Listen "A Textbook Example of an Unlawful Order"
Episode Synopsis
Just after the Trump administration threw a fit over a video reminding the military that they have an obligation to refuse unlawful orders, the Washington Post published reporting alleging the orders to blow up a boat in the Caribbean on Sept. 2 were in fact patently unlawful.
Guest: Steven J. Lepper, retired Air Force major general and former deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Guest: Steven J. Lepper, retired Air Force major general and former deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More episodes of the podcast What Next | Daily News and Analysis
TBD | Are We Over the Moon?
04/01/2026
Bonus: What It’s Going to Take
02/01/2026
TBD | 2025: Dystopian Tech of the Year
02/01/2026
2025: The Music of the Year
01/01/2026
2025: The Advice of the Year
31/12/2025
2025: The Movie(s) of the Year
30/12/2025
2025: The Game of the Year
29/12/2025
TBD | 2025: The Meme of the Year
28/12/2025
A Rabbi’s Plea for Peace | 2025 in Review
25/12/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.