Melanie, Bryan, and Chris discuss the Trump administration’s recent struggles to explain its policy toward Iran. What does President Donald Trump hope to achieve? What evidence is there that the policy of “maximum pressure” will succeed? Does the administration have the authority to launch military attacks against Iran, either under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) or under Article II of the Constitution? Or must they go to Congress for a new AUMF? And to what extent do various personnel decisions explain the frequent misalignment between Trump’s stated objectives and the actual results? This episode also includes praise for a belated effort to reclaim Congress’s war powers, while Harvard earns scorn for its counterproductive ploy to advance gender equality. There’s criticism, too, for short-sighted opponents of another round of military base closures.

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