Talking Feds

Latest Episodes:

Military Madness Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

Talking Feds closes out 2025 with a close look at the institutional damage and lawlessness Trump has imposed on an essential arm of the U.S. government: the Department of Defense. CNN's Natasha Bertrand, the Washington Post's Alex Horton, and retired Major General Steven J. Lepper take Harry inside a Pentagon transformed by cowboy-in-chief Pete Hegseth. Why is the U.S. blowing up boats near Latin America? Did Hegseth oversee a war crime in the Caribbean? And what are the potential domestic dangers of the legal reasoning powering Trump's new uses of the military?

Mentioned in this episode:
Natasha's reporting.
Alex's reporting.
General Lepper's analysis.

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Inside the White House Bubble Dec 24, 2025

Show notes

Harry talks to veteran reporter Chris Whipple to get the inside scoop on his bombshell account of the Trump White House's inner workings. The two discuss why Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was so unguarded in her interviews with Whipple. They cover Wiles's sharp criticisms of administration officials and her admissions of serious wrongdoing by the president, including misleading the public on the Epstein files. The two dig deep into the details—several as yet overlooked—from one of most important stories written about Trump.

Mentioned in this episode:
Whipple's reporting.
Harry's conversation with Marty Lederman.

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The [REDACTED] Files Dec 22, 2025

Show notes

As the Department of Justice slow-walks an over-redacted release of its files on Jeffrey Epstein, Harry convenes CNN's Aaron Blake, former Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and NOTUS White House correspondent Jasmine Wright to analyze the administration's ham-handed noncompliance. The trio also dig into Vanity Fair's explosive revelations about the White House and Trump's top aide Susie Wiles. They close by considering the administration's escalations in the Caribbean and the real motives behind them. And, late in the episode, Harry offers a reflection on Rob Reiner's passing.

Mentioned in this episode:
Aaron’s reporting.
Jasmine's reporting.
The Vanity Fair story about the Trump White House.
The New York Times story on Trump and Epstein's relationship.
The New York Times story on how Epstein built his wealth and power.
The Talking Feds episode featuring Rob Reiner.

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Molly Mashup: "They're Not Doing 15 Dimensional Chess" Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

In a new mashup episode, Harry and Molly Jong-Fast swap questions about the White House's latest political embarrassments and legal embroilments. Molly wants to know: when—and how—will some of Trump's inner circle face criminal charges? Harry is curious: why did this press-hating White House let their guard down so spectacularly for Vanity Fair? Together, the pair make sense of the noisy headlines and lay out the real consequences behind the week's serving of scandals.

Mentioned in this episode:
Molly's book.
Molly's Substack.
Molly's podcast.

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Dents in the Armor Dec 15, 2025

Show notes

Harry talks to Alisyn Camerota, David French, and Jonathan Lemire about whether President Donald Trump is finally losing his grip on the Republican Party. Why couldn’t Trump convince Indiana Republicans to back his gerrymander scheme for the state? Have his famed rallies have lost their political magic? And can the president overcome deepening scrutiny of his aggressive military moves in the Caribbean and far-fetched legal maneuvers in the courts?

Mentioned in this episode:
Alisyn's Substack.
David's columns.
Jonathan's reporting.
Harry's interview with Senator Mark Kelly.

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Senator Mark Kelly: "It's a Complete S*** Show" Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Why did an ad urging U.S. troops not to break the law make President Donald Trump so angry that he practically called for Senator Mark Kelly's head? The retired Navy captain can't answer that. Instead, the senator is focused on investigating the controversies that have gripped the military in the past month. Harry and the senator dig into what makes Pete Hegseth such an unfit Defense Secretary, the dangers the potentially illegal U.S. strikes in the Caribbean pose for American service members, and why the fallout looks like it might bring some genuine accountability for the administration.

Mentioned in this episode:
Harry's latest column on the boat strikes.

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Indict, Strike, Repeat Dec 08, 2025

Show notes

Harry turns to Mimi Rocah, Tara Setmayer, and Jacob Weisberg to delve into the DOJ’s latest humiliations, the furor over strikes in the Caribbean, and Trump’s racist outbursts. What will it take for Attorney General Pam Bondi to give up the case against Letitia James? Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth oversee a criminal missile attack, in addition to risking troops with his Signal messages? And why are Trump’s immigration crackdown and hate-filled outbursts prompting so little pushback?

Mentioned in this episode:
Tara's Substack.
Harry's latest column on the boat strikes.
Tara's TEDx Talk.

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Can a New Kind Of Liberalism Take Hold? Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Harry talks with journalist Jerusalem Demsas about her case for a robust, combative liberalism capable of taking the fight to the current political power structure. Demsas has just launched a new publication—The Argument—dedicated to renewing and improving the kind of politics that helped fostered many of the country's best achievements. Harry asks Demsas about the shape of that revived liberalism, how she plans to persuade MAGA and other skeptics, and why she feels so optimistic in such a difficult time

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A Bad Dictator is Still a Dangerous One Dec 01, 2025

Show notes

Harry talks with a prophet of our moment of democratic decline: Steven Levitsky. The Harvard scholar explains why Trump’s grip on power is both unequaled in a century of American history and, at the same time, deeply fragile. The pair think through why Trump has targeted universities, how the president’s own incompetence has undermined his drive for power, and what role the American people can still play in defending their democracy.

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Halligan, Bondi, and Other Turkeys Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

For his latest periodic deep dive on the Department of Justice, Harry talks to DOJ veterans Paul Fishman and Amy Jeffress as well as reporter Anna Bower to assess an institution that looks to be coming apart at the seams. The panel digs into the political and legal flashpoints facing the Department, including its response to the embarrassing dismissals of the prosecutions against James Comey and Letitia James, the revival of possible contempt sanctions against the department, and the prospect that Pam Bondi may act as Trump’s firewall for the Epstein files.

Mentioned in this episode:
Anna's reporting.
Judge Currie's ruling.
Harry's column on the ruling.
Harry's conversation with Emily Bazelon about her reporting on the Department.
Harry's conversation with Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis about their book on the Department.

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