It's Complicated

About It's Complicated

Join former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti and former FBI Special Agent and Yale Law School lecturer Asha Rangappa as they break down for Legal AF the biggest legal and political stories with sharp insight, real experience, and an unapologetic pro-democracy perspective. No spin, no both-sides nonsense — just the facts, the law, and what it all means for our democracy.

Publisher

Renato Mariotti & Asha Rangappa

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Aug 2018

Latest episode

29 May 2026

Latest episodes

113 of 306 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   29 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 172 | Trump BEGS DOJ to SAVE HIM as He RUNS SCARED

   Legal analyst Asha Rangappa and attorney Michael Popok discuss the DOJ's investigation into E. Jean Carroll's financial claims, offering insights into the legal proceedings.

2. 

   22 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Episode 171 | Trump SLUSH FUND Instantly UNDERMINED by CONSTITUTION!!!

   Georgetown Law Professor David Super joins hosts Asha Rangappa and Renato Mariotti to analyze the questionable legality of a Trump slush fund and its constitutional implications.

3. 

   21 May 2026

   Episode 169 | Trump's War RUNS into TROUBLE in Senate + SCOTUS Shock Move?!?!

   Last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued at a Senate hearing that President Trump does not have to seek Congressional approval for continued military action in Iran under the War Powers Resolution, because the 60-day clock was “paused” when a ceasefire was declared in April. Asha and Renato explain how the War Powers Resolution works, whether the U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is an act of war and what the real checks on a president are when the U.S. engages in hostilities with a foreign nation. Next, they turn to the latest court decision in the battle over the abortion pill, mifepristone. Renato and Asha review a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that stayed the ability of women to access mifepristone through the mail, and they analyze what may happen at the Supreme Court. Listen up! Asha Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/ Subscribe to our podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/its-complicated Follow Asha on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/asharangappa.bsky.social Follow Renato on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/renatomariotti.bsky.social Follow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/ Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/ Cruise with us! https://www.travelstore.com/group-travel/its-complicated-cruise-2026/ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@LegalAFMTN?sub_confirmation=1 Become a member of Legal AF YouTube community: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJgZJZZbnLFPr5GJdCuIwpA/join Become a member of the Legal AF Substack: https://michaelpopok.substack.com/20off Follow Legal AF on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/legalafmtn.bsky.social Follow Michael Popok on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mspopok.bsky.social Subscribe to the Legal AF podcast feed here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legal-af-by-meidastouch/id1580828595 Subscribe to the Intersection with Michael Popok podcast feed here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-intersection-with-michael-popok/id1818863274 Subscribe to Unprecedented with Michael Popok and Dina Doll podcast feed here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unprecedented-by-legal-af/id1867023089 Subscribe to Court of History with Sidney Blumenthal and Sean Wilentz podcast feed here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-court-of-history/id1867022920 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

Episode 172 | Trump BEGS DOJ to SAVE HIM as He RUNS SCARED

Published 29 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] You have to really look for them, let me tell you. You don't find them just walking along in the street. And that is essentially – you know, what I would say about this, like finding a vindictive prosecution ruling in the defendant's favor is extraordinarily rare. Yeah. And I think it's really, it speaks to the extraordinary behavior here. We are living in unusual times, in times in which the Justice Department is really standing on its head. And you've talked, Asha, numerous times you always bring up the presumption of regularity, which is essentially where courts are assuming that government attorneys and others are acting in sort of the way that you would presume them acting in the ordinary course. […]

Who has been a guest on It's Complicated

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• David Super
• Ryan Goodman
• Rick Hasen

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

251,697

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

1,047 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

65 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 77 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

79

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

99

Contact It's Complicated

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about It's Complicated