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Farm Bill - TPR's In Focus - August 7, 2026 · In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson

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  Support comes from Troy University's Trojan Cafe,
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  offering handcrafted Starbucks beverages and a wide assortment of meal and snack
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  options, located on Troy University's Montgomery campus across from
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  the Rosa Parks Library and Museum.
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  From Troy Public Radio,
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  this is the News Wrap, and I'm Carolyn Hutcheson.
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  From Alabama Public Television's Capitol Journal,
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  Jeff Sanders, executive producer and correspondent,
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  joins us today while Todd Stacy is away.
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  Jeff discusses the Farm Bill and previews the
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  August 11th special primary election.
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  And the wild card has gone to the dogs on a surfboard.
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  Jeff Sanders, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to Troy Public
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  Radio. Carolyn, always a pleasure to join you. What's the big news today?
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  The Farm Bill this week went before lawmakers in the Senate. The House
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  has already passed its version. Lawmakers in the Senate cannot agree on what's
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  happening there, and basically it's over dispute over food benefits,
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  to folks in America and how Republicans want to put some restrictions
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  on that. Democrats don't. So that did not happen. Of course, that farm bill
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  affects a lot of farmers in Alabama, and Katie Britt spoke to
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  Alex Engel about that, and we'll have that story from Washington as well.
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  Also, the other US senator for us and the Republican nominee
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  for governor, Tommy Tuberville, was in the capital city this week
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  speaking to the Chamber of Commerce, made some interesting comments about his thoughts about crime
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  in the capital city, not very positive, and said that basically when he becomes
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  governor, and he's going to clean up the capital city. Randy Scott
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  has more on that as well this week. Congress is about to
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  take a vacation. How's it looking? Well, you know, I think
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  dysfunction is just a bare minimum of what Congress is taking shape
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  and doing several years, it seems like now. Tommy Tuberville,
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  Katie Britt there. You know, we have 2 Democrats in the state with Shamari
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  Figgures and Terry Sewell, and it's just not a whole lot happening.
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  It is pretty much gridlocked. I will say this. Katie Britt has been a part
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  of some bipartisan legislation throughout her time in the Senate, and She continues
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  to work that lane. I know her and John Fetterman, the Democratic senator,
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  are close friends, but that's about it. This farm bill looks like it's
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  gonna have to wait a while and see what happens when lawmakers come back from
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  their break as the election is just a few months away. And quickly, we do
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  have a special primary in Alabama next week on Tuesday. Well, Jeff, can you
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  give us a brief preview of that primary? Well, as you know,
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  congressional lines have been redrawn. The big thing is District 2,
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  and that's where Shamari Figgers now covers. That was kicked
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  out by federal court a few years ago. Saying it violated the Voting Rights Act
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  due to some ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year. The state
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  was allowed to go back to the maps that the legislature drew a few years
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  ago. So that kind of puts that district back to more of a Republican district.
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  And then so Shamari Figgures is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
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  There are 6 candidates or so, I believe, in the Republican primary.
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  There'll be no runoff next week. So whoever gets the most votes will go
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  on to face Figgures in November. I know it's a race that the National
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  Democrats has targeted as one they're going to put a lot of money into,
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  hoping they can hold on to that seat. Well, Jeff, it is time
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  for a wild card. Surf's up, by the way.
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  Hundreds of people packed a North California beach for the annual World Dog
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  Surfing Championships. Miniature dachshunds, corgis, golden retrievers,
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  spaniels, retrievers, you name it. They were all in colorful jackets.
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  Judges scored each pup on balance, confidence, and style while
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  the event raised money for local animal charities. It was one competition,
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  I can say this, Carolyn, where wiping out was still a positive
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  experience and the competition was rough. If that's
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  enough puns for you. You bet. Who's on Capitol Journal tonight,
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  7:30, Sunday at noon, and on YouTube? Political analyst
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  Steve Flowers will be joining us to kind of preview that special election coming up.
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  Heath Harmon from the Alabama High School Athletic Association will join us to
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  discuss the beginning of football season, and APT will be carrying Games of the
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  Week again this year. And we'll have Pam Swaner from the Alabama Black Belt Adventurers
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  Association to talk about tourism in Alabama's Black Belt. Well,
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  Jeff, thanks for joining us for the News Wrap. Thanks, Carolyn. That was
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  Jeff Sanders, executive producer and correspondent
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  while Todd Stacy was away. More information about
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  Capitol Journal can be found at the aptv.org
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  website. Thanks for joining us for In Focus,
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  which is a podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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  Feel free to get in touch at In Focus at troy.edu.
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  I'm Carolyn Hutcheson, and this is listener-supported
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  Troy Public Radio.