We're joined by two of our favorite foreign policy writers to examine what the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime means to Syria and the region. Frank Foer and Anne Applebaum from The Atlantic also look toward the incoming Trump administration and what lies ahead. Can Trump be a steady hand to stop escalating war around the world? How will Israel react? And what happens to our support of Ukraine in their efforts against the tyrant Putin?

Read Anne's book Autocracy, Inc: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725302/autocracy-inc-by-anne-applebaum/ 

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

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As we move closer to the second Trump administration, we are learning more about his incoming Cabinet. Aaron Blake, senior political reporter and author/host of The Campaign Moment newsletter and podcast for the Washington Post joins us to discuss some of Trump's Cabinet picks and their struggles to be confirmed. Also, the American people seem to overwhelmingly want a check on Trump's power. What will that look like with an administration that believes it has a mandate? Plus, we break down Hunter Biden's pardon and how that might impact Joe Biden's legacy. 

Read Aaron's work in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-blake/

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In this Thanksgiving Best Of, we revisit our conversation with our friend Anne Applebaum! We aired this a few months ago when Anne's newest book, Autocracy Inc., had been released. She chronicles the rise of authoritarianism around the world and how those autocracies work together to keep themselves in power. With Donald Trump elected President once again, could we be heading for a similar fate? Other countries thwarted authoritarian candidates over the last year, but America decided that another round of Trumpism was the way to go. We can only hope that the country can survive it. 

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

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Cuddly as a cactus and charming as an eel, Whoville's favorite talk show host is back on the mic! The Grinch may hate the holidays, but he loves his new celebrity status as a chart-topping podcaster. With Cindy Lou and Max by his side, join The Grinch each week as he stubbornly refuses the joys of the season, cozies up to his celebrity guests — and investigates a brand-new mystery that puts him right at the center of another dastardly Christmas caper. All the children of Whoville's letters to Santa have gone missing, and Grinch is Suspect No. 1. Follow along at the end of each episode to help Grinch and his crew solve this WHO-dunnit in time for Christmas! Plus, tune into Wondery+ as Cindy Lou and Max take the case into their own hands! Starring SNL's James Austin Johnson as the iconic green grump, and featuring famous faces the whole family will love, 'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast might just grow your heart three sizes this winter season.

For even more cheer, subscribe to Wondery+ to join Cindy Lou and Max the Dog as they take the case of the missing letters into their own hands!

Follow 'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. Unlock Cindy Lou and Max’s exclusive Christmas mystery investigation and listen to every episode ad-free by joining Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by visiting Wondery.fm/Grinch.

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Donald Trump's Cabinet selection is about as chaotic as we expected it to be. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name for Attorney General after a number of Republican Senators expressed concern with the pick. We're joined by David Axelrod, who says that Republicans in the Senate have more power than you might expect. David also examines how Democrats, the party of working people, lost so many working class voters in the Presidential election. 

Listen to David's podcast, The Axe Files: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-axe-files-with-david-axelrod/id1043593599

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The incoming Trump administration has started announcing some of the picks for the incoming Cabinet. Somehow, they're worse than you could have imagined. We break down some of the unsavory characters who might be making policy in Trump's second term with political reporter for Semafor, David Weigel. 

Weigel also explains how the right wing media ecosystem has moved away from TV and onto the internet. Right wing and right wing-adjacent programming is dominating YouTube and podcasts. How did they build such a network? And how do Democrats counterprogram those voices?

Read Weigel's latest for Semafor: https://www.semafor.com/author/david-weigel

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The nightmare we all feared came true last week. Donald Trump has been elected for a second term as President of the United States. We're joined by our friend Norm Ornstein to make sense of it all. If we take Trump at his word, we should expect mass deportations, economic instability, further deterioration of women’s rights, attacks on public education, constant fights with the media and his critics and much worse. Norm discusses the long road ahead that could include devastation especially for the states that supported him the most. There's not a lot to be hopeful about right now, but Norm manages to share some good news for the years ahead...If we're willing to fight for it. 

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Live from New York, it’s our pre-election podcast. After a contentious and exhausting election cycle, we have made it to Election Day. Last week, we gathered with some of our favorite guests to help us understand what we might see in the coming days and weeks. Can we finally vanquish Donald Trump? Can he actually win? And if so, what does that mean for America? We’re joined by Jessica Taylor from the Cook Political Report to break down the Senate races around the country. We also talk to Jeremy Peters from the NYT about undecided voters and what they might be looking for as they head to the polls. Plus, our friends Mark Leibovich from The Atlantic and Molly Jong-Fast, host of the Fast Politics Podcast, discuss what is at stake in this election and how we move forward as a country.

Read Jessica Taylor’s latest for the Cook Political Report: https://www.cookpolitical.com/about/staff/jessica-taylor

Read Jeremy Peters in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/by/jeremy-w-peters

Listen to Molly Jong-Fast’s podcast, Fast Politics: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-politics-with-molly-jong-fast/id1645614328

Read Mark Leibovich in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mark-leibovich/

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The economy is always one of the most important issues in any election. So how does Kamala Harris's vision for America's economy stack up against Donald Trump's? Catherine Rampell from the Washington Post joins us to discuss. Trump's economic plan seems to revolve around tariffs, an issue that he seems to have a hard time understanding. Not only that, his threat to deport millions of undocumented workers will undoubtedly drive up the cost of goods around the country. It's clear that Trump cannot be trusted on this issue. Plus, Catherine tells us the story of Flint, Michigan and a program that is aimed to give money to families of newborn babies. It's a plan so successful and so popular that Kamala Harris has adopted a version of it for her campaign platform. Can it work on the national level?

LAST CHANCE: Get tickets to see a live taping of the Al Franken Podcast in NYC on October 28th! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

Read Catherine's latest in WaPo: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/catherine-rampell/

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This election could all come down to abortion. Laura Bassett from The Cut and Sarah Zhang from The Atlantic have both been writing about the issue and how it's playing into this election. Sarah's recent piece in The Atlantic examined how Idaho's draconian abortion laws have set the state's healthcare back for women. Laura has been writing about the issue for years and says that it poses a serious threat to Ted Cruz's reelection campaign in Texas. 

NYC! Come see a live taping of the Al Franken Podcast. We'll be joined by Jessica Taylor, Jeremy Peters and Mark Jong-Fast with Mark Leibovich. Get your tickets today! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

Read Laura's writing in The Cut: https://www.thecut.com/author/laura-bassett/

Subscribe to Laura's Substack called Nightcap: https://www.laura-bassett.com/

Read Sarah Zhang's incredible piece on Idaho abortion laws in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/10/abortion-ban-idaho-ob-gyn-maternity-care/679567/

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It's been a year since the horrific attack in Israel that set off the current wars in the Middle East. Frank Foer from The Atlantic and David Rothkopf from The Daily Beast to talk about the painful year and what happens moving forward. If a ceasefire is worked out, what is the future of Gaza and how will it rebuild? What political price is America paying for its role in the wars? And does anyone actually think Donald Trump would be the best person to manage this crisis? 

Plus, Nobel Prize-winning climate scientist Michael Mann kicks off this week's show! Hurricanes Helene and Milton have caused unprecedented damage to parts of the country. Unless we take action on climate, storms like this could be our new reality.

NYC! Come see a live taping of the podcast at City Winery on October 28th. Get your tickets today! https://www.alfranken.com/appearances

Read Franklin Foer in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/franklin-foer/

Read David Rothkopf in The Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/david-rothkopf

Michael Mann's latest book, Our Fragile Moment, is out soon in paperback! https://michaelmann.net/books/our-fragile-moment

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