The Al Franken Podcast

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

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/id928790786 Read Dahlia's great work in Slate:https://slate.com/author/dahlia-lithwick See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.

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.

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

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 message to the American people? Listen to Tim and Sarah's podcast and read their great work at www.TheBulwark.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

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.

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

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 Read Dan Balz' latest in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dan-balz/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My friend, basketball legend Bill Walton died this week after a private battle with cancer, I wanted to share our interview with Bill from March of 2022, You will hear the unbounded life force of his generous spirit. RIP Bill. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman joins to discuss the Trump hush money trial. Both sides have rested. Harry has been in the courtroom watching the trial. With closing arguments coming next week, we break down what has transpired and all the possible outcomes Trump could expect as his verdict looms. Harry has been covering the trial for the Los Angeles Times. Read his reporting here: https://www.latimes.com/people/harry-litman See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trae Crowder, the viral Tennessean comedian joins to discuss his upbringing in a red state, why rednecks are Trumpies and what happens to a community when the jobs leave. Learn why he understands Trump's appeal to rednecks, and how and why they transitioned from not liking Trump to supporting his every move. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the two years since Elon Musk bought Twitter, he's turned irt into a leading source of right wing propaganda. He spreads hateful rhetoric, platforms white nationalists and engages with unfounded conspiracy theories. He lies about President Biden, promotes racist ideology and pushes his own commentary onto X users whether they follow him or not. All of this is working to do get Donald Trump elected President again. Judd Legum from the very popular newletter Popular Information explains the damage Elon could be doing in this year's elections. Subscribe to Judd's newsletter, Popular Information! https://popular.info/ Al has a brand new stand-up comedy tour! Check the dates to see if he's coming to your town! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Molly Jong-Fast, special correspondent for Vanity Fair and host of the Fast Politics podcast joins us for a wide ranging conversation covering Congress, abortion, the protests happening around the country and the Presidential election. She also discusses the ongoing Trump hush money scandal happening in NYC. She says the trial is "over-delivering," which could mean a guilty verdict for Trump. Read Molly's latest pieces for Vanity Fair! https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/molly-jong-fast Al is on tour! Catch him in your city: https://www.alfranken.com/appearances See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

The first criminal trial for Donald Trump is underway. The hush money trial over Stormy Daniels might be the first, but it won't be the last. But will we see the other trials before the election? And what are the consequences if Trump is found guilty? We talk to The Bestselling Authors on The Trump Indictments Andrew Weissmann and Melissa Murray! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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

The 2024 election is less than 8 months away. How do Democrats defeat Trump? How do they retain the Senate? Our guests say that it all comes down to messaging. It's important to remind voters that on issues like abortion and the economy, the Democratic Party represents their interests. Al is on tour! Come see his NEW standup https://www.alfranken.com/appearances See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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