In the inaugural edition of the revamped Better Angels Podcast, Ciaran O’Connor and John Wood, Jr. talk to April Lawson, editorial assistant to David Brooks and Ross Douthat at the New York Times, and Annafi Wahed, a former Clinton staffer and founder of The Flip Side, about their political perspectives — clarifying disagreements and illuminating commonalities.
‘It absolutely changed my life’: How a conflict-ridden ‘dirtball’ became a legendary bridge builder
09/02/2026
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Growing up in the eighties, his family moved all around the Midwest as his parents chased down steady, blue-collar work: factory jobs, construction, truck driving, whatever could pay the bills. “We were always poor,” Wilk said. And whether they were in Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, or Minnesota, he often found himself on the outs. “It didn’t matter which side of the tracks we were on,” he said. “It was always the wrong side of the tracks.”
