BLANCHE AVALANCHE

Liz Oyer, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, and Charlie Sykes join Harry to break down a week of embarrassments for Donald Trump, offset partly by Todd Blanche’s confirmation as Attorney General. The panel weighs the iniquity of the Senate’s vote, then digs into a court’s forceful rejection of Trump’s ballroom and the fallout from the shambolic Reflecting Pool prosecution. Finally, the group focuses on the administration’s deportation push, which is speeding up even as it fades from the headlines.

Mentioned in this episode:

Liz's ⁠Substack⁠

Liz's ⁠podcast⁠

Charlie's ⁠Substack⁠

Penn Live's ⁠immigration coverage⁠

The D.C. Appeals Court's ballroom ⁠opinion⁠

Harry's ⁠column⁠ about the latest in the reflecting pool case

Harry speaks with Liz Oyer, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, and Charlie Sykes

ANNE APPLEBAUM ON IRAN, UKRAINE, AND TRUMP'S KLEPTOCRACY

“Sometimes the smaller power has advantages that you don't expect.” That’s the lesson Anne Applebaum says Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are learning as their weaker foes keeping handing them setbacks. Applebaum explains to Harry how Ukraine's drone campaign is bringing the war home to Russians and why Iran looks poised to gain unprecedented control over the Strait of Hormuz. And, as Trump amasses wealth despite his failures, Applebaum makes the case that U.S. is becoming a place where “political decisions are taken not because they're good for the country, but because they're good for the president's son.”

 Mentioned in this episode: 

Applebaum's ⁠writing for the Atlantic⁠

Applebaum's ⁠Substack

Harry speaks with Anne Applebaum

TRUMP'S BOTCH JOB

Donald Trump seems determined to make things hard for everyone: Americans, Republican senators, and even himself. Glenn Kirschner, Josh Marshall, and Ali Vitali join Harry to talk through a week packed with unforced errors by the administration that are derailing Trump's presidency in the run-up to the midterms. The panel discusses Trump’s no-holds-barred effort to save the slush fund, the embarrassing end to the prosecution of a former Olympian scapegoated for the disastrous Reflecting Pool flop, and Anthony Fauci’s unsettling return to the headlines.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Glenn's Substack

Glenn's YouTube

Josh's analysis

Ali's show Way Too Early

Harry speaks with Glenn Kirschner, Josh Marshall and Ali Vitali

RAPHAEL WARNOCK MAKES THE MORAL CASE AGAINST TRUMP

Like the prophets he quotes at the pulpit, Senator Raphael Warnock feels he’s watching his country descend into greed, injustice, and tyranny. He sees a MAGA movement “corrupting” his Christian faith and a president who seems to think charity begins (and mostly ends) at home. With his new book—The Crooked Places Made Straight—Senator Warnock lays out what Democrats must do to meet this moral moment: get money out of politics, resume the battle against poverty, reform the Supreme Court, end mass incarceration, and—crucially—defeat Donald Trump. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Senator Warnock's book: ⁠https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/780969/the-crooked-places-made-straight-by-raphael-g-warnock/

Harry speaks with Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock

HOW TO LOSE A WAR IN SIX MONTHS

As casualties mount and gas prices rise, the White House knows it may be losing its chance to resolve its war with Iran in time to prevent a midterms wipe-out for Republicans. To plumb the depth of the political damage and assess the decisive races, Harry talks with Susan Glasser, Astead Herndon, and Juliette Kayyem. The group breaks down Trump’s decision to go back to war, Hegseth’s worrying obfuscations about American casualties, the transformed Maine Senate race, and the no-holds-barred fight for the future of the Democratic party playing out in Michigan.

Mentioned in this episode:

Susan’s analysis:  ⁠https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/susan-b-glasser⁠

Astead’s show America, Actually:  ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/america-actually-with-astead-herndon/id1890552134⁠

Juliette’s Substack:  ⁠https://substack.com/@juliettekayyem⁠

Astead’s interview with Abdul El-Sayed:  ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE9quwCWKuY⁠

New Yorker reporting on former Biden administration officials and Gaza:  ⁠https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/07/27/how-biden-emboldened-israels-aggression-toward-gaza-and-iran

Harry speaks with Susan Glasser, Astead W. Herndon and Juliette Kayyem

MAGGIE HABERMAN ON A YEAR OF "PURE TRUMP"

Maggie Haberman has been on the Trump beat for decades. Now she has written—with co-author Jonathan Swan—a tour de force on how the president is remaking our government in his image. Haberman gives Harry an inside look at a White House in thrall to a president who’s never been so uninhibited. She shares a swath of insights about Trump’s health, his reluctance to help Republicans in the midterms, just how close he came to invoking the Insurrection Act, and more.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Haberman and Swan’s book: ⁠https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Regime-Change/Maggie-Haberman/9781668067246⁠

Haberman’s reporting:  ⁠https://www.nytimes.com/by/maggie-haberman#latest⁠

Harry speaks with Maggie Haberman

BLANCHE IN THE ARENA

Aaron Blake, Conor Lamb, and Mimi Rocah join Harry to break down Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing, two new ICE killings, and a primetime election rant. Did Todd Blanche manage to persuade senators that he's a traditional do-the-right-thing prosecutor? Why is Trump suddenly embracing ICE’s abuses again, and could that cost him the midterms? Finally: was Trump’s big speech a prelude to a declaration of war on fair midterms, or a de facto admission that his endless claims of fraud are all baseless?

Mentioned in this episode:

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

Conor’s Substack:  ⁠https://conorlambpa.substack.com/⁠

Mimi’s Substack:  ⁠https://substack.com/@mimirocah1

Harry speaks with Aaron Blake, Conor Lamb and Mimi Rocah

THE BIGGEST EPSTEIN QUESTIONS FOR BLANCHE AND TRUMP

Over the next two days, would-be Attorney General Todd Blanche will get a grilling from the Senate about how he and the Department of Justice handled transparency regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. Julie K. Brown—the reporter who has done the most to expose and explain the Epstein saga—knows what senators need to ask. She joins Harry to lay out how the DOJ continues to fail Epstein’s victims, why she thinks Trump will pardon Ghislaine Maxwell, and all the ways Epstein worked to manipulate the federal prosecutors tasked with delivering justice.

Mentioned in this episode:

Julie’s reporting: https://www.miamiherald.com/profile/218644665/

Julie’s Substack: https://jkbjournalist.substack.com/

Harry’s column about Katie Phang’s Epstein transparency suit: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/cutting-edge-legal-argument-could

Harry speaks with Julie K. Brown

TRUMP'S ECONOMY: INFLATION, INSTABILITY, AND INFLUENCE

Stellar economic analysts Dean Baker, Paul Krugman, and Stephanie Ruhle join Harry for his periodic deep dive into the ways Trump is reshaping the U.S. economy. The panel weighs the immediate and long-term economic effects of Trump’s on-again, off-again war with Iran. Next, they take stock of Trump's record-breaking self-enrichment, and of how the Supreme Court has opened the door to more chaos and self-dealing. They close with a look at Kevin Warsh, Trump’s hand-picked new Fed Chair, tasked with keeping a fragile economy on track.

Mentioned in this episode:

Dean’s column: https://cepr.net/series/dean-bakers-beat-the-press/

Paul’s Substack: https://paulkrugman.substack.com/

Stephanie’s new show: https://www.ms.now/money-power-politics

Harry speaks with Dean Baker, Paul Krugman and Stephanie Ruhle

ADAM SCHIFF IS READY TO BATTLE BLANCHE

For his latest Talking San Diego conversation, Harry sits down with California Senator Adam Schiff. The two start with a close look at the upcoming confirmation battle over would-be Attorney General Todd Blanche. Drawing on their shared background as federal prosecutors, the two discuss what makes Blanche a singularly troubling nominee. The senator then shares his analysis of Blanche's prospects, including his probable reception among critical Republicans.

Senator Schiff then lays out tactics for defending the midterms, plans for righting Chief Justice John Roberts’s wrongs—including by packing the bench—and his efforts to protect California from a vengeful Trump. Harry and the senator also cover some slightly lighter fare, including the status of the senator’s comedy career and what life is like inside Trump’s brain, where the senator "lives rent free."

This Talking San Diego event was made possible by our venue partner Congregation Beth Israel.

Harry speaks with Sen. Adam Schiff