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Harry Litman

Talking Feds is a roundtable discussion that brings together prominent former government officials, journalists, and special guests for a dynamic and in-depth analysis of the most pressing questions in law and politics.

Talking Feds

In their newest mashup, Harry and Molly Jong-Fast trade questions about the latest eyebrow-raising news in the Epstein scandal and the fallout from Trump's tariff defeat. Molly gets Harry to walk her through the intricacies of the so-called 302s—detailed victim statements taken by the FBI—some of which the DOJ failed to produce for a victim who told the FBI that Trump abused her. Harry has plenty of Epstein questions of his own for Molly, but also asks what happens with tariff refunds and the Democrats' strategy heading toward the midterms.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Molly's book: ⁠ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738849/how-to-lose-your-mother-by-molly-jong-fast/

Molly's podcast: ⁠ https://fastpoliticspod.com/

Molly's Substack: ⁠ https://mollyjongfast.substack.com/
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Molly Mashup: The 411 on the Missing Epstein 302s

In the wake of the Supreme Court verdict striking down Trump's tariffs, Harry breaks down the decision with a trio of top-notch legal analysts: Kyle Cheney, Adam Klasfeld, and Mimi Rocah. The group digs into the court's rare rebuff of the president and the infighting among the conservative Justices. Next, the panel turns to the lower courts' angry rulings against Trump's deportation drive, even including—finally—a contempt finding. To finish, they examine the arrest of ex-Prince Andrew and weigh the chances for similar accountability in the U.S.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Kyle's reporting: https://www.politico.com/staff/kyle-cheney

Adam's Substack: https://www.allrisenews.com/⁠

5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26884355/ca5detention.pdf

Judge Provenzino's contempt order: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253.23.0.pdf

Judge Provenzino's follow-up order, noting the purged contempt: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253.23.0.pdf

SCOTUS tariffs ruling: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1287_4gcj.pdf

Roger Sollenberger's Epstein-Trump article: https://substack.com/home/post/p-188009135
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Tariffs Trumped

In his first term as governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro has managed to sustain a 60% approval rating—including 30% of Trump voters—in a quintessential battleground state. How? Shapiro talks Harry through his bipartisan, pragmatic approach to governing, and how it can overcome Trump’s reckless, divisive style. He lays out a roadmap for countering the president's most abusive policies, even while respecting the "righteous frustration" that motivated his voters. And Governor Shapiro is coming to San Diego for a live, in-person conversation with Harry about his memoir. Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-josh-shapiro-tickets-1983419713756

Mentioned in this episode:

Evan Segal's essay about basketball star Connie Hawkins and Harry's parents: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/a-tribute-to-my-parents-and-a-pittsburgh
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Josh Shapiro's Game Plan

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.

Mentioned in this episode:Norm’s podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsrs-words-matter/id1420216970Tara’s Substack: https://tarasetmayer.substack.com/Charlie’s Substack: https://charliesykes.substack.com/Harry’s column about the administration’s Epstein strategy: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/the-administrations-long-con-with

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Bad Bondi

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.
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Will the Supreme Court Betray the Constitution?

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
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Live from Princeton: A Contrarian Quartet

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.
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Trump's Reign of Terror in the Civil Rights Division

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
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Cracks in the ICE

Talking Feds stalwart Elliot Williams joins Harry to discuss his new book, Five Bullets. The pair turn to the blighted and crime-stricken New York of the 1980s to get at some of the unanswered questions from the case of Bernhard Goetz and why the five shots he fired at Black teenagers which made him—to so many Americans—a folk hero. What made it so hard for prosecutors to convict Goetz? What did his trial expose about the limits of what our justice system can offer? And why the lasting American fascination with the idea of a gunman taking the law into his own hands?Mentioned in this episode:

Williams' book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/768052/five-bullets-by-elliot-williams/
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The Legacy of the Subway Vigilante

As the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis roils the country, Harry breaks down the fallout with Susan Glasser. Then, turning to the week's main discussion, three stellar journalists—Susan, Emily Bazelon, and Ruth Marcus—join Harry to break down Trump's assaults on the rule of law that made Pretti's death possible. From the corruption of the FBI and the carnage in Minnesota to Trump's escape from the prosecutions brought by Jack Smith, the trio engage in a wide-ranging discussion anchored in their in-depth reporting. Can the FBI withstand another year of Kash Patel's leadership? Is Jack Smith next on Trump's list of targets for reprisal? Finally, are the tragic events in Minnesota, as Susan says, Trump's most Trumpian accomplishment?

Mentioned in this episode: 

Harry's Substack on the aftermath of Alex Pretti's death: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/congress-must-act-now

Susan's piece on Trump's actions in Minnesota: ⁠ https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/the-minnesota-war-zone-is-trumps-most-trumpian-accomplishment

Emily's report on the FBI: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/22/magazine/trump-kash-patel-fbi-agents.html

Ruth's piece on Jack Smith: ⁠ https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/jack-smiths-closing-argument

Ruth's profile of Pam Bondi: ⁠ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/25/pam-bondi-profile
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Bad Bondi

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