Ashley Hinson, candidate for Congress in Iowa’s 1st congressional district and current Iowa State Representative from the 67th District, discusses the reasons for her candidacy, Covid, economic revitalization in rural areas, US-China relations, infrastructure, heath care and much more.

Jim Tankersley, economics reporter with the New York Times, talk about his recent book, The Riches of This Land , and how the strongest middle class in American history was torn apart and how to get it back. His writing focuses on the struggles of the middle class and failure of politicians to addresses them.

US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) talks coronavirus recovery packages, civil unrest, economic recovery, antitrust concerns with Big Ag and big tech companies, the Barrett nomination, election process and security and Democratic challenges with working class voters. He also lays out why he’s seeking a 5th term in the US Senate.

Rick Pearson , chief political reporter for the Chicago Tribune, talks about the US Senate race in Illinois, Justice Kilbride’s retention, Fair Tax Amendment, and the federal investigation into corruption involving ComEd that touches on Speaker Madigan’s political operation.

Colin Woodard, author of Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood , talks about his latest book that “examines how a myth of national unity, purpose and identity was created and fought over in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.” The story is told through five individuals, some of whom are familiar but some being more obscure. He also discusses how the confrontations over American identity and nationhood continue to this day. Woodard also authored the New York

Mark Curran, Republican candidate for the US Senate in Illinois, discusses the reasons for his candidacy as well as his views on the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and civil unrest. He also provides his views on the Barrett nomination norms on Supreme Court appointments in the final years of presidential terms.

Democratic congressional candidate, former State Senator Rita Hart , running in the open seat 2nd District, talks about the federal response to the Covid pandemic, how to boost the rural economy, the US approach to trade and China, and health care. She also offers her committee preferences if elected and her first legislative priority.

Tim Carney discusses his book, Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse, and why many Trump voters view the American Dream as dead, the economic and cultural divide that separates America, and why we should be more worried about churches closing than factories closing. This book adds to the ongoing analysis of the 2016 election outcome and its meaning for America.

Iowa State Senator Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-41) is running for the open 2nd congressional seat which includes Scott County. She discusses the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic, the need for further Covid recovery assistance, relations with China and health care.