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Spotlight on Opioids

Fire Chief Jan Rader has had quite a few months. The first woman to head up Huntington, W.Va.’s fire department, Rader and two other women from her community on the front lines of responding to the opioid epidemic — drug court judge Patricia Keller and Necia Freeman of Brown Bag Ministry — became the subjects of filmmaker Elaine McMillion’s documentary “Heroin(e).”

Since then, Rader has found herself on the national stage: the film was nominated for an Academy Award, and she attended the State of the Union and buttonholed members about their nationwide response to the drug crisis. In the latest “Political Theater” podcast, Chief Rader discusses the precarious situation her home, and the nation, are in; some of the things we should — and shouldn’t — do, and her experience during the making of the film. 

Listen to the podcast:

Down There on the Floor! It’s a Chart!

Selfies of waste. Kanga roofs. Tweets, retweets and more deleted tweets. When it comes to floor charts, we’ve seen them all. Fortunately for our readers, here are some of the best from our recent special staffer-focused Friday edition of Roll Call.

Week of White House Whimsy

The White House passed over details on key announcements this week, but the chief was sure of one thing: Donald Trump did not forcibly kiss Rachel Crooks in 2005. Parkland? We need to protect our schools and children. And oh, take care of those “bump stocks” Jeff. Pence said police and families need some kind of “tool” to address mental health challenges related to all these shootings. But force a smooch on somebody? “Who would do this in a public space with live security……….cameras running. Another False Accusation,” Trump tweeted.

Pelosi’s Palter

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she’d sacrifice her goal of taking back the House in 2018 if it means one thing.

“I would rather pass gun safety legislation than win the election,” the California Democrat said Thursday.

The Kicker