CAFE Insider

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "I Was Wrong About the Hatch Act,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

On this episode of the United Security podcast, Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein discuss domestic terrorism — the most urgent threats, the relevance of the “terrorist” designation, and whether or not Congress should enact legislation to make domestic terrorism a federal crime. They also break down the significance of the decision by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to cancel in-person congressional briefings on election security just months away from Election Day. References and Supplemental Materials: https://cafe.com/?p=29422&preview=true

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, “Base Conclusions on Evidence, Not Its Aura,” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Web of Ways,” Preet and Anne break down the latest updates in the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, who faces murder charges for fatally shooting two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Trump administration’s potential Hatch Act violations during the RNC, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the case of Michael Flynn, holding that the district court could review the DOJ’s move to dismiss all charges against the former national security adviser, and more.We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental Materials found at CAFE.com

Cyber Space is the newest podcast for members of CAFE Insider. Every other Friday, host John Carlin, the former head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, will explore issues at the intersection of technology, policy, and law with leaders who’ve made an impact in the world of cybersecurity. In this episode, Monika Bickert, Facebook’s Head of Global Policy Management, joins Carlin for a deep dive on the dangers of cyberterrorism, the nuances of hate speech, the recent controversies surrounding political speech and misinformation on Facebook, and the company’s initiatives leading up to the November election. Bickert, a former federal prosecutor and cybersecurity expert, opens up about the complexities of Facebook’s community standards and how she, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sheryl Sandberg have navigated removing violent and misleading content. 

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Bannon Joins the Lineup,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, “I Have Met Steve Bannon Twice,” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Dan Balz talks about the state of journalism, and what he and his colleagues missed in 2016. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.

In this episode of CAFE Insider, "DeJoy, Bannon, Durham: Mail, Jail, Stale?” Preet and Anne break down Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s testimony before lawmakers on Capitol Hill, the latest in former Trump campaign chief & White House strategist Steve Bannon’s indictment by SDNY, and the first conviction secured by John Durham, the Connecticut U.S. Attorney tasked with investigating the origins of the FBI's Russia probe. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental Materials found at CAFE.com

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Trump’s Childlike View of Presidential Authority,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

On this episode of United Security, “The Double-Edged Sword of Tech,” Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein break down politically charged national security issues making the headlines, including: --The new revelations unearthed by Volume 5 of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s final report. -- Concerns about cryptocurrency as a method of terrorist financing, as highlighted by the Justice Department’s largest-ever seizure of cryptocurrencies last week. --The policy considerations and legal authorities associated with President Trump’s decision to ban Tiktok and WeChat by executive orders. --The arrest of media tycoon Jimmy Lai and the troubling enforcement of Hong Kong’s new national security law.References and Supplemental Materials: https://cafe.com/united-security/united-security-the-double-edged-sword-of-technology/

In this special episode of CAFE Insider, “Bannon Indicted,” Preet breaks down SDNY’s indictment of Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former campaign CEO and White House chief strategist. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental Materials found at cafe.com.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Preet talks to Voto Latino Founding President and CEO Maria Teresa Kumar about Democratic party fractures, her superpowers, and how 9/11 changed her life.  Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Please Mr. Postman,” Preet and Anne make sense of the flurry of news surrounding the US Postal Service: President Trump’s recent admission that he opposes funding the agency because of “universal mail-in voting,” the sweeping cost-cutting measures attempted by the new Postmaster General, and the USPS alerting states that some absentee ballots may not arrive in time to be counted. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental Materials found at cafe.com.

Cyber Space is the newest podcast for members of CAFE Insider. Every other Friday, host John Carlin, the former head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, will explore issues at the intersection of technology, policy, and law with leaders who’ve made an impact in the world of cybersecurity. In this inaugural episode, Carlin speaks with Alex Stamos, Facebook’s former Chief Security Officer who led the company’s investigation into Russia’s manipulation of the 2016 presidential election. Stamos was previously Chief Information Security Officer at Yahoo when the company dealt with a series of cyber attacks that resulted in the breach of some billion user accounts. Currently, he advises Zoom and leads Stanford University’s Internet Observatory. In the episode, Stamos discusses these experiences, addresses the debate over the role social media companies should play in fighting disinformation, and reacts to the biggest tech news, including the President’s intention to ban TikTok and WeChat. Episode recorded on 8/7/20. Read the transcript and show notes: https://cafe.com/cyber-space-podcast/cyber-space-with-alex-stamos/Listen to John Carlin preview the Cyber Space podcast in conversation with Preet Bharara: [Link to Carlin-Preet episode]Write to [email protected] with your thoughts and questions. 

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "The Lunacy of the McGahn Saga Says It All,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "A Little Voice in Every Immigrant’s Head,” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Preet talks about one of his favorite stories that Isabel Wilkerson tells in her new book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “The Executive’s Privilege,” Preet and Anne break down the political and legal questions around President Trump’s recent executive action, the latest in the legal fight over the House Judiciary Committee’s attempts to compel testimony from former White House Counsel Don McGahn, and the New York Attorney General’s lawsuit seeking to dissolve the National Rifle Association. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials found at Cafe.com

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Housework 2020” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Hey AG Barr, If you don’t know, now you know,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

On this episode of United Security, “Arms, Protests, Ballots,” Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein break down politically charged national security issues making the headlines, including: -- The legal and policy questions raised by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s decision to bypass congressional review on an $8.1 billions arms deal with Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates;-- The legal authorities for the deployment of federal agents in response to Black Lives Matter protests in Portland and the related concerns the move raises about the mission of the Department of Homeland Security; -- Criticisms of the warning issued by William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, on foreign election interference.References and Suppremental Materials can be found at CAFE.com

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Jeffrey Toobin talks about his writing craft and how he manages to write so many books. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.For references and supplemental materials, head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned-bonus/stay-tuned-bonus-8-5-jeffrey-toobin/

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Threats Foreign and Domestic,” Preet and Anne speak with Ben Wittes, the editor-in-chief of the Lawfare blog, about the revelations that the Department of Homeland Security compiled and disseminated “intelligence reports” on journalists who reported on Portland protests, including Ben himself. They also break down President Trump’s threats to ban TikTok, his tweets floating the possibility of delaying the election, and the administration’s decision to rescind an Obama-era fair housing rule. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials found at Cafe.com. 

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Appearances Matter, But Not to Barr’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "The Amateurish Dystopian Surrealism of Michael Cohen's Gag Order,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Jake Tapper talks about his fiction writing and what Preet should ask Jeffrey Toobin during their interview next week. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.For references and supplemental materials, head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned-bonus/stay-tuned-bonus-7-30-jake-tapper

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Barr Fight,” Preet and Anne discuss Attorney General Bill Barr’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, President Trump’s recent deployment of hundreds of federal officers to American cities as part of “Operation Legend,” and the release of Michael Cohen from prison after a federal judge called his re-imprisonment “retaliatory” in response to his plans to publish a book. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials found at Cafe.com. 

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Barr Cannonballs Into a Pool of Corruption,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Hurdles One Inch High on the Track’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

In this episode of the United Security podcast, Lisa and Ken make sense of the recent Twitter hack which has renewed concerns about cyber vulnerabilities related to the upcoming election; escalating tensions between the U.S. and China with the Trump Administration’s decision to close the Chinese consulate in Houston and the Justice Department’s indictment of two Chinese nationals; and reporting that President Trump has provided secret orders authorizing the CIA to conduct covert cyber attacks. Transcript, References & Supplemental materials here.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Professor Eddie Glaude ruminates on patriotism and reacts to Princeton’s recent decision to rename the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:“President Eisgruber’s message to community on removal of Woodrow Wilson name from public policy school and Wilson College,” Princeton University, 6/27/20

In this bonus material from a special episode of Stay Tuned, “Scenes from the Mueller Probe,” Anne Milgram talks to Andrew Weissmann, former lead prosecutor in the Mueller investigation, about his time reforming FBI’s forensics lab, that time he prosecuted Vincent Gigante, the boss of the Genovese crime family, and a death penalty case he defended early in his career as a young lawyer. In the full episode, Weissmann reflects on the probe, shares his view on the Roger Stone commutation, and previews his forthcoming book, Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation. As always, tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #askpreet, email us at [email protected], or call 669-247-7338 to leave a voicemail.REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALSSpenser S. Hsu, “Convicted defendants left uninformed of forensic flaws found by Justice Dept.,” Washington Post, 4/16/2012Spenser S. Hsu, “U.S. reviewing 27 death penalty convictions for FBI forensic testimony errors,” Washington Post, 7/17/2013“FBI Testimony on Microscopic Hair Analysis Contained Errors in at Least 90 Percent of Cases in Ongoing Review,” FBI.gov, 4/20/2015“Innocence Project Praises DOJ for Undertaking Unprecedented Review of FBI Forensic Testimony,” Innocence Project, 2/24/2016Robert Mueller, Testimony on Forensics before the Senate Judiciary Committee, CSPAN, 5/16/2012Eddie William Finney, Petitioner, v. Walter D. Zant, Warden, Georgia Diagnostic Andclassification Center, Respondent, 709 F.2d 643 (11th Cir. 1983), Justia“First set to die, Ga man gets life in killings,” Access DWUN, 9/21/2013Joseph P. Fried, “In Closing Arguments, U.S. Says Tapes Prove Gigante Is Mob Kingpin,” New York Times, 7/23/1997Blane Harden, “Gigante Guilty of Racketeering, Conspiracy,” Washington Post, 7/26/1997Selwyn Robb, “Vincent Gigante, Mafia Leader Who Feigned Insanity, Dies at 77,” New York Times, 12/19/2005

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Portland, Vance, and Voting Rights,” Preet and Anne break down the controversy surrounding the use of federal officers to arrest and detain protesters in Portland, the most recent legal maneuvering in the Manhattan District Attorney’s pursuit of President Trump’s tax returns, and the Supreme Court’s decision to leave in place (for now) a lower court order which disenfranchises hundreds of thousands of people in Florida with felony convictions. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials at CAFE.com. 

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Leadership in Crisis’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Miseries of MDC are Ghislaine Maxwell’s Incentive to Flip,” and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Preet asks Senator Cory Booker a lightning round of questions about being Newark’s mayor, who he wants to play him in a biopic, and his favorite party game. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:Street Fight (dir. Marshall Curry), StreetFightFilm.com, 2005Jonathan D. Tepperman, “Complicating the Race,” New York Times, 4/28/2002Cory Booker Tweet about Danny DeVito, Twitter, 7/2/2014Werewolf: A Party Game for Devious People, PlayWereWolf.Co

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Pardon Me?” Preet and Anne break down President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of his friend and advisor Roger Stone, the unusual circumstances under which Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen is returning to federal prison, the pair of long-anticipated Supreme Court decisions concerning Trump’s personal financial records, and the congressional testimony of former U.S. Attorney for SDNY Geoff Berman. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne.References and Supplemental Materials at CAFE.com

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Ghislaine Maxwell and the “Would You Cooperate” Game," and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

On this inaugural episode of United Security, “Bounties, Bolton, and COVID-19,” Lisa Monaco and Ken Wainstein discuss recent reporting that the Russians paid bounties to Taliban linked militias to kill U.S. service members in Afghanistan, make sense of the Bolton saga including a breakdown of the pre-publication review process for former government officials, and provide an update on the resurgence of COVID-19.Read the shownotes & the transcripts at CAFE.com

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub discusses her time as counsel to the House Ethics Committee and offers some hopeful examples of election reform. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:James Bornemeier, “‘How-Not-To' Guide: Helping Politicians to Go by the Book,” Los Angeles Times, 5/13/1992“General election 2019: How much can parties spend?,” BBC, 11/4/2019“Matching Funds Program,” New York City Campaign Finance Board, 2020Sarah Kliff, “Seattle’s radical plan to fight big money in politics,” Vox, 11/5/2018

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “Ghislaine, ICE & DOJ,” Preet and Anne discuss the recent ICE decision to force foreign students taking online-only college classes back to their home countries; the indictment in SDNY of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime associate and enabler; and the news that Richard Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, is taking a new job as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General (PADAG). We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials at CAFE.com

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "Some Modest Leadership Advice’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Jerry Nadler’s Talk is Brash, but his Walk is Timid," and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Manhattan District Cyrus Vance Jr. talks about the difficulties and inequities of prosecution during COVID-19.Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.REFERENCES & SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:“D.A. Vance’s Written Testimony for City Council Committees on Criminal Justice and Justice System Oversight Hearing on “COVID-19 in City Jails and Juvenile Detention Centers,” ManhattanDA.org, 5/19/2020 Brendan Krisel, “Manhattan DA Won't Prosecute Social Distancing Arrests,” Patch.com, 5/12/2020Sonia Moghe, “Inside New York's notorious Rikers Island jails, 'the epicenter of the epicenter' of the coronavirus pandemic,” CNN, 5/18/2020Erica Orden, “Coronavirus forces prosecutors to embrace video conferencing in criminal probes. It's raised a host of issues,” CNN, 5/7/2020

In this episode of CAFE Insider, “The Judiciary Speaks,” Preet and Anne discuss the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, the Trump administration’s push to overturn Obamacare, the latest in the Michael Flynn saga, and the House Judiciary Committee hearing about the politicization of the Department of Justice. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. References and Supplemental materials at CAFE.com 

CAFE Insiders can enjoy this recording of Preet reading his note, "The Importance of ‘Thank You, Good Luck, and Goodbye’” and read his note in the CAFE Insider Newsletter every Thursday.

A weekly Note from Elie is part of the CAFE Brief, and Insider members can listen to a recording of the note the same day. Please enjoy Elie reading this week's note, "Barr's M.O., Lacking Hollywood Drama, is Subtle and Dangerous," and read his note in your inbox every Friday.

In this special live episode of CAFE Insider, Preet and Anne discuss the controversy surrounding the release of John Bolton's book, react to new revelations regarding Trump's firing of Geoffrey Berman, and analyze two surprising Supreme Court decisions. 

In this special episode of CAFE Insider, “The Firing of Geoff Berman - A Low Barr,” Preet and Anne break down the events surrounding Attorney General Bill Barr’s sudden firing of Geoff Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Anne. Find References and Supplemental materials here.