The MiddleGround Mic

Joseph Steagall
  • 4.9 (218)
  • Politics
  • Updated Semiweekly

The MiddleGround Mic is a centrist politics and news commentary podcast for independent voters, moderates, and anyone tired of partisan talking points. Hosted by Joseph Steagall, the show covers elections, foreign policy, Michigan and Detroit local politics, media accountability, and the economy — grounded in verifiable receipts instead of tribal loyalty. No Left. No Right. Forward.Ranked Top 30 in Politics (June 2026) with more than 1.3 million downloads, the show brings bipartisan analysis and long-form interviews with journalists, policymakers, foreign policy experts, candidates, and everyday people — not scripted talking heads. Recent conversations have covered Iran's nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, the Wayne County SMART bus millage, media trust and investigative journalism, election law and ballot access, and the collapse of institutional trust in America.Being centrist isn't fence-sitting. It's refusing to hand either party a free pass, and having the spine to say what the loudest voices on both ends won't. If you're an independent, a moderate, or just exhausted by the screaming, this is politics without the team jersey.Watch full video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Support the show at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tmgm. Subscribe, follow, and leave a rating — it's the biggest way new listeners find the show. No sacred cows protected. No side gets a free pass.

  1. 3d ago

    Anthony Forlini: Election Security, Voter Rolls & Trust in Michigan Government

    What actually happens behind the scenes of Michigan’s election system? Macomb County Clerk/Register of Deeds and Michigan Secretary of State candidate Anthony Forlini joins Joseph Steagall for a wide-ranging conversation about election administration, voter-roll maintenance, security procedures and public trust. Forlini explains why he has raised concerns about noncitizen registrations and what changes he believes should be made to Michigan’s voter-registration system. The conversation also covers: • Election equipment, verification and security procedures• Voter-roll maintenance and eligibility checks• E-poll books and election administration• College-campus voting• Customer service and wait times• Notary fraud• The Office of the Great Seal• Forlini’s priorities for the Secretary of State office Rather than campaign slogans, this episode focuses on the actual systems, procedures and disagreements surrounding how Michigan elections and Secretary of State services operate. The MiddleGround Mic features long-form conversations that give guests enough time to explain their positions — and listeners enough information to make up their own minds. Learn more about Anthony Forlini and his campaign:forliniforus.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Anthony Forlini on Michigan Election Security02:15 Noncitizen Voting & Michigan Voter Rolls07:40 How Michigan Voting Machines Are Secured12:30 Cutting Wait Times & Improving Service18:10 College Campus Voting & Election Procedures23:45 Notary Fraud & Michigan’s Great Seal29:00 Why Forlini Is Running for Secretary of State

    Anthony Forlini: Election Security, Voter Rolls & Trust in Michigan Government

  2. 5d ago

    Xi’s Washington Visit, Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain & the Risk of $7 Gas Ron bee

    What do China, Greenland, Iran, artificial intelligence and the price of gasoline have to do with each other? Potentially quite a lot. Ron Bee returns to The MiddleGround Mic to connect several of the biggest geopolitical stories happening right now — and explain how international decisions can eventually reach American consumers and businesses. Joseph and Ron discuss: • The new U.S.-Denmark-Greenland security agreement• Greenland, the Arctic and strategic competition• Rare earth minerals and China’s leverage in global supply chains• Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit to Washington• U.S.-China tariffs and trade negotiations• Artificial intelligence as a geopolitical battleground• Iran and the mysterious Pickaxe Mountain facility near Natanz• Satellite intelligence and nuclear uncertainty• Oil markets and global energy disruption• Whether another major shock could push gasoline toward $6–$7 per gallon Instead of treating each headline as an isolated story, Ron connects the pieces and explains how geopolitical decisions thousands of miles away can eventually affect prices, businesses and households at home. 00:00 How China, Iran & Energy Prices Connect02:10 Greenland, the Arctic & Rare Earth Minerals08:30 Xi Jinping’s Washington Visit & U.S.-China Trade15:45 Iran, Pickaxe Mountain & Nuclear Concerns22:30 The Global AI Trade War28:15 Could Global Conflict Push Gas to $7?

    Xi’s Washington Visit, Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain & the Risk of $7 Gas Ron bee

  3. Sep 16

    Can an Independent Beat the Machine? with Mike Thurow

    Can an Independent candidate realistically win a seat in Congress? Former firefighter Mike Thurow joins host Joseph Steagall on The MiddleGround Mic to share why he bypassed party politics to run in Wisconsin's 6th District. Thurow breaks down the corrupting power of corporate money, the challenges of third-party ballot access, and how direct public service shapes his approach to representation. Connect with the campaign:   Official Site: https://www.thurowforcongress.com/  Text & Updates: https://mtwi6.com/  Chapters: 0:00 - Can an Independent Win?  2:15 - From Firefighter to Congressional Candidate  6:40 - Breaking Free from the Two-Party Machine 12:10 - How Corporate Money Ruined Politics  18:35 - The Strategy to Win WI-06  25:10 - Restoring Faith in Public Service

    Can an Independent Beat the Machine? with Mike Thurow

  4. Sep 14

    Can a High School Principal Flip a Trump +10 Seat? | Pia Dandiya

    Former high school principal, Apple alum, and White House Fellow Pia Dandiya is running to flip Florida’s 22nd Congressional District—a seat Donald Trump won by 10 points—on a central motto: "Make Common Sense Great Again."In this episode of The MiddleGround Mic, Pia breaks down why voters across party lines are hungry for outcome-based education, practical housing expansion, healthcare accountability, and an immediate ban on congressional stock trading.KEY TAKEAWAYS:• Outcome-Based Education: Shifting focus from funding inputs to measuring 4th-grade literacy and 8th-grade math results.• Housing & Cost of Living: Expanding supply through office building conversions rather than artificial price caps.• Healthcare & AI Denials: Curbing middleman PBM markups and stopping automated insurance claim rejections.• D.C. Integrity: Banning individual stock trading for members of Congress.CONNECT & LEARN MORE:Campaign Website: https://piaforcongress.comTIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Managing High Schoolers vs. Managing D.C.0:29 - Flipping a +10 Trump District in Florida02:40 - Gerrymandering and Political "Seed Chopping"04:21 - How to Turn 86% Poverty into 100% College Acceptance07:42 - Fixing Public Schools: Measuring Outcomes Over Inputs12:59 - Rent Caps vs. Housing Supply: Real Economic Solutions17:53 - "Make Common Sense Great Again": Bipartisan Appeal20:56 - Fixing Healthcare: PBM Abuse & AI Claim Denials34:43 - Why Congress Must Ban Individual Stock Trading

    Can a High School Principal Flip a Trump +10 Seat? | Pia Dandiya

  5. Sep 9

    Commanding Drones With Natural Language: Ex-Amazon AI Lead Krishna Kumaar Sharma on Omokai & Autonomous Warfare

    What happens when you shift AI out of text chats and into physical machines operating on the battlefield? Ex-Head of AI at Amazon Germany Krishna Kumaar Sharma joins Joe Steagall to explain how his startup, Omokai, is engineering a speech-driven intelligence layer for autonomous drones and robotics.From sovereign AI development in Europe and the stark realities of AI-driven warfare between Russia and Ukraine to the core principles in his UC Berkeley research paper and upcoming book "Agentic Coding the Boring Way," Krishna shares an engineer's perspective on building reliable, zero-hallucination guardrails for autonomous hardware.Venture & Platform:https://omokai.comCHAPTERS:00:00 - Introduction & Building the Future of Human-Machine Interaction01:12 - What Sovereign AI Means for Global Defense02:24 - Leaving Amazon: Corporate Constraints vs. Startup Innovation07:10 - Why Physical AI Requires More Than Large Language Models10:10 - Eliminating Hallucinations With Multi-Algorithmic Guardrails14:15 - The Reality of Autonomous Drones in Modern Warfare17:35 - Ethics, Governance, and Legal Responsibility in AI Operations21:28 - The Essential Guardrails for Autonomous Targeting22:40 - Agentic Coding the Boring Way: Sustainable Software Architecture26:37 - The Ultimate Goal: Safe Human-Robot Collaboration

    Commanding Drones With Natural Language: Ex-Amazon AI Lead Krishna Kumaar Sharma on Omokai & Autonomous Warfare

  6. Sep 7

    Sidney Pines: The True Cost of Political Division & 'A Patriot’s Diary'

    Is America fundamentally broken, or are we being manipulated into division? Sidney Pines, author of Awakening and Golden Age Rising (A Patriot’s Diary series), joins Joe Steagall to discuss the personal toll of American political tribalism. From family estrangement to media distrust and healthcare investigations, Sidney shares the events that shifted her worldview and led her to document the current cultural landscape for future generations. If you’re seeking to understand the growing divide and how we move past the "conspiracy theorist" labels to find common ground, this conversation delivers. BUY SIDNEY’S BOOKS: Awakening: A Patriot’s Diary of American Deceptionhttps://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Patriots-Diary-American-Deception/dp/1966625529 Golden Age Rising: Book Two of A Patriot’s Diaryhttps://www.amazon.com/Golden-Age-Rising-Patriots-Diary/dp/B0H8CTB52M CHAPTERS: 00:00 My Cousin’s Son Disowned Her Over Politics01:20 Why I Wrote A Patriot's Diary03:03 What the Mainstream News Was Hiding05:27 The Catalyst for Awakening08:26 The Real Cost of Political Tribalism10:19 When the Culture War Enters Your Home12:30 The Pronoun Debate & Cultural Shifts16:34 An Unfiltered Record for Future Generations20:39 How Healthcare Failed Our Children26:20 The "Conspiracy Theorist" Label31:28 Media Distrust: Reporters or Actors?32:39 Reaching the Bestseller List

    Sidney Pines: The True Cost of Political Division & 'A Patriot’s Diary'

  7. Aug 31

    Why Making More Money Costs You Money (The Welfare Trap) with Clarence Carter

    We spend over $1.5 trillion every year fighting poverty in the United States, so why does taking a raise or getting a better job leave a struggling family worse off? In this episode of The MiddleGround Mic, host Joe sits down with Clarence H. Carter, author of Our Net Has Holes in It and a 35-year public service veteran who has served under two presidents, four governors, and a mayor. Clarence breaks down the systemic reality of the "benefit cliff" and why having 114 separate government assistance programs traps people in dependency. In this episode, we unpack: The Welfare Trap: How earning a small wage increase can instantly strip away vital family benefits.Systemic Failure: Why fragmenting the safety net creates administrative chaos instead of human growth.Work Requirements: Overcoming real-world barriers like childcare and transportation.Relational Capital: Why local nonprofits and communities succeed where federal bureaucracies fail.The Generational Divide: Addressing the reality that younger Americans feel the economic system is entirely stacked against them.Connect with Clarence H. Carter: 📖 Our Net Has Holes in Ithttps://evolveglobalpublishing.com/show-book/B0G2HRSZ3S 🔗 LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/clarence-carter-aaa0096 Episode Chapters: 00:00 — Why a Raise Can Leave Families Worse Off01:20 — Understanding the Safety Net03:36 — The Benefit Cliff06:58 — The Debate Over Work Requirements08:23 — Barbara’s Story and Real-World Barriers15:48 — Why 114 Assistance Programs Aren’t Working21:39 — Government Bureaucracy vs. Community Support24:06 — Why the Welfare System Has Barely Changed27:39 — Washington vs. Local Communities29:32 — The Economic Reality Facing Younger Americans

    Why Making More Money Costs You Money (The Welfare Trap) with Clarence Carter

  8. Aug 26

    Inside the Paid Protest Industry: Adam Swart on Manufactured Outrage & Astroturfing

    Adam Swart runs Crowds on Demand, the largest protest-for-hire firm in America. He doesn't call himself an activist—he calls it what it actually is: paid public relations and political machinery. In this episode, Swart pulls back the curtain on how modern American political campaigns and grassroots movements are manufactured behind closed doors. Key Topics Covered: How political movements rely on hidden funding, astroturfing, and paid crowd mobilizationHow closed-door institutional endorsements determine elections long before voters step into the boothWhy traditional political polling has lost reliability in modern electionsThe economic reality of blind party loyalty in both red and blue districtsWhy viewing politicians as transactional employees gives voters real leverageIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts to help expand the show's reach!

    Inside the Paid Protest Industry: Adam Swart on Manufactured Outrage & Astroturfing
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
218 Ratings

About

The MiddleGround Mic is a centrist politics and news commentary podcast for independent voters, moderates, and anyone tired of partisan talking points. Hosted by Joseph Steagall, the show covers elections, foreign policy, Michigan and Detroit local politics, media accountability, and the economy — grounded in verifiable receipts instead of tribal loyalty. No Left. No Right. Forward.Ranked Top 30 in Politics (June 2026) with more than 1.3 million downloads, the show brings bipartisan analysis and long-form interviews with journalists, policymakers, foreign policy experts, candidates, and everyday people — not scripted talking heads. Recent conversations have covered Iran's nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz, the Wayne County SMART bus millage, media trust and investigative journalism, election law and ballot access, and the collapse of institutional trust in America.Being centrist isn't fence-sitting. It's refusing to hand either party a free pass, and having the spine to say what the loudest voices on both ends won't. If you're an independent, a moderate, or just exhausted by the screaming, this is politics without the team jersey.Watch full video episodes on YouTube and Spotify. Support the show at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tmgm. Subscribe, follow, and leave a rating — it's the biggest way new listeners find the show. No sacred cows protected. No side gets a free pass.

Information

  • Creator
    Joseph Steagall
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    228
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The MiddleGround Mic
  • Show Website
    The MiddleGround Mic