The Al Franken Podcast

What's actually driving the Trump administration? Our good friend and emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Norm Ornstein, joins Al to follow the blueprint laid out by Project 2025.
The chief architect of Project 2025, Russell Vought, now runs the Office of Management and Budget, the perfect position to carry out The Project’s agenda. Norm and Al cover the human cost of gutting USAID, DOGE’s chaotic assault on the federal workforce, an immigration crackdown that's begun alienating the Hispanic voters who swung to Trump in 2024, and a cabinet culture so consumed with flattery that Ornstein calls it the "Lickspittle Olympics."
Plus, Trump promised to keep us out of wars, but with the ongoing conflict with Iran, the Venezuela invasion, preparations around Cuba, and a growing rift with NATO, it seems like he might not have been fully honest with the American people.
Norm discusses how this administration's corruption dwarfs every previous White House scandal combined. And what should Democrats actually do if they retake Congress? Is impeachment smart politics or a distraction? And what does a credible "Project 2029" look like?
LISTEN to Norm's podcast "Words Matter" with fellow friend of the show David Rothkopf: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dsrs-words-matter/id1420216970
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In this Best Of episode, we revisit our July 2025 conversation with an old friend from Al’s SNL days, comedian Kevin Nealon! Kevin and Al trade stories from working together on Saturday Night Live and discuss how the show has changed over the years. 
Kevin shares how he created several trademark bits, including Mr. Subliminal and Hans and Franz. Plus, we get backstories on some sketches that Al and Kevin worked on together.
We also get into Kevin's post-SNL life, including his role on the hit TV show “Weeds,” his standup, and his hiking podcast! 
WATCH Kevin's latest standup special, Loose in the Crotch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LamkJ2iq2s
Go see Kevin on tour! https://kevinnealon.com/

It’s been over a year since Trump’s “Liberation Day” when he rolled out his global tariffs, but the Supreme Court struck those down resulting in chaos and confusion about what happens next. Guest Host Catherine Rampell, of The Bulwark and MSNOW, welcomes Scott Lincicome, VP of economics at the Cato Institute, to try to make sense of how the 166 billion dollars in tariffs will be refunded to businesses that were impacted. Catherine and Scott break down the bureaucratic red tape of the refund process, why small businesses are once again getting left behind, and the valid fears of political retaliation that are keeping major corporations silent.
And with the U.S. government taking multi-billion-dollar equity stakes in everything from steel mills to quantum computing, we discuss the rise of “state capitalism.” It’s not exactly the free market that Republicans have been cheering for generations. 
Plus, after Trump’s landmark trip to China, many Americans are experiencing what Scott calls “China envy.”
READ Catherine’s writing in The Bulwark: https://substack.com/@catherinerampell/posts
READ Scott’s writing: https://www.cato.org/people/scott-lincicome

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our June 2025 conversation with CNN Anchor and Chief National Affairs Analyst Kasie Hunt! It's a very fun conversation covering her work and what inspired her to follow her passion for journalism.
She discusses the early days of her career covering Obama, Congress, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act. We also talk about how much Congress and the information ecosystem has changed over the years. And Kasie shares her thoughts about watching Donald Trump pardon the rioters on his first day back in office after being present in the Capitol that day.
Plus, immigration raids, tariffs and the Big, Beautiful, Bill. Trump and the Republicans might actually pass the BBB, but at what cost to working Americans?
WATCH Kasie on CNN, weekdays at 4pm ET: https://www.cnn.com/profiles/kasie-hunt
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Guest Host Norm Ornstein welcomes Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) to cover all the news happening in Congress. We cover the war in Iran and how it’s driving prices up across the country and the world, consequently having a major impact on Americans' wallets. DeLauro calls this a "war of choice" and discusses what Congress can realistically do to invoke the War Powers Act and reclaim its constitutional authority.
DeLauro is the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and reveals how the Trump administration is taking the power of the purse away from Congress. 
Plus, the midterms are rapidly approaching. Can Democrats make enough gains to slow down the Trump administration?
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