It's Complicated

Join former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst Renato Mariotti and former Special Agent at the FBI and Legal Analyst Asha Rangappa as they dive deeper into complicated issues in the news.

News
Government
101
FBI Under Assault: How has the Trump Administra...
Renato and Patti discuss recent reports that the FBI background investigation of Brett Kavanaugh was curtailed and the potential prosecution of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. They are joined by former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst Asha Rangappa.
51 min
102
Military Spending at a Trump Resort: What Can b...
Renato discusses the breaking news that Air Force personnel stayed in a Trump resort in Scotland that was over 50 miles from the airport they landed at and that the Air Force has failed to produce any documents in response to a House Oversight investigation. He is joined by the reporter who broke the story, Politico National Security Correspondent and MSNBC Contributor Natasha Bertrand.
34 min
103
Trade War Escalates: Is Trump Causing an Econom...
Renato and Patti discusses Trump’s growing trade war with China and his verbal attacks on the Fed Chairman. They are joined by Austan Goolsbee, former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and a member of President Obama’s cabinet.
58 min
104
Epstein’s Death: What Happens to his Accomplice...
Renato and Patti discuss the ongoing investigations of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s death and his accomplices. They are joined by former FBI Supervisory Special Agent James Gagliano.
62 min
105
Fighting for Gun Regulation: What Can Be Done? ...
Renato and Patti discuss the fight over gun regulation after recent tragic massacres in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. They are joined by Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action.
45 min
106
Separating Families: How Can the Legal System S...
Renato and Patti discuss recent news that the Trump Administration has separated over 900 children from their parents despite a court order prohibiting that practice. They are joined by Lee Gelernt, Deputy Director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project, who brought that disturbing fact to light in a court filing.
48 min
107
Mueller Testifies: What Does This Mean for Trum...
Renato and Patti discuss former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony before the House Judiciary and House Intel Committees. They are joined by Asha Rangappa, former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, and Jennifer Rodgers, former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst.
79 min
108
Interference in the Justice System: How Can We ...
Renato and Patti discuss recent news that federal prosecutors failed to charge Hope Hicks and others despite evidence that they were involved in Trump’s hush money payments. They are joined by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who discusses his views on protecting the Justice Department and judiciary from political interference.
49 min
109
Jeffrey Epstein Indicted: Will He Finally be Br...
Renato discusses the recent indictment of Jeffrey Epstein as well as the prior non-prosecution agreement that caused the resignation of former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. He is joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.
61 min
110
Census Questions: Can Trump Add a Citizenship Q...
Renato and Patti discuss the Trump Administration’s reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on adding a citizenship question to the census, including the apparent reversal of its decision to remove the question after Trump tweeted about the issue. They are joined by former Associate White House Counsel Daniel Jacobson, who represents plaintiffs in the census lawsuit that was the subject of the Supreme Court ruling.
66 min
111
Insanitary Conditions: What is Wrong With Our I...
Renato and Patti discuss the recent death of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter Valeria, the Trump Administration's defense of insanitary conditions, and recent calls to repeal the illegal entry statute. They are joined by Anthony Enriquez, Director of the Unaccompanied Minors Program for Catholic Charities Community Services.
51 min
112
Opening an Impeachment Inquiry: Would It Help D...
Renato discusses what an impeachment inquiry would look like and whether opening an impeachment inquiry would help the House of Representatives obtain documents and testimony. He is joined by Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe, the author of To End A Presidency: The Power of Impeachment, who has publicly called for the House to open an impeachment inquiry.
38 min
113
Trump Welcomes Foreign Aid: How Can We Stop Fut...
Renato and Patti discuss Donald Trump's recent comments that he would accept aid from foreign nations and discuss whether our laws adequately protect our elections from foreign interference in the future. They are joined by former FBI counterintelligence agent, CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, and Yale University professor Asha Rangappa.
55 min
114
Attack on the Free Press: How does the First Am...
Renato and Patti discuss Trump recent call for a boycott of AT&T due to CNN’s coverage, Trump’s attempt to prevent the AT&T-Time Warner merger to punish CNN, and other ways in which Trump has attacked the free press and undermined the First Amendment. They are joined by Kristy Parker, former Justice Department Deputy Chief and Counsel for non-profit Protect Democracy, who has sued Trump on behalf of writers and journalists.
60 min
115
Mueller Speaks: What Do His Carefully Chosen Wo...
Renato and Patti discuss the first public statement of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and what his words tell us about his decision not to reach a prosecutorial judgment as to obstruction of justice, his message to Congress, and more. They are joined by Garrett Graff, the author of The Threat Matrix: Inside Robert Mueller's FBI and the War on Global Terror.
40 min
116
Attack on Reproductive Rights: How Will the Leg...
Renato and Patti discuss new state laws that radically restrict reproductive rights, including new laws in Alabama and Missouri, and how these laws will fit into the nationwide legal battle over reproductive rights. They are joined by Caroline Frederickson, President of the American Constitution Society and former General Counsel of NARAL Pro-Choice America.
35 min
117
Aggressive Use of Executive Privilege: Will Tru...
Renato discusses the White House's use of executive privilege to keep former White House Counsel Don McGahn from complying with a House Judiciary Committee subpoena. He is joined by former White House Counsel Bob Bauer.
51 min
118
Fight Over Oversight: How Can Congress Fight St...
Renato and Patti discuss the Trump Administration’s strategy of stonewalling all subpoenas for documents issued by Congress as part of its oversight responsibilities. They are joined by Josh Chafetz, Professor of Law at Cornell Law School.
44 min
119
Unprecedented Obstruction: Can Trump Stonewall ...
Renato and Patti discuss the Trump Administration's attempts to stonewall the House investigations, including the investigations of the facts underlying the Mueller report. They are joined by Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the House Oversight Committee.
42 min
120
Redacted Mueller Report: What Does a First Read...
Renato and Patti discuss some of the important findings and conclusions in the redacted Mueller report, as well as Attorney General Bill Barr’s deceptive and misleading statements prior to his release of the report. They are joined by former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst Jennifer Rodgers and former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst Asha Rangappa.
72 min
121
Arrest of Assange: Does His Indictment Implicat...
Renato and Patti discuss the indictment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, including whether there are implications for press risk and potential obstacles for the Justice Department posed by the charges. They are joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Barb McQuade, the former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.
46 min
122
Full Disclosure: Will We See the Full Mueller R...
Guest host Asha Rangappa (former FBI agent and CNN Legal Analyst) and Patti discuss the disclosure of the full Mueller report as well as Trump’s tax returns. They’re joined by former federal prosecutor and MSNBC Legal Analyst Mimi Rocah.
51 min
123
Following the Money: What Potential Financial C...
Guest Host Asha Rangappa, a former FBI agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst, and Patti discuss potential financial crimes that could create liability for Trump. They are joined by former federal prosecutor and CNN Legal Analyst Shan Wu.
47 min
124
The Barr Letter: What Questions Does it Raise? ...
Renato and Patti discuss the implications and aftermath of the letter of Attorney General Bill Barr purportedly describing the contents of the Mueller report, as well as Barr's own conclusion that Trump did not obstruct justice. They are joined by MSNBC Legal Analyst Barb McQuade, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.
56 min
125
Mueller Report Arrives: What Does It Mean? (wit...
Renato discusses the questions raised by the transmission of the Mueller report to Attorney General Bill Barr, as well as what we can expect to happen next. He is joined by Atlantic reporter and MSNBC Contributor Natasha Bertrand, former federal prosecutors and CNN Legal Analysts Jennifer Rodgers and Shan Wu, and former FBI counterintelligence agent and CNN Legal and National Security Analyst Asha Rangappa.
76 min