Ezra Klein

There's a reason this particular case is broken through. And certainly the decision they have made on the other side of that, whether or not they intended to be here or not, is that if they can win on that, then that truly does expand the power. If they don't have to choose who they are sending to Bukele's hellhole...

There's a reason this particular case is broken through. And certainly the decision they have made on the other side of that, whether or not they intended to be here or not, is that if they can win on that, then that truly does expand the power. If they don't have to choose who they are sending to Bukele's hellhole...

Carefully, if it does not have to be the absolute worst, most bulletproof confirmation of this person is a horror who you do not want in the United States, if it can just be Donald Trump said so. Then what you have is a disappearance power, not just a national security power, the capability to remove almost any kind of person at any kind of time.

Carefully, if it does not have to be the absolute worst, most bulletproof confirmation of this person is a horror who you do not want in the United States, if it can just be Donald Trump said so. Then what you have is a disappearance power, not just a national security power, the capability to remove almost any kind of person at any kind of time.

And when he begins to then, on top of the criticism he is getting, have Bukele there in the Oval Office, yucking it up with him, tell him he's going to need to build more prisons, saying maybe the homegrowns are next. What do you think, American citizens are a special kind of people? Wasn't that what he said? Yeah. Then it feels to me like we've tipped into another world.

And when he begins to then, on top of the criticism he is getting, have Bukele there in the Oval Office, yucking it up with him, tell him he's going to need to build more prisons, saying maybe the homegrowns are next. What do you think, American citizens are a special kind of people? Wasn't that what he said? Yeah. Then it feels to me like we've tipped into another world.

Whether they're being legally savvy, this is not the narrowly tailored test cases they're sticking to. These are, I mean, the kinds of cases that the Supreme Court is already telling them you can't do this. And functionally, the response is, yes, we can.

Whether they're being legally savvy, this is not the narrowly tailored test cases they're sticking to. These are, I mean, the kinds of cases that the Supreme Court is already telling them you can't do this. And functionally, the response is, yes, we can.

Yeah. I mean, win not legally, but just in power. Exactly.

Yeah. I mean, win not legally, but just in power. Exactly.

If you were to give me your big picture, we're somehow not even 100 days into this, but your big picture for the way the Trump administration wants to use the security and judicial apparatus of the state to accomplish its objectives, whatever those are, what is the framework that you're using now to make sense of it?

If you were to give me your big picture, we're somehow not even 100 days into this, but your big picture for the way the Trump administration wants to use the security and judicial apparatus of the state to accomplish its objectives, whatever those are, what is the framework that you're using now to make sense of it?

So in theory, the power to stop them would be in Congress if Congress wanted to.

So in theory, the power to stop them would be in Congress if Congress wanted to.

Why don't we talk about that act for a minute?

Why don't we talk about that act for a minute?

And when you say it's an irrigation of power by the administration, which I agree it is, is this an irrigation of power because Donald Trump is truly so convinced that South American gangs are a threat to the U.S.? Or is this an irrigation of power in a more broad-based and fundamentally dictatorial fashion where there's a range of enemies to the state, to the leader? Yeah.

And when you say it's an irrigation of power by the administration, which I agree it is, is this an irrigation of power because Donald Trump is truly so convinced that South American gangs are a threat to the U.S.? Or is this an irrigation of power in a more broad-based and fundamentally dictatorial fashion where there's a range of enemies to the state, to the leader? Yeah.

And they are pulling in any set of powers that they can to exert control.

And they are pulling in any set of powers that they can to exert control.