What fueled the public feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk? Journalist Ray Hanania suggests reporters are spending too much time on the rhetoric, and not seeking the real story.

In this episode of the Crisis Cast, Thom Serafin chases answers to what sent President Trump and his DOGE leader Musk into a relationship tailspin. Hanania reminds us of what he says is the President's major motivator: media shock value. He cautions that "perspective journalism" is leading us farther from the truth.

Ray Hanania is a veteran of the Daily Southtown and the Chicago Sun-Times. The award-winning journalist is now senior writer for the Arab Daily News and co-hosts the podcast Two Guys on Politics.

There's a ton of great stories about someone "blowing up" on the internet. Our favorite tale is what we'll cover in this week's episode.

Matthew Serafin is a corporate strategist by day, and a concert streaming superstar by night. In this edition of the Crisis Cast, we'll learn how Matthew went viral all because of his passion for the music of Beyoncé. How is this a crisis? Well, the planet is hurting for strong and supportive communities. Matthew Serafin is gifted, when it comes to connecting people.

Join Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin for a conversation about finding meaningful engagement, with Thom's son Matthew (a Crisis Cast co-founder).

It's true. Our guest this week has the pope's cell phone number. But long before cell phones, Father Anthony Pizzo was a close confidant of Cardinal Robert Prevost. In this episode, Father Pizzo shares the story of his 50-plus year friendship with the first American pontiff. Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin explore the depths of the Augustinian order, what the world stage can expect from Pope Leo XIV, and why he'll insist on the care of common people.

The United States Oath of Citizenship is the destination of some of the brightest minds and biggest hearts that call our nation home. Inspired by the naturalization ceremony at Ellis Island's Great Hall on Constitution Day 2022, this episode traces the paths of our hosts' ancestors.  We'd like to honor every family's story by sharing the origins of Lissa & Thom from their roots in Italy and Poland. The Crisis Cast team invites you to share your story. Simply record a voice memo and email it to theccasteam@gmail. Be sure to include your first name and where you listen to our show.

As the field of candidates to replace Dick Durbin in the U.S. Senate, we've put together the manual on what it will take to win that seat.

In this episode, Lissa & Thom welcome back professor Robin Johnson of Monmouth College. Robin is the first call anyone should make if you want to really understand voters in the midwest -- especially downstate Illinois.  This discussion hits on Illinois' national perspective, the source of the widening political divide, the changing nature of political engagement among younger voters, and much more. Welcome to our 300-level course: How To Be Illinois' Next Senator.

George Ryan's legacy is built largely on being the Illinois Governor who halted prison executions. The son of a pharmacist, Ryan grew up in Kankakee County where he launched one of the most storied and complicated political careers in Illinois history

In this episode, Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin revisit a conversation we had with Illinois’ 39th governor on May 2nd 2021. Mr. Ryan died May 2, 2025, at age 91. You'll hear Lissa & Thom's personal reflections on former Governor Ryan. Plus, Mr. Ryan shares what drove him to write the  book Until I Could Be Sure: How I Stopped the Death Penalty in Illinois.

This is a tale of two governing bodies. In this episode, we go to grad school on the stark differences between Illinois' municipal and state pensions. Lissa Druss and Thom Serafin are in our chat room with Naperville's city manager, Doug Krieger and Mark Fowler, executive director of the Northwest Municipal Conference. Both leaders have been instrumental in stabilizing city pensions across the state, but reforms in Springfield may threaten that stability. We'll get into a conversation about why Illinois's pension system is far more attractive than those of neighboring states. Plus, you'll hear what's driving moves to fix what isn't broken.