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Jon Ralston talks about his book, Games Changer: How Harry Reid Remade the Rules and Showed Democrats How to Fight. We discuss Reid's upbringing into poverty in small town Nevada, his rise in politics, relationship with the casino industry, connection with Howard Hughes, investigations of him by the FBI, his rebuilding of the Nevada Democratic party, and the evolution of his political views, including on the filibuster and "nuclear option." Ralston is Founder and CEO of Nevada Independent and regular commentator on MS-NOW. He is recognized as the leading authority on Nevada politics. -
Michael Tackett, Deputy Washington Bureau Chief for the Associated Press and former Chicago Tribune political reporter, talks about his book, The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party. We discuss his rise in politics, understanding power and how to use it, mastering the rules of the Senate, the importance of fundraising, the filibuster, the Trump impeachments, and much more.
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The Quad Cities National Organization for Women (NOW) will hold a Rally for Reproductive Freedom on Sunday, Jan. 18 in Rock Island, near the 53rd anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion before being overturned in 2022. -
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. -
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. -
GovernmentSuzanne 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. -
Michael Pack, award-winning film producer and president of Manifold Productions, talks about his new documentary, The Last 600 Meters, which tells the story of the 2004 battles of Najaf and Fallujah. -
Brenden Moore, statehouse reporter for Capitol News Illinois, looks atprospects for action on transit, energy and affordability legislation,as well as potential responses to ICE and National Guard deployments inChicago. -
Pulitzer-prize winner Art Cullen Laments the Decline of Small Town Iowa in Latest Book
