What does it take to rebuild America's industrial backbone—and who's actually going to do the work? Mike sits down with Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy, to discuss his role at the Department of War (DOW) and his mission focused on restoring the muscle behind America's might.

Cadenazzi makes the case that while the U.S. still produces world-class engineers and cutting-edge weapons designs, there's a growing gap where it matters most—the skilled workforce needed to actually build them. From welders and machinists to technicians and fabricators, he argues the country's strength depends on rebuilding the trades that turn ideas into reality.

It's a candid conversation about work, purpose, and why the future of national security may hinge less on innovation—and more on the people willing to pick up the tools and get it done.

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Mike talks with Jan Jekielek, senior editor at The Epoch Times and host of American Thought Leaders, to discuss his new book, Killed to Order: China's Organ Harvesting Industry and the True Nature of America's Biggest Adversary. It's an explosive investigation into allegations of state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China. Jan shares what he's learned from years of interviews with doctors, investigators, and even survivors of this gruesome industry where political prisoners are killed for their organs. The conversation is a rumination on good versus evil, raising urgent questions about human rights and medical ethics. Referenced in this episode is Jan's previous appearance on TWIHI 438: Jan Jekielek—The Terrible Truth About China

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Mike chats with Jeff Childers—the attorney-turned-writer behind the wildly popular Coffee & Covid Substack—for a wide-ranging conversation about media narratives, pandemic politics, and the strange new world of citizen journalism. What began as a daily blog written during lockdown has grown into a must-read for hundreds of thousands of devotees looking for sharp legal insight, media criticism, and a dose of wry humor with their morning coffee. Jeff explains what it takes to crank out 2,000 to 6,000 snarky words every single day of the week, why he started writing in the first place, and how an attorney accidentally became one of the most widely read independent commentators on the internet. Along the way, he talks with Mike about the stories that keep him up at night—and why, despite all of it, he remains surprisingly optimistic about where the country is headed. ☕🎙️

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Mike talks with Will Swaim, CEO of the California Policy Center. California has long marketed itself as the future—a place where trends are born and the rest of the country eventually follows. But Swaim argues that when it comes to public policy, that's the last thing America should do.

Despite spending roughly $24 billion, California still leads the nation in homelessness. The state ranks near the bottom in education outcomes, while residents face the highest energy and gas prices as well as marginal income tax rates in America. Swaim argues these aren't accidents—they're the predictable results of bad policy choices.

Mike sits down with comedian, voiceover pro, cookbook author, and culinary entrepreneur, Anna Vocino. Anna shares how her Eat Happy journey—from her bestselling cookbooks Eat Happy, Eat Happy Too, and Eat Happy Italian to her podcast Fitness Confidential—grew out of personal health struggles and a lot of hustle. She also pulls back the curtain on her voiceover career and explains why getting a food product onto grocery store shelves is a lot harder than most people think. It's a candid conversation about creativity, rejection, persistence, and what it really takes to turn passion into product.

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Mike talks with comedy legend David Zucker, the creative force behind the movie Airplane! Zucker shares what it took to make Airplane!—pitching a spoof no one quite understood, casting serious actors to deliver absurd lines with a straight face, and why making his co-writers laugh was the secret sauce to pleasing the audience. He also discusses his new "Master Crash" course, where Zucker teaches the dos and don'ts of spoof comedy writing. Along the way, we learn how John Landis landed National Lampoon's Animal House, helping ignite a new era of irreverent filmmaking. It's a fast, funny conversation about risk, rebellion, and earning your parking space the hard way.

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Johnny Carson didn't just host The Tonight Show—he defined late-night television. In this episode, Mike talks with comedian and pop-culture historian Mark Malkoff, author of the book Love Johnny Carson, about Carson's quiet influence, off-camera generosity, and the unlikely ways his legacy still shapes comedy today. It's a short history lesson, a love letter to show business, and a reminder that some icons never really leave the stage.

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Mike sits down with West Virginia Congressman Riley Moore, whose path to Capitol Hill began with a welding torch. Moore shares why he chose the skilled trades early in life, what that work taught him about dignity and opportunity, and how those lessons now shape his approach to policy. The discussion centers on Moore's new legislation, the Jumpstart Savings Act, a proposal designed to remove financial barriers to apprenticeships, tools, and certifications—and to breathe new life into America's skilled trades by treating them with the same respect long afforded to four-year degrees.

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Mike chats with billionaire entrepreneur and producer Thomas Tull, a man whose career has repeatedly put him just one degree away from greatness. Tull talks about his ownership stakes in professional sports teams including his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, how he helped create a data-driven approach to marketing blockbuster films through Legendary Pictures and why understanding audiences mattered as much as the movies themselves. Along the way, Tull explains how it feels when his rock band, Ghost Hounds, takes the stage to open for none other than The Rolling Stones.

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After a six-month hiatus from TWIHI and on the occasion of her 88th birthday, multiple New York Times bestselling author Peggy Rowe (a.k.a. Mike's mom, a.k.a. America's grandmother) drops by to tell us where she's been, what she's working on next, and the groin-intruding procedure that took away her double vision. Who says "you can't get there from here!?"

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Mike sits down with the dean and co-founder of Paul Mitchell Schools to talk about how an industry built on scissors, sinks, and human connection quietly shapes culture, opportunity, and second chances. Known by just about everyone who's met him as relentlessly—and genuinely—nice, Winn shares his improbable journey from former meth addict to one of the most influential educators in beauty, his deep commitment to philanthropy, and the philosophy behind his book Be Nice (or Else!). It's a conversation about redemption, dignity in work, and the unexpected people who end up running the world—one haircut at a time.

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