Épisodes

  • The Phrase that Could End Trump's National Guard Power Grab

    The Phrase that Could End Trump's National Guard Power Grab
    Nov 13 2025
    Harry talks to Marty Lederman, the former Deputy Assistant Attorney General who authored an amicus brief with a legal discovery that has shaken the Administration's attempt to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and other Democrat-led cities. Marty and Harry explain the critical oversight in the administration's reasoning, and they think through what a bruising legal defeat would mean for the effort to put boots on the ground in American cities. It's a possible game changer in a case Harry has called a "moment of truth for the High Court." Mentioned in this episode: Harry's Substack about the stakes of this case: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/moment-of-truth-for-the-high-court The Supreme Court's request for briefs on the phrase "the regular forces": https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/102925zr_hgci.pdf Marty Lederman's expanded brief on the phrase "the regular forces": https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A443/384148/20251110232925983_25A443.Lederman.Supplemental.Amicus.Brief.1110.pdf Illinois and Chicago's expanded brief on the phrase "the regular forces": https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A443/384145/20251110210604383_Illinois%20Supplemental%20Letter%20Brief%20Master%20Final%20To%20File%20PDFA.pdf The administration's expanded brief on the phrase "the regular forces": https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25/25A443/384115/20251110170907870_25a443%20Trump%20v.%20Illinois%20-%20Supp.%20Letter%20Br.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 min
  • Blue Blizzard

    Blue Blizzard
    Nov 10 2025
    In the aftermath of Tuesday’s sweeping nationwide Democratic wins, Harry calls in a trio of some of the country’s sharpest political thinkers—Emily Bazelon, Dave Weigel, and Rick Wilson—to unpack the meaning of the results. Was the increasingly painful government shutdown a decisive factor? Why are the voters who swung to Trump last year deserting him? And, crucially, how might Democrats keep their momentum going? Mentioned in this episode: David’s reporting: https://www.semafor.com/author/david-weigelEmily’s reporting: https://www.nytimes.com/by/emily-bazelon#latestThis week’s episode of Slate’s Political Gabfest: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spectacular-night-for-democrats/id158004641?i=1000735632723Rick’s Substack: https://therickwilson.substack.com/Rick’s Talking San Diego appearance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFN88EW3Znw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    53 min
  • Presenting The Alabama Murders from Revisionist History

    Presenting The Alabama Murders from Revisionist History
    Nov 6 2025
    After releasing Harry’s conversation with Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis two days early to sync up with the publication of their new book—Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America's Justice Department—Talking Feds is hosting a special preview of another podcast that’s exploring the consequential issues that impact, and define, American culture: The Alabama Murders, a new series by bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast. Entangled in an affair with a parishioner, a Northwest Alabama minister makes a devastating choice. Rather than face the shame of divorce, he arranges for three men to kill his wife. One of the men convicted in her murder, Kenny Smith, spent decades on death row, only for his execution to go horribly wrong. Eventually, the consequences lead to the center of a hot national debate on who should be allowed to live, who should die, and how the state should kill them. On The Alabama Murders, Malcolm asks: why, in our efforts to alleviate suffering, do we so often make it worse? If you want to hear the full story, find Revisionist History wherever you get podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    37 min
  • How Trump Demolished the DOJ

    How Trump Demolished the DOJ
    Nov 4 2025
    The Department of Justice has been at the epicenter of both Trump's efforts to subvert the rule of law and the attempts to hold him accountable during his years out of the White House. Now two of the country's most prominent investigative journalists—Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis—have authored an authoritative account of these tumultuous years at DOJ. Their book is Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America's Justice Department. Leonnig and Davis join Harry for an in-depth discussion: their first interview about their tour-de-force new volume, which is full of revelations about the existential battles within the Department, built on interviews with more than 250 people who witnessed them first hand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 min
  • Democracy on ICE

    Democracy on ICE
    Nov 3 2025
    Harry sits down with David A. Graham, Katie Phang, and Maya Wiley to discuss federal agents' on-the-ground escalations and the courts' efforts to rein them in. They then move to the early warnings that Trump may interfere in next year’s midterms before ending with a quick look at some of tomorrow's critical elections. The overlapping question that criss-crosses all 3 topics: how can Americans band together to protect the democracy, and especially to blunt the threat of a far more systematic attempt by Trump than the last time around to interfere in the elections. Mentioned in this episode: Amie Barrodale’s Supreme Court satire: https://www.theparisreview.org/fiction/8383/crystal-palace-amie-barrodale David’s piece in the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/12/2026-midterms-trump-threat/684615/ Maya’s MSNBC piece: https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-election-monitors-california-new-jersey-legal-rcna240313 Katie’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@katiephangnews Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 h et 1 min
  • A Legendary Congressman's Advice for Today's Democrats

    A Legendary Congressman's Advice for Today's Democrats
    Oct 30 2025
    We are living through what feels like unprecedentedly dark days, which can cause us to lose sight of context, history, and all the hard moments that the nation has faced before. This week, Harry turns to legendary Congressman Barney Frank for his perspective of the Trump era through a more long-term lens. Rep. Frank, who won landmark achievements on issues from banking reform to civil rights, speaks to Harry about what Democrats need to do now, his forthcoming book, and whether Donald Trump's outrages have any parallel in American history. The two spoke by phone, so this conversation will sound slightly different from most Talking Feds episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 min
  • The Costs of Chaos

    The Costs of Chaos
    Oct 27 2025
    A trio of superb economic analysts—Paul Krugman, Stephanie Ruhle, and Justin Wolfers—join Harry to break down how Trump is reshaping the U.S. economy. They weigh in on how long the shutdown can go on without major economic consequences, where tariffs are beginning to bite, and the future shape of the AI spike. Then, the whole panel joins in a big picture analysis of how Trump’s trademark chaotic, self-serving approach—combined with his attacks on institutions, immigration, and the rule of law—risks tearing up the foundations of American prosperity. Mentioned in this episode: Paul’s Substack: https://paulkrugman.substack.com/ Stephanie’s show: https://www.msnbc.com/11th-hour Justin’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JustinWolfers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    52 min
  • Is No Kings a Turning Point? (Plus a baseball bonus on Ohtani!)

    Is No Kings a Turning Point? (Plus a baseball bonus on Ohtani!)
    Oct 23 2025
    Harry speaks with Congressman Eric Swalwell about the surge of popular resistance to Trump shown in the “No Kings” rallies and what it means for the president’s attempts to remake the country in his image. They tackle Democrats’ progress in the shutdown fight, some hopeful signs from the courts, and Trump’s latest efforts to weaponize the DOJ. Plus, Rep. Swalwell pitches Harry on a new, creative legal strategy Democratic AGs could use to hold federal officials and agents to account. And this episode has got a special baseball bonus: after his conversation with Swalwell, Harry calls up baseball reporter Ben Walker for a debrief on Shohei Ohtani’s mind-boggling night for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    53 min