Grounded with Jon Tester & Maritsa Georgiou

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz joins JT and MG to talk about what went wrong for the Harris/Walz campaign, the future of the Democratic Party, and the governor’s political plans. What do Democrats need to do to win back rural America and the working class? Is there room for a moderate candidate in today’s political environment? We also make sure to talk about the Minnesota State Fair, Montana breakfast joints, and high school football. An episode you don’t want to miss!

“We’re not doomed yet, but we’re running out time that we need.” That’s what former Ambassador John Bolton said to JT & MG in the latest episode of Grounded about our global security risks. We ask what keeps him up at night, the best path forward for unity, President Trump’s relationship with authoritarians and more. He also spills the beans about who he actually voted for in 2024.

Is due process in trouble in America? We discuss with Dave Aronberg, a former state attorney in Florida, who also worked alongside current U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. He tells JT and MG why he believes due process is still intact. He also explains why he doesn’t think AG Bondi will cross what he calls the bright red line. Let’s go to law school! 

Former Sec. of Agriculture Dan Glickman joins the pod to chat about the effect of tariffs on American farmers and access to food we eat. We also discuss concerns over DOGE cuts within the U.S. Forest Service, bipartisan cooperation, and what Jon Tester really thinks about going to State of the Union addresses.

JT & MG chat with Olivia Troye, who worked as a national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence. They unpack the latest Trump interview on Meet the Press, what’s likely happening behind closed doors at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and the reasons she left the Trump 1.0 administration in the summer of 2020. Olivia also tells JT & MG what keeps her up at night and what gives her hope moving forward.

Sen. Dick Durbin, who announced his retirement last week, joins JT & MG to chat about that decision after more than four decades in Congress, his experience at Pope Francis' funeral, the future of the Democratic party and more. Plus, what he fears will be the “most serious constitutional crisis since the Civil War.”

Fresh off his return from El Salvador to visit a Maryland man deported in error, Sen. Chris Van Hollen joins JT & MG to for an inside look at what led up to his meeting, the “margaritas” placed at the table for social media optics, and why he thinks this is a constitutional crisis. CVH and JT explain why every American should care about this case and the precedent it sets.

Former Bureau of Land Management director (and Montanan!) Tracy Stone-Manning joins JT and MG to dissect new concerns over threats to public lands. They get into the weeds on the difference between proposals to sell public land for tax breaks and affordable housing solutions. The conversation also covers what DOGE cuts could mean for our great outdoors and what people can do to keep public lands in public hands.

Economic concerns over tariffs and the markets persist and JT and MG chat all about it with University of Michigan economist and public policy professor Justin Wolfers (who sometimes goes by his alter ego Fed Lasso). Hear why he says we’re in the middle of two economic crises and his predictions for what’s ahead. Will prices ever come down? What about accusations of market manipulation in the Oval Office? What does the U.S. stand to win in this trade war? A fascinating conversation you don’t want to miss!

Ahead of a scheduled US House vote on the SAVE Act, JT and MG discuss its potential impacts with Greta Bedekovics with the Center for American Progress. What will the SAVE Act mean for voters across the country if it passes through Congress? What impact will it have on married women who took their husband’s last name? How is it different than President Trump’s executive order on elections? We break it all down.