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

INDICT, STRIKE, REPEAT

Harry turns to Mimi Rocah, Tara Setmayer, and Jacob Weisberg to delve into the DoJ’s latest humiliations, the furor over strikes in the Caribbean, and Trump’s racist outbursts. What will it take for Attorney General Pam Bondi to give up the case against Letitia James? Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth oversee a criminal missile attack, in addition to risking troops with his Signal messages? And why are Trump’s immigration crackdown and hate-filled outbursts prompting so little pushback?

Mentioned in this episode: 

Harry's latest column on the boat strikes: ⁠https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/the-investigation-not-the-dems-video⁠ 

Tara's Tedx Talk:  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DUzqIrpHR8

Harry speaks with Mimi Rocah, Tara Setmayer, and Jacob Weisberg

CAN A NEW KIND OF LIBERALISM TAKE HOLD?

Harry talks with journalist Jerusalem Demsas about her case for a robust, combative liberalism capable of taking the fight to the current political power structure. Demsas has just launched a new publication—The Argument—dedicated to renewing and improving the kind of politics that helped fostered many of the country's best achievements. Harry asks Demsas about the shape of that revived liberalism, how she plans to persuade MAGA and other skeptics, and why she feels so optimistic in such a difficult time.

Harry speaks with Jerusalem Demsas

A BAD DICTATOR IS STILL A DANGEROUS ONE

Harry talks with a prophet of our moment of democratic decline: Steven Levitsky. The Harvard scholar explains why Trump’s grip on power is both unequaled in a century of American history and, at the same time, deeply fragile. The pair think through why Trump has targeted universities, how the president’s own incompetence has undermined his drive for power, and what role the American people can still play in defending their democracy.

Harry speaks with Steven Levitsky

HALLIGAN, BONDI, AND OTHER TURKEYS

For his latest periodic deep dive on the Department of Justice, Harry talks to DOJ veterans Paul Fishman and Amy Jeffress as well as reporter Anna Bower to assess an institution that looks to be coming apart at the seams. The panel digs into the political and legal flashpoints facing the Department, including its response to the embarrassing dismissals of the prosecutions against James Comey and Letitia James, the revival of possible contempt sanctions against the department, and the prospect that Pam Bondi may act as Trump’s firewall for the Epstein files.

Mentioned in this episode:

Anna's reporting: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/contributors/abower

Judge Currie's ruling: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.583342/gov.uscourts.vaed.583342.140.0_2.pdf

Harry's conversation with Emily Bazelon about her reporting on the department: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PDKeMe1mXU&pp=0gcJCRUKAYcqIYzv

Harry's conversation with Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis about their book on the department: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klVToztR8u0

Harry speaks with Anna Bower, Paul Fishman & Amy Jeffress

LAME BUT LETHAL

Three of the most insightful observers of American politics—Jason Kander, Mara Liasson, and Josh Marshall—join Harry to analyze a week in which President Donald Trump was knocked on his heels, and lashed out viciously in response. The panelists talk through the big questions: Will Republicans keep up the pressure for transparency about Jeffrey Epstein? Why have Trump's recent outbursts been so vile even by his standards? Were Democrats aiming to further provoke him when they warned troops against following illegal orders? And, is the weakened president already entering a lame duck period?

Mentioned in this episode: 

Jason’s podcast Majority 54: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/majority-54/id1309354521⁠ 

Mara’s reporting: ⁠https://www.npr.org/people/1930401/mara-liasson⁠

Josh’s writing: ⁠https://talkingpointsmemo.com/author/josh_m⁠

Harry speaks with Jason Kander, Mara Liasson, and Josh Marshall

INSIDE THE DOJ'S UNRAVELLING UNDER TRUMP

Journalist and Talking Feds regular Emily Bazelon joins Harry to share her reporting on the stories of the rank-and-file Department of Justice staff who’ve weathered Trump’s takeover. Emily spoke with 60 different attorneys who served in the department, and she tells Harry their stories of a department in ruin. What have the key moments looked like from the inside? How have career attorneys handled the wrenching choice of whether to stay on, or quit and risk replacement by a Trump loyalist? And how hard will it be for any new future to pick up the pieces?

Mentioned in this episode:

Emily's article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/16/magazine/trump-justice-department-staff-attorneys.html

Harry speaks with Emily Bazelon