Podcast appearances and mentions of Laura Kelly

Gov. Laura Kelly hired Vijay Ramasamy as a special adviser on water to assist with the Ogallala Aquifer and other issues. Ramasamy says his job "is to make water central to a lot of our conversations."

Laura Kelly, Kansas Governor | 11-16-23See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Co-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/SHOW NOTES BEGINSpecial Guest - CW Gardner to talk about his new children's book about becoming a manly manT/F - Andy Brashear's Win In KY Is An Example, Not An Anomalyhttps://www.thenation.com/article/politics/andy-beshear-win-abortion-kentucky/Missouri Poll shows Quade isn't just competitive  - there is a real avenue to victory here in MO for her Primary will be a major waste with silver spoon business man Mike Hamarsbi https://www.showmevictories.com/news/one-year-out-missouri-voters-share-their-opinions-ahead-of-2024-election-cycle/KY rural voters: https://dailyyonder.com/rural-voters-shift-toward-democrat-in-kentucky-governors-race/2023/11/09/Big One - 2024, A Year Out - What A Difference A Week Makes, Now Imagine A Year… Nov 5, NY Times puts out their big bombshell poll and starts the coverage cyclehttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/05/us/politics/biden-trump-2024-poll.htmlCNN Now has a similar poll and coverage cycle goingThen - David Axelrod, Main Architect of the Obama campaigns - posts his thoughts about swapping Biden out as the Democratic nomineehttps://x.com/davidaxelrod/status/1721187586268389858?s=20 Meanwhile - we had the odd year election which means the bi-annual “Virginia Is A  Bellwether” analysis started Virginia bellwether good quote from Virginia State Senator and coolewst grandma on the planet, L. Louise Lucas https://twitter.com/senlouiselucas/status/1721604287531250113?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA THEN - two days later, Democrats swept both chambers in Virginia, KY reelected a Democrat that we just discussed, and Ohio voters roundly rejected GOP extremism with the passage of Issue 1 by 13 points to legalize abortion in their state constitutioNOW - Huge push coming, including by Axelrod - to talk about project 2025 and the massive risk a Trump presidency part 2 would pose to both the future of American democracy and to human rightshttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/09/trump-president-democracy-threat-media-journalism?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherBackdrop - More and more prominent GOP members are running from TrumpIowa governor backing DeSantis - https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4296720-iowa-governor-officially-endorses-desantis-at-des-moines-rally/Sen. Joe Manchin is retiring from his seat and largely expected to run with the No Labels groupJill Stein is back too https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4302594-jill-stein-2024-bid-green-party/Think piece about Obama/Biden splits and how that's showing back up now https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4304498-axelrod-criticism-obama-biden-tensions/All of that leads to What can be a good discussion because this is one of those times where our goals are all aligned, we want not Trump to be elected  President in 2024 - but we have some starkly different reactions to Axelrod's comments

Today, the White House announced that Israel had agreed to incrementally pause its fighting in Gaza to allow civilians to evacuate. Plus, US and Israeli intelligence officials are in Qatar today for hostage negotiations with Hamas. Laura Kelly from The Hill has been tracking it all and she joins Boyd with the latest updates. 

Exemplary clinician and accomplished dental photographer Dr. Adamo Notarantonio joins Laura Kelly to discuss the significant role of photography in dentistry. This insightful conversation uncovers how photography can be used as a strategic tool to support the success of a dental practice in diagnosis, treatment planning, documentation, and communication.

October 27, 2023 - UAW strike might be ending | Kansas GOP peddles lies about working poor | Ohioans may legalize cannabis on Issue 2 in November | Dark money floods into Denver school board elections | Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announces $402MM in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to replace lead drinking water service lines | SCOTUS smacks down another racial gerrymander from a GOP state legislature in the South Support what we do by leaving a five star rating and a review wherever you listen and follow us on social media at the heartland pod. Also check out heartlandpod.com and click the patreon link to learn about becoming a podhead today.https://michiganadvance.com/2023/10/26/we-won-things-nobody-thought-possible-uaw-reaches-tentative-deal-with-ford/What started at three plants at midnight on Sept. 15, has become a national movement,” said Fain. “We won things nobody thought possible. Since the strike began, Ford put 50% more on the table than when we walked out. This agreement sets us on a new path to make things right at Ford, at the Big Three, and across the auto industry. Together, we are turning the tide for the working class in this country.”Ford confirmed the deal in a news statement Wednesday night. “We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW covering our U.S. operations,” the company said.“Ford is proud to assemble the most vehicles in America and employ the most hourly autoworkers. We are focused on restarting Kentucky Truck Plant, Michigan Assembly Plant and Chicago Assembly Plant, calling 20,000 Ford employees back to work and shipping our full lineup to our customers again,” the automaker said in a statement. “The agreement is subject to ratification by Ford's UAW-represented employees. Consistent with the ratification process, the UAW will share details with its membership.”While Ford did not detail the terms of the tentative agreement, the UAW released some of the terms:It provides more in base wage increases than Ford workers have received in the past 22 years.The agreement grants 25% in base wage increases through April 2028.It cumulatively raises the top wage by over 30% to more than $40 an hour.It raises the starting wage by 68%, to over $28 an hour.The lowest-paid workers at Ford will see a raise of more than 150% over the life of the agreement.Some workers will receive an immediate 85% increase immediately upon ratification.The agreement reinstates major benefits lost during the Great Recession, including Cost-of-Living Allowances (COLA) and a three-year wage progression, as well as killing wage tiers in the union.It improves retirement for current retirees, those workers with pensions, and those who have 401(k) plans. It also includes a historic right to strike over plant closures, a first for the union.During a Friday livestream, Fain had detailed the latest proposals at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, highlighting the shortcomings of the latter's current offer. The union represents about 150,000 members. The latest picket site on Tuesday at GM's Arlington Assembly plant in Texas brought the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three automakers to more than 45,000. The UAW remains on strike against GM and Stellantis, but the Ford deal could become the blueprint to settle those contracts.The strike began on Sept. 15 with a walkout against three assembly plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. It has since grown to include eight assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers in 22 states. President Joe Biden in September made a historic visit to the picket line alongside Fain at the Willow Run Redistribution Center in Belleville. He said in a statement Wednesday night that he applauds the “UAW and Ford for coming together after a hard fought, good faith negotiation and reaching a historic tentative agreement tonight. “This tentative agreement provides a record raise to auto workers who have sacrificed so much to ensure our iconic Big Three companies can still lead the world in quality and innovation. Ultimately, the final word on this contract will be from the UAW members themselves in the days and weeks to come. I've always believed the middle class built America and unions built the middle class. That is especially the case for UAW workers who built an iconic American industry,” Biden said.https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/26/legislative-leaders-spread-biased-tropes-about-disabled-kansans-in-crusade-against-medicaid/Recently, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson were quoted as calling Gov. Laura Kelly's campaign to expand Medicaid a “welfare” tour for “able-bodied adults” who “choose not to work.”This deception is both a wildly inaccurate portrayal of uninsured Kansas who could benefit from Medicaid expansion and also directly harmful in its disability-related stereotypes. Though I should note that we disabled people do not need to work to deserve dignity, decent living situations and have our needs met (as well as a reasonable amount of our wants). We deserve legislators' respect.Hawkins and Masterson are playing into well-rehearsed tropes and biases. I will seek to spread some facts to these dishonest politicians, who are supposed to be representing all their constituents, about disability and employment.Before I get to that, however, I'd like to quickly point out that the Medicaid expansion Hawkins and Masterson are railing against likely would benefit both the Kansas economy and many hardworking Kansans, according to a Wichita Eagle report. Also, despite their claims that Medicaid expansion would be welfare for able-bodied people who do not want to work, according to WIBW, 74% of the non-elderly, uninsured, working-age Kansans these men represent, are, in fact, working.With that aside, let's look under the hood at that comment, which clearly also seems to be a dog whistle for several profoundly harmful stereotypes. These include the idea that flocks of able-bodied people fake disability and that disabled people don't want to work. Both stereotypes ignore the immense barriers and biases that disabled people face while looking for jobs, the numbers of disabled people who are working for substandard wages and the substantial barriers disabled people face to receiving the education necessary to even have a foot in the door for many jobs.​To dispel the idea that able-bodied people are pretending to be disabled to receive welfare benefits, numerous reliable sources, including the Social Security Administration itself, find that Social Security fraud is less than 1%.Let's also look at the number of disabled Kansans working for far below minimum wage in sheltered workshops with sub-minimum wage certificates, which some GOP Kansas legislators tried to create tax breaks for and increase.According to Russell, at least 420,000 disabled workers nationwide were working in these sheltered workshops, which paid 25-50% of the minimum wage. Goodwill was listed as one of the largest of these sheltered workspaces, paying disabled people as little as $2 an hour.Not only do these figures indicate clear employment and education-based barriers to work for disabled people, they also show a large number of disabled people would prefer to be working if they could find jobs. Even Forbes Magazine has written about why businesses should focus on hiring disabled people, the benefits in doing so, as well as the significant gifts that disabled people bring to the table, including higher retention rates and significant adaptability.In sum, though disabled people are often prevented from doing the work they would prefer to be doing, the statistics make clear that most, if not all, of those barriers come not from within disabled people but rather from the outside world.https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/10/26/passing-issue-2-doesnt-come-with-protections-for-employees-who-use-recreational-marijuana/Issue 2 would legalize and regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and the sale of marijuana to Ohioans 21 and up. It would also create the Division of Cannabis Control within the Department of Commerce. Recent polling shows majority support for Issue 2 is expected to pass in the November election. A total of 54% of lawmakers surveyed in last week's Gongwer-Werth Legislative Opinion Poll think Issue 2 will pass. The poll showed 63% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans believe Issue 2 will pass. The poll had 35 lawmaker respondents. A July Suffolk University/USA Today poll shows 59% of Ohio voters support Ohioans 21 and older buying and possessing marijuana. It showed 77% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 40% of Republicans support the issue. The Suffolk University/USA Today poll surveyed 500 registered Ohio voters and their margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points.Ballot LanguageThe ballot's language makes it clear it does not require an employer to “accommodate an employee's use, possession, or distribution of adult use cannabis.”It also doesn't prohibit an employer from “refusing to hire, discharging, disciplining, or otherwise taking an adverse employment action against an individual … because of that individual's use, possession, or distribution of cannabis.” “An individual who is discharged from employment because of that individual's use of cannabis shall be considered to have been discharged for just cause,” according to the ballot language.https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/10/21/billionaire-dark-money-denver-school-board/Colorado NewslineThe Denver school board race is off and running, and several key groups have announced their endorsements. MIKE DEGUIREThe Denver school board race is off and running, and several key groups have announced their endorsements.The Denver Classroom Teachers Association, the local teacher organization, endorsed Charmaine Lindsay, Scott Baldermann, and Kwame Spearman. Denver Families Action endorsed Kimberlee Sia, John Youngquist, and Marlene Delarosa.Who is Denver Families Action? Chalkbeat says it is the “political arm of a relatively new organization,” Denver Families for Public Schools, formed with the backing of several local charter school networks, and they get funding from The City Fund, a pro-charter education reform national organization.What is City Fund? How much funding did they give to this new group called Denver Families for Public Schools? What Denver Public Schools “families” do they represent?According to Influence Watch, The City Fund is an “education organization that funds initiatives that promote the growth of charter schools and other school choice organizations. It also funds activist organizations that support increasing charter school access and school choice programs.” Chalkbeat reports that City Fund was started in 2018 by two billionaires, Reed Hastings and John Arnold, who donated over $200 million to “expand charter schools or charter-like alternatives in 40 cities across the country.” Reed Hastings has called for the elimination of democratically elected school boards, he serves on the national KIPP charter school board, and he built a training center in Bailey, Colorado, to house the Pahara Institute, an education advocacy and networking group that supports the expansion of charter schools. In December, 2020, he spelled out his vision. “Let's year by year expand the nonprofit school sector … for the low-performing school district public school — let's have a nonprofit public school take it over.” The City Fund set up its own political group, a PAC, called Campaign for Great Public Schools (also called City Fund Action), to give money to organizations that promote charter schools and lobby to privatize education. Since its formation, the Campaign for Great Public Schools has given millions to Education Reform Now, which is the political arm of Democrats for Education Reform. DFER is a “New York-based political action committee which focuses on encouraging the Democratic Party to support public education reform and charter schools.”Campaign for Great Public Schools also gave millions to the American Federation for Children, which is “a conservative 501(c)(4) dark money group that promotes the school privatization agenda via the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and other avenues. It is the 501(c)(4) arm of the 501(c)(3) non-profit group the Alliance for School Choice. The group was organized and is funded by the billionaire DeVos family.”The City Fund Action PAC also funds the National Alliance for Charter Schools, 50 CAN, and numerous other organizations that support the expansion of charter schools.Denver Families for Public Schools received $1.75 million in 2021 from the Campaign for Great Public Schools to promote their three selected candidates in the current Denver school board race. Denver Families for Public Schools functions as a 501(c)(4), which means it can donate unlimited amounts of money in political elections without disclosing its donors. It functions as an “astroturf” group by engaging in the practice of creating the illusion of widespread grassroots support for a candidate, policy, or cause when no such support necessarily exists. It set up a website, Facebook page, hired staff and recruited others to lobby for its cause. It posts videos of parents who say they don't like the current school board candidates if they are opposed to them. It participates in forums to promote its selected candidates.When Denver Families Action announced its school board endorsements in August, the leading fundraiser in the at-large seat at that time, Ulcca Hansen, withdrew from the race since she did not gain its endorsement. Hansen stated she could not win without the significant financial resources that come from “soft side spending.”This money is also referred to as outside spending or “dark money,” because the funders of the outside groups often remain secret. Hansen felt the dark money would outpace campaign spending by a 10 to 1 margin. The $1.75 million that Denver Families for Public Schools received from The City Fund will be a major factor in the DPS school board race.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/evers-dnr-announce-402-million-in-spending-to-improve-drinking-water/Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that more than 100 municipalities across the state will receive $402 million in funding to improve local drinking water by removing lead service lines and addressing contaminants such as PFAS and nitrates. The funds come from the DNR's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and a number of programs through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Across the state, there are 167,000 known lead service lines — which are the city-owned pipes that connect a home's plumbing to the water system. In his budget proposal earlier this year, Evers had requested $200 million to replace the lines. Through the funding, the city of Milwaukee, which has many of the state's remaining lead pipes, will receive more than $30 million to replace lead service lines.The city of Wausau is set to receive more than $17 million in funds to help pay for a PFAS-removal treatment system at the city's newly constructed water treatment facility. The city will also receive nearly $6 million to replace lead service lines. Many communities around the state are dealing with the harmful effects of PFAS in drinking water. The man-made compounds known as “forever chemicals”  have been found to cause cancer and don't break down easily in the environment. The compounds enter the environment through products such as firefighting foams and household goods such as nonstick pans. In rural parts of the state, communities are dealing with increased nitrates in their drinking water, which is often caused by runoff from agricultural operations. As part of the funding announced Monday, the village of Reedsville is set to receive $3 million for additional water treatment to address excess nitrates in its water.What caught your eye?Rachelhttps://www.democracydocket.com/cases/georgia-congressional-redistricting-challenge/Federal judge strikes down Georgia's congressional and legislative maps, ruling they violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. New, fair districts must be drawn before the 2024 elections.

October 27, 2023 - UAW strike might be ending | Kansas GOP peddles lies about working poor | Ohioans may legalize cannabis on Issue 2 in November | Dark money floods into Denver school board elections | Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announces $402MM in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to replace lead drinking water service lines | SCOTUS smacks down another racial gerrymander from a GOP state legislature in the South Support what we do by leaving a five star rating and a review wherever you listen and follow us on social media at the heartland pod. Also check out heartlandpod.com and click the patreon link to learn about becoming a podhead today.https://michiganadvance.com/2023/10/26/we-won-things-nobody-thought-possible-uaw-reaches-tentative-deal-with-ford/What started at three plants at midnight on Sept. 15, has become a national movement,” said Fain. “We won things nobody thought possible. Since the strike began, Ford put 50% more on the table than when we walked out. This agreement sets us on a new path to make things right at Ford, at the Big Three, and across the auto industry. Together, we are turning the tide for the working class in this country.”Ford confirmed the deal in a news statement Wednesday night. “We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement on a new labor contract with the UAW covering our U.S. operations,” the company said.“Ford is proud to assemble the most vehicles in America and employ the most hourly autoworkers. We are focused on restarting Kentucky Truck Plant, Michigan Assembly Plant and Chicago Assembly Plant, calling 20,000 Ford employees back to work and shipping our full lineup to our customers again,” the automaker said in a statement. “The agreement is subject to ratification by Ford's UAW-represented employees. Consistent with the ratification process, the UAW will share details with its membership.”While Ford did not detail the terms of the tentative agreement, the UAW released some of the terms:It provides more in base wage increases than Ford workers have received in the past 22 years.The agreement grants 25% in base wage increases through April 2028.It cumulatively raises the top wage by over 30% to more than $40 an hour.It raises the starting wage by 68%, to over $28 an hour.The lowest-paid workers at Ford will see a raise of more than 150% over the life of the agreement.Some workers will receive an immediate 85% increase immediately upon ratification.The agreement reinstates major benefits lost during the Great Recession, including Cost-of-Living Allowances (COLA) and a three-year wage progression, as well as killing wage tiers in the union.It improves retirement for current retirees, those workers with pensions, and those who have 401(k) plans. It also includes a historic right to strike over plant closures, a first for the union.During a Friday livestream, Fain had detailed the latest proposals at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, highlighting the shortcomings of the latter's current offer. The union represents about 150,000 members. The latest picket site on Tuesday at GM's Arlington Assembly plant in Texas brought the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three automakers to more than 45,000. The UAW remains on strike against GM and Stellantis, but the Ford deal could become the blueprint to settle those contracts.The strike began on Sept. 15 with a walkout against three assembly plants in Michigan, Missouri and Ohio. It has since grown to include eight assembly plants and 38 parts distribution centers in 22 states. President Joe Biden in September made a historic visit to the picket line alongside Fain at the Willow Run Redistribution Center in Belleville. He said in a statement Wednesday night that he applauds the “UAW and Ford for coming together after a hard fought, good faith negotiation and reaching a historic tentative agreement tonight. “This tentative agreement provides a record raise to auto workers who have sacrificed so much to ensure our iconic Big Three companies can still lead the world in quality and innovation. Ultimately, the final word on this contract will be from the UAW members themselves in the days and weeks to come. I've always believed the middle class built America and unions built the middle class. That is especially the case for UAW workers who built an iconic American industry,” Biden said.https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/26/legislative-leaders-spread-biased-tropes-about-disabled-kansans-in-crusade-against-medicaid/Recently, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson were quoted as calling Gov. Laura Kelly's campaign to expand Medicaid a “welfare” tour for “able-bodied adults” who “choose not to work.”This deception is both a wildly inaccurate portrayal of uninsured Kansas who could benefit from Medicaid expansion and also directly harmful in its disability-related stereotypes. Though I should note that we disabled people do not need to work to deserve dignity, decent living situations and have our needs met (as well as a reasonable amount of our wants). We deserve legislators' respect.Hawkins and Masterson are playing into well-rehearsed tropes and biases. I will seek to spread some facts to these dishonest politicians, who are supposed to be representing all their constituents, about disability and employment.Before I get to that, however, I'd like to quickly point out that the Medicaid expansion Hawkins and Masterson are railing against likely would benefit both the Kansas economy and many hardworking Kansans, according to a Wichita Eagle report. Also, despite their claims that Medicaid expansion would be welfare for able-bodied people who do not want to work, according to WIBW, 74% of the non-elderly, uninsured, working-age Kansans these men represent, are, in fact, working.With that aside, let's look under the hood at that comment, which clearly also seems to be a dog whistle for several profoundly harmful stereotypes. These include the idea that flocks of able-bodied people fake disability and that disabled people don't want to work. Both stereotypes ignore the immense barriers and biases that disabled people face while looking for jobs, the numbers of disabled people who are working for substandard wages and the substantial barriers disabled people face to receiving the education necessary to even have a foot in the door for many jobs.​To dispel the idea that able-bodied people are pretending to be disabled to receive welfare benefits, numerous reliable sources, including the Social Security Administration itself, find that Social Security fraud is less than 1%.Let's also look at the number of disabled Kansans working for far below minimum wage in sheltered workshops with sub-minimum wage certificates, which some GOP Kansas legislators tried to create tax breaks for and increase.According to Russell, at least 420,000 disabled workers nationwide were working in these sheltered workshops, which paid 25-50% of the minimum wage. Goodwill was listed as one of the largest of these sheltered workspaces, paying disabled people as little as $2 an hour.Not only do these figures indicate clear employment and education-based barriers to work for disabled people, they also show a large number of disabled people would prefer to be working if they could find jobs. Even Forbes Magazine has written about why businesses should focus on hiring disabled people, the benefits in doing so, as well as the significant gifts that disabled people bring to the table, including higher retention rates and significant adaptability.In sum, though disabled people are often prevented from doing the work they would prefer to be doing, the statistics make clear that most, if not all, of those barriers come not from within disabled people but rather from the outside world.https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/10/26/passing-issue-2-doesnt-come-with-protections-for-employees-who-use-recreational-marijuana/Issue 2 would legalize and regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and the sale of marijuana to Ohioans 21 and up. It would also create the Division of Cannabis Control within the Department of Commerce. Recent polling shows majority support for Issue 2 is expected to pass in the November election. A total of 54% of lawmakers surveyed in last week's Gongwer-Werth Legislative Opinion Poll think Issue 2 will pass. The poll showed 63% of Democrats and 52% of Republicans believe Issue 2 will pass. The poll had 35 lawmaker respondents. A July Suffolk University/USA Today poll shows 59% of Ohio voters support Ohioans 21 and older buying and possessing marijuana. It showed 77% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 40% of Republicans support the issue. The Suffolk University/USA Today poll surveyed 500 registered Ohio voters and their margin of error is +/- 4.4 percentage points.Ballot LanguageThe ballot's language makes it clear it does not require an employer to “accommodate an employee's use, possession, or distribution of adult use cannabis.”It also doesn't prohibit an employer from “refusing to hire, discharging, disciplining, or otherwise taking an adverse employment action against an individual … because of that individual's use, possession, or distribution of cannabis.” “An individual who is discharged from employment because of that individual's use of cannabis shall be considered to have been discharged for just cause,” according to the ballot language.https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/10/21/billionaire-dark-money-denver-school-board/Colorado NewslineThe Denver school board race is off and running, and several key groups have announced their endorsements. MIKE DEGUIREThe Denver school board race is off and running, and several key groups have announced their endorsements.The Denver Classroom Teachers Association, the local teacher organization, endorsed Charmaine Lindsay, Scott Baldermann, and Kwame Spearman. Denver Families Action endorsed Kimberlee Sia, John Youngquist, and Marlene Delarosa.Who is Denver Families Action? Chalkbeat says it is the “political arm of a relatively new organization,” Denver Families for Public Schools, formed with the backing of several local charter school networks, and they get funding from The City Fund, a pro-charter education reform national organization.What is City Fund? How much funding did they give to this new group called Denver Families for Public Schools? What Denver Public Schools “families” do they represent?According to Influence Watch, The City Fund is an “education organization that funds initiatives that promote the growth of charter schools and other school choice organizations. It also funds activist organizations that support increasing charter school access and school choice programs.” Chalkbeat reports that City Fund was started in 2018 by two billionaires, Reed Hastings and John Arnold, who donated over $200 million to “expand charter schools or charter-like alternatives in 40 cities across the country.” Reed Hastings has called for the elimination of democratically elected school boards, he serves on the national KIPP charter school board, and he built a training center in Bailey, Colorado, to house the Pahara Institute, an education advocacy and networking group that supports the expansion of charter schools. In December, 2020, he spelled out his vision. “Let's year by year expand the nonprofit school sector … for the low-performing school district public school — let's have a nonprofit public school take it over.” The City Fund set up its own political group, a PAC, called Campaign for Great Public Schools (also called City Fund Action), to give money to organizations that promote charter schools and lobby to privatize education. Since its formation, the Campaign for Great Public Schools has given millions to Education Reform Now, which is the political arm of Democrats for Education Reform. DFER is a “New York-based political action committee which focuses on encouraging the Democratic Party to support public education reform and charter schools.”Campaign for Great Public Schools also gave millions to the American Federation for Children, which is “a conservative 501(c)(4) dark money group that promotes the school privatization agenda via the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and other avenues. It is the 501(c)(4) arm of the 501(c)(3) non-profit group the Alliance for School Choice. The group was organized and is funded by the billionaire DeVos family.”The City Fund Action PAC also funds the National Alliance for Charter Schools, 50 CAN, and numerous other organizations that support the expansion of charter schools.Denver Families for Public Schools received $1.75 million in 2021 from the Campaign for Great Public Schools to promote their three selected candidates in the current Denver school board race. Denver Families for Public Schools functions as a 501(c)(4), which means it can donate unlimited amounts of money in political elections without disclosing its donors. It functions as an “astroturf” group by engaging in the practice of creating the illusion of widespread grassroots support for a candidate, policy, or cause when no such support necessarily exists. It set up a website, Facebook page, hired staff and recruited others to lobby for its cause. It posts videos of parents who say they don't like the current school board candidates if they are opposed to them. It participates in forums to promote its selected candidates.When Denver Families Action announced its school board endorsements in August, the leading fundraiser in the at-large seat at that time, Ulcca Hansen, withdrew from the race since she did not gain its endorsement. Hansen stated she could not win without the significant financial resources that come from “soft side spending.”This money is also referred to as outside spending or “dark money,” because the funders of the outside groups often remain secret. Hansen felt the dark money would outpace campaign spending by a 10 to 1 margin. The $1.75 million that Denver Families for Public Schools received from The City Fund will be a major factor in the DPS school board race.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/evers-dnr-announce-402-million-in-spending-to-improve-drinking-water/Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources announced Monday that more than 100 municipalities across the state will receive $402 million in funding to improve local drinking water by removing lead service lines and addressing contaminants such as PFAS and nitrates. The funds come from the DNR's Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and a number of programs through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Across the state, there are 167,000 known lead service lines — which are the city-owned pipes that connect a home's plumbing to the water system. In his budget proposal earlier this year, Evers had requested $200 million to replace the lines. Through the funding, the city of Milwaukee, which has many of the state's remaining lead pipes, will receive more than $30 million to replace lead service lines.The city of Wausau is set to receive more than $17 million in funds to help pay for a PFAS-removal treatment system at the city's newly constructed water treatment facility. The city will also receive nearly $6 million to replace lead service lines. Many communities around the state are dealing with the harmful effects of PFAS in drinking water. The man-made compounds known as “forever chemicals”  have been found to cause cancer and don't break down easily in the environment. The compounds enter the environment through products such as firefighting foams and household goods such as nonstick pans. In rural parts of the state, communities are dealing with increased nitrates in their drinking water, which is often caused by runoff from agricultural operations. As part of the funding announced Monday, the village of Reedsville is set to receive $3 million for additional water treatment to address excess nitrates in its water.What caught your eye?Rachelhttps://www.democracydocket.com/cases/georgia-congressional-redistricting-challenge/Federal judge strikes down Georgia's congressional and legislative maps, ruling they violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. New, fair districts must be drawn before the 2024 elections.

Laura Kelly founder of Clover, covers the 7 secrets that helped explode Parker and Sons to $240 million in annual revenue at one location!

@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85  (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp   (Post) Sean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/Welcome to this week's Friday News Flyover!https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/10/19/what-is-ohio-issue-1-we-explain-the-proposed-abortion-rights-amendment/If Issue 1 fails“These justices are poised to reinstate and reimpose a six-week abortion ban,” attorney for the ACLU Jessie Hill said.The Supreme Court heard arguments in late September that could restore the controversial six-week abortion. This ban, which has no exceptions for rape or incest, would prohibit virtually all abortions.Republican lawmakers passed the six-week abortion ban in 2019, which had no rape or incest exceptions. This law was blocked by a federal judge a few months later.When Roe fell in 2022, Ohio reinstated the six-week ban. Pro-abortion rights groups sued, and months later, a state judge indefinitely blocked the law from going into place, citing infringement of privacy.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/pritzker-launches-self-funded-nationwide-abortion-rights-advocacy-organizationhttps://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/advocates-push-for-guns-to-be-taken-from-domestic-abusers-when-order-of-protection-servedhttps://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/17/typical-lip-service-as-medicaid-waitlists-grow-kansas-parents-see-no-path-forward/https://www.azmirror.com/2023/10/18/jonathen-nez-launches-bid-to-flip-azs-largest-congressional-district/What caught your eye?AdamThursday's ep. Of Dirt Road Democrat - Jess Piper was joined by Rev. Karla who is an interfaith reverend, they had a really open and interesting discussion about the concept of Deconstruction Rachelhttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/arizona-dems-back-ruben-gallego-donation-ahead-sinema-senate-race-rcna121144

President Biden will visit Israel tomorrow, sending a message of solidarity after Hamas' brutal attacks. But he's also going to engage in diplomacy with our allies in the region. Two Arab countries will play a key role as the conflict moves forward: Egypt and Jordan. Laura Kelly from The Hill breaks down how the US will need to work with these two countries. 

Laura Kelly founder of Clover, covers the 7 secrets that helped explode Parker and Sons to $240 million in annual revenue at one location!

Hey, y'all! This week we return to Kansas to talk about a myriad of stories. We talk about Kansas election law, memes, but ultimately, this is the story of all the teens that entered to mostly run for Governor.

@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsSean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/This week on the Friday Flyover: MO GOP candidates cashing big checks, Kansas Gov Laura Kelly announces huge budget surplus, Biden Admin announces $9 B more in student loan forgiveness, Gov. Abbott's got a fever - and the only prescription, is school vouchers, and Bidden-Harris campaign ads hit battleground states. Alright, let's get into it.http://missouriindependent.com/briefs/st-louis-mega-donor-drops-425k-into-missouri-campaigns-in-last-week/St. Louis mega-donor drops $425K into Missouri campaigns - in one weekBY: JASON HANCOCK - OCTOBER 3, 2023 10:00 AMRex Sinquefield, a retired investor from St. Louis and Missouri's most prolific political donor, cut $425,000 worth of checks to PACs supporting eight different candidates in the last week — with the largest going to bolster Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe's bid for governor. His $250,000 3rd quarter contribution to Kehoe brings Sinquefield's total to $750,000. That's right - Mike Kehoe has taken $750,000 from Rex Sinquefeld.Sinquefield also donated $25,000 each to two GOP candidates for state treasurer — state Sen. Andrew Koenig and state Rep. Cody Smith. He gave $25,000 to Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, who is rumored to be eyeing a run for secretary of state, and to Sen. Denny Hoskins, who is already in that GOP primary. He also donated $25,000 to two state representatives running for the state Senate: Phil Christofanelli and Chris Dinkins, and to a state senator who is term-limited, Tony Luetkemeyer. Sinquefield has given more than $42 million in campaign contributions in Missouri — mostly to Republicans, though not exclusively. His main policy priorities are defunding the state's public education system and eliminating income taxes.In neighboring Kansas, he helped bankroll a group called Kansans for No Income Tax that promoted, in 2012, one of the largest state tax cuts in history with the support of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Sinquefield called the cuts “unbelievably brilliant” and predicted that “there's going to be a cloud of dust … as the businesses move from Missouri to Kansas.”By 2017, National Public Radio reported state lawmakers were seeking to close a $900 million budget gap,[2][Note 2] following nine previous budget cuts.[43] Earlier efforts to close budget gaps had left Kansas "well below national averages" in a wide range of public services from K-12 education to housing to police and fire protection.[4][17]Kansas' sharply reduced revenues following the income-tax repeal led rating agency Moody's to cut the state's bond rating in April from its second-highest bond rating to its third highest. Creative Commons LicenseREPUBLISHOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/03/kansas-on-track-for-2-6-billion-state-revenue-surplus-1-6-billion-stash-in-rainy-day-fund/Kansas on track for $2.6 billion state revenue surplus, $1.6 billion stash in rainy day fundMountain of cash guarantees political fight over tax, education, health spendingBY: TIM CARPENTER - OCTOBER 3, 2023 1:16 PMDemocratic governor Laura Kelly said, “Because of my administration's work to put our state on solid financial footing, we have been able to grow our economy and make historic investments in schools, roads and law enforcement. Now, it's time to give money back to Kansans through responsible tax cuts.”She urged the Republican-led Legislature to reduce property taxes, grocery sales taxes and drive down taxes on retirees. In addition, Kelly is recommending additional spending on K-12 special education and to expand eligibility for Medicaid to working-poor families. Adam Proffitt, the state budget director, said the Kansas unemployment rate contracted from double digits during the pandemic to 2.7% in August of this year.He also said Kansas has two job openings for every available person in the workforce. Thank you, Governor Kelly. You are my ultra dark horse candidate for Democratic nominee for U.S. President in 2024. Creative Commons LicenseRepublished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. White House provides another $9 billion in student debt relief as pandemic pause endsBY: ARIANA FIGUEROA - OCTOBER 4, 2023 6:03 PM WASHINGTON — As federal student loan repayments restart, the Biden administration Wednesday announced an additional $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers.“For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that's all changed thanks to President Biden and this Administration's relentless efforts to fix the broken student loan system,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.The announcement comes days after federal student loan repayments restarted following a nearly three-year pause due to the pandemic. Borrowers with federal student loans have the option of an on-ramp program, where they can delay making payments for 12 months, but interest will still accrue.The $9 billion in new relief includes $5.2 billion in forgiveness for 53,000 borrowers in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; $2.8 billion in forgiveness for 51,000 borrowers from a one-time fix to income-driven repayment plans; and $1.2 billion in forgiveness for 22,000 borrowers with permanent disabilities.The PSLF program forgives remaining student loan debt after qualifying public sector and non-profit employees have made 10 years' worth of monthly payments. Since October 2021, the Biden administration has forgiven more than 715,000 borrowers with PSLF loans, totaling $50.8 billion.With Wednesday's announcement, more than 854,870 federal student loan borrowers have had their student loan debt forgiven through the IDR adjustment, totaling nearly $42 billion in relief, the administration said.The Department of Education also implemented a new income driven repayment program known as Saving on A Valuable Education, or SAVE, and many borrowers have been automatically funneled into the program. It's a plan that, for some borrowers, could result in no monthly payments.So far, the Biden administration has approved up to $127 billion in student debt cancellation for about 3.6 million borrowers.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/29/greg-abbott-texas-leglislature-school-vouchers/Gov. Greg Abbot wants school vouchers and he wants them right now!BY BRIAN LOPEZ AND WILLIAM MELHADOSEPT. 29, 2023[He] has notified the Texas Legislature that a third special session will begin on Oct. 9.A Sept. 26 letter signed by Abbott and addressed to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, did not indicate the focus of this special session. But the governor has said repeatedly the next special session would focus on public education, including the issue of school vouchers that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to pay for their children's private schooling. Lawmakers are to return to Austin on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. This year's regular legislative session ended in a stalemate between the House and Senate over education savings accounts, a voucher program that would allow parents access to a state-managed account to pay for private school tuition.The Senate tried different ways to pass an education savings account program — even tacking it on to the only school finance bill the House advanced during the session — but Democrats and rural Republicans blocked it from moving forward.Abbott recently said that if lawmakers fail to pass a school choice proposal, he won't hesitate to bring lawmakers back. And he promised political consequences for those who get in his way.Abbott said “If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another special special session and we'll come back again. And then if we don't win that time, I think it's time to send this to the voters themselves.”Biden touts blue-collar roots in latest AZ adBY: JIM SMALL - OCTOBER 3, 2023 5:00 AMThe Biden campaign today is launching a new TV ad in Arizona and other battleground states that spotlights how the president's agenda is lowering costs for America's middle class.The ad, titled “Never Left,” is part of a 16-week, $25 million campaign that launched last month. The ad focuses on Joe Biden's roots in Scranton, a blue-collar city in northeastern Pennsylvania, and his pursuit of policies that benefit low- and middle-income Americans.The narrator says of Biden, “He knows what life is like for working people and knows middle-class life is too expensive right now,”The ad highlights Biden administration policies capping insulin costs at $35 for some seniors, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices and investments in the American clean energy sector, which the campaign said would lower power costs for families.The Biden campaign said the ad will run on broadcast TV and cable channels, and will target programming that is widely watched by general election voters, including “Dancing with the Stars,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and NFL games.Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the campaign manager for Biden-Harris 2024 said “This ad serves as an early reminder of the choice Americans will face next year: between MAGA Republicans whose agenda would give tax handouts to the ultra-rich at the expense of working people, or Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' agenda for the middle class.”We'll see what happens!Welp that's it for me. Stories for today's show originally published by States Newsroom outlets the Missouri Independent, Kansas Reflector, Texas Tribune, Arizona Mirror. Additional Rex Sinquefeld information from National Public Radio.

Digital dentistry expert Dr. Jeff Shapiro joins Laura Kelly to discuss how digital tools are reshaping the landscape of dentistry. The conversation expands to uncover the potential of digital tools to enhance patient care, improve diagnostic accuracy, streamline workflows, and communicate with dental labs.

@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsSean Diller @SeanDillerCO   (Twitter and Post)https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/This week on the Friday Flyover: MO GOP candidates cashing big checks, Kansas Gov Laura Kelly announces huge budget surplus, Biden Admin announces $9 B more in student loan forgiveness, Gov. Abbott's got a fever - and the only prescription, is school vouchers, and Bidden-Harris campaign ads hit battleground states. Alright, let's get into it.http://missouriindependent.com/briefs/st-louis-mega-donor-drops-425k-into-missouri-campaigns-in-last-week/St. Louis mega-donor drops $425K into Missouri campaigns - in one weekBY: JASON HANCOCK - OCTOBER 3, 2023 10:00 AMRex Sinquefield, a retired investor from St. Louis and Missouri's most prolific political donor, cut $425,000 worth of checks to PACs supporting eight different candidates in the last week — with the largest going to bolster Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe's bid for governor. His $250,000 3rd quarter contribution to Kehoe brings Sinquefield's total to $750,000. That's right - Mike Kehoe has taken $750,000 from Rex Sinquefeld.Sinquefield also donated $25,000 each to two GOP candidates for state treasurer — state Sen. Andrew Koenig and state Rep. Cody Smith. He gave $25,000 to Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, who is rumored to be eyeing a run for secretary of state, and to Sen. Denny Hoskins, who is already in that GOP primary. He also donated $25,000 to two state representatives running for the state Senate: Phil Christofanelli and Chris Dinkins, and to a state senator who is term-limited, Tony Luetkemeyer. Sinquefield has given more than $42 million in campaign contributions in Missouri — mostly to Republicans, though not exclusively. His main policy priorities are defunding the state's public education system and eliminating income taxes.In neighboring Kansas, he helped bankroll a group called Kansans for No Income Tax that promoted, in 2012, one of the largest state tax cuts in history with the support of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Sinquefield called the cuts “unbelievably brilliant” and predicted that “there's going to be a cloud of dust … as the businesses move from Missouri to Kansas.”By 2017, National Public Radio reported state lawmakers were seeking to close a $900 million budget gap,[2][Note 2] following nine previous budget cuts.[43] Earlier efforts to close budget gaps had left Kansas "well below national averages" in a wide range of public services from K-12 education to housing to police and fire protection.[4][17]Kansas' sharply reduced revenues following the income-tax repeal led rating agency Moody's to cut the state's bond rating in April from its second-highest bond rating to its third highest. Creative Commons LicenseREPUBLISHOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/03/kansas-on-track-for-2-6-billion-state-revenue-surplus-1-6-billion-stash-in-rainy-day-fund/Kansas on track for $2.6 billion state revenue surplus, $1.6 billion stash in rainy day fundMountain of cash guarantees political fight over tax, education, health spendingBY: TIM CARPENTER - OCTOBER 3, 2023 1:16 PMDemocratic governor Laura Kelly said, “Because of my administration's work to put our state on solid financial footing, we have been able to grow our economy and make historic investments in schools, roads and law enforcement. Now, it's time to give money back to Kansans through responsible tax cuts.”She urged the Republican-led Legislature to reduce property taxes, grocery sales taxes and drive down taxes on retirees. In addition, Kelly is recommending additional spending on K-12 special education and to expand eligibility for Medicaid to working-poor families. Adam Proffitt, the state budget director, said the Kansas unemployment rate contracted from double digits during the pandemic to 2.7% in August of this year.He also said Kansas has two job openings for every available person in the workforce. Thank you, Governor Kelly. You are my ultra dark horse candidate for Democratic nominee for U.S. President in 2024. Creative Commons LicenseRepublished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. White House provides another $9 billion in student debt relief as pandemic pause endsBY: ARIANA FIGUEROA - OCTOBER 4, 2023 6:03 PM WASHINGTON — As federal student loan repayments restart, the Biden administration Wednesday announced an additional $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers.“For years, millions of eligible borrowers were unable to access the student debt relief they qualified for, but that's all changed thanks to President Biden and this Administration's relentless efforts to fix the broken student loan system,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.The announcement comes days after federal student loan repayments restarted following a nearly three-year pause due to the pandemic. Borrowers with federal student loans have the option of an on-ramp program, where they can delay making payments for 12 months, but interest will still accrue.The $9 billion in new relief includes $5.2 billion in forgiveness for 53,000 borrowers in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program; $2.8 billion in forgiveness for 51,000 borrowers from a one-time fix to income-driven repayment plans; and $1.2 billion in forgiveness for 22,000 borrowers with permanent disabilities.The PSLF program forgives remaining student loan debt after qualifying public sector and non-profit employees have made 10 years' worth of monthly payments. Since October 2021, the Biden administration has forgiven more than 715,000 borrowers with PSLF loans, totaling $50.8 billion.With Wednesday's announcement, more than 854,870 federal student loan borrowers have had their student loan debt forgiven through the IDR adjustment, totaling nearly $42 billion in relief, the administration said.The Department of Education also implemented a new income driven repayment program known as Saving on A Valuable Education, or SAVE, and many borrowers have been automatically funneled into the program. It's a plan that, for some borrowers, could result in no monthly payments.So far, the Biden administration has approved up to $127 billion in student debt cancellation for about 3.6 million borrowers.https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/29/greg-abbott-texas-leglislature-school-vouchers/Gov. Greg Abbot wants school vouchers and he wants them right now!BY BRIAN LOPEZ AND WILLIAM MELHADOSEPT. 29, 2023[He] has notified the Texas Legislature that a third special session will begin on Oct. 9.A Sept. 26 letter signed by Abbott and addressed to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, did not indicate the focus of this special session. But the governor has said repeatedly the next special session would focus on public education, including the issue of school vouchers that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to pay for their children's private schooling. Lawmakers are to return to Austin on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. This year's regular legislative session ended in a stalemate between the House and Senate over education savings accounts, a voucher program that would allow parents access to a state-managed account to pay for private school tuition.The Senate tried different ways to pass an education savings account program — even tacking it on to the only school finance bill the House advanced during the session — but Democrats and rural Republicans blocked it from moving forward.Abbott recently said that if lawmakers fail to pass a school choice proposal, he won't hesitate to bring lawmakers back. And he promised political consequences for those who get in his way.Abbott said “If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another special special session and we'll come back again. And then if we don't win that time, I think it's time to send this to the voters themselves.”Biden touts blue-collar roots in latest AZ adBY: JIM SMALL - OCTOBER 3, 2023 5:00 AMThe Biden campaign today is launching a new TV ad in Arizona and other battleground states that spotlights how the president's agenda is lowering costs for America's middle class.The ad, titled “Never Left,” is part of a 16-week, $25 million campaign that launched last month. The ad focuses on Joe Biden's roots in Scranton, a blue-collar city in northeastern Pennsylvania, and his pursuit of policies that benefit low- and middle-income Americans.The narrator says of Biden, “He knows what life is like for working people and knows middle-class life is too expensive right now,”The ad highlights Biden administration policies capping insulin costs at $35 for some seniors, allowing Medicare to negotiate certain drug prices and investments in the American clean energy sector, which the campaign said would lower power costs for families.The Biden campaign said the ad will run on broadcast TV and cable channels, and will target programming that is widely watched by general election voters, including “Dancing with the Stars,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and NFL games.Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the campaign manager for Biden-Harris 2024 said “This ad serves as an early reminder of the choice Americans will face next year: between MAGA Republicans whose agenda would give tax handouts to the ultra-rich at the expense of working people, or Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' agenda for the middle class.”We'll see what happens!Welp that's it for me. Stories for today's show originally published by States Newsroom outlets the Missouri Independent, Kansas Reflector, Texas Tribune, Arizona Mirror. Additional Rex Sinquefeld information from National Public Radio.

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, John Rocha and Laura Kelly review AHSOKA Episode 7 "Dreams and Madness" written by DAVE FILONI and directed by GEETA VASANT PATEL! Grand Admiral Thrawn matches wits with Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra unite to fight off Shin Hati, Hera is almost courtmartialed, Ahsoka battles Baylan after training with Anakin again, and more!Chapters:0:00 Intro and Overall Thoughts on Ahsoka Episode 710:37 Hera's Court Martial, Ahsoka Trains with Anakin, Thrawn, Sabine and Ezra29:42 Baylan Leaves Shin and Battles Ahsoka, Sabine and Ezra Fight Off Shin44:28 Lighysaber Action, Force Fu, and an Ominous Desire to Go Home59:52 Predictions for the AHSOKA finale________________❤️ Follow John Rocha: https://twitter.com/TheRochaSays ❤️❤️ Follow Laura Kelly: https://twitter.com/ShutUp_Laura ❤️❤️ Follow Kevin Smets: https://twitter.com/KevSmets ❤️This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5619312/advertisement

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, John Rocha, Laura Kelly and Kevin Smets review AHSOKA Episode 4 "Fallen Jedi" directed by PETER RAMSEY! AHSOKA and SABINE take on BAYLAN, SHIN HATI, and MARROK. Hera leads a squadron of X-Wing fighters. Morgan hyperspace jumps, Sabine makes a huge decision, and Anakin appears in the WORLD BETWEEN WORLDS.The series stars ROSARIO DAWSON, NATSHA LIU BORDIZZO, MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD, LARS MIKKELSEN, RAY STEVENSON, IVANNA SAKHNO, DIANA LEE INOSANTO, EMAN ESFANDI and HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN!Remember to Like and Share this episode on your social media and to Subscribe to The Outlaw Nation YouTube channel below.Chapters:0:00 Overall Thoughts on Episode 47:40 Thoughts on Act 1 of Episode 4 - Ahsoka, Sabine, Shin, Huyang21:13 Thoughts on Act 2 of Episode 4 - Ahsoka, Sabine, Shin, Marrok, Baylan35:35 Thoughts on Act 3 of Episode 4 -Baylan, Sabine, Ahsoka, Anakin55:24 Deeper Dive on the World Between World and Anakin Moment________________________________________________________________________❤️ Follow John Rocha: https://twitter.com/TheRochaSays ❤️❤️ Follow Laura Kelly: https://twitter.com/ShutUp_Laura ❤️❤️ Follow Kevin Smets: https://twitter.com/KevSmets ❤️

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a surprise trip to Kyiv yesterday... and announced $1 billion more in aid to Ukraine. Congress is also returning to DC this week where they will have to consider appropriating even more aid to Ukraine. Laura Kelly from The Hill joins Boyd from Poland to discuss how Europe views US leadership in Ukraine and where Congress stands.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, John Rocha, Laura Kelly and Kevin Smets review AHSOKA Episode 3 "No Time to Fly"! AHSOKA and SABINE samurai train in the ways of ZATOCHI which evokes GEORGE LUCAS, HUYANG dropping Jedi knowledges bombs on MANDALORIANS and JEDI ORDERS. HERA battling MON MOTHMA and NEW REPUBLIC Senators like XIONO, SHIN HATI and MORGAN ELSBETH shading each other, PURGILLS, MARROK speaks, space whales, hyperspace rings, and more!The series stars ROSARIO DAWSON, NATSHA LIU BORDIZZO, MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD, LARS MIKKELSEN, RAY STEVENSON, IVANNA SAKHNO, DIANA LEE INOSANTO, EMAN ESFANDI and HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN!Chapters:0:00 Overall Thoughts on Episode 39:23 Ahsoka Trains Sabine, Huyang and Ahsoka Discuss Jedi Order21:59 Hera Battles Mon Mothma and New Republic Senators38:06 Shin Hati and Morgan Elsbeth vs Ahsoka and Sabine50:48 Is Starkiller Marrok? Final Thoughts on Episode________________________________________________________________________❤️ Follow John Rocha: https://twitter.com/TheRochaSays ❤️❤️ Follow Laura Kelly: https://twitter.com/ShutUp_Laura ❤️❤️ Follow Kevin Smets: https://twitter.com/KevSmets ❤️This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5619312/advertisement

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, hosts John Rocha and Laura Kelly discuss all the essential The Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi AHSOKA Tano episodes you need to know about before the debut of AHSOKA this Tuesday. The also talk the list of the directors for the series and what that teases about the quality of show we're about to see here!________________________________________________________________________CHAPTERS:0:00 Intro and Rundown1:38 Thoughts on Ahsoka Tano And Her Journey as a Star Wars Character11:37 Essential Ahsoka Tano Episodes from Seasons 1-535:08 Essential Ahsoka Tano Episodes from Seasons 6-7 and Tales of the Jedi Episodes51:12 List of Directors for Each AHSOKA Episode

The Democratic governor talks about her Middle of the Road political action committee, the youth vote, economic development, new agency leadership, attacks on LGBTQ equality and Medicaid unwinding.

The White House has announced that President Biden will be hosting the leaders of South Korea and Japan for Camp David Summit this month. The summit will focus on strengthening their bonds and expanding cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. And, notably, it would be the first time a foreign leader visits Camp David since he took office. What can we expect this summit to look like? Laura Kelly from The Hill talks with Boyd about this upcoming summit.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, hosts John Rocha and Laura Kelly break down the new Official Trailer for AHSOKA. They speculate on all we might be seeing here with the Ahsoka and Sabine relationship, Thrawn's face finally, Ezra's appearance, the Purgills, and what role Baylan and Shin Hati will be playing in the series. PLUS they discuss all the Emmy nominations for the Star Wars shows!________________________________________________________________________CHAPTERS:0:00 Intro and Rundown2:07 AHSOKA Trailer Breakdown Part 1- Sabine, Ezra, Thrawn, Hera, and Filoni's Jedi Mysticism33:03 AHSOKA Trailer Breakdown Part 2- Purgills, Mon Mothma, Baylan's Jedi Past48:45 Star Wars Emmy Nominations for ANDOR, KENOBI and THE MANDALORIAN________________________________________________________________________❤️ Follow John Rocha: https://twitter.com/TheRochaSays ❤️❤️ Follow Laura Kelly: https://twitter.com/ShutUp_Laura ❤️❤️ Follow Kevin Smets: https://twitter.com/KevSmets ❤️This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5619312/advertisement

Guest Hosts: Leah Murray and Scott Simpson Starting tomorrow, President Biden will meet with other world leaders at a crucial NATO summit.  And there are a lot of important topics on the docket from Sweden's and Ukraine's bids to join NATO and Russia's war in Ukraine. Laura Kelly from The Hill breaks down what we should be watching over the next few days. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, hosts John Rocha, Laura Kelly and Kevin Smets talk the new comments from Kathleen Kennedy about the plans for Star Wars future and their plans to explore Star Wars past and whether her comments about George Lucas were misconstrued. PLUS they give their thoughts on that Disney Gallery episode on The Mandalorian Season 3 and what their predictions are for Season 4 and more!________________________________________________________________________CHAPTERS:0:00 Intro and Rundown2:56 Kathleen Kennedy's Comments on Star Wars's Future, the Jedi and George Lucas29:30 Disney Gallery The Mandalorian S3 Review and Analysis48:11 The Mandalorian Season 4 Predictions________________________________________________________________________❤️ Follow John Rocha: https://twitter.com/TheRochaSays ❤️❤️ Follow Laura Kelly: https://twitter.com/ShutUp_Laura ❤️❤️ Follow Kevin Smets: https://twitter.com/KevSmets ❤️This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5619312/advertisement

Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”  STORIES ON SHOW RED STATES ACCEPT BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MONEY, AGAIN The Biden admin has announced a $42.5 Billion project to connect every american to high speed broadband internet. And Missouri should see $1.7 billion of that money. Alabama is set to get about $1.4 billionArkansas just over $1 billionIndiana more than $850 millionKansas over $450,000Iowa over $400,00According to administration estimates some 24 million folks are without high speed internet access to their homes, many of which are located in the areas largely represented by and governed by Republican members of congress like Jason Smith in the Missouri 8th District one of the single most impoverished districts in America. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, noted Federal money glut who pretends to hate the government for political points said that the money will “greatly assist our ongoing investments in Missouri's broadband infrastructure”This comes as part of the Biden administrations “Internet For all” initiative. “What we're doing is, as I said, not unlike what Franklin Delano Roosevelt did when he brought electricity to nearly every American home and farm in our nation. Today (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I are making an equally historic investment to connect everyone in America to high speed internet, and affordable high speed internet, by 2030,”So far none of the Republican governors have denounced this redistribution of wealth as a massive government overreach or bloated spending. Wonder why? https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/27/white-house-unveils-42-5b-to-connect-every-american-to-high-speed-broadband-internet/https://arkansasadvocate.com/2023/06/26/white-house-unveils-42-5b-to-connect-every-american-to-high-speed-broadband-internet/LIBRARY MEETING DRAWS A CROWDMore than 350 people crowded into a St. Charles County library board meeting Tuesday night, in Missouri, a new chapter in a fight about a library employee's clothing choices.The heated meeting included three hours of public comment, centered on a woman's complaint that when she visited a branch of the Library, an unnamed worker was wearing makeup, nail polish and also had… (gasp) a goatee. LGBTQ supporters were swift to push back on the woman's complaints, and they showed up in droves Tuesday night to counter complaints by the woman and her supporters.Some say the employee is dressing like a stripper, and only appropriate for night clubs. The public comment portion of the meeting lasted three hours before the board decided to end comment and allow others to simply email their diatribes. Sadie Anderson, who described themselves as being the partner of the library staff member, urged the library board to continue to support the employee.“My partner is having to do something that no person on earth should have to do, they are having to fight for their mere right to exist,” Anderson said. “My partner, myself, and every single person in this room should be able to express themselves and feel comfortable in the clothing they choose and wear those clothes without fear of ridicule. It is as simple as that.”https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/stcharles/more-than-350-people-pack-st-charles-library-meeting-in-fight-over-dress-code-lgbtq/article_363f3d66-1069-11ee-afd9-a7e1bfb0bc7d.htmlKANSAS VOTING RIGHTS CASE GOES SUPREMENo, they didn't add sour cream and tomatoes - but the Kansas election law from 2021 is being challenged in court and it's headed to the Kansas state supreme courtto review portions of a voting rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of mandates created in 2021 in response to election fraud conspiracy theories - all of which were lies.The question is whether Kansans' right to vote is undermined by state law restricting the number of advance ballots a person can deliver to an election office and the new state law requiring election volunteers to verify signatures on advance ballots.The plaintiffs challenging the laws filed have asked for an injunction during the pendency of the case.Davis Hammet with Loud Light, one of the groups involved in the case. said “It should be concerning to every Kansan, the idea that you do everything right, and then the state just alleges that someone didn't think your signature match so your vote isn't counted.”The law also created new penalties for touching somebody else's ballot, distributing ballots or altering the postmark on an advanced ballot. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed both bills, but was overridden.So if you're in Kansas, keep your hands and arms inside the voting booth at all times.Wisconsin Elections Commission Still Impacted By Trump's Big LieThe Wisconsin Elections Commission failed to reappoint administrator Meagan Wolfe in a vote Tuesday that three Democratic commission members are banking on to protect her from a Senate confirmation process - Wolfe is expected to lose a confirmation vote. Democrats argued a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in 2022 allows Wolfe to remain in the seat indefinitely — defying the efforts of election deniers to oust her after falsely accusing her of helping to steal the 2020 election, a claim that has been shown to have no merit, and is simply put: Not true.Before the “Big Lie” of 2020, Wolfe was unanimously endorsed by the commission for the administrator's job in 2019 and confirmed by the Republican majority in the Senate. It appears that while she was qualified to do the job prior, the only change is that she told the truth in 2020 which made former President and current federal indictment facer, Donald Trump, grumpy.Biden won Wisconsin by over 20,000 votes but that didn't stop Trump and his supporters from attacking Wolfe, who again was confirmed by a republican state senate, and claiming that she was a secret democrat or Biden agent, among other baseless attacks.Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on a campaign by some Republican state senators against confirming Wolfe for another term. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/06/28/election-commission-fails-to-reappoint-wolfe-in-maneuver-to-keep-her-on-the-job/Iowa Governor Costs Taxpayers For Keeping SecretsThe Polk County District Court approved an agreement between the governor's office and three Iowa journalists and their media organizations following the Supreme Court's decision allowing an open records lawsuit to proceed in April.The Governor's office agreed to pay $135,000 (of tax payer money) in legal fees and costs incurred during the legal battle, as well as agreeing to undergo a one-year period of judicial oversight in regard to open records requests by the plaintiffs to ensure the office continues to comply with the state Open Records Act. In other words, Iowans will also be paying for judges to babysit the Governor's office because they can't play nice. Thomas Story, an attorney for the ACLU of Iowa, said:“Throughout this litigation, we have emphasized one crucial point: that nobody is above the law,” “The Iowa Supreme Court reinforced that point and set valuable precedent that supports the right of all Iowans to a transparent, responsive government at every level.”https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/06/26/district-court-approves-settlement-in-open-records-lawsuit-against-governor/Missouri Independent, Arkansas Advocate, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, Wisconsin Examinor, and  Iowa Capital Dispatch

Heartland POD on Twitter - @TheHeartlandPOD https://heartlandpod.com/JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”  STORIES ON SHOW RED STATES ACCEPT BIDEN ADMINISTRATION MONEY, AGAIN The Biden admin has announced a $42.5 Billion project to connect every american to high speed broadband internet. And Missouri should see $1.7 billion of that money. Alabama is set to get about $1.4 billionArkansas just over $1 billionIndiana more than $850 millionKansas over $450,000Iowa over $400,00According to administration estimates some 24 million folks are without high speed internet access to their homes, many of which are located in the areas largely represented by and governed by Republican members of congress like Jason Smith in the Missouri 8th District one of the single most impoverished districts in America. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, noted Federal money glut who pretends to hate the government for political points said that the money will “greatly assist our ongoing investments in Missouri's broadband infrastructure”This comes as part of the Biden administrations “Internet For all” initiative. “What we're doing is, as I said, not unlike what Franklin Delano Roosevelt did when he brought electricity to nearly every American home and farm in our nation. Today (Vice President) Kamala (Harris) and I are making an equally historic investment to connect everyone in America to high speed internet, and affordable high speed internet, by 2030,”So far none of the Republican governors have denounced this redistribution of wealth as a massive government overreach or bloated spending. Wonder why? https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/27/white-house-unveils-42-5b-to-connect-every-american-to-high-speed-broadband-internet/https://arkansasadvocate.com/2023/06/26/white-house-unveils-42-5b-to-connect-every-american-to-high-speed-broadband-internet/LIBRARY MEETING DRAWS A CROWDMore than 350 people crowded into a St. Charles County library board meeting Tuesday night, in Missouri, a new chapter in a fight about a library employee's clothing choices.The heated meeting included three hours of public comment, centered on a woman's complaint that when she visited a branch of the Library, an unnamed worker was wearing makeup, nail polish and also had… (gasp) a goatee. LGBTQ supporters were swift to push back on the woman's complaints, and they showed up in droves Tuesday night to counter complaints by the woman and her supporters.Some say the employee is dressing like a stripper, and only appropriate for night clubs. The public comment portion of the meeting lasted three hours before the board decided to end comment and allow others to simply email their diatribes. Sadie Anderson, who described themselves as being the partner of the library staff member, urged the library board to continue to support the employee.“My partner is having to do something that no person on earth should have to do, they are having to fight for their mere right to exist,” Anderson said. “My partner, myself, and every single person in this room should be able to express themselves and feel comfortable in the clothing they choose and wear those clothes without fear of ridicule. It is as simple as that.”https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/stcharles/more-than-350-people-pack-st-charles-library-meeting-in-fight-over-dress-code-lgbtq/article_363f3d66-1069-11ee-afd9-a7e1bfb0bc7d.htmlKANSAS VOTING RIGHTS CASE GOES SUPREMENo, they didn't add sour cream and tomatoes - but the Kansas election law from 2021 is being challenged in court and it's headed to the Kansas state supreme courtto review portions of a voting rights lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of mandates created in 2021 in response to election fraud conspiracy theories - all of which were lies.The question is whether Kansans' right to vote is undermined by state law restricting the number of advance ballots a person can deliver to an election office and the new state law requiring election volunteers to verify signatures on advance ballots.The plaintiffs challenging the laws filed have asked for an injunction during the pendency of the case.Davis Hammet with Loud Light, one of the groups involved in the case. said “It should be concerning to every Kansan, the idea that you do everything right, and then the state just alleges that someone didn't think your signature match so your vote isn't counted.”The law also created new penalties for touching somebody else's ballot, distributing ballots or altering the postmark on an advanced ballot. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed both bills, but was overridden.So if you're in Kansas, keep your hands and arms inside the voting booth at all times.Wisconsin Elections Commission Still Impacted By Trump's Big LieThe Wisconsin Elections Commission failed to reappoint administrator Meagan Wolfe in a vote Tuesday that three Democratic commission members are banking on to protect her from a Senate confirmation process - Wolfe is expected to lose a confirmation vote. Democrats argued a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in 2022 allows Wolfe to remain in the seat indefinitely — defying the efforts of election deniers to oust her after falsely accusing her of helping to steal the 2020 election, a claim that has been shown to have no merit, and is simply put: Not true.Before the “Big Lie” of 2020, Wolfe was unanimously endorsed by the commission for the administrator's job in 2019 and confirmed by the Republican majority in the Senate. It appears that while she was qualified to do the job prior, the only change is that she told the truth in 2020 which made former President and current federal indictment facer, Donald Trump, grumpy.Biden won Wisconsin by over 20,000 votes but that didn't stop Trump and his supporters from attacking Wolfe, who again was confirmed by a republican state senate, and claiming that she was a secret democrat or Biden agent, among other baseless attacks.Earlier this month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on a campaign by some Republican state senators against confirming Wolfe for another term. https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/06/28/election-commission-fails-to-reappoint-wolfe-in-maneuver-to-keep-her-on-the-job/Iowa Governor Costs Taxpayers For Keeping SecretsThe Polk County District Court approved an agreement between the governor's office and three Iowa journalists and their media organizations following the Supreme Court's decision allowing an open records lawsuit to proceed in April.The Governor's office agreed to pay $135,000 (of tax payer money) in legal fees and costs incurred during the legal battle, as well as agreeing to undergo a one-year period of judicial oversight in regard to open records requests by the plaintiffs to ensure the office continues to comply with the state Open Records Act. In other words, Iowans will also be paying for judges to babysit the Governor's office because they can't play nice. Thomas Story, an attorney for the ACLU of Iowa, said:“Throughout this litigation, we have emphasized one crucial point: that nobody is above the law,” “The Iowa Supreme Court reinforced that point and set valuable precedent that supports the right of all Iowans to a transparent, responsive government at every level.”https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/06/26/district-court-approves-settlement-in-open-records-lawsuit-against-governor/Missouri Independent, Arkansas Advocate, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, Wisconsin Examinor, and  Iowa Capital Dispatch

On this episode of THE JEDI WAY, hosts John Rocha, Laura Kelly and Kevin Smets talk the new details on James Mangold's Birth of the Jedi movie, more Kino Loy teased for Andor Season 2, the Star Wars Outlaws video game trailer and gameplay trailer, the behind the scenes mess at Lucasfilm according to Maureen Ryan's BURN IT DOWN book, that nutty George Lucas is buying back Star Wars rumor, Star Wars at SDCC 2023 coverage and more!________________________________________________________________________CHAPTERS:0:00 Intro and Rundown2:34 More Details on James Mangold's Dawn of the Jedi Movie10:37 Andy Serkis Reveals Kino Loy Backstory Ahead of Andor S218:10 Star Wars Outlaws Trailer and Gameplay Footage Discussion26:07 BURN IT DOWN Reveals Lucasfilm behind the scenes drama37:20 Thoughts on the Clickbait George Lucas Buying Star Wars Rumor45:50 Thoughts on Star Wars at San Diego Comic Con 2023 News________________________________________________________________________❤️ Follow John Rocha: https://twitter.com/TheRochaSays ❤️❤️ Follow Laura Kelly: https://twitter.com/ShutUp_Laura ❤️❤️ Follow Kevin Smets: https://twitter.com/KevSmets ❤️This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5619312/advertisement

Guest Hosts: Leah Murray and Taylor Morgan Earlier this year... Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a trip to Beijing after a Chinese spy balloon traversed across the US. But now, that trip is back on. This weekend, Blinken will visit China hoping to thaw relations and walk away with one important commitment. Laura Kelly from The Hill breaks down what the administration is hoping to accomplish.     See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The story of how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country.  In Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Oxford UP, 2021), Mark R. Warren documents how Black and Brown parents, students, and low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built an intersectional movement that spread across the country. Examining organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, he shows how relatively small groups of community members built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. As a result, over the course of twenty years, the movement to combat the school-to-prison pipeline resulted in falling suspension rates across the country and began to make gains in reducing police presence in schools, especially in places where there have been sustained organizing and advocacy efforts. In documenting the struggle organizers waged to build national alliances led by community groups and people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates, Warren offers a new model for movements that operate simultaneously at local, state and national levels, while primarily oriented to support and spread local organizing. In doing so, he argues for the need to rethink national social justice movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted and spread, In the end, the book highlights lessons from the school-to-prison pipeline movement for organizers, educators, policymakers and a broader public seeking to transform deep-seated and systemic racism in public schools and the broader society. This episode's host, Laura Kelly, is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhodes College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/latino-studies

The story of how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country.  In Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Oxford UP, 2021), Mark R. Warren documents how Black and Brown parents, students, and low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built an intersectional movement that spread across the country. Examining organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, he shows how relatively small groups of community members built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. As a result, over the course of twenty years, the movement to combat the school-to-prison pipeline resulted in falling suspension rates across the country and began to make gains in reducing police presence in schools, especially in places where there have been sustained organizing and advocacy efforts. In documenting the struggle organizers waged to build national alliances led by community groups and people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates, Warren offers a new model for movements that operate simultaneously at local, state and national levels, while primarily oriented to support and spread local organizing. In doing so, he argues for the need to rethink national social justice movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted and spread, In the end, the book highlights lessons from the school-to-prison pipeline movement for organizers, educators, policymakers and a broader public seeking to transform deep-seated and systemic racism in public schools and the broader society. This episode's host, Laura Kelly, is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhodes College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The story of how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country.  In Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Oxford UP, 2021), Mark R. Warren documents how Black and Brown parents, students, and low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built an intersectional movement that spread across the country. Examining organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, he shows how relatively small groups of community members built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. As a result, over the course of twenty years, the movement to combat the school-to-prison pipeline resulted in falling suspension rates across the country and began to make gains in reducing police presence in schools, especially in places where there have been sustained organizing and advocacy efforts. In documenting the struggle organizers waged to build national alliances led by community groups and people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates, Warren offers a new model for movements that operate simultaneously at local, state and national levels, while primarily oriented to support and spread local organizing. In doing so, he argues for the need to rethink national social justice movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted and spread, In the end, the book highlights lessons from the school-to-prison pipeline movement for organizers, educators, policymakers and a broader public seeking to transform deep-seated and systemic racism in public schools and the broader society. This episode's host, Laura Kelly, is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhodes College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

The story of how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country.  In Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Oxford UP, 2021), Mark R. Warren documents how Black and Brown parents, students, and low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built an intersectional movement that spread across the country. Examining organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, he shows how relatively small groups of community members built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. As a result, over the course of twenty years, the movement to combat the school-to-prison pipeline resulted in falling suspension rates across the country and began to make gains in reducing police presence in schools, especially in places where there have been sustained organizing and advocacy efforts. In documenting the struggle organizers waged to build national alliances led by community groups and people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates, Warren offers a new model for movements that operate simultaneously at local, state and national levels, while primarily oriented to support and spread local organizing. In doing so, he argues for the need to rethink national social justice movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted and spread, In the end, the book highlights lessons from the school-to-prison pipeline movement for organizers, educators, policymakers and a broader public seeking to transform deep-seated and systemic racism in public schools and the broader society. This episode's host, Laura Kelly, is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhodes College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/critical-theory

The story of how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country.  In Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Oxford UP, 2021), Mark R. Warren documents how Black and Brown parents, students, and low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built an intersectional movement that spread across the country. Examining organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, he shows how relatively small groups of community members built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. As a result, over the course of twenty years, the movement to combat the school-to-prison pipeline resulted in falling suspension rates across the country and began to make gains in reducing police presence in schools, especially in places where there have been sustained organizing and advocacy efforts. In documenting the struggle organizers waged to build national alliances led by community groups and people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates, Warren offers a new model for movements that operate simultaneously at local, state and national levels, while primarily oriented to support and spread local organizing. In doing so, he argues for the need to rethink national social justice movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted and spread, In the end, the book highlights lessons from the school-to-prison pipeline movement for organizers, educators, policymakers and a broader public seeking to transform deep-seated and systemic racism in public schools and the broader society. This episode's host, Laura Kelly, is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhodes College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

The story of how Black and Brown parents, students and members of low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built a movement that spread across the country.  In Willful Defiance: The Movement to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Oxford UP, 2021), Mark R. Warren documents how Black and Brown parents, students, and low-income communities of color organized to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in their local schools and built an intersectional movement that spread across the country. Examining organizing processes in Mississippi, Los Angeles, Chicago, and other localities, he shows how relatively small groups of community members built the power to win policy changes to reduce suspensions and expulsions by combining deep local organizing with resources from the national movement. As a result, over the course of twenty years, the movement to combat the school-to-prison pipeline resulted in falling suspension rates across the country and began to make gains in reducing police presence in schools, especially in places where there have been sustained organizing and advocacy efforts. In documenting the struggle organizers waged to build national alliances led by community groups and people most impacted by injustice rather than Washington-based professional advocates, Warren offers a new model for movements that operate simultaneously at local, state and national levels, while primarily oriented to support and spread local organizing. In doing so, he argues for the need to rethink national social justice movements as interconnected local struggles whose victories are lifted and spread, In the end, the book highlights lessons from the school-to-prison pipeline movement for organizers, educators, policymakers and a broader public seeking to transform deep-seated and systemic racism in public schools and the broader society. This episode's host, Laura Kelly, is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhodes College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies