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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 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/
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Gasoline on the Fire

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
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The Illegality of the Maduro Seizure Under Domestic and International Law

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.
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Inside City Hall

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/
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Corruption, Chaos, and a Crooked Peace Plan in Ukraine

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/
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Military Madness

Harry talks to veteran reporter Chris Whipple to get the inside scoop on his bombshell account of the Trump White House's inner workings. The two discuss why Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was so unguarded in her interviews with Whipple. They cover Wiles's sharp criticisms of administration officials and her admissions of serious wrongdoing by the president, including misleading the public on the Epstein files. The two dig deep into the details—several as yet overlooked—from one of most important stories written about Trump.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Whipple's reporting: https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/chris-whipple

Harry's interview with Marty Lederman: https://youtu.be/JhN8PZNic9Y
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Inside the White House Bubble

As the Department of Justice slow-walks an over-redacted release of its files on Jeffrey Epstein, Harry convenes CNN's Aaron Blake, former Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and NOTUS White House correspondent Jasmine Wright to analyze the administration's ham-handed noncompliance. The trio also dig into Vanity Fair's explosive revelations about the White House and Trump's top aide Susie Wiles. They close by considering the administration's escalations in the Caribbean and the real motives behind them. And, late in the episode, Harry offers a reflection on Rob Reiner's passing.

Mentioned in this episode:

Aaron’s reporting: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.cnn.com/profiles/aaron-blake

Jasmine's reporting: https://www.notus.org/jasmine-wright

The Vanity Fair story on the Trump White House: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-1

The New York Times story on Trump and Epstein's relationship: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/us/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump.html

The New York Times story on how Epstein built his wealth and power: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/magazine/jeffrey-epstein-money-scams-investigation.html

The Talking Feds episode with Rob Reiner: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-witness-has-left-the-room/id1456045551?i=1000445365427
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The [REDACTED] Files

In a new mashup episode, Harry and Molly Jong-Fast swap questions about the White House's latest political embarrassments and legal embroilments. Molly wants to know: when—and how—will some of Trump's inner circle face criminal charges? Harry is curious: why did this press-hating White House let their guard down so spectacularly for Vanity Fair? Together, the pair make sense of the noisy headlines and lay out the real consequences behind the week's serving of scandals. 

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: "They're Not Doing 15 Dimensional Chess"

Harry talks to Alisyn Camerota, David French, and Jonathan Lemire about whether President Donald Trump is finally losing his grip on the Republican Party. Why couldn’t Trump convince Indiana Republicans to back his gerrymander scheme for the state? Have his famed rallies have lost their political magic? And can the president overcome deepening scrutiny of his aggressive military moves in the Caribbean and far-fetched legal maneuvers in the courts? 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Alisyn's Substack: https://alisyncamerota.substack.com/ 

David's columns: https://www.nytimes.com/by/david-french 

Jonathan's reporting: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/jonathan-lemire/ 

Harry's interview with Senator Mark Kelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV3PdqjknhM
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Dents in the Armor

Why did an ad urging U.S. troops not to break the law make President Donald Trump so angry that he practically called for Senator Mark Kelly's head? The retired Navy captain can't answer that. Instead, the senator is focused on investigating the controversies that have gripped the military in the past month. Harry and the senator dig into what makes Pete Hegseth such an unfit Defense Secretary, the dangers the potentially illegal U.S. strikes in the Caribbean pose for American service members, and why the fallout looks like it might bring some genuine accountability for the administration.

Mentioned in this episode:

Harry's latest Substack on the boat strikes: ⁠ https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/the-investigation-not-the-dems-video⁠
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Senator Mark Kelly: "It's a Complete S*** Show"

This week marks one year in office for Attorney General Merrick Garland. Harry sat down with Vanita Gupta, the third-ranking official in the Department, who has supervisory responsibility over a wide range of litigating divisions and grantmaking components. Gupta described how Garland’s priority for protecting civil rights – one of the Department’s 3 chief priorities under Garland – informs the Department’s work across a range of settings well beyond the core civil rights enforcement function.
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Taking Civil Rights Seriously

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