Mark Leibovich on Hegseth, Trump, & More!

The Al Franken Podcast

Government, Progressive, Politics, Senate, Liberal, Senator, Minnesota, Franken, News, Saturday Night Live, Comedy, Snl

4.6 • 7.7K Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We're joined by the great Mark Leibovich from The Atlantic to run through some of the wild stories fresh out of Washington. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is facing criticisms on multiple fronts: Not only was it reported that he ordered the killing of two survivors from a bombed alleged drug trafficking boat, a Pentagon Inspector General also found that he put American troops' lives in danger with his reckless messages on Signal. Could we see Trump turn on Hegseth?

We also recap the marathon Cabinet meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent his time kissing Trump's ass, and Trump (when he was awake) broke out into an maliciously racist rant about Somalis.

Plus, we talk MORE shady pardons (including the former Honduran President and convicted drug trafficker), Trump's sinking approval ratings, and Dick Cheney!

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

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everybody, we've got a great one today.
0:06.9	You know, for a change.
0:08.8	Our old friend Mark Liebevich of the Atlantic joins me.
0:12.6	Of course, we talk about Heggseth.
0:15.5	Jesus, what a dick.
0:18.9	On Thursday, Admiral Frank Bradley evidently testified to the Intelligence Committee that the two survivors were still in the fight and trying to secure the drugs so they could be transferred to another boat.
0:34.9	I'm on the other boat and I get a call from these survivors. I'm not sure how from a radio,
0:42.9	I guess, that is in the drink. But anyway, and they say, we just got hit by a missile and the other
0:51.2	nine people on the boat are dead.
0:57.5	Can you come pick us up and gather up the cocaine?
1:00.0	It's in the water now.
1:02.0	Yeah, all the others are dead.
1:04.2	Can you come pick us up?
1:09.0	Now, you've no doubt seen the video of the hit. There 11 people in the boat do you need 11 people
1:14.6	in a boat to deliver drugs don't don't you want more room for the drugs i think the first
1:22.8	strike was illegal uh even if they knew for sure they were carrying drugs, which evidently they
1:30.8	don't know for sure those things. But the second strike, that just seems to me to be a war crime.
1:40.3	On a lighter note, Mark and I talk about Trump and his disgusting attack on Somalis, whom he called Garbage.
1:50.7	For him to leverage the actions of a few with such vulgarity is deplorable.
1:57.7	I am, of course, a Minnesotan and represented the large Somali community in Minnesota.
2:04.4	They are our neighbors, our friends, and they were my supporters.
2:09.6	Trump is a detestable racist and has been his entire life.
	...

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