This week, Jen McMillin gets personal about politics—and why she believes it should be about joy, community, and service, not just soundbites and mudslinging. Jen introduces her new book, Rebuild the Union: A Guide to the Third American Reconstruction, which makes the case that America’s greatest legacy isn’t perfection—it’s reinvention. Drawing on history from the Civil War to the New Deal, Jen shares why we’re overdue for a new Reconstruction and how ordinary people—not just politicians—can take part in rebuilding democracy today.

She also pulls back the curtain on her audacious idea to revive the shuttered Lincoln College campus in Logan County as a hub for civic renewal—and explains how this vision grew into a larger fight for America’s democratic soul.

In the weekly news roundup, Jen covers:

• National: States weighing mid-decade congressional redistricting ahead of 2026.

• Illinois: AG Kwame Raoul joins a multi-state lawsuit over crime victim funding rules; Gov. Pritzker expands financial aid access to all residents, regardless of immigration status.

• Central Illinois: Free family mental health kits debut at local libraries; Ameren gas rate hike hearings set for late August; and a welcome break in the summer heat.

Jen closes with a call to action—inviting listeners to support the launch of Rebuild the Union and to step into the work of democracy themselves.

Venmo Jen - https://venmo.com/u/Jennifer-McMillin-17

GoFundMe - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-share-hope-fund-rebuild-the-union