What Happened to “Internet for All”? The federal government used to talk about closing the digital divide; now it’s widening it – and rural America is paying the price for political theater masquerading as policy. Read more here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/what-happe...

Today’s #RuralSpotlight recognizes NM's Department of Workforce Solutions' $400K investment to assist K-12 rural, low-income, first-generation, disabled, and tribal students in developing skills for the state's growing workforce. Read more here: shorturl.at/Kx7p2

This week’s #SelflessSaturday highlights Honda teaming up with Carbon by Indigo to help farmers remove 1,800 metric tons of soil carbon and conserve water nationwide. Learn more about their decarbonization push: shorturl.at/Affzh

A redistricting failure. This summer, Texas started a redistricting battle across the country. Now, a Trump-appointed judge blocked Texas from using its redrawn maps in the 2026 midterm. The GOP started the fight, but the Dems are winning it. More: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/thursday-t...

Economist @justinwolfers.bsky.social joined the #HotDishPod to break down the state of the American economy under Trump. He discusses the implications of "crony capitalism" and how the impacts administration's policies will be felt by Americans. Tune in here: lnk.to/onecountryxx

As part of the legislation that Congress passed last week to reopen the federal government, the farm bill has once again been extended. Extensions of the farm bill are a band aid fix, as funding levels are now basically unchanged for 7 years. onecountryproject.substack.com/p/tuesday-ta...

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. The slow and strategic dismantling of the ACA is in motion, leaving millions without affordable coverage. Congress must act to avoid part of this crisis and extend the ACA tax credits before they expire. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/health-car...

Today’s #RuralSpotlight highlights the Senate approval of $109M for rural broadband. Read more about this big win for communities still waiting for reliable internet here: shorturl.at/TcsxD

Barriers to Reproductive Health Keep Stacking Up. Drawn-out court battles and confusing rulings mean less access to reproductive healthcare than ever before. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/barriers-t...

This week’s #SelflessSaturday spotlights Laredo’s food drives tackling hunger across South Texas after the SNAP freeze. Groups around the state are stepping up to support local families during the holiday season. More: tiny.cc/8e2v001

When MAGA Wins, Families Go Hungry. Brutal budget battles keep taking a toll on families, farmers, and rural economies. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/when-maga-...

27% of agriculture workers rely on the ACA Marketplace to obtain their coverage. The end of APTCs would disproportionately impact rural areas, with a 107% increase in premiums costs for rural residents, compared to 89% for urban county residents. More: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/post-shutd...

This week, leaders from around the world gather in Belem, Brazil for COP30, the annual U.N. climate conference. Notably, top U.S. government officials are absent from the summit for the first time in 30 years. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/thursday-t...

Working in agriculture is a high-stakes profession. According to the USDA, over 50% of midsize family farms carry debt, totaling, on average, about $800,000. Read more about reforming farm credit to ease the mental toll on America’s producers: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/beyond-pay...

On this Veteran's Day episode, @radiofreetom.bsky.social joins the #HotDishPod to discuss the current state of affairs at the Pentagon and Justice Department. Learn about the impacts of political loyalty, leadership challenges, and shifts in military and governmental norms: lnk.to/onecountryxx

Today’s #RuralSpotlight highlights $4M in funding to bring food support to 29 rural Utah counties. Governor Cox is stepping up for Utahns while Washington stalls. More: shorturl.at/7Y7GS

This week’s #SelflessSaturday spotlights a Bay Area community feeding families who lost SNAP benefits at Sunday farmers markets. An $800K emergency fund will roll out starting next week. More: shorturl.at/ZuVni

Tariffs 101: Understanding the ‘Toll Booth’ on Global Trade. For the American farmer, trade policy is not an abstract concept; it directly determines the success or failure of their season. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/tariffs-10...

Blue Wave Rolls all the way to Rural America. On Tuesday, Democrats around the dominated races in the first major Election Day since Trump returned to office. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/thursday-t...

“What Happened to ‘Don’t Tread on Me?’” Governor Tim Walz joined the #HotDishPod to unpack how national policy decisions ripple through rural life and agriculture, with firsthand stories from Minnesota. Tune into the full episode here: lnk.to/onecountryxx

The Democrats finally found a winning message: affordability. Democratic contenders won because they talked about the real economic issues affecting American families. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/its-afford...

November is National Family Caregivers Month, an opportunity to thank those who provide unpaid informal assistance to our loved ones. Often unseen and unsung heroes, be sure to thank the family caregivers in your life this month. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/family-car...

Today’s #RuralSpotlight recognizes a $4 million federal grant helping bring obstetric care to rural South Arkansas counties through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Read more: shorturl.at/lSASX

Rural Emergency Care is Crumbling. Congress has the power to keep our hospitals solvent. So far, they’re passing the buck. Read more here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/rural-emer...

This week’s #SelflessSaturday highlights Iowa Pork and Fareway Stores teaming up to fight hunger with a $20K donation to food banks across Iowa and western Nebraska. That’s more than 38,000 protein servings! More: shorturl.at/P4tLs

Equal Pay for Equal Work: Hard work should be rewarded – so it’s up to all of us to make sure rural women come out on top in the wage wars. Read more here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/equal-pay-...

Happy Halloween! The Trump Administration has a very special treat for the seniors, children, veterans, and low income Americans who rely on federal programming to help feed themselves and their families. Read more about the reality for SNAP recipients: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/trump-supp...

Happy Halloween! This year, it's all trick, no treats. The price of a box of chocolates has jumped by 25%, reaching a high of $50 per box. Trump’s policies are making costs higher for American families – making it harder to celebrate Halloween.

In the 6 leading states for corn production, young adults have a 5% higher rate of cancer. Researchers are attempting to understand why the region is experiencing this abnormality. Read more about cancer in the corn belt: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/thursday-t...

In the past year, the average price of a new car has increased by over $1,200. Despite his promises to do the opposite, costs have skyrocketed under the Trump Administration.

Approximately 42 million individuals, roughly 1 in 8 Americans, rely on SNAP to help put food on their table. And now, the only immediate safety net for these 42 million Americans will be local food banks. Read more about the families left hanging: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/42-million...

All Trick, No Treats: Under the Trump administration, the price of a pound of coffee has increased by 26%.

As we get closer to November, the future of SNAP is growing more and more uncertain as the government remains shut. Soon, funding will run out with no solution in sight. Read more about the growing fear of gaps in food aid: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/tuesday-ta...

Under President Trump, the cost of car insurance has jumped 12%. The average cost of a full coverage policy is now $220 a month. During his campaign, Trump promised to cut car insurance costs in half…

The KFF Health System Tracker estimates an 18% increase in premiums for Marketplace enrollees – an 11% increase from 2025 and the largest increase requested from insurers since 2018. Read more about the Republican Approach to America’s Health: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/prior-auth...

Today’s #RuralSpotlight recognizes the Kentucky Dept. of Agriculture for awarding $25k to three Kentucky school systems to support local farmers. It’s a big win during #NationalFarmToSchool Month. Read more: shorturl.at/2c24C

All Trick, No Treats: The cost of a pound of chocolate chip cookies has increased by 5% under President Trump. The prices of every day goods continue to increase under his watch.

All Trick, No Treats: Despite Trump’s promises to bring down grocery prices, the cost of a gallon of milk has increased by 3.75%.

Real Relief for Rural Families is Simple. A budget can make or break the health and vitality of Rural America. Read more here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/real-relie...

This week’s #SelflessSaturday highlights volunteers and Iowa students who teamed up to thank Ida County farmers with 600 handmade appreciation lunch bags. Read the full story: shorturl.at/ldgRH

All Trick, No Treats: Eggs prices reached a record high under the Trump administration, peaking at $6.22. While the price of eggs has come down, a dozen eggs only cost $0.06 less than they did on election day.

The Most Dangerous Country for New Moms is Ours: Hospital closures, abortion bans, and the departure of rural OB-GYN doctors leaves women and families and few choices. Read more here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/the-most-d...

The Crisis is Here. The state of Arkansas directly stated that without some kind of federal aid, one in three farms within the state could close. Read about more the risks rural America is facing: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/rural-amer...

All Trick, No Treats: “When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.” – President Trump. Yet, the price of ground beef has increased by 25% under Trump, up to $6.31 per pound in August.

Trump took an axe to the White House, destroying the historic site both literally and figuratively. Trump is plowing ahead in his attempt to fundamentally change our nation. Read more about the crumbling government here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/thursday-t...

As consumer demand for beef has grown, imports have taken an increasingly larger portion of the U.S. supply. Ironically, President Trump stated that the solution to lowering U.S. beef prices was simply to import more beef from Argentina. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/all-hat-no...

"We have a lot of work ahead of us." This week, healthcare expert Michelle Rathman joined the #HotDishPod to discuss the challenges rural Americans face accessing healthcare. Courageous conversations are vital in these times. Tune in to the episode here: lnk.to/onecountryxx

The federal government shutdown continues. At the center of the shutdown is the extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs). Read more about the standstill here: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/republican...

Today’s #RuralSpotlight recognizes a $2.7M award from the Alabama Community College system to help Wallace Community College train the next generation of rural healthcare workers in Southeast Alabama. More: wiregrassdailynews.com/featured-new...

Privatizing Social Security is The Big Goal. Mismanagement, cuts, and layoffs take their toll on an agency rural seniors rely on. Read more: onecountryproject.substack.com/p/privatizin...