The Al Franken Podcast

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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One of Donald Trump's most successful initiatives in his second term has been making himself and his family richer than ever. In this Best Of episode, we revisit our November 2025 conversation with The New Yorker’s David Kirkpatrick, who wrote a piece outlining all the ways the legendary grifters have cashed in during Trump’s presidency. 
The Trump family has long been associated with shameless cash grabs, but we have reached new levels of corruption by using his office for their money-making schemes: international real estate deals, Trump-branded merchandise, and cryptocurrency.
David lays out the long list of ethical implications involved and calculates the staggering amount of money Donald Trump and his family have made off his presidency.
READ David's piece “The Number” in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/18/the-number

Guest Host Trae Crowder is joined by his friend and fellow standup comedian, Geoffrey Asmus! The two dig into the state of Trump's base, including Geoffrey's own MAGA dad showing signs of buyer's remorse, and why economic pain at the dinner table may finally be doing what years of political argument couldn't. They trade theories on why so many working-class voters remain Republican even when their actual policy views skew left and what it would take to build a real alternative.
They also get into the comedy culture wars: the rise of right-wing adjacent comics, the Riyadh comedy festival, and explain the term "clapter.” Geoffrey and Trae also address the threat of artificial intelligence to creative work, Joe Rogan's bizarre evolution, the Kill Tony phenomenon, and how the manosphere targets young men hungry for acceptance and direction.
LEARN more about Trae and see his standup! https://www.traecrowder.com/
WATCH Geoffrey's standup special and see him on tour! https://www.whitecomedian.com/
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A little over a year ago, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live! For this Best Of episode, we revisit our February 2025 conversation when we switched things up a bit as Executive Producer Peter Ogburn asked Al about his history with the show.
We pull the curtain back on what a typical week looks like building up to the live show on Saturday and learn about how Al and his writing partner, Tom Davis, found themselves writing on the first season of the show.
We also chat about some iconic sketches and the birth of Al's legendary Stuart Smalley character.
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