On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy talks with David Roberts, author of the Volts newsletter, about the growing backlash against data centers and the political role they’re playing ahead of the midterms. Data centers are the backbone of the AI boom, and tech companies are racing to build them, both for profit and to keep pace with China. But voters and politicians across party lines are raising concerns. We’ll hear from several Middle listeners as usual! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Data centers are popping up across the country to power the artificial intelligence boom. But as tech companies race to build more of them, communities are asking: At what cost? From rising electricity bills and water consumption to jobs and economic development, data centers are becoming a hot-button political issue ahead of the midterm elections. And politicians are facing a choice: embrace the investment or push back against growing public opposition. On this episode of The Middle, Jeremy hears from listeners across the country about how they feel about data centers, and whether the AI boom is worth the trade-offs. He’s joined by Amy Myers Jaffe, director of the Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Lab at NYU, and Washington Post business reporter Evan Halper. #datacenters #datacentersexplained #datacentersnoise #datacentersinspace #datacentersenvironmentalimpact #datacentersmemphis #datacentersforai #datacentersbusinessinsider #datacenterswater #datacentersvirginia #datacentersintexas #datacentersfordummies #datacentersindiana #datacentersrealestate #datacentersmoreperfectunion #datacentersand #datacentersandwater #datacentersandenergy #datacentersandai #datacentersandwaterusage #datacentersandtheenvironment #datacentersandelectricbills #datacentersandnaturalgas #datacentersandpower #datacentersandclimatechange #datacentersandcancer #datacentersandcloudcomputing #datacentersandcloudservices #datacentersinhyderabad #datacentersingeorgia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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

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 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