Talking Feds

After a week of near-constant breaking news, Harry is joined by Michael Schmidt, Katie Benner, and David Jolly to analyze the events unfolding on the domestic and global stages. They discuss the implications of Vladimir Putin’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine and the American response, Biden’s official nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, and various developments in the investigations into Donald Trump’s business practices and possible role in the 1/6 insurrection. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week of drama and uncertainty, as Russian troops amassed on the Ukrainian border threatening—or feinting--imminent invasion; Congress and prosecutors brought forth more damaging information about Donald Trump, who was ordered at week’s end to sit for a deposition in a civil fraud inquiry by the New York AG; and Democrats possibly took an edge in the redistricting maps.  Laura Coates, Josh Marshall, & Rep. Ted Lieu join Harry to break it all down and discuss which way the winds are blowing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our periodic return to our roots, Talking Feds checks in the Department of Justice for a close look at public developments and a scrutiny from the most experienced DOJ veterans of what lies behind them. New York Times DOJ reporter Katie Benner, & Paul Fishman & Andrew Weissman, both richly experienced in all levels of the DOJ, join Harry to work through what’s going on inside DOJ with the 1/6 investigation and Merrick Garland’s probable thinking, and what lies ahead for DOJ and the country. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a week in which Vladimir Putin beat the drums of war in the Ukraine while Donald Trump beat the drums of domestic discord at home. Julia Ioffe, Greg Sargent, and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon join Harry to talk about the new jaw-dropping revelations of Trump’s post-election conduct and his apparent pledge to do it all again in 2024. After a quick discussion of the impact of the Trump factor on the midterms, the group moves to the impasse with Russia and analyze what Putin really wants. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of the announcement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement, a superb panel–Laura Jarrett, Bill Kristol, & Senator (& Judiciary Committee Member) Sheldon Whitehouse–joins Harry to assess Breyer’s legacy, chart out the politics of the coming confirmation process for the various constituencies (Rs, Ds, White House, & the candidate), and assess the comparative strengths of the main candidates. They close with some thoughts about the Forgery Scandal & how high it might go. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The week marked a year in office for President Biden, and the pundit class pronounced him on the ropes. Meanwhile, the former President appeared imperiled from many directions; in particular, the Jan 6 committee pieced together new information tying him more directly to the insurrection. 3 of the country’s most prominent commentators–Molly Ball, George Conway, & Michael Schmidt–join Harry to assess Biden’s prospects to turn things around and analyze the various threats to Trump and his circle. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a week of multiple aftershocks from the January 6 attack, and a fantastic panel – Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, Professor Larry Tribe, & Jonathan Alter – joins Harry to break it all down. The committee reached out to Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who called them illegitimate and refused to cooperate. Biden made a strong push for voting rights reform, but was snubbed by Sens. Manchin and Sinema. And DOJ shook up the landscape with a wide-ranging seditious conspiracy indictment. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the week marking the anniversary of the 1/6 attack on the Capital and record-breaking rates of viral spread, three stellar commentators join Harry to analyze the cataclysmic events and chart what comes next. David Fahrenthold, Juliette Kayyem, & Norm Ornstein reflect on the implications of the continued persistence of the Big Lie. They discuss if the break-glass point has arrived for filibuster reform. And they discern an important pivot point in the public approach to the virus. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our final offering of the year is another special episode this time on the prospects for the Democratic Party in 2022. A stellar panel of journalists and Democratic strategists–Stephanie Cutter, Joe Lockhart, and Josh Marshall–join Harry for a sober look at the party’s uphill battle to avoid losing one or more Houses of Congress in the midterms. The stakes are huge, given the Republicans’ apparent surrender to Trump control and the threat to constitutional norms a Republican victory presents. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of our 2 end-of-year special episodes, we look at the 2022 landscape for the Republican Party. A terrific trio of Republican party stalwarts & former officials–Bill Kristol, Michael Steele, & Governor Christie Todd Whitman–give a candid analysis of the grave threat to the Party & the Republic of the ascendant Trump wing of the party. They consider what a principled Republican should do today and the possible path back to normalcy for a Party that is now captured by aberrant forces. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 of the country’s most prominent journalists—David Frum, Jon Lemire, and Carol Leonnig—join Harry to break down a banner, and mainly glum, news week. They begin with the dramatic developments from the Jan. 6 committee, including the contempt referral for Mark Meadows. They then take up the medical and psychological challenges of the Omicron variant. Finally, they analyze the dimming prospects in Congress for the Administration’s Build Back Better package and major voting rights legislation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A special episode on the economic state of the union. On the day when the Consumer Price index recorded the highest rate of price inflation in nearly 40 years, a superb panel of economic experts–Atlantic writer Annie Lowrey, Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell, and former Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers–join Harry for a lively, sophisticated, and highly accessible discussion about what is driving the surge and the implications for our daily lives now and in the coming year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court argument in the Mississippi abortion case, already shaping up as the biggest of the Term, transformed during oral argument this week into the most important case of a generation, as it became clear that the new conservative majority was poised either to sharply restrict, or flatly overrule, the Court’s landmark abortion jurisprudence. Harry and a panel of top Supreme Court experts analyze the argument and gauge the immense impact on American women and the court’s own standing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special Thanksgiving episode, Harry is joined by a fantastic panel of experts – Senator Cory Booker, award-winning author Michael Pollan, and sustainable farming activist Leah Penniman – to discuss the country's deeply flawed farming and food production systems. The group breaks down the economic, health, and environmental harms of Big Agriculture; the legislative policies that have allowed them to persist; and the diverse movement working to improve the ways we produce and consume food. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The week ended with a thunderous 1-2 stroke of the passage in the House of the Build Back Better Bill, arguably the most significant piece of legislation in a generation, followed by the announcement of the across-the-board acquittals in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. An all-star panel comprising CNN anchor Laura Jarrett and Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi and Jamie Raskin join Harry to break down both developments and place them in the broader context of the country’s continuing partisan divide. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bannon indictment is the biggest game-changer in many months in the pursuit of the truth about various aspects of the Trump presidency. “From the White House to the Big House to Rittenhouse" features a stellar panel—Alisyn Camerota, Jen Rubin, & Rick Wilson-- to unpack the broader legal, cultural & political implications of the landmark indictment. We also cover the Rittenhouse trial, which is morphing into a litmus test of partisan divisions on issues of race, gun control, and vigilantism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our quarterly review of goings-on at the Department of Justice, with seasoned DOJ stalwarts Katie Benner, Matt Miller, and Andrew Weissmann. The group analyzes the progress of the Jan 6 investigation and assesses the criticism the Department is attracting from all corners, including the federal bench. They then canvass new DOJ policies on cybercrime and white collar crime and consider whether the changes are real or cosmetic. Finally, they take up the latest from special counsel John Durham. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Talking Feds brings you our first Q&A session with host Harry Litman. Listeners submitted questions, and Harry answered, covering the January 6 committee, Bannon’s subpoena avoidance, and questions regarding the legal proceedings of the insurrection’s trial. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden goes to Rome at a crucial juncture at home and a time of extraordinary challenge on the international front. He had hoped to carry with him the buoying victory of the passage of spending bills to bolster the country’s claim as the world’s leading democracy, but his efforts fell just short. A trio of national and international experts – Michael McFaul, Francis Fukuyama, and Juliette Kayyem – analyze Biden’s vexing agenda with respect to China, Russia, NATO, and climate change. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a week of push coming to shove, as a series of high-stakes disputes moved to an endgame with no clear picture of how they would come out. Talking Feds regulars Laura Coates, Matt Miller, and Senator Al Franken join Harry to work through what happens next in the referral of Steve Bannon to the DOJ on charges of criminal contempt. They then turn to the apparent endgame of filibuster reform and voting rights before assessing Merrick Garland’s appearance before the House Judiciary Committee. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices