The Al Franken Podcast

10 Episodes
Subscribe

By: ASF Productions

A five-time Emmy winning SNL comedy writer/producer, joins a four-time #1 NYT bestselling author, a three-time highest-rated national progressive radio host, a two-time Grammy winning artist, and a former US Senator. So, it gets a little crowded in the booth when Al talks public policy and sometimes political comedy with notable guests. Think “The Daily” without the resources of the NYTimes.

Molly Jong-Fast and Mark Leibovich on the RNC
#180
Last Sunday at 4:00 AM

The Republican National Convention concluded last week. We heard from Trump's VP nominee, JD Vance, and we heard from Donald Trump for the first time since the assassination attempt. Trump pushed lie after lie during his speech. No surprise. The real question is whether or not Joe Biden can beat him. Mark Leibovich from The Atlantic and Molly Jong Fast from the Fast Politics Podcast join the podcast to lay out the plan forward to defeat Donald Trump. Plus, you've probably heard of Project 2025. What is it and how is it fueling the Republican Party's agenda?


<...


Dahlia Lithwick on SCOTUS
#179
07/14/2024

The Supreme Court term has ended after a series of punishing decisions that break years of precedent. While there were many horrible decisions made in this term, two stand out: The cases on Presidential Immunity and the Chevron Doctrine. Why are these so important? We're joined by our Supreme Court expert and host of the Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick. Al and Dahlia lay out the devastating consequences ahead in the wake of these decisions and try to lay out a path forward.


Listen to Dahlia's Amicus podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amicus-with-dahlia-lithwick-law-justice-and-the-courts/i...


Best Of: Heather Cox Richardson on Our Democracy
#178
07/07/2024

One of my favorite episodes from this year (so far). The historian on her bestseller "Democracy Awakening" and how America's democracy is on a knife's edge. Perfect for July 4th weekend!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


4th of July Special: Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence
#177
07/04/2024

Jefferson reflects on the glaring error he made 248 years ago.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


Norm Ornstein on The Debate & SCOTUS
#176
06/30/2024

Donald Trump lied over and over again at the debate. But it's been overshadowed by President Biden's terrible performance. Political scientist and an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Norm Ornstein joins us to recap Thursday evening's debacle. Is there a plan forward for the Democratic Party if Biden drops out? How can Biden prove that the debate was an anomaly and win his party back? Plus, the latest round of Supreme Court decisions dropped on Friday. Norm breaks down the terrible decisions and what they say about the direction they are taking this country. 


<...


Never-Trumpers Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller on the Presidential Debate
#175
06/23/2024

Bulwark Founder Sarah Longwell and former Republican operative and host of the Bulwark podcast Tim Miller are worried about a dangerous potential second term of Donald Trump. The first step for Joe Biden defeating Trump? Have a good showing in this week's coming debate. Tim has prepped Presidential candidates to face Trump and shares his insight. And what messages should President Biden hit on during the debate? Sarah hosts The Focus Group podcast and shares what voters are looking for this November. Joe Biden has a LOT of policies that poll extremely well. So how does he take that messag...


WaPo Op-Ed Columnist Catherine Rampell
#174
06/16/2024

One of the biggest issues in the coming election will be the economy. So how has President Biden done on that front? We talk to Catherine Rampell about Bidenomics and how the President should tout his economic record. His opponent, Donald Trump could be a disaster for the economy if his previous term is any indication. Catherine discusses what a second Trump term could look like and the difficulty even Republicans have with working with him. 


Read Catherine’s latest here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/catherine-rampell/


See P...


In Remembrance of Howard Fineman
#173
06/14/2024

My friend Howard Fineman died this week. He had a long career as one of Washington's most respected political reporters and began his career at the Louisville Courier Journal. There, he was able to witness the rise of Mitch McConnell and learn what kind of politician he was. In this episode from 2019, we discuss what makes McConnell tick and Howard's career. May his memory be a blessing.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


Frank Foer of The Atlantic and David Rothkopf of The Daily Beast
#172
06/09/2024

The war in the Middle East continues, but is a ceasefire in sight? The Biden administration has an outline of a plan. Two of our leading foreign policy experts join us to discuss. Plus, now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, what could that mean for this election? And how does the Biden administration sell the undeniable success of the economy to the American people?


Read Frank's latest work in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/franklin-foer/


Read David Rothkopf in The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com...


Dan Balz - Washington Post Chief Correspondent and Former US Attorney Harry Litman
#171
06/02/2024

Donald Trump has been convicted on all 34 charges in his NYC hush money trial. What does that mean for his future? We get the latest from our legal expert Harry Litman. Plus, longtime political reporter Dan Balz from the Washington Post joins for a wide ranging political discussion! Will these convictions help or hurt Trump? We also discuss the state of the Presidential race and what President Biden's strengths and weaknesses are as election season ramps up. 


Read Harry's coverage of the Trump trial for the LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/people/harry-litman

...