Episodes

  • Brown Shooting Fallout: Lies on X — Epstein Redactions

    Brown Shooting Fallout: Lies on X — Epstein Redactions
    Dec 24 2025
    This week, host Corey Brettschneider, a Brown University professor, and co-host John Fugelsang begin with the latest confirmed developments in the Brown University shooting—and the parallel storm of disinformation on X that spread during the investigation: false accusations against a transgender student and a manufactured narrative about motive. We break down how these claims circulated, why they’re dangerous, and how to separate verified reporting from rumor—without naming private individuals or repeating unverified allegations.

    Next: Congress votes to release more Epstein-related files, but the initial disclosures arrived heavily redacted from Attorney General Pam Bondi. What was released, what may still be withheld, and what Congress can realistically compel next. Plus: controversy around 60 Minutes after reports that a segment involving El Salvador’s CECOT prison was delayed amid accusations of political pressure. We close with an end-of-year rundown—key lessons from our Trump deep dives in 2025 and what we’re watching in 2026.

    Listener note: This episode includes discussion of gun violence.
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    1 hr
  • A Brown Professor on the Campus Shooting—and Gun Laws That Work

    A Brown Professor on the Campus Shooting—and Gun Laws That Work
    Dec 18 2025
    This week’s episode is personal. Host Corey Brettschneider, a Brown University professor, and cohost John Fugelsang speak directly to what our community is living through after the deadly campus shooting—and what it means for universities, public safety, and the country.

    We also address the national response—and the bigger question it can obscure: America’s gun violence crisis, and why reforms have reduced mass shootings elsewhere, including lessons from Australia after major national action.

    Plus: a major legal fight over religious charter schools, a pending Supreme Court case involving racial discrimination in jury selection, and what Susie Wiles’ candid comments reveal about Trump.

    Listener note: This episode includes discussion of a campus shooting and gun violence.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Trump’s Supreme Court Power Grab (with Leah Litman)

    Trump’s Supreme Court Power Grab (with Leah Litman)
    Dec 11 2025
    Leah Litman — University of Michigan law professor and constitutional law expert — joins Corey Brettschneider and cohost John Fugelsang to explain how the Supreme Court may be clearing the way for Donald Trump to fire independent regulators at will. She breaks down the Court’s turn toward the unitary executive, what that means for Trump’s control over the executive branch, what’s at stake in the coming fight over birthright citizenship, and where she still sees possibilities for court reform.

    Corey and John open the episode by unpacking the stakes of a recently heard case on independent agencies, its impact on watchdogs like the FTC and the Federal Reserve, and how it might further concentrate presidential power. They then connect the dots to concrete examples from government and the courts — including Pete Hegseth and war crimes allegations and Judge Boasberg’s handling of the administration’s defiance of a court order — before their in-depth conversation with Leah about whether any institutions will be able to hold President Trump to account.
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    52 mins
  • MAGA Is Blaming the Judges — with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

    MAGA Is Blaming the Judges — with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
    Dec 4 2025
    Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joins us for one of our most important conversations yet. We examine MAGA’s escalating effort to blame and target judges who uphold the rule of law — from GOP attacks on Judge Boasberg to the broader push to weaponize impeachment. Senator Whitehouse lays out what Congress can still do now, and the reforms needed to protect democracy in the long term.
    But first: John and Corey break down Trump’s shocking pardon of the convicted former Honduran president — and the disturbing reports of potentially unlawful military orders in the Caribbean.
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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • Political Prosecutions Blow Up — Judge Rules Trump’s Prosecutor Was Illegally Appointed

    Political Prosecutions Blow Up — Judge Rules Trump’s Prosecutor Was Illegally Appointed
    Nov 27 2025
    A judge has blown up Trump’s indictments of James Comey and Letitia James — ruling the special prosecutor was illegally appointed. Corey and John explain why this strikes at the heart of Trump’s “retribution” agenda and how the fight raises fundamental separation-of-powers questions at the core of our democracy.

    Then: Pete Hegseth threatens to court-martial a sitting U.S. Senator for warning the military not to obey illegal orders. Corey breaks down the rule that service members must refuse unlawful commands — and why Hegseth’s attack is so dangerous. Plus: Trump talks about disbanding DOGE entirely, and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani holds a bizarre press conference with Trump in the Oval Office.

    A sharp, urgent episode on the week’s most alarming constitutional abuses — and what they mean for the rule of law heading into 2026.

    Hosted by Corey Brettschneider and John Fugelsang, The Oath and The Office delivers clear, expert constitutional analysis at the moment democracy needs it most.
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    50 mins
  • Trump Cornered Amid Epstein Panic

    Trump Cornered Amid Epstein Panic
    Nov 20 2025
    Epstein files erupt in Washington, leaving Trump suddenly cornered as Republicans push for their release. Corey and John break down Trump’s push to stretch presidential immunity by labeling even unofficial conduct as “official,” the Supreme Court’s new asylum case at the border, and Tucker Carlson’s move to platform extremist Nick Fuentes. A sharp look at power, democracy, and rising hate in politics.
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    52 mins
  • Trump Ends His Shutdown — What’s Behind Jackson’s Puzzling SNAP Call?

    Trump Ends His Shutdown — What’s Behind Jackson’s Puzzling SNAP Call?
    Nov 13 2025
    Trump has ended his shutdown — but the real shock came from the Supreme Court. In a little-noticed move, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson allowed the Trump administration to temporarily halt SNAP benefits, raising serious questions about how the Court is approaching presidential power. Corey and John explain what’s really behind Jackson’s puzzling decision — and what it means for millions of Americans who rely on food assistance. They also break down the Kim Davis denial and the explosive report alleging Trump’s allies were connected to a “sandwich shop” operation selling access and even pardons. A wild week in constitutional law, presidential power, and corruption — and we make sense of every part of it.
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    51 mins
  • The Case That Could Finally Stop Trump | Dahlia Lithwick

    The Case That Could Finally Stop Trump | Dahlia Lithwick
    Nov 6 2025
    This week on The Oath and The Office, Corey and John trace the pattern of Trump’s lawlessness — from unions suing over his surveillance of non-citizens’ social media to his effort to strip gun rights from marijuana users, a selective “law and order” move aimed at his non-allies.

    Then Corey sits down with Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick for a wide-ranging conversation about the Supreme Court tariffs case — and what it could mean for the limits of presidential power. Together they explore three central issues: Trump’s abuse of emergency powers, the DOJ’s misleading statements in court, and what Corey and Dahlia agree amounts to a DOJ shakedown.

    It’s a conversation about how far Trump’s lawlessness has gone — and whether this case might finally be where the courts push back.
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    1 hr and 1 min