2022

THE GLOBAL AFTERSHOCKS OF TRUMP'S BLUNDER IN IRAN

Jake Sullivan helped negotiate the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Now, as he watches Trump try to superglue some version of that deal back together, Sullivan tells Harry the president “has no idea what he is doing because he has no idea quite why he's doing it.” Drawing on his four years of experience as Biden’s national security advisor, Sullivan plumbs the depth of Trump’s strategic catastrophe in Iran and its disastrous consequences everywhere from American gas stations, to the Ukrainian frontline, to the Taiwan strait.

Mentioned in this episode:

Sullivan's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-game-with-jake-sullivan-and-jon-finer/id1850526014

Sullivan and Finer's January opinion piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/opinion/trump-venezuela-force-risk.html

Harry speaks with Jake Sullivan

MOLLY MASHUP: 'LOTS OF SMOKING GUNS'

In their newest mashup, Harry and Molly Jong-Fast swap questions about the scandals swamping Trump’s administration and the chances for real accountability for the culprits. Molly asks Harry what it’ll take to prosecute people like Kristy Noem and how far the Supreme Court might go to rescue Trump in the midterms. Harry fires back with questions about J.D. Vance’s political implosion and what the Democrats need to do to stick the landing in November.

Mentioned in this episode:

Molly's podcast: ⁠ https://fastpoliticspod.com/

Molly's Substack: ⁠ https://mollyjongfast.substack.com/

Harry's Substack about the SPLC indictment: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/funding-extremism-please

Harry speaks with Molly Jong-Fast

KASH CRASH

As scandals shake Trump’s cabinet, Harry sits down with Emily Bazelon, Conor Lamb, and Charlie Sykes to discuss the revelations about Kash Patel, a Democratic redistricting win in Virginia, and the administration’s latest retaliations. Along the way, the trio discuss what it will take to revive the rule of law and whether there’s a path away from endless gerrymandering. They close by digging into the jaw-dropping details from Emily’s reporting about how Trump turned DHS into an agency incompetent at real law enforcement but adept at inflicting suffering.

Mentioned in this episode:

Harry’s Substack on the SPLC indictment: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/funding-extremism-please

Emily’s reporting: https://www.nytimes.com/by/emily-bazelon#latest

Charlie’s Substack: https://charliesykes.substack.com/

Emily's DHS article: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/14/magazine/trump-dhs-ice-officers-immigration-deportations.html

Emily’s conversation with Harry about her oral history of the DOJ under Trump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PDKeMe1mXU

Harry speaks with Emily Bazelon, Conor Lamb & Charlie Sykes

TRUMP'S "ABSOLUTE FIASCO"

In our latest Contrarian episode, Norm Eisen, Norm Ornstein, and Jen Rubin join Harry to assess new flashpoints in Trump's nonstop quest to escape accountability and his hasty efforts to claw free of his war in the Middle East. The group takes stock of Trump's stumbling attempts to find a deal with Iran, which seem likely to leave the U.S. weakened and isolated. The panel also weighs the bombshell state charges against an ICE agent and the odds that Trump could name two new Supreme Court justices before year's end.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Contrarian: https://contrarian.substack.com/

Norm Ornstein's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsrs-words-matter/id1420216970

The Robert Kagan article about America's changing place in the world: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/trump-national-security-greenland-spheres-of-interest/685673/

The profile of Justice Alito: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/samuel-alito-supreme-court-conservative/686756/

Norm Ornstein's kakistocracy article: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/american-kakistocracy/542391/

Harry speaks with Norm Eisen, Norm Ornstein & Jen Rubin

THE 'NO KINGS' PLAN TO MAKE TRUMP THE NEXT ORBÁN

Harry talks with Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, the principal force behind the massive and wildly successful No Kings protests. They fill Harry in on the politics and mechanics of building one of the biggest popular mobilizations in American history, and how to harness the popular forces in a concrete way to defeat Trump.

Harry speaks with Leah Greenberg & Ezra Levin

CARTE BLANCHE AND DIRE STRAIT

With Trump's two-week ceasefire hanging in the balance, Harry turns to Kristy Greenberg, Jason Kander, and Jasmine Wright to make sense of a week of reversals and u-turns for Donald Trump. What are the new revelations about how Trump decided to strike Iran? And if the status quo stands, will the U.S. have lost its war of choice? Can new Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche do any better than Pam Bondi at sating Trump's appetite for retribution? And what do another pair of Democratic overperformances in off-cycle elections augur for November?

Mentioned in this episode:

Courtside with Kristy Greenberg: https://www.youtube.com/@CourtsidewithKG

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

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

New York Times reporting on Trump's decision to go to war with Iran: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/us/politics/trump-iran-war.html

Harry speaks with Kristy Greenberg, Jason Kander, and Jasmine Wright

BONDI TO BLANCHE AND BAD TO WORSE

Mimi Rocah, a veteran federal prosecutor and former colleague of Acting AG Todd Blanche, joins Harry to assess Pam Bondi's legacy at the Department of Justice and what lies ahead for the department now that she's gone. Rocah fills Harry in on Todd Blanche's total transformation into a pro-Trump ideologue—one as devoted, but more canny and probably more dangerous than his predecessor. And Mimi gives Harry some insights from her forthcoming book—Justice Under Siege—about Trump's complete takeover of the DOJ. 

Harry speaks with Mimi Rocah

BONDI, BOMBS, AND BIRTHRIGHT

Attorney General Pam Bondi is out. Harry talks with all-star journalists Aaron Blake, Liz Landers, and Scott MacFarlane to break down why Trump rewarded Bondi's obsessive loyalty with an abrupt and humiliating firing. Next, the panel tries to make sense of Trump's primetime address about his increasingly opaque goals in the month-old war with Iran. Finally, the group analyzes the arguments in the birthright citizenship case and considers whether Trump has already notched a partial victory, regardless of the final verdict.

Mentioned in this episode:

Harry's Substack about Bondi's firing: ⁠https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/out-of-touch-out-of-trust-out-of⁠

Harry's Substack about the birthright citizenship case: ⁠https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/the-birthright-citizenship-order⁠

Aaron's analysis: 

⁠https://www.cnn.com/profiles/aaron-blake⁠

Liz's reporting: ⁠https://www.pbs.org/newshour/author/liz-landers⁠

Scott's YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ScottMacFarlaneNews⁠

Scott's Substack: ⁠https://macfarlanenews.substack.com/

Harry speaks with Aaron Blake, Liz Landers, and Scott MacFarlane

DEPARTURE OF JUSTICE

In his latest effort to trace the Department of Justice’s downward spiral, Harry talks with DOJ veterans Paul Fishman and Stacey Young, along with reporter Evan Perez. The panel assesses the DOJ’s obstructive tactics on the Minnesota investigations, the retribution prosecutions that keep coming despite loss after humiliating loss, and the new revelations about Trump’s misuse of classified documents. Finally, the panel closes with some reflections on the life and work of former FBI Director Robert Mueller.

Mentioned in this episode:

Evan’s reporting: ⁠https://www.cnn.com/profiles/evan-perez-profile⁠

Justice Connection: https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/

Sara Bloom’s organization: https://massdeportationdefense.org/

Harry speaks with Evan Perez, Paul Fishman and Stacey Young

 
 
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