Indiana politics, translated into practical stakes.
Indiana Week in Review tracks the statehouse fights, agency decisions, elections, and public services shaping life in Indiana. Reporter packages set up each issue, then a politically mixed panel tests what the decision means for households, schools, workers, and voters.
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Indiana Week in Review covers Indiana politics with the shape of a public-affairs roundtable and the discipline of a weekly news program. It starts with the issue. A reporter package lays out the facts, usually with a specific policy decision, campaign fight, court ruling, or economic pressure point at the center. Then the panel takes over. The conversation is structured, but not stiff. Democrats, Republicans, journalists, and other public-affairs voices argue through what the story means beyond the headline. Recent episodes have focused on Governor Mike Braun seeking money for child care vouchers, suspending the gas sales tax, and aligning with Turning Point USA on school clubs. Other segments have followed gas prices crossing the four-dollar mark, foreclosure filings in Indiana, bioscience investment, utility questions, health care access, and primary challenges connected to redistricting. The show pays close attention to process. It also keeps asking what process does to people. A budget committee request becomes a question about day care closures and wait lists. A tax pause becomes a question about whether drivers will actually see relief at the pump. A political endorsement becomes a test of state power, national influence, and Republican divisions before a primary. The tone is measured and analytical. There is room for dry pushback and plain frustration, especially when housing, homelessness, child care, or public health policy is being discussed. The program does not depend on personality banter or dramatic confrontation. Its appeal is the handoff from reporting to interpretation, with enough partisan contrast to show where the fight is and enough explanation to keep non-insiders oriented. Indiana Week in Review is strongest for listeners who care about the statehouse but want the stakes translated into schools, homes, jobs, roads, courts, and local budgets.
Made for: For listeners who follow Indiana government, elections, and public policy and want a clear weekly read on what changed. It especially suits people who care about how statehouse decisions affect families, schools, local services, and household costs.
What sets it apart: The show pairs short reported news setups with panel analysis from across Indiana's political and media landscape. That structure keeps the conversation grounded in reported events while still making room for partisan strategy, policy consequences, and local impact.
Hoosier Democrats, Republicans and insiders talk candidly about issues, the Indiana Statehouse and everything in between on Indiana Week In Review from WFYI Public Media. Join host Brandon Smith and political experts as they dive into the debates shaping Indiana. You'll get policy updates on policy, the state legislature and more, from the left, right and middle of the aisle.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Reported context and cross-party panel debate make the consequences of Indiana government decisions unusually clear.
Indiana Week in Review turns state policy into a structured argument: a reported introduction establishes the issue, then the host presses a panel to explain its stakes and political logic.
Indiana's electric bills reach the panel, and you hear the case for a rate hearing and the rebuttal.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A growth pitch that runs straight into foreclosure and housing pressure.
Indiana Week in Review opens with Governor Mike Braun's $1 billion pledge to expand agriculture and life sciences jobs in central Indiana, then moves into foreclosure pressure and rural housing strain.
A straightforward statehouse roundtable that connects bioscience investment and rising foreclosures to the pressures facing Indiana households.
Indiana Week in Review treats the hour as a linked argument about growth, housing, and public strain. A $1 billion bioscience commitment sits beside a foreclosure rate that has climbed to the worst among states, and the discussion lands best when it shifts from policy headlines…
A measured review of Braun's session grade, election-security fights, and Republican tension around a new statewide race.
Indiana Governor Mike Braun grades the 2026 legislative session at B+, pointing to 51 of his administration's 58 priority bills passing after an early redistricting vote fell short.
Braun's B+ gets tested against party strain, election security, and Indiana's next political contest.
Governor Mike Braun's B+ for his legislative session gives Indiana Week in Review a clean point of entry, and the panel treats it less as a victory lap than as a grade worth auditing.
The episode links welfare eligibility fights with Indiana's high-cost utility debate.
Indiana Week in Review pairs a push to tighten SNAP and Medicaid eligibility with a broader argument over Indiana's utility costs, keeping both debates rooted in the closing stretch of the legislative session.
A practical panel debate turns child care cuts into a test of Indiana's budget priorities and families' ability to keep working.
Indiana Week in Review frames child care cuts as more than a line-item dispute. The panel keeps the focus on who gets to stay in the workforce and what a state budget is meant to protect, tying the policy to women leaving work between January and June, with Black women hit…
Election talk that shows its math.
Former CIA acting director Michael Morell interviews intelligence veterans on Iran, China, and Ukraine.
Indiana Week in Review examines Governor Mike Braun’s call for Turning Point USA clubs in Indiana schools and whether state support crosses a line.
This episode discusses legislative changes prompted by the death of Fisher's teen Hailey Buzbee, including updates to Indiana's Amber Alert system and social media regulations, with analysis from a political panel.
Indiana Week in Review discusses Governor Mike Braun's appointment of Abby Gray as utility consumer counselor to address rising bills.
This episode discusses how the death of Indiana teen Hailey Buzbee has prompted legislative changes to the AMBER Alert system and social media regulations for children's safety.
Indiana Week in Review's panel debates IEDC's announcement of 69 companies and over 5,000 Amazon-related jobs, with Chris Mitchum crediting Governor Mike Braun and Chuck Goodrich while Lindsay Erdody cites Indiana's roughly 30th-place wage ranking.
This episode discusses Indiana Governor Mike Braun's proposal to allocate $200 million to child care vouchers, addressing a funding freeze and its impact on families and daycares.
This episode discusses Governor Mike Braun's 30-day suspension of Indiana's gas sales tax to provide economic relief amid rising prices, featuring a panel analysis of its impact.
This episode discusses the recent spike in gas prices crossing $4 in Indiana, analyzing causes like seasonal demand and geopolitical factors, with expert insights from AAA.
This episode discusses former Governor Mitch Daniels supporting Indiana Republican senators facing primary challenges due to their opposition to redistricting, highlighting political divisions and external influence in state elections.
This episode discusses former Governor Mitch Daniels supporting Indiana state senators facing primary challenges due to their opposition to redistricting, highlighting political divisions and external influence in state politics.
Indiana Week in Review opens with Governor Mike Braun’s $1 billion investment in bioscience, agriculture, and life sciences jobs across central Indiana.
The episode opens with a big bet on bioscience.
This episode discusses Governor Mike Braun's partnership with Turning Point USA to expand conservative Christian-aligned organizations in Indiana schools, examining the debate over religious influence in education.
This episode discusses Governor Mike Braun's partnership with Turning Point USA to expand conservative Christian-aligned organizations in Indiana schools, examining the debate over religious influence in education.
Mike Braun gives himself a B+ for the 2026 session after his office says 51 of 58 priority bills passed, but the panel keeps returning to the failed redistricting push.
Governor Mike Braun gives his legislative session a B+.
Indiana Week in Review centers on a SNAP and Medicaid bill heading to Governor Mike Braun, with Republicans saying it aligns Indiana with federal work and eligibility checks and Democrats warning it will remove eligible Hoosiers from coverage and food aid.
This episode examines the growing opposition to data center construction in Indiana, highlighting community concerns about environmental impact, utility costs, and property values while discussing how this resistance is affecting tech companies' expansion plans.