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This week on Crime Roundup, Sheryl McCollum and Joshua Schiffer tackle a courtroom moment that has everyone talking: Cardi B’s bold, unscripted testimony in a civil trial that underscores the power of authenticity on the stand. They revisit the Karen Read case, where Trooper Proctor is fighting to regain his badge despite a misconduct scandal that may have ended his creditability as a witness. In Georgia, Trooper A.J. Scott faces the consequences of a high-speed crash that killed two teenagers, but a puzzling verdict leaves one family still searching for accountability. The episode wraps with a brief but important warning for parents, as Joshua shares a recent case involving online blackmail targeting a student. Highlights: (0:00) Welcome to Crime Roundup with Sheryl McCollum and Joshua Schiffer (2:45) Cardi B takes the stand and delivers unforgettable courtroom testimony (4:30) Hair relevance, and how not to question a celebrity witness (6:00) Behind the curtain of civil law: contingency fees and when lawsuits go too far (8:15) Trooper Proctor and the fallout from the Karen Read investigation (9:30) How private texts and off-duty behavior can derail a law enforcement career (16:15) Trooper A.J. Scott’s case: high speed crash left two dead, but only one homicide conviction follows (20:00) Cardi B owns the stand: embracing her voice, her language, and why authenticity resonates with juries (24:30) How attorney’s fees, not injuries, can drive strategy in civil trials (29:00) A quick warning for parents: how a student was targeted by online blackmail About the Hosts Joshua Schiffer is a veteran trial attorney and one of the Southeast’s most respected legal voices. He is a founding partner at ChancoSchiffer P.C., where he has litigated high-stakes criminal, civil rights, and personal injury cases for over two decades. Known for his bold courtroom presence and ability to clearly explain complex legal issues, Schiffer is a frequent media contributor and fearless advocate for accountability. Sheryl “Mac” McCollum is an Emmy Award-winning CSI, a writer for CrimeOnline, forensic and crime scene expert for Crime Stories with Nancy Grace, and co-author of the textbook Cold Case: Pathways to Justice. She is the founder and director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, a national collaboration that advances techniques for solving cold cases and assists families and law enforcement with unsolved homicides, missing persons, and kidnappings.

Today I'm talking to economic historian Judge Glock, Director of Research at the Manhattan Institute. Judge works on a lot of topics: if you enjoy this episode, I'd encourage you to read some of his work on housing markets and the Environmental Protection Agency. But I cornered him today to talk about civil service reform.Since the 1990s, over 20 red and blue states have made radical changes to how they hire and fire government employees — changes that would be completely outside the Overton window at the federal level. A paper by Judge and Renu Mukherjee lists four reforms made by states like Texas, Florida, and Georgia: * At-will employment for state workers* The elimination of collective bargaining agreements* Giving managers much more discretion to hire* Giving managers much more discretion in how they pay employeesJudge finds decent evidence that the reforms have improved the effectiveness of state governments, and little evidence of the politicization that federal reformers fear. Meanwhile, in Washington, managers can't see applicants' resumes, keyword searches determine who gets hired, and firing a bad performer can take years. But almost none of these ideas are on the table in Washington.Thanks to Harry Fletcher-Wood for his judicious transcript edits and fact-checking, and to Katerina Barton for audio edits.Judge, you have a paper out about lessons for civil service reform from the states. Since the ‘90s, red and blue states have made big changes to how they hire and fire people. Walk through those changes for me.I was born and grew up in Washington DC, heard a lot about civil service throughout my childhood, and began to research it as an adult. But I knew almost nothing about the state civil service systems. When I began working in the states — mainly across the Sunbelt, including in Texas, Kansas, Arizona — I was surprised to learn that their civil service systems were reformed to an absolutely radical extent relative to anything proposed at the federal level, let alone implemented.Starting in the 1990s, several states went to complete at-will employment. That means there were no official civil service protections for any state employees. Some managers were authorized to hire people off the street, just like you could in the private sector. A manager meets someone in a coffee shop, they say, "I'm looking for exactly your role. Why don't you come on board?" At the federal level, with its stultified hiring process, it seemed absurd to even suggest something like that.You had states that got rid of any collective bargaining agreements with their public employee unions. You also had states that did a lot more broadbanding [creating wider pay bands] for employee pay: a lot more discretion for managers to reward or penalize their employees depending on their performance.These major reforms in these states were, from the perspective of DC, incredibly radical. Literally nobody at the federal level proposes anything approximating what has been in place for decades in the states. That should be more commonly known, and should infiltrate the debate on civil service reform in DC.Even though the evidence is not absolutely airtight, on the whole these reforms have been positive. A lot of the evidence is surveys asking managers and operators in these states how they think it works. They've generally been positive. We know these states operate pretty well: Places like Texas, Florida, and Arizona rank well on state capacity metrics in terms of cost of government, time for permitting, and other issues.Finally, to me the most surprising thing is the dog that didn't bark. The argument in the federal government against civil service reform is, “If you do this, we will open up the gates of hell and return to the 19th-century patronage system, where spoilsmen come and go depending on elected officials, and the government is overrun with political appointees who don't care about the civil service.” That has simply not happened. We have very few reports of any concrete examples of politicization at the state level. In surveys, state employees and managers can almost never remember any example of political preferences influencing hiring or firing.One of the surveys you cited asked, “Can you think of a time someone said that they thought that the political preferences were a factor in civil service hiring?” and it was something like 5%.It was in that 5-10% range. I don't think you'd find a dissimilar number of people who would say that even in an official civil service system. Politics is not completely excluded even from a formal civil service system.A few weeks ago, you and I talked to our mutual friend, Don Moynihan, who's a scholar of public administration. He's more skeptical about the evidence that civil service reform would be positive at the federal level.One of your points is, “We don't have strong negative evidence from the states. Productivity didn't crater in states that moved to an at-will employment system.” We do have strong evidence that collective bargaining in the public sector is bad for productivity.What I think you and Don would agree on is that we could use more evidence on the hiring and firing side than the surveys that we have. Is that a fair assessment?Yes, I think that's correct. As you mentioned, the evidence on collective bargaining is pretty close to universal: it raises costs, reduces the efficiency of government, and has few to no positive upsides.On hiring and firing, I mentioned a few studies. There's a 2013 study that looks at HR managers in six states and finds very little evidence of politicization, and managers generally prefer the new system. There was a dissertation that surveyed several employees and managers in civil service reform and non-reform states. Across the board, the at-will employment states said they had better hiring retention, productivity, and so forth. And there's a 2002 study that looked specifically at Texas, Florida, and Georgia after their reforms, and found almost universal approbation inside the civil service itself for these reforms.These are not randomized control trials. But I think that generally positive evidence should point us directionally where we should go on civil service reform. If we loosen restrictions on discipline and firing, decentralize hiring and so forth — we probably get some productivity benefits from it. We can also know, with some amount of confidence, that the sky is not going to fall, which I think is a very important baseline assumption. The civil service system will continue on and probably be fairly close to what it is today, in terms of its political influence, if you have decentralized hiring and at-will employment.As you point out, a lot of these reforms that have happened in 20-odd states since the ‘90s would be totally outside the Overton window at the federal level. Why is it so easy for Georgia to make a bipartisan move in the ‘90s to at-will employment, when you couldn't raise the topic at the federal level?It's a good question. I think in the 1990s, a lot of people thought a combination of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act — which was the Carter-era act that somewhat attempted to do what these states hoped to do in the 1990s — and the Clinton-era Reinventing Government Initiative, would accomplish the same ends. That didn't happen.That was an era when civil service reform was much more bipartisan. In Georgia, it was a Democratic governor, Zell Miller, who pushed it. In a lot of these other states, they got buy-in from both sides. The recent era of state reform took place after the 2010 Republican wave in the states. Since that wave, the reform impetus for civil service has been much more Republican. That has meant it's been a lot harder to get buy-in from both sides at the federal level, which will be necessary to overcome a filibuster.I think people know it has to be very bipartisan. We're just past the point, at least at the moment, where it can be bipartisan at the federal level. But there are areas where there's a fair amount of overlap between the two sides on what needs to happen, at least in the upper reaches of the civil service.It was interesting to me just how bipartisan civil service reform has been at various times. You talked about the Civil Service Reform Act, which passed Congress in 1978. President Carter tells Congress that the civil service system:“Has become a bureaucratic maze which neglects merit, tolerates poor performance, permits abuse of legitimate employee rights, and mires every personnel action in red tape, delay, and confusion.”That's a Democratic president saying that. It's striking to me that the civil service was not the polarized topic that it is today.Absolutely. Carter was a big civil service reformer in Georgia before those even larger 1990s reforms. He campaigned on civil service reform and thought it was essential to the success of his presidency. But I think you are seeing little sprouts of potential bipartisanship today, like the Chance to Compete Act at the end of 2024, and some of the reforms Obama did to the hiring process. There's options for bipartisanship at the federal level, even if it can't approach what the states have done.I want to walk through the federal hiring process. Let's say you're looking to hire in some federal agency — you pick the agency — and I graduated college recently, and I want to go into the civil service. Tell me about trying to hire somebody like me. What's your first step?It's interesting you bring up the college graduate, because that is one recent reform: President Trump put out an executive order trying to counsel agencies to remove the college degree requirement for job postings. This happened in a lot of states first, like Maryland, and that's also been bipartisan. This requirement for a college degree — which was used as a very unfortunate proxy for ability at a lot of these jobs — is now being removed. It's not across the whole federal government. There's still job postings that require higher education degrees, but that's something that's changed.To your question, let's say the Department of Transportation. That's one of the more bipartisan ones, when you look at surveys of federal civil servants. Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, they tend to be a little more Republican. Health and Human Services and some other agencies tend to be pretty Democrat. Transportation is somewhere in the middle.As a manager, you try to craft a job description and posting to go up on the USA Jobs website, which is where all federal job postings go. When they created it back in 1996, that was supposedly a massive reform to federal hiring: this website where people could submit their resumes. Then, people submit their resumes and answer questions about their qualifications for the job.One of the slightly different aspects from the private sector is that those applications usually go to an HR specialist first. The specialist reviews everything and starts to rank people into different categories, based on a lot of weird things. It's supposed to be “knowledge, skills, and abilities” — your KSAs, or competencies. To some extent, this is a big step up from historical practice. You had, frankly, an absurd civil service exam, where people had to fill out questions about, say, General Grant or about US Code Title 42, or whatever it was, and then submit it. Someone rated the civil service exam, and then the top three test-takers were eligible for the job.We have this newer, better system, where we rank on knowledge, skills, and abilities, and HR puts put people into different categories. One of the awkward ways they do this is by merely scanning the resumes and applications for keywords. If it's a computer job, make sure you say the word “computer” somewhere in your resume. Make sure you say “manager” if it's a managerial job.Just to be clear, this is entirely literal. There's a keyword search, and folks who don't pass that search are dinged.Yes. I've always wondered, how common is this? It's sometimes hard to know what happens in the black box in these federal HR departments. I saw an HR official recently say, "If I'm not allowed to do keyword searches, I'm going to take 15 years to overlook all the applications, so I've got to do keyword searches." If they don't have the keywords, into the circular file it goes, as they used to say: into the garbage can.Then they start ranking people on their abilities into, often, three different categories. That is also very literal. If you put in the little word bubble, "I am an exceptional manager," you get pushed on into the next level of the competition. If you say, "I'm pretty good, but I'm not the best," into the circular file you go.I've gotten jaded about this, but it really is shocking. We ask candidates for a self-assessment, and if they just rank themselves 10/10 on everything, no matter how ludicrous, that improves their odds of being hired.That's going to immensely improve your odds. Similar to the keyword search, there's been pushback on this in recent years, and I'm definitely not going to say it's universal anymore. It's rarer than it used to be. But it's still a very common process.The historical civil service system used to operate on a rule of three. In places like New York, it still operates like that. The top three candidates on the evaluation system get presented to the manager, and the manager has to approve one of them for the position.Thanks partially to reforms by the Obama administration in 2010, they have this category rating system where the best qualified or the very qualified get put into a big bucket together [instead of only including the top three]. Those are the people that the person doing the hiring gets to see, evaluate, and decide who he wants to hire.There are some restrictions on that. If a veteran outranks everybody else, you've got to pick the veteran [typically known as Veterans' Preference]. That was an issue in some of the state civil service reforms, too. The states said, “We're just going to encourage a veterans' preference. We don't need a formalized system to say they get X number of points and have to be in Y category. We're just going to say, ‘Try to hire veterans.'” That's possible without the formal system, despite what some opponents of reform may claim.One of the particular problems here is just the nature of the people doing the hiring. Sometimes you just need good managers to encourage HR departments to look at a broader set of qualifications. But one of the bigger problems is that they keep the HR evaluation system divorced from the manager who is doing the hiring. David Shulkin, who was the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), wrote a great book, It Shouldn't Be This Hard to Serve Your Country. He was a healthcare exec, and the VA is mainly a healthcare agency. He would tell people, "You should work for me," they would send their applications into the HR void, and he'd never see them again. They would get blocked at some point in this HR evaluation process, and he'd be sent people with no healthcare experience, because for whatever reason they did well in the ranking.One of the very base-level reforms should be, “How can we more clearly integrate the hiring manager with the evaluation process?” To some extent, the bipartisan Chance to Compete Act tries to do this. They said, “You should have subject matter experts who are part of crafting the description of the job, are part of evaluating, and so forth.” But there's still a long road to go.Does that firewall — where the person who wants to hire doesn't get to look at the process until the end — exist originally because of concerns about cronyism?One of the interesting things about the civil service is its raison d'être — its reason for being — was supposedly a single, clear purpose: to prevent politicized hiring and patronage. That goes back to the Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883. But it's always been a little strange that you have all of these very complex rules about every step of the process — from hiring to firing to promotion, and everything in between — to prevent political influence. We could just focus on preventing political influence, and not regulate every step of the process on the off-chance that without a clear regulation, political influence could creep in. This division [between hiring manager and applicants] is part of that general concern. There are areas where I've heard HR specialists say, "We declare that a manager is a subject matter expert, and we bring them into the process early on, we can do that." But still the division is pretty stark, and it's based on this excessive concern about patronage.One point you flag is that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which is the body that thinks about personnel in the federal government, has a 300-page regulatory document for agencies on how you have to hire. There's a remarkable amount of process.Yes, but even that is a big change from the Federal Personnel Manual, which was the 10,000-page document that we shredded in the 1990s. In the ‘90s, OPM gave the agencies what's called “delegated examining authorities.” This says, “You, agency, have power to decide who to hire, we're not going to do the central supervision anymore. But, but, but: here's the 300-page document that dictates exactly how you have to carry out that hiring.”So we have some decentralization, allowing managers more authority to control their own departments. But this two-level oversight — a local HR department that's ultimately being overseen by the OPM — also leads to a lot of slip ‘twixt cup and lip, in terms of how something gets implemented. If you're in the agency and you're concerned about the OPM overseeing your process, you're likely to be much more careful than you would like to be. “Yes, it's delegated to me, but ultimately, I know I have to answer to OPM about this process. I'm just going to color within the lines.”I often cite Texas, which has no central HR office. Each agency decides how it wants to hire. In a lot of these reform states, if there is a central personnel office, it's an information clearinghouse or reservoir of models. “You can use us, the central HR office, as a resource if you want us to help you post the job, evaluate it, or help manage your processes, but you don't have to.” That's the goal we should be striving for in a lot of the federal reforms. Just make OPM a resource for the managers in the individual departments to do their thing or go independent.Let's say I somehow get through the hiring process. You offer me a job at the Department of Transportation. What are you paying me?This is one of the more stultified aspects of the federal civil service system. OPM has another multi-hundred-page handbook called the Handbook of Occupational Groups and Families. Inside that, you've got 49 different “groups and families,” like “Clerical occupations.” Inside those 49 groups are a series of jobs, sometimes dozens, like “Computer Operator.” Inside those, they have independent documents — often themselves dozens of pages long — detailing classes of positions. Then you as a manager have to evaluate these nine factors, which can each give points to each position, which decides how you get slotted into this weird Government Schedule (GS) system [the federal payscale].Again, this is actually an improvement. Before, you used to have the Civil Service Commission, which went around staring very closely at someone over their typewriter and saying, "No, I think you should be a GS-12, not a GS-11, because someone over in the Department of Defense who does your same job is a GS-12." Now this is delegated to agencies, but again, the agencies have to listen to the OPM on how to classify and set their jobs into this 15-stage GS-classification system, each stage of which has 10 steps which determine your pay, and those steps are determined mainly by your seniority. It's a formalized step-by-step system, overwhelmingly based on just how long you've sat at your desk.Let's be optimistic about my performance as a civil servant. Say that over my first three years, I'm just hitting it out of the park. Can you give me a raise? What can you do to keep me in my role?Not too much. For most people, the within-step increases — those 10 steps inside each GS-level — is just set by seniority. Now there are all these quality step increases you can get, but they're very rare and they have to be documented. So you could hypothetically pay someone more, but it's going to be tough. In general, the managers just prefer to stick to seniority, because not sticking to it garners a lot of complaints. Like so much else, the goal is, "We don't want someone rewarding an official because they happen to share their political preferences." The result of that concern is basically nobody can get rewarded at all, which is very unfortunate.We do have examples in state and federal government of what's known as broadbanding, where you have very broad pay scales, and the manager can decide where to slot someone. Say you're a computer operator, which can mean someone who knows what an Excel spreadsheet is, or someone who's programming the most advanced AI systems. As a manager in South Carolina or Florida, you have a lot of discretion to say, "I can set you 50% above the market rate of what this job technically would go for, if I think you're doing a great job."That's very rare at the federal level. They've done broadbanding at the Government Accountability Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The China Lake Experiment out in California gave managers a lot more discretion to reward scientists. But that's definitely the exception. In general, it's a step-wise, seniority-based system.What if you want to bring me into the Senior Executive Service (SES)? Theoretically, that sits at the top of the General Service scale. Can't you bump me up in there and pay me what you owe me?I could hypothetically bring you in as a senior executive servant. The SES was created in the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act. The idea was, “We're going to have this elite cadre of about 8,000 individuals at the top of the federal government, whose employment will be higher-risk and higher-reward. They might be fired, and we're going to give them higher pay to compensate for that.”Almost immediately, that did not work out. Congress was outraged at the higher pay given to the top officials and capped it. Ever since, how much the SES can get paid has been tightly controlled. As in most of the rest of the federal government, where they establish these performance pay incentives or bonuses — which do exist — they spread them like peanut butter over the whole service. To forestall complaints, everyone gets a little bit every two or three years.That's basically what happened to the SES. Their annual pay is capped at the vice president's salary, which is a cap for a lot of people in the federal government. For most of your GS and other executive scales, the cap is Congress's salary. [NB: This is no longer exactly true, since Congress froze its own salaries in 2009. The cap for GS (currently about $195k) is now above congressional salaries ($174k).]One of the big problems with pay in the federal government is pay compression. Across civil service systems, the highest-skilled people tend to be paid much less than the private sector, and the lowest-skilled people tend to get paid much more. The political science reason for that is pretty simple: the median voter in America still decides what seems reasonable. To the median voter, the average salary of a janitor looks low, and the average salary of a scientist looks way too high. Hence this tendency to pay compression. Your average federal employee is probably overpaid relative to the private sector, because the lowest-skilled employees are paid up to 40% higher than the private sector equivalent. The highest-paid employees, the post-graduate skilled professionals, are paid less. That makes it hard to recruit the top performers, but it also swells the wage budget in a way that makes it difficult to talk about reform.There's a lot of interest in this administration in making it easier to recruit talent and get rid of under-performers. There have been aggressive pushes to limit collective bargaining in the public sector. That should theoretically make it easier to recruit, but it also increases the precariousness of civil service roles. We've seen huge firings in the civil service over the last six months.Classically, the explicit trade-off of working in the federal government was, “Your pay is going to be capped, but you have this job for life. It's impossible to get rid of you.” You trade some lifetime earnings for stability. In a world where the stability is gone, but pay is still capped, isn't the net effect to drive talent away from the civil service?I think it's a concern now. On one level it should be ameliorated, because those who are most concerned with stability of employment do tend to be lower performers. If you have people who are leaving the federal service because all they want is stability, and they're not getting that anymore, that may not be a net loss. As someone who came out of academia and knows the wonder of effective lifetime annuities, there can be very high performers who like that stability who therefore take a lower salary. Without the ability to bump that pay up more, it's going to be an issue.I do know that, internally, the Trump administration has made some signs they're open to reforms in the top tiers of the SES and other parts of the federal government. They would be willing to have people get paid more at that level to compensate for the increased risks since the Trump administration came in. But when you look at the reductions in force (RIFs) that have happened under Trump, they are overwhelmingly among probationary employees, the lower-level employees.With some exceptions. If you've been promoted recently, you can get reclassified as probationary, so some high-performers got lumped in.Absolutely. The issue has been exacerbated precisely because the RIF regulations that are in place have made the firings particularly damaging. If you had a more streamlined RIF system — which they do have in many states, where seniority is not the main determinant of who gets laid off — these RIFs could be removing the lower-performing civil servants and keeping the higher-performing ones, and giving them some amount of confidence in their tenure.Unfortunately, the combination of large-scale removals with the existing RIF regs, which are very stringent, has demoralized some of the upper levels of the federal government. I share that concern. But I might add, it is interesting, if you look at the federal government's own figures on the total civil service workforce, they have gone down significantly since Trump came in office, but I think less than 100,000 still, in the most recent numbers that I've seen. I'm not sure how much to trust those, versus some of these other numbers where people have said 150,000, 200,000.Whether the Trump administration or a future administration can remove large numbers of people from the civil service should be somewhat divorced from the general conversation on civil service reform. The main debate about whether or not Trump can do this centers around how much power the appropriators in Congress have to determine the total amount of spending in particular agencies on their workforce. It does not depend necessarily on, "If we're going to remove people — whether for general layoffs, or reductions in force, or because of particular performance issues — how can we go about doing that?" My last-ditch hope to maintain a bipartisan possibility of civil service reform is to bracket, “How much power does the president have to remove or limit the workforce in general?” from “How can he go about hiring and firing, et cetera?”I think making it easier for the president to identify and remove poor performers is a tool that any future administration would like to have.We had this conversation sparked again with the firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner. But that was a position Congress set up to be appointed by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and removable by the President. It's a separate issue from civil service at large. Everyone said, “We want the president to be able to hire and fire the commissioner.” Maybe firing the commissioner was a bad decision, but that's the situation today.Attentive listeners to Statecraft know I'm pretty critical, like you are, of the regulations that say you have to go in order of seniority. In mass layoffs, you're required to fire a lot of the young, talented people.But let's talk about individual firings. I've been a terrible civil servant, a nightmarish employee from day one. You want to discipline, remove, suspend, or fire me. What are your options?Anybody who has worked in the civil service knows it's hard to fire bad performers. Whatever their political valence, whatever they feel about the civil service system, they have horror stories about a person who just couldn't be removed.In the early 2010s, a spate of stories came out about air traffic controllers sleeping on the job. Then-transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, made a big public announcement: "I'm going to fire these three guys." After these big announcements, it turned out he was only able to remove one of them. One retired, and another had their firing reduced to a suspension.You had another horrific story where a man was joking on the phone with friends when a plane crashed into a helicopter and killed nine people over the Hudson River. National outcry. They said, "We're going to fire this guy." In the end, after going through the process, he only got a suspension. Everyone agrees it's too hard.The basic story is, you have two ways to fire someone. Chapter 75, the old way, is often considered the realm of misconduct: You've stolen something from the office, punched your colleague in the face during a dispute about the coffee, something illegal or just straight-out wrong. We get you under Chapter 75.The 1978 Civil Service Reform Act added Chapter 43, which is supposed to be the performance-based system to remove someone. As with so much of that Civil Service Reform Act, the people who passed it thought this might be the beginning of an entirely different system.In the end, lots of federal managers say there's not a huge difference between the two. Some use 75, some use 43. If you use 43, you have to document very clearly what the person did wrong. You have to put them on a performance improvement plan. If they failed a performance improvement plan after a certain amount of time, they can respond to any claims about what they did wrong. Then, they can take that process up to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and claim that they were incorrectly fired, or that the processes weren't carried out appropriately. Then, if they want to, they can say, “Nah, I don't like the order I got,” and take it up to federal courts and complain there. Right now, the MSPB doesn't have a full quorum, which is complicating some of the recent removal disputes.You have this incredibly difficult process, unlike the private sector, where your boss looks at you and says, "I don't like how you're giving me the stink-eye today. Out you go." One could say that's good or bad, but, on the whole, I think the model should be closer to the private sector. We should trust managers to do their job without excessive oversight and process. That's clearly about as far from the realm of possibility as the current system, under which the estimate is 6-12 months to fire a very bad performer. The number of people who win at the Merit Systems Protection Board is still 20-30%.This goes into another issue, which is unionization. If you're part of a collective bargaining agreement — most of the regular federal civil service is — first, you have to go with this independent, union-based arbitration and grievance procedure. You're about 50/50 to win on those if your boss tries to remove you.So if I'm in the union, we go through that arbitration grievance system. If you win and I'm fired, I can take it to the Merit Systems Protection Board. If you win again, I can still take it to the federal courts.You can file different sorts of claims at each part. On Chapter 43, the MSPB is supposed to be about the process, not the evidence, and you just have to show it was followed. On 75, the manager has to show by preponderance of the evidence that the employee is harming the agency. Then there are different standards for what you take to the courts, and different standards according to each collective bargaining agreement for the grievance procedure when someone is disciplined. It's a very complicated, abstruse, and procedure-heavy process that makes it very difficult to remove people, which is why the involuntary separation rate at the federal government and most state governments is many multiples lower than the private sector.So, you would love to get me off your team because I'm abysmal. But you have no stomach for going through this whole process and I'm going to fight it. I'm ornery and contrarian and will drag this fight out. In practice, what do managers in the federal government do with their poor performers?I always heard about this growing up. There's the windowless office in the basement without a phone, or now an internet connection. You place someone down there, hope they get the message, and sooner or later they leave. But for plenty of people in America, that's the dream job. You just get to sit and nobody bothers you for eight hours. You punch in at 9 and punch out at 5, and that's your day. "Great. I'll collect that salary for another 10 years." But generally you just try to make life unpleasant for that person.Public sector collective bargaining in the US is new. I tend to think of it as just how the civil service works. But until about 50 years ago, there was no collective bargaining in the public sector.At the state level, it started with Wisconsin at the end of the 1950s. There were famous local government reforms beginning with the Little Wagner Act [signed in 1958] in New York City. Senator Robert Wagner had created the National Labor Relations Board. His son Robert F. Wagner Jr., mayor of New York, created the first US collective bargaining system at the local level in the ‘60s. In ‘62, John F. Kennedy issued an executive order which said, "We're going to deal officially with public sector unions,” but it was all informal and non-statutory.It wasn't until Title VII of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act that unions had a formal, statutory role in our federal service system. This is shockingly new. To some extent, that was the great loss to many civil service reformers in ‘78. They wanted to get through a lot of these other big reforms about hiring and firing, but they gave up on the unions to try to get those. Some people think that exception swallowed the rest of the rules. The union power that was garnered in ‘78 overcame the other reforms people hoped to accomplish. Soon, you had the majority of the federal workforce subject to collective bargaining.But that's changing now too. Part of that Civil Service Reform Act said, “If your position is in a national security-related position, the president can determine it's not subject to collective bargaining.” Trump and the OPM have basically said, “Most positions in the federal government are national security-related, and therefore we're going to declare them off-limits to collective bargaining.” Some people say that sounds absurd. But 60% of the civilian civil service workforce is the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security. I am not someone who tries to go too easy on this crowd. I think there's a heck of a lot that needs to be reformed. But it's also worth remembering that the majority of the civil service workforce are in these three agencies that Republicans tend to like a lot.Now, whether people like Veterans Affairs is more of an open question. We have some particular laws there about opening up processes after the scandals in the 2010s about waiting lists and hospitals. You had veterans hospitals saying, "We're meeting these standards for getting veterans in the door for these waiting lists." But they were straight-up lying about those standards. Many people who were on these lists waiting for months to see a doctor died in the interim, some from causes that could have been treated had they seen a VA doctor. That led to Congress doing big reforms in the VA in 2014 and 2017, precisely because everyone realized this is a problem.So, Trump has put out these executive orders stopping collective bargaining in all of these agencies that touch national security. Some of those, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), seem like a tough sell. I guess that, if you want to dig a mine and the Chinese are trying to dig their own mine and we want the mine to go quickly without the EPA pettifogging it, maybe. But the core ones are pretty solid. So far the courts have upheld the executive order to go in place. So collective bargaining there could be reformed.But in the rest of the government, there are these very extreme, long collective bargaining agreements between agencies and their unions. I've hit on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as one that's had pretty extensive bargaining with its union. When we created the TSA to supervise airport security, a lot of people said, "We need a crème de la crème to supervise airports after 9/11. We want to keep this out of union hands, because we know unions are going to make it difficult to move people around." The Obama administration said, "Nope, we're going to negotiate with the union." Now you have these huge negotiations with the unions about parking spots, hours of employment, uniforms, and everything under the sun. That makes it hard for managers in the TSA to decide when people should go where or what they should do.One thing we've talked about on Statecraft in past episodes — for instance, with John Kamensky, who was a pivotal figure in the Clinton-Gore reforms — was this relationship between government employees and “Beltway Bandits”: the contractors who do jobs you might think of as civil service jobs. One critique of that ‘90s Clinton-Gore push, “Reinventing Government,” was that although they shrank the size of the civil service on paper, the number of contractors employed by the federal government ballooned to fill that void. They did not meaningfully reduce the total number of people being paid by the federal government. Talk to me about the relationship between the civil service reform that you'd like to see and this army of folks who are not formally employees.Every government service is a combination of public employees and inputs, and private employees and inputs. There's never a single thing the government does — federal, state, or local — that doesn't involve inputs from the private sector. That could be as simple as the uniforms for the janitors. Even if you have a publicly employed janitor, who buys the mop? You're not manufacturing the mops.I understand the critique that the excessive focus on full-time employees in the 1990s led to contracting out some positions that could be done directly by the government. But I think that misses how much of the government can and should be contracted out. The basic Office of Management and Budget (OMB) statute [OMB Circular No. A-76] defining what is an essential government duty should still be the dividing line. What does the government have to do, because that is the public overseeing a process? Versus, what can the private sector just do itself?I always cite Stephen Goldsmith, the old mayor of Indianapolis. He proposed what he called the Yellow Pages test. If you open the Yellow Pages [phone directory] and three businesses do that business, the government should not be in that business. There's three garbage haulers out there. Instead of having a formal government garbage-hauling department, just contract out the garbage.With the internet, you should have a lot more opportunities to contract stuff out. I think that is generally good, and we should not have the federal government going about a lot of the day-to-day procedural things that don't require public input. What a lot of people didn't recognize is how much pressure that's going to put on government contracting officers at the federal level. Last time I checked there were 40,000 contracting officers. They have a lot of power. In the most recent year for which we have data, there were $750 billion in federal contracts. This is a substantial part of our economy. If you total state and local, we're talking almost 10% of our whole economy goes through government contracts. This is mind-boggling. In the public policy world, we should all be spending about 10% of our time thinking about contracting.One of the things I think everyone recognized is that contractors should have more authority. Some of the reform that happened with people like [Steven] Kelman — who was the Office of Federal Procurement Policy head in the ‘90s under Clinton — was, "We need to give these people more authority to just take a credit card and go buy a sheaf of paper if that's what they need. And we need more authority to get contract bids out appropriately.”The same message that animates civil service reform should animate these contracting discussions. The goal should be setting clear goals that you want — for either a civil servant or a contractor — and then giving that person the discretion to meet them. If you make the civil service more stultified, or make pay compression more extreme, you're going to have to contract more stuff out.People talk about the General Schedule [pay scale], but we haven't talked about the Federal Wage Schedule system at all, which is the blue-collar system that encompasses about 200,000 federal employees. Pay compression means those guys get paid really well. That means some managers rightfully think, "I'd like to have full-time supervision over some role, but I would rather contract it out, because I can get it a heck of a lot cheaper."There's a continuous relationship: If we make the civil service more stultified, we're going to push contracting out into more areas where maybe it wouldn't be appropriate. But a lot of things are always going to be appropriate to contract out. That means we need to give contracting officers and the people overseeing contracts a lot of discretion to carry out their missions, and not a lot of oversight from the Government Accountability Office or the courts about their bids, just like we shouldn't give OPM excess input into the civil service hiring process.This is a theme I keep harping on, on Statecraft. It's counterintuitive from a reformer's perspective, but it's true: if you want these processes to function better, you're going to have to stop nitpicking. You're going to have to ease up on the throttle and let people make their own decisions, even when sometimes you're not going to agree with them.This is a tension that's obviously happening in this administration. You've seen some clear interest in decentralization, and you've seen some centralization. In both the contract and the civil service sphere, the goal for the central agencies should be giving as many options as possible to the local managers, making sure they don't go extremely off the rails, but then giving those local managers and contracting officials the ability to make their own choices. The General Services Administration (GSA) under this administration is doing a lot of government-wide acquisition contracts. “We establish a contract for the whole government in the GSA. Usually you, the local manager, are not required to use that contract if you want computer services or whatever, but it's an option for you.”OPM should take a similar role. "Here's the system we have set up. You can take that and use it as you want. It's here for you, but it doesn't have to be used, because you might have some very particular hiring decisions to make.” Just like there shouldn't be one contracting decision that decides how we buy both a sheaf of computer paper and an aircraft carrier, there shouldn't be one hiring and firing process for a janitor and a nuclear physicist. That can't be a centralized process, because the very nature of human life is that there's an infinitude of possibilities that you need to allow for, and that means some amount of decentralization.I had an argument online recently about New York City's “buy local” requirement for certain procurement contracts. When they want to build these big public toilets in New York City, they have to source all the toilet parts from within the state, even if they're $200,000 cheaper in Portland, Oregon.I think it's crazy to ask procurement and contracting to solve all your policy problems. Procurement can't be about keeping a healthy local toilet parts industry. You just need to procure the toilet.This is another area where you see similar overlap in some of the civil service and contracting issues. A lot of cities have residency requirements for many of their positions. If you work for the city, you have to live inside the city. In New York, that means you've got a lot of police officers living on Staten Island, or right on the line of the north side of the Bronx, where they're inches away from Westchester. That drives up costs, and limits your population of potential employees.One of the most amazing things to me about the Biden Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was that it encouraged contracting officers to use residency requirements: “You should try to localize your hiring and contracting into certain areas.” On a national level, that cancels out. If both Wyoming and Wisconsin use residency requirements, the net effect is not more people hired from one of those states! So often, people expect the civil service and contracting to solve all of our ills and to point the way forward for the rest of the economy on discrimination, hiring, pay, et cetera. That just leads to, by definition, government being a lot more expensive than the private sector.Over the next three and a half years, what would you like to see the administration do on civil service reform that they haven't already taken up?I think some of the broad-scale layoffs, which seem to be slowing down, were counterproductive. I do think that their ability to achieve their ends was limited by the nature of the reduction-in-force regulations, which made them more counterproductive than they had to be. That's the situation they inherited. But that didn't mean you had to lay off a lot of people without considering the particular jobs they were doing now.And hiring quite a few of them back.Yeah. There are also debates obviously, within the administration, between DOGE and Russ Vought [director of the OMB] and some others on this. Some things, like the Schedule Policy/Career — which is the revival of Schedule F in the first Trump administration — are largely a step in the right direction. Counter to some of the critics, it says, “You can remove someone if they're in a policymaking position, just like if they were completely at-will. But you still have to hire from the typical civil service system.” So, for those concerned about politicization, that doesn't undermine that, because they can't just pick someone from the party system to put in there. I think that's good.They recently had a suitability requirement rule that I think moved in the right direction. That says, “If someone's not suitable for the workforce, there are other ways to remove them besides the typical procedures.” The ideal system is going to require some congressional input: it's to have a decentralization of hiring authority to individual managers. Which means the OPM — now under Scott Kupor, who has finally been confirmed — saying, "The OPM is here to assist you, federal managers. Make sure you stay within the broad lanes of what the administration's trying to accomplish. But once we give you your general goals, we're going to trust you to do that, including hiring.”I've mentioned it a few times, but part of the Chance to Compete Act — which was mentioned in one of Trump's Day One executive orders, people forget about this — was saying, “Implement the Chance to Compete Act to the maximum extent of the law.” Bring more subject-matter expertise into the hiring process, allow more discretion for managers and input into the hiring process. I think carrying that bipartisan reform out is going to be a big step, but it's going to take a lot more work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.statecraft.pub

Today's Headlines: Putin wants to meet with Trump next week to talk about ending the war in Ukraine, and Trump says he's hoping to follow that up with a three-way summit with Zelensky. While that's brewing, Trump's playing tariff hardball—he just doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50% to punish them for buying Russian oil (which… they already said they were going to keep doing). He also announced 100% tariffs on imported semiconductor chips unless companies build in the US, but Apple's apparently promised $100B in US investments, so they're cool. In Georgia, a 28-year-old Army sergeant shot five fellow soldiers at Fort Stewart before being tackled by other troops. Everyone's expected to recover, and the Army's investigating. The Library of Congress had to admit that major sections of the Constitution—like habeas corpus and the emoluments clause—were missing from their site due to a “coding error.” Sure. RFK Jr., now head of Health & Human Services, just canceled $500B in contracts for mRNA vaccine development because he doesn't trust the science. Meanwhile, OpenAI inked a $1 deal to give the federal government access to its AI tools next year. And for some good news: crime in the U.S. hit a 20-year low in 2024, and early 2025 data says it's still going down. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Axios: Putin proposed summit with Trump: White House AP News: Trump to put additional 25% import taxes on India, bringing combined tariffs to 50% WSJ: Trump Exempts Tech Companies That Invest in U.S. From 100% Chip Tariffs AP News: Army sergeant shot 5 soldiers before he was tackled and arrested at Fort Stewart, officials say Axios: Library of Congress blames "coding error" for missing sections of online Constitution NBC News: RFK Jr. cuts $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts, dealing major blow to promising area of research Wired: OpenAI Announces Massive US Government Partnership Axios: Nation's violent crime rate fell in 2024 to lowest in 20 years: FBI Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Georgia's Fort Stewart, a former soldier opened fire with his personal handgun and shot at five. They are expected to recover. ABC News Consultant Brad Garrett joined the show to discuss the event. 

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Garrett Dawe, engineer of traffic and safety for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), talks about a pilot project to study the use of safety cameras for automated enforcement in school zones. An appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget called for MDOT to conduct a pilot project on automated speed enforcement in school zones. Dawe explains that his team has been studying proposals and will make an announcement soon of a vendor to conduct the pilot. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at least 12 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Washington) conduct school-zone automated speed enforcement. In Georgia and Rhode Island, school zones are the only locations where automated speed enforcement is allowed in the state. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics, between 2011 and 2020,  218 school-age children (ages 18 and younger) died in school transportation-related crashes; 44 were occupants of school transportation vehicles, 83 were occupants of other vehicles, 85 were pedestrians, five were bicyclists and one was an “other” nonoccupant. 

In the most recent developments surrounding Donald Trump's court trials, things have remained complex and charged with legal maneuvering. Starting with the situation in New York, the case known as The People for the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump saw a definitive moment early this year. On January 10, 2025, Judge Merchan issued a sentence in the case involving 34 counts of falsifying business records. This stemmed from charges brought by a Manhattan grand jury back in March 2023. The trial began in April 2024 and concluded with Trump being found guilty on all counts by a jury in May 2024. Notably, rather than imposing jail time, Judge Merchan sentenced Trump to an unconditional discharge, effectively ending that chapter of the criminal proceedings in New York City.Meanwhile, the federal case out of the Southern District of Florida took quite a different turn. This indictment, originally unsealed in mid-2023, accused Trump, along with aides Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, of multiple serious offenses including 32 counts of willfully retaining national defense information, along with obstruction of justice and making false statements. However, on July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the indictment, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith had been improperly appointed and funded. Despite the Justice Department's initial plans to appeal this dismissal to the 11th Circuit Court, the appeal was later dropped in early 2025 for Trump and his co-defendants. This dismissal significantly stalled the federal government's efforts on that front.In Georgia, Fulton County prosecutors indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants on August 14, 2023, on charges related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. This case has been closely watched as it involves state-level allegations tied to election interference. Trump has pursued strategies to move the state charges into federal court, but as of late 2024, those efforts were unsuccessful. Appeals and motions continue to shape the battlefield there, showing that Georgia's legal drama remains active and ongoing.Adding dimension to the legal landscape, the federal courts recently allowed Trump's administration plans to move forward toward significant federal workforce reductions. On July 8, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stayed a federal judge's injunction against these reductions, signaling a judicial willingness to let the executive order proceed for now. This work force downsizing stems from an executive order Trump issued in February and marks continued legal engagement beyond just criminal trials.Throughout these parallel legal stories, Trump's persistent use of appeals and motions characterizes much of what's unfolding. From questions about the appointment of special counsels to multiple attempts to shift venues or delay proceedings, the legal strategy has been as important as the evidence itself. As these cases unfold in courtrooms from New York to Florida to Georgia, the nation watches a historic legal saga that could redefine presidential accountability.Thank you for tuning in to this update on the ongoing court trials involving Donald Trump. Be sure to come back next week for more insights. This has been a production of Quiet Please, and for more information, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.Some great Deals https://amzn.to/49SJ3QsFor more check out http://www.quietplease.ai

While the eyes of many have been on the US, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Israel, Gaza, the wider Middle East and much more, the southern Caucasus, that collection of states composed of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, have been roiling between order and disorder - and attracting the attention of many power players. In Georgia, the Russia-backed government is cracking down on opposition leaders, while Armenia is in political disarray following Azerbaijan's military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.Traditionally the playground of Russia - either as the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union - all three states are currently in flux, attracting the attention of Turkey, the US and the EU. Russia, on the other hand, immersed in its insane war on Ukraine, has lost its grip. Apparently insignificant states and regions have a nasty habit of suddenly coming to the fore, dominating the agenda and changing geopolitical focus. The southern Caucuses may be ripe for such a twist, not least as the war in Ukraine drags on, dragging Russia ever further away from prosperity and regional domination.To understand these fascinating dynamics, Ilana Bet-El is joined by the excellent Tinatin Japaridze, Eurasia analyst at the Eurasia Group. With fascinating insights into each state and the region as a whole, she helps clarify why Russia is on a losing pitch in the South Caucasus, the West is on the up, democracy does not always deliver, and peace is necessary - if elusive.This episode was recorded 10 July 2025 and we will be back in September after a short summer break!MentionsJailing of opposition politicians in GeorgiaZangezur corridorNagorno-Karabakh conflictTinatin's previous Women Leaders episodeFollowTinatin Japaridz LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Eurasia websiteHer book Stalin's Millennials: Nostalgia, Trauma and Nationalism@women_leaders podcastOur partner ELN Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, websiteIlana Bet-ElCreditsProduction: Florence FerrandoMusic: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #UppbeatContribute to the conversation with a comment & a 5-⭐️Reach us on our Instagram and follow for updates @women_leaders_podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had to laugh when NBC News' Ryan Nobles' relayed Senator Rand Paul's reaction to Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski's caving directly to her face. Why?Well, for one, she had that "raccoon when the light comes on" look; for another, sh elicited a response so on-brand with "America First," MAGA and the kind of voter the GOP corrals on the regular ... the "I gots mine" crowd. That said, I opted to go the "well, let's look at what's good in the bill" route, and even then, found that all that glitters ain't gold.The "no tax on overtime" part, for example. A. it sunsets. B. it might benefit 2% of U.S. households and C. "very few will see significant gains." Like $10 per year. That's not going to overcome healthcare costs going up with all the Medicaid cuts coming. The $1000 'Trump accounts' for babies is another shimmery "nothing nugget." Its benefits are - surprise - skewed to the wealthy. Okay, what about the 'no tax on tips' carve-out? A. it's capped at $25,000, and B. "would primarily benefit higher-income tipped workers, mostly because those who make less than the standard deduction already owe no federal income tax."------In Georgia, particularly rural MAGA Georgia, the 'Big Beautiful Bill' is whacking those voters' economic prospects, too. Towns like Cedertown had clen energy manufacturing coming their way. Now paused. Then there are the looming Medicaid cuts and the impact they'll have on the lives of Georgia mothers. Dr. Carey Perry's op/ed in the AJC relayed just how vital Medicaid is to nearly half of all Georgia births and how losing preventative healthcare sources will be deadly for mothers. "Loss of this coverage would almost certainly negate the efforts that continue to be made to prevent the loss of life. Medicaid is essential to our progress in combating maternal death."But hey, Lisa Murkowski got some goodies for the 740,000 people who live in Alaska. There are ninety or more COUNTIES with more people living in them than Alaska, but Lisa took care of her folks. The rest of us?

In Georgia, a good guy with a gun, and his good lady with her gun, stop two attempted carjackings, holding the suspect at gunpoint until police arrive. A Florida man is in jail after admitting he stabbed a shark in the head out of revenge during a fishing trip off Key West. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good morning, I'm reporting live on the recent legal developments involving former President Donald Trump. The past few days have seen significant movement in several high-profile cases.Just three days ago, on May 22, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Trump v. Wilcox, with Justice Kagan delivering the opinion. This case represents one of many ongoing legal battles the Trump administration is currently facing.That same day, two transgender service members filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging President Trump's ban on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military. This case, identified as 1:25-cv-01918, adds to the growing list of litigation against the administration.Last week, on May 16, the Supreme Court delivered a per curiam opinion in the case between AARP and President Trump. The Court vacated the judgment of the Fifth Circuit and remanded the case back for further consideration. At issue was President Trump's March 14 Proclamation under the Alien Enemies Act, with the Court enjoining the government from removing named plaintiffs or putative class members under this act pending further court orders.The Supreme Court also recently ruled on Trump's authority to remove agency heads without cause. This decision, while temporary, represents a significant expansion of presidential power over the federal bureaucracy.These recent court battles come after a long string of legal challenges that began years ago. Trump has faced numerous criminal and civil cases, including the classified documents case in Florida where Judge Cannon granted Trump's motion to dismiss the superseding indictment in July 2024, challenging Special Counsel Jack Smith's appointment.The New York civil fraud case also saw defendants, including Trump, filing appeals against Justice Engoron's earlier decisions. In Georgia, Trump's former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows petitioned the Supreme Court following the 11th Circuit's decision regarding his attempt to move his state criminal case to federal court.The Manhattan District Attorney's case against Trump has also seen continued legal maneuvering, with Trump attempting to remove the case to federal court in August 2024, though his filing was initially rejected as deficient.As Trump continues his presidency in 2025, these legal challenges represent a consistent theme of his time in office - a presidency defined not just by policy decisions but by unprecedented legal battles that continue to test the boundaries of executive power and the American judicial system.The coming days and weeks will likely bring further developments in these cases as the courts continue to grapple with complex constitutional questions surrounding presidential authority and accountability.

JLR is late once more, this time due to car problems. Duji has a gift for Charlie. A woman In Georgia remains on life support to keep her unborn baby alive. A prison Break in New Orleans. Is the Annabelle doll responsible for the prison breaks and plantation house being burned down? A 25-year-old self-described “pro-mortalist” bombed a fertility clinic in Palm Springs. Thick thighs and chafing balls. Brittany Furlan jumps on social media to talk about why her and Tommy Lee split up. Was Charlie winning the trip to London a blessing in disguise? Rover was annoyed by Duji trying to give advice to Snitzer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JLR is late once more, this time due to car problems. Duji has a gift for Charlie. A woman In Georgia remains on life support to keep her unborn baby alive.

JLR is late once more, this time due to car problems. Duji has a gift for Charlie. A woman In Georgia remains on life support to keep her unborn baby alive. A prison Break in New Orleans. Is the Annabelle doll responsible for the prison breaks and plantation house being burned down? A 25-year-old self-described “pro-mortalist” bombed a fertility clinic in Palm Springs. Thick thighs and chafing balls. Brittany Furlan jumps on social media to talk about why her and Tommy Lee split up. Was Charlie winning the trip to London a blessing in disguise? Rover was annoyed by Duji trying to give advice to Snitzer.

JLR is late once more, this time due to car problems. Duji has a gift for Charlie. A woman In Georgia remains on life support to keep her unborn baby alive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good morning, I'm reporting live on this Monday, May 19, 2025, with the latest developments in Donald Trump's legal battles.Just three days ago, on May 16, the Supreme Court issued a significant ruling in A.A.R.P. v. Trump, vacating a Fifth Circuit judgment and remanding the case back for further consideration. The Court has temporarily enjoined the government from removing named plaintiffs or putative class members under the AEA pending the Fifth Circuit's order. This stems from President Trump's March 14th Proclamation, which has been legally challenged on multiple fronts.Earlier this month, on May 5th, we saw movement in Pacito v. Trump, where a District Court ordered a compliance framework forcing the government to follow preliminary injunction orders related to refugees. This case directly challenges Trump's controversial suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, which has left thousands in limbo since his return to office.The legal calendar for Trump remains packed across multiple jurisdictions. His classified documents case continues to work through the appeals process after Judge Cannon granted his motion to dismiss the superseding indictment last July. The government promptly appealed to the 11th Circuit.Meanwhile, former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has taken his Georgia criminal case all the way to the Supreme Court, seeking to move it to federal court. In New York, Trump and his co-defendants are appealing Justice Engoron's decisions in the civil fraud case, with Attorney General Letitia James successfully consolidating these appeals.In Georgia, several defendants are appealing Judge McAfee's order regarding motions to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis, with oral arguments for all appellants scheduled to be heard together.Trump also continues his efforts to remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's state prosecution to federal court, despite previous rejections. His opening brief to the Second Circuit was due last October.What's particularly striking about these developments is how they've unfolded against the backdrop of Trump's second term. The Supreme Court's recent ruling signals their willingness to place at least temporary limits on executive authority, even with Trump back in the White House.As these cases continue to wind through the courts, they're testing the boundaries of presidential power and setting precedents that will shape our democracy for generations. The coming weeks promise more significant legal developments as the courts grapple with these complex constitutional questions.

Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. Retired Georgia Detective Shares the Harsh Truth About Investigations Into Assaults On Kids. In a recent interview on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, which is available for free on their website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most major podcast platforms. It is also promoted across their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium, retired Georgia law enforcement officer Bryan McRee opened up about his harrowing experience investigating assaults and sex assaults on kids, a career focus he never anticipated but ultimately became his calling. With 25 years in law enforcement, Bryan's journey took him from a city Police Department to the Lowndes County Sheriff's Office in south-central Georgia, where he served as a Detective. It was there that he found himself pulled into the darkest aspects of crime: investigations into child sexual abuse. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast episode is available for free on their website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and most major podcast platforms. “I never thought this would become a specialty for me,” Bryan said. “But once I handled my first case involving a child, I realized how critical it was that someone do this right, and do it with compassion.” Look for supporting stories about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like Medium , Blogspot and Linkedin . Throughout his career, Bryan led numerous investigations involving minors, often uncovering trauma that had been hidden within trusted circles. Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. “The majority of these assaults come from someone the child knows, a family member, a coach, a caretaker,” he explained. “That betrayal adds another layer of trauma, and it complicates the investigation.” Available for free on their website and streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. Bryan detailed two specific cases that he believes the news media often misrepresents, stories that don't make for comfortable headlines, but are sadly common. According to Bryan, intervention needs to happen early, and the focus should always be on the victims, not sensationalism. “One of the hardest parts was facing attacks, not just from suspects, but sometimes from their families, who refused to believe the victim. That's something the public rarely sees,” he noted. “But these kids... they needed someone to believe them.” The emotional toll of these cases wasn't lost on Bryan. Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. You can listen to his stories and interview on our website for free in addition to platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and other major podcast platforms. “You try to leave the job at the office, but when a kid looks you in the eye and says what happened to them, that stays with you. You carry that forever.” He emphasized that part of his duty wasn't just about arrests and convictions, it was about intervention, providing hope and healing to children and families whose lives had been shattered. Child sexual abuse is alarmingly prevalent. According to national statistics, every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted, and the vast majority of abused children, up to 93% that were sexually assaulted knew their abuser. Despite that, only 25 out of every 1,000 perpetrators are ever imprisoned. Follow the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and podcast on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium and most all social media platforms. “People need to understand the scale of the problem,” Bryan stressed. “We're talking about hundreds of thousands of victims. And these kids often don't have a voice, so we have to be that voice.” Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. In Georgia, initiatives like the Keeping Kids Safe Campaign are part of an ongoing effort to provide intervention services to victims. Organizations like the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy (GCCA) serve over 900 children each year, offering forensic interviews, trauma-informed therapy, and family support. “What GCCA does is incredible,” Bryan said. “They're rebuilding lives.” Lowndes County, where Bryan served, is located near the Florida border and is part of the Valdosta metropolitan area. Known for its strong community ties and rich history, the Sheriff's Office there operates with a mission rooted in justice, dignity, and community service. The interview is available as a free podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and podcast website, also available on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most major podcast outlets. “We were always taught to serve with integrity. To protect the innocent. That mission became very real when dealing with kids who had been assaulted.” Since retiring from law enforcement, Bryan has founded LEMS.Online, a company dedicated to modernizing law enforcement services. LEMS provides POST training, evidence room audits, and even duty-ready firearms and suppressors. The organization also offers a free training record management system for Georgia POST instructors, streamlining and improving how agencies track training and compliance. Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. “It's about giving back,” he said. “My time as a cop taught me that law enforcement needs the right tools and training. LEMS is how I continue to serve, just in a different way.” His podcast episode dives deep into both the practical and emotional challenges of working cases involving the assaults on kids, and the vital role law enforcement plays in these investigations. His candid storytelling, combined with years of fieldwork, make it a must-listen for anyone interested in the reality behind the badge. You can listen to the full conversation now on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast Websitem, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and be sure to follow the ongoing discussion across Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. Bryan's story is more than just a recount of a cop's experience, it's a sobering reminder of the work that still needs to be done to protect the most vulnerable among us. Learn useful tips and strategies to increase your Facebook Success with John Jay Wiley. Both free and paid content are available on this Patreon page . Time is running out to secure the Medicare coverage you deserve! Whether you're enrolling for the first time or looking for a better plan, our experts help you compare options to get more benefits, lower costs, and keep your doctors, all for free! Visit LetHealthy.com , that's LetHealthy.com or call (866) 427-1225, (866) 427-1222 to learn more. You can help contribute money to make the Gunrunner Movie . The film that Hollywood won't touch. It is about a now Retired Police Officer that was shot 6 times while investigating Gunrunning. He died 3 times during Medical treatment and was resuscitated. You can join the fight by giving a monetary “gift” to help ensure the making of his film at agunrunnerfilm.com . Your golden years are supposed to be easy and worry free, at least in regards to finances. If you are over 70, you can turn your life insurance policy into cash. Visit LetSavings.com , LetSavings.com or call (866) 480-4252, (866) 480-4252, again that's (866) 480 4252 to see if you qualify. You can contact John J. “Jay” Wiley by email at Jay@letradio.com , or learn more about him on their website . Get the latest news articles, without all the bias and spin, from the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on Medium , which is free. Find a wide variety of great podcasts online at The Podcast Zone Facebook Page , look for the one with the bright green logo. Be sure to check out our website . Be sure to follow us on MeWe , X , Instagram , Facebook, Pinterest, Linkedin and other social media platforms for the latest episodes and news. Background song Hurricane is used with permission from the band Dark Horse Flyer. Assaults On Kids, Intervention and Investigations, His Experience. Attributions LEMS Online RAINN Georgia Center For Child Advocacy Lowndes County Ga Sheriff Wikipedia

Good morning, America. I'm standing here today, May 11th, 2025, reflecting on what has been an unprecedented legal journey for former President Donald Trump. Just four months into 2025, and the aftermath of numerous court battles continues to shape our political landscape.Back in January, we witnessed the conclusion of the Manhattan criminal case where Trump faced charges of falsifying business records. On January 10th, Justice Merchan delivered his sentence - an unconditional discharge - following the Manhattan jury's verdict from May 30th last year that found Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts. This marked the first time in American history that a former president was convicted of felony crimes.Meanwhile, the classified documents case in Florida took a dramatic turn. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the entire indictment against Trump last July, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed and funded. The Justice Department initially appealed to the 11th Circuit but ultimately dropped their appeal against Trump in late November 2024, followed by dismissing appeals against his co-defendants Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira in January of this year.The legal calendar for Trump has been relentless. Just yesterday, news broke that the Supreme Court is preparing to review what critics have described as a "power grab" by the President. The justices will be examining the constitutional limits of presidential authority in a case that could have far-reaching implications.Trump's legal team has been working overtime, filing appeals in multiple jurisdictions. In the New York civil fraud case, Trump and his co-defendants have appealed both Justice Engoron's September 2023 summary judgment and his February 2024 final decision. The Appellate Division consolidated these appeals at the request of New York Attorney General Letitia James.In Georgia, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has taken his case all the way to the Supreme Court, seeking to move his state criminal case to federal court after the 11th Circuit dismissed his previous attempt.Trump himself has made another attempt to remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's state prosecution to federal court, though his filing was rejected as deficient and his request for leave was denied by Judge Hellerstein. His appeal to the Second Circuit is still pending.As we move deeper into 2025, these legal battles continue to unfold against the backdrop of Trump's controversial judicial appointments, which many legal experts have characterized as transformative for the federal judiciary. The intersection of legal proceedings and politics remains a defining feature of our current moment in American history.

Johnny Mac shares five good things from the recent news includingBoey, a brown bear, successfully recovering from brain surgery. At the Adventure Park in Green Bay, one of two escaped otters, Ophelia, has been safely returned. A remarkable friendship tradition sees two women exchanging the same birthday card for 81 years. In Georgia, a new record is set for the longest continuous basketball game played to support an anti-trafficking organization. Finally, a Bengal cat named Sunshine is reunited with its owner after being missing for 16 years. These heartwarming stories promise to bring a smile to your face. 00:10 Boey the Bear's Remarkable Recovery01:00 Otter Escapades at Green Bay Zoo01:53 81-Year Birthday Card Tradition02:35 Record-Breaking Basketball Game03:29 Reunion with a Long-Lost Bengal Cat 

The Context of White Supremacy hosts the weekly Compensatory Call-In 03/29/25. We encourage non-white listeners to dial in with their codified concepts, new terms, observations, research findings, workplace problems or triumphs, and/or suggestions on how best to Replace White Supremacy With Justice ASAP. This weekly broadcast examines current events from across the globe to learn what's happening in all areas of people activity. We cultivate Counter-Racist Media Literacy by scrutinizing journalists' word choices and using logic to deconstruct what is reported as "news." We'll use these sessions to hone our use of terms as tools to reveal truth, neutralize Racists/White people. #ANTIBLACKNESS In Utah (Racially Restricted Region), the first black female Republican congresswoman Mia Love died from brain cancer at the young age of 49. 23AndMe also transitioned this week as the DNA testing titan filed for bankruptcy. Now, millions are concerned about the security of their genetic material if the company and its DNA hoard are sold to an unscrupulous buyer. In Georgia, two Nathanael Greene Academy White female teachers were arrested for alleged sexual contact with students. Charged sexual deviants Bonnie Brown and Sherri Mauldin reminded Gus T. of Seattle's own Mary Kay Letourneau, a White child rapist who couldn't keep her paws off of the children she was supposed to educate. #10Stops #MinimizeConflict #TheCOWS16Years INVEST in The COWS – http://paypal.me/TheCOWS Cash App: https://cash.app/$TheCOWS CALL IN NUMBER: 605.313.5164 CODE: 564943#

This week we talk about Elon Musk, deportations, and the First Amendment.We also discuss electric vehicles, free speech, and Georgia.Recommended Book: Red Rising by Pierce BrownTranscriptGreenpeace is a protest-focused, environmentalist nongovernmental organization that was originally founded in Canada in the early 1970s, but which has since gone on to tackle issues ranging from commercial whaling to concerns about genetic engineering, worldwide.They have 26 independent organizations operating across nearly 60 countries, and their efforts are funded by a combination of grants and donations from individual supporters; and that's an important detail, as they engage in a lot of highly visible acts of protest, many of which probably wouldn't be feasible if they had corporate or government funders.They piss a lot of people off, in other words, and even folks who consider themselves to be environmentalists aren't always happy with the things they do. Greenpeace is vehemently anti-nuclear, for instance, and that includes nuclear power, and some folks who are quite green in their leanings consider nuclear power to be part of the renewable energy solution, not something to be clamped down on. The same is true of their other stances, like their protests against genetic engineering efforts and their at times arguably heavy-handed ‘ecotage' activities, which means sabotage for ecological purposes, to making their point and disrupt efforts, like cutting down forests or building new oil pipelines, that they don't like.Despite being a persistent thorn in the side of giant corporations like oil companies, and despite sometimes irritating their fellow environmentalists, who don't always agree with their focuses or approaches, Greenpeace has nonetheless persisted for decades in part because of their appreciation for spectacle, and their ability to get things that might otherwise be invisible—like whaling and arctic oil exploration—into the press. This is in turn has at times raised sufficient awareness that politicians have been forced to take a stand on things they wouldn't have otherwise been forced to voice an opinion on, much less support or push against, and that is often the point of protests of any size or type, by any organization.A recent ruling by a court in North Dakota, though, could hobble this group's future efforts. A company involved in the building of the Dakota Access pipeline accused Greenpeace of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy, and other acts, and has been awarded about $667 million in damages, payable by Greenpeace, because of the group's efforts to disrupt the construction of this pipeline.The folks at the head of Greenpeace had previously said that a large payout in this case could bankrupt the organization, and while there's still a chance to appeal the ruling, and they've said they intend to do so, this ruling is already being seen as a possible fulcrum for companies, politicians, and government agencies that want to limit protests in the US, where the right to assemble and peaceably express one's views are constitutionally protected by the first amendment, but where restrictions on protest have long been used by government officials and police to stifle protests they don't like for various reasons.What I'd like to talk about today is another, somewhat unusual wave of protests we're seeing in the US and to some degree globally right now, too, and the larger legal context in which these protests are taking place.—When US President Trump first stepped into office back in early 2017, there were protests galore, huge waves of people coming out to protest the very idea of him, but especially his seeming comfort with, and even celebration of, anti-immigration, racist, and misogynistic views and practices, including his alleged sexual abuse and rape of dozens of women, one of whom successfully took him to court on the matter, winning a big settlement for proving that he did indeed sexually assault her.The response to his second win, and his ascension to office for another term in 2025, has been more muted. There have been a lot of protests, but not at the scale of those seen in 2017. Instead, the majority of enthusiasm for protest-related action against this administration has been aimed at Elon Musk, a man who regularly tops the world's richest people lists, owns big-name companies like SpaceX and Tesla, and who has his own collection of very public scandals and alleged abuses.One such scandal revolves around Musk's decision to plow hundreds of millions of dollars into getting Trump reelected. As a result of that investment, he was brought into the president's confidence, and now serves as a sort of hatchet-man via a pseudo-official agency called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.Musk and his team have been jumping from government agency to government agency, conducting mass firings, harassing employees, hacking and by some accounts stealing and deleting all sorts of sensitive data, and generally doing their best to cause as much disruption as possible. Many of their efforts have been pushed back against, eventually, by courts, but that's only after a lot of damage has already been done.The general theory of their operation is ostensibly to cut costs in the US government, and though outside analysts and watchdogs have shown that they haven't really managed to do that on any scale, and that their actions will probably actually add to the government's deficit, not reduce it, Musk and Trump claim otherwise, and that's enough for many people in their orbit. The unsaid purpose of this group, though, seems to be making the government so ineffective and hollow that businesses, like Musk's and those of his friends, can step in and do things that were previously done by government agencies, and can reap massive profits as a consequence; folks having to pay more for what was previously provided by the government, and a bunch of rich folks profiting because they're the only ones capable of providing such services, now that the agencies have been gutted.The courts are still scrambling, as they move a lot slower than individuals with seeming authority and the support of a vindictive president can move, but this has already caused a lot of consternation across the political spectrum, and Musk, though popular with a certain flavor of Republican and far-right voter, has pissed off a lot of more conventional Republicans, in addition to pretty much every Democrat.This is important context for understanding why the most vocal and enthusiastic protests in the US these first few months of 2025 have targeted Musk, and more specifically, Musk's electric vehicle company, Tesla.Tesla was once celebrated by the political left as the EV company that made EVs sexy and popular, at a time in which this type of vehicle was anything but.Musk's shift to the political far-right changed that, though, and the general theory of these protests is that Musk is mostly held financially afloat by Tesla's huge market valuation: Tesla stocks are worth way more than those of other car companies, with a price multiple—how much the stock is worth, compared to how much business the company actually does, and how much their assets are worth—is more akin to that of a dotcom-era tech startup than a car company, the stock price valued at something like 120-times the apparent book value of the company.So Musk, who owns a lot of Tesla stock, can basically borrow money against that stock, and this allows him to tap tens of billions of dollars worth of borrowed money on a whim, because the banks know he's good for it. In this way he can inflate his supposed worth while also getting liquid cash whenever he needs it, despite not having to sell those stocks he owns.This method of acquiring liquid wealth by leveraging non-liquid assets has allowed him to support Trump's reascension, but it's also allowed him to do things like buy Twitter, which he has renamed X and converted into a sort of voicebox for the right and far-right. It has also allowed him to do things like offer money to potential voters who are signed up to vote and who sign petitions that are supportive of far-right causes; which is not quite paying for votes, which is illegal in the US, but it is the closest thing to paying for votes you can get away with, and there's still debate whether this is actually legal or not, but either way, until the courts catch on up this, too, he's been able to influence vote outcomes to varying degrees because of that access to money.Some of the biggest and most consistent protesting efforts in the post-second-term-Trump US have revolved around Tesla, its cars, and its dealerships, and the theory of operation here is that by protesting Tesla, you might be able to decrease the company's market valuation, which in turn decreases Musk's access to money. Less market value for the company means Musk can't borrow as much money against it, and if he has less access to liquid wealth, to cash rather than stocks and other illiquid assets, he may become less relevant in the administration, and less capable of influencing elections across the country (and to some degree the world, as he's throwing money at candidates he favors globally, now, too).These protests have been traditional, in the sense of gathering peacefully outside Tesla dealerships, chanting slogans and carrying signs, but also of a more aggressive sort, including spraypainting Tesla vehicles, doing things to embarrass folks who own these cars, and in some few cases, setting them on fire or otherwise destroying them.The general idea, again, is to make the brand toxic, which in turn should reduce sales, and that, ideally, for the protestors, would then reduce Musk's access to money, which he is using to influence elections and other such activities and outcomes.The administration has responded to these protests with a bizarre and, it's generally agreed, pretty embarrassing car commercial for Tesla, held outside the White House, in which Trump claimed he was buying one, and told Americans to buy a car to support Tesla because it's a wholesome American company.Trump also recently said that he would consider people caught defacing Teslas or even just protesting the brand in non-destructive ways to be domestic terrorists, which is a pretty chilling thought, as some post-9/11 rules about how the government can treat terrorists are still on the books; calling someone a terrorist is a means of doing away with due process and human rights, basically, so this is a threat to go full violent authoritarian on people using their first amendment rights in ways this administration doesn't like.These protests are occurring within the context of another notable, protest-oriented storyline, one in which students who participated in protests against the US and Israel's actions in Gaza at Columbia University in New York last spring have been arrested; one was on a visa to the US and was in the process of becoming a doctor—her visa has now been revoked—and the other, who has a green card, and who is thus a permanent US resident, and who has no criminal record, faces a case in immigration court in Louisiana, where he was shipped after being arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.His hearing has been scheduled for April 8, and his lawyers are challenging both his detention and the government's apparent efforts to make an example of him, trying to deport him and do away with his citizenship because he protested against the government's actions.The administration is claiming they can do this, and can do a bunch of other stuff, including deporting immigrants who they claim, without evidence, are members of a Venezuelan gang; they say there's legal precedent that gives them the ability to deport enemy aliens, those who are antagonistic to the US and its government, basically—the same sort of rulings that were used to justify deporting anyone sympathetic to the communist party back in the mid-to-late 20th century.This same concept is being floated to justify the deportation of some of the people who have protested against Israel's and the US's actions in Gaza, the accusation being that they are supporting Hamas and other organizations that have been declared terrorist organizations by the US, so when folks protest against these governments' activities in the region, they're also supporting the causes of terrorist organizations—which then arguably gives the US government the right to deport them, because they weren't born in the US.The legality of all this is still being debated and working its way through the court system, but the ultimate goal seems to be giving the administration the ability to deport whomever they like, and establishing that immigrants of any kind don't have the free speech rights that natural born US citizens enjoy; which isn't concretely established in law, and which these many efforts and court cases are meant to sort out more formally.This administration has also shown itself to be just really antagonistic against any person or entity that defies or criticizes it, including journalistic entities, politicians, or protesting individuals; they've used lawsuits, executive orders, and a slew of other tools to legally punish, financially punish, and in many cases socially punish, telling their supporters that it would be a real shame if something happened to these people, seemingly aiming to scare their opponents, while also possibly sparking stochastic violence against them.And this isn't a US-exclusive thing.In Georgia, the country not the state, the government is levying huge fines on people who protested against its pivot toward allying with Russia instead of moving toward the EU two years ago; they're using a so-called “foreign agent bill” to accuse anyone who says or does something against the government of being paid by foreign entities, which in turn allows them to crack down on these people hard, while seemingly not violating their good, dedicated, patriotic citizens' rights.They've also started levying fines for the equivalent of about $16,000 on those who participate in protests that even briefly block traffic, which is one more way to asymmetrically hobble people and organizations that might otherwise cause a regime trouble; anyone who does these things in their favor can just have these fines waived or ignored.We're seeing similar things in Turkey and Hungary, right now, two other countries that have seen widescale protests and significant efforts by their governments to attack those protestors, to get them to stop. In some case these efforts backfire, leading to more and more substantial pushback by the population against increasingly aggressive and abusive regimes.It's impossible to know ahead of time which way things will go, though, and right now, in the US, most of these anti-protestor efforts are still young, as are the anti-Tesla, anti-Musk protests, themselves. One side or the other could be forced to pivot by judicial rulings—though this could also lead to a long-predicted constitutional crisis, in which the judges say the government can't do something they want to do, and the government just ignores that ruling, creating an entirely different and arguably more substantial problem.Show Noteshttps://apnews.com/article/columbia-protests-immigration-detention-mahmoud-khalil-755774045e5e82849e3281e8ff72f26dhttps://www.cnn.com/2025/03/21/middleeast/turkey-protests-erdogan-mayor-intl-latam/index.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/world/middleeast/turkey-ekrem-imamoglu-istanbul.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/world/middleeast/turkey-erdogan-democracy-istanbul-mayor-detention.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Turkish_protestshttps://apnews.com/article/turkey-mayor-jailed-istanbul-f962743f724f00a318f84ffaed7f58dehttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/us/politics/what-is-doge-elon-musk-trump.htmlhttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/protesters-gather-tesla-showrooms-dealerships-denounce-elon-musk-doge-rcna197595https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/nyregion/columbia-trump-concessions-watershed.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/hungary-pride-ban-orban-lgbtq-rights-e7a0318b09b902abfc306e3e975b52dfhttps://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y0zrg9kpnohttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarys-president-signs-law-banning-pride-parade-despite-protests-2025-03-19/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungarys-orban-vows-fast-crackdown-media-ngos-over-foreign-funding-2025-03-15/https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/15/europe/georgia-protests-authoritarianism-fears-intl-cmd/index.htmlhttps://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/03/georgia-authorities-freeze-accounts-of-organizations-supporting-protesters-to-kill-the-peaceful-protests/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250323-georgia-cracks-down-on-pro-eu-protests-with-crippling-fineshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/nyregion/mahmoud-khalil-trump-allegations.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/us/politics/spacex-contracts-musk-doge-trump.htmlhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/21/oil-protest-activism-greenpeace-dakota-pipeline-verdicthttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/greenpeace-lawsuit-energy-transfer-dakota-pipelinehttps://www.cnn.com/2025/03/18/climate/greenpeace-lawsuit-first-amendment/index.htmlhttps://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/what-to-know-about-greenpeace-after-it-was-found-liable-in-the-dakota-access-protest-casehttps://apnews.com/article/greenpeace-dakota-access-pipeline-lawsuit-verdict-5036944c1d2e7d3d7b704437e8110fbbhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeacehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_protest This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

In Georgia, a young man was arrested and charged with murder after a woman was found dead in front of her home.In Texas, a young mother was found shot in her home. Her boyfriend claimed that the shooting was accidental, but he didn't realize that somebody had witnessed the shooting unfold.In New York, a father is accused of gunning down his girlfriend and his son in their family home before fleeing from the scene. He was captured roughly 12 hours later when he returned to his house.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

A newly released autopsy report reveals that a Kansas City Super Bowl reporter found dead in a Louisiana hotel room had alcohol and Xanax in his system when he passed out and suffocated. In Georgia, a St. Patrick’s Day tradition continues: drivers trying to outsmart the law end up skipping a fake checkpoint and ending up at the real checkpoint. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tax dollars supporting gender-affirming surgeries for transgender inmates? In Georgia, it's still a 'tough sell' for the majority of the Democratic electorate in this economy, says Georgia Sen. Elena Parent. The Democrat has been getting some criticism because of her vote, where she stood with Republicans in banning that practice. Parent tells Political Breakfast host Lisa Rayam, Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson and Republican strategist Brian Robinson, that she's defended, and still stands in strong solidarity, with the LGBTQ community during this "treacherous" time in our country. But all agree that the attacks on Parent are worth a larger conversation, on how lawmakers shouldn't cater to extremism on both sides of the political aisle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Georgia da oltre cento giorni i manifestanti sono in piazza per contestare l'illegittimità delle scorse elezioni di novembre che hanno visto nuovamente vincere il partito “Sogno Georgiano”. Una resistenza civile che continua nonostante repressioni e arresti. Uno stallo politico che sta bloccando il paese e il suo governo, sempre più lontano dall'Europa e sempre più vicino a Mosca. A sostenere le proteste anche la presidente Salomé Zourabichvili, che ha visto scadere il suo mandato lo scorso dicembre ma non ha riconosciuto il suo successore, Mikheil Q'avelashvili. La incontriamo in esclusiva a Tbilisi

In Georgia, a woman was arrested in connection to the shooting death of a man in their shared home.In Texas, a man was arrested in connection to his fiance's death in January, which was initially ruled a suicide.In California, a man was arrested and charged with murder in connection to a fatal shooting from the fall of 2008.In New Jersey, a man has been charged with murder for his wife's death after she was found with a belt tightly wrapped around her neck.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

In Georgia, a man was arrested in connection to a shooting spree in a subdivision that left his father dead and another man injured.In Washington, an off-duty state trooper was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide.In Massachusetts, a young man was arrested and charged with murder after his mother was found dead in the family home.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

In Georgia, a perplexing death investigation and missing person case has captured the attention of local authorities, marking an unprecedented event in the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amber Nicole Thurman was a 28-year-old medical assistant, devoted mother from Georgia, and one of the first women to die following the Dobbs decision. In August 2022, she sought a medication abortion due to an unplanned pregnancy. Following the procedure, she experienced severe complications, including a grave infection. Despite her critical condition, medical staff at Piedmont Henry Hospital delayed performing a necessary dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure for over 20 hours, reportedly due to concerns about Georgia's restrictive abortion laws. In this episode, Amber Thurman's mother, Shanette Williams, speaks with Jen Taylor-Skinner about her daughter's death, the delayed care, and the urgency to restore reproductive rights across the country. Episode Resources: ProPublica: Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother's Death Was Preventable Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We're working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That's why we're sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's February 28, 2025, and the legal saga surrounding former President Donald Trump continues to unfold. Just last month, on January 10th, Trump was sentenced to unconditional discharge in the New York hush money case. Judge Juan Merchan handed down the sentence, which essentially means Trump faces no real penalty, but the conviction remains on his record.The road to this sentencing was not without drama. Trump's legal team fought hard to delay or dismiss the charges, citing his November 2024 re-election and claiming political motivation. They even took their case to the Supreme Court, arguing for an extension of presidential immunity. But the New York prosecutors stood firm, urging the justices to let the sentencing proceed as scheduled.Meanwhile, the federal cases against Trump took unexpected turns. In the Southern District of Florida, where Trump faced charges related to mishandling classified documents, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the indictment last July. She ruled that Special Counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed and funded. The Justice Department initially appealed but ultimately dropped the case in November.The Washington D.C. case, which dealt with Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, met a similar fate. After delays due to Trump's immunity claims, Judge Tanya Chutkan granted the government's motion to dismiss the case in December.But the legal battles are far from over. In Georgia, where Trump and several associates face state charges related to election interference, there's been a significant development. On December 19th, the Court of Appeals of Georgia granted a motion to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from the case, throwing its future into uncertainty.As we speak, President Trump is implementing his agenda for his second term. On February 19th, he issued an executive order titled "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Deregulatory Initiative." This order directs agencies to identify and rescind regulations that conflict with the administration's policies and to constrain their enforcement authorities.The political landscape has shifted dramatically, and the legal system continues to grapple with the unprecedented challenges posed by a former president facing multiple criminal indictments while serving a second term. As we move further into 2025, the nation watches closely to see how these complex legal and political narratives will continue to unfold.

In Utah, police arrested a man in connection to the death of a woman who went missing in December of last year.In Georgia, a woman was arrested and charged with malice murder in connection to the January death of her husband.In North Carolina, police were called to a church parking lot and discovered a young man dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Over the weekend, police announced the arrest of two suspects.In Florida, a young couple is accused of negligence resulting in death after their two-year-old child accessed a gun and shot themself in the head.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

I've long said Republicans were unserious about addressing shortcomings in our immigration situation because they spend way more time seeking to demonize migrant (you know, "illegals") and not the real "illegals" (employers & human traffickers) menacing (in some cases abusing, exploiting, threatning and even killing) well-meaning migrant laborers.A recent sentencing of a human trafficking kingpin (queen pin?) shows the American judicial system is unserious about the very serious crimes committed.Nor are Republicans serious about the well-being of outdoor laborers - even those here legally and/or American citizens - in the face of rising temperatures.Take Florida, for example. Or Texas. WhileJoe Biden rolled out new OSHA standards,some Republicans just want to get rid of OSHA altogether.In Georgia, there's a bipartisan effort, at least, to create a state-run guest worker program that would be "subject to federal rules and regulations." Except again, some Republicans want OSHA to go away, so what rules and regulations will protect these workers?- - - - -Mitch McConnell has become a more reliable swing vote for Democrats than Susan Collins or Lisa Murkowski. Let that sink in. Still, asMitch takes to the Louisville press to opine about the dangers of Trump's tariff-heavy economic policy, I simply want to remind him - and his Kentucky constituents - he's the single-most complicit person to pin a second Trump presidency on other than Donald Trump himself. Hef*cked around;and around;and around. Now he, his constituents, and all of us, are finding out.The'60 Minutes' interview a few weeks backwas (in my view) a failed attempt at Mitch trying to re-cast himself for legacy's sake.

A Detroit mother is facing murder charges after authorities say she smothered her 9-year-old son, bound his hands and feet, and buried him in the backyard of a rental home before fleeing to Georgia. In Georgia, DUI offenders in Banks County now face an unusual penalty. As part of their sentence, they must buy a new car seat for a family in need. Drew Nelson reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Maryland, police arrested a woman after her daughter was found dead in the basement of their family home.In Oregon, police arrested two teenage suspects in the shooting death of a man two weeks ago.In Georgia, police arrested a woman in connection to the strange death of a man back in the summer of 2019.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

In Florida, first responders were called to a reported house fire and found a deceased woman inside.In Missouri, sheriff's deputies were called to a home for a reported shooting. The suspect claimed that he was getting rid of the wicked.In Georgia, law enforcement arrested a man in connection to the death of a woman found in a creek.In Indiana, a man called 911 and reported that he had beaten his wife to death with a hammer.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

Since emerging as an independent state in 1991, Georgia has struggled to establish its nationhood. "Joining 'the West' has driven Georgian elites' strategic thinking for decades," writes the historian Bryan Gigantino. Yet, at the same time, Tbilisi must not antagonize Russia, as the legacy of the 2008 war over South Ossetia and Abkhazia still looms over Georgian society. For the past three weeks, demonstrators have staged massive protests, often clashing with police, over the ruling Georgian Dream party's decision to suspend talks to join the European Union. In this episode, Gigantino untangles the complexities of Georgian history and politics as the country copes with life on the post-Soviet periphery. Further reading: In Georgia, a National Election Is a Geopolitical Struggle by Bryan Gigantino (Jacobin)

The challenges in Eastern Europe extend beyond Ukraine's borders. Romania's constitutional court has annulled the first round of its presidential election amid allegations of Russian interference. In Georgia, a week of anti-government demonstrations has been met by a brutal police response. And one of Ukraine's most vocal supporters, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, is leaving office after his political party was defeated in October elections. He joins the show from New York.  Also on today's show: An exclusive interview with Syrian rebel leader Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS); Thierry Arnaud, Senior International Correspondent, BFMTV; Daniel Bogado  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's Gaslit Nation, Andrea and Terrell answer listeners' questions about Syria, Ukraine, and Georgia–and urgent lessons for us here at home.  Take a look at what's happening in countries like Georgia and Syria—resistance movements are growing against oppressive, authoritarian regimes backed by Russia. It's a struggle for freedom and self-determination, and it's all part of the same global fight. Americans can't keep pretending that foreign conflicts are somehow detached from our own issues. What's happening abroad affects us too, whether we like it or not. In Georgia, for example, the situation mirrors what's happening in Ukraine: ordinary citizens are pushing back against corrupt governments and trying to secure their future with the European Union. Meanwhile, in Syria, a surprise push by a rebel alliance has liberated several key areas from Assad's brutal dictatorship, propped up by Russia and Iran. Assad and his family fled to Russia, joining Ukraine's Trump, Viktor Yanukovych.  The left needs to take a long, hard look at the atrocities Russia is committing—not just in Ukraine, but around the world. And let's not forget that Ukrainians are fighting for their own agency, their right to choose their future, in a way that should inspire us all.  This week's bonus show, for subscribers at the Truth-teller ($5/month) level and higher, answers questions from our listeners at the Democracy Defender ($10/month) and higher, and looks at the potential for Trump to start an actual war with Mexico. To hear all bonus shows, be sure to subscribe!  Thank you to everyone who supports the show–we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!  Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes:   Red Lines: Documentary on Syria: https://iwonder.com/titles/red-lines-ad98aab62542ea8d524fed6dd51fcb76   Philip Obaji Jr.:  https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-putins-private-army-ordered-soldiers-to-torture-me/   Warnings from Syria: https://gaslitnation.libsyn.com/warnings-from-syria-on-how-to-stop-putin-in-ukraine   In sweeping advance, rebels control parts of Sryia https://www.npr.org/2024/12/01/nx-s1-5211885/in-sweeping-advance-rebels-control-parts-of-sryia   Who Are the Rebels Leading the Offensive in Syria? The group now advancing, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, says it wants to replace the Assad government with one inspired by Islamic principles. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/world/middleeast/syria-rebels-hts-who-what.html   Trump Orders Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Northern Syria https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/us/politics/mark-esper-syria-kurds-turkey.html   Commentary The US will become ‘minority white' in 2045, Census projects https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-us-will-become-minority-white-in-2045-census-projects/   Donald Trump Has 'Obligations' to Those Who Brought Him to Power—Putin Ally https://www.newsweek.com/vladimir-putin-nikolai-patrushev-donald-trump-russia-1984360   Why Six Countries Account for Most Migrants at the U.S.-Mexico Border Migrants and displaced people from across the world are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in droves. More than half come from six Latin American countries, where worsening violence, poverty, and other factors are pushing them to leave. https://www.cfr.org/article/why-six-countries-account-most-migrants-us-mexico-border   Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People--And the Fight to Resist It https://bookshop.org/p/books/minority-rule-ari-berman/19994801?ean=9780374600211   If Anyone Can Save the Democrats, It's Ben Wikler https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/02/opinion/ben-wikler-dnc-chair.html

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Major developments out of Syria as rebel forces seize control of Aleppo, the country's second-largest city, and continue their advance. We'll explore what this means for Bashar al-Assad's regime, Russia's role, and the future of the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announces for the first time his willingness to cede territory to Russia to end the ongoing war. We'll unpack his remarks and the potential implications. In Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, thousands rally against the government's decision to halt EU accession talks. We'll discuss the protests and what's at stake for Georgia's future. And in today's Back of the Brief: Former President Donald Trump selects Kash Patel as his nominee for FBI Director, raising questions about his qualifications and future role. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Florida, police were called out to a Palm Beach golf course for a reported attack.In Texas, police were called to a late-night convenience store and found a man brutally murdered on the sidewalk.In Georgia, a man called the police and told them that his teenage niece was digging a hole in the backyard of her home and that there was potentially a dead newborn.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

11.21.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Trump's Picks & The Black Community, Matt Gaetz Withdraws, Jussie Smollett Conviction Overturned With every Trump administration appointment, we are seeing Project 2025 taking shape.  Janai Nelson, the president and director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund, is here to explain how Trump's picks may impact the Black community. Matt Gaetz couldn't take the heat!  He withdrew from his nomination to become the next attorney general. We'll share the audio of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. comparing Trump to Hitler and calling Trump supporters "belligerent idiots' and "outright Nazis." The Illinois Supreme Court overturns Jussie Smollett's conviction in his hoax attack. The Justice Department says the Trenton, New Jersey, police department has a pattern of misconduct.  In Georgia, a former cop who shot an unarmed black man wants a judge to throw out his murder charges. The president of Atlanta's NAACP will give us an update on the  Jimmy Atchinson murder case.  A Texas Jury awards nearly $100 Million to the Family of a black man killed by a former Dallas police officer.#BlackStarNetwork partner: Fanbasehttps://www.startengine.com/offering/fanbase This Reg A+ offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.  This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. You should read the Offering Circular (link) and Risks (link) related to this offering before investing. Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox

We're catching up on all that happened during Day 15 of the Delphi Murders Trial. In Georgia, a young mother went to a grocery store to meet with an acquaintance and never returned home.We have some updated information on the murder of Dustin Kjersem, a case that we reported on late last week.Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

Kate Adie presents stories from Georgia, the US, Benin and Egypt.In Georgia, tens of thousands of people took to the streets this week amid claims of election violations, highlighting the rift between voters hoping for closer ties to Europe and those wishing to retain relations with Russia. Rayhan Demytrie reports from the capital Tbilisi.Immigration is one of the leading issues for voters in the US Presidential election. James Menendez travelled to both Mexico and the Southern US to meet people affected, in different ways, by the border crisis.More than 12 months on since the October 7th attacks by Hamas, and the onset of Israel's retaliation, foreign journalists have still been unable to report directly from Gaza. As a result, news organisations have often turned to Gazan citizens to relay what they see on a daily basis. Lara Elgabaly reports on some of the virtual relationships she has built in reporting on Gaza - and what it was like when she finally met a family that had been sharing their story with her.Voodoo is an often misunderstood and maligned religion, says its followers, but the government in Benin wants to correct that - and even use the country's traditional belief system and culture to appeal to tourists, as Sam Bradpiece discovered.And finally, returning to the US election. With the polls neck and neck, America is likely to remain a deeply divided nation no matter who wins the White House next week – but where does the 2024 race sit in the long arc of America's political history? Nick Bryant has reported from the campaign trail since the 90s and reflects on what next week's vote could mean for the country.Producers: Emma Close and Polly Hope. Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith. Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison.

//The Wire//2300Z November 1, 2024////ROUTINE////BLUF: ELECTION ISSUES AND IRREGULARITIES CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE USA. NORTH KOREAN TROOPS IN EUROPE COMPLICATE UKRAINIAN WAR// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Eastern Europe: The claims of North Korean troops on the front lines of the Ukrainian War have continued to grow. The United States has claimed that roughly 8,000 North Korean troops are in Russia right now, and are allegedly planning to take part in combat operations in Kursk. From Ukraine's perspective, varying claims have also been made of North Korean troops fighting as well, though it's not clear as to if North Korean troops are actually in combat service in Ukraine yet. AC: Either way, the proxy war in Europe has largely taken a turn for the strange now that North Korea has, in effect, invaded Europe. South Korea has voiced strong objections to this alleged deployment, and indications are growing that South Korea may at some point decide to bring their proxy war on the Korean Peninsula, to the proxy war in Europe.-HomeFront-United States: Election integrity issues continue to mount. In Kentucky, yesterday's report of a voting machine not allowing a voter to select Trump's name has been confirmed by Laurel County election officials. The Attorney General's office sent a team to the polling place to investigate, and was able to recreate the “glitch” during the investigation. The team reported that sometimes, touching a certain spot on the touchscreen resulted in a voter not being able to select Trump's name, or the vote switching to Harris. Similar concerns have been reported in Arkansas, where yet another viral video seems to indicate the same exact scenario, votes switching to Harris, or the voter not being able to select Trump on the ballot. In the states of Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin, voters have reported seeing Trump's name misspelled on the voting machine or on their paper ballots, casting doubt as to whether or not these votes would be invalidated. Some voters also reported “printing errors” on certain ballots, which smudged various candidate choices, likely invalidating the entire ballot. In Georgia, Cobb County election officials have stated that at least 3,000 absentee ballots will be mailed to voters later than planned. As of this afternoon, county officials have not disclosed how many ballots still need to be mailed out to voters.Washington D.C. – A scandal involving leaked emails has emerged, alleging that the White House pressured the official Presidential stenographer to change the official transcript of President Biden's remarks on Trump voters, significantly changing the meaning of the now infamous “garbage” quote. A single apostrophe was added to Biden's remarks, which changed the meaning of the word “supporters” to be in its possessive form, changing the quote's meaning to indicate that the “garbage” belonged to Trump's supporters, and that the 

This past Monday, our favorite historian Heather Cox Richardson joined Red Wine & Blue for a virtual event. We were hoping to hear her insight into how this election fits into the broader story of American history, and what we might expect over the next two weeks.But if we're being honest, what we really wanted was for Heather to tell us that it was all going to be okay.And of course she couldn't tell us that with certainty. She's a historian, not a soothsayer. But she did offer some words of hope.Our own podcast co-host Rep. Jasmine Clark also joined the call, and she talked about Georgia Republicans' efforts to undermine voting in her state. During the pandemic, Georgia began offering ballot drop boxes, which were extremely popular and widely used. But despite that — or really, because of that—Republicans changed the rules and now most of the drop boxes are no longer available.That could be a disheartening story about voter disenfranchisement, but Heather encouraged us to look at it a different way. If extremist policies were popular, why would they take away drop boxes? If most Americans supported Project 2025, why are they trying so hard to keep us from voting?It's because we're the majority. Most Americans want to elect common sense candidates up and down the ballot. And we're not letting the suppression keep us from voting. In Georgia, and many states across the country, voter turnout numbers are breaking records.We have the power. We just have to use it.For a transcript of this episode, please email theswppod@redwine.blue. You can learn more about us at www.redwine.blue or follow us on social media! Twitter: @TheSWPpod and @RedWineBlueUSA Instagram: @RedWineBlueUSA Facebook: @RedWineBlueUSA YouTube: @RedWineBlueUSA

In Georgia, a Republican-led state election board is implementing new rules just weeks before election day. Local election officials say the new rules will hurt the state's election security. What's behind the upheaval in Georgia's elections?

Today's Headlines: Israel has officially launched a ground invasion into Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah's tunnel network along the border. Strikes have reached Beirut, forcing about 1 million people to flee their homes. Meanwhile, the U.S. is sending an additional 2,000–3,000 troops to the region. In a twist, one of the top Hamas commanders killed in Lebanon turned out to be a suspended UNRWA employee, sparking further investigations into the UN agency. In Georgia, a judge just struck down the state's 6-week abortion ban, and in Rockdale County, people are being evacuated after a chemical plant fire released chlorine into the air. Over in California, Governor Newsom vetoed a first-of-its-kind AI safety bill but approved a law banning certain artificial dyes in school meals. And tonight, get ready for the vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance, airing at 9 p.m. Eastern. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: WSJ: Israeli Special Forces Launch Raids Into Lebanon Ahead of Expected Ground Incursion ABC News: Top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was UNRWA employee placed on administrative leave CBS News: Georgia's six-week abortion ban ruled unconstitutional by Fulton County judge  NBC News: Shelter-in-place advisory extended in Georgia county after chlorine detected in air Axios: Newsom vetoes controversial California AI bill  NBC News: California governor signs landmark legislation prohibiting six artificial dyes from the food served at public schools CBS News: Tim Walz and JD Vance's 2024 VP debate is tomorrow. Here's what to know  Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Georgia, a controversial new rule to hand-count ballots is being challenged in court. On this week's On the Media, how the big lie of 2020 is shaping elections in 2024. Plus, how newsrooms are preparing for a whirlwind of disinformation on election night — and beyond. [01:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Sam Gringlas, politics reporter at WABE, about the controversy surrounding new election rules in Georgia and the officials backing them. [14:37] Host Micah Loewinger interviews Ari Berman, voting rights correspondent at Mother Jones, about the wave of efforts by Republican lawmakers across the country to change voting and election laws, and what happens if we have a tie in the Electoral College. [25:59] Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Benjamin Mullin, media reporter for The New York Times, to hear how newsrooms are bracing for election night 2024. [37:30] Host Brooke Gladstone speaks with Mark Clague, professor of musicology at the University of Michigan, about the role of music in this year's presidential campaigns, the history of political anthems, and the consequences of pop star celebrity culture seeping further into our political sphere.  Further reading:“Georgia's Republican-led election board OKs controversial rule to hand-count ballots,” by Sam Gringlas“Officials Voted Down a Controversial Georgia Election Rule, Saying It Violated the Law. Then a Similar Version Passed,” by Doug Bock Clark“How Republicans Could Block a Democratic Victory in Georgia,” by Ari Berman“Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It,” by Ari Berman“News Outlets Brace for Chaos on Election Night (and Perhaps Beyond),” by Benjamin Mullin and Michael M. Grynbaum“Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris shows how big a role music is playing in the 2024 election,” by Mark Clague On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

In Georgia, a teenager was walking home from the bus stop after a long day of school and was shot. Over the weekend, a man from South Carolina was arrested in connection to a shooting after confiding to what he believed was a trusted source. In Idaho, years after a woman mysteriously disappeared, law enforcement captured a suspect in the case. The investigation also led them to additional victims of other heinous crimes. Down in Texas, police arrest a suspect in the case of a road rage murder that occurred in 2023. The suspect was in front of the police at the crime scene. Follow us on social media:X: @SAS_DailyInstagram: @swordandscaledailyConsider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus

Tuesday, September 17th, 2024Today, Elon Musk called for the assassination of Biden and Harris and then quickly deleted the tweet claiming he was joking; at least two women in Georgia died after they couldn't access legal abortions and timely medical care in their state; the man found with a gun near Trump International has been hit with weapons charges; the Dayton Ohio police chief puts out a statement supporting the Haitian community in Springfield; people are calling for JD Vance to resign after admitting he created the story about people eating pets; an Iowa man challenging voter registration admits he's with the RNC; four people have been injured after New York cops opened fire at someone for evading subway fare; and Allison and Dana deliver your good news.If you want to try Beam's best-selling Dream Powder, get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to ShopBeam.com/DAILYBEANS and use code DAILYBEANS at checkout.Give to the Kamala Harris Presidential CampaignKamala Harris — Donate via ActBlue (MSW Media's Donation Link)https://www.patreon.com/muellershewrote/membershipThere is a new “Harris For President” Patreon tier that gets you: Ad-free and early Beans and JackAll of the bonus episodes including the weekly wrap up an your notes and linksInvites to monthly happy hoursHarris for President Tee Shirt (Message us your size please!)Stickers (while they last)Access to the private Beans facebook group$2 of your first month will go to the Harris/Walz CampaignStoriesCountdown to National Voter Registration Day (nationalvoterregistrationday.org)4 hurt — including bystander shot in the head — after NYPD opens fire in Brooklyn subway station (Gothamist)Suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt charged with federal gun crimes (NBC Miami)Calls for J.D. Vance to resign after he admits that he created pet-eating story about immigrants (NJ.com)Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother's Death Was Preventable. (ProPublica)Pottawattamie County man challenges 600+ voter registrations (KETV7 | ketv.com)Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe to Lawyers, Guns, And MoneyAd-free premium feed: https://lawyersgunsandmoney.supercast.comSubscribe for free everywhere else:https://lawyersgunsandmoney.simplecast.com/episodes/1-miami-1985Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.comFollow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill https://muellershewrote.substack.comhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://www.threads.net/@muellershewrotehttps://www.tiktok.com/@muellershewrotehttps://instagram.com/muellershewroteDana Goldberghttps://twitter.com/DGComedyhttps://www.instagram.com/dgcomedyhttps://www.facebook.com/dgcomedyhttps://danagoldberg.comHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/From The Good NewsAm I Eligible for WIC? (USDA)Putting Healthy Food within Reach for Those in Need (SNAP | USDA)Federal Pell Grants (studentaid.gov)CWA's Strike Against AT&T Has Ended (cha-union.org)Derek Alvarado for State Representative District 74, Clark County, Ohio  (sites.google)Jungfraujoch Top of Europe (Jungfraujoch.ch)New “Harris for President” Patreon Tierhttps://www.patreon.com/muellershewrote/membershipvote.org Check out other MSW Media podcastshttps://mswmedia.com/shows/Subscribe for free to MuellerSheWrote on Substackhttps://muellershewrote.substack.com Follow AG and Dana on Social MediaDr. Allison Gill https://muellershewrote.substack.comhttps://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrotehttps://www.threads.net/@muellershewrotehttps://www.tiktok.com/@muellershewrotehttps://instagram.com/muellershewroteDana Goldberghttps://twitter.com/DGComedyhttps://www.instagram.com/dgcomedyhttps://www.facebook.com/dgcomedyhttps://danagoldberg.comHave some good news; a confession; or a correction to share?Good News & Confessions - The Daily Beanshttps://www.dailybeanspod.com/confessional/ Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:The Daily Beans on Apple PodcastsWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?Supercasthttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/OrPatreon https://patreon.com/thedailybeansOr subscribe on Apple Podcasts with our affiliate linkThe Daily Beans on Apple Podcasts

Today's Headlines: A new ProPublica report reveals that at least two women in Georgia, including 28-year-old Amber Nicole Thurman, died because doctors were too afraid to perform necessary abortion procedures under the state's restrictive ban. Thurman's death followed a 20-hour delay in treating her post-abortion complications. In other news, Donald Trump has launched a cryptocurrency exchange called World Liberty Financial, involving his sons and even 18-year-old Barron. Meanwhile, TikTok is taking the U.S. government to court over its sale-or-ban law, claiming it violates free speech. A pipeline fire in Houston forced evacuations, and a new study has found that over 3,000 harmful chemicals from food packaging have been detected in human blood, hair, and breast milk. Resources/Articles mentioned in this episode: Pro Publica: Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother's Death Was Preventable. Fast Company: What is World Liberty Financial? Trump's new crypto exchange launches tonight. Here's everything we know Axios: TikTok's day in court  ​​AP News: Massive pipeline fire burning near Houston began after a vehicle struck a valve, officials say  WA Post: More than 3,000 chemicals from food packaging have infiltrated our bodies  Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Bridget Schwartz and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices