We're joined by our friend Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic to break down a wild week in Washington D.C.! Donald Trump gave his address to Congress. It was the longest one ever and didn't seem to say much (except blame Joe Biden for all of the country's problems). We also take a look at America's deteriorating relationship with Ukraine and how Republicans who USED TO support Ukraine are turning their backs when our ally needs it the most. Plus, we discuss the ongoing drama around tariffs and why Trump can't seem to make up his mind on using them.

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

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As Trump and his administration try to rewrite history and say that Ukraine started the war with Russia, we're joined by Tim Mak, war correspondent and founder of The Counteroffensive. Tim has been living in Kyiv since the beginning of Russia’s invasion and discusses the toll that the war has taken on the people of Ukraine. He examines what kind of leader Donald Trump is - will he exploit America’s longstanding friendships or choose to abandon them? We also discuss the future of President Zelensky and how Ukrainians view his leadership.

Read Tim's work in The Counteroffensive: https://www.counteroffensive.news/

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A month into Donald Trump's second term, how do voters feel about the job he's doing? We talk to Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark and host of The Focus Group podcast. We discuss how Trump is currently in the "honeymoon" period of his presidency and how plenty of voters are just happy that Trump is doing SOMETHING. Sarah also gives advice to Democratic leaders about messaging and how to fight back against the onslaught of bad policy coming from the White House.

Listen to Sarah's podcast, The Focus Group: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-focus-group-podcast/id1586423406

Check out The Bulwark: https://www.thebulwark.com/

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We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live this week! This special episode changes things up a bit as Executive Producer Peter Ogburn asks 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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Donald Trump ran on a platform of mass deportations. Now that he's back in the White House, what does that look like? We're joined by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Molly O'Toole, whose upcoming book “The Route” details global migration through the Americas. Molly has spoken to hundreds of migrants making their way from war-torn countries to be in the U.S. and sheds some light on the VERY difficult American immigration process. We discuss Trump's rhetoric versus what is ACTUALLY happening with deportations and why creating an environment of fear isn't helping the problem.

Learn more about Molly's upcoming book here: https://www.mollyotoolejournalist.com/book

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With a confusing ceasefire deal underway in Gaza, we take a look at the path forward with Peter Beinart. Beinart serves as editor-at-large for Jewish Currents, is a frequent analyst on MSNBC, and has authored a new book, "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning." The book examines the history of Israel and how Jews have responded to the events of October 7th and its horrifying aftermath. Beinart discusses Israeli power and his hopes for its "moral reconstruction." We also discuss both Joe Biden's role in the conflict and how the region moves forward with the questionable leadership of Donald Trump. 

Learn more about Peter's book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/775348/being-jewish-after-the-destruction-of-gaza-by-peter-beinart/

Check out Peter's work in Jewish Currents: https://jewishcurrents.org/author/peter-beinart

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President Donald Trump was sworn in (again) this week. Who better than Molly Jong-Fast from the Fast Politics podcast to join us to discuss his first week in office? We relive some quotable moments from his inaugural address and look at his most damaging executive orders. We also rundown some of the Cabinet nominees. Is anyone going to be stopped? Or are the Republican Senators too afraid of Trump?

Plus, Molly shares her roadmap of things to be hopeful for. Maybe it's not all bad!

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

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Donald Trump's unprecedented second term is upon us. As we prepare to endure another (at least) 4 years of this, we are joined by Ian Bassin, the co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy. Trump has already promised to undermine democracy in America. How can we fight back? And how can we mount a defense to the coming onslaught? We also discuss where Democrats went wrong trying to counter Trump's message during the election and, more importantly, how to address it moving forward.

Learn more about Protect Democracy at https://protectdemocracy.org/

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Dana Milbank, Washington Post Opinion columnist joins us this week! His latest book, "Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theories and Dunces who Burned Down the House", chronicles the ineffectiveness of the members of the U.S House. He makes the case that the MAGA members in the House have turned it into a dysfunctional nightmare with no interest in making policy. From Lauren Boebert to Marjorie Taylor Greene, they have turned the "conservative" party into a party that exists solely to carry out the wishes of Donald Trump. 

We also discuss the latest Trump press conference in which he floats the idea of changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to The Gulf of America and doesn't rule out military force to acquire Greenland. Anyone ready for another 4 years of this??

Read Dana's column in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dana-milbank/

Check out Dana's book Fools on the Hill: The Hooligans, Saboteurs, Conspiracy Theories and Dunces who Burned Down the House: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dana-milbank/fools-on-the-hill/9780316570923/?lens=little-brown

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Professor Scott Galloway is our guest in this New Year's Best Of. Galloway has thoughts on the current political climate and how extreme most of the Republican agenda is these days. He also speaks about how modern politics and policies have left our young people disaffected and feeling left out of the political process. From minimum wage to college admissions, Galloway shares policies and solutions that can help ease his declared "war on young people".

Listen to Scott's podcast, The Prof G Pod: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-prof-g-pod-with-scott-galloway/id1498802610

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In this Best Of episode, we revisit the conversation from earlier this year with SNL writer and producer Jim Downey. Al and Jim worked on several iconic sketches and remember some of their favorite political bits from the history of the show. They also discuss the importance of rewarding audiences for knowing stuff but not punishing them for not knowing stuff. Plus, Jim answers to Al's allegation that he helped George W Bush win the 2000 election!

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