The “How Many Constitutional Crises Can We Fit Into One Episode?” Edition

Rational Security

The Lawfare Institute

Foreignpolicy, Nationalsecurity, News, Government, Politics, Middleeast

4.8 • 2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 June 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Scott sat down with Lawfare Senior Editors Molly Reynolds and Quinta Jurecic, and Contributing Editor Chris Mirasola, to focus on the week’s big domestic news, including:

“Drama Majors, Meet Major Drama.” In the glittering city of Los Angeles, the Trump administration has taken the dramatic step of calling up the California National Guard and deploying them alongside active duty Marines to secure federal personnel and facilities, specifically against protestors demonstrating against the Trump administration’s draconian immigration policies. Is this the beginning of a broader threat to the constitutional order, as some of Trump’s critics say it is? And what should we make of President Trump’s suggestion that he may yet invoke the controversial Insurrection Act?
“Precision Rescission, What’s Your Mission?” The Trump administration has asked Congress to formally rescind a slice of the federal spending it has been withholding since entering office, specifically relating to foreign assistance and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting—a request the House seems poised to move on this week. How likely is it that Congress will agree to the cut in funds? And what will the implications be for relevant legal challenges and Trump’s broader agenda?
“There and Back Again.” After an unexpected journey and epic delays on the part of the government, the Trump administration has finally repatriated Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador—only to charge him with human trafficking and other federal crimes in Tennessee. How serious are the charges against him? And is this likely to be a win or loss for the administration’s broader immigration agenda?

In object lessons, Molly shared a ranking of New York mayoral candidates by their bagel orders—and whose order is so bad, it’s a schmear on their very New Yorker-ness. Quinta recommends Ava Kofman’s profile of Curtis Yarvin in the New Yorker as a masterclass in the art of meticulous evisceration. Scott introduced his 4-year-old to his old Tintin books by Hergé—because it’s never too early to get into the drawbacks of colonialism. And Chris fled real DC drama for fake DC drama with The Residence on Netflix.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	So Quinta, in selecting my object lesson for today, I have stayed away from anything related to New Jersey's gubernatorial or otherwise primaries, leaving that lane fully open to you. Should you want to talk about it?
0:17.9	Yes. So we are recording on June 10th, which is the day that I think you all have been
0:24.6	waiting for, the New Jersey gubernatorial primary, we matter. It's so sad to see that on the license
0:34.7	plates. It's such a weird state motto, we matter, but we'll take it. Why not?
0:39.2	Well, so I will say, I think the New Jersey governor's race will be interesting because New Jersey
0:43.9	usually flips back and forth between Democratic and Republican governors, even though we usually
0:48.3	have a, we're a pretty blue state. We usually have a, I say we. I haven't lived there for like 15 years, but in my bones.
0:56.3	Exactly. The girl leaves New Jersey, but New Jersey never leaves the girl.
1:01.1	So usually it flips back and forth and it will be very interesting to see whether or not it goes to a
1:09.7	Republican this time around,
1:11.0	given that we currently have a Democratic governor,
1:13.6	I will say that I bet someone $20 that the Democrat,
1:18.2	whoever it is, will win because of thermostatic public opinion.
1:22.8	So if I am wrong, everybody can laugh at me and I will be out $20.
1:26.7	But I think the Democratic primary is particularly interesting because we're going to kind
1:32.9	of get a sense of where the Democratic electorate is at.
1:35.6	You know, are we feeling centrism?
1:37.8	Are we feeling aggressive anti-Trump energies such as Newark Mayor Ross Baraka, recently
1:43.9	charged, uncharged, and no suing
1:47.3	Alina Haba over it. Who knows? I will say, so one of the candidates is, I think maybe Molly and
1:54.7	my least favorite congressman. I mean, so we got to be clear here. No professional opinions on Congress. No professional
2:03.1	opinions. Yeah, this is vibes. Yeah, absolutely. Do you need some problem solved? You should not
	...

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