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.

I'm Harry Littman. This is the fifth installment in our series

of special episodes to gear up for the return of Donald Trump. Trump and his inner circle have

outlined a far-reaching plan to overhaul American policy and government from day one, mass deportations,

punitive tariffs on key trade partners, even perhaps dismantling the Department of Education. If

enacted, these moves would fundamentally alter life for millions of Americans.

But there's a critical roadblock that may be standing in the way,

state and local governments, which could prove to be a formidable counterweight to Trump's agenda.

And the states have an arsenal of legal and political weapons,

some of which they developed during Trump 1.0,

others originating decades earlier from conservative efforts to counter executive power.

Federalism and state sovereignty, once watchwords of political conservatives, are now doctrines that blue states may be able to deploy

to frustrate some of Trump's more aggressive proposals.

To canvas the possible ways in which state government, especially attorneys general,

can blunt and parry some of the more alarming plans of Trump 2.0, we welcome three

great public servants, each of whom has served as a state attorney general. And they are.

Rich Cordray, who was appointed by President Obama to serve as the first director of the Consumer Financial

Protection Bureau from 2012 to 2017.

He previously was Ohio's Attorney General, as well as its state solicitor general and

treasurer.

He's been an adjunct professor at Ohio State Law School. And most recently,

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