The Al Franken Podcast (ASF Productions)

This past week, we saw President Joe Biden drop out of the Presidential race and VP Kamala Harris emerge as the new nominee for the Democratic Party. The Atlantic's Frank Foer wrote the book "The Last Politician" about Joe Biden's consequential first term and Elaina Plott Calabro, also from The Atlantic, has interviewed Kamala Harris multiple times. We recap some of Biden's biggest accomplishments and examine the radically changed political landscape since Joe Biden withdrew from the race. How will the Trump campaign adjust to run against Kamala Harris? Can she sustain the excitement around her campaign all the way to November? P

Read Elaina's latest on the Trump vs Harris campaign: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/kamala-harris-prosecutor-president/679226/

Read Frank's latest on Biden's exit from the race: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/07/bidens-greatest-strengths-proved-his-undoing/679179/

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Biden’s Pollster, John Anzalone, and Hospitality Workers Union President, D. Taylor

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The Former GOP Operative & Lincoln Project Founder Warns of Coming Fascism

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The Good News: The Vaccines. The Bad News: Covid Surge & Trump Blocking Coordination Between His Team & Biden's

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The Republican Party has spent years undoing the will of the people in the state of Wisconsin. With gerrymandered voting maps, they've been able to lose the popular vote and still have a huge majority in the state legislature. But things are changing thanks to Ben Wikler and the Wisconsin Democratic Party! In our first Battleground State episode, Ben explains the work that is being done to preserve democracy in this critical swing state and how they are organizing to secure a win for Joe Biden in November. 

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President Donald Trump (Anthony Atamanuik) and Vice President Joe Biden (Dana Carvey) face off in a preview of the final debate of 2020.

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And the Dangers Ahead

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Al Talks with His Senate Communications Director on Why the Franken Office was a Blast & Got Stuff Done! & Al on Democracy. Hitler didn’t end it. The Confederacy didn’t end it. Let’s not let Senate Republicans!

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Separating kids from their parents at the border? Mocking a disabled journalist? Cutting food stamps? The Cruelty is the Point!

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Al and Jimmy discuss his radio days, Jimmy Kimmel Live’s rough start, then success, bad guests, his emotional appearance after his son’s birth, and his passionate support of universal health care.

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The journalist/author discusses the secret hub of the radical right

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Forgrave tells the heartbreaking story of 24-year-old Zac Easter who committed suicide after struggling for years with traumatic brain injury. 

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The Atlantic Writer on Biden’s Presidency (So Far)

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My friend Norman Lear passed on this week at 101. A great man, who created legendary TV

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David Frum from The Atlantic Monthly discusses the chaos that Donald Trump would bring if he were elected to a second term. From the border to foreign aid to Trump's attempt to pardon his crimes... Can we withstand another Trump term?

Read more from David in The Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/author/david-frum/

Al is going on tour! See if he's coming to your town and grab tickets today! 

https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

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It's been a year since the horrific attack in Israel that set off the current wars in the Middle East. Frank Foer from The Atlantic and David Rothkopf from The Daily Beast to talk about the painful year and what happens moving forward. If a ceasefire is worked out, what is the future of Gaza and how will it rebuild? What political price is America paying for its role in the wars? And does anyone actually think Donald Trump would be the best person to manage this crisis? 

Plus, Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist Michael Mann kicks off this week's show! Hurricanes Helene and Milton have caused unprecedented damage to parts of the country. Unless we take action on climate, storms like this could be our new reality.

NYC! Come see a live taping of the podcast at City Winery on October 28th. Get your tickets today! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

Read Franklin Foer in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/franklin-foer/

Read David Rothkopf in The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/david-rothkopf

Michael Mann's latest book, Our Fragile Moment, is out soon in paperback! https://michaelmann.net/books/our-fragile-moment

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Trump and the GOP are working harder to disenfranchise voters NOW than they were in 2020. They are no longer a majoritarian party and want to disrupt our electoral process as much as they can. How will we preserve the integrity of this election? What are some of the ways that Trump and GOP lawyers will attempt to derail the will of the people? Our friend and top Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias from Democracy Docket joins us to break down some of the ways that our democracy is under attack and what we can do to fight it. 

Support Marc and Democracy Docket: https://www.democracydocket.com/

Join the excitement of our LIVE podcast taping in St. Louis on October 10. I'll be recording a live podcast with special guests Emily Wales, Jason Kander, and Diana Kander. Come join us! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

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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

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In the monologue, Al talks about the appointment of Pat Pizzella as the acting Secretary of Labor. If you agree that the House should hold hearings on Pizzella’s past, check out Al’s petition here: 

https://alfranken.com/read/petition

This week, author and Atlantic Monthly staff writer, Franklin Foer joins me to discuss Big Tech. Are filter bubbles dividing us? Is Facebook deliberately keeping us angry and upset? Is everyone's attention span dwindling? Is Google selling records of all your searches? Is the Big One coming? You know - the day everyone who's ever watched pornography will be revealed to everyone else who's ever watched pornography? 

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Slavitt Explains How Trump’s Refusal to Hold Himself Accountable Caused Untold Death and Suffering

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This Best-Of Repeat is Chilling

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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/

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Former Republican operative Tim Miller joins the podcast to discuss a wide range of topics! We cover Biden's re-election strategy and react to his State of the Union speech. (Plus the GOP response from Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), With Congress as dysfunctional as it is, is there any chance of funding the effort in Ukraine? And does Tim still find common ground with his old Republican Party?

See more of Tim's work at The Bulwark

Al is going on tour! Get your tickets today! 

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The legendary creator of groundbreaking TV sit coms - All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Sons, The Jeffersons, et al, on flying 50 bombing missions in WWII, the joy of comedy and, dare I say, satire.

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While anti-Semitism has run rampant among the far right, it has been growing among the political left. In Frank Foer's recent piece for The Atlantic, he explains how we got to this point. How have college campuses and schools become the center for anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic speech? How did college presidents mishandle the hate speech on their campuses? And what is the future of American Jews if Trump is elected again?

Read Frank Foer's entire piece in The Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/04/us-anti-semitism-jewish-american-safety/677469/

Al is going back on tour! Get your tickets now! 

https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

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Al talks to Michael Mann, Nobel Prize-winning climatologist for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  We cover a lot of ground. How to talk about climate change to your crazy right-wing climate-denying uncle. “Uncle Hal, sea level is rising. For two reasons. Ice is melting.  And water expands when it gets warmer.” If Uncle Hal insists sea level is rising because of all the rocks falling into the ocean, then just give up. We talk about how climate used to be a bipartisan issue, but since Citizens United, the Koch Brothers have threatened to primary any Republican who acknowledges the science.  Addressing climate change has become a victim of our tribal politics. The answer right now? Win.

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A great show for a change with Bob Kerrey, Medal of Honor recipient, Governor of Nebraska, two-term US Senator, 9/11 Commissioner, and University President, on why he can’t keep a job.  Also, China, trade, Trump and 2020.

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We’re repeating this one because you should hear what Michael has to say

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Voto Latino is on its way to registering 500,000 new voters this cycle. Elias is fighting to make sure their votes will be counted.

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A great discussion on how the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence isn’t conservative. It’s corporatist.

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Jim talks about comedy and his decision to come out against Trump. 

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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?

Read Mark's writing in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mark-leibovich/

Watch Molly's YouTube video on the dangers of Project 2025: https://youtu.be/yUJSEvYIiy8?si=ZmiG6zibjMSDNJl6

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We recorded this in August of 2019 in his office in Minneapolis.

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 Infrastructure & Build Back Better Will Transform our Nation. Can The Freedom to Vote Act Save  It?

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Tester discusses his new book, Grounded. Covering everything from how he lost three fingers in a meat grinder at 9 to the meat grinder in DC.

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Our Democracy Under Threat

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What We Know and What We Don’t Know

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We're joined 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 support 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/

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Garrett and Slavitt examine the erosion of trust in our public health institutions - The Federal Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Department of Health and Human Services under Donald Trump. And the tragic consequences now and in the future.

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Nelson lays out how this all brought us to January 6th.

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“Just for Us” a Jew goes to a neo-Nazi event - laughs o’plenty

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This one is pure candy. If you're at all a political junkie - do not miss this one!

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Of his party and himself

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The stable half of the consultant team that elected Bill Clinton tells us how to beat this psychopath – on the podcast and in his new book, You’re Fired.

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Me as Bernie, Grassley, Sherrod, Collins, and McConnell

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The GOP is undermining democracy all over the country. The will of the people is being subverted for a loud and active minority. In his new book, guest Ari Berman explains how and where this is happening in America. And, more importantly, what we can do to fight back. 

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We're joined by two of our favorite foreign policy writers to examine what the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime means to Syria and the region. Frank Foer and Anne Applebaum from The Atlantic also look toward the incoming Trump administration and what lies ahead. Can Trump be a steady hand to stop escalating war around the world? How will Israel react? And what happens to our support of Ukraine in their efforts against the tyrant Putin?

Read Anne's book Autocracy, Inc: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725302/autocracy-inc-by-anne-applebaum/ 

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

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A wide-ranging conversation on a wide range of issues. It’s wide-ranging!

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The Felicity Huffman/Lori Loughlin scandal pales in comparison to the scandal of our higher education admissions system, which protects the privileged and leaves everyone else behind. 

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Russia’s transition from a brutal dictatorship to a fledgling capitalist democracy and back to a brutal dictatorship. 

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In this Thanksgiving Best Of, we revisit our conversation with our friend Anne Applebaum! We aired this a few months ago when Anne's newest book, Autocracy Inc., had been released. She chronicles the rise of authoritarianism around the world and how those autocracies work together to keep themselves in power. With Donald Trump elected President once again, could we be heading for a similar fate? Other countries thwarted authoritarian candidates over the last year, but America decided that another round of Trumpism was the way to go. We can only hope that the country can survive it. 

Read Anne's work in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/anne-applebaum/

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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 joined by American surgeon, author, and public health advocate Atul Gawande to discuss just how devastating these actions are. During the Biden administration, 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

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

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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. 

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A Repeat Episode (It was That Good!) with the Chair of the Anti-Trust Subcommittee

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Vice President Walter Mondale explains to Al why things have gotten so bad. And Trump is only part of it.

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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

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Protect Democracy's Executive Director on Our Nightmare

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In this trailer episode to The Al Franken Podcast, Al sits down with Amazon's Alexa (Siri had other commitments) to review highlights of the upcoming episodes featuring:

Maria Theresa Kumar, president and CEO of Voto Latino,

Nancy Gertner, Harvard Law School professor and former U.S federal judge,

Jeffrey Toobin, legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker,

Michael Lewis, author of The Big Short and Moneyball,

Andy Slavitt, former Acting Administrator of Medicare and Medicaid,

Dana Carvey, actor, comedian, and Saturday Night Live alum, and

David Frum, staff writer at The Atlantic and former speechwriter for George W. Bush.

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The former NSC Director of Eastern Europe Affairs on The War

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We begin our wide-ranging conversation by discussing the attack on a Moscow concert hall last week. What are the implications of that violence? And who is behind it? Then delve into the US's failure to fund the Ukrainian effort and the resulting loss of life. Will we help them? Or will Republicans continue to enable Putin? Anne also lays out the dangers of a second Trump term. With autocracy on the rise around the world, what would it look like here in America? 

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And 15% of Americans Believe this Stuff!

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A Tour of the Big Political Events of 2023

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Norm was at the debate in Cleveland and gives us all the dirt. Frank and Natasha tell us all the dirt in the 900+ page Senate Intel Report. Hint: LOTS of collusion!

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Chancellor Lewis Ferebee, Jackie Iloh, and Thomasin Franken on addressing the enormous challenges facing students in DCPS as a result of the pandemic.

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Recent high school graduate Rajit Gulhati contacted Al for guidance on how he and his friends could vote by mail. So, Al brought in Democratic super lawyer Marc Elias.

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Dahlia Lithwick of Slate and Ian Bassin of Protect Democracy discuss Trump's sickening lurch toward autocracy post-impeachment with the cooperation of Bill Barr.

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Mohammed bin Salman made the Washington Post columnist pay in the worst way possible for his dedication to reform in his home country.

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And why that won't help much...

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The FBI sent the tips from the Kavanaugh Tip Line to White House Counsel Don McGahn, who tossed them in the waste basket. Calmes tracked them down. Not pretty!

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The bloodbath in Milwaukee!!

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And what it portends...

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Early Facebook Investor McNamee & Anti-Trust Lawyer Teachout Discuss Dangers Posed by Data Behemoths

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The author of the profoundly disturbing book "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory" 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 back 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?

Al is going on tour! See if he's coming to your town and grab tickets today! 

https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

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What to look for coming out of COP -26

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Former Sec. of Energy Ernest Moniz and Al discuss putting pragmatic meat on the bones of the Green New Deal. Al coins a new Kennedy-esque slogan, “We choose to go to zero-carbon not because it is easy, but because otherwise WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!” Moniz, who was the chairman of MIT’s physics department, negotiated the technical nuclear parts of the Iran Deal with his Iranian counterpart. Because Trump has repeatedly called the US negotiators of the Iran Nuclear Deal “very stupid people,” Al tries to determine throughout just how stupid Moniz is. Not very, it turns out. And Al opens with a monologue about a high school commencement in Willmar, Minnesota, explaining that Trump has no understanding of what America is. The valedictorian was a girl born in Ecuador, the class-speaker, a Somali-American girl, and the class president, a boy of Minnesota Norwegian/German stock. They’re all Americans.

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Where we are now

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An in-depth, but somewhat snarky, look at the Trump administration’s success in packing the courts with right-wing, Federalist Society judges. Gertner, a Harvard Law professor, and Toobin, CNN chief legal analyst, discuss some of the most cynical, activist decisions by the Roberts Court. Al calls Justice Scalia’s dissent in marriage equality, “Very gay.”

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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 joined by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Molly O'Toole, whose upcoming 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 upcoming book here: https://www.mollyotoolejournalist.com/book

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The president of Voto Latino, discusses voter suppression, the Wall, and immigration. At turns funny, then tragic, and angry. A fun and moving interview. 

To help support the organizations mentioned in this episode, visit:

https://annunciationhouse.org/

https://www.raicestexas.org/?rd=anp

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One of the Silicon Valley Guilty Parties who stars in Netflix’s Most-Watched Documentary Ever explains why humanity is doomed unless we do something.

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The great Dahlia Lithwick discusses RBG, SCOTUS, and the Election. Depressing? Yes. But then the exciting world premiere of The Day the President Laughed!

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Lithwick profiles heroic women attorneys who stepped up to fight injustice and won!

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On Racism as Greed, Book Banning & Other Fun Topics

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A friggin’ brilliant excoriation of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg

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The NYT columnist and Nobel Prize winner discusses how Republicans operate in bad faith on issues like climate, tax cuts, deficits, income and wealth inequality, and now, the pandemic.

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Austan Goolsbee, former Obama chief economist, explains that "in a crisis, the president's credibility is all he has." So, someday soon, The New York Times headline may read, "World in Crisis, Turns Its Eyes to Donald Trump." And other scary stuff.

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Our SuperElection Podcast!

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In case you missed the original!

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Chief Counsel for the House Managers in (the 1st) Trump Impeachment Weighs In.

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A one-stop romp through the crimes of Trump and his grifter family. 

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D. Taylor – President of UNITE HERE – reports on what their 600+ canvassers are hearing at the doors. (Good News – no one’s pulled a gun on them like they did in NV and AZ during the general.)

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Porter discusses I Swear: Politics Is Messier than My Minivan and also swears a bit.

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Foreign service veteran Peter Galbraith talks about his 35 year history with the Kurds and how Trump's rash decision to sell them out in Syria will undermine America's standing and security in the world for years to come.

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One of the earliest and most outspoken critics of Trump's mishandling of the pandemic, Slavitt reviews its tragic consequences and where we go from here.

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The New York Times Reporter Puts the Current Trial Into Perspective

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My favorite guest - (sorry, other guests)

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Where they’ve been and where they’re going

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Nuke expert and President of the Ploughshares Fund Joe Cirincione explains why we’re now in a nuclear arms race with Russia and China. A very dark, but hilarious episode of The Al Franken Podcast.

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How we can move to a national popular vote without amending the Constitution?

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