Joshua Yaffa

Joshua Yaffa is a contributing writer at The New Yorker where he focuses on Russia and its war in Ukraine. Yaffa’s 2020 book, “Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia,” won the Orwell Prize for its depiction of everyday life in Russia. Yaffa and Preet discuss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s attempted coup last month and the message it sends about Putin’s power. They also talk about President Biden’s renewed intention to support Ukraine’s military, including his controversial decision to include cluster bombs in the U.S. aid package.Plus, Preet discusses the DC Bar’s recommendation to disbar Rudy Giuliani for his effort to overturn President Biden’s 2020 election win, and how jurisdiction is determined in wire fraud cases. Don’t miss the Insider bonus, where Preet and Yaffa address different takes on the media’s coverage of Prigozhin’s failed coup. To listen, try the Insider membership for 40% off the first year annual price. Head to cafe.com/Insider and use the special discount code: JUSTICE. For show notes and a transcript of the episode head to: https://cafe.com/stay-tuned/the-russia-coup-that-wasnt-with-joshua-yaffa/Tweet your questions to @PreetBharara with the hashtag #AskPreet, email us your questions and comments at staytuned@cafe.com, 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.Executive Producer: Tamara Sepper; Senior Editorial Producer: Adam Waller; Technical Director: David Tatasciore; Audio Producer: Matthew Billy; Editorial Producer: Noa Azulai Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Former Colombian President Iván Duque, known for his focus on security and anti-narcotics, shares insights on U.S. strikes against drug cartels and the implications for Colombia and Venezuela. He emphasizes the threat posed by Maduro harboring narco-terror groups and calls for coordinated regional action. Journalist Farnaz Fassihi discusses young Iranians defying social norms post-Mahsa Amini, while Joshua Yaffa analyzes the ongoing Ukraine conflict and the challenges both sides face, highlighting the complexities of achieving peace amid geopolitical tensions.

Joshua Yaffa discusses the aftermath of Alexei Navalny's death in a Russian prison, analyzing the impact on the pro-democracy movement. They delve into Navalny's legacy, courage in returning to Russia, harsh prison conditions, and how he empowered Russians to challenge Putin.

Journalist Joshua Yaffa joins the podcast to discuss the rise and fall of the ex-con turned Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenary outfit Wagner. Topics include Wagner's recruitment efforts, their involvement in Ukraine and Syria, the evolution of the group from elite units to Russian prisoners, conflicts and reputational damage, the future of Wagner, and compromises in Putin's Russia.

Just a month ago, the story of two lawmakers expelled from the Tennessee legislature captured headlines across the country. Their offense wasn’t corruption or criminal activity— instead, they had joined a protest at the statehouse in favor of gun control, shortly after the Nashville shooting at a Christian school. Earlier this week, Representative Zooey Zephyr, of Montana, was barred from the House chamber after making a speech against a trans health-care ban. In the past few years, in Arizona, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, legislatures have worked to strip powers from state officials who happen to be Democrats in order to put those powers in Republican hands.  Jacob Grumbach, a political-science professor and the author of “Laboratories Against Democracy,” talks about how state politics  has become nationalized. “If you’re a politician, and you’re trying to rise in the ranks from the local or state level in your party,” he notes, “your best bet is to join the national culture wars”—even at the expense of constituents’ real concerns. Plus, the contributing writer Joshua Yaffa talks with David Remnick about Evan Gershkovich, the first American reporter imprisoned in Russia on charges of espionage since the nineteen-eighties. “Evan was not sanguine or Pollyannaish or naïve about the context in which he was working,” Yaffa notes, but he returned to Russia again and again to tell the story of that country’s descent into autocracy.