The Intercept Briefing

The United States has executed 21 people over the last month in targeted drone strikes off the coast of Venezuela. The Trump administration has so far authorized at least four strikes against people it claims are suspected “narco-terrorists.”The strikes mark a dark shift in the administration’s approach to what it’s framing as an international drug war — one it’s waging without congressional oversight.“There actually could be more strikes,” says Intercept senior reporter Nick Turse. This week on The Intercept Briefing, Turse joins host Akela Lacy and investigative journalist Radley Balko to discuss how the administration is laying the groundwork to justify extrajudicial killings abroad and possibly at home.The Trump administration’s claims that it’s going after high-level drug kingpins don’t hold water, Turse says. “Trump is killing civilians because he 'suspects' that they're smuggling drugs. Experts that I talk to say this is illegal. Former government lawyers, experts on the laws of war, they say it's outright murder.” Trump has repeated claims, without evidence, that a combination of immigration and drug trafficking is driving crime in the United States. It’s part of a story Trump has crafted: The U.S. and the international community are under siege, and it’s his job to stop it — whether by executing fishermen or deploying the National Guard on his own people. And while the latest turn toward extrajudicial killings is cause for alarm, it’s also more of the same, says Radley Balko, an investigative journalist who has covered the drug war for two decades and host of the new Intercept podcast, Collateral Damage. “The notion of collateral damage is just that: this very idea that, when you're in war, there are some who can be sacrificed because we have this greater cause that we have to win or this threat we have to overcome. And these people that are being killed in these incidents, they're collateral damage from the perspective of the U.S. government because Trump clearly doesn't care,” Balko says.“There are a lot of parallels between what Trump is doing with immigration now and what we saw during the 1980s with the drug war. There was an effort to bring the military in,” Balko says. “This idea that Reagan declared illicit drugs a national security threat — just like Trump has done with immigration, with migrants — this idea that we're facing this threat that is so existential and so dangerous that we have to take these extraconstitutional measures, this is a playbook that we've seen before.”Correction: In the episode, it is erroneously stated that the conversation took place on Wednesday, October 10; it was recorded on Wednesday, October 8. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The federal government shut down on Wednesday as President Donald Trump threatened mass federal layoffs. Republicans are blaming Democrats for the shutdown, while Democrats are refusing to support a Republican spending bill without guarantees to extend Obamacare provisions set to expire and reverse GOP health care cuts earlier this year.“Democrats are ... trying to reverse some of the cuts from the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' that was passed earlier this year to Medicaid,” says Intercept politics reporter Jessica Washington. “So what Democrats are really trying to message here is that they're fighting for health care, both to reverse some of these Medicaid cuts and also to ensure that the Affordable Care Act subsidies continue.”This week on The Intercept Briefing, senior politics reporter Akela Lacy speaks to Washington about the government shutdown and the impact it will have on public services, including essential services and federal workers.We’re also following a federal court case where an appointee of Ronald Reagan blasted the Trump administration for unlawfully targeting pro-Palestine students for protected speech. “It’s a historic ruling that rightly affirms that the First Amendment protects non-citizens lawfully present in the U.S. just as it protects citizens,” says Ramya Krishnan, lecturer at Columbia University Law School and senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, which represented plaintiffs in the case. “And if free speech means anything in this country, it means the government can't lock you up simply because it disagrees with your political views.”Listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.You can support our work at theintercept.com/join. Your donation, no matter the amount, makes a real difference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tommy Marcus, also known as Quentin Quarantino, shares his harrowing experiences as a volunteer on the Global Sumud Flotilla delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza amidst drone attacks. He reflects on the fear and resilience of the 500 volunteers determined to push through despite the risks. Diana Buttu, a former legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization, discusses the legality of Israel's blockade and the escalating violence in Gaza, calling recent international gestures towards Palestine mere hollow claims. Together, they paint a vivid picture of the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Media analyst Adam H. Johnson, co-host of the Citations Needed podcast, dives deep into the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's death and the right's power consolidation. He explores how this event is being leveraged to push shock-doctrine policies and normalize vigilante behavior against dissenters. Johnson highlights the troubling shift within corporate media towards Trumpism, revealing how billionaire acquisitions are reshaping narratives and undermining democratic discourse. Tune in for insights on the evolving landscape of media and free speech.

In this conversation, Natasha Lennard, an Intercept columnist, and Ali Breland, a staff writer at The Atlantic, delve into the unsettling aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. They discuss the urgent implications of political violence in the U.S. Lennard warns of the swift weaponization of rhetoric to incite state repression, while Breland raises concerns about a dangerous trajectory that frames more individuals as targets for violence. Together, they explore how this tragic event could further escalate the political landscape.

Join Jessica Washington, a keen politics reporter at The Intercept, and Matt Sledge, who dives into Congressional affairs, as they dissect the urgent political landscape facing Congress. They tackle the looming government shutdown and the turmoil around the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, highlighting its potential to overshadow critical legislation. The discussion also touches on military involvement in urban areas and the Democrats' struggles against Trump’s tough-on-crime agenda. Buckle up for a whirlwind tour of DC's chaotic environment!

Brian Goldstone, a journalist and author of "There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America," dives into the root causes of the U.S. housing crisis. He reveals how bipartisan homelessness sweeps merely hide the issue without offering real solutions. Discussing the historical context, Goldstone explains the impact of the 1986 Tax Reform Act on public housing and how economic disparities lead to gentrification and corporate exploitation. He emphasizes the urgent need for affordable housing and advocates for viewing it as a fundamental right.

Nina Smith, a seasoned Democratic strategist and former senior advisor to Stacey Abrams, shares her insights on the alarming voter shifts from Democrats to Republicans since 2020. She emphasizes that the party is failing to execute basic strategies, like voter registration, which she likens to missing easy layups in basketball. The conversation highlights the urgent need for Democrats to adapt their approach, engage authentically with constituents, and unify diverse coalitions to revitalize their electoral strengths against a consolidating GOP.

Kylie Cheung, a journalist focused on gender and power and author of 'Coercion: Surviving and Resisting Abortion Bans', discusses the ramifications of the Dobbs decision. She illuminates how abortion bans serve as instruments of state-sanctioned violence, amplifying domestic abuse and controlling pregnant individuals. Kylie explores the grim realities of fetal personhood laws, the challenges posed by policy shifts on emergency care, and the intersection of reproductive rights with racial justice, revealing the broader implications for marginalized communities.

Bob Kitchen, the Vice President of Emergencies at the International Rescue Committee, discusses the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He emphasizes that the famine is entirely manmade, caused by ongoing conflict and severe restrictions on aid. Kitchen highlights the region’s agricultural potential, yet notes that bureaucratic hurdles prevent food and medical supplies from reaching those in need. The conversation stresses the urgent necessity for action and the risks of a lost generation amid rising malnutrition rates, particularly among children.