Angus King: We Are Already in a Constitutional Crisis

Plus An Amazing Week in Review

Charlie Sykes

Jun 08, 2025

414

Transcript

Catching up (sort of):

Musk melting? “Musk appears to delete X posts claiming Trump was in Epstein files: — ABC
Trump escalates: “Trump says Elon Musk will face 'very serious consequences' if he funds Democratic candidates” — NBC
He hasn’t invoked the Insurrection Act yet, but… “Trump deploys 2,000 National Guard members after Los Angeles immigration protests”
“Agents Use Military-Style Force Against Protesters at L.A. Immigration Raid
“Trump Is Calling Up National Guard Troops Under a Rarely Used Law: President Trump bypassed the authority of Gov. Gavin Newsom to call up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests.”
“Trump Deploys 2,000 Troops To L.A. As Backlash & Protests To ICE Raids Surge; POTUS Action “Purposefully Inflammatory,” Newsom Warns: 'Purposefully Inflammatory'

Happy Sunday.

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In today’s “To the Contrary” Podcast, Senator Angus King joins me for a sobering conversation on the erosion of constitutional norms, the rise of authoritarianism, and Congress’s failure to defend its own power.

Drawing lessons from history—including Margaret Chase Smith’s defiance of McCarthyism—King warns that America’s democratic experiment is more vulnerable than most realize. From executive overreach to geopolitical isolation, this episode explores what’s at stake when ambition no longer counteracts ambition.

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