Episodes

  • New Book Explores Rise of Sports Betting in the US and the Growing Backlash

    New Book Explores Rise of Sports Betting in the US and the Growing Backlash
    Sep 5 2025
    Jonathan Cohen discusses his book, Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling.
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    29 mins
  • Labor Day 2025: Few Bright Spots for American Labor

    Labor Day 2025: Few Bright Spots for American Labor
    Aug 30 2025
    Stephen Franklin, former labor reporter for the Chicago Tribune, takes alook at the state of American labor this holiday weekend and discusseshis book Three Strikes: Labor's Heartland Losses and What They Mean forWorking Americans. The book examines three labor disputes in oneIllinois town, Decatur, that captured the change in labor-managementrelations.
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    29 mins
  • First Comprehensive Assessment Finds American Institutions Failed During Covid Pandemic

    First Comprehensive Assessment Finds American Institutions Failed During Covid Pandemic
    Aug 22 2025
    Stephen Macedo, co-author with Frances Lee of In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, discusses the failure to heed pre-Covid plans for managing a pandemic, how voices of dissent were treated, lack of cost and benefit considerations, impact of policies by class difference, school closures, the origins of Covid, and impact on our democracy. An important book written by authors without a political agenda.
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    29 mins
  • Forward Party Offers Alternative to American Two-Party System

    Forward Party Offers Alternative to American Two-Party System
    Aug 15 2025
    Are you tired of the hyper-partisanship in our politics and looking forsomething new? Lindsay Williams Drath, CEO of the Forward Party,explains the party's mission, stakeholders, origin, strategy and much more.
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    29 mins
  • Key Iowa House Chair Takes A Look at Higher Ed in Iowa

    Key Iowa House Chair Takes A Look at Higher Ed in Iowa
    Aug 8 2025
    State Rep. Taylor Collins (R-Mediapolis), Chair of the House HigherEducation Committee, discusses actions taken by the legislature andboard of regents on affordability, intellectual freedom, andtransparency, as well as priorities for the the future includingcommunity college bachelor degrees.
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    29 mins
  • A "Country Boy's" Rise to the Top of Illinois Republican Politics and State Government

    A "Country Boy's" Rise to the Top of Illinois Republican Politics and State Government
    Aug 1 2025
    Carter Hendren, a top Republican operative when the Illinois GOP was dominant in the Governor's office, looks back at why the Republicans were more competitive, why he believes in patronage, which elections changed the, course of Illinois politics, what needs to be done to reform the state, and much more.
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    29 mins
  • A Timely Look at Why Government Projects Take So Long to Complete

    A Timely Look at Why Government Projects Take So Long to Complete
    Jul 25 2025
    Marc Dunkelman talks about his new book, Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress--And How to Bring it Back.
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    29 mins
  • Rahm Emanuel: Democratic Party's Job is to "Restore the Accessibility and Availability of the American Dream"

    Rahm Emanuel: Democratic Party's Job is to "Restore the Accessibility and Availability of the American Dream"
    Jul 18 2025
    Rahm Emanuel, former Member of Congress, Chicago Mayor, and Ambassador to Japan who also served in the Clinton and Obama administrations, talks about how to revitalize the Democratic party, whether the party is still a 'big tent' party, NAFTA and free trade agreements, education and whether the Iowa caucuses should again lead off the presidential nominating process.
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    29 mins