
Hosted by Jim Zirin · EN

Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, tells Jim left wing NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani released his "preliminary budget" projecting a deficit of $5.4 billion which he would close by imposing a "tax on the rich." To accomplish this goal, he needs authority from Albany, unlikely in an election year. Robust pushback has come from the more moderate City Council which must approve the plan.

In March 2025, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, never before used in peacetime, Trump, in violation of a court order, sent hundreds of Venezuelan men, alleged to be gang members, to the infamous CECOT prison in El Salvador. Lee Gelernt of the American Civil Liberties Union tells Jim Zirin of the lawsuits that rescued them from torture and abuse.

Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson takes a critical look at the agency he headed and wonders whether the Trump administration is undermining the DHS core mission to protect Americans from terrorist threats to pursue a program of mass deportation.

Yoruba Richen is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, the founding director of the documentary film program at the Craig Newmark graduate school of journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY). She tells Jim of her latest project, a blockbuster film called "Free Joan Little," about the first woman in US history to be acquitted of murder on grounds of self-defense to sexual violence.

Since 1803, the Supreme Court has discharged assumed a duty to rein in the excesses of the president. On its "shadow docket," however, the Court has ruled for Trump over 80% of the time. These are interim orders, but will they become final? Constitutional law expert and Supreme Court follower Stephen Vladeck tells me that interim orders can leave an indelible impression even if eventually vacated.

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Patrick Healy heads the New York Times quality control department of standards and trust. He tells Jim how the paper meets its critics from left and right, satisfies itself it has it right, and its coverage fair as it deals with the controversial and searing issues of Trump 2.0 and the Gaza war.

Glenn Lowry just stepped down as the sixth Director of New York's iconic Museum of Modern Art after a 30-year run in which he was acknowledged as one of the greatest museum directors in the world. Glenn Lowry led MoMA into the 21st century with a new focus on contemporary art. He oversaw two major expansion projects, met challenge after challenge, including the shocks of 9-11, the 2008 financial crisis, the covid pandemic, and the heavy hand on the arts of two Trump administrations. He tells Jim Zirin the secret of his special sauce.

Michael Froman served in the Obama cabinet as United States Trade Representative. He is now president of the Council on Foreign Relations. He tells Jim Zirin that some tariffs are necessary for national security or to curb unfair trade practices, but others are needlessly inflationary, disrupting foreign relations by punishing small nations or others which we would want to be our friends and allies. 🗞️ Subscribe to Beyond the Headlines newsletter: • https://beyondheadlinesjimzirin.subst... 🎧 Also available on: • Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/3rPnkHf Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3YgxL2U 📱Follow: LinkedIn - / cwjz Facebook - / convoswithjimzirin X - https://x.com/jimzirin Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/jimzirin.bsk... Instagram - / convoswithjimzirin

Trump ran in 2024 with more negatives than any candidate in American history. Yet, he won the election over Kamala Harris who should have easily beaten him. Where did she go wrong? Could she have won? Best-selling author Chris Whipple with insider access concludes those around Biden ignored his cognitive decline, and tells Jim Zirin Harris never succeeded in separating herself from Biden.