I applaud Chairman Adam Schiff for his dignified manner in leading the majority during the recent House impeachment hearings. Indeed, I noticed that every Democrat on the dais demonstrated tremendous restraint by using their time to create a record instead of pointing out the transparently asinine questions, statements, and demeanor of…

This week’s podcast is about a subject that means a lot to me. Children in foster care. My guest is Sherry Lachman, chief executive of Foster America. She was also my education legislative assistant in the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee. As a child, Sherry herself had been…

Often at funerals for our fallen, a speaker will quote from Ronald Reagan’s 1985 Veterans Day speech – the part where he talks about those who died in foreign wars. …most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives-the one they were living and the…

Seventeen years ago, Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, three aides, and two pilots died in a plane crash. Every year on this day I write about Paul. About how the people of Minnesota knew what he stood for, what he was for and what he was against. …

Before I weigh in on last night’s debate, especially on health care, I’d like to point out a couple things. First is that I wrote the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision into the Affordable Care Act back in 2009. The MLR is literally the strongest containment on health insurance company…

I had a great time last night with Conan O’Brien. Watch the full interview below. Check out The Al Franken Show on SiriusXM’s Progressive Channel starting this Saturday! Tickets are available now for An Evening with Al Franken in Portland, Seattle, Boston and Detroit! Subscribe to the Al Franken Podcast on:…

In January, 2009, I met retired Captain Luis Montalvan and his service dog Tuesday at an Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America event. Luis had served as an intelligence officer in Iraq, where he was seriously wounded and returned home with a severe case of PTSD. He told me he…

Bedtime. Favorite time of the day. That’s 2 1/2-year-old Avery and 6-year-old Joe. Each gets to choose a book from their library. Sometimes they’re classics. Sometimes they’re pure junk. (Joe is currently into Ninjago).  Mostly it’s something in between. I don’t really care. I get my cuddles and then our daughter,…

Learn the Damn Speech! One of the most frustrating parts of being an American during these past couple years has been trying to process the sheer tonnage of lies, the endless vitriol and stupidity, the unyielding crassness, cynicism, and self-aggrandizement, not to mention the sheer cruelty coming on a daily…