Podcast appearances and mentions of adam sommer

What does it take to go from the first client to a loyal and dependable client following?  To go from zero followers to followers who regularly invest in your offerings?  To go from sincere and earnest student to a leader with your own clear voice?  To go from no sales experience ever to exponentially increasing sales?  In this solo episode, I share the internal and external practices, strategies, and investments that catapulted me quickly from absolute newcomer to respected name to a small but dedicated community. I share all this with awe and gratitude to my younger self, who insisted on the timeline I am now living.  I also want to extend deep, deep gratitude and honor to my primary teachers at this time, who are all mentioned here: Achintya Devi, Chani Nicholas, Debora Silverman, Deborah Kremins, Sarah Faith Gottesdiener, Lindsay Mack, Jessica Snow, Carolyn Myss, Amanda Yates Garcia, Adam Sommer, and Natasha Levinger.  Peep at my D Magazine article from Sept 2019, mentioned here, which was also featured in the print version of the magazine. Click here to read the interview that led to this opportunity. Click here to get my first online class Neptune Vibes for just $22. Use the code NEPTUNEVIBES at checkout.  The Parenting Your Moon videos are all inside of my self-paced, evergreen foundations course Moon to Moon, which was completely re-created anew in 2024. Use the code MOONTOMOON to get 25% off Moon to Moon.  +++ It's not too late to join my 6-month group mentorship container! LEARN ABOUT MENTORSHIP WITH ME! Doors officially close for good the night of June 9.  GET MY BRAND NEW FREE MINI-COURSE: TIME SECRETS - it's expires June 20!  Would you like to go all in with me and join the community co-creating Emergence Astrology? LEARN ABOUT EMERGENCE ASTROLOGY YEAR ONE! Doors will close at the solstice.  +++ E M E R G E N C E  A S T R O L O G Y ⁠⁠https://brittenlarue.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@brittenlarue Order Living Astrology Join my newsletter here Check out my new podcast CRYSTAL BALLERS on Spotify, Podbean, and Apple. +++ Podcast art: Angela George. Podcast music: Jonathan Koe.

In this little solo pod, I reflect on 16 years (2 Venus cycles) of podcasting and doing astrology. It's been a journey. The show is part educational and a moment to check in with you all. A lot has changed in the 16 years of doing these, and I do feel there will be another 8, yet for now, I'm still pupating…. enjoy, adam       to learn Astrology: ....to support my work and learn astrology all at the same time   to work with me: ...to schedule a reading    

In this episode, Gemini Brett returns for the 2nd part of our little astronomy discussions. It's an essential lesson around the lunar standstill. Something clicked for me in this conversation. I hope it does for you as well. enjoy, adam   his site: https://geminibrett.com       to learn Astrology: ....to support my work and learn astrology all at the same time   to work with me: ...to schedule a reading

Adam Sommer explains the transition from "The Heartland POD" to "The Process" and then brings the first official episode: "Resisting?"Host: Adam Sommer  Find Adam on tik-tok and bluesky as "midmapdadenergy" - follow The Process on instagram.  JOIN PATREON FOR MORE  “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium  http://www.americanaquarium.com/   Nothing on this channel is to be taken as legal advice for any jurisdiction. All statements are opinions that reflect on that of the speaker and the purpose of the show is to provide space for discussion that may include statements or opinions shared only for the purpose of discussion. 

Adam Sommer explains the transition from "The Heartland POD" to "The Process" and then brings the first official episode: "Resisting?"Host: Adam Sommer  Find Adam on tik-tok and bluesky as "midmapdadenergy" - follow The Process on instagram.  JOIN PATREON FOR MORE  “Change The Conversation” Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium  http://www.americanaquarium.com/   Nothing on this channel is to be taken as legal advice for any jurisdiction. All statements are opinions that reflect on that of the speaker and the purpose of the show is to provide space for discussion that may include statements or opinions shared only for the purpose of discussion. 

I'm excited to share with you the long-overdue conversation with Ray Merriman. He's been on my radar since the beginning, I just never felt the time was right to invite him on…until now. I'm glad I waited. I was able to keep up and we had an engaging chat about all things related to financial astrology. Even if you aren't interested in the topic, I'm sure there is something in this conversation for you to enjoy. -adam his site: https://www.mmacycles.com         to learn Astrology: ....to support my work and learn astrology all at the same time   to work with me: ...to schedule a reading

This show was meant to be about lunar standstills, yet that's not quite what happened.  It often happens with Brett and I.  Lots of Gemini between us.  What ended up being discussed were the three main zodiacs, some astronomy, and a hint of the lunar standstill.  We will treat this one as part 1; part 2 will cover what we originally set out to explore.  It's more lecture than anything, but I think you will learn loads from listening. enjoy -adam his site: https://geminibrett.com   to work with me: ...to schedule a reading: www.adam-sommer.com

In this episode of the Astrology Hub podcast, Amanda welcomes astrologer Adam Sommer to discuss the potent energies surrounding the upcoming eclipse season and the Mars retrograde. With Adam's deep expertise in astrology, the duo dives into the significance of these transits and how they influence both personal and collective experiences. From reflecting on past cycles to insights into the coming months, this conversation is full of wisdom for anyone looking for insights into navigating these times.What you'll learn by tuning in:✨The importance of eclipse cycles and their long-term influence on personal and global events.

Mark Jones returns to the show to exploring the state of the Outer Planets with me.  I recently made my seasonal visit to Wales to hang with him and record a slice of our constant stream of philosophical conversations.  It's always a pleasure to share these with you.  I hope you learn something from being a fly on the wall with this one. Enjoy to work with me: https://www.adam-sommer.com/ ...to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche   my writing: The Dragon Hole (my Substack): https://kosmognosis.substack.com/   to learn Astrology: www.Patreon.com/adamsommer ....to support the creation of my writings/podcasts and be showered with gifts as well Mark's website: https://markjonesastrology.com To explore Evolved Wellness: www.evolvedwellness.org soma: 15% off   Mark and Adam podcasting imagined by DALL-E

The Heartland POD | August 16, 2024Kunce calls Hawley's bluffSpeaking of chickens… Iowa residents cry “fowl” about backyard bird issuesMissourians will vote on abortion issue in NovemberRepublicans in MO accused of tampering with votesMeanwhile former Colorado republican clerk is found GUILTY of exactly thatFinally, in MO the GOP attempt to ban ranked choice voting awaits its fateLots to do, so let's go! Adam Sommer with Sean Diller - reminder learn more about us and check out our union made merch like the make abortion legal again hat at the heartland collective dot com, sign up there for $5 to be a patreon supporter and help us product this independent media content Kunce calls Hawley's bluff, but Hawley won't confirm real debateshttps://www.kfvs12.com/video/2024/08/15/hawley-kunce-face-off-missouri-state-fair/Speaking of chickens… Iowa residents cry “fowl” about backyard bird issueshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/08/12/neighbors-and-city-policymakers-cry-fowl-about-backyard-chickens/Missourians will vote on abortion issue in November - along with $15 min wage, paid sick leave, and sports gamblinghttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/Republicans in MO accused of tampering with voteshttps://fox2now.com/news/missouri/st-charles-county-voters-suspect-voter-fraud-from-election-director/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referralMeanwhile former Colorado republican clerk is found GUILTY of exactly thathttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/13/tina-peters-guilty-colorado-2020-election-denierFinally, in MO the GOP attempt to ban ranked choice voting awaits its fatehttps://www.kfvs12.com/2024/08/13/missouri-lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ban-ballot-language-awaits-judgment/ @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam 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/

The Heartland POD | August 16, 2024Kunce calls Hawley's bluffSpeaking of chickens… Iowa residents cry “fowl” about backyard bird issuesMissourians will vote on abortion issue in NovemberRepublicans in MO accused of tampering with votesMeanwhile former Colorado republican clerk is found GUILTY of exactly thatFinally, in MO the GOP attempt to ban ranked choice voting awaits its fateLots to do, so let's go! Adam Sommer with Sean Diller - reminder learn more about us and check out our union made merch like the make abortion legal again hat at the heartland collective dot com, sign up there for $5 to be a patreon supporter and help us product this independent media content Kunce calls Hawley's bluff, but Hawley won't confirm real debateshttps://www.kfvs12.com/video/2024/08/15/hawley-kunce-face-off-missouri-state-fair/Speaking of chickens… Iowa residents cry “fowl” about backyard bird issueshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/08/12/neighbors-and-city-policymakers-cry-fowl-about-backyard-chickens/Missourians will vote on abortion issue in November - along with $15 min wage, paid sick leave, and sports gamblinghttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/Republicans in MO accused of tampering with voteshttps://fox2now.com/news/missouri/st-charles-county-voters-suspect-voter-fraud-from-election-director/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referralMeanwhile former Colorado republican clerk is found GUILTY of exactly thathttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/13/tina-peters-guilty-colorado-2020-election-denierFinally, in MO the GOP attempt to ban ranked choice voting awaits its fatehttps://www.kfvs12.com/2024/08/13/missouri-lawsuit-ranked-choice-voting-ban-ballot-language-awaits-judgment/ @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam 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/

Ray Grasse returns to the pod to discuss his new book of essays So, What Am I Doing Here, Anyway? Ranging beyond the astrological into the philosophical, it's a thought provoking collection of the questions we've all asked before, like: How does synchronicity relate to astrology? How in the world do charts still work once a person has already died? Or, Why is it that we are pattern-seeking creatures?  I had a great time reading many of these essays and I'm excited to share this conversation with you.  Enjoy. Ray's site: https://www.raygrasse.com/ Support the show and learn astrology with me: www.patreon.com/adamsommer

Adam Sommer intros a throwback episode pulling a prior "Big One" from the vault all about Trump's indictment. You know, the BIG indictment. Plus Adam talks a bit about what he's seeing in the Missouri Legislature, and also that it looks like signatures are IN on the abortion access ballot initiative petition!, but why that is not the end of the battle in restoring women's rights in Missouri.  @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam 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/

Adam Sommer intros a throwback episode pulling a prior "Big One" from the vault all about Trump's indictment. You know, the BIG indictment. Plus Adam talks a bit about what he's seeing in the Missouri Legislature, and also that it looks like signatures are IN on the abortion access ballot initiative petition!, but why that is not the end of the battle in restoring women's rights in Missouri.  @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam 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/

The Heartland POD, Friday April 26, 2024: Flyover Friday On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, April 26, 2024 - a Flyover Friday includingMissouri's GOP-run legislature moves forward on silencing votersThe tough guy Olympics between two of Missouri's state-wide GOP candidatesBiden admin moves to protect workers' wagesThe Supreme Court hears the Presidential Immunity arguments1. Missouri state house GOP has sent the initiative petition “reform” bill back to the senate with language called “ballot candy” reinsertedhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/25/missouri-initiative-petition-bill-ballot-candy-reinstated/From article: The bill was initially approved earlier this year after Democrats ended their 21-hour filibuster in exchange for the removal of “ballot candy” provisions — referring to unrelated additions to a ballot measure designed to win voters who are skeptical of a proposal's main focus. On Thursday, the House added language to the bill that would ask Missourians if they want to change the constitution to define legal voters as citizens of the United States as well as whether they want to prohibit foreign entities from sponsoring initiative petitions. Democrats called the additions “unnecessary” and “deceptive.”“This feels to me like another situation where this body is being asked to bend to the will of the Senate,” said state Rep. Eric Woods, a Democrat from Kansas City. “We are putting this bad stuff back on to send it back over there and watch the Senate explode again as if we aren't already in enough turmoil in this building.” After the Senate vote in February, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Colemen, a Republican from Arnold and the bill's sponsor, asked the House Committee on Elections and Elected Officials  to reinstate the “ballot candy.”The committee complied. After an hour-long debate Thursday morning, the bill ultimately passed, with House Majority Leader Jon Patterson of Lee's Summit the lone “no” vote among his Republican colleagues.2. Missouri Republican elected officials are fighting hard… at least with each otherFirst Hoskins vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rID2bvi1VEs&t=41sSecond Hoskins vid: https://youtube.com/shorts/cZ2iiL5pt7M?si=Wy3alsOWnpr9B1rHSpecial uncovered 3rd video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fopvzf77b8&rco=1https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/jay-ashcroft-is-a-chickenshit-gop-senator-says-repeatedly-on-video-423767873. New FLSA rule from Biden/Harris admin to protect low wage salary employees from being taken advantage of: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20240423-0Think - Casey's store Asst Managers getting paid a salary to work well over 40 hours in a weekEffective July 1, 2024, the salary threshold will increase the present annual salary threshold of $35,568 to $43,888 and then to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025. The July 1 increase updates 4. US Supreme Court held a special session on April 25, originally not set as an argument day, in the appeal regarding “Trump v. US” - certainly an appropriate naming - regarding presidential immunityTranscript of argument: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/23-939_l5gm.pdfWhat some of the media is sayingCNN: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/25/politics/takeaways-trump-immunity-supreme-court/index.htmlFox: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scotus-sees-dangerous-precedent-trump-immunity-case-presidents-prosecute-rivals-expertsNPR: https://www.npr.org/2024/04/25/1246376720/donald-trump-supreme-court-immunityMeanwhile in another Courtroom: https://www.threads.net/@griffinkyle/post/C6MLx6Ru7ogPecker's testimony: https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/april-25-new-york-trump-trial-supreme-court-immunityFunny stuff: https://www.threads.net/@gtconway3/post/C6MDMCHOXZ6 @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam 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/

The Heartland POD, Friday April 26, 2024: Flyover Friday On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, April 26, 2024 - a Flyover Friday includingMissouri's GOP-run legislature moves forward on silencing votersThe tough guy Olympics between two of Missouri's state-wide GOP candidatesBiden admin moves to protect workers' wagesThe Supreme Court hears the Presidential Immunity arguments1. Missouri state house GOP has sent the initiative petition “reform” bill back to the senate with language called “ballot candy” reinsertedhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/25/missouri-initiative-petition-bill-ballot-candy-reinstated/From article: The bill was initially approved earlier this year after Democrats ended their 21-hour filibuster in exchange for the removal of “ballot candy” provisions — referring to unrelated additions to a ballot measure designed to win voters who are skeptical of a proposal's main focus. On Thursday, the House added language to the bill that would ask Missourians if they want to change the constitution to define legal voters as citizens of the United States as well as whether they want to prohibit foreign entities from sponsoring initiative petitions. Democrats called the additions “unnecessary” and “deceptive.”“This feels to me like another situation where this body is being asked to bend to the will of the Senate,” said state Rep. Eric Woods, a Democrat from Kansas City. “We are putting this bad stuff back on to send it back over there and watch the Senate explode again as if we aren't already in enough turmoil in this building.” After the Senate vote in February, state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Colemen, a Republican from Arnold and the bill's sponsor, asked the House Committee on Elections and Elected Officials  to reinstate the “ballot candy.”The committee complied. After an hour-long debate Thursday morning, the bill ultimately passed, with House Majority Leader Jon Patterson of Lee's Summit the lone “no” vote among his Republican colleagues.2. Missouri Republican elected officials are fighting hard… at least with each otherFirst Hoskins vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rID2bvi1VEs&t=41sSecond Hoskins vid: https://youtube.com/shorts/cZ2iiL5pt7M?si=Wy3alsOWnpr9B1rHSpecial uncovered 3rd video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fopvzf77b8&rco=1https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/jay-ashcroft-is-a-chickenshit-gop-senator-says-repeatedly-on-video-423767873. New FLSA rule from Biden/Harris admin to protect low wage salary employees from being taken advantage of: https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20240423-0Think - Casey's store Asst Managers getting paid a salary to work well over 40 hours in a weekEffective July 1, 2024, the salary threshold will increase the present annual salary threshold of $35,568 to $43,888 and then to $58,656 on Jan. 1, 2025. The July 1 increase updates 4. US Supreme Court held a special session on April 25, originally not set as an argument day, in the appeal regarding “Trump v. US” - certainly an appropriate naming - regarding presidential immunityTranscript of argument: https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/23-939_l5gm.pdfWhat some of the media is sayingCNN: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/25/politics/takeaways-trump-immunity-supreme-court/index.htmlFox: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/scotus-sees-dangerous-precedent-trump-immunity-case-presidents-prosecute-rivals-expertsNPR: https://www.npr.org/2024/04/25/1246376720/donald-trump-supreme-court-immunityMeanwhile in another Courtroom: https://www.threads.net/@griffinkyle/post/C6MLx6Ru7ogPecker's testimony: https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/april-25-new-york-trump-trial-supreme-court-immunityFunny stuff: https://www.threads.net/@gtconway3/post/C6MDMCHOXZ6 @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)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/

Welcome back, cosmic voyagers, to another solo episode of "Anastasia's Podcast"! Today, I'm taking a moment to reflect on the recent interviews with Adam Sommer and Noah Frere, exploring the cosmic tapestry of Pluto in Aquarius and the Gemini archetype. As we embark on this celestial journey, I share my vision for the future of this podcast—a blend of astrology, spirituality, philosophy, and other subjects, with solo episodes diving deep into astrology and interviews with experts on various topics. But before we dive into the cosmic depths, let me share a personal tale. I recount my journey into astrology, a path that has led me to this moment, where my astrology study is undergoing its first Saturn square—a time of reckoning, growth, and maturity. In this episode, I also delve into the astrology of comedians, exploring the age-old question: Are Leos and Capricorns bad at comedy? Through in-depth research and analysis, we uncover the cosmic influences that shape the comedic prowess of different zodiac signs. So, whether you're a seasoned astrologer or someone curious about the cosmic forces at play, join me on this illuminating episode of "Anastasia's Podcast." Let's explore the cosmic musings, revelations, and the comedic potential of the zodiac together. ANASTASIA'S LINKS  Book a Reading at anaryzh.com Instagram @anaryzh  Substack https://cosmicdork.substack.com

Welcome back my celestial enthusiasts! On this episode we have a very special guest on the show—Adam Sommer, not just an astrology mentor, but a dear friend who has been a guiding light in my cosmic journey for the past five years. In this episode, Adam and I embark on a celestial odyssey, exploring the profound implications of Pluto in Aquarius for the next 19 years. As the cosmic dance unfolds, we delve into the potential societal shifts, technological advancements, and revolutionary changes that this alignment may bring. But that's not all—Adam and I also reflect on our own personal journeys, sharing insights and experiences that have shaped our understanding of astrology and the cosmos. From mentorship to friendship, our connection has been a cosmic gift, and I'm excited to share this conversation with you. So, whether you're an astrology enthusiast, a seeker of cosmic wisdom, or simply curious about the transformative power of Pluto in Aquarius, join us on this captivating episode of Anastasia's Podcast. Let the cosmic insights and heartfelt reflections guide you on this celestial journey. ADAM'S LINKS: WEBSITE https://www.adam-sommer.com PODCAST https://www.adam-sommer.com/podcast PATREON https://www.patreon.com/adamsommer/posts SUBSTACK https://kosmognosis.substack.com ANASTASIA'S LINKS  Website anaryzh.com Instagram @anaryzh  Substack https://cosmicdork.substack.com  

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 (Post) Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)  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/

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 (Post) Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)  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/

Rachel Parker chats with Adam Sommer about the Open AI lawsuits and what they might mean, legally speaking. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post) Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)  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/

Rachel Parker chats with Adam Sommer about the Open AI lawsuits and what they might mean, legally speaking. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads Co-Hosts Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post) Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)  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/

Flyover Friday, December 22, 2023SEAN START HERE:  On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 23rd, 2023 -  OUR LAST NEW EPISODE OF 2023! A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:A St. Louis shaggy dog story | Losers gonna lose | Biden | Plocker | Medicaid | VouchersWelcome to The Heartland POD for a Flyover Friday, this is Sean Diller in Denver, Colorado. We have the crew here today, Rachel Parker and Adam SommerWe'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 RACHEL: Speaking of… if you have not visited over there (blah blah) last call shows, articlesADAM:  And I want folks to sign up for two reasons: 1. Every dollar you provide in support is going to pay for web hosting, show production, the costs for not just this show but our whole universe to exist and we need that support to keep this not only functioning but growing as we get into another election cycle - AND 2. FOLKS We have 2 tickets for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Shrine Mosque in springfield MO, for January 17th. And to sweeten the pot, I will be there as well and happy to buy you a beer or soda or apple juice, whatever your speed is. Every member $5 and up is in the contest. 1 entry per $5 of your level. I'll put all the entries into a database for a random drawing and announce it on January 5th so plenty of time to get signed up SEAN: Sign up now theheartlandcollective.com click the button. Alright! Let's get into the storiesSOURCES: The Heartland Collective, Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, River Front Times, Kansas Reflector The saga of a STL bar owner and police crash continueshttps://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/st-louis-police-didnt-do-toxicology-test-after-bar-pm-crash-41488321From article: The St. Louis police officer behind the wheel of the SUV that smashed into Bar:PM in the early hours of Monday morning had no toxicology test done on him in the wake of the incident.At their weekly briefing, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Lieutenant Colonel Renee Kriesmann said that no such test was conducted on the officer because the police only do those tests when there is a "reasonable suspicion" of drug or alcohol use, which police didn't feel was the case following the crash.The fact that police crashed their vehicle into the LGBTQ bar and then arrested one of its co-owners, Chad Morris, made news nationwide and drew condemnation from city leaders. President of the Board of Aldermen Megan Green wrote on twitter that the "incident demonstrates the need for greater oversight of law enforcement — citizen oversight in particular."Missouri GOP loses again, in Courthttps://theheartlandcollective.com/2023/12/19/missouri-gop-loses-in-court-again/From Article: This past January, a law went into effect that the degenerate GOP Missouri lawmakers passed into law in 2022. Said (and now overturned, we'll get to that in a sec) law criminalized sleeping on state-owned land, making that a Class C misdemeanor. Cities, per this ridiculous travesty of a law, could have been penalized by our unelected attorney general if the law wasn't enforced.Advocates for unhoused people took immediate action, filing suit against the state. In a unanimous decision, the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the law. This is a win for the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, a Springfield homeless shelter, and Public Citizen Litigation Group. Because the bill was passed as an amendment to another piece of legislation, the court found that it violated a constitutional mandate for legislation to have a “single subject and clear purpose.”In the unanimous opinion, Judge Paul C. Wilson wrote: “It takes an extraordinary showing to convince this court to engage in judicial surgery to save a bill infected with the otherwise fatal constitutional disease of multiple subjects…and no effort was made by any party to make such a showing here.”Unlike my producer Adam Sommer, I don't speak law for a living, but I'm pretty sure that a unanimous court opinion citing “fatal constitutional disease” is…bad. That's bad, right? President Biden made a stop in Wisconsin recentlyhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/12/20/bidens-wisconsin-visit-highlights-black-small-business-growth-milwaukee-revitalization-project/From Article: With his visit to Milwaukee, including a talk at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce as well as a stop at the shop of a Black plumbing contractor, President Joe Biden underscored his administration's economic focus on the middle class Wednesday.Biden touted the addition of 15 million jobs since he took office after the brief COVID-19 pandemic recession. “We're doing it by building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.  Not a whole lot trickled down on my dad's kitchen table with a top-down economy,” he said. “But when you [build from the middle], when you increase the middle class, the poor have a shot and the wealthy still do very well, the middle class does well, and we all do well.”In his remarks to the chamber, Biden highlighted the administration's $15 billion project to replace lead pipes across the country, including in Milwaukee, part of the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted in 2021. Missouri GOP Speaker of the House spent $29,000 tax payer money on furniture, including $5,000 for a custom fridge cabinethttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/20/in-a-statehouse-short-on-space-dean-plocher-converted-an-office-into-a-liquor-pantry/From article: For four years, state Rep. Mike Stephens occupied prime real estate on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol.His office in room 306B certainly wasn't the biggest in the space-starved statehouse, where staff often work out of musty, windowless rooms, and many lawmakers are stacked on top of each other in non-ADA compliant mezzanines. House Speaker Dean Plocher took over that space and converted it into what has been jokingly referred to as his “butler's pantry,” a makeshift storage room stocked with liquor, beer, wine and soda to complement the supply in his office.The move was part of a $60,000 renovation of Plocher's office in late 2022 and early 2023, paid for with public funds by the House. Half the costs stemmed from expenses resulting from repairs to walls, baseboards and ceilings in the speaker's office. The other half, according to records obtained by The Independent through Missouri's Sunshine Law, went towards new furnishings — to the tune of about $29,000, including $8,600 for a black leather sofa and armchairs, $2,500 for a new walnut table, $2,500 for a refrigerator with an ice maker, $5,000 for a custom cabinet to hold the refrigerator and $385 for two walnut trash can bins. Kansas Gov Kelly Stands Firm On Education and Medicaidhttps://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/21/kelly-not-drawn-to-horse-trade-compromise-on-school-choice-to-win-medicaid-expansion/From article: Top priorities of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Senate President Ty Masterson collide in January when the Kansas Legislature convenes for the 2024 session.Kelly left no doubt her central objective would be to convince at least 63 representatives and 21 senators — simple majorities of the House and Senate — to vote for passage of a bill expanding eligibility for government health benefits through Medicaid to 150,000 lower-income Kansans.Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, the GOP centers of power in the Capitol, are committed to advancing a bill delivering millions in state tax dollars to private schools through scholarships, savings accounts or vouchers. Their numerical challenge is bigger than Kelly's. They'll likely need two-thirds majorities — 84 in the House, 27 in the Senate — to override a Kelly veto on private school funding. Finally, reporting in Missouri is highlighting a private group working hard to push private religious schooling and its connections to other “school choice” organizationshttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/10/nonprofit-near-kansas-city-seeks-to-become-epicenter-of-the-school-choice-movement/From article: The headquarters of the Herzog Foundation sits on the edge of Smithville, in an 18,000-square-foot stone and glass building on a corner lot across the street from a cornfield on a gravel-lined highway.Few Missouians have likely heard of the Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation, or the organization's namesake. But the unassuming locale masks what has been described as the “epicenter of the school-choice movement.”Stan Herzog's political largesse bankrolled a generation of conservative candidates and causes in Missouri, pouring through a constellation of political action committees and nonprofits. When he died in 2019, he set aside $300 million to start a foundation dedicated to expanding the reach of Christian education.That mission kicked into overdrive in 2021, when Missouri lawmakers created a tax credit to support scholarships to help low-income students and those with disabilities attend private schools. Since then, a subsidiary of the Herzog Foundation has distributed almost half of the scholarships in the state. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) 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/

Flyover Friday, December 22, 2023SEAN START HERE:  On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 23rd, 2023 -  OUR LAST NEW EPISODE OF 2023! A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:A St. Louis shaggy dog story | Losers gonna lose | Biden | Plocker | Medicaid | VouchersWelcome to The Heartland POD for a Flyover Friday, this is Sean Diller in Denver, Colorado. We have the crew here today, Rachel Parker and Adam SommerWe'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 RACHEL: Speaking of… if you have not visited over there (blah blah) last call shows, articlesADAM:  And I want folks to sign up for two reasons: 1. Every dollar you provide in support is going to pay for web hosting, show production, the costs for not just this show but our whole universe to exist and we need that support to keep this not only functioning but growing as we get into another election cycle - AND 2. FOLKS We have 2 tickets for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Shrine Mosque in springfield MO, for January 17th. And to sweeten the pot, I will be there as well and happy to buy you a beer or soda or apple juice, whatever your speed is. Every member $5 and up is in the contest. 1 entry per $5 of your level. I'll put all the entries into a database for a random drawing and announce it on January 5th so plenty of time to get signed up SEAN: Sign up now theheartlandcollective.com click the button. Alright! Let's get into the storiesSOURCES: The Heartland Collective, Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, River Front Times, Kansas Reflector The saga of a STL bar owner and police crash continueshttps://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/st-louis-police-didnt-do-toxicology-test-after-bar-pm-crash-41488321From article: The St. Louis police officer behind the wheel of the SUV that smashed into Bar:PM in the early hours of Monday morning had no toxicology test done on him in the wake of the incident.At their weekly briefing, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Lieutenant Colonel Renee Kriesmann said that no such test was conducted on the officer because the police only do those tests when there is a "reasonable suspicion" of drug or alcohol use, which police didn't feel was the case following the crash.The fact that police crashed their vehicle into the LGBTQ bar and then arrested one of its co-owners, Chad Morris, made news nationwide and drew condemnation from city leaders. President of the Board of Aldermen Megan Green wrote on twitter that the "incident demonstrates the need for greater oversight of law enforcement — citizen oversight in particular."Missouri GOP loses again, in Courthttps://theheartlandcollective.com/2023/12/19/missouri-gop-loses-in-court-again/From Article: This past January, a law went into effect that the degenerate GOP Missouri lawmakers passed into law in 2022. Said (and now overturned, we'll get to that in a sec) law criminalized sleeping on state-owned land, making that a Class C misdemeanor. Cities, per this ridiculous travesty of a law, could have been penalized by our unelected attorney general if the law wasn't enforced.Advocates for unhoused people took immediate action, filing suit against the state. In a unanimous decision, the Missouri Supreme Court struck down the law. This is a win for the Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, a Springfield homeless shelter, and Public Citizen Litigation Group. Because the bill was passed as an amendment to another piece of legislation, the court found that it violated a constitutional mandate for legislation to have a “single subject and clear purpose.”In the unanimous opinion, Judge Paul C. Wilson wrote: “It takes an extraordinary showing to convince this court to engage in judicial surgery to save a bill infected with the otherwise fatal constitutional disease of multiple subjects…and no effort was made by any party to make such a showing here.”Unlike my producer Adam Sommer, I don't speak law for a living, but I'm pretty sure that a unanimous court opinion citing “fatal constitutional disease” is…bad. That's bad, right? President Biden made a stop in Wisconsin recentlyhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/12/20/bidens-wisconsin-visit-highlights-black-small-business-growth-milwaukee-revitalization-project/From Article: With his visit to Milwaukee, including a talk at the Wisconsin Black Chamber of Commerce as well as a stop at the shop of a Black plumbing contractor, President Joe Biden underscored his administration's economic focus on the middle class Wednesday.Biden touted the addition of 15 million jobs since he took office after the brief COVID-19 pandemic recession. “We're doing it by building an economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down.  Not a whole lot trickled down on my dad's kitchen table with a top-down economy,” he said. “But when you [build from the middle], when you increase the middle class, the poor have a shot and the wealthy still do very well, the middle class does well, and we all do well.”In his remarks to the chamber, Biden highlighted the administration's $15 billion project to replace lead pipes across the country, including in Milwaukee, part of the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted in 2021. Missouri GOP Speaker of the House spent $29,000 tax payer money on furniture, including $5,000 for a custom fridge cabinethttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/20/in-a-statehouse-short-on-space-dean-plocher-converted-an-office-into-a-liquor-pantry/From article: For four years, state Rep. Mike Stephens occupied prime real estate on the third floor of the Missouri Capitol.His office in room 306B certainly wasn't the biggest in the space-starved statehouse, where staff often work out of musty, windowless rooms, and many lawmakers are stacked on top of each other in non-ADA compliant mezzanines. House Speaker Dean Plocher took over that space and converted it into what has been jokingly referred to as his “butler's pantry,” a makeshift storage room stocked with liquor, beer, wine and soda to complement the supply in his office.The move was part of a $60,000 renovation of Plocher's office in late 2022 and early 2023, paid for with public funds by the House. Half the costs stemmed from expenses resulting from repairs to walls, baseboards and ceilings in the speaker's office. The other half, according to records obtained by The Independent through Missouri's Sunshine Law, went towards new furnishings — to the tune of about $29,000, including $8,600 for a black leather sofa and armchairs, $2,500 for a new walnut table, $2,500 for a refrigerator with an ice maker, $5,000 for a custom cabinet to hold the refrigerator and $385 for two walnut trash can bins. Kansas Gov Kelly Stands Firm On Education and Medicaidhttps://kansasreflector.com/2023/12/21/kelly-not-drawn-to-horse-trade-compromise-on-school-choice-to-win-medicaid-expansion/From article: Top priorities of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Senate President Ty Masterson collide in January when the Kansas Legislature convenes for the 2024 session.Kelly left no doubt her central objective would be to convince at least 63 representatives and 21 senators — simple majorities of the House and Senate — to vote for passage of a bill expanding eligibility for government health benefits through Medicaid to 150,000 lower-income Kansans.Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, the GOP centers of power in the Capitol, are committed to advancing a bill delivering millions in state tax dollars to private schools through scholarships, savings accounts or vouchers. Their numerical challenge is bigger than Kelly's. They'll likely need two-thirds majorities — 84 in the House, 27 in the Senate — to override a Kelly veto on private school funding. Finally, reporting in Missouri is highlighting a private group working hard to push private religious schooling and its connections to other “school choice” organizationshttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/10/nonprofit-near-kansas-city-seeks-to-become-epicenter-of-the-school-choice-movement/From article: The headquarters of the Herzog Foundation sits on the edge of Smithville, in an 18,000-square-foot stone and glass building on a corner lot across the street from a cornfield on a gravel-lined highway.Few Missouians have likely heard of the Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation, or the organization's namesake. But the unassuming locale masks what has been described as the “epicenter of the school-choice movement.”Stan Herzog's political largesse bankrolled a generation of conservative candidates and causes in Missouri, pouring through a constellation of political action committees and nonprofits. When he died in 2019, he set aside $300 million to start a foundation dedicated to expanding the reach of Christian education.That mission kicked into overdrive in 2021, when Missouri lawmakers created a tax credit to support scholarships to help low-income students and those with disabilities attend private schools. Since then, a subsidiary of the Herzog Foundation has distributed almost half of the scholarships in the state. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) 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/

Flyover Friday, December 15, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 15th, 2023A 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  SEAN: Speaking of - the website over at  THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM - if you have not yet checked it out, it is full of not just shows but articles too, including a recent on on abortion laws by Rachel Parker, really sharp stuff.  ADAM: Yeah, hats off to you and the team, shout out my and special thanks to Allyn for all the work, I think folks will like what they find over there at the site, and that article by Rachel goes great with the pod from Wednesday which was Rachel with Jess Piper and Laura Belin was back from Bleeding Heartland, a powerhouse group of women talking about abortion laws, absolutely not to be missed.  SEAN:  Plus, we're back in the saddle this coming week with the LAST CALL shows, which are for members only, we have a lot of fun on those shows and that's for patreon members, you can sign up today, $5 per month unlocks that feature, go to THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM and click the button to sign up today to join us for those member only bonus shows. Alright! Let's get into the storiesSOURCES: Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Ohio Capital Journal, Colorado Newsline; Indiana Capitol Chronicle  Rep. Sarah Unsicker has pulled out of the Dem AG primary after a two week period in which she appears to have had serious issues pop upVery odd turn of events, disgusting anti-semetic smears and a final move of a Dark Night jOker like videoMissouri Dem leader and candidate for Governor, Crystal Quade, is taking the charge on the abortion issue in Missouri.  https://x.com/crystal_quade/status/1735330641967759416?s=20Sen. Josh Hawley (drop) has failed to include funding for nuclear waste cleanup for Missourians.  https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/12/defense-radioactive-senate-st-lous/Wisconsin Secretary of State calls for removal of fake elector who was part of 2020 scheme for Donald Trump  https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/12/11/wisconsin-secretary-of-state-calls-for-removal-of-election-commissioner-who-served-as-fake-elector/Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and the two Democrats on the Senate elections committee are calling for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to remove state elections commissioner Robert Spindell from his position.  Democrats are calling for Spindell's removal because he served as a fake elector following the 2020 presidential election, casting a false Electoral College vote for former President Donald Trump despite Joe Biden's victory in the state. Last week, Spindell and the nine other Republicans who  joined him settled a lawsuit against them for their actions — stating publicly that Biden had won the election and agreeing not to serve as electors for Trump again.On Monday, Godlewski said Wisconsinites can't trust Spindell to have a say in how the state's elections are run.  “Wisconsin Election Commissioner Robert Spindell Jr. admitted that he was not a qualified 2020 presidential elector and co-signed a fraudulent Certificate of Votes and submitted them to my office,” Godlewski said in a statement. “That unlawful certificate was used as part of a larger scheme to overturn the election. The people of Wisconsin cannot trust the integrity and moral compass of Commissioner Spindell to administer our elections. Senator LeMahieu should immediately remove him from Wisconsin's Election Commission.”Democrats on the Senate elections committee, Sens. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) and Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said Monday that Spindell's admission that he participated in an effort to overturn the election results should be enough for him to resign or for LeMahieu to remove him.  “Bob Spindell has continued to serve without any repercussions for his actions and statements celebrating lower turnout and successful voter suppression,” the two senators said in a statement. “Now, Bob Spindell has admitted his involvement in the scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election, and it is abundantly clear that the Senate Majority Leader's excuses and deflections must come to an end. Bob Spindell has admitted to signing and sending false documents claiming that he was a presidential elector for the state of Wisconsin. If there were any remaining questions about whether Bob Spindell should go, they were answered when he finally acknowledged that he signed falsified documents submitted to public officials despite President Joe Biden winning the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Bob Spindell should resign. If he doesn't, Senator LeMahieu must remove him. We understand the Wisconsin Elections Commission is made up of partisan appointees, but surely Senator LeMahieu can find a different Republican who didn't attempt to illegally overturn a presidential election. The people of Wisconsin deserve better than Bob Spindell.”  Democratic Rep. Keri Ingle of Lee's Summit calls for removal of STL area Shrewsberry Rep. Unsicker from Democratic caucus in Missouri  https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/missouri-house-democrat-calls-for-ouster-of-shrewsbury-state-rep-from-caucus/article_8b475036-9945-11ee-b25d-e3f3e17972df.htmlRep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee's Summit, said in a news release that state Rep. Sarah Unsicker of Shrewsbury “failed to denounce” antisemitic attacks, as well as accusations that members of their caucus worked for the Israeli government, in a recent livestreamed conversation with conspiracy theorists.Her press release said Democratic caucus leadership should “begin the process” of removing her.“As long as she persists in enabling and spreading this kind of rhetoric, I believe my Democratic colleagues must take swift action to uphold our caucus' commitment to fight and confront hate and intolerance by ousting her from our ranks,” Ingle said.Her press release added that Unsicker had helped “propagate hateful, antisemitic, and conspiratorial and racist rhetoric which has hurt people and sparked online harassment campaigns.”Ohio Legislation for so called “Parent's Bill Of Rights” gets push backhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/13/counselors-psychologists-and-school-officials-speak-out-against-parents-bill-of-rights/Dozens, including school counselors and psychiatrists, testified Tuesday against a bill in the Ohio Senate that would force schools to notify parents on “sexuality” content, and possibly on a student's sexuality, calling it “censorship” and potentially risky for students.“Young people are people who are entitled to their own privacy,” said Mallory Golski, of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. “Young people are people who should have the freedom to read stories that reflect their own lives and experiences.”Ohio House Bill 8 could be up for a vote this week, as the bill seeks to put the control of education more into parent's hands, by allowing them to opt out of certain curricula based on the “sexuality” content. According to one of the bill's sponsors, state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, school districts would also be “prohibited from keeping changes in the health of the student from their parent, and the school district is also prohibited from encouraging the student to hide these issues from their parents.”Amanda Erickson, also of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, worried about the impact the bill will have on teachers, who may not only be required to speak with parents about information they were told by a student, but could also be impacted themselves, based on their own life choices.Erickson herself trained as a teacher, before she moved on to the nonprofit sector after graduation. A career in a classroom did not appeal to her after the efforts of the Ohio legislature, now and in the past.“Why would I want to be a teacher in Ohio when my legislators are so obsessed with gender and sexuality that they do not have time to pass legislation that would actually improve our schools,” Erickson asked of the Senate Education Committee.Erickson also argued that the law might ban her and others from putting family pictures on her desk, as it might suggest a discussion she's not allowed to have.“Since this bill does not define ‘sexual concepts' or ‘gender ideology,' there are those who would argue that my wedding photo or the questions it could prompt would qualify as one or the other,” Erickson said.The committee heard from some that currently are in the education field with members of the Ohio School Psychologists Association and the Ohio School Counselor Association both submitting in opposition to the bill, saying the bill is “not workable,” and ignores parents as an already “key tenet” in a student's education. The Missouri and Kansas border war went from civil war to friendly sports rivalry, and is reemerging as a political battle about health carehttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/11/university-of-kansas-deal-with-missouri-hospital-feels-terribly-wrong-to-lawmakers/The proposed takeover of Liberty Hospital in Missouri by the University of Kansas Health System is being greeted with scorn by lawmakers from both sides of the state line and both political parties.Leading the charge against the takeover in Missouri is Kansas City Democratic state Sen. Greg Razer, who said the idea of KU owning a hospital in suburban Missouri is “terribly wrong.”“There are boundaries for a reason, and they've crossed one,” said Razer, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.The Republican leader of the Kansas Senate also has expressed concern about the takeover, along with at least one member of Liberty Hospital's board of trustees.Earlier this month, Razer pre-filed a bill in the Missouri General Assembly that would put a stop to a proposed partnership between the University of Kansas Health System and Liberty Hospital by prohibiting hospital boards to partner with an out-of-state health system “operated by an institution of higher education” without voter approval.“I can't imagine the outrage of Missouri taxpayers if we opened up (University of Missouri) Health in Olathe, Kansas,” Razer said, calling the proposed arrangement “mind boggling.”Liberty Hospital announced in May it was looking to partner with another health system to help it expand to meet growing demand in the Kansas City suburbs north of the Missouri River. In October, it announced it had chosen KU.The two health systems have signed a letter of intent but are still in negotiations, and the terms of the deal are not yet available. But Liberty Hospital CEO Dr. Raghu Adiga said in an interview Friday that KU had pledged to continue the services the hospital provides, including cardiothoracic surgery and a level-two trauma center.  Adiga said those are rare for a hospital Liberty's size.“They put the patients first just like us,” Adiga said, “ensuring high-quality health care that we can provide right here in town.”In a video announcing the deal in October, he said the partnership “will bring world class clinical excellence across the river to every Northlander's doorstep.”Razer said the arrangement would take health care dollars from Missouri to “prop up Kansas,” and feared it would be a recruiting tool for the University of Kansas.  “Liberty has a lot of high school students. … They get great grades. It's a great school district up there. They're all going to be driving by a Jayhawk every day in the state of Missouri,” Razer said.Razer's primary objection centered on the idea of having a Kansas state institution plant its flag in Missouri.The University of Kansas Health System is governed by the University of Kansas Hospital Authority, a board established in Kansas statute, primarily appointed by the Kansas governor and affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. But the health system hasn't been owned by the state in 25 years. It receives no state or local tax dollars. Indiana, one of the most “red” states in the union, is struggling to keep up economically speakinghttps://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/12/13/hoosier-economic-policy-improving-slower-than-competitors-report-says/Indiana has improved on key economic development criteria in recent years, but has still fallen in national rankings, the influential Indiana Chamber of Commerce found in a report card Tuesday.The chamber in August released a vision for Indiana in 2035, with 31 goals for the state's education, entrepreneurship, economic growth, energy and infrastructure, health, quality of place and workforce.The report cards — expected to be biannual — log progress on 59 metrics related to those goals.Compared to previous years, the state scored better on about 67% of the metrics — but its national rankings on those metrics improved just 41% of the time.“What that tells us is that we're improving overall — but the progress isn't happening fast enough, because other states are improving at a faster pace,” outgoing President and CEO Kevin Brinegar told reporters Tuesday. “We need to pick up the pace.”Indiana's strongest performance was a third-place ranking for the 11% of Hoosiers working in knowledge- and technology-intensive industries, like manufacturing or software development.It came in fourth for the 63% of foreign-born Hoosiers with science or engineering bachelor's degrees, as well as for the 10% of non-white workers who are self-employed.More Rail Service In Colorado… coming soon?  https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/front-range-rail-development/Front Range Passenger Rail District will get a $500,000 planning grant as part of the federal Corridor ID program, which aims to help development of intercity passenger rail projects. The idea, Bose said, is to get projects into the pipeline for implementation, eventually connecting an entire corridor of cities to rail service.The Front Range Passenger Rail District, which was created through 2021 legislation, is planning a rail line that would connect cities between Fort Collins and Pueblo.“Colorado is very, very well positioned in the Corridor ID program,” Bose said, partly because the district has already defined the scope of its service development program and can move forward to the second step of the program. There are “tens of millions of dollars” for project planning now that the scope is set.The Colorado project is one of 70 that the Federal Railroad Administration selected to get money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.“The fact that we have a federal administration that's committed to helping us dream up and execute a project like this is not an opportunity that we can take for granted. I think it shows us what kind of a moment we have,” Lew said.Polis is pushing a housing agenda that encourages development along transit corridors, and he is likely to champion related legislation next year. Though the state is years away from putting Front Range residents onto passenger rail cars, the agenda represents a goal for people to live near their primary mode of transportation and commute more easily without adding traffic congestion.“Coupled with bus rapid transit and transit oriented neighborhoods, passenger rail is a huge lynchpin in this vision we have for smarter growth, for improving affordability, livability and sustainability as Colorado grows,” Polis said.   @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) 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/

Flyover Friday, December 15, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 15th, 2023A 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  SEAN: Speaking of - the website over at  THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM - if you have not yet checked it out, it is full of not just shows but articles too, including a recent on on abortion laws by Rachel Parker, really sharp stuff.  ADAM: Yeah, hats off to you and the team, shout out my and special thanks to Allyn for all the work, I think folks will like what they find over there at the site, and that article by Rachel goes great with the pod from Wednesday which was Rachel with Jess Piper and Laura Belin was back from Bleeding Heartland, a powerhouse group of women talking about abortion laws, absolutely not to be missed.  SEAN:  Plus, we're back in the saddle this coming week with the LAST CALL shows, which are for members only, we have a lot of fun on those shows and that's for patreon members, you can sign up today, $5 per month unlocks that feature, go to THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM and click the button to sign up today to join us for those member only bonus shows. Alright! Let's get into the storiesSOURCES: Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Ohio Capital Journal, Colorado Newsline; Indiana Capitol Chronicle  Rep. Sarah Unsicker has pulled out of the Dem AG primary after a two week period in which she appears to have had serious issues pop upVery odd turn of events, disgusting anti-semetic smears and a final move of a Dark Night jOker like videoMissouri Dem leader and candidate for Governor, Crystal Quade, is taking the charge on the abortion issue in Missouri.  https://x.com/crystal_quade/status/1735330641967759416?s=20Sen. Josh Hawley (drop) has failed to include funding for nuclear waste cleanup for Missourians.  https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/12/defense-radioactive-senate-st-lous/Wisconsin Secretary of State calls for removal of fake elector who was part of 2020 scheme for Donald Trump  https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/12/11/wisconsin-secretary-of-state-calls-for-removal-of-election-commissioner-who-served-as-fake-elector/Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and the two Democrats on the Senate elections committee are calling for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to remove state elections commissioner Robert Spindell from his position.  Democrats are calling for Spindell's removal because he served as a fake elector following the 2020 presidential election, casting a false Electoral College vote for former President Donald Trump despite Joe Biden's victory in the state. Last week, Spindell and the nine other Republicans who  joined him settled a lawsuit against them for their actions — stating publicly that Biden had won the election and agreeing not to serve as electors for Trump again.On Monday, Godlewski said Wisconsinites can't trust Spindell to have a say in how the state's elections are run.  “Wisconsin Election Commissioner Robert Spindell Jr. admitted that he was not a qualified 2020 presidential elector and co-signed a fraudulent Certificate of Votes and submitted them to my office,” Godlewski said in a statement. “That unlawful certificate was used as part of a larger scheme to overturn the election. The people of Wisconsin cannot trust the integrity and moral compass of Commissioner Spindell to administer our elections. Senator LeMahieu should immediately remove him from Wisconsin's Election Commission.”Democrats on the Senate elections committee, Sens. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) and Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said Monday that Spindell's admission that he participated in an effort to overturn the election results should be enough for him to resign or for LeMahieu to remove him.  “Bob Spindell has continued to serve without any repercussions for his actions and statements celebrating lower turnout and successful voter suppression,” the two senators said in a statement. “Now, Bob Spindell has admitted his involvement in the scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election, and it is abundantly clear that the Senate Majority Leader's excuses and deflections must come to an end. Bob Spindell has admitted to signing and sending false documents claiming that he was a presidential elector for the state of Wisconsin. If there were any remaining questions about whether Bob Spindell should go, they were answered when he finally acknowledged that he signed falsified documents submitted to public officials despite President Joe Biden winning the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Bob Spindell should resign. If he doesn't, Senator LeMahieu must remove him. We understand the Wisconsin Elections Commission is made up of partisan appointees, but surely Senator LeMahieu can find a different Republican who didn't attempt to illegally overturn a presidential election. The people of Wisconsin deserve better than Bob Spindell.”  Democratic Rep. Keri Ingle of Lee's Summit calls for removal of STL area Shrewsberry Rep. Unsicker from Democratic caucus in Missouri  https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/missouri-house-democrat-calls-for-ouster-of-shrewsbury-state-rep-from-caucus/article_8b475036-9945-11ee-b25d-e3f3e17972df.htmlRep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee's Summit, said in a news release that state Rep. Sarah Unsicker of Shrewsbury “failed to denounce” antisemitic attacks, as well as accusations that members of their caucus worked for the Israeli government, in a recent livestreamed conversation with conspiracy theorists.Her press release said Democratic caucus leadership should “begin the process” of removing her.“As long as she persists in enabling and spreading this kind of rhetoric, I believe my Democratic colleagues must take swift action to uphold our caucus' commitment to fight and confront hate and intolerance by ousting her from our ranks,” Ingle said.Her press release added that Unsicker had helped “propagate hateful, antisemitic, and conspiratorial and racist rhetoric which has hurt people and sparked online harassment campaigns.”Ohio Legislation for so called “Parent's Bill Of Rights” gets push backhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/13/counselors-psychologists-and-school-officials-speak-out-against-parents-bill-of-rights/Dozens, including school counselors and psychiatrists, testified Tuesday against a bill in the Ohio Senate that would force schools to notify parents on “sexuality” content, and possibly on a student's sexuality, calling it “censorship” and potentially risky for students.“Young people are people who are entitled to their own privacy,” said Mallory Golski, of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. “Young people are people who should have the freedom to read stories that reflect their own lives and experiences.”Ohio House Bill 8 could be up for a vote this week, as the bill seeks to put the control of education more into parent's hands, by allowing them to opt out of certain curricula based on the “sexuality” content. According to one of the bill's sponsors, state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, school districts would also be “prohibited from keeping changes in the health of the student from their parent, and the school district is also prohibited from encouraging the student to hide these issues from their parents.”Amanda Erickson, also of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, worried about the impact the bill will have on teachers, who may not only be required to speak with parents about information they were told by a student, but could also be impacted themselves, based on their own life choices.Erickson herself trained as a teacher, before she moved on to the nonprofit sector after graduation. A career in a classroom did not appeal to her after the efforts of the Ohio legislature, now and in the past.“Why would I want to be a teacher in Ohio when my legislators are so obsessed with gender and sexuality that they do not have time to pass legislation that would actually improve our schools,” Erickson asked of the Senate Education Committee.Erickson also argued that the law might ban her and others from putting family pictures on her desk, as it might suggest a discussion she's not allowed to have.“Since this bill does not define ‘sexual concepts' or ‘gender ideology,' there are those who would argue that my wedding photo or the questions it could prompt would qualify as one or the other,” Erickson said.The committee heard from some that currently are in the education field with members of the Ohio School Psychologists Association and the Ohio School Counselor Association both submitting in opposition to the bill, saying the bill is “not workable,” and ignores parents as an already “key tenet” in a student's education. The Missouri and Kansas border war went from civil war to friendly sports rivalry, and is reemerging as a political battle about health carehttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/11/university-of-kansas-deal-with-missouri-hospital-feels-terribly-wrong-to-lawmakers/The proposed takeover of Liberty Hospital in Missouri by the University of Kansas Health System is being greeted with scorn by lawmakers from both sides of the state line and both political parties.Leading the charge against the takeover in Missouri is Kansas City Democratic state Sen. Greg Razer, who said the idea of KU owning a hospital in suburban Missouri is “terribly wrong.”“There are boundaries for a reason, and they've crossed one,” said Razer, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.The Republican leader of the Kansas Senate also has expressed concern about the takeover, along with at least one member of Liberty Hospital's board of trustees.Earlier this month, Razer pre-filed a bill in the Missouri General Assembly that would put a stop to a proposed partnership between the University of Kansas Health System and Liberty Hospital by prohibiting hospital boards to partner with an out-of-state health system “operated by an institution of higher education” without voter approval.“I can't imagine the outrage of Missouri taxpayers if we opened up (University of Missouri) Health in Olathe, Kansas,” Razer said, calling the proposed arrangement “mind boggling.”Liberty Hospital announced in May it was looking to partner with another health system to help it expand to meet growing demand in the Kansas City suburbs north of the Missouri River. In October, it announced it had chosen KU.The two health systems have signed a letter of intent but are still in negotiations, and the terms of the deal are not yet available. But Liberty Hospital CEO Dr. Raghu Adiga said in an interview Friday that KU had pledged to continue the services the hospital provides, including cardiothoracic surgery and a level-two trauma center.  Adiga said those are rare for a hospital Liberty's size.“They put the patients first just like us,” Adiga said, “ensuring high-quality health care that we can provide right here in town.”In a video announcing the deal in October, he said the partnership “will bring world class clinical excellence across the river to every Northlander's doorstep.”Razer said the arrangement would take health care dollars from Missouri to “prop up Kansas,” and feared it would be a recruiting tool for the University of Kansas.  “Liberty has a lot of high school students. … They get great grades. It's a great school district up there. They're all going to be driving by a Jayhawk every day in the state of Missouri,” Razer said.Razer's primary objection centered on the idea of having a Kansas state institution plant its flag in Missouri.The University of Kansas Health System is governed by the University of Kansas Hospital Authority, a board established in Kansas statute, primarily appointed by the Kansas governor and affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. But the health system hasn't been owned by the state in 25 years. It receives no state or local tax dollars. Indiana, one of the most “red” states in the union, is struggling to keep up economically speakinghttps://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/12/13/hoosier-economic-policy-improving-slower-than-competitors-report-says/Indiana has improved on key economic development criteria in recent years, but has still fallen in national rankings, the influential Indiana Chamber of Commerce found in a report card Tuesday.The chamber in August released a vision for Indiana in 2035, with 31 goals for the state's education, entrepreneurship, economic growth, energy and infrastructure, health, quality of place and workforce.The report cards — expected to be biannual — log progress on 59 metrics related to those goals.Compared to previous years, the state scored better on about 67% of the metrics — but its national rankings on those metrics improved just 41% of the time.“What that tells us is that we're improving overall — but the progress isn't happening fast enough, because other states are improving at a faster pace,” outgoing President and CEO Kevin Brinegar told reporters Tuesday. “We need to pick up the pace.”Indiana's strongest performance was a third-place ranking for the 11% of Hoosiers working in knowledge- and technology-intensive industries, like manufacturing or software development.It came in fourth for the 63% of foreign-born Hoosiers with science or engineering bachelor's degrees, as well as for the 10% of non-white workers who are self-employed.More Rail Service In Colorado… coming soon?  https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/front-range-rail-development/Front Range Passenger Rail District will get a $500,000 planning grant as part of the federal Corridor ID program, which aims to help development of intercity passenger rail projects. The idea, Bose said, is to get projects into the pipeline for implementation, eventually connecting an entire corridor of cities to rail service.The Front Range Passenger Rail District, which was created through 2021 legislation, is planning a rail line that would connect cities between Fort Collins and Pueblo.“Colorado is very, very well positioned in the Corridor ID program,” Bose said, partly because the district has already defined the scope of its service development program and can move forward to the second step of the program. There are “tens of millions of dollars” for project planning now that the scope is set.The Colorado project is one of 70 that the Federal Railroad Administration selected to get money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.“The fact that we have a federal administration that's committed to helping us dream up and execute a project like this is not an opportunity that we can take for granted. I think it shows us what kind of a moment we have,” Lew said.Polis is pushing a housing agenda that encourages development along transit corridors, and he is likely to champion related legislation next year. Though the state is years away from putting Front Range residents onto passenger rail cars, the agenda represents a goal for people to live near their primary mode of transportation and commute more easily without adding traffic congestion.“Coupled with bus rapid transit and transit oriented neighborhoods, passenger rail is a huge lynchpin in this vision we have for smarter growth, for improving affordability, livability and sustainability as Colorado grows,” Polis said.   @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) 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/

Friday News Flyover, December 8, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 8th, 2023A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:Texas abortion bans creating legal confusion | MO Pastor jailed facing sexual abuse charges | Sen Josh Hawley and Rep Cori Bush speak against defense bill without funds for St. Louis residents exposed to radiation | AL Senator Tommy Tuberville gives up his misguided military holds | Dolly Parton gives books to millions of kids, if you didn't knowWelcome 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 storieshttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/12/06/1217637325/texas-woman-asks-court-for-abortion-because-of-pregnancy-complicationsUpdated Thursday, Dec. 7 at 1:55 p.m."Kate Cox needs an abortion, and she needs it now." Thus began a petition filed in a Texas district court this week, asking a judge to allow the abortion to be performed in the state, where abortion is banned with very limited exceptions.On Thursday, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of Travis County, Texas, ruled from the bench, granting permission for Cox to have the abortion she is seeking. Cox's fetus has a genetic condition with very low chances of survival and her own health and fertility are at risk if she carries the pregnancy to term.The petition was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is the group behind a high profile case heard at the Texas Supreme Court last week.In that case the group's senior staff attorney Molly Duane argued on behalf of 20 patients and two OB-GYNs that the medical exception to the ban on abortion in the state's laws is too narrow and vague, and that it endangered patients during complicated pregnancies. An attorney for the state argued the exception is already clear and that the plaintiffs didn't have standing to sue.On the very day of those arguments, Nov. 28, Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two who lives in the Dallas area, got "devastating" news about her pregnancy, the filing says. At nearly 20-weeks gestation, she learned that her fetus has Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome, a condition with extremely low chances of survival.So, as the Texas Supreme Court considered whether its abortion laws endangered patients with pregnancy complications in the past, Cox was trying to figure out what to do in her present situation.Cox had already been in the emergency room three times with cramping and other concerning symptoms, according to court documents. Her doctors told her she was at high risk of developing gestational hypertension and diabetes, and because she had had two prior cesarean sections, carrying the pregnancy to term could compromise her chances of having a third child in the future, the brief says.Last Thursday, she reached out for the Center for Reproductive Rights. Five days after that, the group filed this petition on her behalf.The filing asked a Travis County district court for a temporary restraining order against the state of Texas and the Texas Medical Board, blocking enforcement of Texas's abortion bans so that Cox can terminate her current pregnancy. It also would block enforcement of S.B. 8, which allows civil lawsuits to be filed against those who help patients receive abortions.That would protect the other plaintiffs in the case, Cox's husband, Justin, and Dr. Damla Karsan, who is prepared to provide the abortion if the court grants their request. Karsan is one of the OB-GYN plaintiffs in the Zurawski v. the State of Texas case.Thursday's ruling will allow Karsan to provide an abortion without threat of prosecution. It only applies to Cox, her husband and Karsan. Issuing the ruling, Judge Guerra Gamble said: "The idea that Ms. Cox wants so desperately to be a parent and this law may have her lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice."There are currently three overlapping abortion bans in Texas. Abortion is illegal in the state from the moment pregnancy begins. Texas doctors can legally provide abortions only if a patient is "in danger of death or a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function, " the law says."I don't know what that means," Duane says of the language of the medical exception. "But I think [Cox's] situation must fall within whatever it is that that means."The Texas Attorney General's office did not respond to a request for comment on Cox's case, but the office argued in the Zurawski case that the medical exception needs no clarification.Sponsor MessageTexas Alliance for Life, a group that lobbied in the state legislature for the current abortion laws, published a statement about Cox's case Wednesday. "We believe that the exception language in Texas laws is clear," wrote the group's communication director Amy O'Donnell, and accused the Center for Reproductive Rights of pretending to seek clarity while really attempting to "chisel away" at Texas's abortion laws.The timeline of this case was very quick. "I have to be honest, I've never done this before, and that's because no one's ever done this before," Duane says. "But usually when you ask for a temporary restraining order, the court will act very, very quickly in acknowledgement of the emergency circumstances."The hearing was held via Zoom on Thursday morning.The State of Texas cannot appeal the decision directly, says Duane. "They would have to file what's called a writ of mandamus, saying that the district court acted so far out of its jurisdiction and that there needs to be a reversal," Duane explains. "But filing a petition like that is not does not automatically stay the injunction the way that an appeal of a temporary injunction does."In the meantime, the justices of the Texas Supreme Court are considering the Zurawski case, with a decision expected in the next few months. "I want them to take their time to write an opinion that gets this right and will protect patients, doctors and their families going forward," Duane says."But the reality is that in the meantime, people are going to continue to be harmed," and Cox couldn't afford to wait for that decision, Duane says.Duane praises Cox for her bravery in publicly sharing her story while in the midst of a personal medical crisis. "She's exceptional – but I will also say that the pathway to this has been paved by all the other women in our lawsuit," she says. "There is strength in numbers."https://www.kmbc.com/article/court-documents-independence-missouri-pastor-charged-child-molestation/46058889Court documents state that multiple people under the age of 18 accused Virgil Marsh of sexually assaulting them between 2011 and 2018.Marsh, 71, is now in the Jackson County jail.He was charged with two counts of first-degree of child molestation and first-degree statutory sodomy.A probable cause statement indicates that Marsh told police he was a current pastor in Independence and admitted he had "inappropriately touched" one of the victims.He did tell police he 'potentially kissed' a second victim on the mouth but denied sexually touching them.He also told police he has asked for forgiveness with God and is no longer the man who "had previously done things to the victim," the probable cause reads.https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/07/compensation-for-st-louis-victims-of-nuclear-waste-stripped-from-federal-defense-bill/Compensation for St. Louis victims of nuclear waste stripped from federal defense billProvisions that would have compensated those exposed to radioactive waste left over from the Manhattan Project were removed on WednesdayBY: ALLISON KITE - DECEMBER 7, 2023 9:03 AM      A joint investigation by The Independent and MuckRock.U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday he would do everything he could to stop a federal defense spending bill after a provision offering compensation to Americans exposed to decades-old radioactive waste was removed. Speaking on the floor of the Senate, the Missouri Republican called the decision to remove compensation for Americans who have suffered rare cancers and autoimmune diseases a “scar on the conscience of this body.”“This is an injustice,” Hawley said. “This is this body turning its back on these good, proud Americans.”This summer, the Senate amended the National Defense Authorization Act to expand the existing Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include parts of the St. Louis region where individuals were exposed to leftover radioactive material from the development of the first atomic bomb. It would have also included parts of the Southwest where residents were exposed to bomb testing. But the provision was removed Wednesday by a conference committee of senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives working out differences between the two chambers' versions of the bill.Even before the text of the amended bill became available Wednesday night, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri was decrying the removal of the radiation compensation policy. “This is a major betrayal of thousands and thousands of Missourians who have been lied to and ignored for years,” Hawley said in a post on social media Wednesday. Dawn Chapman, a co-founder of Just Moms STL, fought back tears Wednesday night as she described hearing the “gut-wrenching” news from Hawley's staff. Chapman and fellow moms have been advocating for families exposed to or near radioactive waste for years. “I actually thought we had a chance,” Chapman said. But she said the group hopes to get the expansion passed another way. “Nobody has given up on it,” Chapman said.The St. Louis region has suffered from a radioactive waste problem for decades. The area was instrumental in the Manhattan Project, the name given to the effort to build an atomic bomb during World War II. Almost 80 years later, residents of St. Louis and St. Charles counties are still dealing with the fallout. After the war, radioactive waste produced from refining uranium was trucked from downtown St. Louis to several sites in St. Louis County where it contaminated property at the airport and seeped into Coldwater Creek. In the 1970s, remaining nuclear waste that couldn't be processed to extract valuable metals was trucked to the West Lake Landfill and illegally dumped. It remains there today.During the Cold War, uranium was processed in St. Charles County. A chemical plant and open ponds of radioactive waste remained at the site in Weldon Spring for years. The site was remediated in the early 2000s, but groundwater contamination at the site is not improving fast enough, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.For years, St. Louis-area residents have pointed to the radioactive waste to explain rare cancers, autoimmune diseases and young deaths. A study by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found people who lived along Coldwater Creek or played in its waters faced an increased risk of cancer.Chapman said she knew two individuals who made calls to members of Congress while receiving chemotherapy. It's hard to ask people to keep fighting for the legislation, she said. “They're not going to see another Christmas, and they're not going to see the compensation from this,” Chapman said. “This won't help them.” An investigation by The Missouri Independent, MuckRock and The Associated Press this summer found that the private companies and federal agencies handling and overseeing the waste repeatedly downplayed the danger despite knowledge that it posed a risk to human health.After the report was published, Hawley decried the federal government's failures and vowed to introduce legislation to help. So did U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis. In a statement Wednesday night, she said the federal government's failure to compensate those who have been harmed by radioactive waste is “straight up negligence.”“The people of St. Louis deserve better, and they deserve to be able to live without worry of radioactive contamination,” Bush said. Missouri's junior senator, Republican Eric Schmitt, grew up near the West Lake Landfill. He said in a statement that the “fight is far from over” and that he will look into other legislation to get victims compensation.“The careless dumping of this waste happened across Missouri, including in my own backyard of St. Louis, and has negatively impacted Missouri communities for decades,” Schmitt said. “I will not stop fighting until it is addressed.”Already, two state lawmakers have pre-filed legislation related to radioactive waste in advance of the Missouri General Assembly reconvening in January. One doubles the budget of a state radioactive waste investigation fund. The other requires further disclosure of radioactive contamination when one sells or rents a house.In July, the U.S. Senate voted 61-37  to adopt Hawley's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include the St. Louis area. It would have also expanded the coverage area to compensate victims exposed to testing of the atomic bomb in New Mexico. The amendment included residents of New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Guam and expanded the coverage area in Nevada, Utah and Arizona, which are already partially covered.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that expanding the program could cost $147.1 billion over 10 years with St. Louis' portion taking up $3.7 billion of that. The amendment would have also renewed the program for existing coverage areas. Without renewal, it will expire in the coming months. Hawley said, however, the “fight is not over.” “I will come to this floor as long as it takes. I will introduce this bill as long as it takes,” he said. “I will force amendment votes as long as it takes until we compensate the people of this nation who have sacrificed for this nation.” https://www.azmirror.com/2023/12/06/in-bid-to-flip-the-legislature-blue-national-dems-announce-spending-on-az/With Republicans holding the barest of majorities in the Arizona Legislature, national Democrats are already making major investments in a bid to flip the state's legislature blue. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee on Wednesday announced it would spend $70,000 in Arizona to aid in candidate recruitment for key races, hiring staff, digital investments and more. The spending is the start of the DLCC's push in swing states where the committee hopes to either solidify Democratic majorities or pick up seats and win legislative control. The money is part of an initial $300,000 push in swing states by the DLCC, with Arizona and Michigan getting the lion's share of the money. The DLCC is also spending money in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina. In Arizona, Republicans have one-seat majorities in both the 60-member state House of Representatives and the 30-member state Senate. DLCC interim President Heather Williams told the Arizona Mirror that the committee is hoping to flip the House and Senate in part by highlighting the extreme positions of Republican lawmakers. Many proposed law changes inspired by those extreme positions earned vetoes from Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this year. “The Republican majority in both chambers is vulnerable,” Williams said, adding that this is only the committee's “initial investment,” as the group anticipates spending much more in 2024. Williams did not elaborate on which Arizona races the group plans to target, but mentioned that the group aims to do something similar to what happened in Virginia this year. Last month, Virginia Democrats gained control of the House and solidified their control of the Senate. The DLCC hopes to mirror that in Arizona. In that election, all 140 seats in the Virginia legislature were up for grabs, and Democrat wins will block Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's ability to fully enact his conservative agenda. The DLCC ended up spending more than $2 million in Virginia. “Here is what we know about Republicans, they are legislating in a way across the country that is not where their constituents are,” Williams said, citing access to abortion and health care for women as key. Republicans and Democrats are eyeing a number of key state house races for 2024 but Williams is confident that her party will come out on top, adding that the DLCC intends to have a dialogue with voters and to help people get registered to vote. “I think we feel really strong with our position as an organization,” Williams said, adding that having Hobbs, a former state lawmaker as a Democratic ally in the governorship will offer advantages. https://alabamareflector.com/2023/12/05/tuberville-relents-on-months-long-blockade-of-most-military-nominees-blaming-democrats/WASHINGTON — After blocking hundreds of U.S. military promotions for most of 2023 in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said Tuesday he will lift his holds on all of them except for a handful of four-star general nominees.The senator, who sits on the Senate Committee on Armed Forces, said he told his fellow Senate Republicans “it's been a long fight” but ultimately he said Democrats were to blame for stalling hundreds of service members from moving up in the chain of command. Tuberville had said repeatedly that Democrats could bring each of the nominees to the floor for votes, which would take hours of debate.“We fought hard. We did the right thing for the unborn and for our military, fighting back against executive overreach, and an abortion policy that's not legal,” Tuberville said after announcing his about-face to his fellow Senate Republicans during their regularly scheduled weekly lunch.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Tuesday that he would move the nominations to the floor “as soon as possible, possibly later this afternoon.”“I hope no one does this again, and I hope they learned the lesson of Sen. Tuberville. And that is he held out for many, many months, hurt our national security, caused discombobulation to so many military families who have been so dedicated to our country, and didn't get anything that he wanted,” Schumer said.Tuberville has blocked hundreds of nominees since the spring because he opposes a recent Pentagon policy that allows armed services members time off and travel reimbursement should they need to seek an abortion in a state where it remains legal.Roughly 80,000 active-duty female service members are stationed in states where legislatures enacted full or partial bans following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a RAND analysis.The Biden administration and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin maintain the policy is legal, as did a 2022 Department of Justice opinion.The list of nominees affected by Tuberville's months-long hold grew to 451 members of the military as of Nov. 27, according to a Department of Defense official. Majority staff for the Senate Armed Services Committee list 445 affected nominees.Tuberville's agreement to halt his protest means that all but 11 of those nominees are expected to clear final Senate approval, according to figures from committee's majority staff.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday that GOP senators are “pleased obviously that that situation seems to have been ameliorated by recent announcements by the senator from Alabama.”Sen. Jack Reed, chair of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said in a statement Tuesday he's “glad that hundreds of our nation's finest military leaders will finally receive their hard-won, merit-based promotions.”“They, and their families, have shown us what grace and grit look like in the face of hardship. Senator Tuberville's actions have been an affront to the United States military and the Senate,” said Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island.“He has jeopardized our national security and abused the rights afforded to all Senators. No Senator should ever attempt to advance their own partisan agenda on the backs of our troops like this again.”Threat of Democratic-led procedure changeTuberville's change in course arrived as Schumer was poised to bring to the floor a Democratic-led rules resolution to bypass the Alabama senator's blockade.The proposed temporary change in floor process would have allowed senators to quickly approve large blocs of nominations simultaneously on the floor, saving hours and hours that would have been required to vote on each individually.Tuberville said Tuesday that he and fellow Republican senators decided they did not want to see any changes to Senate floor procedures and that is the reason he decided to lift his blockade.“All of us are against a rule change in the Senate, OK. We're all against it,” Tuberville said.The Alabama senator's own Republican colleagues have grown publicly frustrated with his stalling of military promotions.GOP senators, including Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Todd Young of Indiana, have on two occasions held the Senate floor into the wee hours bringing forward the names of nominees, only to meet Tuberville's objections.Some frustrated Republicans last week mulled whether to support the Democratic-led effort to override Tuberville's blockade. Democrats would have needed nine of them to pass the change in procedure.“I have said that right now I support Tommy Tuberville, but if he makes a statement that he's going to maintain this posture through this Congress I intend to vote for nominations under the rules suspension,” Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told States Newsroom Nov. 29.https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/06/ohio-senate-wants-to-stop-you-from-growing-weed-house-fights-back/Ohio Senate wants to stop you from growing weed; House fights backBY: MORGAN TRAU - DECEMBER 6, 2023 4:55 AMWhile Ohio Senate Republicans move to dramatically change recreational marijuana policy, the House is fighting back in a bipartisan fashion — saying the will of the voters must be followed.On Thursday, adults 21 and older in Ohio will be able to smoke weed and grow up to six plants.When Issue 2 passed in November, state Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) knew he could be part of clarifying public policy. He invited WEWS/OCJ's Morgan Trau to his introduction of H.B. 354 in a “skeleton” session Tuesday morning. Skeleton sessions are when typically two lawmakers gather with the House clerk and take less than five minutes to introduce policy.“We preserve the things that the people voted on,” he told Trau after he banged the gavel and Finance Chair state Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) watched.Callender, who has been an outspoken supporter of marijuana, has been working on recreational implementation for years. Issue 2 came after all of his efforts were purposely stalled in the Statehouse.“The Marijuana Legalization Initiative” allows Ohioans to grow up to six plants, with 12 per household. In addition, the proposal would impose a 10% tax at the point of sale for each transaction. It also establishes the Division of Cannabis Control within the Ohio Department of Commerce.Ohioans voted in favor of the statute 57-43%.“I'm glad it passed and I'm excited that we're going to be able to take some of these measures that make it a more responsible act,” Callender said. “I want to make sure that here in this chamber, the People's House, that we carry out the will of the people — and the people have spoken.”His bill doesn't make major changes, but it does add safeguards — like guidelines on advertising, public smoking bans and provisions that give local governments more of a say in where tax revenue goes. It also explains that home grow must take place at residential addresses.“We've seen folks aggregate those six plants and, in essence, create a mega farm which is simply an aggregation or a co-op of a whole lot of home grows,” he said, saying that he is trying to prevent that.The bill, one that Callendar says has bipartisan support in the House, deeply contrasts the Senate's version.The proposal by state Sen. Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) also includes guard rails to prevent exposure to children, including advertising guidelines. It would require marijuana to be packaged in a child-resistant container and prevents “cartoon character” or other pop culture figures whose target audience is a child from being used in weed marketing.However, those safety guidelines are the end of the common ground.The Senate proposal would reduce how much weed you could possess from 2.5 ounces to 1 ounce and 15 grams of marijuana concentrates to 5 grams; It would make weed less strong by limiting THC levels for plants to 25%, when the minimum was 35%. In addition, it would limit extracts to 50%, when the minimum was 90%; and it would make marijuana more expensive by raising the tax from 10% to 15%.It also changes where the taxes go.As mentioned, it was a 10% tax at the point of sale. It was 36% revenue to the cannabis social equity and jobs fund; 36% to the host community cannabis fund to provide funds to jurisdictions with adult-use dispensaries; 25% to the substance abuse and addiction fund; and 3% to the division of cannabis control and tax commissioner fund. Issue 2 capped the number of dispensaries permitted at once to 350, but the bill cuts that down to 230.The Senate version ups to 15% tax at the point of sale. It is 30% to the law enforcement training fund, 15% to the marijuana substance abuse treatment and prevention fund, 10% to the safe driver training fund, and the remaining 45% goes to the grand revenue fund — aka, the state lawmakers.“The social equity program — when you really got down to the nuts and bolts of it — it was tax revenue being collected to be put right back into the hands of the industry,” McColley said. “It was a tax grab by the industry to prop up more dispensaries within the industry.”The “Social Equity and Jobs Program” was established by Issue 2. It is designed to fix “the harms resulting from the disproportionate enforcement of marijuana-related laws” and “reduce barriers to ownership and opportunity” to those “most directly and adversely impacted by the enforcement of marijuana-related laws,” according to the initiative.The most significant change is the proposal eliminates home grow.“The opposition has been all around the black market,” McColley said. “It's been around, ‘how do we keep these plants from then being transferred and sold illegally?'”After facing backlash, McColley assured he wasn't going against the will of the people, since he believes that the voters didn't really know everything that they were voting on.“I think what the voters really voted for would have been access to products,” the senator added.Clearly, the voters want home grow, Callender argued. Access to products means access to home grow, he said.It isn't just Callender who is frustrated with the legislation moving through the other chamber. Dozens of Republican and Democratic representatives are infuriated with the Senate.One with a unique perspective is state Rep. Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.) The Senate took his legislation, H.B. 86, that revised the limit on the gallons of spirituous liquor that a micro-distillery may manufacture each year and added their marijuana proposal onto his bill.“Slap in the face of Ohio voters,” LaRe told WEWS/OCJ.The lawmaker doesn't support recreational marijuana, but he does respect the will of Ohioans, he added.“It's unfortunate they want to use a bill that is focused on helping certain small businesses recover from the pandemic to fast-track language that changes the intent of the ballot initiative,” he said. “I believe we should look into where the tax dollars are spent, but this goes way beyond those details.”Democrats agree. House Minority Whip State Rep. Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park) says she can't and won't support the Senate version.“I'm not a fan of turning my back on the Ohio voters and the will of what they said when they overwhelmingly passed Issue 2,” Miranda said.When asked what happens if the two chambers don't reach a compromise, Callender said he will be in better standing — since the House can just block the Senate version.“I'm okay with just letting the initiated statute go into effect, which is a pretty strong bargaining position,” he said. “If we don't come up with an agreement, I'll trust the rule-making process, trust Commerce to make good rules to do this.”The Senate is expected to pass the marijuana bill out of committee Wednesday morning, putting it on the floor for a full vote later in the day. The House version is set to be heard Wednesday, as well.This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/dolly-parton-imagination-library-officially-launches-statewide-in-illinoisPritzker says goal is to send free books to all children, ages 0-5By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Illinois families with infants and toddlers now have access to free children's books that can be sent directly to their home, regardless of their income.Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday announced the official launch of the state's partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program founded by the country music legend in 1995 in her home county in east Tennessee. It now sends free books every month to nearly 3 million children in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.“Today, I couldn't be prouder to announce that the Imagination Library is working with the state of Illinois to begin our journey to provide every child under the age of five an opportunity to receive a free book delivered to them every single month,” Pritzker said at an event at the Bloomington Public Library.Pritzker first announced in June that the state had formed a partnership with the Dollywood Foundation, Parton's philanthropic organization, after Illinois lawmakers included $1.6 million in this year's budget to fund the state's share of the program. Other funding comes from the Dollywood Foundation and local, county-based organizations.Since then, about 44 local programs have been operating in the state, serving roughly 4 percent of eligible children. But Dollywood Foundation executive director Nora Briggs said the goal is to reach all of the estimated 755,000 children under age 5 in Illinois.“We know that nothing is more basic, more essential, more foundational to a child's success in life than the ability to read,” Briggs said. “The research is clear. We cannot wait until kindergarten for children to have access or exposure to books. It must happen early. It must start in the home environment. And reading at home requires books.”People who are interested in enrolling their child in the program can find their local provider on the “check availability” tab located at imaginationlibrary.com. From there, applicants submit basic information including their address, their child's name and date of birth, and the parents' information.Once a child's eligibility is approved, they will start receiving one book each month, addressed to them. Each child within an age group receives the same monthly book. Books on the distribution list are chosen by a panel of early childhood literacy experts who review potential titles for inclusion in the distribution list. In addition to funding the Imagination Library program this year, lawmakers also approved Pritzker's “Smart Start Illinois” initiative that will provide $250 million this year for early childhood programs, including expanded access to preschool, wage support for child care workers, early intervention programs, and home visiting programs.“We're making our mark on every aspect of early childhood, and working with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library literacy efforts will begin now at the earliest ages,” Pritzker said. “Illinois is well on its way to solidifying our status as the number one state in the nation to raise young children.” 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.Stories in today's show originally appeared in the Missouri Independent, Capitol News Illinois, Alabama Reflector, Michigan Advance, Arizona Mirror, KMBC9 Kansas City, Ohio Capital Journal, and NPR News @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) 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/

Friday News Flyover, December 8, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 8th, 2023A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:Texas abortion bans creating legal confusion | MO Pastor jailed facing sexual abuse charges | Sen Josh Hawley and Rep Cori Bush speak against defense bill without funds for St. Louis residents exposed to radiation | AL Senator Tommy Tuberville gives up his misguided military holds | Dolly Parton gives books to millions of kids, if you didn't knowWelcome 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 storieshttps://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/12/06/1217637325/texas-woman-asks-court-for-abortion-because-of-pregnancy-complicationsUpdated Thursday, Dec. 7 at 1:55 p.m."Kate Cox needs an abortion, and she needs it now." Thus began a petition filed in a Texas district court this week, asking a judge to allow the abortion to be performed in the state, where abortion is banned with very limited exceptions.On Thursday, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble of Travis County, Texas, ruled from the bench, granting permission for Cox to have the abortion she is seeking. Cox's fetus has a genetic condition with very low chances of survival and her own health and fertility are at risk if she carries the pregnancy to term.The petition was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is the group behind a high profile case heard at the Texas Supreme Court last week.In that case the group's senior staff attorney Molly Duane argued on behalf of 20 patients and two OB-GYNs that the medical exception to the ban on abortion in the state's laws is too narrow and vague, and that it endangered patients during complicated pregnancies. An attorney for the state argued the exception is already clear and that the plaintiffs didn't have standing to sue.On the very day of those arguments, Nov. 28, Kate Cox, a 31-year-old mother of two who lives in the Dallas area, got "devastating" news about her pregnancy, the filing says. At nearly 20-weeks gestation, she learned that her fetus has Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome, a condition with extremely low chances of survival.So, as the Texas Supreme Court considered whether its abortion laws endangered patients with pregnancy complications in the past, Cox was trying to figure out what to do in her present situation.Cox had already been in the emergency room three times with cramping and other concerning symptoms, according to court documents. Her doctors told her she was at high risk of developing gestational hypertension and diabetes, and because she had had two prior cesarean sections, carrying the pregnancy to term could compromise her chances of having a third child in the future, the brief says.Last Thursday, she reached out for the Center for Reproductive Rights. Five days after that, the group filed this petition on her behalf.The filing asked a Travis County district court for a temporary restraining order against the state of Texas and the Texas Medical Board, blocking enforcement of Texas's abortion bans so that Cox can terminate her current pregnancy. It also would block enforcement of S.B. 8, which allows civil lawsuits to be filed against those who help patients receive abortions.That would protect the other plaintiffs in the case, Cox's husband, Justin, and Dr. Damla Karsan, who is prepared to provide the abortion if the court grants their request. Karsan is one of the OB-GYN plaintiffs in the Zurawski v. the State of Texas case.Thursday's ruling will allow Karsan to provide an abortion without threat of prosecution. It only applies to Cox, her husband and Karsan. Issuing the ruling, Judge Guerra Gamble said: "The idea that Ms. Cox wants so desperately to be a parent and this law may have her lose that ability is shocking and would be a genuine miscarriage of justice."There are currently three overlapping abortion bans in Texas. Abortion is illegal in the state from the moment pregnancy begins. Texas doctors can legally provide abortions only if a patient is "in danger of death or a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function, " the law says."I don't know what that means," Duane says of the language of the medical exception. "But I think [Cox's] situation must fall within whatever it is that that means."The Texas Attorney General's office did not respond to a request for comment on Cox's case, but the office argued in the Zurawski case that the medical exception needs no clarification.Sponsor MessageTexas Alliance for Life, a group that lobbied in the state legislature for the current abortion laws, published a statement about Cox's case Wednesday. "We believe that the exception language in Texas laws is clear," wrote the group's communication director Amy O'Donnell, and accused the Center for Reproductive Rights of pretending to seek clarity while really attempting to "chisel away" at Texas's abortion laws.The timeline of this case was very quick. "I have to be honest, I've never done this before, and that's because no one's ever done this before," Duane says. "But usually when you ask for a temporary restraining order, the court will act very, very quickly in acknowledgement of the emergency circumstances."The hearing was held via Zoom on Thursday morning.The State of Texas cannot appeal the decision directly, says Duane. "They would have to file what's called a writ of mandamus, saying that the district court acted so far out of its jurisdiction and that there needs to be a reversal," Duane explains. "But filing a petition like that is not does not automatically stay the injunction the way that an appeal of a temporary injunction does."In the meantime, the justices of the Texas Supreme Court are considering the Zurawski case, with a decision expected in the next few months. "I want them to take their time to write an opinion that gets this right and will protect patients, doctors and their families going forward," Duane says."But the reality is that in the meantime, people are going to continue to be harmed," and Cox couldn't afford to wait for that decision, Duane says.Duane praises Cox for her bravery in publicly sharing her story while in the midst of a personal medical crisis. "She's exceptional – but I will also say that the pathway to this has been paved by all the other women in our lawsuit," she says. "There is strength in numbers."https://www.kmbc.com/article/court-documents-independence-missouri-pastor-charged-child-molestation/46058889Court documents state that multiple people under the age of 18 accused Virgil Marsh of sexually assaulting them between 2011 and 2018.Marsh, 71, is now in the Jackson County jail.He was charged with two counts of first-degree of child molestation and first-degree statutory sodomy.A probable cause statement indicates that Marsh told police he was a current pastor in Independence and admitted he had "inappropriately touched" one of the victims.He did tell police he 'potentially kissed' a second victim on the mouth but denied sexually touching them.He also told police he has asked for forgiveness with God and is no longer the man who "had previously done things to the victim," the probable cause reads.https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/07/compensation-for-st-louis-victims-of-nuclear-waste-stripped-from-federal-defense-bill/Compensation for St. Louis victims of nuclear waste stripped from federal defense billProvisions that would have compensated those exposed to radioactive waste left over from the Manhattan Project were removed on WednesdayBY: ALLISON KITE - DECEMBER 7, 2023 9:03 AM      A joint investigation by The Independent and MuckRock.U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday he would do everything he could to stop a federal defense spending bill after a provision offering compensation to Americans exposed to decades-old radioactive waste was removed. Speaking on the floor of the Senate, the Missouri Republican called the decision to remove compensation for Americans who have suffered rare cancers and autoimmune diseases a “scar on the conscience of this body.”“This is an injustice,” Hawley said. “This is this body turning its back on these good, proud Americans.”This summer, the Senate amended the National Defense Authorization Act to expand the existing Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include parts of the St. Louis region where individuals were exposed to leftover radioactive material from the development of the first atomic bomb. It would have also included parts of the Southwest where residents were exposed to bomb testing. But the provision was removed Wednesday by a conference committee of senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives working out differences between the two chambers' versions of the bill.Even before the text of the amended bill became available Wednesday night, U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri was decrying the removal of the radiation compensation policy. “This is a major betrayal of thousands and thousands of Missourians who have been lied to and ignored for years,” Hawley said in a post on social media Wednesday. Dawn Chapman, a co-founder of Just Moms STL, fought back tears Wednesday night as she described hearing the “gut-wrenching” news from Hawley's staff. Chapman and fellow moms have been advocating for families exposed to or near radioactive waste for years. “I actually thought we had a chance,” Chapman said. But she said the group hopes to get the expansion passed another way. “Nobody has given up on it,” Chapman said.The St. Louis region has suffered from a radioactive waste problem for decades. The area was instrumental in the Manhattan Project, the name given to the effort to build an atomic bomb during World War II. Almost 80 years later, residents of St. Louis and St. Charles counties are still dealing with the fallout. After the war, radioactive waste produced from refining uranium was trucked from downtown St. Louis to several sites in St. Louis County where it contaminated property at the airport and seeped into Coldwater Creek. In the 1970s, remaining nuclear waste that couldn't be processed to extract valuable metals was trucked to the West Lake Landfill and illegally dumped. It remains there today.During the Cold War, uranium was processed in St. Charles County. A chemical plant and open ponds of radioactive waste remained at the site in Weldon Spring for years. The site was remediated in the early 2000s, but groundwater contamination at the site is not improving fast enough, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.For years, St. Louis-area residents have pointed to the radioactive waste to explain rare cancers, autoimmune diseases and young deaths. A study by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found people who lived along Coldwater Creek or played in its waters faced an increased risk of cancer.Chapman said she knew two individuals who made calls to members of Congress while receiving chemotherapy. It's hard to ask people to keep fighting for the legislation, she said. “They're not going to see another Christmas, and they're not going to see the compensation from this,” Chapman said. “This won't help them.” An investigation by The Missouri Independent, MuckRock and The Associated Press this summer found that the private companies and federal agencies handling and overseeing the waste repeatedly downplayed the danger despite knowledge that it posed a risk to human health.After the report was published, Hawley decried the federal government's failures and vowed to introduce legislation to help. So did U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis. In a statement Wednesday night, she said the federal government's failure to compensate those who have been harmed by radioactive waste is “straight up negligence.”“The people of St. Louis deserve better, and they deserve to be able to live without worry of radioactive contamination,” Bush said. Missouri's junior senator, Republican Eric Schmitt, grew up near the West Lake Landfill. He said in a statement that the “fight is far from over” and that he will look into other legislation to get victims compensation.“The careless dumping of this waste happened across Missouri, including in my own backyard of St. Louis, and has negatively impacted Missouri communities for decades,” Schmitt said. “I will not stop fighting until it is addressed.”Already, two state lawmakers have pre-filed legislation related to radioactive waste in advance of the Missouri General Assembly reconvening in January. One doubles the budget of a state radioactive waste investigation fund. The other requires further disclosure of radioactive contamination when one sells or rents a house.In July, the U.S. Senate voted 61-37  to adopt Hawley's amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act expanding the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act to include the St. Louis area. It would have also expanded the coverage area to compensate victims exposed to testing of the atomic bomb in New Mexico. The amendment included residents of New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Guam and expanded the coverage area in Nevada, Utah and Arizona, which are already partially covered.The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that expanding the program could cost $147.1 billion over 10 years with St. Louis' portion taking up $3.7 billion of that. The amendment would have also renewed the program for existing coverage areas. Without renewal, it will expire in the coming months. Hawley said, however, the “fight is not over.” “I will come to this floor as long as it takes. I will introduce this bill as long as it takes,” he said. “I will force amendment votes as long as it takes until we compensate the people of this nation who have sacrificed for this nation.” https://www.azmirror.com/2023/12/06/in-bid-to-flip-the-legislature-blue-national-dems-announce-spending-on-az/With Republicans holding the barest of majorities in the Arizona Legislature, national Democrats are already making major investments in a bid to flip the state's legislature blue. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee on Wednesday announced it would spend $70,000 in Arizona to aid in candidate recruitment for key races, hiring staff, digital investments and more. The spending is the start of the DLCC's push in swing states where the committee hopes to either solidify Democratic majorities or pick up seats and win legislative control. The money is part of an initial $300,000 push in swing states by the DLCC, with Arizona and Michigan getting the lion's share of the money. The DLCC is also spending money in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and North Carolina. In Arizona, Republicans have one-seat majorities in both the 60-member state House of Representatives and the 30-member state Senate. DLCC interim President Heather Williams told the Arizona Mirror that the committee is hoping to flip the House and Senate in part by highlighting the extreme positions of Republican lawmakers. Many proposed law changes inspired by those extreme positions earned vetoes from Gov. Katie Hobbs earlier this year. “The Republican majority in both chambers is vulnerable,” Williams said, adding that this is only the committee's “initial investment,” as the group anticipates spending much more in 2024. Williams did not elaborate on which Arizona races the group plans to target, but mentioned that the group aims to do something similar to what happened in Virginia this year. Last month, Virginia Democrats gained control of the House and solidified their control of the Senate. The DLCC hopes to mirror that in Arizona. In that election, all 140 seats in the Virginia legislature were up for grabs, and Democrat wins will block Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's ability to fully enact his conservative agenda. The DLCC ended up spending more than $2 million in Virginia. “Here is what we know about Republicans, they are legislating in a way across the country that is not where their constituents are,” Williams said, citing access to abortion and health care for women as key. Republicans and Democrats are eyeing a number of key state house races for 2024 but Williams is confident that her party will come out on top, adding that the DLCC intends to have a dialogue with voters and to help people get registered to vote. “I think we feel really strong with our position as an organization,” Williams said, adding that having Hobbs, a former state lawmaker as a Democratic ally in the governorship will offer advantages. https://alabamareflector.com/2023/12/05/tuberville-relents-on-months-long-blockade-of-most-military-nominees-blaming-democrats/WASHINGTON — After blocking hundreds of U.S. military promotions for most of 2023 in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said Tuesday he will lift his holds on all of them except for a handful of four-star general nominees.The senator, who sits on the Senate Committee on Armed Forces, said he told his fellow Senate Republicans “it's been a long fight” but ultimately he said Democrats were to blame for stalling hundreds of service members from moving up in the chain of command. Tuberville had said repeatedly that Democrats could bring each of the nominees to the floor for votes, which would take hours of debate.“We fought hard. We did the right thing for the unborn and for our military, fighting back against executive overreach, and an abortion policy that's not legal,” Tuberville said after announcing his about-face to his fellow Senate Republicans during their regularly scheduled weekly lunch.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Tuesday that he would move the nominations to the floor “as soon as possible, possibly later this afternoon.”“I hope no one does this again, and I hope they learned the lesson of Sen. Tuberville. And that is he held out for many, many months, hurt our national security, caused discombobulation to so many military families who have been so dedicated to our country, and didn't get anything that he wanted,” Schumer said.Tuberville has blocked hundreds of nominees since the spring because he opposes a recent Pentagon policy that allows armed services members time off and travel reimbursement should they need to seek an abortion in a state where it remains legal.Roughly 80,000 active-duty female service members are stationed in states where legislatures enacted full or partial bans following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a RAND analysis.The Biden administration and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin maintain the policy is legal, as did a 2022 Department of Justice opinion.The list of nominees affected by Tuberville's months-long hold grew to 451 members of the military as of Nov. 27, according to a Department of Defense official. Majority staff for the Senate Armed Services Committee list 445 affected nominees.Tuberville's agreement to halt his protest means that all but 11 of those nominees are expected to clear final Senate approval, according to figures from committee's majority staff.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Tuesday that GOP senators are “pleased obviously that that situation seems to have been ameliorated by recent announcements by the senator from Alabama.”Sen. Jack Reed, chair of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said in a statement Tuesday he's “glad that hundreds of our nation's finest military leaders will finally receive their hard-won, merit-based promotions.”“They, and their families, have shown us what grace and grit look like in the face of hardship. Senator Tuberville's actions have been an affront to the United States military and the Senate,” said Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island.“He has jeopardized our national security and abused the rights afforded to all Senators. No Senator should ever attempt to advance their own partisan agenda on the backs of our troops like this again.”Threat of Democratic-led procedure changeTuberville's change in course arrived as Schumer was poised to bring to the floor a Democratic-led rules resolution to bypass the Alabama senator's blockade.The proposed temporary change in floor process would have allowed senators to quickly approve large blocs of nominations simultaneously on the floor, saving hours and hours that would have been required to vote on each individually.Tuberville said Tuesday that he and fellow Republican senators decided they did not want to see any changes to Senate floor procedures and that is the reason he decided to lift his blockade.“All of us are against a rule change in the Senate, OK. We're all against it,” Tuberville said.The Alabama senator's own Republican colleagues have grown publicly frustrated with his stalling of military promotions.GOP senators, including Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Todd Young of Indiana, have on two occasions held the Senate floor into the wee hours bringing forward the names of nominees, only to meet Tuberville's objections.Some frustrated Republicans last week mulled whether to support the Democratic-led effort to override Tuberville's blockade. Democrats would have needed nine of them to pass the change in procedure.“I have said that right now I support Tommy Tuberville, but if he makes a statement that he's going to maintain this posture through this Congress I intend to vote for nominations under the rules suspension,” Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told States Newsroom Nov. 29.https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/06/ohio-senate-wants-to-stop-you-from-growing-weed-house-fights-back/Ohio Senate wants to stop you from growing weed; House fights backBY: MORGAN TRAU - DECEMBER 6, 2023 4:55 AMWhile Ohio Senate Republicans move to dramatically change recreational marijuana policy, the House is fighting back in a bipartisan fashion — saying the will of the voters must be followed.On Thursday, adults 21 and older in Ohio will be able to smoke weed and grow up to six plants.When Issue 2 passed in November, state Rep. Jamie Callender (R-Concord) knew he could be part of clarifying public policy. He invited WEWS/OCJ's Morgan Trau to his introduction of H.B. 354 in a “skeleton” session Tuesday morning. Skeleton sessions are when typically two lawmakers gather with the House clerk and take less than five minutes to introduce policy.“We preserve the things that the people voted on,” he told Trau after he banged the gavel and Finance Chair state Rep. Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) watched.Callender, who has been an outspoken supporter of marijuana, has been working on recreational implementation for years. Issue 2 came after all of his efforts were purposely stalled in the Statehouse.“The Marijuana Legalization Initiative” allows Ohioans to grow up to six plants, with 12 per household. In addition, the proposal would impose a 10% tax at the point of sale for each transaction. It also establishes the Division of Cannabis Control within the Ohio Department of Commerce.Ohioans voted in favor of the statute 57-43%.“I'm glad it passed and I'm excited that we're going to be able to take some of these measures that make it a more responsible act,” Callender said. “I want to make sure that here in this chamber, the People's House, that we carry out the will of the people — and the people have spoken.”His bill doesn't make major changes, but it does add safeguards — like guidelines on advertising, public smoking bans and provisions that give local governments more of a say in where tax revenue goes. It also explains that home grow must take place at residential addresses.“We've seen folks aggregate those six plants and, in essence, create a mega farm which is simply an aggregation or a co-op of a whole lot of home grows,” he said, saying that he is trying to prevent that.The bill, one that Callendar says has bipartisan support in the House, deeply contrasts the Senate's version.The proposal by state Sen. Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) also includes guard rails to prevent exposure to children, including advertising guidelines. It would require marijuana to be packaged in a child-resistant container and prevents “cartoon character” or other pop culture figures whose target audience is a child from being used in weed marketing.However, those safety guidelines are the end of the common ground.The Senate proposal would reduce how much weed you could possess from 2.5 ounces to 1 ounce and 15 grams of marijuana concentrates to 5 grams; It would make weed less strong by limiting THC levels for plants to 25%, when the minimum was 35%. In addition, it would limit extracts to 50%, when the minimum was 90%; and it would make marijuana more expensive by raising the tax from 10% to 15%.It also changes where the taxes go.As mentioned, it was a 10% tax at the point of sale. It was 36% revenue to the cannabis social equity and jobs fund; 36% to the host community cannabis fund to provide funds to jurisdictions with adult-use dispensaries; 25% to the substance abuse and addiction fund; and 3% to the division of cannabis control and tax commissioner fund. Issue 2 capped the number of dispensaries permitted at once to 350, but the bill cuts that down to 230.The Senate version ups to 15% tax at the point of sale. It is 30% to the law enforcement training fund, 15% to the marijuana substance abuse treatment and prevention fund, 10% to the safe driver training fund, and the remaining 45% goes to the grand revenue fund — aka, the state lawmakers.“The social equity program — when you really got down to the nuts and bolts of it — it was tax revenue being collected to be put right back into the hands of the industry,” McColley said. “It was a tax grab by the industry to prop up more dispensaries within the industry.”The “Social Equity and Jobs Program” was established by Issue 2. It is designed to fix “the harms resulting from the disproportionate enforcement of marijuana-related laws” and “reduce barriers to ownership and opportunity” to those “most directly and adversely impacted by the enforcement of marijuana-related laws,” according to the initiative.The most significant change is the proposal eliminates home grow.“The opposition has been all around the black market,” McColley said. “It's been around, ‘how do we keep these plants from then being transferred and sold illegally?'”After facing backlash, McColley assured he wasn't going against the will of the people, since he believes that the voters didn't really know everything that they were voting on.“I think what the voters really voted for would have been access to products,” the senator added.Clearly, the voters want home grow, Callender argued. Access to products means access to home grow, he said.It isn't just Callender who is frustrated with the legislation moving through the other chamber. Dozens of Republican and Democratic representatives are infuriated with the Senate.One with a unique perspective is state Rep. Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.) The Senate took his legislation, H.B. 86, that revised the limit on the gallons of spirituous liquor that a micro-distillery may manufacture each year and added their marijuana proposal onto his bill.“Slap in the face of Ohio voters,” LaRe told WEWS/OCJ.The lawmaker doesn't support recreational marijuana, but he does respect the will of Ohioans, he added.“It's unfortunate they want to use a bill that is focused on helping certain small businesses recover from the pandemic to fast-track language that changes the intent of the ballot initiative,” he said. “I believe we should look into where the tax dollars are spent, but this goes way beyond those details.”Democrats agree. House Minority Whip State Rep. Jessica Miranda (D-Forest Park) says she can't and won't support the Senate version.“I'm not a fan of turning my back on the Ohio voters and the will of what they said when they overwhelmingly passed Issue 2,” Miranda said.When asked what happens if the two chambers don't reach a compromise, Callender said he will be in better standing — since the House can just block the Senate version.“I'm okay with just letting the initiated statute go into effect, which is a pretty strong bargaining position,” he said. “If we don't come up with an agreement, I'll trust the rule-making process, trust Commerce to make good rules to do this.”The Senate is expected to pass the marijuana bill out of committee Wednesday morning, putting it on the floor for a full vote later in the day. The House version is set to be heard Wednesday, as well.This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on Twitter and Facebook.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/dolly-parton-imagination-library-officially-launches-statewide-in-illinoisPritzker says goal is to send free books to all children, ages 0-5By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Illinois families with infants and toddlers now have access to free children's books that can be sent directly to their home, regardless of their income.Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday announced the official launch of the state's partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program founded by the country music legend in 1995 in her home county in east Tennessee. It now sends free books every month to nearly 3 million children in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.“Today, I couldn't be prouder to announce that the Imagination Library is working with the state of Illinois to begin our journey to provide every child under the age of five an opportunity to receive a free book delivered to them every single month,” Pritzker said at an event at the Bloomington Public Library.Pritzker first announced in June that the state had formed a partnership with the Dollywood Foundation, Parton's philanthropic organization, after Illinois lawmakers included $1.6 million in this year's budget to fund the state's share of the program. Other funding comes from the Dollywood Foundation and local, county-based organizations.Since then, about 44 local programs have been operating in the state, serving roughly 4 percent of eligible children. But Dollywood Foundation executive director Nora Briggs said the goal is to reach all of the estimated 755,000 children under age 5 in Illinois.“We know that nothing is more basic, more essential, more foundational to a child's success in life than the ability to read,” Briggs said. “The research is clear. We cannot wait until kindergarten for children to have access or exposure to books. It must happen early. It must start in the home environment. And reading at home requires books.”People who are interested in enrolling their child in the program can find their local provider on the “check availability” tab located at imaginationlibrary.com. From there, applicants submit basic information including their address, their child's name and date of birth, and the parents' information.Once a child's eligibility is approved, they will start receiving one book each month, addressed to them. Each child within an age group receives the same monthly book. Books on the distribution list are chosen by a panel of early childhood literacy experts who review potential titles for inclusion in the distribution list. In addition to funding the Imagination Library program this year, lawmakers also approved Pritzker's “Smart Start Illinois” initiative that will provide $250 million this year for early childhood programs, including expanded access to preschool, wage support for child care workers, early intervention programs, and home visiting programs.“We're making our mark on every aspect of early childhood, and working with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library literacy efforts will begin now at the earliest ages,” Pritzker said. “Illinois is well on its way to solidifying our status as the number one state in the nation to raise young children.” 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.Stories in today's show originally appeared in the Missouri Independent, Capitol News Illinois, Alabama Reflector, Michigan Advance, Arizona Mirror, KMBC9 Kansas City, Ohio Capital Journal, and NPR News @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) 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/

Flyover Friday, December 1, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 1st, 2023A 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 storieshttps://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.https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/29/missouri-attorney-general-opposes-proposed-federal-rule-supporting-lgbtq-foster-kids/“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-crowIN 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.https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/11/30/over-342000-ohioans-have-lost-their-medicaid-coverage-since-april/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.https://www.warrencountyrecord.com/stories/giving-parents-options-is-the-free-market-approach-to-education,90867For 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.

Flyover Friday, December 1, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 1st, 2023A 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 storieshttps://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.https://missouriindependent.com/2023/11/29/missouri-attorney-general-opposes-proposed-federal-rule-supporting-lgbtq-foster-kids/“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-crowIN 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.https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/11/30/over-342000-ohioans-have-lost-their-medicaid-coverage-since-april/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.https://www.warrencountyrecord.com/stories/giving-parents-options-is-the-free-market-approach-to-education,90867For 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 ThreadsRachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)Substack had negative revenue - The VergeSubstack gets writers to invest, but doesn't share new financial infoIntro: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. CreditsTrust Me with Rachel Parker is a production of Mid Map Media LLC, producers Rachel Parker, Adam Sommer, and Sean Diller.

@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsRachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)Substack had negative revenue - The VergeSubstack gets writers to invest, but doesn't share new financial infoIntro: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. CreditsTrust Me with Rachel Parker is a production of Mid Map Media LLC, producers Rachel Parker, Adam Sommer, and Sean Diller.

Amanda Walsh returns to the show for the second time to share with us some good insights about the Maui fire and explore with me the incessant concern of AI for our field.  We do have a chart for the fire, but if you have a more accurate chart, please email it to me.  I hope you enjoy our conversation. Eudaimonia, Adam   astrologyhub.com/connect DISCOUNT CODE: SOMMER15   astrologyhub.com/donate to work with me: https://www.adam-sommer.com/ ...to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche   my writing: The Dragon Hole (my Substack): https://kosmognosis.substack.com/   to learn Astrology: www.Patreon.com/adamsommer ....to support the creation of my writings/podcasts and be showered with gifts as well   art by Jeff Huang

In this show, Mark Jones returns!  We could consider this one to be the 10th anniversary for us; it was back in 2013 when we first met via the pod, having finally met in person in 2019 to deepen our rapport.  Now, officially an IRL ally, I try to make it up to Wales as often as possible to hang and record if it's in the air.  This visit it was definitely in the air.  Enjoy   Eudaimonia, Adam   to work with me: https://www.adam-sommer.com/ ...to adventure deeper into kosmos, mythos, and psyche   to learn Astrology: www.Patreon.com/adamsommer ....to support the creation of my writings/podcasts and be showered with gifts as well   my writing: The Dragon Hole (my Substack): https://kosmognosis.substack.com/

Let Mo Play Website Let MO Play is committed to promoting responsible gambling and increasing sports engagement to provide a boost to local economies. Plus, legalization can help combat illegal sports betting and match-fixing, ensuring the integrity of sports competitions. Don't miss out on the chance to be a part of this exciting movement! @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”

Let Mo Play Website Let MO Play is committed to promoting responsible gambling and increasing sports engagement to provide a boost to local economies. Plus, legalization can help combat illegal sports betting and match-fixing, ensuring the integrity of sports competitions. Don't miss out on the chance to be a part of this exciting movement! @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”

Host Kevin Smith, @KevINmidMO brings a quick report of stories from the week that impact the Heartland.HEADLINESMillions at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as pandemic provisions scale back, While Biden Administration urges states to slow down disenrollmentCBS - https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/millions-at-risk-of-losing-medicaid-coverage-as-pandemic-provisions-scale-back-covid-19-healthcare-disabilities-low-income-americans-income-inequality-florida-arkansas-oregon-community-organizations-cato-institute-private-insuranceArkansas Business - https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/144856/biden-administration-urges-arkansas-other-states-to-slow-down-on-dropping-people-from-medicaidMissouri moves toward 50/50 child custody law.Missouri Independent - https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/13/missouri-moves-toward-50-50-child-custody-law-raising-concerns-about-abuse-victims/LIGHTNING ROUNDMissouri,Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker on urges Missouri Gov. Mike Parson not to pardon a former Kansas City police detective who was convicted of killing black man. Kansas City Star - https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article276345226.htmlIn response to worsening drought conditions throughout the state and upon the advice of the Missouri Drought Assessment Committee, Governor Mike Parson announced the availability and process for Missouri family farms to obtain emergency hay and water.KY3 Missouri - https://www.ky3.com/2023/06/13/missouri-governor-parson-announces-emergency-water-hay-access-farmers/The city of Columbia and Boone County began a step this week in efforts to address affordable housing needs in the community. Columbia Missourian - https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/columbia-boone-county-to-address-affordable-housing-with-survey/article_1f9d2c42-0ad0-11ee-acc7-533dbef7652c.htmlPatriot Front scared off by Pride  bravery@PrideForMo on Twitter - https://twitter.com/prideforMO/status/1668230299212193792Wisconsin,More than half of Wisconsin is under an air quality alert for sensitive groups due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-under-air-quality-advisory-due-smoke-canadian-wildfiresWisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, said on Wednesday in a newspaper report he will not sign the state budget if Republican lawmakers follow through on their plan to cut funding for the state university system's diversity officers.The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/14/wisconsin-governor-tony-evers-republican-budgetOklahoma,A national report on the well-being of children shows Oklahoma fell in the rankings of nearly every category measured. The Oklahoman -  ​​https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2023/06/14/oklahoma-education-rankings-child-well-being-kids-count-report/70322261007/Illinois,Banning book bans.Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/06/13/illinois-becomes-first-state-to-effectively-ban-book-bans/?sh=7c772aa67465LastlyPresident Joe Biden is holding firm on Ukraine joining NATO. CNN - https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/14/politics/ukraine-nato-joe-biden/index.html

Host Kevin Smith, @KevINmidMO brings a quick report of stories from the week that impact the Heartland.HEADLINESMillions at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as pandemic provisions scale back, While Biden Administration urges states to slow down disenrollmentCBS - https://cbsaustin.com/news/nation-world/millions-at-risk-of-losing-medicaid-coverage-as-pandemic-provisions-scale-back-covid-19-healthcare-disabilities-low-income-americans-income-inequality-florida-arkansas-oregon-community-organizations-cato-institute-private-insuranceArkansas Business - https://www.arkansasbusiness.com/article/144856/biden-administration-urges-arkansas-other-states-to-slow-down-on-dropping-people-from-medicaidMissouri moves toward 50/50 child custody law.Missouri Independent - https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/13/missouri-moves-toward-50-50-child-custody-law-raising-concerns-about-abuse-victims/LIGHTNING ROUNDMissouri,Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker on urges Missouri Gov. Mike Parson not to pardon a former Kansas City police detective who was convicted of killing black man. Kansas City Star - https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article276345226.htmlIn response to worsening drought conditions throughout the state and upon the advice of the Missouri Drought Assessment Committee, Governor Mike Parson announced the availability and process for Missouri family farms to obtain emergency hay and water.KY3 Missouri - https://www.ky3.com/2023/06/13/missouri-governor-parson-announces-emergency-water-hay-access-farmers/The city of Columbia and Boone County began a step this week in efforts to address affordable housing needs in the community. Columbia Missourian - https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/columbia-boone-county-to-address-affordable-housing-with-survey/article_1f9d2c42-0ad0-11ee-acc7-533dbef7652c.htmlPatriot Front scared off by Pride  bravery@PrideForMo on Twitter - https://twitter.com/prideforMO/status/1668230299212193792Wisconsin,More than half of Wisconsin is under an air quality alert for sensitive groups due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/wisconsin-under-air-quality-advisory-due-smoke-canadian-wildfiresWisconsin's governor, Tony Evers, said on Wednesday in a newspaper report he will not sign the state budget if Republican lawmakers follow through on their plan to cut funding for the state university system's diversity officers.The Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/14/wisconsin-governor-tony-evers-republican-budgetOklahoma,A national report on the well-being of children shows Oklahoma fell in the rankings of nearly every category measured. The Oklahoman -  ​​https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/state/2023/06/14/oklahoma-education-rankings-child-well-being-kids-count-report/70322261007/Illinois,Banning book bans.Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/06/13/illinois-becomes-first-state-to-effectively-ban-book-bans/?sh=7c772aa67465LastlyPresident Joe Biden is holding firm on Ukraine joining NATO. CNN - https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/14/politics/ukraine-nato-joe-biden/index.html

#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 FacebookJOIN PATREON FOR MORE! Merch Shop“Change The Conversation”Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production

#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 FacebookJOIN PATREON FOR MORE! Merch Shop“Change The Conversation”Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production

Guest: Ellen Hopkins, authorThe #DirtRoadDemocrat, Jess Piper, is joined by Ellen Hopkins, noted YA author and America's most banned author. Ellen is known for books like "Crank" "Glass" "Burned" and more. Heartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper@piper4missouri on Twitter, and FacebookJOIN PATREON FOR MORE! Merch Shop“Change The Conversation”Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production 

Guest: Ellen Hopkins, authorThe #DirtRoadDemocrat, Jess Piper, is joined by Ellen Hopkins, noted YA author and America's most banned author. Ellen is known for books like "Crank" "Glass" "Burned" and more. Heartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper@piper4missouri on Twitter, and FacebookJOIN PATREON FOR MORE! Merch Shop“Change The Conversation”Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC production 

Episode NotesGuest: Prof. Joshua Cowen  @joshcowenMSU on TwitterHeartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper@piper4missouri on Twitter, and FacebookJOIN PATREON FOR MORE! Merch Shop“Change The Conversation”Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC productionhttps://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.

Episode NotesGuest: Prof. Joshua Cowen  @joshcowenMSU on TwitterHeartland POD on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok - @TheHeartlandPOD #DirtRoadDemocrat Host: Jess Piper@piper4missouri on Twitter, and FacebookJOIN PATREON FOR MORE! Merch Shop“Change The Conversation”Produced by Adam Sommer. The "Dirt Road Democrat" is a Mid Map Media, LLC productionhttps://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.

Josh Hawley wants to be a man | Rural health clinic in Kentucky making a difference with federal funds | $11B for clean energy projects in rural areas | Conservatives worry they're ruining their own schools | Sean and Adam talk about the role of public schools in rural AmericaSean: Welcome back to flyover view, heartland news and views from the gateway arch to the rocky mountains and the stories impacting folks in the heartland, my name is Sean Diller and I'm here subbing for our regular host Kevin Smith, and with me is Adam Sommer, whaddya say, ready to start the show? Adam: Is Ron DeSantis wishing he'd never picked a fight with a mouse? Josh Hawley (name drop) Is A Man, Bro. In his new book, Josh Hawley, the Sr. Sen. for Missouri, not from, is ready to transform America by calling on men and boys to lead.HOW? Great question - it seems, mostly, that Hawley is fixated on sex. Men should stop masturbating and porn should basically be illegal. Oh, he must be super concerned for the women being exploited then..NOPE… just with Men being weakened by lust. Hawley is up for reelection in 2024 against Lucas Kunce. You may recall Kunce from his 2022 campaign for the Democratic nomination and a particular video in which Kunce climbs a very tall poll in his shoes and using his hands. Based on Hawley's book and his assertion of being the arbiter of manliness, we have to assume the 2024 Missouri senate race will be a series of feats of strength culminating in a caber toss right out of the scottish highland games in which the candidate who throws a tree the farthest will win the seat. No word yet from the Hawley campaign on if Josh's incredibly soft hands can handle the splinters, we will monitor this one closely. In more useful news… The federal Rural Health Clinic program started as a way to provide safety-net care to underserved populations. https://dailyyonder.com/rural-health-clinic-program-offering-head-to-toe-womb-to-tomb-care/2023/05/17/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Center%20for%20Rural%20Strategies&utm_campaign=17d1501c13-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_05_17_03_36&utm_term=0_-17d1501c13-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=17d1501c13&mc_eid=33f9e891eeWaylon Williams (great name) was born in Eastern Kentucky and at just 5 weeks old is already doing his name proud. Waylon is the first child born at a new facility in rural eastern Kentucky called “Beacons of Hope” a temporary housing facility for women facing substance abuse problems., part of the primary care centers of eastern Kentucky.Beacons of Hope is an extension of PCCEK's Pregnancy & Beyond, an addiction-treatment program that offers obstetrical services, medication for substance use disorder, prenatal education, pediatrics, and counseling – services that in so many rural communities nationwide are in critically short supply or entirely absent. The town of Hazard, where the largest of PCCEK's four clinics is located, is in Perry County. Perry County ranks 117th among Kentucky's 120 counties in health outcomes. Life expectancy is 67, as compared with 78.5 for the country. Great to see some blue solutions helping out in the blue grass stateMoney and Power, as usual, go hand in handhttps://missouriindependent.com/briefs/rural-electric-co-ops-to-get-10-7b-in-usda-funds-for-clean-energy-grants-loans/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 areasRural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production.“There's a favorable wind blowing here,” he said. “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, Vilsack said.The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936, a USDA press release said.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, Zaidi said.So get ready folks, because that leftist liberal woke power is gonna be indoctrinating your meter before you know it. Conservatives concerned about right wing extremists impact on schoolshttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woodland-park-colorado-school-board-conservatives-rcna83311?fbclid=IwAR2ernEIIXvA4Vgdw4sD106umXpcK6cjzAGItWm9m4QtUe1TzQipAU4GIvA&mibextid=Zxz2cZIn a story that comes as no surprise to people who live in reality, a school board in Woodland Park, Colorado is now home to a cadre of hard core right wing extremists and folks are not pleasedChief among those concerned? Conservatives (whaaat?)That's right, it seems actual conservative folks have finally figured out that the MAGA members of their party might not be the best people to put in charge. Lose Your School, You Lose Your Town - is the headlineContrary to Lobbyist Social Media Postings, Rural Schools Are At Major Risk, and educators in rural states are not sitting this out. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/school-vouchers-and-rural-schoolsRural schools are also hubs for community engagement through concerts, theatrical productions, and sports. Often, they are a town's largest employer.  “At our school, we offer a lot, because our community expects a lot,” says Steve Peterson, a teacher in Decorah, a town in northeastern Iowa. “They want good programs—academic, but also extra-curricular opportunities.” Sean and Adam talk about the rural public school we went to

Josh Hawley wants to be a man | Rural health clinic in Kentucky making a difference with federal funds | $11B for clean energy projects in rural areas | Conservatives worry they're ruining their own schools | Sean and Adam talk about the role of public schools in rural AmericaSean: Welcome back to flyover view, heartland news and views from the gateway arch to the rocky mountains and the stories impacting folks in the heartland, my name is Sean Diller and I'm here subbing for our regular host Kevin Smith, and with me is Adam Sommer, whaddya say, ready to start the show? Adam: Is Ron DeSantis wishing he'd never picked a fight with a mouse? Josh Hawley (name drop) Is A Man, Bro. In his new book, Josh Hawley, the Sr. Sen. for Missouri, not from, is ready to transform America by calling on men and boys to lead.HOW? Great question - it seems, mostly, that Hawley is fixated on sex. Men should stop masturbating and porn should basically be illegal. Oh, he must be super concerned for the women being exploited then..NOPE… just with Men being weakened by lust. Hawley is up for reelection in 2024 against Lucas Kunce. You may recall Kunce from his 2022 campaign for the Democratic nomination and a particular video in which Kunce climbs a very tall poll in his shoes and using his hands. Based on Hawley's book and his assertion of being the arbiter of manliness, we have to assume the 2024 Missouri senate race will be a series of feats of strength culminating in a caber toss right out of the scottish highland games in which the candidate who throws a tree the farthest will win the seat. No word yet from the Hawley campaign on if Josh's incredibly soft hands can handle the splinters, we will monitor this one closely. In more useful news… The federal Rural Health Clinic program started as a way to provide safety-net care to underserved populations. https://dailyyonder.com/rural-health-clinic-program-offering-head-to-toe-womb-to-tomb-care/2023/05/17/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Center%20for%20Rural%20Strategies&utm_campaign=17d1501c13-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_05_17_03_36&utm_term=0_-17d1501c13-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D&mc_cid=17d1501c13&mc_eid=33f9e891eeWaylon Williams (great name) was born in Eastern Kentucky and at just 5 weeks old is already doing his name proud. Waylon is the first child born at a new facility in rural eastern Kentucky called “Beacons of Hope” a temporary housing facility for women facing substance abuse problems., part of the primary care centers of eastern Kentucky.Beacons of Hope is an extension of PCCEK's Pregnancy & Beyond, an addiction-treatment program that offers obstetrical services, medication for substance use disorder, prenatal education, pediatrics, and counseling – services that in so many rural communities nationwide are in critically short supply or entirely absent. The town of Hazard, where the largest of PCCEK's four clinics is located, is in Perry County. Perry County ranks 117th among Kentucky's 120 counties in health outcomes. Life expectancy is 67, as compared with 78.5 for the country. Great to see some blue solutions helping out in the blue grass stateMoney and Power, as usual, go hand in handhttps://missouriindependent.com/briefs/rural-electric-co-ops-to-get-10-7b-in-usda-funds-for-clean-energy-grants-loans/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 areasRural areas can have more difficulty than more urban ones in attracting private sector investment, White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said. The programs are intended to allow those rural areas to take advantage of an industry-wide trend to invest in clean energy production.“There's a favorable wind blowing here,” he said. “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, Vilsack said.The programs represent the largest single funding effort for rural electrification since President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936, a USDA press release said.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, Zaidi said.So get ready folks, because that leftist liberal woke power is gonna be indoctrinating your meter before you know it. Conservatives concerned about right wing extremists impact on schoolshttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woodland-park-colorado-school-board-conservatives-rcna83311?fbclid=IwAR2ernEIIXvA4Vgdw4sD106umXpcK6cjzAGItWm9m4QtUe1TzQipAU4GIvA&mibextid=Zxz2cZIn a story that comes as no surprise to people who live in reality, a school board in Woodland Park, Colorado is now home to a cadre of hard core right wing extremists and folks are not pleasedChief among those concerned? Conservatives (whaaat?)That's right, it seems actual conservative folks have finally figured out that the MAGA members of their party might not be the best people to put in charge. Lose Your School, You Lose Your Town - is the headlineContrary to Lobbyist Social Media Postings, Rural Schools Are At Major Risk, and educators in rural states are not sitting this out. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/school-vouchers-and-rural-schoolsRural schools are also hubs for community engagement through concerts, theatrical productions, and sports. Often, they are a town's largest employer.  “At our school, we offer a lot, because our community expects a lot,” says Steve Peterson, a teacher in Decorah, a town in northeastern Iowa. “They want good programs—academic, but also extra-curricular opportunities.” Sean and Adam talk about the rural public school we went to

Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation” Guest: Annalise Hanshaw (Missouri Independent)@AnneliseHanshaw on TwitterAnnelise Hanshaw writes about education — a beat she has covered on both the West and East Coast while working for daily newspapers in Santa Barbara, California, and Greenwich, Connecticut. A born-and-raised Missourian, she is proud to be back in her home state.Adam Sommer, Rachel Parker, and Sean Diller break down the state of play regarding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) in Missouri after a State Supreme Court ruling. Then Rachel and Adam are joined by Missouri Independent journalist, Annalise Hanshaw to talk about her observations of the 2023 Missouri legislature. 

Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD Co-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post)Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation” Guest: Annalise Hanshaw (Missouri Independent)@AnneliseHanshaw on TwitterAnnelise Hanshaw writes about education — a beat she has covered on both the West and East Coast while working for daily newspapers in Santa Barbara, California, and Greenwich, Connecticut. A born-and-raised Missourian, she is proud to be back in her home state.Adam Sommer, Rachel Parker, and Sean Diller break down the state of play regarding Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) in Missouri after a State Supreme Court ruling. Then Rachel and Adam are joined by Missouri Independent journalist, Annalise Hanshaw to talk about her observations of the 2023 Missouri legislature. 

Randi McCallian joins Adam Sommer to talk about the state of rebuilding in the 8th and how the combination of participation and realistic expectations can unlock the future of progress in Missouri. Learn more about Randi: https://www.randimccallian.com/ HostAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”