The Heartlander Report

Herzog Foundation
Herzog Foundation
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A weekly national news podcast for American families, covering school choice, parental rights, and religious liberty. Every Friday, a Heartlander News writer breaks down the court rulings, statehouse fights, and culture stories shaping the country. From the newsroom at heartlandernews.com.

  1. 1 day ago

    Vance’s Fraud Task Force and This Week’s Court Fights

    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  Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  2. 11 Sept

    Remembering 9/11 and Charlie Kirk

    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  Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  3. 4 Sept

    Kansas Schools Caught Hiding Gender Policies From Parents

    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 Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  4. 28 Aug

    Remembering Dolly Parton and The Lake of America

    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  Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  5. 21 Aug

    Fauci Advisor Pleads Guilty to Hiding COVID Records

    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. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  6. 14 Aug

    NASA’s Nuclear Push for the Moon and Mars

    Heartlander News reporter Stuart McMillian joins Dr. Josh Mann to recount his exclusive tour of the Idaho National Laboratory alongside NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. The focus is SR-1 Freedom, the first fission-powered spacecraft designed for nuclear electric propulsion and a path to Mars, with a hard launch target of December 2028. Isaacman stresses the urgency of the second space race as China prepares to land Chang’e 7 at the lunar South Pole, while the Department of Energy and NASA accelerate reactor development at record speed.  McMillian describes walking through restricted prototype facilities, radiation-shielded labs, and vibration-test rigs that simulate rocket launch conditions. The conversation then turns to the Air Force’s decision to base F-15E Strike Eagles at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, preserving the historic 442nd Fighter Wing.  Additional stories cover recent Democratic primary results, where moderate candidates defeated more progressive challengers in Missouri and Wisconsin, and a new survey showing nearly one in six Americans have already acted on AI medical advice without consulting a physician. 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:34 – Nuclear Power for Space 00:00:50 – Isaacman at Idaho Lab 00:01:08 – Winning the Space Race 00:01:40 – SR-1 Freedom Mission 00:02:10 – China’s Lunar Challenge 00:03:18 – DOE Rapid Deployment 00:03:58 – Building Reactor Hardware 00:05:29 – 2028 Mission Deadline 00:07:04 – Tour of Idaho Lab 00:08:26 – Prototypes and Restricted Areas 00:10:39 – Reactor Testing Rigs 00:12:13 – Nuclear Technology Revival 00:14:16 – AI and Energy Needs 00:15:49 – China as Space Rival 00:18:06 – F-15s to Whiteman 00:19:58 – Democratic Primary Results 00:23:35 – AI Medical Advice Survey Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  7. 7 Aug

    Rising Democratic Socialists and AI Price Discrimination

    Michaela Estruth discusses her interview with Senator Josh Hawley conducted the day after nationwide primary elections. Hawley describes the Democrat Party’s sharp leftward shift, the rise of woke socialist candidates who favor government control, gender ideology in schools, and chemical abortions, and contrasts Missouri’s rejection of a more radical progressive with Michigan’s nomination of a Democratic Socialists of America candidate for Senate. The conversation turns to Hawley’s push to ban corporations from using AI and personal data to set individualized prices that charge customers differently for the same product or service. Additional topics include Hawley’s “trust but verify” stance on attorney-general nominee Todd Blanche, particularly enforcement against illegal mailing of abortion drugs into states with bans, and his efforts to keep Farm Service Agency offices open across rural Missouri, where agriculture remains the state’s top industry. Adam Wittenberg joins to examine the broader surge of overtly socialist candidates, a former Democratic operative’s book explaining why she left the party, ongoing debates over men in women’s sports highlighted by Riley Gaines and a satirical all-trans WNBA proposal, an investigative report on last-minute Biden-administration changes that routed nearly $3 billion in green-energy funds to Wall Street-managed vehicles, and a disbarred immigration attorney’s alleged large-scale fraud scheme. 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:22 – Hawley on Democrat Shift 00:00:49 – Rise of Woke Socialists 00:01:40 – Primary Results Overview 00:03:46 – Michigan Versus Missouri 00:05:38 – AI Pricing Practices 00:06:30 – Ban on AI Price Setting 00:08:10 – Economic Debate on Pricing 00:11:29 – Todd Blanche Nomination 00:11:53 – Abortion Drug Enforcement 00:13:24 – Missouri Farm Offices 00:14:38 – Agriculture as Top Industry 00:16:35 – Democratic Socialists Surge 00:18:27 – Young Voters and Affordability 00:19:50 – Francesca Hong Controversy 00:20:46 – Nothing Left Book 00:22:19 – Democrats Abandon Heartland 00:23:05 – Riley Gaines and WNBA 00:24:32 – Trans Team Proposal 00:25:25 – Green Energy Giveaway 00:26:26 – Immigration Attorney Fraud  Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

  8. 31 Jul

    Hawley GRILLS Fauci on COVID Journals and the Fifth Amendment

    Michaela Estruth discusses her interview with Senator Josh Hawley following a contentious Senate hearing in which Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment. The conversation examines newly released personal journals covering 2019–2022 that appear to conflict with public statements on the origin of COVID-19, including early notes suggesting the Wuhan market was an amplifier rather than the source and limited consensus among experts on natural emergence. Hawley argues that Fauci’s presidential pardon removes the basis for pleading the Fifth and that the repeated refusals constitute contempt of Congress; he has introduced legislation targeting the use of government resources to solicit personal cash awards during the pandemic.  The discussion also covers ongoing disaster-relief needs in Missouri more than a year after the devastating St. Louis tornado and subsequent flooding, with Hawley seeking substantially larger federal funding.  Additional stories include a Department of Education investigation into “trans Potato Head” dolls intended for children as young as four in Minnesota, and a report from Rio Grande Bible Ministries—an 80-year-old institute near the U.S.–Mexico border that trains Spanish-speaking pastors and is adapting to visa challenges by restoring English instruction and exploring satellite campuses in Latin America and South Dakota. 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:27 – Hawley Fauci Hearing 00:01:11 – Fauci Journals Released 00:02:20 – Wuhan Market Notes 00:03:42 – Fauci Pleads the Fifth 00:05:13 – Hawley’s Grilling of Fauci 00:06:13 – Immunity and the Fifth 00:07:19 – Legal Argument Explained 00:09:07 – Biden’s Pardon of Fauci 00:10:36 – Holding Fauci in Contempt 00:12:11 – Lessons from the Pandemic 00:13:27 – St. Louis Tornado Relief 00:14:34 – Funding Shortfall Details 00:15:57 – Minnesota Transgender Dolls 00:18:28 – Rio Grande Bible Ministries 00:19:50 – Institute’s 80-Year History 00:22:24 – Border Visa Challenges 00:24:52 – English Programs and Satellites Follow Heartlander News on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.  You can also sign-up for our newsletter and follow our coverage at HeartlanderNews.com. To learn more about the Herzog Foundation, visit HerzogFoundation.com. Like and follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram, or sign up to receive monthly email updates. #ChristianEducation #Education #EducationPolicy #EducationReform #FaithAndLearning #Family #FaithInEducation #Faith #Homeschool #ChristianSchool #PrivateSchool #EducationNews #News #Religion #ReligiousNews #PublicSchool #SchoolNews #NewsShow #SchoolChoice

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A weekly national news podcast for American families, covering school choice, parental rights, and religious liberty. Every Friday, a Heartlander News writer breaks down the court rulings, statehouse fights, and culture stories shaping the country. From the newsroom at heartlandernews.com.

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