Talking Feds

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/
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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.
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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
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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. 
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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/
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