National Forecast: Stormy

It was a week when you could feel the vibrations of coming battles all over: the first ever indictment of a former President; Fox staring down the barrel of a jury trial in Dominion’s $1.6 billion defamation suit; the schism between R elites, who favor DeSantis, and immovable Trump supporters; & bitter struggles over abortion rights in several states. A superb group of guests-Laura Jarrett, Alicia Menendez, & Ashley Parker-joins Harry to break it all down and analyze the shape of things to come.

Harry speaks with Laura Jarrett, Alicia Menendez, and Ashley Parker

MAGA, May I

The unseemly political alliance between the MAGA right and Fox Corp. burst into plain view. Filings in a defamation suit showed Fox knowingly pushing the Big Lie and playing favorites with Trump. Speaker McCarthy delivered to Hunter Carlson alone some 44,000 hours of security footage from Jan. 6 to manipulate into a counter-narrative. A terrific panel of savvy commentators–Sen Al Franken, Jon Alter, and Juliette Kayyem–work through the toxic implications and forecast the future state of play.

Harry speaks with Al Franken, Jon Alter, and Juliette Kayyem

Zelesnky Zugzwang

The anniversary of the Ukraine war marks a time to reflect on the current state of play on the battlefield; the strategic interests of Ukraine and Russia but also the U.S., Europe, & China; the war’s broader geopolitical and in fact historical implications; and the miserable prospect of an endless conflict so long as Putin remains in power. A truly fantastic group of experts—Ben Rhodes, Garry Kasparov, & Natasha Bertrand—joins Harry for a rich exploration of all these points and more.

Harry speaks with Ben Rhodes, Natasha Bertrand, and Garry Kasparov

Jack Attack & Pence Defense

With the vantage points legal and political worlds locked on the coming few months, to possible indictments new Presidential candidates, a fantastic group of prominent commentators–Maggie Haberman, Josh Marshall, and Charlie Sykes—join Harry to analyze the political and legal stress points and consider likely outcomes. They discuss the series of aggressive prosecutorial moves by Special Counsel Jack Smith and the prospects of multiple Republican candidates such as Nikki Haley to take Trump down.

Harry speaks with Maggie Haberman, Josh Marshall, and Charlie Sykes

Joe Jitsu

At the end of a week featuring the State of the Union, the debut of the House Subcommittee on the Weaponization of Government, and the delivery of a subpoena to former Vice President Mike Pence, Aaron Blake, Susan Glasser, Carol Lee join Harry to analyze the political substance & theater. Each of these events involved clashes between representatives of the Trump era and the Biden presidency, which continues to draw only tepid public approval notwithstanding significant domestic achievements.

Harry speaks with Carol Lee, Susan Glasser, and Aaron Blake.

Under Cover of Law

Calls for police reform in the wake of the killing of Tyre Nichols dominated the weekly news, along with the slash-&-burn moves of R committees in the House and two NY cases acting like pincers in applying pressure to Donald Trump. A fantastic set of guests–Congressman Ted Lieu, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Carol Leonnig, and former Congress and DOJ official Elliot Williams–join Harry to identify the fault lines, assess the political & legal fine points, and predict where things are headed.

Harry speaks with Carol Leonnig, Congressman Ted Lieu, and Elliot Williams.

Groundhog Day in Washington

It was a week when the new Republican majority in the House showed its colors. Speaker McCarthy announced committee assignments that empowered some of the country’s most unhinged political figures and a committee structure featuring a special committee on the weaponization of government that promised a steady stream of vitriolic battles with the White House and executive branch. David Frum, Kavita Patel, & Michael Schmidt join Harry to break it all down, plus Pence docs, Barr Durham, and more.

Harry speaks with Kavita Patel, David Frum, and Michael Schmidt.

DOJ Confidential

Perhaps our most lively and informative repeating series of episodes is the quarterly deep dive into the DOJ from 3 analysts who know the Department inside and out: Katie Benner, Matt Miller, and Andrew Weissmann. This week is the latest one and in the nick of time: there has been detailed factual coverage of the Biden docs, Garland’s appointment of Hur, Smith investigations, the House lying in wait to afflict the DOJ. Now it’s time to dig deep into what’s happening beneath the surface.

Harry speaks with Katie Benner, Matt Miller, and Andrew Weissmann.

Special (Counsel) Effects

Divided government comes to DC and the gloves are off, 3 of the country’s most prominent analysts of the ways of Congress and DC—Jackie Alemany, Luke Broadwter, and Norm Ornstein, join Harry to break it down. The discovery of classified documents in Biden’s office & residence forced the hand of Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel. In the House, Kevin McCarthy & his far-right allies pushed through a rules package that augured a steady stream of investigations & a potential debt crisis. 

Harry speaks with Norm Ornstein, Luke Broadwater, and Jackie Alemany.

Speaker Squeaker

The longest speaker battle since the Civil War played out in a slow-motion humiliation of Kevin McCarthy, who offered repeated concessions to the Freedom Caucus before finally mustering a majority of votes. A stellar set of guests – Gloria Borger, Jonathan Capeheart, and Robert Costa–breaks down the battle and its aftermath. They then turn to the 2-year anniversary of Jan 6, discussing what need happen to the Republican party before the country can fully shed the toxic effects of Trump’s rule.

Harry speaks with Gloria Borger, Jonathan Capeheart, and Robert Costa