Episódios

  • Norm Ornstein on ICE Terrorizing Minnesota

    Norm Ornstein on ICE Terrorizing Minnesota
    Feb 1 2026

    After another horrifying murder and ICE’s continued unwelcome presence in Minnesota, Al is joined by friend of the show, political scientist, and emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Norm Ornstein, to discuss what is happening in their home state.

    After widespread reports of American citizens being detained, ICE using children as "bait," and the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the Trump administration seems open to drawing back the ICE presence in Minnesota. Al and Norm discuss what a possible deal could look like to get them out of the state. Will Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem face any consequences for their lies and aggression?

    After spending time meeting with organizers in the Twin Cities, Al shares what he learned from constitutional observers and others making their community safer and caring for each other. We also discuss the danger of the federal government getting its hands on state voter rolls. Was Trump's invasion ever about enforcing immigration laws? Or was it more about retribution?

    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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    58 minutos
  • Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis

    Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis
    Jan 25 2026

    In a major blow to American healthcare, Congress has let the ACA subsidies expire. This means higher premiums and, as a result, fewer Americans enrolling. We are joined by Wendell Potter, former VP of Corporate Communications for Cigna turned whistleblower and healthcare reform advocate. Since 2009, Wendell has pulled back the curtain on how insurance giants game the system to prioritize profits over patients.

    Wendell shares the two stories demonstrating the inhumanity of the American healthcare system that pushed him to speak out. He also talks about the impact of the expiring subsidies and why it could be what he calls a "death spiral." But don't worry! Donald Trump has a plan... or at least concepts of a plan.

    Al and Wendell talk about the accomplishments of the ACA, while also acknowledging that Democrats should have done more to strengthen it during the Biden administration. Now with Trump and the Republicans in charge, any chance at meaningful reform is out the window.

    Plus, we revisit the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and why that struck a nerve with so many Americans.

    READ Wendell's substack, HEALTH CARE un-covered: https://healthcareuncovered.substack.com/

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    49 minutos
  • Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on ICE in Minnesota

    Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan on ICE in Minnesota
    Jan 18 2026

    As tensions escalate in Minnesota and Donald Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act, ICE’s brutality continues. We are joined by the current Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and candidate for the U.S. Senate, Peggy Flanagan, to discuss the crisis in her and Al's home state.

    Flanagan details the cover-up and lies surrounding the Renee Good investigation. The DOJ has withheld evidence and prohibited the state from investigating the case, while lying about how the officer who shot Good has “absolute immunity.” It is clear Trump, Kristi Noem, JD Vance, and the administration have no interest in justice.

    Flanagan also shares stories of the vibrant Somali community who have contributed so much to the state, despite the attempts to malign them. She also shares stories of talking to constituents around the state and how she's finding common ground with rural farmers over the cost of healthcare and tariffs.

    LEARN about and DONATE to Peggy's campaign: https://peggyflanagan.com/

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    1 hora e 1 minuto
  • David Frum on Trump’s Venezuela Venture

    David Frum on Trump’s Venezuela Venture
    Jan 11 2026

    We had a chaotic start to the new year with Donald Trump invading Venezuela and kidnapping dictator Nicolás Maduro. We’re joined by The Atlantic's David Frum to help us make sense of and give us important context on the situation. Trump says that America is running the country and might be there for years to come. It sounds more like old-fashioned imperialism than a democratic transition.

    Trump has openly admitted that this is about oil. He says he's taking Venezuelan oil and putting it into a special account controlled only by the President. Isn't it the job of Congress to appropriate how money is spent in this country?

    We also discuss the administration's plans for Greenland. Are we actually prepared to seize it from our NATO ally, Denmark? Trump says yes. How crazy is that?!

    Al also shares his thoughts on the horrific situation in his home state of Minnesota as ICE’s reckless aggression led to the murder of Renee Good.

    READ David Frum in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/david-frum/

    LISTEN to The David Frum Show: https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/the-david-frum-show/

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    50 minutos
  • BEST OF: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on How Dark Money Captured SCOTUS

    BEST OF: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on How Dark Money Captured SCOTUS
    Jan 4 2026
    In this Best Of episode, we revisit our 2023 conversation with Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. We talked to Sen. Whitehouse about his book, “The Scheme,” which examines how dark money and radical right wing activists worked tirelessly to gain control of the Supreme Court.

    Sen. Whitehouse lays out all the key players in this effort, including The Federalist Society and Leonard Leo, the main architect of this mission. By filtering dark money through dozens of agencies and blocking Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, the right wing has a chokehold on the SCOTUS majority. As a result, we've seen rulings that are horrible for abortion rights, climate change, voting rights, and so much more.

    Sen. Whitehouse also explains some of the ways that the extremist takeover of the judicial system can be reigned in, but it's going to be a fight.

    READ Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's book, “The Scheme”: https://thenewpress.org/books/9781620978344/
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    46 minutos
  • BEST OF: Jimmy Kimmel on His Career in Comedy!

    BEST OF: Jimmy Kimmel on His Career in Comedy!
    Dec 28 2025
    In this Best Of episode, we revisit our 2020 conversation with Jimmy Kimmel! We go through his long career, beginning with his start in radio and his transition to television.

    We discuss the birth of Jimmy’s late night show back in 2003 and how, in his own words, the show was "genuinely terrible.” With time, Jimmy figured it out and established a template for what makes a good show and learned what makes a good guest versus a bad guest.

    A major turning point for Jimmy was when his son battled health challenges. He became more vocal on issues like healthcare, which led to him butting heads with the GOP over their attempts at repealing the Affordable Care Act.

    While this interview was in 2020, Jimmy continues to butt heads with the GOP, which resulted in his censorship battle with ABC and the Trump administration earlier this year.

    WATCH Jimmy Kimmel Live! https://www.youtube.com/jimmykimmellive

    READ what I wrote when Kimmel was (temporarily) taken off air: https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-attack-political-satire-kimmel-colbert-1235431290/

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    1 hora e 1 minuto
  • David A. Graham on What Project 2025 Wrought

    David A. Graham on What Project 2025 Wrought
    Dec 21 2025
    Throughout the 2024 election, we all heard about the dangers of Project 2025, yet somehow it’s worse than we imagined. Trump continuously said he didn't know anything about it (but he did), and nearly a year after his swearing in, we've seen a huge portion of it already implemented. We're joined by The Atlantic’s David A. Graham, author of the new book, “The Project: How Project 2025 is Shaping America.”

    In just 138 pages, David covers the entire 920-page document. He explains how many of the authors of Project 2025 saw Trump's first term as a failure because he was stopped from accomplishing his core goals - like building the border wall and repealing Obamacare. The answer was to create a shadow administration that would guide his policy decisions if he made it back to office.


    We run through a variety of issues that are being influenced by Project 2025, including immigration and border security, education, and trade. And we discuss the most influential figure, Russell Vought, current Director of the Office of Management and Budget. One of his main priorities? Inflict pain on government employees.

    Plus, Al remembers his friends, Rob and Michele Reiner.

    READ David's book, “The Project”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/800230/the-project-by-david-a-graham/

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    55 minutos
  • Franklin Foer & Anne Applebaum on The Globe in 2025!

    Franklin Foer & Anne Applebaum on The Globe in 2025!
    Dec 14 2025
    As we approach the end of 2025, we take a look back at what happened around the world in Trump’s first year back in office. We're joined by two of the best foreign policy writers we know: Franklin Foer and Anne Applebaum from The Atlantic!

    We discuss the EIGHT wars and conflicts that Trump has single handedly ended, while also examining the ongoing conflicts in The Middle East, Ukraine, Venezuela, and more.

    Anne and Frank explain why Trump's Middle East peace plan isn't holding up and why we all should have been skeptical of it from the start. We also look at why the administration's plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine looks like it was written by the Russians themselves. And, of course, we discuss Trump's blatant corruption in both of those theatres.

    Anne also shares her heartbreaking firsthand account of what the USAID cuts have done to the rest of the world. It highlights the shortsightedness of the entire first year of Trump’s second term.

    READ Franklin's work in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/franklin-foer/

    READ Anne's work in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/anne-applebaum/

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    1 hora e 2 minutos