First off, what a game on Tuesday! I hope you had the chance to watch the incredible win by the Kansas State Wildcats over the KU Jayhawks! Admittedly, I was checking the score throughout the State of the Union. K-State ended rival Kansas’s eight-game winning streak with their 74-67-win Tuesday night. Go Cats!

This week we heard President Trump discuss American exceptionalism and the endless opportunities for success that our nation has when we put politics aside and work together. President Trump made it clear that his vision for success is only possible when both parties come to the table.

I am hopeful that we can take President Trump’s call for unity seriously, and begin to work closer with each other understanding that we have one goal, a better America. I was sent to Washington to do what is best for Kansas and America, not bicker and play party politics. I am continuing to try to work with members up here and negotiate to find victories and ways we can work together.

To see the President’s speech, click here.

President Trump Delivers Unifying State of the Union Address

This Administration has been focused on lifting regulatory and tax burdens, unleashing our economy and most importantly keeping our country safe.

President Trump called for Congress to ‘show the world that America is committed to ending illegal immigration and putting the ruthless coyotes, cartels, drug dealers, and human traffickers out of business.’ I stand with the President on this issue and agree that we must secure our border by building the wall. Simply put, walls work, and I hope that we can find a win-win solution to the crisis on our southern border in these continued negotiations.

During the speech, Trump also outlined other priorities for the 116th congress including lowering the cost of health care and protecting patients.

As a physician, I want to lead the charge for all people to have meaningful access to health care. Of course, that includes people with pre-existing conditions, but we shouldn’t stop there. We must also help the millions of people who have been failed by the current healthcare system.

I am excited to work with the President on this critical issue.

I Know a Crisis When I See One

On Sunday, I spoke with Fox’s Molly Line about the crisis at our southern border and what I believe is necessary in order to solve it. Securing the border by building the wall is step one.

A compromise funding deal will need to be reached by next Friday to avoid another government shutdown, and it must include funding for the border wall. If an agreement is not made, this will only further highlight the Democrats unwillingness to try to work on a compromise. The American people have spoken, and they want the wall. I sincerely pray and hope that Nancy Pelosi will start to at least try to work with Republicans and even moderate Democrats within her own party to come up with a solution to secure the border and put an end to this national security and humanitarian crisis.

Watch the full clip here.

67th Annual National Prayer Breakfast

On Thursday, my wife Laina and I attended the National Prayer Breakfast where President Trump delivered a beautiful message on why faith is crucial to the success of our great nation. In his speech, he said, “We are blessed to live in a land of faith where all things are possible.  Our only limits are those we place on ourselves.”

This yearly prayer breakfast serves as a reminder of both the responsibility and privilege it is to serve our great nation. We prayed together and called on the lord to guide our hand to make the right decisions. So much of the decisions we make here in Washington rely upon strength and guidance from God. It was an honor to attend and join my colleagues and the many people across the nation that gathered to pray with us as well.

America has always done its best work when it is united, and I was pleased that President Trump reiterated his call for unity and led us in prayer asking for the Lord for strength and guidance.

It is also important to remember the deep roots Kansas has in this yearly tradition. President Eisenhower, who grew up in Abilene, Kansas, was the first president to join members in their informal prayer event in 1953. Since that year it has been honored as a nationally recognized event, and to this day, every president since Ike has attended.

Infanticide in New York

I am outraged by the new legislation in New York that supports abortions all the way until the due date of the baby. Congress, the medical community, and the American people need to stand up to this legislation and denounce these immoral, murderous procedures. This law combined with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s comments regarding a live birth abortion have enraged not only myself, but millions of people across the country that recognize abortion as what it is – murder. I think House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) put it best what he said “it woke a sleeping giant.” I hope and pray that this newly awakened spirit of morality and respect for the dignity of life will win out in the end and result in an end to the practice of abortion in this country.

150 Years of Little Sweden, USA

This week, I introduced a resolution celebrating the 150th anniversary of Lindsborg, Kansas. This legislation also recognizes and applauds the people who have made the town culturally rich and vibrant.

Lindsborg, located in McPherson County, was established on February 20, 1869, by Swedish immigrants who settled in the area.

It is a great honor to sponsor this resolution that celebrates a very special town to my family. I, myself, am one-quarter Swedish and am very proud of that. My family moved to the United States from Sweden in the early 1900s, first settling around Chicago then moving to White City, KS. Eventually, they found their way to rural Butler County, where they settled on 160 acres and raised their own cattle, chicken, pigs, eventually evolving that farm into the multi-faceted Kansas farm that it is today.

Growing up in a family with Swedish roots, we still celebrate Swedish traditions today. At every Christmas dinner, we have various Swedish dishes including pickled herring, anchovies, hardtack crackers, and Swedish candies all bought from shops in Lindsborg. I greatly value my heritage and am especially proud to sponsor a resolution supporting Lindsborg, ‘Little Sweden, USA.

Qatar: US Ally or Global Menace?

On Wednesday, I had the privilege of delivering the opening remarks at the Middle East Forum’s “Qatar: U.S. Ally or Global Menace?” conference in Washington, D.C. I spoke about President Trump’s strong stance against radical Islamic terrorism and governments that support it.

I also discussed the importance of standing alongside Israel, an important ally of over 60 years with a unique bond to the United States.Today, this alliance remains stronger than it has ever been before. However, there are still many groups that threaten violence against Israel and the United States. Iran and Qatar’s well-documented support for extremism has fueled bloodshed throughout the region and around the world.The U.S. and Israel must continue to stand together to counter destabilizing activity, stop the financing of terrorism, and end the proliferation of missiles.

I am proud to stand with President Trump in his efforts to counter foreign aggression and Islamic terror and to promote peace and stability across the globe.

Legislation Honors Ft. Riley Fallen Soldiers

This week, I introduced legislation with Sen. Roberts and Sen. Moran that honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the First Infantry Division. The legislation allows for additions to the First Division Monument located on White House grounds. Freedom isn’t free, and this legislation is an excellent reminder of that. I am both humbled and proud to recognize these service members on this historic monument at the White House.

This monument was developed to honor the heroic efforts of the 1ID soldiers who fought in World War I and has been modified throughout the years to include Big Red One soldiers who lost their lives. This legislation will ensure those that paid the ultimate sacrifice serving our country will be honored.

Marshall Joins Bipartisan Group in Reintroducing Violence Against Women Health Act

This week, I joined a group of bipartisan legislators in reintroducing H.R. 973, the Violence Against Women Health Act. This legislation builds on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by emphasizing efforts on behavioral health, adding a focus on early childhood programs, and utilizing existing resources for coordination between providers and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Since its enactment, the VAWA has funded programs for prevention of domestic violence and resources for victims of sexual assault such as rape crisis centers and hotlines. VAWA health-related programs have trained more than 13,000 health care providers to assess for and respond to domestic and sexual violence.

I am proud to support this important piece of legislation that takes the great work of the VAWA program and expands it to help even more women and families.

For more details on this legislation, please click here.

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the U.S. Representative for the First District of Kansas.

By RICHARD P. HOLM, MD

The phone rang, and I answered it because the call was from a nearby community. No big surprise that the caller was obviously not from anywhere near, and the caller was asking for a donation for some organization in which I had no interest. I said, in a kindly tone, “No thank you,” and hung up. They will never end the call. YOU MUST HANG UP.

Financial abuse by telephone or internet has been called “the crime of the 21st century.” People of all ages are at risk, but scammers commonly target the elderly. Those of us past 65 are more often home to answer the phone, are apt to stay on the line longer and are less likely to report a crime. Making all of this worse, telemarketing crime is challenging to prosecute and, therefore, inviting to criminals.

There are plenty of bad guys out there. The National Council on Aging has written a compendium of common fraudulent traps that can result from telephone calls or internet messages. Here are some:

• Callers may pose as Medicare representative to obtain your personal numbers for the purpose of billing Medicare for bogus services. Remember, U.S. Government agencies will NEVER initiate a call.

• Because of outrageous prices for drugs, people are lured to purchase less expensive prescriptions from internet and out-of-country pharmacies. Beware that doses of drugs may be different than desired, and sometimes unsafe substances are added.

• Callers may be selling false or dangerous anti-aging products and claim reduced wrinkles or bags under eyes. Don’t trust them. Talk to your doctor.

• Con-artists may promise to split a large sum of money with you, provided you first agree to send a “good faith” donation to help cover shipping costs. Don’t believe it.

• “Hi Grandma, do you know who this is?” Never give out the name of a family member on an unsolicited call. They usually ask you for money for a fake emergency or rescue. Always check by calling family first.

• Especially after a major disaster, callers ask for “rescue money” to help those harmed which, of course, goes to the scammers, not those in need.

• Fake investment plans are everywhere. Strangers calling or emailing you with a great investment opportunity, should not be trusted, especially if it sounds too good to be true.

Take home message: Don’t respond to calls or emails from strangers selling or pushing you into something. Don’t donate to causes that you didn’t initiate. Beware of scammers. In a kindly tone, say, “No thank you,” and JUST HANG UP.

Rick Holm is a physician from Brookings, S.D. and the author of “Life’s Final Season.” Follow The Prairie Doc Facebook page for free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc library of educational videos, podcasts and blog, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc streaming live most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.

In more communities today than ever, student publications are doing double-duty — reporting news of schools and surrounding communities — and doing both well.

As a nation, and for anyone who supports a free press, that dual rule is worthy of notice, honor and support. We take note of the great work being done by journalists who happen to be students as we recognize the 50th anniversary of a major student-First Amendment decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Freedom Forum Institute (FFI), the Newseum and the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) are declaring 2019 the “Year of the Student Journalist.”

As you might expect in today’s world, the life of student journalists and of the student press is not without challenge and obstacle, along with great dollops of good reporting.

As SPLC Executive Director Hadar Harris — with whom, in full disclosure, I and my FFI colleagues are coordinating this declared “Year” — recently wrote: “Student journalists play a key role in the civic life of their community. Not only do they report on important issues in the life of a school or school district, but as the number of professional journalists has dwindled, student journalists often also fill the gap in reporting on county, state and regional issues.”

“In 2014, a Pew research study found that student journalists made up 14 percent of the overall state house reporting corps. That number is certainly higher today. But student journalists and journalism education programs are under pressure. Student journalists have lesser First Amendment protections and are often subject to censorship, prior review, budget battles and other external pressures.”

For many who don’t often see student journalism, at the high school or college levels, the recollections are more likely than not to revolve around stories of “big games,” student elections or such. But in the 21st century, as newspaper circulation nationwide has continued to drop — more than 11 percent last year alone, reports document — more student journalists are reporting on stories and issues outside their school grounds or campuses.

In the past year, SPLC reports, students broke important stories about teacher misconduct (Utah), improper transfer of student athletes (Arkansas) and disciplinary charges by a state agency against an administrator (Vermont). Stories from students about teen pregnancy, drug abuse, mental illness and even how the recent partial federal government affected local businesses are now commonplace.

Sadly, school administrators censored those controversial stories in efforts not to make their schools look bad. In Texas, after students published editorials critical of the school administration, the paper was suspended and the unhappy principal banned all student editorials. In each case, the stories were reinstated, but the framework which allows for such censorship remains.

Just as we have not tolerated government control of what general news outlets can report, but hold them accountable for that reporting, we should adopt that same approach to student journalism. The Year of the Student Journalist will also highlight state-based student-led efforts to protect student press freedom and to prevent retaliation against advisers standing up for the First Amendment rights of their students. Such New Voices protections are in place in 14 states and are currently pending in eight more.

The legislation reflects changes in attitudes among our fellow citizens, according to the Freedom Forum Institute’s annual “State of the First Amendment” national survey. In 2014, the last year in which the direct question was included in the survey, 68 percent agreed that public school students should be allowed to report on controversial issues in their student newspapers without the approval of school authorities, while only 27 percent disagreed. When the question was first asked in 2001, Americans were almost evenly split on the question and those who strongly disagreed with the statement dominated the response.

As we saw demonstrated most tragically in the mass shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., nearly a year ago, student journalists can compete with professionals in reporting on even such horrific news.

As one student editor told me during a podcast interview just days later, the newspaper staff was making coverage plans even as the shots were still being fired, as they huddled in a closet for safety. The thinking: It was a big story, whether a faked attack or a real one.

Such an approach to covering the news — and the quality report that staff produced days later — is a professional approach to news that would bring credit to any newsroom.

In 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 7-2, in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District that neither “students (n)or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

Now, with that admonition in mind, and the realization that for many of us, student journalists will bring us the news of our town, school district or more, it’s time to support these journalists and their publications.

So let’s spend 2019 doing just that — in the “Year of the Student Journalist.”

Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac . He was a student journalist at St. Joseph’s High School in South Bend, Ind., and on the Daily News at Ball State University.