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News Digest 2-7-24
The bipartisan border deal has collapsed in Congress…Iowa lawmakers continue to deal with transgender issues.
Soundtrack to the Struggle: “You’re Under Arrest” – Miles Davis Gets Political
It’s 1984, and Miles Davis is changing his musical course yet again. He’d exhausted his exploration of jazz fusion and now looked for a fresh perspective. The result was “You’re Under Arrest.” This album was intentionally controversial – from its garish cover art, to its confounding mix of in-your-face statements and sugary pop ballads. It …
News Digest 2-6-24
A bipartisan border deal faces potential roadblocks in Congress…Governor Reynolds says she’ll send Iowa state troopers to the southern border for a third time.
Soundtrack to the Struggle: Ella and Marilyn’s Unlikely Friendship
Rumor has it that Marilyn Monroe’s vocal coach, very early in Monroe’s career, ordered her to buy all of Ella Fitzgerald’s records, and to listen to them 100 times in a row. This deep study of Fitzgerald’s singing made Monroe not only a pretty solid singer herself, but it brought about the beginning of a …
News Digest 2-5-24
Details of a bill that would pair border enforcement with aid for Ukraine have been released by the U.S. Senate…Republicans in the Iowa legislature try to figure out what to do with Gov. Reynolds’ AEA reform proposal.
Soundtrack to the Struggle: Charles Mingus and the “Fables of Faubus”
It’s 1957, and Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus defies a presidential order and blocks the integration of the Little Rock school district. Bassist Charles Mingus, an outspoken civil rights advocate, immediately writes one of the greatest jazz protest songs of all time. “Fables of Faubus” was intended for his 1959 landmark album, “Mingus Ah Um.” Columbia …
News Digest 2-2-24
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says a vote on fudning for Ukraine and Israel coupled with increased border security could come next week…Iowa Republican tax committee chairmen release a plan to eliminate the state income tax.
Soundtrack to the Struggle: John Coltrane Grieves for Alabama
It’s Sunday, September 15, 1963, and four Klansmen have planted dynamite under the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed four young girls and injured many others. History records this incident as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement. John Coltrane, his heart broken, was driven to tears, anger, and frustration. …