The Heartland POD (The Heartland Collective)
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| 24 Apr 2024 | Swing Senate Seats in MO with Rep. Maggie Nurrenbern, Candidate for MO Senate 17th | April 24, 2024 | 00:37:18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Learn more about Maggie Nurrenbern: Maggie For Mo Info for MO Initiative Petition: Missourians for Const. Freedom @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Feb 2023 | High Country Politics - Feb 1, 2023 - Government News from the American West | 00:19:04 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDA | Colorado legislators seek big boost in Special Education funding | Catholic hospitals no longer performing tubal ligations after Dobbs decision | Cannabis legalization seems to be okay | RJD2 is the Concert Pick of the Week Welcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday. Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation. Alright! Let’s get into it: DENVER (AP) COLORADO NEWSLINE: Anti-Abortion Groups vs. the FDA BY: LINDSEY TOOMER - JANUARY 31, 2023 3:45 AM Reproductive rights advocates in Colorado were feeling optimistic following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to expand access to the abortion pill mifepristone in early January — but a federal lawsuit filed just 10 days later has made the future of medication abortions uncertain. On Jan. 3 the FDA issued a decision that allows the abortion drug mifepristone to be picked up at a pharmacy if the patient has a prescription, eliminating a previous requirement that the drug be given directly from a health care provider. Dr. Kristina Tocce, medical director at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, said the FDA’s decision is a “really big breakthrough” that should increase access across the country. América Ramirez, program director for the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, said it’s exciting to see expanded access and agreed it could be beneficial for people across the state, especially the Latina community. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, said during a recent press conference with news reporters that the caucus is working with the Biden administration to ensure the U.S. Postal Service will be able to deliver abortion medications when prescribed by an out-of-state doctor. Karen Middleton, president of Cobalt, a Colorado-based reproductive rights advocacy organization, said the FDA’s decision will be particularly beneficial for Coloradans outside of the Denver metro area, so long as their pharmacies are willing to participate. But, she said while this is a positive step forward, there are still too many “bureaucratic and cost barriers” for those seeking abortion care. “We’ve known for years that medication abortion care is overwhelmingly safe and effective,” Middleton said in an email. “We hope that Colorado pharmacies, especially in rural areas, will make it available to patients as soon as possible and without bureaucratic delay.” But anti-abortion groups have sued to stop pharmacies from filling prescriptions for mifepristone, and the case will likely go all the way to the Supreme Court. The lawsuit argues the FDA “exceeded its regulatory authority” in approving the use of mifepristone and misoprostol to end a pregnancy, and seeks a preliminary and a permanent injunction that would remove the FDA’s approval. That would imply that Congress should decide, which is of course, dumb. Attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department said there are no examples in history where a court has second-guessed a determination from the FDA that a drug is safe and effective. Karen Middleton said the lawsuit was the anti-abortion groups’ only choice, as they “know that they’ll lose at the ballot box” since purple and red state voters repeatedly voted to protect abortion rights in 2022. “That’s why these radicals are bringing legal challenges in Federal District Courts with conservative judges — to weaponize the legal system to end legal abortion access,” Middleton said. Fawn Bolak, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, called the lawsuit a “politically-motivated attack” that has “no basis in science,” as the drug has been used safely and legally since it was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago. This lawsuit is designed to push abortion care further out of reach for the most vulnerable. “Exploiting the legal system in an attempt to prevent people from accessing safe, essential health care is unconscionably cruel. Rest assured PPRM will continue to provide safe and legal abortion care to our patients — no matter the outcome in this case.” CHALKBEAT COLORADO: Education Committee backs big boost in Special Ed Spending Colorado would fund special education at the levels lawmakers promised back in 2006, under legislation recommended unanimously Friday by a special committee on school finance. The special education bill would reimburse districts $6,000 for each student with what’s known as a Tier B disability, and who requires more intensive support for students to be successful in school. These include dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, deafness, blindness, emotional disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries, among others. The bill also calls for Tier B funding to increase every year by the rate of inflation. Both the federal and state governments require school districts to provide a “free and appropriate” education to all students, including those with disabilities, but they pay just a fraction of the cost. That won’t change with this bill. School districts would still bear about two-thirds of the additional cost of providing special education services, but a few years ago, the state was paying less than half of what it had promised. The new bill would add $40.2 million in special education funding to next year’s budget, bringing the total to at least $340 million, a 13% increase. The amount could be more, depending on how lawmakers handle requirements to respond to inflation. The bill could also get scaled back, in future budget committee negotiations. The special education bill, sponsored by state Sens. Rachel Zenzinger (D-Arvada) and Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Brighton Republican, along with state Reps. Kipp and Lisa Frizell, a Castle Rock Republican, will be the only bill to come out of the Interim Committee on School Finance this session. Sen Zenzinger, who also chairs the Joint Budget Committee and serves on the interim committee on school finance, sounded a note of caution even as she signed on as a prime sponsor of the funding increase bill. “We’ll put it out there as what we’d like to see, and we’ll see what’s available to us in the budget,” she said. Bureau Chief Erica Meltzer covers education policy and politics and oversees Chalkbeat Colorado’s education coverage. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org. COLORADO SUN: Catholic hospitals crack down on contraception Jennifer Brown 4:00 AM MST on Jan 31, 2023 Colorado has one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, but health care advocates say women in rural and mountain towns often lack reproductive health care access When the only hospital in Durango with a maternity ward decided that it would no longer let women get their tubes tied, there was no public announcement. Mercy Hospital’s website doesn’t spell it out, either. Instead, a read-between-the-lines statement added to the Centura Health hospital’s website in September noted that Mercy is “responsible for conducting itself in a manner consistent with the ethical principles of the Catholic church ministry.” The hospital had recently completed a “re-education” of hospital staff and board members regarding the church’s ethical and religious directives, it said, adding that “patients are fully informed of all treatment options.” Doctors who deliver babies at Mercy said they were told that beginning April 15, they can no longer provide post-cesarean-section tubal ligations - a sterilization procedure in which the fallopian tubes are cut. Women who have decided not to have more children often have their tubes tied immediately after a C-section, when they are already under spinal anesthesia, sparing them from the risk, cost, and hassle of scheduling a separate second procedure. The hospital already prohibited tubal ligations after vaginal births, but had been allowing them after C-sections because of the undue burden it placed on patients. It’s been up to obstetricians to tell their pregnant patients that they will have to go elsewhere for permanent birth control. Dr. Kimberly Priebe, who delivers 90-100 babies a year and has been an obstetrician-gynecologist in Durango for 20 years said “Patients are furious. This decision undermines our patients’ trust in Centura.” Mercy’s prohibition of sterilization comes as health care advocates across the country are concerned about diminishing reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Even in Colorado, a state with statutory protection for abortion and one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country, women are losing access to reproductive health care, particularly in rural and mountain areas where there is only one hospital in town. Mergers that have joined Catholic health systems with secular or protestant systems have created a confusing health landscape for patients seeking abortions or birth control. Centura Health, formed in 1996 by the merger of Catholic Health Initiatives and Adventist Health System, has 16 hospitals in Colorado and three in Kansas. The Catholic hospitals, including Mercy, follow the Catholic directives, while the Adventist hospitals do not. In Denver, doctors affiliated with Centura Health can steer patients who want their tubes tied to nearby hospitals. But in Durango - and other towns with just one hospital - that’s not an option. Sophia Mayott-Guerrero, senior organizing strategist with ACLU of Colorado said “We really are seeing a trend with hospitals, insurance companies, pharmacies, other health care entities, discriminating against people by denying basic care … all in the name of religion. The main target is reproductive access, including birth control, emergency contraception, sterilization and abortions. “We can’t really consider access to reproductive health care in Colorado universally protected until everybody in every corner of our state has access. There’s often this perception that everybody in Colorado has access to abortion and to reproductive health care and that is just fundamentally untrue, especially in the rural parts of the state where you just don’t have additional options.” It’s unclear why Mercy Hospital had been allowing tubal ligations after C-sections and what led to the change. CommonSpirit Health, the Catholic owner of Mercy and other Catholic hospitals, said they had no updates to provide. The Diocese of Pueblo, which includes all of southern Colorado, referred questions to Centura Health. Centura Health officials would not give an interview about the change at Mercy, or explain why it’s happening now, considering that Mercy has been Catholic since it was founded. The only exception is for women predisposed to cancer After the latest “reeducation” of the Catholic directives, Mercy said it would allow tubal ligations post C-section for only one reason — if the woman has a genetic predisposition to ovarian or breast cancer. — Dr. Kimberly Priebe, Four Corners Obstetrics and Gynecology said “This is a very small number of women, and what an arbitrary exception.” “What about women with hypertension, diabetes, blood clotting disorders, uterine abnormalities, and the many other risk factors that can make pregnancy deadly? It seems the Catholic church does not want a woman dying of cancer but during pregnancy is OK?” With the new Mercy policy prohibiting tubal ligations after C-section, doctors will send those patients to the local surgical hospital, though they are concerned about overwhelming the center. And, doctors say, forcing women to schedule the procedure separate from their hospital delivery puts them at unnecessary risk, disrupts their lives with more time away from work, and costs the health system more money. The Medicaid billing rate for a doctor performing a tubal ligation post C-section is a $90 add-on and takes about 10 minutes, doctors said, not including anesthesia and facility fees. Patients who go to Animas Surgical Hospital for a standalone tubal ligation would likely have to pay thousands of dollars for the procedure. The hospital’s cash-pay price for the procedure for people without insurance is $9,900. “Patients do not understand how a health care option can be refused when our hospital gets public money and purports to put patient care first,” Dr Priebe said. Pregnant patients in Summit County also face tough choices. Like in Durango, the only hospital is Catholic. St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco, part of Centura Health, does not provide tubal ligations. Dr. Amy Tomlinson, an OB-GYN in Summit County, has had to explain to hundreds of patients that they cannot get their tubes tied at the hospital where they plan to give birth. “Usually, honestly, it was a huff and a sigh and an eye roll,” she said. “Sometimes it was a jaw drop and a shake of the head. But I think women are so used to being second-class citizens in this society that I don’t think it was ever terribly surprising to people.” Summit County women have the choice of delivering at St. Anthony and then getting their tubes tied later at another hospital, or driving more than an hour to Denver to deliver their baby so they can have the procedure at the same time. And for women who already have a C-section scar on their uterus, it’s especially dangerous to ask them to drive that far in labor, Tomlinson said. “The Catholic position is, ‘If you don’t like it, you can go somewhere else,’” she said. “Well, it’s not like you can go across town when your hospital is the only one in a tri-county radius. We essentially become an island during snowstorms up here. Even if a patient wants to go elsewhere, she may not be able to get there. And then you are asking women to drive an hour or more while they are laboring. Why would we put women at risk for rupturing their uterus or for giving birth on the side of the road?” Tomlinson, who is opening her own practice but in the past worked at High Country Healthcare, recalled that while removing severe scar tissue from the uterus of a patient at St. Anthony Summit, she had to ask permission from the bishop to place an IUD in the woman’s uterus in order to keep it open and prevent pain. The woman had in the past had a tubal ligation so she was already sterile, but the Catholic hospital still required her to get permission to place the birth-control method, called an intrauterine device. And in 2010, Tomlinson gave a presentation to the St. Anthony Summit board to persuade them not to prohibit treatment of ectopic pregnancies. In the post-Roe v. Wade era, doctors across the nation have reported confusion about whether treating an ectopic pregnancy — which is when a fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus — is considered an abortion. In another large hospital system - SCL Health - Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction — operate under the ethical and religious directives, meaning they do not provide sterilizations. Two of SCL’s secular hospitals — Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette — also operate under the same compliance with Catholic directives, said Gregg Moss, spokesman for SCL Health. Moss referred The Colorado Sun to an SCL Health webpage that explains the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services - they were first published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1948. The hospital system’s webpage does not specifically mention birth control, tubal ligations or abortions, but says that in today’s society, Catholic hospitals are “pressured to provide medical procedures that are contrary to Catholic teaching.” “And by refusing to provide or permit such medical procedures, Catholic health care affirms what defines it: a commitment to the sacredness and dignity of human life from conception until death,” it says. Mannat Singh, executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, excoriated the choices being made by Catholic hospitals. “It is a basic human right to seek, or refuse, reproductive health care, and we will continue to work to ensure there are no barriers to seeking that care,” she said. COLORADO SUN: Well, it ain’t a gateway drug. John Ingold 3:55 AM MST on Jan 31, 2023 Last year, a study came out showing that marijuana legalization in Colorado likely increased cannabis use among adults in the state. Because of the novel methods the researchers used to examine the question, the study was perhaps the best answer to date on one of legalization’s biggest impacts. But it also left an even bigger question unanswered: If adults are consuming more cannabis and more frequently, is that bad? Now, in a follow-up study by the same team, the researchers have come to an answer: it doesn’t seem to be. Stephanie Zellers, one of the researchers, said “At least from the psychological point of view, we really didn’t find that legalized cannabis has had a lot of negative influence, which I think is important.” Zellers recently graduated with a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Minnesota, but she began her doctoral work at the University of Colorado before transferring when her thesis adviser changed jobs. She had originally been interested in neuroscience research, but the necessity of using live lab animals for the work was off-putting. And, in the Colorado-to-Minnesota connection, she found a trove of data that could be used in never-before-tried ways. The data are from longitudinal studies of twins in Colorado or Minnesota. Researchers in both states followed the twins over long periods of time, collecting information about their behaviors, including their cannabis use. The survey information, then, creates an ideal scenario for study: It is thorough, it has built-in controls for variables like socioeconomic status, and it helps account for genetic differences. “That twin component really allows us to rule out what could be noisy variables — cultural differences, family differences, things like that,” Zellers said. On top of that, because Colorado has legalized marijuana and Minnesota hasn’t (at least so far) — and because some twins born in Minnesota moved to Colorado and vice versa — the data provide an ideal opportunity to study the way legalization in Colorado a decade ago has influenced people’s behavior ever since. The original study, published last fall, simply asked whether twins living in legal-marijuana states use marijuana more than twins living in prohibition states. And the answer is yes — about 20% more, according to the research. That answer was interesting, but “Really what people care about is: Is legalization harmful,” she said. To answer that question, the team came up with 23 measures of what they call “psychological dysfunction.” This includes things like substance-use disorders, but also financial woes, mental health distress, community disengagement, and relationship issues. The team looked at data on more than 4,000 people — 40% of whom live in a legal-marijuana state. Zellers said what the researchers found was unexpected: They basically found nothing. “Obviously the cannabis use increases, but we didn’t see an increase in cannabis-use disorder, which is a little surprising,” she said. “We didn’t really see changes in how much people were drinking or using tobacco. No large personality, or workplace, or IQ differences, or anything like that.” People in legal states did not report using illegal drugs at higher rates. Researchers also didn’t find a link between marijuana legalization and psychotic behavior. They did find one difference, though. People living in a state where recreational marijuana use is prohibited reported higher rates of alcohol-use disorder and more specifically one symptom of the condition: They were more likely to report using alcohol in situations that were dangerous or harmful, such as driving drunk. To Zellers and other researchers, the study provides valuable information for the ongoing debate over whether cannabis legalization is a good idea. But it’s not the final word. CU psychology and neuroscience professor John Hewitt, one of the study’s co-authors, said in a statement that “Our study suggests we should not be overly concerned about everyday adult use in a legalized environment, but no drug is risk-free. It would be a mistake to dismiss the risks from higher doses of a drug that is relatively safe in small amounts.” This highlights one of the study’s big limitations. Zellers said most of the people included in the twins data are relatively light cannabis users. The sample size for heavy users is small. “Our sample is an adult community sample broadly characterized by low levels of substance use and psychosocial dysfunction,” the researchers write. This limits our ability to generalize relationships between legalization, outcomes and risk factors for the individuals at greatest risk.” Zellers said she and her colleagues are hoping to publish another study based on their data — but this one will be less concerned about the impacts of marijuana legalization as a policy. Instead, it will try to look at how much cannabis people have used over their lifetimes and then score that against the same measures of psychological dysfunction “to see if, not the policy, but the actual substance itself has an effect” And if YOU want to see about substances and their effects, don’t miss the unsolicited concert of the week CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: RJD2 with just 2 upcoming dates - Friday Feb 3 at the Music Box in San Diego, and Saturday Feb 4th at the Gothic Theatre in Denver. There should also be lots of fun stuff in lots of fun places this weekend for Bob Marley’s birthday, February 6. Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from the Colorado Newsline, Colorado Sun, Chalkbeat Colorado, and Denver’s Westword. Thank you for listening! See you next time. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Jul 2024 | July 22, 2024 | There Is Risk Everywhere... | 01:38:40 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Quick Hit: KC Star endorsed Crystal Quade, recurring guest here on the pod, maybe one of our most prolific in terms of appearances on the pod actually https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article289981759.html Global tech outage: https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/global-outage-intl-hnk/index.html True or False: JD Vance was a mistake JD didn’t like Trump: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/16/jd-vance-political-views-trump Vox’s “Yikes” piece: https://www.vox.com/politics/360283/jd-vance-trump-vp-vice-president-authoritarian I’m a never Trump guy, says Trump’s VP pick: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/15/jd-vance-donald-trump-comments-00168450 JD Vance, of the shire? https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/19/lord-of-the-rings-jd-vance-00169372 Opinion piece: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/21/opinion/jd-vance-kamala-harris.html Yeah, Yeah: Mo Dems raising big $ (see PDF in slack)
Big One: Tech goes MAGA? https://www.axios.com/2024/07/17/trump-andreessen-horowitz-tech-billionaires 2024 Election Era Polling: https://www.270towin.com/2024-presidential-election-polls/national#google_vignette The Map: https://www.270towin.com/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 Nov 2022 | The Delta, E38 - Unforgivable: The Pursuit of TEPSLF | 00:33:41 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Nicholas (former science teacher) and Kristina (educational ASL Interpreter) tell the story of his fight for TEPSLF and eventual denial of forgiveness of student loans despite 11 years of teaching in public schools. Through laughs they consider the impact removing this incentive for an overwhelmed and exhausted teacher workforce will have on keeping schools open while political interests continue to.defunding education. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 Nov 2022 | 2022 Midterms LIVE (Audio Replay POD) | 02:13:21 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO “Change The Conversation”
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 Jan 2023 | Extremism In Legislation In A Red State: A 30,000 Foot View From Missouri | 00:24:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Post) “Change The Conversation” https://www.jstor.org/stable/65083 https://legiscan.com/MO/bill/SB137/2023 - teacher training Teachers are 75% female https://www.zippia.com/teacher-jobs/demographics/ What if we changed a few words? Part of Speech by A. HItler, 1935: Today women’s battalions were being formed in Marxist countries, and to that one could only reply, “That will never happen here! There are things a man does, and he alone is responsible for them. I would be ashamed to be a (American) man if ever, in the event of war, but a single woman were made to go to the front.” The woman had her own battlefield. With every child to which she gave birth for the nation, she was waging her battle for the nation. The man stands up for the (people) just as woman stands up for the family. A woman’s equal rights lie in the fact that she is treated with the high regard she deserves in those areas of life assigned to her by nature. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 Jul 2023 | Talkin' Politics | From the Missouri Governor's Race, to Jay NIxon joining "No Labels", to Nazis in Wisconsin, and 2024 Congressional Maps In Litigation | 01:10:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/ TALKIN’ POLITICS True or False? The Resolute Desk Former Missouri Gov., last Dem gov, Jay Nixon, has come out in favor of not just a 3rd party candidate, it if No Labels, specifically. I had Nixon on my short list for 2016 for VP - until his flat response to Ferguson, politically he became too heavy and the benefit was eroded. Nixon Story: https://apnews.com/article/no-labels-third-party-president-2024-election-8267add25f8a9b1b01fd42e8a046513f Mother Jones Story on “No Labels” https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/07/no-labels-is-setting-up-state-parties-2024/ Over/Under on how many $ is spent on this —- $125,000,000 spent supporting 3rd party bid of no label candidate Buy or Sell Americans will not tolerate Nazis
https://twitter.com/fordfischer/status/1685381172572897280?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Big one 2024 Congressional Maps Getting A Face Lift? @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 Nov 2022 | Talkin' Politics | Post Midterm 2022: The Purple Drank, Our Main Takeaways From 2022 Midterms, Our Victory Laps, MAGA Death Rattle, JoRsh Hawley Runs Scared (AGAIN) and more! | 01:35:29 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO “Change The Conversation” True or False:
Yeah… NO:
Buy or Sell:
LAST CALL: Way too early look at 2024 @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Apr 2023 | The Delta, E47 - MTG: Nerd Alert | 00:41:47 | |||||||||||||||||||||
What is the magic to winning the 2024 MO Senate race? NERD ALERT: Kristina (ASL Interpreter) & Nicholas (Ed. PD Coordinator & MTG Cheerleader) discuss the recent post by MO GOP calling Lucas Kunce a: "nerd" on Twitter because he plays Magic: the Gathering. From breaking up fights between their own kids over Magic decks to cussing like a pirate in Mario Kart. Nicholas and Kristina reference gamification frameworks including Octalysis while discussing the motivations of politicians. References: Tweet: https://twitter.com/LucasKunceMO/status/1642992452222025731 Time Article: https://time.com/6272770/lucas-kunce-missouri-magic-the-gathering/ Explore Like a Pirate: https://www.daveburgessconsulting.com/books/explore-like-a-pirate/ Actionable Gamification: https://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/octalysis-complete-gamification-framework/ Glassroom Hive - Learn more: glassroomhive.com - Change the Conversation heartlandpod.com @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Jun 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat: Heather Flemming with Missouri Equity Education Partnership | 00:40:26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Jess Piper @Piper4Missouri Guest: Heather Flemming with MOEEP https://www.missouriequity.com/about-us Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 Jul 2024 | July 29, 2024 | What A Year Of A Week It Was | 01:40:58 | |||||||||||||||||||||
SHOW NOTES Quick Hit: Citizens United reminds us all of the definition of iron: https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/citizens-united-gop-state-parties-file-fec-complaint-over-biden-harris-campaign-funds/ Quick Hit: Missouri Gov debates happened - Kehoe was a no show, Quade ate Hamra’s lunch — also Quade gets endorsements from Mayor Quinton Lucas of KC and Mayor Tishaura Jones of STL; meanwhile Kehoe gets the Trump nod (Trump endorsed all Gov GOP candidates; see MO Independent link) True or False: The best thing to do right now is ignore the prognosticators
Yeah…No: JD Vance’s extreme abortion comments (found on Drudge) https://www.newsweek.com/jd-vance-abortion-audio-travel-banned-1930761 Chris Murphy, X: https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1816673432697762037 https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/jd-vance-audio-leak-abortion-614642
Big One: Biden’s Oval address and its place in history https://theheartlandcollective.com/2024/07/25/bidens-historic-patriotic-farewell-address/ AP Coverage: https://apnews.com/article/biden-oval-office-speech-2024-d7a5e913e4e9c347ed314e5879db3480 2024 Election Era Trump tells Christian group they won’t have to vote any more and that he’s not a Christian Trump tells Christian voters they 'won't have to vote anymore' if he's elected https://www.npr.org/2024/07/27/nx-s1-5054272/trump-christian-wont-vote-anymore-speech 270 to Win polling; https://www.270towin.com/2024-presidential-election-polls/national Harris is in: https://dnyuz.com/2024/07/25/harris-narrows-gap-against-trump-times-siena-poll-finds/ Obama endorses Harris: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/22/kamala-harris-endorsements-democrats VP Discussion heats up, who are early leaders? Cook political breakdown: https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/national/national-politics/breaking-down-veepstakes-what-top-prospects-could-bring-harris?check_logged_in=1 Their order: Shapiro, Kelly, Cooper, Brashear BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80ekdwk9zro Harris drawing distinctions on Mid east: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/25/politics/kamala-harris-israel-policy/index.html Fox news top line on Friday - Trump’s bond provider didn’t charge enough https://www.foxnews.com/politics/billionaire-helped-trump-175m-bond-probably-didnt-charge-enough GOP going in on immigration: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/harris-failed-combat-root-causes-illegal-immigration-former-border-patrol-union-chief @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 Jun 2023 | The Flyover View, June 23, 2023 | Heartland Politics, News, and Views | 00:18:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the Heartland DANGER SEEKERS AUDIO REPERTORY COMPANY - https://www.youtube.com/@c.lanham1753/featured HEADLINES
LIGHTNING ROUND Missouri,
Texas,
Arkansas,
And Lastly,
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Dec 2023 | Friday News Flyover for December 1, 2023 - TX Gov Abbott's voucher crusade, Cruz and Cornyn stand up for a billionaire, Ohio booting huge numbers of its residents off Medicaid, GOP AGs gang up on queer foster kids, and more | 00:18:12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Flyover Friday, December 1, 2023 Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 1st, 2023 A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including: Welcome to The Heartland POD for a Flyover Friday, this is Sean Diller in Denver, Colorado. With me as co-host today is Adam Sommer, how you doing Adam? We’re glad to have you with us. If you’re new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5 star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media with @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at thehearltandcollective.com Alright! Let’s get into the stories https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/28/new-article-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-hugh-shine-endorse/ Gov. Greg Abbott is starting to make good on his threat to politically target fellow Republicans who oppose school vouchers, issuing his first endorsement of a primary challenger to a House member who has helped thwart his top legislative priority of the year. Abbott on Tuesday backed Hillary Hickland, an activist mother who is running against Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple. Shine was one of 21 Republicans who voted earlier this month to strip a voucher provision out of an education bill, delivering the most decisive blow yet to the governor’s agenda. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/16/texas-house-school-vouchers/ The Texas House on Friday voted to strip school vouchers from the chamber’s massive education funding bill, taking an ax to Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority of the year. The House voted 84-63 in favor of an amendment offered by Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, which removed the provision of the bill allowing some parents to use tax dollars to send their children to private and religious schools. Twenty-one Republicans, most of whom represent rural districts, joined all Democrats in support. “Because of family rejection and abuse,” the Biden administration said in a September press release, LGBTQ children are “overrepresented in foster care where they face poor outcomes, including mistreatment and discrimination because of who they are.” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey this week joined with 18 other states to oppose a proposed federal rule that aims to protect LGBTQ youth in foster care and provide them with necessary services. The attorneys general argue in a letter to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services that the proposed rule — which requires states to provide safe and appropriate placements with providers who are appropriately trained about the child’s sexual orientation or gender identity — amounts to religion-based discrimination and violates freedom of speech. “As a foster parent myself,” Bailey said in a news release Tuesday, “I am deeply invested in protecting children and putting their best interests first.” https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/senate-clarence-thomas-harlan-crow-john-cornyn-ted-cruz/ WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz were among several Republicans who bolted from a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting Thursday to protest subpoenaing Dallas-based conservative donor Harlan Crow. The committee’s Democrats are seeking records over payments, gifts and travel Crow reportedly provided Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, some of which were not initially listed on financial disclosures. The committee’s GOP members cast the subpoena authorization as a partisan attack against one of the most conservative members of the court and a private citizen. "This is an outrageous attempt to target private citizens without any legitimate legislative purpose," Cornyn told reporters after the meeting. "If you can go after a private citizen … for a non-legislative prupose, you essentially can target for political reasons any American citizen at any time in the future. And that is a dangerous, dangerous place to go." https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow IN LATE JUNE 2019, right after the U.S. Supreme Court released its final opinion of the term, Justice Clarence Thomas boarded a large private jet headed to Indonesia. He and his wife were going on vacation: nine days of island-hopping in a volcanic archipelago on a superyacht staffed by a coterie of attendants and a private chef. If Thomas had chartered the plane and the 162-foot yacht himself, the total cost of the trip could have exceeded $500,000. Fortunately for him, that wasn’t necessary: He was on vacation with real estate magnate and Republican megadonor Harlan Crow, who owned the jet — and the yacht, too. For more than two decades, Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from the Dallas businessman without disclosing them, documents and interviews show. A public servant who has a salary of $285,000, he has vacationed on Crow’s superyacht around the globe. He flies on Crow’s Bombardier Global 5000 jet. He has gone with Crow to the Bohemian Grove, the exclusive California all-male retreat, and to Crow’s sprawling ranch in East Texas. And Thomas typically spends about a week every summer at Crow’s private resort in the Adirondacks. The extent and frequency of Crow’s apparent gifts to Thomas have no known precedent in the modern history of the U.S. Supreme Court. These trips appeared nowhere on Thomas’ financial disclosures. His failure to report the flights appears to violate a law passed after Watergate that requires justices, judges, members of Congress and federal officials to disclose most gifts, two ethics law experts said. He also should have disclosed his trips on the yacht, these experts said. Thomas did not respond to a detailed list of questions. Ohioans may be contacted up to eight times — through the mail, text messages and phone calls — before being unenrolled from Medicaid, Lawless said. But if someone has moved, changed their number or doesn’t have internet access they might not have been notified about potentially losing their coverage. “If they can’t get a hold of you after a few times you can just get kicked off,” Poe said. “People are just getting kicked off of their health care coverage, because Medicaid can’t find them. And that feels really rather unacceptable to me.” More than 3 million Ohioans are enrolled in Medicaid and the Medicaid renewal process starts 60 days before their annual renewal date. Ohioans receive a final notice of disenrollment before losing their coverage, Lawless said. Ohioans can renew their Medicaid coverage by returning a completed renewal packet to their county Jobs and Families Services office, by calling 1-844-640-6466 or online through the Ohio Benefits eligibility portal. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on Twitter. For many of our friends and neighbors, public schools are the right place for their children to be educated. In our small towns, the public school is the center of the community. Unfortunately, a one-size-fits-all approach to education doesn’t work well for the entire state or for every child. In Missouri, we should provide options for school choice so families choose an education that fits their children’s needs. I believe so strongly in our public schools and their ability to serve students, that I know providing some families a choice will not hurt our public education system. Legislators, like me, can be pro-education and pro-education options. School choice provides families with the flexibility to choose the best educational environment for their children. This could mean traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, virtual schools, and homeschooling. The key is putting the power back into the hands of parents, allowing them to make decisions based on what they believe is best for their children. I believe that we can, and should, agree that one-size-fits-all does not fit all when it comes to education. Each child is unique, with different learning styles, interests, and needs. School choice recognizes this and acknowledges that parents are in the best position to understand their child’s individual requirements. By allowing parents to choose the educational setting that aligns with their child’s needs, we can foster a community where every student can thrive. Critics likely will argue that education freedom might divert resources away from public schools, but the reality is quite the opposite. When parents have the option to choose, schools are incentivized to improve and innovate to attract students. Moreover, school choice promotes economic empowerment by allowing parents to invest in their children’s education. Education is an investment in the future, and when parents can direct their education dollars to the school of their choice, they are more engaged and invested in their child’s success. This active involvement creates a positive ripple effect, strengthening the entire community. In some of Missouri’s urban areas, the ultimate outcome of our public school system is prison or death. Many kids graduate without being able to read or write. Here in Rural Missouri, we pride ourselves on our strong sense of community, and school choice aligns with our values of individual freedom and personal responsibility. Giving parents the freedom to make decisions that impact their children’s education falls in-line with that personal responsibility. The fears of schools using school choice as a tool for recruiting for athletics fails to account for the above mentioned sense of community. This is why I believe that school choice programs that have seen success in Missouri’s urban areas should be expanded. The Missouri Scholars Program was started last year and allows for qualifying families based on need to receive a scholarship for $6,375 to use towards the educational needs of their children, like tuition. The reality is that many members of our community don’t qualify for this program or wouldn’t use it because they are satisfied with their public education. However, for the few that need a different option for their children, this scholarship is essential to provide another option. Unfortunately, right now only residents of St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Clay County, Jackson County, Cape Girardeau, Columbia, Springfield, Jefferson City, St. Joseph, and Joplin. There’s no reason why our area of the state shouldn’t also be included in that list. As your representative, I am committed to supporting policies that prioritize the well-being and success of our community. I am committed to making the public schools in our area the very best that they can be. To me, this is not a partisan issue. It’s about putting our children first and ensuring they have access to the best possible education. I urge you to consider the benefits of school choice. Well that’s it for me. From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Stories featured in today’s show appeared first in the Missouri Independent, Ohio Capital Journal, Texas Tribune, Pro Publica, and the Warren County Record in the blessed land of Warrenton, MO. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 Apr 2024 | Is Arizona's Abortion Law The 2024 Event Horizon? | 01:18:41 | |||||||||||||||||||||
SHOW NOTESQuick Hits: Sign up to help restore abortion access in Missouri: https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Apr 2024 | TRUMP CAN’T CARRY ABORTION POSITION TO TERM | 00:52:06 | |||||||||||||||||||||
BE WELL @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 Jun 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | Education Policy & Charter Realities with Prof. Jon Hale | 00:27:33 | |||||||||||||||||||||
#DirtRoadDemocrat Jess Piper is joined by Prof. of Education Policy, Jon Hale to talk policy and charter realities. Heartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper @piper4missouri on Twitter, and Facebook “Change The Conversation” Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 Oct 2023 | Talkin' Politics 10/15/23 | Grovel For The Gavel?; Craven Politics and Gross Opportunism Around Isreal Attack; Did Twitter Hit The Iceberg?; US Response To Isreal Attacks & The Odd Politics Of The Moment | 01:41:10 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/ Clown Car Cruising The Speaker selection in the house Sean Called it baby Ann Wagner - Missouri Rep gives Jim Jordan a “talk to the hand” Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/13/republicans-speaker-mccarthy-jim-jordan-00121370 Great background from Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/13/no-house-speaker-what-it-means-republicans-divided https://x.com/karmarvar/status/1712922989904154786?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Yeah no Hawley using Israel for political points https://newrepublic.com/post/176106/josh-hawley-help-israel-divert-funds-ukraine AG Bailey of MO - talking point of the weekend Not an Expert of the week - new drop Elon Musk Twitter hit an iceberg with The proliferation of misinformation around Israel https://www.wired.com/story/x-israel-hamas-war-disinformation/ From Platformer this week: “[Musk] blew up the old verification system, replacing a hand-picked group of journalists whose identities were confirmed by the company with a hodgepodge of culture warriors paying $8 a month to float to the top of replies. He began paying the culture warriors based on the views they got. He blocked and threatened reporters. He sued activists. He began charging eye-watering rates to access the platform’s API, driving away academic researchers. He stripped headlines off the previews of articles. He promoted the accounts of conspiracy theories and right-wing extremists. This is a system designed to cause chaos in the information environment, and it is working by design.” Big One: Biden’s response to attacks Big speech, strong language
Sent carrier group to the area A little Teddy - walk softly and carry a big stick the size of the U.S. Navy From Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-push-israel-ukraine-aid-package-over-2-billion-this-week-2023-10-15 From that article, and H/T to Adam for (maybe?) being right about this: “How any bill moves through Congress without a House speaker is unclear. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested on Sunday that Democrats could work with Republicans to nominate a speaker. "There are informal conversations that have been underway," about a bipartisan solution to the crisis, Jeffries told NBC's Meet the Press. "When we get back to Washington tomorrow, it's important to begin to formalize those discussions."” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Feb 2023 | Let's Have A Chat | Amy Easterling, Harry Harris, and Douglas Ziegemeier. A Grounded Trio of Candidates for the Francis Howell School Board | 00:44:38 | |||||||||||||||||||||
HOST: Kevin Smith - https://twitter.com/KevINmidMO GUEST HOSTS: Amy Easterling - https://easterling4fhsd.com Harry Harris - http://www.harryforhowell.com Douglas Ziegemeier - https://www.douglas4howell.com/ @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Oct 2022 | Climate Activists Embrace Soup Season; Eric May Need To Wipe Trump's Schmitt Off His Nose; Midterm Decision Desk Check In - Ticket Splitting Coming?; PLUS Adam does an Alex Jones Impression For Five Seconds | 01:19:34 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 Feb 2024 | The World Is On Fire | 00:24:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Adam Sommer takes a step back to talk about the long and heavy road we are all on as we enter yet another political cycle that feels like the most important of our lives. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
Co-Hosts
Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!
JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!
“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
http://www.americanaquarium.com/
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| 17 May 2023 | High Country Politics - Government and Elections News from the American West - May 17, 2023 | 00:15:58 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor’s race | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy bills | $11B in federal funds allocated for rural clean energy projects | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis commission meets in Flagstaff, AZ (WARNING: contains graphic descriptions of violence) | Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs nation’s first Right-to-Repair law | Violent Femmes perform their self-titled debut in Denver, Austin and Houston this week. Song plays Intro by host Welcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday. Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation. Alright! Let’s get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: Progressives back Mike Johnston in Denver mayor’s race BY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 15, 2023 4:00 AM As ballots begin to hit mailboxes for Denver’s June 6th runoff election, Johnston and Kelly Brough, the other top-two finisher in April’s first round of voting - have rolled out a veritable smorgasbord of endorsement announcements. Former mayoral candidates Ean Thomas Tafoya, Terrance Roberts, Jim Walsh, Al Gardner and Leslie Herod all endorsed Mike Johnston. Rep Herod (who was my preferred choice for mayor) said “Having shared countless debate and forum stages with Mike over the past months, I know that he has the passion, commitment, and vision to tackle Denver’s toughest problems. Mike and I share the value of public service, hard work, and doing right by our communities, and I am excited to work with him to deliver on our progressive vision for Denver.” Meanwhile, Brough, the former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce head who secured her spot in the runoff with just over 20% of the first-round vote, has picked up endorsements from Democratic state Sen. Chris Hansen as well as Thomas Wolf, an investment banker who campaigned on harsh anti-homelessness policies and received 1% of the vote for Mayor in April. Sen. Hansen said “Denver needs a proven executive — Kelly Brough is the leader we can trust to deliver results. It’s going to take all of us to tackle Denver’s biggest challenges, and I’m proud to join Kelly’s team.” Brough also picked up endorsements from Democratic state Rep. Alex Valdez and former Tattered Cover CEO Kwame Spearman, both of whom entered the mayor’s race but later withdrew. Brough and Johnston emerged from the crowded field of mayoral candidates after becoming by far the race’s two best-funded candidates, each raising about $1MM in direct contributions and benefiting from millions more in outside super PAC expenditures from billionaires and real-estate interests. After a first round that featured a wide range of perspectives and ideologies, the runoff campaign has featured few stark disagreements on policy between the two candidates, both of whom are veteran figures in Colorado’s centrist political establishment. Brough served as then-Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s chief of staff from 2006 to 2009, then led the conservative-leaning Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for 12 years before stepping down ahead of her mayoral run. Some of her top endorsers include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, both Democrats. On Friday, she touted the endorsement of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, a coalition of clergy and civil rights leaders in the city’s Black community. Pastor Paul Burleson, the Alliance’s vice president of political affairs, said that Brough’s experience is key to her appeal. Brough has also picked up endorsements from the Denver Police Protective Association and other unions representing law enforcement officers and firefighters. She was one of the only candidates in the mayor’s race to endorse a return of “qualified immunity,” a legal doctrine that bars people from suing law enforcement officers in their individual capacity. Colorado lawmakers, led by Herod, passed a landmark police reform bill that abolished qualified immunity in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. - Just one reason I love Leslie Herod. During his time in the state Senate, Mike Johnston became one of the state’s leading champions of education reform, a movement that has galled teachers’ unions and progressives who’ve accused him of undermining public education. From 2020 to 2022 he was the CEO of Gary Community Ventures, a Denver-based philanthropic organization founded by oil tycoon Sam Gary. Though hardly a progressive firebrand himself, Johnston spoke at Wednesday’s event of the coalition he hopes to build as mayor. Along with former mayoral rivals, he received endorsements from Democratic state Sens. Julie Gonzales (another legislator I have tremendous respect for) and James Coleman (who is my state senator but someone whom I don’t know much about), adding to a list of supporters that also includes former Mayor Federico Peña and former Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll. Rep. Leslie Herod said “Make no mistake: We are the progressives in this race, and we have chosen to back Mike. We are the candidates who have consistently spoken about putting people over structures, putting people over businesses — people always first.” So for my part I’ll be following State Sen. Julie Gonzales and Rep. Leslie Herod, voting for Mike Johnston. Final thought: Johnston might not be seen as progressive, but if he wins this election assembling a progressive coalition to bear a developer/business-backed candidate in Kelly Brough, then progressives should absolutely have a strong voice in the Johnston administration if he wants to keep his job. But first he’s got to win. COLORADO NEWSLINE: Gov. Jared Polis signs slate of clean energy measures, utility regulation bill BY: CHASE WOODRUFF - MAY 11, 2023 5:36 PM Gov. Jared Polis has signed into law a bill that commits Colorado for the first time to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target, along with other measures to address spiking utility rates and the state’s long-term energy future. Flanked by Democratic lawmakers and state energy officials, Polis signed Senate Bill 23-16 at an event at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The bill, a wide-ranging package of reforms aimed at boosting clean energy efforts in a variety of industries, was approved on party-line votes by Democratic majorities in the General Assembly just before its adjournment on May 8. SB-16 sets a statutory goal of a 100% reduction in Colorado’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, revising that target upwards from a 90% goal set by the Legislature in 2019. It’s the first time the state has formally established the net-zero goal that scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said is necessary to avert the most catastrophic impacts of global warming. To get there, the bill contains what sponsors called a “potpourri” of measures to accelerate the transition to clean energy, including sections that streamline the process for the installation of electric transmission lines and rooftop solar panels; stricter requirements on large insurance companies to assess climate risk; tax credits for the purchase of electric-powered lawn equipment; and more authority for the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission to regulate carbon capture projects. COGCC chair Jeff Robbins applauded the bill’s efforts to encourage carbon capture, which he called “critical as a tool in addressing climate change.” “The COGCC is well poised with its resources and regulatory understanding to now help carbon storage be deployed safely and responsibly in Colorado,” Robbins said in a press release. Gov. Polis also signed House Bill 23-1252, which establishes a new state grant program for geothermal energy projects and requires large natural-gas utilities to develop emissions-reducing “clean heat plans.” Senate Bill 23-291, a package of reforms to state utility regulations, and House Bill 23-1234, a bipartisan measure aimed at streamlining permitting and inspection processes for solar projects were also both signed into law. SB-291 emerged from hearings held earlier this year by the Joint Select Committee on Rising Utility Rates, a special panel of lawmakers convened by Democratic leaders following sharp increases in many Coloradans’ utility bills in 2022. It directs the state’s Public Utilities Commission to more closely scrutinize how privately-owned utilities manage volatility in natural-gas prices, the main culprit in rate increases that caused the average monthly payment for customers of Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest utility, to rise by more than 50% last year. Other provisions in the bill are aimed at assessing the long-term future of natural gas infrastructure as more homes and businesses transition to all-electric heating and cooking appliances. In a press release, Advanced Energy United, an industry group representing clean energy companies, said the legislation creates a “national model” for dealing with volatility in the natural gas market. “This bill will help make Colorado’s energy system more affordable long-term, and should be seen as a model for states across the country on how to manage high gas prices and a transition to cost-saving alternatives to gas, like high-efficiency heat pumps, rooftop solar and battery storage,” said Emilie Olson, a senior principal at Advanced Energy United. House Bill 23-1272, creates or extends a variety of clean energy tax credits, including incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, e-bikes, electric heat pumps, industrial decarbonization technologies and more. Gov. Polis said “These exciting money-saving changes for Coloradans mean reliable, lower energy costs and good-paying jobs, as we continue to fuel the innovation that makes Colorado a national leader in clean energy. We are cutting red tape, creating good paying jobs and improving air quality as we continue to make bold progress towards achieving 100% renewable energy by 2040.” ARIZONA MIRROR: Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loans BY: JACOB FISCHLER - MAY 16, 2023 7:11 AM The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. The programs are the New ERA program for rural electric cooperatives, and the PACE program for other energy providers. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the funding “continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.” White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said, “Rural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production. He said, “There’s a favorable wind blowing here. This allows rural communities to put up a sail.” The programs are meant to put rural electric cooperatives on equal footing with larger privately owned companies that have already put major funding into clean energy deployment. The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936. The money is meant not only to address the climate impacts of fossil fuel energy and reduce home energy costs, but to act as an economic engine for rural areas. Rural electric cooperatives are eligible for the New ERA program, and up to 25% of the funding in that program can be in the form of direct grants. Utilities can use the money to build renewable energy systems, zero-emission systems and carbon capture facilities. The USDA will begin to accept initial applications for funding on July 31. Applicants are expected to write more detailed proposals for funding after the USDA accepts their initial applications. The PACE program provides loans to renewable energy developers and electric service providers “to help finance large-scale solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower projects and energy storage in support of renewable energy systems,” the release said. The program is targeted to “vulnerable, disadvantaged, Tribal and energy communities,” the release said. It’s in line with a Biden administration goal to allocate at least 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal spending to disadvantaged communities. The USDA can forgive up to 40% of most of the loans in the program. Up to 60% of loans to applicants in some U.S. territories and tribal communities can be forgiven. Initial applications for that program will open June 30. National commission on the MMIP crisis meets in Arizona to hear testimony, recommendations BY: SHONDIIN SILVERSMITH - MAY 15, 2023 1:50 PM Five empty chairs sat at the front of the Not Invisible Act Commission hearing, each wrapped in a shawl, blanket or quilt representing a different group of individuals impacted by human trafficking or with a loved one who is missing or murdered. “We want to allow space for representing our relatives,” commission member Grace Bulltail said, noting the traditions in many Indigenous families to always preserve a space for absent loved ones. “We’re doing that to honor our loved ones,” Bulltail said, explaining that, by putting the chairs there, the commission hearing was holding space for them. The chair wrapped in a red shawl with white and yellow handprints honored the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The chair wrapped in a red, orange, bridge, and white Native design shawl with a black blazer draped over it was to honor the missing and murdered Indigenous men and boys. Another chair was wrapped in a light blue, white and purple quilt. Pinned to the quilt was a picture of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike, a Navajo girl who was abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. This chair honored Indigenous children. The chair wrapped in a maroon shawl with floral designs honored the LGBTQI and two-spirit Indigenous community. The chair wrapped in a brown Pendleton honored Indigenous veterans. The Not Invisible Act Commission, organized by the U.S. Department of the Interior, held a public hearing at the Twin Arrows Casino near Flagstaff to hear testimony and recommendations from victims and families impacted by human trafficking and the missing and murdered Indigenous peoples crisis. The commission also heard from local tribal leaders and advocates. The Not Invisible Act was passed into law in October 2020, establishing the commission as a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee of federal and non-federal members, including law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors. The meeting at Twin Arrows was the commission’s third public hearing. This summer, it has four more planned in Minnesota, northern California, New Mexico and Montana. The hearings are being held in communities impacted most by the MMIP crisis. Commissioners heard emotional testimony from Seraphine Warren and Pamela Foster as they shared their experiences of losing a loved one and advocated for change. Ms. Warren is the niece of Ella Mae Begay, a Navajo woman who went missing from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Nation on June 15, 2021. Warren continued to advocate for not only her aunt but all Indigenous people. Speaking through tears, she told her aunt’s story. “I know it wasn’t her legacy to be stolen or to be murdered,” Warren said. “Just because she isn’t here doesn’t mean she can’t be part of change.” Begay is still missing, but there have been developments in her case. In March, Preston Henry Tolth, 23, of New Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Phoenix for assault and carjacking. The indictment alleges that, on June 15, 2021, Tolth assaulted Begay, resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Tolth then took her Ford F-150 pickup truck and drove it from Arizona to New Mexico with the intent to cause death or serious bodily injury to Begay. Warren said during Tolth’s arraignment hearing on April 7 in Flagstaff that she heard details about the night her aunt went missing that she was not ready for. Warren, in tears, told the commission that Tolth told federal agents that he “snapped” and struck her in the face multiple times, causing her to bleed from the nose and mouth. Tolth told authorities that he wasn’t sure if she was dead, Warren said, and when he drove away, he said he regretted hitting her, since all he wanted was the truck. Tolth is being held in custody and is expected to go to trial later in May. Pamela Foster is the mother of Ashlynne Mike, the 11-year-old Navajo girl abducted and killed on the Navajo Nation in 2016. Foster has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts for Indigenous children and people since she lost her daughter. On the afternoon of May 2, 2016, Ashlynne Mike and her 9-year-old brother, Ian Mike, didn’t make it home from school. When they got off the school bus in Shiprock, New Mexico, on the Navajo Nation, a predator tricked them into getting into his van by promising them a ride home. Hours later, passersby found Ian Mike wandering alone in the area. Police located Ashlynne Mike’s body on May 3, 2016, and discovered she had been sexually assaulted, strangled, and bludgeoned repeatedly with a tire iron. She said, “I miss my daughter every single day. I became a voice for my daughter the moment I received word that her life was taken from her.” She talked about how the system failed when her children were missing in 2016. She said that May 1 to May 6 is a nightmare for her every year, because she relives what happened to her children. Foster talked about the hours from when her children disappeared to when they found her daughter’s body; she ran into countless obstacles that left her without support. “It was very hard to sit there and know that there were no resources available for my children,” Foster said. “I absolutely had nothing.” She said local law enforcement was not adequately trained to handle child abductions. There was no clear communication between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. Instead of searching for her children, Foster said they were trying to figure out exactly what protocols were needed to start looking. “Time was lost,” Foster said, and they did not send out an AMBER Alert until the following day. Foster recalled the alert went out at 2 a.m., and she said that helped no one because not many people were awake then. She remembers hearing officers from the neighboring jurisdictions tell her they couldn’t go out to look for her daughter until they were given the clearance to do so by the Navajo Nation Police Department. Foster said it frustrated her how long it took for that to happen. She said the anger and hurt about what happened to Ashlynne led her to be a voice for her daughter. “I promised her I would do something for all of our other Indigenous children. To give them the protection that they need so they don’t go through the same thing.” Foster has led many grassroots efforts to support Indigenous children, including advocating and petitioning for the AMBER Alert system to include Indian Country. Foster said she wanted to change, and she knew the justice system in Indian Country needed to be updated, so she focused her efforts on the AMBER Alert system. Her advocacy resulted in the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018, which makes tribes eligible for AMBER Alert grants to integrate into state and regional AMBER Alert communication plans. “I always say that I’ve never received justice for what happened to my daughter because nothing can bring her back,” Foster said. “There will never be justice, but we can learn how to move forward in changing laws to make things better for our people.” The goal of the hearing was for the federal commissioners to listen and hear recommendations on the best course of action for the MMIP crisis. Commissioners will use the suggestions to develop their final report for the Department of Interior. Foster’s big recommendation was not only geared at the commissioners, but other attendees of the hearing. She encouraged them to tell their tribal leaders to receive the AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act training. “It is free,” she said, adding that it is a vital program for Indigenous communities because it will train police officers and social workers from the tribe. Because tribes are sovereign nations, the Department of Justice has to receive a request in order to run the training on tribal land: “Have your tribal leaders request this training for your community because the children are our next generation,” Foster said. “There’s still a lot of tribes that need to be trained.” When Seraphine Warren was finished sharing her aunt’s story, she laid out her recommendations. “Transparency and swift action is key,” she said, “which means that when a person is missing, law enforcement should immediately inform all jurisdictions and issue press releases to media channels to inform the public.” “Family members need to be regularly and constantly updated with the progress of the investigation, and families should be prioritized if any remains are found in any jurisdiction.” Some of the other recommendations included allowing families to hire private investigators, providing them access to case files, supporting families in organizing their task force, providing families with constant and reliable access to grief counseling services, medical attention, financial and legal assistance, and safe housing for families of missing or murdered loved ones. ASSOCIATED PRESS: If you’re not first, you’re last. DENVER (AP) — Sitting in front of a hulking red tractor, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill Tuesday making Colorado the first state to ensure farmers can fix their own tractors and combines with a “right to repair” law — which compels manufacturers to provide the necessary manuals, tools, parts and software farmers would need. Colorado, home to high desert ranches and sweeping farms on the plains, took the lead on the issue following a nationwide outcry from farmers that manufacturers blocked them from making fixes and forced them to wait precious days or even weeks for an official servicer to arrive — delays that hurt profits. While farmers wait and their increasingly high-tech tractors or combines sit idle, a hailstorm could decimate an entire crop. Or, a farmer could miss the ideal planting window for their crops to grow. Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have introduced similar legislation, including in Florida, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Texas and Vermont. But Colorado has taken the lead. At the signing ceremony Tuesday afternoon, under a light drizzle of rain, Gov. Polis said: “This bill will save farmers and ranchers time and money and support the free market in repair” before exclaiming, “first in the nation!” Behind the governor and arrayed farmers and lawmakers sat a red Steiger 370 tractor owned by a farmer named Danny Wood. Wood’s tractor has flown an American flag reading “Farmers First,” and it has been one of two of his machines to break down, requiring long waits before servicers arrived to enter a few lines of computer code, or make a fix that Wood could have made himself. As the signing ceremony ended, Gov. Polis and Rep. Brianna Titone, who ran the bill in the state House, climbed inside the tractor for a photo as the ceremony ended. Great job, Rep. Titone! Huge win for this up-and-coming legislator. When I first saw her speak announcing her initial candidacy in 2017, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I didn’t expect a lot, and I didn’t particularly expect her to even win. And then, winning that seat was just the first of many instances where I’ve seen her demonstrate a level of depth, grit, and smarts that rival any of her peers. Great job Rep. Titone, you rock. CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: Violent Femmes - performing their self-titled album - Levitt Pavilion in Denver on Sunday May 21. The cult favorite folk punk band from Milwaukee is celebrating 40 years since the release of their first album in 1983. More info at vfemmes.com Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from Colorado Newsline, Arizona Mirror, Denver Post, Associated Press and Denver’s Westword. Thank you for listening! See you next time. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 Jan 2023 | Talkin' Politics | January 30, 2023 - George Santos Reaches New Levels of "Wait... what?"; The Autocratic People's Republic Of Missouri; Caucus Season In Congress; Trump Is Back On Facebook, Kind Of | 01:22:48 | |||||||||||||||||||||
This week on The Heartland POD Opening Statement: Indoctrination Nation Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE! “Change The Conversation” True or False: George Santos is a symptom not a cause
Yeah…No, Yeah
Buy or Sell
The Big One
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 Dec 2022 | The Delta, E39 - Abandoning Santa and Switching to Switches | 00:43:16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Can you abandon Santa to get rid of toxic screen time? Nicholas (former educator) and Kristina (Educational ASL Interpreter) unwrap the holidays with their three kids from disagreements about Santa, Puzzle-based Christmas Traditions, and a possible solution after a tough reckoning with too much unsupervised screen time. (Warning to Parents: This episode contains the Santa Spoiler.) @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08 Jul 2024 | July 8, 2024 | Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation, and 2024 | 01:27:22 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Quick touch on Immunity case and encouraging folks to listen to the episode Reminder: Chevron case is, in all reality, a bigger deal: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/06/chevron-doctrine-supreme-court-ruling
ONE WEEK AFTER DEBATE: BUY OR SELL: Barring major health issue this is the bottom for Biden? POLLING - slight change toward Trump after debate, no major crater https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/2024/national/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 Mar 2024 | Talkin' Politics, March 25, 2024: The GOP calls IVF “Morally Dubious” | 01:17:49 | |||||||||||||||||||||
TALKIN’ POLITICS Quick Hits
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Jun 2023 | Talkin' Politics June 26, 2023 | Abortion law suits in Missouri as the AG stalls; McCarthy wants to rewrite history; Immigration 8-1 SCOTUS decision; Russia heats up and how it could impact 2024 | 00:41:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” True or False Mo AG Andre Bailey is trying to win the game on one play and in the process has shown the GOPs desperation to avoid abortion in 2024 Why? Well, we got ourselves a primary that starts with P and that is already P and that stands for Pool! As usual, the MO independent is all over this, reporting is detailed and worth reading in full: https://twitter.com/rudikellermi/status/1672285185226752131?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA – Fits into the broader picture which is that the GOP has largely come to terms with the polling on abortion - Biden campmeanwhile has fashioned a spear Polling shows issue is WAY underwater for GOP ⅓ of gop voters disagree with Dobbs in NBC poll 60%+ of all polling shows disagreement Gallup article on abortion polling https://news.gallup.com/poll/507527/abortion-remains-potent-issue-pro-choice-voters.aspx Bailey uses his office to make the barrier to access as high as possible on the ballot initiative which, folks should recall, was a central theme for the Missouri, Ohio, and other GOP state houses this last cycle. Missouri republicans ultimately did not pass anything for this cycle, timing wise I don’t think they COULD pass anything in 2024 that would impact that particular measure since the laws are typically signed in mid-August any way. Yeah…No New McCarthyism - erased from existence https://twitter.com/mkraju/status/1672307905863856128?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Buy or Sell SCOTUS immigration ruling and 2024 NPR summary: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/23/1182015382/supreme-court-ruling-immigration The case concerned the Biden administration's attempt to set guidelines for whom immigration authorities can target for arrest and deportation. Texas and Louisiana sued to block the guidelines, arguing that they were preventing immigration authorities from doing their jobs. The Supreme Court held by a vote of 8-1 that the states lacked standing to challenge the guidelines in the first place.Writing for the majority, Justice Brett Kavanaugh described the legal challenge before the court as "an extraordinarily unusual lawsuit." GOP voters in every state think immigration is a major issue https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/23/politics/biden-supreme-court-immigration-republican-lawsuit In MO Parson proposed an immigration “strike force” in 2022 If you go to Josh Hawley’s website - which I’m not necessarily recommending - he has 10 separate news items on him doing something from introducing legislation to just basically talking about immigration, 10 times in the last 2 years of media coverage posted there Big one Russia… at least in terms of 2024 Politics
So, Wagner is like the Golden Company - it’s a private force but he’s a Russian General - and he runs this massive force whose makeup includes convicts - and they think that OTHER generals basically sold them out and left them to die on purpose, so they turned around and went into Russia. Moscow set up defensive positions immediately. Within 24 hours Lukashenko, another Russian general/oligarch is negotiating on behalf of the Putin regime, with Prigozhin the Wagner leader. The Wagner group turned around, and left the southern command city. And now we all get to speculate about the deals or threats or assurances that have left Putin in power and the Wagner group headed back. Richard Angle - NBC chief international correspondent is a super smart fella Good thread: https://twitter.com/gerashchenko_en/status/1672719234739126273?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA NBC reporting https://www.kmbc.com/article/russian-mercenary-leaders-exile-ends-revolt/44331322 ABC Fox story late Sat night Crazy video: https://twitter.com/igorsushko/status/1672422900635435009?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Shout out Brandon Boyd https://twitter.com/brandoninstl/status/1672426480075255809?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Richard Angle - NBC chief international correspondent is a super smart fella @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 Jun 2024 | Kansas passes huge incentive bill to lure KC Chiefs and Royals, Illinois families look forward to new Child Tax Credit, Trump thinks must-win Milwaukee is horrible and more | 00:11:59 | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Heartland POD, Friday June 21, 2024
We’re glad to have you with us. If you’re new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5-star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at https://theheartlandcollective.com Lots to do, so let’s go! Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, RoyalsBY: ALLISON KITE - JUNE 18, 2024 3:26 PM
 Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium in April. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images). TOPEKA — The Kansas City Royals and Chiefs could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to move from Missouri and build new stadiums across the state line under legislation passed Tuesday by Kansas lawmakers. The House voted 84-38 and the Senate voted 27-8 to approve legislation that would expand a state incentive program in an attempt to lure one or both teams from Kansas City. The bill now heads to Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, who said in a statement following the Senate vote that the effort to bring the teams to Kansas “shows we’re all-in on keeping our beloved teams in the Kansas City metro.” “Kansas now has the opportunity to become a professional sports powerhouse with the Chiefs and Royals potentially joining Sporting KC as major league attractions, all with robust, revenue-generating entertainment districts surrounding them providing new jobs, new visitors and new revenues that boost the Kansas economy,” Kelly said. Neither team has promised to move to Kansas, though both actively lobbied for the legislation’s passage. The Chiefs said in a statement that the team appreciated Kansas leaders reaching out for input on the legislation. “We look forward to exploring the options this legislation may provide,” the statement said. The Royals said the team was grateful to the legislature for its vote. “The Kansas City Royals look forward to additional conversations as we evaluate where we will play baseball in the future,” the team said. “We will always prioritize the best interests of our fans, associates and taxpayers in this process.” State Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell, said during debate in the House that Missouri had a history of losing professional sports teams and implored fellow House members to pass the legislation. “I ask you today, do you really want to put that type of an economic generation in the hands of the state of Missouri?” Tarwater said just before the vote.  Rep. Sean Tarwater speaks on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives in favor of expanding economic incentives in an attempt to bring the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals to Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) Passage of the bill represents a monumental step in Kansas lawmakers’ attempts to court the teams. Both teams have signaled a willingness to move from their current stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Missouri. While neither team has announced a proposed site for a Kansas stadium, legislators speculated it could land in Wyandotte County near the Sporting KC soccer stadium, NASCAR track and outlet shops. “We have the history of building amazing projects that have brought in retail commerce, restaurants, hotels and have improved an area that was largely just a field and turned it into a tax-generating machine for our state,” said Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican. The legislation, he said, would put Kansas in a “very good position to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals in the Kansas City metro area.” The bill, which was not voted on by any legislative committee, would expand the state’s Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond program, which is meant to help finance tourism and entertainment districts to help pay for a professional football or baseball stadium of at least $1 billion. A developer building a stadium under the program would be eligible to finance up to 70% of the project cost by issuing bonds and repaying them with the increased sales tax collections from the stadium site. The expansion would have initially allowed up to 75% of project costs but was tweaked before introduction. Debt on a stadium constructed under the expansion wouldn’t have to be repaid for 30 years instead of the normal 20. The project could also receive a boost from liquor taxes generated in the STAR Bond district and revenues from a fund Kansas created when it legalized sports betting. During House debate, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican, argued subsidized stadiums never generate the economic activity that they promise. He was alarmed by what he called “minimal transparency” in the deal-making process laid out in the legislation. The bill says any agreement between the state and a team would be confidential until after it has been executed. Waggoner called the legislation “bad public policy.” “This is not your mother’s STAR Bonds,” Waggoner said. “This is a jacked up super-sized version of STAR Bonds.”  Patrick Mahomes throws pass against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022. Kansas lawmakers could offer the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals millions of dollars in tax incentives to move from Missouri to Kansas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images). The bill limits the eligibility to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams currently near Kansas. The financing mechanism could be used for both stadiums and training facilities. Both teams have pressed lawmakers in recent weeks to pass the bill with representatives from the Royals hosting dinner for Democratic lawmakers at a steakhouse Monday night and the Chiefs throwing a lunchtime block party Tuesday steps from the Capitol. Earlier this month, a nonprofit called Scoop and Score Inc. launched to advocate for a Kansas stadium deal. The organization, which does not have to disclose its donors, hired 30 lobbyists to advocate for the STAR Bond expansion legislation. In a statement, former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a lobbyist for Scoop and Score and the Chiefs, said the Legislature “stepped up in a big way, paving the path to make sure the Chiefs stay right where they belong — in Kansas City with their loyal fans.” “The votes show overwhelming bipartisan support because Kansas lawmakers know what the Chiefs mean to us and how big of an economic opportunity this is for Kansas,” Ryckman said. Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignationAfter 3 ½ years as ILGOP chair, Don Tracy cites intraparty fighting as reason for quittingBy HANNAH MEISEL Halfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party. Tracy, who’d held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in a two-page letter that cited intraparty “power struggles.” He also said he is concerned about the direction the party is taking under the current membership of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee – a 17-person body that steers the ILGOP, with one member elected from each congressional district. “In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intra party elections,” Tracy wrote. “Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.” Tracy was narrowly elected Illinois Republican Party chair in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by those who sought to stop certification of the election for its winner, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump. Even as Republicans publicly reckoned with the events of Jan. 6, hardline conservatives on the state central committee were pushing for a more ardent supporter of Trump and his politics than the previous chair, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Bruce Rauner. Instead, the party got Tracy, another Rauner ally who served as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board during the one-term governor’s administration. Tracy had unsuccessfully run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and in 2002, he lost a bid for a state Senate seat – but as a Democrat. Tracy’s electoral history, as well as his experience as an attorney and co-owner of his family’s food distribution business, fit the mold of previous ILGOP chairs in a state where fiscally conservative and socially moderate suburban Republicans for decades were a political powerhouse. But as Republican politics have changed both nationally and in Illinois, Tracy’s run as party chair proved tumultuous. Additionally, Tracy wrote that he was “concerned about the current infatuation” of some state central committee members “with certain individuals they call ‘grass roots’ leaders.” One such self-proclaimed grassroots Republican, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, celebrated Tracy’s resignation on social media Wednesday, calling it a “cleansing” of the state GOP. “Fake republicans got us into this mess,” wrote Bailey, who earlier this year lost a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022. “Real Republicans standing firm will get us out!!!” Read more: Dems seek unity as new, former chair take no questions from media after party vote Democrats panned the state GOP as “defined by a litany of electoral disasters, constant infighting, meager fundraising, and a strict adherence to a losing set of anti-choice, anti-worker, pro-Trump policies.” “While we don’t expect new leadership to change any of that, we do wish the best of luck to the inevitable MAGA extremist who will succeed Don Tracy as Chair,” the party said. Tracy’s letter indicated he would resign upon the election of a successor, “preferably no later than” July 19 – the day after the RNC is scheduled to conclude.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association. Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it? (Capitol News Illinois illustration by Andrew Adams) Thursday, June 13, 2024 $50M tax credit program will provide up to roughly $300 for low-income familiesBy ANDREW ADAMS In the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although it has exceptions, that credit is generally available to married couples earning up to about $60,000 and single people earning up to about $50,000, depending on the number of children they have. For taxes on 2024 income, the tax credit will cap at just over $300 for tax filers with three or more children who meet certain income requirements. Taxpayers with two children face a cap of about $270 and taxpayers with one child face a cap of about $170. The child tax credit equates to 20 percent of the state’s EITC, which allows Illinois taxpayers a credit equal to 20 percent of the federal EITC. Starting in tax year 2025, the state’s child tax credit will double to 40 percent of the state EITC, meaning that it will max out at a bit over $600 for families with three children. Because the federal tax credit that determines its size is tied to inflation, the actual size of future years’ child tax credits is yet to be determined. In its first year, the program is expected to cost the state $50 million, with a cost of about $100 million in subsequent years. The idea of a permanent child tax credit in Illinois has been floated for several years, with various proposals being put forward by legislators in the General Assembly as well as advocacy groups and think tanks. Gov. JB Pritzker pitched a child tax credit in his proposed budget earlier this year that was smaller than the version that passed in the final budget. It would have applied to children under three years old and cost about $12 million. Proponents of the idea say that in addition to helping low-income families, programs like this help local economies. “Every dollar we invest in the child tax credit is immediately spent locally,” Erion Malasi, the policy director for Economic Security for Illinois, told Capitol News Illinois. Researchers at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a labor movement-affiliated think tank, found in a January report that child tax credits have a higher economic impact than cuts to corporate income taxes or to capital gains taxes. That report also cited several research teams that found the temporary expansion to the federal child tax credit between 2021 and 2023 reduced child poverty in the U.S. by between 25 and 36 percent. That credit provided an additional $1,000 per child on top of an existing $2,000 credit, with increases for younger children. State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation that would have created a $300 million child tax credit program that was more expansive than the version that passed. Aquino told Capitol News Illinois he will be watching the rollout of the child tax credit to see if there is room for an “expansion” in future budget years or if there is a route for the credit to be automatically applied for qualifying taxpayers. The Illinois Department of Revenue is working on guidance for next year's filing season and will provide information about how to claim the child tax credit on its website. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association. Kansas’ Davids lauds court decision on abortion pill; Marshall critiques Democrats’ IVF billBY: TIM CARPENTER - JUNE 13, 2024 4:56 PM
 U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, applauded a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to turn aside a lawsuit seeking to direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to significantly limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of an attempt to undermine the federal Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of a widely available abortion medication wouldn’t be the final act by opponents of reproductive rights. On Thursday, the Supreme Court said the plaintiffs, comprised of anti-abortion physicians and organizations, didn’t have standing to pursue the lawsuit against the FDA aimed at curtailing access to the drug mifepristone. It’s possible other plaintiffs capable of showing they were harmed by availability of the pill could challenge FDA approval of the drug. It is used in approximately half of all abortions in the United States. “I will always stand with Kansans who overwhelmingly rejected extremist attempts to limit reproductive health care access,” said Davids, the 3rd District Democrat. “Yet, for the second year in a row, a vital and safe reproductive health care medication was under attack, threatening to strip Kansans’ ability to freely make health care decisions that are best for their families and futures.” Davids said the Supreme Court opinion was “a victory for our freedoms,” but the legal fight regarding abortion access was far from over. She vowed to continue opposing attempts to “interfere in our most private health care decisions.” U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, signed an amicus brief urging federal courts to rule the FDA overstepped its authority years ago in regard to use of mifepristone. U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, signed a brief that argued the Supreme Court should reverse the FDA. These Kansas lawmakers said the FDA’s action to deregulate “chemical abortion drugs” subverted Congress’ public policy interests and patient welfare. Mifepristone, which is authorized for up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, was part of two-drug regimen that included misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical. Meanwhile, both U.S. senators from Kansas, Republicans Jerry Moran and Marshall, voted Thursday to block legislation offered by Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois that would affirm the right of women attempting to become pregnant to seek fertility treatments that included in vitro fertilization or IVF. The Senate vote on that measure was 48-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure. On Wednesday, Marshall said the Duckworth bill contained “poison pills” that violated the religious freedom of physicians and would unnecessarily broaden access to reproductive technology. He praised a piece of IVF legislation sponsored by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. Marshall, a physician who delivered babies for 30 years in Kansas said, “The country needs to know that Republicans believe in IVF. I happen to believe IVF is a gift from God.” Sean: Unfortunately for Senator Marshall, he doesn’t speak for all Republicans, many of whom are far out of the mainstream on whether they believe families should be able to access IVF. And today in unforced errors… Trump tells House Republicans Milwaukee is a ‘horrible city’BY: HENRY REDMAN - JUNE 13, 2024 10:51 AM
 Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Wednesday, May 1, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson | Getty Images) In a closed door meeting with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump reportedly called Milwaukee, the location of this summer’s Republican National Convention, a “horrible city.” Trump’s comments were reported by Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman. “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” Trump is reported to have said on Thursday. The former president visited Wisconsin in May, holding a rally in Waukesha. During that visit, he talked about the RNC coming to Milwaukee, making fun of Democrats — who planned to hold the 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city but canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic — for not showing up to the city. Wisconsin’s House Republicans responded to the report with varying stories about what happened. Rep. Glenn Grothman told reporters Trump was talking about “election integrity” in large urban centers, Rep. Derrick Van Orden said the report was a lie and that Trump was talking about the city’s crime rate and Rep. Bryan Steil denied that Trump made the comment at all. In response to the comment, Democrats said if Trump doesn’t like Milwaukee, he doesn’t need to come. “If Donald Trump hates Milwaukee so much, we have one message for him: don’t come, we won’t miss you — your campaign is barely here in the first place,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement. “In November, Wisconsinites will show Trump how the dislike is mutual and will reject him again once and for all.” Other Democrats touted Milwaukee’s beer, food and sports teams while connecting the comments to regular Republican attacks against Wisconsin’s largest and most diverse city. “Donald Trump attacking the great city of Milwaukee as a ‘horrible city’ exactly one month before he shuffles out on stage at the Fiserv reflects the backward, twisted man Donald Trump has always been,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Vice Chair Felesia Martin said. “With entertainment, recreation and a quality of life that is unparalleled — to say nothing of a great basketball team — I am blessed to call Milwaukee home. We’re used to Republican politicians like Donald Trump showing nothing but contempt for Milwaukee and the folks who live here: they know our power, and they’re afraid of the city we are building here, together. Once again, Trump has demonstrated why he should not be elected to the highest office in the land. He does not possess the discipline, respect, thoughtfulness, nor the maturity necessary to lead our country.” Trump is expected to visit southeastern Wisconsin again next week, for a planned rally in Racine on Tuesday. Because he knows if he wants to be president again, he has to win there. Wild. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Jan 2024 | Friday News Flyover - Jan 26 2024 - Missouri GOP in-fighting could lead to duels - AZ GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake leaks a tape and much more | 00:33:22 | |||||||||||||||||||||
A flyover from this week's top heartland stories including: Missouri GOP in-fighting in full swing | In Iowa there’s something in the water… poop | Missouri Medicaid enrollees trapped in a nightmare | Kari Lake leaks a tape | CO House ditches Minority Leader Mike Lynch | Iowa anthem antics | Ted Cruz’s Democratic challenger in Texas | Missouri Senator Nick Schroer is a joke SOURCES: The Heartland Collective, Colorado News Line, Missouri Independent, New York Times, Iowa Capitol Dispatch
Weekend plans? Welp that’s it for this week. Stories in today’s show can be accessed at the Heartland Collective, Colorado Newsline, Missouri Independent, New York Times, Iowa Capitol Dispatch @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Jan 2023 | Let's Have A Chat | Mica Soellner of The Washington Times, In The Room Where It Happened | 00:21:45 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Post) “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 Nov 2023 | Bleeding Heartland: Laura Belin's Community Blog About Iowa Politics | 00:49:28 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Belin found her love of politics growing up with parents and siblings who discussed current events at the dinner table. She has followed Iowa elections closely since the 1980 caucuses, when she took on the role of liberal Republican candidate John Anderson for a classroom debate. She first participated in an Iowa Democratic caucus as a Paul Simon supporter in 1988. She found her love of writing about politics as an analyst for the Prague-based Open Media Research Institute and later for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She covered Russian campaigns and elections, parliamentary politics, and media issues full time from 1995 to 1998 and on a freelance basis for RFE/RL from 1999 to 2005, spanning most of Boris Yeltsin’s presidency and the early Vladimir Putin years. As Bleeding Heartland’s lead author, Belin continued to use the handle desmoinesdem through 2018 and now writes about Iowa politics under her own byline. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 Apr 2023 | The Flyover View, April 21, 2023 | Heartland Politics, News, and Views | 00:19:16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the Heartland HEADLINES
LIGHTNING ROUND Montana,
Louisiana,
Missouri,
Kansas,
Oklahoma,
And lastly in Florida,
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Aug 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | Erik Richardson For Congress, 2024 Starts Now | 00:43:27 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Jess Piper @Piper4Missouri Guest: Erik Richardson -- @Richardson_MO6 on Twitter (X) Gloria On Twitter: https://twitter.com/VoteGloriaJ Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Jan 2023 | Let's Have A Chat | Stephen Weber (D - MO) An Eagle Scout, A Marine, A Lawyer, and a former State Rep., Running For MO State Senate in Boone Co. 19th District | 00:32:59 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Host: Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post) Guest: Stephen Weber @s_weber (Twitter) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE! “Change The Conversation”
Articles on Weber's launch https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/stephen-webber-launches-campaign-for-missouri-senate-seat-in-boone-county/ https://www.kbia.org/2023-01-09/stephen-webber-announces-2024-bid-to-flip-missouri-senate-seat Older article: https://www.columbiamissourian.com/como_you_know/como-you-know-stephen-webber/article_daf6971e-b0b8-525a-aefd-63b190b7cb0c.html @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 03 May 2023 | High Country Politics - Government, Elections and News from the American West - May 3, 2023 | 00:15:52 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signs FOUR gun control bills into law | Colorado lawmakers stand with Zooey Zephyr of Montana | Anti-hate groups worry domestic extremists will be training Arizona police under new rule | A chance to see her bee business take off | Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Red Rocks and on HBO Max documentary Song plays Intro by host Welcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday. Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation. Alright! Let’s get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: GOVERNMENT The Governor, surrounded by gun-control advocates at a bill signing ceremony said, “Coloradans deserve to be safe in our communities, in our schools, our grocery stores, nightclubs and everywhere in between,” The new laws raise the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, impose a three-day waiting period for gun purchases, expand the state’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law and make it easier for gun violence survivors to sue the gun industry. Under Senate Bill 23-170, district attorneys, educators, mental health professionals and other medical providers will be able to petition a judge to confiscate guns from a potentially dangerous person. Previously, only law enforcement and family members had that power under the state’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law, also known as the red flag law, which was created in 2019. The expansion aims to increase utilization of the process and extend the petition authority to people who interact with an at-risk person regularly. It is a recognition that some law enforcement officials have been reluctant to use the red flag law when potentially appropriate due to concerns over the Second Amendment. Senate Bill 23-169 raises the age to purchase any gun to 21 years old. Previously, the age restriction was 18 to buy a long gun and 21 to buy a handgun. There are exceptions for members of law enforcement and the military. House Bill 23-1219 imposes a three-day waiting period for people to get a gun after they pay for it. Bill sponsors said that the delayed access to firearms will provide a cooling-off period for people in crisis who might harm themselves or others. Cities will be able to establish longer waiting periods if they choose. If the purchaser’s background check takes longer than three days — which it rarely does — they would still need to wait until the background check clears to get their gun. Finally, Senate Bill 23-168 removes a state protection for gun and ammunition dealers and manufactures against lawsuits. Previously, plaintiffs had to pay the legal fees for defendants in dismissed cases involving gun sellers. That is no longer the case. The law makes the gun industry susceptible to lawsuits under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. bill sponsor Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, said, “We finally, after 23 years of waiting, can open up Colorado courtrooms to gun violence victims and survivors seeking justice,” Less than an hour after the bill signing, Rocky Mountain Gun Owners leader Taylor Rhodes announced on Twitter that the group had already filed lawsuits challenging the minimum age requirement and waiting period laws. He said they are seeking plaintiffs who could establish standing against the other two new laws. Lawmakers are also considering a bill that would outlaw unserialized firearms, also known as ghost guns. Another firearm bill that would have banned semi-automatic weapons in the state died in its first committee hearing last week. The Legislature adjourns on May 8. COLORADO NEWSLINE: Colorado lawmakers stand with Zooey Zephyr Democratic state Rep. Brianna Titone of Arvada led over 75 Colorado elected officials - including two Republicans - in sending a letter to Montana lawmakers condemning the removal of Rep. Zooey Zephyr and calling for her to be allowed back in the Montana House chamber. In the letter, Rep. Titone said the removal was an attempt to erase trans people amid growing violence against them and an increase in anti-trans laws being passed in state legislatures. Titone said “As elected officials, it is our responsibility to act with integrity and defend our democracy, and we are deeply concerned with erosion of democratic norms we see proliferating in statehouses across the country. Regardless of your personal stance on these issues, she is still a colleague and a duly elected and sworn representative of the people of Montana. Her voice is no less important than yours.” The letter was joined by two Republican lawmakers, state Reps. Ron Weinberg of Loveland and Rick Taggart of Grand Junction. On Tuesday, Montana House Republicans posted a notice announcing they would take up disciplinary measures against Zephyr, Montana’s first openly transgender representative, after she said that legislators who voted for a bill that bans gender-affirming care for minors would have blood on their hands, in reference to suicide rates among trans youth. The Montana House voted along party lines Wednesday to bar Zephyr from entering the House floor or gallery for the remainder of the legislative session, only allowing her to participate in votes via Zoom. Rep. Titone made history in 2018 when she was elected the first openly transgender state legislator in Colorado. As chair of the Colorado Legislative LGBTQ caucus, she’s worked alongside members of the House and Senate to expand and protect LGBTQ rights in the state. In the letter, Titone applauded Zephyr for her efforts in the Montana Legislature, saying that she has “placed a spotlight of truth on the very real damage anti-trans legislation could have on Montanans who are already struggling with discrimination and growing fear of physical harm.” The Montana state legislative session ends on May 10, and Zephyr is unlikely to be reinstated before the end of the session. Aside from state Rep. Brianna Titone, here are the elected officials from Colorado who signed Titone’s letter to the Members of the Montana House of Representatives: Statewide officials:
Colorado state senators and representatives:
Local government:
ARIZONA MIRROR: Anti-hate groups worry about Arizona law enforcement training BY: ISAAC STONE SIMONELLI/AZCIR - MONDAY MAY 1, 2023 11:32 AM Warnings issued by high-profile civil rights and advocacy groups to Arizona’s governor and attorney general failed to stop a rule change that effectively lowers the bar for extremist organizations attempting to radicalize law enforcement officers through government-funded training. Letters sent in March by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center warned the rule creates a loophole that could be exploited by domestic extremist groups. The contentious rule change, as first reported by AZCIR in 2022, shifted the responsibility of continuing education training oversight from the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to local law enforcement heads. In their letters, the groups cited an increase in extremist and conspiratorial rhetoric espoused by Arizona public officials, specifically, publicly elected sheriffs. “We are deeply concerned by the possibility that this amended rule will open the door for Arizona peace officers to receive training from adherents of the ‘constitutional sheriffs’ movement and other actors who urge local law enforcement to assume authorities beyond those allowed by law,” wrote Mary McCord, the executive director of Georgetown University Law Center’s ICAP, a nonpartisan institute focused on constitutional rights and protecting democratic processes. McCord warned that such taxpayer-funded trainings “would place residents at risk of improper activity by county peace officers” and pose a particular threat to brown and Black communities, “who are at the greatest risk of harm from abuses by law enforcement.” The letters cited previous reporting about so-called “constitutional sheriff” groups, which include the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. The group is part of a national movement built on the idea that a local sheriff’s power supersedes that of higher government entities including the U.S. president and the U.S. Supreme Court, and that sheriffs have a duty to nullify laws they interpret as unconstitutional. The civil rights and advocacy organizations highlighted numerous connections between the CSPOA and a variety of hate groups, with the NAACP denouncing some CSPOA members as “prominent antisemites, QAnon conspiracists, white nationalists and neo-confederates.” Sarah Kader, community manager for ADL Arizona, a state-level branch of a national organization that combats hate groups in the U.S., wrote “If the revised rule goes into effect, we fear that domestic extremists, based on their previous actions, will rush to take advantage of the opportunity,” Rachel Goldwasser, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center, warned that the rule change could be used as a blueprint for creating workarounds allowing extremist organizations to train law enforcement in other states. Neither the governor, Democrat Katie Hobbs nor the attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes, directly addressed concerns about neo-confederates and other domestic extremists running law enforcement trainings. ADL confirmed it did not receive a response from Gov. Hobbs’ office until after the rule change took effect, though a spokesperson indicated the group had “every reason to believe that the Governor’s office understands the concerns we have raised in our letters and is taking them seriously.” In their letters, ADL, SPLC and the NAACP all expressed concerns that more than half of Arizona sheriffs are at least partially aligned with the constitutional sheriff movement—connections AZCIR highlighted in its 2022 reporting. Rachel Goldwasser of SPLC said “Arizona has a large extremist presence in the Legislature, sheriffs’ offices and among the public, unfortunately. They’ll exploit any opportunity for these extremists to spread their ideology.” Three of the four letters also issued a warning about Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who has known ties to CSPOA and is the frontman for Protect America Now, another so-called “constitutional sheriff” organization. Lamb, who announced a bid for the U.S. Senate in April, has developed a national presence by appearing on a slew of fringe right-wing news networks and podcasts, including those espousing QAnon conspiracies. Lamb did not respond to a request for comment. Sarah Kader of ADL said “In recent years, extreme ideologies have been mainstreamed and normalized at an alarming pace. This is due in large part to the growing number of elected officials and other high-profile individuals who traffic in conspiracies and hate.” This article first appeared on Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. DENVER WESTWORD: How Hard Can it Bee? Zzzzzz CATIE CHESHIRE APRIL 25, 2023 6:53AM In countries like Germany and Slovenia, inhaling the aerosol created by bees in an apiary, or collection of beehives, is an authorized treatment for respiratory diseases. But in the United States, there are only three places that offer the experience: one in Georgia, one in Michigan, and Capella Ranch in Lafayette Colorado, which just opened for its second season. Carolyn Peterson, who owns the ranch with her family said “I'm going to be out here all summer, talking to people and enjoying them and hearing their stories. They're going to come stressed out, and then they're going to leave relaxed.” Capella Ranch currently has sheep, Nigerian dwarf goats, Nubian goats, ducks, chickens, a few turkeys and, of course, bees, the first of which arrived in 2018. To create their bee therapy Shangri-la, the Petersons started by building two cedar huts shaped like irregular pentagons. The cedar contributes to the aroma in the huts, although its durability in the Colorado weather is its chief asset here. The slanted roof of the hut concentrates the aerosol so people can breathe it in while they're lying flat. “Everyone comes out with a different experience,” Carolyn says. “They get in there. They lie down. They take in the whole thing, and then they just sort of concentrate on the humming of the bees.” When bees make honey, there’s a lot of water in it at first, so the insects work to reduce the moisture content by flapping their wings. As it evaporates, the moisture is carried into the air to form an aerosol that people find therapeutic. The bees also create an electromagnetic field with their vibration, which is at a frequency that’s calming to the human parasympathetic nervous system - a network of nerves that helps relax the body. Some people can feel the field, but most notice the smell first. Underneath the scent of cedar, there is the aromatic tang of the bees at work. Almost like the smell of a newborn baby, but with an extra oomph. “That is all the pollen, nectars, amino acids and essential oils that the bees are bringing in to make the honey,” Carolyn says. “It's just kind of an odd smell, and it’s supposed to be very good to breathe in.” In Slovenia, the bee experience has been used to calm firefighters after hard jobs, children who have behavioral problems at school, and parents of those children, who might need some relaxation as well. The Petersons note that they aren’t medical professionals, so they don’t consider their huts medicinal. “If it happens to help, great,” Carolyn says. “It's relaxing. It's thirty minutes of nobody bugging you.” One person who says the bee huts have helped is Marsha Ruggeri, who lives in Lafayette. She went to Capella Ranch four times during its inaugural season. She first came with a friend who'd bought a deal on Groupon. After struggling with heightened asthma symptoms the past two years — which she attributes to wildfires and air pollution — Ruggeri was excited to learn of a potential way to alleviate her symptoms. And, it worked! “I'm not saying it was a panacea,” she says. “It felt like I was actually doing something that wasn't an inhaler or medication and I was regaining some control over how my body was reacting to all this shit in the air.” On Ruggeri's third visit, she experienced the electromagnetic field produced by the bees. “I was laying on my side, and then all of a sudden, I could feel it,” she says. “It really deserves more than one treatment. It's kind of like people who go for acupuncture, and they're like, ‘Well, it didn't do anything for me.’ You really need to try it more than once.” Along with the eight hives in the huts, there are six to eight more near a special pond on the ranch where the bees drink. Last summer, over a hundred people came to Capella Ranch to check out the bees; a TikTok Charlie made announcing that the huts were open has gained about 20,000 views. One of those visitors, a reiki and yoga teacher from Fort Collins named Yarmey, found Capella Ranch on Instagram. “I'm really interested in energy and grounding and our connection to nature,” she says. Reiki is a practice of directing energy to help facilitate healing. After her first visit, Yarmey came back a second time, when she says she was really able to share a meditative space with the bees, reveling in their presence in a way that humans rarely get to do with other species. “When else in your life do you get to share space with a million other beings who all are very clear about their purpose and their path and what they need to be doing? Everything felt a little slower, more grounded.” The huts are now open for a second season; anyone is welcome except those allergic to bee or wasp stings. A thirty-minute session is $35; an hour runs $60. DENVER POST: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, with Angel Olsen - this Thursday and Friday night at Red Rocks. By JOHN WENZEL | jwenzel@denverpost.com | The Denver Post April 28, 2023 at 6:00 a.m. Jason Isbell’s voice can be a strapping, mournful thing, muscular and dripping with vulnerability as he chronicles his life in song. And on this day, it’s still waking up. “This time of year I drink my black coffee cold so I can get it down quicker,” the 44-year-old singer-songwriter said over the phone from his Nashville porch on Monday. “I’ve spent so many years working late at night that it makes it hard for me to get on with normal life. It’s tough, you know? But I think it’s tough no matter how you do it.” Isbell’s family and acclaimed music career test his resolve while giving him motivation to stay sober and productive. He has won a quartet of Grammy Awards since 2018 — about a decade after getting kicked out of his former alt-country band, Drive-By Truckers, for drinking and drugs In the HBO Max documentary “Music Box: Jason Isbell — Running with Our Eyes Closed,” which was released on April 7, we’re afforded a close-up on his life as he records the album “Reunions” with his band, the 400 Unit. His intimate musical and romantic partnership with wife Amanda Shires (who is an acclaimed solo artist herself), his love of his daughter Mercy Rose, his past divorce, and the shock of the pandemic are all there in vivid cross-section. “If you’re a recording artist or entertainer with any kind of success, you don’t want to spend too much time looking back,” said Isbell, who was born in Green Hill, Ala., to a 17-year-old mother. “It’s a self-centered way of living. But one thing I was surprised by watching the (documentary) is that I’d forgotten how hard those old days were, growing up where I did and having addiction issues. It was nice to see but painful to watch, that all of this was real and really happened to me, even if it’s long in the rearview.” Isbell will headline Red Rocks Amphitheatre May 3 and 4 with the 400 Unit, on tour for their new album “Weathervanes,” to be released June 9. The lead single “Death Wish” has already been covered by Jack White and featured on “American Idol.” Isbell’s melodies channel Americana, folk, country, and rock and roll. His lyrics are cutting, urgent, and full of visceral metaphors. On “Death Wish,” he sings: “I wanted action, she wanted answers / Sunrise with the dealers and the dancers / It takes a whole lot of medicine to feel like a little kid.” Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit With Angel Olsen, Two shows, May 3 and 4, at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Tickets at axs.com, and I think Adam may have an extra still, too. Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from Colorado Newsline, Arizona Mirror, Denver Post, and Denver’s Westword. Thank you for listening! See you next time. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08 Mar 2023 | High Country Politics - March 8, 2023 - Government and Elections News from Colorado, Arizona and the West | 00:12:21 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Arizona AG Kris Mayes refocuses Election Integrity Unit on protecting election officials and voting rights | CO Gov. Jared Polis and Democrats introduce bills to lower healthcare costs | Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples commission sets field hearings for AZ, CA, MT, NM | Department of Defense provides process for service members to obtain abortions when stationed in states where abortion is banned | Ani DiFranco does a western swing with shows in CO, MT, and ID. Song plays Intro by host Welcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday. Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation. Alright! Let’s get into it: ARIZONA MIRROR: ARIZONA AG INVESTIGATES FAKE ELECTORS Kris Mayes is investigating Trump’s ‘fake electors,’ focusing on threats to election workers BY: JEROD MACDONALD-EVOY - MARCH 3, 2023 7:12 AM While her predecessor used a dedicated election crimes division to investigate hundreds of bogus election fraud claims, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes says she will redirect the unit’s focus to prosecute election-related threats and protect voting rights. “We are almost at a crisis situation in our state, in the sense that we now have a third of our counties experiencing the resignation of high-level election officialS due to death threats and harassment. That is unacceptable,” Former AG Mark Brnovich, the Republican who Mayes replaced this year, persuaded the state legislature to create the Election Integrity Unit so his office could have a dedicated team to investigate election fraud claims. But Brnovich buried what was arguably its most important work, a 10,000-hour investigation debunking hundreds of fraud claims related to the 2020 election. AG Mayes released the results of that investigation earlier this month. And the Election Integrity Unit is also investigating a much larger effort to undermine the will of the voters — The Trump / Eastman / Perry plot to send fraudulent slates of electors for former President Donald Trump to Congress on Jan. 6 - using the state’s seal. While she was secretary of state, Gov. Katie Hobbs requested Brnovich investigate the criminal use of the state seal on false documents, but Brnovich did nothing. There were actually multiple “fake elector” schemes in Arizona. One was tied to the Arizona Republican Party and allegedly done at the request of the Trump campaign. It involved officials including former AZ GOP chairwoman Kelli Ward, state Sen. Jake Hoffman, state Sen. Anthony Kern and Turning Points USA CEO Tyler Bowyer. That fake electors scheme is also the subject of a federal investigation. Another group, the Sovereign Citizens of the Great State of Arizona, also created an alternate slate of electors for Trump, independent of the former President’s desperate and nihilistic attempts to steal the 2020 election for himself. Since the 2020 election, threats to election officials nationwide have been increasing. Arizona has been at the forefront of those threats, with the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice getting involved in multiple cases. Most recently, veteran Cochise County Election Director Lisa Marra resigned. In her departure letter, she described a workplace that was hostile due to a monthslong saga in which Marra stood up to election conspiracists’ insane demands and threats. Last year, the director of elections in Yavapai County resigned due to more than 18 months of threats she received. GOP-dominated Yavapai County has been a hotbed of hostile activity, with the white supremacist Oath Keepers intimidating voters before federal law enforcement got involved. AG Mayes said the images of armed men watching drop boxes “disturbed” her and set her on a path to begin speaking to police and sheriff’s departments across the state. Making sure voters feel safe and secure when using a drop box will be a major priority, Mayes said, and if that means making sure that agents with the Attorney General’s Office are present alongside law enforcement, then that might be the case. Currently, Mayes has 60 agents working directly with her in the office. Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies had to be dispatched in riot gear to deal with angry and armed crowds of butt-hurt snowflake losers (my term) during the 2020 election, when they descended upon the Maricopa County tabulation center. Deputies have had to dedicate security to election officials who faced threats as well. During the midterms, Maricopa County spent approximately $675,000 on security for the elections, a number the Sheriff expects to be “substantially” higher for the next election as he and his deputies are already preparing for the next wave of threats to election officials, as well as illegal activities around drop boxes. But for AG Mayes, the Arizona Election Integrity Unit can be a force that actually protects voting rights in the state. “We really want to repurpose the Election Integrity Unit to be an arm of the Attorney General’s Office that is focused on protecting democracy in Arizona, protecting election officials against the rise of death threats and intimidation against them, and to protect the voting rights of every legally registered Arizonan. COLORADO NEWSLINE: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and a group of Democratic lawmakers have introduced a slate of new bills that are meant to reduce health care costs in the state. BY: SARA WILSON - MARCH 3, 2023 2:04 PM The bills would reduce premiums for Colorado Option health insurance plans, lower prescription drug costs and work to increase transparency around the huge profits being made by hospitals. “Saving people money on healthcare has been a top priority for me since Day One, and it’s a big challenge,” said Gov. Polis. “We want to pound away on it every year, to find every cost driver and address it, to make sure Coloradans stop having to overpay for prescription drugs, insurance, and the health care that they need.” House Bill 23-1224 would work to improve the Colorado Option, the state-regulated plan offered by private insurers that passed just last year. The bill would make it easier for consumers to compare prices on standardized plans, and empower the state’s insurance commissioner to hold carriers accountable for the cost reduction requirements in Colorado Option standardized plans. Another bill, House Bill 23-1225, addresses the state’s prescription drug affordability board. It would allow the board to review any number of expensive prescription drugs instead of only a dozen as outlined in the legislation that created the board. The board, which has not yet reviewed the costs of any drugs so far, has the authority to set an upper payment limit if it determines a drug is unaffordable for Coloradans. House Bill 23-1227, would give more oversight power to the state’s Division of Insurance over pharmacy benefit managers. “In some cases, PBMs are coming between consumers, health insurance plans, pharmacies and manufacturers while making very, very large profits. PBMs can be a part of the plan to save Coloradans money on prescription drugs, but they have to follow the rules,” Jodeh, one of the bill sponsors, said. Lawmakers highlighted other pieces of health care cost saving legislation: HB23-1226 would enhance current hospital financial transparency reporting in an effort to highlight what is driving up hospital costs in the state. COLORADO SUN: And, Almost four years after becoming the first state to cap insulin copayments, Colorado may limit what consumers pay for epinephrine autoinjectors, also known as EpiPens, which treat serious allergic reactions. In 2007, the wholesale price of a single EpiPen was about $47. Today, two brand-name autoinjectors cost just under $636 at a Walgreens in Denver, according to GoodRx. A proposed state law would cap out-of-pocket copays at $60 for a two-pack of Epi Pens. The bill is part of a nationwide push by states to address the soaring prices of lifesaving drugs. New Hampshire passed a law in 2020 requiring insurance to cover the autoinjectors, and Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a similar measure this year. No state has capped what consumers pay for EpiPens, though the New Jersey Senate passed a bill in June to do so; that measure is pending in the legislature’s lower house. state Rep. Iman Jodeh, a bill sponsor, said “The need for EpiPens doesn’t discriminate based on who you are. This unfortunate trend we’re seeing of lifesaving medication being out of reach for so many people is something we need to end.” In 2019, Colorado became the first state to enact a law that set a $100 limit on monthly copays for insulin, a hormone that regulates the blood sugar of people with diabetes. Since then, 21 other states, plus Washington, D.C., have implemented laws limiting insulin costs. Congress imposed a $35 insulin copay cap for seniors on Medicare, and, in his recent State of the Union address, President Joe Biden called for expanding this cap to every American. KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation. Tagged: Colorado legislature, Colorado politics, EpiPen, Iman Jodeh, insulin, Kaiser Health News, KHN, prescription drug costs Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples field hearing comes to AZ in May BY: SHONDIIN SILVERSMITH - MARCH 3, 2023 12:27 PM
As part of the U.S. departments of the Interior and Justice’s work to combat the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples (MMIP) crisis, the Not Invisible Act Commission will be hosting its first round of field hearing sessions this spring. “In partnership with the Justice Department and with extensive engagement with Tribes and other stakeholders, the Interior Department is marshaling our resources to finally address the crisis of violence against Indigenous peoples,” she added. FROM WORC: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People is an epidemic stemming from over 500 years of colonization that has harmed Indigenous communities across the globe. For Indigenous women in the United States, this means being amongst the population that is murdered at 10 times the national average. According to the Indian Law Resource Center, more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence, and more than half have experienced sexual violence. There is no official statistic regarding how many Indigenous women go missing within the United States, and many families report the same experiences where law enforcement will dismiss a missing loved one’s case. In a Montana Public Radio article from 2019, people who had missing loved ones reported that law enforcement officers had told them “that their daughters were drunk or had run away.” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said “This work requires each of us to face our own trauma, to relive unimaginable pain, and visualize a future in which our loved ones are safe, and our communities have closure. We’re here for our children, grandchildren, and relatives we have yet to meet.” The Not Invisible Act was signed into law in October 2020. It is the first bill in history to be introduced and passed by four U.S. congressional members who are enrolled in federally recognized tribes. Then- Representative Haaland, one of those four, spearheaded the bill during her time in Congress. At that time she said “A lack of urgency, transparency, and coordination has hampered our country’s efforts to combat violence against American Indian and Alaska Native people” The commission established by the Not Invisible Act is a cross-jurisdictional advisory committee including law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors. In April, the commission will hold field hearings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Anchorage, Alaska. In June, more hearings are scheduled in Minneapolis, Minnesota, northern California and Albuquerque, New Mexico. In July, a hearing will be held in Billings, Montana. A national, virtual field hearing is also planned for later in the summer. These field hearings will feature panel discussions and a public comment period. For more information, go to https://www.bia.gov/service/mmu COLORADO NEWSLINE: Land of the free. BY: LINDSEY TOOMER - MARCH 4, 2023 11:05 AM U.S. Rep. Jason Crow D-Colorado praised the Department of Defense’s decision to ensure service members have access to reproductive health care including abortion after he proposed a bill that would have done the same last fall. “After the Supreme Court’s extreme and dangerous decision to take away a woman’s fundamental right to an abortion, servicemembers struggled to access basic reproductive health care,” Crow said. “I applaud the Department of Defense for moving to protect our servicemembers and mitigate challenges of recruitment, readiness, and retention in the ranks. The servicemembers who fight for us should not have to fight for their own basic health care.” One of Crow’s goals was to ensure that service members stationed in states that enacted abortion bans were allowed to travel to states, such as Colorado, where abortion is still legal. A Department of Defense news release said “Our Service members and their families do not control where they are stationed, and due to the nature of military service, are frequently required to travel or move to meet operational requirements. The efforts taken by the Department today will not only ensure that Service members and their families retain the fundamental right to make their own health care decisions, as well as ensuring they’re afforded the time and flexibility needed to do so. In response, Rep. Lauren Boebert and fellow Republicans said they plan to maintain their laser focus on the REAL truth behind Hunter Biden’s laptop. CONCERT PICK OF THE WEEK: Ani DiFranco! It’s the 25th anniversary of the excellent album, Little Plastic Castle, originally released in 1998. Ani is doing a run of shows starting March 15 hitting Boulder, Fort Collins, Breckenridge, Salt Lake City, Boise, Bozeman, Missoula and finishing in New Orleans at the FREE French Quarter Music Festival, April 13. Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from the Arizona Mirror, Colorado Newsline, Kaiser Health News, Colorado Sun, and the Western Organization of Resource Councils at worc.org. Thank you for listening! See you next time. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 May 2024 | MO Senate Dems Filibuster Parfait and SCOTUS Deep Dive w/ MIchael Podhorzer | 00:38:53 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Michael's writing: https://www.weekendreading.net/
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| 31 Jan 2024 | Trump Is Counting On SCOTUS To Save Him, But He Shouldn't | 00:41:46 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rachel and Adam dive into two of the major upcoming SCOTUS cases including the review of Trump's ballot access and the Chevron deference @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
Co-Hosts
Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
http://www.americanaquarium.com/
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| 01 Nov 2022 | Let's Have A Chat | The Kids Are Alright - Truman State Students Discuss Their Political Science Projects Looking at Missouri Elections | 00:35:32 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 “Change The Conversation”
Adam Sommer is joined for a chat by Truman State students, Jack Eichholz, Megan Nesbitt, Emily O'Leary, and Colleen O'Reilly. The group are all part of a class project looking at Missouri political races in the midterms for 2022 including fact checking both Republicans and Democrats along with a project aimed at blogging in favor of Trudy Busch Valentine, for Senate. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Dec 2022 | Let's Have A Chat | "Getting To Know You" Rachel Turns The Mic Around For A Chat With Adam | 00:34:36 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Apr 2023 | Talkin' Politics | Guest Host, Ray Reed joins to talk about: STL Progressive Wins; GenZ Turnout In Wisconsin, Clarence Thomas Ethical Issues; The Tennessee Three; Iowa Dems Push To Dinner Table; Abortion Back In The Courts | 01:17:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Guest Host: Ray Reed @RayReedMO (Twitter) Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Yeah…Yeah…Yeah… STL Progressives did well in spring elections - Rachel Wisc. Supreme Court Race positive outcome - RAY - —— GenZ said: We’re done with the bullshit True or False
Yeah…No, Yeah Mini one: Justice Clarence Thomas living the good life, just not on his own dime https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow Real one: Tennessee GOP expels the Tennessee 3 https://twitter.com/thetnholler/status/1643600604827115520?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Tennessee Lookout (states newsroom project): DONATE TO TENNESSEE DEMOCRATS: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/tndemocraticparty Buy or Sell
The Big One
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 Jan 2023 | The Delta, E41 - CRT: The Difference is Clear | 00:38:33 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Kristina (elementary ASL interpreter) & Nicholas (former science teacher) discuss the unclear language around Critical Race Theory legislation that uses diversity to further defund education. From snow days to Ben Stein, they consider the repercussions of removing diversity and creativity from education both as parents and educators. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 05 Jun 2024 | The First Amendment Lives at Pride Fest | June 4, 2024 | 00:36:32 | |||||||||||||||||||||
A politician, a pastor, and a drag queen. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Oct 2022 | The Delta, E36: Voting for Vacuums | 00:29:46 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Are they really gonna make us vote for these vacuums? Nicholas (educator) & Kristina (educational ASL interpreter) tie polls about the general election to predictions in science classes and door-to-door vacuum cleaner sales. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 Jul 2023 | Rural Running | Terrence Fiala is running for State Rep. in MO for the 7th State House District | 00:20:02 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 Mar 2024 | Talkin' Politics, March 18, 2024 | MAGA takes over the RNC | 01:32:41 | |||||||||||||||||||||
SHOW NOTES TALKIN’ POLITICS Quick Hits
I believe We Had That…
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| 09 Aug 2024 | August 9, 2024 | Coach Walz and JV Vance; Missouri Primary Reactions; Kansas Police Chief Charged; Gov.Kelly Moving Up | 00:40:07 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Tim Walz Is In As VP
Dem floor leader, Rep. Crystal Quade takes on Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe in Missouri gov race Marion Co. Newspaper Raid Will Result In charges Kansas Dem Gov. Laura Kelly replaces Tim Walz as head of Dem Gov. Association: https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/07/kansas-gov-laura-kelly-assumes-leadership-of-democratic-governors-association/ @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 Feb 2024 | News Flyover for Feb 9, 2024 - School voucher scam update, MO GOP looks to change the rules, and more | 00:08:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wisconsin Democrats look to boost local journalism | Missouri Republicans cobble stupid ideas together | School voucher boosters need some extra help with math | Key Attorney General races in the 2024 elections
Amid widespread layoffs in the journalism industry and ongoing concerns about newsroom closures and consolidations, Wisconsin Democrats are proposing some ways of boosting the local journalism industry. A package of bills — coauthored by Reps. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg), Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) and Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) — would create a tax credit for people who subscribe to local newspapers, a fellowship program to get individuals into the field, and a Civic Information Consortium Board that would award grants to local news. Rep Anderson said “Local journalism is essential to our democracy. It keeps voters informed and engaged on the issues that matter most to their communities, and local reporters also play an important role in keeping officials accountable to their constituents. But local news is dying.” “News deserts are disproportionately located in rural areas, low-income areas, and communities of color. The three bills in this package are designed to ensure that all Wisconsinites can access high quality, reliable local journalism.” The journalism fellowship program would be administered by the University of Wisconsin System. Under the program, a panel of UW journalism professors and industry experts would choose 25 fellows to match with participating newsrooms for a one-year fellowship. Participants, who would be required to hold a two- or four-year degree in journalism, media, communications or a similar program, would receive a $40,000 salary. Another bill would create a nonrefundable tax credit as a way of encouraging people to subscribe to their local newspaper. When subscribing to a qualifying local newspaper, taxpayers could receive a tax credit equal to 50% of the amount paid to subscribe. The credit would be limited to a maximum of $250 in each taxable year.
As few as 1 in 5 voters could defeat initiative petitions under Missouri Senate proposal The legislation set for debate in the Senate would require a majority vote in 82 state House districts and a statewide majority to approve constitutional amendments
Called a concurrent majority, an analysis of voting patterns by The Independent shows that the change would make it possible for as few as 20% of voters to determine the outcome of statewide ballot measures. Tim Jones, state director of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, pushing the change, said “This to me is a very similar concept to the electoral college.” The proposal is taking on new urgency for GOP leaders because a proposal to overturn Missouri’s abortion ban could be on the ballot in November. Republicans see changing the rules as the only way to defeat it. Opponents claim the idea undermines majority rule, which has determined the outcome of constitutional questions in Missouri since 1846. Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Protect Majority Rule, which is raising money for a possible campaign against the amendment said, “Their goal is to make sure that even when an overwhelming majority of Missourians overall support a measure, rural voters can still defeat it,” Democrats in the Senate, who have been content to let the GOP civil war play out without interfering, are “vehemently” opposed to any effort to change the current simple majority to pass ballot measures
For GOP lawmakers who view public education as a quasi-socialist project, the gaping hole in state budgets left by subsidizing private school tuition is a feature, not a bug. In Arizona, taxpayers are now staring down a $400 million shortfall, with an even bigger bill coming due next year. How did the Grand Canyon State go from sitting on a huge cash reserve to facing a rising tide of red ink? Simple. Voucher proponents suggested that paying for private school tuition would cost taxpayers $65 million a year; but as it stands, the program is on track to cost roughly 15 times that. All told, Arizona taxpayers are likely to spend close to a billion dollars reimbursing the cost of tuition and luxury expenses—including ski resort passes, pianos, and theme park tickets—for families whose children were never enrolled in the public schools. It isn’t just Arizona’s problem. Over the past two years, multiple states have enacted universal or near-universal voucher programs that far exceed initial cost projections. In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds pushed an expansive voucher program that gives $7,500 to any Iowa family for private school tuition. But demand for the program among parents who already send their kids to private schools, most of which are religious, has far exceeded expectations. Now Iowans are on the hook for the tuition of 17,000 private school students—a bill that will total $345 million a year next year. The same story has unfolded in Ohio, Arkansas, West Virginia, and elsewhere. It wasn’t just the price tag that voucher proponents were deceptive about—it was also the projected beneficiaries of such programs. Advocates promoted vouchers as a benefit for poor students, students with disabilities, and students in struggling schools. Yet the reality has looked very different. As The Wall Street Journal recently reported, the vast majority of parents taking advantage of these tuition coupons are those who already send their kids to private schools.
This year, there will be 17 elections for Secretary of State and Attorney General in states across the U.S., but only a few are on track to be competitive. Today we’ll talk about the Attorney General races in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. North Carolina: Open seat (Josh Stein, D, is running for governor) In a hot election cycle in North Carolina with lots of competitive races and open seats, the AG contest could prove unusually compelling. It has been over a century since the state elected a Republican to this office, although this race could be exceedingly close—just as the last few contests have been. The two frontrunners for the open AG seat are both sitting members of Congress: Republican Dan Bishop and Democrat Jeff Jackson. Bishop is a favorite of the GOP’s conservative wing, having been a member of the House Freedom Caucus and a thorn in the side of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Jackson—who joined the AG race after effectively being drawn out of his seat in re-districting last year—has attracted a national following for his posts on TikTok. While Bishop appears to have a clear shot at the GOP nomination, Jackson must first win a March 5 primary against Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry, and attorney and veteran Tim Dunn. Louis Jacobson at Sabato’s Crystal Ball says if Jackson and Bishop do meet in November, the race could go either way and is a true toss-up. In Pennsylvania’s AG election this year, Both party primaries are on track to be competitive. The Democrats have five credible candidates: former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, former top Philadelphia public defender Keir Bradford-Grey, veteran and state Rep. Jared Solomon, and Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney in populous Delaware County near Philadelphia. The Republicans have two: York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, who has been endorsed by the state party, and veteran and state Rep. Craig Williams. In the Democratic primary, DePasquale, as the only candidate from western Pennsylvania, and Bradford-Grey, as the only Black candidate, may have an edge in a contest where as little as 21% of the vote could be enough to win the nomination. On the GOP side, Sunday should have a modest edge. The general election should be highly competitive, and it could swing depending on the dynamics on the rest of the ballot, including how the competitive races for president and Senate play out. There has been some ticket-splitting in Pennsylvania in recent presidential cycles, though. In 2016, as Republicans won the presidential and Senate races, Democrats won the contests for Attorney General, Auditor, and Treasurer. In 2020, as Joe Biden flipped the state, Republicans took back the Auditor and Treasurer posts. If you’re not registered to vote, get on it! To check your registration anywhere in the U.S., go to Vote.gov. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 Aug 2023 | The Delta, E54 - Donuts: Brain Drain in Mid America | 00:19:19 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew visits Nicholas (Ed. PD Coordinator) in Washington DC from Portland to discuss how growing up in Missouri has shape their experiences on each of the coast.Recently moved to Oregon, Andrew shares how his very rural midwestern childhood continues to shape his interactions and identity in a familiar way. he also shares some of the hidden gems he hopes to share with Kristina and Nicholas when they visit him soon including donuts and a uniquely shaped rock. _ Heartland POD Change the Conversation heartlandpod.com @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 Sep 2023 | Friday Flyover - Sep 15, 2023 - Politics and 2024 Elections News - Democrats look to hold Bob Casey and Sherrod Brown's Senate seats | Mitt Romney retires | Lauren Boebert tries to change her image | 00:40:54 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Democrats look to hold Senate seats in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana and West Virginia | POLITICO says Lauren Boebert is cultivating a more palatable profile back home after almost losing - others say Boebert is the same old toxic, paranoid MAGA acolyte | Mitt Romney leaves the U.S. Senate after one term, creating an open Republican primary in one of the nation's most conservative states @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 May 2024 | Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signs $75 Million in new special ed funding, MO Republicans can't get out of their own way and more | 00:11:07 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Political News from America's Heartland - Friday, May 17, 2024 - KS Gov Laura Kelly signs $75 MM boost to special ed funding Missouri Senate Democrats 50 Hour Filibuster | New “youth core” program focuses on mental health | Minnesota Gov. announces boost for child care funding KS Gov Laura Kelly signs $75 MM boost to special ed funding https://kansasreflector.com/2024/05/16/kansas-governor-signs-school-funding-bill-with-75-million-boost-for-special-education/ BY: SHERMAN SMITH - MAY 16, 2024 11:38 AM TOPEKA — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation this week that allocates $6.6 billion to K-12 public schools, including $75 million in new money for special education, and vetoed language designed to funnel safety grant cash to a specific software company. The Democratic governor and Republican legislators separately claimed credit for continuing to fully fund schools, as required by the state’s constitution and mandated by the Kansas Supreme Court. House Bill 387 passed the House 115-2 and the Senate 35-2 on April 26, shortly before the Legislature adjourned for the year. The legislation includes $4.9 billion in state spending for the public school system. Gov Kelly’s message to lawmakers in signing the bill referenced the state’s historical failures to provide adequate and equitable resources to public schools. In 2018, when Kelly was still a state senator, the Legislature adopted a five-year plan to fully fund schools by the 2022-23 school year. As governor, she worked with lawmakers in 2019 to correct a math problem and add an ongoing inflation adjustment to win approval from the Kansas Supreme Court. The court retained oversight of the case to ensure the Legislature didn’t pull the rug out from under schools as it had repeatedly in the past, then let go of the case earlier this year. Gov. Kelly said, “When I became governor, my first order of business was to end the cycle of school finance litigation caused by years of underfunding. Reckless leadership and mismanagement of the state’s finances made it impossible for the state to adequately fund our schools. Since then, we’ve seen how investment in our education system pays significant dividends for our entire state. Students now have more opportunities than ever to explore their educational and professional interests. Our commitment to fully funding public education better supports teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators.” Lawmakers agreed to address a longstanding shortfall in special education funding by adding $75 million to the budget. But they stopped short of meeting recommendations from a special task force, which said lawmakers should add $82.7 million annually for four years to comply with a law requiring the state to cover 92% of extra costs for serving students in special education. “This funding will provide critical support to districts that have been shouldering the burden of the state’s decade-long failure to meet its statutory obligation and ultimately its promise to the next generation of Kansans,” Kelly said. At one point this year, the Legislature considered rewriting state law to permanently underfund special education. Kelly said the new money would allow districts to “properly invest in special education educators” rather than redirect funding that otherwise would be used on teacher salaries and other instruction programs. “While this funding is a critical first step, it is just a first step. We must continue to increase special education funding in future years.” Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Louisburg Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said lawmakers this year focused on crafting a bill that better addresses the needs of students, teachers, and staff members. She said, “Our commitment to distributing increased special education funding in a more equitable way to Kansas school districts was accomplished by collaborating directly with the Department of Education leadership team. This is an important change for children that receive these special services.” The governor vetoed language that would have required schools to use the $5 million available through the School Safety and Security Grant program on firearm detection software made by ZeroEyes. The company hired lobbyists in multiple states to try to corner the market on security contracts by inserting restrictions in legislation to undermine the ability of rival vendors to bid. Kelly said the restrictions amounted to a no-bid contract and would restrict schools from using the money on other types of safety needs. She has the authority to use a line-item veto on the policy because it was embedded in a budget bill. Schools should be able to invest in other school safety efforts, Kelly said, such as updating communications systems, hiring more security staff, investing in physical infrastructure, and buying automated external defibrillators. “We must continue to work together to ensure our students have a safe, conducive environment for their learning. To do that, we should not hamstring districts by limiting this funding opportunity to services provided by one company.
Missouri Senate Democrats 50-Hour Filibuster https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/15/50-hour-filibuster-forces-more-negotiations-on-gop-backed-initiative-petition-changes/
50-hour filibuster forces more negotiations on GOP-backed initiative petition changes
BY: ANNA SPOERRE, RUDI KELLER AND JASON HANCOCK - MAY 15, 2024 6:48 PM
A 50-hour Democratic filibuster forced the Senate’s divided GOP majority to finally yield Wednesday evening, stalling a vote on a bill seeking to make it more difficult to amend Missouri’s constitution.
Democrats have blocked all action in the Senate since Monday afternoon, demanding that the legislation be stripped of “ballot candy” that would bar non-citizens from voting and ban foreign entities from contributing to or sponsoring constitutional amendments, both of which are already illegal. The Senate passed the bill without ballot candy in February. The House added it back last month. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, on Tuesday said the situation presented an existential crisis for the Senate, as Republicans openly considered a rarely-used maneuver to kill the filibuster and force a vote on the bill. “Are the bullies going to win?” Rizzo asked. “Or is the rest of the Senate finally going to stand up for itself and say ‘no more.’” He got an answer just before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, when state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican and the bill’s sponsor, surprised many of her colleagues by asking that the Senate send the bill back to the House for more negotiations on whether to include “ballot candy.” Republicans simply didn’t have the votes to kill the filibuster, she said, and Democrats showed no signs of relenting before session ends at 6 p.m. Friday. The sudden change in tactics was not well taken by members of the Freedom Caucus, who argued sending the bill back to the House with only two days left before adjournment puts its chances at risk. Tim Jones, a former Missouri House speaker and current director of the state’s Freedom Caucus, wrote on social media Thursday evening that Coleman “effectively killed her bill today.” If the bill passes, Missourians would have the opportunity to vote later this year on whether or not to require constitutional amendments be approved by both a majority of votes statewide and a majority of votes in five of the state’s eight congressional districts. Right now, amendments pass with a simple majority. A possible vote on abortion in November is a catalyst behind the battle over the bill, as a campaign to legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability is on the path to the statewide ballot. Republicans have said that without raising the threshold for changing the state’s constitution, a constitutional right to abortion will likely become the law of the land in Missouri. State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and a member of the Freedom Caucus, tipped his hat to the Democrats’ “wherewithal” before scorning some of his Republican colleagues. “Unfortunately, this Republican Party has no backbone to fight for what is right for life,” he shouted from the Senate floor. “ … They will have the blood of the innocent on their heads. Shame on this party.” Coleman’s move also came as a surprise to state Rep. Alex Riley, a Republican from Springfield who sponsored the initiative petition bill in the House. “We’re going to have to have some conversations tonight to figure out what exactly it is they have in mind,” he said. New “youth core” program focuses on mental health https://www.axios.com/2024/05/15/youth-mental-health-corps New program creates "youth corps" for mental health Hundreds of young adults will be trained to help their peers access mental health care and other supports in a first-of-its-kind service program aimed at addressing the youth mental health crisis. Backers of the new Youth Mental Health Corps, which is funded by a mix of private and public dollars, also hope to create a new talent pipeline to address shortages of mental health workers. How it works: Young adults ages 18 and up will spend about a year working at a school or nonprofit to help connect other young people to mental health support. Corps members will conduct check-ins with students, run trainings for caregivers, conduct community outreach and more. They'll receive training, a stipend, earn state-specific mental health worker credentials, and credit toward higher education degrees in behavioral health. Participants will receive training in therapeutic communication, crisis intervention, behavioral health systems and other skills. They'll receive a minimum of $20 per hour. Administrators expect hundreds of young people to join the program in its first year, and thousands to benefit from it. Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, whose state will be one of the first to implement the program this fall said, "Kids can relate more to experiences and challenges faced by other teenagers. It fosters trust and comfort in seeking mental health support." In addition to Colorado, programs will start this fall in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and Texas. Programs in California, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Utah and Virginia are slated to start next year. The Schultz Family Foundation, created by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and Sheri Kersch Schultz, and Pinterest, expect to invest $10 million in the program over three years. Other funding will come from public sources, including state and national AmeriCorps grants. Schultz said it expects additional philanthropic and private sector donations in the future Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announces $6MM boost in child care funding https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/15/governor-announces-6-million-in-grants-to-create-more-than-2200-new-child-care-slots/ MN Governor Tim Walz announces $6 million in grants to create more than 2,200 new childcare slots BY: MADISON MCVAN - MAY 15, 2024 6:02 PM Twenty-one Minnesota organizations will receive funding to open or expand childcare centers this year, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday, with more than half of the grants going to providers outside the Twin Cities. Lawmakers boosted funding for the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s child care grant program last year. Gov Walz said Wednesday that child care is an example of a “market failure” during a visit to the St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development in Minnetonka, which received a $270,000 grant to create more classrooms and educational spaces. Nationwide, the childcare industry is in crisis. Minnesota is no exception, facing a shortage of childcare providers and high costs for families. Minnesota has some of the highest childcare costs in the country, which could be one explanation for a lower birth rate in recent years. The Legislature last year voted to continue a COVID-era program that raised the pay for childcare workers, averting a funding cliff. A coalition of childcare advocates this session pushed for a subsidy program that would reduce the cost of child care for families making less than 150% of the median income. If fully funded at around $500 million per year, families with low income would have their childcare bills covered by the state, while qualifying families making more than the median income would pay around 7% of their household income on child care, a target set by the federal government. Advocates are hoping to move that bill successfully, next year. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06 Dec 2023 | TRIGGER WARNING: Abortion Petition Roulette In Missouri & "The Daily Show" Platforms A Former OB/GYN Who Abused His Patients | 00:39:18 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Dr. Jen Gunter's substack: https://vajenda.substack.com/p/the-daily-shows-obgyn-expert-had Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/ Produced by Elliot Rosen @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Jul 2024 | July 1, 2024 | Confirmation Bias | 01:18:35 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 13 Mar 2023 | The Heartland POD | Adam's Open and Catching Up | 00:47:47 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06 Nov 2023 | Talkin' Politics 11/6/23 | Josh Hawley's BS Populism; Violent Rhetoric Of Christian Nationalism; "Real Hypotheticals" with Jay Ashcroft Pre-Quitting; Trump Trials Continue; Biden Policies Good Campaign Points; CEO's Want Social Emotional Learning | 01:26:39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 26 Jan 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | School Voucher Scams w/ Prof. of Education Josh Cowen | 00:34:37 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Guest: Prof. Joshua Cowen @joshcowenMSU on Twitter Heartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper @piper4missouri on Twitter, and Facebook “Change The Conversation” Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production https://joshuacowen.academia.edu/ Joshua Cowen is a Professor of Education Policy. He also was the founding director and co-director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) from 2016 to 2020. His current research focuses on teacher quality, student and teacher mobility, and evaluations of state and local education programs. His work has been published in multiple scholarly journals and policy briefs, has appeared in numerous national media outlets, and has been funded by a diverse array of philanthropies as well as state and federal grants. From 2015-2018, he served as co-editor of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, the flagship peer-reviewed education policy journal in the United States. He was previously Associate Editor of Education Finance and Policy, and remains on the editorial boards of both journals. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Dec 2023 | Friday News Flyover Dec 22, 2023 - STL Police crash controversy - KS Gov Laura Kelly fights for good and much more | 00:42:01 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Flyover Friday, December 22, 2023
SOURCES: The Heartland Collective, Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, River Front Times, Kansas Reflector
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| 06 Jun 2023 | Real Housewives Of Presidential Politics: The 2024 GOP Primary | 00:38:44 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Jul 2024 | July 10, 2024 | No, Really, Project 2025 Y'all | 00:29:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Adam scratches the surface of Project 2025, plus a portion of a prior show isolated to help highlight the GOP hypocrisy on display. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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| 19 Dec 2022 | Our Favorite Things: A 2022 Year End Review with special guest host - Jess Piper - PLUS a Last Call preview! | 01:19:47 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO “Change The Conversation” FULL SHOW Plus a preview of the Last Call that's ALL about the Donald Trump NFT collection. Not to be missed! Yeah No… Oklahoma bill that would make every conversation a teacher has with a student potentially illegal Bonus yeah no: child abuser concerned he might not get to be around kids any more Our Favorite Things, The 2022 Year In Review Mt. Rushmore Of Politics End Of The Year Extravaganza Clearance Blowout Sale
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| 15 Jul 2024 | July 15, 2024 | A Moment Of Reflection | 00:18:53 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Adam takes the mic solo to talk about this moment of reflection in American politics. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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| 18 Sep 2023 | Special Guest: Don Looney (MO Activist & Union Member) on UAW Strike, Lauren Boebert Gets Kicked For Getting Kicks; Missouri's Failure On Protecting Children; GOP's Impeachment Uh Oh; Google Goes On Trial | 01:22:16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) Special guest: Don Looney @telecomdon JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/
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| 07 Nov 2022 | Talkin' Politics | Lawyers, Guns, and Money & Our Midterm 2022 Best Bet Predictions & Last Call Preview! | 01:47:02 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO “Change The Conversation”
LAST CALL: HOLY SHIT, DOING A POLITICAL PODCAST IN CYCLE - WHAT WE LEARNED @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 Dec 2023 | Talkin' Politics 12/11/23: Criminalizing Women's Healthcare & Labor Union Impacts on 2024 | 01:13:01 | |||||||||||||||||||||
True or false Dems can find an effective way to discuss border security https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2023/12/07/congress/fetterman-on-border-00130639
Roger Marshall ties order to Israel and Ukraine fund https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article282717918.html MSNBC Article: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-immigration-border-plan-voters-senate-negotiations-rcna125151 Yeah … no Missouri GOP members file bill to criminalize abortion formally https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article282794193.html You don’t fucking say Independent investigators pulled into Marion county Kansas https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article282850508.html Big One Impact of unions on 2024 -Missouri gov race https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article282715673.html Biden‘s track record certainly isn’t perfect. When it comes to labor issues the railroad strike comes to mind but at the same time he stood strongly with the UAW and there seems to be a stronger tide there in general. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 Nov 2022 | The Flyover View, November 11, 2022 | Heartland Politics, News, and Views | 00:17:52 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the Heartland
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 Jul 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | Bethany Mann For Congress (Mo 3rd) Stops By To Talk With Jess About The Everyday Environmental Risks Facing Missourians Daily | 00:37:27 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Jess Piper @Piper4Missouri Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Jan 2024 | Open AI Law Suits | 00:35:26 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rachel Parker chats with Adam Sommer about the Open AI lawsuits and what they might mean, legally speaking. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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| 21 Mar 2023 | The Heartland POD | The Fragile Ego Of The Modern American White Dude & Missouri GOP's Attack On The Ballot Initiative | 00:22:52 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Blog: https://rturner229.blogspot.com/2023/03/ben-baker-on-kzrg-its-tough-to-be-white.html Article 8, Sec. 2 MO Const: https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=VIII++++2&bid=32009&constit=y “Ballot Candy” Summary of History https://ballotpedia.org/History_of_Initiative_%26_Referendum_in_Missouri @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 09 Mar 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | Understanding Collective Action & The Value Of Labor Unions | 00:31:55 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Host: Jess Piper @piper4missouri “Change The Conversation” Host, Jess Piper, is joined for a discussion Glenn Kage, a true expert in union history. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 Oct 2023 | Talkin' Politics 10/23/23 | Josh Hawley Is Unpopular, But Does It Matter?; Missouri AG Announces Refusal To Defend Constitution; Trump Legal Update; GOP Trash Voting System Then Try To Invent Same System... But Worse | 01:10:11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/ True or False The Missouri Senate race matters for 2024  From Cook Political Report: https://www.cookpolitical.com/senate/race/306116 Sean, broader senate race concerns for Dems? Michigan is open Montana has Tester but could be tough Ohio, WV, Ariz all seem like possible DEM losses Yeah…No Missouri AG jumps in on case and 2 months later campaign PAC gets massive $50k donation Would refuse to defend state law if elected Yeah…yeah! Movement in healthcare workers strike Trumpdate Kenneth Cheesbro is going to trial in Georgia… https://abcnews.go.com/US/kenneth-chesebro-rejected-plea-offer-ahead-georgia-election/story?id=104121621 Psych!!!!! He took a plea deal a couple days later Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty in Georgia case tied to Trump - https://www.npr.org/2023/10/20/1207417000/kenneth-chesebro-guilty-plea-georgia?origin=NOTIFY Lawyer says he NEVER believed any of it! Imagine committing a crime to help a crook keep the whitehouse and you’re like “None of this is right, but here I am, just doin’ my job” Good thread on this https://x.com/rgoodlaw/status/1715403031498400065?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA The Kraken - Sidney Powell - takes a plea deal and fails to ever be fully unleashed Trump can’t keep his yap shut Special Counsel Is Not Playing Games Missouri connect - Will Scharf who is running for the GOP AG nomination has joined Trump’s legal team according to his own announcement, so there’s that Big One Red States threw a fit about voting to appease their self tanned master and now it’s blowing up https://www.npr.org/2023/10/20/1207142433/eric-investigation-follow-up-voter-data-election-integrity Seems impossible not to see a correlation here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/21/jim-jordan-house-speaker-republicans-dysfunction?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 Aug 2024 | August 12, 2024 | Republicans Endorse Harris/Walz 2024, Pies and Crowds In Rural Missouri, JD Vance Is Still Weird (Just Ask Trump) | 01:51:09 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Adam went to the Lafayette Co. Pie Auction QUICK HITS Nelly Gettin’ Araigned In Here: https://krcgtv.com/news/local/rapper-nelly-arrested-in-st-louis-area-for-ecstasy-possession-lack-of-insurance-maryland-heights-police-department-drugs-cornell-haynes Michigan Senate Race one to watch: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/06/michigan-senate-primary-results-00172987 Mo Senate debate debates: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/09/josh-hawley-lucas-kunce-remain-at-an-impasse-on-missouri-u-s-senate-debates/ True or False: Missouri GOP Getting Too Cute With Ranked Choice Voting Missouri GOP Trying to End Ranked Choice Voting… But To What end? From St Louis Daily Newsletter: https://info.stlmag.com/daily-newsletter-080924
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 07 Jun 2023 | June 7, 2023 - High Country Politics - Government and Elections News from the American West | 00:16:33 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Mike Johnston wins Denver mayoral election | All 36 CO DMV offices can now issue driver licenses to undocumented immigrants and international students who qualify | Colorado Democrats and Gov Jared Polis pass statewide ban on ghost guns | AZ State Senator says she was not aware of her flag's neo-Nazi ties. She is now though, and she's keeping it | Talented field of Arizona Democrats compete in primary for Rep. Ruben Gallego's seat in Congress Song plays Intro by host Welcome to High Country - politics in the American West. My name is Sean Diller; regular listeners might know me from Heartland Pod’s Talking Politics, every Monday. Support this show and all the work in the Heartland POD universe by going to heartlandpod.com and clicking the link for Patreon, or go to Patreon.com/HeartlandPod to sign up. Membership starts at $1/month, with even more extra shows and special access at the higher levels. No matter the level you choose, your membership helps us create these independent shows as we work together to change the conversation. Alright! Let’s get into it: Looks like we’ve got a winner! As of recording, it looks like Mike Johnston will be the next Mayor of Denver. After 12 years under the leadership of Mayor Michael Hancock, in which Denver has experienced rapid growth and a booming economy, the growing pains are catching up with us and Denver’s new mayor will face crisis-level homelessness, addiction, and gun violence. Mike Johnston is a boyish Ivy League boy who has run for lots of things and served as lots of other, different things. Jokes aside though he seems to have the respect of a lot of people I deeply respect, and I’m excited to see what he can do. All Colorado DMVs now offer driver’s licenses to undocumented residents BY: SHANNON TYLER - JUNE 6, 2023 3:10 PM Every driver’s license office in Colorado will now offer license and ID card services to undocumented residents and international students, Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday. In 2013, then-Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law the Colorado Road and Community Safety Act, which made obtaining a standard driver’s license accessible for undocumented immigrants and international students. At the time, only four offices in the state actually provided the service. Now, on the 10th anniversary of the signing of the bill, the DMV announced all 36 of the state’s driver’s license office locations will offer appointments for immigrants and international students to get a standard license or ID card. Gov Polis said “Here in Colorado, we know that our immigrants strengthen the fabric of who we are. In the last 10 years over 250,000 Coloradans have been able to get their driver licenses and insurance, making all of us safer on the roads.” The law allows all Coloradans to obtain a standard driver license or ID card regardless of immigration status if the applicant can provide proof of identity and Colorado residency. The DMV works with several volunteer nonprofits around the state as a part of the I Drive Coalition to help provide Road and Community Safety Act services for undocumented immigrants to obtain standard license or identification cards. Organizations help to schedule free appointments for people who come to them. Henry Gomez with Grupo Esperanza de Colorado Springs, one of the organizations that supports and provides resources for immigrants, said the legislation is necessary for immigrants in Colorado to do essential daily tasks like driving to a doctor’s appointment or taking their children to school. When the bill first passed, it was difficult for people to actually use the service because they had to travel long distances to the few places that offered it and wait hours to schedule an appointment, Gomez said. 1 of 20 states Colorado is one of 20 states, along with Washington D.C., to offer driver’s licenses to undocumented residents. DMV spokesperson Stephany Garza said “Colorado has come a long way since the program launched in originally starting in a handful of locations. We’ve been able to grow it throughout the state, thanks to strong demand and a dedication to partner with community organizations and leaders.” “The DMV’s mission is to provide motor vehicle, driver and identity services that promote public safety, trust and confidence, and having trained and licensed drivers on our roads is critical.” COLORADO NEWSLINE: I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost - guns. Because now they’re banned in Colorado. BY: SARA WILSON - JUNE 2, 2023 1:48 PM Senate Bill 23- 279 makes the sale, manufacture and possession of ghost guns a Class 1 misdemeanor on the first offense and a Class 5 felony on subsequent offenses. bill sponsor Sen. Rhonda Fields, an Aurora Democrat, said “Ghost guns are untraceable, unserialized weapons that anyone can make or assemble in their own home – and they’re extremely dangerous. We worked hard this session to make Colorado safer and prevent gun violence, and this new law is a big step towards reaching that goal.” The legislation was also sponsored by Sen. Chris Hansen of Denver, Rep. Andrew Boesenecker of Fort Collins and Rep. Junie Joseph of Boulder, all Democrats. Every Republican voted no. Law enforcement say ghost guns are being used more often in crimes across the state. The shooters involved with last year’s attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs and the March shooting at Denver’s East High School both possessed and showed an interest in ghost guns. Ghost gun kits are easily available online for anyone to assemble or 3D-print at home. Because that process bypasses serialization and necessary background checks, the guns can be nearly impossible to trace when used in a crime. Current ghost gun owners have until Jan. 1, 2024 to get the blank firearm, frame or receiver serialized by a licensed dealer. Serialization includes a background check. Going forward, people can still make their own firearms as long as they get them serialized. Eleven states already regulate ghost guns. The Colorado Legislature passed four other bills regulating firearms during this year’s legislative session, which wrapped up in early May. That includes a minimum age restriction and three-day waiting period for gun purchases, expansion of the state’s extreme risk protection order law to include groups other than law enforcement and a repeal of the state’s legal liability protections for the firearm industry. Hats off to Colorado Democrats. They take so much abuse as well as threats from thousands and thousands of extremely aggressive gun rights activists. These gun groups create extremely dishonest and aggressive attack ads, and they do everything they can to show their strength. It takes real guts to pass gun safety laws in the West, and the Colorado Democratic legislators have some serious guts. Congratulations on a great session everyone. AZ GOP senator proudly flies flag adopted by ‘fringe’ far-right extremists BY: JEROD MACDONALD-EVOY - JUNE 5, 2023 11:20 AM The desk on the Arizona Senate floor for Republican Sen. Janae Shamp, displays the “An Appeal to Heaven” flag, which has been adopted by Christian nationalists and other extremists in recent years. Shamp says she displays the flag because of its historical ties to the American Revolution, and says she is unaware of its use by far-right extremist groups. But that, of course, is bullshit. The white flag with a pine tree on it and the phrase “An Appeal to Heaven” was originally used by George Washington and the Continental Army. It was later adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as its naval and maritime flag until 1971, when the copy was dropped, leaving only the image of the pine tree. In recent years, the flag has been adopted by Christian nationalists, who see the flag as a rallying call. Christian nationalists believe that the United States is Christian nation that should base its laws and practices around the teachings of Christianity. The flag has also been embraced by far-right extremist organizations like the Proud Boys and other neo-Nazi groups. Shamp did not respond to questions about whether she embraced the beliefs of Christian nationalism, and said she doesn’t know anything about Christian dominionism, a closely related belief system. To investigative journalist, author and researcher David Neiwart, who has written extensively about the far-right, the lines between groups have begun to blur into an entire “universe” of far-right groups from QAnon, militias, white supremacists, and other extremist groups who have gained political influence among conservatives. Most of them share a few things in common, including beliefs in “right-wing authoritarianism” and the alleged supremacy of Christianity. After looking at the various people and causes Shamp has supported over the years, including various extremist and Christian nationalist figures and causes, Neiwart said it’s clear to him that Shamp ascribes to those beliefs. “She is definitely a Christian nationalist, she is definitely QAnon, and a fully enraptured Trumpite,” Neiwert said. While a surge in Christian nationalism in recent years has garnered media attention — due in part to high-profile conservatives like U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who explicitly declared herself a Christian nationalist, and the backing of influential leaders like white nationalist Nick Fuentes — Christian dominionism has similarly been on the rise, though with much less fanfare. One of the more popular Dominionist beliefs is in the so-called “Seven Mountain Mandate,” which draws from the biblical book of Revelations and requires Christians to invade the “seven spheres” of society: family, religion, education, media, entertainment, business, and government. In doing so, American life can be reshaped to hew to conservative Christian values. The idea has been embraced and promoted by people like Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk and Paula White, the televangelist who served as a “spiritual advisor” to Donald Trump while he was president. According to David Neiwart, the key difference between Christian dominionism and nationalism is that dominionists want everyone under Christian rule, while nationalists think everyone should convert to Christianity. “Christian nationalists take it a step further than Christian Dominionists,” Neiwart said, adding that a dominionist wouldn’t care if a Muslim was present, “they just want them under the thumb of Christian leaders.” One of the biggest promoters of Christian nationalism and dominionism has been disgraced Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser, who has claimed that he is waging “spiritual warfare” and building an “army of God.” Flynn is also known to associate with other extremist groups. AZ Sen Shamp is a fervent supporter of Flynn’s, and has posted praise of Flynn often on social media. The recent COVID-19 special committee she co-chaired was sponsored in part by an organization that Flynn co-founded. “I get goosebumps every time General Flynn talks about our great Nation!” Shamp said in a December 2021 post accompanied by a video of Flynn. At a Trump rally in Florence in January 2022, Shamp told Business Insider that the “No. 1 person standing up for ‘we, the people’ is probably Gen. Michael Flynn.” Shamp, a conservative from Surprise, has also been found to have shared a number of QAnon posts on her Facebook linked to Neo-Nazis and antisemites. The flag, which Shamp displays on her desk and in her Twitter banner image, has also been connected to extremist groups and violent events. During the violent events of Jan. 6, the flag was seen being carried by a number of individuals. “I would say Christian nationalism as a phenomenon is one of the real undergirding movements involved in the insurrection,” Neiwart said, adding that the militias and other groups such as the OathKeepers all had underlying Christian nationalist roots or beliefs. “All these Christian patriots that formed these militias are Christian nationalists as well.” Meet the Dems vying for Gallego’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives BY: GLORIA REBECCA GOMEZ - JUNE 2, 2023 1:33 PM So far, four candidates have already launched campaigns to represent Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District, which includes Laveen, Maryvale and part of Glendale. The district is considered a Democratic stronghold, with left-leaning voters outnumbering Republicans three to one. The winner of the Democratic primary is virtually guaranteed to capture the seat in November. First, Laura Pastor. The most recent entrant into the race is the daughter of Rep. Gallego’s predecessor, Ed Pastor, who held the seat from 1991 until his retirement in 2015. The younger Pastor has a long career in elected office herself, with three terms on the Phoenix city council representing areas recently drawn into the 3rd District. Prior to her position on the council, she was a classroom teacher who worked with at-risk students. Ms. Pastor also serves on the governing board for Phoenix Union High School. In a launch video on Wednesday, Pastor invoked her family’s political legacy and promised to continue it. “For five generations my family has worked for a better Arizona. From my grandfathers - who organized workers in the copper mines - to my mother - who lived with strength and integrity in a time of discrimination - to my dad. My dad taught me that lots of politicians can talk, but what matters is what you deliver.” “I am running to put my experience to work on behalf of Arizonans – to take care of our veterans, to have someone looking out for family budgets, and to protect all of our access to health care, including reproductive care,” Ylenia Aguilar If elected, Aguilar would be Arizona’s first formerly undocumented congresswoman. Her family moved to the U.S. when she was just a toddler, and suffered repeated housing and food insecurity. Aguilar attended as many as 20 different schools. The single mother of two credits her early adversity with inspiring a personal imperative to voice the struggles of others. Aguilar spent more than a decade as a translator before becoming the first Latina elected to the Osborn School District Board, where she’s still a member. During the Trump presidency, Aguilar helped author a resolution prohibiting ICE agents from entering schools. She also serves on the state’s Central Arizona Water Project Board and as the business development manager for SOURCE Global, a Scottsdale-based renewable energy company that helps tribal and rural communities access clean drinking water via hydropanel technology. Water conservation is among her policy priorities, as well as immigration reform, and access to education and reproductive health care. At the top of her list is representing Arizona’s diverse communities where past politicians have failed. “My story is your story,” she said, at her campaign kickoff. “I know what you go through. I know how hard you work, how much you love your children, how difficult it can be to get ahead and how often politicians leave our community behind, or worse — how politicians attack our communities trying to take away our rights. In Congress, I will be your voice, because your voice matters.” Yassamin Ansari Phoenix’s Vice-Mayor was one of the first to throw her hat in the ring after Congressman Gallego announced his challenge to U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema. Ansari’s election as the city’s youngest council member in 2021 followed a career in climate change advocacy that included a stint as a policy advisor for the United Nations. Her work on the Phoenix council includes helping to draft and pass a citywide resolution that deprioritized abortion-related arrests and spearheading efforts to electrify Phoenix’s public transportation. Those concerns would follow her to the federal level, with more ambitious climate change legislation a key part of her priorities. The country’s as-yet unfulfilled pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2050 is of particular importance to Ansari, who vowed to lead an effort to remedy that. Also high up on her roster is gun violence prevention, housing affordability and a living wage. A daughter of Iranian immigrants, Ansari’s election would be a first for the district, whose population is 51% Hispanic and has supported Hispanic candidates since 1991. But Ansari’s council district, which spans from southwest to downtown Phoenix and has a similar population makeup as CD3, resoundingly backed her in 2021. She said, “As a daughter of immigrants, I very much understand the challenges that our community faces. My constituents know that I don’t just represent one community, I represent all communities. And whether you’re Latino, White, Black or any other background, representation is about listening to the community and making sure that you’re surrounding yourself with people in the community so that their experiences and challenges are represented in the legislation you support.” She said “It’s time to have leadership that is young and hungry and ready to take on some of these bigger crises.” Hector Jaramillo Jaramillo traces his activism back to two pivotal incidents that happened at very different times in his life. When he was 4, his father was deported, which he said “opened (his) eyes to the injustices of our current system.” Then, in his early twenties while protesting the killing of George Floyd in 2020, a gun was pointed at his head. Jaramillo was disappointed to find not much had changed after the nationwide movement against racial injustice, and realized that things would only improve if more people were allowed at the decision-making table. The 26-year-old Phoenix native, who currently serves on the governing board of the Glendale Elementary School District, would be among the youngest in Congress if elected. He noted that what he lacks in experience he makes up for in community engagement and personal, real-life knowledge. He said “Legislative experience is important, but so is lived experience – being somebody who’s experienced the injustices of our system.” His goals include improving education funding, affordable health care for all and a complete overhaul of the current immigration system. That includes a pathway to citizenship, opening up government assistance programs for undocumented Americans, and shielding victims of crimes from having their undocumented status used against them. Jaramillo also wants to abolish ICE and Customs and Border Protection. He says their duties can be effectively carried out by their predecessor, the country’s Immigration and Naturalization Service, as was the case before post-9/11 policies created the Department of Homeland Security. Jaramillo, who called himself an anti-establishment candidate, is hoping voters who are tired of the status quo will support his bid. He said “If you’re happy with the way things are, keep electing the same people. But if you want real, progressive change, try someone new.” Raquel Terán With a 17-year-long career in Arizona politics, tenures in both the state Senate and House of Representatives and the title of Democratic Party Chair under her belt, Terán is perhaps one of the most experienced candidates in the race to capture Gallego’s seat. Born and raised on the Arizona border in Douglas, she attributes her passion for politics to the anti-immigrant rhetoric she grew up around. That motivation resulted in helping to organize a recall campaign against former state Sen. Russell Pierce, who authored Arizona’s notorious 2010 ‘show us your papers’ law, and working to defeat Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Maricopa County. Teran said, “I have been a fighter at the state legislature, and I’m ready to take on the extremists in Congress. We have a lot of work to do and I intend to bring my ‘si se puede’ attitude to Washington DC”. Terán’s top priorities include immigration reform, affordable housing, reproductive rights, holding corporate polluters accountable, and requiring wealthy corporations to pay their fair share are key goals for her. On Monday, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly endorsed Raquel Terán in her bid for Congress. He said “Raquel has spent nearly two decades helping bring together a diverse coalition of voters that turned our state blue.” Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from Colorado Newsline, Colorado Sun, ABC News, Arizona Mirror, and Denver’s Westword. Thank you for listening! See you next time. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 Sep 2024 | September 30, 2024 | Missouri State House 54 - Eric Stevens (D) | 00:55:31 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Eric Stevens - Website and info @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 06 Feb 2024 | The Delta, E2 - A Magic Cure for the Teacher Shortage | 00:28:51 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Kristina Linke (Ed. ASL Interpreter) & Nicholas Linke (Education Outreach & Research) suggest a magic solution to keep veteran and new educators in the classroom beyond 4-day school day. Growing the our classroom teacher and educational supports applicants may mean prioritizing their personal growth.
Check out more at: www.glassroomhive.com@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!
JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!
“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
http://www.americanaquarium.com/
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| 24 Oct 2022 | Competent State Leadership Is A Luxury | Bannon Sentenced, Trump Did Crimes With His Lawyer | Increased Abortion Education | Bold Midterm 2022 Predictions | Last Call Preview | 01:25:52 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP “Change The Conversation”
LAST CALL The Media Trump Darling Complex “Trump has been laying the groundwork”...is a drinking game now? Tulsi is back The great Taylor Branch gets it: https://twitter.com/taylorbranch/status/1583807655067324418 @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 Oct 2022 | High Country - Politics and Government News from the American West | 00:16:17 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Alright! Let’s get into it: COLORADO NEWSLINE: RINO hunters looking for a bloodbath As county clerks across Colorado prepared to send out mail ballots to voters on Monday, former President Donald Trump weighed in on one of the state’s most-watched 2022 races. Trump blasted Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea, a Denver construction CEO, as a “RINO,” or Republican in name only, over comments O’Dea made about a potential 2024 Trump presidential campaign. In a Sunday appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, O’Dea was asked whether the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol should disqualify Trump from running again. O’Dea called the events of Jan. 6 “a black eye for our country,” though he has previously said he doesn’t believe Trump deserves blame for the Capitol attack. “I don’t think Donald Trump should run again,” O’Dea said Sunday. “I’m going to actively campaign against Donald Trump and make sure that we’ve got four or five really great Republicans right now — Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott. They can run and serve for eight years.” Trump responded in a post on his Truth Social website: “MAGA doesn’t Vote for stupid people with big mouths” O’Dea faces an uphill battle against incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who is seeking his third full Senate term, in a state that has trended increasingly blue in recent elections. Bennet has led O’Dea in recent polling by an average of eight percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight. A first-time candidate who has pitched himself as a moderate on social issues, O’Dea has walked a tightrope throughout his campaign as he seeks to win over moderate voters without alienating the conservative Republican base. He did not publicly state his opposition to a Trump 2024 bid until after the June GOP primary, when he defeated far-right state Rep. Ron Hanks with 55% of the vote. His campaign clarified that O’Dea would still support Trump in the general election if the former president wins the GOP nomination, but O’Dea has since backed off of that position in interviews. GOP state Rep. Dave Williams, a far-right election denier who mounted an unsuccessful primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn earlier this year, reacted to Trump’s comments in a Twitter post. “Ouch,” Williams wrote. “Maybe Joe’s campaign shouldn’t alienate the base 3 weeks before an election.” Trump’s criticism follows Ron Hanks’ endorsement of the Libertarian in the Senate race, Bryan Peotter, who has put election denial and total opposition to abortion at the center of his campaign. The Libertarian wrote on Twitter that Trump’s attack on O’Dea “reads like an endorsement for my campaign pretty clearly.” In an Oct. 7 appearance on the conservative “Chuck and Julie Show,” Ron Hanks, who received just under 45% of the vote in the GOP’s June primary, said neither Peotter nor O’Dea have a chance of beating Bennet - and that Republican voters should vote for Peotter to send a message to party leaders. “It’s our time now as grassroots Colorado conservatives to step in. We have a big battle ahead to try to reform this leadership,” said Hanks. “It’s got to be a bloodbath.” COLORADO NEWSLINE: Will Colorado legalize psychedelic mushrooms? Ten years after Colorado voters made history by approving the ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana, this November’s Proposition 122 would allow licensed ‘healing centers’ and decriminalize personal use of some hallucinogens. The Natural Medicine Health Act would establish a regulated market for psilocybin and psilocyn, the psychoactive compounds found in psychedelic mushrooms. Placed on the 2022 ballot by a citizen initiative, it will become law if a majority of Colorado voters give their approval. The measure would allow licensed “healing centers” to provide access to psilocybin and psilocyn for therapeutic purposes. It would also decriminalize the “personal use” of the substances, allowing people to possess and grow psychedelic mushrooms in their own homes. GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Natural Medicine Colorado, the group backing the effort says “Natural psychedelic medicines are non-addictive, and can have profound benefits for people struggling with mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, opioid use disorder, and those struggling to find peace at the end of their lives.” Proposition 122 qualified for the ballot in July after organizers submitted more than the required 124,632 valid signatures to the secretary of state’s office. An issue committee backing the measure has reported more than $2.8 million in contributions, according to campaign finance disclosures. Nearly all of that funding came from New Approach PAC, a Washington, D.C.-based PAC that advocates for drug policy reform. Top donors to the group include the van Ameringen Foundation, Scotts Miracle-Gro and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. New Approach PAC supported successful mushroom decriminalization measures in Oregon and Washington, D.C., in 2020. If voters approve Proposition 122, Colorado would become the third jurisdiction in the country to legalize psilocybin. Denver voters took a more limited step towards the decriminalization of psychedelic mushrooms in 2019, approving a measure that directed police to make possession of psychedelics the city’s ”lowest law-enforcement priority.” Legalization advocates point to a vast body of existing research showing that psychedelics can be effective in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. The federal Food and Drug Administration has designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” for the treatment of major depressive disorder. Luke Gruber, an initiative backer and a Marine veteran who suffered from PTSD and depression after serving in Afghanistan, says psilocybin therapy “changed his life.” He said, “I can’t really describe the experience, but I can describe what it was like after my first treatment with natural medicine. It was like being reminded of what hope felt like.” If passed, Proposition 122 would establish a 15-member Natural Medicine Advisory Board to oversee the regulation of psychedelic substances. The first licenses for regulated providers would be issued beginning in September 2024. Pending recommendations from the advisory board, other substances, including DMT and mescaline, could be added to the program in 2026. I WILL BE VOTING YES. COLORADO NEWSLINE: SHE’S JUST BLOWING SMOKE Kirkmeyer repeats false Colorado oil and gas claims in 8th District debate against Caraveo In a recent debate in the race for Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District, right-wing GOP State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer took the opportunity to repeat a series of false claims about the oil and gas industry, and the impacts of a 2019 law sponsored by her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Dr. Yadira Caraveo. Kirkmeyer called the package of new health, safety and environmental reforms a “de facto ban on oil and gas. We went from 5,100 permits approved in 2018 down to about, I think, 22 — 22 permits this year, something approximately in that area,” she claimed. So, it’s not 22. It’s actually 842 new drilling permits that have been approved this year. Nearly 40 times higher than what Kirkmeyer claimed. In total, there are 1,314 active drilling permits held by Colorado oil and gas producers as of last week. She made a similar false claim in March, asserting that only four permits had been issued at that point in the year. The true figure was 125. Colorado’s oil production levels have dipped slightly from their 2019 peak, but remain near historic highs. Producers within the state are on pace to pump more than 156 million barrels of crude oil out of Colorado this year. That’s higher than every other year prior to 2018, and it’s more than five times the volume being pumped in Colorado ten years ago. Drillers have reduced growth plans and capital budgets in large part due to the demands of Wall Street investors, who flooded the industry with cheap credit amid the 2010s fracking boom, but have since sought to prioritize more profitable streams of revenue. Kirkmeyer claimed that SB-181 “killed thousands of jobs” in the 8th District, which encompasses an area in north metro Denver and Weld County that is home to the vast majority of Colorado’s oil production. Asked why the same trends were observed in drilling-friendly states like Texas and Wyoming recently, Kirkmeyer said, “I have no idea what other laws, or what other kinds of regulations, or what else was going on in those states.” Kirkmeyer also denied the scientific consensus on fossil fuels and climate change. Dr. Caraveo, the Democratic candidate, is a pediatrician who has seen the impacts of drilling and refinery operations in the lungs of the innocent kids who come into her clinic. The Suncor refinery, one of Colorado’s largest sources of air pollution, is located within the new district. Dr. Caraveo said 2019’s oil and gas reform bill was moderate, and incorporated industry input. The 8th District, the boundaries of which were drawn last year by Colorado’s first-ever Independent Redistricting Commission, is the state’s most competitive. According to the commission’s analysis, former President Donald Trump would have won the district by 1.7 percentage points in the 2016 election, while Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper would have carried the district by the same margin in his defeat of former GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020. Nonpartisan elections analysts rate the race as a toss-up. ARIZONA MIRROR: Oath Keepers are planning to watch drop boxes in Arizona, spurred by conspiracy theories. The groups’ violent rhetoric has advocates worried, and some local politicians are stirring the pot. The increased attention to ballot drop boxes comes in the wake of the debunked film “2000 Mules” about a completely made up ballot stuffing operation supposedly benefitting Democratic candidates.
Now, groups are organizing events to keep an eye on drop boxes in Arizona. One of those groups is connected directly to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers, a known white supremacist group. They’re calling their midterm voter intimidation efforts “Operation Drop Box.” On its website the group members describe themselves as “conservative patriots” who say the country has been hijacked global elites, communists, leftists, deep state bureaucrats, and fake news.” Jim Arroyo, the leader of the Arizona Oath Keepers said the group sent emails to everyone in the group’s roster, about 1,000 people. In an Oath Keeprs meeting, Arroyo said “For the November election we would like to post people at drop boxes to have eyes on target to be able to notify law enforcement. We have already coordinated with Sheriff Rhodes and he told us that if we see somebody stuffing a ballot box and we get a license plate number, that deputies would make an arrest and there will be a prosecution.” County Sheriff David Rhodes has spoken to the Arizona chapter of the Oath Keepers on two separate occasions. In an August 2021 meeting, he said “I’ve got to tell you, this is one of my favorite groups. It is great to be with friends” When asked about coordination between the Sheriff, Lions of Liberty and the Oath Keepers. County spokesperson Kristin Greene said “Sheriff Rhodes has zero to do with their effort to watch the drop boxes.” Rhodes also spoke to the group in late September, a meeting which the Sheriff’s Office said was to educate the group on what was legal and what was not legal for the group to do. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office told the group members that as long as they stay 75 feet away from the drop boxes, they are within their legal rights, but any closer and they could be violating the law. The county is also at the center of another effort led by former Graham County Sheriff Richard Mack, who leads the so-called Constitutional Sheriffs Association, an extremist anti-government group. CSPOA and the Oath Keepers have long had close ties. State Sen. Kelly Townsend, a Republican, called on “vigilantes” to camp out on drop boxes. At a legislative hearing all about indulging wild conspiracy theories, she said, “I have been so pleased to hear about all you vigilantes out there that want to camp out at these drop boxes. We’re going to have hidden trail cameras, we are going to have people parked out there watching you and they are going to follow you to your car and get your license plate, so don’t try it. Don’t try it anymore.” Lake Havasu Republican Sonny Borrelli has also made similar calls while at an election security forum. “We need to be force multipliers,” Borrelli told the crowd in Tempe. “We need to have people camped on unmanned drop boxes and camp on those and keep an eye on them and take down that data, license plates, pictures and so on and so forth.” Concerned voter advocates are advising that .ocal law enforcement may not be the best option for a voter to turn to, if you end up feeling intimidated at the polls - instead suggesting contacting local election officials, the election protection hotline, or federal law enforcement. Voter intimidation is a federal crime, one that is enforced by the FBI and Department of Justice. When asked for comment about the situation with white supremacists camping out at ballot drop boxes, United States Attorney for Arizona Gary Restaino said “Enough with the election deniers and fear-mongers, who only seek to undermine our democratic process. I’m proud to live in a state that endeavors to remove barriers to voting, and that has long believed in vote-by-mail. Working in partnership with our state and local election officials, the Department of Justice will do its very best to ensure that every eligible voter who chooses to vote can do so easily and efficiently, without interference or discrimination.” Most importantly, voters shouldn’t let wackos like the Oath Keepers and so-called Constitutional Sheriffs keep you from participating in American democracy. ON THAT NOTE: Arizona’s General Election has officially begun, with ballots being sent out across the state to voters who have signed up to receive them by mail, and with polling places opening up for early voting. Voters who have registered for mail-in ballots will begin receiving their ballots soon, and can check the status of their ballot at my.arizona.vote Those who have not yet requested a mail-in ballot have until Oct. 28 to do so. NEVADA CURRENT: Nevada launches opioid task force as fentanyl overdoses increase The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Attorney General Aaron Ford and Gov. Steve Sisolak have launched an opioid task force designed to provide technical assistance, guidance and resources to local and state jurisdictions amid the rise of opioid overdoses. The increase in overdoses is associated with fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more powerful than morphine. Fentanyl is often found in other drugs like cocaine and pills and is not detectable without a chemical test. Between July and August in Nevada, emergency department visits from suspected opioid-related deaths increased by 66% - and emergency department visits from suspected stimulant-related overdoses increased by 50%. For those looking for help, visit: behavioralhealthnv.org in Nevada, or can call the free, confidential, national treatment and referral hotline at 1-800-662-4357. 1-800-662-help To find free naloxone or learn about using fentanyl test strips in Nevada, visit nvopioidresponse.org Last year, 107,000 Americans died from opioid overdoses. Concert pick of the Week: Todd Snider at Washington’s FOCO Todd Snider is an American singer/songwriter who is 1000x more fucking badass than implied by that term. He’s got a new Live album called Return of the Storyteller, with extra resonance in our post-pandemic era. Snider says laughingly, “This was really only my second tour – because I went out on the road in ’94 and never went home until the pandemic. And I’m so glad I recorded those shows for this album. Because that was the sound of the country getting to see live music again. Everyone just hugs at the start of a concert-you can tell folks are glad to see each other, and then they get more excited than they used to be about just being out and seeing music. I’m sure that it will go back to normal, but it hasn’t yet.” So go to the show! Todd Snider is playing next Wednesday Washington’s Fort Collins - tickets at washingtonsfoco.com. Next Friday - October 28 he’ll be at Knuckleheads in Kansas City - on Saturday November 19th he’ll be play the Sheldon Concert Hall in St Louis, and in between he has near daily shows in Des Moines, Eau Claire, Omaha, Iowa City, Chicago, Madison, Grand Rapids, Ohio, Illinois, Raleigh, Knoxville. Closes out the tour in December with 5 dates in Texas, last of which being Luckenback, on December 10. If you can’t tell - I’m definitely hoping to catch a couple of this extraordinary storyteller’s shows. God willing. Welp, that’s it for me! From Denver I’m Sean Diller. Original reporting for the stories in today’s show comes from the Nevada Current, Arizona Mirror, Colorado Newsline, Source New Mexico, and Denver’s Westword. Thank you for listening! See you next time. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Apr 2023 | Rep. Jamie Johnson (D-Mo12) Working To Make Missouri Better For All, One Bill At A Time | 00:28:11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Missouri State Rep. Jamie Johnson, Democrat in the Missouri 12th House District, has introduced HB900, legislation to require insurance coverage for midwife and doula services, aimed at assisting during the birthing process while lowering mortality rates across the board. Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Guest: Rep. Jamie Johnson (D-MO12) https://www.jamieformo.com/about HB900 – https://house.mo.gov/bill.aspx?bill=HB900&year=2023&code=R Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 01 Mar 2024 | Politics and News Flyover for Friday March 1, 2024 - TX wildfires, CO orphan wells lawsuit, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, filing day in Missouri and more | 00:25:57 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Flyover Friday, March 1, 2024 A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including: Texas Is On Fire | Colorado Oil Wells Are Not So Well | Missouri Meat Packing Ponds Stink | Kansas legislators behave like bullies | Texas AG Making Lists Of Undesirables SOURCES: The heartland collective, Missouri independent, Kansas Reflector, Colorado Sun, Associated Press, Advocate and journalist - Erin Reed’s blog, Erin In the Morning
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| 08 Nov 2022 | Adam's Final Midterm Message for 2022 | 00:14:20 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 "Change The Conversation" @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 Aug 2024 | Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams Is Innocent, But Still Sitting On Death Row | 00:34:50 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Michelle Smith with Missourians To Abolish The Death Penalty Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams is scheduled for execution on September 24, despite DNA evidence proving his innocence. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney has filed a motion to vacate his conviction, citing the exculpatory DNA evidence. A hearing is set for August 21 to review this evidence. The case against Williams was based on unreliable witness testimony, and forensic evidence from the crime scene does not match him. Despite these findings, the Missouri Attorney General is pushing for his execution. This case highlights issues of wrongful convictions and racial bias in the justice system. https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article289696334.html @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 Oct 2022 | Talkin' Politics | Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics; Record Oil Profits During Crisis; 2022 Early Voting Advantage for Dems?; Paul Pelosi Attack and Ratcheted Up Political Rhetoric | 01:29:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPODCo-Hosts Rachel Parker @RaichetP Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO
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| 08 Jun 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | Ban This Podcast - A Discussion With America's Most Banned Author, Ellen Hopkins | 00:30:39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Guest: Ellen Hopkins, author Heartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper @piper4missouri on Twitter, and Facebook “Change The Conversation” Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 May 2023 | Let's Have A Chat | Lauren Gepford, with Contest Every Race | 00:41:54 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Guest Lauren Gepford @LaurenGepford (Twitter) with Contest Every Race Article mentioned in interview
Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 Jun 2023 | Understanding Moore v. Harper| The Same Debate Since The Founding | 00:20:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation”
Good summary of Moore v. Harper: https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/27/nc-republicans-lose-us-supreme-court-case-on-legislatures-power-over-federal-elections/
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| 11 Apr 2023 | Talkin' Politics | The KC Star Covers Missouri Political Twitter; Abortion Case Responses That Might Surprise You; Goin' Back To Old Rocky Top, Tennessee | 00:45:39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 Oct 2023 | Collective Bargain with Glenn Kage, Jr. | October 14, 2023 - Meet The Member: Matt Lebeis is a stationary operating engineer with OE Local 49 in Minnesota | 00:39:39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
More from your host: https://www.laborfront.com/ @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 Aug 2024 | DNC (Fist) Bump: Rachel and Adam react to the Democrats big week, plus JD Vance keeps being weird | 01:59:32 | |||||||||||||||||||||
DNC (Fist) Bump: Rachel and Adam react to the Democrats big week, plus JD Vance keeps being weird@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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| 20 Feb 2023 | Talkin' Politics | Feb. 20, 2023 - Health Care Consumerism; On Wisconsin's Supreme Court; Missouri and Kansas GOP Need Abortion To Be More Illegal; Power To The Workers?; Health Care Deep Dive Analysis | 01:20:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” LifeFlight Eagle: https://www.lifeflighteagle.org/
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| 02 Jul 2024 | July 1, 2024 | The Immunity Case | 01:11:55 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Adam and Rachel join up to talk about the historic SCOTUS decision 6-3 regarding the question of Presidential Immunity.@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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| 04 May 2023 | Dirt Road Democrat | The Intergenerational Inheritance of Public Education, with Professor Derek Black | 00:43:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPODHost: Jess Piper @piper4missouri “Change The Conversation” His areas of expertise include education law and policy, constitutional law, and civil rights. The focus of his current scholarship is the intersection of constitutional law and public education, particularly as it pertains to educational equality and fairness for disadvantaged students. He is the author of a leading education law casebook, Education Law: Equality, Fairness, and Reform, and Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 02 Dec 2022 | The Flyover View, December 2, 2022 | Heartland Politics, News, and Views | 00:19:56 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the Heartland.
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| 11 Mar 2024 | Katie Britt Creeps Out America | March 11, 2024 | 01:19:52 | |||||||||||||||||||||
TALKIN’ POLITICS
Last Call The world with NEITHER - The CoDependents of Trump & Biden
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| 25 Oct 2023 | Trust Me with Rachel Parker | What COULD the Future of Online Journalism Look Like? | 00:27:39 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Substack had negative revenue - The Verge Substack gets writers to invest, but doesn't share new financial info Intro: Support what we do by leaving a five star rating and a review wherever you listen to the show and follow us on social media with AT the heartland pod and check out heartlandpod.com and click the patreon link to learn about becoming a podhead today. Last week: I beat up on the news business and the baseless nostalgia the old guard loves to bathe itself in as if we don’t notice that journalists, and the newsrooms where they worked, were largely white, straight, and male. I also talked about how journalists I follow and trust are nearly in unison on one point: The ancillary income that newspapers and news outlets make from Google is going to go away due largely to advancements in AI. I watched an entire generation of journalists fail us in the early part of this century. There were two trains running in my view that led to this: an utter lack of innovation and hubris. If you tell yourself that your industry is so valuable that wayward consumers will always find their way back to you, you’ll never be bothered to pay attention to what consumers are actually doing. The slow leak in the newspaper industry is already terrible, and a thriving democracy needs journalism. Outside of nonprofit newsrooms…what should they do? The two things that we have today that still pose as “saviors”: aggregation models and the newsletter business. Let’s talk about the second one first. The writing is probably on the wall for Substack. In 2021, it lost $25M. There’s a story from The Verge in the show notes from April that details how the Substack founders failed to raise another round of investment capital from VCs and instead, crowdfunded more money. I posted a pretty great article from Dan Primack in Axios from April about that. Both are worthy reads, because they basically tell you something we should all know: The independent news boom is probably in trouble. And we can all imagine why. How many of us can really afford to subscribe to numerous Substacks? It starts to add up, and most of us already have other premium content products that we pay for monthly. (name some) News outlets have, for a long time, had what I’ll call an “aggregation” mindset. Push stories where people are—search, social, YouTube—and the money will come. My idea: Build an overlay payment system that allows individuals to pay for individual stories that will rival the cost of an ad impression AND deliver immediate value to the publication. Describe Post and why, as much as I like it and use it, I’m worried it won’t work. (See also: Apple News) BUT…the micropayment feature is magnificent. Let’s expand on it. (Explain that, close it up). I don’t have a Big Ask for this week. Just enjoy the rest of fall. Credits Trust Me with Rachel Parker is a production of Mid Map Media LLC, producers Rachel Parker, Adam Sommer, and Sean Diller. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 Aug 2023 | Talkin' Politics | Defining Woke Communism; MO GOV Race 2024; "Red State" AGs Hate Privacy?; Wisconsin Labor Market Booming; Biden's Big Summit; Trump Charges Mounting | 01:04:43 | |||||||||||||||||||||
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/
TALKIN’ POLITICS
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 Nov 2023 | Friday News Flyover - 11.10.2023 - Joe Manchin is moving on - OH, KY, and VA progressives win, and more | 00:49:08 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Marion Co Kansas newspaper raid | Hospitals are suing patients and putting liens on their homes to get paid | Missouri Sunshine Laws are alive and well | Joe Manchin retiring from the U.S. Senate probably to run for President alongside RFK Jr., Jill Stein, and Cornel West in 2024's JV election Welcome to The Heartland POD for a Flyover Friday, this is Sean Diller and with me today are my cohosts Rachel Parker and Adam Sommer We’re glad to have you with us and if you’re new to our shows make sure you subscribe, and leave a 5 star rating wherever you’re listening to our shows, remember to look for The Heartland POD content on youtube and learn more about our shows and hosts at heartlandpod.com Let’s get into the stories 2023 Election Results That Caught Your Eye? Ohio Issue 1 on abortion Massive win for abortion rights - 56-43, 13 point margin is pretty massive especially in this age of often close partisan election results Kansas 2022 measure was 59-41, also was a larger election but still, bigger margin County map breakdown on vote https://www.wlwt.com/article/ohio-issue-1-abortion-rights-passes-county-map/45772375 GOP still promising to ignore voters and do what they think is best, because they don’t care what people thinking https://www.salon.com/2023/11/08/this-isnt-the-end-top-ohio-vows-effort-to-undo-abortion-amendment-backed-by/ Virginia house and senate flipped to Dems after Youngkin’s double down on abortion Youngkin pushed for voters to give him a GOP majority in both chambers so they could make abortion super illegal, and voters said, “That’s gonna be a no from me, dawg” Sound bite from the ghost of Josh Hawley’s future https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1722092355770016036?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA Kentucky reelected a Democrat for Governor - Andy Beshear Moms for Liberty candidates LOST in almost every race they were in https://www.kcrg.com/2023/11/09/moms-liberty-backed-school-board-candidates-overwhelmingly-lose-elections/ Summary of results on Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Election_results,_2023 The folks behind the Marion Co. newspaper raid that left an elderly woman and former publisher dead were more involved than they ever let on and it looks like what we thought it was all along https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/06/kansas-officials-downplayed-involvement-in-marion-raid-heres-what-they-knew/ Chaos in Missouri’s Medicaid Program https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/02/medicaid-unwinding-breeds-chaos-in-states-as-millions-lose-coverage/ Callers in Missouri reported waiting on hold for more than two hours on hotlines to renew their Medicaid coverage People in North Carolina are losing their homes to hospital bills https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/nov/06/hospitals-lawsuits-atrium-north-carolina?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Notes (just for reference): In 2005, to secure a debt of $23,311 from Sandra’s treatment, a lawyer for the hospital convinced the couple to sign a deed of trust to their home. It required Atrium’s debt and attorneys’ fees to be paid before the home could be sold, transferred or refinanced. In 2010, Belk was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Suddenly, he owed another $6,792, which he could not pay. In 2012, the hospital sued to collect its money and succeeded. Another lien was placed on the family home, with an 8% annual interest rate and more attorneys’ fees on top. Worse, Sandra’s cancer returned. In 2013, Sandra died at 61. That did not stop the hospital from refiling the debt lien from her initial treatment, when it would have otherwise expired in 2022. That has allowed the hospital to retain a stake in Belk’s home to this day. Rebecca Varney, a good trouble maker in Missouri’s Phelps County, and a Missouri court agrees - and awards almost $44,000 in attorney fees as a reult https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/08/phelps-county-judge-rules-missouri-city-tried-to-intimidate-woman-with-ban-on-city-hall-visits/ Edgar Springs, a town of 200 in southern Phelps County, must pay a nominal fine of $150 to Rebecca Varney for banning her from city hall for four years, and for holding several closed meetings with business that should have been conducted in public, Judge John Beger decided. The cost of the violations will be far more than that, however, because Beger also ordered the city to pay $43,995 in attorneys fees, plus additional costs that have not yet been calculated to bring the case to trial.
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Jul 2024 | July 24, 2024 | From Roe to Dobbs And Beyond w/ Devon Heinen of States News Room + BONUS 2024 Democrat VP Mt. Rushmore Draft | 01:57:54 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Rachel sat down for a chat with Devon Heinen, a journalist with States Newsroom who principally writes for the Tennessee Lookout . States Newsroom has created State Capitol level coverage with sites like Missouri Independent, Iowa Capitol Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, and more. Listeners of our shows often hear us cite to these sources because they have proven themselves to be quality journalism that takes the work of reporting facts with context seriously. Devon is no exception to that rule. Learn more about Devon: http://www.devonheinen.com/articles.html Article: http://www.devonheinen.com/images/2024-Heinen-AL-Reflector-Diane-Derzis-Story.pdf @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Apr 2023 | Talkin' Politics 4/24/23 | 2024 Presidential Race; Dobbs Legacy Question; Texas Leg Hits The F*** It Button; St. Louis' Prosecutor Problem; State Sen. Lincoln Hough Keeps #moleg On Track; MO Gov Parson Political Failure; Last Call Preview | 01:31:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” YOU DON’T SAY: Poor leadership and lack of staff is a problem for St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner Yeah… yeah! From Adam: Mo. State Sen. Lincoln Hough, one of the adults in the room, restores library funding and shuts down “Job killing” anti diversity language in state budget process Bonus: Gov. Kelly in Kansas vetoes the anti-abortion and anti-diversity attempts https://apnews.com/article/culture-war-kansas-abortion-diversity-eb8c355ac54b19c5efc80090accb9ce9 True or False
Yeah…No, Yeah
Buy or Sell
The Big ONE
LAST CALL WTF - the No Labels group What is it? https://www.nolabels.org/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/02/no-labels-third-party-election/ https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/whos-afraid-of-no-labels-the-democrats-apparently/ https://newrepublic.com/article/171394/no-labels-donors-video-pretends-joe-biden-doesnt-exist @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Sep 2023 | Rep. Crystal Quade, Democratic Candidate for Governor | 00:34:30 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Crystal Quade - https://crystalquade.com/ Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) Special guest: Don Looney @telecomdon JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/ @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 Jan 2024 | Can Colin Allred beat Ted Cruz? Sean and Rachel unpack the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Texas | 00:30:15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
U.S. House Representative Colin Allred (D-Dallas) is the leading Democrat to take on Ted Cruz this November. Does the Democrat have any chance of unseating Lyin' Ted? Sean and Rachel look at election results from Democrats Beto O'Rourke and Joe Biden for recent clues. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 Mar 2023 | Flyover View | March 17, 2023: Heartland News and Views | 00:18:37 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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HEADLINE 1: Kansas Special Education Held Hostage -
HEADLINE 2: Three Texas women are sued for wrongful death after allegedly helping friend obtain abortion medication - https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/10/texas-abortion-lawsuit/?utm_campaign=trib-social&utm_content=1678478308&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 08 May 2023 | Talkin' Politics | May 8, 2023 | 01:29:28 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO (Twitter and Post) JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” True or False: Intraparty fighting in supermajority Red states is one of the best tools for Democrats in 2024
Yeah…No, Yeah
Yeah… yeah!
Buy or Sell
The Big ONE
LAST CALL - THE DEBT CEILING WTF Tribe opinion spot decent explainer: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/07/opinion/debt-limit.html https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/debt-ceiling-congress/ 43 SENATE GOP SAY they will not support anything without cuts After Mitch said the Senate isn’t part of this negotiation Compromise coming?: https://www.kiplinger.com/investing/economy/debt-ceiling-compromise-likely-kiplinger-economic-forecasts @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social) The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today! JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK! “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium | |||||||||||||||||||||||