News You Might Have Missed Amid the Trump Indictment Drama

Right-wing propaganda will be taught in Florida schools, while 600,000 people in North Carolina await final approval of Medicaid expansion.

Aug 09, 2023

Welcome to From the Frontlines, bi-weekly newsletter featuring the local political stories you need to know from key states ahead of the 2024 election.

If you’re getting this email, chances are you care about politics and news. But it’s also reasonably likely that you might be exhausted of trying to keep track of the sheer volume of what’s happening in modern American politics, due to, well, *waves hands around, motioning to the modern world of everything, everywhere, all at once.*

That’s where I and this newsletter come in. My name is Keya Vakil and I’m the deputy political editor at Courier Newsroom. If you’ve read one of our political stories, chances are, I’ve had eyes on it, which is why taking over this newsletter is a natural evolution. From here on out, you can expect me in your inboxes every other week, highlighting a few key stories from each of our state newsrooms.

It’s a little chaotic out there, so my hope for this newsletter is that it will help cut through the noise and bring the news to you.

This week, that means highlighting some stories that you might not have heard of amid the third indictment of former president of the United States, Donald Trump. Trump was charged for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and, predictably, the story is sucking up a lot of oxygen, leaving other, important stories to fly under the radar.

Those stories include: the Republican Party’s latest attacks on public education in the states; what might be the biggest healthcare story of the year in North Carolina; the ongoing battle to defend reproductive freedom; and what elected officials are doing to help workers in key swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Let’s jump right in with the stories you need to know from the past two weeks:

Arizona: Fake Elector Proponent Appointed to Arizona State Legislature

Shawnna Bolick, a former state legislator who tried to classify abortion-related healthcare as a homicide, is back at the Capitol. She was selected by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Bolick was the frontrunner for the appointment, as the other two candidates were seen as being too extreme. Read the full story here.

More from Copper Courier:

Florida: Private School Vouchers Could Cost Florida Up to $4 Billion This Year

The elimination of the income cap in Florida’s expanded school voucher program means that even millionaires are now eligible to have their child’s private school tuition bill covered by taxpayers. Read the full story here.

More from Floricua:

Iowa: The Iowa Woman Running to Protect Elections in Her County

At a time when no town seems safe from the nation’s ultra-divisive politics, Kimberly Sheets hopes that voters in Warren County will value an old-fashioned commitment to service and experience over partisanship in the upcoming special election for county auditor. Read the full story here.

More from Iowa Starting Line:

Michigan: 9 Ways Michiganders Will Save Cash Under the New State Budget

The latest state budget includes record investments in public education, health care and infrastructure. And the spending plan will also help Michiganders keep more money in their pockets. Read the full story here.

More from The ‘Gander:

North Carolina: 600,000 Await Health Care as NC Republicans Attend Florida Conference

Without a finalized budget, teachers are waiting on much needed raises and low-income North Carolinians are still waiting on Medicaid expansion. Read the full story here.

More from Cardinal & Pine:

Pennsylvania: Josh Shapiro Signs His First State Budget Into Law. Here’s What’s in it.

PA Senate Republicans came to Harrisburg on Thursday to send the budget to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk, but funding for popular programs is still being withheld until fiscal code bills are completed. Read the full story here.

More from The Keystone:

Virginia: Virginia Voters Want Action on Rising Drug Costs. Will Lawmakers Listen?

A new survey found that 75% of Virginia voters support the creation of a prescription drug affordability board to lower the cost of drugs. Democrats tried to create a board this year, but the effort was blocked by the Republican-led state House. Read the full story here.

More from Dogwood:

Wisconsin: Her Summer Construction Job Became a Career. Now She’s Recruiting More Women into the Field

“We have the best health care available and a pension that will last my entire lifetime and allow me to retire with dignity at an early age,” Kilah Engelke said. “The wages are great too.” Read the full story here.

More from Up North News:

That’s it for this week! Before you go…You should check out the best newsletter out there covering state legislatures. Written by Carolyn Fiddler, Statehouse Action is the definitive source for what’s happening in state houses around the country – the good, the bad, and the crazy– delivered with a lot of insights, and the right dash of snark, at the end of every week.