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Baltimore, Maryland is one of Donald Trump’s most frequent targets when talking about crime in America. As the President continues to threaten to send troops into American cities, we wanted to hear from Baltimore’s mayor, Brandon Scott. Since Mayor Scott took office, the city has seen a dramatic drop in violent crime. He explains his policies and how investing in the community has helped calm the violence in Baltimore. So it’s no surprise that he does NOT want Trump sending troops to his city. Mayor Scott shares how growing up in Baltimore impacted his political ideology. He also discusses some of the major victories he’s … Read More…

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 possibility of peace anytime soon. 70% of Ukrainians believe the … Read More…

In this Best Of episode, we revisit our 2022 conversation with comedian and actor Bob Odenkirk! We got to hear from him about his memoir “Comedy, Comedy, Comedy, Drama” and his early beginnings writing comedy in grade school. We reminisce about our days together at Saturday Night Live and discuss some of our favorite sketches. We also talk about his sketch series, “Mr. Show with Bob and David.” Bob also shares about his 13 years playing Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul and how he nearly died of a heart attack on set. You’ll also hear Bob … Read More…

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 emphasizing immigration enforcement, to investigating Trump’s political rivals, to firing agents en masse for prosecuting the Jan 6th cases, and so on. The … Read More…

With Donald Trump and the Republican Party low in the polls, Texas is resorting to one of their favorite ways to win voters: cheating. They’ve drawn new maps to implement unprecedented gerrymandering, taking away five Democratic-held seats – all done at Trump’s insistence, of course. We’re joined by Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, to walk us through Texas Governor Abbott’s scheme. Democrats are attempting to fight back in Texas and across the country… even if it is a fight they are likely to lose. We discuss how the Supreme Court continues to erode voting rights and … Read More…

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 universities being attacked by the Trump administration, which is using accusations of antisemitism to withhold federal funding. And while we are seeing Harvard fight … Read More…

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 Republicans are redistricting the state to add 5 new Republican seats to the House. How can Democrats fight back? Can California and New York do the … Read More…

We’re thrilled to welcome 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! Go see Kevin on tour! https://kevinnealon.com/

We’re joined by Washington Post columnist and co-host of MSNBC’s The Weekend, Catherine Rampell! Catherine breaks down what the Big, Beautiful Bill means for Americans and why it’s been so important for Trump and the Republicans to get it done. It will balloon our deficit and gut the social safety net. And for what? Tax breaks for the richest Americans. We also discuss immigration and why immigrants are so important to the economy. Catherine explains how Trump is rounding up immigrants with NO criminal record and, in many cases, disappearing them without a trace. Plus, the latest on the inflationary … Read More…

Another devastating term of Trump’s Supreme Court has come to a close. There’s a lot to be angry about, so we’re joined by Dahlia Lithwick, our authority on all things SCOTUS and host of Slate’s podcast, Amicus. Dahlia explains how this Supreme Court is using the “shadow docket” to advance bad policy without full briefings or arguments and how the results of these decisions can lead to judicial chaos. We also discuss many of the awful decisions handed down by The Court, including those on birthright citizenship, healthcare for trans children, and religious exemptions for parents who don’t want their … Read More…

One of Donald Trump’s priorities when he returned to the White House was to target law firms that he felt had wronged him. While some immediately caved to his demands, others fought back… and won. We’re joined by Marc Elias, preeminent election lawyer and founder of Democracy Docket, to discuss Trump using his second term to settle personal scores, abuse his power, and put a strain on the judicial system in America. Marc and Al discuss the growing authoritarianism and how the recent Supreme Court decisions won’t slow it down. But with the unpopularity of Trump’s disgusting immigration policy to … Read More…

We are joined by CNN Anchor and Chief National Affairs Analyst Kasie Hunt for her first time on the podcast! It’s a 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, who was at The Capitol on January 6th, shares her thoughts about watching Donald Trump pardon the rioters on his first day back in office. Plus, immigration raids, tariffs … Read More…