Robin Johnson
Host of Heartland PoliticsRobin A. Johnson is a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant. He is an expert on government reform issues and has consulted with numerous local governments on consolidation/merger, public-private partnerships and full-cost accounting of public services. Robin has also helped candidates win elections for the U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, state legislature, judiciary and local government. Robin served as a consultant to the Office of Statewide Performance Review in the Illinois Governor’s Office and is former director of the Illinois Center for Competitive Government, a partnership between the Illinois Comptroller’s Office and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. Prior to that, he was Director of the Local Government Affairs Division of the Illinois Comptroller’s Office. Robin served on the Board of Directors of the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships (NCPPP) in 1999-2000.
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Jerry Nowicki, editor in chief of Capitol News Illinois, talks about the recently concluded Illinois legislative session, what was accomplished and what was not. He'll discuss the Bears stadium, budget, tax increases, spending priorities, efforts to regulate AI centers and a look at the Fall campaign. -
Erin Murphy, Des Moines Bureau Chief for The Gazette, analyses the Iowa primary election results from Tuesday. He'll look at the US Senate and gubernatorial primaries, examine other key results, describe the messages that voters sent, and take a peak at the Fall elections where all national eyes will be back on Iowa. -
Randy Feenstra, Republican candidate for Iowa Governor and 4th District US Congressman, talks about key issues including tax reform, health care, education, economic growth, agriculture, keeping young people in the state, carbon pipelines, immigration, and China relations. He also discusses his reasons for running, background and experience, top three priorities, most significant endorsements, and closing statement on why he deserves your vote. -
Josh Turek, Iowa US Senate candidate and State Rep. from Council Bluffs, talks about the reasons for his candidacy, key issues, his appeal to working class voters, the endorsement of his campaign by former Senator Tom Harkin, and much more. -
Zach Wahls, Democratic candidate for the US Senate and Iowa State Senator, talks about his motivations for running, economic issues, such as price increases, trade, manufacturing, reviving small towns and rural Iowa, as well as how he sees the primary as a microcosm of national party divisions and how the party can win back working class voters, especially in Obama-Trump counties along the Mississippi River. -
Chris Stein, senior politics reporter for Guardian US, talks about the upcoming midterm elections, the stake involved, impact of mid-decade gerrymandering by both parties, the role of President Trump, and a look at key races in Iowa and Ohio that may determine the outcome. -
State Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-65), Assistant Minority Leader, reports from Springfield as the legislature winds down its session. He discusses the mega-projects bill that includes the Bears stadium, property tax relief, the budget, gerrymandering, energy, ethics reform and Republican hopes to gain power in Illinois. -
Liaquat Ahamed talks about his book Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World. He reveals history through biography--the lives of four central bankers whose decisions precipitated the Great Depression and led to World War II. Key topics include the gold standard, financial "bubbles," the role of tariffs (Smoot-Hawley Act), lessons for today, and Ahamed's new book coming out soon that is a prequel to Lords of Finance. This book was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for History. -
Fred Burton, a former State Department special agent and New York Times best-selling author, talks about the book he co-authored with Samuel Katz called Beirut Rules: The Murder of a CIA Station Chief and Hezbollah's War Against America. He discusses Iran's role in terrorist bombings, kidnappings and killings of Americans after the Iranian revolution, the life, abduction and death of CIA Station Chief William Buckley, how 'Beirut Rules' differed from previous spycraft rules, why the US didn't retaliate, and much more. Burton also addresses whether the American public might be more supportive of the current Iran War if the terrorist attacks against the US from this period were given greater weight by the Trump administration. -
Daniel Bullen discusses his book, Daniel Shays's Honorable Rebellion: An American Story. He talks about how this 'rebellion' was misrepresented, the economic conditions that led to the protests by small farmers in western Massachusetts, profiles of Daniel Shays and his fellow protesters, the roles of Founders George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, the similarities and differences with the Whiskey Rebellion, and why this story is important for today.
