Episodi

  • AG Keith Ellison on Justice for Renee Good, and Minnesota

    AG Keith Ellison on Justice for Renee Good, and Minnesota
    Jan 22 2026
    Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota speaks to Harry from the frontlines of the state's legal defense against what he calls a "federal invasion." AG Ellison gives a vivid picture of how the administration's mission is causing chaos on the ground and, in his view, aiming to provoke a violence response. Then, the two dive deep into the thorny questions around a state prosecution of Renee Good's killer—all made more complicated by the federal government's intransigence, if not outright interference. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 min
  • Trauma and Terror in Minnesota

    Trauma and Terror in Minnesota
    Jan 19 2026
    In our latest Contrarian episode, Norm Eisen, Katie Phang, and Jen Rubin join Harry for a deep dive on ICE's rampage through Minnesota. The panel reviews the legal and political prospects for stopping what local leaders call a "federal invasion." Can congressional Democrats restrain ICE? What about the broad-gauge lawsuit brought by Minnesota? Then the panel turns to whether the Administration has stepped on the third rail with its investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which Powell denounced as an obvious pretext for Trump's crusade to control interest rates. Mentioned in this episode: The Contrarian: https://contrarian.substack.com/ Katie's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@katiephangnews Jen's piece about Democrats and ICE: https://contrarian.substack.com/p/democrats-must-seize-the-opportunity David Frum's piece about J.D. Vance: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/01/vance-defends-minneapolis-shooter-ice-maga-symbol/685584/ Katzenbach memo: https://www.justice.gov/olc/file/477221/dl?inline#page=509 Minnesota's 10th Amendment lawsuit: https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Office/Communications/2026/docs/00190_DHS_Complaint.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    57 min
  • John Roberts: Umpire or Ultimate Decider?

    John Roberts: Umpire or Ultimate Decider?
    Jan 15 2026
    Chief Justice John Roberts famously told the country that, if confirmed to the Supreme Court, he would act like an umpire—just there to call balls and strikes. To help answer the question of how Umpire Roberts Court has fared, Harry spoke with Lisa Graves about her new book, Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights, in which Graves makes the case that Roberts has acted less as an umpire than a political loyalist. In the conversation, Harry and Lisa discuss Roberts’s background as a movement conservative at DOJ, his nomination and ascension as Chief Justice, and his tenure now entering its third decade. They also delve into the modern Federalist Society, unpacking how Roberts and his fellow conservative justices align—or don’t—with its ideology. With the Supreme Court wielding unprecedented influence over American policy, this discussion provides a clear look at how we arrived at the Court we have today. Read Lisa's book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lisa-graves/without-precedent/9781645030676/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 min
  • Gasoline on the Fire

    Gasoline on the Fire
    Jan 12 2026
    Guest host Jonathan Alter brings together former Senator Barbara Boxer, Norm Ornstein, and Stuart Stevens to break down the Trump administration's mounting aggression, at home and abroad. The four talk through the shocking killing of Renee Good in Minnesota and the fallout from the toppling of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. Then, they dig into a deeper story: how congressional Republicans became the devoted, crucial enablers of Trump's worst impulses. Mentioned in this episode: Jonathan’s Substack: https://oldgoats.substack.com/ Norm's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsrs-words-matter/id1420216970 Stuart's Substack: https://stuartstevens.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    59 min
  • The Illegality of the Maduro Seizure Under Domestic and International Law

    The Illegality of the Maduro Seizure Under Domestic and International Law
    Jan 6 2026
    Harry sits down with Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck to dissect the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. From the UN Charter and head-of-state immunity to the infamous 1989 Barr memo, they unpack the administration’s legal gymnastics, multiple legal illegalities, and tenuous positions. In particular, they zero in on the interplay between U.S. criminal law and the international law that we appear to have knowingly violated. They then turn to the long-term practical moral consequences of the operation, including the possible severe damage to U.S. credibility and strategic interests going forward. Mentioned in this episode: Steve's Substack post about Maduro's arrest: https://www.stevevladeck.com/p/200-five-questions-about-the-maduro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 min
  • Inside City Hall

    Inside City Hall
    Jan 5 2026
    While the Talking Feds team is on holiday break, we are re-airing a roundtable conversation with Steve Adler, then-mayor of Austin; Jenny Durkan, then-mayor of Seattle; and Bill Peduto, the former long-time mayor of Pittsburgh. This special topical episode focuses on municipal government and the mayors who run it. The first year of Trump 2.0 has brought to the forefront the clash between federal and state authority. But it’s at the municipal level that the potholes and garbage pickups hit the road, and an American ideal of representative democracy is most in play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 min
  • Corruption, Chaos, and a Crooked Peace Plan in Ukraine

    Corruption, Chaos, and a Crooked Peace Plan in Ukraine
    Jan 1 2026
    Harry talks to Anne Applebaum about the Trump administration's chaotic and slanted approach to ending the war in Ukraine. Applebaum exposes the perverse heavily pro-Russian underpinnings of the U.S. plan that kicked off the latest round of talks. After contrasting Ukraine's repudiation of corruption with Trump's embrace of it, the pair zoom out to discuss the global battle for democracy and what's still at stake on the frontlines in Eastern Europe. Plus, a bonus: a discussion with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, on the rise of authoritarians around the world, and their shared tactics. Mentioned in this episode: Applebaum's Substack: https://anneapplebaum.substack.com/ Applebaum's writing for the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/anne-applebaum/ Ruth Ben-Ghiat's Substack: https://lucid.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora e 6 min
  • Military Madness

    Military Madness
    Dec 29 2025
    Talking Feds closes out 2025 with a close look at the institutional damage and lawlessness Trump has imposed on an essential arm of the U.S. government: the Department of Defense. CNN's Natasha Bertrand, the Washington Post's Alex Horton, and retired Major General Steven J. Lepper take Harry inside a Pentagon transformed by cowboy-in-chief Pete Hegseth. Why is the U.S. blowing up boats near Latin America? Did Hegseth oversee a war crime in the Caribbean? And what are the potential domestic dangers of the legal reasoning powering Trump's new uses of the military? Mentioned in this episode: Natasha's reporting: https://www.cnn.com/profiles/natasha-bertrand-profile#about Alex's reporting: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/alex-horton/ General Lepper's analysis: https://www.justsecurity.org/author/leppersteven/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 ora