CAFE Insider

Does Trump really believe his own messaging, or is he just a master bullsh*tter? In the Stay Tuned podcast bonus for Insiders, Yale history professor Joanne Freeman and Vox editorial director Astead Herndon delve into the psychology behind Trump’s repeated lies. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance are joined by former Solicitor General of the United States Don Verrilli to break down the Supreme Court’s decision striking down President Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. ‎

What will restore the rule of law? In this bonus from the Stay Tuned podcast, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice turns the tables on Preet, asking how to respond to what she calls the “rapid evaporation” of democratic guardrails. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On the Insider podcast docket: – The Justice Department’s failure to secure an indictment of a group of Democratic members of Congress over a video reminding military service members of their duty to refuse illegal orders; – Attorney General Pam Bondi’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee about DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files; – The Trump administration’s announcement that it is ending stepped-up ICE operations in Minnesota; and – The unsealing of an affidavit used to justify the FBI’s search of an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, as part of the Trump administration’s investigation into debunked allegations of election fraud in the county. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network.

It’s been said that American politics moves not like time's arrow or history's arc, but like a pendulum, swinging from left to right and back again. In the bonus for Insiders, historian Douglas Brinkley joins Preet to discuss why we may be on the verge of another swing, whether it will be enough to dislodge the unlikely coalition Trump cobbled together to win the White House, why the next Democrat president will need to pass an 'authenticity test,' and whether former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene may shake out better in history than anyone expected. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On the Insider docket: – Ghislaine Maxwell’s request that President Trump grant her clemency in exchange for testimony that could clear him and Bill Clinton from any wrongdoing related to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network; – Recent judicial opinions on ICE actions in Minnesota and Oregon; – The mounting strain inside DOJ as the Department struggles to retain and recruit prosecutors, while the Trump administration aggressively focuses on immigration enforcement; and – The Supreme Court’s ruling allowing California’s new congressional map to stand. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

What would it actually take to end the war in Ukraine? What does Trump really want with Greenland? And what comes next for Venezuela after Maduro? In the bonus for Insiders, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, The Atlantic staff writer, and Autocracy in America podcast host Anne Applebaum joins Preet to survey the global landscape—and explains why she believes Trump has prolonged the war in Ukraine by giving Putin hope to keep fighting. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On the Insider docket: – DOJ’s investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minnesota; – Federal criminal charges brought against journalist Don Lemon related to his appearance at an anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church; – The FBI’s search of an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, at the center of President Trump’s debunked election fraud claims; and – The latest release of Epstein files, which included over three million pages of information and revealed sensitive victim information. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

Could the Trump era ultimately be good for democracy? In the bonus for Insiders, Financial Times U.S. national editor and columnist Ed Luce explains why this might be, as he calls it, the mother of all teachable moments. Plus, what this next year holds for the future of the Fed. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

If the people with oversight over federal agents won’t hold them accountable, what’s left for the public to do when an innocent person is killed in plain sight…and the government lies about what happened? On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by border patrol agents in Minnesota. They delve into its aftermath, including the Trump administration’s response, the federal government’s efforts to quash the evidence, and whether anyone—from the agent that shot Pretti to President Trump—will be held accountable. Then, they break down a secret leaked internal ICE memo authorizing ICE agents to enter people’s homes without a judicial warrant. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

How should New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, react in the face of another so-called “subway vigilante”? In the bonus for Insiders, lawyer and former ICE Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs Elliot Williams shares his advice for the mayor as he and Preet delve into his new book, Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ‘80s, and the Subway Vigilante Trial That Divided the Nation. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance are joined by Vanita Gupta, an experienced civil rights attorney who served as United States Associate Attorney General and led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. They break down the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, including whether use-of-force policies were followed, if the ICE agent will face accountability, and what the future of ICE might look like in the aftermath of this incident. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

Why aren’t kids today reading at grade level? In the Stay Tuned bonus for Insiders, Preet and longtime Democratic politician Rahm Emanuel discuss education reform and what actually works. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Joyce Vance is joined by Michael Dreeben. He served in the Solicitor General’s office for over 30 years, including 24 years as the Deputy Solicitor General in charge of the criminal docket, and has argued more than 100 cases in the Supreme Court. They discuss several major legal questions that have reached the Supreme Court this term: President Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship, a challenge to the long-standing precedent in Humphrey’s Executor, and issues connected to the National Guard deployment. How have the justices responded to President Trump’s push to expand executive authority? Joyce and Michael then turn to the state of the Department of Justice. Does DOJ have strong enough institutional guardrails to withstand political pressure from Trump administration leaders? And how can DOJ reassure the public that it is doing its job fairly and without political influence? We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

Is it legal for Trump to change the name of the Kennedy Center? In this bonus for Insiders, Preet answers a listener question on the President’s decision to include his name in the memorial. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet and Joyce discuss many legal issues stemming from the U.S. capture and indictment of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro: Is this really a drug-trafficking case, a foreign policy move disguised as a law enforcement action, or both? Can Maduro successfully claim immunity as a head of state? How does that compare to the immunity the U.S. Supreme Court has given U.S. presidents? And what role has Congress played in limiting or enabling overseas uses of force? Shownotes & transcript can be found at CAFE.com. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network.

This week, we’re sharing a recording of a live conversation between Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance on Substack. They look back on the biggest legal headlines from 2025, while sharing their predictions for 2026. We’ll be back with a new Insider episode in the new year. Wishing you all a happy holiday season. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; Deputy Editor: Celine Rohr; CAFE Team: Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

What makes Preet happy? In the bonus for Insiders, 10% Happier founder Dan Harris turns the tables and puts a pointed question to Preet about what gets in the way of his happiness. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

On the Insider docket: – Two grand juries declined criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James; – A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to end the National Guard deployment in Los Angeles; and – The legality of the U.S.’s aggressive actions against Venezuela, including the seizure of an oil tanker and multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats. Shownotes & transcript can be found at CAFE.com. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. Watch livestreams on YouTube or Substack. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; Deputy Editor: Celine Rohr; CAFE Team: Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway.

Has the No Kings movement moved the needle at all? In the bonus for Insiders, Preet Bharara and historian Jill Lepore discuss Lepore’s reporting on political rallies and whether they can still make a difference. Plus, the lines she draws as a journalist in a political moment. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.