On this special episode of The Middle, we're coming to you from Kansas City in partnership with American Public Square and The Listen First Project to talk about what can be done to restore America's fraying social trust and turn down the heat on our political discourse.With trust in our institutions, media, and even each other at historic lows, we explore how we got here and what it would actually take to rebuild trust.Jeremy is joined by Mike Abrams, deputy editor of Trust at The New York Times; Jummy Banjo, senior director of the Alliance for Social Trust at the Aspen Institute and Branden Polk, director of activations at Stand Together. #trust #rebuild #trusttheprocess #trustmepandora #trustissues l #trustmebro #trustissuestheweeknd #trustus #trustkeyshiacole #trustnobody #trustissuesdrake #trustme #trustandbelievekeyshiacole #trustingodmarkgutierrez #trustand #trustandobey #trustandobeyhymn #trustandobeydonmoen #trustandobeylyrics #trustandbelieve #trustandobeyericacampbell #trustandobeyforthereisnootherway #trustandbelievekeyshiacolelyrics #trustandobeycain #trustandwillreviews #trustandwill #trustandobeyhymnwithlyrics #trustandobeypiano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this encore episode of The Middle, we ask: what is social media addiction doing to us? The average American is spending hours per day on social media apps like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, X and Facebook. Studies have shown that social media addiction can lead to depression, lack of sleep, even weight gain. Jeremy is joined by Dino Ambrosi, founder of Project Reboot, which aims to help young people reset their tech habits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this special episode of The Middle, Jeremy sits down with author and cultural critic Hubert Saint Olive, whose new book Res Publica in America (Volume I: 2016–2026) offers an outsider's unflinching look at a decade of American upheaval. Saint Olive, who is French, shares his perspective on where American democracy stands today - from the erosion of public trust in institutions to the fracturing of a shared media reality - and what a decade of turmoil reveals about the health of the American experiment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Twenty-five years after the September 11th attacks, a generation of Americans has grown up with no memory of that day, but its effects are still everywhere. Jeremy is joined by journalist and historian Garrett Graff, author of The Only Plane in the Sky, and Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin to examine how 9/11 reshaped American foreign policy, air travel, national security, the media and the country’s relationship with Islam. They also hear from listeners about what 9/11 means to them today, as firsthand memory gives way to history and America confronts a very different political and global landscape. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of The Middle, we take your calls on how severe weather and the increasingly volatile impacts of climate change are personally affecting you - from high heat and wildfires to tropical storms and flooding. Jeremy is joined by former CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir and Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist at the Nature Conservancy. #climatechange #climatechange2026 #climatechangeandglobalwarming #climatechangenews #climatechangedocumentary #climatechangedebate #climatechangeforkids #climatechangesong #climatechangeexplained #climatechange2025 #climatechangeskeemask #climatechange101withbillnye #climatechangevideo #climatechangesolutions #climatechangegawvi #climatechangeand #climatechangeandhealth #climatechangeandagriculture #climatechangeandgreenhouseeffect #climatechangeandextremeweatherevents #climatechangeandtheocean #climatechangeandai #climatechangeandnaturaldisasters #climatechangeandfoodsecurity #climatechangeandanimals #climatechangeandpublichealth #climatechangeandmentalhealth #climatechangeandmigration #climatechangeandhumanhealth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this special episode, Jeremy hops on the other side of the microphone to reflect on three years of The Middle - what he's learned along the way, and why the show is as relevant as ever. He's joined by journalist and author Lisa Napoli, who served as senior producer on the original run of pilots for The Middle back in 2022. Together, they revisit the big names, big moments and big issues that have defined the show's first three years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of The Middle, we take your calls on which institutions still earn your trust at a time when faith in American institutions overall has been steadily eroding - from the media and education to state and local government and even the Supreme Court, with recent political turmoil only accelerating that mistrust. Jeremy is joined by former Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and political analyst Yuval Levin, director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. #institutions #institutionseu5 #institutionalized #institutionsinsociology #institutionaltrading #institutionsofgovernment #institutionseu4 #institutionsandeconomicgrowth #institutionalizedsuicidaltendenciesband #institutionsbuyingbitcoin #institutionsineconomics #institutionsandeconomicdevelopment #institutionssong #institutionkodakblacklyrics #institutionsoftheeu #institutionsand #institutionsanddevelopment #institutionsandorganizations #institutionsandheadquarters #institutionsandtheirheadquarters #institutionsandeconomicgrowthmalayalam #institutionsandeconomicdevelopmentdcnorth #institutionandassociation #institutionsandtheirpublication #institutionsandinstrumentsinfinancialmarketscmainter #institutionandgenius #institutionalandtechnologicalreformsclass10 #financialinstitutionsandmarkets Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Jeremy turns the tables on The Middle’s DJ Tolliver to find out more about the man behind the music. Tolliver talks about growing up in a musical family in Chicago, experiencing homelessness as a child, and building an eclectic career spanning journalism, music and acting — plus what he’s learned from three years on The Middle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this encore episode of The Middle, we're asking if America has a gambling problem. As online gambling, sports betting and prediction markets surge in popularity, questions remain over what consequences this new gambling boom could have on American society. Jeremy is joined by Axios business reporter Nathan Bomey and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Charles Fain Lehman. DJ Tolliver joins as well, plus calls from around the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy is joined by political commentator and author of the So What? Substack Chris Cillizza to talk about the future direction of the Republican Party and the state of American politics ahead of the midterms as they listen to your voicemails. Jeremy also addresses your criticism of last week’s show featuring Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith. #Politics #Midterms2026 #RepublicanParty #GOP #AmericanPolitics #PoliticalPodcast #ChrisCillizza #PoliticsPodcast #ElectionSeason #PoliticalCommentary #USPolitics #Midterms #Conservatives #PoliticalAnalysis #NewsPodcast #Democracy #ElectionPolitics #PoliticalStrategy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices