BONUS: The Untouched Power That Could Stop Trump's Iran War

BONUS: The Untouched Power That Could Stop Trump's Iran War

From Master Plan by The Lever & David Sirota

April 30, 2026 · 52 min · Season 2

About this episode

David Sirota discusses the War Powers Resolution and Congress's ability to end the Iran War.

As Trump’s war in Iran approached a critical 60-day deadline, we took a deep dive into the War Powers Resolution, the Nixon-era law designed to limit presidential war-making. But Congress had a little-known weapon to end the war — or any unauthorized war — whenever it wanted. So why had it never used it? In this special bonus episode of The Kingmakers, David Sirota tells the wild story of how a Kenyan-born immigrant and a Ralph Nader-aligned lawyer unwittingly expanded presidential power — and left Congress believing it was powerless to stop unauthorized wars. Get Master Plan episodes early and ad-free by becoming a paid subscriber. Enjoy bonus episodes like this, exclusive content, and support this show. Visit levernews.com/upgrade Want the Master Plan book? ⁠Members save 20%⁠, and new Lever Leaders can ⁠get a free signed copy⁠ while supplies last. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: David Sirota

Topics covered

  • Iran War
  • War Powers Resolution
  • Congress
  • presidential powers
  • political history

Keywords

  • Iran War
  • War Powers Resolution
  • Congress
  • Donald Trump
  • Ralph Nader

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: War Powers Resolution

Places: Kenya

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