"Are You F***ing Kidding Me?"

Talking Feds

Harry Litman

News, Politics, Government

4.8 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2026

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the killing of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis roils the country, Harry breaks down the fallout with Susan Glasser. Then, turning to the week's main discussion, three stellar journalists—Susan, Emily Bazelon, and Ruth Marcus—join Harry to break down Trump's assaults on the rule of law that made Pretti's death possible. From the corruption of the FBI and the carnage in Minnesota to Trump's escape from the prosecutions brought by Jack Smith, the trio engage in a wide-ranging discussion anchored in their in-depth reporting. Can the FBI withstand another year of Kash Patel's leadership? Is Jack Smith next on Trump's list of targets for reprisal? Finally, are the tragic events in Minnesota, as Susan says, Trump's most Trumpian accomplishment? Mentioned in this episode: Harry's Substack on the aftermath of Alex Pretti's death: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/congress-must-act-now Susan's piece on Trump's actions in Minnesota: ⁠ https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/the-minnesota-war-zone-is-trumps-most-trumpian-accomplishment Emily's report on the FBI: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/22/magazine/trump-kash-patel-fbi-agents.html Ruth's piece on Jack Smith: ⁠ https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/jack-smiths-closing-argument Ruth's profile of Pam Bondi: ⁠ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/25/pam-bondi-profile Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
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0:35.1	From Formula One insights to smarter power grids and personalized learning.
0:41.3	AWS AI is how leaders stay ahead.
0:49.3	Welcome to Talking Feds, a roundtable that brings together prominent former federal officials and special guests for a dynamic discussion of the most important political and legal topics of the day.
1:04.6	I'm Harry Littman.
1:06.4	Another cold-blooded killing in Minneapolis has brought the federal state standoff there
1:12.6	to a potentially historic moment.
1:15.8	Oh shit.
1:17.3	What the fuck?
1:19.6	They kill me.
1:21.0	Do they fucking kill that guy?
	...

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