President Trump may forever reshape the boundaries of executive power. This week on “Interesting Times,” Ross and Jack Goldsmith, who was the head of the White House’s Office of Legal Counsel under President George W. Bush, discuss which cases are most likely to win in the courts and permanently expand the executive branch — for better or worse.
Yesterday
Anthropic's Chief on A.I.: ‘We Don’t Know if the Models Are Conscious’
A.I. is evolving fast, and humanity is falling behind. Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, has warned about the potential benefits — and real dangers — linked to the speed of that progress. As one of the lords of this technology, is he on the side of the human race?01 ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 2025
Supreme Court Hands Trump Even More Power
<p>In a major ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court limited the ability of judges to block President Trump’s policies nationwide, including his order to end birthright citizenship.</p><p>Mr. Trump immediately cheered the ruling, while critics have decried it as a fundamental threat ... Show More
25m 52s
Apr 2025
Trumps first 100 days have pushed the limits of presidential power to new levels
President Trump is pushing the boundaries of executive power in nearly every area of policy. From his trade war, to immigration, to education, to the reductions in the federal workforce.
Many of his actions are direct challenges to the Courts and to Congress. Those two branches o ... Show More
9m 47s
Jan 2025
How Trump’s Federal-Aid Fiasco Is Testing the Separation of Power
<p>On Tuesday, the Trump Administration sent out a memo attempting to put a blanket pause on most federal funding, sowing confusion about financing for student loans, SNAP benefits, nonprofits, and more. The next day, after a backlash, the Administration rescinded the memo, whil ... Show More
29m 34s
Jan 2025
Trump 2.0 Arrives in Force
<p>Since his inauguration, President Trump has exercised a level of power that has directly challenged the checks and balances that, on paper, define the U.S. government.</p><p>The Times journalists Michael Barbaro, Maggie Haberman, Jonathan Swan and Charlie Savage discuss Mr. Tr ... Show More
27m 5s
Mar 2025
How Trump Is Scaring Big Law Firms Into Submission
<p>After engaging in a campaign of retribution against his enemies within the federal government, President Trump is turning to those outside of it.</p><p>Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, explains what that retribution has looked like for a si ... Show More
24m 59s
Oct 2025
Weaponizing the Justice Department
President Donald Trump is using the Department of Justice to try to punish his political enemies. How much can the president bend the DOJ, an institution built on norms and ethics, to his will before it breaks? In this episode, we talk to the Atlantic staff writer Quinta Jurecic, ... Show More
40m 32s
Feb 2025
983: Will Trump Defy the Courts?
Federal judges are starting to do something most elected Republicans won't: say no to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. The question now is, will Trump obey their orders? Jon, Lovett, and Tommy break down all the latest, including new onslaughts against the Consumer Financial Protectio ... Show More
1h 37m