Norm Ornstein on Another Chaotic Week in D.C. – AlFranken.com
The official website of writer, actor, comedian and former United States Senator Al Franken.| AlFranken.com
We’re thrilled to welcome David Hogg to the podcast. Hogg is a co-founder of March For Our Lives and his PAC, Leaders We Deserve. He shares about how the tragedy in Parkland, FL launched him into the political fray. Hogg notoriously served as a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee for a brief time. He tells us about some of the inner workings of the DNC and then what happened when shit hit the fan. He argues that too many long-serving Democrats in Congress are “asleep at the wh...| AlFranken.com
The official website of writer, actor, comedian and former United States Senator Al Franken.| AlFranken.com
Trump picked RFK Jr. to take over the Department of Health and Human Services, and chaos has ensued. So far, RFK Jr. is ignoring the advice of experts and bringing along his cronies to push vaccine skepticism. It could have a devastating impact on the health of Americans for years to come. We’re joined by Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden, who currently heads global health organization Resolve to Save Lives, and MSNBC senior enterprise reporter Brandy Zadrozny, who has covered RFK Jr. for...| AlFranken.com
This piece was originally published in Rolling Stone on September 20, 2025. Back in 1940, Charlie Chaplin made a movie called The Great Dictator, a comedy about fascism. In it, he plays a Hitler-like character named Adenoid Hynkel, the authoritarian leader of an imaginary country called Tomainia. As parodies go, this one was relatively direct: There was a Goebbels character, a Göring character, and even a Mussolini figure named Benzino Napaloni, the “Diggaditchie of Bacteria.” The movie...| AlFranken.com
We are joined by Randi Weingarten, the President of the American Federation of Teachers, to discuss her new book, “Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy.” In the book, Weingarten details how there has been a systematic demonization of teachers and public education in America. She argues that one of the pillars of public education is critical thinking, which prevents fascism from flourishing in society – so fascists (and wannabe fascists) hate it. We ...| AlFranken.com
The official website of writer, actor, comedian and former United States Senator Al Franken.| AlFranken.com
Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin in Alaska last month and came up empty handed… No ceasefire, no concessions, nothing. So what does the future of the war in Ukraine look like? We turn to journalist Tim Mak who has been based in Kiev since the start of the war. Tim is the founder of The Counteroffensive, a Substack that chronicles life in Ukraine and the agony of this war. Tim breaks down the current state of the war, and he’s not too optimistic about the possibi...| AlFranken.com
The official website of writer, actor, comedian and former United States Senator Al Franken.| AlFranken.com
In his second term, Donald Trump has upended many American institutions, but perhaps none more than the Department of Justice. He’s filled the DOJ with lackeys, like AG Pam Bondi, who are corrupting our system of justice in ways never seen before. We’re joined by two veterans of the DOJ: Barbara McQuade, professor at University of Michigan Law School, and Daniel Richman, professor at Columbia Law School. We discuss the disturbing tendencies of Trump’s Justice Department: from emphasizin...| AlFranken.com
The official website of writer, actor, comedian and former United States Senator Al Franken.| AlFranken.com
Gaza faces mass starvation as Israel blocks critical food and aid to the region. We’re joined by The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer to discuss his recent piece, “Israel’s Last Chance,” and how the only answer to this atrocity is for Israel to flood Gaza with food. Foer also discusses the legitimate criticism of Benjamin Netanyahu, while acknowledging that some of the protests can veer into antisemitism, especially on college campuses. Columbia and Harvard are the most prominent universiti...| AlFranken.com
We’re joined by journalist and best-selling author, Jonathan Alter, to dig deeper into the latest in Trump’s America. Jonathan’s most recent piece in Washington Monthly explains how the BBB’s enormous funding for ICE will turn America into a police state. With over 75 billion dollars, ICE will now be bigger than all American law enforcement agencies combined. We discuss Trump’s authoritarianism, including the ongoing shake down of American universities and law firms. Plus, Texas Rep...| AlFranken.com
