Author, comedian and former U.S. Senator Al Franken has a unique resume. One of the original writers on Saturday Night Live, he won five Emmys, wrote several comedic books on politics and represented Minnesota as a U.S. Senator from 2009 to 2018.  

As part of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival in late May, Franken sat down with Jane Coaston, host of Crooked Media’s What a Day, to discuss his journey from comedy and television to the Senate and beyond. 

In this episode of the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival podcast, Franken and Coaston dig into Franken’s Minnesota roots and unusual career; his thoughts on the second Trump administration; the goals of his political action committee, Midwest Values PAC; and what he thinks Democrats should be talking about right now.  

This conversation was recorded on May 31, 2025. 

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Credits

Host: Paris Jackson

Producer: Sara Bernard

Event producers: Jake Newman, Anne O'Dowd

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