Main Justice

In this episode:

• President Trump is trying to renovate the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington D.C. without proper judicial approval, the latest of many examples of this administration evading due process. Mary poses a question: “If this kind of thing can happen about a golf course, what’s the next time?” 
• The DOJ sues California to block more than 20,000 mail ballots, alleging the voters are likely noncitizens. “If you do not see this as a precursor to what the Department of Justice could easily do — or try to do” ahead of the midterms, says Andrew, “you are living with your head buried in the sand.”
• Andrew and Mary discuss updates in the investigation into Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and how this situation is yet another example of the government undermining due process — in this case, that of a sitting congresswoman actively up for reelection.
• Plus, a judge issues an injunction securing CNN, MS NOW and Politico’s White House access until the case is settled in court, a win against Trump’s political retaliation.

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In this episode: 

• Thing one: retribution. “We are IN the midterms,” Mary stresses when discussing federal agents executing a search on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in relation to an unspecified “ongoing federal criminal investigation.” “The Department of Justice is taking a very, very overt public action targeted at a sitting congressperson.”  
• Even more retribution: Mary and Andrew say President Trump’s committee of inquiry to assess whether Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook committed mortgage fraud is the administration’s latest attempt to fire her. 
• Thing two: attacks on the press. The White House media ban nears a decisive conclusion as Trump launches an anti-trust investigation into five networks. Andrew says “the investigation IS the punishment.” Editors' Note: After recording (and as predicted by Andrew and Mary), U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled Tuesday night to restore White House press access to MS NOW, CNN, and Politico indefinitely. For more on this story visit ms.now.
• Thing three: propaganda. Trump’s political ads are struck down, but Andrew and Mary say the damage has already been done.  

Further Reading:  

• Here is the Charlie Savage piece for The New York Times, which Andrew says gives insight into the administration’s “effort to create and manufacture propaganda and misinformation.”

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In this episode:

• The Supreme Court is back in session and plans to hear two cases that could dramatically alter the lives of thousands of people caught up in Trump’s mass deportation agenda, namely those at risk of being deported to third countries and those detained even after years of living in the US without any criminal record.
• The Trump administration is blocked from firing court-appointed prosecutors after a Washington U.S. attorney takes them to court when he was fired immediately after being appointed to the role.
• Mary and Andrew talk through Jack Smith’s memorable congressional testimony, comparing Smith’s poise to FBI Director Kash Patel’s combativeness, and the viral exchange with Senator Schmitt that felt like watching an SNL skit happen in real time.
• Plus: the co-hosts offer some "reflection" on the Reflecting Pool, the “Broadview Six” prosecutors face legal scrutiny over their conduct in the investigation, and Mary and Andrew discuss the District Attorney "passing the buck" on the gang rape case out of Cornell University.

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In this episode:

• “That’s Propaganda,” says former DOJ senior ethics attorney, Joseph W. Tirrell, on the Trump administration’s re-airing of their 2024 campaign ad, on the taxpayer’s dime
• Why Mary and Andrew think SCOTUS’ decision to uphold Trump’s SAVE voter database will have a greater effect on the next election
• How irked the high court is about having to reject the Trump-back Missouri congressional map for a third time
• The legal status of the attempted media ban by the White House
• Anthropic’s heated fight with the government over being labeled a “supply chain risk”
• The “hot mess” surrounding FBI agents reportedly being subpoenaed to testify in the grand conspiracy investigation in the Southern District of Florida, all while Jack Smith testifies in front of Congress yet again

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Mary and Andrew begin by addressing President Trump banning CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO from White House grounds. Andrew calls the move “blatantly unconstitutional,” making an allusion to Nazi Germany and noting that the control of the free press is “the tool of autocrats”: “‘You will believe what I tell you and you will see only what I want you to see,’” he summarizes. Then, the co-hosts move to Trump’s “vanity projects,” beginning with what they call the “Arc de Trumph” — a proposed 250-foot arch in Washington DC that Trump says will serve as a military complex. Then, more on the Kennedy Center drama: a federal judge has blocked Trump’s name from being added to the building, after which Trump stated that the building will stay closed and without necessary renovations until that decision is reversed. Plus, several organizations file two lawsuits aimed at preemptively keeping federal agents from polling locations.

Further Reading: 

Read the civil rights coalition lawsuit here: https://cdn.sanity.io/files/iroghafc/production/4aa15ae3e51d5acca66ae163c2fafd25ced778e7.pdf 

Read the LULAC-led lawsuit here: https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/LULAC-v-DHS.pdf  

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 

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The mail-in ballot saga has come to an end — for now. Mary and Andrew detail yesterday’s Supreme Court decision rejecting President Trump’s restrictions on mail-in voting, which they call “good news” in the fight against election interference. “Knock it off,” Andrew says to paraphrase the Supreme Court: “we are not engaging in this.” Then, the co-hosts delve into two more examples of what they consider attempts by government bodies to meddle in the midterms, the first being Missouri’s failed redistricting effort as the Supreme Court rejects the state’s new Trump-backed congressional district map. The second: the Solicitor General’s emergency motion to stay an injunction on the Trump administration’s SAVE database, urging the court to restore the immigration verification system that was blocked by a lower court. Plus, the prosecutor who led the “grand conspiracy” investigation into Trump’s political enemies earlier this year has left the probe. And former CIA Director John Brennan preemptively goes to court ahead of the government’s likely prosecution against him. 

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

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The updates just keep coming. On Sunday, the Trump administration returned to the Supreme Court to ask for more control over mail-in ballots, coming two days after U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s order blocking the government from implementing parts of the new Postal Service rule. Mary and Andrew analyze the case’s implications as states begin sending out their ballots ahead of the midterms before turning to another update: a preliminary injunction issued in the CASA Inc. v. Trump case on birthright citizenship. Then, the co-hosts turn to the ICE agent involved in the shooting of a Venezuelan man during Trump’s “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis, who is now being federally charged with making false statements to the FBI about the event. They call this “good news” — an instance of the federal government choosing to intervene in an “outrageous” case instead of leaving it up to the states’ discretion. Plus, the Supreme Court allows the construction of Trump’s White House ballroom to continue.

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

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A lot can happen in a week. Mary and Andrew begin with the most recent movement in the court battle against President Trump’s three-tiered mail-in voting executive order. Last week, Judge Talwani issued a fresh injunction blocking one provision of the EO centered around the Postal Service, two days after the Supreme Court lifted a block from the same judge, saying the provisions in the EO could not be applied to November’s midterms. The co-hosts affirm that this fight is far from over before moving to two more updates from cases they talked about last week: a motion brought by Mary’s ICAP team alongside others challenging the 2026 birthright citizenship EO and a decision on Minnesota’s effort to extradite an ICE agent from Texas, after he was charged with shooting Julio Sosa-Celis through the door of a Minnesota home. Next, a win for Anthropic after a federal judge ruled against the Pentagon, saying it acted illegally in labeling the AI company a “supply chain risk.” Plus: a moving video from an active-duty Marine Colonel pleading for an Afghan national to return to the US after he was deported- despite his asylum status after his family helped the US military in Afghanistan. 

A video edition of this episode is available on YouTube now. 

Further Watching: 

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

According to Mary and Andrew, recent moves by President Trump’s administration have been following a pattern: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” The co-hosts begin by breaking down the flurry of news surrounding mail voting, starting with Monday afternoon’s decision by the Supreme Court to allow President Trump’s executive order curtailing mail voting to proceed, though not issuing a decision on the merits of the order. They discuss that decision in conjunction with the Postal Service’s announcement on Friday for a final rule that would comply with the executive order, a move that Andrew calls a proxy for the government to “have the Postal Service act in a way that has a clearly disproportionate impact on certain voters.” Then, a conversation about birthright citizenship after a motion was filed yesterday rejecting Trump’s executive orders that attempt to limit the legal principle. Plus, an analysis of the Second and Ninth Circuit Court’s rulings disqualifying U.S. Attorneys that were improperly appointed by Trump and a quick nod to Minnesota suing the governor of Texas for not extraditing an ICE agent accused of shooting a man in Minneapolis. 

Tune in next week as we switch to Wednesday morning releases — and catch video editions of Main Justice on YouTube the same day.

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together. 

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

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Mary and Andrew begin this week by addressing Todd Blanche’s “Meet the Press” interview with Kristen Welker, where, among other things, the newly appointed Attorney General proclaimed that “no attorney general should ever pledge” to act independently of the White House, despite decades of post-Watergate reforms. Keeping in the Blanche vicinity, the co-hosts detail a complaint filed by former Michigan AUSA Sunita Doddamani, who alleged she was fired without cause simply for doing her job prosecuting FACE Act violations. Then, a dive into revelations of undercover agents targeting Minnesota nonprofit organizations as part of an investigation that led to indictments of protestors that, in Mary’s view, included “a whole lot of First Amendment protected activity.” Plus, Trump changes a Treasury Department rule making it harder to find fraud and illegal activity and asks the Supreme Court to let him keep building the ballroom while they appeal a lower court block. Last up, an unsatisfying end to litigation against the administration over their use of the Alien Enemies Act after the 5th Circuit en banc panel dismissed the case.

Further Reading: 

A Note to Listeners: As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, MS NOW is headed to the Lone Star State. Join more than a dozen of your favorite hosts - including Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell, Jen Psaki, Michael Steele, Ali Velshi and more - in Arlington, Texas on September 26 for a day of community and conversation about the issues that matter most to you. Get your tickets at ms.now/together.

Sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads. You'll also get exclusive bonus content from this and other shows.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.