Dire Strait
Plus: A federal flip-flop on AI innovation, the beauty of America as seen through World Cup tourists' eyes, and more...
War Powers
As Rubio Declares Iran War 'Over,' Lawmakers Prepare War Powers Vote
Rubio offered more information than the president, but the hearings still offered little clarity on the war.
Does Anyone Know What's Happening in Iran?
Plus: Spencer Pratt’s mayoral campaign rattles Los Angeles, Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund" sparks backlash, and the editors revisit Project 2025
President Trump Doesn't Need Congressional Approval for His Actions as to Iran
Congress can only stop Trump’s actions in Iran by passing a concurrent resolution of both Houses over Trump’s veto, or by declining to fund the war in next year’s budget.
War Powers Vote Is the Latest Embarrassment for House Speaker Mike Johnson
Johnson is seemingly incapable of standing up to the Trump administration, even when one of Congress' core responsibilities is at stake.
Even Dictatorships Don't Fight Wars This Way
The American public never got a satisfying explanation for why Trump attacked Iran in the first place.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unless People Support Me, Trump Habitually Warns, 'We Won't Have a Country Anymore'
The president's predictions of the nation's imminent demise reflect his narcissistic authoritarianism.
Trump's 'Military Operation' Wordplay Can't Hide Iran War
A war by any other name must still be authorized by Congress.
Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin Insist That Politics Should Prevail Over Principle
The president and his new DHS secretary are enraged by jurists and legislators who refuse to toe the party line.
Senate Punts on Iran War Powers as Ground War Grows More Likely
Lawmakers are refusing to acknowledge what is increasingly looking like a big, long war.
A Few Republicans Think War With Iran Is a Bad Idea
"I mean, look, America is a republic, not an empire," Rep. Warren Davidson said on Monday. It's time for Congress to act like it.
Trump's War With Iran Is Unjustified and Unpopular
Plus: Congress is reluctant to assert its war powers, the Pentagon brands Anthropic a national security threat, and a listener asks whether regime change is ever morally defensible.
"Law Is Irrelevant to the U.S. Attack on Iran," by Prof. Jack Goldsmith (Harvard)
"And Congress is on the hook as much as the president."
An Unconstitutional War
Trump's attack on Iran is obviously unconstitutional. The moral and policy issues are a closer call.
Trump and Israel Start the Iran War
The war is aimed at regime change, has spread across the Middle East, and was started without the consent of the American people.
Why Don't Democratic Leaders Want To Vote on the Iran War?
A war powers resolution has been stuck in Congress—and Democrats are reportedly happy to let Trump walk into a quagmire.
The Hawks Are Lying Us Into Yet Another Middle Eastern War
Like the Iraq War, the planned war with Iran is built on false premises. Unlike the Iraq War, there hasn’t even been a real public debate.
Regime Changed?
Plus: the illegality of the Maduro raid, the wide open question of what happens next, and more
Congressional Acquiescence Facilitates Executive Branch Military Adventurism
Here as elsewhere, lethargy in the legislature is no way to counter execss energy in the executive.
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 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.
Rand Paul: Congress Is 'Afraid of the President'
Sen. Rand Paul explains why he wants the Epstein files released, lays out his case against Trump’s tariffs and military strikes in Venezuela, and argues that he and Rep. Thomas Massie are the last voices in Congress still committed to libertarian ideals.
How the Epstein Files Turned MAGA Against Trump
Plus: Tariff rollbacks and the affordability debate, Trump considers direct talks with Maduro as unauthorized strikes continue, and a listener asks what it would take to move healthcare out of government hands
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 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.
Did the U.S. Just Kill a Random Fisherman?
Plus: Karl Marxing my neighborhood, No Kings, the limits of tariff revenue, and more...
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.
Ro Khanna: Congress Must Take Back Its War Powers
Rep. Ro Khanna (D–Calif.) discusses the War Powers Resolution he co-sponsored with Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.), the Israel-Iran conflict, and why the antiestablishment left and right must work together.
What More Do the Iran Hawks Want?
Those who pushed for Trump to attack Iran are now moving the goalposts for success.
Mike Johnson Thinks Trump Should Have Even More of Congress' Warmaking Power
Presidents have chafed against the War Powers Resolution since it was first signed.
Trump's Unconstitutional Act of War
Plus: A criminal justice case that managed to unite Alito and Gorsuch.
Iran's Warning Shot Gives Trump a Way Out of Israel's War
Trump now has a choice between exiting from a position of strength—or jumping further into an endless war.
Trump's Iran Air Strikes and the Constitution
The strikes violate both the Constitution and the 1973 War Powers Act. Whether they are good policy is a more difficult question. This could turn out to be a rare instance where one of Trump's illegal actions has beneficial results.
Trump Shreds the Constitution by Bombing Iran
The attack on Iranian nuclear sites is a risky gamble. And it was completely by choice.
Paul Pillar: America Should Not Fight Israel's War
A veteran CIA analyst says Israel's attack on Iran was unjustified and that America should not support its war on the latest Just Asking Questions episode.
Trump's Iran War Would Not Be a One-Off Deal
Neither American hawks nor Israeli planners intend on allowing for a simple, quick U.S. intervention in Iran.
'Evacuate Tehran'
Plus: A bipartisan effort to prevent American involvement in the war, ICE workplace raids to begin again, and more...
Are We Going to War With Iran or Not?
Americans shouldn’t have to read the tea leaves to know about life-and-death decisions made by their government.
The Atlantic Should Not Find Out About a War Before Congress Does
The White House accidentally leaked military plans in Yemen to a journalist—and demonstrated how unconstitutional U.S. war making has become.
Is Biden Teeing Up an Iran War for Trump?
Trump was considered reckless for wanting to start a war at the end of his term. Now, Biden is doing the same.
