Executive Overreach in a Time of War
From The Briefing with Michael Waldman by Brennan Center for Justice
March 5, 2026 · 33 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of executive overreach during wartime and its potential impact on U.S. elections.
The war in the Middle East launched by President Trump continues to unfold. Underneath the headlines and the chaos, something else is going on. Recent reporting has exposed signs that election deniers inside and outside the White House may be trying to exploit this moment to claim national security as a rationale to undermine U.S. elections. It’s alarming, and it's flatly illegal. It’s an escalation of ongoing efforts to meddle with the vote. Listen as Brennan Center experts break down what is happening, explain the legal issues at stake, and discuss what must be done to ensure elections remain free and fair. Recorded on March 4, 2026. Keep up with the Brennan Center’s work by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, The Briefing , at https://go.brennancenter.org/briefing . The Brennan Center is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to repair, revitalize, and defend our systems of democracy and justice so they work for all Americans. The Brennan Center cannot support or oppose any candidate for office.
People in this episode
Host: Michael Waldman
Topics covered
- executive overreach
- U.S. elections
- national security
- political manipulation
- Middle East war
Keywords
- executive overreach
- elections
- national security
- Brennan Center
- politics
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Brennan Center, Brennan Center for Justice
More episodes of The Briefing with Michael Waldman
- Voters Demand Solutions to End Corruption (with Dan Weiner and Marina Pino) · June 11, 2026 · 43 min
- Trump’s Supreme Court Showdown — and Other Cases to Watch (with Tom Wolf and Wilfred Codrington) · June 3, 2026 · 1h 8m
- The Intellectual Movement Behind MAGA (with Laura Field) · May 27, 2026 · 56 min
- Hyperpartisanship and the Attack on Voting Rights (with Julian E. Zelizer) · May 21, 2026 · 40 min
- Understanding the U.S. Constitution (with Melissa Murray) · May 13, 2026 · 1h 0m
- How to Fix the Supreme Court (with Miriam Rosenbaum and Olatunde Johnson) · May 6, 2026 · 47 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Briefing with Michael Waldman podcast page.