The Al Franken Podcast 2s4t2n

JD Vance has had an unorthodox rise to power. After a troubled childhood, he ed the Marines, graduated from Yale Law School, became a best-selling author, and then won a seat in the U.S. Senate. And now, at only 40, he is Vice President to Donald Trump, a man who Vance once described as "America's Hitler" and "cultural heroin." We’re ed by The Atlantic’s George Packer. His most recent piece, “The Talented Mr. Vance,” explores Vance's political transformation and whether or not he genuinely evolved his political views or cynically abandoned his principles for ambition. We also take a look at the Democrats' path forward. Packer shares how they can respond to Trump's appeal to disengaged voters. Read Packer’s writing in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/george-packer/ 

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our conversation with Al’s former Senate Communications Director, Ed Shelleby, to relive their time working together. Ed tells tales of him TRYING to manage Al's comedic impulses in serious situations, but also talks about the great work they accomplished together.  Ed shares several behind-the-scenes stories including how Al, as a newly elected official, had to learn to "pivot" in interviews and explains how the office coined a brand new term: The Dehumorizer.  But also, we cover the effectiveness of Al's time in the Senate. And they share many stories of how Al treated his staff like family.  It's a different kind of show this week, but one we KNOW you will enjoy.  See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the start of Donald Trump's second term, he's been eager to cut the federal workforce. So, Elon Musk headed the newly minted DOGE to begin slashing tens of thousands of jobs. Our friend, Michael Lewis, author of "The Big Short" and, most recently, "Who is Government?," s us to share stories of public servants who not only improved this country but have saved countless lives. Those improvements and breakthroughs could only have happened through the power and effectiveness of a strong government.  Lewis warns of the long-term consequences of dismantling agencies like USAID and removing oversight mechanisms. The public might not immediately feel these impacts, but the results will eventually be catastrophic, particularly for vulnerable populations worldwide. Lewis explains that DOGE was never about fraud, waste, and abuse. It's always been about ideology, power, and money.  Visit Michael's website to learn more: https://www.michaellewiswrites.com/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're ed by Dahlia Lithwick, award-winning journalist, author, and host of the Amicus podcast. Dahlia looks at the judicial pushback against the Trump istration, as the Courts have stood up to Trump's policies on birthright citizenship and deportation. We also discuss Trump’s targeting of law firms. The Supreme Court notably ruled 9-0 that the istration must facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, which it has ignored. Is this the Constitutional crisis we've been anticipating? Will Trump pay a price for ignoring The Supreme Court? Plus, Dahlia breaks down why a fetal personhood bill will inevitably be brought before The Supreme Court. Listen to Dahlia's Amicus podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amicus-with-dahlia-lithwick-law-justice-and-the-courts/id928790786 Read Dahlia in Slate: https://slate.com/author/dahlia-lithwick See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump’s first 100 days back in office have been a whirlwind filled with chaotic, confusing, and authoritarian behavior and very little thoughtful policy - the perfect opportunity to welcome back our friends, Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic and Molly Jong-Fast, host of the Fast Politics Podcast. These 100 days have been filled with bizarre stories that we may have already forgotten about. So, we run through some of the under reported stories with Mark and Molly and get their opinions on some of the most damaging actions Trump and his istration have taken. Plus, we take a look at how Democrats can message their way back into better poll numbers. From taking over Greenland to cutting FEMA to how the Supreme Court can use their powers to help reign in some of the chaos, we cover the landscape of the first 100 days and beyond! Only 1,356 days to go until his Presidency is over! Read Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mark-leibovich/ Listen to Molly Jong-Fast's podcast, Fast Politics: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-politics-with-molly-jong-fast/id1645614328 See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Every day we see this country inch closer to authoritarianism under Donald Trump. We're ed by Robert Reich, political economist, professor, author, and former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton. We cover how Reich thinks Democrats should fight back against this era of oligarchy in America. He explains the power of protest and lays out the messaging that Democrats need to embrace to show solidarity for the coming mid and beyond. Plus, Reich tells the story of being classmates with Clarence Thomas, Hillary Rodham, and Bill Clinton and how he introduced Bill and Hillary at law school.  Listen to Reich's podcast, The Coffee Klatch: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-coffee-klatch-with-robert-reich/id1635446643 Watch Reich's videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RBReich See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our conversation with Tim Alberta, the author of the profoundly disturbing book "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory,” which was released before the 2024 election. In this interview, he explains how evangelicals have been turned into a political tool for the Republican Party. Alberta grew up in the evangelical wing of The Presbyterian Church and watched as they turned their backs on him after he criticized Donald Trump. How did The Evangelical Church turn so far towards right wing politics? What exactly is an Evangelical? How can those voters ever be won back? Read Tim's work in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/tim-alberta/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Elon Musk and DOGE have been taking a chainsaw to the federal government since Trump was re-elected. It could take us generations to fully recover from the damage inflicted by the careless and cruel nature of these cuts. We're ed by American surgeon, author, and public health advocate Atul Gawande to discuss just how devastating these actions are. During the Biden istration, Gawande was a senior official at USAID. He walks us through many of the great works the program did around the world… and the damaging and deadly road that lies ahead now that it's been gutted. We also discuss the state of our healthcare system and the popularity of Medicaid expansion. The Affordable Care Act has improved the lives of millions of Americans, but Donald Trump and the Republicans threatened to take it away from Americans in his first term. Does he dare try again? To hear more from Atul, check out his recent piece in The New Yorker about the chaotic attempt to freeze federal assistance: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/behind-the-chaotic-attempt-to-freeze-federal-assistance See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Despite widespread warnings about what economic havoc they could cause, Donald Trump announced his plan to put tariffs on nearly every nation in the world. Catherine Rampell, opinion columnist for The Washington Post and co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend, gives her instant reaction to Trump's plan. If history (and the current stock market) is any indication, we're in for a painful road ahead.  Catherine also discusses Elon Musk and how his Department Of Government Efficiency has created painful chaos as he dismantles the government’s workforce and essential services. Read Catherine's writing in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/catherine-rampell/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A potentially catastrophic breach of security within The White House has set off alarm bells for both Republicans and Democrats in D.C. Independent journalist Jessica Yellin s us to discuss SignalGate. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are both under fire after The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a group chat that contained top secret war plans (or was it just attack plans?). Will anyone get fired for this? Plus, we talk about the Trump istration's lawlessness when it comes to deportations. What happens when a President blatantly defies a court order? And Jessica shares why she left mainstream news and the importance of independent, online journalism, like her platform - News Not Noise. Subscribe to Jessica's substack: https://newsnotnoisejessicayellin.substack.com/ Follow Jessica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicayellin See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's been another chaotic week in Donald Trump's America, and we're thrilled to have our good friend, Norm Ornstein, back on the podcast. We talk about Trump's Executive Order TO dismantle the Department of Education and what that could mean to communities across the country. We also break down the divisions in the Democratic Party and why Leader Chuck Schumer didn't help the situation by caving to Donald Trump. Plus, what is the future of Ukraine and America's standing in the world as we abandon our allies? Listen to Norm's podcast "Words Matter" with fellow friend of the show David Rothkopf: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsrs-words-matter/id1420216970 See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our conversation with Trae Crowder, the viral comedian from Tennessee aka The Liberal Redneck. We talk about Trae's upbringing in a red state, why rednecks are Trumpies, and what happens to a community when the jobs leave. Listen to Trae’s take on Trump's appeal to voting rednecks, even though they might have seen him as a New York elite (from his TV show, The Apprentice) before he entered politics. Learn more about Trae Crowder, The Liberal Redneck: https://www.traecrowder.com/ Watch Trae's brand new standup special, Trash Daddy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VULUOEy-Ro8 See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're ed by our friend Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic to break down a wild week in Washington D.C.! Donald Trump gave his address to Congress. It was the longest one ever and didn't seem to say much (except blame Joe Biden for all of the country's problems). We also take a look at America's deteriorating relationship with Ukraine and how Republicans who USED TO Ukraine are turning their backs when our ally needs it the most. Plus, we discuss the ongoing drama around tariffs and why Trump can't seem to make up his mind on using them. Read Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mark-leibovich/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Trump and his istration try to rewrite history and say that Ukraine started the war with Russia, we're ed by Tim Mak, war correspondent and founder of The Counteroffensive. Tim has been living in Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s invasion and discusses the toll that the war has taken on the people of Ukraine. He examines what kind of leader Donald Trump is - will he exploit America’s longstanding friendships or choose to abandon them? We also discuss the future of President Zelensky and how Ukranians view his leadership. Read Tim's work in The Counteroffensive: https://www.counteroffensive.news/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A month into Donald Trump's second term, how do voters feel about the job he's doing? We talk to Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark and host of The Focus Group podcast. We discuss how Trump is currently in the "honeymoon" period of his presidency and how plenty of voters are just happy that Trump is doing SOMETHING. Sarah also gives advice to Democratic leaders about messaging and how to fight back against the onslaught of bad policy coming from the White House. Listen to Sarah's podcast, The Focus Group: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-focus-group-podcast/id1586423406 Check out The Bulwark: https://www.thebulwark.com/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live this week! This special episode changes things up a bit as Executive Producer Peter Ogburn asks Al about his history with the show. We pull the curtain back on what a typical week looks like building up to the live show on Saturday and learn about how Al and his writing partner, Tom Davis, found themselves writing on the first season of the show. We also chat about some iconic sketches and the birth of Al's legendary Stuart Smalley character. See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Donald Trump ran on a platform of mass deportations. Now that he's back in the White House, what does that look like? We're ed by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Molly O'Toole, whose book “The Route” details global migration through the Americas. Molly has spoken to hundreds of migrants making their way from war-torn countries to be in the U.S. and sheds some light on the VERY difficult American immigration process. We discuss Trump's rhetoric versus what is ACTUALLY happening with deportations and why creating an environment of fear isn't helping the problem. Learn more about Molly's book here: https://www.mollyotoolejournalist.com/book See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With a confusing ceasefire deal underway in Gaza, we take a look at the path forward with Peter Beinart. Beinart serves as editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, is a frequent analyst on MSNBC, and has authored a new book, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning." The book examines the history of Israel and how Jews have responded to the events of October 7th and its horrifying aftermath. Beinart discusses Israeli power and his hopes for its "moral reconstruction." We also discuss both Joe Biden's role in the conflict and how the region moves forward with the questionable leadership of Donald Trump.  Learn more about Peter's book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/775348/being-jewish-after-the-destruction-of-gaza-by-peter-beinart/ Check out Peter's work in Jewish Currents: https://jewishcurrents.org/author/peter-beinart See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Donald Trump was sworn in (again) this week. Who better than Molly Jong-Fast from the Fast Politics podcast to us to discuss his first week in office? We relive some quotable moments from his inaugural address and look at his most damaging executive orders. We also rundown some of the Cabinet nominees. Is anyone going to be stopped? Or are the Republican Senators too afraid of Trump? Plus, Molly shares her roap of things to be hopeful for. Maybe it's not all bad! Listen to Molly's podcast, Fast Politics, here: https://fastpoliticspod.com/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Donald Trump's unprecedented second term is upon us. As we prepare to endure another (at least) 4 years of this, we are ed by Ian Bassin, the co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy. Trump has already promised to undermine democracy in America. How can we fight back? And how can we mount a defense to the coming onslaught? We also discuss where Democrats went wrong trying to counter Trump's message during the election and, more importantly, how to address it moving forward. Learn more about Protect Democracy at https://protectdemocracy.org/ See at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.