America on the Brink of War With Venezuela

"On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic 's David Frum opens with a warning about the coming Supreme Court battle over President Donald Trump's use of tariff powers. If the Court endorses Trump's claim that anything he deems an emergency allows him to impose tariffs, Frum argues the United States will face a constitutional crisis unlike any before. The president will, in effect, have staged a "constitutional coup," stripping Congress of its most fundamental Article I powers."

"Then Frum speaks with Quico Toro of Caracas Chronicles about the Trump administration's escalating pressure on Venezuela. They explore what American intervention might look like, the realities of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's hold on control, and whether any foreign power could truly bring his rule to an end. Finally, Frum closes with a reflection on Lion Feuchtwanger's The Oppermanns and the rising tide of conspiracist anti-Semitism seen on both the left and the right today."

An impending Supreme Court battle over presidential tariff emergency powers could grant the president unilateral authority to impose tariffs whenever he declares an emergency. Such a decision would effectively nullify Congress's Article I powers and create a novel constitutional crisis amounting to a constitutional coup. The Trump administration is escalating pressure on Venezuela, prompting analysis of possible American interventions, the durability of Nicolás Maduro's control, and whether any foreign actor could end his rule. Historical reflection on Lion Feuchtwanger's The Oppermanns accompanies concerns about a rising tide of conspiracist anti-Semitism across the political spectrum.

Read at The Atlantic