Opening Arguments Opening Arguments

John Yoo Wrote the Torture Memos and Never Paid for It. At All.

Sep 30, 2026 · 1h 15m

Summary

Hosts Thomas and Matt Cameron discuss the legal legacy of 9/11, focusing on Alan Dershowitz’s 2001 column arguing for legalizing torture via judicial warrants. They also mock Senator Eric Schmitt’s failed congressional attempt to impeach Jack Smith by presenting a nonsensical poster board linking him to an NBA game. The episode highlights how post-9/11 legal justifications enabled systemic abuses and critiques the current political climate surrounding these historical events.

Topics discussed

Intro: Summer price forecast and rising costs Banter: Alan Dershowitz and producer Lydia The legal legacy of 9/11 and 25th anniversary Sponsor break: Supporting independent podcasts Banter: Supreme Court vs. Publix and mangoes Jack Smith perjury probe and the Hawks game mix-up Critique of congressional oversight and witness rehab Banter: Gavel sounds and podcast music rights Transition to Dershowitz's controversial legal takes Dershowitz's 2002 op-ed on torture and truth serum Sponsor break: Bull millionaires club and ads Reading the torture memos: Sleep deprivation and waterboarding Legal justification and habeas corpus for detainees Surveillance memos and the Patriot Act privacy issues Sponsor break: Hall of fame patrons and comic Eric Posner and John Yoo on the Patriot Act constitutionality Opposition to the ICC and accountability for war crimes
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