The Al Franken Podcast

Latest Episodes:

192: Frank Foer and David Rothkopf on Israel’s Wars in Gaza and Lebanon…and Nobel Climate Scientist Michael Mann on the Hurricanes Oct 13, 2024

Show notes

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

191: Tim Miller and Aaron Blake on the VP Debate and Jack Smith's Filing Oct 06, 2024

Show notes

It's been a wild week and we're lucky to have Tim Miller from The Bulwark and Aaron Blake from the Washington Post to help break it all down. Special counsel Jack Smith's case against Donald Trump was unsealed this week. We got the best look yet at Trump's behavior on January 6th. It's filled with criminal activity and contradicts many of Trump's previous defenses about that day. We also had the much-anticipated Vice Presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance. Will America buy the constant lying of the Trump/Vance ticket?

Come join Al for a LIVE podcast in NYC! October 28th at City Winery: https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

Read Tim Miller for The Bulwark: https://www.thebulwark.com/

Listen to The Bulwark Podcast: https://www.thebulwark.com/s/bulwarkpodcast

And check out Aaron's podcast for The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/the-campaign-moment/

190: Jamelle Bouie - Columnist for the New York Times Sep 29, 2024

Show notes

With so much happening on the campaign trail, we turn to Jamelle Bouie for his first visit to the podcast. We discuss Donald Trump and JD Vance's attacks on the truth with their harmful comments on Haitian immigrants and their lies about abortion. We look at different Senate races around the country and what they could mean for the next President. And we get into Project 2025 and examine just how far Republicans are willing to let Trump go should he become President again. Spoiler alert: it would be terrifying!

Read Jamelle's latest in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/column/jamelle-bouie

Watch Jamelle's TikTok channel: https://www.tiktok.com/@jamellebouie?lang=en

We are coming to St. Louis and NYC for LIVE podcasts! Get your tickets and be a part of the show! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

189: Dems Top Election Lawyer Marc Elias on the Legal Battles Ahead Sep 22, 2024

Show notes

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

188: NYT’s Jeremy Peters on Trump’s Bad Debate Sep 15, 2024

Show notes

Jeremy Peters from the NYT joins us to recap the wild debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. It was a complete meltdown for Trump while Harris delivered strong messages on abortion, democracy and Trump's crowd sizes. Trump rambled, made baseless allegations and looked terrible. Even Fox News had to admit that Trump lost the debate badly. So where do we go from here? How does Harris keep her momentum going and transition this energy into votes?

We are taping a live podcast in St. Louis next month! Come be a part of the show! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

Jeremy's book Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted explains how the party ended up in this situation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/586398/insurgency-by-jeremy-w-peters/

187: Author and Journalist Joe Conason Sep 08, 2024

Show notes

Joe Conason joins to discuss his new book "The Longest Con." In it, he lays out the rich and ugly history of right wing grifters. It's been happening for a long time. Joe goes back to the 1950s with the McCarthy era and takes us all the way through to one of the biggest grifters we've ever seen: Donald Trump. We discuss religious broadcasters and how some of them swindle their viewers regularly. Many of whom have abandoned their values all in the name of making a quick buck. And with Donald Trump on the ballot again this year, Conason explains how his second term will include a windfall of cash for the disgraced former President and his cronies.

186: Martin Short: A “BEST OF” Sep 01, 2024

Show notes

As we enter the Fall season of the Presidential campaign, we are taking a break for Labor Day. So we're replaying this interview with comedian and actor Martin Short! The fourth season of Only Murderers in the Building just debuted on Hulu, and in this conversation from 2022, he discusses his role on the show and his 50+ years in showbiz. He also examines his relationship with his co-star Steve Martin and breaks down some of his classic characters from over the years.

185: Molly Jong-Fast and Mark Leibovich on The Democratic Convention Aug 25, 2024

Show notes

We're joined once again by Mark Leibovich from The Atlantic and Molly Jong-Fast, host of the Fast Politics Podcast! The Democrats just wrapped up their National Convention and nominated Kamala Harris to be the nominee for President. Can she carry this momentum all the way to Election Day? Meanwhile, Republicans were caught flat-footed when Joe Biden dropped out and Donald Trump is spiraling out of control. There's still a long way to go before Election Day!

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

184: YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on his new book Shameless Aug 18, 2024

Show notes

Content creator Brian Tyler Cohen joins the podcast for the first time to talk about his new book Shameless: Republicans’ Deliberate Dysfunction and the Battle to Preserve Democracy. In the book, he discusses the many ways that the Republican Party uses confusion, artificial slogans and, of course, flat out lies to remain in power. We also discuss the myth of the liberal media and how so many of Donald Trump's lies are allowed to flourish in the right wing echo chamber.

Subscribe to Brian's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/briantylercohen

Subscribe to Brian's podcast No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: https://briantylercohen.com/podcast/

183: Scott Galloway - Professor, Podcast Host, Author Aug 11, 2024

Show notes

Professor Scott Galloway joins the podcast for the first time! He has thoughts on the current political climate and how extreme most of the Republican agenda is these days. He also speaks about how modern politics and policies have left our young people disaffected and feeling left out of the political process. From minimum wage to college admissions, Galloway shares policies and solutions that can help ease his declared "war on young people".

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