Talking Feds

In this episode, Harry and guests Jonathan Alter, Conor Lamb, and Mara Liasson break down a fast-moving week with massive overtures in domestic and international news. The discussion starts with the escalating war with Iran — including new reporting on Russia reportedly providing intelligence to Tehran and the growing debate in Washington over war powers and the cost of the conflict. Then, they turn to the 2026 midterm landscape, where early primaries in places like Texas and North Carolina offered the first real clues about the fight for Senate control. And finally, they discuss the first cabinet sacking of Trump’s 2.0, as Kristi Noem was the first head to roll.
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You won’t see Stacey Abrams’s name on a ballot this year, but you will see her impact. As Trump gears up to take desperate measures to avoid getting clobbered in the midterms, Abrams is mobilizing voters to counter the president. She and Harry talk through Trump’s plays thus far: seizing election records, pushing legislation that strips voting rights from millions, and sowing doubt. In response, Abrams lays out a program of ten things any American can do to help stop the country’s slide toward Trumpian tyranny.

Mentioned in this episode:

Abrams's newest book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/697037/coded-justice-by-stacey-abrams/ 

Abrams's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/assembly-required-with-stacey-abrams/id1760004996 

Abrams's piece in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/22/us-black-history-dei

Abrams's 10 steps: https://10stepscampaign.org/
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Susan Glasser, Bill Kristol, and Jon Lemire join Harry to assess the prospects for military action against Iran, the ways DOJ incompetence and testimony from the Clintons are changing the Epstein story, and Trump's longest-ever State of the Union address. Why hasn't Trump tried to sell his operation against Iran to the American people, and what's his endgame for it? Is the DOJ's Epstein transparency becoming a blatant coverup? And is it time to retire the traditional State of the Union?

Mentioned in this episode:Susan's columns: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/susan-b-glasser

Bill's conversation series:  https://conversationswithbillkristol.org/

Jonathan's reporting: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/jonathan-lemire/
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In their newest mashup, Harry and Molly Jong-Fast trade questions about the latest eyebrow-raising news in the Epstein scandal and the fallout from Trump's tariff defeat. Molly gets Harry to walk her through the intricacies of the so-called 302s—detailed victim statements taken by the FBI—some of which the DOJ failed to produce for a victim who told the FBI that Trump abused her. Harry has plenty of Epstein questions of his own for Molly, but also asks what happens with tariff refunds and the Democrats' strategy heading toward the midterms.

Mentioned in this episode:

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/
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In the wake of the Supreme Court verdict striking down Trump's tariffs, Harry breaks down the decision with a trio of top-notch legal analysts: Kyle Cheney, Adam Klasfeld, and Mimi Rocah. The group digs into the court's rare rebuff of the president and the infighting among the conservative Justices. Next, the panel turns to the lower courts' angry rulings against Trump's deportation drive, even including—finally—a contempt finding. To finish, they examine the arrest of ex-Prince Andrew and weigh the chances for similar accountability in the U.S.

Mentioned in this episode: 

Kyle's reporting: https://www.politico.com/staff/kyle-cheney

Adam's Substack:  https://www.allrisenews.com/⁠

5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling:  https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26884355/ca5detention.pdf

Judge Provenzino's contempt order: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253.23.0.pdf

Judge Provenzino's follow-up order, noting the purged contempt: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253/gov.uscourts.mnd.231253.23.0.pdf

SCOTUS tariffs ruling: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1287_4gcj.pdf

Roger Sollenberger's Epstein-Trump article: https://substack.com/home/post/p-188009135
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