The Middle with Jeremy Hobson

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy talks with Jill Schlesinger, CBS News business analyst and host of Jill on Money and the Money Moves podcast. As Americans are facing tough financial choices right now, they talk through how people are handling them, and how those pressures could shape the way they vote in the midterms. Jill says she’s never seen pre-election economic sentiment as bad as it...

Plenty of issues are shaping this year’s midterms, but the economy may matter most. Gas has stayed above $4 a gallon for a record stretch, grocery bills keep climbing and for many Americans the official economic numbers feel far removed from what they’re paying every day. On this episode of The Middle, Jeremy hears from listeners across the country about their own economic realities and whether th...

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy talks with Zeke Hernandez, Wharton professor and author of The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers, about how immigration could shape the outcome of the midterm elections. The Trump administration’s handling of immigration has sparked fierce debate ahead of November, and it could prove to be a weak spot for Republicans at the...

The issue of immigration helped carry Donald Trump back to the White House in 2024. Two years later, it could be one of the Republicans’ biggest liabilities heading into the midterms. From sweeping deportation efforts to aggressive ICE operations in cities across the country, the administration’s approach has become so contentious that even some Republicans are pushing back. On this episode of The...

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 raisi...

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...

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 mak...

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 ra...

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 redist...

 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...

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 peo...

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 t...

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, n...

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 #clim...

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 ha...

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 ana...

This week, Jeremy turns the tables on The Middle’s DJ Tolliver to find out more about the man behind the music. Tolliver talks about growing up in a musical family in Chicago, experiencing homelessness as a child, and building an eclectic career spanning journalism, music and acting — plus what he’s learned from three years on The Middle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/...

On this encore episode of The Middle, we're asking if America has a gambling problem. As online gambling, sports betting and prediction markets surge in popularity, questions remain over what consequences this new gambling boom could have on American society. Jeremy is joined by Axios business reporter Nathan Bomey and Manhattan Institute senior fellow Charles Fain Lehman. DJ Tolliver joins a...

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy is joined by political commentator and author of the So What? Substack Chris Cillizza to talk about the future direction of the Republican Party and the state of American politics ahead of the midterms as they listen to your voicemails. Jeremy also addresses your criticism of last week’s show featuring Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith.  #Poli...

On this episode of The Middle, we take your calls on how the Republican Party should change, and what it might look like once President Trump is no longer its leader. With the midterms approaching, cracks are starting to show in the party. Trump's approval ratings are slipping, driven by frustration over affordability and foreign policy, and a growing number of high-profile conservatives are break...

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy is joined by Michigan Public political director Zoe Clark to talk about what the future of the Democratic Party should look like as they listen your voicemails. They also discuss what Michigan's Democratic primary means for the future of the party. With progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeating establishment-backed Haley Stevens, the conversation...

On this episode of The Middle, we take your calls on how the Democratic Party should change as it looks to gain power in 2026 and beyond. As the midterms approach, a clear divide has emerged within the party between its more moderate, establishment wing and a wave of progressive breakout candidates. But which way should the party go? And are any big structural changes needed to reflect the views o...

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy talks with Dan Baer, senior vice president for policy research and director of the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Listening to listener comments, they unpack the shifting landscape of American power as the US involves itself in conflicts from Iran to Ukraine to Venezuela. #AmericanPower #ForeignPolicy #GlobalOrder #USForei...

On this episode of The Middle, Jeremy is joined by veteran journalist Fareed Zakaria, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, to talk about Iran, Ukraine, Venezuela and America's role in the world. #iran #irannewstoday #iranwar #irannews #iranwarnewstoday #iraninternational #iranwarupdate #iranuswarnewstoday #irannewstodaylive #iranwarnews #iranwarlive #iranlive #iranlivecam #irannewstodaylatest #iranl...

On this episode of The Follow Up, Jeremy sits down with CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger, host of Jill on Money and her new podcast, Money Moves. They discuss how Americans are navigating rising prices, the financial pressures facing households across the country, and the tough choices many families are making to balance their budgets in today's challenging economy. #Economy #Inflation #...