Who Will Stop Trump?

Are the Guardrails Holding? Power, Politics, and the Rule of LawRight now, the United States is watching a stress test of its own institutions unfold.In the past 24 hours, Donald Trump has threatened sweeping military action against Iran, including strikes on civilian infrastructure—rhetoric that legal experts warn could violate international law and even constitute war crimes. (washingtonpost.com)At the same time, back at home, a federal judge recently blocked the Justice Department from enforcing subpoenas tied to its investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling them “pretextual” and unsupported by evidence of a crime. (CBS News) And while no one may be paying attention, these cases matter.Individually, these headlines tell very different stories. Together, they highlight a pattern: the boundaries of law, ethics, and accountability are being tested.From military authority abroad to prosecutorial power at home, the question becomes urgent: who stops power when it blatantly tramples on the rules?To unpack this, we’re joined by Melanie Sloan. She’s a former federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia and nationally recognized expert on government ethics. From 2003 to 2014, she served as the founding Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a government watchdog organization. Prior to that, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C., prosecuting sexual assault and other violent crimes.Sloan has long warned about government misconduct, describing the Trump administration as having a “culture of corruption,” and she brings a clear, expert lens to questions of power, accountability, and the law in moments like this.In this episode, we dive into:Why is Trump getting away with abuse of power so easily?Why the judge’s ruling matters for prosecutorial limits and institutional independenceLet’s talk about how the Epstein files plays into all of this.What warning signs to watch as American institutions face pressure from aboveHow the DOJ’s actions may fit into broader patterns of political influenceHow can Trump be stopped?FOLLOW NATALIEsubstack: https://substack.com/@factsoverfearnataliebinstagram: https://www.instagram.com/@nataliebencivenga/#tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliebencivengathreads: https://www.threads.com/@nataliebencivengapodcast via spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/47JYsn9LQchErS3cnHP2YFpodcast via apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/facts-over-fear/id1855901950FACTS OVER FEARLet's dismantle the fear that is used to divide us surrounding the issues impacting the people and talk facts.ABOUT NATALIENatalie Bencivenga is a socially-conscious journalist working towards building equity in our communities through storytelling. Her goal is to inspire, educate and activate people to become catalysts for positive change. Join her for transformative conversations that uplift and challenge the ways in which we perceive the world. Let's turn this moment into a movement – together.