Lawfare Daily: Prosecuting Terrorism and the Pursuit of Justice, with Jake Tapper

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

Military, Intelligence, International Law, Constitutional Law, Rule Of Law, Politics, International Relations, News, Government, History, Diplomacy, Terrorism, National Security, Current Events, Law, Foreign Policy

4.7 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Lawfare Public Service Fellow Michael Feinberg sits down with Jake Tapper, the lead Washington anchor for CNN, to discuss his new book, “Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War.” The book chronicles the investigation, prosecution, and ultimate conviction of Spin Ghul, an Al Qaeda operative who became the first major international terrorist tried in a U.S. civilian court.

Feinberg and Tapper explore what the case reveals about the American justice system in the post-9/11 era, the politics of counterterrorism, and how terrorism prosecutions have influenced the people and policies at the center of national security.

To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is an ad by BetterHelp. Did I talk too much? I should have handled that better. Why can't I just let it go? Why did I do that? I wish I would stop overthinking so much. Oh, why did I do that? Take a breath. You're not alone. Let's talk about what's going on. Counseling helps you sort through the noise with qualified professionals. An online therapy makes it convenient.
0:22.2	See if it's for you.
0:23.6	Visit betterhelp.com forward slash random podcast for 10% off your first month of online therapy.
0:31.2	Gina's a muncher.
0:33.4	Jackson Nibbler.
0:35.8	Lucy likes to linger.
0:39.2	But not for too long.
0:41.3	And Harry?
0:43.0	Thank you Harry.
0:44.6	Mikado is the crunchy biscuit stick
0:46.5	dipped in smooth milk chocolate
0:48.4	and makes other biscuits look so ordinary.
0:51.4	Macardo is deliciously Moorish.
0:53.6	However you enjoy it, make every day more Macardo.
0:57.0	Grab a pack in your local store today.
0:59.0	Find Macardo in the Biscuit Isle.
1:02.0	President Obama had come into office obviously in January 2009,
1:09.0	and he wanted to prosecute the war on terror more according to American values and ideals, which meant he wanted to try terrorists in criminal court as much as possible.
1:20.9	But the idea of bringing a foreign terrorist to Brooklyn or to Manhattan to prosecute him.
1:29.0	Scared so many people.
1:31.6	It's the Lawfare podcast. I'm Michael Feinberg, a public service fellow with lawfare.
1:37.5	Here today with Jake Tapper, CNN's chief correspondent, and the author of the new book, Race Against Terror,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Lawfare Institute, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Lawfare Institute and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.