Since the release of that CNN report, several staffers of Mark Robinson have since quit, including senior adviser Conrad Pogorzelski III, campaign manager Chris Rodriguez, the campaign’s finance director, and the deputy campaign manager. Additionally, a number of governors have pulled support, a few are Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. At the moment Mark Robinson’s opponent, Josh Stein, leads by a minimum of 10 points in the polls with still a month remaining for the general election.

For the presidential candidates, campaigning in battleground states is very important. The battleground states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. They are the battleground states because they could swing to either political candidate. All of these states were won by less than three points in the 2020 presidential election. To finish out August, both former President Trump and Vice President Harris have rallied in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. There have been talks of VP Harris going to Florida for a fundraiser, and more talks about how that state may be the 8th sleeper battleground state. So, there is a possibility of more events in the Sunshine State. Political pundits are thinking that Florida may be in play to flip from red to blue because there are a few Democrat-supported bills on the ballot like reproductive health protections and recreational marijuana. Florida’s Senator Rick Scott also has a challenger, former House Representative Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who is within the margin of error in the post-primary polls.

But as we are coming up to the general election, it’s important to remember what happened before the passage. After the PACT Act was largely approved, Senators added one last amendment, which added a lot of government funding to the bill that had nothing to do with VA disability. So, Senator Toomey called this pork barrel spending and claimed that the funding was not going to help veterans. He led the charge to disapprove the bill as a whole, where Senator Ted Cruz iconically fist-bumped another senator. This, of course, caused a high uproar with veterans and local veterans protesting the Capitol. But in reality, this funding was to establish facilities for veterans because the AIR Commission was killed. It was dead because it recommended closing or downgrading veteran medical facilities, and this also caused an uproar. The AIR Commission recommended the closure and downgrading and facilities because it predicted where the veteran population would decrease. So why would politicians like Senator Toomey lie? Passing this bill could be seen as a win to the opposing political party. But how could they lie? That’s because of the Speech and Debate Clause, which protects them in whatever they say. 

While the chapter on the Department of Defense was very specific, the chapter on the Department of Veterans Affairs (on page 641) is vague on some of its recommendations. The most specific parts involve rescinding  “all departmental clinical policy directives that are contrary to principles of conservative governance starting with abortion services and gender reassignment surgery. Neither aligns with service-connected conditions that would warrant VA’s providing this type of clinical care, and both follow the Left’s pernicious trend of abusing the role of government to further its own agenda” on page 644. For the record, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not currently provide or cover gender-affirming or reassignment surgery, so what Project 2025 is saying in that regard is false.

On May 21^st, the DEA made the recommendation to transfer marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III, consistent with the HHS’s views. Since then, all eyes have been watching for news from the Department of Justice (DOJ). In May, the DOJ opened up a public forum for anyone to submit their comments regarding marijuana rescheduling. They received more than 40,000 submissions, which included a coalition of reform groups, governors, members of Congress, and medical professionals. Since the public forum has closed this month, we are all awaiting for the DOJ’s next step.

I was 37, when Senate Bill 2102, Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas SERVICE Act, was signed into law. This act added an extra eligibility category to breast cancer screenings for veterans, which is a deployment for the Gulf War and Post-9/11 Wars, despite the veteran’s age. I waited at least 90 days before requesting a breast cancer screening. Unsurprisingly, my primary care doctor and nurses were not read in on this new law. It took a few more months for me to get a mammogram and a subsequent MRI (dense breast tissue runs in my family). As a result, they did find some suspicious-looking masses. Multiple imaging and biopsies later, they found precancerous cells. Various doctors could not find these masses by the regular touch method, the recommended method of screening before one is old enough for a mammogram. 

There are many discussed points and incidents like President Trump wanting to hold a show of force military parade as he observed in France. Unfortunately, what he was demanding would cost $30 million, which became the main reason that it did not come to fruition. Another one is about President Trump calling fallen service members losers and suckers. This was later confirmed by former Trump White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit, AHG leverages radio and digital media and delivers vital information on benefits, resources, and referrals to military service members, veterans, and their families. The show’s host, Clifford P. Kelley, a Vietnam veteran and former city council member, lends his decades-long expertise. Co-host, COL Dr. Damon Arnold provides his medical and military knowledge to the show. Co-host, Debra Denhart shares her unique perspective as a military spouse and a community leader. Co-host, Sean Claiborne, also a former Army National Guardsman, brings his background in communications and a deep understanding of the challenges faced by the military and veteran community.