logo
episode-header-image
Oct 6
9m 35s

Trump calls cartels terrorists. Is that ...

NPR
About this episode

Nearly a quarter century after the September 11th attacks, the Trump administration is using the language of terrorism to target a new enemy: Latin American drug cartels.


The president says we’re in armed conflict with drug cartels.

We talk to a Bush-era lawyer who says the powers of war are too extraordinary to use against crime.

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org

Email us at considerthis@npr.org. This episode was produced by Connor Donevan. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Up next
Nov 21
Trump moves closer to closing the Education Department
When President Trump nominated Linda McMahon as education secretary, he told her to put herself out of a job. She moved one step closer to that this week when the Trump administration shifted the responsibility of several departments to other federal agencies.<br/><br/><br>NPR's ... Show More
8m 39s
Nov 20
Expensive and exhausting: Why caregivers need to care for themselves, too
Caregiving services for seniors can<a href="https://www.fidelity.com/viewpoints/personal-finance/long-term-care-costs-options"target="_blank" > </a>easily cost more each year than what the average American makes. And health insurers, both government and private, may not provide ... Show More
10m 20s
Nov 19
How Chicago's ICE resistance was born
<div aria-setsize="-1" class="c-virtual_list__item" tabindex="0" role="listitem"><div role="presentation" class="c-message_kit__background p-message_pane_message__message c-message_kit__message"><div role="document" aria-roledescription="message" class="c-message_kit__hover"><div ... Show More
11m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Ex CIA Agent: The Real War is Just Beginning - Andrew Bustamante
Andrew Bustamante is a former covert CIA Intelligence Officer || Sponsored by Venice AI: Enjoy private, uncensored AI with our sponsor https://venice.ai/triggernometry - use code TRIGGERNOMETRY to get 20% off a pro plan || SPONSOR. Hypnozio. Go to https://sponsr.is/hypnozio_Trigg ... Show More
1h 41m
Jun 2025
Did Donald Trump deliberately provoke the LA protests?
Sarah and Anthony are joined by Miles Taylor to discuss events in LA and to ask whether the President is deliberately stoking protest for political ends. Miles was the Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security during Donald Trump’s first term but has since become a vo ... Show More
32m 29s
Sep 2024
Americanswers! Who's to blame for violence against Donald Trump?
The FBI has confirmed it is treating the incident involving a would-be attacker on Sunday as "an attempted assassination" against Donald Trump. We answer your questions on the fallout from another dramatic event in the campaign. Is political violence becoming normalised in the US ... Show More
27m 24s
Oct 24
Trump pledges to 'kill people' in drug cartels
President Trump says declaration of war on drug cartels by Congress is not needed. Mr Trump said his government is just going to kill people smuggling drugs instead. Thirty-seven people have been killed so far, with no evidence provided that the boats were used for drugs-running. ... Show More
27m 55s
Jun 2025
Will The U.S. Get Involved In Military Action With Iran?
As Israel and Iran continue to launch aerial assaults against each other, there are growing questions as to whether the U.S. will get involved in the offensive, too. President Trump said he'd make a decision within the next two weeks. Then, a look at the spending package currentl ... Show More
22m 36s
Apr 2025
Trump's First 100 Days: Wading Into The Culture Wars
On the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump decried "gender ideology," said the military was becoming too "woke," and that DEI programs across the federal government should be ended. As president, his executive actions & policies have mirrored his campaign promises in attemptin ... Show More
19m 1s
Jan 2025
Trump steers the world toward a tax war
<p>A federal judge has blocked US President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, and shares in the leading makers of anti-obesity drugs have dipped. Trump has ordered officials to draw up retaliatory measures against “extraterritorial” taxes, and <em>Emilia Pérez ... Show More
12m 42s
Oct 23
Is the U.S. Trying to Oust the Government in Venezuela?
<p>For months, President Trump has been ratcheting up the pressure on Venezuela with increasingly aggressive military actions that the administration claims are about targeting drug traffickers.</p><p>But behind the scenes, some U.S. officials are pushing toward a regime change.< ... Show More
29m 57s
Jun 2025
Is Donald Trump about to put the US at war with Iran?
Donald Trump is considering how far the United States should go in joining Israel’s attacks on Iran. Sarah and Anthony - who were both at the G7 summit in Canada on Monday, with Anthony travelling on Air Force One with Trump - discuss whether the U.S. is on the brink of another M ... Show More
31m 47s