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The Middle
The Middle
Thursday at 8pm & Friday at 11am-Noon CST

The Middle is hosted by Jeremy Hobson, a public radio journalist and former host of NPR’s Here & Now and Marketplace Morning Report.

Jeremy grew up in the midwest, where people don’t spend every waking minute thinking about politics - but do have a lot of sway in our politics.

With The Middle, Jeremy and his team hope to use the unique position of public radio to facilitate a conversation focused on those overlooked but important voices.

Call in to The Middle at 844-464-3353

  • The Political Landscape a Month Before Election Day
    On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy is joined by Isaac Saul, founder and editor-at-large of Tangle News, to talk about the issues and races shaping the upcoming midterm elections. Forecasters are predicting a strong year for Democrats, but the outcome could still hinge on a range of issues, from gas prices and the cost of living to immigration, data centers and the war in Iran. Isaac also makes his midterm prediction. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
  • Live From New Hampshire: What's At Stake For You This Election?
    On this special episode of The Middle, we're coming to you from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to talk about the biggest issues in the midterm elections and hear from Granite State voters about what's driving their votes this November. Affordability remains a top concern, but issues like immigration enforcement, foreign policy, artificial intelligence and data centers are also playing a big role in races across the country. In front of a live audience and in partnership with New Hampshire Public Radio, Jeremy is joined by NHPR senior news editor Christina Phillips, Kmele Foster, editor-at-large at Tangle News, and Anna Brown, executive director of the nonprofit Citizens Count. #newhampshireelections #newhampshireelection #newhampshirepolitics #newhampshirerepublicans #newhampshireelectionsand #newhampshireprimary2026 #newhampshire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
  • Why Kansas and Missouri Matter in the Midterms
    On this special field recording episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy is out on the streets of Kansas City with KCUR senior news analyst Brian Ellison to look at the biggest midterm issues on both sides of the state line. Together, they discuss whether Democrats have a real shot at winning a Senate seat in Kansas for the first time since 1932, Missouri's controversial abortion referendum and the redistricting battle over Kansas City's 5th District - along with other races that could offer a glimpse of what's to come nationally as the midterms approach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
  • Live from Kansas City: Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Outrage
    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
  • What is Social Media Addiction Doing To Us?
    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
  • Reflecting on American Democracy, From the Outside Looking In
    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
  • The Meaning of 9/11, 25 Years Later
    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
  •  How Are Climate Change and Extreme Weather Affecting You?
    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
  • Looking Back on Three Years of The Middle
    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
  • Which Institutions Still Earn Your Trust?
    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