Talking Feds

With Donald Trump's successful efforts to keep his misdeeds from becoming public, it falls to authors of books to write the first drafts of history. There have been a spate of books of late, and the one that has garnered the most attention and accolades is "I Alone Can Fix It," by Carol Leonnig and Phil Rucker. Harry sits down with Leonning and Rucker for an in-depth exploration of some of the bigger, finer, and more surprising points of the book, and their take on where things now stand.

Talking Feds returns to its roots, with the latest look at the goings-on and inner workings of the Department of Justice by 4 of the professionals that know it best. After a few months in which he repeatedly disappointed progressives, who wanted him to attack the abuses of the Trump DOJ head-on, AG Merrick Garland of late has made several decisions that seem to tack in the other direction. Was it just a matter of timing, or is Garland adjusting his approach as he finds full footing in the job?

"As California Goes, So Goes the Country," could be the capsule description for this episode, which brings together 3 of the California's most prominent public officials, Sen. Alex Padilla, Congresswoman Karen Bass, and director of the State Office of Business Development (and former White House Press Secretary) Dee Dee Meyers. The 3 join Harry—the 4th Californian-- to discuss the most pressing national topics–covid, infrastructure, voting rights, and more–through the prism of the Golden State.

It was a week of frantic activity in Congress on several fronts but what if anything will come of it remained unclear. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Norm Ornstein, & Jane Mayer–-3 exceptionally sophisticated experts on the ways of Washington-–join Harry to break it all down. They explore the legislative gyrations over the January 6 Committee, infrastructure bills, and the allegation that the FBI's 2018 investigation of Justice Kavanaugh was a sham. Adam Scott supplies a sidebar on the filibuster.

Six months into the Biden Administration, the feds take a deep dive into the state of play in foreign affairs and international relations. A fantastic set of guests – Dr. Richard Haass (the long-time President of the Council of Foreign Relations), Fiona Hill, and Laura King join Harry to focus first on Putin's dangerous strategies for staying relevant. We then move to the new crises in Cuba and Haiti before discussing the risks and benefits of the Administration's world Covid vaccine initiative.