acuity
The president claims he was oblivious to the picture's blasphemous implications, which is troubling if true.
Loose Lips, Slipped Ships
Plus: The U.S. blockade of Iran begins, oil prices dip, D.C. fights its war against curbside "streateries," and more...
Is the War in Iran Totally Pointless?
Plus: Viktor Orbán loses in Hungary, Kamala Harris and Eric Swalwell raise questions about Democratic candidate quality, and Anthropic’s newest AI model is too dangerous to release
See Ya, Swalwell
Plus: Iranian negotiations fail, the U.S. blockades Iranian ports, the president picks a fight with the pope, and more...
Trump Responds to Iranian Blockade of Strait of Hormuz By Blockading It
After walking out of peace talks in Pakistan, the U.S. and Iran are now playing a game of chicken.
Operation Eternal Darkness Threatens Iran Ceasefire Deal
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi play a little war vs. music game before they go back over COVID craziness and the joys of Pokémon.
A.I. NIMBYs
Plus: Bitcoin tolls at the Strait, Trump vs. MAGA, inflation rises, and more...
Strait Talk
Plus: Mamdani vs. self-driving cars, blue state wealth and exit taxes, Hillary Clinton's awful affordability agenda, and more...
Lindsey Graham Says the President Can Start a War, but Only Congress Can End It
The feeling is perfectly consistent: Graham feels it should be as easy as possible for the U.S. to start a war, and as hard as possible to end one.
Has the Iran War Ceasefire Already Ceased?
Both sides claim that they’ve agreed to stop fighting and open the Strait of Hormuz, but the fighting is still happening and Hormuz is still closed.
Trump Is Openly Targeting Innocent Civilians
He's using tools that were advertised as humane, but he isn't hiding the cruelty involved.
'Every Bridge in Iran Will Be Decimated'
Plus: Artemis astronauts set record, D.C.'s terrible electricity policy, Ye returns, and more...
Why Does Trump Want the Biggest Defense Budget Ever?
Plus: Trump’s budget ignores the deficit, NASA’s Artemis program faces delays and rising costs, and a listener asks about libertarian alternatives to Medicare for All.
Ro Khanna: Congress Has Surrendered on War
The California congressman discusses the Iran war, unchecked executive power, California’s wealth tax debate, and the search for a shared American identity.
'I Am Blowing Up Everything'
Plus: There is no exit strategy in Iran, Artemis II approaches the Moon, federal taxpayers get to beautify D.C., and more...
Trump's Call for a $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Is Irresponsible, Wasteful, and Unrealistic
The proposal is "an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars and would make Americans less, not more, safe." Thankfully, Congress is unlikely to adopt it.
Trump's Answer to Iran's Hormuz Crisis: Sell Oil We Don't Have
The administration claims we're a "net oil exporter," but unfortunately that's not quite true.
Birthright Citizenship, Noem Family Circus, and Project Hail Mary
A wide-ranging episode of Freed Up covering foreign policy, legal battles, internet stupidity, airport misery, and a few unexpectedly spirited culture debates.
War and/or Peace
Plus: back to the moon, one year since "Liberation Day," birthright citizenship at the Supreme Court, Jonathan lives, and more...
Trump Bullying Allies To Help in Iran Suggests He Knows the War Is Not Going Well
NATO allies aren’t obligated to join the war. The sooner Trump accepts that, the better.
The Islanders Expelled To Build the West's Middle East Fortress
The British Empire evacuated the Chagos Islands to build a military base, which the U.S. is using in the Iran War. Now, a court ruling is giving the original owners hope of going home.
Inside the U.S. Military Buildup in Israel
Iran has reportedly made U.S. bases in Arab countries “uninhabitable.” Israel is pitching itself as an alternative.
