It's been another chaotic week in Donald Trump's America, and we're thrilled to have our good friend, Norm Ornstein, back on the podcast. We talk about Trump's Executive Order TO dismantle the Department of Education and what that could mean to communities across the country. We also break down the divisions in the Democratic Party and why Leader Chuck Schumer didn't help the situation by caving to Donald Trump. Plus, what is the future of Ukraine and America's standing in the world as we abandon our allies?

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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In this Best Of episode, we revisit our conversation with Trae Crowder, the viral comedian from Tennessee aka The Liberal Redneck. We talk about Trae's upbringing in a red state, why rednecks are Trumpies, and what happens to a community when the jobs leave. Listen to Trae’s take on Trump's appeal to voting rednecks, even though they might have seen him as a New York elite (from his TV show, The Apprentice) before he entered politics.

Learn more about Trae Crowder, The Liberal Redneck: https://www.traecrowder.com/

Watch Trae's brand new standup special, Trash Daddy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VULUOEy-Ro8

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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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