Why did the Justice Department reverse course and step in to investigate the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minnesota? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the latest from Minnesota, including the Pretti investigation and the criminal charges against journalist Don Lemon. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down the FBI’s search of an election office in Fulton County, Georgia, and the latest Epstein files release, which incl...
Feb 03, 2026•12 min
Financial Times U.S. national editor and columnist Ed Luce joins Preet Bharara to discuss the aftermath of the deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by border patrol agents and why this might be an inflection point for Trump. Preet and Ed also make sense of the cowardice on the part of leaders and institutions in standing up to Trump and what it will take for them to speak out publicly against the president. Then, Preet answers your questions about a leaked ICE memo claiming agents can enter a target’s...
Jan 29, 2026•1 hr 7 min
If the people with oversight over federal agents won’t hold them accountable, what’s left for the public to do when an innocent person is killed in plain sight…and the government lies about what happened? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by border patrol agents in Minnesota and where we go from here. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down a leaked secret internal ICE memo authorizing ICE agents to ent...
Jan 27, 2026•14 min
How far has ICE strayed from its original mission? And how has its evolution led to the deadly shooting of Renee Good? This week, lawyer and former ICE Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs Elliot Williams joins Preet Bharara to discuss the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis and why its aftermath is unprecedented. Plus, they discuss the lessons that still resonate today from a notorious ‘80s case explored in Williams’s new book, Five Bullets: The Story of Bernie Goetz, New York’s Explosive ...
Jan 22, 2026•1 hr 11 min
When a federal agent uses deadly force, who decides if it was justified and based on what evidence? What does accountability require? In a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance are joined by Vanita Gupta, an experienced civil rights attorney who served as United States Associate Attorney General and led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. In this excerpt from the conversation, Vanita discusses her work collaborating with law enforcement leaders to update t...
Jan 20, 2026•12 min
Is the American Dream still possible? This week, longtime politician Rahm Emanuel joins Preet. Rahm served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, represented Illinois in the U.S. House, and later became mayor of Chicago. Most recently, he served as U.S. ambassador to Japan. Rahm and Preet discuss the affordability crisis, why Trump supporters feel betrayed, and how Rahm’s longtime career in politics has prepared him for a 2028 presidential campaign. Then, Preet answers your questions abo...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 3 min
Will the Supreme Court uphold President Trump’s executive order attempting to limit birthright citizenship? In this excerpt from the Insider podcast, former Deputy Solicitor General Michael Dreeben joins Joyce Vance to discuss the forthcoming oral arguments in a case challenging one of President Trump’s most aggressive immigration policies. In the full episode, Joyce and Michael discuss a challenge to the long-standing precedent in Humphrey’s Executor , issues connected to the National Guard dep...
Jan 13, 2026•11 min
Ian Bremmer joins Preet to break down his annual Top Risks report and the biggest geopolitical threats shaping 2026. Bremmer is the founder of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media. They discuss the U.S. intervention in Venezuela, the new “Donroe Doctrine” of U.S. foreign policy, and why a political revolution in the U.S. ranks as the top risk. Then, Preet answers your questions on why Nicolás Maduro is being prosecuted in New York and the show “Schoolhouse Rock.” In the bonus for Insiders, Preet answer...
Jan 08, 2026•1 hr 6 min
What does the U.S. capture and prosecution of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro reveal about presidential power, immunity, and the limits of the law? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss many legal issues raised by Maduro’s apprehension and indictment: Is this really a drug-trafficking case, a foreign policy move disguised as a law enforcement action, or both? And why is the case being handled by Preet’s former office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the ...
Jan 06, 2026•14 min
This week, while Stay Tuned is on break, we’re bringing you a special episode of the Vox Media podcast The Raging Moderates , hosted by author and professor Scott Galloway and political strategist and Fox News’s The Five co-host Jessica Tarlov. They break down how Trump’s return to office in 2025 reshaped the presidency, the economy, and U.S. institutions. Then, they turn to AI. How should Democrats respond when voters are anxious, states are being sidelined, and Congress can’t seem to act? And ...
Dec 25, 2025•53 min
How can we make our disagreements more productive? This week, 10% Happier founder Dan Harris joins Preet Bharara to discuss how small consistent habits can change your life, how best to avoid echo chambers, and the key to healthy disagreements. Then, Preet answers your questions on what it’s like for prosecutors to see people they’ve convicted get pardoned, and the latest developments in the Letitia James case. In the bonus for Insiders, Harris turns the mic on Preet as he shares his thoughts on...
Dec 18, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Is the United States at war with Venezuela? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the legality of the U.S.’s oil tanker seizure and the strikes against alleged Venezuelan drug-trafficking boats. Plus, if survivors remain after a strike, what does the law require the United States to do? In the full episode, Preet and Joyce cover more news: – Two grand juries decline criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James; and – A federal j...
Dec 16, 2025•12 min
Is any historical decision in America truly settled? This week, historian, Harvard law professor, and The New Yorker staff writer, Jill Lepore, joins Preet Bharara to discuss the intersection between history and the law, how often laws should evolve, and why Lepore thinks the Constitution should be easier to amend. Then, Preet answers your questions on whether President Trump accidentally pardoned the January 6th pipe bomber, and what the recent grand jury decision means for the case against NY ...
Dec 11, 2025•1 hr 6 min
What happens to a free press when a president takes steps that could discourage critical coverage? This week on the Insider podcast, Preet is joined by Erwin Chemerinsky, constitutional law expert and Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, while Joyce is out. In an excerpt from the conversation, they discuss the Trump administration’s record on the First Amendment, including lawsuits against media organizations and restrictive guidelines on journalists at the Pentagon. In the full episode, Preet...
Dec 09, 2025•14 min
What do the Epstein emails reveal about our nation’s elite class? This week, writer, political analyst, and founder of the Substack publication, The Ink , Anand Giridharadas, joins Preet to unpack his latest article, “How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails.” Then, Preet answers your questions about President Trump’s meeting with New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, and how the Senate passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act in less than a day. In the bonus ...
Dec 04, 2025•1 hr 22 min
Is President Trump weaponizing the National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., to further his immigration agenda? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down Trump’s latest plan to pause all migration from what he’s calling “third world countries,” after an Afghan man shot two members of the West Virginia National Guard, killing one of them. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss: – A federal judge’s inquiry into whether the Trump administratio...
Dec 02, 2025•11 min
This week, we are sharing the latest episode of a new weekly national security and foreign policy podcast: The Long Game, hosted by Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer. Jake and Jon discuss MBS’s visit to the White House and what Saudi Arabia walked away with after meeting with Trump. A major corruption scandal inside Zelensky’s government just as Washington pushes for a new peace plan for Ukraine. And a tabletop exercise mapping the risks of shifting thousands of national-security personnel away from c...
Nov 26, 2025•58 min
Are we Sleep Walking into a War with Venezuela? Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer, former national security advisors to the president and co-hosts of “The Long Game” podcast, join Preet to discuss the escalating situation in Venezuela, including the Trump administration’s consideration of airstrikes, the possibility of targeting Nicolás Maduro, and the likelihood of a ground incursion. Plus, the latest on the Gaza peace plan and the expanding role of AI in modern conflict. Then, Preet answers listener...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr
Could the fight over the Epstein files mark a turning point for MAGA? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s break with President Trump over his administration’s stonewalling of the release of Epstein documents. They also react to Trump’s directive to his Justice Department to investigate Democrats over alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein—while avoiding similar scrutiny of himself and his Republican allies. In the full epis...
Nov 18, 2025•16 min
What can the 1929 stock market crash teach us today? This week, New York Times columnist and author Andrew Ross Sorkin joins Preet Bharara to unpack his latest book, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash In Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation , drawing on eight years of research and access to never-before-seen historical documents. Then, Preet answers your questions on the legality of potential U.S. military action in Venezuela and the history of the oath of office. In the bonus for Insi...
Nov 13, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Will the Supreme Court expand presidential powers once again? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down the oral arguments before the Court over President Trump’s tariff policy — specifically, how much power a president has to levy tariffs under emergency-powers laws. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss: – The wave of subpoenas issued to Trump’s political opponents by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida that could result ...
Nov 11, 2025•14 min
Can DOJ survive Trump? On a new episode of Stay Tuned , Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporters Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis join Preet Bharara to discuss their new book, Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department . They speak about the politicization of DOJ under the Trump administration, how career DOJ staff are resisting or enabling the weaponization of law enforcement, and the erosion of public trust in the institution. Then, Preet answers listener quest...
Nov 06, 2025•1 hr 16 min
Can the Trump administration invalidate pardons issued by former President Biden? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement that DOJ is reviewing Biden’s use of an autopen for pardons. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce break down: – President Donald Trump’s appeal of his criminal conviction in New York, in which he cites the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision; and – The National Guard cases movin...
Nov 04, 2025•12 min
What can we learn from the rise of NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani? This week, Vox Media’s newest addition Astead Herndon joins Preet Bharara to discuss political coverage in a shifting media landscape, what today’s kitchen table issues say about American politics, and the surprising similarities between Mamdani and Trump. Then, Preet answers your questions on whether the Speaker of the House has to swear in new members and whether the president’s subordinates are immune from prosecution. I...
Oct 30, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Are the U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug traffickers aboard vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific legal? Law professor and legal analyst Barb McQuade joins Preet to discuss in this excerpt from the Insider podcast. In the full episode, Preet and Barb break down President Trump’s lawsuit against the Justice Department and an appellate court’s decision to overturn an order blocking the Trump administration from deploying National Guard in Portland, Oregon. Joyce will be back next week. CAFE Insi...
Oct 28, 2025•13 min
How can we protect our democracy from President Trump’s overreach? Joyce Vance is a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, a law professor at the University of Alabama, author of the popular Substack newsletter Civil Discourse , co-host of the #SistersInLaw podcast, and Preet Bharara’s co-host on the CAFE Insider podcast. Now, she’s a published author. She joined Preet for a live conversation organized by the 92nd Street Y to discuss her new book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A...
Oct 23, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Will Jim Comey succeed in seeking dismissal of his criminal charges? In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the former FBI Director’s motion to dismiss his indictment citing the unlawful appointment of Lindsey Halligan as the Eastern District of Virginia’s interim U.S. Attorney. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce analyze Comey’s other motion to dismiss on the basis of selective and vindictive prosecution. They also share their reactions to the ind...
Oct 22, 2025•12 min
A fragile but momentous ceasefire has taken effect in Israel’s two year war against Hamas, following the terror group’s brutal attack on October 7th. With hostages and prisoners exchanged and hostilities paused, the hard work of forging a lasting peace begins. Dan Senor, host of the Israeli news and politics podcast, “ Call Me Back ,” joins Preet to discuss the diplomatic negotiations and military strategy that got us here and what’s next for the region. He previously served in the Defense Depar...
Oct 16, 2025•1 hr 16 min
The Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard ended decades of race-conscious admissions in higher education. Supporters argue the ruling restores colorblind fairness, while critics warn it risks undoing decades of progress toward equal opportunity. On this week’s Stay Tuned with Preet, Yale Law Professor Justin Driver, author of The Fall of Affirmative Action: Race, the Supreme Court, and the Future of Higher Education, joins Preet to trace the history of affirmative a...
Oct 09, 2025•1 hr 14 min
The FBI has reportedly discussed staging a “perp walk” with former FBI Director Jim Comey. In an excerpt from this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss the legality of publicly arresting a high-profile criminal defendant and how this spectacle could help Comey’s defense. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss the next steps in the Comey prosecution. They also break down a federal judge’s opinion in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s criminal case, finding signs of vindictive p...
Oct 07, 2025•15 min
