The Oath and The Office

Oct 1·48 min

What if the government sends you to a country you've never known—where you fear persecution or torture—and you never get a real chance to challenge it?The Supreme Court has allowed Trump's third-country deportations to continue while the case is pending. Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang examine the human stakes, and what it means when the government acts first and the courts decide later.Also this week: taxpayer-funded ads pushing Trump's political message, the fight over a federal voter

Sep 24·1 hr 11 min

Can a president shut out reporters because he doesn’t like their coverage? Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang take on Donald Trump’s sudden ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. They explore the constitutional stakes of revoking press credentials, why press freedom protects the public as well as journalists, and whether federal courts will hold the line against a president determined to punish his critics.Then, Oklahoma state representative and Freedom From Religion Foundat

Sep 22·34 min

One Republican. One Democrat. Two former governors asking whether Americans can still find common ground.In this special bonus episode of The Oath and the Office, Corey Brettschneider welcomes former Tennessee governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen, hosts of You Might Be Right, for a conversation about political division, democratic principles, and the possibilities and limits of bipartisan cooperation.What brought these two governors together? What can Americans accomplish across party lines?

Sep 17·1 hr 10 min

Can Trump use the Postal Service to control how Americans vote by mail? And when does a campaign promise cross the line into an attempted bribe? Democracy Forward President and CEO Skye Perryman joins Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang to discuss the Supreme Court’s order keeping Trump’s Postal Service restrictions on mail voting blocked ahead of the midterms. She also provides an update on her organization’s challenge to Trump’s slush fund and discusses her new book, Ordinary People, Extra

Sep 10·1 hr 1 min

Could the Supreme Court help Trump disrupt the 2026 election?In this episode of The Oath and The Office, Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang examine a new fight over mail ballots and postal rules that could create chaos, disenfranchise lawful voters, and give the administration new leverage over the election process.We also look at why the Supreme Court’s shadow docket matters so much here, what happens when major election rules are decided without full briefing or argument, and why the Cour

Sep 3·1 hr 3 min

Trump’s abuses of power keep colliding with the law. But even when courts recognize the danger, procedural barriers can prevent them from stopping it.Corey and John examine how standing doctrine blocked a challenge to Trump’s ballroom project, despite an unusual dissent from Chief Justice John Roberts. They also discuss a major free speech victory at Stanford that, like the Khalil case, was weakened by procedural limits. Next, they turn to Trump’s effort to seize control of the Postal Service an

Aug 27·37 min

Why did the January 6 Committee underplay the role of Christian nationalism in its final report?Rep. Jared Huffman, the only openly nonbelieving member of Congress, joins Corey Brettschneider for a deep dive into the Christian nationalist movement threatening American democracy. Drawing from his new book, No Prophets, Huffman breaks down the specific factions that make up this movement, how they are capturing political power, what they want, and what comes next. We also examine the central role

Aug 20·56 min

This week on The Oath and the Office, we follow four stories that raise one question: what happens when the restraints on presidential power start disappearing?Donald Trump is being sued over a service offering paying customers early access to his Truth Social posts, including market-moving announcements, for as much as $100,000 a month. Is official presidential information becoming a private commodity?Then Trump goes back to the Supreme Court after two lower court losses, asking the justices to

Aug 13·51 min

Trump already lost on birthright citizenship. Now he is testing the limits of constitutional law with two narrower executive orders. We explain the high-stakes game of chicken underway: can a president just keep pushing after the courts and the Constitution say no?Plus, a rapid-fire breakdown of this week’s legal chaos:Vanity Plates: A bizarre but critical free speech fight.DOJ Takeover: Todd Blanche officially steps in as Attorney General after a bruising confirmation fight over Trump, DOJ inde

Aug 6·1 hr

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears to have secured the committee votes needed to advance his nomination. He cleared the path by agreeing to rescind Donald Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and narrow sweeping IRS audit protections for Trump and his family.But does the deal truly kill the fund—or merely clear a political hurdle while leaving the door open for its return? Corey and John argue that walking back these dangerous policies does not erase Blanche’s c

Jul 30·1 hr 16 min

What does Trump actually believe, and how does his worldview connect to the New Right? Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang look beyond the latest outrages to the ideology linking them. Then New York Times columnist David French joins Corey to discuss the forces reshaping the American right.Inside the episode:David French on birthright citizenship, the postliberal right, and whether there is a path out of America’s democratic crisis.The attack on the Smithsonian and the fight over who counts

Jul 23·1 hr 14 min

Jul 16·1 hr 6 min

Jul 9·52 min

Jul 2·1 hr 1 min

Jun 25·57 min

Jun 18·1 hr

Jun 11·59 min

Jun 4·57 min

May 28·1 hr 1 min