Good evening,

Registration for One Country's third annual Rural Progress Summit is NOW OPEN [[link removed]] ! Join us Tuesday, June 4 through Thursday, June 6 to hear from a variety of policymakers and rural stakeholders about paid family leave, the Farm Bill, the fentanyl crisis, and more challenges facing rural America. Plus, tune in to a conversation with the team behind War Games, a film starring OCP's own Heidi Heitkamp.

Register Now! [[link removed]]

Here's what else you need to know this week...

TRUMP TRIAL

*
No,
this
isn't
Veep,
and
it
isn't
Jury
Duty
[[link removed]]
either.
The
first-ever
criminal
trial
[[link removed]]
against
a
former
U.S.
president
–
who
else
but
Donald
Trump?
–
began
yesterday,
with
much
less
entertainment
value
[[link removed]]
.
Although
more
than
half
of
the
jurors
summoned
said
they
couldn't
be
"fair
and
impartial"
yesterday,
as
of
today
seven
jurors
[[link removed]]
have
been
selected.
At
this
rate,
opening
statements
may
begin
as
soon
as
next
Monday.
The
trial
itself
is
estimated
to
last
six
to
eight
weeks.

*
While
it's
the
first
criminal
trial
against
Trump,
it
won't
be
the
last
[[link removed]]
:
also
on
the
docket
are
his
Georgia
election
interference
case,
his
January
6
case,
and
his
classified
document
case.

TRADING UP

*
High
schoolers
are
increasingly
looking
ahead,
not
to
a
four-year
college,
but
to
the
trades.
Student
enrollment
in
vocational
training
programs
[[link removed]]
jumped
16
percent
last
year.

*
Many
members
of
Gen
Z
see
the
growing
salaries
and
job
security
[[link removed]]
of
electricians,
plumbers,
and
other
skilled
tradespeople
and
find
technical
training
to
be
a
more
lucrative
investment
[[link removed]]
than
a
four-year
college
degree.
The
surge
comes
as
the
Bipartisan
Infrastructure
Law,
the
Inflation
Reduction
Act,
and
the
CHIPS
and
Science
Act
work
to
create
new
skilled
domestic
jobs.

*
It's
also
a
time
of
strengthening
support
[[link removed]]
for
unions.
Workers
in
Alabama's
Mercedez
Benz
plant
[[link removed]]
and
Tennessee's
Volkswagen
plant
[[link removed]]
are
poised
to
hold
elections
to
join
the
United
Auto
Workers
(UAW)
union.
Gen
Z,
the
most
pro-union
[[link removed]]
generation,
sees
trade
unions
as
an
avenue
to
help
workers
achieve
economic
security.

*
While
Gen
Z's
enthusiasm
is
beginning
to
fill
in
the
gaps
[[link removed]]
left
by
older
workers'
retirement,
the
technical
jobs
labor
shortage
isn't
over
quite
yet.

*
In
Wyoming,
a
shortage
of
Career
and
Technical
Education
(CTE)
[[link removed]]
teachers,
who
help
provide
students
with
skills-based
learning
opportunities,
is
leaving
students
in
the
lurch.
Without
trained
educators,
high
school
CTE
programs
–
particularly
those
in
rural
areas,
which
might
not
have
many
teachers
to
begin
with
–
close
down,
preventing
students
from
pursuing
CTE
–
and
creating
a
vacuum
in
the
trades
where
a
workforce
should
be.

*
A
variety
of
solutions
to
encourage
more
people
to
join
the
trades
are
arising
around
the
country.
A
partnership
between
the
University
of
Wyoming
and
local
community
colleges
[[link removed]]
is
creating
a
new
CTE
curriculum
to
meet
students
where
they
are
–
and
ensure
that
a
new
generation
of
teachers
and
tradespeople
can
continue
their
work.

*
In
December,
OCP
founder
and
former
U.S.
Senator
Heidi
Heitkamp
spoke
to
Nick
Fouriezos,
a
rural
education
reporter
with
Open
Campus
Media,
about
Montana's
programs
providing
students
micro-degrees
[[link removed]]
in
trades
–
providing
more
flexible
skill
sets
and
opening
access
to
high-paying
jobs.

TACKLING FOOD SCARCITY IN THE LAND OF PLENTY

*
On
the
latest
episode
of
the
Hot
Dish
[[link removed]]
,
Heidi
and
Joel
take
a
look
at
food
insecurity
in
areas
often
dubbed
the
country's
breadbasket
with
Zach
Rodvold
from
Second
Harvest
Heartland.

*
Deputy
Secretary
of
Agriculture
Xochitl
Torres
Small
shared
the
importance
of
the
Summer
EBT
program
and
how
a
new
Farm
Bill
can
provide
greater
certainty
for
small
farmers.

*
Listen
now
for
a
balanced
plate
of
nutrition,
health
care,
and
agriculture
discussions.
[[link removed]]

[link removed] [[link removed]]

Each week, this newsletter highlights what's going on in rural states, counties, and communities, and what One Country Project is up to around the country. If you value this content, please consider donating to One Country Project. Your contribution supports our efforts to connect with rural voters and to promote greater opportunities for rural communities.
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