Talking Feds

Faced with a worsening midterm map and spiraling conflict with Iran, Donald Trump is focusing on what really matters: his crusade to reshape Washington. Kristen Holmes, Adam Klasfeld, and Tara Setmayer join Harry to break down the monument mania. The panel digs in to the new Kennedy Center scheme, the ballroom appeal, and Jeanine Pirro’s mysterious special grand jury. The group then turns to an ugly scandal for an Ohio Republican that seems to tarnish his whole party—plus Trump's flight switcheroo in Turkey and its unsettling consequences.

Mentioned in this episode:Kristen's reporting.Adam's reporting.Tara's Substack.

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After an ICE agent shot Renee Good, observers looked to the elite squad of federal prosecutors tasked with investigating such shootings: the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The Division did nothing. It marked a sad chapter for an institution that, as historian Kevin M. Kruse explains, spent decades fighting for justice against long odds. Together, Kruse and Harry discuss the Division’s proud past, its perversion under Trump, and—zooming out—Trump’s attack on American history itself.

Kruse's forthcoming book bears this working title: The Division: John Doar, the Justice Department, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Mentioned in this episode:Kruse's newsletter.

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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.

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“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 keep 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 the 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 episodeApplebaum's writing for the Atlantic.Applebaum's Substack.

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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.

Update: Late on Saturday night, Senator John Cornyn and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced a deal that seemed to finally kill off the so-called weaponization fund. Observers noted that the agreement could potentially be walked back in the future and that it did not fully foreclose Trump's tax amnesty. Nonetheless, it seemed to clear the way for Blanche's confirmation.

Mentioned in this episode:Glenn's SubstackGlenn's YouTubeJosh's analysisAli's show Way Too Early

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