Podcast appearances and mentions of Ali Velshi

Tonight on The Last Word: Lawmakers request more security after the Charlie Kirk killing. Also, NATO steps up its air defenses after Russian drones were shot down in Polish airspace. Plus, Donald Trump asks a federal appeals court to allow him to fire Lisa Cook ahead of Tuesday's Federal Reserve meeting. And consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in August. Marc Santia, Michael Feinberg, Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (ret.), Barbara McQuade, and Betsey Stevenson join Ali Velshi.

-- On the Show: -- Tyler Robinson, 22, has been identified as the alleged shooter who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk --Donald Trump fuels political violence in America and immediately weaponizes Charlie Kirk's assassination without pause or fact-finding -- Prioritizing being offended over strategic thinking risks weakening the left and losing elections -- Trump is being manipulated by Vladimir Putin and other authoritarian leaders while Republicans are just starting to acknowledge it -- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that nearly one million jobs were overstated under Donald Trump, signaling a stalled labor market -- A new study finds 99 percent of Americans will lose income under Trump's economic policies while only the top 1 percent benefit -- Trump faces an unavoidable political loss as House members move to force a vote on the Epstein files despite his defenses -- Gallup reports U.S. support for capitalism is at a historic low while Americans are disillusioned with the current economic system -- Ali Velshi reports on MSNBC that Donald Trump's health crisis can no longer be ignored by mainstream media -- On the Bonus Show: Trump happily approves funding for red states, Senate Republicans block release of Epstein files, and much more...

Welcome to Episode 242! It's great to know we have some risk takers among us! We dared readers of our monthly newsletter to sign up for the fourth quarter readalong prior to knowing what the book was and a handful of adventurous readers took us up on it. Thank you for trusting us, and listen to this episode to hear the announcement about the Q4 readalong book. Some of the recent reads we discuss are: GOODBYE WITHOUT LEAVING by Laurie Colwin THE IMPROBABLE VICTORIA WOODHULL by Eden Collinsworth THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach HOTEL SILENCE by Auđur Ava Ólafsdóttir (translated by Brian Fitzgibbon) THE PECULIAR GIFT OF JULY by Ashley Ream “The Lady's Maid's Bell” and “The Eyes” from THE GHOST STORIES OF EDITH WHARTON “Luella Miller” from HORROR CLASSICS edited by Darryl Jones “The Wind in the Rose-Bush” by Mary Wilkins Freeman from THE PENGUIN BOOK OF GHOST STORIES edited by Michael Newton In Biblio Adventures, we recap the fun talk we had with Patrons at our monthly Reading Salon about books we've wanted to throw across the room. Some of us resisted the urge, some did not. Emily watched a conversation about REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier between Ali Velshi and Jennifer Egan. We took a ride down to Bridgeport for lunch and a visit to Kindred Thoughts Books. We also do a quick recap of our #BigBookSummer reads. We don't go into great detail since we've talked about the books in recent episodes. If you're interested, we did a more indepth recap on our YouTube channel. (www.youtube/BookCougars) Big thanks to all of our patrons and financial donors who help keep the podcast going, and to those who spread the word and stay in touch with us. We literally couldn't do this without you! Happy Listening and Happy Reading! https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2025/episode242

"The danger isn't in losing, the danger is in doing nothing." Ali Velshi highlights ways that citizens across the country are taking a stand for American democracy. 

Tonight on The Last Word: The Trump administration struggles to dismiss the latest weak jobs report. Also, Donald Trump threatens to send the National Guard to Chicago. Plus, Trump reportedly cancels U.S. aid to Baltic states amid Russia's aggression. A boat from Venezuela is hit by a U.S. military strike. And Trump plans to eliminate a Biden-era flight delay refund rule. Kenneth Rogoff, Rep. Lauren Underwood, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (ret.), Tom Nichols, Rep. Adam Smith, and Rep. Steve Cohen join Ali Velshi.

"Democratic leaders are simply not rising to this moment," says Ali Velshi in this passionate rebuke. "If you are a political leader in this country and you're not prepared to fight with both hands? Then perhaps you should step aside."

The Trump Administration will be ending the Corporation for Public Broadcasting this year. In some classrooms, educational programing like PBS Kids is being replaced with videos from PragerU, an unaccredited media organization that "promotes American values" to children. Ali Velshi breaks down the replacement and plays a few of their disturbing clips.

Tonight on The Last Word: A federal appeals court deals a huge blow to Donald Trump on tariffs. Also, Trump is blasted for his “illegal” tactic to cut foreign aid. Plus, Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff refuses to blame Russia as the aggressor against Ukraine. And Iowa GOP Sen. Joni Ernst won't seek reelection in 2026. Laurence Tribe, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Norm Ornstein, David Rothkopf, Iowa State Rep. Josh Turek, and Ben Wikler join Ali Velshi.

Tonight on The Last Word: Sen. Angela Alsobrooks calls on RFK Jr. to resign. Also, former CDC Director Susan Monarez is fired after refusing to sign off on vaccine changes. Plus, Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook sues Donald Trump over his effort to fire her. And a whistleblower complaint alleges DOGE copied Social Security data to an unsecured server. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Dr. Nirav Shah, Andrew Weissmann, Gene Sperling, and Martin O'Malley join Ali Velshi.

Tonight on The Last Word: RFK Jr.'s anti-science policy triggers CDC resignations. Also, two children are dead and 17 people are injured in a mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school. Plus, a Trump-appointed federal judge excoriates the Trump Justice Department in a scathing new ruling. And an Iowa Democrat flips a long-held GOP state Senate seat. Dr. Ashish Jha, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Maxwell Frost, J. Michael Luttig, and Iowa state Senator-elect Catelin Drey join Ali Velshi.

Tonight on The Last Word: A recent poll finds 37 percent of Americans approve of Donald Trump's economy. Also, Trump is accused of using the Justice Department to target his foes. Plus, Ohio is set to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. And Israeli strikes on a Gaza hospital kill five journalists. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Michael Hiltzik, Rep. Emilia Sykes, and Noga Tarnopolsky join Ali Velshi.

Tonight on The Last Word: Donald Trump threatens to send troops to more Democratic-led cities. Also, a federal judge blocks the Justice Department from deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia. And the House Oversight Committee issues a subpoena for the Epstein birthday book. Radley Balko, Jason Stanley, Gene Sperling, Andrew Weissmann, Garrett Gaff, and Rep. Robert Garcia join Ali Velshi.

Donald Trump thinks Smithsonian museums focus too much on "how bad slavery was," so he sicced his attorneys on the Smithsonian Institution in the same way he targeted universities. Ali Velshi breaks the controversy down.

"Foreign companies are paying zero tariffs." It's the American companies, and soon, the American consumers who will pay the taxes. Ali Velshi breaks down the latest inflation numbers and explains what lies ahead for tariffs and the American pocketbook. 

Tonight on The Last Word: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meet as the fighting continues in Ukraine. Also, the Justice Department rescinds an order to take over the Washington, D.C. police. And Rep. Ro Khanna plans to introduce a bill to repeal tariffs on coffee. Timothy Snyder, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman (ret.), Amb. Michael McFaul, Ben Rhodes, Lisa Rubin, and Rep. Ro Khanna join Ali Velshi.

How will prices rise now that Trump's tariffs have been enacted? Ali Velshi breaks it down, from price increases at the grocery store to a predicted 40% jump in tennis shoes.

New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Americans consume more than half of their calories from ultra-processed food. Cleveland Clinic dietitian Julia Zumpano explains the health implications.And, President Trump's new round of tariffs took effect Thursday, with more on the way. MSNBC's Ali Velshi unpacks what this means for global trade.Then, a new alert system in Arizona, called Turquoise Alerts, works to address a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people in the state. KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrorazio shares what this means for tribal communities.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This week, Ali Velshi takes on the Epstein files and explains why Donald Trump has been calling some of his most ardent supporters "stupid," "foolish" and "weaklings."

Tonight on The Last Word: The U.S. economy adds just 73,000 jobs in July. Also, international outrage over starvation in Gaza is growing. Plus, Democrats pledge to fight Donald Trump and the GOP on gerrymandering. And the Smithsonian removes references of Trump's impeachments from an exhibit. Dan Osborn, Ben Rhodes, Colin Allred, and Garrett Graff join Ali Velshi.

Born in the Great State of New Jersey, Dean Obeidallah's comedy comes in large part from his unique background of being the son of a Palestinian father and a Sicilian mother. Dean, an award winning comedian who was at one time a practicing attorney, co-starred on Comedy Central's “The Axis of Evil” Comedy TV special. He is the co-creator of Comedy Central.com's critically acclaimed Internet series “The Watch List” featuring a cast of all Middle Eastern-American comedians performing stand up and sketch comedy. Dean has appeared twice on ABC's “The View,” on the nationally syndicated TV series “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen” and was one of five comedians profiled in the recent one hour TV Special entitled: “Stand Up: Muslim-American Comics Come of Age” which aired in the US on PBS and internationally on BBC World and Al Jazeera.   Dean co-directed and co-produced the award winning documentary “The Muslims Are Coming!” featuring a tour of American-Muslim comedians performing free comedy shows across the heartland of America in the hopes of using comedy to foster understanding and dispel misconceptions about Muslims. The film also features special guest interviews with various well known people including: “The Daily Show's” Jon Stewart and Assif Mandvi, Russell Simmons, Soledad O'Brien and Ali Velshi, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, comedians Lewis Black, David Cross, Lizz Winstead and Colin Quinn as well as Congressman Keith Ellison, and many more. The film is now available on Netfilx, iTunes and Amazon.   Dean co-created the comedy show “Stand up for Peace” along with Jewish comic Scott Blakeman which they perform at colleges across the country in support of peace in the Middle East and as a way of fostering understanding between Arab, Muslim and Jewish-Americans.   He is writes for MSNBC, CNN and The Daily Beast as well as other publications.   Dean is also the co-creator and co-producer of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival .He is also proud to serve as the Executive Director of The Amman Stand up Comedy Festival – the first stand up comedy festival ever held in the Middle East Dean is proud to have received the first annual “Bill Hicks Spirit Award” for “thought provoking comedy” (named after the late comedian Bill Hicks) from the NY Underground Comedy Festival and the Hicks' Family.

President Trump gives belligerent, rambling remarks in Scotland ahead of trade talks with the European Union; Mehdi Hasan talks about his viral debate with 20 far-right conservatives.

How the scandal over the Epstein files leaves a major opening for a movement against Trump's authoritarian creep, and what past political protest movements tell us about what can work now; plus. how Trump's tariffs and trade wars are impacting American consumers.

Ali Velshi is joined by independent journalist Jim Acosta, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), fmr. Marine Corps attack pilot Kyleanne Hunter, co-creator of ‘The Daily Show' Lizz Winstead

Tonight on The Last Word: Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell is granted limited immunity during meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Also, Axios reports Nevada swing state voters are turning on Donald Trump. Plus, the Trump administration backs down and releases over $5 billion in Education Department funds. And a Republican congressman is caught misrepresenting his grandfather's “legal” immigration story. Lisa Rubin, Rep. Wesley Bell, Margaret Talev, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Chase Woodruff join Ali Velshi.

Ali Velshi is joined by Columnist at The New York Times Michelle Goldberg, fmr. Assistant U.S. Attorney at SDNY Nick Akerman, Sr. Fellow of American Stagecraft Program at Carnegie Endowment For International Peace Aaron David Miller, Author of ‘All Boys Aren't Blue' George M. Johnson

Ali Velshi is joined by fmr. Rep. Joe Walsh, Contributing Editor and political Columnist at The New Republican Ana Marie Cox, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Professor of Philosophy at University of Toronto Jason Stanley

Ali Velshi is joined by fmr. Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Catherine Christian, Special Correspondent at Vanity Fair Molly Jong-Fast, Sr. Fellow of American Stagecraft Program at Carnegie Endowment For International Peace Aaron David Miller, Senior Columnist at The Boston Globe Opinion Kimberly Atkins Stohr, fmr. Federal Prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks

Ali Velshi is joined by Professor of Law at NYU Melissa Murray, fmr. President & CEO of NPR Vivian Schiller, MSNBC Political Analyst Richard Stengel, Visiting Fellow at Center for Asia Policy Studies at The Brookings Institute Mira Rapp-Hooper

Ali Velshi is joined by Senior Executive Editor of Bloomberg Opinion Tim O'Brien, Staff Writer for The Atlantic David Graham, Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Brown University Omer Bartov, Deputy Director of Immigrants' Rights Project at ACLU Lee Gelernt, Senior Fellow at American Immigration Council Dara Lind

Ali Velshi is joined by Senior Correspondent at Vox Zack Beauchamp, Journalist John Harwood, MSNBC Political Analyst Richard Stengel, Visiting Fellow at Center for Asia Policy Studies at The Brookings Institute Mira Rapp-Hooper, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Contrarian Jennifer Rubin, Distinguished Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University Eddie Glaude

Ali Velshi is joined by columnist for The New York Times Michelle Goldberg, MSNBC Legal Analyst Catherine Christian, Associate Professor of Political Science at Fordham University Christina Greer, Morning News Anchor on NY1 Pat Kiernan

Ali Velshi is joined by Donald Trump's niece Mary Trump, fmr. Federal prosecutor Paul Butler, Senior Contributing Editor for Health News Analysis at KFF Health News Elisabeth Rosenthal, Investigative Reporter Caitlin Dickerson, host of ‘Going For Broke' podcast Ray Suarez

Ali Velshi is joined by Professor of Economics & Public Policy at University of Michigan Justin Wolfers, fmr. Chair of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), author of ‘Abortion, Everyday' Kylie Cheung

Ali Velshi is joined by Independent Journalist Jim Acosta, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Contrarian Jennifer Rubin, Founding Partner & Washington Correspondent at Puck News Julia Ioffe, Chief Washington Correspondent at KFF Health News Julie Rovner, Max and Bernice Garchik Family Presidential Professor at The University of Pennsylvania Exequiel Hernandez

Ali Velshi is joined by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Founding Partner & Washington Correspondent at Puck News Julia Ioffe, Contributing Columnist for Zeteo John Harwood, Host of SiriusXM's ‘The Dean Obeidallah Show' Dean Obeidallah

Ali Velshi is joined by Professor of Economics at Harvard University Kenneth Rogoff, Professor in the Practice of Environmental Law at Rice University Jim Blackburn, MSNBC Senior Reporter Brandy Zadrozny

Tonight on The Last Word: Trump-Musk cuts are still wreaking havoc on the federal government. Also, Donald Trump deregulates crypto while his family profits. Plus, U.S. munitions shipments to Ukraine resume after a pause. And Benjamin Netanyahu returns from Washington, D.C. without a ceasefire deal. Brandy Zadrozny, Rep. Robin Kelly, Ken Vogel, Rep. Eugene Vindman, and Noga Tarnopolsky join Ali Velshi.

Ali Velshi is joined by Professor of Philosophy at University of Toronto Jason Stanley, Investigative Journalist Radley Balko, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), and Professor of Law at University of Michigan Law School Leah Litman

Ali Velshi is joined by Professor of Economics & Public Policy at University of Michigan Justin Wolfers, Russian Opposition Politician Vladimir Kara-Murza, and Staff Writer at The Atlantic Tom Nichols

Ali Velshi is joined by Distinguished Professor of Democracy at University of Toronto Lucan Ahmad Way, fmr. U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, MSNBC's Ken Dilanian, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), author of “This Is My America” Kim Johnson

Ali Velshi is joined by Professor of Economics & Public Policy at University of Michigan Justin Wolfers, Producer for The Rachel Maddow Show Steve Benen, NBC News' Ryan Chandler, Editor-in-Chief of Investopedia Caleb Silver, Fmr. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Richard Stengel

Ali Velshi is joined by Fmr. Federal Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Judge J. Michael Luttig, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Lead Plaintiff on the Texas Abortion Ban lawsuit Amanda Zurawski, Professor of Constitutional Law & Global Health Policy at Georgetown Law Michele Goodwin

Ali Velshi is joined by Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Contrarian Jennifer Rubin, Senior Fellow Emeritus at American Enterprise Institute Norman Ornstein, Editor-in-Chief of Investopedia Caleb Silver, President & Senior Lecturer at Repairers of the Breach Bishop William Barber II

Ali Velshi is joined by NBC's Ryan Chandler, former CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), NBC's Daniele Hamamdjian, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE)

Ali Velshi is joined by NBC's Ryan Chandler, Prof. Cassandra Burke-Robertson, SiriusXM's Dean Obeidallah, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA)

Ali Velshi is joined by former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, NBC's Daniele Hamamdjian; longtime immigration reporter Ray Suarez, The Guardian's Robert Tait

Tonight on The Last Word: Republicans vote for the Trump bill they criticized. Also, The New York Times reports Vladimir Putin is rebuilding his wealth as Donald Trump eases sanctions. And Rep. Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will “press on” fighting for Americans. Rebecca Cooke, Secy. Kathleen Sebelius, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Amb. Michael McFaul join Ali Velshi.

On Wednesday, Donald Trump became the first President in US history to be impeached twice, this time for inciting an insurrection and sending a mob to attack the US capital in a desperate move to remain in power. The impeachment saw rare bi-partisan support with nine GOP representatives joining the democrats in calling for the president's ouster. The trial now moves to the Senate. MSNBC host Ali Velshi joins Michael as they analyze this unprecedented moment. Also, make sure to check out Mea Culpa: The Election Essays for the definitive political document of 2020. Fifteen chapters of raw and honest political writings on Donald Trump from the man who knows him best. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M5VKQ6T/   For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out www.meaculpapodcast.com/merch To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices On Wednesday, Donald Trump became the first President in US history to be impeached twice, this time for inciting an insurrection and sending a mob to attack the US capital in a desperate move to remain in power. The impeachment saw rare bi-partisan support with nine GOP representatives joining the democrats in calling for the president's ouster. The trial now moves to the Senate. MSNBC host Ali Velshi joins Michael as they analyze this unprecedented moment. Also, make sure to check out Mea Culpa: The Election Essays for the definitive political document of 2020. Fifteen chapters of raw and honest political writings on Donald Trump from the man who knows him best. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08M5VKQ6T/   For cool Mea Culpa gear, check out www.meaculpapodcast.com/merch To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tonight on The Last Word: The Supreme Court gives Donald Trump even more power one year after the immunity ruling. Also, Trump family business interests raise ethical concerns. Plus, Trump wields tariffs to stop Canada taxes on tech giants. And a Republican lawmaker in a red state says that state won't survive the Trump budget bill. Laurence Tribe, Tim O'Brien, Rep. Chris Pappas, Mini Timmaraju, and Rep. Kelly Morrison join Ali Velshi.

Ben and guest co-host Ali Velshi kick off the show with a conversation about how Trump's policies are accelerating US brain drain, Tulsi Gabbard's Fox News-style overhaul of the Presidential Daily Brief, and the eyebrow-raising new press secretary at the Pentagon. They also talk about Ukraine's massive surprise drone strike on Russia and the stalemate between Putin and Zelensky. Additionally, they cover the horrific attack on Jewish demonstrators in Colorado, Israel and America's disastrous aid distribution operation in Gaza, the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, and the future of the two-state solution. Also discussed: China's advantages in the trade war, how trade wars can become real wars, and far-right politics in Poland, Portugal, and the Netherlands. Finally, Ali takes a step back to talk about being a journalist covering Trump 2.0. Ali's show Velshi airs weekends on MSNBC, and his book is Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.