Join former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara as he breaks down legal topics in the news and engages thought leaders in a podcast about power, policy, and justice.
From CAFE Studios and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
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Antony Blinken was the 71st Secretary of State, serving under President Joe Biden. As the nation’s top diplomat, he worked on restoring U.S. ties with allies and multilateral institutions following Trump’s first term. He also led U.S. aid responses in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war in Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack. Both of those wars rage on today. Secretary Blinken joins Preet to discuss Trump’s latest peace proposal for Gaza, the President’s recent about-face...
Is the Jim Comey indictment fatally flawed? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the weaknesses in the case against the former FBI Director, who was charged with making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce further discuss the Comey prosecution. They also break down the Justice Department’s decision to close an investigation into Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, for allegedly accepting a ...
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. In this recording from a Substack livestream, Preet and Joyce Vance, former U.S. Attorney and co-host of the Insider podcast, share their reactions to the Comey indictment and the danger of politicizing law enforcement, describing it as a moment that has “crossed the Rubicon.” They break down the lead-...
How does common knowledge become… common knowledge? Steven Pinker is a cognitive psychologist and professor at Harvard University. He joins Preet to discuss his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life , about how shared awareness shapes norms and shifts collective behavior. Then, Preet answers your questions about America’s very first law enforcement agency and Border Czar Tom Homan’s alleged $50,000 bribe. In...
Why is President Trump’s recent Truth Social post directed at Attorney General Pam Bondi so dangerous? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the president’s post urging AG Bondi to prosecute political rivals and what it reveals about Trump’s attitude toward his opponents. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down Charlie Kirk’s assassination, from the investigation and charges that followed to the political aftermath, and the First Amendment ...
Ever wonder how special counsel investigations really work, and what goes on behind the scenes? Former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Stay Tuned contributor Elie Honig offers insider access to the key players in his latest book, When You Come at the King: Inside DOJ’s Pursuit of the President, from Nixon to Trump . It is a riveting account of six modern special counsel cases compiled through dozens of interviews and firsthand stories. In the bonus for Insiders,...
How is the Supreme Court emboldening President Trump's continuing expansion of power? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Joyce Vance discusses the “appeasement theory” with Dahlia Lithwick, the Slate senior editor and host of the Amicus podcast. In the full episode, Joyce and Dahlia break down which cases to look out for in the Court’s upcoming term, how politics and culture wars are factoring into the Court’s decisions, and the dynamics between the nine justices. Preet will be back...
Programming Note: This conversation was recorded on Monday, 9/8, before the horrific and tragic killing of political activist Charlie Kirk. Gun violence is among the leading causes of death for children and teens in the United States. News of yet another mass shooting breaks almost weekly. And still, gun reform remains fiercely partisan. It is indeed a cultural flashpoint in a country that feels as divided and polarized as ever. This week, Preet is joined by John Feinblatt, the President of Ever...
In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the Supreme Court ruling that loosened restrictions on immigration raids in Los Angeles, allowing ICE to make stops based on factors like ethnicity. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down: – A federal judge’s ruling that President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles was unlawful; – A federal appeals court ruling, which, for the first time, struck down Trump’s use of the Alien Enemie...
What comes first, a prosperous economy or stable democratic institutions? Nobel Prize-winning economist and MIT professor Daron Acemoglu joins Preet to discuss the economic stakes of shifting institutional norms in the U.S. He weighs in on President Trump’s decision to fire key personnel at the Federal Reserve and Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as the announcement that the government will take a roughly 10% equity stake in Intel. Then, Preet answers a question about the latest developments ...
In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss President Donald Trump’s threats that he will deploy National Guard troops to major cities. Trump has already done this in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and has floated doing the same in Chicago, New York, and Baltimore. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down Trump’s efforts to expand the National Guard’s role in D.C. law enforcement, and two separate law enforcement assault cases out of D.C., in w...
Preet's out this week, so we're excited to share an episode of Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov , which we think listeners of Stay Tuned will enjoy. We'll be back next week! Jessica Tarlov sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with Hillary Clinton to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time. They explore how Donald Trump could attempt to broker an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, how Democrats should navigate their relationship with Israel amid the deepen...
Trump’s recent meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have raised urgent questions about America’s role in global affairs and the future of the war in Ukraine. Atlantic staff writer and national security expert Tom Nichols joins Preet to break down what’s at stake: the fragility of Western unity, the history behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and whether Trump can—or even wants to—deliver peace. They also discuss Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent social media tactics and ...
In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the agreement between the D.C. government and the Trump administration, facilitated by a federal judge, preserving the local government’s authority over its police force. The resolution stemmed from the D.C. Attorney General’s lawsuit challenging Trump’s takeover of the District’s police and his deployment of the National Guard. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss: – A federal appellate court’s decisio...
Should the law be more forgiving? Martha Minow, former dean of Harvard Law School, joins Preet for a wide-ranging conversation on what justice means today—inside and beyond the courtroom. They discuss the erosion of public trust in the legal system, the dangers of outcome-driven thinking, and why Minow believes we can’t “achieve” justice. Plus, they explore how self-interest in the Trump era has eroded our institutions, from the Supreme Court to Congress. In the bonus for Insiders, Minow explore...
Does President Trump have the legal authority to put Washington, D.C.’s police under federal control? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss Trump’s executive order declaring a crime emergency in DC to seize control of the city’s police and deploy the National Guard. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss: – A federal judge’s decision to reject the Trump administration’s request to unseal grand jury testimony from the Ghislaine Maxwell case; a...
Joe Kennedy III joins Preet Bharara to discuss the Democratic Party's struggles in rural America and his work with the Groundwork Project to rebuild trust from the ground up. They explore challenges like condescension in messaging and the impact of nationalized politics. Kennedy also addresses his family's public disagreements with RFK Jr. and reflects on his time in Congress, energy policy, and navigating a prominent family legacy.
What does it mean to be undocumented? And is it always illegal? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss whether violations of immigration law are treated as civil offenses or criminal acts under U.S. law. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down a new bill in Congress that would ban lawmakers from trading stocks. Plus, why president Donald Trump is exempt from the bill. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Not an Insider? N...
Donald Trump and the Justice Department are at the center of bipartisan furor over the case files of Jeffrey Epstein and the administration’s about-face on publicly releasing them. Preet is joined by former Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah, former Assistant US Attorney Elie Honig, and lawyer and former FBI agent Asha Rangappa to discuss what’s potentially unfolding behind closed doors at the Justice Department. They also break down the ongoing legal proceedings involving Epstein’s co-con...
Deputy AG Todd Blanche met with Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. How unusual is that and where does this development fit within the ongoing Epstein files saga? This is an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, where Preet Bharara is joined by Lawfare editor-in-chief Ben Wittes, while Joyce is out. In the full episode, Preet and Ben break down: – The battle over unsealing grand jury testimony in the Epstein case; – The firing of Maurene Comey, an SDNY prosecutor an...
Media executive Barry Diller, one of the industry's most successful moguls, is behind some of America’s most popular films and TV shows, from Home Alone to The Simpsons to Roots . He’s now the chairman and senior executive of IAC and Expedia Group. Diller’s new memoir, Who Knew , is a candid account of his family, his career, and his sexuality – long a source of public speculation and debate. He joins Preet to talk about what it was like to bare his soul, how Hollywood died when the “tech overlo...
In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down President Donald Trump’s push to unseal grand jury testimony from the Jeffrey Epstein case following weeks of backlash from Trump’s supporters. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a report on Epstein’s birthday letters, including one reportedly bearing Trump’s signature, and the firing of SDNY prosecutor Maurene Comey, who handled the E...
Preet recently sat down with Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart at the Aspen Ideas Festival to discuss his new memoir, Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home . They also dissect the current state of our politics and how to remain hopeful amid the political chaos stemming from Trump’s presidency. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay informed without hysteria, fear-mongering, or rage-baiting. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Sho...
On this week’s Insider episode, Joyce Vance is joined by CAFE contributor Nita Farahany, while Preet is out. Farahany is a professor of law and philosophy at Duke Law School and a leading expert on the ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies. In an excerpt from the episode, they discuss the U.S.’s failure to put in place proper safeguards for AI, and what Congress must do to keep pace with the growing risks. In the full episode, Joyce and Nita explore the meaning of “cognitive li...
If Trumpism is a reaction to an earlier era of politics, what will be the reaction to the reaction? Preet is joined by Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic , to examine today’s broader political landscape. From the passage of the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill,” to the administration’s controversial immigration policies, they explore what is straining our democratic institutions and what could help restore them. Then, Preet answers questions about federalizing the National Guard and ...
What qualifies as an invasion at the U.S.-Mexico Border? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down a federal judge’s ruling blocking President Trump’s effort to declare an “invasion” at the border to limit asylum access in the U.S. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss two recent Supreme Court decisions. The first case affords parents of elementary school children a religious exemption to school lessons on LGBTQ+ storybooks. And the second ca...
The Supreme Court just wrapped its term, handing down many consequential decisions, including in the birthright citizenship case which significantly limited the ability of lower court judges to check the president’s power. Preet is joined by professors and Supreme Court experts Trevor Morrison, Melissa Murray, and Jack Goldsmith to discuss the implications of that decision, and other emerging themes from this Supreme Court. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay informed without hysteria, fear-...
In another 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority limited district court judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions. In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down the decision and its broad implications. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss the Justice Department’s lawsuit against all 15 federal district court judges in Maryland over an order pausing deportations in the state. Plus, a whistleblower complaint accusing one of T...
Days after the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites, President Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer, President Biden’s two senior-most national security advisors, take Preet into the Situation Room and analyze the fragile situation in the Middle East. They discuss the actual damage done to Iran’s nuclear program, Trump’s split from the U.S. intelligence community, and the controversial question of regime change. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay inf...
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to deport immigrants to countries other than their homeland. In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the latest decision from the Court’s notorious shadow docket. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down: – A judge’s order releasing pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil from custody while his deportation case proceeds; – A ruling ordering the release of Salvadoran nati...
