Stories From The States

States Newsroom
  • 4.7 (16)
  • Politics
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A weekly podcast focused on one theme in the news. Host and States Newsroom publisher Chris Fitzsimon, with producer Mallory Cheng, will explore one issue with the help from local journalists, experts and community members who are experiencing the fallout of sweeping changes happening across the country. By zooming into one story each week, Stories From The States contextualizes what is happening now. New episodes every Friday. For more information visit, https://www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stories-states.  Subscribe to Stories From the States on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube.

  1. 2d ago

    Reporters roundtable: Ballot measures are top draw in some states

    In some states, ballot measures are expected to be the main force driving voters to the polls in November.  Across the country, voters will decide 145 questions during the midterms. Reproductive rights are on the ballot in four states. In California, residents will decide on a “billionaire’s tax,” among other issues. Elsewhere, ballot questions could determine who has the power to initiate future questions and whether lawmakers have the power to overturn them. There’s a lot on the line.  In Episode 52, States Newsroom journalists discuss the questions before some voters and how interest in the issues might affect state-level races.  Joining the conversation are Rudi Keller, deputy editor of the Missouri Independent; Kelcie Moseley-Morris, a national reproductive rights reporter at Stateline; and Anna Claire Vollers, a staff writer at Stateline.  Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  News From The States Full Election Coverage Voters to decide fate of state taxes this fall (Stateline) Amendment 6 could make another Missouri congressional gerrymander much harder (Missouri Independent) 2 states, 2 abortion ballot measures, and the effort to win over Gen Z voters (Stateline/The 19th)  Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: Volunteers pass boxes full of signed ballot initiative petitions through the Idaho Capitol on July 2, 2026. The proposed Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act would restore abortion access “without government interference” until fetal viability, and would protect fertility treatments and other reproductive care such as contraception. (Photo by Kelcie Moseley-Morris/Stateline)

    Reporters roundtable: Ballot measures are top draw in some states

  2. Oct 23

    Reporters roundtable: Gubernatorial and legislative races to watch

    In November’s midterm elections, Democrats could win a majority of governor’s offices for the first time in 16 years. President Donald Trump’s influence towers over some tight races. In Wisconsin, the GOP nominee, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election. In Georgia, Rick Jackson has said he wanted to be “Trump’s favorite governor.” Both Tiffany and Jackson have since tried to distance themselves from the president.  Democratic candidates are taking advantage of Republican tension, and hope to see a “blue wave.” Party leaders in some states, like Michigan, are hoping to capture a trifecta: control of the governor’s office and both chambers of the state legislature. In Episode 51, States Newsroom reporters Alander Rocha from the Georgia Recorder, Ben Solis from the Michigan Advance and Baylor Spears from the Wisconsin Examiner help break down what is happening in their gubernatorial elections and whether the political makeup of their statehouses might flip.  Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  News From The States Full Election Coverage Democrats could win majority of governor’s offices for first time in 16 years (Stateline) Bottoms faces empty podium on debate stage while Jackson campaigns with Kemp (Georgia Recorder) In Detroit debate, Benson and James each blame the other’s party leadership for today’s problems (Michigan Advance) Billionaire Diane Hendricks helps Wisconsin Republicans defend legislative majorities (Wisconsin Examiner) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: Voters fill out their ballots at a Sioux Falls polling place during the South Dakota primary election on June 2, 2026. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

    Reporters roundtable: Gubernatorial and legislative races to watch

  3. Oct 16

    Plans to roll back roadless rule threatens a New England forest

    The federal Roadless Area Conservation Rule has been in place since 2001, but is under threat. In August, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced her agency’s plans to rescind the rule “in its entirety.” The roadless rule currently prohibits road construction, logging and mining on about 30% of the nearly 200 million acres of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The rule mostly applies to forested areas of the West, but a unique area in the White Mountains along the border of Maine and New Hampshire could have its landscape changed. In Episode 50, Maine Morning Star reporter Kaitlyn Budion discusses the concerns of New England conservationists who think the rollback of the roadless rule would hurt one of the few unbroken stretches of wilderness in New England.  You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer, Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. They’ve got you covered with the latest on: North Dakota’s stripping wells, candidate debates and early voting trends. Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  Unique stretch of New England forest under threat after proposed rollback of roadless rule (Maine Morning Star) ‘Quiet loud nature’: New Mexico opponents of Roadless Rule repeal describe fear of lost solitude (Source NM) Conservationists want Congress to do more to protect New England’s roadless areas (New Hampshire Bulletin) Trump administration plan could bring new roads to pristine woods covering 4% of Wyoming (WyoFile) U.S. Department of Agriculture Proposes Eliminating the Roadless Rule (Pew Charitable Trusts) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: Jeff Swayze, a mental health counselor and registered New Hampshire guide, stands in a stream bed along the Wheeler Brook trail in Maine. The area is currently protected from development by the federal roadless rule. (Photo by Kaitlyn Budion/Maine Morning Star)

    Plans to roll back roadless rule threatens a New England forest

  4. Oct 9

    National scrutiny on mail ballots changed Utah’s elections system

    All Utah voters have automatically received a mail ballot since 2020. The reliably red state had championed universal mail voting. However, with voting under greater national scrutiny, Utah legislators rolled back universal mail voting. Although he’s recently urged voters to cast their ballots by mail, President Donald Trump has long attacked mail voting, claiming without evidence that it is a source of election fraud. Utah Republican Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson, the state’s top election official, has recently spoken out about concerns over the Trump administration’s ‘gamesmanship’ with voting, saying it keeps her up at night. Democratic Salt Lake County Clerk Lannie Chapman says those same fears have woken her up at 3 a.m. in a panic.  In Episode 49, you’ll hear from Chapman, whose office serves a third of Utah’s total voting population. According to Chapman, 90% of people who participate in any given election in the county use their mail ballot. Her priority each election is to have safe and accessible voting, and the 2026 midterms are no different.   You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer, Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. They’ve got you covered with the latest on: dyed diesel, the battle between the federal government and New Mexico over a border wall and this week's political developments.  Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  As early in-person voting approaches, North Carolina election officials seek to ease fears (NC Newsline) Trump drops longtime aversion to mail-in voting with GOP trailing in polls (States Newsroom D.C Bureau)  How election deniers are using public records to sow doubt in California (CalMatters) Gen Z politicians who want to make a change grapple with parties that aren’t always ready for them (Kansas Reflector and The 19th) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: Elections workers process ballots at the Salt Lake County Government Center in Salt Lake City on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

    National scrutiny on mail ballots changed Utah’s elections system

  5. Oct 2

    Analyst: Democrats show promise in gaining congressional control

    Despite a hard push by Republicans to bolster their chances of retaining control in Washington by redrawing congressional districts to the party’s advantage, Democrats are in a good position to gain several seats in the U.S. House in November.  And which party controls the U.S. Senate after January is now a true toss-up, according to The Cook Political Report.  Historically, the party that's out of power picks up seats in the midterm cycle.  In Episode 48, you’ll hear from Erin Covey, who leads The Cook Political Report's coverage of the U.S. House of Representatives. Cook’s analysts have recently moved 15 House races in the Democrats’ direction, and say it’s realistic that the party could also take a majority in the U.S. Senate amid a worsening political environment for the GOP. Covey is keeping an eye on U.S. House races in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, along with the Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Texas. You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer, Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. They’ve got you covered with the latest on: data centers on federal land, states bolstering election safety and astronauts encouraging young people to vote.  Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer. Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  GOP’s ‘rubberstamp’ of Trump puts US Senate in play, Dem campaign chair says (States Newsroom D.C. Bureau) Gen Z isn’t choosing a side. They’re choosing issues. (Maine Morning Star) A New York Times article claimed hostility by Mary Peltola. Will it affect Alaska’s Senate race? (Alaska Beacon) Despite redistricting, Ohio Democrats eager to flip congressional seats (Ohio Capital Journal) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: Voters will decide this November who will have control in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)

    Analyst: Democrats show promise in gaining congressional control

  6. Sep 25

    States take the lead on regulating AI as federal action lags

    Anxiety over artificial intelligence is growing. Will it replace humans and take jobs? How will it change our privacy? Will it impact our elections? The list of existential questions about AI goes on.  The technology has not been regulated on a national level. Congress has struggled to pass federal legislation, while the Trump administration has pushed to limit state oversight efforts. One expert says states have stepped up to the plate to create commonsense guardrails on AI.  In Episode 47, you’ll hear from Maddy Dwyer, a policy analyst on the Center for Democracy & Technology’s State Engagement team. She’ll break down how states are regulating AI and whether it's too out of control for the federal government to set limitations on what the technology can do.  You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer, Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. They’ve got you covered with the latest on: mail-in ballots, SNAP participation and state laws protecting wildlife.  Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  Pritzker establishes AI cabinet amid calls for greater regulation (Capital News Illinois) Spanberger presses Congress for AI guardrails as states forge ahead (Virginia Mercury) As police increasingly embrace AI, some wait for regulations and proof it works (New Jersey Monitor) CT announces AI regulations for state employee health plans (CT Mirror) Majority of Coloradans dislike AI, new survey finds (Colorado Newsline) How New York Can Influence the Future of Artificial Intelligence (New York Focus) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: ChatGPT, an AI-powered system trained to follow instructions and carry out conversations, is being limited in some states. (Madyson Fitzgerald/States Newsroom)

    States take the lead on regulating AI as federal action lags

  7. Sep 18

    ICE is using migrant kids as ‘bait,’ a Texas lawyer says

    Attorney Alexa Sendukas represents many unaccompanied children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and tries to reunite them with relatives in the U.S. She has started to see a startling tactic: Federal agencies are using the children to trap and detain the adults who come to detention centers to pick the kids up. It’s left many families scrambling and trying to figure out when they’ll see each other again. In Episode 46, you’ll hear from Alexa Sendukas, a managing attorney with the Galveston-Houston Immigrant Representation Project. She has represented many detained adults and children in their immigration cases.   You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer Danielle Gaines and Daybreak newsletter writer Madyson Fitzgerald. They’ve got you covered on the latest about: local officials in Louisiana signing NDAs, how states are using their national opioid settlement funds and how school boards are dealing with declining school enrollment.  Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.  Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  ICE is arresting relatives who come forward to take custody of migrant children in federal shelters (Texas Tribune) ‘There will be another family’: Newberg family scrutinizes feds over father’s detention (Oregon Capital Chronicle) Lacking federal funds, local groups press to continue legal aid for immigrant children (Maryland Matter) Doctors say children of immigrants are missing healthcare (Stateline) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: A masked, armed agent outside Ocean Seafood Depot during an immigration raid, Newark, NJ, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (Photo by Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor)

    ICE is using migrant kids as ‘bait,’ a Texas lawyer says

  8. Sep 11

    Flight 93 crashed on his land. He remembers the heroes 25 years later.

    When United Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001, Tim Lambert was on his way to work at a public radio station. In the newsroom, he saw the televised images of the wreckage in a field near Shanksville and thought the trees looked familiar. Later that night, his dad left a message on his answering machine saying, “Those trees are ours.” Lambert and his family, by chance, became a part of the story of Flight 93. In Episode 45, you’ll hear from Pennsylvania Capital-Star Editor-in-Chief Tim Lambert. For 25 years, he has reported on Flight 93, kept in contact with many of the victims’ families and shared their stories. You’ll also get a weekly news wrap-up from Evening Wrap newsletter writer Danielle Gaines. She’s got you covered on the latest about: the uneven growth of labor unions, wrinkle in the national school voucher debates and the latest on the Rhode Island and New Hampshire election results. Episode produced and edited by Mallory Cheng. Music for Stories From The States composed by David Singer.  Click here for the full transcript. Relevant reading from States Newsroom outlets and partners:  Remembering Flight 93 through the lens of healing (Pennsylvania Capital-Star) On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, States Newsroom editor remembers the heroes of Flight 93 (Stateline) Part of Flight 93 crashed on my land. I went back to the sacred ground 20 years later (WITF) Walking Flight 93 crash site helps family member heal (Tim Lambert/WITF) How 9/11 changed the way America surveils its citizens (Stateline) Got questions? An episode idea? Email us at podcast@statesnewsroom.com Photo: Tim Lambert, center, interviews Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller, left. Former WITF News Director Damon Boughamer on the right records the conversation at the Flight 93 crash site on Oct. 6, 2001. (Courtesy of Tim Lambert)

    Flight 93 crashed on his land. He remembers the heroes 25 years later.
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About

A weekly podcast focused on one theme in the news. Host and States Newsroom publisher Chris Fitzsimon, with producer Mallory Cheng, will explore one issue with the help from local journalists, experts and community members who are experiencing the fallout of sweeping changes happening across the country. By zooming into one story each week, Stories From The States contextualizes what is happening now. New episodes every Friday. For more information visit, https://www.newsfromthestates.com/podcast/stories-states.  Subscribe to Stories From the States on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube.

Information

  • Creator
    States Newsroom
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    56
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © States Newsroom 2025
  • Show Website
    Stories From The States

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