The Al Franken Podcast

ASF Productions

About

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.

Available on

Community

272 episodes

Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic

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.

42m
Mar 31
NPR's Senior Political Correspondent Domenico Montanaro

Domenico Mantanaro joins us to cover the political landscape! Trump trials, the general election, the Robert Hur report, and Congress. Plus, is Donald Trump taking over the RNC to help bail him out of his financial problems? And as a reporter, how does Domenico maintain objectivity vs neutrality?  See all of Domenico's reporting here!  https://www.npr.org/people/392602474/domenico-montanaro Al is going on tour! See if he's coming to your town and grab tickets today!  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.

51m
Mar 24
Tim Miller – New Host of The Bulwark Podcast

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 https://www.thebulwark.com/ Al is going on tour! Get your tickets today!  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.

45m
Mar 17
Frank Foer – The End of the Golden Age of American Jews

While anti-Semitism has run rampant among the far right, it has been growing among the political left. In Frank Foer's recent piece  https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/04/us-anti-semitism-jewish-american-safety/677469/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 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

56m
Mar 10
Mini Timmaraju, President & CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All

Reproductive rights are under attack all over the country and will be one of the most important issues in the election this November. Abortion bans and limits on reproductive help are extremely unpopular and could be bad news for the Republicans enacting them. This is a must listen for reproductive rights! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

47m
Mar 03
Tim Alberta on Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism

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

57m
Feb 25
The Atlantic’s David Frum on GOP Dysfunction

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

39m
Feb 18
Olivia Nuzzi - Washington Correspondent for New York Magazine

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

38m
Feb 11
Dahlia Lithwick on the Trump Trials

Will the Jan. 6th Trial happen in time? Or will it just be the Stormy Daniels Case? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

46m
Feb 04
Michael Steele

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

44m
Jan 28
Saturday Night Live Writer & Producer Jim Downey

Al & Jim On How They Tried to Reward the Audience for Knowing Stuff but Not Punish Them for Not See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

1h 9m
Jan 21
Adam Serwer of The Atlantic on What Trump Would Do the The Courts in a Second Term

The Federalist Society’s Got the Worst Ones All Lined Up See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

40m
Jan 14
Heather Cox Richardson on Her Book Democracy Awakening

Heather says that Trumpers have bought into an alternative reality and that we are, at this moment, on a knife’s edge. She’s an historian and not a clairvoyant. But she’s also an activist, doing all she can to spread the word through historical analysis. Beat that, Trump! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

57m
Jan 07
Best Of: Patton Oswalt is Great!

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

54m
Dec 31, 2023
Best Of: Jim Gaffigan, The Master!

Jim talks about comedy and his decision to come out against Trump.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

58m
Dec 24, 2023
Year in Review: Molly Jong-Fast & Mark Leibovich Look Back at the Year in Politics

A Tour of the Big Political Events of 2023 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

45m
Dec 17, 2023
Year in Review: Anne Applebaum & Frank Foer on Foreign Affairs

A tour of Ukraine, Russia, China, Israel, and Gaza See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

47m
Dec 10, 2023
In Remembrance of My Friend Norman Lear

My friend Norman Lear passed on this week at 101. A great man, who created legendary TV See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

46m
Dec 06, 2023
Year in Review: Joyce Vance and Barbara McQuade Review ALL the Cases Against Trump

Where they’ve been and where they’re going See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

44m
Dec 03, 2023
Ian Bassin On The Steps Trump Would Take to Unravel Our Democracy

Protect Democracy's Executive Director on Our Nightmare See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

46m
Nov 26, 2023
David Fahrenthold on The Trump Organization’s Long History of Corruption

The New York Times Reporter Puts the Current Trial Into Perspective See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

27m
Nov 19, 2023
David Axelrod

On the 2024 Election! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

42m
Nov 12, 2023
Norm Ornstein on the Israel-Hamas War

Israel’s No-Win Situation See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

36m
Nov 05, 2023
WaPo Columnist Dana Milbank on the Super-MAGA House

How A Far-Right Zealot Got to be 2 nd in Line for POTUS See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

31m
Oct 29, 2023
Aaron David Miller on the Israel-Hamas War

An Analysis from the Middle East Scholar See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

41m
Oct 22, 2023
BEST OF! QAnon – Weirder Than You Know!!! Author Will Sommer

And 15% of Americans Believe this Stuff! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

52m
Oct 15, 2023
Climatologist Michael Mann on How to Talk to Climate Deniers

The Climate Has Always Changed – Just Not This Fast!!! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

49m
Oct 08, 2023
Norm Ornstein on the Shutdown

And what it says about our politics See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

52m
Oct 01, 2023
Harry Litman and George Conway!

The Trump trials and the ug-ug-ugly Garland hearings See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

47m
Sep 24, 2023
Anne Applebaum on the War in Ukraine

The Atlantic writer on where it stands and where it’s going. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

47m
Sep 17, 2023