Simoncast

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.”

CEO of the Better Government Association, David Greising, talks with John Shaw about Journalism.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, and more.

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.