Former FBI Agent and Yale Professor Asha Rangappa joins Marc Elias to examine how Trump-era policies reshaped federal law enforcement, national security, and democratic norms, from ICE and the FBI to the Insurrection Act and military authority. They explain how contempt for legal constraints makes America less safe, why individuals now bear the burden of resistance, and what this moment means for the future of the rule of law.

Chart: The Insurrection Act Explained

https://bsky.app/profile/asharangappa.bsky.social/post/3mchv6f6wf22q

The Freedom Academy with Asha Rangappa

https://asharangappa.substack.com/

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:45 Is ICE Really Law Enforcement?

03:11 The FBI, the DOJ, and Independence

04:14 Who Controls the Minneapolis Investigation?

06:20 ICE Culture and Public Confrontation

12:49 How Trump Is Making America Less Safe

15:51 An Administration Contemptuous of Law

20:03 All Opposition Is Disloyal

24:10 The Insurrection Act Explained

29:20 Can Troops Enforce Civil Law?

32:29 Teaching Law in Democratic Decline

36:29 Why Postwar Law No Longer Constrains Power

39:17 When Individuals Stand Up to Power

43:53 The Risk of Speaking Out Against Trump