Heartland Politics

Jared Abbott, director of the Center for Working Class Politics, talks about the realignment of working class voters to the Republicans and Trump, how Democrats can win them back, the importance of proper messaging and language, the tie between economic and cultural issues, and presidential candidates with the most appeal to working class voters.

Brian Reisinger, author of Land Rich, Cash Poor, talks about the US ag economy, the impact of tariffs and globalization, bailout funding, foreign purchases of US land, impact of immigration restrictions, the latest on the Farm Bill, fewer heirs taking over farms, and the political impact of the slumping farm economy in this year's midterm elections.

Former Missouri Governor Jay Nixon (D) talks about how he was able to win two terms in his Red state, his advice to the Democratic Party in winning working class and rural voters, how to repair the damaged party brand, his favorite '28 presidential candidates and more.

Josh Higgins, Republican candidate for the 94th State Representative in Illinois, talks about his candidacy, his background, key issues, and much more.

Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) talks about her state representative district, her background, why she is seeking reelection, key issues, including affordability, ethics and downstate roads, and much more.

Timothy Wu, professor at Columbia Law School and former White Houseadvisor on tech and competition policy, talks about his new book, The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity. We discuss the initial promise of the Internet and what went wrong, how tech platforms choked off competition, platform power in health care and housing, the role of "couch lock" and convenience in creating dependency, whether AI will break platform monopoly power or extend it, the implications for our economy and democracy, and recommendations on how to address platform monopoly power.

Matt Grossmann talks about the book he co-authored, Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics. He discusses when this political realignment began, the impact of increasing levels of college attainment on American culture, the impacts on the two political parties, Trump II's attempts to change American culture, and more.

Jerry Nowicki, editor in chief for Capital News Illinois, lists his top news stories in Illinois politics and government for 2025. He also looks ahead to some key issues and people to watch for in 2026.

Kathie Obradovich, editor in chief of the Iowa Capital Dispatch, talks about the most important political stories from 2025 and offers insights into key topics for 2026.

David Lynch, global economics correspondent for The Washington Post, talks about his book, The World's Worst Bet: How The Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right). Our discussion includes when this era of "hyper-globalization" began, the attraction of the theoretical underpinnings of globalization, what led to the global pushback, the role of Bill Clinton as the chief cheerleader of globalization, and much more.