--- title: Ted Cruz's Counterterrorism Strategy Is Unconstitutional description: After Brussels attack, Cruz reveals cynicism is his only consistent value canonical: https://time.com/4268731/ted-cruzs-counterterrorism-unconstitutional/ author: Elise Jordan article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-23T02:18:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T16:08:16.702Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Ted Cruz's Counterterrorism Strategy Is Unconstitutional og:description: After Brussels attack, Cruz reveals cynicism is his only consistent value og:url: https://time.com/4268731/ted-cruzs-counterterrorism-unconstitutional/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99a0bfca1e276205/69888c32e20a87cc1aa90199/gettyimages-516938668.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz Addresses Recent Terror Attacks In Belgium og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ted Cruz's Counterterrorism Strategy Is Unconstitutional twitter:description: After Brussels attack, Cruz reveals cynicism is his only consistent value twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99a0bfca1e276205/69888c32e20a87cc1aa90199/gettyimages-516938668.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ted Cruz's Counterterrorism Strategy Is Unconstitutional > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=66a90fcf-ab2d-4e9b-b4db-f82afe1d5547&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=66a90fcf-ab2d-4e9b-b4db-f82afe1d5547&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=66a90fcf-ab2d-4e9b-b4db-f82afe1d5547&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=66a90fcf-ab2d-4e9b-b4db-f82afe1d5547&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Elise Jordan](https://time.com/author/elise-jordan/)  ## Elise Jordan Mar 23, 2016 2:18 AM UTC  Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses the bombings in Brussels during remarks March 22, 2016 in Washington, DC Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addresses the bombings in Brussels during remarks March 22, 2016 in Washington, DC Win McNamee—Getty Images  by [Elise Jordan](https://time.com/author/elise-jordan/)  ## Elise Jordan Mar 23, 2016 2:18 AM UTC Ted Cruz—who [claims](http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/07/18/ted-cruz-puts-dewhurst-on-defensive-in-final-debate-before-texas-primary-runoff/) that the Constitution is his “touchstone for every question”—has shamelessly pandered to libertarians for years. Cruz even [campaigned](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oaW5x5KIZQ) that he’s the heir to the movement cultivated by former Republican presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul. At times, Cruz talked the talk so fluently that you could almost believe him. When Governor Chris Christie and Senator Marco Rubio attacked Cruz in a debate for voting to end the government’s illegal spying program, Cruz [blasted](http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/10/politics/ted-cruz-bulk-data-collection/) them for presenting a false choice and accused them of “exploit\[ing\] the current crisis by calling on Americans to surrender our constitutional liberties as the only way to ensure our safety.” That was before today, when it was Cruz’s turn to exploit a tragedy for political purposes. Proving once and for all that he is no friend of the liberty movement, Cruz responded to the deadly terrorist attacks in Belgium by [calling](http://www.npr.org/2016/03/22/471405546/u-s-officials-and-politicians-react-to-brussels-attacks) for special surveillance and policing of Muslim-American neighborhoods in the United States. What’s so galling is that Cruz, unlike Trump, no doubt knows better. He’s a brilliant lawyer who has argued [nine ](http://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=news&id=1077)cases before the Supreme Court. The self-proclaimed constitutional originalist [knows](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ted-cruz-democrats-repeal-first-amendment) that the First Amendment prohibits the government from favoring a religious group, so patrolling Muslim neighborhoods would be unconstitutional. But the move is classic Cruz, and exactly why people find him so petrifying. Given a choice between pandering and holding fast to his principles, Cruz always chooses Door No. 1\. The guy will say or do anything to become President. Not that Cruz is alone in espousing policies that would directly violate the Constitution’s religious protection clause. We’ve all heard about Donald Trump’s call to shut down mosques, but Marco Rubio [wanted](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/marco-rubio-mosques-paris-attacks) to shut down any place Muslims peacefully gathered and Ben Carson had the [bright idea](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/20/ben-carson-i-hope-that-we-have-a-database-on-everybody/) of forcing all Americans to register in a religious database. This Republican primary season, candidates have been literally competing to substitute authoritarian talk and intolerance for actual policies that would make us safer. Though the big-government approach to combating terror hasn’t made us safer, that hasn’t stopped Republican candidates from embracing it. And with Cruz now abandoning the libertarian principles he once strategically adopted, there is no one left in the race to challenge the misguided logic that has made the “war on terror” an ongoing expensive boondoggle, not to mention an assault on our nation’s productivity and civil liberties. The Cold War official and nuclear strategist Paul Nitze famously [warned](https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=RIAOSwXaz3AC&oi=fnd&pg=PA42&dq=paul+nitze+one+of+the+most+dangerous+forms+of+human+error+is+forgetting+what+one+Paul+Nitze&ots=BR3fFf9Nl0&sig=z47AA75dEM0i-8FLDyRpqgdnD2w#v=onepage&q=paul%20nitze&f=false) that “one of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve.” We can fight terrorism and make Americans safe without sacrificing our freedom. But first, we need to understand what we’re fighting against. We’ve spent [trillions](http://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/02/03/the-war-on-terror-has-cost-taxpayers-1-7-trillion-infographic/#26d533795cf0) of dollars on the war on terror and we haven’t conclusively answered the basic question: What radicalizes men and women, and why do they turn to violence? The forensic psychiatrist and CIA analyst Marc Sageman [has argued](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546553.2014.895655?journalCode=ftpv20) that we will continue to fail at counter-radicalization as long as we keep throwing money at a problem we don’t fully understand. “The government provision of funds without necessary data is a recipe for low return on its financial investment,” Sageman writes. “Without an empirical foundation for research on the turn to political violence, we cannot progress.” There’s an undeniable sense that headway fighting terror has stalled. So before we surrender more of our liberties to a government that will never stop demanding such, let’s take the time to figure out the difference between a productive measure and a cynical ploy to lend Americans a false sense of security. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4268731/ted-cruzs-counterterrorism-unconstitutional/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4268731/ted-cruzs-counterterrorism-unconstitutional/"},"headline":"Ted Cruz's Counterterrorism Strategy Is Unconstitutional","datePublished":"2016-03-23T02:18:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T16:08:16.702Z","description":"After Brussels attack, Cruz reveals cynicism is his only consistent value","url":"https://time.com/4268731/ted-cruzs-counterterrorism-unconstitutional/","keywords":["brussels","Terrorism","2016 Campaign"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99a0bfca1e276205/69888c32e20a87cc1aa90199/gettyimages-516938668.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Elise Jordan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/elise-jordan/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99a0bfca1e276205/69888c32e20a87cc1aa90199/gettyimages-516938668.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GOP Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz Addresses Recent Terror Attacks In Belgium","caption":"GOP Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz Addresses Recent Terror Attacks In Belgium","creditText":"Win McNamee—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/brussels/","name":"brussels"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4268731/ted-cruzs-counterterrorism-unconstitutional/","name":"Ted Cruz's Counterterrorism Strategy Is Unconstitutional"}}]}] ```