Why the administration avoided taking captives

Donald Trump is suddenly mired in a huge war-crimes scandal, complicating his desire to launch an actual war (also illegal) against Venezuela.

In this episode, Matt and Brian discuss:

* All the things that make the circumstances surrounding the order to murder shipwreck survivors so strange and suspicious;

* How it all gels with Trump’s broader, corrupt foreign policy;

* Whether the so-called Seditious Six Democrats, who first elevated the issue of illegal orders, laid a trap for Trump.

* Also, is Pete Hegseth doomed?

Then, what’s all that got to do with the midterms? Did left-wing politics doom Democrats in last week’s Tennessee special election? Was the outcome there actually bullish for Democrats? Could it be both things at once? And why is the Democratic establishment really so up in arms about Jasmine Crockett entering the Texas Senate Democratic primary?

All that, plus the full Politix archive are available to paid subscribers—just upgrade your subscription and pipe full episodes directly to your favorite podcast app via your own private feed.

Further reading:

* Todd Zwillich on what Democrats in Congress did (and didn’t) know about Trump administration war crimes before they made a ruckus about it.

* Matt on the bizarre march to war with Venezuela.

* Brian on the problem of the missing antiwar movement.