CAFE Insider

Note From Elie is part of the free weekly CAFE Brief newsletter. Audio recordings of Elie’s Note are part of the CAFE Insider subscription.

Joyce Vance is a former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, a professor at the University of Alabama Law School, and an MSNBC legal analyst.

Notes from Joyce are exclusive to the CAFE Insider membership. For the text of this note, along with the full archive of contributor notes, head to CAFE's website.

While most popular mob stories tend to take place in big cities like New York and Chicago, the power of small-town mobs can’t be underestimated—like in Springfield, Massachusetts. In this episode, Elie Honig speaks with journalist and historian Russell Shorto, the author of Smalltime: The Story of My Family and the Mob. They discuss the big time influence of the small-town Mafia.  

This is part of a series of exclusive CAFE Insider bonus episodes of Up Against the Mob, a show that takes you inside law enforcement’s battles with the Mafia. If you haven’t listened to the main episode, head over to the Up Against the Mob feed, and then come back here to listen to the bonus. 

Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community. Email us your questions, comments, and reactions at [email protected].

Up Against the Mob is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Hosted by @eliehonig. Follow us on Twitter.

Check out other CAFE podcasts: Now & Then and Stay Tuned with Preet.

During the main Now & Then episode, Heather and Joanne discussed four pioneering women journalists. In Backstage, they reflect on the barriers they have faced as women historians. 

“Backstage” is a special segment of Now & Then exclusively for members of CAFE Insider. Thank you for being a member.

In this special episode of the CAFE Insider podcast, Joyce Vance interviews Michael Dreeben, while Preet is out. Dreeben served in the Solicitor General’s office for over 30 years, including 24 years as the Deputy Solicitor General in charge of the federal government’s criminal docket. He is one of only eight people, in the history of the country, to have argued over 100 cases before the Supreme Court.

In the interview, Dreeben discusses:

– The work of the Solicitor General’s office;

– Some of the most memorable moments from his many Supreme Court oral arguments, including when Chief Justice Roberts quoted rapper Eminem and when the justices asked him whether it would be constitutional for the FBI to place tracking devices on the justices’ cars;

– How he prepares for Supreme Court oral arguments; and

– What he learned as counselor to special counsel Robert Mueller in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Ask your friends and family to join you in the conversation about the latest legal and political news making the headlines. For every person you refer to the CAFE Insider community, you’ll get a free month added to your subscription. Learn more at CAFE.com/referral.

Follow Up Against The Mob and listen to new episodes each Wednesday

We hope you’re finding CAFE Insider informative. Email us at [email protected] with your suggestions and questions for Preet and Joyce. 

Shownotes & transcript can be found at CAFE.com.

This podcast is brought to you by CAFE Studios and Vox Media Podcast Network.

Note From Elie is part of the free weekly CAFE Brief newsletter. Audio recordings of Elie’s Note are part of the CAFE Insider subscription.

In this bonus from Stay Tuned, Preet and Beddoes discuss domestic UK politics and a recent Economist cover story on new drugs that promise to end the global obesity epidemic.

Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community.

Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with hashtag #askpreet, email us at [email protected], or call 669-247-7338 to leave a voicemail.

Stay Tuned with Preet is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Barb McQuade is the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and an NBC News/MSNBC legal analyst. To access the full written version of Barb's note, head to CAFE.com.

Illegal sports gambling and the Mafia have gone hand in hand for more than a century. There wasn’t a bookie in Springfield more respected by the local mob chieftains than Lou “The Shoe” Santos. Lou, a close friend of Anthony Arillotta who was respected by local boss Al Bruno for his earning ability, skirts death by the skin of his teeth. 

This is part of a series of exclusive CAFE Insider bonus episodes of Up Against the Mob, a show that takes you inside law enforcement’s battles with the Mafia. If you haven’t listened to the main episode, head over to the Up Against the Mob feed, and then come back here to listen to the bonus. 

Thank you for being a member of the CAFE Insider community. Email us your questions, comments, and reactions at [email protected].

Up Against the Mob is brought to you by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network. Hosted by @eliehonig. Follow us on Twitter.

Check out other CAFE podcasts: Now & Then and Stay Tuned with Preet.

During the main Now & Then episode, Heather and Joanne discussed American debates over waste. In Backstage, they talk about their early memories of recycling and the environmental movement. 

“Backstage” is a special segment of Now & Then exclusively for members of CAFE Insider. Thank you for being a member.

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/now-then-backstage-3-8-trash-and-pollution-who-pays/