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.

Colin Woodard talks about his new book, Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America. The best-selling author of American Nations explores the regional roots of the partisan divide over several key issues (guns, immigration, climate, authoritarianism) and offers ideas on how to unify the nation based on new cultural insights and opinion research.

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.

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.

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.

John Bacon talks about his book, The Gales Of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, including the history of the Great Lakes, the importance of shipping on the Lakes to our national security, the ship and crew, and the events of that fateful voyage 50 years ago.