Talking Feds – "Ceasefire and Crossfire" (October 13, 2025)

Host: Harry Litman
Guests: Susan Glasser, Emily Bazelon, Kristin Holmes

Overview

In this episode, host Harry Litman gathers a powerhouse panel—Susan Glasser (The New Yorker), Emily Bazelon (NYT Magazine, Yale), and first-time guest Kristin Holmes (CNN)—to dissect two seismic stories: a tentative Trump-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and Donald Trump's intensifying domestic campaign to weaponize the Justice Department against his perceived enemies. The conversation swings from Middle East diplomacy and domestic political fallout, to Trump’s legal retribution tour and aggressive federal interventions in blue cities.

Main Segments & Timestamps

1. Trump’s Israel-Hamas Ceasefire: Real Breakthrough, or Mirage?

[04:11] – [13:46]

Key Points:

• Trump indeed engineered the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, wielding unprecedented personal leverage over Netanyahu (Susan Glasser: [04:54], [07:09]).
• Trump’s transactional, pro-Israel positioning and business ties with Gulf states, especially Qatar and UAE, played a major role ([04:54], [08:01]).
• The ceasefire is only a "phase one" deal, leaving critical questions about Gaza’s future, Hamas’ demilitarization, and postwar governance unresolved ([09:29], [10:57], [11:54]).
• Skepticism abounds over Trump’s attention span for the complex long-term diplomacy required ([09:29], [10:29]).
• On the ground in Israel, Trump is publicly celebrated, but experts warn of unresolved dangers ([08:52]).

Notable Quotes:

• Susan Glasser [04:54]:
  “Trump personally has styled himself... as the most pro-Israel president—that gave him enormous power. Because... why did this deal happen right now? It was because Donald Trump chose to put the screws on Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu didn’t really have anywhere else to go."
• Emily Bazelon [09:29]:
  “Isn’t the question what’s going to happen beyond the return of the hostages in this prisoner exchange? Because then things get much more complicated... it’s very hard to imagine Donald Trump engaging with that degree of interest over a long period.”

2. Political Ramifications of the Ceasefire, in Israel and the US

[13:46] – [18:44]

Key Points:

• The rare Trump diplomatic win may temporarily relieve pressure on US politicians—but deep divisions remain, especially among Democrats ([16:14], [16:57]).
• The 2026 Israeli election could be impacted; Netanyahu's alignment with Republicans may be alienating US Democrats ([16:57], [18:44]).
• The shift in US public opinion, especially among younger Democratic voters, is away from traditional pro-Israel sentiments.

Notable Quotes:

• Susan Glasser [16:57]:
  “Long-term Democratic... pulling away from Israel, that is a trajectory that is established, that is not going to reverse... especially true among young Democrats, including young Jewish Democrats.”
• Kristin Holmes [16:14]:
  “This is such a volatile moment... everything is so tenuous... I think we could get there again.”

3. Trump’s Legal Retribution Campaign: Halligan, Comey, Letitia James

[18:44] – [32:53]

Key Points:

• Trump’s DOJ is pursuing criminal cases against perceived opponents (Comey, Letitia James) on what appear to be extremely flimsy grounds ([18:44], [20:25]).
• Novice U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan brought the Letitia James indictment almost solo, bypassing customary DOJ coordination—a jaw-dropping breach of protocol ([22:11], [23:24], [24:46]).
• The prosecutions are explicitly retributive, personally ordered by Trump in writing, and the usual DOJ independence is “ended” ([27:09], [29:06]).
• These legal assaults may not end in convictions, but the process itself damages reputations and exacts huge costs ([26:32], [32:05]).
• Debate over whether Biden should have preemptively pardoned more figures on Trump's "enemies list" out of concern for overt political prosecutions ([33:41]).

Notable Quotes:

• Emily Bazelon [20:25]:
  “When the experienced prosecutors in your office look you in the eye and tell you they can’t do it... you’re not supposed to go to the grand jury and ask for an indictment.”
• Harry Litman [24:46]:
  “If you did something like that within 20 minutes, the next thing would happen is the phone call from the Deputy Attorney General firing you... a case of that gravity and magnitude.”
• Susan Glasser [29:06]:
  “Donald Trump is in charge of the Justice Department now on an operational sense... all three of them were his personal attorneys and that’s their qualification for the job.”
• Kristin Holmes [30:06]:
  “Not only is it that they’re not going to fire her, but instead they’re saying, like, great work that you did that, because they can’t come out against it... that would be going against the President.”
• Susan Glasser [33:07]:
  “This is vengeance in a much more concerted way... I think that he and the MAGA hardcore will not be satisfied with just sort of tying up these ‘enemies’ for a while with paperwork.”

4. The Weaponization of Federal Power in Blue Cities

[42:19] – [53:32]

Key Points:

• Trump is escalating federal interventions in "blue cities" under pretexts of rebellion and insurrection, using National Guard and federal agents ([43:31], [45:16]).
• Federal courts have started to push back, with a notable opinion by Judge Immergut (a Trump appointee) ruling Trump’s order was “untethered to the facts,” i.e., based on lies ([45:16], [46:22]).
• The Supreme Court's historical deference to executive claims of emergency powers is discussed as a dangerous precedent ([47:57], [51:10]).
• The panel raises the specter of Trump seeking to invoke the Insurrection Act to justify further crackdowns or even election interference ([51:10]).

Notable Quotes:

• Susan Glasser [45:16]:
  “This opinion said... it’s not martial law that we have in this country, but constitutional law. And... you can’t order the US Military into an American city on the basis of a pretext that is ‘untethered to the facts’…”
• Emily Bazelon [46:22]:
  “I feel like so many of us felt great relief from those ‘untethered to the facts’ lines in this opinion.”
• Kristin Holmes [51:10]:
  “When it comes to the president, I never rule anything out... before he goes into an Insurrection Act, I think that is just him posturing and threatening. But I also think that if it comes to it, he wants to do this, he will.”
• Harry Litman [52:17]:
  “As a legal matter, I think what Immerget did is so important because the principle that deference doesn’t equal swallowing lies will matter across the board…”

5. Final Segment: Light-Hearted Five-Word Challenge

[53:32] – [54:11]

The question: If Trump could choose, who would perform at the Super Bowl halftime show?

• Emily Bazelon: "Kid Rock. Good choice."
• Kristin Holmes: "Lara Trump, duet."
• Susan Glasser: "Donald John Trump."
• Harry Litman: "Roger Stone and the Felons."

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Susan Glasser plateaus the conversation with her color commentary on Trump’s transactional foreign policy:
  “World has different push and pulls than the next American midterm election… In a Mideast context, that means something different.” [04:54]
• Kristin Holmes reveals White House — and DOJ — disarray over the Letitia James indictment:
  “She had never presented in front of a grand jury before. So these are the first two times…” [23:24]
• Emily Bazelon flags the erosion of prosecutorial independence:
  “...to our whole rule of law—prosecutorial integrity and independence—it’s very high [cost].” [26:32]
• Harry Litman nails the gravity of DOJ breakdown:
  “Now he’s calling the shots from on high… literally it would have been impossible [before].” [38:43]
• Susan Glasser on the weaponization of law:
  “The tradition of how our Justice Department operated since Watergate has been ended.” [29:06]

Key Takeaways

• Trump as Diplomat: The ceasefire in the Middle East is real, but fragile, and may serve more as a PR coup than a path to lasting peace.
• Trump as Avenger: Legal reprisal against enemies is explicit, not disguised—norms of DOJ independence have collapsed at the top.
• Rule of Law under Siege: Judges are starting to push back on federal overreach, with "untethered to the facts" becoming a crucial standard.
• US/Israel Domestic Politics: Both countries' political dynamics are intertwined, with shifting US public opinion and political alliances having major long-term consequences.
• Dangerous Precedent: Weaponizing emergency powers, DOJ, and federal security assets against political enemies or cities is no longer hypothetical; it’s underway.

Episode Summary in Five Words

Law, vengeance, diplomacy—norms shredded.