Mea Culpa

Former CNN political commentator Tara Setmayer discusses Trump's behavior during his civil business fraud trial, Mitch McConnell's silence on Trump, concerns about some Democrats refusing to vote for President Biden due to his support of Israel, the importance of supporting the Lincoln Project, and the state of the economy.

We welcome back to the show, Tony Schwartz. A former columnist for The New York Post, and associate editor at Newsweek, he was also a reporter for The New York Times and a staff writer at New York Magazine and Esquire. In 1985, Schwartz began interviewing Donald Trump to ghostwrite Trump: “The Art of the Deal” for which he was given co-author credit. Art of the Deal was published in 1987; some say it sold Trump to the public as a successful businessman. Today, Tony will help us understand more fully who Trump was back then and who he has become. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest today is historian and cultural critic, Ruth Ben-Ghiat. She is the author of the acclaimed book, “ Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present and the focus of her work has been on Authoritarianism, Propaganda, and how to protect Democracy. Ben-Ghiat is a professor of history and Italian studies at New York University. And a regular contributor on CNN, The Washington Post and MSNBC. Check out her newsletter, entitled, LUCID where she reports on the threats to democracy around the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here with an end-of-year wrap-up is our good friend, Norm Eisen. Eisen is a CNN Legal Analyst and the founder and executive chair of “States Unite Democracy Center”, a nonpartisan organization advancing free, fair, and secure elections. His articles for the Brookings Institute and elsewhere have made the case for why Trump and his band of criminal conspiracists represented a clear and present danger to democracy. He’s also the former Obama Ethics Czar and Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Listen in to Norm’s predictions for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mea Culpa welcomes my friend, Lev Parnas to the show. Lev is a Soviet-born businessman who along with Rudy Giuliani and Igor Fruman played a central role in the campaign to pressure Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals…including Hunter Biden. Parnas was thrown into Trump's first impeachment drama, but he ended up working with federal prosecutors against Giuliani and the former president. Parnas served a 20-month sentence for Campaign Finance, Wire Fraud, And False Statements Offenses. Lev’s explosive new memoir, TRUMP FIRST: How the President and his associates turned their backs on me and my family” is out now and it promises to be a great read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This holiday we are bringing you something different, over the last few years I’ve had the great pleasure of interviewing three different Congressmen, the Constitutional scholar, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Tennessee’s first Jewish Congressman, Steve Cohen, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the first Indian American Congressmen to represent Illinois. These three brilliant Democrats represent the exceptional diversity not just in the party, but in our great nation. We hope you enjoy these insightful segments from those pivotal interviews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today is our old friend Frank Figliuzzi. Frank is a former assistant director for counterintelligence at the FBI, where he served for 25 years as a special agent and directed all espionage investigations across the entire government. Frank is a regular contributor for NBC News and MSNBC, and also the author of the national bestseller “The FBI Way: Inside the Bureau’s Code of Excellence.” Frank’s here with insights into what the MAGA American terrorists might do if Trump is kicked off the ballot… and so much more. Check out Frank's new YouTube Channel, Frankly Speaking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are bringing you something special. This is part two of a live show with guest Katie Phang, recorded on December 9th at the City Winery in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are bringing you something special. This is part one of a live show with guest Katie Phang, recorded on December 9th at the City Winery in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome back to Mea Culpa the prolific, Jill Wine-Banks. Jill is currentlyan MSNBC Legal Analyst, appearing regularly on primetime and daytimeshows. Jill has written numerous OpEds for NBC.com, Chicago Tribune,Washington Post, Politico, and the Huffington Post to name a few. Wine-Banks was at one time a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice inDC, specializing in Organized Crime. And one of only three AssistantWatergate Special Prosecutors and later wrote a book about it, “WatergateGirl …My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices