For the final episode of The Al Franken Podcast, we're joined one last time by our good friend Dahlia Lithwick, Senior Editor at Slate and host of the Amicus podcast! As we await the Supreme Court’s remaining decisions, we turn to Dahlia to recap a bleak judicial term, including the decisions to gut the Voting Rights Act, strip immigrants of their Temporary Protected Status, and expel transgender servicemembers from the military.

Dahlia and Al look past the mainstream media's narrative of a "moderate" bench to reveal an institution deeply aligned with MAGA's political playbook that continues to make way for an imperial presidency. On a more hopeful note, Dahlia offers a blueprint for how regular citizens can find their lane and fight back from the ground up. Dahlia issues a call for Americans to move past "learned helplessness" to dismantle the cult of the Court and return constitutional power to the people.

LISTEN to Dahlia's podcast, Amicus:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amicus-with-dahlia-lithwick-law-justice-and-the-courts/id928790786

READ Dahlia in Slate Magazine: https://slate.com/author/dahlia-lithwick

We’re joined by our longtime friend, Franklin Foer of The Atlantic! We have a deal in Iran or at least an agreement to have an agreement. Even some Republicans are calling this an unconditional surrender. Al and Frank break down the massive concessions, which include a staggering $300 billion to reconstruct Iran, lifted blockades, and Iranian tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. And what does all of this mean for Trump and Netanyahu’s plummeting relationship ahead of the Israeli elections this fall?

Frank also breaks down the war in Ukraine, the situation in Venezuela, and ongoing tensions with Cuba.

Plus, we discuss Frank’s bestselling book, “How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization.” It was recently reissued to coincide with the U.S. hosting the World Cup. Frank explains how his views of world soccer have changed since the original publishing and why globalization never brought us the "kumbaya political liberalism" we were promised.

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

READ Frank’s book, “How Soccer Explains the World:” https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-soccer-explains-the-world-franklin-foer

We're joined by our friend Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic to break down Trump's sinking approval ratings, the approaching midterms, and whether Democrats are overconfident.

We begin by looking at Trump and whether or not his party is feeling demoralized. Al thinks they certainly should be.

We then discuss the shape of the Senate, where Democrats need to win a net of 4 seats to take control, and the House, where Democrats seem to be on track.

Given the close races and election tampering from Trump and the GOP, how worried should Democrats be? And IF they take back Congress, what should their priorities be? Al and Mark agree that the House should leave impeachment alone.

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

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