Best Josh Barro Podcasts (2024)

1
He'll Be An Old Thug By The Time This Trial Is Over 31:23

22m ago31:23

31:23

We’ve had some time to digest the Supreme Court decision on immunity, so this week Ken and I talked through the various criminal proceedings involving Donald Trump to discuss how they’ll be impacted. The short answer is: a lot. Also in this episode: Missouri has sued New York, saying the Manhattan DA’s prosecution and associated gag order have depr…

1
Donald Trump Wins The Immunity Idol 20:52

7d ago20:52

20:52

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Remember when most people thought that the Supreme Court would find a way to help Donald Trump without making crazy new law? Well. About that. Ken explains why the Supreme Court’s decision on Donald Trump's appeal in the January 6 prosecution is the worst of all p…

1
This Is Going to Ruin the Tour 32:03

13d ago32:03

32:03

We have a real parade of idiots on tap for you this week. Jacob Wohl, Alex Jones, Robert Menendez, Nathan Wade, Justin Timberlake…oh, and Donald Trump too. Strap in, because they’re all doing shit that’s pretty stupid. Visit serioustrouble.show to sign up for our newsletter and find a transcript of this episode. This is a public episode. If you’d l…

1
Nathan Wade Speaks (Please Stop Speaking, Nathan Wade) 29:18

18d ago29:18

29:18

Nathan Wade went on CNN, and had to be stopped by his handlers mid-interview because he was about to answer a question about when he and DA Fani Willis started having sex. Then, he went on The Daily Show and said he wasn’t sleeping with his boss because Willis was never his boss, but was more like his client. Shut up, Nathan Wade! Why does he do th…

1
YSLRICO 40:50

27d ago40:50

40:50

Hunter Biden has been convicted on three federal felony gun charges. In this case, Hunter has the same misfortune as Donald Trump in the Manhattan DA’s case: were he less famous, he’d likely never have ended up in court over these charges. Plus: updates on Trump's probation interview, an update from FLorida and election-related charges in Wisconsin…

1
The Verdict 17:35

1M ago17:35

17:35

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The verdict is in! Ken and Josh discuss the jury's relatively quick decision, the path to sentencing, whether Trump is likely to face a custodial sentence or community service or what, and (for paying subscribers) the arguments Trump will raise on appeal, which co…

1
G.L.O.A.T. 40:30

1M ago40:30

40:30

It’s Wednesday, and the jury in Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial has had his case for about half a day. On Wednesday morning, Judge Juan Merchan instructed the jury on the law — a long and boring process that Ken says jurors often basically ignore — and sent them out to deliberate. And now we wait. Ken and Josh discuss closing arguments in w…

1
Rudy Got Served! 21:09

2M ago21:09

21:09

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Happy Birthday to America’s Mayor, now 80 years old! Rudy had a big bash to celebrate his 80th birthday last Friday, down in Palm Beach. He posted a photo from the party on social media, taunting Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for her failure to serve a summo…

1
Is Michael Cohen a Good Witness? 33:53

2M ago33:53

33:53

New York prosecutors have been using Michael Cohen not just as a vehicle to introduce documents, but to offer his own recollections and assessments of Donald Trump’s state of mind, including why he chose to pay for Stormy Daniels’ silence. Meanwhile, Trump has had friends visiting him at court — Republican politicians, some of them vice presidentia…

1
Yo Momma So Dumb She Thought These Trials Were Happening Before The Election 37:51

2M ago37:51

37:51

Josh thoughtfully attempted to wreck Ken right out of the gate by using the terms “missionary position” and “Donald Trump” in the same sentence of the cold open, live, in person, in Ken's office. He’s referring, of course, to Stormy Daniels’ frankly disturbing testimony about a sexual encounter with Trump, an encounter that sounded not particularly…

1
Contempt 22:20

2M ago22:20

22:20

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Judge Juan Merchan has found Trump in contempt of court and fined him $9,000 — $1,000 per violation of the terms of his gag order, the maximum authorized by New York law. He also noted those fines might not be large enough to influence Trump's behavior, and he thr…

1
If You Voir Something, Dire Something 38:29

3M ago38:29

38:29

The trial has begun! Judge Juan Merchan seated 12 jurors and 6 alternates in three days of voir dire. We discuss the pace of jury selection and complicating factors (that strong opinions about this defendant are common and often expressed on social media), plus: Ken discusses his philosophy of choosing a jury as a defense lawyer, why it’s more of a…

1
Blasts From the Past 35:15

3M ago35:15

35:15

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York has begun, with jury selection underway. Ken and I discuss Trump’s last-ditch efforts to get this trial delayed, and public support he has gotten from a surprising advocate: imprisoned ex-attorney Michael Avenatti, who pho…

1
Sam Bankman Unfreed 39:50

3M ago39:50

39:50

Sam Bankman-Fried has been sentenced. And at his sentencing, we saw a not-too-uncommon pattern for sentencings in major white-collar cases: Judge Lewis Kaplan read him the riot act, ruled against him on all the key issues driving the sentence guideline calculation; accused him of lying on the stand; and then sentenced him to far less than the guide…

1
The Low, Low Price of $175 Million 36:46

3M ago36:46

36:46

A panel of New York appellate judges has reduced Donald Trump’s bond in the New York Attorney General’s civil case to $175 million, an amount he can probably afford. Ken and I discuss possible reasons the court took this surprise action — as is typical for this kind of decision in New York, the judges didn’t really explain their reasoning — and the…

1
Belatedly Good Judgment 23:55

4M ago23:55

23:55

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan was slated to start next week, but it will be delayed due to the late production of a large volume of documents from the US Attorney’s office. And Trump has said he can’t find a bond for the New York Attorney General’s ci…

1
DON'T LIE TO YOUR LAWYER 28:23

4M ago28:23

28:23

It’s a hat trick for Sen. Robert Menendez: his superseding indictment has been superseded once again, this time with charges that he and his wife obstructed justice, including by directing their lawyers to lie to the government about a Mercedes C-300 convertible she received as a bribe. Ken says this sort of thing — lying so your lawyer will lie fo…

1
9-0, but also 5-4 44:09

4M ago44:09

44:09

The Supreme Court is asserting itself in matters related to Donald Trump. The justices held unanimously that states may not block Donald Trump from their election ballots on the grounds of 14th Amendment disqualification, though the justices did have a sharp disagreement about the court’s choice to foreclose other non-congressional federal paths to…

1
G.A. Law 40:10

4M ago40:10

40:10

The mess in Georgia continues. As a reminder, this all bears on the question of whether Fani Willis and her office will be disqualified from conducting the RICO prosecution of Donald Trump and his various co-defendants over his efforts to steal Georgia’s electoral votes. This week, Ken and I invited Georgia attorney Andrew Fleischman back on the sh…

1
Fursona Non Grata 24:53

5M ago24:53

24:53

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show George Santos is back, and Ken couldn’t be happier about it. This time, George is on the left side of the v., for once: he’s suing Jimmy Kimmel over copyright infringement. The most shocking part is he may have a good case. Santos says Kimmel committed various tor…

1
Big Judgment 24:30

5M ago24:30

24:30

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Late Friday, Judge Arthur Engoron issued his long-awaited verdict in the civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, and it orders Trump and his affiliated entities to disgorge nearly $400 million to the state of New York for what he sa…

1
Immune Response 40:42

5M ago40:42

40:42

A little less than a month after hearing oral arguments, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected Donald Trump’s argument that he is immune from being prosecuted for acts within the “outer perimeter” of his presidential duties. That should clear the way for Judge Tanya Chutkan to again move toward the start of a criminal trial, unless the Supre…

1
More Than Incremental Damages 35:50

5M ago35:50

35:50

The verdict has come down in the latest E. Jean Carroll defamation case against Donald Trump and the award is enormous: $83.3 million, or more than 16 times the $5 million she was awarded in the first defamation trial. Trump’s bizarre trial strategy is a likely culprit behind the huge judgment: his choice of a combative-yet-incompetent lawyer, his …

1
RICO Is When People Are Mean to Me 20:46

6M ago20:46

20:46

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The centrist political group No Labels sent a letter to the Justice Department last week, and it’s really something. No Labels plans to run a third-party presidential ticket on dozens of state ballots later this year and mainstream Democrats really don’t like the …

1
Sweetie, Please File This Lawsuit 34:41

6M ago34:41

34:41

Donald Trump wasn’t supposed to give a closing statement at the New York AG’s civil trial, but he gave a brief one anyway — and why not? There’s no jury to influence and, let’s be honest, Judge Engoron seems to have made his mind up. Plus: Rudy Giuliani is bankrupt and faces the creditors’ committee of his nightmares. Michael Flynn has a performati…

1
Estop! or My SEAL Will Shoot 39:11

6M ago39:11

39:11

It’s a big week for Donald Trump being literally, physically in court — on Thursday, he'll be in court for closing arguments in the New York AG's civil case against him, and he attended Tuesday’s appellate hearing over his claim that presidential immunity shields him from Jack Smith’s prosecution related to January 6. Ken and I talked about how tho…

1
The First Amendment Rights of Vegans 41:38

6M ago41:38

41:38

It’s a new year and we’re back with more Serious Trouble. This week: the ongoing appeal in the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, where Donald Trump argues he is presidentially immune from trial over his actions that led up to the January 6 riot. This appeal has paused the clock on the criminal case, but probably not for much longer — the appeals court i…

1
Uncivil Procedure 23:09

7M ago23:09

23:09

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Thank you for all the questions you sent in this week! On a related note: take our “explicit” content warning extra seriously this week. All subscribers get our discussion about the Colorado Supreme Court deciding Donald Trump may not appear on that state’s presid…

1
Justice Delayed 46:24

7M ago46:24

46:24

We have two episodes coming for you this week, one right now and one near the end of the week. On the second episode, we’ll be taking your end-of-year questions — if you have a burning question for Ken, please send it to the RICO hotline by Wednesday morning so we can consider it for inclusion. On today’s show, we talk about a couple of significant…

1
Absolute Immunity 18:26

7M ago18:26

18:26

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show One of Donald Trump’s favorite arguments is that the presidency shields him from legal proceedings. He’s made that argument in criminal cases and in civil ones, but this week, we talk about rejections of those arguments from two different judges. Plus: Jack Smith …

1
Officers of the United States 39:03

7M ago39:03

39:03

Unfortunately we taped this episode before Elon Musk urged Disney CEO Bob Iger to go fuck himself. If we had waited, we would have been able to discuss how Musk had reinforced one of Ken’s points about Twitter’s lawsuit against Media Matters for America over its report showing that Twitter served up ads for major brands next to neo-Nazi content. Th…

1
Incitement 52:35

8M ago52:35

52:35

Donald Trump “re-truthed” a post calling for a “citizens’ arrest” of Judge Arthur Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Normally, when people ask Ken whether a statement is illegal incitement, the answer is a quick “no,” but this case is closer. Also in New York, Mayor Eric Adams looks to be in somewhat serious trouble. The FBI raide…

1
A Whole Lot Of Finding Out 41:00

8M ago41:00

41:00

Welcome to this week’s episode of Serious Trouble, in which Josh attempts to troll Ken about maximum sentences. Sam Bankman-Fried was speedily convicted by a jury that took only several hours — one of them spent at dinner — to deliberate. Will the government bother to try him on the remaining charges? Meanwhile, also in New York, Trump and his lawy…

1
Serious Trouble Episode 69 18:50

8M ago18:50

18:50

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Donald Trump may be in serious trouble, but Michael Cohen’s testimony isn’t the reason. On this week’s episode, Ken and I talk about the thud with which Cohen’s testimony landed at the civil trial over alleged fraud at various Trump businesses. Judge Arthur Engoro…

1
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry 43:20

9M ago43:20

43:20

It’s been a heated week at Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York. Judge Arthur Engoron was enraged at Trump’s failure to fully comply with an order to take down a web post attacking his law clerk and he imposed a $5,000 sanction. Trump attorney Christopher Kise also drew the judge’s ire for his rude and dismissive comments to that same law c…

1
Donald Trump's Second Gag Order 47:04

9M ago47:04

47:04

When it rains, it pours: Donald Trump is now subject to not one but two gag orders, and the new one is more expansive than the first. Judge Tanya Chutkan's order isn’t as broad as the government requested — Trump is still free to criticize Judge Chutkan herself, as well as the US government and the Justice Department, though not the individual pros…

1
Donald Trump's First Gag Order 41:10

9M ago41:10

41:10

Donald Trump withdrew his lawsuit against Michael Cohen so he wouldn’t have to sit for a deposition on the holiday, but Columbus Day didn’t stop us from bringing you a new episode of Serious Trouble. This week, we look at Trump’s first gag order: The former president’s gratuitous social media attacks against Judge Arthur Engoron’s law clerk enraged…

1
Bribery Is Still Illegal 45:31

10M ago45:31

45:31

The McDonnell line of Supreme Court cases isn't likely to save Bob Menendez; Hunter Biden sues Rudy Giuliani and Robert Costello, who is suing Rudy Giuliani; Judge Tanya Chutkan isn't going anywhere This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.serioustrouble.show/subscribe…

1
The Lawsuit Matryoshka 18:49

10M ago18:49

18:49

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Rudy Giuliani's ex-lawyer is suing him for non-payment; Hunter Biden is suing the IRS for airing his dirty laundry; the FTX bankruptcy estate is suing SBF's parents for being morons; Ray Epps, still not a Fed, is pleading guilty; Jack Smith wants a gag order on Do…

1
What About All the People I Didn't Indict? 25:57

10M ago25:57

25:57

This episode starts in Georgia and with Mark Meadows, who lost harder than we expected in his efforts to keep his RICO trial in federal court. And we discuss the report of the investigative special grand jury, which recommended charges against 39 individuals — way more sweeping than the already-cumbersome 19-person indictment that DA Fani Willis go…

1
Severance Pays 44:17

10M ago44:17

44:17

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Here’s what’s on tap in this week’s episode of Serious Trouble. - The sentences that have been coming down for some of the prime movers behind the January 6 riot at the Capitol - Fulton County DA Fani Willis says it will take her four months and 150 witnesses to t…

1
No! Bad Lawyer! Bad! 31:54

10M ago31:54

31:54

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Rudy Giuliani and Michael Avenatti both used to be good lawyers — or, they at least used to seem to be good lawyers — but those days are long past. This week, Ken and Josh discuss Giuliani and Avenatti — a two-fer — and how Giuliani’s drinking actually poses multi…

1
Removal 52:31

11M ago52:31

52:31

The big action this week was again in Georgia, where 3 of the 19 defendants in Fulton County DA Fani Willis’s RICO case sought to remove their cases to federal court. Removal of criminal cases is unusual — it’s much more common in civil court — so the law on when a federal officer must be tried in federal court is less well developed than you might…

1
Unfortunately, This Episode Is RICO 21:55

11M ago21:55

21:55

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Okay, now it’s RICO. Donald Trump and 18 alleged co-conspirators have been indicted on 41 counts in Fulton County, Georgia, and the headline count is RICO: District Attorney Fani Willis alleges this group constituted an enterprise trying to steal Georgia’s elector…

1
This Episode Is Not RICO 1:01:30

11M ago1:01:30

1:01:30

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show The big Georgia indictment came out late Monday night, conveniently released around 11pm eastern, with many counts and many defendants, including Donald Trump. We will soon have an episode for you about it — but that's not what this is. This show, taped on Monday …

1
Penal Colada 46:46

11M ago46:46

46:46

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Another serious week on Serious Trouble! In Washington DC, Trump's attorneys are fighting with prosecutors about what Trump can say in public about his case and what's obtained in discovery. It's not a gag order, and Ken says what Trump's already saying about Mike…

1
Trump Is Indicted for Trying to Steal the Election 26:46

11M ago26:46

26:46

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.serioustrouble.show Donald Trump got indicted again. (And this time, we hadn’t started recording the week’s episode. So we set about doing so, on an urgent but non-emergency basis.) This new federal indictment, issued in Washington DC, is for trying to steal the 2020 election. This w…

1
This Episode Has Been Superseded 59:57

12M ago59:57

59:57

When Sara, Ken and I discussed when to record this week’s episode, we were concerned about when a new federal indictment of Donald Trump might drop. Naturally, one dropped literally minutes after we finished our recording session — but not the one we’d been preparing for. A federal grand jury in south Florida has issued a superseding indictment in …

1
Not-So-Speedy Trials 46:04

12M ago46:04

46:04

This week, we talk about the arguments before Judge Aileen Cannon about when she should schedule the federal criminal trial of Donald Trump. The Trump team has made arguments for a long delay, some of them very splashy and aggressive — most prominently, their insistence that he should not be tried until he is no longer a prominent political candida…

1
David Schleicher on the Fiscal Whipsaw in State Governments 40:09

1y ago40:09

40:09

How are state and local governments faring post-COVID? It's a pretty different picture than what we're seeing with the federal budget deficit. States enjoyed generous federal aid and surprisingly strong tax collections during the pandemic. In 2021, state governments were flush — sometimes, they even made responsible choices, making deposits into th…

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