Home Podcasts The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell
The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell

The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell

The Bulwark 115 Episodes Jul 1, 2026

The Illegal News is a podcast where law meets politics. Each week, host Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, talks with a legal expert to break down the latest court filings, rulings, and procedural developments of the Trump era. The show aims to explain how these legal moves shape American democracy, without the jargon. It provides context for major news and highlights legal and illegal actions that may be overlooked.

Episodes

S2 Ep166: MAGA is Furious at Amy Coney Barrett (w/ Steve Vladeck) Jul 1, 2026 3521 Sarah Longwell and Georgetown University Law Center's Steve Vladek discuss the Supreme Court's final day of the term—a narrow 5-4 ruling upholding birthright citizenship, the court gutting independent agency protections (while carving out a suspicious exception for the Fed), and a rapid-fire tour through rulings on mail-in ballots, trans athletes, campaign finance, TPS for Haitians, and asylum se
S2 Ep165: The Reflecting Pool is a Symbol of Trump’s Failure (w/ Andrew Weissmann) Jun 25, 2026 4082 Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann talk about the Iran nuclear deal—why the "win" Trump is selling actually leaves America with less leverage, fewer allies, and zero nuclear resolution than where we started. Plus: what Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman's book reveals about JD Vance's behind-the-scenes opposition to the war, Trump's habit of comparing himself to history's worst tyrants, and the n
S2 Ep164: Stephen Miller and JD Vance Wanted to Suspend Habeas Corpus (w/ Leah Litman) Jun 17, 2026 2772 Sarah Longwell is joined by law professor and Strict Scrutiny co-host Leah Litman to discuss the White House’s plan to suspend habeas corpus, JD Vance’s push to invoke the Insurrection Act, the Gavin Newsom investigation, and the 19 Supreme Court decisions that could reshape American democracy before the midterms.Make laundry day the best day of the week! Get 20% off your entire order @LaundrySau
S2 Ep163: Trump’s Pick for Attorney General Is Even WORSE Than You Think Jun 10, 2026 3471 Trump's AG nominee Todd Blanche lost Trump's own criminal trial, built an illegal slush fund, and lied on Fox News—and Republicans are confirming him anyway. Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss what Democrats can actually do at the hearing, why Trump is screaming election fraud while gutting the unit that investigates it, and why his DOJ now holding the only copy of the Fulton County ball
S2 Ep162: Trump’s AG Pick May Not Have the Votes to Get Confirmed Jun 6, 2026 3436 Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann return to disuss Todd Blanche’s growing Senate confirmation problems, Trump’s $1.7 billion “weaponization fund” scheme, why the judge isn’t letting the case die, the DOJ’s targeting of Congress members and critics, potential Ghislaine Maxwell fallout, and the reason Weissmann thinks the case against John Bolton is different than other "revenge" prosecutions.Sig
S2 Ep161: Judge Nukes Trump DOJ’s “Vindictive” Prosecution (w/ Mary McCord) | Illegal News May 27, 2026 2824 Sarah Longwell welcomes Mary McCord—former DOJ prosecutor and co-host of the Main Justice podcast—to discuss a series of jaw-dropping legal scandals surrounding Trump’s Justice Department. They include the secretive $1.776 billion “slush fund” for January 6 defendants, a federal judge exposing shocking grand jury misconduct in the Broadview Six case, the collapse of the Kilmar Abrego Garcia prose
S2 Ep160: Andrew Weissmann: Trump's Slush Fund Isn't Just Corrupt—It's a Crime May 20, 2026 5073 Andrew Weissmann joins Sarah Longwell on launch day for his book 'Liar's Kingdom'—but first they discuss why Weissmann calls Trump's $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" an outright fraud on taxpayers. Then: why election lies are distinct even among Trump's 30,000 lies, what Brazil and the UK do to stop them, and the publisher that vanished the day after a Trump executive order. Plus mob boss
S2 Ep159: Trump Built a System That Pays People to Break the Law (w/ Ben Wittes) May 17, 2026 3185 Sarah Longwell and Ben Wittes discuss the Supreme Court mifepristone fight and why it could reshape abortion politics for years to come, then dig into Trump’s proposed $1.7 billion “weaponization” fund for Jan. 6 allies, the DOJ’s effort to protect Jeffrey Clark, and Kash Patel’s increasingly bizarre behavior as FBI director.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code ILLEGALNEWS at https://www.oneskin.co/
S2 Ep158: Jerome Powell is Fueled by Pure Righteous Anger—And We LOVE IT (w/ Andrew Weissmann) May 7, 2026 4034 Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss the Supreme Court’s voting rights decision, the rush to redraw congressional maps before the midterms, Trump allies pushing criminal investigations against political enemies, the escalating fight over Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, and the growing fears around abuse of FISA surveillance powers. Plus, Weissmann explains why the SPLC case is alrea
S2 Ep157: SCOTUS Profoundly Changed Elections—Mid-Vote! (w/ Kate Shaw) Apr 30, 2026 2721 Kate Shaw—ABC News contributor and co-host of the podcast 'Strict Scrutiny'—joins Sarah Longwell to explain a major Supreme Court ruling that American elections. Then they discuss a string of notable legal news: a DOJ filing that reads like Trump wrote it himself, Trump suing his own government for $10 billion, and the indefensible Comey “seashell” indictment.Start your new morning ritual & g
S2 Ep156: Kash Patel's Lawsuit Could Backfire—BIG TIME (w/ Andrew Weissmann) Apr 23, 2026 3535 Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss a series of major legal developments—from a questionable DOJ indictment targeting the Southern Poverty Law Center, to Kash Patel’s high-risk lawsuit against The Atlantic, to a wave of firings inside the Justice Department that’s raising alarms.They explain what’s actually in these cases (and what’s missing), why some of the legal theories fall apart und
S2 Ep155: Judge Tosses Trump’s WSJ Lawsuit Over Epstein Birthday Card (w/ Elliot Williams) Apr 15, 2026 2860 Sarah Longwell and Elliot Williams explain why courts keep rejecting Trump's defamation claims, what “actual malice” really means, and how his wave of lawsuits is really meant to pressure the media.Plus: the bizarre Trump-as-Jesus post, the growing use of the justice system for retribution, and why targeting witnesses like Cassidy Hutchinson should set off alarms.Get 15% off OneSkin with the code

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