Published September 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM CDT

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You might know Jeremy Hobson as the host of "The Middle" or as a former host of “Here and Now” and “Marketplace Morning Report.”

Hobson is in Kansas City to moderate a panel Wednesday night on rebuilding trust in this era of political polarization and distrust in government. It is a part of American Public Square's second annual Bridging Movement Summit. A recording of the program will air during "The Middle" on KCUR at 8 p.m. on Thursday.

Each week, Hobson's call-in show facilitates conversations where people can "meet in the middle." It also focuses on people who are located in the geographic middle of the country and people who are in the middle of the political spectrum.

"I think the reason why I am excited about this show week after week is that I feel like there's nothing else really precisely like this out there and I'm bringing something that people can't get everywhere else," he told KCUR.

He believes that one of the biggest issues ahead of the midterm elections is whether people feel like they can trust their government.

"I don't think our democracy works if we don't talk to and listen to one another and feel that our fellow citizens and our elected representatives are operating in good faith. And I think that that gets to the trust issue," Hobson said. "You have to trust that the other person, your fellow citizen, is also operating in good faith."

• Jeremy Hobson, host of "The Middle"

Turning Down the Heat: Rebuilding Trust in an Age of Outrage, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sep. 23 at Park 39, 300 E 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111.