The "Off the Rails" Edition

The "Off the Rails" Edition

From Rational Security by The Lawfare Institute

February 26, 2026 · 1h 17m

About this episode

The episode discusses recent developments in national security, including Supreme Court rulings on tariffs and the impact of drug cartel violence in Mexico.

This week, Scott was joined by Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler McBrien, Lawfare Senior Editor Molly Roberts, and University of Virginia Professor of Law Paul Stephan to talk through the week’s big news in national security, including: “Textual Healing.” On Friday, a 6-3 Supreme Court majority brought an end to at least the current iteration of President Trump’s controversial tariff policies, ruling that language in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (or IEEPA) authorizing the “regulation of…importation” doesn’t include the authority to impose tariffs. That said, President Trump himself has already indicated that he intends to reinstate many of the tariffs he had installed using IEEPA under other statutory authorities. How big a setback is this for the Trump administration’s trade policies? And what might it mean for other aspects of its policy agenda? “Mayhem in Mexico.” Over the weekend, an elite unit of the Mexican army killed one of the country’s most powerful drug kingpins, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho.” His syndicate, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, immediately retaliated, through attacks on Mexican security forces, roadblocks throughout…

People in this episode

Host: Scott

Guests: Tyler McBrien, Molly Roberts, Paul Stephan

Topics covered

  • national security
  • trade policies
  • tariffs
  • drug cartels
  • Mexico
  • Supreme Court

Keywords

  • tariffs
  • Supreme Court
  • national security
  • drug kingpins
  • Mexico
  • trade policies

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lawfare, International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Jalisco New Generation Cartel

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