A few weeks ago, What A Day took a trip to the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival in Seattle, Washington, for a conversation with former Democratic Minnesota Senator Al Franken.

His path to politics is a fascinating one. He transitioned from being a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live, a role he held from 1975 to 1980 and from 1985 to 1995, to a prominent figure in the political arena.

Franken's journey took a significant turn when he ran for the Senate in 2008 against Republican Norm Coleman. In a nail-biting race, he emerged victorious by a mere 312 votes, marking one of the closest winning margins in Senate history. Coleman's concession didn’t come until June 2009, a testament to the intensity of the race. Franken served in the Senate until 2018.

Show Notes:

• Check out the Cascade PBS Ideas Festival – https://tinyurl.com/mrxmy45v
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court is staying busy with decisions. The High Court issued a 6-3 ruling on Wednesday in United States v. Skrmetti, upholding a Tennessee law that banned gender-affirming care for transgender minors. Leah Litman joins us to unpack what affect the court's ruling will have on Tennessee and a slew of other states across the country. Litman is the author of the recent NYT Best Seller "LAWLESS: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, & Bad Vibes" and a host of Crooked Media's "Strict Scrutiny".

And in headlines: Democrats refused to participate in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that looked into the mental fitness of former President Joe Biden, Medicare and Social Security's trust funds are running out of money, and President Trump is still deciding if the US will insert itself into the Israel-Iran conflict.

Show Notes:

• Check out Leah's book – https://tinyurl.com/fz4yshmj
• Check out Strict Scrutiny – https://www.crooked.com/podcast-series/strict-scrutiny/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Tensions continue to escalate between Iran and Israel as the two countries swap missile fire. Israel claims to have killed multiple high-level Iranian officials and has asked for US military support. President Donald Trump is making posts online that vaguely gesture he might give it to them while Republicans argue about whether we should get involved. Pod Save the World’s Tommy Vietor joins the show to try and make sense of all the chaos.

And in headlines: A New York City mayoral candidate is arrested while court watching, Department of Homeland Security flip-flops on worksite immigration raids, polls show nobody likes Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, and Kraft-Heinz removes dye from its products.

Show Notes:

• Check out Brad Lander on Pod Save The People – https://tinyurl.com/y8rjfpsa
• Check out Pod Save The World – crooked.com/podcast-series/pod-save-the-world/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday