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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2024 11:59

The Heartland POD, Friday June 21, 2024Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kanas City Chiefs and RoyalsRather than preside over clown show convention, IL GOP chair resignsIllinois families cheer $300 state Child Tax CreditDems confident, Republicans morose in ongoing IVF battleThis week in ‘unforced errors' Trump calls Milwaukee a ‘horrible city' causing his pollster to be… also morose. We're glad to have you with us. If you're new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5-star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at https://theheartlandcollective.comLots to do, so let's go! Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, RoyalsBY: ALLISON KITE - JUNE 18, 2024 3:26 PM Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium in April. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images).TOPEKA — The Kansas City Royals and Chiefs could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to move from Missouri and build new stadiums across the state line under legislation passed Tuesday by Kansas lawmakers.The House voted 84-38 and the Senate voted 27-8 to approve legislation that would expand a state incentive program in an attempt to lure one or both teams from Kansas City. The bill now heads to Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, who said in a statement following the Senate vote that the effort to bring the teams to Kansas “shows we're all-in on keeping our beloved teams in the Kansas City metro.”“Kansas now has the opportunity to become a professional sports powerhouse with the Chiefs and Royals potentially joining Sporting KC as major league attractions, all with robust, revenue-generating entertainment districts surrounding them providing new jobs, new visitors and new revenues that boost the Kansas economy,” Kelly said.Neither team has promised to move to Kansas, though both actively lobbied for the legislation's passage. The Chiefs said in a statement that the team appreciated Kansas leaders reaching out for input on the legislation.“We look forward to exploring the options this legislation may provide,” the statement said. The Royals said the team was grateful to the legislature for its vote. “The Kansas City Royals look forward to additional conversations as we evaluate where we will play baseball in the future,” the team said. “We will always prioritize the best interests of our fans, associates and taxpayers in this process.”State Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell, said during debate in the House that Missouri had a history of losing professional sports teams and implored fellow House members to pass the legislation.“I ask you today, do you really want to put that type of an economic generation in the hands of the state of Missouri?” Tarwater said just before the vote.Rep. Sean Tarwater speaks on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives in favor of expanding economic incentives in an attempt to bring the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals to Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)Passage of the bill represents a monumental step in Kansas lawmakers' attempts to court the teams. Both teams have signaled a willingness to move from their current stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Missouri.While neither team has announced a proposed site for a Kansas stadium, legislators speculated it could land in Wyandotte County near the Sporting KC soccer stadium, NASCAR track and outlet shops.“We have the history of building amazing projects that have brought in retail commerce, restaurants, hotels and have improved an area that was largely just a field and turned it into a tax-generating machine for our state,” said Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican.The legislation, he said, would put Kansas in a “very good position to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals in the Kansas City metro area.”The bill, which was not voted on by any legislative committee, would expand the state's Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond program, which is meant to help finance tourism and entertainment districts to help pay for a professional football or baseball stadium of at least $1 billion.A developer building a stadium under the program would be eligible to finance up to 70% of the project cost by issuing bonds and repaying them with the increased sales tax collections from the stadium site. The expansion would have initially allowed up to 75% of project costs but was tweaked before introduction. Debt on a stadium constructed under the expansion wouldn't have to be repaid for 30 years instead of the normal 20.The project could also receive a boost from liquor taxes generated in the STAR Bond district and revenues from a fund Kansas created when it legalized sports betting.During House debate, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican, argued subsidized stadiums never generate the economic activity that they promise. He was alarmed by what he called “minimal transparency” in the deal-making process laid out in the legislation.The bill says any agreement between the state and a team would be confidential until after it has been executed.Waggoner called the legislation “bad public policy.”“This is not your mother's STAR Bonds,” Waggoner said. “This is a jacked up super-sized version of STAR Bonds.”Patrick Mahomes throws pass against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022. Kansas lawmakers could offer the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals millions of dollars in tax incentives to move from Missouri to Kansas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images).The bill limits the eligibility to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams currently near Kansas. The financing mechanism could be used for both stadiums and training facilities.Both teams have pressed lawmakers in recent weeks to pass the bill with representatives from the Royals hosting dinner for Democratic lawmakers at a steakhouse Monday night and the Chiefs throwing a lunchtime block party Tuesday steps from the Capitol.Earlier this month, a nonprofit called Scoop and Score Inc. launched to advocate for a Kansas stadium deal. The organization, which does not have to disclose its donors, hired 30 lobbyists to advocate for the STAR Bond expansion legislation. In a statement, former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a lobbyist for Scoop and Score and the Chiefs, said the Legislature “stepped up in a big way, paving the path to make sure the Chiefs stay right where they belong — in Kansas City with their loyal fans.”“The votes show overwhelming bipartisan support because Kansas lawmakers know what the Chiefs mean to us and how big of an economic opportunity this is for Kansas,” Ryckman said.Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignationAfter 3 ½ years as ILGOP chair, Don Tracy cites intraparty fighting as reason for quittingBy HANNAH MEISELCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.comHalfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party.Tracy, who'd held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in a two-page letter that cited intraparty “power struggles.” He also said he is concerned about the direction the party is taking under the current membership of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee – a 17-person body that steers the ILGOP, with one member elected from each congressional district.“In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intra party elections,” Tracy wrote. “Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.”Tracy was narrowly elected Illinois Republican Party chair in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by those who sought to stop certification of the election for its winner, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump. Even as Republicans publicly reckoned with the events of Jan. 6, hardline conservatives on the state central committee were pushing for a more ardent supporter of Trump and his politics than the previous chair, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.Instead, the party got Tracy, another Rauner ally who served as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board during the one-term governor's administration. Tracy had unsuccessfully run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and in 2002, he lost a bid for a state Senate seat – but as a Democrat.Tracy's electoral history, as well as his experience as an attorney and co-owner of his family's food distribution business, fit the mold of previous ILGOP chairs in a state where fiscally conservative and socially moderate suburban Republicans for decades were a political powerhouse.But as Republican politics have changed both nationally and in Illinois, Tracy's run as party chair proved tumultuous.Additionally, Tracy wrote that he was “concerned about the current infatuation” of some state central committee members “with certain individuals they call ‘grass roots' leaders.”One such self-proclaimed grassroots Republican, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, celebrated Tracy's resignation on social media Wednesday, calling it a “cleansing” of the state GOP.“Fake republicans got us into this mess,” wrote Bailey, who earlier this year lost a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022. “Real Republicans standing firm will get us out!!!”Read more: Dems seek unity as new, former chair take no questions from media after party voteDemocrats panned the state GOP as “defined by a litany of electoral disasters, constant infighting, meager fundraising, and a strict adherence to a losing set of anti-choice, anti-worker, pro-Trump policies.”“While we don't expect new leadership to change any of that, we do wish the best of luck to the inevitable MAGA extremist who will succeed Don Tracy as Chair,” the party said.Tracy's letter indicated he would resign upon the election of a successor, “preferably no later than” July 19 – the day after the RNC is scheduled to conclude. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?(Capitol News Illinois illustration by Andrew Adams)Thursday, June 13, 2024$50M tax credit program will provide up to roughly $300 for low-income familiesBy ANDREW ADAMSCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.comIn the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although it has exceptions, that credit is generally available to married couples earning up to about $60,000 and single people earning up to about $50,000, depending on the number of children they have. For taxes on 2024 income, the tax credit will cap at just over $300 for tax filers with three or more children who meet certain income requirements. Taxpayers with two children face a cap of about $270 and taxpayers with one child face a cap of about $170. The child tax credit equates to 20 percent of the state's EITC, which allows Illinois taxpayers a credit equal to 20 percent of the federal EITC. Starting in tax year 2025, the state's child tax credit will double to 40 percent of the state EITC, meaning that it will max out at a bit over $600 for families with three children. Because the federal tax credit that determines its size is tied to inflation, the actual size of future years' child tax credits is yet to be determined. In its first year, the program is expected to cost the state $50 million, with a cost of about $100 million in subsequent years. The idea of a permanent child tax credit in Illinois has been floated for several years, with various proposals being put forward by legislators in the General Assembly as well as advocacy groups and think tanks. Gov. JB Pritzker pitched a child tax credit in his proposed budget earlier this year that was smaller than the version that passed in the final budget. It would have applied to children under three years old and cost about $12 million. Proponents of the idea say that in addition to helping low-income families, programs like this help local economies. “Every dollar we invest in the child tax credit is immediately spent locally,” Erion Malasi, the policy director for Economic Security for Illinois, told Capitol News Illinois. Researchers at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a labor movement-affiliated think tank, found in a January report that child tax credits have a higher economic impact than cuts to corporate income taxes or to capital gains taxes. That report also cited several research teams that found the temporary expansion to the federal child tax credit between 2021 and 2023 reduced child poverty in the U.S. by between 25 and 36 percent. That credit provided an additional $1,000 per child on top of an existing $2,000 credit, with increases for younger children. State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation that would have created a $300 million child tax credit program that was more expansive than the version that passed. Aquino told Capitol News Illinois he will be watching the rollout of the child tax credit to see if there is room for an “expansion” in future budget years or if there is a route for the credit to be automatically applied for qualifying taxpayers. The Illinois Department of Revenue is working on guidance for next year's filing season and will provide information about how to claim the child tax credit on its website. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Kansas' Davids lauds court decision on abortion pill; Marshall critiques Democrats' IVF billBY: TIM CARPENTER - JUNE 13, 2024 4:56 PM U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, applauded a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to turn aside a lawsuit seeking to direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to significantly limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of an attempt to undermine the federal Food and Drug Administration's authorization of a widely available abortion medication wouldn't be the final act by opponents of reproductive rights.On Thursday, the Supreme Court said the plaintiffs, comprised of anti-abortion physicians and organizations, didn't have standing to pursue the lawsuit against the FDA aimed at curtailing access to the drug mifepristone. It's possible other plaintiffs capable of showing they were harmed by availability of the pill could challenge FDA approval of the drug. It is used in approximately half of all abortions in the United States.“I will always stand with Kansans who overwhelmingly rejected extremist attempts to limit reproductive health care access,” said Davids, the 3rd District Democrat. “Yet, for the second year in a row, a vital and safe reproductive health care medication was under attack, threatening to strip Kansans' ability to freely make health care decisions that are best for their families and futures.”Davids said the Supreme Court opinion was “a victory for our freedoms,” but the legal fight regarding abortion access was far from over. She vowed to continue opposing attempts to “interfere in our most private health care decisions.”U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, signed an amicus brief urging federal courts to rule the FDA overstepped its authority years ago in regard to use of mifepristone. U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, signed a brief that argued the Supreme Court should reverse the FDA.These Kansas lawmakers said the FDA's action to deregulate “chemical abortion drugs” subverted Congress' public policy interests and patient welfare.Mifepristone, which is authorized for up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, was part of two-drug regimen that included misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical.Meanwhile, both U.S. senators from Kansas, Republicans Jerry Moran and Marshall, voted Thursday to block legislation offered by Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois that would affirm the right of women attempting to become pregnant to seek fertility treatments that included in vitro fertilization or IVF.The Senate vote on that measure was 48-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure.On Wednesday, Marshall said the Duckworth bill contained “poison pills” that violated the religious freedom of physicians and would unnecessarily broaden access to reproductive technology. He praised a piece of IVF legislation sponsored by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.Marshall, a physician who delivered babies for 30 years in Kansas said, “The country needs to know that Republicans believe in IVF. I happen to believe IVF is a gift from God.”Sean: Unfortunately for Senator Marshall, he doesn't speak for all Republicans, many of whom are far out of the mainstream on whether they believe families should be able to access IVF.And today in unforced errors…Trump tells House Republicans Milwaukee is a ‘horrible city'BY: HENRY REDMAN - JUNE 13, 2024 10:51 AM Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Wednesday, May 1, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson | Getty Images)In a closed door meeting with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump reportedly called Milwaukee, the location of this summer's Republican National Convention, a “horrible city.” Trump's comments were reported by Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman. “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” Trump is reported to have said on Thursday. The former president visited Wisconsin in May, holding a rally in Waukesha. During that visit, he talked about the RNC coming to Milwaukee, making fun of Democrats — who planned to hold the 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city but canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic — for not showing up to the city. Wisconsin's House Republicans responded to the report with varying stories about what happened. Rep. Glenn Grothman told reporters Trump was talking about “election integrity” in large urban centers, Rep. Derrick Van Orden said the report was a lie and that Trump was talking about the city's crime rate and Rep. Bryan Steil denied that Trump made the comment at all.In response to the comment, Democrats said if Trump doesn't like Milwaukee, he doesn't need to come. “If Donald Trump hates Milwaukee so much, we have one message for him: don't come, we won't miss you — your campaign is barely here in the first place,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement. “In November, Wisconsinites will show Trump how the dislike is mutual and will reject him again once and for all.”Other Democrats touted Milwaukee's beer, food and sports teams while connecting the comments to regular Republican attacks against Wisconsin's largest and most diverse city.“Donald Trump attacking the great city of Milwaukee as a ‘horrible city' exactly one month before he shuffles out on stage at the Fiserv reflects the backward, twisted man Donald Trump has always been,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Vice Chair Felesia Martin said. “With entertainment, recreation and a quality of life that is unparalleled — to say nothing of a great basketball team — I am blessed to call Milwaukee home. We're used to Republican politicians like Donald Trump showing nothing but contempt for Milwaukee and the folks who live here: they know our power, and they're afraid of the city we are building here, together. Once again, Trump has demonstrated why he should not be elected to the highest office in the land. He does not possess the discipline, respect, thoughtfulness, nor the maturity necessary to lead our country.”Trump is expected to visit southeastern Wisconsin again next week, for a planned rally in Racine on Tuesday. Because he knows if he wants to be president again, he has to win there. Wild. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Kansas passes huge incentive bill to lure KC Chiefs and Royals, Illinois families look forward to new Child Tax Credit, Trump thinks must-win Milwaukee is horrible and more

covid-19 united states god tv texas donald trump starting house politics food joe biden wild fake illinois wisconsin congress supreme court missouri families republicans kansas democrats debt kansas city senate chiefs milwaukee democratic capitol fda score researchers revenue nascar patrick mahomes houston astros major league baseball kansas city chiefs gop horrible gov maga ivf scotus buffalo bills royals republican party incentives scoop ted cruz dems reps rnc democratic national convention look forward davids national football league legislature republican national convention general assembly taxpayers lure must win drug administration tax credits house republicans state reps kansas city royals 50m aquino abortion rights waukesha racine democratic national committee kc chiefs proponents sales tax duckworth child tax credit arrowhead stadium 2024 elections sporting kc waggoner wisconsinites illinois department jb pritzker fiserv tammy duckworth kc royals republican u economic security laura kelly stilwell kansans earned income tax credit new child claeys kauffman stadium american aquarium democratic u illinoisans darren bailey eitc jake sherman kansas house afc divisional playoff sharice davids tarwater bruce rauner punchbowl news wyandotte county illinois politics kansas legislature rauner wisconsin politics mike bost illinois republicans missouri politics illinois republican party capitol news illinois d chicago

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2024 11:59

The Heartland POD, Friday June 21, 2024Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kanas City Chiefs and RoyalsRather than preside over clown show convention, IL GOP chair resignsIllinois families cheer $300 state Child Tax CreditDems confident, Republicans morose in ongoing IVF battleThis week in ‘unforced errors' Trump calls Milwaukee a ‘horrible city' causing his pollster to be… also morose. We're glad to have you with us. If you're new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5-star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at https://theheartlandcollective.comLots to do, so let's go! Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, RoyalsBY: ALLISON KITE - JUNE 18, 2024 3:26 PM Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium in April. (Ed Zurga/Getty Images).TOPEKA — The Kansas City Royals and Chiefs could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in sales tax revenue to move from Missouri and build new stadiums across the state line under legislation passed Tuesday by Kansas lawmakers.The House voted 84-38 and the Senate voted 27-8 to approve legislation that would expand a state incentive program in an attempt to lure one or both teams from Kansas City. The bill now heads to Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, who said in a statement following the Senate vote that the effort to bring the teams to Kansas “shows we're all-in on keeping our beloved teams in the Kansas City metro.”“Kansas now has the opportunity to become a professional sports powerhouse with the Chiefs and Royals potentially joining Sporting KC as major league attractions, all with robust, revenue-generating entertainment districts surrounding them providing new jobs, new visitors and new revenues that boost the Kansas economy,” Kelly said.Neither team has promised to move to Kansas, though both actively lobbied for the legislation's passage. The Chiefs said in a statement that the team appreciated Kansas leaders reaching out for input on the legislation.“We look forward to exploring the options this legislation may provide,” the statement said. The Royals said the team was grateful to the legislature for its vote. “The Kansas City Royals look forward to additional conversations as we evaluate where we will play baseball in the future,” the team said. “We will always prioritize the best interests of our fans, associates and taxpayers in this process.”State Rep. Sean Tarwater, a Republican from Stilwell, said during debate in the House that Missouri had a history of losing professional sports teams and implored fellow House members to pass the legislation.“I ask you today, do you really want to put that type of an economic generation in the hands of the state of Missouri?” Tarwater said just before the vote.Rep. Sean Tarwater speaks on the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives in favor of expanding economic incentives in an attempt to bring the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals to Kansas. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)Passage of the bill represents a monumental step in Kansas lawmakers' attempts to court the teams. Both teams have signaled a willingness to move from their current stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City, Missouri.While neither team has announced a proposed site for a Kansas stadium, legislators speculated it could land in Wyandotte County near the Sporting KC soccer stadium, NASCAR track and outlet shops.“We have the history of building amazing projects that have brought in retail commerce, restaurants, hotels and have improved an area that was largely just a field and turned it into a tax-generating machine for our state,” said Sen. J.R. Claeys, a Salina Republican.The legislation, he said, would put Kansas in a “very good position to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals in the Kansas City metro area.”The bill, which was not voted on by any legislative committee, would expand the state's Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond program, which is meant to help finance tourism and entertainment districts to help pay for a professional football or baseball stadium of at least $1 billion.A developer building a stadium under the program would be eligible to finance up to 70% of the project cost by issuing bonds and repaying them with the increased sales tax collections from the stadium site. The expansion would have initially allowed up to 75% of project costs but was tweaked before introduction. Debt on a stadium constructed under the expansion wouldn't have to be repaid for 30 years instead of the normal 20.The project could also receive a boost from liquor taxes generated in the STAR Bond district and revenues from a fund Kansas created when it legalized sports betting.During House debate, Rep. Paul Waggoner, a Hutchinson Republican, argued subsidized stadiums never generate the economic activity that they promise. He was alarmed by what he called “minimal transparency” in the deal-making process laid out in the legislation.The bill says any agreement between the state and a team would be confidential until after it has been executed.Waggoner called the legislation “bad public policy.”“This is not your mother's STAR Bonds,” Waggoner said. “This is a jacked up super-sized version of STAR Bonds.”Patrick Mahomes throws pass against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 23, 2022. Kansas lawmakers could offer the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals millions of dollars in tax incentives to move from Missouri to Kansas. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images).The bill limits the eligibility to National Football League or Major League Baseball teams currently near Kansas. The financing mechanism could be used for both stadiums and training facilities.Both teams have pressed lawmakers in recent weeks to pass the bill with representatives from the Royals hosting dinner for Democratic lawmakers at a steakhouse Monday night and the Chiefs throwing a lunchtime block party Tuesday steps from the Capitol.Earlier this month, a nonprofit called Scoop and Score Inc. launched to advocate for a Kansas stadium deal. The organization, which does not have to disclose its donors, hired 30 lobbyists to advocate for the STAR Bond expansion legislation. In a statement, former Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., a lobbyist for Scoop and Score and the Chiefs, said the Legislature “stepped up in a big way, paving the path to make sure the Chiefs stay right where they belong — in Kansas City with their loyal fans.”“The votes show overwhelming bipartisan support because Kansas lawmakers know what the Chiefs mean to us and how big of an economic opportunity this is for Kansas,” Ryckman said.Just weeks before Republican National Convention, Illinois GOP chair announces resignationAfter 3 ½ years as ILGOP chair, Don Tracy cites intraparty fighting as reason for quittingBy HANNAH MEISELCapitol News Illinoishmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.comHalfway through the 2024 election cycle and just a few weeks away from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Illinois GOP Chair Don Tracy on Wednesday announced his resignation as head of the state Republican Party.Tracy, who'd held the job since February 2021, explained his resignation in a two-page letter that cited intraparty “power struggles.” He also said he is concerned about the direction the party is taking under the current membership of the Illinois Republican State Central Committee – a 17-person body that steers the ILGOP, with one member elected from each congressional district.“In better days, Illinois Republicans came together after tough intra party elections,” Tracy wrote. “Now however, we have Republicans who would rather fight other Republicans than engage in the harder work of defeating incumbent Democrats by convincing swing voters to vote Republican.”Tracy was narrowly elected Illinois Republican Party chair in the wake of the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by those who sought to stop certification of the election for its winner, President Joe Biden, over former President Donald Trump. Even as Republicans publicly reckoned with the events of Jan. 6, hardline conservatives on the state central committee were pushing for a more ardent supporter of Trump and his politics than the previous chair, who was hand-picked by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.Instead, the party got Tracy, another Rauner ally who served as chair of the Illinois Gaming Board during the one-term governor's administration. Tracy had unsuccessfully run for lieutenant governor in 2010, and in 2002, he lost a bid for a state Senate seat – but as a Democrat.Tracy's electoral history, as well as his experience as an attorney and co-owner of his family's food distribution business, fit the mold of previous ILGOP chairs in a state where fiscally conservative and socially moderate suburban Republicans for decades were a political powerhouse.But as Republican politics have changed both nationally and in Illinois, Tracy's run as party chair proved tumultuous.Additionally, Tracy wrote that he was “concerned about the current infatuation” of some state central committee members “with certain individuals they call ‘grass roots' leaders.”One such self-proclaimed grassroots Republican, former state Sen. Darren Bailey, celebrated Tracy's resignation on social media Wednesday, calling it a “cleansing” of the state GOP.“Fake republicans got us into this mess,” wrote Bailey, who earlier this year lost a primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Bost and unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022. “Real Republicans standing firm will get us out!!!”Read more: Dems seek unity as new, former chair take no questions from media after party voteDemocrats panned the state GOP as “defined by a litany of electoral disasters, constant infighting, meager fundraising, and a strict adherence to a losing set of anti-choice, anti-worker, pro-Trump policies.”“While we don't expect new leadership to change any of that, we do wish the best of luck to the inevitable MAGA extremist who will succeed Don Tracy as Chair,” the party said.Tracy's letter indicated he would resign upon the election of a successor, “preferably no later than” July 19 – the day after the RNC is scheduled to conclude. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of newspapers, radio and TV stations statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Illinois child tax credit: who gets it, how much is it?(Capitol News Illinois illustration by Andrew Adams)Thursday, June 13, 2024$50M tax credit program will provide up to roughly $300 for low-income familiesBy ANDREW ADAMSCapitol News Illinoisaadams@capitolnewsillinois.comIn the final hours of their spring legislative session, Illinois lawmakers approved a tax credit of up to about $300 for families with young children. The credit is available to Illinoisans with children under age 12 who qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Although it has exceptions, that credit is generally available to married couples earning up to about $60,000 and single people earning up to about $50,000, depending on the number of children they have. For taxes on 2024 income, the tax credit will cap at just over $300 for tax filers with three or more children who meet certain income requirements. Taxpayers with two children face a cap of about $270 and taxpayers with one child face a cap of about $170. The child tax credit equates to 20 percent of the state's EITC, which allows Illinois taxpayers a credit equal to 20 percent of the federal EITC. Starting in tax year 2025, the state's child tax credit will double to 40 percent of the state EITC, meaning that it will max out at a bit over $600 for families with three children. Because the federal tax credit that determines its size is tied to inflation, the actual size of future years' child tax credits is yet to be determined. In its first year, the program is expected to cost the state $50 million, with a cost of about $100 million in subsequent years. The idea of a permanent child tax credit in Illinois has been floated for several years, with various proposals being put forward by legislators in the General Assembly as well as advocacy groups and think tanks. Gov. JB Pritzker pitched a child tax credit in his proposed budget earlier this year that was smaller than the version that passed in the final budget. It would have applied to children under three years old and cost about $12 million. Proponents of the idea say that in addition to helping low-income families, programs like this help local economies. “Every dollar we invest in the child tax credit is immediately spent locally,” Erion Malasi, the policy director for Economic Security for Illinois, told Capitol News Illinois. Researchers at the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, a labor movement-affiliated think tank, found in a January report that child tax credits have a higher economic impact than cuts to corporate income taxes or to capital gains taxes. That report also cited several research teams that found the temporary expansion to the federal child tax credit between 2021 and 2023 reduced child poverty in the U.S. by between 25 and 36 percent. That credit provided an additional $1,000 per child on top of an existing $2,000 credit, with increases for younger children. State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation that would have created a $300 million child tax credit program that was more expansive than the version that passed. Aquino told Capitol News Illinois he will be watching the rollout of the child tax credit to see if there is room for an “expansion” in future budget years or if there is a route for the credit to be automatically applied for qualifying taxpayers. The Illinois Department of Revenue is working on guidance for next year's filing season and will provide information about how to claim the child tax credit on its website. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.Kansas' Davids lauds court decision on abortion pill; Marshall critiques Democrats' IVF billBY: TIM CARPENTER - JUNE 13, 2024 4:56 PM U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, applauded a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to turn aside a lawsuit seeking to direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to significantly limit access to the abortion pill mifepristone. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said the U.S. Supreme Court's rejection of an attempt to undermine the federal Food and Drug Administration's authorization of a widely available abortion medication wouldn't be the final act by opponents of reproductive rights.On Thursday, the Supreme Court said the plaintiffs, comprised of anti-abortion physicians and organizations, didn't have standing to pursue the lawsuit against the FDA aimed at curtailing access to the drug mifepristone. It's possible other plaintiffs capable of showing they were harmed by availability of the pill could challenge FDA approval of the drug. It is used in approximately half of all abortions in the United States.“I will always stand with Kansans who overwhelmingly rejected extremist attempts to limit reproductive health care access,” said Davids, the 3rd District Democrat. “Yet, for the second year in a row, a vital and safe reproductive health care medication was under attack, threatening to strip Kansans' ability to freely make health care decisions that are best for their families and futures.”Davids said the Supreme Court opinion was “a victory for our freedoms,” but the legal fight regarding abortion access was far from over. She vowed to continue opposing attempts to “interfere in our most private health care decisions.”U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, signed an amicus brief urging federal courts to rule the FDA overstepped its authority years ago in regard to use of mifepristone. U.S. Reps. Ron Estes, Tracey Mann and Jake LaTurner, signed a brief that argued the Supreme Court should reverse the FDA.These Kansas lawmakers said the FDA's action to deregulate “chemical abortion drugs” subverted Congress' public policy interests and patient welfare.Mifepristone, which is authorized for up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy, was part of two-drug regimen that included misoprostol as the second pharmaceutical.Meanwhile, both U.S. senators from Kansas, Republicans Jerry Moran and Marshall, voted Thursday to block legislation offered by Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois that would affirm the right of women attempting to become pregnant to seek fertility treatments that included in vitro fertilization or IVF.The Senate vote on that measure was 48-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the measure.On Wednesday, Marshall said the Duckworth bill contained “poison pills” that violated the religious freedom of physicians and would unnecessarily broaden access to reproductive technology. He praised a piece of IVF legislation sponsored by Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.Marshall, a physician who delivered babies for 30 years in Kansas said, “The country needs to know that Republicans believe in IVF. I happen to believe IVF is a gift from God.”Sean: Unfortunately for Senator Marshall, he doesn't speak for all Republicans, many of whom are far out of the mainstream on whether they believe families should be able to access IVF.And today in unforced errors…Trump tells House Republicans Milwaukee is a ‘horrible city'BY: HENRY REDMAN - JUNE 13, 2024 10:51 AM Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally on Wednesday, May 1, in Waukesha, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson | Getty Images)In a closed door meeting with Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, Donald Trump reportedly called Milwaukee, the location of this summer's Republican National Convention, a “horrible city.” Trump's comments were reported by Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman. “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city,” Trump is reported to have said on Thursday. The former president visited Wisconsin in May, holding a rally in Waukesha. During that visit, he talked about the RNC coming to Milwaukee, making fun of Democrats — who planned to hold the 2020 Democratic National Convention in the city but canceled it due to the COVID-19 pandemic — for not showing up to the city. Wisconsin's House Republicans responded to the report with varying stories about what happened. Rep. Glenn Grothman told reporters Trump was talking about “election integrity” in large urban centers, Rep. Derrick Van Orden said the report was a lie and that Trump was talking about the city's crime rate and Rep. Bryan Steil denied that Trump made the comment at all.In response to the comment, Democrats said if Trump doesn't like Milwaukee, he doesn't need to come. “If Donald Trump hates Milwaukee so much, we have one message for him: don't come, we won't miss you — your campaign is barely here in the first place,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Addy Toevs said in a statement. “In November, Wisconsinites will show Trump how the dislike is mutual and will reject him again once and for all.”Other Democrats touted Milwaukee's beer, food and sports teams while connecting the comments to regular Republican attacks against Wisconsin's largest and most diverse city.“Donald Trump attacking the great city of Milwaukee as a ‘horrible city' exactly one month before he shuffles out on stage at the Fiserv reflects the backward, twisted man Donald Trump has always been,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Vice Chair Felesia Martin said. “With entertainment, recreation and a quality of life that is unparalleled — to say nothing of a great basketball team — I am blessed to call Milwaukee home. We're used to Republican politicians like Donald Trump showing nothing but contempt for Milwaukee and the folks who live here: they know our power, and they're afraid of the city we are building here, together. Once again, Trump has demonstrated why he should not be elected to the highest office in the land. He does not possess the discipline, respect, thoughtfulness, nor the maturity necessary to lead our country.”Trump is expected to visit southeastern Wisconsin again next week, for a planned rally in Racine on Tuesday. Because he knows if he wants to be president again, he has to win there. Wild. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Newsmakers: How New Districts Are Shaking Up Wisconsin Politics

Newsmakers

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2024

On June 10, 2024, WisconsinEye's Newsmakers host Lisa Pugh hosted a show highlighting how new legislative districts are playing out this campaign season, and what Wisconsinites need to know. Her guest was WisPolitics.com Editor JR Ross. WisPolitics.com has written extensively on district changes throughout the state’s 99 assembly districts and 33 senate districts. You can follow […]

districts shaking up wisconsinites newsmakers wisconsin politics wispolitics wisconsineye

Sarah Huckabee Sanders podium problems persist, Biden campaign talks abortion in Wisconsin, KS Rep. Jake LaTurner leaving Congress and more

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 9:48

Missouri's House Speaker accused of absolute obstruction | Sarah Huckabee Sanders Podium Continues To Dominate | Michigan GOP can't take a hint on right-to-work | While Trump's In Court, women put his policies on trial in Wisconsin | Another GOP Congressman is headed for the doorThe Heartland POD, Friday April 19, 2024: Flyover Friday Learn more about our shows and sign up to become a PODHead Patreon supporter today by visiting patreon.com/theheartlandcollective - sign up today for extra shows and access including a member's chat, and more. 1. Missouri House Speaker Plocher The Blockerhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/15/speaker-dean-plocher-accused-of-absolute-obstruction-in-house-ethics-investigation/BY: JASON HANCOCK - APRIL 15, 2024 9:34 PMOn Monday of this week, bipartisan leaders of the House Ethics Committee alleged that Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher obstructed an investigation of his official acts through pressure on potential witnesses and refusing to issue subpoenas.Some potential witnesses allegedly refused to speak out of fear Plocher would use his power as speaker to retaliate against them. And Plocher refused to cooperate with the attorney hired to collect evidence for the committee. A report laying out findings from the ethics committee's months-long investigation that was released Monday night concluded the committee lacked direct evidence of ethical misconduct in Plocher's advocacy for a six-figure software contract, in his firing of a former staffer, or in years of filing false expense reimbursement reports. But Republican state Rep. Hannah Kelly of Mountain Grove, the committee's chair, and Democratic state Rep. Robert Sauls of Independence, the vice chair, said the report demonstrates “absolute obstruction” that hindered the committee's efforts to get to the truth. Plocher, a candidate for secretary of state, declined to comment. The report recommended a formal letter of disapproval for Plocher, that he hire an accounting professional to manage his expense reports moving forward, and that he refrain from retaliation against any legislator or House employee who cooperated with the committee. The report also recommended further review by the House into allegations of threats made against legislative employees during the course of the investigation. The report states Plocher's actions “substantially impair public confidence in the General Assembly,” Plocher's troubles spilled out into the public in September, when he was accused of engaging in “unethical and perhaps unlawful conduct” as part of a months-long push outside the normal bidding process to get the House to award an $800,000 contract to a private company to manage constituent information.As part of that contract push, Plocher allegedly threatened the jobs of nonpartisan staff who raised red flags. A month later, The Missouri Independent reported Plocher had on numerous occasions over the last five years illegally sought taxpayer reimbursement from the legislature for airfare, hotels and other travel costs already paid for by his campaign.As for the threats against nonpartisan staff, there was also no direct evidence implicating the speaker, though the report states that several employees testified under oath about threats and a “negative work environment.”The attorney hired to collect evidence for the committee marveled at the overarching fear of retaliation among House staff, saying “I have not encountered more unwilling witnesses in any investigation in my career. The level of fear expressed by a number of the potential witnesses is a daunting factor in completing this investigation.”2. Speak into the mic Mrs. Sanders, The People Paid Good Money For ithttps://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/04/17/podiumgate-audit-sarah-huckabee-sanders-arkansasAlex GoldenThe Arkansas Legislative Audit this week wrapped up its investigation into the purchase of a $19,000 podium by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' administration.The audit report reveals the governor's office may have broken state law in several instances, including:Applying the purchase to operating expenses when it didn't meet criteria.Not notifying the Department of Transformation and Shared Services, therefore preventing the purchase from being properly recorded.Not seeking an exemption from the state procurement director for disposal of state property.Shredding the delivery noteAltering a public record. Auditors found three versions of an invoice, two of which contained a handwritten notation made after the record was entered into the Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System.Transformation and Shared Services also may have violated state law by excluding multiple invoices paid for with the governor's office credit card.Days before the release of the report, state Attorney General Tim Griffin said the governor is not subject to two state laws that if she were, could be problematic. The AG says the laws do not apply to the Governor of Arkansas. 3. Michigan GOP Is Gonna Try Again On Right To Workhttps://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/17/house-gop-announce-plans-to-bring-back-right-to-work-snyder-era-economic-policies/BY: KEN COLEMAN, SUSAN J. DEMAS AND KYLE DAVIDSON - APRIL 17, 2024 5:18 PMA day after state House Democrats won two special elections to regain a majority, Republicans on Wednesday announced a plan “to grow local economies”. Bringing back so-called Right to Work - a policy meant to reduce the power of labor unions - is one of the GOP's top priorities. Last year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation repealing the 2012 Right to Work law that had been on the books since 2012. The controversial law allowed workers to get all union benefits without having to pay dues. 4. Women harmed by abortion restrictions campaign against Trump in Wisconsinhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/04/17/women-harmed-by-abortion-restrictions-campaign-against-trump-in-wisconsin/BY: BAYLOR SPEARS - APRIL 17, 2024 5:45 AMTwo women, who said their states' abortion restrictions exacerbated their experience with medical difficulties during pregnancy, told their stories Tuesday while campaigning for President Joe Biden at a round table event in Madison.Their visit is one of four stops they are making this week in Wisconsin — a battleground state that could play a decisive role in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats are focusing on abortion as an issue that could help drive voters to the polls. Amanda Zurawski of Houston, Texas said she underwent “grueling” fertility treatments for a year and a half. She and her husband, Josh were “over the moon” when she finally became pregnant. While her first trimester was pretty easy, she said she suffered from “catastrophic complications” at 18 weeks. She said she needed an abortion, but her state's abortion ban made it illegal.“My doctor would have been at risk of losing her license, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines and even jail time, so I was told to just wait until I got so sick that my life was considered in danger, which is one of the rare exceptions in Texas,”. She waited three days before she developed sepsis — a potentially fatal condition resulting from infection — and doctors finally provided her care, stabilizing her and ending her pregnancy with the baby she named Willow. She was in the intensive care unit for several days afterwards. Zurawski said she realized in her “dark and lonely hospital room” that she was “actually lucky because I lived and I knew others might not be so lucky.” “What I went through was nothing short of barbaric and it did not need to happen,” said Zurawski, who was a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against Texas due to its abortion ban. “It was completely avoidable. It was completely preventable, and it happened because of Donald Trump.” Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana, said that she and her husband, Landon, were thrilled to learn that she was pregnant. They already had one daughter, who was 3, and it made sense for them to add to their family.Early in her pregnancy, Joshua said she started experiencing cramping and spotting, and at 11 weeks, she experienced major blood loss and pain. She sought care at a Baton Rouge emergency room, where she was told she was experiencing a miscarriage, but was provided no support.She said, “We're simply asking for the most basic level of internal health care but because of Donald Trump's laws, we are being denied basic care.” (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)“Because of the state's abortion ban, the health care team was afraid. They instead sent me home, sent home on prayers. I remember the young lady said ‘We'll be praying for you and you're just gonna have to handle this at home.'” Joshua went to a second hospital where she was also told to wait. She said it took her almost a month to complete the miscarriage on her own. Women across Louisiana and across the country are having similar experiences.“Because of abortion bans, physicians simply cannot do their job and practice medicine based on their training expertise. We're simply asking for the most basic level of internal health care, but because of Donald Trump, we are being denied basic care.”Former President Donald Trump has said in recent weeks that abortion policy should be left to the states. He has also said that he would support a 16-week nationwide ban.The U.S. has been left with a patchwork of abortion laws with many states having implemented bans due to the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.Abortion services were halted completely in Wisconsin until recently, due to an 1849 law that many thought was in force on the reversal of Roe.Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) said, “We didn't have abortions available in Wisconsin for a year. Due to a court decision, right now they're available, but we know how fragile it is, we know that that can change at any time. We also know that if Donald Trump is elected, that will almost certainly change.” 5. KS Congressman Jake LaTurner turns toward home. Andrew Solenderhttps://www.axios.com/2024/04/18/jake-laturner-retire-house-gop-kansasA 36-year-old House Republican who has served in Congress just three years said Thursday he will not seek reelection in November.Rep. Jake LaTurner's (R-Kan.) retirement is a stark addition to a trend of House Republicans sprinting for the exits after a year filled with infighting and discord.Two House Republicans told Axios they expect more retirement announcements in the coming weeks.LaTurner, who was first elected in 2020, said "the current dysfunction on Capitol Hill is distressing." LaTurner makes nearly 20 House Republicans who have left or are planning to leave Congress without immediate plans to run for another office. Another five are seeking higher office.Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), a 40-year-old onetime GOP rising star, is planning to resign in the middle of his term to take a job in the private sector.Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), the 48-year-old chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who reached the zenith of his political career last year as the House speaker pro tempore, is also retiring.The retirements come as a growing number of right-wing hardliners are threatening to join an effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).Johnson is moving ahead with plans to hold a vote on a foreign aid package that includes aid to Ukraine, which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has said would trigger a vote to remove him. The three-week speaker vacancy last year spurred a wave of retirements, particularly within the GOP.LaTurner has $676,000 cash on hand and no Republicans were running against him; this sets up a likely wild primary and maybe even a flip opportunity for Democrats.SOURCES: Michigan Advance, Wisconsin Examiner, Axios, Politico, The Missouri Independent,Pro.STateaffairs.com, Kansas reflector, @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

women texas donald trump house work politics joe biden ukraine transformation speak leaving wisconsin congress supreme court missouri republicans kansas louisiana democrats arkansas campaign roe v wade abortion governor independence democratic sanders gop capitol hill gov scotus politico baton rouge dobbs podium general assembly persist mike johnson marjorie taylor greene axios house republicans house speaker house democrats abortion rights gretchen whitmer pma sarah huckabee sanders labor unions shredding 2024 elections auditors mike gallagher while trump house foreign affairs committee dobbs decision right to work house ethics committee shared services american aquarium michigan politics wisconsin politics plocher progressive podcast missouri politics amanda zurawski house speaker mike johnson r la missouri independent wisconsin examiner dean plocher

Sarah Huckabee Sanders podium problems persist, Biden campaign talks abortion in Wisconsin, KS Rep. Jake LaTurner leaving Congress and more

The Bakari Sellers Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2024 9:48

Missouri's House Speaker accused of absolute obstruction | Sarah Huckabee Sanders Podium Continues To Dominate | Michigan GOP can't take a hint on right-to-work | While Trump's In Court, women put his policies on trial in Wisconsin | Another GOP Congressman is headed for the doorThe Heartland POD, Friday April 19, 2024: Flyover Friday Learn more about our shows and sign up to become a PODHead Patreon supporter today by visiting patreon.com/theheartlandcollective - sign up today for extra shows and access including a member's chat, and more. 1. Missouri House Speaker Plocher The Blockerhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/15/speaker-dean-plocher-accused-of-absolute-obstruction-in-house-ethics-investigation/BY: JASON HANCOCK - APRIL 15, 2024 9:34 PMOn Monday of this week, bipartisan leaders of the House Ethics Committee alleged that Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher obstructed an investigation of his official acts through pressure on potential witnesses and refusing to issue subpoenas.Some potential witnesses allegedly refused to speak out of fear Plocher would use his power as speaker to retaliate against them. And Plocher refused to cooperate with the attorney hired to collect evidence for the committee. A report laying out findings from the ethics committee's months-long investigation that was released Monday night concluded the committee lacked direct evidence of ethical misconduct in Plocher's advocacy for a six-figure software contract, in his firing of a former staffer, or in years of filing false expense reimbursement reports. But Republican state Rep. Hannah Kelly of Mountain Grove, the committee's chair, and Democratic state Rep. Robert Sauls of Independence, the vice chair, said the report demonstrates “absolute obstruction” that hindered the committee's efforts to get to the truth. Plocher, a candidate for secretary of state, declined to comment. The report recommended a formal letter of disapproval for Plocher, that he hire an accounting professional to manage his expense reports moving forward, and that he refrain from retaliation against any legislator or House employee who cooperated with the committee. The report also recommended further review by the House into allegations of threats made against legislative employees during the course of the investigation. The report states Plocher's actions “substantially impair public confidence in the General Assembly,” Plocher's troubles spilled out into the public in September, when he was accused of engaging in “unethical and perhaps unlawful conduct” as part of a months-long push outside the normal bidding process to get the House to award an $800,000 contract to a private company to manage constituent information.As part of that contract push, Plocher allegedly threatened the jobs of nonpartisan staff who raised red flags. A month later, The Missouri Independent reported Plocher had on numerous occasions over the last five years illegally sought taxpayer reimbursement from the legislature for airfare, hotels and other travel costs already paid for by his campaign.As for the threats against nonpartisan staff, there was also no direct evidence implicating the speaker, though the report states that several employees testified under oath about threats and a “negative work environment.”The attorney hired to collect evidence for the committee marveled at the overarching fear of retaliation among House staff, saying “I have not encountered more unwilling witnesses in any investigation in my career. The level of fear expressed by a number of the potential witnesses is a daunting factor in completing this investigation.”2. Speak into the mic Mrs. Sanders, The People Paid Good Money For ithttps://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2024/04/17/podiumgate-audit-sarah-huckabee-sanders-arkansasAlex GoldenThe Arkansas Legislative Audit this week wrapped up its investigation into the purchase of a $19,000 podium by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' administration.The audit report reveals the governor's office may have broken state law in several instances, including:Applying the purchase to operating expenses when it didn't meet criteria.Not notifying the Department of Transformation and Shared Services, therefore preventing the purchase from being properly recorded.Not seeking an exemption from the state procurement director for disposal of state property.Shredding the delivery noteAltering a public record. Auditors found three versions of an invoice, two of which contained a handwritten notation made after the record was entered into the Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System.Transformation and Shared Services also may have violated state law by excluding multiple invoices paid for with the governor's office credit card.Days before the release of the report, state Attorney General Tim Griffin said the governor is not subject to two state laws that if she were, could be problematic. The AG says the laws do not apply to the Governor of Arkansas. 3. Michigan GOP Is Gonna Try Again On Right To Workhttps://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/17/house-gop-announce-plans-to-bring-back-right-to-work-snyder-era-economic-policies/BY: KEN COLEMAN, SUSAN J. DEMAS AND KYLE DAVIDSON - APRIL 17, 2024 5:18 PMA day after state House Democrats won two special elections to regain a majority, Republicans on Wednesday announced a plan “to grow local economies”. Bringing back so-called Right to Work - a policy meant to reduce the power of labor unions - is one of the GOP's top priorities. Last year, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation repealing the 2012 Right to Work law that had been on the books since 2012. The controversial law allowed workers to get all union benefits without having to pay dues. 4. Women harmed by abortion restrictions campaign against Trump in Wisconsinhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/04/17/women-harmed-by-abortion-restrictions-campaign-against-trump-in-wisconsin/BY: BAYLOR SPEARS - APRIL 17, 2024 5:45 AMTwo women, who said their states' abortion restrictions exacerbated their experience with medical difficulties during pregnancy, told their stories Tuesday while campaigning for President Joe Biden at a round table event in Madison.Their visit is one of four stops they are making this week in Wisconsin — a battleground state that could play a decisive role in the 2024 presidential election. Democrats are focusing on abortion as an issue that could help drive voters to the polls. Amanda Zurawski of Houston, Texas said she underwent “grueling” fertility treatments for a year and a half. She and her husband, Josh were “over the moon” when she finally became pregnant. While her first trimester was pretty easy, she said she suffered from “catastrophic complications” at 18 weeks. She said she needed an abortion, but her state's abortion ban made it illegal.“My doctor would have been at risk of losing her license, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines and even jail time, so I was told to just wait until I got so sick that my life was considered in danger, which is one of the rare exceptions in Texas,”. She waited three days before she developed sepsis — a potentially fatal condition resulting from infection — and doctors finally provided her care, stabilizing her and ending her pregnancy with the baby she named Willow. She was in the intensive care unit for several days afterwards. Zurawski said she realized in her “dark and lonely hospital room” that she was “actually lucky because I lived and I knew others might not be so lucky.” “What I went through was nothing short of barbaric and it did not need to happen,” said Zurawski, who was a lead plaintiff in a lawsuit against Texas due to its abortion ban. “It was completely avoidable. It was completely preventable, and it happened because of Donald Trump.” Kaitlyn Joshua of Louisiana, said that she and her husband, Landon, were thrilled to learn that she was pregnant. They already had one daughter, who was 3, and it made sense for them to add to their family.Early in her pregnancy, Joshua said she started experiencing cramping and spotting, and at 11 weeks, she experienced major blood loss and pain. She sought care at a Baton Rouge emergency room, where she was told she was experiencing a miscarriage, but was provided no support.She said, “We're simply asking for the most basic level of internal health care but because of Donald Trump's laws, we are being denied basic care.” (Baylor Spears | Wisconsin Examiner)“Because of the state's abortion ban, the health care team was afraid. They instead sent me home, sent home on prayers. I remember the young lady said ‘We'll be praying for you and you're just gonna have to handle this at home.'” Joshua went to a second hospital where she was also told to wait. She said it took her almost a month to complete the miscarriage on her own. Women across Louisiana and across the country are having similar experiences.“Because of abortion bans, physicians simply cannot do their job and practice medicine based on their training expertise. We're simply asking for the most basic level of internal health care, but because of Donald Trump, we are being denied basic care.”Former President Donald Trump has said in recent weeks that abortion policy should be left to the states. He has also said that he would support a 16-week nationwide ban.The U.S. has been left with a patchwork of abortion laws with many states having implemented bans due to the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.Abortion services were halted completely in Wisconsin until recently, due to an 1849 law that many thought was in force on the reversal of Roe.Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) said, “We didn't have abortions available in Wisconsin for a year. Due to a court decision, right now they're available, but we know how fragile it is, we know that that can change at any time. We also know that if Donald Trump is elected, that will almost certainly change.” 5. KS Congressman Jake LaTurner turns toward home. Andrew Solenderhttps://www.axios.com/2024/04/18/jake-laturner-retire-house-gop-kansasA 36-year-old House Republican who has served in Congress just three years said Thursday he will not seek reelection in November.Rep. Jake LaTurner's (R-Kan.) retirement is a stark addition to a trend of House Republicans sprinting for the exits after a year filled with infighting and discord.Two House Republicans told Axios they expect more retirement announcements in the coming weeks.LaTurner, who was first elected in 2020, said "the current dysfunction on Capitol Hill is distressing." LaTurner makes nearly 20 House Republicans who have left or are planning to leave Congress without immediate plans to run for another office. Another five are seeking higher office.Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), a 40-year-old onetime GOP rising star, is planning to resign in the middle of his term to take a job in the private sector.Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), the 48-year-old chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who reached the zenith of his political career last year as the House speaker pro tempore, is also retiring.The retirements come as a growing number of right-wing hardliners are threatening to join an effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).Johnson is moving ahead with plans to hold a vote on a foreign aid package that includes aid to Ukraine, which Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has said would trigger a vote to remove him. The three-week speaker vacancy last year spurred a wave of retirements, particularly within the GOP.LaTurner has $676,000 cash on hand and no Republicans were running against him; this sets up a likely wild primary and maybe even a flip opportunity for Democrats.SOURCES: Michigan Advance, Wisconsin Examiner, Axios, Politico, The Missouri Independent,Pro.STateaffairs.com, Kansas reflector, @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

women texas donald trump house work politics joe biden ukraine transformation speak leaving wisconsin congress supreme court missouri republicans kansas louisiana democrats arkansas campaign roe v wade abortion governor independence democratic sanders gop capitol hill gov scotus politico baton rouge dobbs podium general assembly persist mike johnson marjorie taylor greene axios house republicans house speaker house democrats abortion rights gretchen whitmer pma sarah huckabee sanders labor unions shredding 2024 elections auditors mike gallagher while trump house foreign affairs committee dobbs decision right to work house ethics committee shared services american aquarium michigan politics wisconsin politics plocher progressive podcast missouri politics house speaker mike johnson r la missouri independent wisconsin examiner dean plocher

Craig Gilbert on Wisconsin Politics

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2024 28:37

Bakari is joined by Craig Gilbert, a prominently known political journalist who recently retired from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Craig discusses how his career got started and where he's at now (01:52). Is the polling in Wisconsin accurate (03:48)? What are Black voters concerned about in Wisconsin (08:03)? What kinds of resources are being put in by both parties to campaign in Wisconsin (17:52)? Host: Bakari Sellers Guest: Craig Gilbert Producer: Clifford Augustin Executive Producer: Jarrod Loadholt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

black wisconsin milwaukee journal sentinel bakari wisconsin politics craig gilbert

No Labels is no more | WI bars county election offices from accessing private grant funds | IA legislators don't want folks suing Bayer | MO GOP stars getting sued and more

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2024 21:52

No Labels has No Candidates and is No More | One Suit, Two Suit, Red Suit Defamation Suit Filed against Missouri Lawmakers | Wisconsin Voters Restrict Themselves | Iowa State Senate Favors Chemical Creators over Citizens | Missouri House Speaker Investigation Continues | Tennessee woman sues over abortion access | Kansas Newspaper Raid Investigation Wrapping UpSOURCES: The Missouri Independent, KMBC news, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, St Louis Post-Dispatch, and The GuardianSHOW NOTES3 Missouri State Senators Suedhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/04/three-missouri-state-senators-sued-for-defamation-over-posts-about-chiefs-parade-shooting/https://www.kmbc.com/article/olathe-kansas-man-wrongly-identified-as-chiefs-parade-shooter-sues-3-missouri-lawmakers/60388311Three Missouri Republicans – including one running for statewide office – are being sued for defamation over social media posts incorrectly identifying a Kansas man as an undocumented immigrant and the shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory celebration.On Tuesday, Denton Loudermill of Olathe, Kansas, filed federal lawsuits against state Sens. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg and Nick Schroer of Defiance. Loudermill last week filed a similar complaint against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee. The four lawsuits are almost identical in their allegations against, which involve the lawmakers using social media platforms to repost a photo of Loudermill in handcuffs shortly after the shooting. “The publication of the false representation that plaintiff was an ‘illegal alien' and a ‘shooter' was not made in good faith nor was it made by defendant with any legitimate interest in making or duty to make such assertions,” the lawsuit against Brattin states. Wisconsin Voters Vote To Limit Voting… No Seriouslyhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/wisconsin-amendments-harmful-voting-elections?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherWisconsin voters enshrined in the state constitution on Tuesday two amendments that election officials and voting rights advocates worry will hurt election administration in the state.The first bans election offices from accessing private grants – a source of revenue that election officials relied on in 2020 to run elections during the pandemic and have since used to stock voting equipment in polling places.During the 2020 elections, election offices across the country – already chronically underfunded – accessed grants from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a non-profit organization funded by Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The grants were doled out with the explicit purpose of funding Covid-19 mitigation in polling places, and election offices used the money for things like personal protective equipment and to set up drive-through, contactless voting. Iowa Senate Says “Suck It Up” to folks hurt by mega corporation chemicalshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/02/iowa-senate-votes-to-limit-lawsuits-over-roundup-other-farm-and-lawn-chemicals/A bill that would partially shield the maker of a widely used agricultural and lawn herbicide from lawsuits over its health effects was adopted by the Iowa Senate on Tuesday.Senate File 2412 would protect Bayer against claims it failed to warn people about the potential health effects of Roundup so long as its product is labeled as required by federal regulators.The legislation would apply to all domestic producers of herbicides and pesticides, but eliminating the failure-to-warn claims is part of Bayer's public strategy to “manage and mitigate the risks of Roundup litigation,” according to its website.The company hopes the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the claims are overruled by federal law, which the company predicts “could largely end the Roundup litigation.” But a federal appeals court rejected that argument in February.Bayer says about 167,000 lawsuits have been filed by people who claim their exposure to Roundup caused ailments such as cancer, often non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The herbicide has been used to kill weeds for about four decades. The litigation has cost the company billions of dollars.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said Roundup's primary ingredient, glyphosate, is not likely to cause cancer in humans and that it poses no health risks “when used in accordance with its current label.” But in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”Missouri House Speaker Plocher, Now Candidate for Secretary of State, Narrows Focushttps://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/investigation-of-missouri-s-house-speaker-zeroes-in-on-lobbyist-aides-and-advisers/article_f77bc748-f203-11ee-8b90-d33ac8c58ed3.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterAn investigation of the leader of the Missouri House appears to be focused on his efforts to steer an $800,000 state contract to a software vendor.Meeting for the seventh time since launching a probe into House Speaker Dean Plocher, the House Ethics Committee was expected to take closed-door testimony Wednesday from a handful of aides and advisers.If Plocher appears, it would mark his second time before the bipartisan panel, which has hired an investigator to conduct interviews and help prepare a report outlining any findings.Among those on the schedule is Rod Jetton, whom Plocher hired as his chief of staff last year as the scandal was unfolding. Jetton told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday he was not sure what information the committee wanted from him. Tennessee Woman Sues State Over Abortion Restrictionshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/tennessee-abortion-ban?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherJanuary 2023, whenever Kathryn Archer took her young daughter out to the local playground in Nashville, Tennessee, strangers often noticed her visibly pregnant stomach and wanted to make small talk.“When are you due?” they would ask Archer. “Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?” “Oh, I bet your daughter's so excited to be a big sister.”Archer did not know how to tell them the truth: in early January, Archer's fetus had been diagnosed with several serious anomalies that made a miscarriage likely. If Archer did give birth, her baby could only be treated with surgeries and lifelong help – pain that Archer was unwilling to put a newborn through. Without those surgeries, which the infant might not survive, Archer's baby would die shortly after birth.But due to Tennessee's near-total abortion ban, Archer could not terminate her pregnancy in her home state and, instead, had to wait more than three weeks for an appointment at an out-of-state abortion clinic.“I don't want to confide in a stranger that I'm having to get an abortion because my baby can't survive outside of my womb and I can't get the care that I need as soon as I need it,” Archer recalled thinking. “Those three weeks were really bizarre, challenging, painful – beyond what it needed to be.”Investigation Into Marion Co. Raid That Killed Former Publisher in Kansas Is Winding Uphttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/04/02/colorado-authorities-wrapping-up-investigation-into-marion-police-who-raided-kansas-newspaper/The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is nearly finished with its inquiry into potential criminal activity surrounding the raid on the Marion County Record last year and will turn over findings to special prosecutors later this month, state authorities said Tuesday.The announcement comes a day after the Marion County Record filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking damages for alleged violations of civil rights.Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett would determine whether to file criminal charges against journalists, law enforcement officers or anyone else. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

No Labels is no more | WI bars county election offices from accessing private grant funds | IA legislators don't want folks suing Bayer | MO GOP stars getting sued and more

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2024 21:52

No Labels has No Candidates and is No More | One Suit, Two Suit, Red Suit Defamation Suit Filed against Missouri Lawmakers | Wisconsin Voters Restrict Themselves | Iowa State Senate Favors Chemical Creators over Citizens | Missouri House Speaker Investigation Continues | Tennessee woman sues over abortion access | Kansas Newspaper Raid Investigation Wrapping UpSOURCES: The Missouri Independent, KMBC news, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, St Louis Post-Dispatch, and The GuardianSHOW NOTES3 Missouri State Senators Suedhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/04/three-missouri-state-senators-sued-for-defamation-over-posts-about-chiefs-parade-shooting/https://www.kmbc.com/article/olathe-kansas-man-wrongly-identified-as-chiefs-parade-shooter-sues-3-missouri-lawmakers/60388311Three Missouri Republicans – including one running for statewide office – are being sued for defamation over social media posts incorrectly identifying a Kansas man as an undocumented immigrant and the shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory celebration.On Tuesday, Denton Loudermill of Olathe, Kansas, filed federal lawsuits against state Sens. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg and Nick Schroer of Defiance. Loudermill last week filed a similar complaint against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee. The four lawsuits are almost identical in their allegations against, which involve the lawmakers using social media platforms to repost a photo of Loudermill in handcuffs shortly after the shooting. “The publication of the false representation that plaintiff was an ‘illegal alien' and a ‘shooter' was not made in good faith nor was it made by defendant with any legitimate interest in making or duty to make such assertions,” the lawsuit against Brattin states. Wisconsin Voters Vote To Limit Voting… No Seriouslyhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/wisconsin-amendments-harmful-voting-elections?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherWisconsin voters enshrined in the state constitution on Tuesday two amendments that election officials and voting rights advocates worry will hurt election administration in the state.The first bans election offices from accessing private grants – a source of revenue that election officials relied on in 2020 to run elections during the pandemic and have since used to stock voting equipment in polling places.During the 2020 elections, election offices across the country – already chronically underfunded – accessed grants from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a non-profit organization funded by Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The grants were doled out with the explicit purpose of funding Covid-19 mitigation in polling places, and election offices used the money for things like personal protective equipment and to set up drive-through, contactless voting. Iowa Senate Says “Suck It Up” to folks hurt by mega corporation chemicalshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/02/iowa-senate-votes-to-limit-lawsuits-over-roundup-other-farm-and-lawn-chemicals/A bill that would partially shield the maker of a widely used agricultural and lawn herbicide from lawsuits over its health effects was adopted by the Iowa Senate on Tuesday.Senate File 2412 would protect Bayer against claims it failed to warn people about the potential health effects of Roundup so long as its product is labeled as required by federal regulators.The legislation would apply to all domestic producers of herbicides and pesticides, but eliminating the failure-to-warn claims is part of Bayer's public strategy to “manage and mitigate the risks of Roundup litigation,” according to its website.The company hopes the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the claims are overruled by federal law, which the company predicts “could largely end the Roundup litigation.” But a federal appeals court rejected that argument in February.Bayer says about 167,000 lawsuits have been filed by people who claim their exposure to Roundup caused ailments such as cancer, often non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The herbicide has been used to kill weeds for about four decades. The litigation has cost the company billions of dollars.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said Roundup's primary ingredient, glyphosate, is not likely to cause cancer in humans and that it poses no health risks “when used in accordance with its current label.” But in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”Missouri House Speaker Plocher, Now Candidate for Secretary of State, Narrows Focushttps://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/investigation-of-missouri-s-house-speaker-zeroes-in-on-lobbyist-aides-and-advisers/article_f77bc748-f203-11ee-8b90-d33ac8c58ed3.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterAn investigation of the leader of the Missouri House appears to be focused on his efforts to steer an $800,000 state contract to a software vendor.Meeting for the seventh time since launching a probe into House Speaker Dean Plocher, the House Ethics Committee was expected to take closed-door testimony Wednesday from a handful of aides and advisers.If Plocher appears, it would mark his second time before the bipartisan panel, which has hired an investigator to conduct interviews and help prepare a report outlining any findings.Among those on the schedule is Rod Jetton, whom Plocher hired as his chief of staff last year as the scandal was unfolding. Jetton told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday he was not sure what information the committee wanted from him. Tennessee Woman Sues State Over Abortion Restrictionshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/tennessee-abortion-ban?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherJanuary 2023, whenever Kathryn Archer took her young daughter out to the local playground in Nashville, Tennessee, strangers often noticed her visibly pregnant stomach and wanted to make small talk.“When are you due?” they would ask Archer. “Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?” “Oh, I bet your daughter's so excited to be a big sister.”Archer did not know how to tell them the truth: in early January, Archer's fetus had been diagnosed with several serious anomalies that made a miscarriage likely. If Archer did give birth, her baby could only be treated with surgeries and lifelong help – pain that Archer was unwilling to put a newborn through. Without those surgeries, which the infant might not survive, Archer's baby would die shortly after birth.But due to Tennessee's near-total abortion ban, Archer could not terminate her pregnancy in her home state and, instead, had to wait more than three weeks for an appointment at an out-of-state abortion clinic.“I don't want to confide in a stranger that I'm having to get an abortion because my baby can't survive outside of my womb and I can't get the care that I need as soon as I need it,” Archer recalled thinking. “Those three weeks were really bizarre, challenging, painful – beyond what it needed to be.”Investigation Into Marion Co. Raid That Killed Former Publisher in Kansas Is Winding Uphttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/04/02/colorado-authorities-wrapping-up-investigation-into-marion-police-who-raided-kansas-newspaper/The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is nearly finished with its inquiry into potential criminal activity surrounding the raid on the Marion County Record last year and will turn over findings to special prosecutors later this month, state authorities said Tuesday.The announcement comes a day after the Marion County Record filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking damages for alleged violations of civil rights.Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett would determine whether to file criminal charges against journalists, law enforcement officers or anyone else. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Politics News Flyover for Friday March 8, 2024 - Biden's State of the Union, fake electors in WI, MO boarding school founder arrested and much more

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2024 40:01

A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:State of the state of the union; Wisconsin fake electors foiled; Missouri water threatened; Alabama IVF protection law; Missouri private school horror; the ugly reality of school choice; Florida MAGA gator chomped; Iowa lawmakers funds to feed kids… wait sorry Iowa Lawmakers paying to arm teachers SOURCES Missouri independent, the heartland collective, associated press, axios, nbc news, the Des Moines registerSOTU Quick reactions: Wisconsin Fake Elector Scheme Exposes The Underbelly Of The 2020 Schemehttps://apnews.com/article/electors-trump-settlement-ballot-2020-wisconsin-f416cd04adfa9f92c382b7c9e8a94ce7?taid=65e5f72999a0eb0001ff36b9&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=TwitterMissouri Waterways https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/06/missouri-bill-would-slash-state-regulations-over-small-streams-and-major-aquifers/Missouri bill would slash state regulations over small streams and major aquifers Critics say the legislation debated Tuesday could jeopardize the state's groundwater and 136,000 miles of streamsAlabama Governor Signs IVF Protection Bill That Shouldn't Have Been Necessaryhttps://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/alabama-ivf-fertility-protection-billAlabama Senator silent on if embryos are children https://t.co/lzmTr37K9rMissouri christian boarding school founders charged with kidnappinghttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missouri-christian-boarding-school-founder-wife-charged-kidnapping-rep-rcna141716?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma&taid=65e64b6d17ae0900010956b2&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitterSecret Recording Exposes What We Already Know About The School Choice Lobbyhttps://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/revealed/revealed-secret-recording-shows-school-voucher-proponent-talking-of-public-hangings-of-lawmakersAppeals Court Tells Florida MAGA “NOPE”https://www.axios.com/2024/03/05/florida-stop-woke-act-appeals-court-blockA federal appeals court in Florida blocked enforcement of employer provisions in a law state Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) dubbed the "Stop WOKE Act" in a unanimous ruling on Monday. The big picture: In upholding an earlier ruling, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in an opinion Monday said the legislation "exceeds the bounds of the First Amendment." It stems from a lawsuit filed by several Florida businesses challenging the act, also known as HB7, which would prevent them from requiring workers to attend workplace training promoting diversity and inclusion.DeSantis administration officials argue the law is designed to prevent indoctrination in workplaces and schools and have indicated they may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the decision Details: "This is not the first era in which Americans have held widely divergent views on important areas of morality, ethics, law, and public policy," the appeals court ruling states.Iowa Spending Tax Dollars To Arm Teachers, But Won't Feed Kidshttps://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/06/iowa-house-panel-advances-3-million-grant-program-for-schools-that-arm-staff-buy-guns-teachers/72868745007/Iowa House lawmakers are pushing through a bill that would provide $3 million to pay for training for school districts that choose to arm staff members and could be used to buy guns for school employees.The legislation, House Study Bill 692, is part of a larger bill with other school safety requirements. It is meant to complement a separate measure House lawmakers passed last week that would allow teachers and other school staff to obtain a professional permit to carry guns on school grounds, and provide them with legal immunity for the use of reasonable force.Both bills are part of Republicans' legislative response to a deadly shooting at Perry High School in January. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Politics News Flyover for Friday March 8, 2024 - Biden's State of the Union, fake electors in WI, MO boarding school founder arrested and much more

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2024 40:01

A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:State of the state of the union; Wisconsin fake electors foiled; Missouri water threatened; Alabama IVF protection law; Missouri private school horror; the ugly reality of school choice; Florida MAGA gator chomped; Iowa lawmakers funds to feed kids… wait sorry Iowa Lawmakers paying to arm teachers SOURCES Missouri independent, the heartland collective, associated press, axios, nbc news, the Des Moines registerSOTU Quick reactions: Wisconsin Fake Elector Scheme Exposes The Underbelly Of The 2020 Schemehttps://apnews.com/article/electors-trump-settlement-ballot-2020-wisconsin-f416cd04adfa9f92c382b7c9e8a94ce7?taid=65e5f72999a0eb0001ff36b9&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=TwitterMissouri Waterways https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/06/missouri-bill-would-slash-state-regulations-over-small-streams-and-major-aquifers/Missouri bill would slash state regulations over small streams and major aquifers Critics say the legislation debated Tuesday could jeopardize the state's groundwater and 136,000 miles of streamsAlabama Governor Signs IVF Protection Bill That Shouldn't Have Been Necessaryhttps://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/alabama-ivf-fertility-protection-billAlabama Senator silent on if embryos are children https://t.co/lzmTr37K9rMissouri christian boarding school founders charged with kidnappinghttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/missouri-christian-boarding-school-founder-wife-charged-kidnapping-rep-rcna141716?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma&taid=65e64b6d17ae0900010956b2&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitterSecret Recording Exposes What We Already Know About The School Choice Lobbyhttps://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/revealed/revealed-secret-recording-shows-school-voucher-proponent-talking-of-public-hangings-of-lawmakersAppeals Court Tells Florida MAGA “NOPE”https://www.axios.com/2024/03/05/florida-stop-woke-act-appeals-court-blockA federal appeals court in Florida blocked enforcement of employer provisions in a law state Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) dubbed the "Stop WOKE Act" in a unanimous ruling on Monday. The big picture: In upholding an earlier ruling, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in an opinion Monday said the legislation "exceeds the bounds of the First Amendment." It stems from a lawsuit filed by several Florida businesses challenging the act, also known as HB7, which would prevent them from requiring workers to attend workplace training promoting diversity and inclusion.DeSantis administration officials argue the law is designed to prevent indoctrination in workplaces and schools and have indicated they may appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to challenge the decision Details: "This is not the first era in which Americans have held widely divergent views on important areas of morality, ethics, law, and public policy," the appeals court ruling states.Iowa Spending Tax Dollars To Arm Teachers, But Won't Feed Kidshttps://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2024/03/06/iowa-house-panel-advances-3-million-grant-program-for-schools-that-arm-staff-buy-guns-teachers/72868745007/Iowa House lawmakers are pushing through a bill that would provide $3 million to pay for training for school districts that choose to arm staff members and could be used to buy guns for school employees.The legislation, House Study Bill 692, is part of a larger bill with other school safety requirements. It is meant to complement a separate measure House lawmakers passed last week that would allow teachers and other school staff to obtain a professional permit to carry guns on school grounds, and provide them with legal immunity for the use of reasonable force.Both bills are part of Republicans' legislative response to a deadly shooting at Perry High School in January. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

News Flyover for Feb 9, 2024 - School voucher scam update, MO GOP looks to change the rules, and more

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024 8:15

Wisconsin Democrats look to boost local journalism | Missouri Republicans cobble stupid ideas together | School voucher boosters need some extra help with math | Key Attorney General races in the 2024 electionsWisconsin Dems Propose Legislation To Support Journalismhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/democrats-propose-ways-of-bolstering-local-news/Amid widespread layoffs in the journalism industry and ongoing concerns about newsroom closures and consolidations, Wisconsin Democrats are proposing some ways of boosting the local journalism industry. A package of bills — coauthored by Reps. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg), Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) and Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) — would create a tax credit for people who subscribe to local newspapers, a fellowship program to get individuals into the field, and a Civic Information Consortium Board that would award grants to local news.Rep Anderson said “Local journalism is essential to our democracy. It keeps voters informed and engaged on the issues that matter most to their communities, and local reporters also play an important role in keeping officials accountable to their constituents. But local news is dying.” “News deserts are disproportionately located in rural areas, low-income areas, and communities of color. The three bills in this package are designed to ensure that all Wisconsinites can access high quality, reliable local journalism.”The journalism fellowship program would be administered by the University of Wisconsin System. Under the program, a panel of UW journalism professors and industry experts would choose 25 fellows to match with participating newsrooms for a one-year fellowship. Participants, who would be required to hold a two- or four-year degree in journalism, media, communications or a similar program, would receive a $40,000 salary.Another bill would create a nonrefundable tax credit as a way of encouraging people to subscribe to their local newspaper. When subscribing to a qualifying local newspaper, taxpayers could receive a tax credit equal to 50% of the amount paid to subscribe. The credit would be limited to a maximum of $250 in each taxable year.Missouri Proposed Change On Initiative Petitions Creates An Electoral College Outcomehttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/05/as-few-as-1-in-5-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-senate-proposal/BY: RUDI KELLER - FEBRUARY 5, 2024 10:00 AMAs few as 1 in 5 voters could defeat initiative petitions under Missouri Senate proposalThe legislation set for debate in the Senate would require a majority vote in 82 state House districts and a statewide majority to approve constitutional amendments Called a concurrent majority, an analysis of voting patterns by The Independent shows that the change would make it possible for as few as 20% of voters to determine the outcome of statewide ballot measures.Tim Jones, state director of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, pushing the change, said “This to me is a very similar concept to the electoral college.”The proposal is taking on new urgency for GOP leaders because a proposal to overturn Missouri's abortion ban could be on the ballot in November. Republicans see changing the rules as the only way to defeat it.Opponents claim the idea undermines majority rule, which has determined the outcome of constitutional questions in Missouri since 1846.Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Protect Majority Rule, which is raising money for a possible campaign against the amendment said, “Their goal is to make sure that even when an overwhelming majority of Missourians overall support a measure, rural voters can still defeat it,”Democrats in the Senate, who have been content to let the GOP civil war play out without interfering, are “vehemently” opposed to any effort to change the current simple majority to pass ballot measuresRed State School Voucher Programs Need To Go Back To School For Basic Mathhttps://www.thenation.com/article/society/school-vouchers-red-state-budgets/JENNIFER C. BERKSHIRE and JACK SCHNEIDERFor GOP lawmakers who view public education as a quasi-socialist project, the gaping hole in state budgets left by subsidizing private school tuition is a feature, not a bug.In Arizona, taxpayers are now staring down a $400 million shortfall, with an even bigger bill coming due next year. How did the Grand Canyon State go from sitting on a huge cash reserve to facing a rising tide of red ink? Simple. Voucher proponents suggested that paying for private school tuition would cost taxpayers $65 million a year; but as it stands, the program is on track to cost roughly 15 times that. All told, Arizona taxpayers are likely to spend close to a billion dollars reimbursing the cost of tuition and luxury expenses—including ski resort passes, pianos, and theme park tickets—for families whose children were never enrolled in the public schools.It isn't just Arizona's problem. Over the past two years, multiple states have enacted universal or near-universal voucher programs that far exceed initial cost projections. In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds pushed an expansive voucher program that gives $7,500 to any Iowa family for private school tuition. But demand for the program among parents who already send their kids to private schools, most of which are religious, has far exceeded expectations. Now Iowans are on the hook for the tuition of 17,000 private school students—a bill that will total $345 million a year next year. The same story has unfolded in Ohio, Arkansas, West Virginia, and elsewhere.It wasn't just the price tag that voucher proponents were deceptive about—it was also the projected beneficiaries of such programs. Advocates promoted vouchers as a benefit for poor students, students with disabilities, and students in struggling schools. Yet the reality has looked very different. As The Wall Street Journal recently reported, the vast majority of parents taking advantage of these tuition coupons are those who already send their kids to private schools. Key State Level Attorney General Elections for 2024https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/this-years-key-attorney-general-and-secretary-of-state-races/By Louis Jacobson 2024 State RacesThis year, there will be 17 elections for Secretary of State and Attorney General in states across the U.S., but only a few are on track to be competitive. Today we'll talk about the Attorney General races in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.North Carolina: Open seat (Josh Stein, D, is running for governor)In a hot election cycle in North Carolina with lots of competitive races and open seats, the AG contest could prove unusually compelling. It has been over a century since the state elected a Republican to this office, although this race could be exceedingly close—just as the last few contests have been.The two frontrunners for the open AG seat are both sitting members of Congress: Republican Dan Bishop and Democrat Jeff Jackson. Bishop is a favorite of the GOP's conservative wing, having been a member of the House Freedom Caucus and a thorn in the side of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Jackson—who joined the AG race after effectively being drawn out of his seat in re-districting last year—has attracted a national following for his posts on TikTok. While Bishop appears to have a clear shot at the GOP nomination, Jackson must first win a March 5 primary against Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry, and attorney and veteran Tim Dunn. Louis Jacobson at Sabato's Crystal Ball says if Jackson and Bishop do meet in November, the race could go either way and is a true toss-up.In Pennsylvania's AG election this year, Both party primaries are on track to be competitive.The Democrats have five credible candidates: former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, former top Philadelphia public defender Keir Bradford-Grey, veteran and state Rep. Jared Solomon, and Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney in populous Delaware County near Philadelphia.The Republicans have two: York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, who has been endorsed by the state party, and veteran and state Rep. Craig Williams.In the Democratic primary, DePasquale, as the only candidate from western Pennsylvania, and Bradford-Grey, as the only Black candidate, may have an edge in a contest where as little as 21% of the vote could be enough to win the nomination. On the GOP side, Sunday should have a modest edge.The general election should be highly competitive, and it could swing depending on the dynamics on the rest of the ballot, including how the competitive races for president and Senate play out. There has been some ticket-splitting in Pennsylvania in recent presidential cycles, though. In 2016, as Republicans won the presidential and Senate races, Democrats won the contests for Attorney General, Auditor, and Treasurer. In 2020, as Joe Biden flipped the state, Republicans took back the Auditor and Treasurer posts.If you're not registered to vote, get on it! To check your registration anywhere in the U.S., go to Vote.gov. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

university tiktok black school house politics state news joe biden arizona ohio simple philadelphia north carolina local pennsylvania vote iowa missouri advocates republicans democrats independent arkansas senate journalism scams democratic secretary west virginia amid gop attorney generals reps treasurers opponents amas crystal balls uw auditor sabato voucher 2024 elections flyover wisconsinites tim jones delaware county missourians house freedom caucus craig williams school vouchers kim reynolds grand canyon state change the rules american aquarium tim dunn josh stein missouri republicans wisconsin politics republican house speaker kevin mccarthy missouri politics wisconsin system missouri freedom caucus auditor general eugene depasquale

News Flyover for Feb 9, 2024 - School voucher scam update, MO GOP looks to change the rules, and more

look ahead insiders public leadership wisconsin politics

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2024 8:15

Wisconsin Democrats look to boost local journalism | Missouri Republicans cobble stupid ideas together | School voucher boosters need some extra help with math | Key Attorney General races in the 2024 electionsWisconsin Dems Propose Legislation To Support Journalismhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/brief/democrats-propose-ways-of-bolstering-local-news/Amid widespread layoffs in the journalism industry and ongoing concerns about newsroom closures and consolidations, Wisconsin Democrats are proposing some ways of boosting the local journalism industry. A package of bills — coauthored by Reps. Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg), Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire) and Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) — would create a tax credit for people who subscribe to local newspapers, a fellowship program to get individuals into the field, and a Civic Information Consortium Board that would award grants to local news.Rep Anderson said “Local journalism is essential to our democracy. It keeps voters informed and engaged on the issues that matter most to their communities, and local reporters also play an important role in keeping officials accountable to their constituents. But local news is dying.” “News deserts are disproportionately located in rural areas, low-income areas, and communities of color. The three bills in this package are designed to ensure that all Wisconsinites can access high quality, reliable local journalism.”The journalism fellowship program would be administered by the University of Wisconsin System. Under the program, a panel of UW journalism professors and industry experts would choose 25 fellows to match with participating newsrooms for a one-year fellowship. Participants, who would be required to hold a two- or four-year degree in journalism, media, communications or a similar program, would receive a $40,000 salary.Another bill would create a nonrefundable tax credit as a way of encouraging people to subscribe to their local newspaper. When subscribing to a qualifying local newspaper, taxpayers could receive a tax credit equal to 50% of the amount paid to subscribe. The credit would be limited to a maximum of $250 in each taxable year.Missouri Proposed Change On Initiative Petitions Creates An Electoral College Outcomehttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/05/as-few-as-1-in-5-voters-could-defeat-initiative-petitions-under-missouri-senate-proposal/BY: RUDI KELLER - FEBRUARY 5, 2024 10:00 AMAs few as 1 in 5 voters could defeat initiative petitions under Missouri Senate proposalThe legislation set for debate in the Senate would require a majority vote in 82 state House districts and a statewide majority to approve constitutional amendments Called a concurrent majority, an analysis of voting patterns by The Independent shows that the change would make it possible for as few as 20% of voters to determine the outcome of statewide ballot measures.Tim Jones, state director of the Missouri Freedom Caucus, pushing the change, said “This to me is a very similar concept to the electoral college.”The proposal is taking on new urgency for GOP leaders because a proposal to overturn Missouri's abortion ban could be on the ballot in November. Republicans see changing the rules as the only way to defeat it.Opponents claim the idea undermines majority rule, which has determined the outcome of constitutional questions in Missouri since 1846.Chuck Hatfield, an attorney representing Protect Majority Rule, which is raising money for a possible campaign against the amendment said, “Their goal is to make sure that even when an overwhelming majority of Missourians overall support a measure, rural voters can still defeat it,”Democrats in the Senate, who have been content to let the GOP civil war play out without interfering, are “vehemently” opposed to any effort to change the current simple majority to pass ballot measuresRed State School Voucher Programs Need To Go Back To School For Basic Mathhttps://www.thenation.com/article/society/school-vouchers-red-state-budgets/JENNIFER C. BERKSHIRE and JACK SCHNEIDERFor GOP lawmakers who view public education as a quasi-socialist project, the gaping hole in state budgets left by subsidizing private school tuition is a feature, not a bug.In Arizona, taxpayers are now staring down a $400 million shortfall, with an even bigger bill coming due next year. How did the Grand Canyon State go from sitting on a huge cash reserve to facing a rising tide of red ink? Simple. Voucher proponents suggested that paying for private school tuition would cost taxpayers $65 million a year; but as it stands, the program is on track to cost roughly 15 times that. All told, Arizona taxpayers are likely to spend close to a billion dollars reimbursing the cost of tuition and luxury expenses—including ski resort passes, pianos, and theme park tickets—for families whose children were never enrolled in the public schools.It isn't just Arizona's problem. Over the past two years, multiple states have enacted universal or near-universal voucher programs that far exceed initial cost projections. In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds pushed an expansive voucher program that gives $7,500 to any Iowa family for private school tuition. But demand for the program among parents who already send their kids to private schools, most of which are religious, has far exceeded expectations. Now Iowans are on the hook for the tuition of 17,000 private school students—a bill that will total $345 million a year next year. The same story has unfolded in Ohio, Arkansas, West Virginia, and elsewhere.It wasn't just the price tag that voucher proponents were deceptive about—it was also the projected beneficiaries of such programs. Advocates promoted vouchers as a benefit for poor students, students with disabilities, and students in struggling schools. Yet the reality has looked very different. As The Wall Street Journal recently reported, the vast majority of parents taking advantage of these tuition coupons are those who already send their kids to private schools. Key State Level Attorney General Elections for 2024https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/this-years-key-attorney-general-and-secretary-of-state-races/By Louis Jacobson 2024 State RacesThis year, there will be 17 elections for Secretary of State and Attorney General in states across the U.S., but only a few are on track to be competitive. Today we'll talk about the Attorney General races in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.North Carolina: Open seat (Josh Stein, D, is running for governor)In a hot election cycle in North Carolina with lots of competitive races and open seats, the AG contest could prove unusually compelling. It has been over a century since the state elected a Republican to this office, although this race could be exceedingly close—just as the last few contests have been.The two frontrunners for the open AG seat are both sitting members of Congress: Republican Dan Bishop and Democrat Jeff Jackson. Bishop is a favorite of the GOP's conservative wing, having been a member of the House Freedom Caucus and a thorn in the side of former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Jackson—who joined the AG race after effectively being drawn out of his seat in re-districting last year—has attracted a national following for his posts on TikTok. While Bishop appears to have a clear shot at the GOP nomination, Jackson must first win a March 5 primary against Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry, and attorney and veteran Tim Dunn. Louis Jacobson at Sabato's Crystal Ball says if Jackson and Bishop do meet in November, the race could go either way and is a true toss-up.In Pennsylvania's AG election this year, Both party primaries are on track to be competitive.The Democrats have five credible candidates: former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, former Bucks County Solicitor Joe Khan, former top Philadelphia public defender Keir Bradford-Grey, veteran and state Rep. Jared Solomon, and Jack Stollsteimer, the district attorney in populous Delaware County near Philadelphia.The Republicans have two: York County District Attorney Dave Sunday, who has been endorsed by the state party, and veteran and state Rep. Craig Williams.In the Democratic primary, DePasquale, as the only candidate from western Pennsylvania, and Bradford-Grey, as the only Black candidate, may have an edge in a contest where as little as 21% of the vote could be enough to win the nomination. On the GOP side, Sunday should have a modest edge.The general election should be highly competitive, and it could swing depending on the dynamics on the rest of the ballot, including how the competitive races for president and Senate play out. There has been some ticket-splitting in Pennsylvania in recent presidential cycles, though. In 2016, as Republicans won the presidential and Senate races, Democrats won the contests for Attorney General, Auditor, and Treasurer. In 2020, as Joe Biden flipped the state, Republicans took back the Auditor and Treasurer posts.If you're not registered to vote, get on it! To check your registration anywhere in the U.S., go to Vote.gov. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

university tiktok black school house politics state news joe biden arizona ohio simple philadelphia north carolina local pennsylvania vote iowa missouri advocates republicans democrats independent arkansas senate journalism scams democratic secretary west virginia amid gop attorney generals reps treasurers opponents amas crystal balls uw auditor sabato voucher 2024 elections flyover wisconsinites tim jones delaware county missourians house freedom caucus craig williams school vouchers kim reynolds grand canyon state change the rules american aquarium tim dunn josh stein missouri republicans wisconsin politics republican house speaker kevin mccarthy missouri politics wisconsin system missouri freedom caucus auditor general eugene depasquale

WisOpinion: 'The Insiders' look ahead to 2024 in Wisconsin politics

WisPolitics.com

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2023 3:40

The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, predict the political stories most likely to dominate the news in 2024. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Monday 12/18/23: Wisconsin politics 2023 recap, books to gift, holiday bars and winter skiing

Lake Effect: Full Show

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 18, 2023 51:30

We look back on the big political stories from the year and look ahead to the 2024 election. Boswell Book Company joins us for our annual Books to Gift conversation. We check out some of the best, holiday bars in Milwaukee. Plus, we help you plan a winter ski trip.

books news holiday local wisconsin gift npr milwaukee bars skiing lake effect wisconsin politics wuwm milwaukee public radio

Friday News Flyover 12.15.2023 - Insanity in the MO State Leg | Abortion politics | Red state blues | Colorado rail planning grant

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2023 33:26

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

university president donald trump israel politics state young colorado joe biden ohio planning medicine wisconsin vote indiana blues missouri republicans kansas parent democrats kansas city summit senate commerce abortion governor democratic israelis insanity certificates sens pueblo rail electoral college dozens ku last call hoosiers erickson bose polis coupled bill of rights fort collins red state abortion rights stl jayhawks josh hawley razer lew shrewsbury missouri river 2024 elections senate majority leader flyover missouri columbia louis post dispatch wisconsinites front range ingle olathe missourians ohio senate lemahieu election commission bipartisan infrastructure law kansas school friday news american aquarium fake electors d lee kansas health system godlewski federal railroad administration wisconsin politics colorado politics kansas senate indiana chamber ohio house bill rachel parker missouri politics adam sommer adam yeah missouri general assembly indiana politics missouri independent jess piper ohio capital journal bleeding heartland

Friday News Flyover 12.15.2023 - Insanity in the MO State Leg | Abortion politics | Red state blues | Colorado rail planning grant

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2023 33:26

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

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Friday News Flyover - October 27, 2023 - UAW strike, KS medicaid expansion, cannabis on the ballot in Ohio, MAGA Mike Johnson is full of it and more

america american new york texas black children politics colorado michigan joe biden ohio cost congress missouri republicans kansas democrats gm campaign commerce cannabis federal strike alliance milwaukee pac consistent gop gov maga scotus democratic party hansen social security hawkins medicaid ballot public school general motors goodwill great recession natural resources big three national alliance mike johnson pfas devos drinking water redistricting school choice uaw gerrymandering stellantis belleville voting rights act american federation dps charter schools dnr social security administration dark money evers education reform ohioans masterson reed hastings 2024 elections fain flyover uaw strike cannabis legalization medicaid expansion wisconsin department tony evers wausau laura kelly kansans bipartisan infrastructure law friday news john arnold chalkbeat wichita eagle 2023 elections georgia politics cannabis control wisconsin politics maga mike colorado politics ohio politics progressive podcast df'er kwame spearman

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 35:41

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.

Friday News Flyover - October 27, 2023 - UAW strike, KS medicaid expansion, cannabis on the ballot in Ohio, MAGA Mike Johnson is full of it and more

america american new york texas black children politics colorado michigan joe biden ohio cost congress missouri republicans kansas democrats gm campaign commerce cannabis federal strike alliance milwaukee pac consistent gop gov maga scotus democratic party hansen social security hawkins medicaid ballot public school general motors goodwill great recession natural resources big three national alliance mike johnson pfas devos drinking water redistricting school choice uaw gerrymandering stellantis belleville voting rights act american federation dps charter schools dnr social security administration dark money evers education reform ohioans masterson reed hastings fain 2024 elections flyover uaw strike cannabis legalization medicaid expansion wisconsin department tony evers wausau laura kelly kansans bipartisan infrastructure law friday news john arnold chalkbeat wichita eagle 2023 elections georgia politics cannabis control wisconsin politics maga mike colorado politics ohio politics progressive podcast df'er kwame spearman

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 35:41

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.

Friday News Flyover - October 13, 2023 - Steve Scalise sees gavel slipping away - UAW President Shawn Fain announces expansion of UAW strikes and more

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 28:59

This week on the Friday Flyover, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan battle for Speaker of the U.S. House | UAW President Shawn Fain announces 8,700 Ford Kentucky Truck plant workers are joining the strike | Nurses are striking around the nation | Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Janet Protasiewicz stands her ground against GOP goofballshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/republicans-fail-to-coalesce-around-speaker-choice-leaving-house-in-limbo/ar-AA1i49oxhttps://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/uaw-launches-strike-against-fords-kentucky-truck-plant-signaling-major-escalation-in-labor-fight.htmlOct. 11 – Today, Ford came to the table with the same offer they submitted to us two weeks ago. It was an unacceptable move that triggered a strong and immediate response.UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning called on our 8,700 members at Ford's extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant to Stand Up and strike. Our Local 862 members answered the call and walked out today at 6:30 p.m.Our Stand Up strategy has won important victories at the table, but we must go further. We will keep increasing the pressure on Ford and all of the Big Three until we've won our fair share of the record profits we've made at Kentucky Truck and every Big Three plant.Tune in to Facebook Live this Friday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. for more announcements on the status of bargaining at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.General Motors last week agreed to include workers at its electric vehicle battery plant in the company's national contract with the union, which Fain called a “transformative win.”Fain said the union expects Chrysler parent Stellantis and Ford to follow suit, including battery plant workers in eventual contract agreements.The UAW has been gradually increasing the strikes since the work stoppages began after the sides failed to reach tentative agreements by Sept 14.The additional workers brings UAW's total to about 34,000 U.S. workers, or roughly 23% of UAW members covered by the expired contracts with the Detroit automakers, who are currently on strike.Fain will give bargaining updates and potentially announce further strikes at 10 a.m. Friday online, the union said Wednesday night.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/nurses-unions-push-for-mandatory-staff-to-patient-ratiosSafe Patients Limit Act would cap the number of patients per registered nurseBy PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Unions representing nurses in Illinois are pushing for legislation that would impose mandatory staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.But lobby groups representing hospitals and nursing homes say they are steadfastly opposed to the legislation, arguing that a nationwide nursing shortage makes it impossible to comply with such a mandate.The proposed Safe Patient Limits Act, by Sen. Celina Villanueva and Rep. Theresa Mah, both Chicago Democrats, was introduced in February and was the subject of a joint hearing last week in Chicago by two House committees. It's an issue that has been discussed in the General Assembly since 2019 but has thus far failed to gain the necessary traction for passage. The latest hearing came just three weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 24.“Short staffing isn't a mere inconvenience. It's a dire issue,” said Shaba Andrich, vice president of nursing homes for the SEIU Healthcare employee union. “It's predominantly a Black and brown issue. In historically marginalized communities of Chicago, these issues are magnified. These communities that already face systemic underinvestment are further deprived of adequate nursing care due to chronic short staffing.”The bill calls for setting a maximum number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. For example, in units with critical care or intensive care patients, the maximum number of patients per nurse would be just one. In units with pediatric patients, the bill would allow three patients per nurse, and in units with psychiatric patients, the bill would allow four patients per nurse.It also provides some legal protection for nurses, stating that they are to provide their services exclusively in the interest of patients, “unencumbered by the commercial or revenue-generating priorities” of a facility that employs registered professional nurses.Andrich, testifying before the committee last week, disputed the notion that there is a nursing shortage in Illinois. He said there is only “a shortage of caregivers who are refusing to be overworked and undervalued and underpaid,” and that the result of understaffing has direct consequences for patients.“Such understaffing isn't merely an operational concern. It translates into real world consequences,” he said. “Seniors enduring falls, malnutrition, missed medication, avoidable hospitalization, and, tragically, avoidable deaths.”Some of those who testified in favor of the bill accused hospitals and nursing homes of being more concerned about labor costs and profit margins than the best interests of patients.“We need this legislation because hospitals are incentivized to reduce labor costs. This means less staff,” said Jeanine Johnson, a critical care nurse at Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. “Hospital executives see budgets and labor costs. Nurses see patients and their lives.”A.J. Wilhelmi, president & CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, a hospital trade group, said it's true that health care providers face significant financial pressures, largely because Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates have not kept pace with the rising cost of health care. But he said contrary to what the unions claimed, there is a significant and growing nursing shortage in Illinois, and the proposed Safe Patient Limits Act would put even more of a financial burden on providers.During his testimony, Wilhelmi cited a state survey into the registered nurse workforce that was conducted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center – which is a state agency that works to promote the nursing profession. Of the respondents to that survey, 27 percent indicated an intent to retire within the next five years. The IHA interpreted that and other data in the survey to suggest the state could see a shortage of 14,400 registered nurses by 2025.“I'm deeply concerned that many hospitals in the state, particularly safety net hospitals, critical access hospitals, will be unable to absorb the huge cost that ratios would impose,” he said. “And given the enormous financial pressures that Illinois hospitals already face, if this bill becomes law, they're going to have to make some tough decisions like cutting back services, closing hundreds of beds, and eliminating jobs. And frankly, some of our hospitals might be forced to close.”Andy Allison, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the agency that administers the state's Medicaid program, suggested that the key to solving the staffing issues in hospitals and nursing homes is to raise wages to make the jobs more attractive.He noted that last year, lawmakers passed a significant overhaul of the way the state reimburses nursing homes through Medicaid, adding roughly $700 million in the form of incentives to increase wages and hire more staff.Before those reforms were adopted, he said, Illinois was home to 46 of the 100 worst-staffed nursing homes in the country. As of March 31, he said, that number had dropped to 14.“We hope that it becomes zero. We have a ways to go,” he said. “But in the last five quarters – that is, through March 31 of this year – in that five-quarter period, total nurse staffing hours statewide are up 15 percent.”Denise Stiger, an organizer for Teamsters Local 743, which represents health care workers in many Chicago-area facilities, said that money has not solved the problem, and that in some nursing homes, one CNA still could have as many as 20 patients to tend to during their shift.“We have to deal with the owners because they're slum lords. That's what they are,” she said. “And I understand that they get cited, and it's public. But these owners are not looking at that. These owners are looking at these patients as money.”Health care workers at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical facilities across the U.S. walked off the job on Wednesday morning, in an effort to ramp up pressure on their employer to fix a staffing shortage that has intensified since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Over 75,000 workers — including nurses, emergency department technicians, pharmacists and hundreds of others — went on strike in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.It is the biggest health care strike in U.S. history, according to the unions.Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, California, is one of the largest nonprofit health care providers in the United States, serving nearly 13 million patients. Most Kaiser workers who have walked off the job will be on strike for three days, until Saturday morning — except those in Virginia and Washington D.C., who will be on strike for 24 hours.Roughly 1,500 essential workers at four hospitals in Los Angeles County kicked off a five-day strike Monday morning to protest what they claim are dangerous working conditions and unfair labor practices by hospital management.Employees at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood walked off the job and picketed outside while nonunion nurses and staff were brought in to keep the hospital open, according to union organizers.Nurses and other staff at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, and Encino Hospital Medical Center are also participating in the strike through Friday.ST. LOUIS — Nurses at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital walked off their jobs for a 24-hour strike on Monday, a measure they said was necessary after the hospital failed to address their concerns about short staffing.Registered nurses union stages 24-hour strike at SSM Health St. Louis University HospitalMaddi O'Leary, a registered nurse who works in the bone marrow transplant unit, joins other SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital nurses represented by the National Nurses United union in staging a 24-hour strike Monday Sept. 25, 2023, outside the hospital.Christine Tannous, Post-Dispatch“We don't want to be out here,” said Maddi O'Leary, a nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit, who has worked at the hospital for eight years. “We want to be inside taking care of our patients. But we have not been given the resources to do so safely.”In a statement, SSM said the health system was “deeply disappointed” in the union's decision to organize a strike. The hospital said workers from nurse staffing agencies would help fill in where needed.Dozens rallied outside the hospital along South Grand Boulevard Monday, carrying signs and chanting. Nurses described feeling frustrated when they couldn't provide patients the quality of care they wanted to give because their units are understaffed.And when patients have to wait longer for care, health care workers receive backlash from them and their family members, they said. Several emergency department nurses said that they've noticed an increase in patients after South City Hospital, about 4 miles south, closed in early August following financial troubles.O'Leary said that while nursing shifts in her unit ideally are staffed by four nurses, lately there have been shifts with only two. That means she can't take a break because she can't leave the unit staffed by only one nurse.“Enough was enough,” she said.The strike was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Monday and end at 6:59 a.m. Tuesday. The nurses gave the hospital 10 days' notice.The union, National Nurses United, has represented nurses at the hospital since 2012. Though the nurses have held several protests to pressure SSM to increase staffing levels there, they had never before gone on strike.The nurses' labor agreement expired June 15. They have been in negotiations for a new contract since May and claim there has been little movement in bargaining. With the exception of the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, SLU Hospital is the only hospital in the region where nurses are unionized.SSM accused the California-based nurses union of holding strikes that are “intended to create tension and division within hospitals,” and said the moves are counterproductive to SSM's efforts to recruit and hire nurses.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/11/republicans-ease-off-impeachment-threat-after-supreme-court-accepted-redistricting-case/After months of threatening that they would consider impeaching liberal Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she weighed in on a lawsuit over the state's legislative maps, Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have pulled back from the idea. Republicans began raising impeachment before Protasiewicz was even elected in April, with then-Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) saying during his special election campaign for an open Senate seat that he would consider impeaching her. In August, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he would consider impeaching Protasiewicz if she weighed in on the redistricting lawsuit — stating in a radio interview that he believed she had “pre-judged” the case and that could constitute a violation of her oath of office. Late last week, Protasiewicz ruled against Republican motions requesting that she recuse herself, writing in an opinion that the standard for recusal Republicans were arguing for would be “unworkable.” On the same day, Protasiewicz joined the Court's three other liberals in voting to accept one of two lawsuits filed against the maps. As Republicans floated the impeachment possibility, and state Democrats launched a campaign to raise public opinion against it, Vos said he convened a panel of three former Supreme Court justices to weigh in on the idea. One of those former justices, conservative David Prosser, wrote in an email to Vos on Friday before the court's decision was released that nothing Protasiewicz had done rose to the level of corrupt conduct in office, which along with criminal acts is the standard for impeachment in the state Constitution. “In my view, ‘corrupt conduct' is not a term that is open to a mere political grievance,” Prosser wrote. “If that were the case, legislative bodies could be trading questionable impeachments with considerable frequency.”“To sum up my views, there should be no effort to impeach Justice Protasiewicz on anything we know now,” he continued. “Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime, or the subject has committed indisputable ‘corrupt conduct' while ‘in office.'”After the Court's decision was released last week, Vos said in a statement that he believes the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in on the issue. “Justice Protasiewicz should have recused herself. We think the United States Supreme Court precedent compels her recusal, and the United States Supreme Court will have the last word here,” Vos said.Wisconsin's impeachment process requires a simple majority vote of the Assembly to impeach and a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove an official. In addition to Vos' retreat from the threat, multiple Senate Republicans have stated they don't support impeachment, meaning there wouldn't be enough votes in the Senate to remove Protasiewicz. In an audio recording obtained by the Examiner, a staff member for Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) told a member of the public that “she does not support impeachment.” Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) also told CBS58 he doesn't support impeachment. Prior to the Court's acceptance of the case, concerns had been raised that under Wisconsin's impeachment statutes, a judge is unable to hear any cases while the Senate is considering conviction — meaning that if the Assembly voted to impeach, the Senate could hold off on a vote in order to delay the case. With the lack of supermajority support for impeachment in the Senate, state Democrats have called for Vos to drop the threats. “While it's long been clear the law wasn't on the Republicans' side, they now lack the votes to pursue conviction in the Senate — underscoring how any impeachment in the Assembly would represent an unprecedented abuse of the Wisconsin Constitution,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Joe Oslund said in a statement. “Broken clocks are right twice a day, and now that David Prosser and Duey Stroebel have somehow emerged as voices of reason here, Robin Vos should have no excuse for not knowing what time it is: time to drop his unconstitutional impeachment threats.”What caught your eye:Wisconsin Examiner, Capitol News Illinois, STL Post Dispatch, LA Times, Washington Post, CNBC, NPR

covid-19 united states ceo california black health chicago house washington news colorado washington dc speaker oregon healthcare detroit illinois wisconsin hospitals court supreme court employees republicans standup washington post democrats senate npr nurses expansion oakland capitol constitution strikes cnbc sees medicare gop impeachment broken seniors democratic party assembly medicaid la times general motors dozens vos kevin mccarthy big three general assembly registered los angeles county united states supreme court kaiser permanente jim jordan medical center redistricting uaw inglewood senate republicans gerrymandering stellantis lauren boebert family services cna speaker of the house examiner jake tapper gavel joliet nancy mace steve scalise fain flyover wisconsin supreme court prosser uaw strike illinois department slipping away lynwood ssm friday news hospital association teamsters local shawn fain wisconsin republicans national nurses united nurses strike ascension st iha janet protasiewicz uaw president shawn fain wisconsin politics joseph medical center illinois health capitol news illinois wisconsin examiner ssm health st david prosser

Friday News Flyover - October 13, 2023 - Steve Scalise sees gavel slipping away - UAW President Shawn Fain announces expansion of UAW strikes and more

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2023 28:59

This week on the Friday Flyover, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan battle for Speaker of the U.S. House | UAW President Shawn Fain announces 8,700 Ford Kentucky Truck plant workers are joining the strike | Nurses are striking around the nation | Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Janet Protasiewicz stands her ground against GOP goofballshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/republicans-fail-to-coalesce-around-speaker-choice-leaving-house-in-limbo/ar-AA1i49oxhttps://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/uaw-launches-strike-against-fords-kentucky-truck-plant-signaling-major-escalation-in-labor-fight.htmlOct. 11 – Today, Ford came to the table with the same offer they submitted to us two weeks ago. It was an unacceptable move that triggered a strong and immediate response.UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning called on our 8,700 members at Ford's extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant to Stand Up and strike. Our Local 862 members answered the call and walked out today at 6:30 p.m.Our Stand Up strategy has won important victories at the table, but we must go further. We will keep increasing the pressure on Ford and all of the Big Three until we've won our fair share of the record profits we've made at Kentucky Truck and every Big Three plant.Tune in to Facebook Live this Friday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. for more announcements on the status of bargaining at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.General Motors last week agreed to include workers at its electric vehicle battery plant in the company's national contract with the union, which Fain called a “transformative win.”Fain said the union expects Chrysler parent Stellantis and Ford to follow suit, including battery plant workers in eventual contract agreements.The UAW has been gradually increasing the strikes since the work stoppages began after the sides failed to reach tentative agreements by Sept 14.The additional workers brings UAW's total to about 34,000 U.S. workers, or roughly 23% of UAW members covered by the expired contracts with the Detroit automakers, who are currently on strike.Fain will give bargaining updates and potentially announce further strikes at 10 a.m. Friday online, the union said Wednesday night.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/nurses-unions-push-for-mandatory-staff-to-patient-ratiosSafe Patients Limit Act would cap the number of patients per registered nurseBy PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Unions representing nurses in Illinois are pushing for legislation that would impose mandatory staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.But lobby groups representing hospitals and nursing homes say they are steadfastly opposed to the legislation, arguing that a nationwide nursing shortage makes it impossible to comply with such a mandate.The proposed Safe Patient Limits Act, by Sen. Celina Villanueva and Rep. Theresa Mah, both Chicago Democrats, was introduced in February and was the subject of a joint hearing last week in Chicago by two House committees. It's an issue that has been discussed in the General Assembly since 2019 but has thus far failed to gain the necessary traction for passage. The latest hearing came just three weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 24.“Short staffing isn't a mere inconvenience. It's a dire issue,” said Shaba Andrich, vice president of nursing homes for the SEIU Healthcare employee union. “It's predominantly a Black and brown issue. In historically marginalized communities of Chicago, these issues are magnified. These communities that already face systemic underinvestment are further deprived of adequate nursing care due to chronic short staffing.”The bill calls for setting a maximum number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. For example, in units with critical care or intensive care patients, the maximum number of patients per nurse would be just one. In units with pediatric patients, the bill would allow three patients per nurse, and in units with psychiatric patients, the bill would allow four patients per nurse.It also provides some legal protection for nurses, stating that they are to provide their services exclusively in the interest of patients, “unencumbered by the commercial or revenue-generating priorities” of a facility that employs registered professional nurses.Andrich, testifying before the committee last week, disputed the notion that there is a nursing shortage in Illinois. He said there is only “a shortage of caregivers who are refusing to be overworked and undervalued and underpaid,” and that the result of understaffing has direct consequences for patients.“Such understaffing isn't merely an operational concern. It translates into real world consequences,” he said. “Seniors enduring falls, malnutrition, missed medication, avoidable hospitalization, and, tragically, avoidable deaths.”Some of those who testified in favor of the bill accused hospitals and nursing homes of being more concerned about labor costs and profit margins than the best interests of patients.“We need this legislation because hospitals are incentivized to reduce labor costs. This means less staff,” said Jeanine Johnson, a critical care nurse at Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. “Hospital executives see budgets and labor costs. Nurses see patients and their lives.”A.J. Wilhelmi, president & CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, a hospital trade group, said it's true that health care providers face significant financial pressures, largely because Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates have not kept pace with the rising cost of health care. But he said contrary to what the unions claimed, there is a significant and growing nursing shortage in Illinois, and the proposed Safe Patient Limits Act would put even more of a financial burden on providers.During his testimony, Wilhelmi cited a state survey into the registered nurse workforce that was conducted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center – which is a state agency that works to promote the nursing profession. Of the respondents to that survey, 27 percent indicated an intent to retire within the next five years. The IHA interpreted that and other data in the survey to suggest the state could see a shortage of 14,400 registered nurses by 2025.“I'm deeply concerned that many hospitals in the state, particularly safety net hospitals, critical access hospitals, will be unable to absorb the huge cost that ratios would impose,” he said. “And given the enormous financial pressures that Illinois hospitals already face, if this bill becomes law, they're going to have to make some tough decisions like cutting back services, closing hundreds of beds, and eliminating jobs. And frankly, some of our hospitals might be forced to close.”Andy Allison, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the agency that administers the state's Medicaid program, suggested that the key to solving the staffing issues in hospitals and nursing homes is to raise wages to make the jobs more attractive.He noted that last year, lawmakers passed a significant overhaul of the way the state reimburses nursing homes through Medicaid, adding roughly $700 million in the form of incentives to increase wages and hire more staff.Before those reforms were adopted, he said, Illinois was home to 46 of the 100 worst-staffed nursing homes in the country. As of March 31, he said, that number had dropped to 14.“We hope that it becomes zero. We have a ways to go,” he said. “But in the last five quarters – that is, through March 31 of this year – in that five-quarter period, total nurse staffing hours statewide are up 15 percent.”Denise Stiger, an organizer for Teamsters Local 743, which represents health care workers in many Chicago-area facilities, said that money has not solved the problem, and that in some nursing homes, one CNA still could have as many as 20 patients to tend to during their shift.“We have to deal with the owners because they're slum lords. That's what they are,” she said. “And I understand that they get cited, and it's public. But these owners are not looking at that. These owners are looking at these patients as money.”Health care workers at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical facilities across the U.S. walked off the job on Wednesday morning, in an effort to ramp up pressure on their employer to fix a staffing shortage that has intensified since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Over 75,000 workers — including nurses, emergency department technicians, pharmacists and hundreds of others — went on strike in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.It is the biggest health care strike in U.S. history, according to the unions.Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, California, is one of the largest nonprofit health care providers in the United States, serving nearly 13 million patients. Most Kaiser workers who have walked off the job will be on strike for three days, until Saturday morning — except those in Virginia and Washington D.C., who will be on strike for 24 hours.Roughly 1,500 essential workers at four hospitals in Los Angeles County kicked off a five-day strike Monday morning to protest what they claim are dangerous working conditions and unfair labor practices by hospital management.Employees at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood walked off the job and picketed outside while nonunion nurses and staff were brought in to keep the hospital open, according to union organizers.Nurses and other staff at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, and Encino Hospital Medical Center are also participating in the strike through Friday.ST. LOUIS — Nurses at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital walked off their jobs for a 24-hour strike on Monday, a measure they said was necessary after the hospital failed to address their concerns about short staffing.Registered nurses union stages 24-hour strike at SSM Health St. Louis University HospitalMaddi O'Leary, a registered nurse who works in the bone marrow transplant unit, joins other SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital nurses represented by the National Nurses United union in staging a 24-hour strike Monday Sept. 25, 2023, outside the hospital.Christine Tannous, Post-Dispatch“We don't want to be out here,” said Maddi O'Leary, a nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit, who has worked at the hospital for eight years. “We want to be inside taking care of our patients. But we have not been given the resources to do so safely.”In a statement, SSM said the health system was “deeply disappointed” in the union's decision to organize a strike. The hospital said workers from nurse staffing agencies would help fill in where needed.Dozens rallied outside the hospital along South Grand Boulevard Monday, carrying signs and chanting. Nurses described feeling frustrated when they couldn't provide patients the quality of care they wanted to give because their units are understaffed.And when patients have to wait longer for care, health care workers receive backlash from them and their family members, they said. Several emergency department nurses said that they've noticed an increase in patients after South City Hospital, about 4 miles south, closed in early August following financial troubles.O'Leary said that while nursing shifts in her unit ideally are staffed by four nurses, lately there have been shifts with only two. That means she can't take a break because she can't leave the unit staffed by only one nurse.“Enough was enough,” she said.The strike was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Monday and end at 6:59 a.m. Tuesday. The nurses gave the hospital 10 days' notice.The union, National Nurses United, has represented nurses at the hospital since 2012. Though the nurses have held several protests to pressure SSM to increase staffing levels there, they had never before gone on strike.The nurses' labor agreement expired June 15. They have been in negotiations for a new contract since May and claim there has been little movement in bargaining. With the exception of the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, SLU Hospital is the only hospital in the region where nurses are unionized.SSM accused the California-based nurses union of holding strikes that are “intended to create tension and division within hospitals,” and said the moves are counterproductive to SSM's efforts to recruit and hire nurses.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/11/republicans-ease-off-impeachment-threat-after-supreme-court-accepted-redistricting-case/After months of threatening that they would consider impeaching liberal Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she weighed in on a lawsuit over the state's legislative maps, Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have pulled back from the idea. Republicans began raising impeachment before Protasiewicz was even elected in April, with then-Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) saying during his special election campaign for an open Senate seat that he would consider impeaching her. In August, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he would consider impeaching Protasiewicz if she weighed in on the redistricting lawsuit — stating in a radio interview that he believed she had “pre-judged” the case and that could constitute a violation of her oath of office. Late last week, Protasiewicz ruled against Republican motions requesting that she recuse herself, writing in an opinion that the standard for recusal Republicans were arguing for would be “unworkable.” On the same day, Protasiewicz joined the Court's three other liberals in voting to accept one of two lawsuits filed against the maps. As Republicans floated the impeachment possibility, and state Democrats launched a campaign to raise public opinion against it, Vos said he convened a panel of three former Supreme Court justices to weigh in on the idea. One of those former justices, conservative David Prosser, wrote in an email to Vos on Friday before the court's decision was released that nothing Protasiewicz had done rose to the level of corrupt conduct in office, which along with criminal acts is the standard for impeachment in the state Constitution. “In my view, ‘corrupt conduct' is not a term that is open to a mere political grievance,” Prosser wrote. “If that were the case, legislative bodies could be trading questionable impeachments with considerable frequency.”“To sum up my views, there should be no effort to impeach Justice Protasiewicz on anything we know now,” he continued. “Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime, or the subject has committed indisputable ‘corrupt conduct' while ‘in office.'”After the Court's decision was released last week, Vos said in a statement that he believes the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in on the issue. “Justice Protasiewicz should have recused herself. We think the United States Supreme Court precedent compels her recusal, and the United States Supreme Court will have the last word here,” Vos said.Wisconsin's impeachment process requires a simple majority vote of the Assembly to impeach and a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove an official. In addition to Vos' retreat from the threat, multiple Senate Republicans have stated they don't support impeachment, meaning there wouldn't be enough votes in the Senate to remove Protasiewicz. In an audio recording obtained by the Examiner, a staff member for Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) told a member of the public that “she does not support impeachment.” Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) also told CBS58 he doesn't support impeachment. Prior to the Court's acceptance of the case, concerns had been raised that under Wisconsin's impeachment statutes, a judge is unable to hear any cases while the Senate is considering conviction — meaning that if the Assembly voted to impeach, the Senate could hold off on a vote in order to delay the case. With the lack of supermajority support for impeachment in the Senate, state Democrats have called for Vos to drop the threats. “While it's long been clear the law wasn't on the Republicans' side, they now lack the votes to pursue conviction in the Senate — underscoring how any impeachment in the Assembly would represent an unprecedented abuse of the Wisconsin Constitution,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Joe Oslund said in a statement. “Broken clocks are right twice a day, and now that David Prosser and Duey Stroebel have somehow emerged as voices of reason here, Robin Vos should have no excuse for not knowing what time it is: time to drop his unconstitutional impeachment threats.”What caught your eye:Wisconsin Examiner, Capitol News Illinois, STL Post Dispatch, LA Times, Washington Post, CNBC, NPR

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Episode 190: The Muck Takes New York! | Judge John Roemer

The Muck Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2023 63:06

Tina and Hillary cover the murder of Judge John Roemer. John Roemer served as Juneau County Judge until his retirement in 2017. But his retirement was short-lived when he was attacked in his home. Sources Tina's Story CNN A former judge was killed in his Wisconsin home in a targeted attack, officials say (https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/04/us/wisconsin-judge-killed-targeted-attack/index.html)--by Whitney Wild The Guardian Suspected shooter who killed retired Wisconsin judge in ‘targeted' attack identified (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/04/wisconsin-judge-shooting-suspect-identified-latest)--by Ramon Antonio Vargas Independent Pictured: Wisconsin judge's alleged killer, who had political ‘hit list', is identified (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/wisconsin-judge-shooting-douglas-uhde-b2094380.html)--by Josh Marcus Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Here's what we know about the targeted killing of retired Wisconsin Judge John Roemer in the town of New Lisbon (https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2022/06/03/what-we-know-new-lisbon-killing-judge-john-roemer-juneau-county/7505784001/)--by Drake Bentley and Elliot Hughes Man suspected of killing retired Wisconsin judge identified as Douglas K. Uhde; had been sentenced by Roemer in 2005 (https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2022/06/04/douglas-k-uhde-identified-wisconsin-judge-shooting-suspect-doj-town-of-new-lisbon/7515805001/)--by Mary Spicuzza, Daniel Bice, Elliot Hughes Wisconsin judge shooting suspect had frequent legal trouble, but friends surprised by accusations (https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/crime/2022/06/05/douglas-uhde-suspect-shooting-judge-roemer-anti-government/7522517001/)--by Sophie Carson and Mary Spicuzza NBC News Former Wisconsin judge killed in 'targeted' attack; suspect had hit list that included Mitch McConnell, Gov. Whitmer (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-wisconsin-judge-killed-targeted-attack-suspect-hit-list-include-rcna31995)--Tom Winter, Michael Kosnar, Minyvonne Burke Slain retired judge had sentenced suspect to six years in prison, court records show (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-fatally-shot-retired-judge-sentenced-6-years-prison-court-reco-rcna32023)--by Antonio Planas, Tom Winter, and Michael Kosnar New York City Bar Statement Condemning Assassination of Former Wisconsin Judge John Roemer and Calling for Greater State and Federal Judicial Security (https://www.nycbar.org/media-listing/media/detail/statement-condemning-assassination-of-former-wisconsin-judge-john-roemer-and-calling-for-greater-state-and-federal-judicial-security) WBay 2 Wisconsin man accused of killing retired judge pronounced dead (https://www.wbay.com/2022/06/07/wisconsin-man-accused-killing-retired-judge-pronounced-dead/) Wisconsin Department of Justice Critical Incident Investigation in Mauston, Wis. (https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/update-critical-incident-investigation-mauston-wis) Wisconsin Rapids Tribune Retired Juneau County judge John Roemer killed in targeted attack remembered as devoted jurist, church leader (https://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/story/news/2022/06/04/john-roemer-retired-judge-juneau-county-killed-attack-new-lisbon-remembered-devotion/7506051001/)--by Kelli Arseneau, Chris Mueller, and Sarah Volpenhein WMTV NBC Wisconsin man says he's on same hit list of suspect who allegedly killed former judge (https://www.nbc15.com/2022/06/07/wisconsin-man-says-hes-same-hit-list-suspect-who-allegedly-killed-former-judge/)--by Elizabeth Wadas Photos Judge John Roemer (https://am23.mediaite.com/lc/cnt/uploads/2022/06/Wisconsin-Judge-John-Roemer.jpg)--photo from a 2004 newsletter via Law & Crime Douglas K. Uhde (https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/7f/67f78639-9729-5786-88d3-81d3382cd23f/629be59790ef8.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C922)--mugshot from Wisconsin Department of Corrections via Madison.com Judge John Roemer (https://www.crandallfuneral.com/fh_live/12500/12502/images/obituaries/8066009_fbs.jpg) (obituary photo)--via Crandall Funeral Home

July 24, 2023 - Talkin Politics - Government and Elections News from the Heartland Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2023 75:48

The Heartland POD: July 24, 2023Talkin' PoliticsThis week on The Heartland POD for Monday, July 24, 2023Is the New Dem Caucus a thing? US House Republicans again not clear on what “citizenship” meansTWO very positive state supreme court rulings in the heartland this weekMissouri's appointed attorney general wasting more time and money because abortionVoting rights and gerrymandering ongoing issues in red and blue states…and so we have to talk about it. Lots to Do, so let's go!Host HousekeepingWelcome back to the heartland pod. Adam is out this week, and we're stepping in for him. Those are big shoes to fill, but he apparently wanted to take time off with his family and children. Sure, bro. Whatever. This is the regular Monday show our Talkin' Politics show with co-hosts Rachel Parker and Sean Diller just for this week.Together we bring big topics of the week with a special focus on the heartland as we bring our middle out approach to politics and work to change the conversation. Catch all of our shows 5 days a week including Dirt Road Democrat hosted by Jess Piper on Thursdays and our weekly roundup show The Flyover View with rotating hosts every Friday for a 15 min weekly catchup. Support what we do by leaving a five star rating and a review wherever you listen to the show and follow us on social media with AT the heartland pod and check out heartlandpod.com and click the patreon link to learn about becoming a member of our family of PODheads and PODgressives over at there, heartlandpod.com or go directly to patreon.com/heartlandpod to get signed up today for extra access, extra shows, and more.Show Notes@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”TALKIN' POLITICSTrue or False?The New Dem Caucus and their “pragmatic agenda” has more than a snowball's chance in hell in this Congress?From Semafor: The New Dems plot a course for Biden's legislative agenda | SemaforYeah, NOHouse Republicans coming for legal US residents Again. We have some heartland house members who have been particularly pugnacious for no apparent f*cking reason. Again. Still.The mic drop moment from Rep. Katie Porter: “Somehow, letting people who legally live in the United States buy health care is going to create a border crisis,” the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Katie Porter of California, said. “It'd be funny to watch this bad argument fall apart if it weren't such a waste of time.” Sean…take it away.DACA recipients' Medicaid eligibility slammed by U.S. House Republicans • Missouri IndependentYeah YeahWe have two this week. One, Kansas Highway Patrol has to stop its apparently very real version of “stop and frisk”; it had a name. The Kansas Two step.Just a solid ruling and makes it harder for cops to catch people on the stretch of I-70 through Kansas where weed is stupidly still illegalJudge rules Kansas Highway Patrol 'waged war on motorists,' violated constitutional rightsThe Kansas Highway Patrol's 'Two-Step' tactic tramples motorists' rights, a judge rules | AP NewsThis one; the headline says it all:Illinois Supreme Court upholds law eliminating cash bail | CNN PoliticsVery few people outside of the flyover region realize just how solidly progressive of a state Illinois has become post-Trump. First state to legalize cannabis by way of its legislature and not voters.Buy or SellAndrew Baily's waste of taxpayer dollars is another sign that suburban and exurban voters ignore waste when its one of their own:https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article277506263.html?ac_cid=DM824930&ac_bid=-806357547Same story, from the Missouri Independent: Missouri Supreme Court rejects AG's push to inflate cost of abortion-rights amendment • Missouri IndependentBig one Voting and gerrymandering is still just a hot issue in both GOP dominated states and bluer states. With the SCOTUS ruling on Moore and basically wiping out the insane independent legislature theory…we should be done. But we're not?Ohio GOP may have bought themselves enough time to go back in front of…The Supreme Court? What the actual?U.S. Supreme Court Gives Ohio GOP Second Shot at Gerrymandering - Democracy DocketNeil Young was right:Alabama's redistricting brawl rehashes bitter fight over voting rights - POLITICOGood news from the Michigan legislature…again.Michigan Democrats Introduce State Voting Rights Act - Democracy DocketNational dems taking advantage of new Wisconsin liberal majority on the state supreme court National Democrats file absentee ballot lawsuit in Wisconsin ahead of state Supreme Court flip | AP News

united states california donald trump politics michigan joe biden elections government alabama illinois wisconsin congress supreme court kansas democrats voting false gop civil rights scotus medicaid aclu daca heartland voting rights abortion rights gretchen whitmer redistricting gerrymandering criminal justice reform ap news cannabis legalization katie porter andrew bailey sherrod brown cash bail illinois supreme court ohio gop mike parson illinois politics michigan politics wisconsin politics talkin' politics ohio politics missouri politics rachel parker alabama politics us house republicans kansas highway patrol national democrats jess piper dirt road democrat podheads

July 24, 2023 - Talkin Politics - Government and Elections News from the Heartland Pod

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2023 75:48

The Heartland POD: July 24, 2023Talkin' PoliticsThis week on The Heartland POD for Monday, July 24, 2023Is the New Dem Caucus a thing? US House Republicans again not clear on what “citizenship” meansTWO very positive state supreme court rulings in the heartland this weekMissouri's appointed attorney general wasting more time and money because abortionVoting rights and gerrymandering ongoing issues in red and blue states…and so we have to talk about it. Lots to Do, so let's go!Host HousekeepingWelcome back to the heartland pod. Adam is out this week, and we're stepping in for him. Those are big shoes to fill, but he apparently wanted to take time off with his family and children. Sure, bro. Whatever. This is the regular Monday show our Talkin' Politics show with co-hosts Rachel Parker and Sean Diller just for this week.Together we bring big topics of the week with a special focus on the heartland as we bring our middle out approach to politics and work to change the conversation. Catch all of our shows 5 days a week including Dirt Road Democrat hosted by Jess Piper on Thursdays and our weekly roundup show The Flyover View with rotating hosts every Friday for a 15 min weekly catchup. Support what we do by leaving a five star rating and a review wherever you listen to the show and follow us on social media with AT the heartland pod and check out heartlandpod.com and click the patreon link to learn about becoming a member of our family of PODheads and PODgressives over at there, heartlandpod.com or go directly to patreon.com/heartlandpod to get signed up today for extra access, extra shows, and more.Show Notes@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”TALKIN' POLITICSTrue or False?The New Dem Caucus and their “pragmatic agenda” has more than a snowball's chance in hell in this Congress?From Semafor: The New Dems plot a course for Biden's legislative agenda | SemaforYeah, NOHouse Republicans coming for legal US residents Again. We have some heartland house members who have been particularly pugnacious for no apparent f*cking reason. Again. Still.The mic drop moment from Rep. Katie Porter: “Somehow, letting people who legally live in the United States buy health care is going to create a border crisis,” the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Katie Porter of California, said. “It'd be funny to watch this bad argument fall apart if it weren't such a waste of time.” Sean…take it away.DACA recipients' Medicaid eligibility slammed by U.S. House Republicans • Missouri IndependentYeah YeahWe have two this week. One, Kansas Highway Patrol has to stop its apparently very real version of “stop and frisk”; it had a name. The Kansas Two step.Just a solid ruling and makes it harder for cops to catch people on the stretch of I-70 through Kansas where weed is stupidly still illegalJudge rules Kansas Highway Patrol 'waged war on motorists,' violated constitutional rightsThe Kansas Highway Patrol's 'Two-Step' tactic tramples motorists' rights, a judge rules | AP NewsThis one; the headline says it all:Illinois Supreme Court upholds law eliminating cash bail | CNN PoliticsVery few people outside of the flyover region realize just how solidly progressive of a state Illinois has become post-Trump. First state to legalize cannabis by way of its legislature and not voters.Buy or SellAndrew Baily's waste of taxpayer dollars is another sign that suburban and exurban voters ignore waste when its one of their own:https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article277506263.html?ac_cid=DM824930&ac_bid=-806357547Same story, from the Missouri Independent: Missouri Supreme Court rejects AG's push to inflate cost of abortion-rights amendment • Missouri IndependentBig one Voting and gerrymandering is still just a hot issue in both GOP dominated states and bluer states. With the SCOTUS ruling on Moore and basically wiping out the insane independent legislature theory…we should be done. But we're not?Ohio GOP may have bought themselves enough time to go back in front of…The Supreme Court? What the actual?U.S. Supreme Court Gives Ohio GOP Second Shot at Gerrymandering - Democracy DocketNeil Young was right:Alabama's redistricting brawl rehashes bitter fight over voting rights - POLITICOGood news from the Michigan legislature…again.Michigan Democrats Introduce State Voting Rights Act - Democracy DocketNational dems taking advantage of new Wisconsin liberal majority on the state supreme court National Democrats file absentee ballot lawsuit in Wisconsin ahead of state Supreme Court flip | AP News

united states california donald trump politics michigan joe biden elections government alabama illinois wisconsin congress supreme court kansas democrats voting false gop civil rights scotus medicaid aclu daca heartland voting rights abortion rights gretchen whitmer redistricting gerrymandering criminal justice reform ap news cannabis legalization katie porter andrew bailey sherrod brown cash bail illinois supreme court ohio gop mike parson illinois politics michigan politics wisconsin politics talkin' politics ohio politics missouri politics rachel parker alabama politics us house republicans kansas highway patrol national democrats jess piper dirt road democrat podheads

Tuesday 3/28/23: college opportunities for incarcerated, female veterans, NPR's Tamara Keith on Wisconsin politics, dating app voter mobilization

Lake Effect: Full Show

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023 51:16

We learn how federal financial aid is being restored for people who are incarcerated and want to pursue a college education. We learn about some of the challenges female veterans face. NPR White House Correspondent Tamara Keith discusses Wisconsin politics. Plus, we tell you about voter mobilization efforts on dating apps.

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w/Tod Ohnstad - WI 65th District Assembly Representative

Ktown Connects

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 17, 2023 59:13

49 years ago, Tod Ohnstad came to Kenosha on a Greyhound bus with a job at American Motors and not much else. He soon became interested in leadership, worker's rights, and politics. After completing his career with AMC/Chrysler he dove into local government, serving as the 6th District Alderman beginning in 2008. In 2013, he was elected as the representative of the 65th District of the Wisconsin State Assembly, where he serves today. For more on Tod Ohnstad, visit his website here, or call his Madison office at 608-266-0455. This episode was recorded on February 27th at Luigi's Pizza Kitchen, 7531 39th Avenue Ktown Connects is brought to you by: ROAR – Be heard Lucci's Grandview 6929 39th Ave Shannyn Franklin – ReMax Newport Elite Franks Diner, 508 58th St Aason Hunzinger of AHDidIt Union Park Tavern, 4520 Eighth Ave. Wink Beauty Boutique, 10909 Sheridan Rd Hydn Cheese Public Craft Brewing Company 628 58th St Get your Ktown Connects merchandise at The Lettering Machine, 725 50th St. Drop us an email at ktownconnects@yahoo.com Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and at ktownconnects.com Theme song performed by Dropping Daisies, written by James “Red” McLeod. Your hosts are Donny Stancato and Jason Hedman Get additional episodes early and ad-free, along with bonus material with this week's guest and more great exclusive material by becoming a patreon supporter! Click here for more!

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Wisconsin Politics Catch Up with Joe Zepecki (Hour 1)

As Goes Wisconsin

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2023 44:14

Democratic campaign strategist veteran, Joe Zepecki, is back on the show for the full hour. We talk Jim Troupis, Tennessee's crappy anti-LGBTQ bills, Wisconsin Supreme Court race, the budget, and even some book recommendations. Guest: Joe Zepecki

What's Next for Rebecca Kleefisch

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Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2022 15:08

Former Lt Governor Rebecca Kleefisch joins Fact Check with Bill Feehan to share her new passion project. Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. Join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Derrick Van Orden Congressman Elect

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Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2022 12:56

Congressman Elect, Derrick Van Orden joins Fact Check to discuss his commitment to serving the people of Wisconsin's 3rd Congressional District. Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. Join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fact Check's Election Recap and the Trump Effect

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 22:53

Mac Feehan joins the Fact Check with Bill Feehan show to break down state and local election results, along with the Trump Effect on the midterms. Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. We invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The La Crosse County 2023 Budget

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 15:37

La Crosse County proposed an over 200 million dollar budget for 2023. Fact Check with Bill Feehan spoke with many of the Supervisors reviewing the budget. What stands out? Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. We invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fact Checking the AFL-CIO's misleading political advertisements

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Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 11:31

The largest labor union in the nation, the AFL-CIO, is masquerading as Katie from Working America to mislead Wisconsin voters. Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. We invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are Wisconsin Politics a Bellwether for Texas Politics? (Elections Mini)

Go Behind The Ballot

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2022 37:24

The podcast we reference is ‘The Run-Up' from the New York Times. The episode is titled ‘The Maps' and can be found here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-maps/id1142083165?i=1000583278773 or wherever you listen to podcasts. Join us as we react to the political climate in Wisconsin. We discuss the election of Scott Walker as governor of Wisconsin in 2011 and the consequent emergence of a new style of politics that's best characterized as zero-sum, meaning that what's good for you is bad for your enemies. It began as a movement to strip collective bargaining from workers and continued as a means of amassing power through a secretive redistricting process.Wisconsin serves as a prime example of gerrymandering characterized by ‘cracking' and ‘packing' districts to favor one party significantly over another and in this case it has solidified Republican power. With the ousting of Republican Governor Scott Walker and the election of Democratic Governor Tony Evers, Republicans, under the leadership of Robin Vos, were able to gut the powers of the governor in order to further augment their power before Evers was able to assume office. We will keep our eyes on Wisconsin to see how Democrats are able to push back against Republican power in their upcoming State Supreme Court Race. Most importantly, we question whether Wisconsin offers important lessons for us here in Texas when power is accumulated in one party significantly over the other.What can we learn from Wisconsin and how can we apply it here at home?

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The 180 Turns of Tulsi Gabbard and Kari Lake

The John Fugelsang Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2022 68:50

John discusses the complete reversal of policies and parties of Hawaii's Tulsi Gabbard and Arizona's Kari Lake. Then he welcomes Bob Cesca and they talk about Trump and other politics. Next he interviews Prof. Harvey J. Kaye on Wisconsin Politics, Midterms and British Marxist Historians. And finally Comedy Daddy Keith Price joins him and they joke with Steven in Kentucky and Cela in Texas.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Biden Using the SPR to Win Elections

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 12:43

Republican Candidate for Congress Derrick Van Orden joins Fact Check to offer his unique insight as to why the Saudis rejected Biden's request to increase oil production. Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. We invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flyover View - September 2, 2022 - Heartland Politics and Government News

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2022 14:09

Agape Updates | Red States Taxing Student Loan Forgiveness | Columbus OH Police shoot unarmed black man in bed | MO Gov Mike Parson rolling back sunshine provisions | Drinking water crisis in Jackson MS | Sports Betting in Now Legal in Kansas | Win for Voting Rights in Wisconsin | Kentucky loses $4 Million in Fed Housing Funds | Alaska sends first Alaska Native to U.S. Congress, handing a Sarah Palin another election loss https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

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Flyover View - September 2, 2022 - Heartland Politics and Government News

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2022 14:09

Agape Updates | Red States Taxing Student Loan Forgiveness | Columbus OH Police shoot unarmed black man in bed | MO Gov Mike Parson rolling back sunshine provisions | Drinking water crisis in Jackson MS | Sports Betting in Now Legal in Kansas | Win for Voting Rights in Wisconsin | Kentucky loses $4 Million in Fed Housing Funds | Alaska sends first Alaska Native to U.S. Congress, handing a Sarah Palin another election loss https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

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Flyover View - Aug 12, 2022 - Heartland Politics News and Views

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2022 26:12

Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the HeartlandInflation Reduction Act and What it means to you | Getting by with a little help from the feds on Medicaid backlog | CAFO Deregulation | Tracy Grundy, Democrat for MO State House | Facebook Privacy and Women's Health in Nebraska | Climate Change Raising the Cost | Billions into Bioplastics | Wisconsin Dems Rally for Mandela Barnes | Three Down one to go in the Agape Boarding School battle https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

Flyover View - Aug 12, 2022 - Heartland Politics News and Views

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 12, 2022 26:12

Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the HeartlandInflation Reduction Act and What it means to you | Getting by with a little help from the feds on Medicaid backlog | CAFO Deregulation | Tracy Grundy, Democrat for MO State House | Facebook Privacy and Women's Health in Nebraska | Climate Change Raising the Cost | Billions into Bioplastics | Wisconsin Dems Rally for Mandela Barnes | Three Down one to go in the Agape Boarding School battle https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

Flyover View - August 5, 2022 - Heartland Politics News and Views

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2022 18:09

Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the HeartlandKansas Pro-Choice Referendum | MO Senate Primary Results | Cori Bush wins decidedly | Farm Bill | No Justice in Kansas | Embryonic Dependents in GA | Wisconsin Secretary of State race is high stakes | 13,000 acre Nebraska blaze | Resist STL Infiltrates Pro-Life event https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

Flyover View - August 5, 2022 - Heartland Politics News and Views

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 5, 2022 18:09

Host: Kevin Smith Dives into the weekly news most impactful to the HeartlandKansas Pro-Choice Referendum | MO Senate Primary Results | Cori Bush wins decidedly | Farm Bill | No Justice in Kansas | Embryonic Dependents in GA | Wisconsin Secretary of State race is high stakes | 13,000 acre Nebraska blaze | Resist STL Infiltrates Pro-Life event https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD"Change The Conversation"

Fact Check Wisconsin Drop Boxes

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2022 11:24

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that ballot drop boxes are illegal. Fact Check with Bill Feehan investigates the connection between the ballot boxes and allegations of ballot harvesting. Fact Check is your only dependable source of state and local news from a conservative perspective. Thanks for listening. We invite you to join the conversation on our Facebook group Fact Check WIZM with Bill Feehan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Flyover View - March 25, 2022 - Politics News and Views

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2022 11:42

Missouri State Senate approves sexual assault survivor rights bill - Indiana Gov Eric Holcomb vetoes anti-trans bill - Sewage flows into Des Moines River - Wisconsin redistricting plan may violate Voting Rights Act - Meta considers Kansas City for new data center - Kansas legislature swings and misses - Eric Greitens thinks he's the victim of a conspiracy somehow https://heartlandpod.com/Twitter: @TheHeartlandPOD

The Flyover View - March 25, 2022 - Politics News and Views