Will President Joe Biden preemptively pardon people on the so-called Trump enemies list? In an excerpt from a new episode of the CAFE Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down the balance of considerations involved. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce further explore potential preemptive pardons. They also discuss the arrest of and charges against Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and the Supreme Court oral arguments in a case cha...
Dec 11, 2024•11 min
Michèle Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy under President Obama, joins Preet to explore President-elect Donald Trump's vision for reshaping the Department of Defense. From Trump's contentious nomination of Pete Hegseth to DOGE's ambitious plan to cut the Pentagon's $886 billion budget, the conversation delves into the sweeping changes that could redefine U.S. defense policy. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/nominees-budgets-...
Dec 06, 2024•30 min
Sam Harris is a philosopher, neuroscientist, and the host of the Making Sense podcast. He joins Preet to discuss political debate in the Trump era, the end of identity politics, and the morality of the Hunter Biden pardon. Plus, could Trump fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell? What does Preet think about Kash Patel? And how might Trump use the Vacancies Act? For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/politics-brain-rot-with-sam-harris/ Have a question for Preet?...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Why did President Joe Biden pardon his son, Hunter, despite vowing not to? In an excerpt from a new episode of the CAFE Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down Biden’s pardon decision. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce further analyze the Hunter Biden pardon. They also discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of his ally, Kash Patel, as FBI Director. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. To become a member of CAFE Insider head to cafe.com/insider. ...
Dec 03, 2024•19 min
On a special episode of Stay Tuned in Brief, national security experts John Carlin and Jeremy Bash discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for national security roles, the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, and U.S. foreign policy. John Carlin is the former Acting Deputy Attorney General of the United States. He previously was the top national security official for the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Chief of Staff of the FBI under Robert Mueller. He's now a p...
Dec 02, 2024•56 min
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and author who teaches at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He joins Preet to discuss: Post-election anxiety and where we go from here Why we should (or shouldn’t) trust experts Taking a break from the news Meritocracies and measuring success To watch this interview on YouTube, click here. After the election, our work making sense of legal news continues. For the month of November, visit cafe.com/november to get 40% off your member...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Brenda Wineapple joins Preet to discuss her new book about the Scopes Monkey trial, “Keeping the Faith: God, Democracy, and the Trial that Riveted America.” The trial, often called 'the trial of the century,' was not just a courtroom battle but a flashpoint in a broader cultural war that continues to echo in debates over science, religion, and education today. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/the-scopes-monkey-trial-revisited-brenda-wineapple Ha...
Nov 25, 2024•58 min
Garry Kasparov is a chess grandmaster and Chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative, a nonprofit dedicated to defending liberal democracies worldwide. He joins Preet to discuss: Trump’s plans to consolidate power within the Executive Branch The need for change within the Democratic Party What normalcy might look like in four years How Trump may impact Russia’s war in Ukraine Strategies for surviving political exhaustion Plus, will Matt Gaetz be the new Attorney General? Will the Department of E...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Preet, Joyce, and the CAFE team are celebrating the 300th episode of the CAFE Insider podcast. Thank you for listening and for creating such an engaged community. In an excerpt from the show, Preet and Joyce discuss President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz as Attorney General. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce further discuss Gaetz’s nomination, including his recent resignation from Congress days before the House Ethics Committee was expected to release a report on ...
Nov 20, 2024•12 min
With Donald Trump soon to be sworn in as the 47th president, he’s made clear he wants to shake up Washington — including possibly firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Political scientist Sarah Binder joins Preet to discuss whether a president has the legal authority to fire the Fed chair and how it could impact the economy. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/fire-the-fed-chair/ Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on Threads, or Twi...
Nov 18, 2024•29 min
Astead Herndon is a New York Times national politics reporter and the host of the politics podcast “The Run-Up.” He joins Preet to make sense of Donald Trump’s reelection. They discuss: The failures of the Joe Biden Democratic coalition Outcomes of the 2022 midterm vs. 2024 presidential elections How assumptions about race and gender played into Trump's win Harris's law enforcement background The future realignment of the Democratic Party Plus, what’s going to happen to special counsel Jack Smit...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 29 min
What are recess appointments? And with Republicans controlling the Senate, will President-elect Trump’s nominees face any hurdles in their confirmation process? In an excerpt from a new episode of the CAFE Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss Trump’s ongoing nominations of cabinet members and other high-profile positions. Despite Republicans controlling the Senate, Trump has called on candidates vying to replace Republican leader Mitch McConnell to permit his nominees to take o...
Nov 13, 2024•10 min
In this year’s election, abortion protection measures were on the ballot in ten different states. While they succeeded in seven, they failed in three. So where does that leave the future of abortion access? This week, Preet speaks with University of Pennsylvania constitutional law professor and co-host of Strict Scrutiny Kate Shaw. They break down the most notable ballot measures and what abortion rights may look like under a second Trump presidency. Stay Tuned in Brief is presented by CAFE and ...
Nov 11, 2024•32 min
Donald Trump has won the presidential election, so where does that leave his pending civil cases? In this excerpt of CAFE Insider, Elie Honig and Barb McQuade break down the status of Trump’s Manhattan and Georgia cases. Barb McQuade is a CAFE Contributor and former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. In the full episode, Elie and Barb delve into Trump’s pending federal cases and what a Justice Department under Trump will look like the second time around. This is the latest insta...
Nov 08, 2024•7 min
Donald Trump is returning to the White House. The day after the election, Preet is joined by former US Attorney Joyce Vance, historian Joanne Freeman, and political scientist Ian Bremmer to discuss what happened on election night, and how the next four years could reshape America. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/trump-election-win/ Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on Threads, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytu...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 13 min
On a scale of 1-10, how progressive is Kamala Harris? In this excerpt of CAFE Insider, CAFE Contributor Elie Honig speaks with political journalist Marisa Lagos about Kamala Harris’s prosecutorial background and how it has informed her current policies. This is the fifth episode in a new series of special episodes exclusively for members of CAFE Insider. To become a member of CAFE Insider and get access to the full analysis head to cafe.com/insiderpod. You’ll get access to two full episodes of t...
Nov 05, 2024•8 min
Preet speaks with AOL co-founder Steve Case and Maryland governor Wes Moore about how the government and the private sector can work together to solve some of the biggest challenges we face as a society. This conversation was recorded live at the 2024 Masters of Scale Summit, an annual experience from the Masters of Scale podcast. Check out weekly episodes of Masters of Scale: https://mastersofscale.com/follow Stay Tuned in Brief is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Please wri...
Nov 04, 2024•38 min
Evan Osnos is a staff writer at the New Yorker, where his work spans everything from national politics to foreign affairs. Just days before the election, Osnos joins Preet to talk about the big questions in American political culture: What does patriotism mean in a divided country? How should we confront cruelty? And is there still room for empathy in our politics? Plus, Preet offers advice to high school students and to lawyers making the move to private practice. With the election around the c...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 16 min
On a new episode of CAFE Insider, Preet and Joyce discuss some worst case scenarios if Trump wins the 2024 presidential election. In an excerpt from the show, they discuss potential candidates for Trump’s Attorney General and what might happen to the Justice Department’s rank and file. In the full episode, Preet and Joyce further discuss what a second Trump administration might look like, including how Trump might target his political enemies, whether he would invoke the Insurrection Act, and ho...
Oct 29, 2024•11 min
This week, Preet speaks with renowned entrepreneur Mark Cuban to discuss his complex, decades-long relationship with Donald Trump. They delve into the key issues shaping the upcoming presidential election, breaking down each candidate’s economic proposals and their potential impact on the country’s financial future. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/trumpnesia/ As we approach the election, we're giving listeners a special offer to join CAFE Insid...
Oct 28, 2024•27 min
In this excerpt of CAFE Insider, CAFE Contributors Elie Honig and Asha Rangappa discuss the reasons why the U.S. government believes the social media app, TikTok, poses a serious national security threat. In the full episode, Elie and Asha break down the bipartisan efforts to ban TikTok in the U.S. and the different lawsuits the company faces—one brought by the federal government arguing TikTok violated child privacy laws and 14 more filed by state attorneys general alleging the app is harming c...
Oct 25, 2024•9 min
Douglas Brinkley is one of the nation's foremost presidential historians. A professor at Rice University, political commentator, and the author of forty books, Brinkley joins Preet to discuss the historic nature of the upcoming election, and the precedent for a political figure like Donald Trump. Plus, ever wondered what’s in that piece of paper the jury hands to the judge before a verdict? Why is Trump heading to Madison Square Garden? What are Rudy Giuliani’s most valuable possessions… and why...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 16 min
On a new episode of CAFE Insider, Joyce Vance is joined by special guest Marc Elias to unpack the election lawsuits that may shape this year's election. Marc is one of the nation's foremost election attorneys. He's served as election counsel on multiple presidential campaigns, including the Kamala Harris campaign, where he's focusing on potential recounts, post-election litigation, and challenging voter suppression laws across the country. In an excerpt from the show, Joyce and Marc discuss Dona...
Oct 22, 2024•8 min
On a special episode of Stay Tuned in Brief, Jesse Weber, anchor and host at the Law & Crime Network, joins former federal prosecutor Elie Honig to discuss the criminal cases of brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who were convicted of first-degree murder in the ‘90s for killing their parents. Did they have a legitimate claim of imperfect self-defense based on imminent danger? Should evidence of sexual abuse been fully admissible? And should the emergence of new evidence prompt a reevaluation of th...
Oct 18, 2024•36 min
Ben Wikler is the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin—one of the seven battleground states in this extremely competitive presidential election. Hailed as a “winning machine” for Democrats, Wikler joined Preet for a live taping to discuss political humor, third party candidates, and the state of the race in swing states. To learn more about WisDems and how to get involved, click here. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/election-swing-states-...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 10 min
This week, Preet speaks with NBC’s national political correspondent Steve Kornacki about the key swing states in the 2024 election and how to make sense of the latest polls. Also, Stay Tuned is going live! RSVP here to our live remote taping with Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, on 10/15 at 5pm ET. Stay Tuned in Brief is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Please write to us with your thoughts and questions at [email protected], or leave a voicemail at 6...
Oct 14, 2024•34 min
CAFE Contributor Elie Honig is joined by Westchester County, New York District Attorney Mimi Rocah to discuss the criminal indictment of music producer Sean “Diddy” Combs on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. In this excerpt, they discuss the likelihood that associates of Combs will face criminal charges and the decision by prosecutors to include references to salacious evidence in the indictment. Elie also reacts to listener responses to his recent article criticizing special counsel Jac...
Oct 11, 2024•28 min
As we approach the 2024 presidential election, economic issues have taken center stage. Financial Times columnist Gillian Tett joins Preet to break down each candidate’s economic proposals, examining their potential impact on the U.S. and the global economy. They explore key topics like tariffs, inflation, and how they’ll impact voters. Plus, will hurricane season affect the presidential election? What’s Preet’s advice for first year law students? And, what does “The Young Bharara” think about H...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 12 min
On a new episode of CAFE Insider, Preet and Joyce discuss special counsel Jack Smith’s brief on presidential immunity in the election interference prosecution of former President Donald Trump. In an excerpt from the show, they respond to CAFE Contributor Elie Honig’s article criticizing Smith and Chutkan. Was Chutkan right to make the brief public? Are the allegations in the brief unduly prejudicial against Trump? And was it all politics? In the full episode, Preet and Joyce further respond to H...
Oct 08, 2024•15 min
On the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel, Preet speaks with The Atlantic staff writer Franklin Foer about the war in Gaza, the U.S.-led diplomacy, and what the next year may hold for the region. Also, Stay Tuned is going live! RSVP here to our live remote taping with Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, on 10/15 at 5pm ET. Stay Tuned in Brief is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Please write to us with your thoughts and questions at l...
Oct 04, 2024•36 min
