Heard Tell

With redistricting in full swing nationwide, the coverage and conversation about what to one person might be redistricting is to another gerrymandering has reached a fever pitch. We try to turn down the noise on this always touchy topic and turn to Kayla Young, the sitting delegate for West Virginia's 35th district. Del. Young is the perfect person to talk to about this as she serves in a evenly split (2 Republicans, 2 Democrats serving) district that is economically and racially diverse, but also is in a state that is losing a congressional district, and changing all the House of Delegate districts. We'll talk about how all that change affects on of the most foundational principles in America - representation. Also, Kayla's story of how she went from unemployed food truck owner when Covid hit to winning elected office is must hear, and we talk about finding coming ground and getting things done even as a member of a super-minority. Plus, we get past stereotypes about West Virginia and talk about while there are many problems, there is much opportunity, which Kayla Young herself lives as someone who left and then came back to the state to raise her family and make a difference. So on this episode of Heard Tell, one of the most progressive office holders in one of America's reddest states gives her unique perspective on politics, culture, and - most importantly - the technique for properly making a great eggroll.

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So you might have Heard Tell that our German friends had an election recently and are forming a new government. The interesting thing is that government for the first time in nearly 16 years will not including Angela Merkel as Chancellor. This is a huge change not just in Germany, but in the world order as the most powerful woman in the world passes off the scene from helming Europe's largest economy and a pivotal political player in global affairs. Alexander Bowen from Young Voices UK joins us to explain the unique background and career of Merkel, how her rise to power paralleled a changing and reunified Germany, and breaks down the leaders and political parties that will be shaping Germany in the future. Turning down the news cycle noise on the politics and prospects of one of America's most important allies, Germany, and getting to great information to help us discern out times on this episode of Heard Tell.

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The Gabby Petito story is the latest true crime missing person story to explode across media, but something interesting happened: the American public started asking questions about why the Gabby Petito story got coverage that some other missing person stories did not. Media outlets responded by running stories along the lines of "What about these other stories" which brought another backlash of folks pointing out that the media dictates which stories get covered. So what do we make of this? We turn to investigative journalist Molly McCluskey who knows first hand what it is like to try and bring stories about missing person's to not only the public's attention but finding media outlets to run them. She is the perfect person to help us turn down the news cycle noise on media coverage and get to the information of how journalism navigates the modern media environment. Her story of missing persons on the Crow Nation lands, and the rejection of the story by many of the same outlets running the "missing person" stories appearing in reaction to Gabby Petito, is something everyone needs to hear. We also talk about responsible journalism, and what the general public should look for in their news consumption to both hold the news media accountable, but also make ourselves a more informed audience. Journalist Molly McCluskey on this episode of Heard Tell.

Read Molly McCluskey's story on missing person's here:

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You might have Heard Tell that Canada had an election. Well, we turn to our friend and Canadian David Clement to explain not only the last 40 days of an election that seems to have changed very little, the background on how we got here, thoughts on Justin Trudeau, a break down of the other parties involved, how leaders like Erin O'Toole, Jagmeet Singh, and Annamie Paul fared, and what happens now to a Canada that is dealing with a pandemic, a housing crisis, and questions as to what the point of this election was in the first place.

David Clement is the North American Affairs Manager for the Consumer Choice Center, a widely published writer and commentator, and the co-host of Consumer Choice Radio.

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The social media age has given an opportunity for folks who otherwise might not have a voice to join the wider world. But with that increased awareness comes increased debate over how to cover a community as diverse as the Autism spectrum, how to effectively help them, and which voices need to be heard. Our friend Eric Garcia used his own frustration at the media's coverage of Autism, and his own experience both as a journalist and as someone who is Autistic, to write a book discussing the social and policy gaps that exist in supporting and giving voice to folks on the spectrum. We ask him how something like Autism becomes a political and cultural issue in the first place, talk about the amazing people he covers in the book that put human stories to the terminology, how terminology often hurts more than helps understanding Autism, and what does giving voice and awareness to Autistic people mean policy-wise going forward. His book is titled "We're Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation" and we are thrilled to talk about it and the issues it covers with him on this episode of Heard Tell.

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Australia has a Covid-19 problem: despite low numbers of the disease compared to other countries, vaccination rates and availability lags as fears about the Delta variant grow. So the Australian government has turned to strict lockdowns, causing viral videos of police and troops enforcing, headlines about rights being violated, and questions about a leadership that increasingly blames the Aussie people while not taking blame themselves. On this episode of Heard Tell we turn down the noise on the Australian Covid-19 lockdowns and talk with Young Voices Australia lead Emilie Dye about what's really going on Down Under, what it says about Australia's leadership, the effects on the economy, and where do the Australian people go from here in trying not only combat the Covid-19 virus, but also make a living and have a life.

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Our friend and Economist Jericho Hill thinks that while concerns about the economy and inflation are justified, there are media story lines and narratives that might actually be making things worse than they are. And he would know about putting on a show with narratives and story lines because before he was an economist he had a cup of coffee in the pro wrestling business working behind the scenes and even performing as a referee. So on this episode of Heard Tell, we are turning down the news cycle noise on inflation, talking about how politics is faker than wrestling, how inflation is real but can be manipulated, and compare which hurts more: those Ric Flair-like chops to the chest hurt or the economic data we are seeing.

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The Opioid epidemic is still raging through communities even as other events dominate the news headlines. But with over 90K dead from overdoses in 2020, there is no end in sight to the crisis. We turn to Dr. Keith Humphreys who has been an addiction expert for many years on his recent testimony before a US Senate committee on the opioid crisis, how the new synthetic drugs like Fentanyl are a whole new level of deadly challenge, why "it's just addicts getting what they deserve" fails not only on a human level but in cost to communities as well. We also ask him as a former advisor to the Obama White House on drug policy what government can/can't do about addiction issues, and as a psychiatrist what everyday people should be doing to help each other in the darkest of human trials. Also, as a native West Virginian, we get his thoughts on the ongoing civil trial in federal court of drug manufactures by Huntington, WV and how that might change the landscape in the fight against Big Pharma and the Opioid Crisis going forward.

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The just concluded special election in Texas has some narratives and story lines that are going to be repeated as we enter the 2022 midterms. Eric Cunningham, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Elections Daily joins us to turn down the news cycle news on midterms, Donald Trump's spree of early endorsements, races like the North Carolina US Senate seat, legacy political names like George P. Bush, and why historical trends are so important when it comes to understanding midterms.

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The Pegasus spyware scandal has embroiled world leaders, journalists, governments, and once again raises questions about cybersecurity. So we turn to cybersecurity expert John McCumber to turn down the noise on the Pegasus headlines and explain why governments turn to companies like NSO Group, how cybersecurity works to shape geopolitics, why terms like "hack" aren't helpful in explaining what's happening and is red flags on stories like this, and how to discern who is to blame and what is really going on when cybersecurity is in the news. Also, John explains the latest cybersecurity rules China has imposed on businesses under the heading of "data crackdown' but really is a way to gain access to even more information.

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