TRAUMA AND TERROR IN MINNESOTA

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

Harry speaks with Norm Eisen, Katie Phang & Jen Rubin

JOHN ROBERTS: UMPIRE OR ULTIMATE DECIDER

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/

Harry speaks with Lisa Graves

GASOLINE ON THE FIRE

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/

Guest host Jonathan Alter speaks with Barbara Boxer, Norm Ornstein & Stuart Stevens

THE ILLEGALITY OF THE MADURO SEIZURE UNDER DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

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

Harry speaks with Steve Vladeck

INSIDE CITY HALL

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.

Harry speaks with Steve Adler, Jenny Durkan & Bill Peduto

CORRUPTION, CHAOS, AND A CROOKED PEACE PLAN IN UKRAINE

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/

Harry speaks with Anne Applebaum

MILITARY MADNESS

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/

Harry speaks with Natasha Bertrand, Alex Horton & Steven J. Lepper

THE [REDACTED] FILES

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.

Harry speaks with Aaron Blake, Heidi Heitkamp & Jasmine Wright

MOLLY MASHUP: "THEY'RE NOT DOING 15 DIMENSIONAL CHESS"

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/

Harry speaks with Molly Jong-Fast

DENTS IN THE ARMOR

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

Harry speaks with Alisyn Camerota, David French, and Jonathan Lemire