Episode
States Call on Congress to Recognize These Forgotten Veterans | The States
- Podcast
- The States
- Published
- Jun 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2899
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Summary
Election results in Georgia, veterans struggle to access benefits, human smuggling busts, non-citizen students getting higher education benefits, and barriers to black Americans looking for mortgages. Key election results are in as the 2026 midterm season accelerates. Georgia Republicans selected businessman Rick Jackson as their gubernatorial nominee, while several high-profile Senate and statewide races were decided in Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma as both parties prepare for a battle over control of Congress. We also examine concerns about veterans' access to federal benefits. Disabled Veterans founder Benjamin Krause joins the program to discuss how veterans who served during the Central American conflicts may face barriers to benefits because those operations were never formally recognized as wartime service by Congress. Plus, a look at major human smuggling and labor trafficking cases uncovered across multiple states, ongoing debates over state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and new proposals affecting immigration detention oversight. Education reporter Esther Wickham breaks down the growing debate over taxpayer-funded college aid and in-state tuition benefits for certain non-citizen students, including the legal battle unfolding in Texas and the broader impact on higher education funding. And Ph.D. Economist Orphe Divounguy breaks down why black Americans in the 50 top metros struggle to get mortgages.