Podcasts about congressional districts

Diversity, inclusion, and equity — or as Jason calls it, D.I.E. — is a movement that promotes drag queens teaching kids how to ride stripper poles, banishes men from leadership roles, and makes Christians ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why did the FBI raid Donald Trump's estate in Florida? Cale Gundy, University of Oklahoma football coach, bowed to woke culture like a coward and resigned as a result of his actions. His black players' message to him: They will miss him? “Fearless” soldier Royce White fell short of winning Minnesota's 5th Congressional District! The votes he needed to win were taken by an unknown candidate named Guy Gaskin. Is this guy real? If you can find any information on Gaskin, contact Jason at fearless@theblaze.com. Shout Out from Jason: Do you love gifts? Would you want to request a personal shout out for yourself, family or friends from Jason Whitlock?! Click either link below to get the official Shout Out app for Apple or Android and request a personal shout out from Jason Whitlock! Shout Out for Apple:  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shoutout/id1541540629 Shout Out for Android:  https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.shoutoutapp Get 10% off Blaze swag by using code Fearless10 at https://shop.blazemedia.com/fearless Make yourself an official member of the “Fearless Army!”   Support Conservative Voices! Subscribe to BlazeTV at https://get.blazetv.com/FEARLESS and get $10 off your yearly subscription. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just days to go until early voting, six of the leading Democratic candidates seeking to represent the 10th Congressional District met for a live primary debate. NY1's Zack Fink, Courtney Gross and Bob Hardt analyzed the face-off, which was hosted by Spectrum News NY1/WNYC-Gothamist. While there's not a lot of daylight between the candidates, the team highlighted their subtle differences and discussed which moments they found surprising. Also, Texas has been recently sending asylum seekers to the city, causing a situation that Mayor Eric Adams described as “horrific.” This has prompted an exchange of words between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Adams. While the circumstances are still unfolding, the team commented on where things currently stand. We want to hear from you, especially what you think about Gov. Abbott's busing of migrants from Texas.  Leave a message: 212-379-3440 Email: yourstoryny1@charter.com

08/11/22: Former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer is filling in for Joel, and is joined by Former Virginia Governor George Allen. George was elected 67th Governor of Virginia in 1993, and had the distinction of holding Thomas Jefferson's seat in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991. He represented Virginia's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

john talks about a Sacramento teacher aligned with antifa has received 3 years of pay to resign and takes your calls on the story. Later in the hour John talks to Dr. Kermit Jones who is a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District of California.

This week, six of the leading Democratic candidates for New York's 10th Congressional District squared off in a primary debate, co-hosted by Spectrum News NY1 and WNYC-Gothamist. Moderators Errol Louis and Brigid Bergin of WNYC weighed in on the highlights of the showdown, including the moments candidates attacked each other on issues of personal investments and differing policy views. Errol and Brigid shared their thoughts and insights, including what they thought about the candidates' answers to a question about former Mayor Bill de Blasio. And if you missed any part, you can listen to the entire debate immediately after their discussion. Join the conversation, weigh in on Twitter using the hashtag #NY1YouDecide or give us a call at 212-379-3440 and leave a message. Or send an email to YourStoryNY1@charter.com

Jaime Herrera Beutler, the incumbent Republican in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, has conceded to Trump-backed challenger Joe Kent.

We welcome Hava Holzhauer on this weeks episode of Breakfast with the Broker. Hava is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, a lifelong advocate, and public servant. She is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Florida's 23rd Congressional District. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on August 23, 2022.Hava focusses on issues such as climate, energy, safer communities, and championing women's rights. She is an advocate for expanding our rights to healthcare and expanding our economy. For more information on how to reach Hava, please visit https://havaholzhauer.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The race in Washington's 3rd Congressional District in the state's southwest took a dramatic turn Monday evening, sending shockwaves through the local Republican party.

Republican businessman Chris Dargis talks with Craig Dellimore about his bid to unseat suburban Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. He discusses his background and issues such as inflation, energy and partisan politics.

In the primary election for Washington's 4th Congressional District, Donald Trump's pick, Loren Culp, has lost. And so far Culp is not endorsing anyone for the general election.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat representing the current 12th Congressional District of New York, joined the show to discuss her campaign in the August primary for the new 12th Congressional District, a race that also includes Rep. Jerry Nadler and attorney Suraj Patel.

Saeed Khan, host of "The Week That Was," chats with attorney Tiffany Ellis, Jeff Sakwa, former co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, 910 AM radio host Adolph Mongo and Deadline Detroit staffers Nancy Derringer and Allan Lengel.  They talk about why Black candidates keep losing in Detroit's 13th Congressional District, the Kansas abortion vote, Pelosi's Taiwan trip,  the CIA assassination of Al-Zawahiri in Kabul, Georgia declares that embryos can be listed as tax dependents and nominees for "Schmuck of the Week."

Welcome to the show! A word on the Alex Jones trial and the benefit for Riley's Brewing. Flash Flood warnings issued for portions of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In the race for the 22nd Congressional District, democrat candidate Rudy Salas outraised Republican incumbent, David Valadao by over $70k in the last quarter. He still has a way to go to match Valadao's over $2.5m war chest. Can you taxidermy a cat? In response to Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China conducted "precision missile strikes" on Thursday off Taiwan's coast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Follow us on our new Twitter account at @HacksWonks! Today on the show, Seattle Times politics and communities reporter Daniel Beekman joins Crystal to talk through results from this week's primary election! They discuss how the often-predicted “red wave” failed to materialize and the various possible factors that might have caused that, as well as results in several legislative districts that were anticipated to be competitive battlegrounds that could potentially flip from Democrats to Republicans.  They discuss the race for U.S. Representative in the 3rd Congressional District, where Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez finished in first place, while Republican incumbent Jamie Herrera Beutler and Trump-endorsed Republican Joe Kent are in a close battle to determine which one will advance to face Gluesenkamp Perez in the general election. They review the Secretary of State race, where Republicans might end up being absent during the general election this November thanks to nonpartisan candidate Julie Anderson.  They spend some time looking at the 8th Congressional District race, then Dan discusses where he's seen a lot of independent money getting spent this election.  They end the discussion by going over ballot initiatives that voters may get a chance to vote on this November.  As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Daniel Beekman, at @DBeekman. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources “Larkin to face Schrier in WA congressional race, as Dunn concedes; Kent closes in on Herrera Beutler” by Jim Brunner from the Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/larkin-will-face-schrier-in-wa-house-race-as-dunn-concedes/    “How WA's ‘jungle' primary may have saved Herrera Beutler” by David Gutman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/how-was-jungle-primary-may-have-saved-herrera-beutler/    “Republicans could get shut out of secretary of state race” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/08/03/democrat-steve-hobbs-washington-secretary-state    “No red wave in sight after early returns in key legislative race” by Joseph O'Sullivan from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/politics/2022/08/no-red-wave-sight-after-early-returns-key-legislative-race    “Red wave or blue wall in WA? InSeattle suburbs, this race could be ‘real bellwether'” by Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/red-wave-or-blue-wall-in-wa-in-seattle-suburbs-this-race-could-be-real-bellwether/   “These are the issues that matter most to Washington state voters, new poll indicates” by Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times:  https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/these-are-the-issues-that-matter-most-to-washington-state-voters-new-poll-indicates/   “Larkin advances, Dunn concedes in 8th Congressional District” by David Hyde from KUOW: https://kuow.org/stories/larkin-advances-dunn-concedes-in-8th-congressional-district    “Key results from WA primaries as control of the Legislature hangs in the balance” by David Kroman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/wa-legislative-election-results-key-outcomes-for-the-2022-primary/    “This is where big money is flowing and ads are attacking in the battle for control of WA's Legislature” by Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/this-is-where-big-money-is-flowing-and-ads-are-attacking-in-the-battle-for-control-of-was-legislature/   “Democrats declare ‘no red wave' in legislative swing districts” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/08/03/washington-democrats-red-wave-legislative-districts    “With November Ballot in Question, Seattle's Social Housing Campaign Soldiers On” by Ben Adlin from South Seattle Emerald: https://southseattleemerald.com/2022/08/02/with-november-ballot-in-question-seattles-social-housing-campaign-soldiers-on/    “Seattle City Council Puts Ranked Choice Voting on the Ballot” by Hannah Krieg from The Stranger: https://www.thestranger.com/news/2022/07/15/76479670/seattle-city-council-puts-ranked-choice-voting-on-ballot    Transcript Transcript will be uploaded as soon as possible.

King County Council member Reagan Dunn is throwing in the towel in the 8th Congressional District primary, reports the Seattle Times.

Welcome to the show! A word on the Alex Jones trial and the benefit for Riley's Brewing. Flash Flood warnings issued for portions of the Sierra Nevada mountains. In the race for the 22nd Congressional District, democrat candidate Rudy Salas outraised Republican incumbent, David Valadao by over $70k in the last quarter. He still has a way to go to match Valadao's over $2.5m war chest. Can you taxidermy a cat? In response to Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, China conducted "precision missile strikes" on Thursday off Taiwan's coast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Darren Gibson is celebrating his birthday today, but he left a new episode of Southpaws as a present for the listeners. Topics include:Federal charges were announced against four current and former Louisville, Kentucky police officers in the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor.Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and two of her aides were killed in a car crash in northern Indiana.John Gibbs defeated Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI) in the Republican primary for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District. Gibbs was endorsed by Donald Trump.Both Meijer and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) called out the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for running advertising that endorsed Gibbs over Meijer. Darren agreed with both of the representatives.Tudor Dixon defeated four other candidates to become the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Michigan. Dixon received an 11th hour endorsement from Donald Trump after Betsy DeVos sent a letter to him requesting one.Dixon is dangerous for women in Michigan if she's elected. She would ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley refused to concede the election, saying that the fix was in from the beginning for the "establishment candidate" (presumably Dixon).Darren read other results from Michigan's primary election.Kansas voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot proposal to further restrict abortions. Could the overturning of Roe v Wade be a huge miscalculation for the Republicans?An Oakland County judge has issued an injunction to stop enforcement of Michigan's 1931 ban on abortions after the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled that local prosecutors could enforce the ban.The attorney for plaintiffs in the Alex Jones defamation lawsuit told the court that Jones's attorney accidentally sent him two years worth of his client's text messages. Now the January 6 House Committee wants those texts.Jones was ordered to pay $4.1 million in damages. He may have to pay more in punitive damages. And he may also face a criminal trial for perjury.Hammer Time: Political consultants David Doyle and Ed Kettle formed a group to oppose efforts to eliminate part of the Grand Rapids city charter that requires 32% of the city's budget be allocated to the police. What local media didn't tell you is that both men supported the original effort to add that to the city charter. Did we mention that Ed Kettle's wife is the current director of Silent Observer and works closely with the police?Off The Cuff: A Utah man trying to kill a spider with a lighter started a wildfire that destroyed 60 acres.

Representative Mark Pocan of Wisconsin's second congressional district joins Zerlina on the show to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, Marriage Bill, Ron Johnson & more! Congressman Mark Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's second congressional district in 2013 following 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly. A small business owner, union member, and lifelong advocate for progressive causes, Rep. Pocan is committed to using his life experience to fight for policies that promote economic and social justice and support the families of south central Wisconsin.In the 117th Congress, he serves on the House Appropriations Committee where he sits on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee; the Agriculture, Rural Development, and Food and Drug Administration Subcommittee; and the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee. He also serves on the House Education and Labor Committee and the Joint Economic Committee.2nd Congressional District of Wisconsin, spanning the city of Madison and surrounding areas in Southcentral Wisconsin.

GUEST OVERVIEW: Jeffrey Zink (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Arizona's 3rd Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 8, 2022. He advanced from the Republican primary on August 2, 2022.

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine – Weekly Radio ShowNative Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce -- a.k.a. Minnesota -- to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.Native Lights – Tadd Johnson's Gift For Teaching and Advocating Today we talk with retired professor, former tribal attorney and lecturer Tadd Johnson (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa). Tadd was recently appointed to the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents, where he is serving the 8th Congressional District and as the first Native person to be a part of the school's governing body. Tadd talked about how he got to be appointed to the board; what the board does and why it's important for the school to finally have Native representation and dialogue with tribal nations. We appreciate all the work Tadd has done for decades and we're excited to see where his leadership will take the University in the future! Chi-Miigwech Tadd!Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/

“Route 51” wraps up its primary election coverage with candidates for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District and the state's 87th Assembly. The 7th Congressional District is the largest in the state geographically, covering 20 counties in the northern half of Wisconsin. The 87th Assembly is one of 99 districts in the state, representing residents in portions of northwest Wisconsin 7th Congressional District incumbent Representative Tom Tiffany and his challenger Dave Kunelius about their legislative priorities and federal policy. 87th Assembly candidate Michael Bub shares his perspective on state policy and his priorities. 87th Assembly incumbent Representative James “Jimmy Boy” Edming did not respond to our invitation to appear.

Candidates Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler and Suraj Patel met this week on the debate stage in the race for the 12th Congressional District, which recently combined large swaths of the west and east sides of Manhattan. NY1's Zack Fink, Courtney Gross and Juan Manuel Benítez shared their takeaways of the showdown, hosted by Spectrum News NY1/WNYC-Gothamist. They also offered some insight of who may have made the most impact, noting that the incumbents leaned on their many achievements, while Patel campaigned for fresh energy in Congress. As early voting is about to begin, the team looked at some rather noteworthy state Senate primaries, and how those races may play out later this month. We want to hear from you, especially what you think about this week's NY-12 debate. Leave a message: 212-379-3440 Email: yourstoryny1@charter.com

This week conspiracy theorist and former Trump strategist Steve Bannon is claiming – without evidence – that "elites" are rigging the primary ballot count in Washington state. He made the groundless claim in interviews on his podcast with two Trump-backed Republican candidates; Joe Kent, who is running in Washington's 3rd Congressional District, and Loren Culp who is running in the 4th.

On this week of the Black on Black education podcast, we had a very special episode for you. This week we met for a in-person live recorded podcast session with a very special guest being New York's 16th Congressional District's Congressman, Jamaal Bowman. The educational system has been created in a manner that creates substantial inequities that disproportionately hinders poor communities of color. We discussed what would educational justice look like through the lens of school funding, having multiple student driven pathways to learning, student assessments, healthy school lunch and engaging students with curriculum that reflect their experiences. Throughout this conversation both Eva and Jamaal along with multiple students got to ask Congressman Bowman both about the condition of the education system particularly the inequities in black and brown communities. Furthermore, we got to talk about the condition of both the Bronx and our nation involving recent news and events. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blackonblackeducation/support

Veteran Kansas City television news anchor Mark Alford easily won the GOP nomination for west-central Missouri's fourth congressional district, earning more than 35 percent of the vote in a seven-way primary. Mr. Alford will face Lamar Democrat Jack Truman in November in the heavily-Republican district. Alford credits his campaign volunteers and supporters in all 24 counties for his primary win. He also tells "Wake Up Mid-Missouri" listeners that God is needed to heal our divided nation:

WELCOME TO THE PREMIER EPISODE OF LAST CALL W/ LOURIN HUBBARD (& BRENT HENNRICH)Allen L. Ellison founded the Center for Economic & Policy Development. (The Center) to facilitate economic growth throughout Central Florida and rural parts of the country. His vision, core philosophies and strong principles are igniting young future leaders from around the country through The Emerging Leaders Initiative, a project placed under The Center. This initiative facilitates his vision of pairing young bright minds with current leaders in the fields of medicine, science, engineering, law, policy and politics.In 2018, Allen Ellison, Democratic Nominee for Florida's 17th U.S. Congressional District, made an impressive showing on November 6th to his opponent, an experienced and well known candidate who has served three terms in the Florida House. The youthful political newcomer, Ellison, won an impressive 37.7% of the vote with 62.3 % for his opponent.★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

1) Rep. Donald's background working in finance and his inspiration to join the House of Representatives  2) A deep dive into the role clean, baseload power plays in enabling innovation 3) A look at the roadblocks in current domestic nuclear development and how to overcome those roadblocks 4) Rep. Donald's vision for the future he hopes to help enable

The first results are in for the Washington State primary, and former President's Trump's reputation as a political kingmaker may be on the line. In Washington's 4th Congressional District, Trump-backed candidate Loren Culp is so far running third in his bid to unseat Republican Dan Newhouse.

Senator Tom Barrett is a Republican candidate for Michigan's 7th Congressional District, is a 22-year Army veteran. Michigan Primary Elections.

Heidi Ganahl joins Dan to discuss her campaign's latest effort to hold Governor Jared Polis accountable - and tie him to the economic failures of President Joe Biden - with the new website 'ThePolisTax.com' which reflects the increased cost of living crushing so many in Colorado currently. Also, Dick Wadhams contributes his reaction and analysis to new polling data in Colorado's 7th Congressional District and nationally in a recently released Harvard-Harris poll.

As regular listeners know, the format of the Renoites podcast is generally long form interviews lasting about an hour. I really like this format because it lets me get into more substantive discussions and learn a lot. This episode is a little different, and is the second of 5 bonus episodes recorded at Northern Nevada Pride on 7/23/22 in Reno, Nevada. At the festival, I set up a mobile recording studio with big comfy chairs and invited friends, former guests, folks from various nonprofits, and even a couple passersby to sit down and record quick interviews to share what they do and the things that matter to them. Each of these five bonus episodes will contain a handful of mini interviews. I'm very grateful to everyone who took some time to sit down and chat at the festival and am excited to share these conversations with you. Bonus Episode 2 features: Rabbi Benjamin Zober from Temple Sinai, the largest Jewish congregation in Northern Nevada, to talk about religious inclusion and building a better world, and his hopes for more affirming religious groups to have a presence at Pride in the future. Daniel Rothberg from The Nevada Independent about his reporting on environmental issues like water availability and how it interacts with Reno's rapid growth. Daniel is also starting work on writing a book about this topic, so look for it in a bookstore near you (eventually). Jackie Shelton stopped by to talk about the Cordillera Film Festival which just took place this last weekend in Reno and featured a huge selection of films from around the world including many that hope to qualify for Oscar contention, as well as her work with Northern Nevada Marches Forward, an expansion of the annual Women's March to provide learning and activism opportunities throughout year. Christina Phillips, a brand new employee with Planned Parenthood talked about the challenges women face in finding reproductive health care, the work Planned Parenthood does to provide not just abortions but routine examinations and screenings, and the gratitude we have to live in a state like Nevada that protects abortion rights. Mercedes Krause is running for the US House of Representative in Congressional District 2 which covers almost the entire northern half of the state. She talked about the reasons she is running for office, the intersecting needs of the indigenous communities and rural communities in Nevada, and much more! Willie Puchert is the President of the Sons and Daughters of Erin, Northern Nevada's local Irish heritage club. The organization attends community events, recently restored 18th century graves of Irish settlers in Virginia City, hosts an annual St. Patrick's Day dinner and more. Thank you so much for listening! This is the second of 5 bonus episodes. I hope you enjoy this change of pace and different format. Let me know what you think at conor@renoites.com 

Erik Aadland is the Republican nominee in Colorado's 7th Congressional District, which includes plenty of rural/foothill land but in terms of population is dominated by Jefferson County. It's been in Democrats' hands for over 15 years but now with incumbent Ed Perlmutter retiring, this feels like a seat that a Republican can win in a "red wave" year, especially with the Democratic candidate being the uber-Progressive State Sen Brittany Pettersen.

Terry From St. Louis makes his debut on the podcast as we talk about the upcoming race for Missouri's 1st Congressional District. Follow him on Twitter @TerryWatkinsJr1

Tyler Geffeney is both a pastor and former businessman hoping to be part of the red wave taking back our House of Representatives this November. Tyler also loves Christian apologetics. Both the Bible and the critical issues of today are discussed in this interesting interview! Click on your podcasting platform below to subscribe to The […]

This fantastic interview took place on November 18, 2009. James Anthony Traficant Jr. (May 8, 1941 – September 27, 2014) was an American politician who served as a Democratic, and later independent, member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. He represented the 17th Congressional District, which centered on his hometown of Youngstown and included parts of three counties in northeast Ohio's Mahoning Valley.Michael Collins Piper (born July 16, 1960 – May 2015) was an American political writer, and talk radio host.Piper was a regular contributor to both The Spotlight and its successor, the American Free Press.Email: thefacthunter@mail.comwww.thefacthunter.comNever stop searching for the truth.

Alicia Garza welcomes Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, representing Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. Garza asks Rep. Omar about her recent arrest for protesting the Dobbs decision. Omar also shares about the current state of Congress, and s about why she decided to run for public office. Plus, Garza's weekly roundup, and then a listener letter is addressed on Lady's Love Notes*.Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Twitter, Instagram & FacebookLady Don't Take No on Twitter, Instagram & FacebookAlicia Garza on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube * Do you have a question for Lady's Love Notes? Seeking advice on love/romance/relationships? CLICK HERE to send Lady Garza your question, and she may read it on the show! This pod is supported by the Black Futures LabProduction by Phil SurkisTheme music: "Lady Don't Tek No" by Latyrx Alicia Garza founded the Black Futures Lab to make Black communities powerful in politics. She is the co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, an international organizing project to end state violence and oppression against Black people. Garza serves as the Strategy & Partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She is the co-founder of Supermajority, a new home for women's activism. Alicia was recently named to TIME's Annual TIME100 List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, alongside her BLM co-founders Opal Tometi and Patrisse Cullors. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart (Penguin Random House),  and she warns you -- hashtags don't start movements. People do. 

On today's Hacks & Wonks week-in-review, Crystal is joined by Associate Editor of The Stranger, Rich Smith. They start this week discussing the heatwave currently affecting western Washington, and how despite the real risks to some of our most vulnerable neighbors, the city moved forward with a sweep of a homeless encampment. Rich points out that there's not actually adequate housing for all of those hurt by the sweep, and discusses how legal action might be the necessary catalyst to get the city to change its behavior when it comes to handling our homelessnes crisis. In specific races, Crystal and Rich discuss the Congressional race in Washington's 8th Congressional District, where three Republicans are vying for the chance to take Kim Schrier's seat. They next follow-up on the horrifying pattern of Black electeds, candidates, and campaign staff being harassed, threatened, and attacked, and the lack of resources and support from the HDCC to protect candidates of color. Next, they look at the 47th legislative district's Senate and House races, both of which have very competitive D-on-D races happening during the primary. Rich explains the Stranger's Editorial Control Board's struggle to pick who to endorse in the 34th's State Rep. position 1 race. Crystal and Rich talk about the disproportionate amount of money going to D-on-D races in districts that are safely Democrat, and what needs to be done to make sure campaign finance needs are less of a barrier for candidates. After that, they go over close-looking races between Democrats and Republicans across the state. Finally, they remind you to VOTE! Ballots are due August 2nd. Make your voice heard!  As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Rich Smith, at @richsssmith.  More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   WA Voting Resources Ballot and replacement ballot information: https://voter.votewa.gov/WhereToVote.aspx    Ballot Box and voting center locations: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/research/drop-box-and-voting-center-locations.aspx    If you're an eligible voter with previous felony convictions, you CAN vote as long as you're no longer confined. For more information, see here: https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters/felons-and-voting-rights.aspx    Resources   “Seattle removes homeless encampment in Sodo during heat wave” by Greg Kim from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattle-removes-homeless-encampment-in-sodo-during-heat-wave/    “A new push to combat harassment of Black candidates and staff” by Melissa Santos from Axios: https://www.axios.com/local/seattle/2022/07/25/black-candidates-washington-harassment   “Republicans vie for swing-district shot at defeating WA Rep. Kim Schrier” by Jim Brunner from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/republicans-vie-for-swing-district-shot-at-defeating-democrat-rep-kim-schrier/   “Northeast Seattle House race features 5 Democratic candidates and big money” by David Gutman from The Seattle Times:  https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/northeast-seattle-house-race-features-5-democratic-candidates-and-big-money/   “Seattle voters have a slew of choices in Legislative races” by Joseph O'Sullivan from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/politics/2022/07/seattle-voters-have-slew-choices-legislative-races    Transcript [00:00:00] Crystal Fincher: Welcome to Hacks and Wonks. I'm Crystal Fincher, and I'm a political consultant and your host. On this show, we talk with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy in Washington State through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on what's happening, why it's happening, and what you can do about it. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show, as well as our recent forums, are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week. Welcome back to the program today's co-host: Associate Editor of The Stranger and - never forget - noted poet, Rich Smith. [00:00:55] Rich Smith: Hi. [00:00:55] Crystal Fincher: Hey, so it's been a hot week. We're in the middle of another heat event, climate change is unrelenting, and we're feeling the effects of it. It's been a challenge. [00:01:09] Rich Smith: Yeah, I'm against it. I don't think it should be happening. Seattle really is dying, as is the rest of the globe, is my understanding. [00:01:19] Crystal Fincher: Absolutely. We just saw Europe go through this right before we did. And I'm sure we're all going to be going through it with increasing frequency, which makes one thing that happened this week, just particularly - not just unfortunate, but really infuriating to a lot of people - and plainly harmful. It's that the City of Seattle decided to move forward with sweeps of encampments for the unhoused in the middle of this heat wave. What went on here? [00:01:50] Rich Smith: Yeah, they - Bruce Harrell has made a point to deal with visible homelessness by employing a tactic that has not worked, which is sweeping people around the City, and in the middle of a heat wave, he swept a city, or a spot a little bit south of downtown. I wasn't - I'm not quite sure on the address. I think there was about 30 people there. And first thing in the morning - sun was heating up, these people had to put all their belongings on their back, and move across town, or find a cooling shelter or - in the heat. And it was just cruel and unfortunately, not unusual. And I can't even blog in this heat, let alone move all of my earthly possessions across town, just because somebody doesn't want to see me there. So that's what happened. [00:02:53] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and it is - a lot of people understand that this really makes no sense to do - it's harmful, it's against public health guidance. We're still in a pandemic - even though people want to be done with it, it's not done with us. We have more challenges in that direction coming our way, which we might touch on a little bit later. But even with this, there were a lot of community members who reached out to the mayor's office when they heard about this and heard that it was upcoming. This is on the heels of last summer - the heat dome event being the most deadly weather event that Washington has ever experienced. We know how lethal extreme heat is. And so for people who don't have any kind of shelter to be put through this at this particular time, and as a lot of activists talked about and actually Councilmember Tammy Morales called out before, since and after - there's not enough shelter space, there's not enough housing space to get all of these people in shelter. To which Bruce Harrell and his administration replied - well, there's space at cooling centers and we can get them vouchers to go there. But those aren't 24/7 - that's a very, very temporary solution. So you know that you're throwing people out, certainly at night, and tomorrow when there's extreme heat again - 90+ degree temperatures - where do they go then? And they have even less to work with in order to do that. It's just - as you said in the very beginning - it's ineffective, this doesn't get people in housing. Some people talk about homelessness being primarily a problem of addiction or of mental health resources - that's not the case for everybody, but the one thing that everyone who is - does not have a home - has in common is not having a home. Housing is the one thing that will, that we can't do without to solve homelessness. We have to start there. And so to act as if this is doing anything different, when over and over again, we see when they sweep a location, the people who were there just move to different locations in the City. We don't get people housed, we're doing nothing but making this problem worse while wasting so much money in the process of doing so. It's just infuriating and I really hope it stops. There's not really a reason to believe so, based on the track record in this area of this administration, but it's wrong and there's really no two ways about that. [00:05:25] Rich Smith: Yeah, and just to hop on that Tammy Morales point and the reporting that The Times did on the ground, there's this - the administration thinks that they're offering everybody shelter, they say that they're offering everybody shelter. And then reporters go there and ask around and people say - nobody offered me anything. A couple people said - I'm gonna take this tent down the road, I'm not gonna get to that shelter. And so I just think that the City needs to start getting sued for this stuff. I just - if a referral system is clearly adequately not functional, and we're not supposed to - under Martin v. Boise - sweep people unless we have adequate shelter to put them in. And if we haven't created a system that gets people into adequate shelter that meets their needs, then how is it legal? is my question. And I don't think that this is gonna stop until there starts to be legal consequences for the City. [00:06:29] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and like you said, there is precedent - that's a fairly recent decision, that we seem to be acting - in Seattle and in other cities - in direct defiance of, so I hope along with you that it is challenged in court. It's a big problem that continues. We're doing nothing to solve this issue that everyone recognizes is a crisis, and it's time we start doing things that actually work to make the problem better instead of wasting money on things that just perpetuate the issues that we're having. So this week, we're - Friday, July 29th - we are just days before this August 2nd primary on Tuesday, which means if you have your ballots, you better fill them out and get them in. Have any questions - feel free to reach out to us here at officialhacksandwonks.com, us on Twitter. You can go to MyVote.wa.gov if you are having issues with your ballot - I know there're places like Ferndale in the state that're experiencing extreme post office delays and some people still haven't received their ballots up there. But any issues that you're having can probably be addressed by starting out at MyVote.wa.gov, but do not pass up this opportunity to make your voice heard. There is so much at stake. As frustrated as sometimes we can be with how things are happening federally, whether it's the Supreme Court or seeming inaction in Congress - although we may have gotten some encouraging week this past week, encouraging news this past week - it is really important to act locally. Especially with things being in disarray at the federal level, the state and local level is where we protect the rights that we count on. It's where we shape what our communities look like. And the fact that they can look as different as Forks and Sequim and Seattle and Bellevue and all the rest just is a testament to how much power communities have to shape what they look like. So get engaged, be involved and - just starting out, we've seen just a slew of activity. We'll start the conversation around the Congressional districts, the Congressional races. What is happening in the 8th Congressional District where Kim Schrier is the current incumbent? [00:08:46] Rich Smith: This is - yeah - the front of the national red wave in Washington, to the extent that it crashes down here or gets held, it'll be in the 8th, which is east King County District now. It got changed around a little bit with redistricting - picking up some pieces of Snohomish County, but also some rural areas that it didn't have before. And Schrier faces a challenge from three Republicans minimum - there's a bunch of other people who aren't viable, but the major ones are Reagan Dunn, a King County Councilmember who's also a Republican and whose mom represented the district - I think in the 90s and early '00s - so a little bit of a legacy candidate there for Dunn. He has, as a brief aside, been also awarded by me just now the trophy of using his personal or his professional press release apparatus through the County Council in the most abusive way I've ever seen. This man sends out a press release about some kind of Republican red meat he's doing on the council, literally every eight hours, and it has been for the last year. If this is what he thinks doing his job on council means, then he hasn't been doing it since before this year. But anyway, Reagan Dunn is one of them. And Matt Larkin, a failed Attorney General candidate, who's going for the red meat Trump vote more openly than the other two are at least is is also running. He's got a bunch of his own money in - I wanna say north of $500,000, but maybe it's just $300,000. And and then we've got Jesse Jensen who ran last time. He's a veteran and a tech manager and he almost - he lost to Schrier in 2020 by four points. And so the Republicans are bickering amongst themselves with Jensen spending some, or a PAC on behalf of Jensen spending some money bringing up Dunn's - his struggles with alcoholism, and his divorce, and a bunch of drama related to that. And Dunn pushing back against that and calling it cheap blows. And Matt Larkin just trying to pick up any pieces that fall from that spat and capitalize on it. Schrier will, I suspect, will get through and it'll just be - which of these icky guys is gonna challenge her. [00:11:31] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, it's really interesting to see. And the theme of our congressional primaries and many of these races is - yeah, Republicans are fighting amongst each other in some really interesting, sometimes entertaining, but also vicious ways among each other. And so in this race it's been interesting to see, I think particularly just as people who live in King County and who have seen Reagan Dunn operate for a while - for a while he used to kind of court and relish his - the impression of him being a more moderate Republican, or Republican who can be elected in King County and touted that for a while. But now the base is different than it used to be when it comes to Republicans - they are not in the mood for a - someone who's moderate enough to be elected in King County and his votes, his rhetoric, the way he operates has completely reflected that. Including voting against women's reproductive rights, against abortion rights and access - really is, as you just talked about, trying to appeal to the Trump-loving red meat base and prove that he is conservative enough to do that. And just speaking a lot differently than he did before. But I think this is just reflective of - there are no - really, there is no such thing as a Republican moderate. Because everyone who has called themselves a moderate on issues of any kind of importance - at most - is silent. They won't oppose their party on things that they know are blatantly wrong, whether it's the lie of the 2020 election and the conspiracies surrounding that or vaccine issues - all this kind of stuff. Or you've seen them go the direction of Dunn and we recently saw, in a vote against same-sex marriage in Congress with Jaime Herrera Beutler, that they're voting against those things. And it's absolutely in opposition to a majority of Washington residents by every public poll that has been done. And so it's just interesting to see how that dynamic has played out throughout that. Again, it should be Schrier and we'll see who her opponent is gonna be, but that's gonna be a race to continue to pay attention to throughout the general election. So there's - you talk about a lot dealing with the 9th CD - there's a lot of legislative districts in the 9th CD - some of them very big battleground districts. And before we get into talking just a little bit about the legislative candidates, I did want to talk about an issue that The Stranger covered, that Axios covered this past week - and it has been the escalating incidences of harassment and violence against Black candidates, some of which are in the most competitive races in the state that we've been seeing lately. There have been lots of incidences that have been reported on that we know of throughout the state of Black candidates having their signs and property defaced - that's happened to a number of them, having their staffs harassed, followed, threatened from people in the community - and we saw that happen last week, one week before last now. And then that same week a candidate in the 30th Legislative District, which is Federal Way, Algona area, was shot twice with a BB gun. And when you're getting shot by BB gun, you don't actually know necessarily that it's a BB gun - and so you just know that you're getting shot at. Very scary situation and with those, certainly, I know that candidate Pastor Carey Anderson feels like that seems like a down payment on more violence, that seems like a type of harassment and targeting that's like - we are coming after you, we're harassing you. It's just very, very scary. And so throughout this process - and again, we saw these instances in 2020, we're now in 2022 seeing them - these campaigns have had to make considerations adjust their field plans and their canvassing plans in ways that soak up more resources, soak up more money and time, and it's just worrisome to be doing this. And realistically, this has been - continues to be a systemic problem. And so as I shared before, a number of people have - the parties should have an impact in fixing this. And specifically, I don't know if you're - I know you are - but people that are listening - the campaign apparatus when it comes to a state party - there's a state party. They do the Coordinated Campaign, which is the volunteer arm for a lot of the candidates in the state, they do a lot of supportive canvassing, phone calls, especially for - from the top of the ticket in the state on down. So Patty Murray being at the top of the ticket this year to candidates, especially in battleground areas. But the entities that are most responsible for dealing with campaigns are the House Democratic Caucus and the Washington Senate Democratic Caucus - that the House caucus and the Senate caucus are actually very frequently in contact with campaigns. They exist solely to support the political campaigns of their members. And so they provide information, guidance, infrastructure for the most competitive races against the opposing party. They're actively involved in these races and they basically act like co-consultants and adjunct staff for these. So there is a very close relationship and those are the two entities - House caucus for House candidates, Senate caucus for the Senate candidates - who are already doing that work in general. And so it has not escaped a lot of people's notice that this has been, as I was quoted saying, a glaring omission in what they've talked about. And it's not the first time the party has heard about this or confronted it. There have been conversations about this before. They've not resulted in action up until now. And so that article was particularly troubling to me. And this situation is particularly troubling to me because although everybody was asleep before then, we've seen the State Party basically say - yeah, we do have a responsibility to handle this and to try and work on a solution. We've seen the Senate caucus say - yeah, we do and we're working on a solution. And we have not seen that from House caucus leadership. And it was - we don't see this often for anything in any issue, but you had three candidates, two of them members in some of the most competitive races in the state saying - Hey, this happened. April Berg - this happened to me earlier this year and I asked the House caucus for help, I didn't get any - and now we're sitting here asking again and we're waiting. And Jamila Taylor, the head of the Legislative Black Caucus, saying essentially the same thing - we're waiting for help, we're asking, we're waiting. And then Pastor Carey Anderson, candidate in the 30th, saying we asked and we haven't - and these candidates are feeling like they're left alone and being left high and dry. And their campaigns are wondering - is it safe to be out there - and to not even have the caucus back them up like that is really something. And if Black lives do matter in this state, then we gotta do a better job of showing it, starting with these candidates. And this is - attacks on these candidates are really foundational - saying, we don't think you deserve a voice in this society, in our democracy, we're gonna try and intimidate and harass you out of it. And really, no one's really doing that much to stop it, so let's keep going. And not having support going through that is a really challenging thing. Will Casey for The Stranger also did an article on it this week. So I guess as you're looking at it, what does it look like from your vantage point? [00:20:11] Rich Smith: Yeah - well, in their defense the HCCC - or whatever, I don't know what they call it - just found out about structural racism this year, so they're hopping on it. They're also just figuring out racism as well. We might give 'em a chance to catch up. No, I was - the Rep Berg, whose canvasser was one of the people who got yelled at by a white guy who slammed his bike to the ground and did the "get off my lawn" racism up in Mill Creek, I wanna say, I can't remember where it was. But anyway, she and Rep Taylor pointed out that this - if you want to expand the number of people into your party, you want to have a big umbrella, if you want to diversify your party, which has been white for a very long time - then you're gonna want to provide some protection for people. You're gonna at least want to get a phone tree - set up some kind of protocol so that the party knows when this stuff happens and can act accordingly. The fact that we didn't have one means that we didn't prioritize it. And the fact that they didn't prioritize it means that there's not enough people in high places who are thinking about this stuff. And the fact that this has to come from the candidates who are not, who are running to be part of the party, is inexcusable because we've known that this has been happening for a long time. So yeah. It hurts recruitment for that party and it's inexcusable that they haven't done anything - they haven't done anything about it until now. [00:22:05] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and even then until now - we're waiting, we're waiting. [00:22:09] Rich Smith: Yeah. [00:22:09] Crystal Fincher: We're waiting to see - [00:22:10] Rich Smith: Did the Senate put out some recommendations, but the House hasn't? [00:22:13] Crystal Fincher: Yeah. [00:22:14] Rich Smith: Okay, I see. [00:22:16] Crystal Fincher: And as well as the State Party - they've worked in conjunction. So it'll - we're waiting to see - I hope that we see more action, but it has certainly been disconcerting, worrisome. Frankly, infuriating - [00:22:31] Rich Smith: Pramila's getting yelled at. [00:22:32] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, and beyond yelled at - life threatened by dude outside of her house with a gun - telling her to go back where she came from and threatening to kill her. It's - and we saw an organizer this past week with a continued campaign of harassment from someone who already has a restraining order against them for this. It's just a worrisome time and it's gonna take everybody engaging, especially white people, to get this to stop. Relying on the victims of harassment and the victims of assault and the victims of stalking to be able to engage and solve their whole problem, when a lot of their energy is spent just trying to keep themselves safe, is not realistic and not what we can count on in order for it to change. But also, in other news - so south King County has got a lot of races. There haven't been many that have been covered. The Stranger has covered them and even engaged in a recent endorsement in one of the most competitive legislative districts in the state, which is the 47th Legislative District. And so there is one incumbent in the House seat running - Debra Entenman in that seat. And then there is a competitive Senate race and a competitive House race, both of which have open seats. And interestingly, both are D vs R races, where we're in a pretty competitive D primary, not so competitive R primaries. Well-funded Republican opponents - both of those Republican opponents are also Black, against a number of Black candidates running. So you have Shukri Olow and Chris Stearns running for one seat. You have Satwinder Kaur, who's a Kent City Councilmember currently, running against a former State Senator, Claudia Kaufman, in the other seat - running against another current Kent City Councilmember, Bill Boyce, who's a Republican. And then Carmen Goers for that other seat, who's also a Republican. So how did you - just going through that race - you made endorsements and recommendations. In that, what did you come out with? [00:24:52] Rich Smith: Yeah. In those races - yeah, first of all, the 47th is huge. It's a bellwether district. Everyone's gonna be looking at it and analyzing it on election night to figure out what it means for the general election and whether or not the Democrats are gonna be able to hold their majority in the State House and - or break even in the Senate, with Mullet as the swing - lord help us. But yeah, in the race - starting from the Senate race - that's the one that is Kaur and Kauffman vs probably Boyce - or yeah, Bill Boyce - [00:25:33] Crystal Fincher: Bill Boyce - yeah. [00:25:33] Rich Smith: Kent City Councilman. Yeah, we came down on Kauffman there, mostly because Kaur had lied to us, basically, in the course of the endorsement process. She said that - we asked about whether or not she wanted to put cops in schools and Kent, they recently - Kent School District and City Council approved recently - put cops back in the school so that they could handcuff mostly kids of color when they get out of line, and or when they say they get out of line. [00:26:13] Crystal Fincher: And a long history of that happening in the district. [00:26:15] Rich Smith: Yes, and Kaur's initial response to that was - that wasn't my, our jurisdiction, that was a decision that the school made, the school district made, yada, yada. Kauffman stepped in and said - excuse me, you voted on that. And then we were like, what? And then she's like - yeah, the City Council approved the budget that put the cops back into the schools in Kent and also, you all deliberated about it. There's a meeting - you talked about this. It was not only within your jurisdiction, but you joined a unanimous vote to put cops back in the schools. And then she's like okay - yeah, that happened. I was like - well, why did you say it didn't happen? Or why did you suggest that it was out of your jurisdiction? And so you didn't have anything to say about it? So that kind of - that didn't - that wasn't cool. We didn't like that. And we also didn't like that the vote to put the cops back in schools because, and when we questioned her on that, she said she had mixed feelings about it personally, but she voted for it because this was something the community asked for. But scratch the surface a little bit, and the community also asked for the school not to put the cops back in the schools. And so it was - she was representing people in the community, some people in the community, and dismissing - or not really dismissing - but pretending as if other people in the community didn't exist. She wanted to represent the interest of those people and not those people, so that was - otherwise they were pretty, pretty close on the issues, but her handling of that situation initially and the substance of it, I think, was what pushed us toward Kaur. We recognize that it's a moderate district, or a purple district, in a lot of ways and maybe that comes back to to haunt Kauffman, but Kaufman also just had a really forthright, blunt, straightforward way of talking. She held her ground, said what she said. And we were like - that's, there we go. There was just less triangulation, it felt like, happening. And so those were the things that pushed us there. Olow and Stearns was also really tough for us - because love Stearns' work on Treatment First Washington and his history with - him foregrounding treatment and wanting to get in - we really, would be great to have a champion in there, someone to join Rep Lauren Davis on her crusade to try to squeeze something out of that body to build a treatment infrastructure in the first place and a recovery infrastructure at the state level. I'm sure Stearns would've done that. [00:29:07] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, full disclosure - I was also part of that coalition - appreciate his work on that, definitely believed in that. [00:29:14] Rich Smith: Well, and he had been elected to Auburn City Council. And so he has a constituency he can tap - he's familiar. Olow though - we endorsed her against Upthegrove when she ran for County Council and she aligned with everything that Stearns was saying, or agreed with everything that Stearns was saying, and just has a lot of expertise in youth development and education and that's something where we need as many of those champions in the Legislature as humanly possible. And she had just had a - it looked like at the time when we were making the endorsement - just a better campaign infrastructure and so probably would've done, we thought would've done the best, will do the best against the Republican challenger. [00:30:11] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, really well-funded Republican challenger. Yeah. [00:30:15] Rich Smith: So that's what went into our thinking in those races. [00:30:18] Crystal Fincher: Yeah - no, made sense. Shukri has been doing work for the Best Starts for Kids program, which is very big in the district. Got her doctorate in education after starting out as a girl in public housing in the district. Has just - she really is someone who knows the district really well - grew up there, has certainly given back a lot, and so - know them both, appreciate them both. And just know that in both of those races, it's gonna be really tough for the Democrat vs the Republican. So whichever way that goes through, I hope listeners continue to pay attention and engage in those 'cause it's going to take help from folks who don't live there to make sure that the Democrat does get across the finish line. 'Cause, man - lots of these - Republicans are trying extra hard to put a moderate face on themselves, whether it's the 5th District talking about their bipartisan support and they're moderate and they're socially progressive and fiscally responsible - is how they're trying to present it. Whether it's in Emily Randall's district, or in the 5th district against Lisa Callan in that area. And it's just - we've got a lot at stake on this ballot. And so I really - and it's not inconceivable that Democrats could lose the majority here. With hard work, hopefully not, but it is within the realm of possibility and Republicans are looking to move backwards a lot of policy and are saying some really alarming things on the campaign trail with every - and it's not rhetoric. They're intending to move forward with repealing all of the rights that are in danger at the national level, and really being in alignment with what's happening there. And so things could go the other direction really fast. [00:32:17] Rich Smith: It's scary. It's also - is it within the 9th Congressional District as well? [00:32:21] Crystal Fincher: Yep. I think it's split between the 8th and the 9th, actually. I need to double check that post-redistricting, which is another thing - when you talk about just the 47th district, everything about everything in that race is just nonstandard. We don't know how this district, as this is the first time that we're gonna be voting within these new boundaries - so how it actually performs. You've got an interesting composition of people who - some have been on ballots plenty of times there, some haven't, some have but have been unopposed so people don't really pay attention to it. You've got two Black Republicans who are leading and the standard bearers - they're trying to portray themselves as - one of them, Bill Boyce, sent out this mailer of him and Martin Luther King. And there's nothing Republicans love more than throwing out a Martin Luther King quote that he would've thrown back in their face. But anyway, talking about that - which was, I know a lot of Black people in the Kent community looked, gave a side eye to that one really hard. But it'll be really interesting to see. And then there's a chunk of races in Seattle that are these D vs D races that are not gonna be key to the composition of the caucus and the majority, but that may help define what the agenda is in the Legislature and what's able to pass, especially when we talk about issues like progressive revenue and some very basic things that people are trying to tick off - in the healthcare realm, in the climate action realm, whole transportation package, what that kind of would look like. And so just a variety of races across the City that people will be voting on. Make sure to get that ballot in by Tuesday, either in the drop box or in the mail - you don't have to use a stamp on the envelope. But I guess as you're looking there, I see a lot of people - there's been a lot of coverage of the 46th, which full disclosure - I am working with Melissa Taylor on. In the 36th, a crowded race. There's an open seat in the 34th which hasn't quite gotten as much attention, I don't think, as the other two races. What do you see in that race? [00:34:52] Rich Smith: In the 34th? Great sadness and because it was - they're both really good. If you're - you're talking about the Leah Griffin and the Emily Alvarado - [00:35:03] Crystal Fincher: Yes. [00:35:03] Rich Smith: Yeah - what are you, what am I, how - we were all, we talked about this for 45 minutes, an hour. Okay, so our choices in this are somebody who is - we're in a housing crisis and Emily Alvarado ran Office of Housing, is - clearly knows what she's talking about. That's exactly what she wants to do when she gets to the State Legislature, and exactly how to do it, and exactly the coalition she wants to build - Latina and is - voted for Bernie Sanders - and is also impressive candidate who knows her sh*t. Speaking of, Leah Griffin - tremendous - tremendously overcame personal tragedy and didn't just keep that to herself, but used it in part as a catalyst to make real change to help everybody, contacted everybody in the Legislature and Congress - even Patty Murray - and got some responses and helped push an idea that eventually became legislation that got slipped into the Violence Against Women Act that would increase access to more sexual assault kits. So this is a person who has done tremendous work from her couch in Seattle, as she'll say. And so yeah - the choice there is between somebody who is gonna be a strong - and she's up on the news about criminal justice and is in the intersection there between how do we - what's the best way to get fewer rapes - to stop people from rape. She's a really good person who knows the answer to that question and can push for that kind of change in the 34th. And yeah, the question facing voters is - do you want somebody who's an expert on housing and is gonna do all the right things on housing and lead there and join a housing coalition in the House, which we desperately need. Or do you want somebody who is going to lead on the intersection of criminal justice and protecting survivors in the House, which we also desperately need, which is also - it's an impossible decision. I don't - we came down, the group came down at the end on Emily because of the housing crisis, but that's how I feel about that. We were all - could have gone either way. [00:37:46] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, it is - it's rough. And there's a lot of rough choices actually in Seattle - these are two great candidates. It's been tougher than prior years in some, where there were more clear choices in a lot of them. In City races, there's more differentiation between, at least among all the candidates a lot of times. And there just are some really hard choices and people across the board that - even if they don't make it through, you really, really, really hope that they continue to be involved and they step up to lead in different areas and really consider continuing to seek leadership. Because both people in this race, people in a number of races - there are some really, really exciting people who are running. You can only choose one. And so we'll see what continues to go through. And we can only choose one, we're gonna run a general election - ultimately there will be one who prevails, but yeah, it, this - I could definitely see that being a hard choice. [00:38:54] Rich Smith: If anybody wants to start some GoFundMe to help move some of these candidates around, would love somebody to move up to Shoreline and challenge Salomon, Jesse Salomon, up there - be a Senator. And could - someone could have jumped into the 46th Senate race too - would've been nice. A guy, Matt Gross, did - got a housing focus, that's great. Didn't do it for us even though - just 'cause his ideas were half baked - would've been nice to have a challenge up, a serious challenger to Javier Valdez too. Valdez is a nice guy, but there's a lot of room for improvement up there. Yeah, there was a lot of races where - would've been cool to see stronger challengers, progressive challengers. And then there were a lot of other races, and then the rest of the races were - oh, look, these people are great. Four great people running for one open seat. What are we gonna do here? So yeah, that - it was tough. [00:39:57] Crystal Fincher: Yeah - and with that, obviously, there's a ton of people who live in Seattle. And so there's going to be more people competing for what wind up being fewer positions. And you see a lot more engagement and attention being paid and candidates for those open seats. And it's - we are still contending with the disparity in resources between those in kind of safe D - Democrats are going to be elected in all of these positions. And seeing a stark difference in spending and donations for other races in the state that could go either way. And it's challenging. Again, I generally don't work with candidates. I'm working with one this year and it's a high - there are three of the top fundraisers in the state. I literally think the top three on the Democratic side non-incumbents in that race - there's a lot of money there. There doesn't need to be that much money in there, but given the composition - just like with Congress, right - especially the representatives basically have to spend all of their time fundraising. And while we desperately need more campaign finance reform, it should not take that. And a system that requires that is a broken system and you're making people make a lot of tough choices. The barrier for people being able to get in these races is challenging, 'cause you have to have enough time to devote to the fundraising and to talking to voters and the other stuff. And it's really hard to do without resources. And even if you don't have the most, you still have to have a substantial amount no matter how you look at it. So I do think there is a glaring need for some really foundational statewide campaign finance reform - also at the federal level - but Democracy Vouchers, does it solve every single problem related to everything? No. But I think it does make things more accessible, forces people to talk to more residents to get the - even if it's just in search of vouchers - hey, it's putting you in contact with more people that you have to directly deal with, which I think is always a good thing for candidates. But it's a problem, it's a challenge. And so many resources are dedicated to Seattle in the political sphere when there are so many needs for lesser-known races throughout the state. How do you see that? [00:42:39] Rich Smith: I agree. I don't know if - I don't know about Democracy Vouchers as a solution, but campaign finance reform for statewide races is great. Yeah - Melissa Taylor's raised what - $200,000 or something almost in that race - like the top, some of the top - [00:42:55] Crystal Fincher: Well, and she's the number two - [00:42:56] Rich Smith: She's the number two. [00:42:58] Crystal Fincher: - behind Lelach. And then, Nancy Connolly is also - there's a lot - now, Melissa doesn't accept corporate donations or anything, but still that's a lot of work, it's a lot of time. And not everybody has the ability to do that and that should not be a requirement of running for office. [00:43:23] Rich Smith: No. Yeah, I agree. And yeah, that's - it's as much as Stephanie Gallardo has raised against - for one House seat. Yeah, than for one US House seat, but yeah - it's crazy, it's a huge high barrier to entry, and we should do something to change it. [00:43:43] Crystal Fincher: We should. So I guess if you are - lots of resources, will link all of this in the comments of the show. As we do that - for just races across the state that may not be on people's radar, the Congressional races - is there anything that you would throw out there for people to consider that's not getting much attention right now? [00:44:05] Rich Smith: Yeah. You wanna do something over the weekend? You might try knocking doors for Emily Randall up in Kitsap - in Bremerton, Gig Harbor area - she's facing off against the Legislature's biggest brat, as Will Casey called him in a piece on the 26th Legislative District there. That's another one of those important races - Randall won by 108 votes or something last time she ran. So it's gonna be a close one. It would be great to have a pro-choice Democrat rather than a Trumpian weirdo in the Senate up there. [00:44:37] Crystal Fincher: Super Trumpian - he is one of the most extreme Republicans in the state, currently a House member running for the Senate seat to challenge her. They tried to put what they felt was one of their best, most resourced people on their side against her and she needs everybody's help. That is absolutely a race for people in Seattle to adopt and do something to help emily win. [00:45:03] Rich Smith: Yeah. If you wanna - if you're closer to the South End, you might try going down to the 30th LD - helping out Jamila Taylor with her race, figuring out what to do with, or helping Claire Wilson in her race. She'll - maybe save those for the general 'cause they'll probably get through. There's some sh*t going down in the 30th as well - is that also the one where Chris Vance is taking on Phil Fortunato - [00:45:29] Crystal Fincher: That's the 31st. [00:45:30] Rich Smith: 31st - that's right. That's just outside - [00:45:32] Crystal Fincher: So like Enumclaw, just to the east. Yep. [00:45:35] Rich Smith: Yeah, just outside. Yeah - so that's gonna be funny - I don't know, it'll be interesting. Phil Fortunato is a freak and a climate arsonist and a genuine weirdo. And I don't know if we're placing him with a centrist Republican, I guess, if Chris Vance is - will be much of an improvement, but it will be interesting to see the extent to which Trump base is being activated in these races in Washington, or whether there's some kind of independent, high Republican sh*t movement going on in the suburbs that really wants to moderate the Trumpers. So that'll be one area where I'm looking looking at that and yeah, but those would be two races that I would highly - [00:46:33] Crystal Fincher: Yeah, no, that absolutely makes sense. Thank you so much for your time today. Thank you everyone for listening - this is Friday, July 29th, 2022. Thanks for listening to Hacks & Wonks - the producer is Lisl Stadler and assistant producer is Shannon Cheng with assistance from Bryce Cannatelli. Our wonderful co-host today is the Associate Editor of The Stranger, Rich Smith. You can find Rich on Twitter at @richsssmith. You can find me on Twitter at @finchfrii. Now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, wherever else you get your podcasts - just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Our revamped website has access to all the shows - all of the transcripts to everything is all included, and the forums that we did in the 36th and 37th are also included there. While you're there, if you like - hop on and can leave us a review on something, please do. It helps us out. You can also just get everything and we'll include all the resources and articles we talked about today in the show notes. So thanks for talking with us today. Thanks for tuning in - we'll talk to you next time.

HEADLINE 1: Manchin and Schumer announce deal for energy and health care bill - CNNSenate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday announced a deal on an energy and health care bill, representing a breakthrough after more than a year of negotiations that have collapsed time and again.But it will face furious GOP opposition.The agreement contains a number of Democrats' goals. While many details have not been disclosed, the measure would invest $369 billion into energy and climate change programs, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, according to a one-page fact sheet. For the first time, Medicare would be empowered to negotiate the prices of certain medications, and it would cap out-of-pocket costs at $2,000 for those enrolled in Medicare drug plans. It would also extend expiring enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage for three years.The announcement comes at a crucial time for Congress, as the Senate is a little over a week away from starting a monthlong recess, when many Democrats will campaign for reelection. Manchin's support is notable given his stance earlier this month that he "unequivocally" wouldn't support the climate or tax provisions of the Democratic economic package, which appeared to torpedo any hope Democrats had of passing legislation to fight climate change in the near future. But Schumer and Manchin have been in revived talks since July 18 and locked down a deal Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter. Manchin had thrown cold water on doing tax and energy provisions as part of the deal, but ultimately agreed to it.The White House has signed off on this deal, Biden said in a statement.The deal still faces multiple hurdles before it can make it to Biden's desk, including the parliamentarian and having to pass both chambers of Congress, where practically any Democrat could sideline or delay passage.In a statement, Schumer's office said the bill would reduce US carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030. Clean energy tax credits would drive the majority of those emission reductions, a Democratic aide said.Tax credits for electric vehicles made it into the new deal, according to two Senate Democratic aides. Electric Vehicle tax credits will continue at their current levels, up to $4,000 for a used electric vehicle and $7,500 for a new EV. However, there will be a lower income threshold for people who can use the tax credits -- a key demand of Manchin's. Manchin had been staunchly opposed to electric vehicle tax credits throughout negotiations.The deal keeps the prescription drug prices changes that Manchin had previously agreed to, including empowering Medicare to negotiate the price of certain costly medications administered in doctors' offices or purchased at the pharmacy. It would also redesign Medicare's Part D drug plans so that seniors and people with disabilities wouldn't pay more than $2,000 a year for medication bought at the pharmacy. And, the deal would require drug companies to pay rebates if they increase their prices in the Medicare and private-insurance markets faster than inflation.Altogether, the drug price provisions would reduce the deficit by $288 billion over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.The agreement also calls for extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years. An earlier deal would have continued the beefed-up subsidies for two years, which meant they would have expired just after the 2024 presidential election -- a scenario that congressional Democrats did not want to encounter.The subsidies were expanded through this year as part of Democrats' $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, known as the American Rescue Plan, which was enacted in March 2021. They have made health care coverage on the Obamacare exchanges more affordable, leading to record enrollment this year.Enrollees pay no more than 8.5% of their income toward coverage, down from nearly 10%. And lower-income policyholders receive subsidies that eliminate their premiums completely. Also, those earning more than 400% of the federal poverty level have become eligible for help for the first time.Extending the enhanced subsidies would cost $64 billion over a decade, according to the CBO.To raise revenue, the bill would impose a 15% minimum tax on corporations, which would raise $313 billion over a decade. While details on the current deal remain scant, the House version of the Build Back Better package would have levied the tax on the corporate profits that large companies report to shareholders, not to the Internal Revenue Service. It would have applied to companies with more than $1 billion in profits and yielded a similar revenue-raising figure.The current deal also aims to close the carried interest loophole, which allows investment managers to treat their compensation as capital gains and pay a 20% long-term capital gains tax rate instead of income tax rates of up to 37%. Eliminating this loophole, which would raise $14 billion over a decade, has been a longtime goal of congressional Democrats.The package also calls for providing more funding to the IRS for tax enforcement, which would raise $124 billion.Democrats say families making less than $400,000 per year would not be affected, in line with a pledge by Biden. Also, there would be no new taxes on small businesses.In total, Democrats say the deal would reduce the deficit by more than $300 billion.HEADLINE 2: TRUDY BUSCH VALENTINE, NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME - ADVOCATETrudy Busch Valentine has been in the news a lot lately, largely a push near the primaries from her supporters but not every report lately has bode well for the billionaire candidate. After months of being largely unavailable for comment on the issues beyond simple platitudes she has started answering questions, and it's left many Missouri Democrats asking if we are actually serious about putting her forth in a general.At a recent town hall for the Chesterfield Township Dems TBV was asked questions about campaign finance reform, specifically regarding Citizen's United. Her response? Just tell me again what Citizens United is doing? Forgive me but a candidate for senate better damn well know what Citizens United is and how it affects campaign finance.On July 23rd A bizarre video posted by a St. Louis ward committeewoman shows Busch Valentine struggling with her position on transgender rights, rambling and stumbling over her words.“I respect the dignity of every human person. And transgender, I respect,” Busch Valentine says in the video. “If a man feels that they're a woman and wants to become a woman, I respect that. And I respect it the opposite way too. Those are things that have to be solved amongst families and amongst parents.”She then asserted that doctors should refrain from providing gender-affirming care to children until they're adults, something right-wing pundits and politicians have been asserting.“I only would say, wait until 18, when a person is an adult, to do everything that wouldn't allow going back to being maybe the sex that you were,” she said. “But I totally, totally support transgenders without a doubt and the LGBT community.”To be clear, Gender-affirming care for young people usually consists of puberty blockers and hormone treatment, with most of the effects reversible, contrary to what anti-trans politicians claim. Genital surgery is not performed on minors.And on Monday Trudy Busch Valentine was asked whether she supports a law prohibiting instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation.Specifically referencing Florida, where such teaching is forbidden in grades K-3 and restricted in later grades, and opponents say it has a chilling effect. LGBTQ+ teachers may be afraid to mention their identity or to display pictures of their partners in the classroom because they may be fired or sued by parents. She made a spontaneous reference to critical race theory, a theory about systemic racial injustice taught in law schools, which right-wing politicians wrongly claim is taught in elementary and secondary schools to make white children feel shame. Here is her word salad response in full: “I think there are so many things out there, including critical race theory, that just tries to take away the history of our country and the good things we've done and the bad things we've done,” Busch Valentine said on St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV.Now, nearly all of these statements were adjusted in post by her team, but the damage was done. Is she capable of standing on her own two feet as a senator or is she to be propped up by a team? It sure seems to me she isn't prepared for this job. Personally I'm a Spencer Toder man, you can count this as an official endorsement. I can understand Kunce supporters though. TBV supporters I can't get behind, I've seen nothing to support she can win this thing or do the job once hired.HEADLINE 3: EXPLAINING KANSAS' CONFUSING ABORTION AMENDMENT - VOXNext week in Kansas, abortion rights will face the first test at the polls since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.In 2019, Kansas's Supreme Court ruled that the state's constitution protects the right to an abortion. On Tuesday, voters will be asked to weigh in on a proposed amendment that would explicitly remove that right, opening the way for Kansas's Republican-controlled legislature to further restrict or ban abortion, just as neighboring Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri have done.You'd be forgiven if you had trouble making sense of the amendment's text, which would add a paragraph to the state's constitution that says both “Kansas does not require government funding of abortion” and that people, through their elected officials, “may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.”The language could trip up your average voter, said Neal Allen, a political scientist at Wichita State University. “You could read it and think you were voting to eliminate state funding of abortion when there is no state funding to abortion,” he told Vox. “And there is language that refers to exceptions to preserve the health of the mother, and for rape and incest, but there's nothing about the amendment itself that would create those exceptions.”Supporters of the amendment, organizing under the banner of “Value Them Both” — a reference to valuing “women and unborn children” — have been working to convince votersthat a “yes” vote on the amendment would not lead to an abortion ban and would simply allow lawmakers to regulate the procedure.Many of their claims have been dubious at best, and have generated significant confusion. Value Them Both supporters have stressed in their advertisements that the amendment “restores our ability to place basic regulations on the abortion industry.” In fact, abortion remains highly regulated in Kansas. They say the amendment would merely allow lawmakers to impose rules like requiring parental consent, “stopping painful late-term abortions,” and barring public funding of abortion. But Kansas already requires parental consent, already bans public funding of abortion, and already bans abortion after 22 weeks.The language of the amendment is confusing, likely purposefully. So, Let us be clearIf the amendment passes, nothing could stop Republican lawmakers from passing a total or near-total abortion ban, and political experts say the likelihood of such restrictions moving forward in that context is very high.It will be a tight vote. A public poll of the campaign released last week found 47 percent of likely primary voters planned to vote for the amendment, and 43 percent planned to vote against it. But the pollsters also found Democrats were significantly more likely than Republicans to say the abortion amendment “increased the importance of voting in this upcoming election” — suggesting differences in motivation. Past political science research has found a “status quo bias” when it comes to abortion-related ballot measures; voters are more likely to reject measures on Election Day they otherwise tell pollsters they support. These dynamics bode well for advocates who want to keep the state constitution unchanged.For my Kansas listeners, do NOT rest on your laurels here. Vote NO on this amendment.Headline 4: Veterans and their spouses can now teach in Florida with no degree. School leaders say it 'lowers the bar'https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/07/21/florida-education-program-military-veterans-teach/10117107002/ https://www.fldoe.org/teaching/certification/military/ Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed into law a bill that would give military veterans teaching certificates on a temporary basis in Florida. This ability to apply for temporary certification does not only apply to the veteran, but also their spouses as well. The law was passed with the hope of easing the strain of the 9000 open teaching positions around the state. According to the Florida Department of Education, to apply for the five year temporary certification, the applicant must have the following:Minimum of 48 months of military service with an honorable/medical dischargeMinimum of 60 college credits with a 2.5 grade point averagePassing score on a Florida subject area examination for bachelor's level subjectsEmployment in a Florida school district, including charter schoolsMany school leaders have been outspoken in opposition to this move. "There are many people who have gone through many hoops and hurdles to obtain a proper teaching certificate," said Carmen Ward, president of the Alachua County teachers union. "(Educators) are very dismayed that now someone with just a high school education can pass the test and can easily get a five-year temporary certificate." Alachua County school board members expressed their distaste for the new law at a recent workshop where the details were presented.While a subject area test may prove that these applicants may know the content that they are hired to teach, what it does not do is prove that the applicants know the intecencies of lesson planning, instruction, and assessment. These are all things that are taught in college and that teachers leaving a four year degree program are verse in before stepping foot in a class to student teach, let alone teach on their own. While FLDOE says that each person that is given the temporary certification will be put with a mentor, this mentor is another teacher from the building, usually in the same grade level or subject area. Mentor meetings with new teachers are historically quick check-ins where the new teacher can bounce ideas and problems off of the mentor. A mentor will not have the time to teach these skills to the new teacher in the meeting. This will increase the load again on experienced teachers or lead to them handing lesson plans to inexperienced, unprepared “educators” to teach students.There is also a worry around the state that these temporary certifications will be highly concentrated in the more underfunded, underperforming school districts. The worry from school officials is that higher paying, well performing schools will have the ability to attract traditionally certified teachers with experience. This would leave the bulk of the openings to be in the poorer districts, leaving an even more inexperienced staff in these schools.With many other states also facing teacher shortages, the Florida law could become a template for plans that are implemented in other states around the country.LAYOVER: Candidate Bethany Mann. Democratic Candidate for Missouri's 3rd Congressional District. LIGHTNING ROUND:LR 1 - Historic flooding in St. Louis - Washington PostTorrential downpours sparked flash flooding in St. Louis and surrounding areas Tuesday, killing at least one person and stranding residents in their cars and homes as the rainfall shattered a record set more than a century ago. The city had received more than 9 inches of rain by the afternoon, the most ever recorded there in a calendar day and about 2 inches more than the record of about 7 inches set in August 1915, when remnants of a hurricane that came ashore in Galveston, Tex., passed through the area. Firefighters had responded to about 70 rescues by late Tuesday morning On behalf of Gov. Mike Parson (R), who was out of the country Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) declared a state of emergency to assist local authorities in handling the disaster. Extreme precipitation events have increased substantially over the past century and are tied to warming from human-caused climate change. The heaviest such events increased by 42 percent in the Midwest between 1901 and 2016, with additional increases expected as the climate continues to warm, according to the U.S. government's National Climate Assessment.LR 2 - The attack on McMorrow backfired - PoliticoIn a fundraising email, Michigan State Sen. Lana Theis of Brighton said colleagues like McMorrow were “outraged” that they couldn't “groom and sexualize kindergartners.” The charge prompted McMorrow to make a spirited speech in the Senate in her own defense — a speech that went viral and made her a political celebrity on the left. The result? Theis' fundraising stunt netted her less than $300 while McMorrow went on to raise more than 1 Million dollars. LR 3 - Kansas City's Zero Fare Transit Program Shows Major Success - Next CityKansas City, Missouri, made national headlines in the fall of 2019 when its city council voted unanimously to become America's first large city to make public transportation free citywide. Now, two and a half years later, anyone living anywhere in the city can ride buses without paying a fare.Recently, A study conducted as part of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City's annual “State of Black Kansas City” report last year asked 1,686 riders for their feedback on what Zero Fare has enabled them to do. The responses show how a Zero Fare policy makes a big difference in these riders' ability to exercise the so-called “right to the city.”Almost 90% of the riders surveyed said they rode the buses more as a result of Zero Fare. About 92% said it allowed them to shop for food more often; 88% said they could see their .healthcare providers more easily or more often; 82% said it allowed them to get or keep a job; and 86% said it made them feel like city leadership is concerned about their needsBesides the increased mobility and financial benefits, nearly 80% of the residents surveyed also said Zero Fare increased their sense of safety on the bus. That points to one of the more counterintuitive benefits of eliminating fares: The buses became safer to ride. The total number of incidents where supervisors were called fell 39% in the first year of full Zero Fare transit, according to a 2021 Zero Fare impact analysis by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), the Kansas City area's metropolitan planning organization. Incidents per 100,000 riders fell 17%LR 4 - Justice Department files lawsuit against poultry producers in the US - Fox BusinessThe Justice Department filed a lawsuit Monday against some of the largest poultry producers in the U.S. along with a proposed settlement seeking to end what it claims have been longstanding deceptive and abusive practices for workersThe suit, filed in federal court in Maryland, names Cargill, Sanderson Farms and Wayne Farms, along with a data consulting company known as Webber, Meng, Sahl and Co. and its president.In its lawsuit, the Justice Department alleges the companies have been engaged in a multiyear conspiracy to exchange information about the wages and benefits of workers at poultry processing plants to drive down employee competition in the marketplace. The companies did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.The government contends the data consulting firm helped to share the information about the workers' compensation with the companies and their executives. By carrying out the scheme, officials allege, the companies were able to compete less intensely for workers and reduce the amount of money and benefits they had to offer their employees, suppressing competition for poultry processing workers across the boardThe suit is the latest example of the Justice Department's antitrust enforcement targeting companies the government believes engage in anticompetitive behavior to stifle workers or harm consumers. It also comes as the department continues a broader investigation into labor abuses in the poultry industry.LR 5 - Foot of hail stacks up in parts of Colorado mountain town, snowplows used for removal-OUT THERE COLORADOAs storms pounded parts of Colorado on Wednesday evening, Estes Park got hit hard. Not only did the mountain town, found outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, get a lot of moisture in the form of heavy rain, about a foot of hail also stacked up on some local streets.While the hail that fell appears to be in the form of small pellets based on images and footage from the scene, thus less likely to cause impact damage, the hail can be seen covering roadways and reportedly caused travel concerns. In order to clear the roads, snowplows were called in.monsoonal precipitation continues through and Friday is still supposed to bring even more intense weather to the state, increasing flash flooding concerns around the state, especially in burn scar areas found along the Front Range.LR 6 - Lastly folks, go voteAugust 2nd will be a day for voting across much of the midwest. It is important to get out there and exercise your right to determine who represents you and what ballot measures pass. Be mindful of your polling places, they may have changed. Take time off work if need be, they have to allow it. Now, Get out there and vote!Outro: That's all the time we have this week, thank you for joining us. If you have a story you feel I should look into and possibly highlight on the show, please tweet me throughout the week @KevINMidMo or The Pod's parent account @TheHeartlandPODThis week's episode featured reporting and information from Out there Colorado, Fox Business, Politico, Next City, Washington Post, Usa Today, The Florida Department of Education, CNN, Vox, and The Advocate. https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

A long time in the making, the controversial Penn Station redevelopment picked up some steam this week after getting approval from a key state board. While there are still many questions to be answered — including the final cost — NY1's Zack Fink, Courtney Gross and Juan Manuel Benítez took a detailed look at where the project currently stands and the pros and cons of such an enormous undertaking. Also, as early voting quickly approaches, they discussed the race for the 12th Congressional District, which is one of the more competitive contests on the ballot this August. Which of the two democratic heavyweights, Rep. Jerrold Nadler or Rep. Carolyn Maloney, will win the battle? And exactly where does Suraj Patel fit into all of this? The conversation also includes a brief detour into the recent attack on gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin and bail reform. We want to hear from you, especially what you think about the Penn Station renovation. Leave a message: 212-379-3440 Email: yourstoryny1@charter.com

Southwest Washington voters will decide this year whether to reelect Republican Jaime Herrera Beutler to represent the state's 3rd Congressional District or to send one of her eight challengers to Washington D.C. instead, and they'll get their first chance to weight in on Tuesday. Her three leading opponents are Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Republicans Joe Kent and Heidi St. John, both of whom are running to Herrera Beutler's right. The top two vote-getters in the Aug. 2 primary will advance to a runoff in the general election, regardless of party affiliation. That means the two names on the ballot in November could be two Republicans, two Democrats, or one of each. It's also possible Herrera Beutler could be edged out of the race on Tuesday if she fails to win one of the top two slots. Political observes say this year could be her toughest electoral challenge since first winning office in 2010.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, U.S. Rep Cori Bush, D-St. Louis County, talks about her re-election campaign in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. Bush was elected to represent the district in 2020. It includes all of St. Louis and some of St. Louis County, and is the only congressional district in Missouri with a plurality of Black residents.

We are joined by former Congressman, Jeb Hensarling. Jeb served in the U.S. House for 16 years, representing Texas' 5th Congressional District, and was Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. He now works in the private sector. In this conversation, he discusses Frederic Bastiat's classic work, 'The Law', which is our Book Club selection for August 2022. More info on the Book Club: https://christiansengaged.org/book-club Learn more about our organization: https://christiansengaged.org/ Donate to help the ministry: https://christiansengaged.org/donate Take the Pledge to PRAY, VOTE, & ENGAGE: https://christiansengaged.org/pledge​

Josh and David open with a discussion of Attorney General Steve Marshall, pointless lawsuits, and political pandering. Congresswoman Terri Sewell zooms in to talk about efforts to improve life in the Black Belt and the 7th Congressional District, efforts to honor civil rights icon Fred Gray, and more. We wrap with a discussion of the individual freedom to mask and this week's Rightwing Nut of the Week. Send us a question: We take a bit of time each week to answer questions from our audience about Alabama politics — or Alabama in general. If you have a question about a politician, a policy, or a trend — really anything — you can shoot us an email at apwproducer@gmail.com or with this form. You can also send it to us on Facebook and Twitter. Or by emailing us a voice recording to our email with your question, and we may play it on air. Either way, make sure you include your name (first name is fine) and the city or county where you live. About APW: APW is a weekly Alabama political podcast hosted by Josh Moon and David Person, two longtime Alabama political journalists. More information is available on our website. Listen anywhere you get your podcasts. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Music credits: Music courtesy of Mr. Smith via the Free Music Archive. Visit Mr. Smith's page here.

Happy Friday! Guest Heidi St. John, candidate for WA 3rd Congressional District, joins to discuss campaign, upcoming primary, Biden policy, liberal activism in WA, and more.  Guest Joel Gillbert, author "Michelle Obama 2024", joins to discuss the future of the Democrat party. Will Michelle run for President? What does the future of the Democrat party look like?

Joe Piscopo talks with Rep. Lee Zeldin, Republican representing New York's 1st Congressional District, about last week's attack and New York's cashless bail laws.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Matt Lehman joined us for an interview. He is running as a Democrat in the 4th U.S. Congressional District, which stretches from the area east of Jefferson County to Greenup County in Eastern Kentucky, along the Ohio river. He talked about what it takes to run for an office like this, the issues that motivate him, and talked earnestly about the danger of continuously electing Thomas Massie to the U.S. House. Jazmin also explained the Temporary Injunction in the abortion ban lawsuit, which keeps the medical procedure legal in Kentucky while the lawsuit is ongoing. Robert talked about the end of Unity Aluminum's (Braidy Industries') attempts to build an aluminum plant in Ashland, and we brought back the COVID update.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Battle Ground) is running for re-election in a competitive primary being held next Tuesday in Washington's 3rd Congressional District. She is one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Under the state's open primary system, the top two vote getters will advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. Joining us for a debate are Rep. Herrera Beutler and two of her primary challengers. Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez lives in unincorporated Skamania County and owns an auto repair shop with her husband. Republican Joe Kent lives in Yacolt, in Clark County, and is a retired U.S. Army Green Beret who is being endorsed by former President Trump.

America's Heroes Group Roundtable Community Outreach Panelist:Danny K Davis - The Honorable Illinois 7th Congressional District Congressman and America's Heroes Group Advisory Board Member 

The New York Times labeled her a “far-right Latina.” Which begs the question: Why is the Left so afraid of her? Hear from Congresswoman Mayra Flores yourself. Lisa and Congresswoman Flores also discuss how she turned Texas' 34th Congressional District, which had been in Democrat's hands for more than 150 years, red. They also discuss why hardworking Americans are abandoning the Democrat Party to be Republicans.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.