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Mike and Michael open with the breaking news that the Trump administration launched military strikes against Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro, debating whether the operation violates international law and risks plunging Venezuela into deeper instability. Michael stresses the fog of war, unresolved legal authority, and the danger posed by entrenched militias and fractured institutions, while Mike argues that even removing a brutal strongman sets a dangerous precedent when done outside the UN framework and without clear congressional authorization.
Next, the guys turn to domestic executive power in Trump v. Illinois, analyzing the Supreme Court’s refusal to lift an injunction blocking the federalization of the National Guard and Trump’s subsequent decision to stand down, at least for now. Michael defends the Court’s insistence on a clear statutory basis and warns that Justice Alito’s dissent reflects an overly expansive view of presidential power, while Mike criticizes the majority’s strained reading of the statute, siding more with Alito’s interpretation but still opposing the administration’s policy as reckless and destabilizing.
Finally, the conversation becomes more personal as Michael presses Mike on his recent decision to stop identifying as a Democrat and what that means philosophically and politically. Mike explains his Humean conservatism, rooted in epistemic humility and institutional fragility, argues that modern politics punishes restraint and caution, and concludes that while he is politically homeless, his commitment to rule of law means he will continue voting Democratic as long as Trumpism dominates the Republican Party.
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