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.

The week saw Trump-induced turmoil from sea to shining sea, starting in Iran, where

the president insisted a deal was close, even as new fighting broke out.

A set of closely watched primaries in Indiana gave Trump a chance to demonstrate his influence

and produced the defeat of several candidates who had bucked his redistricting plan.

And Virginia's highest court shot a lightning bolt into the nationwide redistricting arms race by invalidating voters' recent decision

to draw maps to favor Democrats. Between that decision, made on a narrow procedural point,

and the rush by several Republican states to capitalize on the Supreme Court's opinion in Calais, previously confident

Democrats had caused for serious consternation.

With new outbursts of violence in the Persian Gulf, fresh legal setbacks for Dems

attempt to retake the House and midterms looming. I'm grateful to be joined by three of the

keenest political observers in the country. And they are. David French, a columnist for the New York

Times, he is also a former JAG officer who earned a bronze star in Iraq. Since leaving full-time law practice back in 2015,

David's become a prominent voice in American politics and American conservatism of a certain

stripe anyway. David, French, thanks for your service and thank you, as always, for joining

talking feds. Well, thanks so much for having me, and a lot of the modern

conservatives say I'm not of their stripe at all,

Harry. I said

a certain stripe. That was

meant for that asterisk

...