Podcast
Conversations With Jim Zirin
Hosted by Jim Zirin · EN
Conversations with Jim Zirin is a talk show designed to analyze national and world events. The series features high-profile guests from the worlds of politics, law, business, foreign relations, national security, counterterrorism, media, lifestyles, literature, the arts, and the military.
The series is hosted by Jim Zirin, a leading litigator and contributor to major publications including Forbes, the Daily Beast, the Nation, The Times of London, The Washington Post, The Daily News, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author of three books: The Mother Court—Tales of Cases That Mattered in America's Greatest Trial Court, Supremely Partisan—How Raw Politics Tips the Scales in the United States Supreme Court, and Plaintiff in Chief—A Portrait of Donald Trump in 3500 Lawsuits. Jim served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York in the Criminal Division under the legendary Robert M. Morgenthau.
15episodes
Episodes
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Can Mamdani Balance the NYC Budget without Raising Taxes? | Andrew Rein
4w ago00:26:47Tap to summarizeAndrew 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.
Transcribe →Will the Courts Be the Brakes on Trump's Mass Deportations? | Lee Gelernt
Apr 2900:26:02Tap to summarizeIn 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.
Transcribe →How Can We Reform Homeland Security? | Jeh Johnson
Mar 3100:26:47Tap to summarizeFormer 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.
Transcribe →Can Documentary Films Help Achieve Social Justice? | Yoruba Richen
Jan 900:26:33Tap to summarizeYoruba 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.
Transcribe →Will This Supreme Court Ever Curb Trump's Excesses? | Stephen Vladeck
Dec 1900:26:47Tap to summarizeSince 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.
Transcribe →Man's Inhumanity to Man | Haley Cohen Gilliland
Nov 1300:26:48Tap to summarizeNo description available
Transcribe →How Has the New York Times Upped Its Game? | Patrick Healy
Oct 2200:26:47Tap to summarizePatrick 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.
Transcribe →MoMA's Hidden Masterpieces | Glenn Lowry
Oct 900:26:46Tap to summarizeGlenn 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.
Transcribe →Are Trump's Tariffs Good for the American Economy? | Michael Froman
Jul 1600:26:47Tap to summarizeMichael 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
Transcribe →Could the Democrats Have Changed the Outcome of the 2024 Election? | Chris Whipple
Jun 1000:26:47Tap to summarizeTrump 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.
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