Talking Feds

Guest host Jonathan Alter convenes Peter Baker, Molly Jong-Fast, and Charlie Sykes to talk through Trump’s latest lunge for unchecked power. The quartet dig into the week’s flurry of controversial firings and the prospects for a long-promised, now long-overdue peace deal in Ukraine. They then put Trump’s mafioso tactics under a microscope, investigating why they’ve worked so well, and what everyone can do to resist them.Mentioned in this episode:Jonathan’s Substack: https://oldgoats.substack.com/Peter’s reporting: https://www.nytimes.com/by/peter-baker#latestMolly’s podcast: https://fastpoliticspod.com/Charlie’s Substack: https://charliesykes.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veteran journalist Ruth Marcus takes Harry on a tour of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Justice Department. Drawing on months of reporting including candid interviews with top officials, Marcus reveals the department’s frightening new view of itself and the costs of Bondi’s revolutionary tactics. The pair end with a look at another American institution undergoing seismic change: the Washington Post, which Marcus left this year after a four decade tenure.Mentioned in this episode:Marcus’ story about Bondi and the department: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/25/pam-bondi-profileMarcus’ piece about leaving the Washington Post: https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/why-ruth-marcus-left-the-washington-postMarcus’ piece about her dog: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/my-dog-tank-was-a-precious-creature-that-saw-no-dividing-lines/2020/08/31/4880738e-eb99-11ea-b4bc-3a2098fc73d4_story.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A jam-packed discussion following hot on the dramatic news of the raid of John Bolton’s home, the stunning scenes in a militarized D.C., and the latest escalation in the gerrymandering arms race. Talking Feds regulars Jason Kander, Norm Ornstein, and Tara Setmayer join Harry to break down how long Trump can sustain his flagrant campaign of weaponizing law enforcement and politicizing the military—as well as how long the country can endure it. Mentioned in this episode: Jason’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/majority-54/id1309354521 Norm’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsrs-words-matter/id1420216970 The Seneca Project: https://www.senecaproject.us/ Jason’s brilliant 2016 ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_S5s16Y1OA Harry’s substack about the detention of Texas legislator Nicole Collier: https://substack.com/@harrylitman/p-171582600 Video of Harry’s interview with J.B. Pritzker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUyF845Wk7k& Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has a message for Donald Trump: if you want to mess with my state, “you have to come through me.” In this wide-ranging sit-down, Pritzker reveals to Harry why he thinks the gerrymandering fight, ICE arrests, and troops in D.C. are all a blaring signal to Democrats that they need to finally fight the president on his own terms, no-holds-barred. They also discuss Pritzker's very personal reasons for going into public service, Trump's direct attacks on the governor, and a lot more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a totally false picture of crime in D.C. as his pretense, Trump sought to turn the capital into a federal law enforcement enclave over local objections. Michael Podhorzer, Stuart Stevens, & Jacob Weisberg analyze Trump’s move and what it means for the rest of the country. The panel then takes up the gerrymandering wars coming to a rolling boil in Texas & California, before ending with an in-depth discussion of whether some Democrats' new combative style is the right tonic for the party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry talks with E. Jean Carroll about her harrowing but ebullient new book—”Not My Type”—which is a tour of her exceptional legal victories over Donald Trump. The pair go inside Carroll’s triumphant legal strategy and talk through details from the trials—all brightly illustrated by Carroll’s inspired and colorful turns of phrase. The conversation closes with a dive into a shared fascination with boxing and Carroll's urgent advice for what the rest of us can do to take on Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was the week when the Department of Justice fully embraced its new status as the corrupt, ruthless agent for Trump's endless retribution agenda. The president’s lieutenants in the department launched a legal barrage against Trump foes like Barack Obama, Adam Schiff, and New York AG Letitia James. We chronicle the steep descent with 3 DOJ experts: Kristy Greenberg, Perry Stein, and Glenn Thrush. Rough but essential listening. Plus: a special sidebar on the beleaguered Voting Rights Act. Courtside with Kristy Greenberg: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@CourtsidewithKG/videos⁠ Glenn’s reporting: ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/by/glenn-thrush⁠ Perry’s reporting: ⁠https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/perry-stein/ ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry talks with top election law expert Marc Elias about the efforts by Trump and Republicans across the country to stack the deck in their favor for the 2026 midterms. They delve into the effort in Texas to gerrymander five new seats for Republicans. They then turn to the Department of Justice's extraordinary effort to acquire information from state and local officials, and the specific dangers it poses. They close with some thoughts about what all of us can do to fight back. It's always timely to check in with Marc Elias, but particularly now with the first signs of danger for the midterms. Marc's articles at Democracy Docket:https://www.democracydocket.com/author/marc_elias/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was another week dominated by the Epstein scandal, which grew ever more murky. A stellar only-on-Talking-Feds roundtable of Alisyn Camerota, Josh Marshall, and Asha Rangappa joins Harry to work through both the law and politics of Trump’s efforts to disentangle himself. The panel then moves on to apparent capitulation to Trump’s shakedown by a series of universities including Harvard, the former poster child for resistance. We close with a quick look at the Alina Habba mess in New Jersey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry and Molly team up once again to swap burning questions about law and politics. The standout topic: Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Harry gives Molly the lowdown about the Justice Department’s bizarre and deeply suspect dealings with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Molly reads Harry the tea leaves on whether masses of young men — and even Fox News mastermind Rupert Murdoch — might be ready to ditch Trump. Lots more besides! Molly's piece in the Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/opinion/colbert-late-show-cbs-trump.html Molly's book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738849/how-to-lose-your-mother-by-molly-jong-fast/ Molly's podcast: https://fastpoliticspod.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was the week when the Epstein scandal showed up in earnest and looked as if it would be staying for a while. Susan Glasser, Adam Klasfeld, and Bill Kristol join Harry to break down what is powering it and assess Trump’s various efforts to shake himself free, including dispatching the Deputy AG to Florida to interview Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislane Maxwell. But the week also brought key advances in Trump’s totalitarian agenda, with successful shakedowns of prominent civic institutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just 5% of the world’s population, the United States holds nearly 25% of its prisoners. In this one-on-one, NYU Law Professor Rachel Barkow joins Harry to discuss her new book Justice Abandoned, which reveals how a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions helped enable the rise of mass incarceration. From pretrial detention to stop-and-frisk, Barkow explains how the Court’s embrace of “law and order” politics quietly gutted constitutional protections—and how today’s conservative majority could, ironically, be positioned to help reverse course. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another scandal erupted for Trump this week, but this time it was MAGA up in arms over the Administration’s doublespeak & failure to release the promised files involving Jeffrey Epstein. He also notched successes elsewhere, notably when Judiciary Committee Republicans unanimously approved his atrocious nomination of Emil Bove, and Congressional R's eliminated public funding for NPR & CPB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry speaks with Representative Ro Khanna, who’s spending the summer fighting Trump on a range of fronts, from the Big Beautiful Bill to the unauthorized bombing of Iran. Lately Rep. Khanna has flashed a maverick streak to go with his progressive bonafides. Can his "Benefits Over Billionaires" tour bring political punishment to Republicans who backed Medicaid cuts? Why is he standing up for professional gamblers? And how come a CA congressman is so excited about an NYC mayoral race? As always with Rep. Khanna—a several-time guest on Talking Feds—it's a discussion filled with thoughtful and provocative opinions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our latest Contrarian episode, with Norm Eisen, Michael Podhorzer, and Jennifer Rubin — each from the all-star cast of the dynamic new media venture. Republicans felt buyer's remorse as Americans learned the contents of their "Big Beautiful Bill." ICE, soon to be the country's biggest law enforcement agency, kept up its aggressive raids. And the DOJ sprinted toward the cliff's edge in its totalitarian activities. Plus Emil Bove, Justice Jackson, and a lot more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you just need a break from the relentless pace of legal and political developments and the enormous stakes they present for the future of the country. That’s what this 1-on-1 is. Harry speaks with Henry Winkler, Hollywood icon for 50 years and among the most unspoiled, upbeat well-adjusted figures in a famously dyspeptic industry. Henry relates his crazy fun summer – featuring a one-on-one meeting with the Queen (not to mention Bruce Springsteen and Joni Mitchell)--and provides his strategies for staying zen and happy as the world and society seem sometimes to be collapsing around us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s our annual end-of-term Supreme Court special episode, with a roundtable of three of the most eminent Court watchers in the country: Leah Litman, Melissa Murray, and Steven Vladeck. The nationwide injunction case capped off a conservative juggernaut of a term in which the 6 conservative justices expanded Executive power, contracted individual rights, augmented the Court’s own power vis-a-vis lower courts, and pretty much had their way in all important cases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry talks with Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and one of the country's foremost experts on Iran. Trump’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at least damaged their targets and a ceasefire is holding. But will the U.S. strikes force Iran to abandon its drive for a nuclear weapon, or just fuel its desperation? Should the U.S. fear reprisals? And what would it take to bring real, lasting change to Iran? Sadjadpour offers some answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a week of legal, political, & military battles. Trump bombed Iran but with less definitive results than he had proclaimed, leaving next moves up in the air. A relative unknown stormed to victory in the NYC Dem primary, triggering widespread analysis of what if anything it showed about the state of the party. The Supreme Court ended its term with a series of 6-3 rulings. And Trump DOJ enforcer Emil Bove had a hearing for a judgeship amid widespread accusations of improper conduct at DOJ. Read Josh's post about Mamdani’s Win: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/three-and-one-half-thoughts-on-mamdanis-big-big-win Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded live at Talking San Diego, Senator Cory Booker charts the personal and political path that led him from the streets of Newark to the well of the Senate—and to the longest speech in congressional history. With urgency and candor, he reflects on what it means to watch democracy erode in real time, and why moral imagination is now a political necessity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices