
Hosted by Preet Bharara · EN

Devlin Barrett is a reporter for The New York Times, where he has covered the Justice Department and the FBI for over 20 years. He joins Preet to discuss his new book, The Department of Revenge: How Trump Took Control of American Justice. Barrett takes us inside the DOJ, where morale remains strained, and concerns are growing about the influence of Trump loyalists. He also unpacks Trump’s long-running fixation on former FBI Director Jim Comey and assesses Todd Blanche’s chances at being confirmed by the Senate as the permanent Attorney General. Then, Preet shares his thoughts on Hunter Biden’s emergence as a prolific and unusually candid public voice. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet and Barrett discuss why so many Justice Department employees are willing to risk their careers to uphold ethical standards and resist pressure from Trump. Join the Insider community for access to bonus content from Stay Tuned and weekly episodes of the Insider podcast hosted by Preet and Joyce Vance. Head to cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Shop Stay Tuned merch and featured books by our guests in our Amazon storefront. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Trump nominated Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to be the new Director of National Intelligence after facing bipartisan backlash over his initial pick of Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. In this excerpt from the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance discuss Clayton’s nomination, his qualifications, and how lawmakers have responded to Trump’s pivot. In the full episode, they cover the latest legal challenges to Trump’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Plus, the Supreme Court decision ruling federal prosecutors can only try a defendant in the district where the alleged offense occurred. To support the show and gain access to full Insider episodes, become a member at cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com/subscribe. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Atul Gawande is a surgeon, a best-selling author, and a longtime contributor to The New Yorker. He also served as the Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID under President Biden. He joins Preet to discuss new medical breakthroughs from cancer to GLP-1s, and the crisis of faith in our healthcare establishment. Then, Preet answers listener questions about whether Trump’s DOJ Anti-Weaponization Fund is really dead. He also shares his thoughts on President Trump’s acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte and Hunter Biden’s newly revived X account. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet and Gawande discuss affordability and the original sin of our healthcare system. Join the Insider community for access to bonus content from Stay Tuned and weekly episodes of the Insider podcast hosted by Preet and Joyce Vance. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Shop Stay Tuned merch and featured books by our guests in our Amazon storefront. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution halting U.S. military action against Iran. In this excerpt from the Insider podcast, Ben Wittes joins Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance to discuss its legal and political significance. Wittes is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Lawfare and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. In the full episode, they cover: – A reported plea deal between the Justice Department and President Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton; – Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence; and – Trump’s appointment of Todd Blanche as Attorney General. To support the show and gain access to full Insider episodes, become a member at cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com/subscribe. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Barb McQuade is a former U.S. Attorney, MS NOW legal analyst, law professor, and author of The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government. In this live episode taped at the 92NY in New York City, Barb joins Preet to discuss President Trump’s mob-style tactics, the $1.8 billion “slush fund” for January 6 defendants, threats to the rule of law, and how Americans can reclaim democratic accountability. Then, Preet answers listener questions about lawsuits challenging President Trump’s slush fund, whether acting officials can be impeached, and a court ruling barring arrests from being made in New York City immigration courts. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet and McQuade discuss restoring public faith in the Justice Department, the most important lesson for law students, and whether RICO is a viable legal tool for holding the Trump administration accountable. Join the Insider community for access to bonus content from Stay Tuned and weekly episodes of the Insider podcast hosted by Preet and Joyce Vance. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Shop Stay Tuned merch and featured books by our guests in our Amazon storefront. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A federal judge has blocked Trump’s efforts to add his own name to the Kennedy Center, a performing arts institution that honors the legacy of President John F. Kennedy. In this excerpt from the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down the court’s legal reasoning and larger takeaways from this development. In the full Insider episode, they cover: – Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund, and a federal court decision that effectively reopens Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS; and – Reports that the Justice Department is investigating E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault and won two defamation lawsuits against him, for allegedly committing perjury. To support the show and gain access to full Insider episodes, become a member at cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com/subscribe. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rep. Dan Goldman is a Democratic congressman from New York and a former federal prosecutor. He joins Preet to discuss Trump’s $1.776 billion “weaponization” fund, the future of Democratic oversight in Congress, his primary race, and the politics of Israel and Gaza. Then, Preet answers listener questions about the sentence commutation of Tina Peters, the former Colorado county clerk convicted of breaching election equipment, and about the original meaning of Memorial Day. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet and Goldman take on the impossible challenge of choosing DOJ’s worst offense yet. Join the Insider community for access to bonus content from Stay Tuned and weekly episodes of the Insider podcast hosted by Preet and Joyce Vance. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to CAFE’s Youtube channel and subscribe. Shop Stay Tuned merch and featured books by our guests in our Amazon storefront. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week’s Insider podcast, Doug Jones, former Senator from Alabama and current candidate for the state’s governor, joins Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance to break down redistricting efforts across the country, and the major recent Supreme Court decisions on gerrymandering and the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act. Doug also served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. In the full episode, they discuss a federal judge’s decision to dismiss the criminal charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia on grounds of vindictive prosecution and what it means for similar cases involving famous defendants like former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. This segment is available for free to listeners of Stay Tuned. To hear the full episode, become a member at cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com/subscribe. You’ll also get access to other exclusive content. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Join Preet Bharara and Barb McQuade live at the 92NY on May 31st: cafe.com/barb Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did the Trump-Xi summit reveal about the future of global power? On a new episode of Stay Tuned, New Yorker staff writer Evan Osnos joins Preet Bharara just after returning from Beijing, where he covered the Trump-Xi summit and the rapidly evolving relationship between the United States and China. They discuss Trump and Xi’s contrasting leadership styles, Taiwan, NATO, America’s standing in the world, and the growing race between the U.S. and China to shape the future of artificial intelligence. The conversation also explores what AI could mean for journalism, creativity, and human originality itself. Then, Preet shares some reflections from the Bruce Springsteen Tour. In the bonus for Insiders, Preet and Evan continue their conversation with a discussion about billionaires, political power, and why Americans remain both skeptical of wealth and deeply aspirational about success. Join the CAFE Insider community to stay informed without the hysteria, fear-mongering, or rage-baiting. Head to cafe.com/insider to sign up. Thank you for supporting our work. Show notes and a transcript of the episode are available on our website. You can now watch this episode! Head to the Stay Tuned Youtube channel and subscribe. Have a question for Preet? Ask @PreetBharara on BlueSky, or Twitter with the hashtag #AskPreet. Email us at staytuned@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail.Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will taxpayers be forced to fund President Trump’s “revenge tour”? On this week’s Insider podcast, Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance break down the legality of the Trump administration’s $1.776 billion DOJ settlement fund to compensate January 6 defendants and allies the administration claims were victims of “weaponization.” In the full episode, Preet and Joyce discuss: – Allegations that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked to recuse from Trump matters at the Justice Department; – A DOJ lawsuit seeking to block a D.C. Bar ethics investigation into Jeffrey Clark and other Trump administration lawyers; and – A federal judge’s criticism of the Justice Department for allegedly lying to the court. This segment is available for free to listeners of Stay Tuned. To hear the full episode, become a member at cafe.com/insider or staytuned.substack.com/subscribe. You’ll also get access to other exclusive content. CAFE Insiders click HERE to listen to the full analysis. Join Preet Bharara and Barb McQuade live at the 92NY on May 31st: cafe.com/barb Subscribe to our YouTube channel. This podcast is brought to you by CAFE and Vox Media Podcast Network. Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Supervising Producer: Jake Kaplan; Associate Producer: Claudia Hernández; Senior Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; CAFE Team: Celine Rohr, Nat Weiner, Jennifer Indig, and Liana Greenway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices