Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast The Militarization of American Cities Under Trump with Mary McCord
Oct 14, 2025
Mary McCord, Executive Director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and former acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, dives into the troubling pattern of military deployment in American cities under Trump. She explores the implications of using armed forces domestically and the historical distrust of standing armies among the Founding Fathers. McCord also discusses legal frameworks like the Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act, uncovering how these laws shape the current landscape of military use against civilians.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Military Used As Tool Against 'Enemies Within'
- The Trump administration openly framed domestic unrest as a
Posse Comitatus: A Criminal Bar On Troops Policing
- The Posse Comitatus Act criminally bars federal armed forces from domestic law enforcement with narrow exceptions.
Insurrection Act Narrowly Carves Out Exceptions
- The Insurrection Act creates narrow statutory exceptions allowing military deployment for domestic unrest, historically used sparingly.
