Kansas Reflector Podcast

Sandy Brown, president of the Kansas Abortion Fund, talks about her organization's evolving work. The small, all-volunteer, Lawrence-based nonprofit now pays for one-fourth of the abortions received by Kansas women and serves as a voice for women's reproductive rights. Despite the 2022 vote in Kansas to preserve the right to terminate a pregnancy, the Legislature continues to pass new restrictions...

State Sen. Patrick Schmidt is running for the U.S. Senate seat from Kansas. But he has to make it through the Democratic primary field to face Sen. Roger Marshall, the incumbent Republican and Trump ally.

Sandy Spidel Neumann retired after a 40-year career in financial services, then moved to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a U.S. Senator. As a Democratic candidate trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, she is pushing for strategic solutions that focus on data and gathering diverse opinions.

Leah Fliter with the Kansas Association of School Boards discusses how a federal scholarship program will affect public schools.

Kansas Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith and opinion editor Clay Wirestone sum up the Legislature's two-day veto session and preview a new series.

The Kansas Legislature wrapped up its main session the early morning hours of Saturday, March 28. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a conversation with Kansas Reflector reporters to recap what happened.

Katy Tyndell is among Democrats hoping for the chance to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, who has held the 4th District since 2017. She talks about her background as an attorney in Washington, D.C., her work with Leading Kansas, a civic engagement nonprofit she cofounded last year, and her views on various issues facing Congress.

Jason Hart is one of eight Democratic candidates lining up to take a shot at unseating Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall. He talks about being a political novice, his experience as a prosecutor of child sex crimes, views on federal policy, how being a straight, white, Christian man gives him bipartisan appeal, and his failed attempt to ward off a competitor.

Erik Murray is a Kansas City, Kansas-based entrepreneur who is trying to beat out a crowded field of Democrats running for U.S. Senate with a solutions-oriented campaign and a 105-county tour, which he announced on the Kansas Reflector podcast.

Former Kansas Rep. Jim Karleskint, a Vietnam War veteran who now lobbies for Veterans of Foreign Wars, says lobbying by for-profit claim consultants paved the way for legislation that would allow them to charge a fee for helping veterans, a service others provide for free.

Clinician and trauma therapist Tara Wallace talks about practices by Medicaid managed care organizations that harm mental health professionals, their clients and the already fragile Kansas network.

Former Gov. Jeff Colyer says experience in legislative and executive branch affairs and a lifetime as surgeon prepares him to return to the Capitol as governor in January 2027.

Charlotte O’Hara positions herself as the antidote to "career politicians" who are seeking the GOP nomination for governor. She talks about her career and upbringing, as well as views on abortion, computers and cellphones in schools, and "corporate welfare" given to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Justice K.J. Wall talks solutions to the declining numbers of attorneys in roughly half of the state of Kansas.

Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson talks about hiring a new program manager for Kansas 529 educational savings plans and updating investment options and tools parents can use to figure out the cost of post-secondary education.

Cynthia Lane, director of the state's Blueprint for Literacy program, says Kansas is improving literacy instruction from preschool to college levels. She says the next step is to blend Blueprint for Literacy with the Kansas State Board of Education's literacy program known as Every Child Can Read.

Kansas Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith leads a discussion with reporters Tim Carpenter, Anna Kaminski and Morgan Chilson to recap the busy first week of the 2026 session of the Kansas Legislature, from the governor's State of the State speech and GOP response to hearings, debates, rallies, a high-profile court case and vaccines.

Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter and editor in chief Sherman Smith provide a rundown of state and political news from 2025 and insights into what to look for in 2026.

Rep. Allen Reavis, an Atchison Republican, Rep. Lon Pishny, a Garden City Republican, and Nathan Eberline, executive director of the League of Kansas Municipalities, talk about their plans for the newly formed Local Government Caucus.

Tina Thompson returned to the Catholic Church after decades away as a priest, becoming the first Kansas member of the Roman Catholic Women Priests.

The Alliance of Former Chief Justices is dedicated to preserving judicial independence and the rule of law. Former Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss talks about the new alliance, the threats he faced while serving on the court, and an upcoming vote on how justices are selected in Kansas.

Mark McCormick has written for Kansas Reflector since the summer of 2021, The distinguished journalist has a long career, with stents at the Wichita Eagle, the Kansas African American Museum and the ACLU of Kansas. He also co wrote a book with his lifelong friend, Barry Sanders. McCormick was inducted into the Kansas Press Association's Hall of Fame in November, and he came to the podcast to talk...

Gary LaGrange, CEO of Valor Honey, and Brian McCornack, Kansas State University entomologist and head of the newly formed American Honey Institute, talk about challenges in the honey industry. Imported honey may contain cheap sweeteners, for instance, and the institute will focus on advocating for proper labeling and growing the industry.

Linda Heitzman-Powell, a researcher and professor in pediatrics, helped create a program that gives parents, organizations and service providers across the world the tools they need to help children with autism thrive.

Jennifer Ifft, Kansas State University extension specialist in agriculture policy, talks about what is included in the net farm income measurement, which shows Kansans will see an increase of 88% this year. She shares policy impacts on the industry and why it's important that the federal government support farmers.