Angie Hayden became an accidental activist when she stood up against censorship in her local library in Prattville, Alabama. Now she’s a founder of a statewide coalition called Read Freely Alabama, which is fighting efforts to ban books and restrict libraries across the state. We talked to her from the frontlines of a contentious fight over the control of public libraries and information.
Also, in the tragic aftermath of the flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas earlier this month, there was some fingerpointing about faulty emergency measures. But there was little discussion from state or federal officials about the causes of increased flooding — even as there have been a record number of flash flood warnings nationwide this year. Jesse looks at the ways many Southern states avoid discussing — or doing anything about — climate change and its effects. (You’ll never guess what Tennessee has legally declared a “renewable energy.”)
And in the arts and culture segment, a consideration of Rock The Country. The touring two-day festival organized by Kid Rock and featuring acts like Nickelback and Hank Williams Jr. is making its final stop of the year this weekend in Anderson, S.C. The event bills itself as being a celebration of hard-working, real Americans. But its roster makes clear that it has a specific and narrow idea of who those Americans are — and aren’t.
Show Notes:
“Louisiana Is the Latest State to Redefine Natural Gas as Green Energy” The Associated Press 6/26/25
“A fossil fuel may be rebranded ‘renewable energy’ under proposed Tennessee law” WPLN News 3/7/25
HB1143 Tennessee General Assembly
https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB1143&ga=114
“Which States Produce the Most Renewable Energy?” The Motley Fool 6/27/25
https://www.fool.com/research/renewable-energy-by-state
“Monthly Climate Reports” National Centers for Environmental Information
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202506
“Texas Leads U.S. Renewable Energy Generation by a Country Mile” Inside Climate News 3/6/25
“U.S. Hit With Record Number of Flash Flood Warnings” NBC News 7/17/25
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/us-hit-record-number-flash-flood-warnings-rcna219187
“Climate change helped fuel heavy rains that caused Hill Country floods, experts say” Texas Tribune 7/9/25
“Texas political leaders are indifferent, if not hostile, to climate change mitigation” MIT Climate Portal 4/22/25
“Fifth National Climate Assessment” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/61592
Read Freely Alabama
https://www.readfreelyalabama.org
“Autauga-Prattville Public Library sued over policies restricting book access” Alabama Reflector 5/9/24
“Support Fairhope Public Library” FundLibraries.org
https://www.fundlibraries.org/campaign/243/support-fairhope-public-library#Backers
Rock the Country
“Rock the Country Documentary” Kid Rock