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2 weeks ago | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
State Rep. Josh Turek, a Democrat from Council Bluff's 20th District, talks about the recently concluded legislative session in Iowa and his concerns about Medicaid cuts in Washington. Turek is serving his second term and is the first permanently disabled member of the legislature in history. He is a four-time Para Olympian and two-time Olympic basketball Gold Medalist.
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3 weeks ago | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-57) discusses accomplishments from the recently completed session, including tax reform, cutting government waste and restricting cell phone usage in schools and cars, and talks about ongoing property tax reform efforts.
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1 month ago | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Lon Helton, host of Country Countdown USA, Country Music Hall of Famemember and 12-time winner of the CMA National Broadcast Personality ofthe Year, talks about country music's impact on American culture, hiscareer, memorable interviews, and some of the misconceptions aboutcountry music. Helton, who began his radio career in Monmouth andGalesburg, is a Monmouth College grad and will be giving theCommencement address tomorrow, May 18. He gives a sneak preview of hisremarks in the interview as well.
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2 months ago | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
David Masciotra, author of Mellencamp: American Troubadour, talks abouthow Mellencamp's roots in southern Indiana influenced his music, hissongs that most influenced American culture, the impact of his family onsome of his most famous hits, his politics ("blue guy in a red state")but how his music also challenges the left's disconnect from ordinarypeople, and more.
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Mar 13, 2025 | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig discusses tariffs, immigration, the latest on the Choose Iowa program, water quality, the Guatemala-Costa Rica trade mission last month, new USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, and more.
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Feb 6, 2025 | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Who was James Jesus Angleton? Why is he important to understanding America in the Cold War era? Jefferson Morley, author of The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton, talks about Angleton's involvement in the Six-Day War, the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK assassination, The Huston Plan on domestic spying and much more. Morley is the author of three books on the CIA and editor of the JFK Facts blog on Substack.
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Jan 31, 2025 | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Mike Thomas, co-author with the late Bill Zehme of a new biography of Johnny Carson called Carson the Magnificent, shares some little-known facts about Carson's rise to stardom, his roots in rural Iowa, place in American culture, and tidbits about Ed McMahon, the 'Tonight Show' theme, his end-of-monologue golf swing, and much more.
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Jan 23, 2025 | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Sarah Vogel discusses her recent book The Farmer's Lawyer: The North Dakota Nine and the Fight to Save the Family Farm. Vogel tells the tale of her roller coaster battle on behalf of family farmers that came atgreat personal sacrifice but ultimately prevailed. It's a story of justice served but also a cautionary tale for today.
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Jan 21, 2025 | 
dailyyonder.com | Robin Johnson |Matt Barron
There are many reasons for the outcome of the 2024 elections being cast about, but Democrat’s continuing problems in rural America stand out. Take the US Senate races in the Great Lakes states, including the Blue Wall. Four incumbent Democrats ran for reelection and one open seat featured a sitting and former members of Congress facing off. Senator Amy Klobuchar stands out above everyone else with a solid 58.1% of the two-party vote in Minnesota.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
wvik.org | Robin Johnson
Paul Collier, renowned development economist and author of Left Behind:A New Economics for Neglected Places, talks about the failure ofbureaucratized, one-size-fits-all and market driven approaches tohelping areas that lost their core industries. Collier shares practicalsolutions based on his experiences from around the globe for left behindcommunities that have applications to many regions in Iowa and Illinoisthat experienced economic dislocation.
