{"podcast":{"title":"The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell","slug":"the-illegal-news-with-sarah-longwell-6767731","podcast_index_feed_id":6767731,"rss_url":"https://audioboom.com/channels/5124335.rss","website_url":"https://audioboom.com/channels/5124335","image_url":"https://audioboom.com/i/43512035.jpg","author":"The Bulwark","episode_count":121,"summary":"“The Illegal News” is where law meets politics. Each week, Bulwark publisher Sarah Longwell (not a lawyer) sits down with a legal expert to unpack how the latest court filings, rulings, and procedural twists and turns of the Trump era are shaping American democracy. These are conversations about justice without the jargon, giving you context for the biggest developments and surfacing the legal (and illegal) moves not getting enough attention. If you're looking for \"George Conway Explains It All to Sarah Longwell,\" George is off on a new adventure, but Sarah will keep you covered.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T20:20:13.850397+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-illegal-news-with-sarah-longwell-6767731"},"episode":{"title":"S2 Ep168: Senators Never Asked Blanche the Most Obvious Epstein Question","slug":"s2-ep168-senators-never-asked-blanche-the-most-obvious-epstein-question","published_at":"2026-07-18T21:38:47+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-illegal-news-with-sarah-longwell-6767731/s2-ep168-senators-never-asked-blanche-the-most-obvious-epstein-question","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-illegal-news-with-sarah-longwell-6767731","url":"https://audioboom.com/posts/8929853","audio_url":"https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/arttrk.com/p/ABMA5/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/audioboom.com/posts/8929853.mp3?modified=1784410882&sid=5124335&source=rss","summary":"Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss on a week that tested both of them: Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing, and Trump's prime-time speech on election interference. Andrew walks through the cross-examination Senate Democrats didn't run—the statements that went unchallenged, the follow-ups nobody asked, and the one question about the withheld Epstein files that Blanche has still never answered. Then: why he thinks dismantling the government's election-security apparatus isn't neglect, but the point. Also discussed: the $1.776 billion payout, the document absolving Trump of tax liability, what Blanche told the Epstein victims that simply isn't true, and why Andrew keeps calling BS. Sleep cooler this summer with Boll & Branch. Their sheets are 100% organic cotton, woven for airflow, and 94% of customers say they get softer with every wash. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at https://bollandbranch.com/illegalnews with code ILLEGALNEWS. Exclusions apply. OneSkin's OS-1 peptide targets the cells behind visible aging, and their limited-edition summer bundles pair it with SPF. Get 15% off at https://oneskin.co/illegalnews with code ILLEGALNEWS. After you purchase they'll ask where you heard about them—please tell them we sent you. Andrew Weissmann's new book is out now: https://www.amazon.com/Liars-Kingdom-Trumps-Deceit-America/dp/0316601306","meta_description":"Sarah Longwell and Andrew Weissmann discuss on a week that tested both of them: Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing, and Trump's prime-time speech on elec…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3593,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-illegal-news-with-sarah-longwell-6767731/episodes/s2-ep168-senators-never-asked-blanche-the-most-obvious-epstein-question/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-illegal-news-with-sarah-longwell-6767731/s2-ep168-senators-never-asked-blanche-the-most-obvious-epstein-question.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}