Simoncast: Recent Episodes
John Shaw, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute
SimonCast is keeping the legacy of Senator Paul Simon alive through wide-ranging, civil conversations. Host John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, sits down with elected officials, historians, journalists, policy analysts, military experts, economists, authors, philanthropists, and others to learn about their lives and careers and elicit their perspectives on our changing world.
SimonCast is the official podcast of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank working for better politics and smarter government and preparing students for careers in public service.
Produced in collaboration with WSIU Public Radio. Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Alee Quick. Web support by JC Dart. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts or wsiu.org/podcast/simoncast for more information and a complete archive of the show. Support our show at paulsimoninstitute.org/support.
On this episode of Simoncast, Liz Dozier, CEO of Chicago Beyond, joined the Institute to discuss her path-breaking work to expand opportunities and possibilities for young people through education, youth safety, and wellness programs. This episode was recorded in March 2023.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
On this episode Philip Taubman, a lecturer at Standford University, joined the Institute to discuss his book “In the Nation’s Service: The Life and Times of George Shultz” and one of his earlier books, “The Partnership: Give Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb.” This episode was recorded in April 2023.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio.For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts
Dr. Fanta Aw, Executive Director and CEO of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators(Courtesy NAFSA
/ Hnafsa.org
)On this edition of Simoncast, Dr. Fanta Aw, Executive Director and CEO of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators, joins the Institute to discuss the transformative power of international education and the importance of international exchange programs.
Simoncast is hosted by Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
On this edition of Simoncast, Illinois State Representative Margaret Croke (Dist. 12) joins Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw to discuss her career in public service.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
John Palfret: The MacArthur Foundation(Courtesy MacArthur Foundation
/ Macfound.org
)On this episode of Simoncast John Palfrey, president of the MacArthur Foundation, joined the Institute to discuss his wide-ranging career and the foundation's important work, including its commitment to supporting independent journalism with John Shaw.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts .
Shannon McGregor: The Power and Danger of Social Media
(Courtesy Hussman School of Journalism and Media
/ Hussman.unc.edu
)On this edition of Simoncast, Shannon McGregor, professor of journalism and political science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, discusses the power and danger of social media, and how social media is impacting journalism, politics and government in the United States. She talks with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw. This audio was recorded in January of 2023.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director of the McCain Institute(Courtesy McCain Institute
/ Mccaineinstitue.org
)On this edition of Simoncast, Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Eirector of the McCain Institute, discusses her career, the McCain Institute's commitment to advancing character-driven leadership around the world, and the national security challenges facing the United States with John Shaw.
Simoncast is hosted by Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Brian Rosenberg, president emeritus of Macalester College, visiting professor at Harvard, senior advisor to the African Leadership University, and author of "Whatever it is, I'm Against it: Resistance to Change in Higher Education(Courtesy Harvard Graduate school of Education
/ Gse.harvard.edu)On this edition of Simoncast, Brian Rosenberg, president emeritus of Macalester College, visiting professor at Harvard, senior advisor to the African Leadership University, and author of "Whatever it is, I'm Against it: Resistance to Change in Higher Education," discusses the urgency and difficulty of reform in higher education with Institute Director John Shaw.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
John Hamre, American international relations scholar, former senior defense official, and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies(Courtesy Center for Strategic & International Studies
/ Csis.org)On this edition of Simoncast, John Hamre, American international relations scholar, former senior defense official, and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses foreign policy and national security issues with Institute Director John Shaw.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
David Kindred discusses his memoir "My Home Team: A Sportswriter's Life and the Redemptive Power of Small-Town Girls Basketball" with Institute Director John Shaw
(WGLT.org)On this edition of Simoncast, David Kindred discusses his memoir "My Home Team: A Sportswriter's Life and the Redemptive Power of Small-Town Girls Basketball" with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Reverend Hayward: Religious Literacy in International Affairs - Episode 18(United Religions Initiative
/ Uri.org)On this episode of Simoncast, host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with Senior Advisor, Religion and Public Policy at Harvard Divinity School, Reverend Susan Hayward.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Dick Simpson Reflects on Chicago’s Mayors and the Future of the Windy City - Episode 17
(Courtesy University of Illinois Press
/ Press.uillinois.edu)On this edition of Simoncast, Dick Simpson discusses his books "Democracy's Rebirth: The View From Chicago" and "Chicago's Modern Mayors: From Harold Washington to Lori Lightfoot" with Institute Director John Shaw.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Rachel Kleinfeld: Intersection of Democracy and Security
( Courtesy National Endowment for Democracy / Ned.org
)In this edition of Simoncast, Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld discusses her path-breaking work on the intersection of democracy and security.
Kleinfeld talks with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director, John Shaw, about her March 31, 2022, testimony about political violence in the United States to Congress’s Jan. 6 select committee, and her important new research on what the United States can do to bolster its democratic institutions. This discussion was recorded in December of 2022.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Eilot Cohen is a national security expert and an authority on William Shakespeare. He is the author of "The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall"
(Courtesy Center for Strategic & International Studies
/ Csis.org
)This time on Simoncast, Eliot Cohen discusses his new book, "The Hollow Crown: Shakespeare on How Leaders Rise, Rule, and Fall," with Institute director John Shaw. In his book, Cohen reveals how the battling princes of Henry IV and scheming senators of Julius Caesar can teach us to better understand power and politics today.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts
Drew Gilpin Faust discusses her new memoir, "Necessary Trouble: Growing up at Midcentury."(Courtesy The New York Times
/ Nytimes.com
)On this edition of Simoncast, Drew Gilpin Faust discusses her new memoir, "Necessary Trouble: Growing up at Midcentury," with Institute director John Shaw.
The memoir discusses her experience as a privileged white girl in conservative, segregated Virginia was expected to adopt a willful blindness to the inequities of race and the constraints of gender. Faust is the former president of Harvard University and a leading scholar of the American Civil War.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Miles Rapoport, Executive Director of 100% Democracy( Courtesy LinkedIn / Linkedin.com
)Miles Rapoport, the Executive Director of 100% Democracy, discusses a plan to revitalize American democracy with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw.
Rapoport is also a senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy at the Ash Center of the Harvard Kennedy School. Earlier, he served five terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives and a term as Connecticut’s Secretary of the State. He was President of Dēmos from 2001 to 2014, and President of Common Cause from 2014 to 2016. He is the co-author, with Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, of 100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Liz Alderman, The New York Times chief European Business Correspondent(Courtesy x / twitter.com
)On this episode of Simoncast, Liz Alderman of The New York Times and Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw discuss the political, economic, and social turmoil cascading across Europe.
Alderman began her career covering the U.S. Congress and the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C. She then moved to Europe, where she served as the Paris bureau chief for BridgeNews, business editor for the International Herald Tribune, and assistant business editor for The New York Times. She is now the paper’s chief European business correspondent, based in Paris. This episode was recorded on November 9, 2022.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Author, columnist, and professor Samuel Freedman(Courtesy Samuel Freedman / samuelfreedman.com)Samuel Freedman, an award-winning author, columnist, and professor discusses his book, “Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights,” with Institute director John Shaw. Freedman is a professor at Columbia University’s School of Journalism. He has been a staff reporter and columnist for The New York Times. He is the author of ten books, including “Letters to a Young Journalist.” Freedman grew up in New Jersey and has an undergraduate degree in journalism and history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts
Daniel Kurtz-Phelan: Foreign Affairs(Paul Simon Public Policy Institute / Photo provided)The Editor of Foreign Affairs Daniel Kurtz-Phelan and Institute Director John Shaw discuss the global impact of Foreign Affairs, Kurtz-Phelan’s career in diplomacy and journalism, and his book, “China Mission.”
Kurtz-Phelan is a graduate of Yale University and has served in the US State Department as both a speechwriter and in its Policy Planning Office. He was the executive editor of Foreign Affairs before being named the seventh editor of Foreign Affairs in 2020.
Simoncast is hosted by John Shaw and produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with author Ira Shapiro.(Courtesy CNN / cnn.com )Author Ira Shapiro discusses his books “The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship in Times of Crisis,” “Broken: Can the Senate Save Itself and the Country?” and “The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America.”
Ira Shapiro has worked in senior positions in the U.S. Senate and served as a leading U.S. trade negotiator, ultimately earning the rank of ambassador. He specializes in international trade law and policy, governmental affairs, U.S. Senate, Japan, WTO, and NAFTA.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with author Rebecca Donner.(Courtesy Literary Hub / Lithub.com / Literary Hub / Lithub.com)Author Rebecca Donner discusses her book titled "All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler."
In the book, Donner chronicles the life of her great-great-aunt, Mildred Harnack, and her role as a leader of one of Germany's largest underground resistance groups during World War 2. Rebecca Donner is a Canadian-born writer. She is the author of "All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days", which won the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography, the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography, and The Chautauqua Prize. She is currently a 2023 Visiting Scholar at Oxford and will be a 2023-2024 Fellow at Harvard.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more information, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with Illinois Politcs Author Jim Nowlan.(Photo Courtesy Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum / presidentlincoln.illinois.gov)Author Jim Nowlan discusses his new book "Politics: The Starter Kit - How to Succeed in Politics and Government" and two of his earlier books, “Illinois Politics” and “Fixing Illinois.” His new book is intended for those new to politics and government or who are interested in becoming involved.
Nowlan received his BA, MA, and Ph.D. degrees in political science from the University of Illinois. In addition to a distinguished career in government and politics, Nowlan has taught at the University of Illinois and Knox College. He has also written more than 600 newspaper columns, many about the challenges confronting Illinois. The Illinois Authors series builds on the “Illinois 101” project, in which more than 20 prominent Illinoisans recommended histories, biographies, novels, or essays to provide a nuanced understanding of our state.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with Michelle Morales.(Courtesy Woods Fund Chicago / woodsfund.org)President of Woods Fund Chicago, Michelle Morales, discusses her background in advocacy and philanthropy and Woods Fund Chicago’s eight-decade quest to advance social justice. Morales also shared her efforts in fighting for racial, economic, and educational justice. Woods Fund Chicago is a philanthropic organization that focuses on fighting structural racism and economic injustice.
Ms. Morales is a national leader in educational philanthropy and educational justice. Prior to joining the Woods Fund, she led the Illinois chapter of the Mikva Challenge, a leading youth development civics organization.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with Julieanna Richardson. (Courtesy PDA Entertainment Group / pdaspeakers.com)Founder and executive director of The HistoryMakers, Julieanna Richardson, discusses her contribution to the non-profit organization.
The HistoryMakers is a national non-profit research and educational institution committed to preserving and making widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans.
Ms. Richardson created a unique path to founding and heading up the largest national collection effort of African American video oral histories on record since the WPA Slave Narratives.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with Gareth Evans.(Photo courtesy Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists / thebulletin.org)Evans served in the Australian government beginning in the 1980s, as a cabinet minister from 1983 to 1996. He served in the Australian government beginning in the 1980s, as a cabinet minister from 1983 to 1996. In that time, he served as attorney general, minister for resources and energy, minister for transport and communications, and foreign minister. He later served as the leader of the government in the Australian Senate and as deputy leader of the opposition in the Australian House of Representatives.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with Ben Smith, co-founder of Semafor.(Photo Courtesy Penguin Random House Retail / penguinrandomhouseretail.com)Co-founder of Semafor, Ben Smith, discusses the digital news revolution, the changing media landscape, and his book, “Traffic: Genius, Rivalry and Delusion in the Billion Dollar Race to Go Viral.”
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
This episode was recorded on August 15, 2022.
Simoncast host John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with David Greising.(Photo Courtesy Better Government Association / bettergov.org)CEO of the Better Government Association, David Greising, talks about how the BGA is using journalism as a tool for better policy and a more open and accountable government, the differences between nonprofit and for-profit news, how collaboration in journalism leads to great stories, and his perspective on Illinois political culture.
This episode was recorded on July 20, 2022.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
Simoncast host, John Shaw of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute speaks with John Walcott.(Photo Courtesy National Press Foundation | nationalpress.org / nationalpress.org)Award-winning journalist and foreign policy expert John Walcott talks about the search for truth in journalism, changing media environment in the United States and worldwide, and considers the daunting challenges now facing journalists and analysts to ascertain what is truthful.
Hosted by John Shaw. Produced and edited by Jaclyn Durcholz. This podcast is produced through a partnership with WSIU Public Radio. For more, visit https://paulsimoninstitute.org/podcasts.
John Shaw, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and host of Simoncast, becomes the focus of today's interview with Alee Quick.
Novelist Jennifer Close talks about the long and winding novel-writing process, how she encourages young writers as an instructor, and why politics snuck into her latest novel
Tanisha Fazal, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, talks about why she studies war — "my motivation is usually about trying to mitigate war's worst effects," she says — why we should be thinking differently about the costs of war, and what makes Russia's war in Ukraine unique.
New York Times global economic correspondent Peter S. Goodman talks about his book "Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World," which explores the contradictions on display at the World Economic Forum, why economic inequality is a powerful threat to democracy, and how billionaires exploited the COVID-19 pandemic. He also tells us how he crafts fascinating stories about everyday people to explain big ideas like supply chain disruptions and global shipping delays.
Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Ray Long talks about his book "The House That Madigan Built," which covers the long and powerful career of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and serves as an unofficial primer on Illinois politics. We also discuss the former speaker's fall from grace and the federal racketeering charges he now faces.
Journalist Melinda Henneberger talks about her work at the Kansas City Star, including a series of columns about a retired police officer who was accused of rape, for which she won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
East St. Louis, Illinois Mayor Robert Eastern III talks about his philosophy for economic development in the city he leads, which he describes as "intentional." He also talks about the impact of COVID-19 on his Mississippi River city, including some unexpected upsides.
Illinois State Senator Dale Fowler, a Republican from Harrisburg, talks about advocating for economic development in Southern Illinois, working to keep young people in the region, and how his relationships across the aisle help him do both.
Illinois State Senator Jason Barickman, a Republican from Bloomington, talks about his path from the county board to the state Senate, his work on education funding and redistricting reform, working across party lines in Springfield, and how nationwide political angst affects state government.
April Kornfield, director of debates for Braver Angels, explains her organization's unique style of debate, which Kornfield describes as a "collective search for truth" rather than a fight to be won or lost.
Danielle Allen, Harvard University professor and director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, talks about how the United States' COVID-19 response got caught in our political polarization, how we can rebuild trust in our civic institutitons, and the power and magnificence of the Declaration of Independence.
Journalist and author Tom Zoellner talks about his book "The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America."
Congressman Adam Schiff talks about how the Intelligence Committee oversees the work of the United States' intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA, and the role U.S. intelligence agencies play in our nation's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Julian Zelizer, CNN political analyst, author, and public affairs and history professor at Princeton University, traces the history of political polarization in the United States
U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, talks about how U.S. intelligence officials are monitoring Russia, how the U.S. can help Ukraine mount a successful insurgency, and what we learned from COVID-19.
Janel L. Forde, director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, talks about how her department works behind the scenes to keep the engine of Illinois state government humming.
William Burns, the director of the CIA, talked with John Shaw in June of 2020, when he was the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Douglas Wilson talks about Abraham Lincoln's evolution as a man and his writing process, which included jotting down writing ideas on scraps of paper and then storing them inside his hat.
Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning arts critic Margo Jefferson talks with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute about her memoir "Negroland," which recounts what it was like to come of age in Black Chicago's upper crust at a time when the city -- and the country -- was racially segregated.
Author and University of Illinois history professor Kristin Hoganson talks with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw about her book, "The Heartland: An American History," which details how Illinois -- especially Champaign County -- sits at the middle of vital events in American history.
Author and journalist Bob Hartley talks with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw about Illinois' two most famous political Pauls.
Biographer and bestselling author Candice Millard talks with Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw about growing up in the public library, working at National Geographic, and her books about Teddy Roosevelt, James Garfield, and Winston Churchill.
Karin Olofsdotter, Sweden's ambassador to the United States, talks about her career as an "unlikely diplomat," Sweden's COVID-19 philosophy, how the pandemic has changed world relations, and why Sweden wants the U.S. to succeed.
Historian and author Margaret MacMillan talks about finding commonalities with historical figures, gaining humility from studying history, and lessons that are likely to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evanston, Illinois Mayor Daniel Biss talks about what sets his city apart from other Chicago suburbs, including its first-in-the-nation reparations program. He also reflects on his time in Illinois state government and explains why this is a big moment for municipal government.
Ruth Simmons, a longtime college administrator who was the first African American to lead an Ivy League school and the current president of Prairie View A&M University, talks about why universities must be transparent, seeing herself in her students (especially the rebellious ones), and what it was like to recruit Toni Morrison to work at Princeton.
Alice Hill, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who specializes in climate change preparedness, talks about how our response to the COVID-19 pandemic should show us what we should be doing differently to prepare for climate change.
Anne-Marie Slaughter, a leading policy analyst and CEO of New America, discusses practical ways to renew the American political system and tells us how her think tank is using the nation's 250th birthday in 2026 as a catalyst for political change.
Audra Wilson, president & CEO of the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, joins Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Director John Shaw for a discussion about her advocacy work for economic and racial justice.
Stavros Lambrinidis, the European Union's ambassador to the United States, talks about his approach to diplomacy and alliance-building in Europe and internationally (and how the pandemic has impacted it), how crisis can unite people and nations, and the similarities and differences between the U.S. and EU.
Illinois Poet Laureate Angela Jackson talks about the importance of poetry in her own life and in our culture, explains what a poet laureate does, and reads some of her work. This conversation was recorded in April 2021 during National Poetry Month.
Elizabeth Shackelford, senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, explains the restraint approach to foreign policy, discusses the current state of diplomacy under the Biden administration, and reflects on her time in the foreign service and her viral 2017 state department resignation letter.
Yale University professor Elizabeth Hinton talks with host John Shaw about her research on poverty, racial inequality, mass incarceration, police violence and urban unrest in the U.S.
Bloomington, Illinois Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe talks about the challenges and joys of local public service, why Bloomington was named the happiest city in North America, and how the national fallout after George Floyd's death inspired him to run for mayor.
WSIU Radio News Updates provides a daily podcast of the top local and state news stories as well as the latest weather information.
WSIU Radio News Updates provides a daily podcast of the top local and state news stories as well as the latest weather information.
WSIU Radio News Updates provides a daily podcast of the top local and state news stories as well as the latest weather information.
WSIU Radio News Updates provides a daily podcast of the top local and state news stories as well as the latest weather information.
WSIU Radio News Updates provides a daily podcast of the top local and state news stories as well as the latest weather information.
Illinois state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz joins host John Shaw for a discussion about the TEAACH Act, a new Illinois law that requires Asian American history be taught in public schools, the first such law in the nation.