OA1210 - This week we welcome journalist and author John J. Lennon, who is calling in from New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility where he is serving 25 years to life for murder. Lennon’s extraordinary new book The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories that Define Us tells his own story alongside that of three other men whose crimes were sensationalized by the media--including Manhattan “Preppy Killer” Robert Chambers--after they were convicted for murders which they unquestionably committed. It challenges us to consider what life is like for the subjects of these documentaries and re-enactments after the credits have rolled, and to ask what our national obsession with true crime is costing them--and all of us. The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories that Define Us, John J. Lennon (2025) The New York Times review of The Tragedy of True Crime, Pamela Colloff (9/23/25) “A Convicted Murderer’s Case for Gun Control,” John J. Lennon, The Atlantic (8/21/2013) “The True Crime Stories You See on TV Are Leaving Out Something Big,” John J. Lennon, Slate (10/13/2025) “When Your Crime Becomes a Dick Wolf Show,” John J. Lennon, Rolling Stone (7/19/2025)
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1:05:06
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1:05:06
SCOTUS Made Gerrymandering So Easy, You’d Have to Be a Texas Republican to F It Up
OA1209 - Are you done with legal doomerism? Us too. Take some time away from doomscrolling and join Matt and Jenessa for Rapid Response Friday as we consider four stories of legal corruption and authoritarianism failing in the face of honest federal judges, and a footnote about how one brave prison nurse exposed even more corruption in Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell’s special treatment by the Trump administration. Complaint in United States v. State of New York, Northern Dist. of NY (7/9/25) New York’s motion to dismiss in U.S. v. New York (8/4/25) Judge Mae D’Agostino’s order granting plaintiff’s motion to dismiss in U.S. v. NY (11/17/25) Indictment of James Comey, Eastern Dist. of VA (9/25/25) Judge William Fitzpatrick’s order granting disclosure of grand jury materials in U.S. v. Comey (EDVA)(11/20/25) Judge Jeffrey Brown’s order in LULAC v. Abbot, Western Dist. of TX (11/18/25) Decision on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s motion to dismiss in 9/11 litigation, Southern Dist. of NY (8/28/25) Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!
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Epstein files reveal he was BFFs with Steve Bannon and offered him USE OF THE ISLAND. and his house.
VR14 - Part 2 of the Epstein files We continue our first look at some highlights from last week's massive release of more than 20,000 pages of material from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein released by the House Oversight Committee, including Steve Bannon and ASU professor Lawrence Krauss among others. We also consider Megyn Kelly's appalling response before leaving the last word where it belongs: with the women who have come forward to tell their stories on behalf of themselves and those who will never be able to. Epstein survivors press conference held outside the US Capitol (9/3/25) Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!
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1:23:03
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1:23:03
Emails reveal Larry Summers went to Epstein for advice on women. He STILL teaches at Harvard.
OA1208 - We go beyond the Trump-related content in the latest round of Epstein disclosures by the House Oversight Committee to explore what we can learn from the many people in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit who flattered, patronized, and enabled him. Part 1 of 2. Searchable database of Epstein records released by Courier Falling Upward: The Surprising Survival of Larry Summers, Robert Kuttner, The American Prospect (7/13/2020) Investigation at Yale Law School, Dahlia Lithwick & Susan Matthews, Slate (10/5/2018) Report on Sexual Harassment at Yale, Yale Law Women Board (10/2020) Watch this episode on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/2NX71EJ8nJc Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!
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1:11:54
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1:11:54
Reminder to Congress: Impeachment Exists. And It's the Only Acceptable Response to the Epstein Cover-up
OA1207 - We record a late-breaking reaction to the recent massive round of documents released from Jeffrey Epstein's estate and discuss how Trump may have just reached his most impeachable moment so far. Matt then shares some incredible news about how the end of Chevron deference has allowed federal judges to frustrate the administration's detention and deportation policies, and Jenessa gets into a lawsuit which challenges RFK Jr's replacement of the CDC’s vaccine advisory board with people who don't advise vaccines. Finally, a footgoat [sic] on how one woman’s quest to keep an unusual pet in Wyoming is running cover for some of the worst people on Earth. Google Drive link to House Oversight Committee's release of documents from the Epstein estate (11/12/25) Massachusetts federal court's class certification in Guerrero Orellana Matter of Yajure-Hurtado 26 I&N Dec. 2016 (BIA 9/5/25) Complaint in Bontadelli v. City of Powell (D.WY 11/4/25) Check out the OA Linktree for all the places to go and things to do!
Opening Arguments is a law show that helps you make sense of the news! Comedian Thomas Smith brings on legal analysts to help you understand not only current events, but also deeper legal concepts and areas!
The typical schedule will be M-W-F with Monday being a deep-dive, Wednesday being Thomas Takes the Bar Exam and patron shoutouts, and Friday being a rapid response to legal issues in the news!
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