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The Middle
The Middle
Thursday at 8PM Central
Hosted by Jeremy Hobson

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 Follow Up: Fear in Trump's First Year, Michigan and the Midterms
    In the episode of The Follow Up, we're joined by Michigan Public political director Zoe Clark as we talk about reactions to the first year of Donald Trump's second Presidency. Among the topics, anxiety over ICE's aggressive tactics, especially in Minneapolis, the economy, the 2026 midterms and how politics are shaping up in Michigan. #Minneapolis #ICE #Trump #Michigan #Midwest #Midterms #Whitmer #2026 #DOGE #economySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • One year of Trump: How are His Policies Affecting You?
    On this episode of The Middle, we're asking how the past year of Trump's presidency has affected you - or if you haven't personally seen much of a change at all. Jeremy is joined by USA Today chief political correspondent Phillip Bailey and veteran political correspondent Candy Crowley. #Trump #WhiteHouse #ICE #Immigration #DOGE #ElonMusk #FederalGovernment #Economy #ForeighPolicy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • The Follow Up: Minneapolis, Maduro’s Capture, and the First Days of Mamdani
    In the first episode of The Follow Up, we're joined by journalist and host of The Gist podcast Mike Pesca. Together, we talk about the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent, the mixed reaction and uncertainty surrounding the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro by the U.S., and early days of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's tenure as Mayor of New York City. Plus, we follow up with listeners from around the country to see how they're making sense of these headlines. #NicoleGood #ICE #Minneapolis #Trump #Immigration #NYC #Zohran #Mamdani #socialism #Venezeuala #Maduro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • What Does Socialism Mean to You?
    On this episode of The Middle, we're asking what socialism means to you. The United States just overthrew Venezuela's socialist President Nicholas Maduro and now, the Mayor of America’s biggest city is a democratic socialist. Just the word “socialism” can have different meanings depending on who you ask. Jeremy is joined by Tomas Philipson, an economist at the University of Chicago and Jacobin editor Micah Uetricht. #socialism #venezeula #Maduro #Mamdani #NewYorkCity #democraticsocialism #communism #Bernie #AOCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • How Americans feel about the US action in Venezuela
    On this special episode of The Middle, we're asking what your thoughts are on America’s involvement in Venezuela, following the capture of Nicholas Maduro by the U.S. President Trump says the United States will "run" Venezuela for the time being. Jeremy is joined by Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin and Enrique Acevedo, anchor and managing editor of En Punto, one of the largest TV news programs in Latin America. #Venezuala #Maduro #Trump #military #war #Caracas See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • Restoring Civility in our Politics
    On this encore episode of The Middle, we're coming to you from Concord, New Hampshire to talk about the state of civil discourse in America, and what we can do to restore civility to our politics. Jeremy is joined by former New Hampshire State Legislator Doug Teschner, Citizens Count Executive Director Anna Brown and Nick Capodice, host of NHPR's Civics 101. The Clay Pigeons Strings Band joins as well, plus live audience comments and questions. #civics #civility #politics #civildiscourse #Democrat #Republican #Independent #CharlieKirkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • AI is in the Classroom - Can Kids Learn Without it?
    On this encore episode of The Middle, we're asking what's being lost in education in the digital age. Jeremy is joined by Kathleen deLaski, founder of the Education Design Lab and Kaila Phan, a high school English teacher at Lorain High School in Ohio. DJ Tolliver joins as well, plus calls from around the country. #education #students #classroom #screentime #apps #TikTok #Instagram #learning #digital #artificialintelligenceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • Data Centers, Tunnels, Maps, and Optimism for 2026!
    On this special episode of The Middle, we chat with journalists from around the country as they share their biggest local stories of the past year, as well as some of the reasons they're hopeful for the coming year. Jeremy is joined by Blake Farmer, host of “This is Nashville" on Nashville Public Radio, Kate Archer Kent, who hosts “Wisconsin Today” on Wisconsin Public Radio and Mary Sanchez, a Kansas City-based Columnist for the Tribune Content Agency. #2025 #2026 #newyears #holidays #news #optimism #hopeful #positive #boringcompany #datacenters #artificialintelligence #redistrictingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • Are You Prepared to Care for a Loved one?
    On this episode of The Middle, we're asking if you're prepared to provide care for a loved one when that time comes. One in four US adults is currently caring for an adult or child with a complex medical issue or a disability, according to AARP. Jeremy is joined by Elizabeth Edgerly, senior director of Care & Support Programs and Services at the Alzheimer's Association and Elizabeth Miller, a certified caregiving consultant and host of the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast. DJ Tolliver joins as well, plus calls from around the country. #healthcare #care #caregiving #dementia #Alzheimers #medicare #caregivercrisisSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • Does Going Green Matter to You?
    On this episode of The Middle, we're asking if "going green" matters to you, even as the Trump administration is phasing out incentives to do so. Jeremy is joined by Joseph Romm, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media and Heatmap News Executive Editor Robinson Meyer. DJ Tolliver joins as well, plus calls from around the country. #EV #greenenergy #goinggreen #solar #solarpanels #renewable #DOE #Trump See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.