Good afternoon,
Stop me if you've heard this before -- former president Donald Trump has been indicted on criminal charges. If once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern, then what does that make four criminal indictments? The latest includes <a href="[link removed]">13 counts</a> related to Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia for a grand total of <a href="[link removed]">91 charges</a>.
Elsewhere in the South... earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in <i>Milligan v. Allen </i>that Alabama must redraw their congressional map to comply with the Voting Rights Act and ensure that Black Alabamians' voices were heard on the congressional stage. Alabama's subsequent map failed to draw two majority-minority districts.
No decision was made in yesterday's federal court hearing, but OCP board member and Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels has said, "<a href="[link removed]">I think that there are going to be some severe consequences over choosing defiance over compliance, and we look forward to really seeing the court decide.</a>" Stay tuned: further arguments will be made Saturday as the saga of Alabama Republicans' refusal to adhere to the Voting Rights Act unfurls.
RURAL DOCTORS: FEW, FAR BETWEEN, FAVORABLY COMPENSATED
Rural America has been suffering from a lack of doctors. While 20 percent of Americans live in rural regions, only 10 percent of doctors can say the same. With health care deserts proliferating throughout rural America, this short supply of doctors is in high demand. For those who remember Econ 101, it's no surprise then that rural doctors consequently receive higher pay than doctors in metropolitan centers, defying the usual correlation between cost-of-living (which is lower in rural than metropolitan areas) and income. However, rather than mere mechanics of supply and demand, it's Medicare payments that keep physicians' pay relatively even across different geographic regions. Regardless of the reason, it's reassuring that there is incentive for doctors to practice in rural areas and provide high-quality care to rural residents who need it just as much as their urban counterparts. <a href="[link removed]">Read more from The Washington Post here</a>.
OHIO BALLOT BOLSTERS REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
In other health care news, last week, Ohio held a <a href="[link removed]">special election</a> for a ballot initiative that would increase the threshold for amending the state constitution from 50 percent to 60 percent. The measure was a <a href="[link removed]">Republican-led</a> effort to thwart a coming November vote on a constitutional amendment that could guarantee abortion rights: even in red states, measures to preserve abortion rights have <a href="[link removed]">passed</a> with more than 50 percent – but often don't garner 60 percent of the vote. Ohio voters – in continuation of trends seen in <a href="[link removed]">Kansas</a> and <a href="[link removed]">Wisconsin</a> – demonstrated overwhelming support for women's reproductive rights, turning out in <a href="[link removed]">high numbers</a> (especially for an August election) to overturn the ballot measure by 14 points, keeping the current amendment threshold. As we look ahead to the 2024 election, abortion is likely to continue serving as a major <a href="[link removed]">motivating force</a> for voters in this <a href="[link removed]">post-<i>Roe v. Wade</i> political landscape</a>.
A ONE YEAR RETROSPECTIVE OF THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT
One year ago tomorrow, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, codifying the biggest investment into climate action and clean energy in our nation's history. Since then, federal tax breaks have incentivized $110 billion of private investment into domestic clean energy technology that is intended to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and, by building out American energy to safeguard against future price shocks, lower costs for consumers. As another part of his climate agenda, Biden designated the new <a href="[link removed]">Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument</a>, conserving one million acres around the Grand Canyon and prioritizing Tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and stewardship. Yet with <a href="[link removed]">57 percent</a> of Americans disapproving of his handling of climate change, Biden still has a way to go to <a href="[link removed]">convince</a> Americans he's doing enough. After all, the IRA alone will not put us on track for our <a href="[link removed]">climate commitments</a>. On the other side of the aisle, however, <a href="[link removed]">70 percent of Republicans</a> say that climate change is a minor or negligible threat even as increasingly extreme weather events disrupt industries from agriculture to manufacturing. Although some Republicans, such as Conservative Climate Caucus Chair John Curtis, are working to help GOP views on climate evolve, <a href="[link removed]">deep divisions remain</a> within the party. Young voters, in the face of a future of worsening weather, are taking matters into their own hands. In <i>Held v. Montana</i>, a Montana state court <a href="[link removed]">ruled in favor of 16 young Montanans</a>, aged 5 to 22, deciding that the states' use of fossil fuels violated their right to a "clean and healthful environment" enshrined in Montana's constitution. While the state is likely to appeal, the decision is a landmark victory for the environmental movement.
ONE COUNTRY IN THE NEWS
OCP founder and former U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp joined Adam Mendler on his podcast <a href="[link removed]">Thirty Minute Mentors</a> to discuss everything from leadership to failure to the power of fun.
ICYMI
WBUR: <a href="[link removed]">What a decline in rural colleges means for rural communities</a>
New York Times: <a href="[link removed]">How Are Iowa Democrats? 'I Can't Even Describe to You How Bad It Is.'</a> (Scholten)
The Washington Post: <a href="[link removed]">Small Towns Probably Vote Less Republican Than You Think</a>
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