Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature, John Arch, joins the podcast to discuss the upcoming 2026 session of the Legislature. Speaker Arch talks about developing the agenda, working with his colleagues to work through all of the bills introduced, assigning bills to the various committees, and Speaker Arch shares some reflection on his time in the Legislature as he enters his last session before being term limited.

A look back at the highlights of our first 27 episodes. This time Bud becomes the guest to reflect back on the conversations in 2025. A great time to reflect on 2025 and prepare to move forward in 2026.

Ritch Cassidy as been a lover of country music for years. He pursued his passion for country music working in country music radio for years. After experiencing the ups and downs of the radio business and corporate radio, he pursued a path more independent and has created a following on social media. You would also say he was being a social media influencer before it was cool. Hear stories from the fun side of country music, the artists he's met, and how he has built his own path in a difficult industry.

Award Winning Wall Street Journal writer and political news editor, Gerald F. Seib who spent 40+ years with The Journal covering politics, world events, and has interviewed every U.S. President from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump. In 1987, he was arrested in Iran while working covering the Middle East. He has hosted presidential debates and covered every major political event for the past 40+ years. This episode we will talk about how he went from growing up in Hays, Kansas to covering the White House.

Nebraska State Senator Kathleen Kauth – Senator Kauth was appointed to the Legislature in 2022 after the death of Rich Pahls and was elected to the Legislature in 2022 and reelected in 2024. Senator Kauth represents District 31 in the Omaha/Millard area and serves on the Agriculture Committee, Business and Labor Committee, and Revenue Committee. As a State Senator, Kathleen Kauth is not afraid to address the big issues. She talks about keeping males out of female sports and restrooms. She will also talk about her plans to address a recent arrest of a University of Nebraska Regent for Driving Under the Influence of alcohol.

CANCER SUCKS!! This episode takes a bit of a turn from the normal format of interviews and is strictly sharing the beginning of my journey with cancer. Dealing with cancer, talking about cancer and the journey. Updates will follow in upcoming episodes and will not be the only thing we discuss on the podcast. My purpose for this podcast is to talk about cancer – something this is traditionally one of those taboo topics.

John Waters is a native of the Omaha area, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and a veteran of the United States Marien Corps. John served our country for seven years. After returning to civilian life, John went to the University of Iowa to get his law degree. John worked in the first Trump Administration as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C. Reacclimating to civilian life can be difficult for our veterans and John wrote a book, “River City One,” to cope with getting back to civilian life. He currently works as an attorney in Omaha and writes for Real Clear Politics.

Nebraska State Senator, Brad Von Gillern began serving District 4 of the Legislature in 2023. Since being elected to the Legislature, Senator Von Gillern has focused a great deal of time understanding and trying to find ways to change the tax structure in Nebraska. Leading up to the 2026 Session, Senator Von Gillern offers his thoughts on tax reform, how we address property taxes, and he shares his take on the current petition initiatives being circulated.

Bo Jones, co-owner of Tru-Built Construction was looking for ways to recruit more employees, especially young people to the construction industry. He had an idea - create a platform for business and industry to interact with students and prospective employers to make connections. Over several months of thought and idea, Bo came up with the concept for CareerPathway.com. Now this platform has over 4,000 students regularly engaging with over 300 employers. Applications are being sent to companies for jobs, scholarships, internships, and more. Learn more about CareerPathways.com.

Michael Helman is a 2015 graduate of Lincoln Pius X High School. After his career at Pius, Helman went to Hutchinson Community College where he was the 2017 National Junior College Player of the Year. He then went on to play two seasons at Texas A&M before being drafted by the Minnesota Twins, and currently is on the Texas Rangers roster. Helman discusses his baseball career and the ups and downs of professional baseball.

Bruce Rasmussen is the retired Athletic Director of Creighton University Athletics. He started as the women's basketball coach in 1980 and became athletic director in 1994, serving as AD until 2021. During his tenure at Creighton, Bruce recruited and retained head coaches who were committed to Creighton and advancing their programs. Bruce's leadership and vision created excellent facilities for all sports at Creighton. Finally, Bruce helped lead Creighton's transition from the Missouri Valley to the Big East Conference.

Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen was elected in 2108 and reelected in 2022. As Secretary of State, Evnen oversees Nebraska elections, serves as Nebraska's Ambassador to the world, and is involved in registering businesses. All of these areas will be covered this week in our episode of Speak Up.

Nebraska State Senator Carolyn Bosn – chair of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Bosn discusses her background and the impact of being appointed following the resignation of Suzanne Geist. Senator Bosn explains the inner workings of the Judiciary Committee and how they are working on issues related to the justice system. Senator Bosn also brings perspective to the ICE detention facility in McCook and her experience and understanding of the current state of the Work Ethic Camp in McCook.

Sam Fischer is a retired political operative with decades of experience working in politics in Nebraska and around the country. Sam has been involved in races at all levels of politics. We talk some politics and podcasting with Sam, who has been doing his own podcast in retirement.

Nebraska First District Congressman Mike Flood – after serving 10 years in the Nebraska Legislature, Mike Flood was elected to Congress in June 2022, reelected in November 2022 and again in November 2024. Congressman Flood recently hosted the Flyover Fintec Conference in Lincoln and talked about the importance of the conference for Nebraska. He recently filed an ethics complaint against Representative Ilhan Omar and shares the background as to why this was done. We also discuss the Big Beautiful Bill affects Nebraskans, Congressman Flood’s role as chair of the Main Street Caucus.

Sam Fischer is a retired political operative with decades of experience working in politics in Nebraska and around the country. Sam has been involved in races at all levels of politics. We talk some politics and podcasting with Sam, who has been doing his own podcast in retirement.

Congressman Adrian Smith was elected in 2006 to serve the 3rd Congressional District of Nebraska. In this episode, we learn how the One Big Beautiful Bill is impacting Nebraskans and how it impacts rural communities. As Chair of the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, Congressman Smith discusses the latest in trade negotiations and the impact on Nebraska. McCook is going to have an ICE Detention facility, and we will get more into what this means for McCook and Nebraska.

Rick Allen Schweiger is a Grand Island native who took his voice to become the PA announcer for Nebraska Football games in Memorial Stadium, started announcing at Eagle Raceway outside of Lincoln which led to an opportunity to become the voice of the NASCAR Cup Series on NBC. This fall, Rick will be the PA announcer for the Carolina Panthers and be a play-by-play announcer for college football on The CW network.

Tom Jacobs, CEO/Executive Director for the College Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2026, the College Baseball Hall of Fame will open with exhibits in the Kansas City area (Overland Park, KS). Tom takes us through the process of how the College Baseball Hall of Fame will come to reality next year. Tom shares the background of what to expect from the Hall of Fame and all the Foundation is involved in regarding inductees and awards each year. This will be one college baseball fans will enjoy.

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers – elected Attorney General in 2022, Mike Hilgers serves as Nebraska’s 33rd Attorney General. Since being elected, AG Hilgers has focused to keep families safe, protect rights, ensure the integrity of our constitutional structure, to be a resource for law enforcement officials around the state, and protect our natural resources – including water rights. Today, AG Hilgers will talk about how he is working to protect Nebraskans.