The Intersection with Michael Popok Full Episode - 8/12/2025

The top- rated weekly US law and politics podcast -- LegalAF -- produced by Meidas Touch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking, but entertaining look in “real time” at this week’s most compelling developments.  On this episode, Ben and Popok focus on the following: 1. InfoWars’ Alex Jones has a default judgment on liability entered against him for failing to provide any documents or proof to support his statements that the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre of 20 children and 6 adults was a “hoax”. 2. A Federal judge appointed by Trump finds that Jan6 insurrectionist sentencing is too harsh and wonders aloud why more BLM protestors weren’t punished harder. 3. The Jan6 Select Committee is ready to flex its muscle of congressional criminal contempt powers to arrest those witnesses like Bannon and insurrectionists who won’t testify. 4. The US Supreme Court opens its new term this Monday (the “First Monday of October”) that runs through April, and we examine the oral argument process, and “cases to watch” this term including about abortion rights, the Second Amendment, campaign finance and religious rights. 5. Updates, Updates, Updates, including this week’s injunction hearing between the DOJ and the State of Texas defeat SB8’s abortion ban/vigilante law, NYAG James and future prosecutions in the Trump Organization investigation, and SCOTUS addressing New York’s vaccine mandate for public school teachers as school reopens on Monday.  Reminder and Programming Note:  All 24 past episodes of Legal AF originally featured on the MeidasTouch podcast can now be found here: https://pod.link/1580828595 Support the show! Go to https://BetterHelp.com/legalaf and try BetterHelp today with a 10% off discount your first month! Affordable, private online therapy with BetterHelp. Anytime, anywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Okt 20211h 12min

The top-rated weekly US law and politics podcast -- LegalAF -- produced by Meidas Touch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking look in “real time” at this week’s most compelling developments. On this episode, Ben and Popok focus on the following new developments: 1. Russian illegal cash funneled to the Trump re-election campaign through newly-indicted former Mitch McConnell & Rand Paul aide. 2. Trump opposing Twitter’s efforts to transfer his Florida federal lawsuit to San Francisco by arguing in part that Twitter is so addicting that he can’t be bound to its Terms of Service and venue clause. 3. Updates on the Fraud-It/CyberNinjas Arizona audit that led to Trump being declared the loser of Arizona for the 3rd time. 4. The first test suits filed (by two disbarred lawyers) against a Texas doctor providing abortion services to Texas women seeking the $10,000 bounty, and to challenge the constitutionality of SB8. 5. Trump’s “SLAPP” suit filed this week against Mary Trump and The New York Times because she provided the newspaper with Trump’s tax returns and the Times won a Pulitzer Prize for the reporting. Support the show! Go to https://BetterHelp.com/legalaf and try BetterHelp today with a 10% off discount your first month! Affordable, private online therapy with BetterHelp. Anytime, anywhere. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Sep 20211h 9min

The top-rated weekly law and politics podcast -- LegalAF -- produced by MeidasTouch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking yet entertaining look at the most compelling developments at the intersection of law and politics in real-time. On this episode, Ben and Popok explore and explode this week’s political litigation developments: 1. Bombshell revelations about why Trump chose Rudy “I will say anything” Giuliani to be his lawyer when no legitimate lawyer would take his cases. 2. The troubling indictment for lying of democratic lawyer Michael Sussman by Trump’s special prosecutor looking into Russian interference for providing compelling evidence of Russian involvement, but allegedly not disclosing to the FBI that he also worked for the Clinton Campaign. 3. This week’s decision by a North Carolina 3-judge trial panel to overturn the state’s new Voter ID laws as racially-biased and violative of the State’s Equal Protection Clause. 4. The FBI’s bumbling investigation of Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh, the 4,5000 tips it received prior to his confirmation, and what it means for the future. 5. This week’s decision by an upstate NY federal judge to block New York’s front-line health worker vax mandate on First Amendment, religious grounds. 6. Key Developments in the USA v. the State of Texas case challenging the constitutionality of the abortion ban and now assigned to an Obama-appointee federal judge sitting in Austin, and a full hearing on the matter to be held by him in 2-weeks’ time. 7. A “friends of the court” brief just filed by the architect of the Texas Bounty Hunter/Handmaid’s Tale abortion ban, the state’s former solicitor general, seeking not only the overturn of Roe v. Wade, but also that women should go back to the Dark Ages of abstaining from sex altogether, and calling for the elimination of gay marriage and gay sex as a constitutional right. 8. And, updates, updates on: (a) E. Jean Carroll’s defamation suit against Trump in Manhattan federal court; and (b) a Jan6 insurrectionist trying to walk away from a sweet-heart 8 month plea deal for breaking into the Senate Chamber by claiming his plea agreement was “forged.” Special Easter Eggs Alert: Popok receives NO yellow cards from Ben on this episode but does demand that Ben wear a LegalAF t-shirt on the next show. Reminder and Programming Note: All past episodes of Legal AF originally featured on the MeidasTouch podcast can now be found here on this channel. Follow Legal AF on Twitter here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Sep 20211h 49min

The top-rated weekly law and politics podcast -- LegalAF -- produced by Meidas Touch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking yet entertaining look at the most compelling developments at the intersection of law and politics. At the top of the podcast, Ben and Popok honor the victims and first responders and their families on the 20th Anniversary of September 11th. Then, Ben and Popok explore and explode this week’s political litigation developments:  The DOJ bombshell/landmark suit of The United States of America v. the State of Texas, filed this week to find that the Texas abortion ban (SB8) “defiantly” violates: the US Constitution, a woman’s Constitutional-right to terminate her pregnancy prior to viability, and the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, Commerce Clause, and the Intergovernmental Immunity doctrine. Oath Keeper attorney and others possibly being charged by DOJ with Federal crime of “seditious conspiracy” concerning the January 6th attack on the Capitol. President Biden’s Vaccine Mandates for business and federal workers through OSHA, the 1905 SCOTUS precedent to support it, and the GQP predictable resistance to the new public health laws. Fulton County, Georgia’s District Attorney continued criminal investigation into Trump’s phone call on January 2nd to the Georgia Secretary of State to “find votes” and fraudulently overturn the election results, and possible crimes committed by Rudy Giuliani and Sen. Lindsey Graham. A Florida Federal judge finding that Governor DeSantis’ “anti-protest” law passed in response to the BLM movement, violates the Constitution’s First Amendment protecting free speech and the right to peaceably assembly, and harks back to Jim Crow days and the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. A federal civil suit filed against Prince Andrew under New York’s Child Victims Act brought by a plaintiff who alleges that as part of the Jeffrey Epstein web of depravity, she was raped by the Prince when she was a teenager, and a discussion of how her lawyers were finally able to serve him with the lawsuit in England. Special Easter Eggs Alert: Popok breaks out an egg timer to keep the show humming along, and we have our first sponsor! Please visit Policygenius.com right now and compare insurance quotes today! Reminder and Programming Note: All past episodes of Legal AF originally featured on the MeidasTouch podcast can now be found here.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Sep 20211h 21min

The top-rated weekly law and politics podcast, Legal AF, produced by Meidas Touch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking yet entertaining look at the most compelling developments at the intersection of law and politics. On this week’s real-time, filled-to-the-brim episode, Ben and Popok explore and explode: The Texas Chainsaw Bounty Reproductive Rights Massacre, & SCOTUS’ abuse of the Shadow Docket.  Rollback of Trump’s efforts to decimate the Clean Water Act The suit by the Sandy Hook Elementary school parents against Remington, and it’s efforts to cause the parents more pain in the discovery process McCarthy’s underhanded attacks on the credibility Jan6 select committee by threatening telecom companies, and whether his actions are a federal crime and an ethics violation.  Update on DeSantis’ continued efforts to undermine student health by appealing the judge’s ruling finding his school mask ban illegal. President Biden’s efforts to assist the victims of 9-11 and their suit against Saudi Arabia by declassifying FBI files on the link between the Saudi government and the hijacker l-terrorists,  And the usual collection of GQP Shamans, Charlatans Conspirators, and so much more.  Special Easter Eggs Alert: Ben throws 2 more yellow cards at Popok!  Reminder and Programming Note: All past episodes of Legal AF originally featured on the MeidasTouch podcast can now be found here on this channel. Follow Legal AF on Twitter here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Sep 20211h 53min

The top-rated weekly law and politics podcast, Legal AF, produced by MeidasTouch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking yet entertaining look at the most compelling developments at the intersection of law and politics. On this week’s real-time, filled-to-the-brim episode, Ben and Popok explore and explode: 1. A Michigan Federal judge throwing the book at Trump attorneys’ Sydney Powell, Lin Wood and others for bad faith and meritless conduct in challenging Biden’s win, including possibly pulling their law licenses. 2. The House January 6th Special Committee issuing demands, and soon subpoenas, to investigate Trump, his cabinet, and members of congress, including whether Trump was mentally-unfit. 3. The FCC’s $5mm fine (and criminal charges) against notorious “robo-callers” and Trump conspiracy theorists who used 1200 robocalls to interfere with mail in voting. 4. A Florida judge’s ruling to overrule Gov. DeSantis’ efforts to block mask use in public schools. 5. SCOTUS’ 6-3 decision to invalidate the current CDC eviction moratorium as improper rule-making without Congressional action. 6. SCOTUS’ 6-3 decision to block President Biden’s efforts to end Trump’s “stay in Mexico” policy for asylum-seekers, as “arbitrary and capricious” and,  7. Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Fruman’s decision to change his “not guilty” plea to “guilty” in the New York federal prosecution case against him related his fraudulent conduct concerning Ukraine, and Trump, and what it means for the two pending related Giuliani prosecutions. Special Easter Eggs Alert: Ben throws a ‘yellow” card at Popok, but also admits that he sometimes dreams of LegalAF and Popok. Reminder and Programming Note:  All past episodes of Legal AF originally featured on the MeidasTouch podcast can now be found here. Follow Legal AF on Twitter here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Aug 20211h 33min

The top-rated weekly law and politics podcast, LegalAF, produced by MeidasTouch and anchored by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is back for another hard-hitting, thought-provoking, yet entertaining look at this week’s most compelling developments at the intersection of law and politics.    Ben and Popok lead off with a detailed update of the pending and future state criminal charges led by the Manhattan DA against Trump, his company executives and cronies, including those who received last-minute federal pardons by then President Trump. Next, the Analysis Friends look at the Arizona appellate court decision to compel the Cyber Ninjas to disclose all their files as public records concerning the Maricopa County “fraud-it”.  Talking about bizarre election conduct, Ben and Popok shake their collective heads about Pillow Guy’s  latest misadventure of hiding from the FBI the Mesa County (Colorado) Clerk who is on the lam for having allegedly disclosed to Q the passcodes to election equipment.  Then, spanning the country on a whirlwind tour of this week’s legal developments about mandatory school mask litigation,  Ben and Michael explore litigation around the death-rattle of Republican governors’ executive orders banning school masks in Texas, Arizona, and Florida, and Biden’s likely response to it all, while reserving a special shout out to the Kentucky Democratic Governor and all around thinking person, Andy Beshear and his sensible school mask policy that was just invalidated by a federal judge (appointed by Jimmy Carter no less).  Ben and Popok conclude the episode with a close examination of this week’s 2 potentially game-changing immigration decisions: (1) a Nevada federal judge’s finding that a law on the federal books for more than 70 years making it a felony to reenter the country once deported, is both racist and unconstitutional under the 5th Amendment and (2) SCOTUS’ decision just today to decide on a fast-track whether Biden’s ending of Trump’s “stay in Mexico” while seeking asylum policy is legal.  Special Easter Egg: Popok makes Ben get up really early to record, and hijinks ensue.  Reminder and Programming Note:  All past episodes of Legal AF originally featured on the MeidsTouch podcast can now be found here.  Thank you for listening and remember to tell all your friends to subscribe to Legal AF by MeidasTouch! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Aug 20211h 24min

The top-ranked weekly law and politics podcast — Legal AF — produced by MeidasTouch and hosted by MT founder and civil rights lawyer, Ben Meiselas and national trial lawyer and strategist, Michael Popok, is now on its own podcast channel, and brought its 17 prior episode archive along for the ride. On today’s episode, Ben and Popok use their special brand of hard-hitting analysis and genial straight-talk to explore Dominion Voting Systems recent courtroom successes in their billion dollar defamation cases against Trump, Trump Jr., Sidney ‘Kraken’ Powell, Giuliani, My Pillow Guy, and now the founder of Overstock.com, for perpetuating the Big Lie that an international cabal, combined with key federal agencies AND Chief Justice Roberts, used AI to help President Biden win the presidency. The hosts then update listeners on cases that have been followed since LAF’s inception, including the recent SCOTUS eviction ban cases, and how federal courts around the country have been handling mandatory vax and vax passport requirements. Next up, the “Analytic Friends” discuss the public policy implications of federal criminal justice and sentencing reform as POTUS considers using his Constitutional clemency powers to address disproportioned convictions and sentencing of recreational drug users. The episode ends with a discussion of whether federal prosecutors in DC are going too easy on January 6th insurrectionists, a question recently asked out loud by the Chief Judge of the DC federal court handling 500 such cases. Easter Egg Alert: Ben and Popok discuss the right-wing’s literal death grip on COVID to use it as a nonsensical “wedge issus” to win back national office. And New Logo + New Theme Song + New Podcast Channel may = New LAF Merch! Thank you for listening and remember to subscribe and leave a 5-star review! Follow Legal AF on Twitter here: @MTLegalAF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Aug 20211h 19min