Government

The Iowa Legislature’s 91st General Assembly begins next month. One local representative is proposing paid family leave.

Nationally-eminent historian H.W. Brands discusses his book, Andrew Jackson: His Like and Times, a timely topic since Jackson is one of president Trump's favorites. Brands discusses Jackson's upbringing that shaped his values as president, the "Corrupt Bargain" and the longest campaign for the presidency in 1828, Jackson's appeal to voters, his role in what Brands calls the beginning of American democracy and its first true test, and the similarities and differences between Jackson and Trump.

Jim talks with Reverend Rich Hendricks from the Metropolitan Community Church and Tyler Mitchell from the Project of the Quad Cities about the new administration and how policies are impacting people from the LQBTQ+ community.

A.J. Wilhemi, President and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, talks about the impact of the Affordable Care Act on Illinois health care, the system's dependence on federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid, the shortage of health care workers, how immigration impacts health care staffing, rural health care, the increasing roles of technology and AI, and much more.

The Rock Island City Council is considering rate increases for refuse, sewer, stormwater, and water services to address negative fund balances and fund ongoing infrastructure projects.

Former West Virginia Governor and Senator Joe Manchin discusses his recent book Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense, how the Democrats lost working class voters, how he was able to win in a Red State, our partisan divide, his defense of the filibuster, and much more.

Dan Wang, author of Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, talks about the US-China global competition from his unique perspective,the "engineering state versus the lawyer state," Trump's trade policy and the impact of tariffs, why the US needs more manufacturing, the lessons of Robert Moses in rebuilding our infrastructure, and what thetwo countries can learn about each other.

Suzanne Mettler co-author of Rural Versus Urban: The Growing Divide That Threatens Democracy, talks about the economic foundations of the divide, how rural resentment against elites grew, the importance of local party organizations in addressing the divide and much more.

The Quad Cities has been named Technology Community of the Year by the Technology Association of Iowa at the 20th-annual Prometheus Awards, held Thursday, November 6, in Des Moines.

Rock Island has been approved for a new River Edge Redevelopment Zone, a step city leaders say will help revitalize neglected industrial areas and attract new investment.