CAFE Insider

On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Joyce Vance is joined by Michael Dreeben. He served in the Solicitor General’s office for over 30 years, including 24 years as the Deputy Solicitor General in charge of the criminal docket, and has argued more than 100 cases in the Supreme Court. They discuss several major legal questions that have reached the Supreme Court this term: President Trump’s atte...

Is it legal for Trump to change the name of the Kennedy Center? In this bonus for Insiders, Preet answers a listener question on the President’s decision to include his name in the memorial. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Pre...

On a new episode of the Insider podcast, Preet and Joyce discuss many legal issues stemming from the U.S. capture and indictment of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro: Is this really a drug-trafficking case, a foreign policy move disguised as a law enforcement action, or both? Can Maduro successfully claim immunity as a head of state? How does that compare to the immunity the U.S. Supreme Court has given...

This week, we’re sharing a recording of a live conversation between Preet Bharara and Joyce Vance on Substack. They look back on the biggest legal headlines from 2025, while sharing their predictions for 2026. We’ll be back with a new Insider episode in the new year. Wishing you all a happy holiday season. We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at letters@cafe.com with your sugg...

What makes Preet happy? In the bonus for Insiders, 10% Happier founder Dan Harris turns the tables and puts a pointed question to Preet about what gets in the way of his happiness. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brou...

On the Insider docket: – Two grand juries declined criminal charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James;   – A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to end the National Guard deployment in Los Angeles; and – The legality of the U.S.’s aggressive actions against Venezuela, including the seizure of an oil tanker and multiple strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats. S...

Has the No Kings movement moved the needle at all? In the bonus for Insiders, Preet Bharara and historian Jill Lepore discuss Lepore’s reporting on political rallies and whether they can still make a difference. Plus, the lines she draws as a journalist in a political moment. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email...

This week on the Insider podcast, Preet Bharara is joined by constitutional law expert and Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law Erwin Chemerinsky, while Joyce is out.  On the Insider docket: – Supreme Court oral arguments in a case that could give a president more power to fire government officials; – The New York Times ’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s new press policy at th...

What exactly makes New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani so popular? In the Stay Tuned bonus for Insiders, Preet and writer and political analyst Anand Giridharadas chat about the physical attribute that Anand thinks contributed to Mamdani’s quick rise through the political ranks.  Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #As...

On the Insider docket: – The National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., which President Trump used as the basis to pause all migration from what he is calling “third world countries”; – A federal judge’s inquiry into whether the Trump administration defied his orders when it carried out deportation flights to El Salvador; and – The legal challenges to Texas’s new gerrymandered congressional map....

In the Stay Tuned podcast bonus for Insiders, Preet Bharara and Jon Finer break down Trump’s recent meeting with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, revisiting the fallout from Jamal Khashoggi’s killing and what the encounter suggests about how the administration is handling its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Subscribe to The...

On the Insider docket: – President Donald Trump’s directive to his Justice Department to investigate Democrats over alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, while avoiding similar scrutiny of himself and Republican allies;  – MAGA fallout over the Trump administration’s stonewalling of the release of Epstein files, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s break with Trump; and  – A magistrate jud...

Who were the key players in the 1929 stock market crash? And who would play them in a movie? In the bonus for Insiders, Preet Bharara and New York Times columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin chat about a possible film adaption of Andrew’s new book, 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash In Wall Street History—and How It Shattered a Nation . Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questio...

On the Insider docket: – The Supreme Court oral arguments over President Trump’s tariff policy; – The wave of subpoenas issued to Trump’s political opponents by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida that could result in criminal charges alleging a “grand conspiracy” against the president; and – The Justice Department’s response to former FBI Director Jim Comey’s motions to dismiss...

In the Stay Tuned podcast bonus for Insiders, Preet Bharara and investigative reporters Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis discuss the pressure that Trump administration leaders are putting on DOJ prosecutors to pursue politically motivated cases against Trump’s rivals, including Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questio...

On the Insider docket: – President Donald Trump’s appeal of his criminal conviction in New York, in which he cites the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision;  – Attorney General Pam Bondi’s announcement that DOJ is reviewing former President Biden’s use of an autopen for pardons; and – The National Guard cases moving toward the Supreme Court. Shownotes & transcript can be found a...

In the bonus for Insiders, Preet Bharara and political reporter Astead Herndon chat about the role that age plays in elections for both voters and candidates. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and...

On this week’s Insider episode, Preet Bharara is joined by law professor, MSNBC legal analyst, and co-host of the #SistersInLaw podcast, Barb McQuade, while Joyce is out.  On the Insider docket: – The U.S. airstrikes on boats carrying alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and the Pacific; – President Trump’s lawsuit against the Justice Department seeking $230 million in damages; and – An...

In the bonus for Insiders, Joyce Vance answers questions from the live audience in New York, addressing the Supreme Court, voting rights, and Trump’s weaponization of DOJ. Thank you for being a member of the Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to yo...

On the  Insider  docket: – Former FBI Director Jim Comey’s motions to dismiss his criminal charges on the grounds of selective and vindictive prosecution, and unlawful appointment of interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan; and – Former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s indictment on eight counts of transmitting national defense information and ten counts of retention of national de...

In the bonus for Insiders, Senor addresses the prospect of military tribunals for Hamas leaders and systematic deradicalization efforts.  Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Me...

In the bonus for Insiders, Justin Driver reflects on how his father’s sacrifices shaped his understanding of opportunity and education. Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Pod...

On the Insider docket: – Reports that the FBI plans to stage a perp walk with former FBI Director Jim Comey; – A federal judge’s opinion in Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s criminal case, finding signs of vindictive prosecution by the government; and – A federal judge’s ruling blocking the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon. Shownotes & transcript can be found...

In the bonus for Insiders, Secretary Blinken shares his thoughts on his successor, Secretary Marco Rubio, and what it means to “run the process.”  Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community. Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #AskPreet, email us at letters@cafe.com, or call 833-997-7338 to leave a voicemail. Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and t...

On the Insider docket: – The indictment of former FBI Director Jim Comey, charging him with making a false statement and obstructing a congressional proceeding; and – The Justice Department’s decision to close an investigation into Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, for allegedly accepting a $50,000 bribe. Shownotes & transcript can be found at CAFE.com . Want to see Preet and Joyce live? They’ll...