Talking Feds

Bad Bondi

Talking Feds stalwarts Norm Ornstein, Tara Setmayer, and Charlie Sykes join Harry to review Pam Bondi's flailing theatrics before Congress as well as a raft of other embarrassments for the Trump administration. After panning the DOJ's determination to avoid transparency on Epstein, the group turns to the sudden federal retreat in Minnesota and a searing courtroom humiliation for Pete Hegseth. To close, they break down the stirrings of mutiny within Trump's party and the president's effort to rewrite election rules. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the Supreme Court Betray the Constitution?

Superstar SCOTUS expert Kate Shaw joins Harry to talk in broad strokes about the Supreme Court's performance during the first year of Trump 2.0 and about the pivotal cases on the horizon. Kate considers the Court’s rejection of parts of Trump’s agenda, and why that’s cold comfort given their subservience when it counts most. They dig into the breakdown and fault lines of the nine justices. Finally, they consider recent radical critiques that the Court needs to be torn down and replaced. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Live from Princeton: A Contrarian Quartet

Contrarian stalwarts Norm Eisen, Asha Rangappa, and Jen Rubin join Harry for a special episode filmed in front of a live audience at Princeton University. They begin with the cataclysmic fall of the Washington Post and what it shows about Trump's power to demolish even the most powerful civic institutions. From there, they turn to the deportation effort, which seems to be running itself into the ground, and Trump's latest noises about election interference. They end with some measured but forceful optimism for American democracy in 2026. A video version of this episode is available on YouTube.  Mentioned in this episode: The Contrarian: ⁠https://contrarian.substack.com/ The Contrarian’s YouTube: ⁠https://youtube.com/@ContrarianNews⁠ Democracy Defenders Fund: https://www.democracydefendersfund.org/⁠ Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/ Asha's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/its-complicated/id1434320092 The New York Times piece on lawsuits against the administration: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/trump-administration-lawsuits.html⁠ Image credit: Sameer Khan, Fotobuddy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump's Reign of Terror in the Civil Rights Division

Normally, after a controversial law enforcement shooting like that of Renee Good or Alex Pretti, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division would quickly announce an investigation. Under Trump, however, there's still no investigation into Good's killing, and the Department announced it would examine Pretti's shooting only after days of immense pressure. Bill Yeomans, a 24-year veteran and former acting head of the Division, walks Harry through the ways that Trump has stifled, undermined, and perverted this crucial wing of the DOJ. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cracks in the ICE

It was a tumultuous week on the streets and in the courts, with panelists Kristen Holmes, Juliette Kayyem, and Josh Marshall joining Harry to break it all down. ICE's reign of terror in Minnesota continues, even as top Trump officials sing a softer tune after nationwide outrage over the death of Alex Pretti. The panel marches through the latest fallout from Pretti's killing, as well as the newest attempts by the DOJ to advance Trump's agenda elsewhere, from the arrest of Don Lemon to the shocking raid on a Georgia election office.  Mentioned in this episode: Kristen’s reporting:  https://www.cnn.com/profiles/kristen-holmes-bio Juliette’s writing in the Atlantic:  https://www.theatlantic.com/author/juliette-kayyem/ Josh’s analysis:  https://talkingpointsmemo.com/author/josh_m Also, check out some big changes coming to the Talking Feds Substack: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/big-changes-for-the-talking-feds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices