The Heartlander Report

Stuart McMillian opens with a Supreme Court order that leaves a lower-court pause on the Trump administration’s ban on hormone therapy for federal inmates in place while litigation continues. A Kansas man is charged after social-media threats against the president, and Rep. Ilhan Omar faces a federal probe into her immigration history. The Rhode Island Democratic Party chair resigns amid a fraud case involving her husband, and pressure grows on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to opt into a federal school-choice tax credit. 

The center of the program is Missouri Amendment 6, which would require an 80 percent legislative majority to alter any voter-approved measure since 2010. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and Liberty Alliance’s Andy Baker call the threshold impossible and say the current petition process favors out-of-state money. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is demanding the return of roughly $2.65 billion in Biden-era greenhouse-gas grants that Audrey Streb reports were shifted to Wall Street-managed funds days before the inauguration. The hour also covers a Federal Reserve finding on migration and housing, counselors on the mental-health toll of pornography, Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs on violence against Christians across Africa, a Nehemiah Alliance prayer gathering, and author Frank Peretti’s critique of mainstream horror.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:12 – Court, Threats, Probes
00:04:05 – Amendment 6 Explained
00:06:41 – EPA Green Grant Clawback
00:11:01 – Migration and Housing
00:11:45 – Downtown Cattle Spill
00:12:42 – Trending Headlines
00:16:52 – Pornography Mental Health
00:22:32 – Voice of the Martyrs
00:26:00 – Prayer Gathering

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Stuart McMillian opens with President Trump rejecting a plan to live-stream the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan after backlash that a broadcast could aid recruitment. The administration also removes federal Obamacare subsidies for nearly 200,000 people listed as deceased or double-enrolled, a move officials say targets fraud without cutting real coverage.

Michaela Estruth explains a Department of Health and Human Services report accusing 225 hospitals of miscoding so-called gender-affirming care for minors. The report finds diagnostic codes for conditions such as precocious puberty used on older teens to secure Medicaid payment for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries. Estruth notes that Biden-era rules treating gender identity as sex created financial pressure on hospitals that did not conform.

The program continues with the Democratic Socialists of America’s growth to roughly 126,000 members and an interview in which national committee member Andrew Thompson describes himself as an internationalist uninterested in traditional American identity. A Kansas City chapter has nearly quadrupled. Legislation to deny the DSA party status is also covered. New White House Press Secretary Katie Zachariah pledges expanded media access, and an Iowa city council opens with a Satanic Temple invocation. The second half features street and social-media evangelist Bryce Crawford on his path to faith, clear public answers, and keeping social media off his personal phone.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:14 – Broadcast Execution Rejected
00:03:02 – Hospitals Miscoding Care
00:06:44 – DSA Membership Surge
00:07:35 – Internationalist Identity
00:10:26 – New Press Secretary
00:12:05 – Iowa Satanic Prayer
00:13:30 – Bryce Crawford Intro
00:14:06 – Waffle House Encounter
00:15:48 – Scripture in Hard Moments
00:16:23 – Celebrity Interviews
00:18:14 – Money as Temptation
00:20:26 – Social Media Off Phone
00:22:51 – No Celebrity Label
00:24:58 – Where Boldness Comes From
00:26:01 – Clear Answers on Sin 

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Dr. Josh Mann and Adam Wittenberg open with the third anniversary of Hamas's October 7th terrorist attack on Israel. They share stories from Americans who acted right away, including Addie Vaxman, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, who began raising money for defensive gear for Israeli soldiers the very next day, and they discuss the antisemitism Jewish people continue to face. Next, The Heartlander's exclusive interview with Kansas Republican gubernatorial nominee Ty Masterson, who says Kansans "could not have a starker contrast" between him and Democrat Cindy Holscher on property taxes, school choice, affordability and drug policy. The Heartlander also invited Holscher to sit down for an interview. Josh and Adam then look at how the new federal education freedom tax credit is making school choice part of the midterm conversation.

Heartlander reporters interviewed a member of the Democratic Socialists of America's National Political Committee and attended a meeting of the Kansas City chapter, which has quadrupled in size in two years. Josh and Adam break down what the group wants, from abolishing the Senate and the Electoral College to abolishing ICE. They also cover concerns about insider betting on political prediction markets and a judge's order that the Galveston school district display the Ten Commandments under Texas law. The episode closes with Texas border ranchers who are still recovering from the damage of the Biden-era border crisis.

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:43 – Remembering October 7th

00:05:29 – Ty Masterson Interview

00:08:28 – School Choice and the Midterms

00:13:10 – Rise of the DSA

00:19:44 – Prediction Market Betting

00:22:43 – Ten Commandments in Texas

00:25:19 – Border Ranchers Still Recovering

00:27:17 – Wrap-Up

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Stuart McMillian opens with two hard court stories: the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial, Michael Desronvil, who says the focus belongs on the three children, and the aggravated-murder conviction of former American Idol contestant Caleb Flynn in the death of his wife, Ashley. The hour also covers the Department of Education restoring Title IX’s 1972 biological definition of sex, a Gallup finding that 41 percent of Americans now view socialism favorably, and a University of Missouri ban after a non-student advocated political violence at a Turning Point USA event. 

The center of the program is a Supreme Court order that Missouri use its 2022 congressional map in November, not the GOP-favored Missouri First map used in the primary. Rep. Bob Onder calls that a rejection of 1.2 million primary votes and argues the Missouri Plan hands judicial nominations to legal elites. Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt describes how anonymous sourcing still produces stories the White House says are false. The second half honors 12 educators at the Herzog Foundation’s Excellence in Christian Education Awards, with video remarks from Sen. Ted Cruz on school choice, and notes two Christian songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:01:13 – Clancy Juror Speaks
00:02:59 – Flynn Verdict, Title IX
00:05:18 – Campus Violence Debate
00:06:42 – Missouri Map Ruling
00:08:04 – Scrap the Missouri Plan
00:10:10 – How the Plan Works
00:13:36 – Proposition A Vote
00:13:59 – Leavitt on Fake News
00:16:48 – Amish, Coal, Chicago
00:17:31 – Christian Teacher Awards
00:19:25 – Cruz on School Choice
00:22:15 – Math Teacher Honored
00:26:21 – Christian Songs Chart 

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Michaela Estruth opens with President Trump at the United Nations, where he framed a choice over Iran, predicted pressure on Cuba’s regime, and said the government should call artificial intelligence “superintelligence.” An EPA official told Audrey Streb the administration wants AI to speed energy permitting. Senator Josh Hawley argues Missourians should vote on data centers and that no project should raise power or water costs. He also pressed Flock after a Senate hearing on its camera network, saying the company tracks more than license plates and that executives skipped the hearing.

The episode then covers a White House fight with CNN, Politico, and MS Now over press access, a judge’s order restoring those outlets, and FDA nominee Heidi Overton’s testimony on mail-order mifepristone. Estruth argues the administration is stalling on restoring in-person safeguards while states sue. Missouri also receives rural hospital money under the Rural Health Transformation Program. Stuart McMillian talks with Rep. Bob Onder after the Eighth Circuit kept the Republican-drawn Missouri First map for November, pending any last move by the Supreme Court.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:30 – Trump Addresses the U.N.
00:01:42 – Pressure on Cuba
00:02:17 – Calling It Superintelligence
00:03:35 – AI Permits and Data Centers
00:06:20 – Hawley on Flock Cameras
00:07:26 – White House Press Ban
00:10:10 – Judge Restores Access
00:10:44 – Overton on Abortion Pills
00:12:00 – FDA Delay on Safeguards
00:16:54 – Missouri Rural Health Funds
00:19:51 – Missouri Map Battle

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Michaela Estruth discusses Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Kansas City, where Operation Heartland Surge announced $245 million in recovered theft, charges against more than 80 people, and the suspension of 870,000 alleged PPP borrowers. Vance, Attorney General Todd Blanche, and FBI Director Kash Patel said the work now extends to Medicaid, including claims that hospitals hid banned procedures for minors under other billing codes. Estruth asked Vance how to lock anti-fraud work into lasting law and whether Medicaid cases are on the list. He said the task force is looking, invited Democrats to join, and warned thieves that the way to get rich should be building something, not stealing from taxpayers. 

The episode also covers the Supreme Court blocking Trump’s mail-in ballot rules, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s Houston message that climate alarm is being used to scare the public, Texas’s new classical social-studies standards, and Nashville teachers who say they were pressured to change grades. After the break: Washington parents asking the Court to stop a runaway-shelter law, a Massachusetts family fighting state custody, and an Idaho bathroom-law settlement that paid a female student $34,000.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:44 – Court Blocks Ballot Order
00:03:17 – G20 Energy in Houston
00:04:45 – Zeldin on Climate Rhetoric
00:06:38 – Texas History Standards
00:07:12 – Nashville Grade Pressure
00:09:06 – Vance Fraud Task Force
00:11:19 – Estruth Questions Vance
00:14:27 – Making Fraud Laws Last
00:18:38 – Washington Shelter Law
00:21:05 – Massachusetts Custody Fight
00:23:00 – Idaho Bathroom Settlement 

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Michaela Estruth marks two hard anniversaries in the same week: 25 years since the September 11 attacks and one year since the assassination of Charlie Kirk. President Trump hosted first responders and victims’ families in Washington and posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Wells Crowther, the “man in the red bandana.” Heartlander reporter Audrey Streb speaks with retired FDNY captain Tom Colucci, now a Catholic priest, who says the worst and best of that day strengthened his faith.

The episode also covers a first-of-its-kind Republican midterm convention in Dallas, a failed Nike shareholder proposal asking the company to study risks tied to gender-ideology advocacy, and Louisiana’s Fifth Circuit fight over mail-order mifepristone. Estruth reports that unregulated shipment of the chemical abortion pill can undermine state law, conceal coercion, and send women to emergency rooms. The second half returns to Kirk’s memorial through Frank Turek and historian Michael Federer, who urge listeners to reject rumor, honor a grieving family, and keep attention on the work Kirk left unfinished.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:38 – Trump Hosts 9/11 Families
00:01:24 – Medal for Wells Crowther
00:03:06 – Firefighter Turned Priest
00:04:38 – Faith After the Attacks
00:06:06 – GOP Midterm Convention
00:08:19 – Nike Rejects Risk Study
00:10:08 – Louisiana Abortion Pill Case
00:11:24 – Coercion and State Law
00:13:28 – Emergency Room Aftermath
00:16:42 – Restoring Dobbs Promise
00:17:38 – One Year After Kirk
00:17:56 – Rumors Called Demonic
00:21:09 – Federer on Kirk’s Legacy
00:23:34 – Wisdom Meets Passion
00:25:56 – Unity Over Infighting 

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Dr. Josh Mann and Michaela Estruth lead with exclusive audio from a Kansas City, Kansas public-school meeting that later appeared in a first-of-its-kind Department of Justice lawsuit. The Civil Rights Division sued the district for facilitating gender transitions for minors without parental consent. Heartlander News first reported the meeting 18 months earlier. In the recording, officials discuss changing DEI titles after a federal crackdown, holding “underground railroad conversations,” looking for loopholes, and keeping a student’s preferred name from parents. One teacher describes a young student coming out at school and routing the matter through a social worker rather than the child’s father.

The episode then turns to growing concern over Flock license-plate cameras, including investigations, polling, and new data limits. Stuart McMillian reports on Turning Point USA’s PREP Year, a nine-month Christian classical alternative to four-year college now expanding to a second campus. He also interviews Show-Me Institute analyst Avery Frank on Missouri’s public-school staffing boom: fewer students since 2000, far more teachers and administrators, and salary dollars spread thinner across a larger workforce.

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:33 – DOJ Sues Kansas Schools

00:02:46 – Recorded Roundtable Meeting

00:03:56 – DEI Title Change Explained

00:07:04 – Searching for Loopholes

00:08:32 – Parental Rights at Stake

00:09:53 – Hiding Names From Parents

00:12:39 – License Plate Cameras

00:15:26 – TPUSA PREP Year

00:17:37 – Carrying Kirk’s Legacy

00:18:58 – Missouri Staffing Boom

00:20:09 – Fewer Students More Staff

00:22:26 – Teacher Pay Tradeoff

00:24:40 – Where the Money Goes

00:26:04 – Check Local Districts

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Josh Mann and Michaela Estruth open with the death of Dolly Parton at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer. They reflect on her cultural impact, philanthropy, larger-than-life public persona, and the quieter faith she spoke about more openly in later years. The conversation then turns to President Trump’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada. After talks collapsed, 50 percent tariffs on roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods took effect, with Canadian retaliatory measures scheduled for September 8. Estruth reports on Meta’s $17.1 billion settlement with 47 states over alleged harms to children on Facebook and Instagram. The deal includes some new parental controls but no admission of wrongdoing and leaves key algorithm practices intact. Additional stories include a California homeschool-charter case seeking Supreme Court review after religious language and curriculum were rejected, Israel’s high ranking on the World Happiness Report despite ongoing war, a devastating glacial outburst flood in Nepal, Iran-linked cyberattacks on U.S. water facilities, and new data showing record marijuana use alongside a historic low in alcohol consumption.

00:00:00 – Introduction
00:00:31 – Dolly Parton Dies
00:01:23 – Cultural Impact Recalled
00:02:13 – Faith and Public Life
00:03:51 – Lake Ontario Renamed
00:04:17 – Canada Tariff Standoff
00:06:44 – Meta Child Safety Deal
00:10:15 – Settlement Limits
00:12:16 – California Homeschool Suit
00:14:10 – Ninth Circuit Ruling
00:15:30 – Supreme Court Petition
00:16:24 – Israel Happiness Ranking
00:19:31 – Family and Fertility
00:21:38 – Nepal Outburst Flood
00:24:14 – Water System Hacks
00:26:09 – Marijuana Use Record 

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Michaela Estruth joins Josh Mann to unpack several major stories from the week. The lead discussion centers on David Morens, a top former advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who pleaded guilty to defrauding the United States by moving official COVID-related emails—including discussions of the lab-leak hypothesis—to a private Gmail account to evade FOIA requests. The correspondence also shows efforts to keep sensitive material off federal systems and even celebrate the concealment. Additional coverage includes new FBI data showing a 9.3 percent drop in violent crime from 2024 to 2025—the largest year-to-year decline in nine decades—with murders falling to levels not seen since the mid-1950s. The conversation then turns to stalled tariff negotiations with Canada, a New Jersey school district’s ban on adult volunteers with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a Liberty University student’s scholarship case potentially headed to the Supreme Court, fabricated political polls that were treated as legitimate, and the ongoing Meta lawsuit alleging the company prioritized profits over the safety of young users.Chapters:

00:00:00 – Introduction

00:00:32 – Morens Guilty Plea

00:02:27 – Private Gmail Strategy

00:04:52 – Censorship and Celebration

00:06:15 – Violent Crime Decline

00:09:47 – Canada Tariff Threat

00:12:46 – FCA Religious Discrimination

00:17:24 – Scholarship Case to SCOTUS

00:20:16 – Fake Political Polls

00:26:01 – Meta Youth Harm Lawsuit

Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com.

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