Episodes
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U.S. Supreme Court issues major gun case ruling | Missouri Democratic primary draws major questions | Montana progressive with interesting family ties running for office | 2024 Election Era Rolls On Now with a Pro Biden Fox News Poll!
SCOTUS issues major gun case rulinghttps://www.npr.org/2024/05/23/1252764853/supreme-court-gunsMajor Missouri Race Poll: https://emersoncollegepolling.com/missouri-2024-poll-ashcroft-23-kehoe-20-lead-republican-primary-for-governor-46-undecided/True or False: Missourians might hit a soft reset in 2024Major Missouri Race Poll: https://emersoncollegepolling.com/missouri-2024-poll-ashcroft-23-kehoe-20-lead-republican-primary-for-governor-46-undecided/“Kehoe’s strength is older voters: 26% of voters over 60 support Kehoe while 18% support Ashcroft. Ashcroft performs best with voters in their 30s, 40s, and 50s: 31% of whom support Ashcroft while 15% support Kehoe,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. In the November presidential election, 53% of Missouri voters support former president Donald Trump, 40% support President Joe Biden, and 7% are undecided. With third-party candidates on the ballot, Trump’s support decreases to 50%, and Biden’s to 35%, while 7% support Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 1% support Cornel West and Jill Stein respectively. Yeah.. NO: Missouri Democratic primary draws major questions https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wesley-bell-republican-campaign-manag_n_66747f65e4b069d92e24ad5eAs of May, Bell has raised more than $65,000 in contributions from donors who normally give to Republicans. They include a former GOP speaker of the Missouri House, the billionaire hedge fund founder Daniel Loeb, and the former finance chair for Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) presidential super PAC.“I am pro-life and I will support a constitutional amendment to protect the rights of the unborn,” Byrne told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I will protect our Second Amendment right to bear arms. … I will increase funding for the border patrol and crack down on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants.”“It is a little strange to me that this is where you’d be putting your efforts in 2006, when there were a good number of Democrats running for office that needed help and support,” she said. “Friendship is one thing. But empowering friends who have problematic viewpoints to get into positions of power, that’s concerning.”Yeah… YEAH: Montana progressive with interesting family ties running for officehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/19/dakota-adams-oath-keeper-son-montana-electionsHe ain't no senator’s son, that’s for sure2024 Election Era Rolls OnTrump camp might have asked for help from Missouri senator… or not?https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article289363355.htmlTurning Point USA is going to handle the ground game? aiming to ultimately spend $108 million on a get-out-the-vote effort in key battleground states, according to two sources familiar with the plans. The “Chase the Vote” program has built out infrastructures in Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan, all states that Trump won in 2016 but lost to President Joe Biden in 2020. While Trump speaks to the crowd this weekend, the group is planning to sign up more local volunteers as well as pass out job applications to beef up their program, particularly in the Wolverine State.Democratic operatives have mocked Trump’s campaign for their limited hired staff on the ground, as Biden’s team has continued to build out its own massive ground game operation.“You need boots on the ground to win an election,” said one veteran Democratic strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “(The Biden campaign) is far outpacing Trump’s operation on this front.”https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/15/politics/trump-campaign-turning-point-charlie-kirkBig Money: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/21/billionaire-tim-mellon-trump-donationBuy or Sell: Farmers for… Biden? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/21/trump-biden-agriculture-policiesThen, not long after, Trump began trade tariffs against many of the US’s international allies.“Our allies retaliated by going after our soft underbelly: our agriculture,” Gibbs says. “When China retaliated by no longer taking our soybeans, I lost 20% of the value of my crop overnight.”Gibbs is among a small but perhaps growing group of US farmers who fear that Trump’s threats of renewed trade wars and immigrant deportations could ruin their businesses should he prevail in the November presidential election
Polling From Fox “not toooo good” but again, just one pollWe talked last week about IF the economic indicators would have time to catch voters attentions going into the fallhttps://www.foxnews.com/official-polls/fox-news-poll-three-point-shift-biden-trump-matchup-since-mayBiden got improved marks on: Economy and ImmigrationThere was also a 4-point shift in the expanded ballot. When other potential candidates are included, Biden tops Trump by 1 point (43%-42%), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. receives 10% and Cornel West and Jill Stein get 2% each. Last month, Trump was ahead of Biden by 3 points (43%-40%). https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-devastating-poll-fox-news-joe-biden-election-economy-1915063In a previous Fox News poll from May, Trump was leading Biden by one point (49 percent to 48 percent). The former president was also enjoying a five-point lead over Biden in March (50 percent to 45 percent), meaning there has been a significant swing in favor of the Democrat incumbent in the past three monthsFrom the Fox Summary: Three-quarters of voters say it matters "a great deal" to them who wins the presidential election, and they favor Biden over Trump by 5 points. More women than men (by 7 points) feel like the outcome matters a great deal, as do more voters ages 65+ than young voters (+24) — that could be a big help to Biden if it holds.@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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The Heartland POD, Friday June 21, 2024
Kansas 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.com
Lots to do, so let’s go!
Kansas Legislature passes incentive bill to lure Kansas City Chiefs, RoyalsBY: ALLISON KITE - JUNE 18, 2024 3:26 PMBrady 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 MEISEL
Capitol News Illinois
[email protected]Halfway 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 vote
Democrats 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 ADAMS
Capitol News Illinois
[email protected]In 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.
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Episodes manquant?
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Learn more: https://www.momsformo.com/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Quick Hit: SCOTUS tells Mrs. Hawley and company to pound sand on mifepristone case
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rejects-bid-restrict-access-abortion-pill-rcna151308
Not Great: Drug pricing hinges on Missouri, so hold onto your buttshttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/13/billions-at-stake-as-national-battle-over-drug-pricing-plays-out-in-missouri/Yeah… No: Senate Republicans IVF protections while claiming pro-life stanceshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/06/13/u-s-senate-republicans-reject-democrats-bill-on-ivf-protections/You Don’t F***ing Say: The banned book about banning books in Floridahttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-florida-school-district-banned-a-book-about-banned-books/ar-BB1o987B2024 Election Era Rolls OnBuy or Sell: Scotus spotlight helps Biden for 2024? https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/samuel-alito-supreme-court-justice-recording-tape-battle-1235036470/https://www.axios.com/2024/06/13/clarence-thomas-private-trips-gop-harlan-crow
Inflation perception from June to November: https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/us-wholesale-prices-dropped-may-123828032.htmlTrumps VP Sweepstakes Is As Dumb As You’d ThinkJD’s whoopsie like history: https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/13/politics/kfile-jd-vance-harsh-twitter-likes-trump-vice-president/index.htmlTrump is so not worried about his conviction he’s trying to use Mike Johnson to overturn ithttps://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/13/donald-trump-conviction-mike-johnson-00163128Meanwhile, Biden admin just went HAMF on Russia’s MONEYhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/06/13/investing/us-russia-sanctions-dollar-euro-trading/index.htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/2024/06/13/politics/joe-biden-ukraine-g7-donald-trump-vladimir-putin?cid=ios_appAll while Trump is talking like he just found the on ramp of a 50mg edible https://x.com/atrupar/status/1799894705288761412?s=46&t=mukZUfs5M_R3E9tAHIu-GA@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Mifepristone remains legal after major Supreme Court ruling | Trump lackey running for Michigan’s state supreme court | Nebraska’s competing abortion petitions | Kansas Farmers Faced With Major Water Shortage | South Carolina Ripe For Full Abortion Ban | Missouri begins major project to improve Interstate 70 | Indiana musician hitting the scene in a big way
SHOW NOTES
Mifepristone remains legal after major Supreme Court rulinghttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/13/breaking-u-s-supreme-court-rejects-attempt-to-limit-access-to-abortion-pill/Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion in the united ruling from the Supreme Court, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing a concurring opinion.
“Plaintiffs are pro-life, oppose elective abortion, and have sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to mifepristone being prescribed and used by others,” Kavanaugh wrote.
The four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors who originally brought the lawsuit against mifepristone have protections in place to guard against being forced to participate in abortions against their moral objections, he noted.
“Not only as a matter of law but also as a matter of fact, the federal conscience laws have protected pro-life doctors ever since FDA approved mifepristone in 2000,” Kavanaugh wrote. “The plaintiffs have not identified any instances where a doctor was required, notwithstanding conscience objections, to perform an abortion or to provide other abortion-related treatment that violated the doctor’s conscience.”
“Nor is there any evidence in the record here of hospitals overriding or failing to accommodate doctors’ conscience objections,” he added.
Trump lackey running for Michigan’s state supreme courthttps://michiganadvance.com/briefs/deperno-announces-michigan-supreme-court-run-amid-election-related-criminal-charges/Matt DePerno, a Republican lawyer who ran for Michigan Attorney General in 2022 with the support of former President Donald Trump, is running for the state’s supreme court while facing charges for reportedly tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election.
Michigan’s 4-3 Democratic majority state supreme court is falling short of doing its duty, Deperno said in an emailed statement to Michigan Advance.
“After watching the abuse of our legal system both here in Michigan, as well as across the country, it is clear that the Michigan Supreme Court needs members that are committed to following the constitution and rule of law,” DePerno said. “Activist judges, prosecutors, and attorney generals are using their power to prosecute their political enemies. This has to stop. And that is why I am running for Supreme Court.”
Nebraska’s competing abortion petitionshttps://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/13/sorting-through-nebraskas-abortion-ballot-initiatives/Nebraska voters who want to weigh in this November on the future of abortion in the state have three petitions to consider signing.
One group that is circulating petitions wants to make abortion a state constitutional right. Two other groups circulating petitions both oppose abortion. But their petitions approach the path to further restrictions differently.
Organizers of all three petition initiatives have until July 3 to turn in signatures from 10% of Nebraska registered voters, or about 123,000 people, to the Secretary of State’s Office. Of those, signatures are required from at least 5% of registered voters in at least 38 counties.
Kansas Farmers Faced With Major Water Shortagehttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/13/time-for-a-reckoning-kansas-farmers-brace-for-water-cuts-to-save-ogallala-aquifer/After 50 years of studies, discussions and hand-wringing about the aquifer’s decline, the state is demanding that local groundwater managers finally enforce conservation. But in this region where water is everything, they’ll have to overcome entrenched attitudes and practices that led to decades of overpumping.
“It scares the hell out of me,” farmer Hugh Brownlee said at a recent public meeting in the district on the changes to come.
Last year, Kansas lawmakers passed legislation squarely targeting the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District, which spans a dozen counties. Unlike the two other Kansas districts that sit atop the crucial aquifer, this one has done little to enact formal conservation programs that could help prolong the life of the aquifer. The new law aims to force action.
South Carolina Ripe For Full Abortion Banhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/13/south-carolina-abortion-banThe right to legal abortion in South Carolina is in a “dire” condition, said the state senator Penry Gustafson, who lost her seat on Tuesday to a primary challenger prepared to vote to ban abortion at conception.
Gustafson is one of five female lawmakers dubbed the “sister senators” who blocked legislation to outlaw abortion from the point of conception in the state. The three Republicans among them – Gustafson, Sandy Senn and Katrina Shealy – each drew male primary challengers who competed for conservative primary voters seeking more restrictive abortion access.
Missouri begins major project to improve Interstate 70https://www.missourinet.com/2024/06/13/shovels-come-out-to-break-ground-on-missouris-historic-i-70-expansion/A groundbreaking ceremony was held today to celebrate the start of construction for the Improve I-70 project, which will widen the interstate to at least three lanes each in both directions from St. Louis to Kansas City.
Construction on the $2.8 billion Improve I-70 Program is set to begin in July. The first phase of the project begins in mid-Missouri, with the interchanges of U.S. Route 63 in Columbia and U.S. Route 54 in Kingdom City.
Gov. Mike Parson was on hand to commemorate the occasion. One of his top priorities throughout his tenure has been to improve Missouri’s infrastructure system.
“What we’re doing in infrastructure in this state is going to set us apart from many, many other states and it’s just, for the future of our state, I can’t even explain how much of an impact it’s going to have. But it’s fun. It’s exciting to finish up your term on a high note like this,” he told reporters.
Indiana musician hitting the scene in a big wayhttps://www.stephenwilsonjr.com/Stephen Wilson Jr. is a singer/songwriter from rural Southern Indiana. Self-described as “Death Cab For Country,” Stephen Wilson Jr. draws upon indie rock, grunge and country to create a distinct sound that is influenced by artists as diverse as The National, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Nirvana.
Wilson was raised by a single father who was a boxer and had him boxing from age seven through adulthood as an Indiana State Golden Gloves finalist. The self-taught guitarist moved to Nashville to pursue a degree in Microbiology at MTSU, where he started indie rock band AutoVaughn after finishing his degree. After five years of touring the world as lead guitarist with AutoVaughn, Wilson turned his creative focus toward songwriting and singing. After the band, Wilson relied back on his education where he worked for several years as an R&D scientist at Mars until signing a publishing deal with BMG Nashville in 2016. His songs were soon recorded by acts like Caitlyn Smith, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, MacKenzie Porter, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash.
SOURCES: Missouri Independent, The Guardian, Michigan Advance, Nebraska Examiner, Kansas Reflector, Missourinet.com, Stephenwilsonjr.com
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Sean Diller (no social)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Shawn Ellerbroek - Iowa State House 57 - Butler Co. and Bramer Co. with Waverly, NE Iowa, closer to MN than Missouri
https://thedudesthreads.com/collections/usa-abide
Code: Iowa
Dr. Shawn Ellerbroek
https://shawnforiowa.com/
https://www.wartburg.edu/people/dr-shawn-ellerbroek/
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Show Notes
I Have Nothing To back This Up: The rural voter election mythhttps://dailyyonder.com/analysis-rural-voters-dont-wield-disproportionate-power-in-senate-electoral-college/2024/05/31/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-senate-has-always-favored-smaller-states-it-just-didnt-help-republicans-until-now/
You Don’t F***ing Say: Senate GOP Blocks Contraception Billhttps://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-block-bill-protect-americans-access-contraception-rcna155448https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/05/u-s-senate-gop-prevents-contraception-access-bill-from-moving-ahead/Yeah…NO: Meat packers start spending major moneyhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/06/meat-industry-increases-political-spending-lobbying-as-usda-updates-crucial-regulations/
2024 Election Era featuring Steve Bannon is headed to jailhttps://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/06/steve-bannon-prison-jan-6-subpoena-trump-00162065Wisconsin brings charges for 2020 fake elector plothttps://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/04/wisconsin-charges-2020-trump-electors/https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/08/trump-rhetoric-post-conviction-00162365@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Flyover Friday episode featuring stories exclusively from Missouri!
Missouri court secrecy law is challenged: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/03/lawsuit-claims-new-missouri-court-secrecy-law-is-unconstitutional/Former Sheriff Deputy Charged With Attempted Child Trafficking: https://www.kfvs12.com/2024/05/31/former-st-francois-county-sheriffs-deputy-wife-charged-with-attempted-sexual-trafficking-minor/Transgener former Blue Springs, MO student wins $4 Million appeal: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/04/missouri-appeals-court-sides-with-transgender-student-in-4-million-discrimination-case/Mo Auditor to Look At Missouri Department of Conservation: https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/local/missouri/2024/06/03/missouri-supreme-court-ruling-leads-auditor-review-department-conservation-budget/73957819007/Missouri’s appointed AG snooping around private medical records: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/24/therapists-social-workers-face-scrutiny-in-missouri-ag-investigation-of-transgender-care/MIssouri House Speaker Plocher Draws A Law Suit, And Boy Did He Earn It: https://www.missourinet.com/2024/05/31/longtime-staffer-sues-missouri-house-speaker-over-alleged-retaliation-abuse-of-power/Missouri Can’t Attract Doctors Due To Extreme GOP Policies: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/04/missouri-ob-gyn-residents-maternal-health-abortion/Revisiting Adam’s Time At Pride Fest: https://theheartlandcollective.com/2024/06/05/a-pastor-a-politician-and-a-drag-queen-pride-fest-in-a-small-missouri-town/@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Sean Diller (no social)
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A politician, a pastor, and a drag queen.
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Quick Hit: 2000 Miles published sued and issues apology and to stop pushing movie of lies
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/media/salem-will-stop-distributing-2000-mules/index.html
True or False: The Dirt Road Democrat PAC is the key to improving Democrat outcomes in rural america
https://www.semafor.com/article/05/24/2024/dirt-road-democrats-look-to-pave-way-for-rural-gains
You don’t f***in’ say: Joe Manchin is an Independent now
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sen-joe-manchin-leaves-democratic-party-registers-independent-rcna154885
Buy or Sell: Mike Johnson’s preview having a positive impact for Republicans in 2024
https://www.semafor.com/article/05/29/2024/speaker-mike-johnson-promises-a-republican-mega-bill-that-would-define-donald-trumps-second-term
Project 2025: https://www.project2025.org/
2024 Election Era
Trump’s conviction continues to push narrativeTrump floats pardon on Assange: https://au.news.yahoo.com/trump-considers-pardoning-assange-110002723.htmlTrump goes against a freedom caucus member: https://www.axios.com/2024/05/28/trump-backs-freedom-caucus-chiefs-primary-rivalMeanwhile: Biden campaign is first to be unionized: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/politics/biden-campaign-unionization/index.htmlBiden calling for ceasefire and end to fighting in middle east: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/politics/biden-middle-east-remarks/index.html@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Sean Diller (no social)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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On this episode of The Heartland POD, a Friday Flyover for May 31st, 2024:
Missouri Republican governor candidate stirs up a hornets nesthttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/29/complaint-alleges-jay-ashcroft-campaign-letter-runs-afoul-of-ethics-law/Kansas children in foster care get new optionshttps://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2024-05-28/kansas-will-be-the-first-state-to-let-foster-teens-pick-a-family-without-losing-foster-care-benefitsFormer Trump lawyer suspended in Coloradohttps://www.axios.com/2024/05/29/trump-lawyer-jenna-ellis-colorado-license-suspendedMissouri Governor sets August ballot issues, leaving abortion question for Novemberhttps://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article288813830.htmlLouisiana chucks the Constitution in favor of the Ten Commandmentshttps://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/05/29/louisiana-first-state-require-ten-commandments-schoolsSt. Louis Congressperson Cori Bush in a primary with interesting forces aimed at the squadhttps://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/05/28/congress/dethroning-squad-goals-00160176Wisconsin right wing players are attacking their own in the state assemblyhttps://wisconsinexaminer.com/2024/05/29/right-wing-activists-try-for-second-time-to-recall-assembly-speaker-vos/Missouri 5th grader helps pay off school lunch debts in an unfortunately inspirational storyhttps://abc17news.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2024/05/26/a-missouri-fifth-grader-raised-enough-money-to-pay-off-his-entire-schools-meal-debt/@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Sean Diller (no social)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Adam and Rachel hit the mic to just go off in a Trumpdate session. @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)
Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Gov. Parson of Missouri follows up his talk with his pen | Oklahoma textbook regulations push radical agenda through education | Iowa study shows modern school choice increases tuition costs | Missouri Republicans Run Run Run from ranked-choice voting | Kansas abortion providers are required to ask why, and they are fighting that law | Detroit is BACK in a big way, and it's more than just cars | Generations old local newspaper is sold as River Front Times ends in St. Louis | Memorial Day Is here and we have a few facts about the holidaySources Include: The Heartland Collective, Missouri Independent, Kansas City Star, Axios, Iowa Capitol Dispatch, St. Louis Public Radio, and today.com
Gov. Parson of Missouri follows up his talk with his pen https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/20/parson-orders-state-agency-not-to-pay-legal-expenses-for-legislators-facing-defamation-suit/Oklahoma text book regulations push radical agenda through educationhttps://oklahomavoice.com/2024/05/21/new-criteria-for-oklahoma-textbooks-asks-for-traditional-gender-roles-reverence-for-religion/Iowa study shows modern school choice increases tuition costs https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/05/23/study-links-state-esa-program-to-spike-in-iowa-k-12-private-school-tuition/Missouri Republicans Run Run Run from ranked choice votinghttps://theheartlandcollective.com/2024/05/22/the-missouri-gop-doesnt-want-ranked-choice-voting/Kansas abortion providers are required to ask why, and they are fighting that lawhttps://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article288606572.htmlDetroit is BACK in a big way, and its more than just carshttps://www.axios.com/local/detroit/2024/05/20/detroits-brand-biggest-winner-of-population-increaseGenerations old local newspaper is sold as River Front Times ends in St. Louishttps://www.stlpr.org/2024-05-22/rft-sold-riverfront-times-rip-alt-weekly-staff-laid-offMemorial Day Is here and we have a few facts about the holiday https://www.today.com/life/holidays/memorial-day-facts-rcna143916@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Sean Diller (no social)
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Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Learn about Jared Young here: https://www.votejaredyoung.com/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Show Notes
Mo Senate comes through on IP reform failureI believe I had thathttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/15/50-hour-filibuster-forces-more-negotiations-on-gop-backed-initiative-petition-changes/Daily Kos summary, really impressive what this group of 9 senators pulled offhttps://t.co/XcRMID31M2
Crystal Quade https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/missouri-democrats-filibuster-effort-to-make-it-harder-to-amend-state-constitution-211088453840Unpacking Sen. Warren’s “build green” billhttps://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/05/elizabeth-warren-build-green-bill-explained/The Supreme Court upholds consumer protection funding https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/05/supreme-court-lets-cfpb-funding-stand/2024 Election EraDebates are set, so let’s debate the debateshttps://time.com/6978462/presidential-debates-2024-date-time/
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/05/17/debate-commission-chief-trump-00158689https://nypost.com/2024/05/16/opinion/how-donald-trump-can-use-the-debates-to-put-joe-biden-away/https://apnews.com/article/2024-election-presidential-debates-biden-trump-6b1d1dbb2ed61c7637041b23662d7da8@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
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Sean Diller (no social)
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Political News from America's Heartland - Friday, May 17, 2024 - KS Gov Laura Kelly signs $75 MM boost to special ed funding
Missouri Senate Democrats 50 Hour Filibuster | New “youth core” program focuses on mental health | Minnesota Gov. announces boost for child care funding
KS Gov Laura Kelly signs $75 MM boost to special ed funding
https://kansasreflector.com/2024/05/16/kansas-governor-signs-school-funding-bill-with-75-million-boost-for-special-education/
BY: SHERMAN SMITH - MAY 16, 2024 11:38 AM
TOPEKA — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation this week that allocates $6.6 billion to K-12 public schools, including $75 million in new money for special education, and vetoed language designed to funnel safety grant cash to a specific software company.
The Democratic governor and Republican legislators separately claimed credit for continuing to fully fund schools, as required by the state’s constitution and mandated by the Kansas Supreme Court. House Bill 387 passed the House 115-2 and the Senate 35-2 on April 26, shortly before the Legislature adjourned for the year.
The legislation includes $4.9 billion in state spending for the public school system.
Gov Kelly’s message to lawmakers in signing the bill referenced the state’s historical failures to provide adequate and equitable resources to public schools.
In 2018, when Kelly was still a state senator, the Legislature adopted a five-year plan to fully fund schools by the 2022-23 school year. As governor, she worked with lawmakers in 2019 to correct a math problem and add an ongoing inflation adjustment to win approval from the Kansas Supreme Court. The court retained oversight of the case to ensure the Legislature didn’t pull the rug out from under schools as it had repeatedly in the past, then let go of the case earlier this year.
Gov. Kelly said, “When I became governor, my first order of business was to end the cycle of school finance litigation caused by years of underfunding. Reckless leadership and mismanagement of the state’s finances made it impossible for the state to adequately fund our schools. Since then, we’ve seen how investment in our education system pays significant dividends for our entire state. Students now have more opportunities than ever to explore their educational and professional interests. Our commitment to fully funding public education better supports teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrators.”
Lawmakers agreed to address a longstanding shortfall in special education funding by adding $75 million to the budget. But they stopped short of meeting recommendations from a special task force, which said lawmakers should add $82.7 million annually for four years to comply with a law requiring the state to cover 92% of extra costs for serving students in special education.
“This funding will provide critical support to districts that have been shouldering the burden of the state’s decade-long failure to meet its statutory obligation and ultimately its promise to the next generation of Kansans,” Kelly said.
At one point this year, the Legislature considered rewriting state law to permanently underfund special education.
Kelly said the new money would allow districts to “properly invest in special education educators” rather than redirect funding that otherwise would be used on teacher salaries and other instruction programs.
“While this funding is a critical first step, it is just a first step. We must continue to increase special education funding in future years.”
Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Louisburg Republican who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said lawmakers this year focused on crafting a bill that better addresses the needs of students, teachers, and staff members.
She said, “Our commitment to distributing increased special education funding in a more equitable way to Kansas school districts was accomplished by collaborating directly with the Department of Education leadership team. This is an important change for children that receive these special services.”
The governor vetoed language that would have required schools to use the $5 million available through the School Safety and Security Grant program on firearm detection software made by ZeroEyes. The company hired lobbyists in multiple states to try to corner the market on security contracts by inserting restrictions in legislation to undermine the ability of rival vendors to bid.
Kelly said the restrictions amounted to a no-bid contract and would restrict schools from using the money on other types of safety needs. She has the authority to use a line-item veto on the policy because it was embedded in a budget bill.
Schools should be able to invest in other school safety efforts, Kelly said, such as updating communications systems, hiring more security staff, investing in physical infrastructure, and buying automated external defibrillators.
“We must continue to work together to ensure our students have a safe, conducive environment for their learning. To do that, we should not hamstring districts by limiting this funding opportunity to services provided by one company.
Missouri Senate Democrats 50-Hour Filibuster
https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/15/50-hour-filibuster-forces-more-negotiations-on-gop-backed-initiative-petition-changes/
50-hour filibuster forces more negotiations on GOP-backed initiative petition changes
BY: ANNA SPOERRE, RUDI KELLER AND JASON HANCOCK - MAY 15, 2024 6:48 PM
A 50-hour Democratic filibuster forced the Senate’s divided GOP majority to finally yield Wednesday evening, stalling a vote on a bill seeking to make it more difficult to amend Missouri’s constitution.
Democrats have blocked all action in the Senate since Monday afternoon, demanding that the legislation be stripped of “ballot candy” that would bar non-citizens from voting and ban foreign entities from contributing to or sponsoring constitutional amendments, both of which are already illegal.
The Senate passed the bill without ballot candy in February. The House added it back last month.
Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, on Tuesday said the situation presented an existential crisis for the Senate, as Republicans openly considered a rarely-used maneuver to kill the filibuster and force a vote on the bill.
“Are the bullies going to win?” Rizzo asked. “Or is the rest of the Senate finally going to stand up for itself and say ‘no more.’”
He got an answer just before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, when state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican and the bill’s sponsor, surprised many of her colleagues by asking that the Senate send the bill back to the House for more negotiations on whether to include “ballot candy.”
Republicans simply didn’t have the votes to kill the filibuster, she said, and Democrats showed no signs of relenting before session ends at 6 p.m. Friday.
The sudden change in tactics was not well taken by members of the Freedom Caucus, who argued sending the bill back to the House with only two days left before adjournment puts its chances at risk.
Tim Jones, a former Missouri House speaker and current director of the state’s Freedom Caucus, wrote on social media Thursday evening that Coleman “effectively killed her bill today.”
If the bill passes, Missourians would have the opportunity to vote later this year on whether or not to require constitutional amendments be approved by both a majority of votes statewide and a majority of votes in five of the state’s eight congressional districts.
Right now, amendments pass with a simple majority.
A possible vote on abortion in November is a catalyst behind the battle over the bill, as a campaign to legalize abortion up to the point of fetal viability is on the path to the statewide ballot.
Republicans have said that without raising the threshold for changing the state’s constitution, a constitutional right to abortion will likely become the law of the land in Missouri.
State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican and a member of the Freedom Caucus, tipped his hat to the Democrats’ “wherewithal” before scorning some of his Republican colleagues.
“Unfortunately, this Republican Party has no backbone to fight for what is right for life,” he shouted from the Senate floor. “ … They will have the blood of the innocent on their heads. Shame on this party.”
Coleman’s move also came as a surprise to state Rep. Alex Riley, a Republican from Springfield who sponsored the initiative petition bill in the House.
“We’re going to have to have some conversations tonight to figure out what exactly it is they have in mind,” he said.
New “youth core” program focuses on mental health
https://www.axios.com/2024/05/15/youth-mental-health-corps
New program creates "youth corps" for mental health
Hundreds of young adults will be trained to help their peers access mental health care and other supports in a first-of-its-kind service program aimed at addressing the youth mental health crisis.
Backers of the new Youth Mental Health Corps, which is funded by a mix of private and public dollars, also hope to create a new talent pipeline to address shortages of mental health workers.
How it works: Young adults ages 18 and up will spend about a year working at a school or nonprofit to help connect other young people to mental health support.
Corps members will conduct check-ins with students, run trainings for caregivers, conduct community outreach and more.
They'll receive training, a stipend, earn state-specific mental health worker credentials, and credit toward higher education degrees in behavioral health. Participants will receive training in therapeutic communication, crisis intervention, behavioral health systems and other skills. They'll receive a minimum of $20 per hour.
Administrators expect hundreds of young people to join the program in its first year, and thousands to benefit from it.
Colorado Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, whose state will be one of the first to implement the program this fall said, "Kids can relate more to experiences and challenges faced by other teenagers. It fosters trust and comfort in seeking mental health support."
In addition to Colorado, programs will start this fall in Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and Texas. Programs in California, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Utah and Virginia are slated to start next year.
The Schultz Family Foundation, created by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz and Sheri Kersch Schultz, and Pinterest, expect to invest $10 million in the program over three years.
Other funding will come from public sources, including state and national AmeriCorps grants.
Schultz said it expects additional philanthropic and private sector donations in the future
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announces $6MM boost in child care funding
https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/05/15/governor-announces-6-million-in-grants-to-create-more-than-2200-new-child-care-slots/
MN Governor Tim Walz announces $6 million in grants to create more than 2,200 new childcare slots
BY: MADISON MCVAN - MAY 15, 2024 6:02 PM
Twenty-one Minnesota organizations will receive funding to open or expand childcare centers this year, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday, with more than half of the grants going to providers outside the Twin Cities.
Lawmakers boosted funding for the Department of Employment and Economic Development’s child care grant program last year.
Gov Walz said Wednesday that child care is an example of a “market failure” during a visit to the St. David’s Center for Child & Family Development in Minnetonka, which received a $270,000 grant to create more classrooms and educational spaces.
Nationwide, the childcare industry is in crisis. Minnesota is no exception, facing a shortage of childcare providers and high costs for families. Minnesota has some of the highest childcare costs in the country, which could be one explanation for a lower birth rate in recent years.
The Legislature last year voted to continue a COVID-era program that raised the pay for childcare workers, averting a funding cliff.
A coalition of childcare advocates this session pushed for a subsidy program that would reduce the cost of child care for families making less than 150% of the median income. If fully funded at around $500 million per year, families with low income would have their childcare bills covered by the state, while qualifying families making more than the median income would pay around 7% of their household income on child care, a target set by the federal government. Advocates are hoping to move that bill successfully, next year.
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Sean Diller (no social)
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Michael's writing: https://www.weekendreading.net/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
Co-Hosts
Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
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Show Notes
Quick Hit: Missouri IP reform bill in the final week of session: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/10/missouiri-initiative-petition-ballot-bill-freedom-caucus/
True or False - Will Americans Be All Aboard Improved Trains? https://www.axios.com/2024/05/07/american-rail-brightline-trains-amtrakClimate: While Trump Teams up with big oil, Vermont starts leading on climate costshttps://www.axios.com/2024/05/10/trump-oil-industry-fossil-fuels-bidenVermont: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/09/vermont-charge-oil-industry-climate-crisisYeah NO… Utah’s special bathroom tip lineYeah Yeah… Utah’s special bathroom tip line gets flooded https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/utah-auditor-slams-legislature-forhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/08/utah-tip-line-false-trans-bathroom-law-violationsYou Don’t F***ing Say… Tik Tok lawsuit came immediatelyhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/07/business/tiktok-ban-appeal.htmlhttps://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/26/us-china-to-hold-first-ai-talks-tiktok-stalemate-ongoing.html2024 Election EraTrump is still in trial, Stormy Daniels killed him, Cohen is this weekhttps://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/07/indiana-primary-unexpected-warning-signs-donald-trump-00156750Tea Party basically now swallowed by MAGA and got even older and flamed out https://www.semafor.com/article/05/08/2024/freedomworks-collapse-marks-the-end-of-the-tea-party-eraHalely is picking up votes: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/11/nikki-haley-voters-00157455Biden infrastructure bill just getting started, summer 2024 likely to see millions in spending with major impacts, does it move the needle for 2024? https://www.politico.com/interactives/2024/biden-trillion-dollar-spending-tracker/RFK Jr confirms what we all suspected, his head is full of worms, malted hops and bong resin, but are his big money backers are the real danger here: https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-nicole-shanahan-robert-f-kennedys-running-mate-the-most-dangerous-woman-in-america@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
Co-Hosts
Adam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads)
Sean Diller (no social)
The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!
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“Change The Conversation”
Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium
http://www.americanaquarium.com/
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The Heartland POD for Friday, May 10, 2024
On this FLYOVER Friday episode of The Heartland POD
SOURCES: Missouri Independent, Colorado Newsline, The Guardian, Iowa Capitol Dispatch, The Heartland Collective
Gov. Parson of Missouri speaks out on politicians' defamation postshttps://x.com/EmilyManleyTV/status/1788606202600997340https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/02/missouri-ag-will-defend-senators-sued-for-defamation-over-posts-about-chiefs-parade-shooting/Colorado secures marriage equality in preemptive movehttps://coloradonewsline.com/2024/05/08/repeal-same-sex-marriage-ban-colorado/Scientists in Iowa turn garbage into fuel, and no we don’t mean Marjory Taylor Green’s Twitter feedhttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/05/08/ames-national-laboratory-team-transforms-plastic-waste-into-fuel/Missouri governor signs ceremonial bill in anticipation of court challenges on funding for Planned Parenthoodhttps://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-governor-bill-medicaid-planned-parenthood/Former clerk in Michigan charged for accessing voter information in fraud casehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/09/michigan-clerk-charged?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherMinnesota governor signs a bill named for Taylor Swift, and it’s already triple platinum and number one on the chartshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/08/taylor-swift-bill-minnesota@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
Co-Hosts
Adam 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/
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The Heartland POD for May 8, 2024: The GOP Jenga Tower
Major Georgia republican backs Biden for 2024Marj and Mike Make MAGA nice… maybe? Missouri GOP continues to fight… with itselfThe “Missouri is a national indicator” is back! Missouri GOP “going to war” over who can and cannot be a member https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article288249290.htmlBoone Co. GOP struggling to find a candidate: https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/boone-county-gop-worried-about-finding-candidate-for-senate-seat/41 hour filibuster followed by a 10 minute session in MO Senate: https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/06/missouri-senate-stalls-out-quickly-on-return-after-41-hour-filibuster/Missouri GOP convention was just as unproductive, couldn’t even adopt a new platform: https://www.lakeexpo.com/news/politics/high-drama-at-missouri-republican-convention-as-grassroots-boots-leadership/article_4a70706a-0be6-11ef-8713-470db31ecca4.htmlSpeaker Johnson negotiating with terrorist-ish Marjory Taylor Green to keep his jobhttps://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-privately-urges-greene-drop-push-oust-speaker/story?id=109990543&cid=social_twitter_abcnhttps://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-privately-urges-greene-drop-push-oust-speaker/story?id=109990543
Geoff Duncan, Republican former Lt. Gov in Georgia and name floated for No Labels is voting for Bidenhttps://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4646773-georgia-republican-backs-biden-blasts-those-in-party-who-fall-in-line-with-trump/
@TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and Threads
Co-Hosts
Adam 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/
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