From the Kirk Memorial to Joe Manchin’s Houseboat: Can We Still Meet in the Middle?

Meghan and Miranda open with the most-talked-about moment from Charlie Kirk’s memorial in Arizona, Erica Kirk publicly forgiving her husband’s killer, and what that act of faith and restraint means for a grieving movement and a fractured country. They also unpack the media’s reaction, the surge of young churchgoers some listeners are seeing, and whether the Republican Party is entering a more openly Christian era. Then Senator Joe Manchin joins to discuss his new book, Dead Center in Defense of Common Sense, why he chose life on a D.C. houseboat, and the lost art of bipartisan hospitality (yes, he used to host mixed-party dinners: four Dems, four Republicans). Manchin gets candid on closed primaries, the rise of independents, border security vs. legal immigration, putting assets in a blind trust, resisting “party-line” votes, and the McCain/Lieberman model of political courage. He also shares personal stories, from carrying refrigerators up walk-ups as a teen to perfect Italian meatballs (veal/pork/beef) and the history of Harpers Ferry. Plus audience Q&A: a dad on introducing his 16-year-old to public life (and flip phones), a New Yorker on how the press misunderstands Christian worship, and a sober look at rhetoric vs. responsibility after political violence.