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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

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/

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Mob Boss in the White House

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
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Pam Bondi’s DOJ: “Heartbreaking" and "Terrifying”

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& 
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Bagging Bolton

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.

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J.B. Pritzker takes on the Bully-in-Chief

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.

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Checkpoint D.C.

Harry talks with E. Jean Carroll about her harrowing but high-spirited 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, of all things, and Carroll’s urgent advice for what the rest of us can do to take on Trump.
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E. Jean Carroll’s Knock-Out Punch

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/ ⁠
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Department of Vengeance

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/ 

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2026 Election Interference Has Begun

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.

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Incriminating—Or Just Skeevy?

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/ 
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A Molly Mashup on the MAGA Mess

As worldwide demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd stretched into their tenth day, Feds Roy Austin, Barb McQuade, and Jen Rubin join Harry to discuss the state of play in the case against the 4 officers charged in the death and then take up the possibility that the stars are aligned for comprehensive national legislation to reform police practices. The Feds then turn to Trump’s disastrous photo-op and the fallout it generated before speculating about whether real change is in the air.

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Pouring Tear Gas on the Fire

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