Across the States

Latest Episodes:

123: Runaway Inflation w/ Lee Schalk and Joe Trotter Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

Inflation reached record heights in March as prices soared by 8.5%. With working families paying more for gas and groceries, Lee Schalk, Vice President of Policy at ALEC, and Joe Trotter, Director of Energy, Environment, and Agriculture Task Force, joined ALECtv and Across the States to discuss this latest development with Matt Fisher and Catherine Mortensen.\

Video Version of Today's Podcast, Runaway Inflation w/ Lee Schalk and Joe Trotter
The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Inflation Accelerated to 8.5% in March, Hitting Four-Decade High

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122: ALECtv: Parents Flip School Board Demanding Transparency and Accountability w/ Matthew Phipps, Matthew Spaulding, and Tony Vlastelica Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

Results from the recent school board elections across Wisconsin sent a strong message to elected officials that parent empowerment matters. Joining Bill Ashworth and Catherine Mortensen on ALECtv and Across the States this week are three individuals who won seats on their respective school boards in Wisconsin, Matthew Phipps, Matthew Spaulding, and Tony Vlastelica, about what inspired them to get involved and run.

Link to ALECtv Video Version of Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtqECQ5RcHI

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121: Grading the Governors w/ Jonathan Williams and Lee Schalk Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

Last week, the American Legislative Exchange Council released the second edition of the 2021 Laffer-ALEC Report on Economic Freedom, Grading America’s Governors. Jonathan Williams, ALEC Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of Policy, and Lee Schalk, Vice President of Policy, joined Matthew Fisher to break down the best and worst governors of America, what the report measures, and highlight the work governors and statehouses are doing in 2022.

2021 Laffer-ALEC Report on Economic Freedom, Grading America’s Governors Report: https://alec.org/publication/2021-laffer-alec-report-on-economic-freedom-grading-americas-governors/
Rank Your Governor and Compare it at: https://www.rankmygovernor.org/

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120: Meeting the Challenges for Agriculture in 2022 w/ Rep. Phil Green Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

The Russian invasion of Ukraine combined with regulations at the state and federal level have presented a myriad of challenges for rural Americans and the agriculture industry. Join Matthew Fisher and Joe Trotter, Director of the ALEC Task Force on Energy, Environment, and Agriculture, as they sit down with Phil Green, Representative from Michigan's 84th District and Chair of the ALEC Subcommittee on Agriculture, to discuss the potential of food shortages, job losses, and more.

The Crisis in Ukraine Has Major Implications for the Agricultural Sector and Global Food Security, by Karla Jones and Joe Trotter

Learn more about the Russian invasion of Ukraine with our two part series Ukraine: On the Frontlines in Kyiv Part w/ Mykola Vorobiov and Karla Jones:
Part I
Part II

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119: Ukraine: On the Frontlines in Kyiv Part II w/ Mykola Vorobiov and Karla Jones Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

In the second of a two-part Across the States special on the War in Ukraine, Mykola Vorobiov, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellow & Journalist based in Kyiv, Ukraine, sat down for another interview on March 15, 2022, with Karla Jones, Sr. Director of the ALEC Task Force on International Relations and Federalism offers his eyewitness testimony on the situation on the ground in Ukraine as Ukrainians resist the Russian invasion and describes what Ukraine/Russia peace negotiations might look like. Mykola expresses gratitude to the US for our assistance and his opinion of Zelenskyy has evolved from cautious skepticism of the neophyte politician’s ability to command a nation at war in Part I to describing him as “The leader of the free world!” in Part II.

Link to Part I of Ukraine: On the Frontlines in Kyiv
Mykola Vorobiov Twitter: @komitet2012

Other Links:
ALEC Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Ukraine Policy Hour and Podcast Featuring Cong. Victoria Spartz, Chris Holzen (IRI), Alan Mendoza (Henry Jackson Society, a British national security think tank), Damon Wilson (NED) and diplomats from Estonia and Ukraine
Policy Hour Video to Policy Hour
Across the States Podcast Episode from Policy Hour

Link to ALEC Article on Ukraine op-ed in the Hill

Garry Kasparov Quote on NATO and Ukraine toward the end of the podcast
“NATO leaders have all the weapons and no courage and Zelenskyy has courage and not enough weapons.”

ALEC Model Policies
Resolution Commemorating NATO’s 70th Anniversary

Victims of Communism Memorial Day Resolution

CORRECTION: Quote from anti-Communist Ukrainian Leader Stepan Bandera (erroneously attributed to Winston Churchill) toward the end of the podcast
“When the people choose bread between bread and freedom, they eventually lose everything including bread. If the people choose freedom, they will have bread grown by themselves and not taken away by anyone.”

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118: Ukraine: On the Frontlines in Kyiv Part I w/ Mykola Vorobiov and Karla Jones Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

The ongoing war of Russian aggression against Ukraine has demonstrated the brutality of Vladimir Putin and the heroism of the Ukrainian people. In in the first of a two-part special by Across the States on the war in Ukraine, Mykola Vorobiov, Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Fellow & Journalist based in Kyiv, Ukraine, joined Karla Jones, Sr. Director of the ALEC Task Force on International Relations and Federalism, on February 22, 2022. Mykola gives us a picture of life in Ukraine during the days leading up to the invasion, some helpful background on how we got to the edge of war and his predictions on the impact the impending conflict might have on his nation.

Link to Part II of Ukraine: On the Frontlines in Kyiv:
Mykola Vorobiov Twitter: @komitet2012
Other Links
ALEC Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Link to ALEC Article on Ukraine op-ed in the Hill

Atlantic Council Article on the Orange Revolution referenced during the podcast

Atlantic Council Article on Yalta referenced during the podcast

ALEC Model Policies
Resolution Commemorating NATO’s 70th Anniversary

Victims of Communism Memorial Day Resolution

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117: CPAC 2022 Interview with John Cardillo Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

At CPAC 2022 in Orlando, Florida, John Cardillo, conservative commentator, sat down for an interview with Matt Fisher at the ALEC booth to discuss a variety of issues pertaining to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and more.

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116: Small Business Reform with State Legislator of the Month Rep. John Wills Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Small businesses are responsible for more than 60% of all new jobs created in the United States. In Iowa, Representative John Wills is leading the charge to invest in the entrepreneurs, home-based businesses, and cottage industries who make up the backbone of our economy. On today’s episode of Across the States, ALEC’s February State Legislator of the Month and Board of Directors member Representative Wills joins Gretchen Baldau, Director of the Commerce, Insurance, and Economic Development Task Force at ALEC, and Matt Fisher to discuss his efforts in the state legislature in Des Moines to support small businesses and deliver results for constituents.

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115: Strengthening Law Enforcement w/ Nino Marchese and Rob O'Donnell Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

Law enforcement officials face new and emerging challenges everyday. At CPAC 2022, Nino Marchese, Director of the ALEC Task Forces on Civil Justice and Criminal Justice, sat down with Rob O'Donnell, author for Law Enforcement Today, to discuss the status of police reform and how America can invest more in those who vow to serve and protect their communities and country.

LEARN MORE:
ALEC Task Force on Criminal Justice Reform
ALEC Task Force on Civil Justice
Law Enforcement Today website

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114: Crisis in Ukraine w/Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, DCM Yaroslav Brisiuck, Chris Holzen, Alan Mendoza, DCM Margus Särglepp, and Damon Wilson Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

On February 16, before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ALEC recorded a Policy Hour podcast featuring Lisa B. Nelson, CEO of the American Legislative Exchange Council and Ms. Karla Jones, Senior Director of the ALEC Federalism and International Relations Task Force as they discuss the then unfolding crisis in Ukraine with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, Yaroslav Brisiuck, DCM of the Embassy of Ukraine to the United States, Chris Holzen, Senior Advisor for Europe and Eurasia at the International Republican Institute, Alan Mendoza, Executive Director and Founder, Henry Jackson Society, Margus Särglepp, DCM, Estonian Embassy to the United States, and Damon Wilson, President and CEO, National Endowment for Democracy.

Background Materials
ALEC article by Karla Jones, “Putin’s Ukraine Gambit Unites Western Democracies He Sought to Divide” https://alec.org/article/putins-ukraine-gambit-unites-western-democracies-he-sought-to-divide/
CSPAN Video of February 23 UN Security Council Meeting including statement from Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UN
https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5003018/user-clip-security-council-emergency-meeting-ukraines-ambassadors-remarks

Congresswoman Victoria Spartz’s Statement on Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine
https://spartz.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-spartzs-statement-putins-invasion-ukraine

Condemnation of Russian Aggression from Estonian Leadership
https://news.err.ee/1608510773/estonia-condemns-russia-s-attack-on-ukraine-evil-is-real

International Republican Institute Statement on Russia’s Military Attack against Ukraine
https://www.iri.org/news/iri-statement-on-russias-military-attack-on-ukraine/

National Endowment for Democracy’s Statement on Russian Aggression against Ukraine
https://www.ned.org/ned-stands-in-solidarity-with-ukraine/

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