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In multiple battles on election day, some candidates won despite being heavily outspent. The list includes

• Abdul El-Sayed prevailing over Haley Stevens’ $60-million campaign
• GOP Gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson seeing another $30-million of his personal fortune disappear in his loss to John James
• Multi-millionaire Congressman Shri Thanedar outspending state Representative Donavan McKinney 17-to-1 … and losing
• Mid-Michigan activist William Lawrence being outspent 3-to-1 by both of his opponents who split the vote sufficiently to let Lawrence slip through with 44% of the vote.

The general election is 89 days away…with early voting beginning in just over a month. The war of words is well underway with Republicans already branding all Democrats as communists, socialists and/or wussie Woke anti-police bed-wetting pro-criminal vegans.

Donald Trump took a break from his never-ending golf vacation to launch a couple more grifts – selling insider information through his Truth Social scam, bamboozling two gullible U.S. Senators into voting to confirm his personal criminal defense attorney as Attorney General, reinforcing his one-of-a-kind immunity from paying all the taxes he owes, and issuing still another “two days” prediction for his endless Iran War.

Meanwhile, the Trump government continues its manifestly incompetent management of the federal government. The explosive diarrhea is becoming a national epidemic as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proves once again he doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing, even as Trump’s apologists in the Senate try to shift blame for the last pandemic onto Dr. Anthony Fauci.

One of his onetime favorite former Fox News shouters may get the boot. Jeanine Pirro had to admit in court that Trump screwed up when he gave a no-bid contract to his pool guy for the Reflecting Pool restoration – it wasn’t vandals, it was shoddy work. The master builder is also starting over again on the White House helicopter pad after suddenly discovering that the White House lawn isn’t flat. And he’s unveiled the new gold-leaf encrusted statues at the Lincoln Memorial which just adds to the misery of the diarrhea epidemic.

The most entertaining race of this cycle was the Republican primary in the 8th congressional district. Donald Trump endorsed Amir Hassan, which prompted Thomas Smith to withdraw from the race…but still won overwhelmingly.

We start with the U.S. Senate race. It was much closer than most of the polls predicted. (A tip of the hat, by the way, to EPIC-MRA which correctly showed a very tight contest.) The big question: can Democrats unite, and then attract a majority of independents, to beat an admittedly tough opponent in Mike Rogers?

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Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed are in the center of the national political spotlightWe’re in the final days of a primary campaign that’s being watched by the nation: will the Democratic Socialist wing of the Democratic Party upset the centrist leadership?
It’s the top political story of the week nationwide.

Donald Trump’s approval rating is now officially in the deep freeze: 32-percent approval in the latest Quinnipiac poll. So Trump and his allies are rolling out more distractions:

• a just-for-Fox-News Senate interrogation of Dr. Anthony Fauci, with Fauci refusing to take Rand Paul’s bait by taking the 5th more than 100 times

© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com* still another Trump construction project (this time, $22-billion for renovations at Dulles International Airport, which he’ll probably try to get renamed Trump International), * an announcement that the feds will buy 250 armored Cadillac Escalades, with a sticker price of around 300-thousand-dollars, instead of the usual Chevy Suburbans; * and a meandering monologue from Trump at a taxpayer-funded campaign rally in southeast Michigan which included a long litany of Trump distortions, lies and name-calling

Democrats are openly celebrating Trump’s Michigan campaign appearance. It gave them still another opportunity to focus on Trump’s core failures. Party chair Curtis Hertel led the party’s “Welcome to Michigan, Donald” news conference In the background, Democrats are assuming that Trump will use all of the federal government to interfere with a fair-and-open election in November.

Trump with his faithful supplicants Mike Rogers and John JamesIn Lansing, legislative Democrats have reintroduced the 9 bills that passed both chambers 18 months ago … then were effectively stalled by House Speaker MAGA Matt Hall. t’s strictly a messaging exercise. Chances for enactment of those bills a second time: zero.

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Canadian officials cut the ribbon today to herald Monday’s scheduled opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge. Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford spoke directly of the latest Trump assault on America’s number one trading partner, saying “ Ontario will be ready to respond in any new American tariffs, will not back down, and will negotiate from a position of strength as a top trading partner, more than half of the United States.”

Because of Trump’s latest tariff tantrum no Americans were invited to the event. At recording time the Bridge is set to open for vehicular traffic on Monday.

Instead of presiding at a joint ribbon cutting which had been planned for next Monday midway between Detroit and Windsor, Trump will be a few miles north for a campaign rally. His campaign visit: an admission that Michigan Democrats could flip 3 Republican-held seats in Congress. For Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, it could be a political nightmare. He’ll have no choice but to join hands with a President whose approval rating is a pathetic 33 percent…and falling.

On the Democratic side of the Senate race, Governor Whitmer has endorsed Haley Stevens. Polls show Stevens with a slight lead over Abdul El-Sayed … and El-Sayed drawing large crowds this last week at rallies featuring Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But the endorsement comes with nearly 700-thousand absentee ballots already been received by local clerks, and another 1.2-million absentee ballots have been issued but not yet returned. Early in-person voting begins on tomorrow.

Defense Secretary (and former Fox & Friends B-Team talker) Pete Hegseth took a trip to Capitol Hill. The hostile reception he got from the Senate Appropriations Committee was enough to drive a man to drink. Hegseth wants another $90-billion to continue Trump’s War of Choice in Iran … and Senators made it clear they weren’t buying what he was selling. The normally soft-spoken Senator Gary Peters pulled no punches in lambasting the former Fox News weekend couch talker.

Hegseth claims the Iran War has cost around $37-billion so far. Of course, with Trump’s massive budget deficit estimated at 2-trillion dollars, the entire cost of the war goes on the federal credit card to be paid by future generations. And Senator Elissa Slotkin says the real cost is more … 200-billion dollars or more.

The State Board of Canvassers voted to put the Money out of Politics proposal on the November ballot. If approved by voters and if it gets past a court challenge, the proposal would ban political spending by regulated utilities and companies with state contracts.

Organizers got some major messaging help in the latest campaign finance reports which showed that CMS Energy has spent more than a quarter-million-dollars in a Republican primary targeting the chair of a House subcommittee who opposes construction of new data centers in Michigan. The number is huge. In 2024, there were a total of 13,491 votes cast in the district’s Republican primary (it’s a very red district so the primary is the real election). With a similar turnout this year, the spending equals $20 per vote.

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America was treated to still another delusional rant from Donald Trump Thursday night about the issue that’s his singular fixation: imaginary election fraud six years ago. The speech came in a week of bad news from the mad man in the Oval Office:

• Iran continues to dog-walk Trump and make the U.S. a laughing stock for the world, while the idiotic war continues to drive prices for American voters higher and higher.
• Trump was finally forced to pay millions of dollars in damages to a woman he sexually assaulted, and once upon a time, this would have been major news.
• His nominees for Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence embarrass themselves in Senate confirmation hearings – and threaten our national security and the rule of law if confirmed.
• And the reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., continues to be a perfect metaphor for Trump’s presidency: his lack-of-self-awareness delusional hubris meeting the real-world reality of his total incompetence and stupidity. Hey, did anyone know dumb has a B in it?

Trump’s speech about the 2020 election is both idiotic and alarming at the same time. Voters are locked in on the cost-of-living, while Trump, his administration, and all the Republicans are locked in using the fictional tropes about the 2020 election being rigged to deliberately rig the 2026 election. We should be far more alarmed than we are about the prospect of a free and fair election this November.

Trump and the Republicans have settled in on the messaging we predicted here on this podcast several weeks ago – manufactured culture wars and racial scare tactics about violent crime – but with an unexpected blast from the past – COMMUNISM. That’s right. It’s Red Scare 3.0 for the GOP as they look to spend the rest of 2026 campaigning like it’s 1956.

The political eyes of the nation are focused on Michigan’s race for the U.S. Senate, where there is also a significant new endorsement. Senator Gary Peters, whose retirement launched the battle for nomination, reversed his earlier neutrality decision to back Haley Stevens, saying the Senate isn’t the place for on-the-job training.

The latest Detroit News polling, from well-respected pollster Richard Czuba, shows Stevens with a lead over Abdul El Sayed…and that Democratic voters are focused on two issues: the economy and fighting Trump. (It appears nobody mentioned the 2020 election.)

Yesterday saw the latest federal fundraising reports from candidates and PACs across the country. And news flash: money still matters more than the terminally online chatter around campaigns. And Democrats overall continue to outperform Republicans here in Michigan and across the country. Democratic candidates for Senate and Congress are racking up massive hauls, and while the Republicans aren’t complete slouches, at least with their fundraising, they lag in most key races.

ScreenshotThe political focus is on Michigan and the Democratic battle for the U.S. Senate nomination. Joining the conversation is someone watching especially closely, online political guru Jack Cocchiarella. His YouTube political updates are seen by more than 1-and-a-half million subscribers, and more than 2 million followers across social media platforms.

Jeff first came to know Jack while he interned for the Lincoln Project during 2020 while he was still in high school. Now, after a political science path through Columbia University, he positions himself at the intersection of media virality and civic engagement—highlighting how today’s platforms shape electoral conversations. His commentary covers everything from algorithmic media dynamics to youth voter mobilization, and his channels regularly break down political stories, offering context, critique, and a call to action.

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Demagogue Senator Joe McCarthy’s Red Scare tactics of the 1950s are back.The GOP game plan for the 2026 campaign is clear: branding Democrats as soft-on-crime and communists who want to destroy America. Using Hollywood terms, it’s a sequel to what was, for a while, a highly successful 1950’s crusade led by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.

The candidates in Michigan’s two very high-profile primary battles had TV debates in the last few days. Did the debates change anything in the races for the GOP nomination for governor or the Dem nomination for U.S. Senate? Hint – I don’t think so. Not even a little bit.

Donald Trump got a diplomatic “red card” for his unhinged performance at the meeting of NATO leaders, threatening and insulting our allies while praising the Turkish dictator who has been sanctioned for his cozy military relationship with Russia.

The Graham Platner story has reached the inevitable conclusion in the wake of allegations he raped a former girlfriend with Platner defiant but recognizing his support had evaporated.

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It’s time for Trump to cough up the $5-million judgement for sexually assaulting and then defaming E. Jean Carroll. Earlier this week a fed-up federal judge ordered the release of the escrowed $5.8 million in one of the defamation cases brought by columnist E. Jean Carrol related to Trump’s sexual assault against her, saying that Trump’s stalling was over. Still pending: another $83-million plus interest in the 2nd defamation case related to Trump’s sexual assault of Carroll. No word yet from the other 27 women who’ve credibly described Trump’s sexual crimes against them.

Trump’s Justice Department is ramping up threats to disrupt and discredit the 2026 election, targeting three Democratic strongholds in Michigan. We’re joined by former DOJ voting rights attorney Sam Bagenstos.

Bagenstos was a senior staffer at what it now Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Project 2025-driven office of Management and Budget, and the nearly dormant Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights. From Inauguration Day 2021 to June 2022, he served as general counsel to the Office of Management and Budget where his responsibilities included working on President Biden’s Day One executive orders; helped respond to COVID-19, including implementing several crucial aid programs; and helped craft and implement the American Rescue Plan as well as the Inflation Reduction Act;.

From 2009 to 2011, Bagenstos was the principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, the No. 2 official in the Civil Rights Division where he was lead attorney in multiple voting rights lawsuits.

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Trump’s heavily hyped Great American State Fair has been labeled the All-American Fyre Festival. Crowds are non-existent. It’s even so bad that Vanilla Ice pulled out at the last minute. Jeff notes that he’s had larger crowds in his shower than at Trump’s latest shitastical narcissistic failed attempt at performative jingoism.

Voting has begun in Michigan’s primary election, headlined by the Republicans’ 3-way battle for the party gubernatorial nomination, and Democrats’ 3-way contest for the U.S. Senate nomination. We’ll get into the home-stretch tactics of all the contenders. The election also brings with it endorsements of candidates by other politicians, special interest groups, and newspapers. Do they matter? Which ones are relevant, and which ones are meaningless? And the ad wars are also underway. With competitive races all over the place, plan on seeing tens of millions of dollars’ worth of ads on your TV and computer between now and August. – and even more between August and November.

The issue of Trump’s massive corruption has moved front-and-center with disclosures of how the White House has become the center of a $2.2-billion POTUS Payday. It’s a 24/7/365 smash-and-grab with naked bribery as a sweetener. And that doesn’t take into account the billions falling into the greedy hands of his sons, son-in-law, and kleptocrat cronies.

Now there are reports that Trump staged a hostile takeover of the 250th anniversary celebration to enrich political allies, harvest voter data and promote Christian nationalist ideology, according to a congressional investigation released on Thursday. The interim report, “From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday”, outlines a web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes orchestrated through a shadow corporation embedded within the National Park Foundation. Happy birthday America!

© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.comRumors are growing of Perry Johnson-Mike Cox teaming up to consolidate the loudly vocal anti-John James sentiment among the hardcore MAGAs. It’s gotta happen soon, or not at all.

The SCOTUS wrapped up its annual term with a series of monumental last-day decisions, including one (1) affecting campaign finance coordination between parties and candidates, (2) defying the Trump-GOP attempt to disenfranchise military and other voters who use mail to send their ballots, (3) upholding the Republicans’ fixation with the genitals of child athletes, and upholding the birthright citizenship established in the 14th Amendment.

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AI created satire (in case you couldn’t figure that out!)There are dead ducks everywhere. In Switzerland, it could well be J.D. Vance’s presidential ambitions as the 60-day pause in Trump’s War is looking shakier by the day. In Lansing, it’s the almost invisible but now dead campaign of state Senate GOP Leader Aric Nesbitt’s gubernatorial campaign, with the final blow coming from Donald Trump. And in the nation’s capitol, it’s literally dead ducks … at least three of them spotted in the Trump-created algae-laden cesspool also known as the Reflecting Pool.

In addition to the Nesbitt departure, there are a few other developments in the GOP race for Governor. Donald Trump has given is “Full and Complete Endorsement” to John James, and Perry Johnson is spending more of his millions on a massive statewide advertising blitz. Expect Mike Cox to do the same

State House Speaker Matt Hall says there’s agreement on a framework for a state budget … you might call it a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). But as Vance and the two real estate developers are learning in Switzerland, there’s a big gap between an MOU and actual results.

There’s big news about the 250th national birthday celebration in Washington D.C. In addition to a riveting 90-minute rant from Trump, you can look forward to a performance from renowned country singer Alexis Wilson … best known for her ongoing role as Kash Patel’s girlfriend.

President Trump had another hissy fit this week, delaying the signing of a bipartisan housing bill. He announced he won’t sign the legislation until the Senate passes his voter suppression bill which he calls the SAVE Act. The bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act, aiming to ease the U.S. housing affordability crisis by streamlining construction rules, promoting local innovation and restricting large investor purchases. It passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers. Trump clearly places a higher priority on voter suppression than housing for Americans who aren’t wealthy like him.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is celebrating a reversal by Homeland Security, which says it has cancelled plans to turn a warehouse in Romulus into a prison for undocumented immigrants. Former Homeland Director Kristi Noem spent more than $1-billion buying 10 warehouses … all of them for prices well above their appraised value. Taxpayers will lost hundreds-of-millions as a result of Noem’s hugely unpopular program.

In New York City, the Mamdani slate swept the very Democratic city. In two non-Big Apple races, the winners for Democrats included women military veterans … including Vice Admiral Jenny LaCore, who was fired last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of his purge of top military officers. She’s running for the seat formerly held by Nancy Mace who opted to run for Governor (which she lost). Republicans will clearly try to brand the entire Democratic Party as captive of Mamdani Democratic Socialists. Does that work for them?

And since our last episode, a celebration…but only if your name is Trump. Carvana or CarMax has delivered Donald Trump’s new ride. It’s a slightly used imported gold-encrusted airplane (a.k.a. $400-million bribe from Qatar), tastefully detailed with a whole lot of electronic do-dads, all paid for by U.S. taxpayers at a cost of around a billion dollars. Trump plans to keep it as his White House going-away bauble. This moment of joy in MAGAvillemoved us to create a musical tribute to Donald’s Golden Dream Machine which, for our YouTube viewers, also includes a brief photo tour of the free-but-not-really-free gift to Trump.

Joining the podcast is law professor, author, podcast co-host and MS NOW legal analyst Barbara McQuade. When she’s not teaching future lawyers at the University of Michigan or fulfilling her multiple media commitments, Barb is a prolific author. Her latest book’s title gives a concise summary of what follows: “The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government.” The book is number one on the Amazon’s national and international security rankings, and lucky number 13 on this week’s New York Times non-fiction best sellers.

Barb is pure Michigan: born in Detroit, two degrees from the University of Michigan, and a devout fan of Detroit and U of M sports teams.

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In the first days of Donald Trump’s Middle East War, he proclaimed that the only acceptable end was “unconditional surrender.” He didn’t specify WHO needed to surrender. This week, we got the answer. Iran wins permanent control of the straits of Hormuz, keeps its nuclear program, and gets around a half-trillion-dollars in direct aid and unfrozen assets.

Trump got a lobster dinner at Versailles. Americans got the bill for tens-of-billions of dollars for bombs, drones and downed aircraft … and 13 American families got the ultimate bad news about their loved ones in the military.

© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.comTrump got elected by promising to Drain the Swamp. His many grifts have actually expanded the swamp for him, his family and his cronies. Now he’s created a real-life swamp with his $14-million paint job of the Reflecting Pool … which has gone from American Flag Blue to an algae-filled puke green.
It’s the one American landmark that really should be named after him.

Still on the subject of expensive vanity projects run amuck – when Trump announced his Ballroom Project, he said it would cost $200-million, paid completely through donations. That, like everything else under Trump, wasn’t even close to the truth. The Washington Post reports the latest cost estimate from Clark Construction – winners of the no-bid construction contract – is $600-million (a 200 percent cost overrun) with half of that coming from taxpayers. The Post reports that Trump knew the real cost before he announced the project and promised the no-cost-for-taxpayers.

Trump is also screwing up Michigan’s economy a little more. A new analysis from the Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group says Trump’ s delay in opening the Gordie Howe International Bridge is costing $6-to-$7-million a week in direct costs to bridge operators and taxpayers, with even more potential costs to Michigan auto manufacturers.

The battle is entering the final stages in the Republican battle for the party’s gubernatorial nomination with much of the candidates’ efforts aimed at an audience of one. Will Donald Trump endorse? And if he does, will it matter?

State House Speaker Matt Hall is projecting another stalemate on a state budget, demanding Senate Democrats move some House-passed GOP bills before he will consider funding the state. It comes as state bean-counters report tax collections are running well ahead of projections. Total revenues are $370-million above initial estimates.

An NFL team has become the latest proxy for the political wars. The Republicans who run Indiana have promised incentives of around $1-billion to move from Chicago to nearby Hammond, Indiana. Illinois has balked at the idea of taxpayer subsidies for the owners of the team that’s worth an estimated $9-billion, and booked profits of $75-million in the last reported year. A billion for billionaires … it’s the GOP mantra.

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A summer snowflake sighting in Wisconsin: Donald Trump stalked out of an NBC interview when his lies about election fraud were challenged by NBC’s Kristen Welker. While Trump was attacking mainstream media as “crooked”, his allies at CBS were proving they fit that description by firing 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley for calling out management efforts to spin stories on behalf of Trump.

Just days after proclaiming “ I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations,” Trump gave Democrats another campaign commercial saying that “he loves the inflation” … which has hit a 3-year high. Adding to the out-of-touch aura from the White House, he’s reaching out to the average American as only an 80-year-old billionaire can do it: first by attending a basketball game where the cheapest tickets cost thousands, and then by offering a UFC 250 gold coin for $11,999.99. The Michigan sales tax on that trinket: $720. But it includes free shipping!

© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.comEntertainment for Trump’s 80th birthday party – the UFC concussion contests on what used to be the White House south lawn – has cost taxpayers upwards of $60-million plus thousands of hours of staff time according to the National Park Service. Add to that the $2-million or so it costs taxpayers almost every week for Trump’s weekly golf trip to Florida and you’ve got enough money to gift 6,000 or so Americans with Trump 250 commemorative coins.

As Michigan State University looks once again for a new President, retiring U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ name moves to the top of the speculation. This comes as retired Senator Debbie Stabenow and Governor Gretchen Whitmer say they’re not interested in the job. All 3 are MSU alumni.

CMS Energy is adding to the politics of affordability, asking for still another massive rate increase. The utility wants to raise electric rates by $486-million. This rate hike request comes less than three months after the utility received approval for a $217 million increase. Attorney General Nessel and multiple legislators are pushing back – Nessel fighting the increase through the Public Service Commission, lawmakers proposing measures to limit the frequency of rate increase requests.

The battle for control of the closely divided Michigan Legislature is well underway. Democrats need to flip 4 seats to regain control of the state House; Republicans need to turn around 2 seats to win control of the state Senate. We’ll get into the details with Kyle Melinn, editor of the insider newsletter MIRS News.

Governor Whitmer headlined the ribbon cutting for an important bridge this week … just not THE bridge. While the Miller-Rotunda Bridge in Dearborn (important to the Ford Rouge Plant complex) is now open, the Trump administration continues to delay the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The Trump roadblock for Michigan’s economy is supported by state House Speaker Matt Hall, who says Michigan needs to renegotiate toll sharing for the bridge – even though Canada paid the full cost of construction.

The New York Times is reporting that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is promoting Haley Stevens’ campaign for the U.S. Senate. This comes as Abdul El-Sayed surges in internal polls … all of this two weeks before the first primary election ballots go into the mail. Ballots begin going out to Michigan voters on June 25.

Every elective state and federal job will be filled in the November election. While the spotlight will be on the races for Governor and U.S. Senate, there’s a lot more at stake, including control of the state Legislature.

That’s where we started our conversation with visiting pundit and chronicler of Michigan politics, Kyle Melinn. Kyle is editor of the MIRS Report, the go-to source for Michigan political insiders, providing in-depth coverage of all of state government and politics. He’s been with MIRS for 25 years, dating back to the Engler administration. In addition to his daily reporting, he is also a political columnist for Lansing City Pulse.

© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com

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Introducing our new podcast!Greed, Grift$ and Grab$:The Trump Crime Family Chronicles⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

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On our political radar this week…

Donald Trump says he’s getting bored with his war, doesn’t care about the mid-terms … but is laser focused on what matters: his reflecting pond renovation, diverting money from national parks for his D.C. cleanup, the Arc ‘d Trump, taking over DC golf courses, the UFC version of the ancient gladiator battles to the death, and reminding us daily that he’s passed a dementia screening test four times.

His latest middle finger to the nation: suggesting that the Las Vegas-style Fight Club arena on what used to be the White House lawn become a permanent part of the landscape. Vegas has the Dome and Elvis Wedding chapel; the home of Presidents, if Trump has his way, will have its own dome and a massive wedding reception hall. And it’s being reported that Trump is looting money from National Parks maintenance to pay for his July 4 fireworks show, the Reflecting Pool, a White House helipad and DC cleanup projects. He’ll burn up 1.6-million dollars blowing up stuff on the 4th … even as he burns up billions every week blowing up stuff in Iran.

In an administration populated by the absolutely worst cabinet in American history, Trump manages to lower the bar even further with the appointment of Michigander housing developer and certified Trump suck-up Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence, a job for which he has absolutely no qualifications. Actors Matt Damon and John Krasinski … a.k.a. Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan … would be more qualified. Adding the the Bad Cabinet Blues: the new director of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullins, says as far as he’s concerned following court orders is optional.

Michigan Democrats are optimistic after making the case to the national party that Michigan should be in the first tier of 2028 presidential primaries. The state party has also rejected appeals related to vote counting in the April endorsement convention. Will the dispute extend to the official nominating convention in August?

The state House has turned down a Republican-drafted constitutional amendment which would make all university boards and the State Board of Education gubernatorial appointed bodies instead of elected. Speaker Matt Hall didn’t bother to talk with Democrats before putting the measure up for a vote. With a two-thirds vote needed to pass, it didn’t come close to adoption, but could be revived for the November election.

We are just 50 days away from the start of early voting in Michigan. The four races to watch: the 3-way Republican contest for the opportunity to battle Jocelyn Benson for Governor; the 3-way Democratic contest to battle Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate; and multi-candidate Democratic primaries for Congressional seats based in Lansing and Macomb County.

Speculation has begun over who may be in the running for President of Michigan State University in the wake of last week’s departure of Kevin Guskiewicz. Will it be a relatively unknown academic, or a high-powered retired politician? There’s precedent for both routes…although the highest profile possibility, Gretchen Whitmer, has already announced she is not interested in the gig.

Republicans in Congress are starting to push back on Trump outrages – the House passing a measure to stop Trump’s Middle East war, Senators stripping the one-billion-dollar subsidy for his ballroom from the DHS budget, and both chambers primed to outlaw efforts to revive the $1.8-billion slush fund for rewarding January 6 rioters and other Trump fans. It’s interesting that congressional Republicans only started to show signs of life after candidate filing deadlines. Michigan Congressman Tom Barrett, who no longer faces the possibility of a primary challenge, was one of four Republicans voting this week to end the Iran War.

The political threat to non-compliant Republicans for pushing back against Great Leader comes as doubts about Trump’s mental and physical health grow. His third physical examination since taking office coupled with an incomplete post-exam report on what the doctors learned, his reduced work schedule, the cankles and bruising – have increased the speculation. It sure looks like both his political and mental powers are in decline.

This week’s best political giggle: an AI doctored photo of Senate candidate Mike Rogers, turning his relatively fit 63-year-old body into a modern-day Charles Atlas. What the heck – it’s easier than hours in the gym, or even going on Ozempic.

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Introducing our new podcast!Greed, Grift$ and Grab$:The Trump Crime Family Chronicles⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

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On our political radar this week…

Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan adds to decades of proof that an independent candidate for statewide office is doomed, pulling the plug on what had become a fading Quixotic quest. He was supposed to be the star of the annual Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce policy conference on Mackinac Island which was wrapping up as we recorded. There are no major surprises coming from the two days of fun, fudge and high-level schmoozing and boozing … and also no gubernatorial debate even though the major contenders are all at the Grand Hotel. It became a wake for the reality of Duggan’s “impossible dream” which proved, in fact, to be impossible. Does it clear the way for Jocelyn Benson to ride a Blue Wave into the Governor’s office?

National Democrats have launched a circular firing squad over the 2024 Autopsy report with DNC chair Ken Martin facing calls for his ouster. But does anyone outside of the party’s org chart and the political media give a damn? Meanwhile, Michigan Democrats are making a pitch to the DNC to put Michigan into the first tier of presidential primaries.

President Donald Trump’s push to reshape congressional districts ahead of the November elections suffered a double setback Tuesday, as South Carolina senators declined to do so and a federal court blocked a Republican-backed map in Alabama. As early in-person voting began Tuesday in South Carolina’s primaries, the state Senate rejected a Republican plan to cancel those congressional votes and instead schedule a new primary under revised districts designed to help the GOP oust Jim Clyburn, the state’s only black member of Congress.

A Republican win in Texas could well mean a Democratic win in November. Utterly corrupt Attorney General Ken Paxton outlasted Senator John Cornyn despite multiple national Republicans correctly pointing out that Paxton was a grotesquely flawed candidate. He’s under federal indictment, he narrowly avoided CONVICTION AFTER impeachment – BY A GOP LEGISLATURE, and he’s being sued for divorce by his state senator wife thanks to his affair with a former aide and state securities regulator.

Democrats in Washington have made it clear that a Blue Wave flip of congressional control will mean investigations into the Trump administration’s corruption. As lawmakers grow increasingly frustrated with President Donald Trump’s planned $1.8 billion lawsuit settlement fund and his thousands of stock trades totaling hundreds of millions dollars, a trio of House Democrats is launching a new caucus aimed at fighting malfeasance in government. The new End Corruption Caucus is launching at the direction of Representatives Jason Crow, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Mike Levin, D-Calif., spanning the party’s centrist to progressive wings.

When Donald Trump is feeling down, he brings in his Cabinet which spends a couple of hours telling him how great he is. On Wednesday the latest gathering focused on extolling what great things Trump has done for the economy and bringing Iran to its knees … nevermind that neither is consistent with reality. In fact, the latest reports from the Trump government is that inflation moved higher again last month … to the highest level in 3 years. Yes, inflation was lower during the final 2 years of the Biden administration.

All of this to help him cope with his cognitive decline and his pending mortality after continual images of his rotting hands, his incessant bragging about being able to pass rudimentary dementia tests (that seem to be a regular occurrence), and news that he’s had not one, not two, but THREE physicals at Walter Reed Hospital in less than a year, along with the realization that he was facing humiliation in the mid-term elections … which, all of a sudden, he claims are meaningless for him.

And it gave Trump a chance to introduce the latest merch available for his flock to buy on his QVC-style website, even laying out his newest tacky 55-dollar baseball cap in front of each of his cabinet members. Thankfully, none of them wore them during the meeting…and there’s no report if the men in the room were wearing their Trump-mandated Florsheim shoes.

The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans into the U.S. as refugees this year, increasing its historically low annual cap but still blocking people from other countries from entering through the program. Trump suspended the refugee program on his first day in office and, since then, has turned it into a vehicle to allow Afrikaners — a group of white South Africans descended mainly from Dutch settlers — into the U.S.

And there’s more than a little turmoil at Michigan State University. The Board of Trustees offered president Kevin Guskiewicz a $1-million pay raise and a contract extention. He said ‘no thanks’ and, after just two years in East Lansing, moves to President of Clemson University. This, after the board enacts controversial rules muzzling individual members … and penalizing two trustees for refusing to agree to the changes. All this adds to proposals to have the Governor appoint all university boards instead of relying on state political party nominations and partisan elections.

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In loving memory of our friend, Dr. John ‘Joe’ Schwarz – 1937-2026⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Introducing our new podcast!Greed, Grift$ and Grab$:The Trump Crime Family Chronicles⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

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Donald Trump, who has had a lifetime personal wealth-building obsession, set a new standard for corruption this week with three outrageously grubby grifts:

• The $1.8 billion slush fund, under his total control, that he can use to pay off his political crime family, even the January 6th rioters
• An agreement signed by his onetime criminal defense attorney giving him, his family, and his businesses immunity from any and all tax fraud and underpayment dating back to the beginning of time, and
• The revelation that he has engaged in what clearly appears to be thousands of stock trades based on inside information that you tend to get when you are President of the United States

VIDEO: Rachel Maddow on Trump’s Insider TradingState Senate Democrats have announced a comprehensive plan to fight back against likely Trump efforts to rig Michigan’s election; state House Republicans want to prohibit Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson from any role in state elections if she is also on the ballot. With Michigan’s split control of the Legislature, both efforts are probably doomed.

Michigan’s power brokers are gathering this week on Mackinac Island for the annual Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce conference. It brings together southeast Michigan business leaders, top level state and local government officials, and a lot of reporters with good expense accounts. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the three Democrats running for the U.S. Senate nomination will debate on one of the nation’s most popular podcasts, Pod Save America.

Donald Trump takes a (political) dump on two more Republican critics in primary elections: Congressman Thomas Massie in Kentucky for the sin of demanding that Trump release the Epstein files, and Senator Bill Cassidy in Louisiana for the sin of voting to convict Trump in Impeachment II and being mean to Bobby Kennedy Jr.
But with the razor-thin GOP majorities in both the House and Senate, will the revenge victories liberate enough votes to sink Trump’s pet projects? Cassidy has already demonstrated his liberation, voting to support Democrats’ efforts to rein in Trump’s unauthorized and illegal war in Iran. (Which one of them is the first to become a commentator on MS Now or launch a podcast?)

Trump’s endorsement of criminally indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate could both lose Trump the support of Senator John Cornyn for the next 7 months … and lose the Senate majority in November.

A lawsuit has been filed in state courts aimed at expanding voting rights in Michigan by making third parties relevant, without making them spoilers. We have an exclusive interview with the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, and his attorney. That would be plaintiff Jeff Timmer on behalf of the Michigan Common Sense Party, and the party’s attorney: Mark Brewer.

© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Introducing our new podcast!Greed, Grift$ and Grab$:The Trump Crime Family Chronicles⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

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• In between Oval Office naps, his costly, tacky fixations on the Reflecting Pool on the National mall and his $1-billion NOW TAXPAYER FUNDED ballroom, misogyny toward female reporters, rage posting on Truth Social, his bizarre, constant bragging about his regularly scheduled dementia tests, and stuffing his pockets full of payola from domestic and foreign tycoons and potentates, Donald Trump did Democrats a huge favor – voicing a soon-to-be Democratic campaign commercials in every competitive state and district across the fruited plain proclaiming “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation, I don’t think about anybody…”
  © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com
• New polling, paid for by the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce, shows the Chamber’s endorsed candidate for Governor with Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson taking the lead. The same poll says it’s a virtual three-way tie for the Democrats’ U.S. Senate nomination. A second poll, paid for by MIRS News, shows Benson’s lead growing to 12 points.
• The two leading Republican candidates for Governor are engaged in a reprise of the sad GOP song of 4 years ago … problems with nominating petition signatures. But John James and Perry “Quality Guru” Johnson aren’t the only Republicans with unplanned campaign hiccups. First district Congressman Jack Bergman faces a possible ethics violation over extracurricular moneymaking efforts by his congressional staff. And US Senate candidate Mike Rogers has some unseemly ties to child sex predators. In the Macomb County based 10th district, GOP candidate Robert Luljguraj is accused of lying about where he lives on his state paperwork. It all adds up to some interesting times at the State Elections Bureau.
• In this week’s chapter of Trump’s Perpetual Grifting, it’s looking like the highly promoted but non-existent Trump phone ain’t gonna happen. The 600,000 true believers who put down deposits of $100 seem unlikely to get their money back … but in the meantime, the Huckster Trumps have fleeced $60-million from the rubes.
• Also new on the Trump Perpetual Grifting beat:
  – The BBC reports that Trump is selling sponsorships of his oh-so-tacky UFC match at the White House for up to $1.5 million. No word on who gets the money, but it isn’t hard to guess.
  –The Wall Street Journal revealed that Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons in conjunction with the USA 250 celebration. So far, no pardon prices have been announced.
  –He’s being sued in Florida for plans to have a for-profit hotel inside his Presidential museum … on land given him by the state that’s worth around $67-million.
  –Construction of the above-ground portion of his ballroom is underway in direct violation of a court order, and
  –Preliminary work has begun on his Arch De’ TACO, er Trump … without legally required authorization.
• Inflation has soared to its highest level in 3 years and shows every sign of climbing higher and higher. Trump’s response, as usual, is to promise that things will get lots better … later. In “about two weeks.”
• The “good news, bad news”: 81-year-old Rudy Giuliani has recovered from the pneumonia that sent him to the ICU last week, and we’re happy that he’s apparently survived the medical crisis. The bad news: he’s resumed his podcast.

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© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.comOn our political radar this week…The $200-million, privately funded Trump desecration of the White House has morphed into a $1-billion project … with taxpayers picking up the tab. While the White House focused on the ballroom, taking over DC Golf Courses, repainting the reflecting pool, details of the White House UFC fight on July 4, and signage at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Michigan Democrats maintained their slim majority in the state Senate with a landslide special election victory in the Saginaw Valley. Chedrick Greene did what Democrats have been doing for a year: outperformed 2024’s numbers by a stunning 20-point margin.

In Indiana, Trump’s vengeance … amplified by around $14-million … has purged 5 Republicans from that state’s Senate as penance for daring to defy Trump’s imperial decree: a reminder that Trump’s Republican Party is a cult of servility – or else.

The Trump bank account continues to grow, with nepo-grifters Don Jr. and Eric landing a multi-million-dollar contract from Daddy’s Department of Defense. They’ve very quickly become successful entrepreneurs in the military drone business as a supplement to their hawking of worthless meme coins and cashing in on Daddy’s power/name/greed.

The Michigan Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the battle over Michigan MAGA House Speaker Matt Hall’s refusal to follow the state constitution when it comes to sending bills passed by the Legislature to the Governor to enact into law has a Supreme Court hearing. The state Senate is the plaintiff and their lead attorney: the honorable Mr. Mark Brewer Esquire.

In the race for the Democrats’ U.S. Senate nomination, Haley Stevens picked up two significant endorsements: retired 4-term U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, and the wife of the man she wants to succeed, Senator Gary Peters (who has said he will not endorse in the primary).

All three Democratic Senate candidates are set to participate in a forum on the Pod Save America podcast, scheduled to air May 24. The podcast reaches around 1.5 million listeners … slightly more than this podcast!

Republicans are claiming that Jocelyn Benson can’t be trusted to run the November election because her name is on the ballot. One problem with their rhetoric: the elections are run by local clerks and the Board of State Canvassers, not the Secretary of State. Benson doesn’t participate in validating signatures on nominating petitions or certifying the results and has taken the additional step of formally establishing a firewall between her and administration of the election.

Not to be outdone in the “ignorance on display sweepstakes”, Trump has called for the impeachment and/or indictment of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Impeaching House members isn’t a thing. It’s one more word salad from the mouth of someone a majority of Americans think is lacking the mental sharpness to do the job.

Trump held his first post-Correspondants’ Dinner campaign-style rally … at the friendly turf of The Villages retirement community in central Florida. Speaking to a crowd of supportive retirees, he and his fellow TV celebrity Dr. Phil repeated one of his many lies regarding the horrendous Big Ugly Budget Bill, claiming he had ended taxes on Social Security while standing in front of a backdrop making the same bogus claim.

Spoiler alert: it’s not true. What passed was a three-year, $ 6,000 tax deduction for seniors. It expires at the end of Trump’s term!

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© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.comOn our political radar this week…The Trump Retribution Parade continues as his Department of Payback indicts James Comey for posting a picture of sea shells on social media. If that doesn’t work, they could try claiming the 6-foot-8 Comey’s height poses an imminent threat to the safety of the President.

New polling from the Detroit Chamber shows “Undecided” remains the leader in Michigan Democrats’ battle for the U.S. Senate nomination. There’s a new controversy in that race, with long-ago Tweets from Mallory McMorrow coming back to haunt her. Among Republicans, John James continues to lead Perry Johnson, Mike Cox, and the rest of the field. The one no-contest race: Jocelyn Benson has a 58-point lead in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

The US Supreme Court has effectively repealed the last remnants of the Voting Rights Act, setting the stage for a possible new round of partisan gerrymanders. It comes as the last four black Republicans in Congress retire, leaving the GOP with the prospect of no black House members in 2027. The impact goes beyond the U.S. House of Representatives. In Michigan, it effectively eliminates majority-minority as a criterion for Michigan’s Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission when it draws future state legislative district maps – quite possibly before the 2028 elections.

The Donald Trump narcissism parade continues to grow. The latest: His snarling mug will now appear on commemorative U.S. passports, although Trump-free passports will continue to be available. And King Charles presented him with the ship’s bell from the World War II submarine HMS Trump. One ominous sign: that ship was sold off and broken up for scrap in August 1971.

In response to the war of words over election integrity, Secretary of State Benson has announced that 2.1 million outdated voter registrations have been canceled since 2019 or are in the cancellation process. For the first time ever, this includes over 180,000 dormant registrations of people who haven’t voted in a single election in the last 20 years or longer.

Control of the state Senate will be decided Tuesday when voters in Michigan’s 35th Senate District will decide whether Democrat Chedrick Greene or Republican Jason Tunney will represent them for the rest of the year in Lansing. The district includes Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. The Democrats are heavily favored to win and maintain control of the Senate.

The quote of the week comes from The Bulwark’s Tim Miller: We’re in the Fat Elvis era of the Trump presidency.A note on the passing of Senator Don Riegle. First elected to the U.S. House from Flint in 1966, he served 5 terms and then 3 terms in the Senate, where he succeeded the legendary Phil Hart. He was one of the few people ever elected to Congress from both parties, switching from Republican to Democrat in protest of the Vietnam War and the corruption of the Nixon administration.

We also lost a friend of this podcast, former Detroit News reporter and later Department of Justice lawyer Jim Mitzelfeld. Jim and his reporting partner Eric Freedman won a Pulitzer Prize for their uncovering of a million-dollar corruption scandal in the state House Fiscal Agency. Jim died of melanoma a day short of his 65th birthday.

Joining the conversation this week is President of End Citizens United, Tiffany Muller. Mark and Walt Sorg talked with Tiffany Muller. She simultaneously leads the affiliated groups Let America Vote, and the End Citizens United/Let America Vote Action Fund – organizations dedicated to reversing what many consider one of the worst rulings of the Supreme Court in the last century which opened the floodgates for dark money funding of political campaigns. Since joining ECU, Tiffany has helped grow the group from a start-up to a nationwide organization with more than 4 million members and 1 million grassroots donors.

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© Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.comOn our political radar this week…* Donald Trump, possessor of the self-proclaimed “Big Brain,” seems to have fully embraced a bunker mentality: his ever-shifting Iran strategy manages neither to sway Tehran nor steady the global economy, but it does keep everyone guessing. Meanwhile, he’s tied up in court trying to build an actual bunker—allegedly tucked beneath his $400 million gold-plated ballroom—because nothing says “strong leadership” like preparing to retreat in style. * Michigan Democrats attracted a record-setting 7,200-plus delegates to their endorsement convention … along with potential presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Corey Booker and Andy Beshear (as well as home field potential candidates Elissa Slotkin and Gretchen Whitmer). Much to the consternation of party leaders, a sizable contingent of young progressives heckled and booed some of the on-stage candidates … a demonstration that brought quick condemnation from state party chair Curtis Hertel on the party’s weekly podcast. * Trump’s polling numbers continue to plummet. The latest AP-NORC poll has his approval rating a massive 40 points under water: 30% approval, 70% disapproval. * The worst cabinet in generations is getting a huge shakeup with the firing of three of the most incompetent – all of them women. Who’s next? Oh, so many bozos from which to choose. Bar-room buddies Hegseth and/or Patel? Bessent? Brainworm Bobby? * Virginia voters narrowly approve a congressional gerrymander that could flip four seats to the benefit of Democrats while Florida struggles to enact what could be the final chapter of the Trump-led gerrymandering quagmire. When it’s all said and done, the GOP plan to reinforce its U.S. House majority may well backfire. * Michigan’s top officials agree: the latest Trump-branded election conspiracy tour deserves a hard pass. This comes as federal officials are demanding full access to Wayne County’s 2024 ballots, apparently treating election records like a clearance rack for future grievances. * The whole exercise doubles as a rehearsal dinner for the GOP’s next claim that 2024 was “rigged,” a storyline notably unsupported by facts but eagerly workshopped by two-time election loser John James, who is still auditioning his 2020 script blaming Secretary of State Benson—a plotline first piloted by Mike Rogers and apparently too good (or too baseless) to retire. * Perry Johnson has taken a page out of the Donald Trump playbook, filing an absolutely absurd lawsuit to get some attention. His target: John James, over a campaign flyer which he claims implies James is already Governor of Michigan. By the way, the latest poll from EPIC-MRA shows that our actual Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has nearly 100% name identification. * The GOP gubernatorial field is down by one. Former state House Speaker Tom Leonard, who was polling in single digits, has dropped out of the race 2 days after filing his nominating petitions. * The man who led Trump Airlines into bankruptcy is brokering a deal for the federal government to take partial ownership of the equally prestigious Spirit Airlines … at a cost of a half-billion dollars. * Democrats are focusing on gas prices as they challenge Republicans running for reelection to Congress. One target in Michigan: Lansing area Congressman Tom Barrett, who used the price of gas to flip the mid-Michigan district in 2024. He promised back then to get gas prices under control. * Meanwhile, a new report from the non-partisan Anderson Economic Group says the ongoing high price of gas is costing a typical family $100 a month. * Former Michigan Democratic and Republican party officials are teaming up in an effort to eliminate candidate nominating conventions for top state offices, arguing the practice disenfranchises voters.. The effort is led by former Michigan Democratic Party chair Lon Johnson, and former Republican Executive Director of the Michigan Republican Party Jason Roe. Mark is a former Michigan Democratic Party chair, and Jeff is a former Michigan GOP Executive Director. They offer their perspective on the idea.

The battle lines are drawn in Michigan for the November elections as candidates near and far file their petitions, and the state’s Democrats give preliminary approval to their candidates for most statewide offices in an often raucous convention. Joining the podcast this week: the Democrats’ choice for Attorney General, Washtenaw County prosecuting attorney Eli Savit.

A native of Ann Arbor, Savit attended Kalamazoo College in western Michigan, where he played four years of college basketball. Following his college graduation, he worked as a public school teacher—teaching both special-education and general-education 8th-grade U.S. history.

After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School, Eli worked for two federal judges. He was then selected to clerk on the United States Supreme Court for Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Prior to his election as Washtenaw County prosecutor in 2020, he served as senior legal counsel for the city of Detroit. As prosecutor, Eli has established dedicated special-victims and domestic violence units, led the successful investigation and prosecution of multiple “cold-case” rape cases, launched multiple successful programs that allow people dealing with behavioral health and substance-use issues to obtain rehabilitative services— while avoiding a criminal conviction, and established Washtenaw County’s first-ever conviction integrity and expungement unit, which remedies wrongful convictions and provides legally eligible residents free assistance in clearing old criminal records.

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The Trump EconomyOn our political radar this week…* J.D. Vance went 0-for-2 on his European trip. Victor Orban, campaigning with Vance at his side, got dumped as President of Hungary…despite ringing endorsements from Donald Trump and his BFF Vladimir Putin. Then Vance led negotiations with Iran over ending Trump’s Middle East War and struck out, calling it quits after all of one day of talks. * Facing multiple allegations of sexual improprieties, Eric Swalwell has resigned from Congress and pulled out of the California gubernatorial race while denying the accusations. There was bipartisan condemnation of Swalwell’s behavior but, when asked if the same standard should be applied to pussy-grabbing Donald Trump, Republicans suddenly had a problem answering. Also resigning in disgrace: Texas Republican Tony Gonzalez, like Swalwell facing allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Republicans are worried that a special election to replace him could result in a Democratic flip thanks, in part, to the new GOP gerrymander of the state. * The Trump politicizing of the Justice Department continues. Two federal civil rights prosecutors in Detroit who secured convictions against a group of Christian protestors accused of blocking access to abortion clinics were fired as part of a Trump administration crackdown on what it says were politically motivated cases under former President Joe Biden. * Donald Trump is redirecting his demented rage at Pope Leo, who had the temerity to note that Jesus wasn’t a fan of war or genocide. All that’s been missing so far: Trump calling the Pope “Low IQ”. And then, there’s that AI image of “Dr. Jesus of Palm Beach” which was quickly deleted from Trump’s Truth Social account. * The field is effectively set for Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. On the Democratic side, Haley Stevens, Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El Sayed each submitted their nominating petitions to the Elections Bureau in the last few days. Republican Mike Rogers’ campaign says he has his petitions ready to go and will file shortly. All four candidates are submitting around 30,000 signatures, the maximum allowed under state law. * John James has joined with all the Republican candidates for Governor making a campaign promise they can’t keep: repealing the state income tax. The repeal would basically eliminate the entire General Fund budget. Since Michigan has a flat-rate tax, the biggest winners with repeal would be the state’s wealthiest taxpayers. * Attorney General Dana Nessel has blasted on one of the many offsets that’s raising your cost of living: utility rates run amuck. She joined with other Democratic and community leaders to deride the state’s Public Service Commission for rolling over on behalf of the state’s two major utilities. * Michigan Democrats are holding their candidate endorsement convention this weekend. The events can be seen as a prelude to the 2028 national campaign with potential presidential candidates Kamala Harris, Andy Beshear and Cory Booker all doing some speechifying in the Motor City. The Dems are focusing on growing inflation brought about by Donald Trump’s Mideast War, and his obsession with tariffs. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell led a news conference addressing the most fundamental “kitchen table” issue: the cost of living, noting that tax cuts in the Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill are more than offset by the cost of groceries, gasoline, electricity and healthcare. It’s a mantra we’ll hear a lot between now and November.

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On our political radar this week…* Pam Bondi joins Meat Loaf, Joan Rivers, Dennis Rodman, Sinbad, Dionne Warwick, Andrew Dice Clay, Omarosa … and Kristi Noem: “You’re fired!”

VIDEO: Bye Bye Bondi (A Tribute)* Senator Elissa Slotkin – speaking in Iowa – confirms what we’ve been saying for weeks: she’s open to running for President. * Two more special elections this week, two more sharp turns to Democrats:

–In Wisconsin, liberal candidate Chris Taylor cruised to an easy victory over her conservative opponent in the state Supreme Court race with 60 percent of the vote, expanding the liberal majority on the court to 5-2.
– Georgia, Democrat Shawn Harris lost by about 12 percentage points in the race to replace Marjorie Taylor Green, but he shifted the district 25 points to the left. Trump won the district by 37 percentage points in 2024.

• A national Republican group said Monday it’s dumping $45 million into Michigan’s open U.S. Senate race as an initial investment to help presumptive GOP nominee Mike Rogers flip the seat from Democratic control. The operative word is “initial”, meaning even more millions will flow into Michigan Republican sources.
• Trump is calling on Congress to give Pete Hegseth a staggering $1.7-trillion dollars over the next year. To fund it, Trump wants to cut virtually every other federal program including a 23% cut for NASA even as four astronauts take a first-ever-for-humans trip to the far side of the moon. One item calling for a major increase: White House repairs and renovations. Trump wants to spend 377-million dollars on fixing up the place, an 860 percent increase.
• Two more major league grifts from Trump:

–The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit from Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during Trump’s first term to lying to the FBI about his conversations with a top Russian diplomat and was later pardoned. Bottom line: if Trump likes you, taxpayers will pay you to lie to the FBI.
–Semafor is reporting that Trump has directed the State Department to send $1.25 billion – without any Congressional appropriation or authorization to do so – to Trump’s Board of Peace. The transfer effectively places the money directly in the hands of Trump, the board’s chairman. Trump and the board’s executives control funding for the Board of Peace — and Trump selects the executive board — and the president will continue to do so even after his second term ends in January 2029.

• In the race for Governor – John James is ducking still another candidate debate, this one set for the end of the month in vote-rich Oakland County. James has seen his once overwhelming lead for the GOP gubernatorial nomination shrink as septuagenarian Perry “Quality Guru” Johnson dumps millions into an effort to spend his way into office.
• Governor Whitmer says she will not endorse a candidate for U.S. Senate or Secretary of State. She earlier ruled out an endorsement in the race for the gubernatorial nomination.

It’s pretty easy for Democrats to be critics of Donald Trump, his policies and his corruption. More important to most people is answering the question: “so what are you going to do?” State House Democrats have answered, releasing their Vision for a Brighter Michigan. We’re joined by House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri who led development of the plan.
The son of Indian immigrants, Leader Puri made history in 2020 as the first person of color to represent his Canton Michigan district and the first Sikh-American in Michigan’s legislative history. In his second term he served as majority whip, making him the highest-ranking South Asian in state government nationwide.
Remarkably, he is one of two first-generation Indian-Americans in top legislative leadership: Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh is also the son of Indian immigrants.
Leader Puri’s leadership has earned national recognition, including being named to the Council of State Government’s “20 Under 40” Leadership Award Class of 2023 and receiving the MIRS Legislator of the Year Award in 2024.His leadership has earned national recognition, including being named to the Council of State Government’s “20 Under 40” Leadership Award Class of 2023 and receiving the MIRS Legislator of the Year Award in 2024.
(Jeff) First question!

A personal note from producer/co-host Walt SorgApril is Michigan Donate Life month, a recognition of the state’s organ donation program. Four years ago I was the recipient of a donated kidney. It changed my life … and probably saved my life.
A part of you can live on after death through the simple act of saying “yes, I want to pay it forward.” And you can go a step beyond through a living donation of a kidney, or portion of your liver. My donor was my brother and he’s just as healthy today with one kidney as he was before the surgery.
The Michigan Organ Donor Registry is a confidential database that documents an individual’s decision to become an organ, tissue and eye donor. Joining the registry is simple and secure. Michiganders can add their name online at Michigan.gov/OrganDonation, at any Secretary of State branch office or self-service station, or on your state income tax return. And while you’re at it … the donation of blood through the Red Cross is an easy way to save another life. Last spring, donated blood saved my life.

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On our political radar this week…* Michigan Republicans have turned their backs on the craziest of the MAGA crazies with hopes of at least one upset in November. But the leader in their race for Governor had a bad weekend. John James had some of the delegates booing him as he was introduced for his speech … much to the delight of septuagenarian perpetual candidate Perry Johnson. * Volunteers manning a Rank MI Vote booth at the Michigan Republican Party’s endorsement convention this past weekend were asked to leave by party leaders and security after Rep. MAGA Matt Maddock told them their presence wasn’t welcome…and called them Communists. Rank MI Vote volunteers said they had paid the party for a booth under the name of the ballot question seeking to establish a ranked voting system in the state and wanted to talk with people who are politically active about their objective. * The Michigan Court of Appeals which ruled that 37 absentee ballots for Mayor of Hamtramck should be counted … in an election that was otherwise decided by 11 votes. * National Democrats have targeted two Michigan Republicans in Congress for retirement. “House Majority Forward” is running ads on the TSA mess at airports – pointing out that Bill Huizenga and Tom Barrett blocked legislation paying TSA agents … even though the bill they opposed was unanimously approved by the Senate. * A new tabulation from the Huffington Post shows Donald Trump’s nearly weekly golf trips to Florida have cost taxpayers $100-million in the last year. He is on track to hit nearly one-third of a billion dollars by the end of his term. * The latest in the Trump ego-massage campaign: Trump shared the first images of his planned presidential library in downtown Miami, posting a short video that depicts a skyscraper which appears to be about 50 stories tall and filled with reconstructions of parts of the White House, military vehicles and at least two gold statues of Trump. Also included in plans for the gaudy Miami high rise: a hotel, golden escalators, gold doo-dads everywhere, displays attacking Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and the Boeing 747 given to Trump by the oil sheiks of Qatar. Probably missing from the high-rise library: books … and any mentions of Jeffrey Epstein. * Another Trump stroking comes by way of Florida. Travelers in Palm Beach soon will be able to drive down President Donald J. Trump Boulevard to catch a flight at President Donald J. Trump International Airport, all in the shadow of nearby Mar-a-Lago, owned by President Donald J. Trump. * Trump had a hat-trick of losses in court over the last week: construction on his half-billion-dollar ballroom has been paused, with the judge saying it needed congressional approval, another judge ruled the defunding of NPR and PBS was unconstitutional, and still another judge ruled that presidential immunity did not shield Trump from lawsuits growing out of the January 6 insurrection. And the Supreme Court seems poised to reject Trump’s abolishing of birthright citizenship. * Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson calls bullshit on the latest Trump executive order which turns control of elections to the Post Office, Department of Justice and Homeland Security. Her immediate reaction: “States run elections, not the president. This executive order is illegal on its face.” Expect to hear from Dana Nessel and other Democratic state attorneys general about a lawsuit in the near future.

There’s seemingly no end to politics in our lives. It has even infiltrated sports. As we approach this weekend’s Final Four in men’s basketball, we take a deep dive into the intersection of Sports, Politics and Money with three-time Michigan Sportscaster of the Year Jack Ebling. He has covered college sports dating back to the days when Jim Harbaugh was the University of Michigan’s quarterback and Earvin Johnson was a magical MSU freshman. Unlike ESPN’s Stephen Smith, Jack’s take on political issues actually make sense … and he doesn’t start screaming to make his point!

A two-time graduate of MSU, the former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards before entering broadcasting in 2002. In addition to the sportswriting honors, Jack was named 2017 Michigan Broadcaster of the Year and was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has received 21 major state and national writing awards, authored or co-authored eight books and contributed more than 125 articles for national publications. He has hosted sports and news talk radio shows for nearly a quarter-century, including The Drive with Jack Ebling. Every Sunday evening since 2013, he has hosted Press Pass with Jack Ebling on FOX 47 in Lansing, the state’s longest-running hour-long, year-long sports TV show.

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On our political radar this week…As Donald Trump’s polling numbers continue to plummet to record-setting lows, he’s constantly shifting positions on Iran, NATO, DHS funding and ICE messaging on a daily basis. About the only constants: his efforts to shift the blame for everything bad to Biden and Obama, and his preoccupation with his $400-million ballroom, and figuring out ways to add more to the $4-billion his family has gobbled up in the last year.

Attorney General Dana Nessel is fighting efforts by ICE to convert a Romulus warehouse into a Trump Immigration Prison which would lock up as many as 500 men, women and children. The warehouse would give ICE close access to Metro Airport, but it’s also adjacent to a residential neighborhood, near both a middle school and high school, and in a flood plain.

The drive to reverse changes the state Legislature made last year to Michigan’s tipped and minimum wage laws is on hold. One Fair Wage had sought to collect enough signatures to place a referendum vote on the November ballot, but was unable to meet their signature goals. Instead, the group said, it planned to throw its efforts behind a separate ballot initiative seeking to limit certain political contributions.

The Democratic race for U.S. Senate has a battle of the polls this week. A new internal poll from state Senator Mallory McMorrow’s campaign shows her leapfrogging Rep. Haley Stevens, who’s now trailing the field in third place behind Abdul El-Sayed in the closely watched Senate Democratic primary. Her poll by Global Strategy Group has McMorrow leading the field with 30 percent, followed by El-Sayed at 25 percent and Stevens at 23 percent, with 21 percent undecided. The same survey showed McMorrow in second place and trailing Stevens by six points last June. A poll from the Stevens campaign shows the race as a statistical three way tie: Stevens 28, El Sayed 26, McMorrow 25 – well within the poll’s 3.5% margin of error.

McMorrow is the first statewide candidate to announce she has the signatures to get on the ballot. Her campaign says she will file 30,000 signatures, the maximum allowed under state law, to qualify her for the August primary. The signatures were all gathered by volunteers. Nearly all statewide campaigns typically use paid circulators.

We are recording two days before state Republicans gather in Novi to endorse candidates for statewide offices other than Governor and Lt. Governor. There’s new drama in the battle for Secretary of State. The sister of contender Amanda Love publicly alleged her family member was a “truly evil person.”Adora Orlowski says her sister would do “anything to anyone to gain power and control.” She accused Love of never having a real job and lacking the experience to serve as Michigan’s secretary of state.” Break out the popcorn!

A majority of Michigan voters believe the country is generally going in the wrong direction. 58% say things have gotten pretty seriously off on the wrong, and 33% say the country is headed in the right direction. Only 63% of Republicans polled were happy with the country’s direction. The poll was commissioned by the Republican-leaning Marketing Resource Group.

Donald Trump is now represented in Florida’s Legislature by a Democrat. Emily Gregory scored a major upset on Tuesday, flipping the legislative district that includes Trump’s waterfront grifting headquarters at Mar-a-Lago. Gregory, a first-time candidate who runs a fitness business serving pregnant and postpartum women, defeated her Republican opponent by a 51-49 margin to win the 87th House District in Palm Beach County. Trump, who says mail-in voting is cheating, voted in the election … by mail. Melania and Barron also mailed in their votes. Florida Democrats flipped a second legislative seat. Navy veteran and union official Brian Nathan flipped a Tampa-based state Senate seat that became vacant after Governor Ron DeSantis tapped its previous occupant to serve as his lieutenant governor.

Congratulations to Trump as winner of the brand new America FIrst Award, bestowed on him by U.S. House Republicans. This latest in a string of newly created awards gives the attention-craving Trump still another big, beautiful gold doo-dad to put right next to the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, the first-ever “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award, multiple golf championship trophies he awarded to himself, and his second-hand Nobel Peace Prize. As a topper, Trump’s hand-picked Federal Arts Commission has approved putting Trump’s mug on a commemorative 24-karat gold coin as part of the 250th anniversary celebration despite a law prohibiting putting a living President on U.S. coins.

The New Yorker reports that year one of the Trump presidency has increased his family’s wealth by a staggering $4-billion. And that doesn’t even count the tens-of-millions taxpayers have spent to pay for Trump’s every week golf trips to Florida.

Joining the conversation is veteran Detroit Free Press reporter Todd Spangler. Todd Spangler has been with the Free Press since 2003, previously as metro editor in Detroit (among other gigs) and since 2007 as Washington correspondent. In that job, he covers the presidency, Congress, politics and federal policy, a panoply which, admittedly, often makes him scratch his head in wonderment (if not outright confusion). Before joining the Free Press he managed the AP’s Pittsburgh bureau for 4 years. Away from work, Todd runs, hikes, bikes, cooks and listens to jazz. And when he’s back in Detroit he can be found, at least one night of the trip, at Lafayette Coney. Todd is a graduate of West Virginia University where he majored in journalism.

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iIt’s not just college basketball Madness – the bracket busters extend into the halls of Congress where two of Donald Trump’s legion of incompetents got busted over the administration’s war on Iran … and on the American people.

• Michigan’s two Senators took part in the Homeland Security Committee’s grilling of onetime MMA fighter and plumber Markwayne Mullin who is set to inherit Kristi Noem’s office … presumably minus any romancing with Corey Lewandowski.
• Elissa Slotkin tried to get a commitment that ICE agents won’t be showing up at voting precincts in November … with a response that wasn’t exactly reassuring.
• Gary Peters reminded Mullin that it’s Republicans who are voting against getting paychecks for TSA employees at airports. Peters re-emphasized what he said on last week’s episode of this podcast about the growing mess at airports.

Also on our poli-radar this week* The Trump grift-and-grab family found another opportunity for personal enrichment. Jared Kushner, the not-a-government-employee who is taking the lead on Middle East negotiations, is simultaneously soliciting $5-billion from Middle East potentates in the form of investments in the Kushner wealth management company. * In Michigan, state House Speaker MAGA Matt Hall is taking a page out of the Donald Trump Ego-Massage Manual, bragging about winning an apparently fictitious award for government transparency. The problem with the organization honoring Hall? It apparently doesn’t exist. State Democrats responded by offering Hall with the equally bogus SAD Award, or Speaker’s Asinine Decision Award. * Oakland County hosted Vice President James Donald Bowman – or is it James David Hamel? Or is he sticking with J.D. Vance? Whatever he calls himself, the self-proclaimed Appalachian Hillbilly checked in to tell Michiganders “don’t believe your eyes and ears: the economy is really just peachy.” * The Jeff Epstein web of debauchery threatens to tarnish Michigan’s famed Interlochen Center for the Arts, with state Democrats calling for an investigation into what they described as disturbing connections between Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and the northern Michigan arts institution. * Donald Trump says a former living President privately supported the Middle East War and wishes he had done it, with all four former living Presidents denying that they’ve even talked with Trump about the war. But … we haven’t heard denials yet from President Jeb Bartlet or President Frank Underwood, or the ghost of the late great Abraham Lincoln.

Michigan is a national political center of attention. Governor, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State, Attorney General, the entire congressional delegation and the entire legislature are all on the ballot in November. Covering all of this is Bridge Michigan’s outstanding political reporter Lauren Gibbons. Lauren covers state politics and policy for Bridge Michigan. Prior to joining Bridge’s Capitol team, she worked at MLive, where she led coverage of the state Legislature and the redistricting process, and before that covered the state Senate for MIRS News.

She has covered the ins and outs of Michigan politics for nearly a decade and has won awards both for her political coverage and her work documenting the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. Lauren grew up in the Lansing area and graduated from Michigan State University, majoring in journalism and history. She lives in Ferndale, and her party tricks include Irish dancing and telling friends what political districts they live in without looking.

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On our radar this week…© Clay Jones – claytoonz.substack.comIn the last week, the list of Donald Trump’s broken campaign promises was seemingly endless: beginning with starting a Middle East War and increasing gas prices to go up 60-cents-a-gallon (with the prospect of Four Dollar per gallons looming … maybe even more).

The “I will end inflation” guy is now looking at inflation headed in the wrong direction. The man who promised to create manufacturing jobs has given way to the reality of manufacturing job losses. Promises of draining the swamp have taken a multi-billion-dollar detour into the Trump family bank accounts. The long-ago pledge to balance the budget and pay off the national debt have been transformed into record-setting deficits in order to cut taxes for the yachts-and-private-jets crowd.

And the promise to release the Epstein Files … well, we all know how that’s going.

Also this week:

• We have the tenth special election flip from Republican to Democrat – this time in New Hampshire … as the Trump Train Wreck barrels down the tracks with his polling numbers hitting a new all-time low. His latest political Hail Mary is the SAVE Act which would take away the right to vote from untold hundreds-of-thousands. But his demands are falling on deaf ears on Capitol Hill, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune telling him it ain’t gonna happen.
• The Trump family has, of course, figured out how to make money from the war. Sonny and Fredo, a.k.a. Don Jr. and Eric, are backing a new drone company that is vying to meet fresh demand from the Pentagon and fill a hole left by the administration’s ban on new Chinese drones in the U.S.
• Clay Jones – claytoonz.substack.com
• Trump says the U.S. won the war in the first hour. But they still managed to spend 11-billion dollars after we supposedly had won…and the bombing continues.
• It looks like the Gordie Howe Bridge will be putting the Maroun Family into the penalty box. Tolls to cross the not-yet-open bridge will be less than half the fees at the competing Ambassador Bridge for both passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, setting in motion a forthcoming toll war between the two Detroit River crossings.
• Michigan Democrats are using the Bridge controversy to highlight the financial ties between the Maroun family and GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers.
• In Michigan, Republican candidates for Governor are all calling for pretty much closing most of state government by repealing the income tax, property taxes, or both. Apparently they think things like State Police, prisons, public health, public parks, food safety inspections, mental health and our universities can all be funded with the sales tax, sin taxes, unclaimed bottle deposits, the lottery and the tooth fairy.The state Senate has passed bipartisan legislation to help people deal with medical debt. But its fate is uncertain in the House, where Speaker Matt Hall has very different ideas for addressing medical debt through more transparency in pricing.

Petitions have been filed with the state to force a vote in November on a deceptive proposal which, on its face, prohibits non-citizens from voting in Michigan … something that is already a part of state law. Left unstated by the backers are the proposal’s impact on voting rights.

A longtime chronicler of state government has taken a look behind the proposal of “Americans for Citizens Only Voting.” John Lindstrom has covered state government over the last four decades. Since retiring as publisher of the highly regarded Gongwer Michigan report, he’s been a columnist for the Detroit Free Press. John is the newest inductee into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame – the ceremony formalizing his induction is a month from now in East Lansing.

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On our radar this week…Trump’s “Wag the Dog” tactic has started a war that’s quickly engulfing the entire Middle East, is costing taxpayers tens-of-billions of dollars. It has been an expensive and largely unsuccessful diversion tactic, made even worse with the combative testimony of the Clintons in a House Oversight hearing into the Epstein story. If anything, the two days of testimony from Hillary and Bill Clinton increased the heat on Trump and his coverup.

© Clay Jones – claytoonz.comNot satisfied with launching a Middle East war, invading Venezuela, sinking a bunch of small boats on the open seas, hinting at a hostile takeover of Cuba and picking out White House drapes, Trump has now launched a military operation in Ecuador. All of Trump’s efforts have been aimed at the supply of drugs – with no effort to reduce the domestic demand for drugs that makes the drug trade so profitable.

Also this week:

• Texas Democrats are thinking upset in November, with Dems outnumbering Republican voters in the primary … and Republicans headed to what promises to be a very messy runoff campaign between their corrupt state Attorney General and a beleaguered sitting Senator. In North Carolina, the nomination of a popular former Governor for the Senate … and the Democratic turnout outnumbering Republicans by 200,000 … have the Dems increasingly confident of flipping that Senate seat.
• In Arkansas, another Democratic flip. Democrat Alex Holladay won a Republican-held seat in the Arkansas state House on Tuesday, marking the ninth time Democrats have flipped a district from red to blue in a special election since the start of Donald Trump’s second term
• One of the behind-the-scenes powers in Lansing is stepping down from the Legislature. State Senator Sam Singh, long considered one of the most effective lawmakers in Lansing, says he won’t seek another term despite the prospect of moving up to Senate Majority Leader in 2027.
• Even as the United States spends tens-of-billions in borrowed money to bomb Iran, more financial problems for Trump’s record-setting budget deficits. A federal trade-court judge has ordered the Trump administration to start refunding the more than $130 billion it collected in the global tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court last month.

Joining the conversation is Michigan’s senior United States Senator, Gary Peters. He was first elected to the Senate in 2015 after serving as a member of the Rochester Hills City Council, Michigan State Senate, and Director of the State Lottery. During his two terms in the state Senate, he authored and passed more bills signed into law than any other member of his party – a record of productivity that has been mirrored in his two terms as U.S. Senator. (Jeff) Senator Peters is the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and also is a member of the Appropriations Committee, Armed Services Committee, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

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Reps. David Scott (D-GA) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY) appeared to “doze off” during Donald Trump’s SOTU address.On our radar this week…“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” – George Orwell, “1984”

We opened last week’s podcast with those words from Orwell’s prescient dystopian novel. On Tuesday, Donald Trump lived those words in a gibbering, rambling, bitter, divisive, partisan, and lie-filled one-hour 47-minute diatribe. The speech was boycotted by dozens of Democrats … and a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court and, based on the TV ratings, the majority of Americans.

Newly elected Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, in the official Democratic response, summed up Trump in one biting paragraph:

“…who benefits from his rhetoric, his policies, his actions, the short list of laws he’s pushed through this Republican Congress? Somebody must be benefiting. He’s enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented. There’s the coverup of the Epstein files, the crypto scams cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on buildings all over our. Nations capital. This is not what our founders envisioned. Not by a long shot. So I’ll ask again. Is the president working for you? We all know the answer is no.”

Ryan Garza – Detroit Free PressA day later, Governor Whitmer offered her 8th and final State of the State assessment: realistic, grounded in reality, and a reflection of someone whose approval rating is 15 points higher than Trump’s. Multiple polls show a stunning 60+ percent of Americans say Trump sucks while Whitmer’s approval has consistently been in the low-to-mid 50’s.

Whitmer’s speech focused on “kitchen table” issues: affordability, medical debt, housing and literacy. She somehow forgot to label Republicans as “Low IQ”, “Crazy”, “Lunatics” or responsible for all of Michigan’s problems … she didn’t even once blame anything on Rick Snyder … but she did take the opportunity to brag about Michigan athletes dominating the U.S. medal count at the Olympics. And she even high-fived House Speaker MAGA Matt Hall for working collaboratively on sick-time legislation!

The contrasts between those two speeches frame this week’s discussion. Later in the podcast, we are joined by two anti-authoritarian experts to discuss an issue facing many American families and neighbors: how we can talk with each other in this era of often-angry partisan divisions – and why it is critical that we do.

We’ve all been there. Going to the Sunday family dinner that always devolves into a debate about Trump. A few of my extended family members are MAGA to the point where we avoid politics completely. Scrolling through Facebook and encountering that childhood friend whose feed has become a minefield of MAGA memes. For a decade, the conventional wisdom for surviving the American political divide has been “don’t go there.” We’ve treated political topics like radioactive waste—best left buried for the sake of the relationship.

The folks at the Democracy Investment Fund think that silence is costing us more than we realize. Their new free app, LSTN2U, is a bet on a radical idea: that we can actually talk to each other again, provided we stop trying to “win.” LSTN2U isn’t a social media network or a news aggregator. It’s essentially a flight simulator for difficult conversations. The free, nonpartisan app provides a judgment-free digital resource where users can practice realistic dialogue. We’re joined by the two people behind this optimistic approach to politics: my friends Erin Dobson and Trygve Olson.

LSTN2U is a free app: no upsells or hidden fees. Your data is not sold or used commercially.LSTN2U emphasizes:

• Active Listening: Truly hearing the “why” behind someone’s “what.”
• Emotional Awareness: Identifying when your own “fight or flight” response is hijacking the logic centers of your brain.
• Boundary Setting: Learning how to stay in a conversation without losing your peace of mind—and knowing when it’s OK to step back.

Other issues on our radar this week that, in more normal times, would occupy an entire podcast include

• The appearance that Donald “Give Me the Nobel Peace Prize” Trump is on the verge of starting a war with Iran … a war that could rival the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in futility, and further alienate the United States from the world. This comes six months after Trump claimed to have obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities. Apparently obliteration has a short shelf life.
• The Epstein cover-up became even more evident with the revelation that dozens of documents pointing directly at Trump … including allegations of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl … have been hidden by the utterly corrupt Pam Bondi. But Republicans on Capitol Hill are more interested in the Clintons, with Bill and Hillary dragged in front of the House Oversight Committee this week for depositions that will keep the Epstein story in the headlines … but provide little else.
• After the Supreme Court told him his tariffs were illegal, Trump doubled down by imposing a 10 percent then 15 percent tariff on all imports. If, as Trump says, those tariffs would replace the federal income tax, it would be a huge financial windfall for the highest income taxpayers … his billionaire buddies, shifting the tax load to low- and middle-income families.
• Republicans are pushing to pass a bill to combat non-existent voter fraud. The so-called “SAVE” act would, in reality, burdening millions of Americans as they exercise their right to vote by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The proof: either a birth certificate or passport. Millions of American citizens, including low-income, minorities, seniors, and -get this- women who have a different last name than they were born with, would have to jump through hoops and incur costs to comply.
• FBI Director Kash Patel spent $1-million or more of taxpayer money for a thinly disguised junket to the Olympics, culminating with chugging beer with the victorious U.S. men’s hockey team. Of course, he claimed official business as an excuse for his trip.
• New polling shows the race for Governor appears to show the race is a statistical tie, with Democrat Jocelyn Benson narrowly leading Republican John James and independent Mike Duggan. But the polling raises questions, especially because the poll was commissioned by supporters of Mike Duggan. The poll assumes James will be the survivor of a four-way GOP primary race, with 78-year-old Perry Johnson promising now to spend $10-million over the next few weeks in a statewide advertising blitz.
• Legislation has been introduced to limit the use of artificial intelligence to monitor workplace activity. State Representative Penelope Tsernoglou joined with Michigan AFL CIO President Ron Bieber to warn of abuses already happening as some employers use A.I. to monitor everything from computer activity to bathroom breaks.
• State House Speaker Matt Hall is floating a property tax relief plan funded by enacting a new tax on services – an idea once promoted unsuccessfully by Jennifer Granholm.
• The Department of Homeland Security says ICE officers will not interfere with voting precincts in November … but a lot of people are skeptical given the history of voting fraud conspiracy promoters making the promise.

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On our radar this week…“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

George Orwell wrote those words 76 years ago in “1984” – seemingly the operating manual for Donald Trump’s administration. In fact, Trump used those exact words in a campaign speech and has lived by them ever since.

George Orwell also wrote: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”

Every day is an exercise in taking attention away from the growing coverup of the Epstein files and financial corruption, with Trump apparently terrified that his sordid decades-long history as a sexual predator will finally catch up with him. It’s a stark contrast with England, where the Andrew formerly known as “Prince” is celebrated his 66th birthday in police custody as England actually holds the powerful accountable for the Epstein-led sexual abuse of children, while in Epstein’s home country the White House continues to coverup the crimes of the rich and powerful … very possibly a group that includes Trump.

Case in point: the Department of Justice spoke four separate times to a woman who credibly accused Donald Trump of having sex with a 13-year-old he met through Jeffrey Epstein—but most accusations against the president appear to have been removed from the government’s documents on the alleged sex trafficker.

A part of Trump’s defense is also right out of “1984”: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.”

That means silencing his critics including the late night comedians who, in the tradition of Will Rogers, lampoon him non-stop. But the tactic is backfiring: Kimmel’s banishment lasted a few days, and Stephen Colbert has become even more focused in the last weeks of his days on CBS. The made-for-YouTube video of Colbert with Texas Senate candidate James Talarico has racked up more than 7.5 million views which is triple the Colbert TV show ratings. And Talarico raised a staggering $2.5-million in the day following the incident.

Trump wants everything possible named after him. Now, he apparently wants to profit from those efforts: his company has filed papers to trademark use of his name at airports even as his Florida fans in the state’s legislature pass a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport in his honor and he pressures Congress to rename Dulles Airport. If signed into law, the Palm Beach International change would cost the airport $5.5 million to remake signs, uniforms, promotional products, equipment, and more, according to Palm Beach County’s department of airports.

Also on our radar

• The Supreme Court kicked off another Trump tantrum by axing his tariffs. The war between Dozing Donald and the court he thought he controlled is now started.
• Trump got a little nap time during the initial meeting of his made-up Institute for Peace, nodding off repeatedly in front of the world leaders who had ponied up the $1-billion membership fee. Before nap time, Trump pledged a $10-billion U.S. contribution to what amounts to his personal slush fund – ignoring the constitutional requirement that spending needed to be authorized by Congress.
• Governor Whitmer attended the Munich International Security Conference. At the conference, she joined AOC, and Trump’s NATO ambassador on a panel discussion where she was highly critical of Trump’s economic war with Canada has driven our neighbors to the north to get cozy with China.
• Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan has a new problem. His campaign claimed union endorsements he hasn’t received. It’s a near certainty that the Service Employees International Union and the United Auto Workers will ultimately endorse Jocelyn Benson. Benson, meanwhile, picked up the endorsement of the Michigan Nurses Association.
• Mark has a new neighbor. ICE has opened a regional headquarters next door to my office … and also is opening a detention center in Romulus. Nobody’s happy about this except Stephen Miller. Is this a staging area for masked ICE agents outside Democratic-leaning voting sites in southeast Michigan this November?
• And we can’t unwatch the incredibly insane 90-second, taxpayer-funded video of RFK Jr. and Kid Rock flexing and sweating, apparently to promote physical fitness. RFK thankfully did not include snorting cocaine from toilet seats as part of his workout regimen.
• On a far more serious note, we recognize the unique contributions of two men we lost this week: the internationally known Rev. Jesse Jackson, and one of the “good guys” who made Michigan State government work better over his decades of service, our friend Bill Gnodtke.

On Tuesday, west Michigan Congresswoman Hilary Scholten went inside an ICE concentration camp. Scholten, who was an immigration attorney before being elected to Congress, joins this week’s conversation. Congresswoman Scholten is a fourth-generation West Michigander. Prior to her election in 2022 she was an immigration attorney who served in the U.S. Department of Justice. Scholten began her own career as a social worker, working with people affected by issues of housing and homelessness. During this time, she worked with individuals in the LGBTQ community who were facing homelessness and housing insecurity—often because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Congresswoman Scholten obtained her law degree from the University of Maryland Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and then went on to clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in their special unit focused on immigration issues. Following her clerkship, she joined the Justice Department through the Attorney General Honors Program, where she continued to work on matters of immigration and civil rights. In Congress she serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Small Business.

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On our radar this week…A World Without Exploitation – Release the Epstein Files* The 2017 Donald Trump lavished praise on the multi-billion-dollar plan crafted by Michigan and Canada to build the much-needed connector for our two economies. The 2026 Donald Trump sees the bridge as nothing more than a bargaining chip.
We’ll get into the details of the potential economic disaster with former U.S. Ambassador to Canada … and former Michigan Governor … Jim Blanchard. * For Michigan Republicans, Bridgegate poses a new choice: Michigan workers, or Donald Trump. Most apparently are choosing Trump. * In Washington D.C. (District of Chaos)Trump’s Justice Department-led war on his critics loses again. It’s said a prosecutor can get a ham sandwich indicted, but Pam Bondi couldn’t get a federal grand jury to indict Elissa Slotkin, Mark Kelly and 4 House Democrats for sedition. Slotkin and Kelly told reporters they refuse to be intimidated by the White House bully. * Another federal court, this time in Michigan, has rejected efforts by Bondi to get confidential details of Michigan’s qualified voter list. The decision came from a Trump-appointed judge. * 8 years after running on a pledge to “Fix the Damn Roads,” Gretchen Whitmer is celebrating bipartisan legislation that’s doing just that. Her new budget calls for an extra $2 billion in road and bridge funding, a continuation of the budget deal enacted last October. The executive budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 will fund both state and local roads as it executes the first full-year of funding for Michigan’s roads. * Whitmer’s 88-billion dollar budget based on roughly $800 million in tax increases, $630 million in cuts and $400 million from the rainy day fund. It calls for increasing the state’s “sin” taxes to fill the gap left by Trump’s federal budget cuts to Medicaid and nutrition programs. House Speaker Matt Hall says any tax increase, even if it’s taxes on tobacco and gambling, is a non-starter. Senate appropriations chair Sarah Anthony counters: if that’s your position, show us what you’ll cut. WIll Michigan House Republicans dare to cut Medicaid benefits to ¼ of the state’s population in an election year? * Trump’s economy is hitting Michigan auto workers. Ford reports that 2026 profit-sharing checks will be one-third less than 2025 checks. That drop impacts not just the UAW members, but also the businesses where those workers spend money. * Two of three people accused in a case regarding fake nomination petition signatures for candidates in 2022, including gubernatorial candidates, were found guilty of numerous charges by a Macomb County Circuit Court jury after two days of deliberations.
A third person, the wife of one of the other defendants, was acquitted of all the charges filed against her.
The signature fraud likely contributed to the GOP nominating Tudor Dixon for Governor … who was swamped by Gretchen Whitmer in the election.
Unfortunately, the scores of persons who actually forged the signatures remain at large and available to do it again.

We are joined this week by former U.S. Ambassador to Canada (and former Michigan Governor) Jim Blanchard who played a pivotal role in negotiating details of the Michigan-Canada agreement to build the Gordie Howe Bridge. After 8 years as Michigan’s Governor, Blanchard was named as the nation’s representative in Ottawa by President Clinton. He served in that role for two-and-a-half years. Governor Blanchard holds two degrees from Michigan State University, and a law degree from the University of Minnesota.

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This week’s episode is inspired by Homeland Security immigration attorney Julie Li who let it all hang out at a Minneapolis immigration hearing, telling the judge “The system sucks. This job sucks. I wish you could hold me in contempt so that I could get 24 hours of sleep.”On our radar this week…* This week in Trump includes: * Claims that the latest partial release of the Epstein files exonerates him … it doesn’t. His name appears 38,000 times, including allegations involving 13- and 14-year-old girls. * A demand for a federal takeover of elections in democratic areas of swing states, including Detroit … accompanied by a declaration from Steve Bannon that ICE will be used to enforce Trump’s will * Ordering the seizure of Georgia 2020 voting files from a county he lost, and assigning his Director of National Security to lead the new attack on the 2020 election. * Filing a $10-billion lawsuit against the IRS (and effectively himself) for leaks of his tax returns during his first term, tax returns he often promised to release voluntarily. The ultimate decision on whether the IRS settles and pays up will be made by … Trump. * Deciding to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for 2 years as artists continued to cancel performances. * Announcing plans for a White House statue honoring Christopher Columbus, an explorer who ended up landing in the wrong continent. * Making it known he wants Dulles Airport and New York City’s Penn Station renamed in his honor. * Reposting an AI video that includes a shot depicting the Obamas as apes, something that even Trump-loving GOP Senator Tim Scott (the Senate’s only black Republican) called “the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House” * Bailing from attending the Super Bowl, after aides reportedly warned him he’s get booed even more than he was at the Lions-Packers game.

Elsewhere in the District of Crazy:

• The Washington Post, long considered one of the nation’s most important newspapers, is being gutted by Jeff Bezos to save money. (Jeff’s net worth is around a quarter-of-a-trillion dollars, and he recently launched his $500-million yacht, and spent $75-million on the Melania disaster.) 30% of reporters are being fired. The paper’s masthead reads “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” Jeff Bezos just dimmed the light.
• Senator Elissa Slotkin has told the FBI and Department of Justice to take their requests for an interview and shove it. They want to talk about the video in which she reminds military personnel they should not and cannot obey illegal orders. She’s thinking about suing them.
• With Trump’s economy sagging, Ford car sales are down and GM is warning of slowing sales. So much for the promise of a manufacturing rebirth in the “hottest economy on the planet.”
• In Michigan politics, the stage is set for a special election on May 5th that will decide control of the state Senate. It’s a Marine Corps veteran slash firefighter for the Dems against a Republican lawyer.
• The field continues to clear for Lt. Governor Garland Gilchrist in the Democratic race for Secretary of State, with former state Senator Adam Hollier the latest to drop out of the race.
• Attorney General Nessel has rolled out a new “Immigration Action Reporting Form” urging residents to document ICE and Border Patrol activity while warning that some federal immigration operations are endangering people in Michigan.
• A Republican-aligned group says it has enough signatures to get a voter-suppression constitutional amendment on the state ballot. The proposal would require providing proof of citizenship to register to vote – something hundreds-of-thousands don’t have.

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On our radar this week…The first-ever recipient of a previously owned Nobel Peace Prize apparently wants to be the Genghis Khan of the 21st Century.

In the last week, Trump has

• Threatened to invade Venezuela if his hand-picked government doesn’t do his bidding;
• Stationed an armada near Iran in preparations for an aerial war;
• Hinted at an imminent effort at regime change in Cuba;
• Doubled-downed on his armed assault on the Constitution in Minneapolis with a change in messaging but little else, He replaced one Nazi-adjacent ICE commander with a fascist-adjacent ICE commander in Minneapolis with vague promises of a future future drawdown on masked thugs roaming the streets, but not now.
• Sent his FBI and Tulsi Gabbard to investigate the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, a continuation of his b.s. claims of fraud costing him a win over Joe Biden, and
• Had his FBI raid the home of a reporter in violation of federal law; and,
• Arrested reporter Don Lemon for covering a peaceful Minneapolis protest because it “disrupted” a religious service

Trump’s war on Minneapolis inspired a powerful anthem from “The Boss.”

Bruce Springsteen’s “The Streets of Minneapolis” pulls no punches in denouncing Trump, ICE Barbie and Stephen Miller. Due to copyright restrictions we can’t play it here … but it’s well worth a visit to YouTube.

Trump World is also having a direct impact on Michigan politics.

• Trump has reportedly inserted himself in the battle for the party’s gubernatorial nomination, torpedoing frontrunner John James and encouraging 78-year-old rich guy Perry Johnson’s newly announced campaign.
• Michigan Democrats have launched their first attack ad on independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan even as the party’s contests for Attorney General and Secretary of State are all but over.
• A Republican dark money group is promoting one of the Democrats in next week’s primary to fill a state Senate primary … with the belief that State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh would be easier to beat in the April general election. Democrats, including Saginaw Dem chair Jennifer Austin and Saginaw state Representative Amos O’Neal, are crying “foul.”
• Senator Elissa Slotkin says Kristi Noem has to go. In a Senate speech, Michigan’s junior senator noted she had voted to confirm Noem … but the cabinet member derided as “ICE Barbie” has betrayed fundamental American values.

We’re joined this week by political science guru Norm Ornstein, emeritus scholar at the conservative think-tank American Enterprise Institute with his assessment of congressional dysfunction and Trump’s drive for one-person government.

He is the co-author, with Thomas E. Mann, of It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism.

Norm is a Minnesota native. He was a child prodigy, graduating from high school when he was fourteen and from college when he was eighteen. He received his BA from the University of Minnesota and PhD in political science from the University of Michigan.

By the mid-1970s, he had become a professor of political science at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., establishing a reputation as an expert on the United States Congress.

Ornstein is a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, The Atlantic and the National Journal. He wrote a weekly column for Roll Call for 11 years, and was co-director of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. He helped draft key parts of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also known as the McCain–Feingold Act. Ornstein is a registered Democrat but considers himself a centrist and has voted for individuals from both parties.

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Adobe ImagesOn our radar this week…Taco Trump went to Davos intent on taking over Greenland or Iceland (depending on the moment) … calls our allies stupid and worthless … and comes home with the “concept of a framework for a future agreement” that amounts to little more than total surrender to a united Europe. That, after a one-hour rambling, disjointed speech to the assembled world leaders who watched in stunned silence.

Trump’s really bad week continued at home with a series of defeats:

• His beauty pageant runner up is forced to resign after a federal court reminds her that she was not, in fact, the U.S. Attorney for northern Virginia
• The Supreme Court seems poised to veto his efforts to stack the federal reserve with stooges
• Former special counsel Jack Smith verbally filleted Trump, testifying to the House Judiciary Committee in detail about the case proving “beyond a reasonable doubt” it was Trump who instigated the January 6 insurrection in an effort to overturn the 2020 election
• Another federal court struck down the blatantly unconstitutional tactics used by ICE in Minneapolis
• A newly uncovered ICE memo directing Trump’s goon squad to break down doors without a warrant has put “Homeland Barbie” Kristi Noem on the defensive … again
• In Michigan, legislation has been introduced pushing back on ICE tactics by designating no-arrest zones, prohibiting masking of law enforcement with common-sense exceptions, and prohibiting the release of government information to ICE without a judicial warrant

Michigan’s research universities are pushing back on Trump efforts to effectively stifle free speech on college campuses. We talk with University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker about the challenges facing one of the world’s leading research institutions. Acker is Mark’s longtime friend and law partner at the Goodman Acker law firm. Prior to law school, Jordan worked as a communications aide to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. After law school, he served as an associate in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel before being appointed by President Obama to be an attorney-advisor to Secretary Janet Napolitano at the Department of Homeland Security. While at DHS, Jordan worked on cyber, immigration and other homeland security issues. He was elected to the UM Board of Regents in 2018.

Acker was named one of Crains Detroit 40 under 40 in 2020, Michigan Lawyers Weekly Up and Coming Lawyers, and is an alum of the non-partisan Michigan Political Leadership Program Fellowship at Michigan State University. Since joining the University of Michigan Board of Regents, he has focused on reforming sexual misconduct reporting and adjudication at the University, NCAA reform, including the future of NIL, expanding the Go Blue Guarantee, and making the University affordable for Michiganders.

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On our radar this week…Donald Trump’s reaction to a heckler at his Detroit Economic Club speech was symbolic of his administration: flipping the bird to all of us as he simultaneously destroys the economy, government services and NATO. The irony: his target, who was suspended by Ford, has received more than 800-thousand dollars through two Go Fund Me appeals launched by friends.

Listing Trump’s weekly rundown of outrages could easily fill out the podcast, so we’ll go with the most outrageous. His week of destruction and dementia include:

• Openly threatening to use the U.S. military to steal Greenland over the objections of Greenlanders, Denmark and our angry allies in NATO.
• Taking on another political critic with former Fox News screamer Jeanine Piro, now U.S. Attorney for D.C., investigating Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin for the crime of quoting federal law, a followup to the Pete Hegseth assault on Senator Mark Kelly.
• Also under investigation by Trump’s retribution machine: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who made it clear it’s nothing more than another Trump retribution charade.
• Trump gave a 60-minute speech to Detroit area business leaders, a speech long on fantasy and lies. We learned that those increases in grocery and housing prices are apparently going down, much to the surprise of anyone buying groceries or trying to find a home. The fact checkers may be facing PTSD.
• And his administration is using a right-wing video as the excuse to cut off food benefits to millions … but only in blue states.

In Michigan:

• New polling shows the races for Governor and U.S. Senator are both statistically tied.
• State Democrats are working to make sure voters know it’s Michigan Republicans who are responsible for skyrocketing health insurance premiums.

The new state legislative session faces multiple challenges: housing shortages, never-ending potholes, continuing calls for more openness … and an ongoing battle between Republican House Speaker Matt Hall and a state Senate controlled, at least for now, by Democrats…pending the outcome of an upcoming special election. Caught in the middle of all of this is Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh.

Singh is the son of Indian immigrants. His political career dates back 30 years when, at age 24, he was elected to East Lansing City Council and later served as the city’s mayor. He is a past president of the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Public Policy Associates. In 2012 he was elected to the first of 3 terms in the state, serving as Democratic floor leader in his final term. Singh moved to the state Senate two years ago and was elected to the #2 leadership slot as Majority Floor Leader. He’s a graduate of Michigan State University.

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We’re now on YouTube every week! Click here to subscribe.On our radar this week…There is a lot on our radar along with Santa’s sleigh…

• It was inevitable from the day Donald Trump sent his masked, unqualified, undertrained stormtroopers into American cities. An American citizen was summarily executed; Trump, Vance, and Kristi Noem immediately called the shooting justified self-defense and branded the dead American mother a domestic terrorist. But, we have clear unrefutable evidence we have all seen with our own eyes … which proves everything they have said in the aftermath are lies. It. Was. Murder.
  And now – Kash Patel has decided he, and he alone, will investigate.
• Trump is in full land acquisition mode, launching an invasion of Venezuela and making it clear he’s looking hard at Cuba, Columbia and Greenland … although his minions say he wants to buy Greenland. And he admits we could be in Venezuela for years. He apparently learned nothing from the George W. Bush’s Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…or the Vietnam War he avoided with those dreaded bone spurs.
• Trump adds the title of pirate to his resume with the seizure of a 50-million barrels of oil … saying he, and he alone, will illegally and unconstitutionally control the billions raised by selling his booty.
• Trump says it out loud: if Democrats flip the U.S. House, he expects to be impeached for a third time. Could this be an effort to motivate the MAGA vote?
• In Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel has ruled House Speaker Matt Hall’s unilateral cancellation of more than a half-billion dollars from the state budget is unconstitutional … probably setting up a major court battle.
• State Democrats have rolled out the first blasts aimed at independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan with polls showing Duggan’s Independent candidacy could help elect a Republican as Governor.

West Michigan has been trending more Democratic over the last decade. The transition culminated with the 2022 election of Hillary Scholten to a congressional seat once held by Gerald Ford in a district that had only just two years of Democratic representation in Michigan’s history. In 2026, Democrats see the opportunity to flip another longtime Republican district by defeating 8-term Republican congressman Bill Huizenga. They’re counting on state Senator Sean McCann of Kalamazoo to do that. McCann’s political career began 26 years ago as a member of the Kalamazoo City Committee, followed by election to the Michigan House of Representatives in 2011, and moving to the state Senate 8 years later. He’s now completing his 2nd term in the Senate. McCann is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in political science.

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We’re now on YouTube every week! Click here to subscribe.On our radar this week…There is a lot on our radar along with Santa’s sleigh…

• • The Justice Department is dipping into the National Black Toner Cartridge Strategic Reserve as it redacts tens-of-thousands of pages of the Epstein files. Even so, the scandal continues to grow in a way not seen since the days of Monica Lewinsky.
• Larry Nassar, the disgraced onetime MSU sports doctor, is now a part of the scandal. A note allegedly from Epstein celebrates their shared perverted interest in vulnerable teenage girls. The FBI says the letter is a fake – and we know that Kash Patel would never tell a lie. The newly released files also show Trump was an Epstein Frequent Flyer … after saying for months he never flew on Lolita Airlines.
• Attorneys General are increasingly in the political bullseye. Democrats in the U.S. House may be joined by some Republicans to impeach Pam Bondi over the Epstein files debacle, even as Bondi continues to fail in efforts to indict New York AG Leticia James. In Michigan, state House Republicans are mulling over an attempt to impeach Attorney General Dana Nessel, something that would be totally symbolic but make MAGA Republicans feel good.
• The MAGA movement may need to get some couples therapy after an unhinged verbal brawl at the Turning Point USA weekend conference. We’ll be joined later in the podcast by Politico senior Adam Wren who’s been covering Turning Point’s efforts to be a major political force.
• The next key political battle in Michigan: a special election for the state Senate. The primary for replacing now-Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet is set for February 3 … a swing district that will determine control of the state Senate for 2026. We’ll take a look at the candidates on both sides.
• CBS News has gone from The Gold Standard for broadcast news to the toilet with Trump-favorable censorship of 60 Minutes. Murrow, Cronkite, Severeid, et. al. are spinning in their graves, and the very much alive Katie Couric calls it a “disgrace.”
• First it was the Donald Trump Institute for Peace, then the Kennedy Center, Trump Saving Accounts, Trump $1 coins. Now Donald Trump has decided an entire class of battleships will bear his name…and he’ll play a role in designing them because, he says, “I’m a very aesthetic person.” Is the world’s first gold-plated Navy fleet in our future? And will he continue his years-long business of licensing use of his name on other people’s projects?
• Trump has raised the possibility of awarding himself a $1-billion settlement of the lawsuit he’s filed against the government he runs…in effect, judge, jury and beneficiary. Why stop at a billion? Why not a trillion or gazillion? Of course he’ll say tariffs will cover the check.

We’re joined this week by Adam Wren, a national political correspondent for POLITICO, based in the Midwest. He is a contributor to POLITICO Magazine, Playbook and West Wing Playbook, focusing on Donald Trump’s remaking of the federal government and the Democratic response to his return to power ahead of what could be a wide-open 2028 presidential contest. Wren previously served as a national politics features correspondent at Business Insider. He has also written for The New York Times and Washington Post. Originally from Ohio, Adam graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University and has a master’s from Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism.

You can find Adam online X/Twitter and Instagram.

A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored byNick Anderson substack

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On our radar this week…Dozing Donald woke up from his nap long enough to shout out an 18-minute campaign speech, laden with lies and blaming everything on Joe Biden. It was the centerpiece of a truly horrific week politically for Trump and Republicans. The ACA tax credits are going, going and nearly gone … and with them, Republican prospects for the 2026 midterm elections.

Adding to the political challenges to the GOP: Donald Trump’s massively offensive responses to two mass shootings, and the horrific murders of Rob and Michele Reiner. The chorus of one-time MAGA acolytes breaking with Trump is growing louder … and his shouted 19-minute televised falsehood-laden campaign speech didn’t help, a speech Jimmy Kimmel labeled “a liar-side chat”.

Also this week:

• The Michigan Legislature has concluded the 2025 session and setting an unenviable record in the process: not counting the years when the Legislature only met in even-number years, it was the least productive legislative session in history. The record up until this year was 1842 when the Gov. John S. Barry signed 90 public acts. The 2025 session of the 103rd Legislature is estimated to pass around 70.
• The unprecedented slashing of the state’s budget by House Speaker Matt Hall is drawing bipartisan backlash … and creating pain for Republicans across the state.
• Two top aides to former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield are sentenced for corruption, agreeing to testify against Chatfield … and also accusing Chatfield of raping one of them.
• Another special election, and another Democratic over-performance. Democrat Gary Clemons scored a landslide victory in a special election for the Kentucky Senate on Tuesday night, demolishing Republican Calvin Leach by a 72-25 margin. That’s a full 20 points better than Kamala Harris’ margin in 2024 and 18-points better than Joe BIden in 2020.
• We now know both more and less about pythons in Peru – thanks to a 10-minute rambling, fictitious fantasy by America’s Poster Child for “weaving.”
• His hate-filled response to the murders of Rob and Michele Reiner drew condemnation from all sides … including some of the most influential voices in MAGA world.

In Trump-the-Man-Child News:

• His gilded “Presidential Wall of Fame” has been transformed into a tacky Wall of Insults … guaranteeing it will be gone when he leaves office.
• Trump’s hand-picked Kennedy Center board has decided to rename the cultural center the Donald J. Trump-John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts (even though Trump is allegedly still alive), giving him top billing over JFK. The Kennedy Center is named by federal law, which prohibits renaming the building without congressional approval.
• The price for Trump’s ballroom has doubled from the original estimate, with the master contractor saying it’s now going to require $400-million in billionaire largesse to finish. Looks like Trump is transforming the White House into a theme park.

We’re joined by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, the senior member of the state’s Democratic delegation in Congress. The Dingell legacy, dating back to her father-in-law John Dingell Senior’s first term in 1933, is the nation’s healthcare program.

Debbie Dingell was first elected to the House in 2015. She succeeded her late husband, John Dingell Jr, who was the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history. Her husband had succeeded his father who was first elected in 1932. There’s been a Dingell in the U.S. House non-stop for 92 years.
A hallmark of their service has been a proposal for a national health insurance system, first introduced by John Sr. in 1933 and re-introduced since at every Congress by the father and then the son.

A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored byNick Anderson:Pen Strokes

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Clay Jones/claytoonz.comOn our radar this week…Tomorrow … You’re only a day away!President Donald Trump took his show back on the road this week in a desperate attempt to rekindle his “rally magic” and tell voters not to believe their eyes, ears, brains, wallets, or increasingly harder to fill refrigerators. Starting in Pennsylvania, he vows to campaign early and often across the country in competitive seats for the U.S. House and Senate. Democrats should offer to pay for the rallies. As our (least) Favorite President emerges from his Mar-A-Lago cocoon to deny economic reality, with his economic team claiming everything gets better … eventually: Prices will come down, he’ll have a healthcare plan you’ll love, urban crime will end, the Kennedy Center will have a rebirth as the Trump Center for the Arts and medical science will come up with a cure for cankles. Trump and his economic team sound like “Annie”!

Also this week…

• Democrats have scored two more major election wins, most significantly electing the first Democratic Mayor of Miami in 20 years … and it was a landslide. And the Dems flipped a Trump +12 legislative seat in Georgia.
• In Lansing, it’s been a year since the Legislature passed 9 laws that are still unconstitutionally sitting in the House of Representatives and signed into effect by Governor Whitmer. I’ve been the lawyer leading the so-far successful lawsuit to free the hostages as Speaker Matt Hall is and the GOP now look to the Michigan Supreme Court as they continue to ignore the constitution and keep stalling.
• There’s a new name in the Democratic party campaign for Secretary of State, with Lottery Director and former congressional candidate Suzanna Shkreli joining the field which already includes Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, former Senator Adam Hollier, and Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie.
• ACA premium tax credits are officially dead. Premiums will skyrocket for millions at the same time as major retailers raise prices to cover the costs of Trump’s tariffs … while the President is proposing $12-billion in tariff subsidies for farmers.

A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored byJeff Margulies/Washington Post

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Clay Jones-claytoonz.comIt’s Show #250! On our radar this week…* Trump and onetime Fox couch potato Pete Hegseth are putting that shoot-em-on-5th-Avenue theory to the test … but instead, his real-life murders have generated bipartisan talk of War Crimes, even without an actual war. * A special election in Tennessee, and a new Michigan poll both point to a potential Blue Tsunami in 2026. * Trump is going on another pardon-and-commutation binge. His beneficiaries include a top-level drug trafficker, Ponzi Schemer who stole $1.6-billion and corrupt politicians. Could Ghislaine Maxwell could be next? * Trump’s economic news is tumbling as job numbers tumbling … but we’re relying on ADP data: federal numbers are being stalled by Trump’s minions at the Department of Labor. * And in our future giggles file: Pillow Plutocrat Mike Lindell has taken the first step to run for Governor of Minnesota, the same state that entertained us 25 years ago by electing Governor Jesse Ventura.

Joining the podcast this week is Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. We talk election security, potential voter intimidation, gubernatorial politics…and the Lions and Pistons! Secretary Benson was first elected in 2018 and reelected in a 2022 landslide. She’s former Dean of the Wayne State University Law School, and considered one of the nation’s top experts on election law.

In the most recent polling, she has an overwhelming lead in the race for the Democratic nomination for Governor, leading Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist by 43 points. The most recent EPIC-MRA poll shows her in a statistical tie with Republican John James in the general election, with Independent Mike Duggan 13 points behind.

Mike Luckovich – Atlanta Journal Constitution

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VIDEO: Senator Elissa Slotkin responds to Donald Trump’s outrageous threats against her, Senator Kelly and four House members.On our radar this week…* Donald Trump says it’s criminal to post a video quoting federal law – with the Pentagon looking to court-martial Senator Mark Kelly, and the FBI investigating Elissa Slotkin and four House members. * Trump’s healthcare plan … something promised for 9 years as coming “in 2 weeks” … turns out to be “dead even before arrival” in Congress. * In addition to either executing or jailing Democratic members of Congress, Trump is focused on upgrading military golf courses in the DC area. * It’s official: in the battle for Michigan’s U.S. Senate Republican nomination, Mike Rogers has a primary fight on his hand with just-resigned state GOP co-chair Bernadette Smith. * There’s increasing speculation about whether Gretchen Whitmer will run for President. An Axios profile says she’s retreating from the national stage, even as fellow Michiganders Pete Buttigieg and Elissa Slotkin ramp up their national visibility. * The Trump Retribution Campaign is hitting massive roadblocks: + Indictments of top-level Trump foes James Comey and Leticia James were thrown out of court + His Attorney General is having trouble even getting indictments against other targets … and even finding prosecutors willing to take on those cases + Marjorie Taylor Greene has started what she predicts will be a wave of Republican congressional resignations + And his utterly incompetent FBI director is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Clay Jones – claytoonz.com🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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On this week’s show…Democrats: Our military’s oath – defend the Constitution. Republicans: That’s sedition!* Donald Trump thinks Elissa Slotkin should be executed. * Trump sees the Epstein documents parade going in the other direction and runs to lead it…but launches Phase Two for keeping the Epstein files secret. * Trump accidentally admits he’s known about Epstein’s abuse of teenagers for more than a decade … now saying that Epstein was a sick pervert and he knew it 20-plus years ago. * The Texas gerrymander demanded by Trump gets thrown out by a three-judge appeals panel – with the lead opinion written by a Trump-appointed judge. * Want a change in U.S. foreign policy? How about getting some state-of-the-art fighter jets. Or absolution for ordering the vicious murder of an American journalist? And, to top it all off, a black tie VIP dinner at the White House? All it takes is writing big checks, payable to the Trump family. * A fringe Republican candidate for Governor has stirred up some hateful anti-Muslim demonstrations in Dearborn. * And the rhetorical temperature is also going up in Hamtramck with another increasingly contentious debate over that city’s mayoral election.

Nick Anderson/Raw StoryThe most recent EPIC-MRA poll shows Michigan voters are angry over the Trump tariffs and what they are doing to the economy. It’s especially important in Michigan, where our top trading partners are Canada, Mexico and China. We’re joined by a Michigan business owner who is suing the Trump administration over the tariffs.

Mike Musheinesh has been CEO of Detroit Axle since 2012, taking over from his father Ed Musheinesh, who started the company as a small aftermarket parts shop in 1990. Mike has grown the company into a leading global retailer and distributor of remanufactured and new aftermarket auto parts.

Today, Detroit Axle employs hundreds of people in Metro Detroit, and it operates a large online operation to serve customers nationwide.

kevinnecessary.substack.com🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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John Darkow – PoliticalCartoons.comOn this week’s show…* The federal government shutdown is over for now, but the debate on healthcare rages on. Michigan Democrats, led by Senators Peters and Slotkin, have harsh words for the 7 Democrats who voted with Republicans to end the 41-day shutdown without any guaranteed continuation of healthcare insurance subsidies. * The Republican bill includes a potential onetime $500,000 or more bonus for 8 Senators investigated as part of the January 6 insurrection (Lindsey Graham says he’ll sue for millions!) * The White House calls the newly released Epstein emails part of a Democratic Party hoax – that there’s nothing there – but Trump is doing all he can to keep the files secret, and redirect the story to investigations of retirees like Bill Clinton and Larry Summers. The U.S. House will vote on a full release of all the files in early December. * Donald Trump basically admits widespread law-breaking by his reelection team, issuing federal pardons to 71 of his minions – even though they haven’t been federally charged. And the pardons don’t save folks like Giuliani and Meadows from possible state criminal charges. * The looming increases in health insurance premiums has convinced four companies to pull out of the Michigan market. * Former Congressman Mike Rogers thought he had a free ride to the GOP nomination for U.S. Senator, but there’s a new candidate who could make the next 9 months a lot more difficult for him. Former Michigan Republican Party co-chair Bernadette Smith starts with more than a little support from the party’s MAGA base. * Rogers is now saying the 2024 election was stolen from him but providing no proof. * And there’s the story of two presidential grandkids extending family traditions: JFK’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, extends the family tradition by running for Congress in New York … in a district that includes Trump Tower.
Donald Trump’s granddaughter, Kai, is extending a different family tradition: she’s playing golf, making her LPGA debut as an invited golfer in the LPGA Annika Tournament. Sadly, after the 2nd round she was dead last (18 over par) and missed the cut 🥺,

Joining the conversation this week is Michigan Advance senior political reporter Ben Solis. Solis has covered state and local government for nearly a decade as a former staff writer with Gongwer News Service and multiple MLive newsrooms. He is an award-winning writer and editor and was a finalist for the Michigan Press Association Richard Milliman Journalist of the Year award in 2022 for his work covering Michigan’s independent redistricting process.

Michigan Advance is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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Nick Anderson/Raw Story On this week’s show…The Donald Trump Hunger Games begin with the administration doing as little as possible to comply with a court-ordered continuation of SNAP Benefits. For millions of Americans, it means going hungry … just not quite as hungry as Trump had wanted. The Trump shutdown is officially the longest in U.S. history, surpassing the record of 35 days set during the first Trump term.

With Trump’s administration failing on the economy, foreign policy, healthcare and basic competence in the background, Democrats sweep the handful of off-year elections including flipping Virginia’s governor’s office and holding on in New Jersey. We’ll do a post-mortem on the election, and the impact on Michigan politics, with former Obama Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri.

Two updates on Michigan’s congressional races: a familiar name enters the GOP primary to replace John James, and new polling shows Lansing-area Congressman Tom Barrett trailing two relatively unknown Democrats.

A former top aide to former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield pleads guilty to assorted corruption charges … and agrees to testify against his former boss.

The latest political shocker nationally: Marjorie Taylor Greene is talking about running for President. Of the United States. Yes, that MTG!

And the Subway Sandwich Terrorism trial has ended with an acquittal. Sean Dunn was charged with misdemeanor assault after hitting a federal agent with a “sub-style sandwich.” Apparently ICE agents consider mustard a weapon of mass destruction…but the prosecution’s case, it turns out, was toast. Dunn reportedly relished the decision.

There were, of course, a lot of significant elections on Tuesday. Joining the post-election analysis is guest commentator Jennifer Palmieri. Her credentials include three years as Barack Obama’s Communications Director and then Director of Communications for the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign. Before her service at the White House, she was the National Press Secretary for the 2004 John Edwards presidential campaign and for the Democratic National Committee in 2002, after a brief time at the advocacy group Americans for Gun Safety. She served in the Clinton Administration as Special Assistant to White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, deputy director of Scheduling and Advance, and finally as a Deputy White House Press Secretary. More recently she co-hosted the political documentary series “The Circus” on Showtime with John Heilman, Alex Wagner and Mark McKinnon.

drewsheneman.substack.com🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

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drewsheneman.substack.comOn this week’s show…Donald Trump’s medical path seems to be tracking alongside his poll ratings: going down. Six months after his “annual” physical exam, doctors gave him a screening test for dementia, and ordered an MRI for undisclosed reasons. But when your doctor says you need an MRI (or a monthly dementia check-up), it’s not a clean bill of health.

The latest campaign finance reports are in, and they offer some strong clues for what to expect over the next year of campaigning. We’ll take a deep dive into “following the money”, and be joined later by campaign finance tea-leaves reader Simon Shuster from Michigan Bridge.

The state court of appeals has ordered state House Speaker Matt Hall to release his hostages: nine bills passed by the Legislature in the final days of the 2024 session that he unconstitutionally refused to deliver to the Governor for signature. We get the lowdown from the attorney for the winning side (his last name is Brewer).

As Trump continues his unconstitutional killing of alleged drug runners in international waters, a lot of his underlings may be needing criminal defense lawyers. Trump has Supreme Court gifted immunity, but everyone from Pentagon Pete Hegseth on down could be looking at multiple charges of murder as the killing spree escalates.

Simon D. Schuster/Bridge MichiganState Republicans staged their first gubernatorial candidate debate and the alleged frontrunner didn’t even show up. John James continues to hide in the witness protection program both as a candidate and as a congressman.

An estimated 1.4-million Michiganders are on the verge of losing SNAP benefits. State legislators are trying to fill the federal funding void – a $71-million emergency appropriation passed the state Senate earlier today on a bipartisan vote; the state House can act on the measure as early as Tuesday.

We start with the latest batch of campaign finance reports – the ones filed by would-be Governors. On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson smoked the competition for the cycle. On the Republican side, candidate-in-hiding John James continued his strong fundraising, and former attorney general Mike Cox opened his own checkbook to fatten his campaign treasury.

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

======================================================

We’re joined this week by veteran journalist and media monitor Jennifer Schulze for a deep dive into the right-wing takeover of where we get our news.

Jennifer Schulze is a longtime journalist, mostly broadcast news and mostly in Chicago. She headed the WGN TV newsroom and lead the team that created the WGN Morning News. She writes media cricitism and other articles for The Contrarian, Lincoln Square, Heartland Signal, etc. She does regular media roundups for Civic Media and Courier Newsroom with host Pat Krietlow and for WCPT Radio with host Joan Esposito. Her fellow Chicago journalist Mark Jacob joins her on both of those regular segments. Jennifer’s Substack is called Indistinct Chatter and you can find her on Blue Sky and threads @NewsJennifer.

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

======================================================

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On this week’s show…GOP efforts to discredit the No Kings protests across the nation flopped, with seven-million+ Americans registering their disgust with Trump in peaceful, often mocking demonstrations across America. Trump’s disdainful, self-revealing response: an AI-created video fantasy of Mad King Biff carpet-bombing crowds of American people with feces while flying an airborn firefighting super tanker.

Adding to his show of disdain: while hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without paychecks, and with inflation and the price of groceries skyrocketing, Trump had the entire East Wing of the White House demolished – in violation of federal law – to erect a palatial, gilded, $300 million (and growing) ballroom … the worst damage to the White House since the British torched it in the War of 1812. Let them eat cake, Donald? And now he’s telling his Justice Department to pay him $230-million for the trauma of being investigated for his long string of crimes. The decision is up to two of his former personal attorneys: AG Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche, now his personal henchmen inside the DoJ.

Also in our gunsights this week:

• Trump’s puppets in the U.S. House continue to stonewall the release of the Epstein files, but Speaker Mike Johnson faces a lawsuit from the state of Arizona for his month-long failure to swear in newly elected Congresswoman Adelita Grivalva as the House completes a 4th week of no sessions.
• Thousands of federal workers are facing layoffs or payless paydays, SNAP benefits are running out of money and Republicans won’t budge on reversing healthcare cuts to millions … but Kristi Noem’s got $172-million for a pair of private jets.
• In Michigan, MIRS News reports a petition drive to eliminate property taxes statewide is falling short of collecting the signatures needed to get on the ballot.
• New polling shows Jocelyn Benson with an overwhelming lead for the Democratic Party nomination for Governor, leading Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist 56% to 17%. Another poll shows Mary Sheffield with a 50-point lead over Solomon Kinloch for Detroit mayor.
• And the Michigan Court of Appeals says chimpanzees are not persons protected under the Constitution, the worst news for chimps since they co-starred with Ronald Reagan in Bedtime for Bonzo.

The weaponizing of the Justice Department continues to expand the Trump-revenge web. We are joined by one of the potential targets: former DHS Chief of Staff Miles Taylor – also known as “Anonymous”, the first high-level Trump administration whistleblower.

Miles Taylor is a national security expert who served in the administrations of George W. Bush and Donald Trump, where he was chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security. In 2018, Taylor wrote an op-ed in The New York Times under the pen name “Anonymous” – “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration” – which drew widespread attention for its criticism of Trump. Several months after quitting the administration, he published a book titled, A Warning (again under the pen name “Anonymous.) He later revealed that he was “Anonymous” and was the first former Trump administration official to endorse Joe Biden.

Miles is an Indiana native and earned his B.A. in international security studies from Indiana University, with a masters degree from Oxford University in England which he attended as a 2012 Marshall Scholar. He began his government service in 2007 as a college intern under Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Vice President Dick Cheney.

He’s no longer “anonymous” and speaks out forcefully about the Trump abuses in his online blog “Treason with Miles Taylor”.

Rick McKee – caglecartoons.com:cartoonist:rick-mckee*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

======================================================

We’re joined this week by veteran journalist and media monitor Jennifer Schulze for a deep dive into the right-wing takeover of where we get our news.

Jennifer Schulze is a longtime journalist, mostly broadcast news and mostly in Chicago. She headed the WGN TV newsroom and lead the team that created the WGN Morning News. She writes media cricitism and other articles for The Contrarian, Lincoln Square, Heartland Signal, etc. She does regular media roundups for Civic Media and Courier Newsroom with host Pat Krietlow and for WCPT Radio with host Joan Esposito. Her fellow Chicago journalist Mark Jacob joins her on both of those regular segments. Jennifer’s Substack is called Indistinct Chatter and you can find her on Blue Sky and threads @NewsJennifer.

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

======================================================

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On this week’s show…Donald Trump’s drive to autocracy is hitting some speed bumps and accelerating at the same time. Just this week:

• Kristi Noem’s partisan video diatribe over the government shutdown is being banned by airports across Michigan and the nation
• One more Trump opponent is indicted while a future target, former special counsel Jack Smith, ended his silence … and unloaded on the President indicted for a crime virtually identical to the charges of mishandling classified documents used to indict John Bolton
• The often timid news media told former Fox News couch-sitter Pete Hegseth to take his Pentagon news coverage rules and shove them. They walked out of the Pentagon press room en masse … even Fox News took a hike!
• Portland is keeping it weird by ridiculing the Goons of ICE with an early Halloween parade of animal costumes
• Marjorie Taylor Greene ramped up her criticism of Trump on the shutdown, healthcare budget cuts and most pointedly on the continuing Epstein Files coverup
• Rand Paul says publicly what a lot of Republicans are saying privately: the Trump ordered executions of boaters in the Caribbean are illegal
• On the MAGA+ side, the President managed to find time between multiple rounds of golf for a Middle East victory lap … a victory that is already showing signs of falling apart
• In non-Trump news, new campaign finance reports show all three Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate raised more money than unopposed Republican Mike Rogers
• And young Republicans are learning the hard way that it’s politically harmful to put the phrase “I Love Hitler” and jokes about gas chambers into Telegram chats

In the age of crypto and endless Trump crime family grifting, there’s never been a more important time to understand white collar crime. They don’t use guns and goons: the weapons for these criminals are banking laws, off-shore accounts and trading on the ignorance of their victims. Joining this week’s conversation is Jennifer Taub, a legal scholar and advocate whose writing focuses on “follow the money” matters— promoting transparency and opposing corruption.

Taub was the Bruce W. Nichols Visiting Professor of Law in fall 2019 at Harvard Law School and is now a professor of law at the Western New England University School of Law. A former associate general counsel at Fidelity Investments, she is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School. Taub’s most recent book was “Big Dirty Money” published in 2020 by Viking Press. Her first book was Other People’s Houses, published in 2014 by the Yale Press. She posts daily on YouTube.

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

======================================================

We’re joined this week by veteran journalist and media monitor Jennifer Schulze for a deep dive into the right-wing takeover of where we get our news.

Jennifer Schulze is a longtime journalist, mostly broadcast news and mostly in Chicago. She headed the WGN TV newsroom and lead the team that created the WGN Morning News. She writes media cricitism and other articles for The Contrarian, Lincoln Square, Heartland Signal, etc. She does regular media roundups for Civic Media and Courier Newsroom with host Pat Krietlow and for WCPT Radio with host Joan Esposito. Her fellow Chicago journalist Mark Jacob joins her on both of those regular segments. Jennifer’s Substack is called Indistinct Chatter and you can find her on Blue Sky and threads @NewsJennifer.

Clay Jones – claytoonz.com*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Clay Jones – claytoonz.comOn this week’s show…

The Attorney General goes to the U.S. Senate to workshop her new stand-up/outraged authoritarian dystopian comedy routine … without any jokes.

A Trump-appointed federal judge is getting increasingly pissed over Bondi’s defense of National Guard Whack-a-Mole. The judge said sending troops to Portland was illegal, so Bondi’s lawyer thugs came up with a different state’s guard to deploy – and the Trump-appointed judge sounded like a parent scolding a child in referring to the whole strategy as untethered from reality. And now Trump is facing another court challenge over the Texas National Guard incursion into Chicago, which, like Portland, is the quietest Burning Hell Hole in the history of Burning Hell Holes. And as the very MAGA governor of extremely red Oklahoma said this week, “Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.l?” This simply cannot be allowed to happen.

Trump’s puppet U.S. Attorney in Northern VIrginia doubles down on retribution indictments by calling out New York Attorney General Leticia James. Next up, based on Trump’s Oopsie It Was Supposed to be Private demand to Bondi, will be California Senator Adam Schiff.

The Supreme Leader, never one to worry about what is and what is not legal, is now apparently directing the Treasury to issue a Donald Trump one-dollar coin. Federal law prohibits putting living persons on our currency … but then again, Fearless Leader is 79-years-old, obese, eats a high-fat diet, limits exercise to getting in and out of his golf cart … and is plagued by cankles. You never know…we’re 9 months away from the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

And in Michigan, a threat from the Trump administration to renege on upgrading GM’s Lansing-Grand River assembly plant threatens 700 factory jobs with a ripple impact on thousands of Michigan workers.

We’re joined this week by veteran journalist and media monitor Jennifer Schulze for a deep dive into the right-wing takeover of where we get our news.

Jennifer Schulze is a longtime journalist, mostly broadcast news and mostly in Chicago. She headed the WGN TV newsroom and lead the team that created the WGN Morning News. She writes media cricitism and other articles for The Contrarian, Lincoln Square, Heartland Signal, etc. She does regular media roundups for Civic Media and Courier Newsroom with host Pat Krietlow and for WCPT Radio with host Joan Esposito. Her fellow Chicago journalist Mark Jacob joins her on both of those regular segments. Jennifer’s Substack is called Indistinct Chatter and you can find her on Blue Sky and threads @NewsJennifer.

Clay Jones – claytoonz.com*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
It’s tale of two cities, told to us by two experts. In the nation’s capitol, a would-be dictator takes time away from his golf game to launch a federal government shutdown, and lecture the nation’s military leaders about transforming the military into a political tool. In the state’s capitol, a more promising story as the Governor barters a one-week budget-battle truce with a promise of keeping the government open.

This week’s theme – “The Enemy Within” – focuses on the moves by Trump in the last week to establish his authoritarian dominance of our lives. An alternative title could be “The Rubicon has been crossed” episode, as Trump uses a highly unusual audience and venue to declare war on American citizens, the Constitution, a lawful civilian-controlled military, and the very notion of a limited government that derives its existence from “we the people.” But because our culture and our media are so entirely broken and damaged, the biggest story is the breathless coverage of the federal government shutdown and not the 12-alarm departure from the rule of law and prelude to martial law and authoritarianism.

Lauren Gibbons – BridgeMi.comIn Lansing, there’s a one-week truce in the battle of the state budget, averting a shutdown with both sides promising to get the budget adopted by next Tuesday at midnight. We begin the show by doing a deep dive into the partisan battles in Lansing, and strong signs that the state can avoid a government shutdown. Our tour guide is veteran Bridge Michigan state capitol reporter Lauren Gibbons. It’s a $80-billion budget dispute. Will it last? Is there really agreement on a framework for the budget? What is standing in the way of final agreement?

Major General William Enyart (US Army-Retired)In the Trump/Vance/Hegseth world of Fatsos and Beardos, two more American cities — Portland, Oregon, and Memphis, Tennessee — will likely see National Guard troops deployed in the coming days, though exact timings remain unclear. An Oregon Military Department spokesperson had said troops could arrive in Portland as soon as Thursday (our recording day), but legal and logistical delays may push the deployment into next week. Angry state leaders’ efforts to have the deployment halted will be heard by a federal judge tomorrow.

Trump is using the military to try to eliminate dissent. Caught in the middle of his lust for absolute power are the citizen-soldiers of the National Guard in his target states. Joining us is an expert on what that means: the retired adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard, General William Enyart. Major General Enyart served in the Air Force for 40 years. He was appointed to lead the National Guard and the Illinois Department of Military Affairs as Adjutant General in 2007, and was reappointed in 2009 and in 2011. He retired from the military in 2012, and was elected to Congress where he served for one term.

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸The man who recommended Ivermectin and bleach injections for treating covid joins with a recovering heroin addict and a former TV snake-oil salesman to warn us about the dangers of Tylenol. Trump? He probably needed to take a Tylenol after watching Tuesday night TV.

But he’s moving forward with taking over the media, carving out a deal so his closest billionaire buddies get control of TikTok. The MAGA moneymen now control CBS, Fox News, X-Twitter, the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the owners of nearly 400 television stations … and have effectively neutered ABC and ESPN.

This week Trump focused on

• using the federal government to put his political opponents in prison
• bombing speedboats in the Gulf of Mexico
• declaring a non-existent organization as a domestic terrorist group
• avoiding the Tom Homan and Jeffrey Epstein scandals, and
• taking time to embarrass the nation with a bonkers U.N. speech which included a rant on the U.N. escalator and a teleprompter operator,

America’s favorite unlicensed pharmacist didn’t seem to be worried that his government is about to shut down because his underlings in Congress can’t enact a budget…and he’s too busy to negotiate with Democrats.

Not to outdone, Michigan statehouse Republicans are doing the same to the state. Instead of working to actually fund education and the rest of state government, a lot of them spent a few days on Mackinac Island figuring out how to return to full power in Lansing. And topping off the week, Governor Whitmer said “no thanks” to Trump’s offer of a military invasion of Detroit.

Joining the podcast this week: an unlikely victim of the post-Charlie Kirk murder cancel culture – former GOP campaign guru and now former MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd. The longtime Republican campaign consultant was dumped by MSNBC, a supposedly liberal media outlet, for his comments on the Kirk shooting. Matthew was the chief strategist for President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign. A native of Detroit, he began his lifelong work in politics as a volunteer for Michigan Congressman William Broomfield.

He was later a longtime political contributor for ABC News. In 2021, he launched a short-lived, unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor of Texas. Dowd joined MSNBC as a political contributor and analyst in 2022.

Bill Bramhall/New York Daily News*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
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• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
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• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸One sure sign you’ve got a dictatorship in the making is when the would-be dictator does everything in his power to crush the ability of his opponents to be heard. In today’s Russia, those dissidents have a history of falling out of windows or suddenly becoming deathly ill. In North Korea, even the dictator’s family members end up dead. In the United States, Donald Trump is using all the tools at his disposal – legal and illegal – to silence his critics.

In a break from our usual format, we’re going to focus our opening discussion on one issue: Trump’s assault on free speech. Later in the podcast we’ll get into the Lansing budget mess and Michigan politics when we’ll be joined by veteran Lansing reporter and columnist Kyle Melinn.

As we look at the death of free speech, We begin with the latest example; the attack on late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, misrepresenting a Kimmel joke and using the threat of broadcast license revocations to muscle Kimmel off the air.

Another favorite Trump tactic: bogus lawsuits, known as SLAPPs. The latest is his laughable $15-billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. Mark Brewer discusses the endless bogus lawsuits.

Other tactics of an aspiring dictator:

• Manufacturing federal “emergencies” to paper over legal and constitutional violations (declaring Antifa a terrorist organization)
• Withholding federal money to extort concessions
• Using the bully pulpit to destroy reputations, often with false accusations
• Manufacturing criminal investigations (dating back to his “perfect call” to Zelenskyy urging a criminal investigation into Biden)
• Directing the IRS to challenge tax-exempt status of targets (university endowments, NGO’s, ActBlue)
• Firing federal whistleblowers
• Ending the autonomy that’s designed as a fail-safe; inspectors general replaced, establishing direct control of formerly independent agencies (CDC, NLRB, FEC, FCC, FTC)
• Firing career managers in all federal agencies – fill the jobs with inexperienced/unqualified sycophants
• Effectively lying to the courts, saying the right things to the judge(s) but ignoring court orders in the darkness

Government turmoil isn’t limited to Washington D.C. We have a few problems in Lansing as well. The new state fiscal year starts in two weeks and it’s increasingly likely there will be no budget adopted, and much of state government will shut down. What does it mean for the people of Michigan? Joining the discussion is someone who knows as much as anybody about the workings of state government: Kyle Melinn. Kyle is the editor and Vice President of the MIRS Newsletter, a daily on-line political news service covering state government and politics.A professional journalist for 20 years who has covered the state Capitol for the last 13, Kyle hosts a weekly podcast called MIRS Monday, available at iTunes. Before MIRS, Kyle served as a freelance writer for the Boston Herald and as a senior editor for SchoolSports.com. He is a graduate of Michigan State University, who grew up in Byron Center.

Clay Jones-claytoonz.comMatt Davies:Newsday

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Like most Americans, we are stunned and saddened by the murder of political activist Charlie Kirk. Listeners to this podcast know that we differed with Kirk on many, many issues. We were not fans. Kirk’s politics dabbled in racism, homophobia, misogyny and outright deception. He frequently used provocative language that bordered on inflammatory. But that’s how the First Amendment works. Murdering political opponents, even those with whom you find reprehensible, is never the answer.

Mark Brewer and Walt Sorg offer their thoughts on the Kirk murder at the top of the podcast. Jeff, who is off this week, gave his view in a post on the Lincoln Square Substack.

Kirk’s Assassination Brings Trump’s Authoritarianism into Even Clearer FocusJeff Timmer @ Lincoln SquareOn our radar this week…

• In Lansing, a district judge ruled that the 2020 fake Trump electors were either too ignorant or too stupid to be convicted of a crime. Ignorance in this case actually is legal bliss!
• Republicans are now arguing that 22 years ago somebody decided to forge Donald Trump’s signature on a birthday wish for his BFF Jeffrey Epstein. They’ll probably try to blame it on Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s DeLoreon!
• Speaking of Epstein, none of Michigan’s Republican members of Congress are backing the discharge petition to force release of all of the documents.
• In Michigan politics, former state Senator Adam Hollier has pulled out of the 13th district congressional primary – good news by narrowing the field for Representative Donavan McKinney, who is challenging two-term incumbent Shri Thanedar. Meanwhile Hollier becomes the third Democrat running for Secretary of State.
• The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that racial profiling is O.K. The message in the unsigned opinion: don’t speak Spanish in a Home Depot parking lot.
• Donald Trump says domestic violence doesn’t count as a crime, as least in cities he’s invaded with the National Guard.
• Former Michigan State economist Lisa Cook will continue as a Federal Reserve governor after a federal court puts a stay on Trump’s attempt to fire her in violation of the law.
• Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director who has led the charge in accusing Cook and Trump opponents of mortgage fraud, said. “If somebody is claiming two primary residences, that is not appropriate, and we will refer it for criminal investigation.” So maybe he should report his parents. Reuters reports that the senior Pulte’s – the Michigan real estate multi-millionaires – have claimed primary residences in both Michigan and Florida.
• Almost unnoticed by the media, but felt in every household: inflation continues to climb even as monthly employment numbers sink. Trump’s economy is going from bad to worse.
• Trump and his newly christened “Department of War” sank an unarmed Venezuelan speedboat hundreds of miles away from the United States, claiming it posed an imminent threat to the nation.
• And this headline: the nation’s President who tried to overturn an election with a violent coup sentenced to 27 years in prison. No, not Trump…but his Brazilian buddy, Jair Bolsonaro.

All of that in just the last week. Breathtaking!

More than 445,000 federal employees saw their union protections disappear in August, as agencies moved to comply with an executive order President Trump signed earlier this year that called for ignoring collective bargaining contracts with nearly one million workers. Trump’s move comes at a time when unions have their highest public approval rating in years. Joining the conversation this week is Michigan AFL-CIO President Ron Bieber.

Bieber is a third-generation UAW member, and the son of former UAW President Owen Bieber. Prior to his election as President of the Michigan AFL-CIO 10 years ago, he served as Director of the UAW’s Community Action Program. Ron previously served as assistant director of the UAW’s General Motors Department. He joined UAW Local 730 at 18 after being hired at GM’s Metal Fabricating plant in Wyoming. His top achievement (among many) during his tenure: in 2023 Michigan became the first state in the nation to repeal a so-called “right to work law”, thus guaranteeing workers to unite for collective bargaining.

Matt Davies:Newsday*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
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• Focus Group Research
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• Political Campaigns & Consulting
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• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Clay Jones:claytoonz.comOn our radar this week…

• • Donald Trump had multiple court case losses this week. One court ruled his military invasion of Los Angeles was illegal; another struck down his tactic of punishing universities with the loss of research funding; his tariffs were rules illegal; and the Fifth Circuit blocked Trump’s effort to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador.
  • One of his many clown-car cabinet appointees got clobbered in a U.S. Senate committee, with Republicans joining Democrats in lambasting Bobby “Brain Worm” Kennedy’s upending of U.S. health policy.
  • His Department of Defense sank a boat out of Venezuela, claiming it was being used to run drugs. Is this an Act of War?
  • The week ended with a very bad jobs report: only 22,000 added jobs in August, and June’s report revised to show the loss of 13,000 jobs.
  • Trump continued to try to rig elections: Missouri’s Governor has called the Legislature into session with the intent of eliminating the only black-majority House district in his state;and
  • Trump is reportedly trying to buy off a couple of candidates for New York City mayor in order to help Andrew Cuomo.
  • His latest make-Donny-richer grift debuted this week with the launch of still another crypto-driven Ponzi scheme that is netting The Orange Crypto Criminal several billion dollars.
  • In Michigan, House Speaker “MAGA” Matt Hall says an association president who criticized the Republican’s state budget plan should be fired … you can’t get Trumpier than that!

Our guest this week is former Senator Debbie Stabenow. 2025 is the first year in the last 50 she’s been a private citizen, with a career in public service that began on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, continuing on as state Representative, state Senator, member of the U.S. House and … for 24 years as United States Senator.

Senator Stabenow has been one of the worker bees in the Senate, shunning publicity and notoriety to focus on policy … and getting things done. As a political candidate she was nearly unstoppable, defeating incumbents to win 4 of the five jobs she’s held … and in a 5th campaign flipped a Republican-held seat. These days she proudly bears the title of Grandma!

*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, A full service survey research firm with expertise in*
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Clay Bennett:Chattanooga Times Free PressOn our radar this week…

• Wars in Ukraine and Gaza;
• Ground beef more than $6 a pound;
• A military invasion of Washington D.C.;
• Trump tries to strong-arm the Federal Reserve;
• Still no release of any new Epstein files;
• More DOJ investigations into Trump’s political opponents;
• Trump extorts a 10% ownership of Intel;
• Questions about Trump’s health continue to grow, not just over his cankles, but over increasingly common mental lapses … like a shoutout to Michigan Governor “Christi uh Christine Whitman uh Whitmer”;
• Trump lords over a 3-hour 15-minute Cabinet meeting with one agenda item: the Team of Incompetents heaping praise on the Fearless Leader. Yes, the entire Trump cabinet spent an entire afternoon kissing Trump’s ass;
• In another insult to the nation’s military, Trump now has National Guard troops picking up trash in Washington D.C. – something that’s actually the job of the National Park Service. But 180 out of 200 NPS employees in D.C. were laid off in the DOGE rampage;
• Democrats get a big win in an Iowa special election, flipping a state Senate district by 10 points … a district Trump carried by 11 points. In the process, they ended a GOP legislative super-majority;
• And there’s more good news: A D.C. grand jury refused to return an indictment against a former Justice Department employee who was seen on camera throwing a hoagie at the chest of one of the federal officers President Donald Trump has deployed in the nation’s capital, according to two people familiar with the matter. It’s a major blow to former Fox News screamer Jeanine Pirro;
• In Michigan, the budget war continues with state House Republicans passing a 79-billion-dollar budget with no committee hearings and no debate. Among other things, the GOP spending plan defunds the police with major cuts in support of the State Police and Department of Corrections!

And most importantly, Taylor and Travis get engaged …Despite all that, the big MAGA issue of the week is a restaurant chain’s logo.But they got their Cracker Barrel back! That pretty much sums up the quality of our politics as we head into the fall.

For an update on Lansing’s $79-billion budget mess, we’re joined on the podcast by House Appropriations Committee member Jason Morgan. Representative Morgan is serving his second term representing Washtenaw County’s 23rd House District. The son of a commercial fisherman and union laborer, Representative. Morgan was raised in Pinconning. Morgan worked his way through college as a first-generation college student, earning his Bachelor’s of Political Science from Northern Michigan University and then a Master’s of Public Administration from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Representative Morgan served six years as a Washtenaw County Commissioner and was elected as the county’s first-ever LGBTQ chair of the Board of Commissioners. Over the last 15 years, he has worked in various leadership positions in Michigan and Washington, D.C. including senior staff positions to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and five members of Congress. Much of his career has also focused on higher education, working as the director of government and community relations and later teaching government at Washtenaw Community College.

Ann Telnaes:anntelnaes.substack.com*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA*

A full service survey research firm with expertise in
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• Political Campaigns & Consulting
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This week’s show is sponsored in part by

EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Clay Bennett/Tribune Content AgencyOn the podcast this week…

• Turns out slavery wasn’t all that bad – at least, according to renowned civil rights advocate Donald Trump, who took a break from his continued cover-up of the Epstein Files and restoring Confederate traitor names to current U.S. military bases, to demand the Smithsonian alter their displays to adhere to his whitewashed view of history.
• Trump genuflected, fan-girled, and failed to deliver his long-promised “end to the war in Ukraine in 24-hrs” as he was yet again outfoxed and manipulated by Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The leaders of the free world were so alarmed with Trump’s disastrous display that they high-tailed it to Washington to provide protection and backup to Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House Monday and to prevent Donald Trump from surrendering Ukraine and NATO power to the New Soviet Order.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office is the newest social media sensation with posts trolling and mimicking Trump and all things MAGA. The ridiculing of the Supreme Leader has led to non-stop whining on Fox News and elevated their constant hypocrisy to new heights.
• Republican Aric Nesbitt, the minority leader in the state senate, was discovered to have funneled nearly half a million dark money dollars into his campaign for governor in what looks to be a clear and deliberate effort to circumvent Michigan’s law limiting the amount a person or group can contribute to campaigns and to make those names public.
• Michigan is facing a government shutdown deliberately and unilaterally engineered by Republican House Speaker MAGA Matt Hall. Hall and the House GOP are defunding the police and schools.
• Independent gubernatorial candidate Mike Duggan endorsed Mary Sheffield to succeed him as Detroit mayor, while his campaign is combining some very public endorsements and some very large cash contributions from Republicans.
• The latest target of Trump’s Department of Retaliation (formerly the Justice Department) is a former MSU Economics Professor: Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook

Joining the conversation is a journalist with a keen eye for what’s really important. Nancy Kaffer is national award-winning columnist who writes about politics, policy and the complicated relationship between the two, from Detroit’s historic municipal bankruptcy to the backlog of untested sexual assault kits in Detroit to the Flint water crisis. She oversees publication of commentary and letters to the editor, pens columns and contributes to unsigned editorials.

Nancy is a native of Mobile, Ala. Before joining the Free Press in 2012, she was a staff writer for Crain’s Detroit Business, where she covered the city of Detroit. She has also worked at publications including the Dearborn Press & Guide and the Hattiesburg (Mississippi) American, where she covered K-12 education and post-Katrina recovery in Mississippi’s Pine Belt. Nancy lives in southwest Detroit with her husband and son.

Jack Ohman/Tribune Content Agency*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
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EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸This week marks the 90th anniversary of FDR signing the Social Security Act. In the background, #10 is Michigan Representative John Dingell Sr., a key force in enactment of Social Security. His legacy continued years later through his son, Representative John Dingell Jr., who worked tirelessly to enact Medicare and Medicaid.On the podcast this week…

Donald Trump’s drive to dictatorship continued in a week where he

• Appointed himself the overlord of Washington D.C., inventing a crime emergency despite FBI statistics showing violent crime plummeting in D.C. and the nation
• Named an ideological zealot to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Told Goldman Sachs they should fire their top economist because their man didn’t agree with Trump’s economic policies.
• Told anyone who would listen that the economy under Biden was a disaster, and now we’re the world’s economic hottie…while the economy actually begins to stall under the weight of his tariffs and budget policies.
• Continued to falsely claim his “Big Beautiful Bill” ended taxation of Social Security benefits and overtime.
• Ordered a rewrite of exhibits at the Smithsonian to ensure they align with Trump’s view of history.
• Personally picked the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, then appointed himself as the host for the event.
• Encouraged the war of words over rigging 2026 congressional elections continued to escalate, much to the relief of a person who is happy when people aren’t talking about his onetime BFF Jeffrey Epstein.

Also on our political radar this week:

• Mayors across America are assessing the threats to their cities with Trump’s stated intention to impose L.A. and D.C. style federal occupations to deal with his imagined crime wave. The cities he named share three commonalities: they are run by Democrats, crime is going down in their cities, and the mayors are black.
• Governor Whitmer is quietly continuing her shuttle diplomacy, telling Trump in private that his policies are a major threat to the American auto industry.
• Ford Motor Company has gone all-in on EVs, announcing creation of a new electric vehicle production system and a new EV platform that will allow the automaker to more efficiently bring several lower-cost EVs to market.
• And in another “you’ve gotta be kidding me” moment, Trump openly considers awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to “Big Balls” for the teenager’s courage in fighting two other teenagers who tried to hijack his car.

We look at the revolutionary remake of the Republican Party over the last two decades in this week’s guest segment. Jeff and Mark are joined by one of the best practitioners of the political arts, former Republican State Chairman Rusty Hills. Hills is a walking Wikipedia of Michigan Republican politics over the last half-century. He and Jeff Timmer worked side-by-side on multiple campaigns; Rusty and Mark were friendly rivals during his two terms as chair of the Michigan Republican Party. He was twice elected unanimously to serve in that job, spending every day trying to make Mark’s life as Democratic Party chair miserable! Before that, Rusty served ten years as one of Governor John Engler’s chief lieutenants following Engler’s electoral ouster of two-term incumbent James Blanchard in November 1990.

Hills now is a teaching professor in public policy at the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy of the University of Michigan, and serves as Chancellor and Founder of Holy Spirits Institute, a non-profit educational venture. His goal is to establish a quality, four-year liberal arts Catholic college, located in the Greater Lansing area.

AnnTelnaes.com*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management
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Mike Luckovich/Atlanta Constitution

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EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸MAGA “Sheep” – The Lincoln ProjectOn the podcast this week…

Trump’s insane tariffs are now in effect … and the inflation surge is underway. Tomatoes, iPhones, Bananas, Automobiles, Coffee, Prescription drugs, Chocolate, Wine, virtually everything sold by Walmart and Amazon – prices are going up on just about everything. Economists at Yale this week estimated the impact on an average family at $2,400 per year.

Just to make things even worse, the Trump tariffs are pissing off all of our allies and increasingly isolating the United States from the rest of the world.

This last week included the 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Both Trump and his Supreme Court are working to finish gutting the law for which a lot of people gave their lives.

Between walks on the White House roof, Trump is ramping up the heat on Republican-run states to increase the rigging of congressional elections. What started with his claim that Texas “owed him” five additional districts rigged to favor Republicans is expanding across the nation with talk of new gerrymanders in multiple Republican-run states. Democrats are fighting back in multiple ways. Later in the podcast we’ll talk with one of the leaders of the anti-gerrymandering crusade, Texas state representative Mihaela Plesa – the vice chair of the Texas House Democratic caucus who is currently on an extended out-of-state trip.

And the Supreme Court has decided it will hear arguments on challenges to provisions of the law which provide protections against racial gerrymanders.

Also on our radar this week:

• There’s a clear frontrunner for mayor of Detroit as Mary Sheffield gets 52% of the primary election vote in a 9-candidate field.
• Republican fundraising emails promise a “Tariff Rebate Check”, and claim Social Security benefits are no longer taxes. Both claims are lies.
• The online copy of the U.S. Constitution maintained by Congress was edited this month – leaving out the section on habeas corpus, and also omitting a prohibition on congress granting titles of nobility.
• Trump is ordering the Commerce Department to conduct a new census which does not include undocumented immigrants – even though the Constitution requires counting everyone living in the United States, and doing it every 10 years.
• State House Speaker Matt Hall is refusing to bring legislators back to town, even though the state’s budget is now 5 weeks overdue.

We’re joined on the podcast by one of the leaders in Texas fighting against a bigger gerrymander of congressional districts, Representative Mihaela Plesa. Representative Plesa is a lifelong Texan serving the Dallas area. She is the first-generation daughter of Romanian immigrants who fled Eastern Europe. Now in her second term as State Representative, Plesa was elected the Vice Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus. Representative Plesa owned and operated her own small business in fashion merchandising and design, focusing on Texas-made products while helping other entrepreneurs start and grow their own small businesses. Before running for the Texas House, Plesa served as a legislative director for three regular sessions and four special sessions. She currently is on an extended tour of an undisclosed location outside of Texas … rumored to be Chicago.

Michael Ramiez/Las Vegas Review-Journal*This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management
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Mike Luckovich-Atlanta Journal Constitution

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Ann Telnaes/AnnTelnaes.comOn the podcast this week...We’re recording on August 1, the day that was the unchangeable deadline for trade deals that changed. To no one's surprise, Taco Don has done it again - announcing a 90 day extension of the deadline with Mexico.The tariff-created damage has already begun. There’s anger and apprehension in Michigan’s auto industry. Both the UAW and Manufacturers’ Association say Trump’s sketchy tariff deal with Japan is devastating for domestic manufacturers, giving Japanese manufacturers an advantage over domestic producers. Some suppliers have already begun layoffs.Trump traveled to Scotland to 1) promote his golf courses, 2) create the appearance of a tariff deal with the E.U., and 3) escape the daily questions about his onetime BFF Jeffrey Epstein. He cheated at golf, the announced tariff deal is probably an unworkable fantasy, and the Epstein story only got worse for him as his explanations kept changing. His top priority this week is getting Texas to expand its gerrymander to create 5 additional Republican districts.Some of the other stories we're tracking closer to home: Michigan’s gubernatorial candidates have filed their first campaign finance disclosures. Mark and Jeff do a deep dive into those reports, and what they could mean for the future of several campaigns. Michigan Democrats continue to focus their attacks on John James and Mike Rogers with something they can’t escape: their support of Trump policies that are crippling Michigan. A new non-partisan analysis says Trump’s budget will cost Michigan government a staggering $1.1-billion, most of it in Medicare and food assistance for children. The Trump economic chaos is also assaulting Michigan’s auto industry, with both Ford and Stellantis reporting losses caused by the ever-changing tariffs. State House Democrats are calling for unmasking ICE agents. Republican Speaker Matt Hall calls the bill Dead on Arrival.We’re joined on the podcast today by Jeff's fellow warrior at the Lincoln Project, All Star campaign consultant Rick Wilson. Rick is a renowned political strategist, infamous ad-maker, writer, speaker, and political commentator. In December 2019 Rick co-founded the Lincoln Project. Their mission is to hold accountable those who would violate their oaths to the Constitution and would place their loyalty to others before their loyalty to the American people and democracy.Rick has authored two New York Times bestsellers. His first book, the very prescient “Everything Trump Touches Dies”, shot to #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2018. His second book, Running Against The Devil – A Plot To Save America from Trump And Democrats From Themselves, was released in January to rave reviews and opened at #4 on the New York Times bestseller list. Rick hosts the podcasts “Rick Wilson’s The Enemies List” and the Lincoln Project podcast.Senator Elissa Slotkin chats it up with Trump's favorite late night comic.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================Rick McKee/Cagle.com

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸AnnTelnaes.comOn the podcast this week...The Epstein saga continues to dominate Donald Trump’s admittedly minimal attention span as he throws out all sorts of invitations to talk about anything else. Just this week, that list of distractions included  Reviving his attacks on President Obama for the 2016 Russia investigation, accusing Obama and multiple others of "treason" Publicly considering stripping Rosey O’Donnell’s citizenship  Posting an AI video of a woman in a bikini catching a snake Suing the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch for $10-billion Demanding Coca Cola use cane sugar instead of high fructose corn sugar (even as he continues to chug Diet Coke which has no sugar) Demanding that Washington’s NFL team and Cleveland’s baseball team change their names back to Redskins and Indians Suddenly releasing the MLK assassination files Posting A-I created videos of Barack Obama getting arrested Celebrating the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show and urging similar fates for Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon Congressional Republicans contributed to the blizzard of distractions by voting to rename the opera center at the Kennedy Center the "First Lady Melania Trump Opera House" And even releasing medical information on his old-age-related circulatory problems.Joining the podcast this week is 10th district congressional candidate Tim Greimel. Michigan has multiple congressional races that could determine which party controls the House beginning in 2027. One of the most nationally significant races is in Macomb County. John James narrowly won the seat in 2022. Prior to becoming Mayor of Pontiac, Greimel served in the Michigan legislature from 2012 to 2018. During four of those years, he was the Democratic Leader of the Michigan House of RepresentativesPedro Molina/Tributne Content Agency.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸On the podcast this week... Donald Trump says of MAGA supporters demanding release of the full Epstein files “I don’t want their support anymore” – and that group apparently includes his daughter-in-law Lara. Meanwhile, he’s going through a bad breakup with his BFF Vladimir Putin. The economic news was also bad for Trump and Republicans: inflation is creeping upwards again and employment numbers going down. A $63 billion computer chip project in Flint has been shelved; Sandisk management blames the decision on economic uncertainty created by Donald Trump, especially his on-again off-again tariffs. In a move that would make Putin proud: Trump was able to walk away with the Fifa Club World Cup trophy (a $230,000 bauble), while the winning team from England was forced to settle for a replica. Democrats are eying a congressional seat pickup in southwest Michigan, with state Senator Sean McCann announcing that he’s running for the seat now held by Republican Bill Huizenga. Huizenga is expected to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in a matter of days. The latest campaign finance reports show all 3 Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, and Huizenga, with solid financial support … not so much for Republican Mike Rogers. We learn that Shri Thanedar’s reelection campaign is being financed in large part by profits from crypto currency speculationKeef Knight Project/www.pateon.com/keefknightThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸This week --Donald Trump celebrated Taco Tuesday bigly: Launching another change in his threatened tariff wars, postponing T-Day from last Wednesday to August 1st Threatening Brazil with 50% tariffs in an effort to protect fellow criminal and former President Bolsonaro Reversing himself on the sale of arms to Ukraine after saying he didn’t know who stopped those sales Finally realizing that his buddy Vladimir Putin is feeding him … in Trump’s words … a lot of bullshit Showing off his skills as an interior decorator at his cabinet meeting - certainly a priority rather than dealing with 3 ongoing wars, a worldwide economic trade war and a devastating human catastrophe in Texas.  As for his 90 trade deals in 90 days: it’s been 90+ days, and he’s about 88.5 deals short of his goal. Now, he says sending a letter is the same as a deal.Some of the Michigan political news on our radar this week: MAGA icon Tudor Dixon says she won’t run for either Governor or U.S. Senator, much to the disappointment of Democrats There’s another potential statewide ballot proposal in the works, this one an effort to make voting more difficult Newly filed court documents reveal the secret financial involvement of DTE energy in efforts to undermine Governor Whitmer’s Covid lockdown policiesMid-Michigan will be at the center of one of the most hotly contested congressional races in the country. First-term Republican Tom Barrett is seen as very beatable, especially after his vote to take away healthcare from tens-of-thousands of his constituents. There’s a third candidate running to take on  Barrett. The first candidate to enter the race: former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink. Brink has served in the U.S. Foreign Service for 30 years, most recently as United States Ambassador to Ukraine. She was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate shortly after her nomination in 2022. Prior to her role in Ukraine, she was the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia from August 2019, to May 2022.Brink's tenure in Ukraine coincided with the Russian invasion, which began in February 2022. She actively supported Ukraine, advocating for U.S. military aid and signaling strong support for the Ukrainian government. Brink announced her resignation 3 months ago, citing disagreements with the Trump administration's policies, which she felt pressured Ukraine while softening the stance towards Russia. Michael Ramirez:Las Vegas Review-JournalThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸This week -- The Big Bad Billionaires’ Tax Cut squeaks through the Senate with J.D. Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. After we recorded, the House grudgingly concurred as self-styled fiscal conservatives caved in to support the massive increase in the national debt -- all to give billionaires the huge tax cut they cherish. The BBB front-loads the tax cuts, and delays the program-slashing cuts until after the next election. That's a "tell." The surprise retirement announcement from North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis and non-MAGA GOPer Don Bacon in a Democratic-leaning Nebraska Congressional seat sends a dire warning to purple-seat Republicans on the ballot next year. Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow announces a $2.1 million haul in her first partial fundraising quarter. Elon Musk reignites his war with Trump and the Republicans, threatening to fund campaigns against anyone voting for Trump’s Big Bad Bill AND Trump threatening to turn DOGE and ICE on Elon. Access to Mackinac Island could become a lot more expensive. Lawmakers are looking at putting some limits on parking and ferry transport fees in the wake of a new monopoly of ferry boat options. Another petition drive is in the works for Michigan. Led by Voters Not Politicians, this ballot proposal would limit political contributions by state-regulated utilities and companies with large state contracts … while providing some sunshine on dark money in politics. We’ll talk with VNP’s Kimberly Murphy-Kovalick about the first VNP-led ballot drive since the group ended gerrymandering in 2018. We recorded the podcast on July 2 and, as of then, state lawmakers are nowhere near resolving the state’s budget.This week's guest is a leader in the battle over the exorbitant cash being donated for political campaigns. A coalition of state nonprofits is hoping to ban some of Michigan’s largest corporations from donating massive amounts to politicians. Under the effort, regulated utilities and those with government contracts in excess of $250,000 would be unable to make political contributions. It hopes to put the question to voters next year.The coalition includes Voters Not Politicians, the group that led the successful 2018 campaign to pass an anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendment.Joining the conversation is Senior Director of Policy and Programs of the Voters Not Politicians Ballot Committee, Kim Murphy-Kovalick. (Full disclosure: Walt Sorg was one of the founders of Voters Not Politicians in 2017, but no longer affiliated with the group other than as a financial donor.)Clay Jones/claytoonz.comThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸As Donald Trump’s poll numbers continue to sink to new record lows, his anger grows. He’s been lashing out at media reports that his Iran War didn’t end Iran’s nuclear program, signs of opposition to his Big Bad Budget Bill among Republicans in Congress … and possibly having his golfing schedule interrupted by his war in the Middle East.Michigan political news on our radar this week: Democrats across Michigan and the nation are trying to figure out the implications of New York City’s mayoral election. In Michigan, the victory of Zohran Mamdani comes as especially welcome news to U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The prosecuting attorney in Michigan’s 2nd largest county wants to be Attorney General Republican candidates for both the U.S. Senate and Governor are trying to figure out how to finesse the highly unpopular idea of Medicaid cuts with their support of Republican federal budget proposals. Kristi Noem says Trump has solved the southern border problem … and now it’s time to focus on the northern border. Does that mean a fence down the middle of Lake St. Clair, Lake Huron and Lake Superior (with Canada paying for it)?And we can now officially say “goodbye” to "Big Balls." 19-year-old Edward Coristine, one of the first teenage Ninjas hired as part of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is no longer working for the federal government according to multiple media reports.Matt Davies:Washington PostThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free PressThe Trump administration’s latest anti-democracy tactic is arresting the opposition. Trump’s masked brownshirts have now moved from arresting immigrants who haven’t committed crimes to arresting elected officials and threatening their staffs with arrest for the crime of disagreeing with Donald Trump and Stephen Miller. Adding to the terror: threats and acts of violence aimed at politicians and government workers, with the horrific murder of a Minnesota legislator and her husband the most terrifying attack of all. We are joined by a senior leader in the Michigan Legislature who has served the public for 30 years: Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh.And we can’t overlook the pathetic, under-attended and over-priced birthday parade that was so boring even the birthday boy himself fell asleep as the soldiers marched by…while five-million or so pissed off Americans took to the streets for peaceful protests over the full panorama of Trumpism.Also on Michigan's political radar this week: The campaign finance scandal growing out of opposition to Governor Whitmer’s COVID policies brings its first criminal conviction There’s another Republican in the race for Governor, the second announced candidate who has already lost a statewide election Two more Democrats have announced they are running for Congress in Michigan swing districts, including the recently resigned U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine. State Democrats are dialing up the attacks on the proposed Trump budget, with a focus on healthcare and Michigan jobs. Michigan’s junior U.S. Senator is making more national headlines. This time it was Elissa Slotkin verbally castrating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a cross-examination that has gone viral. If you missed it, we’ll have a link to the exchange on our website.We begin with the first guilty plea in what’s likely to be a growing campaign spending scandal: the funding of the Unlock Michigan campaign which threatens former state Senate GOP leader Mike Shirkey. The original complaints about the financing of Unlock Michigan were filed by longtime GOP activist Bob Labrant and with the assistance of Mark and Jeff: Jeff as a witness, and Mark as attorney for the trio.Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin cross-examines Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on whether he's authorized troops to fire on unarmed civilians at protests.MarkFiore.comThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored in part byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Donald Trump made his first visit to the now Woke-Free Kennedy Center this week for a performance of his favorite musical, Les Miserables. He apparently failed to see the irony in how the musical’s plot mirrors the week in Los Angeles: the people rising up to protest a militaristic autocracy intent on smashing their rights and who ultimately overturn the ruthless militaristic autocracy. The French resistance barricades the streets and light fires. And, as we record this week’s show, a member of the United States Senator is assaulted and handcuffed by Kristi Noem’s security detail - sparking outrage on the left, and lies on the right.There’s also a lot of Michigan political news on our radar this week: Governor Whitmer has joined with other Democratic governors in opposing Trump’s politicizing of the National Guard and threats to launch military invasions of more cities. Another Michigan Democrat has entered the conversations about 2028 presidential nomination. Senator Elissa Slotkin has entered the conversation after mapping out a center-left strategy for taking on Trump. State house Republicans have passed education budgets that jack up state support for private schools and totally gut the budgets of the state’s public universities, with MSU and UM having nearly all their state support wiped out. And a shout-out to the NY Times for the best headline of the week in the reporting on The Resistance, adapted from Shakespeare: First we employ all the lawyers! Amen to that!We're joined by Bridge Michigan political and state government reporter Jordyn Hermani for a deep dive into the politics of Michigan’s budget and the multiple 2026 races that have national importance. She is an Emmy-nominated journalist whose byline has been featured in several publications including POLITICO, The Detroit Free Press, Indianapolis Star and now Bridge Michigan. Her coverage of Michigan politics throughout the years has seen me featured on a host of networks such as CNN, CBS News, Fox News, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and NPR. Jordyn also has been featured in the Columbia Journalism Review and Washington Post.  Outside of politics, she is an avid trail hiker and estate sale enthusiast. Her passions include cats, horror movies, hockey and her husband… but she quickly adds “not necessarily in that order!”AnnTelnaes.substack.comThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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Our apologies for the audio distortion on this week's episode. We'll enlist some newly out-of-work DOGE techies to fix it for next week 😂This week's show is sponsored byEPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS News🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸The bromance appears to have ended between the world’s wealthiest man and the world’s most brazen. What does the growing rift between The Ketamine Kid and TACO Don mean for the next few months? Senator Joni Ernst has a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease with her revelation that we’re all going to die … allowing Democrats to note it will happen faster under GOP policies. And "Big Balls" is back in the news. The 19-year-old Doge Wunderkind is now a top-level executive with the General Services Administration which gives him access to all sorts of data on every American compiled. And he’s drawing one of the top salaries in the federal government - more than $106,000 a year.There’s also a lot of Michigan political news on our radar this week. MDP Chair Curtis HertelThere’s a new campaign finance scandal growing with revelations of a huge dark money slush fund. The state Republican Party is moving out of its downtown Lansing headquarters, saying it has far more office than is needed for its current staff. The jokes write themselves. Some Republicans are trying to impeach Secretary of State Jocelyn BensonState Democrats continue to hone in on the impact of federal Medicaid cutbacks in the run-up to 2026. We are joined by Democratic State Party chair Curtis Hertel. Michigan looks to be the focal point for 2026, critical to control of Congress … and with expensive, competitive races to replace term-limited Gretchen Whitmer, Jocelyn Benton and Dana Nessel.RJ Matson, CQ Roll CallThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish Market🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Dave Whamond:cagle.com"Big Balls" and all his Doge teenage mutants are on their way out as head Doge Elon Musk slinks to the exits, unhappy with Trump’s pretty much ignoring efforts to cut the federal deficit as the mostly dysfunctional Re¡publican Congress decides if it needs to inflict even more damage on the nation.We’ve got the usual lineup of Trump outrages through the week: handing out pardons like Oprah hands out cars, sending his sons and Vice President to suck up to the crypto kings at their convention, and whining as a three-judge panel tells him he doesn’t have the right to impose his tariffs. We’ve got new polling that points to a Benson-James showdown for Governor, and one of two women going head-to-head with Mike Rogers. But it’s still 15 months until the primary. Donald Trump says he’s open to giving pardons to the ragtag militia members who were planning to kidnap and murder Governor Whitmer. Why not? In the last few days he’s pardoned a half-dozen or more conflict felons, all of whom happen to be MAGA zealots Whitmer keynotes the annual Detroit Chamber policy conference on Mackinac Island talking unity, and drawing appreciative chuckles with references to her budding bromance with Trump. New national polling hints that her working cooperatively with Trump is paying benefits. Attorney General Nessel issues her own scorecard in the ongoing filing of lawsuits against Trump’s most outrageous and illegal actions. Spoiler alert: Nessel and the coalition of Democratic state attorneys general are winning most of the cases MSU could be facing a new financial challenge as Marco Rubio starts a purge of Chinese nationals attending American universities. Another victim could well be the landlords of the most pricey rental units in East LansingWe're joined in the podcast by author, legal commentator and UM law professor Leah Litman. Her book  LAWLESS: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes has just been published. Litman teaches and writes on constitutional law, federal courts, and federal post-conviction review. Her research examines unidentified and implicit values that are used to structure the legal system, the federal courts, and the legal profession.In 2023, the American Law Institute named Litman a recipient of its Early Career Scholars Medal, which is awarded every other year to “two outstanding early-career law professors whose work is relevant to public policy and has the potential to influence improvements in the law.” Also in 2023, the American Constitution Society recognized Litman with the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Scholar Award.Leah is is one of the co-hosts and co-creators of Strict Scrutiny, a Crooked Media podcast about the US Supreme Court, which received the 2023 Podcast Academy award (Ambie) for Best Politics or Opinion podcast and a 2023 Anthem Award for its coverage of the Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade. Following her clerkships, she worked at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, one of the DC law firms targeted by Donald Trump for retribution – something struck down earlier this week by a federal court. The firm said in its lawsuit that Trump was punishing the firm for cases it had taken, noting among other things that it had filed a suit this year challenging Trump’s dismissal of inspectors general and previously represented some of his political opponents.Clay Bennett, Counterpoint MediaThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish Market🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Mike Luckovich - Atlanta Journal ConstitutionDonald Trump had one of the best weeks of his 4-month presidency this week, with his "Big Beautiful Budget Bill" sneaking through as his personal music of the night. The “let’s protect the rich folks, screw everyone else” budget passed the U.S. House after an all-night session; His new ride, the $400-million gold-leaf jet, is officially in the hands of the Air Force needing about $1-billion in upgrades; He wrapped up his crypto-coin-scam to the tune of a few hundred million dollars more with his Meme-coin dinner. This past week may go down in history as the most corrupt week in the history of American government, far surpassing the exploits of even Richard Nixon or Warren Harding.There’s also a lot of Michigan political news on our radar this week: The DeVos family has invested the first five-million dollars in its continuing family campaign to take over Michigan politically… Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum launches her campaign for Secretary of State, something she’s wanted to do for years; A new name has emerged as a challenger for Tom Barrett’s seat in Congress. He’s Matt Maasdam, a retired Navy SEAL and former military aide to President Barack Obama (the guy who carried the nuclear codes); other names are being floated as possibilities. Among them: former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and Michigan native Bridget Brink, who resigned her position to protest Trump’s treatment of President Zelensky. Mark will have his thoughts on the passing of former Michigan Chief Justice Michael Cavanagh, a little known but towering figure in the annals of Michigan state government and our justice system.Also this week: Jeff and producer Walt Sorg and  talk politics, healthcare … and Trump corruption… with U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed The race for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination has four heavyweights poised to battle over the next year. Among them: former Wayne County health director and Bernie Sanders favorite Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. He ran for Governor in 2018, coming out of nowhere to score 30 percent of the vote to Gretchen Whitmer’s 52 percent. Recognized nationwide as an expert on improving the American healthcare system, he authored Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide, which explains how to build a healthcare system that guarantees high-quality, affordable healthcare for every American. In 2020, he was selected to serve on President Biden’s Unity Task Force for Healthcare, helping craft policies that are lowering prescription drug prices today.Dr. El-Sayed is a native of southeast Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with the highest distinction and played on the Wolverines men’s lacrosse team. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University on an NIH-funded fellowship and a second doctorate at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.Lalo Alcaraz/Andrews McMeel SyndicationThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish Market🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸The grifting is like a Musk rocket ship, soaring off to near space while the passenger has a big giggle. In this case, it’s a $400-million airplane for Donald Trump’s personal use now (after a $1-billion taxpayer-funded retrofit), and even beyond ... assuming he agrees to leave the White House. In the time he’s able to take away from golf, social network posting and watching TV, Trump is getting occasional briefings on what his band of zealots are doing to the nation…and backing away from at least a few of his most damaging decisions. Case in point: tariffs. Yes, he’s still a fan of what amounts to a national sales tax, but he’s backing away from the most excessive as his approval ratings move into used-car-salesman numbers. We’ll talk about the economics of Trump’s ever changing policies with University of Michigan economics professor Justin Wolfers.Also on our political radar screen this week (between Newark-style outages!): There's another Democrat in the race for U.S. Senate, former state House Speaker Joe Tate. Onetime Republican congressman David Trott is talking about a return to the U.S. House, but running this time as a Democrat Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit has joined the race for the Democrats' nomination for Attorney General And the DeVos family has dropped a cool $5-million as their first investment into the John James for Governor campaign Joining the conversation this week is one of the world’s most respected economists, Justin Wolfers. Dr. Wolfers is a professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan and a visiting professor of economics at the University of Sydney. He is also a research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research; a non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution, a non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a research fellow with the Institute for the Study of Labor in Bonn; a research affiliate with the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London; and an international research fellow with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Dr. Wolfers earned his Ph.D. in economics in 2001 from Harvard University, and was a Fulbright, Knox and Menzies Scholar. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics in his native Australia at the University of Sydney in 1994, winning the University Medal. He was recently named by the International Monetary Fund as one of the "25 economists under 45 shaping the way we think about the global economy."This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish Market🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸The mainstream media are finally catching on to the rampant corruption throughout the Trump administration: grifts and gifts that are putting untold billions into Donald Trump’s pocket, much of it from foreign sources. It’s a worldwide, nakedly corrupt bribery scandal with governments, major corporations, law firms, television networks, and billionaires worldwide competing to see who can give Trump the largest bribes. In Michigan Democrats are focusing on proposed Republican cuts to Medicaid, as new polling shows statewide voter rejection of any cuts to the healthcare program, and a new state reports projects 700-thousand Michiganders losing healthcare coverage as a result of Republican efforts to use Medicaid cuts to partially fund 4.5-billion-dollars in tax cuts for major corporations and the oligarchs. On the state political front: with Haley Stevens running for U.S. Senate a lot of Democrats are looking to be their party’s nominee. We’ll talk new vs legacy media, Michigan politics, and more with longtime political analyst, journalist, and new-media innovator Susan Demas.Susan is a 24-year journalism veteran and one of the state’s foremost experts on Michigan politics, appearing on C-SPAN, MSNBC, CNN, NPR and WKAR-TV’s “Off the Record.” For nearly five years, Susan was the Editor and Publisher of Inside Michigan Politics, the most-cited political newsletter in the state. She also founded the online news publication Michigan Advance. Susan’s award-winning political analysis has run in more than 100 national, international and regional media outlets, including the Guardian U.K., NBC News, the New York Times, the Detroit News and MLive.Susan is the newly minted executive editor of “Lincoln Square Media”, one of the fastest-growing news sources on Substack, YouTube, and in the digital arena. Lincoln Square Media is a joint venture with The Lincoln Project. Lincoln Square’s mission is to expose, inspire, inform, lead, and connect — and present the tools not just to fight back, but fight forward for the America we all deserve. Lincoln Square creates podcasts, live streaming, digital and social media, commentary, articles, town halls, public and virtual community gatherings, and strategy calls with people like Rick Wilson, Stuart Stevens, Joe Trippi and Jeff Timmer who have led the biggest campaigns - and won.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free PressThis week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish Market🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸Democrats remain divided on how to take on the increasingly unpopular Trump, ranging from Schumer’s very strong letter, Gretchen Whitmer's balancing opposition to Trump with the state's need, to a full out denunciation from Illinois Governor J.D. Pritzker. Governor Whitmer’s politically risky Oval Office visit may have been embarrassing, but pays off with a big win in Macomb County. The announcement of new support for Selfridge Air National Guard base came just an hour before Trump’s nostalgia tour hit the stage at a 100-days-in-office Macomb rally.Trump’s campaign-style rally was more of the same: a 90-minute rant with Trump whining about being a victim, backing off some of his jobs-crushing tariffs on autos and auto parts, and a lot of empty seats according to the Detroit News. But the big political news came earlier in the afternoon, with Governor Whitmer standing side-by-side with Trump to take credit for the new federal commitment to Selfridge…in the process taking the spotlight away from Congressman and GOP gubernatorial candidate John James.Also this week: The Trump tariffs begin to take their toll on Michigan, with GM announcing reduced profit projections for 2025 U.S. consumer confidence hits its lowest point since the beginning of the COVID pandemic The nation’s leading universities launch a mutual defense pact to fight back against Trump’s attacks A Saran-wrapped car leads to another moment of political pettiness from state House Speaker Matt Hall There’s been a mass exodus at the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights division. We’ll be joined later in the podcast by a former #2 attorney in that division, University of Michigan law professor Sam Bagenstos.Returning to the podcast this week: University of Michigan law professor Sam Bagenstos, who was a senior staffer at what it now Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Project 2025-driven office of Management and Budget, and the probably-soon-to-be shuttered Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights. From Inauguration Day 2021 to June 2022, he served as general counsel to the Office of Management and Budget where his responsibilities included working on President Biden’s Day One executive orders; helped respond to COVID-19, including implementing several crucial aid programs; and helped craft and implement the American Rescue Plan as well as the Inflation Reduction Act;.From 2009 to 2011, Bagenstos was the principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, the No. 2 official in the Civil Rights Division. Just this week, dozens of senior attorneys in the Civil Rights Division resigned in protest of the protect-white-privilege priorities of the Trump administration.Edith Pritchett:The Washington PostThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish MarketMike Lukovich-Atlanta Journal ConstitutionThe “Underwater” episode of A Republic, If You Can Keep It isn’t a tribute to Jacques Cousteau, Lloyd Bridges or the Navy’s submariners … but the reality facing Donald Trump as he approaches the 100 day mark. At this point in his administration he’s the most unpopular President this century. The only other president whose job approval has been this low after 100 days – Donald Trump in his first term. His 44% net approval is 10-to-20 points below the favorability ratings of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama … and Joe Biden.There’s a lot more in the politi-sphere this week: Another major candidate has joined Michigan Democrats’ contest for U.S. Senate; There’s a new justice on the Michigan Supreme Court, giving Democrats a 6-1 majority on the officially non-partisan bench; State Republicans have been forced into an awkward 180-degree shift on a controversial proposal for Chinese-owned industrial development in west Michigan; And southeast Michigan braces for an upcoming visit from America’s best known convicted criminal – Donald Trump choosing Macomb County to take a bow for what he sees as a hugely successful first 100 days.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRAa full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish MarketClay Jones - claytoonz.comThis week on ""A Republic, If You Can Keep It"We are still 565 days away from the 2026 general election, but the field of candidates in Michigan is already filling out in what’s become the perpetual campaign…and assuming King Donald the FIrst allows us to actually have an election in 2026. We review the list of new candidates for Governor. U.S. Senator and Congress. Also on the Michigan agenda: the responses of the state’s top two universities as they struggle with the growing efforts of Donald Trump to control their policies in a way that benefits his MAGA mindset.There’s another brewing partisan battle over voter suppression, with a right-wing funded petition effort which promises to solve a problem that doesn’t exist: foreigners voting in our elections. And in the Legislature there are signs of hope for at least a partial solution to our decades-long pothole problem. Leaders of the two parties are actually talking instead of just launching hyper-partisan stink bombs.We begin with very open steps being taken by Trump to establish the first Monarch-run governance here since before the American revolution. Donald Trump is using the financial, legal and military power of the federal government to extort, intimidate and bully his way to a government where only he makes decisions… even as hundreds-of-thousands take to the streets in opposition. Attacking freedom of thought on college campuses Turning the White House Press Room into a right-wing dominated haven for suck-ups Extorting law firms into providing legal backing for his agenda Defying court orders, including two rulings from the Supreme Court Leaving the door wide open for “disappearing” American citizens into El Salvador Gulags Hijacking sensitive/classified data from across the government, apparently to favor Musk and other billionaire-benefiting businesses Weaponizing the IRS, FCC and DOJThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish MarketThis week on ""A Republic, If You Can Keep It" Thousands demonstrate against Trump’s destruction of the government and economy. Is this a replay of the movements that brought Civil Rights laws in the 1960’s, the end of the VietNam war in the 1970s, and the birth of the GOP rightward leap via the Tea Party in the 2009 and the women’s movement of the 2010s? Governor Whitmer has reinforced talk of a 2028 presidential run with a high-profile speech in Washington this week … paired with a one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump. Was she measuring the curtains in the Oval Office? Penguins are breathing a sigh of relief as Trump blinks on his one-man demolition of the economy. But the slingshot economic tactics are a political threat to the reelection campaigns of Republicans nationwide and in Michigan - with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee now targeting 3 Republican-held districts in our state. One of those Trump-backing Republicans, Congressman John James, says he’s running for Governor, meaning his 10th district congressional seat is a definite flip opportunity for Democrats. We’ll be joined by the latest Democratic candidate for that job, Macomb County assistance prosecuting attorney Christina Hines. Trump is weaponizing the once respected DOJ by ordering criminal investigations into two critics in the private sector: Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor. Online rumors fueled by Indivisible warn Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act to shut down protest rallies across the nation Mallory McMorrow’s media rollout for her Senate campaign goes national: multiple MSNBC appearance plus "The Daily Show" Larry Sabato’s initial House election projections show Democrats with a slight advantage, with 5 Michigan congressional districts in playOne of the most-watched congressional races in the nation next year will be centered in Macomb County and Michigan’s 10th district. With John James running for Governor, the swing district is a definite coin toss. Democrats will have a competition in the primary. Last month we talked with Alex Hawkins, the first announced candidate. Joining the race in the last week: Christina Hines. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State Law School, Hines ran for Macomb County Prosecutor in 2024 against sitting prosecutor Peter Lucido, with Lucido receiving 57% of the vote while Hines held 43%. Prior to that, she served as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Wayne County before heading up the Special Victims Unit in Washtenaw County. This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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This week's show is sponsored by:EPIC-MRA Public Opinion ResearchMIRS NewsFulton Fish MarketThis week on ""A Republic, If You Can Keep It" Republicans everywhere are reassessing after stumbling in a couple of Florida special elections that should have been slam dunks, and losing a State Supreme Court election in a Wisconsin landslide A day later by a stunningly trade war launched by the worst graduate in the history of the Wharton School of Economics. There was a Standing-Room-Only crowd as Democrats headlined a Town Hall in the heart of Macomb County, an event taking full aim at MIA Congressman John James. Last week, it was the most unqualified national security team ever assembled Signaling its stunningly consistent ineptness, with the revelation that at least one of them is conducting official business on Gmail. This week, it’s RFK Jr. who, by advocating quack medicine while firing actual real scientists, accelerates a growing measles outbreak that’s spreading from ground ZERO in Texas. Homeland Security ineptly condemns people to an indefinite stay in an El Salvador hell hole with no proof they’ve done anything wrong. And the U.S. Senate race has its first major candidate. We talk with state Senator Mallory McMorrowThe first announced candidate for U.S. Senator is state Senator Mallory McMorrow. She exploded into the national spotlight in 2024 after an emotional response to very public personal attacks on her by Republican state Senator Lana Theis went viral. She is an ardent supporter of policies protecting reproductive rights, empowering local communities, and making Michigan a business- and family-friendly state. McMorrow is the Senate Majority Whip, serving her second term in the Michigan Senate.Prior to her election to the Senate she worked for more than a decade in product design, media and advertising with companies like Mazda, Mattel, Gawker Media, Hearst and other global brands.McMorrow hit the ground running during her first term in the Michigan Senate, winning policy changes such as ending Michigan’s tampon tax, helping struggling businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, and protecting certain individuals (including domestic violence survivors) by creating an address confidentiality program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Notre Dame and resides in Royal Oak with her husband, Ray, their daughter, Noa, and their rescue dog, Detroit. At 38, she is the youngest person on the list of potential Senate candidates in either party.Ann Telnaes - antelnaes.comThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management======================================================

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The most unqualified national security team ever assembled demonstrates its total lack of competence…and defends itself by attacking Atlantic Magazine and Jeffrey Goldberg. Their fallback defense: no harm, no foul. The attack was successful so it’s no big whoop. Trump, who appears to be out of the loop on a lot of what's happening inside his administration, is keeping his focus on leveraging the presidency to make money for himself, while co-President Elon Musk continues his brazen violations of federal laws and the U.S. constitution.The latest outrages from the Trump-Musk administration: intimidating, punishing and extorting any law firm that dares challenge their mission to destroy the federal government; using the unmatched financial leverage of the federal budget to demand fealty from universities and large corporations; and a new Executive Order which will take away voting rights from untold hundreds-of-thousands of Americans.Clay Jones - claytoons.comThis episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management===========================

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In the last week, we have learned that Any media outlet criticizing Trump is corrupt and should be in jail; Any DOJ lawyer or investigator looking into Trump’s many crimes is corrupt and will be fired; Any member of Congress investigating Trump’s many crimes should go to prison; Any non-white person whether in the country legally or illegally can be snatched up by Homeland Security and immediately sent to an El Salvador prison; We apparently are at war, much to the surprise of a Congress which has the sole power to declare war; Complying with federal court orders is optional; Any judge ruling against Trump policies should be impeached; and Chief John Roberts may actually have a spine. In Michigan  Governor Whitmer confirms she’s not running for the U.S. Senate; New polling shows that the woman she beat by 10 points in 2022 is a contender to win the GOP’s nomination for either Governor or the Senate; State House Speaker Matt Hall believes he, like the Governor, has the right to veto legislation; The battle over fixing the damn roads is escalating;  Republican state Representative Bryan Posthumous, a leader in the GOP’s election integrity talk, may be engaged in a little election fraud of his own; and  Michigan Republicans continue to duck face-to-face Town Hall meetings, while Democrats schedule as many as they can.Joining the podcast discussion this week is fellow podcaster and longtime state capitol reporter Rick Pluta. Rick is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener. Rick was one of the first Michigan political reporters to write about “pay-to-play” fundraising, and the controversies surrounding recognition of same-sex relationships. He broke the news that Gov. John Engler was planning a huge juvenile justice overhaul that included adult-time-for-adult-crime sentencing, and has continued to report since then on the effects of that policy decision.He co-hosts the weekly podcast “It’s Just Politics” with Zoe Clark.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management===========================

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Jack Ohman - Tribune Content AgencyDonald Trump inherited a booming economy from Barack Obama in 2017. It took him three years and one botched pandemic response to send it spiraling towards recession. He’s learned from his first-term mistakes. This time, he inherited an economy the Economist magazine called the envy of the world and has managed to tank it in a matter of just weeks. This time, in between rounds of golf and incessant posting on social media, Donald Trump has managed to take down Wall Street and Main Street by declaring financial war on countries who thought we were allies.The political repercussions have begun with Trump’s polling numbers tanking, and a majority of Americans for the first time disapproving of his handling of the economy. The vast majority also oppose most of the Musk-led chainsaw massacre of federal employees. The end game? Trump and Musk appear to be setting the stage for privatizing things like the Weather Bureau, FAA, K-12 education and the long-sought GOP dream: privatizing Social Security so they and their billionaire buddies can wet their beaks dipping into literally trillions of spending over the coming decades.In Michigan, 20 months before the election polling shows Jocelyn Benson with a sizable lead in the Democratic gubernatorial race, and Pete Buttigieg the strongest candidate for U.S. Senate - but he's announced he's not running for either the Senate or Governor. We do, however, have another entrant into the Democratic race for Governor: Lt. Governor Garland Gilchrist. The challenge for Gilchrist: can the tallest candidate (6'9") in the mix overcome the longstanding Michigan history that has doomed the gubernatorial aspirations of Lt. Governors for the last 30 years? The list of would-be Lt. Governors seeking the top job is long, distinguished ... and uniformly unsuccessful: Jim Brickley (1982) Dick Posthumus (2002) John Cherry (2010) Brian Calley (2018)The last Lt. Governor to advance via election was John Swainson in 1960. Lt. Governor William Milliken inherited the job when George Romney resigned in 1969 to join the Nixon cabinet, and went on to serve 14 years as perhaps the best Governor in Michigan's modern history.20 months before the election, polling shows Jocelyn Benson with a sizable lead in the Democratic gubernatorial race, and Pete Buttigieg the strongest candidate for U.S. Senate.This week's guest is an early entrant into the race to flip. Michigan's 10th district. Onetime military helicopter pilot John James has run for office, losing twice for U.S. Senate and winning two terms in Congress. In each case, the elections were extremely close. But as every politician knows, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Our guest this week can offer first-hand testimony on the latter - hand grenades. He’s an expert in the subject. Joining the podcast is political newcomer Alex Hawkins. He served in the Middle East as a U.S. Army "Explosive Ordnance Disposal" Officer. He continues as an Active Duty Veteran and Oakland County Reserve Sheriff's Deputy. His resume includes working on the staffs of both then-Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and Senator Gary Peters. Hawkins, 30, is a 2021 graduate of Central Michigan University. He and his wife Amanda live in Rochester Hills.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management===========================

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Mike Luckovich — Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionDonald Trump’s embarrassing DOGE assault on every corner of government continues to misfire. The strategy: set a target for cuts in each agency, immediately fire workers with no consideration of their contribution to making government work, backtrack when those cuts blow up. In the words of Elon Musk, "we'll make mistakes will act quick to correct." But the reality is that “all the king’s horses, all the king’s men, can’t put complex programs back together again.” And that means chaos for all Americans and around the world literally tens-of-thousands, many of them children, dying. Anybody want to buy the Department of Justice HQ? FBI HQ? Invent a bird flu vaccine? Put out forest firesIn Michigan, we have two national figures looming high in the headlines. Elissa Slotkin has vaulted onto the national stage with a spot-on response to Trump’s 99 minutes of self congratulations and grievances. Pete Buttigieg tells Stephen Colbert that he’s definitely looking at running for U.S. Senate, possibly setting up an All-Star Democratic primary.  With the beginning of Trump’s North American trade war the state’s shoppers face ever-higher prices for groceries, the state’s farmers brace for massive export reductions, and everything imported, and the auto manufacturers get a 30-day reprieve as they deal with the uncertainty over tariffs.Also on our radar: Dana Nessel launches a podcast with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes Trump retreats from tariffs, delaying disaster for domestic auto production by 30 days Misdirection: DOGE is a cover for cutting $4.5-trillion in taxes Presidents Musk and Trump are setting the stage to destroy Social Security Great news for the Fact-Checker industry: the lies continue to fly from DJT's mouth, including claims about transgender mice, Gaza condoms, financial support for Ukraine and money for Tracey AbramsJoining the conversation is longtime Lansing insider Jeff Padden, the founder of the non-partisan Lansing think tank Public Policy Associates.Jeff has more than 35 years of experience in the public policy arena, including 10 years as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, where he chaired the House Corrections Committee.  In addition, he served as deputy director of the Michigan Department of Commerce and director of the Governor’s Human Investment Project. He was first elected to the Michigan House after an upset primary victory over the then-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Since founding PPA in 1991, Padden has led multiyear, multisite evaluations for clients such as the U.S. Department of Labor, the Ford Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.  Jeff has designed and led technical assistance and training programs for public agencies and nonprofits.  At the state and national levels, he has guided clients in the development of new strategies, policies, and initiatives.This episode is sponsored in part by===========================EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management===========================Rob Rogers — Tinyview.com

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Waste, Fraud and Abuse: it is either the new right-wing code for trickle-down economics, or another sign of Trump’s dementia. Republicans want us to believe that a $4.5-TRILLION tax cut for rich folks and corporations can be covered without damaging services needed by the rest of us. Their "theory": we can cover it by having Elon eliminate WF&A, plus enact bigly tariffs on our allies and China. But just in case, Trump asks that the federal debt limit be increased by $4-TRILLION. Meanwhile, Trump keeps saying he won’t cut Medicare even as House Republicans signal a cut of $800-billion or more. Trump is promising to raise tariffs on Mexico and Canada in a week, posing a direct threat to Michigan's economy and the jobs of untold thousands.Another part of Trump’s balance the budget plan: sell U.S. citizenships for $5-million. We simply can’t imagine that a hostile government would use that as a way to embed spies into our society. (All of this is coming from a President who added 8-trillion-dollars to the national debt in his first term, and somehow manage to drive multiple casinos into bankruptcy.) On the plus side, the Musk-Trump Chain Saw Massacre continues to provide gainful employment for a lot of lawyers, with the count of lawsuits challenging them closing in on 100. So far, the plaintiffs are winning as the courts push back against the massive constitutional violations of Musk and the Muskrats.Governor Whitmer lays out her hopes and dreams for the upcoming legislative session, even as she draws some flack from Democrats unhappy with her cozying up to Trump and state House Speaker Matt Hall. And Speaker Hall has done a 180 on applying the Freedom of Information Act to the Legislature and Governor. He was, as John Kerry memorably said, for it before he was against it.Making a triumphant return to the podcast is journalist/philosopher John Lindstrom. John covered Michigan State government for more than 42 years before retiring in 2023. For the last two years, he has been a Detroit Free Press contributing columnist. His columns offer rigorous political analysis, of course, but more than that John offers readers the tools to build their own scaffolding. He doesn't tell readers how to think — he suggests ways to think. John is also the unofficial Walking Wikipedia of Michigan’s political history dating back to the mid 1970s. Joining him is another veteran of Lansing journalism with a long history covering State of the State messages. Former Associated Press reporter Cindy Kyle covered her first SOS back in 1977. Now retired, she has followed state government ever since including during her 18 years directing communications for our friends at MSU’s Institute for Public Policy and Social Research and at the Michigan Political Leadership Program.We should mention that they are the John and Mika of Lansing journalism - except they haven’t been to Mar-a-Lago lately!===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management

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Trump isn’t even hiding it anymore. He is the self-proclaimed King of the United States and anyone who questions him will be banished to Gitmo. His Majesty and court jester Musk continue the flood of executive orders, most of them blatantly or borderline unconstitutional. We do a deep dive into the invasion of U.S. government computer systems by agents of America’s first convicted criminal President with MSU political scientist Matt Grossman.In Michigan, Attorney General Nessel has joined with her 21 fellow Democratic attorneys general on the frontlines of the resistance. We will be getting a new Chief Justice as Elizabeth Clement announces she’s stepping down effective in 5 weeks.  Michigan’s minimum wage has gone from $10.56 per hour to $12.48 effective on Friday, February 21 — and will grow in steps to $15 per hour in two years. This comes as, at recording time, the debate continues over the tipped minimum wage and paid medical leave. Whatever the outcome, plan on a lot of lawsuits. This weekend both major parties meet in Detroit to select new chairpersons. Democrats will have a fairly peaceful Transfer of Power from Lavora Barnes to Curtis Hertel Jr.; Republicans could have a mini-January 6th, minus the vicious assaults on police and, hopefully, minus pooping on Nancy Pelosi’s desk.We have a return visit this week from Michigan State University political science professor Matt Grossman. Among his many efforts he’s been tracking the lawlessness of the Musk-Trump administration’s assault on the federal government, especially the invasion of Big Balls and the rest of Musk’s teenage Ninja Hackers who have infiltrated most of the federal government’s computer systems.Matt is Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at MSU He is the author of numerous books on our political world. His latest: “Polarized by Degrees“. He has also published op-eds in The New York Times and The Washington Post.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementClayton "Clay" Jones - Claytoonz.com

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Anne TelnaesEdward "Big Balls" Coristine, State Department Senior Adviser“Big Balls” is 19-year-old high school graduate Edward Coristine, who now works as a “senior adviser” in the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. That pretty much sums up President Elon Musk’s reign of terror running through the federal government, even as Trump’s Clown Cabinet gets virtually unanimous support from a spineless U.S. Senate. This week we talk with a veteran of federal departments that are being gutted by the Musk administration.In Michigan, we have our first polling on how the race for Governor might be impacted by third-party candidate Mike Duggan. We get the detailed findings from veteran pollster Bernie Porn, CEO of EPIC-MRA. Also on our radar:  Governor Whitmer and the Legislature are in last-minute 3-way negotiations over Michigan’s minimum wage and paid medical leave;  The CEO of Ford warns that Trump’s economic agenda could cripple the auto industry which means crippling Michigan’s economy; And the Governor is looking at weed and big corporations to fund more fixing of the damn roads.Also joining us on the podcast: University of Michigan law professor Sam Bagenstos, who was a senior staffer at what it now Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Department of Health and Human Services, the Project 2025-driven office of Management and Budget, and the probably-soon-to-be shuttered Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights.Sam Bagenstos — Frank G. Millard Professor of Law, University of Michigan Bagenstos took an extended leave from U. of M. to serve in multiple roles in the Biden administration, with senior positions in HHS, the Federal Budget Office and Department of Justice. From June 2022 to December 2024, he was general counsel to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where he played a key role in advancing and implementing policies across the department, including: pursuing several initiatives on abortion and reproductive rights; crafting and defending the first-ever Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program; drafting and issuing major rules on civil rights, health privacy, Medicare and Medicaid, drug advertising, the regulation of “lab-developed” medical tests and food safety, the treatment of unaccompanied migrant children in HHS care, the treatment of LGBTQ+ kids in the foster care system, and many other issues; advancing marijuana rescheduling, and advising and defending the Food and Drug Administration’s tobacco enforcement program; and working with the Department of Justice on litigation involving HHS, including significant abortion rights, free speech, and tobacco regulation cases in the US Supreme Court.From Inauguration Day 2021 to June 2022, he served as general counsel to the Office of Management and Budget. There, he worked on President Biden’s Day One executive orders; helped respond to COVID-19, including implementing several crucial aid programs; responded to regulations adopted by the prior administration just before the inauguration and helped advance the new administration’s regulations on labor, health, the environment, and much else; helped craft and implement the American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure law, and what became the Inflation Reduction Act; and assisted in developing two annual budgets, along with advising the entire Executive Branch on issues of appropriations law and administrative law.In an earlier stint on leave from the Law School, from 2009 to 2011, Bagenstos was an appointee in the US Department of Justice, where he served as the principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, the No. 2 official in the Civil Rights Division. There, he helped promulgate the 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations—the first comprehensive update of those regulations since they were first issued in 1991—and led the reinvigoration of the Civil Rights Division’s enforcement of the US Supreme Court’s deci...

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David Horsey - Seattle TimesThe Musk coup is moving forward with minimal signs of effective opposition. Congressional Republicans are rolling over complacently while the Musk teenage Ninjas storm federal offices, and Democrats do little other than scream. A lot of federal employees deemed insufficiently loyal to the Mar-a-Lago golf pro are being fired, laid off or encouraged to quit … meaning literally millions of hours of professional expertise will be lost, replaced by True Believers. In Michigan, the race for the U.S. Senate is beginning to take form in both parties. We take a deep dive into the likely primary contests. Joining the discussion with an update on the turmoil in the state Legislature is veteran Michigan politics and state government reporter Lauren Gibbons from Bridge Michigan. Prior to joining Bridge's Capitol team, she worked at MLive, where she led coverage of the state Legislature and the redistricting process, and before that covered the state Senate for MIRS News. She has covered the ins and outs of Michigan politics for nearly a decade and has won awards both for her political coverage and her work documenting the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. Lauren grew up in the Lansing area and graduated from Michigan State University, majoring in journalism and history. She lives in Ferndale, and her party tricks include Irish dancing and telling friends what political districts they live in without looking. She is also an expert on music that highlights Michigan!The first major partisan battle with the new split-control Legislature is underway, with the Senate majority leader suing the Speaker of the House. We begin this week’s pod exploring that lawsuit with Majority Leader Winnie Brink’s lead attorney in the case: the honorable Mr. Mark Brewer!===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementJoel Heller:Hellertoon.com

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Gary Varvel - CreatorsDonald Trump made a lot of campaign promises, big and small. Many of them are pure fantasy and destined to fail. Remember Trump’s 2016 promise to replace Obamacare with something “less expensive and better”? Or his regular proclamations of “Infrastructure Week”? He’d learned from earlier failures. With the price of eggs soaring despite his promise to immediate reduce grocery prices, including eggs, his latest Press Fantasy Writer (a.k.a. Press Secretary) laid the blame on Biden for the killing of millions of laying hens to combat Bird Flu. We can expect the same when inflation is reignited by Trump’s tariffs and tax cuts, his promised ending of taxes on tips and social security don’t happen, and on and on: it’s all the fault of a mess Joe Biden left behind.Just today (Thursday) Trump laid the blame for the tragic D.C. plane crash on the hiring policies of Presidents Obama and Biden in a fact-free rant they called a news conference.The other Trump tactic already on full display: take credit for things he did not actually do. His first biggie: claiming he’s responsible for turning some valves to restore water supplies for southern California. It didn’t happen.The Michigan political landscape underwent an earthquake this week with Gary Peters’ announcement that he won’t run for reelection in 2026. It has implications not just for the Senate, but also for Michigan’s congressional delegation and the race for Governor. We will be joined by state capitol politics guru Kyle Melinn from the MIRS news service to dissect the overlapping impacts. Joining the conversation is MIRS News editor Kyle Melinn.Kyle Melinn is the editor and Vice President of the MIRS Newsletter, a daily on-line political news service covering state government and politics. A professional journalist for 20 years who has covered the state Capitol for the last 13. Before MIRS, Kyle served as a freelance writer for the Boston Herald and as a senior editor for SchoolSports.com.  He has also covered government and politics for The Daily Citizen, in Dalton, Ga.; The Yuma arizona Daily Sun; and the East Lansing Towne Courier.Kyle is also host of the MIRS Monday podcast, an excellent source of the latest information from state government. ===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementDavid Horsey - Seattle Times

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Festivus is the make-believe holiday invented on the Seinfeld show. Festivus "creator" Frank Constanza proclaims that Festivus observances include the "airing of grievances" and "feats of strength." Donald Trump is doing both every day. Trump is also tens-of-billions of dollars wealthier, on paper at least, than he was a week ago thanks to the latest and biggest grift in presidential history: the Trump meme-coins.The top political story in Michigan this week: the first A-List Democratic candidate for Governor is officially running. Jocelyn Benson immediately becomes a major contender to win what will likely be a hotly contested primary.And the state legislative session is off to a rocky start as the new House Republican majority goes hyper partisan. We're joined on the podcast by state House Democratic Leader Ranjeev Puri. Leader Puri is serving his third term in the Michigan House. Before joining the Legislature, Puri worked in financial consulting and then went on to work for President Barack Obama. After completing his MBA, he began his work in Detroit’s automotive industry, helping solve complex business problems and developing innovative solutions to help prepare Michigan for the economy of tomorrow.Representative Puri is the son of immigrants, and a strong advocate for inclusion, equity and equality for people of all backgrounds and experiences. He received his undergraduate degree in economics and finance and went on to receive his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2014.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementGary Garvel - Creators.com

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This week's podcast...The editors of the Washington Post (owned by Jeff Bezos) refused to run this cartoon by Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes. She resigned. See her work now at www.anntelnaes.comFor Donald Trump, this really is a Dickensian week: these are the best of times and the worst of times. Even as his second-chance administration falls into place, Trump officially became a convicted felon, and the case of his insurrection-related crimes is now a part of the public record (despite the best efforts of his "crack" legal team).President Biden echoed the warnings of Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell address, but will it have an impact on the oligarchs who are running the Trump-Musk administration? Trump’s clown cabinet nominees have begun the sham hearing process in the Senate with the prospect that Fox News will be seeing a lot of former staffers moving into the most powerful jobs in America.We are recording on Thursday. Mark is in Detroit for today’s Democratic National Committee forum featuring would-be leaders of the DNC. We’ll do a little time shifting and get his thoughts when the forum wraps up.The Biden speech isn’t the only politically significant speech on our radar. Governor Whitmer gave the keynote address at the Detroit Auto Show, a speech which may be a preview of the Whitmer for President campaign in 2028.And Republicans are heaping tragedy on top of catastrophe by politicizing the L.A. fires even as tens of thousands are homeless and the southern California economy is literally reduced to ashes.Some of the other stories that caught our eye this week: Trump Said He’d Solve Ukraine on Day One. Republicans Say He Didn’t Mean ‘Day One.’ - NOTUS (Allbritton Journalism Institute) Trump tax cuts, if made permanent, stand to benefit highest income earners, Treasury analysis shows - AP News Aaron Rupar on X: "SLOTKIN: Do you agree that there are some orders that could be given by the commander in chief that could violate the US Constitution? HEGSETH: I reject the premise that President Trump is gonna be giving illegal orders" / X Trump’s Defense Pick Proudly Admits the Rules Won’t Apply to Him - The New Republic Opinion | Republicans in North Carolina Are Treading a Terrifying Path - Frank Bruni/The New York Times $$ Why Costco Isn’t Joining the Backlash Against DEI - Wall Street Journal The critical question Pete Hegseth dodged in his confirmation hearing - MSNBC Slotkin, Peters hammer Trump's pick to lead Pentagon at Senate hearing - Detroit News Pam Bondi doesn't rule out probes of Trump foes as attorney general - AP News Suddenly Donald Trump doesn’t want to talk so much about the economy - MSNBC Pay for Play: You won't believe all the powerful people I met as a special guest of President-elect Trump - Kevin O'Leary via Daily Mail Online===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementClay Bennett - Chattanooga Times Free Press

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Mike Luckovich - Atlanta Journal ConstitutionThis week offers a stunningly sad contrast in America. We recorded on Thursday, just hours after the funeral of a good and humble man, President Jimmy Carter. The humanitarian from Plains was praised by a parade of family and friends, led by President Biden. In contrast (unless he gets a last-second reprieve from his puppets on the Supreme Court) our next President — a narcissist who can’t even spell “humble” — will be formally sentenced on 34 felony counts. Donald Trump will go down in history as the only convicted criminal to occupy the Oval Office. He’s not happy about it and made that clear at another of his patent-pending bananas news conferences, events sounding like a Festivus-style airing of grievances and feats of "strength" (a.k.a. threatening anyone who disagrees with him).In Michigan, the new Legislature has convened with Republicans in control of the House … and the new Speaker giving his oversight committee broad subpoena power. Will Matt Hall bring us a revival of the infamous Rudy Guiliani farts-and-lies hearing he hosted in 2021? Republicans in Michigan and across the nation have targeted transgender women, especially the handful participating in sports, as their culture war of the year project. This week the attacks extended to the U.S. House of Representatives where a new rule was added to ban newly elected Representative Sarah McBride, the first transgender House member, from using the women’s bathroom. We are joined by someone who is helping lead the fight in the 2025 Civil Rights battle: Emme Zanotti, director of advocacy and civic engagement at Equality Michigan.A programming note: in the near future we’ll be adding a video version of the podcast. Stay with us for details as we get it together in the next few weeks.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementLalo Alcaraz - laloalcaraz.com

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Sequels are all the rage for Hollywood, and the same is true in Washington D.C. We’re two weeks away from the official launch of the Trump-Musk administration and even before inauguration, chaos and lies return to D.C. The chaos: an intra-MAGA war over immigration, with co-president-elect Musk raging over the possible loss of the right to import lower-wage tech support for his companies whiles MAGAs fume. And we had a messy start to the legislative session as Mike Johnson wins underwhelming but enough support for staying on as Speaker.The lies: the other co-president offers alternative facts in falsely linking the horrific terrorist attack in New Orleans to his obsession over immigration on the southwest border. The terrorist was a U.S. born military veteran … but you’d think from Trump’s statements he had snuck into the country from Mexico.Mike Luckovich - Atlantia Journal ConstitutionTopping Michigan’s political news: the state’s Democrats are uniting around Curtis Hertel Jr. as the new party chair, and the contenders for national party chair will begin their series of public debates next week in Detroit. In the latter contest, there are signs that a 24-year-old activist will be elected vice chair, with Parkland mass shooting survivor David Hogg scoring major points with his ideas for year-round party building.Some of the other stories on our radar this week: GOP political consultant seeks Michigan Republican Party chair - Detroit News Federal courts won't refer Clarence Thomas to AG - AP News The culture war over transgender people. Out of the 510,000 NCAA athletes there are about 10 transgender women. https://www.publicnotice.co/ Schumer endorses Ben Wikler for Democratic National Committee chairman - The Washington Post US poised to see dramatic drop in homicides for 3rd straight year - ABC News Detroit on pace for fewest killings since 1965, fewest carjackings ever - Detroit News $$ Trans rights to be marquee fight for House Republicans - POLITICOMatt Davies - Andrews McMeel Syndication===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management

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Matt Davies - NY NewsdayThe two biggest stories in our opening list are Trump’s campaign of intimidating the media, which seems to be working … and the apparent ascension of the world’s richest man to the unelected position of Acting President-elect. Also as we recorded on Friday morning, we have: Congress in chaos as the Musk-Johnson budget bill dies a quick death, opening the door to Mike Johnson becoming the latest House Speaker to get ousted Tin-hat conspiracy theories fanning the flames in New Jersey, Trump trolls our neighbors to the north, and flips the bird to the Bahamas by naming Herschel Walker as the U.S. ambassador. The state House emulated the chaos of the U.S. House with the Speaker unable to even assemble a quorum for the last day of session, raising questions about Speaker Joe Tate’s upcoming campaign for Detroit mayor The race for Michigan Democratic Party chair may over before it starts as Governor Whitmer endorses longtime ally Curtis Hertel Jr.  In a rare moment of positive news, 120 Democrats in Congress are calling on President BIden to certify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution – an amendment that originated with Michigan’s glass-ceiling breaking Congresswoman Martha Griffiths. A majority of Americans oppose Trump’s proposals to test democracy’s limits Pretending he has an electoral mandate, Trump keeps making stuff up Appeals court removes prosecutor Fani Willis from Georgia election case against Trump Trump's transition is happening over private emails. Federal officials are nervousTHIS WEEK'S GUESTEven in presidential elections, 2 in 5 American citizens choose to sit things out. It’s even worse in non-presidential election years. A veteran political consultant believes we can and should improve those numbers by embracing technology. In his book “Vote with Your Phone,” Bradley Tusk believes that allowing Americans to vote in elections from their phones would dramatically increase turnout, reduce extremism, and fix our broken politics. Beyond that, mobile voting will break down barriers that have made in-person and even mail voting inaccessible for countless Americans — younger voters, tribal voters, military voters, voters with disabilities, and many others.Tusk is currently the Managing Partner and Co-founder of Tusk Venture Partners, the world’s first venture capital fund that invests solely in early stage startups in highly regulated industries, and the founder of political consulting firm Tusk Strategies.  He is also an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. Earlier in his career, Bradley served as campaign manager for Mike Bloomberg’s 2009 mayoral race, as Deputy Governor of Illinois, overseeing the state’s budget, operations, legislation, policy and communications, as communications director for Senator Chuck Schumer, and as Uber’s first political advisor. ===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementMike Luckovich - Atlanta Constitution Journal

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Michael Ramirez:Las Vegas Review-JournalOn our agenda this week...The best is yet to come ... at least for newly anointed U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle. The now-spurned former finance of Donald Trump Jr. is headed halfway around the world compliments of The Don, but only because "Ambassador to Mars" isn't a thing yet. And there's so much more: Gold sneakers, gold coins, leather-bound Bibles, digital junk collectibles, red hats, camo hats, crypto currency, and now cologne and perfume. That’s the current potpourri of products being shilled by the president-elect who once claimed he could be more presidential than any of his predecessor … while his current wife sells Christmas ornaments and a ghost-written book, and his son-in-law sells his soul to the Saudis for a tidy $2-billion and his son announces three new licensing deals with the Saudis.The next logical step for Donald Trump: getting his fans to part with their cash: reverse mortgages. Look out Tom Selleck And another first for Time Magazine: A “Person of the Year” story attached to a 2,300-word fact check debunking much of their cover story.The new administration’s appointments by the numbers: 13 billionaires 3 family members, including sending Junior’s ex-fiance halfway around the world 13 former Fox News on-air employees 15 one-time losing candidates for various elective officesIn the world of actually governing — Three announced candidates for chair of the Michigan Democratic Party are meeting with county parties in the run-up to the February 22 state party convention. In contention to succeed Lavora Barnes as MDP chair: MDP Rural Caucus chair Mark Ludwig, MDP activist Al Williams, and former state Senator and Whitmer staffer Curtis Hertel Jr. Legislative Democrats are working overtime to take maximum advantage of their soon-to-be-lost trifecta control of state government Three Michigan natives gave their valedictory speeches on Capitol Hill in the last few days – all three examples of what’s right with public service: Debbie Stabenow, Dan Kildee, and Mitt Romney.Jeff Timmer is off this week, with the always lovely Walt Sorg sitting in!===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementAnne Telnaes - Washington Post

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On our agenda this week... Another Trump cabinet nominee is barely hanging on, with alleged sexual offender and alleged alcoholic Pete Hegseth on the ropes for Defense Secretary – ironically, on the 91st anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. Trump reportedly is talking to Meatball Ron De-Sanctimonious as his backup choice for DOD … possibly in a deal where the Florida Governor first names Lara Trump to fill out the term of Senator Marco Rubio. More criminals and Fox News personalities have been named to the Trump Parade of Cabinet Clowns. The latest: onetime Fox Business reporter and ex-con Peter Navarro, and Fox talking head Monica Crowley. In case you missed, there’s another Trump grift: the official Trump Golf Video Game, just $9.99 or $99 for the super deluxe autographed digital game. It never ends. State House Speaker Joe Tate takes the first step to run for Detroit Mayor. But the huge story this week: Detroit’s highly successful Mayor, Mike Duggan, is running for Governor … as an independent. No independent has ever won statewide partisan office in our state’s history. Can Duggan be the first?Joining us is Michigan two-term Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. She literally wrote the book on the job: “State Secretaries of State (Election Law, Politics, and Theory)”. She has been a champion for election and ethics reforms during his 6 years on the job. Previously she was the dean Wayne State University’s Law School. At the time she was the youngest woman in U.S. history to lead a top-100 law school. She’s widely considered a first-tier possible candidate to succeed Gretchen Whitmer as Governor. Welcome bacl to the podcast Jocelyn.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementAnne Telnaes - Washington Post

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Mike Luckovich - Atlanta Journal ConstitutionOn this week's agenda —  Donald Trump’s strategy of avoiding prison by returning to the White House works - as special counsel Jack Smith drops the federal charges, and the sentencing for his 34-count New York conviction gets delayed. Trump refuses to allow FBI vetting of his top appointments, the first time that’s happened since Watergate. Trump’s latest potential lawsuit: claims from Gibson Guitars that his latest grift, selling guitars, violates their trademarks for the iconic Les Paul guitar … which means here's your first-ever link to Guitar World. Trump’s proposed tariffs pose a huge threat to Michigan’s economy on three fronts: automobile production that links the U.S. with both Canada and Mexico; disrupting trade with our neighbors to the north; and threatening agricultural exports to China Whooping cough cases are surging nationally and in Michigan, the inevitable result of the anti-vaccine movement Democrats gear up for their last month of control in the Legislature. We are joined by Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks about the agenda.Winnie Brinks is the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Leader, as well as being the first woman to represent Grand Rapids in the Michigan Senate since Eva McCall Hamilton was elected in 1920.She cares deeply about clean drinking water in Michigan and has worked tirelessly on efforts to reduce the prevalence of toxic PFAS chemicals in it. In addition to accessible, clean water, her policy passions include improving equity in maternal health care, reproductive rights, reducing prescription drug costs, and helping uplift local communities and organizations.Before being elected to the state House, where she served three terms, Brinks was a caseworker at The Source, helping businesses and nonprofits improve workplaces and retain employees. She also worked as the director of a community-based corrections agency and as a school paraprofessional.Brinks is a graduate of Calvin College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a concentration in sociology. She and her husband Steve, a Spanish teacher, live in Grand Rapids and are the parents of three daughters, Olivia, Annalise and Emma.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementAdam Zyglis - Buffalo News

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On our agenda this week — Matt Gaetz gives in to reality. The most disliked member of Congress’s nomination for Attorney General lasted less than a Scaramucci - just 8 days. Are accused sexual predators Pete Hegseth or RFK Junior the next victims of past allegations?Michael Ramirez/Las Vegas Review-Journal A growing list of Red states are working to turn public education into Christian education The GOP brings culture-war attacks on transgender Americans to congressional bathrooms The once dominant broadcast and cable news outlets face a new challenge. We are joined by Ron Filipkowski, Editor-in-Chief of a rapidly growing alternative progressive news source: the Meidas Plus Network.In Michigan politics: The special election to replace Congresswoman-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet has big implications for Democrats’ control of the state Senate The race to become Democratic National Chair may include Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow Michigan Republicans have still another battle coming on state party chair, with current chair Peter Hoekstra joining the Trump administration as ambassador to Canada Michigan Democrats have a less contentious but still hard-fought battle for state chair coming up with the departure of Lavora Barnes.Joining the conversation is Editor in Chief of one of the nation’s fastest growing alternative media companies. Ron Filipkowski heads up Meidas Plus, the subscription-based Substack channel that has been growing exponentially. Meidas+ evolved from the original Meidas Touch network which made its name four years ago as a center, alongside the Lincoln Project, of the Never Trump movement. They provide news coverage, written commentary, videos and podcasts to subscribers. Their lead item is Ron’s daily Resistance HQ Bulletin, a concise daily update on the very bizarre incoming administration.Filipkowski is a criminal defense attorney and former state and federal prosecutor who is known for sharing political clips and commentary on social media. Until 2021 he was a Republican, but left the party in the wake of the failed January 6 Trump insurrection. How Republican was he? His oldest son is named Ronald Reagan Filipkowski!In his non-professional life Filipkowski has coached a Little League Baseball team, leading it to six state championships. He was named National Coach of the Year by the baseball publication Travel Ball Select.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management

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Let the crazy begin in earnest!Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin called Lincoln’s cabinet the “Team of Rivals”. Aretha Franklin’s classic could well be the title of a new book about the Trump team as Trump loads up his administration with mostly unqualified toadies.As of recording time, Matt Gaetz stands at the top of the mountain of WTF nominees with Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Kristi Noem, Mike Huckabee and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hot on his heels.MAGAs in Florida are pushing Governor Ron Desantis to name Lara Trump as Marco Rubio’s replacement in the Senate. Really. Melania Trump, meanwhile, is carving a new path for first ladies, apparently treating the White House as her personal AirBNB and living wherever he isn’t.In Michigan, the 2026 campaign has begun:  Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says he won’t run for reelection … with everyone speculating he’ll instead run for Governor With a deep bench standing by, the race for Governor could be a battle of political heavyweights. We’ll do some name-dropping and early handicapping of that field, as well as the possibilities for Detroit Mayor, Michigan Secretary of State…and the Republicans who might want to be Governor Michigan Democrats have another major decision awaiting as Lavora Barnes, the universally praised chair of the party announces she’s stepping down after six years in the job. ===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementMike Luckovich - Atlanta Journal Constitution

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That was the week that was...In the main event, the Prosecuting Attorney loses to the convicted criminal. On the national undercard: Republicans are winning on points, with the possibility of a full takeover in Washington depending on a dozen or so congressional races.Closer to home: Michigan provides a mixed message: Trump carries the state by 80,000 vote Elissa Slotkin shows how to buck the headwinds and moves to the U.S. Senate Democrats hold one hotly contested U.S. House seat but lose another The narrowly divided state House goes from a 2-vote Democratic majority to a 6-vote GOP advantage Democrats add to their majority on the state Supreme CourtBack in 1992 James Carville famously preached during the Clinton campaign “It’s the economy, stupid”. The nation had experienced high inflation during the George H.W. Bush administration, and Carville’s mantra proved the winning strategy for Bill Clinton. Flash forward 32 years, another bout of inflation thanks to the Covid pandemic … and again, the voters punish the ruling party. It is part of the story of the Trump victory, but more complex than that. Mark and Jeff offer their thoughts on the election that turned the political world upside down.This last week brings to mind a couple of TV shows: the mid-1960s political satire program “That Was the Week That Was”, and more recent “House of Cards.” The latter starred a criminal President who even murders his political and media opposition. Reality has now exceeded fantasy.Next up in the bizarre world of Trump-era politics: the President-elect could be sentenced to prison for his 34 felony convictions in New York. Meanwhile, we stand by the name of this podcast: A Republic, If You Can Keep It. These days Franklin’s warning is a one-weel-at-a-time proposition. We will continue in our mission to rightsize Michigan and national politics over the coming months. Ben would have it no other way.Chris Britt - Creators===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management

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The Final ArgumentWe are recording on Halloween, going into the final weekend. There’s lots to unpack as candidates up and down the ballot make their final pitches…and we look forward to saying goodbye to endless text messages and breathless emails begging for money. Trump recreates a 1939 Nazi Rally at Madison Square Garden, while Kamala Harris attracts 75-thousand to the staging area of Trump’s 2021 unsuccessful insurrection. The race for the Michigan Senate is a nail-biter … as are three critical races for Michigan seats in Congress. On this week’s podcast, we look in depth at the latest Michigan polling from EPIC/MRA. We are joined by Bernie Porn about the numbers released today, and about the challenges of figuring out who will vote, how they will vote, and  why.The Island of Garbage PresidentChristo Komarnitski - Cagle.com===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List Management

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Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.comOn our political radar this week:This week's guest: General William Enyart. Before his election to Congress,  Enyart was Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. General Enyart served 43 years in the Air Force and National Guard. Donald Trump’s increasingly bizarre behavior peaked at a bizarre campaign town hall in which he only answered 4 questions and then spent 39 minutes playing D.J. and doing his Fred Astaire impression.  Trump has demanded that Kamala Harris be tested for mental acuity – a clear case of projection, with growing calls that Trump get tested as he shows signs of advancing dementia. Kamala Harris got another presidential debate on Fox News, but with alleged journalist Bret Baier substituting for Donald Trump. Trump continued to hide from any media that might ask him a tough question, limiting his interviews to friends and allies … a.k.a. The Sean Hannity Fan Club Dozens of leaders of America’s national security system are warning that Trump poses a massive security risk. We’ll be joined by two of them: former Democratic congressman General William Enyart, and former Republican congressman Christopher Shays. The already heated race for U.S. Senator from Michigan is getting more heated. Elissa Slotkin continues to hold a narrow lead over Mike Rogers who continues to take blows over his residency, the January 6 insurrection, his changing views on abortion rights and his call to pull a half-billion in federal funding for a job-creating GM plant renovation in Lansing The Trump campaign is running targeted ads saying Kamala Harris is totally pro-Israel and totally pro-Palestine. A Trump Super Pac funded mailer makes a total lie: that Medicare had been canceled —along with a scrawled add-on in cursive: “I hope you can afford to lose your insurance! — Kamala Harris XOXO.” Keeping our democratic republic had some major victories in court this week in both Alabama and, more significantly, in Georgia.  Marlinga plots a comeback against James - Punchbowl News Will EVs mean fewer auto jobs? - Detroit News $$ Elon Musk and other billionaires invest staggering sums into electing Trump, plus other takeaways from third-quarter filings - CNN Politics National Security Leaders for America leads a bipartisan collection of 741 former senior national security leaders supporting Kamala Harris. The organization includes 230 general and flag officers including 15 retired four-star generals and admirals, 10 cabinet secretaries, 10 service secretaries, and 148 ambassadors. They view Donald Trump as an existential threat to our national security. We are joined by two of those leaders, both former members of Congress.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementAnne Telnaes, Washington Post

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We're joined this week by Delaware Senator Chris Coons, chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee.This week in our battleground state... Michigan TV stations are raking in the cash with campaign spending well over $200-million, fueled by close races for President, U.S. Senate and congressional districts and control of the state legislature. The Harris campaign reports it has raised a staggering $1-billion in 7 weeks. Michigan is also getting massive personal attention from the national campaigns, with candidates and surrogates making campaign visits on an almost daily basis. Republicans are hoping concerns over electric vehicles will put them over the top in Michigan, with both JD Vance and Mike Rogers calling for reneging on a federal promise of $500-million for upgrading Lansing’s General Motors downtown assembly plant. Rogers is battling a new carpetbagger charge with the revelation that the house he claims as his home doesn’t even have an occupancy permit And in the Bizarro World that is Donald Trump, the week’s four strangest developments: The Kremlin confirms Trump sent COVID test equipment for Putin’s personal use even as Americans were unable to get tested Republican governors and U.S. Senators praise the federal response to the two hurricanes in direct contradiction of Trump’s claims; President Biden calls Trump a liar It turns out Trump’s $60 “God Bless the USA” Bibles are being printed in China And when Trump said on a podcast that he’s a very truthful person, the podcast host breaks out in laughter Slotkin, Rogers spar in Michigan U.S. Senate debate. Here are the facts - Bridge Michigan Annual inflation rate drops to 2.4 percent, lowest since February 2021 New Statewide Poll: Voters' Reluctance to Embrace the Economy of the Future Putting Michigan's Competitiveness, Top Industry at Risk - Detroit Regional Chamber Florida threatens TV executive with jail time for airing ad in support of abortion rights - Popular Information Pornographic Film Actors Launch Ad Campaign Targeting Project 2025 - The New York Times Trump’s Rambling Speeches Reinforce Question of Age - The New York Times Oops, They Did It Again: The Mainstream Media Buries Trump’s Outrage - The New RepublicWe are joined this week by Delaware’s junior Senator Chris Coons. He was elected in 2010, topping Christine O'Donnell, who ran an ad denying that she was a witch – a precursor to a long line of unusual Republican candidates for the Senate.Coons is one of Joe Biden’s closest personal friends. In the Senate he chairs the Ethics Committee.===========================This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, a full service survey research firm with expertise in• Public Opinion Surveys• Market Research Studies• Live Telephone Surveys• On-Line and Automated Surveys• Focus Group Research• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns• Political Campaigns & Consulting• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research• Community - Media Relations• Issue - Image Management• Database Development & List ManagementEd Wexler - Cagle.com

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“Make Them Riot!”Some of the stories on our radar this week:* Jack Smith’s blockbuster court filing on Defendant Trump’s criminality leading up to the January 6th insurrection includes revelations about the election night chaos at Detroit’s counting center * The Trump campaign is all-in on lying in paid advertising as well as at his increasingly boring rallies * Republicans for Harris officially launches with Mark Cuban one of the national leaders, and former GOP Congressman David Trott co-chairing the Michigan chapter * JD Vance leaves open the possibility a Trump administration would pull the plug on federal support for a major GM plant in Lansing * The FBI reports crime rates continue to plunge, so the Trump campaign (of course) continues to claim crime is out of control * You can add The Boss – Bruce Springsteen – to the A-List of big name celebrities backing Harris-Walz. All of them are people so well known that they are identified with a single name: Taylor, Beyoncé, Magic, Barbra and Oprah.

Monte Wolverton-Caglecartoons.comOTHER NEWS OF INTEREST TO THE POLITICAL WORLD…

• Employers added 254,000 jobs in September, reflecting strong gains as election nears – The Washington Post
• Trump Promised to Release His Medical Records. He Still Won’t Do It. – The New York Times
• Trump initially refused to give California wildfire aid because it’s a blue state, ex-aide says – E&E News by POLITICO
• Trump and GOP Make BS Migrant Claim Amid FEMA Hurricane Shortfall – The Daily Beast
• Slotkin reports $18M fundraising haul for U.S. Senate bid – Detroit News
• Mike Rogers’ support for ‘fetal personhood’ could threaten access to IVF and contraception – The Michigan Independent

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,a full service survey research firm with expertise in
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

“Concepts of a Plan” – The Lincoln Project

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Rick McKee, CagleCartoons.comThis week in our crazy, insane Trump-infested world —

• Don Trump continues his magic touch in endorsements, hanging tough with North Carolina Black Nazi Mark Robinson even as the gubernatorial candidate’s campaign staff bails out. Robinson is the latest Trumper in a pantheon of bizarre losers that includes Dr. Oz, Herschel Walker and our very own Tudor Dixon and Matt DePerno.
• Trump has also found time to start up a couple more grifts to go with his digital ego cards, Bibles and golden sneakers. The guy who once described crypto currency as a scam now has his crypto business, and he’s also marketing Trump commemorative coins. This comes as Trump’s Truth Social stock hits an all-time low, down more than 80% in the last year.
• A single courageous Republican in Nebraska has stopped still another Trump campaign effort to rig the 2024 vote. Needless to say, the Donald is not happy and will retaliate.
• Republicans complaining about the feds targeting them for criminal charges get another shot in their face with New York City’s Mayor, a Democrat, indicted along with multiple appointees.
• Gretchen Whitmer reveals her secret of political success to talk-show host Andy Cohen: getting shit done.
• Both presidential campaigns have issued the outlines of an economic game plan.
• Florida bans instruction on contraception and consent in sex ed classes
• Obama and Biden achievements that Trump claims for himself
• Democrats won complete power in Michigan. Republicans are trying to take it away.

A major part of this week’s discussion: Jeff’s insider’s look at the strategy and tactics of The Lincoln Project.

Joining the conversation: Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter David Cay Johnston. He is the bestselling author of The Making of Donald Trump and It’s Even Worse Than You Think. David has lectured on economics, journalism, and tax policy on every continent except Antarctica and is a former president of Investigative Reporters & Editors. Johnston has been a frequent guest on MSNBC, CNN, the BBC, ABC World News Tonight, Democracy Now!, and NPR’s Morning Edition (among other shows), and was a consultant for the Netflix series House of Cards.

Currently both a national columnist at professor of practice at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Johnston began his career at the San Jose Mercury News from 1968 to 1973, when he moved to Lansing to continue his education at Michigan State. While there, he wrote an internal textbook (A Guide to Public Records) for the university’s journalism department. From 1973 to 1976, he was an investigative reporter at the Detroit Free Press in its Lansing bureau. One of his investigative reports resulted in the Lansing CBS affiliate’s owner being forced by the FCC to sell the station because of news manipulation. He is an expert on the financial crimes and scams of Donald Trump.

“Choose Change” – The Lincoln Project===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,a full service survey research firm with expertise in
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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When he’s not venting about his debate debacle or doubling down on cats-and-dogs recipes, Donald Trump is offering empty promises of tax cuts for the masses: no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime and even overturning a law he signed which gutted tax deductions for wealthier residents of high-tax states. He’s running scared as the polls consistently show him slowly slipping nationally, and especially in swing states.

Also on our screen this week:

• RFK Junior is staying on the Michigan presidential ballot which presumably will help Harris/Walz carry the state.
• The Michigan Supreme Court has upheld major increases in Michigan’s minimum wage, but there’s a battle brewing over the increase for tipped workers.
• Michigan’s status as a first-tier battleground is being reinforced with seemingly daily visits from someone on the national tickets. Trump ventured into Flint, seemingly to anger the UAW.
  (We recorded on Thursday afternoon, hours away from Kamala Harris joining with Oprah in Detroit for an online townhall.
• 9/18/24 – Swing State Poll 2024: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin: Harris Ahead In 2 Key Battleground States, 3rd State Up For Grabs, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; U.S. Senate Races: Democrats Have Leads In All 3 States – Quinnipiac University Poll
• 111 Former G.O.P. Officials Back Harris, Calling Trump ‘Unfit to Serve’ – The New York Times
• Republican Divisions Sink House Bill as Government Shutdown Nears – Wall Street Journal
• Russia goes all-out with covert disinformation aimed at Harris, Microsoft report says – AP News
• Billie Eilish endorses Harris: ‘Vote like your life depends on it’ – The Hill
• CNN Airs Montage of Donald Trump Doing Exactly What JD Vance Told Dems NOT to Do – The Daily Beast
• And we can’t this week go by without some thoughts on one of the most prolific liars from the Trump White House – Sarah Huckabee Sanders came to Michigan to add to the derision of childless women. It’s not going over well.

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White Dudes for Harris

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It was a good great week for the Harris/Walz campaign:

Tuesday night was a Wipe Out for Donald Trump – a one-on-one confrontation just as one-sided as the earlier debate that ended Joe Biden’s reelection bid. Days earlier they picked up the endorsements of arch conservative GOP icons Liz and Dick Cheney, followed by support from George W. Bush’s Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez; inflation is down to a three-year low, with gas prices plunging and the Fed poised to lower interest rates; renowned childless cat owner Taylor Swift posted her endorsement of the ticket for her 284-million Instagram followers; and the latest polls show Harris’s lead over Trump nationally edging upward.

And the Trump/Vance campaign became a national laughing stock with its claims of Haitians in Springfield Ohio kidnapping and eating pet dogs, cats and ducks. Even Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called out the campaign for spreading a baseless lie. The Trump campaign doubled down, wrongly claiming the Ohio Haitians are in the country illegally. They are not.

Also on our radar this week:

• Republicans in Congress are reprising their performance of “Let’s shut down the government” with more dramatics as the deadline for passing a budget approaches. To borrow from the late, great baseball manager Casey Stengel: “can’t anyone play this game?”
• The campaign for the U.S. Senate heats up with Democrats hitting Mike Rogers for his role in promoting opioids – he was for them before he was against them.
• The Michigan Supreme Court is leaving RFK Jr. and Cornel West on the November presidential ballot.
• Attorney General Nessel wraps up her investigation into MSU’s handling of the Larry Nasser debacle with some harsh criticism

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Tim Campbell – Counterpoint Media

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• David Horsey – Seattle Times

This week’s agenda:

• Michigan in late summer is looking like Iowa in the winter: presidential candidates everywhere except the very weird RFK Jr. who is on the ballot despite his best efforts.
• We’re days away from what may be the only Harris-Trump debate, with Trump previewing why he’ll lose the debate … it’s rigged.
• Can an endorsement make a real difference? We may find out as Liz Cheney says she’s voting for Kamala Harris.
• Trump’s apparent campaign strategy: skip Labor Day events to play golf, keep running against Joe Biden and using his Hillary playbook against Kamala Harris, explain his long-winded meandering diatribes as a brilliant tactic he calls “weaving” … then run off to Sean Hannity for an hour of softball batting practice.
• Meanwhile, there’s a new call in Congress for investigating still another Trump crime: what looks like a $10-million dollar gift to Trump from Egypt. designed to hide an illegal foreign government campaign contribution. What should be shocking news has been mostly ignored.
• And then there’s Russia Russia Russia: the Justice Department charges the Russians with running their third straight disinformation campaign in support of Trump’s candidacy.

Polling shows voters increasingly dug in to their respective tribes as the political polarization chasm grows. Our guest this week is MSU political science guru Matt Grossman discussing his new book explaining the continuing trend towards two Americas. Matt Grossmann is Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research – a.k.a. IPPSR – and Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. He is the author of numerous books on our political world. His latest: “Polarized by Degrees“. The work, written in collaboration with Boston College Political Scientist David A. Hopkins explores the nation’s current political polarization and how it has caused a diploma divide between the parties.

Grossmann is a Senior Fellow at the Niskanen Center in Washington, DC, host of The Science of Politics Podcast and a regular contributor to FiveThirtyEight’s online political analysis. He has also published op-eds in The New York Times and The Washington Post. He was named Director of IPPSR in January 2016. IPPSR is a policy, leadership and research unit within MSU’s College of Social Science conducting more than $1.5 million in grant- or contract-funded research and raising more than $300,000 in donations annually.

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Pat Bagley – Salt Lake Tribune===========================

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This week’s agenda is Presidential Politics in Michigan:

• New polling shows Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in a statistical tie. We’ll be joined in a moment by EPIC-MRA’s Bernie Porn.
• The candidates are focusing on Michigan. Trump makes two visits, saying we’re on the verge of World War III. Kamala Harris will revive a longstanding tradition of a Democratic candidate Metro Detroit rally on Labor Day.
• Michigan Republicans continue to embarrass themselves, this time with a convention that features the forced ejection of their former chair.
• Bobby Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein will all be on Michigan’s presidential ballot even though RFK Jr. wants out
• More than 200 former Trump staffers and leaders of the presidential campaigns of John McCain and MItt Romney are endorsing Kamala Harris – an unprecedented political repudiation by the people who know Trump the best

We have two guests on this week’s podcast:

Pollster Bernie Porn leads us through the numbers in his company’s latest polling in Michigan. It’s generally good-but-not-great news for Democrats in a campaign that’s very, very tight.

And one of the founders of Michigan’s first citizen-run redistricting process reflects on the apparent end of the first redistricting cycle, seven-and-a-half years after Voters Not Politicians kicked off its historic campaign to amend Michigan’s constitution is now complete. We talk with the leader of the grassroots group, Jamie Lyons-Eddy. Joining that chat is our producer, Walt Sorg, another of the founders of VNP and co-author of the constitutional amendment.

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We invade Chicago for a little convention time. Instead of our usual Zoom chats, Jeff and Walt go face to face as they meet up on the left side of the lake. Between performances by Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Lil’ Jon, Pink, The Chicks and Patti LaBelle there’s some political speechmaking going with the Obamas, the Clintons, Oprah, Tim Walz and (of course) Kamala Harris bringing down the house. Michigan was well represented on the podium with the aforementioned Stevie Wonder along with Dana Nessel, Mallory McMorrow and the omnipresent Gretchen Whitmer.

Even the usually deadly dull roll call of the states provided real entertainment, and of course made Trump grumpier than usual.

The themes for the week: freedom, joy, thank you Joe, and DO SOMETHING!

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NICK ANDERSON:TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

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This week’s agenda:

• The Second City becomes the news center of the nation for a week as Democrats gather on the left side of Lake Michigan for their national convention.
• While the Harris-Walz ticket continues to draw massive crowds at rallies, J.D. Vance comes to Michigan and again draws a crowd numbering in the dozens.
• The latest polling from the New York Times shows a turnaround in three critical states, with Kamala Harris now holding narrow leads in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
• Trump continues to campaign from home. His latest effort: a weirdo-with-weirdo two-hour glitch-and-lie filled online chat with X owner Elon Musk.
• A pro-Trump attorney facing multiple election-related criminal charges in Michigan has been barred from a separate 2020 election lawsuit because she shared confidential court documents with a local sheriff.
• Good economic news is continuing: inflation has dropped below 3%, wage increases continue to exceed inflation, and the Fed is looking to lower interest rates next month.
• The Trump-Vance ticket continues to disown the massively unpopular Project 2025 even as the evidence proves that it is, in fact, the Trump agenda if he’s reelected. If reading the 900 pages isn’t frightening enough, newly revealed training videos for Project 2025 acolytes are even more frightening.

We are joined by the reporter who exposed the 14 hours of video: ProPublica’s Andy Kroll.

ProPublica has become the most respected investigative journalism organization in the nation, winning awards right-and-left for its groundbreaking work. ProPublica made national headlines exposing the multi-million-dollar gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Now it’s making headlines again, exposing 14 hours of previously secret training videos on Project 2025, a story uncovered by Andy Kroll.

Andy was previously the Washington bureau chief for Rolling Stone. His reporting there about a series of cyberattacks on congressional campaigns helped lead to the indictment of a California political operative. Before that, he was a senior reporter at Mother Jones. In September, Kroll will publish his first book, “A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy,” a true-crime investigation about U.S. politics, viral conspiracy theories and one family’s fight for truth.

Jon Stewart dissects Trump recycling of the same old stuff===========================

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An estimated 15,000 packed a hangar and out the door at the Harris-Walz Detroit Metro rally* The Harris-Walz ticket launches with crowds matching Obama 2008 and Trump 2016 * Hours before the new Democratic ticket attracted 15,000 to a hangar at Metro Airport, JD Vance enthused a crowd of several dozen in Macomb County. * Donald Trump spent the week mean-trothing, and resting up for his one-and-only campaign event in the critical swing state of … Montana? * Michigan’s primary election sets up some critical showdowns in 4 congressional races which could decide control of the U.S. House and Senate as well as the Michigan Legislature. * Another domino falls in the state-by-state criminal cases against the fake electors, with disbarred attorney Jenna Ellis flipping in Arizona. * And a national Republicans for Harris-Walz organization is unleashed.

Helping sort out the primary election results in Michigan is returning friend-of-the-pod, Detroit Free Press political reporter Clara Hendrickson.

Clara covers Michigan politics with a focus on the governor’s office and the state Legislature. She has previously covered voting rights, election administration and redistricting in Michigan. She came to The Detroit Free Press by way of Report for America – an initiative of The GroundTruth Project – to fact-check Michigan issues and politics in partnership with PolitiFact during the 2020 election. She previously worked as a research analyst at the Brookings Institution and freelance journalist in Washington, D.C.

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This week’s agenda:

• Donald Trump has a 30-minute tantrum with black journalists … and he didn’t exactly stick the landing.
• In the least surprising news of the week, the UAW has added its endorsement to the Harris campaign
• New polling shows the battle for the White House has become a tossup
• A long court battle ends with Michigan’s minimum wage increasing … just as voters wanted, but a Republican Legislature tried to sabotage
• President Biden calls for major changes to the Supreme Court
• And the Republican-controlled U.S. House is continuing its record of getting nothing done … leaving town after failing to pass a federal budget

We are joined by Congressman Dan Kildee from Flint, a senior member of the House Budget Committee and Chief Deputy Democratic Whip. Kildee is retiring this year after 12 years in Congress.

He has devoted his career to public service, previously serving as Genesee County Treasurer, on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and on the Flint Board of Education. Kildee co-founded and served as the president of the Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit organization focused on urban land reform and revitalization; and founded Michigan’s first land bank—the Genesee County Land Bank—which is responsible for tens of millions of dollars in redevelopment in Flint.

Nick Anderson – Counterpoint Media===========================

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Still another amazing week in our nation’s 248th year, with Michigan right in the center of it all. This week’s agenda:

• The Harris campaign comes together in a matter of 2 days: we focus on a week that will go into the history books (except history books in Florida schools)
• Next up: choosing a running mate, with just 2 weeks to make a decision
• Republican panic begins as the GOP grapples with the change at the top
• President Biden shifts into legacy mode
• Governor Whitmer makes it clear … again … that she’s not looking for a new job
• New polling says Carl Marlinga is up 6 points over Congressman John James in the critical 10th District congressional race…
• And for those who remember that government is also about actually governing, a new state budget is signed into law

Mark and producer Walt Sorg talk with veteran pollster Bernie Porn for his insights based on 40 years of taking Michigan’s political pulse. Bernie and his colleagues at EPIC-MRA have been measuring Michigan voter sentiment for four decades. EPIC-MRA is regularly rated as the top polling firm in the state, and is regularly quoted in media across Michigan and the nation. A week ago, his poll (one day before President Biden’s announcement) showed Trump up by 7 in Michigan. Now it’s a whole new ballgame.
(Full disclosure: EPIC-MRA is a sponsor of the podcast.)

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There are only two political stories on our agenda this week, both from the top of the ballot: the “will he or won’t he” waiting about President Biden, and the GOP National Convention which they branded as a unifying event but, in reality, only united the dominant MAGA movement while horrifying just about everyone else. Key to the discussion over the Democratic ticket: polls, polls, polls. Links to some of the most credible:

• Public Policy Poll: Michigan & Pennsylvania
• Most say Biden should withdraw from the Presidential race – AP-NORC
• YouGov Michigan Senate Poll – July 4-12
• YouGov Poll – Harris for President, Issues
• Blue Labs Polling of Alternative nominees – Kelly, Moore, Shapiro, Whitmer

The Republican convention was a four-day celebration of lies, half-truths and grievances in the style of their Lord and Savior, would-be Dictator-on-Day-One Donald. Fact-checkers worked overtime to chronicle the most outrageous denials of reality, including the team at The Washington Post:

• Fact-checking Day 1 of the 2024 Republican National Convention – The Washington Post
• Fact-checking Day 2 of the 2024 Republican National Convention – The Washington Post
• Fact-checking Day 3 of the 2024 Republican National Convention – The Washington Post
• Fact-checking Day 4 of the 2024 Republican National Convention – The Washington Post

One of the many outrages in the Republican Party Platform is the outright call to return women’s rights to the 1950’s June Cleaver model: the perfect homemaker whose primary function is giving birth. Trump brags about getting Roe overturned by his appointments to the Supreme Court, Vance has endorsed a nationwide abortion ban with no exceptions. Implicit in the agenda are bans on contraception and fertility treatments including invitro fertilization. Women are the driving force for Michigan Democrats. A majority of both the House and Senate Democratic caucuses are women; most of the state’s top elected leaders are women.

Joining the discussion to talk about the implications of the GOP misogyny for November: state Senator Dayne Polehanki of Livonia. She is a two-time Teacher of the Year award winner and has nearly 20 years of experience in the classroom. She serves as the Majority Caucus Chair for the Michigan Senate Democrats and is in her second term. Polehanki earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Central Michigan University, has a major in English and teacher certification from Alma College, and a master’s degree in teaching from Marygrove College.

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Hard to believe, but there are stories other than the President’s health…but they mostly tie together. Among them:

• Gretchen Whitmer is on a national book tour promoting “True Gretch” including an appearance with Stephen Colbert, while saying that she absolutely is not running for President this year even if Joe Biden pulls out…
• Biden has his first defection from the Michigan congressional delegation: Hillary Scholten urges the President to end his candidacy – quote – “for the good of our democracy.”
• Inflation continues to go down, with prices on groceries, airfare, and used cars actually going down in June. Economists are united in warning that Trump’s economic plan has the potential to crash the economy.
• In the “it’s about time” column, two members of Congress have introduced articles of impeachment against well-traveled, highly pampered Justice Clarence Thomas.

• The Authoritarian Manifesto “Project 2025” is finally getting the attention it deserves, and Donald Trump is doing what he can to put some distance between the toxic end-of-our-democracy battle plan and his campaign. Mention Project 2025, and he echoes Sgt. Schultz: “I know nothing…nothing!”

• And, oh yes, a four day fantasy camp is in Milwaukee this week: the national convention of the Donald Trump Kool-Aid Club.

But topping it all is the turmoil amongst Democrats over Joe Biden. Party leaders have apparently discovered that Biden is old and finally admitting he’s showing signs of advanced age. That’s the focus of this week’s discussion.

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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On the week’s podcast:

As we celebrate the revolution 248 years ago that ended the rule of the British monarchy over our nation, we face the prospect of reverting to our British origins. The U.S. Supreme Court’s radical-right majority has effectively turned this and future presidents into Kings and Queens who are above the law, able to do anything (s)he want under the mantra of “Official Acts”. So God Save the King, Joe the First. We focus on the implications for November and beyond.

In more mundane-but-still-important news:

• Governor Whitmer pushes back in VERY plain language that she’s angling to replace Biden on the 2024 national ticket, or that Biden can’t win Michigan.
• In more normal news, there’s a new state Senate map from the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission. We’ll chew over the partisan implications.
• Louisiana’s Ten-Commandments-In-Every-Classroom law is challenged in the courts even as Oklahoma requires biblical training in public schools
• Lost in the deluge of last minute rulings is a Supreme Court decision which legalizes a form of political bribery
• Another little-publicized SCOTUS ruling represents a huge power shift away from both Congress and the Executive Branch – both subject to voter oversight – and into the hands of unelected judges with lifetime appointments.
• Michigan’s Legislature finalizes an $82.5-billion budget that targets education, housing, public safety and economic development
• Trump Whisperer Steve Bannon is in Federal Prison 🥳

We’re joined on the podcast by a key leader of what may be Michigan’s most important county politically: Oakland County Commission Chair David Woodward. Woodward has served as Chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners since 2019. He is in his 19th year on the commission.. He previously served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1999 to 2004. His day job is Michigan executive director of the Center for Progressive Leadership, where he’s worked for 18 years.

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This week in politics:

• The U.S. Supreme Court gives Donald Trump the best possible gift: the longest possible delay in his federal trials
• In Michigan, a new state Senate map from the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission
• Louisiana’s Ten-Commandments-In-Every-Classroom law is challenged in the courts even as Oklahoma requires biblical training in public schools
• The Supreme Court also handed down a ruling which legalizes a form of political bribery
• Michigan’s Legislature finalizes an $82.5-billion budget that targets education and economic development
• And two senior citizens got into an argument about golf in Atlanta last night. We will devote most of the podcast to that argument and other things they discussed.

We are joined by one of Michigan’s top political communications experts, Dr. Richard Cole. Cole was Governor Blanchard’s communications chief and later Blanchard’s chief of staff. He later chaired Michigan State University’s nationally respected Department of Advertising and Public Relations. He also served as the top communications man at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, working under company president Richard Whitmer … and was a close unofficial adviser to Whitmer’s daughter in her first campaign for Governor.

Cole’s mentors include the legendary Dr. Edward Bernays, the creator of modern public relations whose principles of PR are still the standard a century later both within and outside of politics.

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Jack Ohman – Tribune Content Agency

In politics this week…

• We are days away from the first of two scheduled presidential debates. The big question: will Trump stay awake for the full 90 minutes?
• Trump’s latest tax proposal – all tariffs, no income tax – is a huge gift for the wealthy (of course) and a disaster for the rest of us (also of course!)
• The Republican National Committee and conservative TV have embraced the art of “cheap fake” videos: deceptively edited videos designed to make Joe Biden appear feeble and mentally failing.
• The Biden campaign is taking direct aim at Trump’s criminal record
• Louisiana will require the display of the 10 Commandments in all public classrooms, even though their leader has violated just about all of them.
• The never-ending battle between Attorney General Nessel and the Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline takes another twisting turn – one that favors Nessel
• A black church in Detroit temporarily turns white … thanks to an appearance by the aforementioned Donald Trump
• New polling of black Michigan voters shows many want a change in the Democratic ticket … with either Gretchen Whitmer or Michelle Obama as the presidential candidate. Both women have already said they are not running
• The state House, in a near-unanimous vote, is outlawing A.I. – generated X-rated deep fakes.
  Sinclair floods local news websites with hundreds of deceptive articles about Biden’s mental fitness – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Trump Wasn’t Going to Stay in Milwaukee for the Republican Convention – The New York Times
• Former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels: The GOP has a lock on some states, Democrats others. It’s not healthy. – The Washington Post
• Top revelations from Fauci’s book, including conversations with Trump – The Washington Post
• Why so many Americans have misconceptions about crime trends – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• In Trump’s orbit, some muse about mandating military service – The Washington Post

Joining this week’s conversation is Mike Madrid a communications expert and a nationally recognized expert on Latino voting trends. He graduated from the Edmund G. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1997, where he wrote his senior thesis on Latino politics and the perspective that politicization of emerging Latino voter groups in Southwestern states was unique in American history. The completion of his thesis at Georgetown University in Washington DC on Latino voters became the basis for his pioneering work on Latino communications and outreach strategies in California, Texas, Florida and nationwide.

Mike has played a key role in pioneering Latino outreach and communications strategies. In 2001 he was named as one of America’s “Most Influential Hispanics” by Hispanic Business Magazine. He is a regular commentator on Latino political issues in statewide and national media publications.

He is a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, and author of a just-released book The Latino Century which explores the true meaning of America at a time of rapid cultural change, the founding principles of self-government and individual responsibility, and one man’s journey through a political party that has turned itself inside out.

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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In national politics this week:

• Convicted felon Donald Trump returns to the scene of one of his crimes, with Congressional Republicans falling all over themselves to kiss his ass.
• Hunter Biden’s 3-count felony conviction means he needs just 31 more to become the Republican presidential nominee.
• Inflation continues to go down, more jobs are created, incomes are up – but Biden continues to get low polling numbers on the economy
• More free trips for Clarence Thomas are revealed even as Senate Republicans block an ethics code for the Supreme Court.
• Senate Democrats also force Republicans to go on the record regarding the right to contraception, and protecting IVF … while Senate Republicans say they’ll block all action in retaliation for Trump’s 34-count conviction
• Accused felon Matt DePerno is running for the Michigan Supreme Court, even though he may lose his law license or go to prison for election machine tampering. Democrats are publicly horrified and privately laughing gleefully
• The legislature moves against artificial intelligence being used to create sexually provocative photographs of unwilling people.
• A state house committee approves legislation revamping Michigan’s economic incentives for new business investments.
• Good news for Michigan’s budget: Michigan overtakes California as top cannabis market by sales volume (also good news for Taco Bell!). Last year the state collected more than 260-million-dollars in weed tax.
• Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication mifepristone | AP News
• Trump’s Campaign Is Funneling Cash Back to His Businesses: Daily Beast
• Michigan Court of Appeals rejects Kumar’s attempt to get back on the congressional ballot • Michigan Advance
• Michael Rulli wins special election for Ohio House seat; GOP vote down 19 points from 2020 – AP News
• FBI: Crime down sharply under Biden administration – Judd Legum/Popular Information

Also this week: Walt Sorg’s chat with state Representative Penelope Tsernoglou over her bills protecting us humanoids from some very real abuses of A.I.

Ann Tenaes – Washington Post===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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We are recording Thursday afternoon on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that saved the world from a narcissistic, paranoid, racist and psychotic would-be world dictator. Our mission 80 years later as beneficiaries of their courage and sacrifice: constantly protect their legacy.

In this week’s political news:

• Convicted felon Donald Trump and his gang of MAGAs, several of whom are also convicted felons, are openly planning on turning the U.S. Justice Department into their revenge squad.
• The former president’s conviction has produced a small pro-Biden bump in the polls, meaning it’s still a tossup election. His vice president is in Detroit this weekend, headlining the state Democratic Party’s annual fundraising dinner.

Post-conviction polls

• ABC-Ipsos Poll May 31-June 1
• Economist/YouGov Poll June 2-4
• Quinnipiac Poll 6/5/24 – Georgia 2024: Trump Ahead Of Biden, 16% Of Voters Express Support For Other Candidates In Broader Race, Quinnipiac University Georgia Poll Finds; 50% Of Voters Agree With Guilty Verdict In Trump NYC Trial | Quinnipiac University Poll
• Times/Siena Recontact Study of Previous Poll Respondents – The New York Times
• Republicans in the U.S. Senate are blocking a vote on legislation guaranteeing the right to use birth control … are we headed back to the rhythm method?
• Another state has joined Michigan is charging participants in the fake electors scheme criminally.
• House Foreign Affairs Chairman McCaul Warns Jen Psaki — Testify Or Face A Subpoena – The Daily Caller
• Now Trump Says Voting By Mail Is Good – Washington Post
• Biden issues new executive action: Much of southern border to close at midnight – POLITICO
• Biden’s Climate Record Is Highlighted in New Ad Campaign – The New York Times

We’re joined by one of the many local officials who have the unenviable task of running elections in an increasingly very hostile environment. Meredith Place is in her first term as Kalamazoo County Clerk and Register of Deeds. Born and raised in small-town Iowa, she is a proud graduate of the University of Iowa where she majored in Political Science, Communication Studies, and earned a certificate in Sustainability. Clerk Place previously served on the City of Portage’s Planning Commission, as Vice Chair of Kalamazoo County’s Environmental Health Advisory Council, and as an active member in the League of Women Voters. In 2018, Meredith was elected to the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioner representing the City of Portage from 2019-2020.

Mark Fiore – markfiore.com===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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NEW: The 34 for 45 Commemorative MugAn historic moment for our nation, commemorated with this tasteful annotated coffee mug.

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Photo is A.I. generatedWe recorded this week’s podcast at 5 p.m. EDT Thursday. Minutes before we hit the ‘record’ button, the New York jury handed down its verdict…so Jeff had to put on his Lincoln Project hat. In his absence Walt Sorg joins Mark on a day that will go down in American history. Clearly the guilty verdict on 34 felony counts is our #1 topic, but there are other talk-worthy stories in our political biosphere:

• Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito refuses to follow the ethical standards demanded of all federal judges except him and his colleagues. Flags or no flags, he’s not recusing from January 6-related cases because it’s all about his stubborn wife and has nothing to do with him. Sure.
• Chief Justice John Roberts adds to the court’s arrogance by declining an invitation from the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about his court’s ethics.
• The movers and shakers of Michigan business and politics are just now ending their annual policy party on Mackinac Island. We’ll review the highlights of a pretty substantive week with Bridge Michigan reporter Lauren Gibbons.
• Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel hints he’ll run for Governor in two years … and then says he won’t vote for President Biden. That’s not going to help him much with Democratic voters.
• Tudor Dixon’s gift of a half-million-dollars from her losing gubernatorial campaign draws a second look from state regulators.
• Democrats Plan $100 Million Push on Abortion Rights to Win House
• Michigan voters losing trust in democracy, education and economy, poll finds
• Trump makes sweeping promises to donors on audacious fundraising tour \
• Opinion | Detroit sues Census Bureau, claiming vast undercount. It has a point. – The Washington Post
• Democrats add five candidates (including Sen. Kristin McDonald-Rivet) to Red to Blue program – Roll Call (including McDonald-Rivet)
• Hollier appeals decision to remove him from U.S. House ballot – Detroit News
• Rigging Elections: Why the new platform from the Republican Party of Texas matters
• Secretary Benson, Detroit Regional Chamber and business leaders launch new coalition to support safe and secure elections – Secretary of State
• ‘New reality’: Michigan clerks sued as activists seek voting records
• Dana Nessel calls for pork politics reforms amid Clare grant probe

Joining the conversation: Bridge Michigan reporter Lauren Gibbons who has spent the week on Mackinac Island, tracking the many significant policy and political developments that are an annual feature of the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce Policy Conference. Prior to joining Bridge’s Capitol team, she worked at MLive where she led coverage of the state Legislature and the redistricting process, and before that covered the state Senate for the MIRS Newsletter.

Lauren has covered the ins and outs of Michigan politics for nearly a decade and has won awards both for her political coverage and her work documenting the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. She grew up in the Lansing area and graduated from Michigan State University, majoring in journalism and history. She lives in Ferndale, and … according to her official biography … her party tricks include Irish dancing and telling friends what political districts they live in without looking.

Mark Fiore – markfiore.com===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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It’s the most anticipated verdict since O.J.Topping the political news as we record:* Majority of Americans wrongly believe US is in recession, and most blame Biden – The Guardian * The planned debate of U.S. Senate candidates fizzles out as GOP frontrunner Mike Rogers pulls out … and Democratic frontrunner Elissa Slotkin responds by saying “me too” * It’s official: congressman Shri Thanedar won’t have to deal with Adam Hollier on the primary ballot * The Biden-Harris campaign continues to focus on Michigan, with Kamala Harris keynoting the state party’s annual dinner * There’s a major disconnect between public perceptions on the economy and reality and that’s bad news for Joe Biden * The U.S. Supreme Court’s ultra-conservatives continue to embarrass the court with a stupid political display at the Alito home, an even dumber explanation …and a second flag … from Justice Alito * Democrats begin to focus on warning of a future Supreme Court with a majority appointed byDonald Trump * 2 Liberal Groups to Spend $5 Million on State Supreme Court Races – The New York Times * SCOTUS hands another pro-gerrymandering, anti-VRA ruling * Louisiana’s Republican legislature labels abortion drugs as dangerous and very illegal * Michigan GOP Leader Matt Hall Apparently Gambled $73,000 in One Month – Rolling Stone * Voters Fear Trump Won’t Leave If He Wins 2024 Presidential Election – Bloomberg * After blaming his 2020 loss on mail balloting, Trump tries to make GOP voters believe it’s OK now – AP News * Vulnerable House Republicans Set the Stage To Challenge 2024 Election Results – DCCC * Michigan redistricting holds public hearings on draft maps -Detroit Free Press * Trump allies face skepticism as they try appealing to disaffected Arab Americans in Michigan – AP News * Student loans: Biden administration announces additional $7.7 billion in debt relief – CNN Politics * The cost of groceries declined in April as inflation continues to cool – TAI News * Schumer Plans Vote on Contraception Access, Teeing Up a Campaign Issue – The New York Times * Trump’s online account promotes ‘unified Reich’ video, adding to alarming pattern – Maddow Blog * Biden – Unified Reich? via X * Tudor Dixon dissolves campaign fund after giving $500K to nonprofit. Move questioned – Detroit News

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Let’s Get Ready to Rumble…* The Main Event: Battle of the Presidents
Maybe. Maybe not. * Trump’s Peanut Gallery takes over the sliming of the criminal justice system * Robert Kennedy’s running mate demonstrates her major qualification for office: donating another $8-million to prop up the campaign * There’s another ethics embarrassment brewing in Lansing over lobbyist gifts of tickets to sporting events * Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are the A-list of targets for the Biden campaign * Lansing lawmakers file their first financial disclosures. We’ll learn more about that in a moment when we’re joined by award-winning Detroit News investigative reporter Craig Mauger * Crowd shows up to back lawyer, ex-clerk facing charges over voter data breach – Detroit News * Barra says GM will go ‘where the talent is’ to make software-driven cars – Detroit News * Biden Levies Sweeping Tariffs on China, Intensifying Trade Fight With Trump – Wall Street Journal * Small, well-built Chinese EV called the Seagull poses a big threat to the US auto industry – Detroit News * House Democrats launch probe of Trump’s dinner with oil executives – The Washington Post * Supreme Court orders Louisiana to use congressional map with additional Black district – AP News

Craig MaugerLansing has been a cornucopia of corruption, much of it first revealed through the efforts of an excellent band of investigative journalists. One of the best is Craig Mauger of the Detroit News. The Society of Professional Journalists named him Michigan Journalist of the Year in 2022 and this year honored him and Robert Snell for their reporting on a marijuana licensing corruption scandal involving former House Speaker Rick Johnson, Lansing lobbyists and secret payments that flowed to Johnson before he became the state’s top cannabis regulator.

Much of his reporting is built on the advice of Watergate’s famed background source for Woodward and Bernstein, known as Deep Throat, whose mantra was “follow the money”.

Craig follows the money … and quite often, what he finds is pretty shocking.

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This week’s guest: Mother Jones national voting rights correspondent Ari Berman, author of the new book “Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It”Every week it seems politics gets even more bizarre. A week after Kristi Noem destroys her political career by revealing she’s a puppy killer —

• Bobby Kennedy Jr. tells us a brain worm has caused permanent damage to his cognitive ability.
• The latest polls show momentum for President Biden as he campaigns in swing states while Donald Trump alternates between naps in a New York courtroom and fundraising at Mar-a-Lago.
• Kamala Harris makes a stop in Detroit to highlight the administration’s support for the auto industry electric transformation, and reemphasize the GOP’s drive to outlaw abortion nationwide.
• Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Rogers is getting blasted for what opponents call a coverup of Hillary Clinton and Benghazi.
• The very Republican former Lt. Governor of Georgia endorses Biden. In an op-ed in the Atlanta Constitution, Geoff Duncan writes “I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass.”
• Another Georgia Republican, the operations director of the state’s Secretary of State office, is leading a nationwide Republican campaign defending the honesty of elections.
• Trump’s court appointees are paying him back for their jobs with Florida Judge Aileen Cannon effectively tanking the Espionage Act trial, while the U.S. Supreme Court dithers on whether the President is effectively above the law.
• Give me money, I’ll protect your metro dollars: Trump seeks $1 billion from oil CEOs, vows to limit EVs
• ‘A little bold and gross’: Oil industry writes executive orders for Trump to sign
• How ‘History and Tradition’ Rulings Are Changing American Law

Lisa Benson – Counterpoint Media===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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It’s been a great week for the late night comics: Trump’s courtroom catnaps, Kristi Noem’s one-person animal control program, and Joe Biden’s week-late contribution to the annual 4-20 marijuana celebration.

• Abortion laws continue to torment elected Republicans
  South Dakota abortion rights groups collect enough signatures to advance ballot measure – NBC News
• Joe Biden has an epiphany with a reclassification of weed
• Trump opens up to Time magazine about his 2nd term plans – and it’s dystopian preview
  Donald Trump on What His Second Term Would Look Like – TIME
• And the Trump stage show drops into Michigan to heap insults on state Democrats, judges and prosecutors
  ‘Everything’s bad,’ Trump tells Michigan rally, offering policy solutions – mlive.com
  Trump warns of tax hikes, EV doom in Michigan rally. Here are the facts – Bridge Michigan
  Trump backs surveillance and prosecution of women to enforce abortion bans – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Alleged Republican leaders who loudly proclaim Donald Trump is a threat to the nation say that’s not as bad as Joe Biden
• Peter Meijer concedes the obvious: he can’t win the GOP Senate nomination
• GOP frontrunner Mike Rogers has a residency problem – his alleged Michigan home has been torn down
• Two top-level Michigan congressional candidates face challenges on their petitions. We hear from the state’s top election lawyer … that would be Mark Brewer!

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Matt Davies – Washington PostAnother week, still more insanity…

• It’s O.J. without the white Bronco as the first-ever criminal trial of a former President gets underway with the former publisher of National Enquirer throwing Trump under the bus. “Catch and Kill” was a strategy for keeping Trump out of political trouble. Now it describes his legal predicament: he got caught, and it could kill his candidacy, his company and possibly his freedom.
• New York law enforcement and corrections officials are reportedly conferring with the Secret Service on what to do if Trump is sent to jail for contempt of court.
• Arizona joins Michigan, Georgia and Nevada in criminally indicting fake electors … with Trump named an unindicted co-conspirator in both Michigan and Arizona, and facing criminal charges in Georgia.
• The U.S. Supreme Court hears Trump’s argument that, as President, he is above the law – free to kill, stage an insurrection, accept bribes and ignore parking tickets.
• Two more polls show a tightening presidential race, with one showing Biden in the lead among likely voters
  Marist Poll 4-22-24
  NBC April 2024 Poll
• Sexual predator Larry Nasser is now a $1-BILLION disaster with a $138-million settlement from the FBI to victims for slow-walking the investigation. This is on top of $500-million being paid out by Michigan State University and $380-million from USA Gymnastics.
• Another draconian anti-abortion law reaches the U.S. Supreme Court as Democrats focus on women’s reproductive freedom as Issue Number One.
• We recorded this week’s podcast on Thursday (April 25): the 10th Anniversary of the day the Flint water supply was switched from Lake Huron to the Flint River. What lessons have we learned, and what lessons should we have learned?

Also in the news this week:

• Republicans are starting to worry about RFK Jr. – POLITICO
• RNC Ditches Recently-Launched ‘Bank Your Vote,’ Vows New Program | Conservative America Today – Conservative America Today
• Republican false electors in presidential election misled by leaders, attorneys say – mlive.com
• Millions more salaried US workers are set to be eligible for overtime pay starting July 1 – AP News
• Biden Unveils $7 Billion “Solar for All” Investment for Earth Day – Mother Jones
• Biden administration issues new rules on airline fees and refunds – AP News
• Tennessee passes bill to allow armed teachers in public schools – AP News
• One-third of sitting Michigan House lawmakers to see primary challenge – Detroit News
• Opinion | Mike Pence: Donald Trump Has Betrayed the Pro-Life Movement – The New York Times

Our guest this week is the likely Democratic nominee for an open seat on the Michigan Supreme Court, University of Michigan professor Kimberly Thomas. The Michigan Democratic Party’s executive committee has formally endorsed Thomas for the open seat created when Republican nominee David Viviano decided against running for reelection. Thomas is a clinical professor of law, and the director and co-founder of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Michigan Law and also teaches in the Civil-Criminal Litigation Clinic. She specializes in trial and appellate practice, youth justice, and criminal sentencing law. In 2017, Thomas served as a US Fulbright Scholar at the University College Cork School of Law in Cork, Ireland and is a former editorial board member of the Clinical Law Review. Before joining the Law School faculty in 2003, Thomas served as a trial attorney with Defender Association of Philadelphia.

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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Still another week like no other: the previous guy napping at his own criminal trial, the current guy seeing his polling numbers nudge upwards with an economy that the Wall Street Journal calls “The Envy of the World”, and a stunning tipping point in a major Michigan political scandal:

• Attorney General Nessel stuns Lansing with criminal indictments of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield and his wife. We’ll talk with outspoken campaign finance reform advocate Bob LaBrant.
• Democrats, as expected, win the 2 special elections to fill state House vacancies, restoring the Dem’s trifecta control of state government.
• More campaign finance shenanigans, with our Mark Brewer hot on the trail of the malefactors.

In national political news –

• Sleepy Donald Trump’s social media company’s stock matches his New York trial energy level: sinking fast.
• Joe Biden continues to gain ground in national polling as he campaigns while Trump fumes in court.
• The U.S. economy is, in the words of a Wall Street Journal Headline, “the envy of the world” … but that’s not registering with American voters.
• Crime in the U.S. is dropping … but that’s not registering with voters either.

Our focus is the story of the week (and maybe the year) in Michigan: a 13-count indictment of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield.

Dave Grandlund – Caglecartoons.com===========================

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What a week as things go from bad to worse for the Martyr of Mar-a-Lago:

• History will be made this week as the first-ever criminal trial of a former President gets underway
• Trump announces his “whatever” wishy-washy abortion policy during a total eclipse, only to have an Arizona court ruling shove his weasle-words into a harsh spotlight.
• A federal court has rejected Republican efforts to overturn Michigan’s voter approved election reform laws
• The Republican National Committee is fundraising with a robocall that repeats the Big Lie – no surprise from the Lara Trump-run subsidiary of the Trump Companies
• Trump, at Fund-Raiser, Says He Wants Immigrants From ‘Nice’ Countries – The New York Times (he forgot to include Slovenia on his list)
• The House Majority PAC has announced $186-million in advertising buys, with a huge chunk of that focused on 3 races in Michigan
• A new Biden administration rule will close the gun show loophole, increasing background checks.
• Still more student loans are forgiven through Presidential action
• ‘On life support’: Senate Republicans are prepared to sink the child tax credit bill

Michigan Democrats are serious about restoring the party’s standing in rural Michigan. Jeff and I areMark were at the party’s annual Rural Caucus Summit. They are joined on the podcast by Rural Caucus chairperson Mark Ludwig. Mark was born and raised in Michigan. His youth was spent assisting his father during the early days of the environmental movement, studying Great Lakes water birds affected by industrial pollution. He settled in Allegan County, founding a small beef farm in Clyde Township in 2005 with his wife Kim. Mark served on the Fennville Public School Board, Clyde Township Planning Commission and currently serves on the Allegan Conservation District Board of Directors. Mark graduated from Michigan State with a degree in Environmental Issues and has a Short Course Degree from UW Madison in Grass Based Dairy.

Christopher Seyant – Boston Globe===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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Jack Ohman – Tribute Content Agency“Let’s Nuke Gaza”: that is apparently the new middle east strategy of Michigan’s “unremarkable and brain dead” congressman Tim Walberg (R-Tipton).

Also this week:

• We were blessed with a visit from Mar-A-Lago librarian and bible salesman D. J. Trump, who announced a consolation call and more than a few so-called facts in a Grand Rapids harangue that didn’t quite match reality.
• Dan Kildee dropped a huge hint … a $14,000 hint … about his preferred successor in Congress
• A federal court OK’d a new state House district map that does no favors for Democrats
• Two special elections on April 16th will bring the state House back to full strength. The Republican candidate in one of those races is called out for promoting a new state abortion ban.
• Michigan’s Republican Party (or at least, one wing of it) X’d that a statement from the Mayor of Baltimore “Another shining example of colored Communism.”
• In Alabama, another major upset signals that women’s reproductive rights proves to be a winning strategy for Alabama Democrat.
• No Labels = No candidate
• Florida will be voting in November on legalizing abortion and marijuana thanks to a state Supreme Court ruling this week. In the world of political fundraising, Elissa Slotkin continues to pile up the Benjamins: $4.4m raised, $8.6m cash on hand and Congressional candidate Curtis Hertel tallied $1.3m raised, $2m cash on hand
• And the imaginary company Truth Social’s stock bubble is already bursting, down more than 40% from its public trading launch as investors realize there’s no there there.

Mark and Jeff will be speaking April 12-13 at the Rural Summit at Shanty Creek.
The event is open to the public.
Click here for program and registration information.

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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Ann Taenes – Washington PostTrump’s RNC is reuniting the band: convicted criminals Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon (and maybe now-in-jail Peter Navarro) plus world-class whackos Steven Miller and Corey Lewandowski…under the “leadership” of daughter-in-law Lara Trump. It’s looking like a rerun of 2020, but better organized but without Jared or Ivanka. Just this week, we’re seeing

• The screening for new Republican National Committee employees: do they agree that the 2020 election was stolen?
• Michigan’s Ronna “Don’t Call Me Romney” McDaniel’s NBC gig lasts half a Scaramucci after an on-air rebellion
• The Zillow listings for Trump properties will have to wait as the Sneaker-and-Bible Salesman gets a $300-million reprieve from a New York appeals court
• Trump gets a tenuous windfall with Truth Social, but the company continues to lose money and could end up bankrupt (just like Trump casinos, Trump Airline, Trump Water, Trump University etc. etc.)
• Trump gets to pray about his first criminal trial, now set to begin on April 15th (which likely means fewer rounds of golf).

Around Michigan:

• Former Governor Granholm returns to the Mitten bearing gifts: $1.5-billion to restart the Palisades nuclear plant
• Ottawa County may be Michigan’s most conservative politically, but its voters aren’t at all happy with the new ultra-right-wing mob running the county
• Protecting healthcare, Social Security and Medicare are back as fundamental campaign issues
• The most successful one-night fundraiser in political history gets launched with Biden’s backup band: Bill Clinton and Barack Obama
• Biden’s polling numbers are up in Michigan and nationally, and the campaign opens a 2nd office in Michigan. Meanwhile Trump’s Michigan remains in shambles.

We’re joined this week by longtime Republican political consultant Stuart Stevens, now a senior adviser with the Lincoln Project.

Stevens has worked at the top level of more presidential and senatorial campaigns than just about anyone. His first presidential effort: the Bob Dole campaign in 1996. His book The Big Enchilada is a chronicle of George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign.

He is also a prolific writer. It Was All A Lie: How The Republican Party Became Donald Trump is his eighth book; his ninth book, The Conspiracy to End America Five Ways came out last October. He has also written extensively for dramatic television series, starting with Northern Exposure and including I’ll Fly Away, K. Street, Commander in Chief and others.

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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This week’s politics begin with a check on Zillow listings…

• The man who once claimed a net worth of more than 10-Billion dollars says he can’t come up with a measly half-billion to satisfy a New York court judgment. If he’s so rich, why can’t he simply mortgage one of his many many many amazing properties?

M.Wuerker – Politico* There are more signs of cracks in Trump’s support within the Republican Party as Trump is dissed by former Veep Mike Pence, Indiana Sen. Todd Young, and Nikki Haley donors * On the plus side for the former game-show host, it appears that the judge in his trial for stealing top-secret documents is totally in his hip pocket * Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano says he won’t seek reelection, giving Democrats a chance to solidify their majority on the officially-but-not-really nonpartisan court * Electric-powered cars are taking center-stage in the Michigan presidential campaign

Two anniversaries highlight the week:

• The 14th anniversary of the signing of Obamacare: state Democrats are turning up the heat in federal races, going after Republican candidates on healthcare
• The 10th anniversary of the first same-sex wedding in Michigan

Also this week:

• The UAW makes an endorsement in the Democratic primary race to succeed Dan Kildee
• The Legislature ends Michigan’s ban on surrogacy contracts and, in the process, protects In-Vitro Fertilization.
• Michigan Democrats are taking on the challenge of reconnecting with rural Michigan.

We talk with the authors of a provocative analysis of the partisan divide between rural and urban/suburban Michigan: “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy”. Journalist Paul Waldman is a former columnist for The Washington Post, The Week, and TheAmerican Prospect. He is currently an MSNBC columnist, writes The Cross Section newsletter, and co-hosts the Boundary Issues podcast.

Tom Schaller is a professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A former columnist for The Baltimore Sun, he has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author or co-author of four other books, including Common Enemies, The Stronghold, and Whistling Past Dixie.

===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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Just some of this week’s political happenings —

• The Trump-appointed prosecutor who questioned the President’s memory has his own memory losses when questioned by Congress
• The President returns to Michigan in what will become a recurring political story for our state
• Donald Trump weighs in on the Republican race for U.S. senate, endorsing a candidate who once called Trump’s political tactics “destructive”.
• In a move that will bring joy to the hearts of the football and basketball coaches at Michigan and Michigan State: the NAACP is urging black student-athletes to avoid Florida due to DeSantis anti-DEI edicts
• RFK Jr. proves his campaign is pretty much a joke as he floats the names of Aaron Rodgers and Jesse “The Body” Ventura as his running mate
• Democrats in Lansing are taking another stab at passing meaningful financial disclosure laws.

A group of state House Democrats are once again introducing comprehensive financial disclosure legislation,disclosures that go far beyond the minimalist requirements enacted last year in response to the 2022 ballot proposal enacted by voters. Leading the charge for putting teeth into the law is Representative Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn), chair of the House Committee on Ethics and Oversight.

Rep. Byrnes is serving her first term representing the west end of Dearborn and Dearborn Heights. She earned a bachelor’s from the University of Michigan and went on to graduate school in New York City, where she served as a middle school special education teacher and took classes in the evening. After returning home to be close to family and serve her community, Rep. Byrnes continued her work as an educator at the University of Michigan in 2011 and completed the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University in 2015.

She’s served as a member of the Dearborn City Council since 2018 and most recently as council president pro tem.

Trump jumps onto the third rail of politics: Social Security/Medicare. Ouch! ===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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The general election campaign for President is officially underway…

• Scranton Joe delivers a take-no-prisoners State of the Union that leaves his supporters ecstatic and Republicans sputtering.
• Spoiler alert: the 2024 Campaign theme is a sequel movie “This Country for Old Men”
• Super Tuesday was a good day for former athletes who want to be Senators: one-time NFL star Colin Allred wins the Democratic nomination to run against Ted Cruz; in California, Michigan State University alum and All-Star baseball player Steve Garvey survives the jungle primary, setting him up to lose to Congressman Adam Schiff.
  And it was a great day for Jason Palmer who, just like Mike Bloomberg in 2020, swept to victory in the American Samoa caucus.
• The Supreme Court effectively decides the 14th amendment prohibiting insurrectionists from seeking federal office is just a suggestion.
• More turmoil at Michigan State University: as a new president takes over in East Lansing, two trustees face the possibility of being fired and a third could be censured — the aftermath of the firing of football coach Mel Tucker.

Our guest this week is University of Michigan professor, former U.S. Attorney and MSNBC contributor Barbara McQuade discussing her new book which amplifies the alarm about the role of misinformation in the 2024 campaign as well as the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Trump ballot access case.

McQuade served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2010 to 2017. As part of President Donald Trump’s 2017 dismissal of U.S. attorneys, she stepped down in March 2017. She is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, the author of “Attack from Within“ and a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, McQuade practiced law at the firm of Butzel Long in Detroit and served as a law clerk for Hon. Bernard A. Friedman on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. McQuade started her career as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan from 1998 until becoming U.S. Attorney in that same district. She was also a professor of law at University of Detroit Mercy School of Law from 2003 to 2009.

McQuade was appointed by President Barack Obama and started her term as U.S. Attorney on January 4, 2010. Upon taking office in January 2010, During her tenure as U.S. Attorney, the office reached convictions in several high-profile cases, including the case of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on public corruption charges; the conviction and life sentence of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the would-be al-Qaeda shoe-bomber behind the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot to destroy an airplane in flight from the Netherlands to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport; the conviction of former Michigan Supreme Court justice Diane Hathaway on bank fraud charges; and the convictions of former employees for stealing trade secrets from Detroit automakers.

In 2017, McQuade became a regular contributor to MSNBC, initially commenting primarily on purported scandals related to President Donald Trump, though the range of topics she analyzes has become broader over time. Since 2021, she also co-hosts the #SistersInLaw podcast with Jill Wine-Banks, Joyce Vance and Kimberly Atkins Stohr.

McQuade was born in Detroit. She received her undergraduate degree in 1987 from the University of Michigan and her J.D. in 1991 from the University of Michigan Law School.

Video: Highlights of President Biden’s 2024 State of the Union address (via Politico)===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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This week in politics starts, of course, with Michigan’s Presidential Primary. The primary has Biden and Trump winning by a bunch — but both campaigns see warning signs for November. Also this week:

• Sneaker salesman Trump graciously accepts victory by calling Gretchen Whitmer “a terrible governor who sold you out”, and UAW president Shawn Fein “atrocious”
• A state court has, for now, put Kristina Karamo out to political pasture, but the fight for control of what’s left of the Michigan Republican Party goes on
• Michigan born-and-bred Ronna Romney McDaniel admits the obvious: she’s officially another victim of Trump’s one-way loyalty
• Former Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers is trying to rewrite his legislative history sponsoring legislative mirroring last week’s Alabama ruling that embryos are people

Joining the podcast is Lou Glazer, head of the economic think tank Michigan Future, a non-partisan, non-profit organization. Michigan Future’s mission is to be a source of new ideas on how Michigan can succeed as a world class community in a knowledge-driven economy. Its work is funded by Michigan foundations.

Glazer currently is heading efforts to implement a new agenda designed to raise household income for all. Prior to joining MFI, he served as Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Commerce during the Blanchard Administration. He received Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Michigan.

===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
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• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
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Another remarkable week in national and state politics:

• The Michigan presidential primary is Tuesday. Biden and Trump will win, but both can be wounded in the process.
• Vice President Harris campaigned in west Michigan Thursday. Surrounded by Governor Whitmer, Senator Stabenow and Congresswoman Hillary Scholten – all women – the focus was on reproductive rights, an issue catapulted back to the debate by an insane court ruling in Alabama.
• The Biden campaign goes into attack mode, focusing on the many bat-shit crazy things coming out of the mouths of Trump and his congressional stooges
• The President has canceled another $1.2-billion in student loan debts
• In Michigan, a major development in campaign finance reform which was spurred by onetime Republican strategist Bob Lebrant and my esteemed co-host.
• The latest Michigan polling shows that the presidential and U.S. senate races are cliffhangers. We are joined by pollster Bernie Porn of EPIC-MRA to talk numbers.

Video: Vice President Harris and Governor Whitmer lead the Grand Rapids discussion on Reproductive Rights===========================

This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,
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This podcast is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Opinion Research

The bargaining between the prosecutors and various Trump-related defendants is ratcheting up, even as Trump’s numbers in the GOP nomination race also are moving up. But will Donald Trump even appear on the ballot if there’s a Republican presidential primary in Michigan? That question is up in the air with a potential lawsuit challenging Trump’s eligibility, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson stuck in the middle of a very sticky and unprecedented legal situation.

Also on our agenda this week:

• Michigan Democrats are turning up the heat on Republicans over reproductive healthcare rights with a new package of bills aimed at keeping the government out of these decisions.
• Courts in two states have thrown out congressional district maps because of Republican gerrymandering.
• A couple of candidates make it official: Mike Rogers is moving back to Michigan to run for the Senate, and Carl Marlinga is looking for a rematch with John James.

We’re joined this week by author and Lincoln Project Adviser Stuart Stevens.

Stu has worked at the top level of more presidential and senatorial campaigns than just about anyone. His first presidential effort: the Bob Dole campaign in 1996. His book The Big Enchilada is a chronicle of George W. Bush’s 2000 campaign. Other campaigns on his resume include Mitt Romney 2012, Governor Haley Barbour, Governor Tom Ridge, Senator Thad Cochran, Senator Dick Lugar, Senator Mel Martínez, Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Roger Wicker, Senator Jon Kyl, Governor Bill Weld, Governor Paul Cellucci, Governor Bob RileySSS

Stevens is also a prolific writer. It Was All A Lie: How The Republican Party Became Donald Trump is his eighth book; his ninth book, The Conspiracy to End America Five Ways comes out October 10. He has also written extensively for dramatic television series, starting with Northern Exposure and including I’ll Fly Away, K. Street, Commander in Chief and others.

===========================EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
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While assorted Republicans are getting booked, arraigned, found liable for slander and generally spending millions on defense attorneys, Joe Biden and Gretchen Whitmer are talking about “what’s next.” For Biden – what’s next is a battle with pharmaceutical companies over prices; for Whitmer – an ambitious agenda for a fall legislative session where she has the smallest possible majorities in both chambers.

Michigan’s new congressional and legislative maps, in effect for just one election cycle, face a growing challenge in federal court. Onetime Congressman Mike Rogers apparently will get into Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, but first he has to move back to Michigan from Florida and register to vote; and the broken Michigan GOP gets another national profile … and it ain’t pretty.

We’re joined this week by a Michigan legislator who – through no fault of her own – has become a national symbol of the growing political power of suburban moms: Senator Mallory McMorrow. McMorrow gained sudden national attention as a result of her ardent support of policies protecting reproductive rights. She became an overnight sensation for a floor speech standing up against false, bigoted, homophobic attacks on her and her colleagues.

Her legislative focus also includes empowering local communities, and making Michigan a business- and family-friendly state. Senator McMorrow is the Senate Majority Whip and serving her second term in the Michigan Senate. She has a deep affinity for the automotive industry after working for more than a decade in product design, media and advertising with companies like Mazda, Mattel, Gawker Media, Hearst and other global brands. Since becoming a state Senator she has won victories on policy changes such as ending Michigan’s tampon tax, helping struggling businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, and protecting certain individuals (including domestic violence survivors) by creating an address confidentiality program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the University of Notre Dame.

===========================EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
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The battle for 2nd place in the Republican presidential campaign gets launched … with nobody winning. While the GOP's Wannabe Eight gathered in Milwaukee, the Defendant in Chief appeared in two new prime time specials, “Live at the Fulton County Booking” and “Conversations with a Fired Talk Show Host on a Failing Website."

Representative Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township)

Also this week: the MAGA-inspired effort to recall a half-dozen state House members bogs down; and the UAW negotiations with the Big Three have major implications for the nation and Michigan's economy.

We're joined this week by a state legislator at the center of two major issues: gun safety, and added protections for victims of sexual abuse. Representative Julie Brixie’s district includes the MSU campus: site of a tragic mass shooting, and the starting point for the nightmare of Larry Nassar. Rep. Brixie has been active in community service for 25 years. With a Master’s degree in crop and soil sciences with a specialization in environmental toxicology, Brixie began as a citizen activist on environmental issues in the township. In 1998, she was named to the Meridian Township Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission. 

A year later she was elected to the Meridian Township Board, where she served her community for 18 years – two terms as a Trustee and three terms as Treasurer. She is now in her third term in the state House, where she serves on the Appropriations Committee, chairing the subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources.

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In December 2020, Rudy Giuliani brought his Big Lie circus to the Michigan House Oversight Committee in a session that was quickly mocked on Saturday Night Live. That appearance and what he said is part of the 19-defendant criminal racketeering indictment issued in Georgia, part of a major Michigan presence in the latest criminal proceeding against Donald Trump. With 19 defendants and 30 unindicted co-conspirators in the latest indictment, the obvious question is: will any of them flip?

But there are other things going on in politics. Really there are.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, a law that doesn’t really do much about inflation but has already had a huge impact on the nation’s manufacturing sector and creating a once-in-a-lifetime assault on climate change, as well as cut healthcare costs and guarantee that the biggest of the big corporations pay income taxes. The President is building his reelection campaign around this law in addition to the huge infrastructure bill which has sprouted orange barrels nationwide and the CHIPS Act which is bringing the manufacturing of all-important microchips back to the U.S. Will campaigning on policy work better than counting on running against a serial criminal?

Bernie Porn

Democrats finally go on the offensive as Republicans continue their efforts to tie Joe Biden to his son’s misdeeds. Democrats want to talk about the hundreds-of-millions the Trump family collected while The Donald was in the Oval office. And we’ve got some movement in the state’s U.S. Senate campaign – also part of the polling we will look at. But Mark and Jeff begin in Georgia. Trump has a Grand Slam of four criminal indictments this year, totaling 91 felony counts. Does anybody care?

Joining the conversation is Michigan's top pollster, Bernie Porn of EPIC-MRA. He provides new numbers on the top races, plus some insights into what will be a rocky and unprecedented 2024 campaign.

The Georgia 19. Who will flip first?

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

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Bridge Michigan state capitol reporter Jonathan Oosting

Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty, not guilty: it’s being said so much by Republicans these days, it might have to be included in the platform of the onetime “law and order” party. We update the status of various investigations and pre-trial activities of the once Grand Old Party.with Bridge Michigan reporter Jonathan Oosting who has been looking at some questionable sweetheart funding for a buddy of former Michigan House Speaker Jason Wentworth.

The 16 fake Michigan electors have all had their initial dates in court; Michigan Democrats could temporarily lose their 2-vote majority in the state House; Michigan looks at paying for roads through a pay-by-the-mile plan; and Mike Rogers looks like he’s ready to rejoin the campaign trail a decade after leaving Congress. 

And we can't overlook the latest revelations about the many rich friends of Justice Clarence Thomas who apparently can't resist the urge to lavish him with outrageously expensive vacations and excursions to sports events.

Jonathan Oosting was named 2021 Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. He covered the state Capitol for The Detroit News and MLive before joining Bridge in September of 2019. He is in his 11th year of covering the shenanigans in downtown Lansing. He has two masters degrees: English Language and Literature from Grand Valley, and Journalism from Michigan State. He's from Grand Rapids, lives in Lansing and loves spending time Up North.

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

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This has been a very very very very very bad week for Donald Trump … and Matt DePerno … and former Representative Daire Rendon … and the Michigan Republican Party. 

Spoiler alert: it's another week of our true-crime podcast.

But for six state House Democrats who were targeted for recall It was a pretty good week with the state Board of Canvassers rejecting the proposed recall petitions (all of them ably represented by their lawyer, Mark Brewer!)

The podcast was recorded minutes after Donald 'Jail-Adverse" Trump was arraigned for the third time this year on felony criminal charges. Joining the conversation as we mark a truly momentous moment in U.S. political history is longtime Trump critic Rick Wilson.

A former member of the Republican Party, Rick has produced televised political commercials for governors, U.S. Senate candidates, Super PACs, and corporations. He left the Republican Party following the 2016 United States presidential election, and in late 2019 went on to co-found The Lincoln Project.

In 2018, Rick released his first book, Everything Trump Touches Dies, in which he laments the re-alignment of the Republican Party behind Trump. The book reached number one on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list. Wilson's second book, Running Against the Devil: A Plot to Save America from Trump – and Democrats from Themselves, was published in January 2020.

He now hosts the podcast “Rick Wilson’s The Enemies List.”

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

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We’re on indictment watch again this week. By the time you are listening to us, Donald Trump could be completing his 2023 "indictment hat trick", this time for his leadership of efforts to steal the 2020 election. In addition to his two already issued criminal indictments, he’s also facing a court date in the continuation of his losing civil battle with rape victim E. Jean Carroll … and he might get the indictment grand slam as Georgia prepares to step in.

Sam Inglot - Executive Director, Progress Michigan

In Michigan, Attorney General Dana Nessel appears on the verge of issuing multiple indictments for tampering with election tabulators. The likely targets are her 2022 GOP opponent Matt DePerno, along with former state representative Daire Rendon and Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf.

There’s no question the takeover of state government by Democrats - the first total control for the party in 40 years - has brought about a lot of change in Michigan law, changes that are being noticed nationwide. We talk aboutt what to expect in Chapter 2 of this governance story with the new Executive Director of Progress Michigan, Sam Inglot!

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

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What a week:

Donald Trump on the cusp of another criminal indictment - if you’re keeping score, it would be his third… 16 of the more prominent names in the Michigan Republican Party are indicted for the Fake Electors plot… And Marjorie Taylor Greene appears in a Biden campaign commercial – supporting his record of accomplishment.

As much as we wanted to focus on BarbenHeimer, we’re also look at possible criminality by still another former Republican state House speaker … and a brazen attempt by the very broke Michigan Republican Party to force a do-over of 2022’s state House election.

We're joined by the Detroit Free Press’s outstanding political reporter Clara Hendrickson, who maintain her equilibrium despite a very wild week! Clara covers Michigan politics with a focus on the governor's office and the state Legislature. She has previously covered voting rights, election administration and redistricting in Michigan. 

She came to The Detroit Free Press by way of Report for America – an initiative of The GroundTruth Project – to fact-check Michigan issues and politics in partnership with PolitiFact during the 2020 election. She previously worked as a research analyst at the Brookings Institution and freelance journalist in Washington, D.C.

At Brookings, she wrote on a range of public policy issues, including rising regional inequality, domestic and international efforts to regulate “Big Tech” and the financial challenges confronting local newsrooms. Her journalism has appeared in Boston Review, Democracy Journal, The Atlantic and Politico Magazine. She has also contributed feature articles for the non-profit outlet DCist, such as the impact on service workers of eliminating late-night public transportation routes and efforts to provide residents affordable exercise options in neighborhoods that don’t have a gym.

Hendrickson holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania where she was an op-ed columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian, frequently covering labor and income disparity issues on campus and in Philadelphia.

Attorney General Dana Nessel announces indictments of 16 Republican "Fake" presidential electors.

President Biden celebrates his "endorsement" from MGT!

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

News Stories We’re Following This Week Michigan Politics and Policy

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel Charges 16 ‘False Electors’ with Election Law and Forgery Felonies - Attorney General's Office Transcript: Attorney General Nessel's statement on the Fake Electors indictments Trump's fake electors in Michigan face criminal charges - Detroit Free Press GOP officials call Nessel's Trump elector charges a 'witch hunt,' defend slate - Detroit News Opinion | Michigan indicts alleged plotters in fake elector scheme. Here’s what it means. - The Washington Post What we know about the 16 Michigan Trump electors facing charges- Detroit News Records: Wentworth secured $6.8M grant to dredge lake where former aide lives - Bridge Michigan Michigan: Double payment concerns suspended $25M Clare health campus grant - Bridge Michigan Five Michigan House Democrats, one Republican face recall threats - Bridge Michigan Mayoral bids could shake up Dems' majority in Michigan House - Detroit Free Press Michigan GOP bank accounts down to $93K, recording reveals - Detroit News

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For a second time, physical violence breaks out at a Michigan Republican Party leadership meeting … this time, complete with criminal charges pending. And speaking of Republican criminals, the federal investigation into Trump’s efforts to steal the 2020 election now involves testimony from Jocelyn Benson as the investigation spreads to Michigan, Arizona and Georgia.

Donald Trump’s apparent “get out of jail free” strategy is to get elected President or, at worst, get one of his MAGA wannabes elected so they tell the Justice Department to back off. It’s another challenge for a court system under increasing fire for political manipulation, conflicts of interest and outright corruption. We talk about a credibility crisis for the 3rd branch of government with former Michigan Chief Justice Bridget McCormack.

McCormack served on the Michigan Supreme Court from 2013 to 2022, first as an associate justice, and as chief justice from 2019 to 2022. Previously she was a professor at the University of Michigan Law School where she served as Michigan Law’s associate dean for clinical affairs, clinical professor of law, and co-director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, a non-DNA clinic representing wrongfully convicted Michigan prisoners. McCormack also launched and worked in a pediatric advocacy law clinic focusing on children with health problems, and a domestic violence clinic. She retired from the Supreme Court at the end of 2022 and became President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Arbitration Association in February.

Her first campaign featured an online ad that went viral with 1.9 million views. "Walk and Talk the Vote" was a reunion of the West Wing cast focusing on her candidacy. The production was organized by her younger sister Mary – one of the stars of the iconic series – complete with West Wing stars including Martin Sheen, Brad Whitford, Allison Janney, Lily Tomlin and Joshua Malina.

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

News Stories We’re Following This Week Courts Under Fire

Bridget McCormack Bio Data for Progress Polling on SCOTUS Supreme Court Term Limits - Brennan Center for Justice The Trump Documents Case Puts the Justice System on Trial - The New York Times Trump Lawyers Seek Indefinite Postponement of Documents Trial - The New York Times Trump centers campaign on his prosecution, vilifying legal system - The Washington Post Alito Took Unreported Luxury Trip With GOP Donor Paul Singer - ProPublica Justice Alito Defends Private Jet Travel to Luxury Fishing Trip - The New York Times The Elite Circle Clarence Thomas Entered That Led to the Supreme Court - The New York Times Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor's staff prodded colleges and libraries to buy her books - AP News Supreme Court justices and donors mingle at campus visits. These documents show the ethical dilemmas - AP News Justices teach when the Supreme Court isn't in session. It can double as an all-expenses-paid trip - AP News Senate panel plans to move forward on Supreme Court ethics bill after Alito report - POLITICO Doughty's social media injunction undoes election disinformation efforts - The Washington Post After 303 Creative Decision, Large Majority of Voters Say Business Owners Should Not Be Able to Deny Services Based on Personal Beliefs How Supreme Court decisions are activating a generation of young voters - The Washington Post

Michigan Policy and Politics

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This week's guest: House Ethics Committee Chair Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn).

Michigan has some of the weakest government ethics and openness laws in the nation. After years of empty promises, Democrats in the Legislature are moving on a comprehensive reform package. Joining the podcast is the chair of the state House Ethics Committee, Dearborn Representative Erin Byrnes.

After weeks of a U.S. Senate race with just one prominent candidate, both parties are seeing some movement. Detroiter Hill Harper has launched his pre-announcement campaign for the Democratic primary; a former Congressman and Wall Street millionaire are moving towards running on the Republican side. The national drumbeat for a Whitmer presidential campaign continues to build, even as the Governor firmly commits to backing President BIden’s reelection. And we’ve got some interesting developments in two of Michigan’s most closely contested congressional districts.

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

News Stories We’re Following This Week Michigan Policy and Politics

Insider: Lawmakers say 'pieces in place' for transparency overhaul - Detroit News Actor Hill Harper poised to challenge Slotkin in Michigan Senate primary - POLITICO Michigan Senate Race Poised to Draw More Candidates Soon - Time GOP former congressman eyeing Michigan U.S. Senate seat - Detroit News Michigan Democrats move to remove GOP Senate candidate from party - Detroit News Hertel resigns as Whitmer legislative affairs director, fueling speculation of congressional run ⋆ Michigan Advance Kristina Karamo feuds with co-chair, as Michigan Republican civil war worsens - Bridge Michigan Ex-Michigan GOP budget chair: Karamo opposed party spending limits - Detroit News Prosecutor describes 'multiple crimes' in Michigan voting equipment probe - Detroit News Moms for Liberty's focus on school races nationwide sets up political clash with teachers unions - AP News Democrats' new primary calendar remains unresolved. The party insists that's OK - AP News The D.N.C. Has a Primary Problem - The New York Times Macomb County, Prosecutor Peter Lucido hit with discrimination lawsuit - Detroit Free Press Critic of Chinese battery plant once lobbied for Chinese company - Detroit News Why Not Whitmer? - The Atlantic Why Gretchen Whitmer Has What It Takes for a White House Run - Vanity Fair Bypassing Biden: Democrats Think of What Could Have Been - POLITICO Biden’s hydrogen bombshell leaves Europe in the dust - POLITICO

National Policy and Politics

Biden versus the bad news bros (Economic Fakerism) - New York Times Republican opposition to LGBTQ rights erupts in backlash to Pride month - The Washington Post The Supreme Court rejects Biden’s plan to wipe away $400 billion in student loan debt - WILX TV FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces New Actions to Provide Debt Relief and Support for Student Loan Borrowers - The White House Poll: 61% support Biden's Student Loan Debt Relief Plan - Data for Progress Voters Not Happy with SCOTUS - Data for Progress Ex-GOP Ohio House speaker sentenced to 20 years for role in $60M bribery scheme; appeal expected - AP News The Mysterious Case of the Fake Gay Marriage Website, the Real Straight Man, and the Supreme Court - The New Republic Judge limits Biden administration in working with social media companies - AP News Trump-appointed judge botches facts - The Washington Post

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This week's guest: Trygve Olson from the Lincoln Democracy Institute on growing violence in politics.

We now have an audio tape of Donald Trump committing a felony: sharing classified military information that he stole from the White House and giving the details to people with no security clearance. Despite that, Oakland Republicans hand him a certificate for a made-up award as "Man of the Decade" which Trump immediately "humbly" included in a fundraising email.

Back in the real world, the administration launches an all-out campaign promoting Bidenomics ... with some snark aimed at Republicans who "voted no but take the dough." The Supreme Court wraps up this term with positive results on voting rights, and reversing precedent on affirmative action in college admissions.

In Michigan, a new state budget is now on the Governor’s desk — on time and balanced, with major new funding for education, and tax cuts for millions of Michiganders.The Legislature also sends a tranche of bills on everything from expanded civil rights to allowing beer at college football games. 

And while the Michigan Legislature is passing laws to improve our elections process, there are warning signs about the potential for increased political violence. A new comprehensive national survey warns of an increasing appetite and tolerance for violence as a part of our political process. We talk with the onetime Mitch McConnell staffer who led the study … along with a collaborator on that report, the honorable and esteemed Mr. Jeff Timmer.

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

This week's news links Michigan Politics and Policy

Lincoln Democracy Project Full Study

Lincoln Democracy Project Summary

Supreme Court ruling on online harassment angers victims, advocates - The Washington Post

Michigan Legislature sends $81.7B state budget to Whitmer's desk - Detroit Free Press

Michigan lawmakers approve record $82B budget plan - Detroit News

Michigan passes $21.5B school budget with boost for at-risk students | Bridge Michigan

Michigan budget has $950M in no-bid pork projects, some transparency reforms - Bridge Michigan

Early voting, beer in college stadiums await Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature - Bridge Michigan

Michigan set to become 22nd state to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ youths - Bridge Michigan

Michigan bill repeals Snyder-era law limiting state regulations - Detroit Free Press

High-speed internet is a necessity, President Biden says, pledging all US will have access by 2030 - AP News

Michigan to receive $1.5B to extend internet to 210,000 in rural areas - Bridge Michigan

Dana Nessel: $10B PFAS settlement with 3M doesn’t resolve Michigan’s claims - Bridge Michigan

Trump said EVs will ‘decimate’ Michigan. Bridge fact-checks his claims - Bridge Michigan

A return to the familiar as Trump kicks off Michigan campaigning for '24 - Detroit Free Press

USS Carl M. Levin commissioned, going on active duty in US Navy - Detroit Free Press

Across the nation

Bidonomics - White House

Embracing "Bidenomics," Biden seeks to turn an insult into a strength - The Washington Post

White House touts legislative wins on the road, in GOP strongholds - POLITICO

The public still has negative views of the national economy - AP-NORC

Supreme Court rejects GOP in North Carolina case that could have reshaped elections beyon...

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This week's guest: award-winning Detroit News Lansing reporter Craig Mauger.

Republicans keep shooting themselves in the foot — while Joe Biden stands alone in focusing on actually dealing with the challenges facing ordinary Americans. We’ve got another Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justice eyebrow-deep in a scandal over luxury vacations paid for by billionaire GOP activists; U.S. House Republicans censuring Adam Schiff for exposing the criminal history of their Lord and Master, Donald Trump; a cat fight between the two leading House crazies, with Marjorie Taylor Greene calling Lauren Boebert “a little bitch” as they fight over who gets to impeach Josef Biden; and leading the way, Donald Trump going on Fox TV and confessing to obstruction of justice and violating the Espionage Act.

And Michigan isn’t exempt from the crazy. There are internal GOP feuds in multiple county party organizations, and the chair of the party has been hit with thousands of dollars in court-ordered sanctions thanks to one of the many Big LIe lawsuits filed in Michigan. In this week's podcast we catch up with what’s happening in Lansing which has it’s own list of ongoing investigations into misdeeds. We’ll be joined by award-winning Detroit News statehouse reporter Craig Mauger.

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management =========================== Michigan Politics and Policy

Michigan House passes ban on child marriage in the state - Detroit Free Press Ex-GOP governor candidate Ryan Kelley to plead guilty in Jan. 6 case - Detroit News Charges filed in signature scandal for 2022 Michigan governor race - Detroit Free Press Lawmakers explore name, image, likeness deals for high school athletes - Detroit News Teacher union bargaining rights see sweeping changes under House bills - Detroit News Why Gretchen Whitmer Has What It Takes for a White House Run - Vanity Fair Lawmakers explore name, image, likeness deals for high school athletes - Detroit News Slotkin helping to recruit Hertel as possible candidate to replace her in 7th District – The Livingston Post.com Michigan House votes to expand hate crimes to protect gay, disabled residents - Bridge Michigan Michigan Democrats push 8 days of absentee ballot counting to curb ‘chaos’ - Bridge Michigan Democrats meet with anti-Trump conservatives to fight No Labels 2024 bid - The Washington Post Michigan GOP chair must pay for Detroit election lawsuit - Detroit Free Press Michigan commission accuses former AG candidate DePerno of misconduct Leaked Audio: Michigan GOP Chair Kristina Karamo Says Outrage Over Holocaust Tweet Was ‘Completely Hilarious’ - The Daily Beast Michigan GOP split over new plan to select presidential delegates - Detroit Free Press ‘MAGA vs. ultra-MAGA’: Michigan’s Republican Party at war with itself - The Washington Post

Across the Nation

IRS reduces tax return backlog by 80% and is doing better job answering the phone - AP News US murder rate declines dramatically in 2023 — but you probably haven't heard about it - Popular Information Judge Strikes Down Arkansas Law Banning Gender Transition Care for Minors - The New York Times DeSantis allies set up a school to train a $100 million door-knocking army - The Washington Post Impeachment fever isn’t going away - The Washington Post House passes GOP-led measure to censure Adam Schiff - The Washington Post Editorial | House Republicans censuring Adam Schiff says more about them than him - The Was...

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Mark and Jeff are taking a little me-time this week. With the historic 37-count federal indictment of the Defendant in Chief, nothing seemed more appropriate than going into our archives. We revisit conversations with two men who know DJT as well as anyone: outspoken Trump critic/Twitter nemesis George Conway, and onetime Trump fixer Michael Cohen.

Don't say they didn't warn us...

(Jeff and Mark return with a new episode next week)

This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys • Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys • On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns & Consulting • Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research • Community - Media Relations • Issue - Image Management • Database Development & List Management ===========================

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Michigan’s Quality Guru Perry Johnson now has a lot of competition for the most obscure Republican presidential candidate as the field of GOP wannabes grows to about an even dozen, and as we learn that North Dakota has a Governor and his name is Doug Burgum. Mark and Jeff take a look at the most unusual cadre of candidates … as well as the quixotic Democratic campaign of the Kennedy family’s black sheep.

Also on the agenda this week: the U.S. Supreme Court's surprising ruling in support of the Voting Rights Act, turmoil in the ranks of U.S. House Republicans, and an early start to the 2023 state legislative campaign.

Joining us on the podcast is a veteran of state capitol journalism, Kyle Melinn. Kyle has been editor of the MIRS Newsletter for 20 years. If you aren’t familiar with their newsletter, it’s a daily deep dive into everything happening in state government – a must-read for leaders in government, lobbyists, other journalists and state politics junkies. Kyle also is host of the longest-running political podcast in Michigan, the MIRS Monday Podcast, a part of the Michigan political landscape for 13 years.

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Another crisis averted after the political pros take charge in Washington. Joe Biden quietly cleans up a right-wing created mess, avoiding the shock of a first-ever U.S. credit default with deft negotiating skills and public confidence that he could get it done (and did!).

Governor Whitmer takes what could be a major step for Michigan’s future, or could end up as just another report getting dusty in the archives.

A key Michigan congressional battleground district gets more focus as the list of likely serious Democratic contenders goes down to just 1. And the state’s political/business power structure gets together on Mackinac Island to talk policy. We get an insider’s look from Michigan Public Radio’s award-winning correspondent Rick Pluta.

Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.

He was one of the first Michigan political reporters to write about “pay-to-play” fundraising, and the controversies surrounding recognition of same-sex relationships. He broke the news that Gov. John Engler was planning a huge juvenile justice overhaul that included adult-time-for-adult-crime sentencing, and has continued to report since then on the effects of that policy decision.

Pluta co-hosts the weekly segment “It’s Just Politics” on Michigan Radio which is co-hosted with Zoe Clark.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

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Ron DeSantis teams up with everybody’s favorite billionaire for a 404-error campaign launch … while Donald Trump hunkers down in Mar A Lago waiting for what could be his summer of indictments. In Michigan, politics and government is a little more on track – the Governor signing another major gun safety law, the state’s attorney discipline board takes aim at the lawyers who led the Big Lie lawsuits, and there’s still another money-based scandal brewing as part of the Republican legislative legacy.

And we’re sad to report that neither Jeff nor Mark is on Putin’s list of 500 Americans barred from visiting Russia. Barack Obama and Stephen Colbert made the list — but Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are still welcome. (Also on the list: former Senators John McCain, Harry M. Reid and Orrin G. Hatch — who are all currently dead.)

The calendar may tell us it’s the spring of 2023, but for local election administrators across the state it’s already 2024. The newly enacted voter protection rights approved by voters in 2022, the likelihood of an early presidential primary and continuing right-wing claims of 2020 election fraud, have local clerks in full implementation mode for what could well be a very challenging election cycle. Joining the conversation this week is one of the state’s leading experts on running fair and accurate elections, Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum.

Prior to her election as Ingham County Clerk 10 years ago she served for 6 years in the state Legislature where she was ranking member of the House Elections Committee. She’s a lifelong resident of rural Lansing, and the daughter of Dianne Byrum who was the first woman to lead a party caucus in the state Legislature. Barb Byrum has a bachelor’s degree in agribusiness management, and a law degree from the MSU College of Law. Also in Clerk Byrum’s resume: after the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriages she presided over the first gay marriage in Michigan.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Stories We’re Following This WeekMichigan politics and policy

• Michigan inked $25M grant without vetting ex-aide to House speaker, ex-convict – Bridge Michigan
• Gov. Whitmer Signs Extreme Risk (Red Flag) Protection Order Legislation to Keep Michigan Communities Safe – Executive Office
• How firearms could be confiscated under Michigan’s new ‘red flag’ law – Detroit News
• AG Nessel Joins Coalition Supporting Federal Restriction Prohibiting Handgun Sales to Individuals Under 21 – Attorney General’s Office
• Whitmer repeals letter grade rankings for public schools – Detroit Free Press
• Pamela Pugh enters race for Michigan’s open US Senate seat
• Leslie Love announces run for Senate, challenges Slotkin – Lansing State Journal
• Commission accuses lawyers who tried to reverse 2020 election of misconduct – Detroit News
• AG Nessel Sues Avid Telecom Over Illegal Robocalls – Attorney General’s Office

Voting Rights and Candidates

• GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections – AP News
• Ahead of 2024 election, several states overhauled voting laws – The Washington Post
• Biden maintains edge over Trump in 2024 US election – Reuters/Ipsos poll

The GOP Culture Wars

• Transgender Mississippi girl misses graduation after judge’s ruling – Reuters
• Abortion to be included in Michigan anti-discrimination law – Bridge Michigan
• Nebraska passes 12-week abortion, gender-affirming care for minors ban – The Washington Post
• South Carolina Senate passes 6-week abortion ban, sends bill to governor – The Washington Post
• North Carolina Senate overrides governor’s veto of abortion ban – The Washington Post
• North Carolina Senate overrides governor’s veto of abortion ban – The Washington Post
• Texas legislature votes to ban transgender care for children – The Washington Post
• A look at transgender restrictions moving forward in the US – AP News
• Why Republicans Are Targeting Professors’ Job Security – FiveThirtyEight
• Michigan Senate passes bill banning discrimination of natural hair

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The polling shows Michigan voters unhappy with the economy, yet the numbers tell a different story. Unemployment rate dropped to 3.8% in April, tying the pre-pandemic February 2020 rate.

• Since the mid-1970s, Michigan’s unemployment rate only fell below 4.0% during three periods: periodically from 1998-2000, from November 2019 to March 2020, and now.
• In April, Michigan had a total labor force of 4,869,000. This was an increase of 18,000 over the month and 26,000 over the year. The state recorded 4,420,000 payroll jobs in April, an increase of 5,000 jobs over March and an increase of 61,000 jobs over the year.
• Michigan’s labor force participation rate climbed to 60.2 percent this month, the highest rate since September 2020.

One huge threat to that strong economy: Congress. Congressional leaders say the nation won’t default on the national debt, but we’re really at the mercy of the GOP Cuckoo Squad … and George Santos. Also in the political spotlight: Republicans are continuing to do everything they can to enact laws and nominate candidates that are only popular with their base, moves that could well lead to a GOP election bloodbath in 2024. Florida, under Ron DeSantis, is leading the way – even investigating an elementary school teacher for showing a Disney film in her classroom.

Michigan is becoming the un-Florida, enacting laws that enjoy wide voter support and using those laws as a lure for new talent. Joining our conversation is the head of the progressive think tank Michigan Future, Lou Glazer, about Michigan’s new marketing campaigns focused on promoting progressive social policies. Michigan Future, Inc., is a non-partisan, non-profit organization whose mission is to be a source of new ideas on how Michigan can succeed as a world class community in a knowledge-driven economy. Its work is funded by Michigan foundations.

Lou currently is heading efforts to implement a new agenda designed to raise household income for all. Prior to joining Michigan Future, Lou Glazer served as Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Commerce during the Blanchard Administration. He received Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Michigan.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Stories We’re Following This Week* + - * + Michigan’s pitch to lure new residents: nature, high tech, abortion rights – Bridge Michigan + Panel: Michigan needs to act with urgency as population slides – Bridge Michigan + Michigan’s environmental rules could be stricter than national ones under bill – Bridge Michigan + Leslie Love announces run for Senate, challenges Slotkin – Lansing State Journal + Insider: Mich. lawmaker says Legislature ‘infected’ with corruption – Detroit News + Commission accuses lawyers who tried to reverse 2020 election of misconduct – Detroit News + Biden maintains edge over Trump in 2024 US election – Reuters/Ipsos poll + Georgia prosecutor fights back against Trump attempt to remove her from election probe – AP News + Florida teacher under state investigation for showing 5th graders a Disney movie

The Culture and Voting Rights Wars

• • • • • Abortion to be included in Michigan anti-discrimination law – Bridge Michigan + Texas legislature votes to ban transgender care for children – The Washington Post + A look at transgender restrictions moving forward in the US – AP News + North Carolina Senate overrides governor’s veto of abortion ban – The Washington Post + Missouri GOP fails to sabotage abortion amendment—for now + DeSantis defunds diversity and inclusion programs at Florida colleges – The Washington Post + Why Republicans Are Targeting Professors’ Job Security – FiveThirtyEight + GOP state lawmakers try to restrict ballot initiatives, partly to thwart abortion protections – AP News + Ahead of 2024 election, several states overhauled voting laws – The Washington Post

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The two biggest liars in politics had an especially bad week. It’s 5-million dollars for one of the many crimes of Donald Trump followed by a 13-count felony indictment over the Congressman currently known as George Santos. It was topped off by a truly bizarre hour organized and broadcast by CNN, which called it a Town Hall but in reality should have been labeled a Trump campaign rally.

On a much more positive note, Governor Whitmer’s sister is running for Congress. Lynn Whitmer Gereghty is running in a suburban New York City district – for the seat held by new Biden buddy Republican Mike Lawson who upset DCCC chair Sean Patrick Maloney in 2022. And while Congress is in a stalemate over the budget and national debt (threatening an economic disaster), Michigan’s legislature is quietly moving forward on enacting Governor Whitmer’s budget.

Sitting in for the vacationing Jeff Timmer this week is longtime political troublemaker (and this podcast’s producer) Walt Sorg. Joining the conversation this week is Chad Livengood, politics editor and a columnist at The Detroit News. Chad was a political reporter in The News’ Lansing Bureau from 2012 through 2016 before becoming a reporter and columnist at Crain’s Detroit Business. He rejoined The News’ politics team in May 2022.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Stories We’re Following This WeekMichigan Politics and Policy* Michigan House passes $80.1B budget for 2024 fiscal year ⋆ Michigan Advance * House Budget Proposes Record Funding For Education – housedems.com * Michigan Democrats rethink how to fund special projects with competing plans * Michigan’s new roads plan: More money for big counties (that vote Democratic) – Bridge Michigan * Michigan Senate lawmakers spar before passing $21 billion school aid budget – Bridge Michigan * Michigan nears ban on handheld cell phone use while driving – Bridge Michigan * Livengood – 7 areas to watch as Democrats wrangle over Michigan’s next state budget – Detroit News * Budget gives Michigan Republicans another opportunity for influence – Detroit News * Livengood: Michigan architects seek reform of rise in ‘dark’ political money * Livengood: 2024 may feel like Trump-Biden sequel, but wild cards remain * Default Impact on Michigan – White House Fact Sheet * Michigan commission finds ‘misconduct’ by pro-Trump attorneys in 2020 lawsuit – Bridge Michigan * AG Nessel Announces Distribution of $141 Million Settlement to Millions of Low-Income Americans Deceived by TurboTax Owner Intuit * Michigan paid $10M before ‘red flags’ froze ex-House speaker Jason Wentworth’s pet project – Bridge Michigan * GOP Voters Say Trump Has Too Much Baggage. They’ll Vote for Him Anyway. – The Atlantic * Whitmer signs bills negotiated in Ford plant spending deal – Detroit Free Press * How Michigan hashes out big money deals with business – Lansing State Journal * Voters Want Clarence Thomas to Resign and Support a Supreme Court Code of Ethics – Data for Progress * Chasten Buttigieg’s new book might help young adults – Detroit Free Press

Campaigns and Candidates* Benson urges legislators to support military families overseas, voters with disabilities, and parents seeking elected office * Michigan may let candidates, officials use campaign funds for child care | Bridge Michigan * Sister of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer enters New York congressional race – The Washington Post * GOP Voters Say Trump Has Too Much Baggage. They’ll Vote for Him Anyway. – The Atlantic * Trump’s ‘stupid,’ ‘stupid’ town hall * Takeaways from Trump’s CNN town hall: election lies and attacks on E. Jean Carroll – AP News * Fact-checking Donald Trump’s CNN town hall claims on Jan. 6, abortion, Mar-a-Lago documents – PolitiFact * Opinion | What Trump should have been asked at his CNN town hall – The Washington Post * George Santos charged with 13 crimes including money laundering, fraud – The Washington Post * The George Santos Indictment, Annotated – The New York Times * Santos Indictment Leaves Many Lies, Mysteries, and Scandals Unaddressed – Mother Jones * Under the Radar, Right-Wing Push to Tighten Voting Laws Persists – The New York Times * Georgia dashes Democratic dreams of an early 2024 presidential primary – The Washington Post * Long-shot GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to limit voting by younger Americans – The Washington Post

The GOP Culture War* Key Constituencies for Democrats Value the Democratic Party’s Focus on Personal Rights and Working for the People – Data for Progress * Michigan GOP lawyer speaks against any ‘voice but a Christian voice’ – Detroit News * The Inside Track with Mark & Lisa: Guest Attorney Dan Hartman * Key Constituencies for Democrats Value the Democratic Party’s Focus on Personal Rights and Working for the People – Data for Progress * (Indiana) Gov. Holcomb signs book banning measure – Indianapolis Star * DeSantis Agenda Faces Opposition From Voters Nationally – Data for Progress * REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis’ Florida – Popular Information * How DeSantis gave Democrats the ‘session from hell’ – POLITICO * REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis’ Florida – Popular Information * Most say mifepristone abortion pill should stay on market, Post-ABC poll finds – The Washington Post * Anti-trans laws backed by GOP find support in Washington Post-KFF poll – The Washington Post

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Still no big-name Republicans in the Senate race, but a deep pockets candidate may parachute in. On the Democratic side, a potential deep pockets challenger to Elissa Slotkin drops a hint that he’s running — a hint dropped on national TV.

Led by Florida and Texas, red states have launched a book banning binge unlike anything we’ve seen since the days of McCarthyism in the early 1950s. It’s probably the most attention most people have paid to librarians since the 1962 movie The Music Man (centered around the romance between Professor Harold Hill and “Marian, Madam Librarian”). The Michigan Library Association asked our friends at EPIC/MRA to survey the attitudes in Michigan towards libraries and book bans.We talk with the MLA’s executive director, Debbie Mikula, about the poll.

Also: the corrosive impact of money on politics and governance. Money is at the heart of a lot of political scandals. Michigan has some of the loosest campaign finance regulations in the nation and that’s led way too many scandals and mini-scandals. One of the groups working to reign in the abuses is Voters Not Politicians, the grassroots organization best known for leading the successful drive to end gerrymandering in Michigan’s congressional and legislative races. Joining us on the podcast is the Executive Director of VNP, Nancy Wang. VNP is in the vanguard of grassroots groups working to bring some reforms to Michigan’s campaign finance regulation, as well as several other much-needed good government reforms.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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Stories We’re Following This WeekMichigan Politics and Policy* CROWN Act (SB 90) * Whitmer announces $400 million clean hydrogen plant for Michigan – Detroit Free Press * Michigan poised to ban employers from firing workers for having abortions – Bridge Michigan * Michigan House OKs ban on holding phones; violators face fines of $100 and up | Bridge Michigan * Michigan’s US Senate race: Where is big Republican candidate? – Lansing State Journal
New York Stock Exchange exec mulling Michigan Senate bid – POLITICO * Republicans propose ‘constitutional carry’ bills after MSU shooting – Detroit News * Better IRS service is forcing an earlier debt deadline – POLITICO * UAW demands Biden support ‘top wages’ for EV workers before endorsing * Biden rejects GOP spending cuts, warns of catastrophic government default – The Washington Post * Problem Solvers Caucus Debt Ceiling Outline

Corruption* 2023 VNP Ethics Reform Policy Summary * Clarence Thomas Raised Him. Harlan Crow Paid His Tuition. — ProPublica * Emails Reveal ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Herschel Walker Money Scandal – Daily Beast * ‘Red flags’ surround $25M health campus pushed by ex-Michigan House speaker Jason Wentworth | Bridge Michigan * Insider: Ex-House Dem leader says money’s influence in politics is ‘eroding trust’ – Detroit News

GOP War on Freedom* Michigan Library Association Poll on Book Banning * Florida lawmakers restrict pronouns and tackle book objections in sweeping education bill – POLITICO * Florida legislature passes anti-trans bathroom bill – The Washington Post * North Carolina Republicans unveil 12-week abortion ban – The Washington Post * Zooey Zephyr row spotlights rise of GOP far-right caucuses – AP News * Opinion | Republicans Are Running Wild in My State – Frank Bruni in The New York Times * Adams Township Clerk, Supervisor lose recall election – WILX TV

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The Biden campaign is officially underway – with Gretchen Whitmer the only Governor among the campaign’s 7 co-chairs. A signal of things to come? There are media reports of a special grand jury on election machine tampering add to state Republicans’ unenviable list of criminal investigations, even as one scandal brings a guilty plea from a former Republican House Speaker whose cooperation may bring still more indictments.

Mark and Jeff discuss the latest turmoil (criminal and otherwise) in the GOP, the spiraling culture wars targeting just about anyone who isn’t a straight white male, the futility of attacking Mickey Mouse, and another Republican-controlled state legislature officially silencing differing points of view.

President Biden’s reelection announcement (via YouTube)===========================

This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Stories We’re Following This WeekCampaigns* Biden Re-election Announcement – Twitter * Joe Biden’s 2024 Message Is ‘Old Beats Crazy’ – Intelligencer * Opinion | DeSantis’s Puddin’ Head Campaign – The New York Times * The Lincoln Project: RIP Tucker – Twitter * Top Dem super PAC starts Biden ad blitz, pledges $75 million campaign effort – POLITICO * Slotkin’s Senate run may complicate Dems bid to retake House | AP News * Elissa Slotkin gets a US Senate challenger in Dearborn businessman – Detroit Free Press

Michigan Headlines* Former MI House Speaker Rick Johnson pleads guilty to bribery – WPBN * Secret grand jury has probed post-2020 examination of voting machines in Michigan * Proposal would add sexual orientation to Michigan hate crime laws – Lansing State Journal * After passing three gun bills, Michigan Democrats say they’re not done – Bridge Michigan * Governors, Led by Whitmer, Fight GOP’s Budget Machete

GOP Culture Wars* Nessel, sheriff, clash over enforcement of red flag law – WLNS 6 News * Kalamazoo YWCA seeks tax dollars to support gender affirming, abortion care – Bridge Michigan * Indiana’s best, brightest flee state to live in more progressive areas – Indianapolis Star * Transgender lawmaker banned from Montana House floor for rest of 2023 session – PBS NewsHour * Many States Are Trying to Restrict Gender Treatments for Adults, Too – The New York Times * In a thriving Michigan county, a community goes to war with itself – The Washington Post * North Dakota governor signs law banning nearly all abortions – AP News * 7 arrested for protesting in support of Montana transgender lawmaker – AP News

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It’s now official – Fox News lies, but that’s just a cost of doing business as the media giant buys its way out of getting caught … while failing to share the news with the millions the company has willingly deceived.Also this week: there’s a nationwide contrast on two hot-button issues: gun safety and reproductive healthcare rights look to be the pivotal issues in 2024, and Republicans are on the wrong side of both.

The turmoil in the Michigan Republican Party continues and now even features actual physical fighting as a war breaks out between two leaders of the whack-job core of the party. And speaking of delusional – we have a quick update on the Quixotic presidential campaign of onetime failed Michigan gubernatorial candidate Perry Johnson.

Returning to the podcast this week is John Della Volpe who has spent 20 years surveying millennials and Gen Z and advised President JOE BIDEN’s 2020 campaign on its outreach to younger voters. John is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and the author of Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America. The Washington Post referred to John as one of the world’s leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion, and influence, especially among young Americans and in the age of digital and social media.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Stories We’re Following This WeekFox “News” Lawsuit* Fox News reaches $787.5 million settlement in Dominion’s defamation lawsuit – POLITICO * Five takeaways from the Fox News-Dominion settlement | The Hill * ‘Difficult to say with a straight face’: Tapper reacts to Fox News’ statement on settlement | CNN Politics

Gun safety vs. the NRA* Michigan lawmakers send ‘red flag’ law gun bill to Whitmer * GOP presidential hopefuls make pitches at Indianapolis NRA convention – Indianapolis Star * NRA convention draws top GOP 2024 hopefuls after shootings – AP News * Trump and Pence compete for ovations at the NRA after a rash of mass shootings – POLITICO * Pro-gun groups sue to stop Michigan’s new gun safety laws – Detroit Free Press * Oxford woman, whose son survived shooting, takes on Rep. John James

GOP in Disarray* Michigan GOP infighting leads to actual fight between Kristina Karamo, Matt DePerno backers – Bridge Michigan * Broke Michigan Republican Party plans fall Mackinac conference – Detroit News * Abortion divides 2024 candidates and confounds many within the GOP – The Washington Post * Opinion | The Abortion Ban Backlash Is Starting to Freak Out Republicans – The New York Times * Why GOP culture warriors lost big in school board races this month – POLITICO

Other political news* Fox News settles with Dominion for $787 million, averting defamation trial over its 2020 election lies – CNN Business * FOX News Media, Dominion Voting Systems reach agreement over defamation lawsuit – Fox News * Michigan Democrats eye next items on legislative agenda * Mich. senators spar over law against unmarried couples living together – Detroit News * Livengood: Michigan architects seek reform of rise in ‘dark’ political money – Detroit News * FEC Disclosure Form 3 for PERRY JOHNSON FOR PRESIDENT INC. * DeSantis seeks to control Disney with state oversight powers – AP News * Clarence Thomas–Harlan Crow scandal: The Supreme Court justice broke the law. We would know. – Slate

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In a study of contrasts, Donald Trump and Trump wannabes are gathered in Indianapolis as we recorded this week’s podcast. They are all paying homage to the National Rifle Association at the gun manufacturing groups annual convention … even as Governor Whitmer signs two more gun safety laws opposed by the NRA into law with state and national leaders of March for Our Lives at her side…and additional laws working their way through the Legislature.

The national debate over reproductive rights grows even more heated. Just before we started recording, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito — who wrote the Dobbs decision overturning Roe – has issued a short stay on the Texas court ban on the abortion drug mifopristone.
In Michigan, the Governor and Attorney General have joined forces with their Democratic counterparts nationally in challenging the initial court finding. We’ll talk about the how this debate is nothing but bad news for Republicans.

It’s not just reproductive rights under national attack. Republican legislatures across the nation have declared war on transgender Americans. We’re joined on the pod this week by Emme Zanotti, Director of Advocacy and Civic Engagement, for the Equality Michigan Action Network.

Emme is a dedicated advocate for equality with integral roles in candidate campaign management, statewide caucus leadership, progressive coalition advisory, non-profit board service, and enhancing LGBTQ+ issue awareness and protections in the private sector. As a transgender woman who too often relied or had to rely on self-advocacy, Emme’s passion is in coalition-building, empowering fellow-LGBTQ+ Michiganders to enter the advocacy arena, and making sure the community is well-represented at the tables where decision-making is happening about their lives and well-being.

She is a former board member at Stand with Trans where she still facilitates a monthly support group for young trans women, and she most recently served as co-Chair and Vice Chair of the #HateWont Win Coalition and the Michigan Democratic Party’s LGBT&A Caucus.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Stories We’re Following This WeekRepublican Attacks on Transgender Americans

• Trans kids feel unsafe and stressed at school. This study shows why. – Washington Post
• Indiana transgender bill signed by Holcomb backed by national groups – State Affairs
• GOP lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky – AP News
• Florida Senate approves ban on transgender treatments for kids – POLITICO
• North Dakota advances suite of restrictions on trans rights – AP News
• West Virginia governor signs ban on gender-affirming care – AP News
• Kansas passes trans bathroom bill; Arkansas OKs own version – AP News
• Utah Is “Protecting” LGBTQ+ Kids by Letting Their Parents Read All Their Messages – Mother Jones
• High court: Trans girl can run girls track in West Virginia – AP News

Climate Change and Environment

• Michigan Democrats: Utilities must use 100% carbon free energy by 2035 | Bridge Michigan
• Momentum Builds in Michigan Senate for Clean Energy Transition | Evergreen Action
• Senate Democrats Introduce Clean Energy Future Plan – Senator Sue Shink
• NEW POLL: Michigan Voters Want Legislature to Take Action on Clean Energy and Climate, Hold Utility Companies Accountable Following Blackouts – Evergreen Action
• Biden Proposes Emission Rules to Boost Sales of Electric Cars – The New York Times
• Sen. Shink Introduces Sustainability-Centered Legislation to Repeal ‘Ban on Bag Bans’ – Senator Sue Shink
• Here’s why the downpour in Fort Lauderdale just wouldn’t stop – AP News

Gun Safety

• At Michigan State University, Whitmer signs first gun reform bills ⋆ Michigan Advance
• What Michigan’s new gun proposals would actually do – Lansing State Journal
• Gun groups sue House, Senate over ability to testify on firearms bills – Detroit News
• NRA convention draws top GOP 2024 hopefuls after shootings – AP News
• White House Memo re: NRA Convention and gun safety
• The Democrat Who’s Betting Her Senate Bid on Gun Control – The New Republic

Reproductive Rights

• Whitmer: Abortion pill remains ‘legal in Michigan,’ despite judge’s ruling – Bridge Michigan
• AG Nessel Joins Multistate Coalition to Fight Back Against Decision to Block Medication Abortion Access
• Appeals court decision raises questions about access to abortion pill – Detroit Free Press
• Abortion pill legal fight heads toward Supreme Court showdown – NBC News
• DeSantis signs Florida GOP’s 6-week abortion ban into law – AP News

Democrats in the News

• Michigan Democratic Party Legacy Dinner Tickets
• Governor Whitmer: The First 100 Days (video)
• Dems make major inroads in the youth vote. And it’s not just college kids. – POLITICO
• Chicago to host 2024 Democratic National Convention – Chicago Sun-Times
• Michigan Democrats: Give driver licenses to undocumented immigrants – Bridge Michigan
• House Introduces Bills to Expand Support for Crime Victims – Rep. Julie Rogers

Republicans in Disarray

• Tenure of new Michigan GOP chair who spread Beyoncé paganism conspiracy theory is off to a rocky start – CNN Politics
• Michigan GOP may scrap 2024 primary for closed caucus. That could help Trump – Bridge Michigan
• Ex-Michigan Senate leader’s nonprofit still spending 3 years later – Detroit News
• Special counsel focuses on Trump fundraising off false election claims – The Washington Post
• Clarence Thomas Didn’t Disclose Harlan Crow Real Estate Deal — ProPublica
• Justice Thomas failed to report 2014 real estate deal with Texas mega-donor – AP News
• Editorial | Ron DeSantis says he’s for freedom. His Florida agenda says otherwise. – The Washington Post

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Photo credit: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/PoolBut of course Mark and Jeff weigh in on the first indictments handed down against career criminal Donald Trump. Their focus: the potential political impact on Michigan (site of one of the nation’s first presidential primaries)…and on the multiple criminal investigations into prominent Michigan Republicans.

Also this week: In 1866, New York state surrogate Gideon John Tucker wrote in a decision on a legal malpractice claim: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.” The Michigan legislature is in recess right now so all is safe, and gives us time to ruminate on what may be the most important election in 2023: the flipping of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Also on our agenda this week: the stampede of Red States to attack transgender Americans, and the politics of what looks to be a temporary income tax cut in Michigan.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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Stories We’re Following This WeekGun Safety

• What top Republican lawmakers said about the Nashville school shooting – The Washington Post
• Michigan Democrats have more ideas on gun safety, labor, civil rights – Detroit Free Press
• Democratic gun safety laws met with a shrug in Michigan gun country – Bridge Michigan
• After Nashville shooting, Senate chaplain makes rare plea to lawmakers – The Washington Post

State Government

• Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel calls income tax cut temporary. Republicans express fury – Bridge Michigan
• Income tax rate reduction opinion – Office of the Attorney General
• Michigan is passing gun safety laws. Most counties may not enforce them – Bridge Michigan
• What top Republican lawmakers said about the Nashville school shooting – The Washington Post
• White House calls Ron DeSantis ‘shameful’ for signing Florida gun bill – The Washington Post
• Lansing power players, secret deals draw feds’ attention in marijuana probe – Detroit News

Wisconsin Supreme Court

• Democrats’ choice wins key Wisconsin Supreme Court race – AP News
• Janet Protasiewicz defeats Dan Kelly in Wisconsin Supreme Court race – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Judge Janet Protasiewicz on Twitter: how to pronounce her name

GOP Attacks on LGBTQ Rights

• Indiana governor signs ban on gender-affirming health care – AP News
• GOP lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky – AP News
• Florida Senate approves ban on transgender treatments for kids – POLITICO
• North Dakota advances suite of restrictions on trans rights – AP News
• West Virginia governor signs ban on gender-affirming care – AP News
• Kansas passes trans bathroom bill; Arkansas OKs own version – AP News

Other Political News

• Feds set to charge Rick Johnson, others in Lansing corruption scandal
• The opaque $70 million scheme that could make Trump the next president – Judd Legum @ Popular Information
• Arizona Democrats sue to keep ‘No Labels’ candidates off ballots | CNN Politics
• Democrat Diane Young launches U.S. House campaign against GOP’s James
• Detroit voters approve two ballot proposals, defeat a third – Detroit Free Press

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Another mass shooting with an AR-15 armed shooter brings more thoughts and prayers from NRA-owned politicians … and that’s about all. In Washington. While Republicans in the U.S. House focus on protecting kids from drag queens and classic books … instead of protecting them from being shot in their classrooms … Michigan’s Legislature continues to do just the opposite. Gun safety is the latest issue to move from campaign promises all the way to the Governor’s desk. Also enacted in this hyper-active legislative session: returning union rights to workers and civil rights for all Michiganders regardless of sexual identity or orientation.

Joining the discussion this week is Democratic Party pollster Celinda Lake with insights on how Democrats can leverage the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party and reclaim the allegiance of Midwest blue-collar voters.

Celinda is one of the Democratic Party’s leading political strategists. She was one of two lead pollsters for the Biden campaign in 2020 and continues to serve as a pollster to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), other national party committees, and dozens of Democratic incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process. Celinda and her firm, Lake Research Partners, are known for cutting-edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment, and education.

Celinda, a native of Montana—born and raised on a ranch—and one of the political world’s most avid whitewater rafters, holds a master’s degree in Political Science and Survey Research from the University of Michigan and her undergraduate degree from Smith College in Massachusetts, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

She is co-author of a must-read book on political strategy, “A Question of Respect.” Celinda teamed up with Republican pollster Ed Goeas to provide a political resource and a compelling case for how the nation reached a moment of massive political divisions, where it needs to go, and what it will take to get there. She also led research on behalf of American Family Values of how the Democrats’ brand in the Midwest is damaged in blue-collar counties. The report concludes that “Democrats have their best opportunity to make progress in these counties in a generation.”

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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Links to Stories We’re Following This Week* Democratic Report Explores Blue-Collar Struggles: ‘Our Brand Is Pretty Damaged’ – The New York Times * A Question of Respect * Path to the Majority: Expanding the Map – Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee * Opinion | The GOP gains among ‘voters of color’ are overhyped – Perry Bacon/The Washington Post * Democratic Report Explores Blue-Collar Struggles: ‘Our Brand Is Pretty Damaged’ – The New York Times * Path to the Majority: Expanding the Map – Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee * Opinion | The GOP gains among ‘voters of color’ are overhyped – Perry Bacon/The Washington Post * Benson won’t run for U.S. Senate in Michigan in 2024 – Detroit News * Legislature’s three-month sprint reflects sea change in Michigan politics – Detroit News * Michigan 1st state in decades to repeal ‘right-to-work’ law – AP News * New Laws Enacted so far in 2023 – Legislative Service Bureau * Michigan GOP shoots itself in foot linking gun control to Holocaust – Detroit Free Press * Michigan GOP slammed for comparing gun reform to Holocaust – AP News * Michigan is passing gun safety laws. Most counties may not enforce them – Bridge Michigan * Ron DeSantis’ donors and allies question if he’s ready for 2024 – NBC News * Right Now, Ron DeSantis Lacks the Killer Spirit to Vanquish Trump – The Daily Beast * Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visiting Michigan in April – Detroit News * Senator Peters Named Most Effective Senator by Non-Partisan Group WZMQ19.com * The fight over parental rights in schools comes to the House floor – The Washington Post * Biden’s Billionaire Tax and Budget Proposals Enjoy Widespread Voter Support – Data For Progress * (Marjorie Taylor) Greene’s DC jail visit pulls GOP closer to Jan. 6 rioters – AP News

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Artificial intelligence — A I — is all the rage. It’s more than a tool for school kids to get help with papers, or pass the bar exam without breaking a sweat. But it can be a dangerous new tool for manipulating elections by unscrupulous campaigns, hostile foreign governments … or Tucker Carlson. No longer can we say with certainty that “hearing or seeing is believing.” While what sounds or looks real could all be a deception created on a computer.

Helping us wade through this new technology and the threats it portends is Dennis Kennedy, Director of the Center for Law, Technology and Innovation at MSU’s School of Law. He is currently President of Dennis Kennedy Advisory Services where he focuses on legal technology, innovation, speaking, writing, and coaching. He also chairs the board of the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center. Dennis is a graduate of Georgetown Law School.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Links to Stories We’re Watching This Week

• TikTok bans deepfakes of young people as it updates guidelines – AP News
• Generative AI is a legal minefield – Axios
• Biden-Trump fake audio argument – TikTok
• Could Michigan’s GOP split into two? – WLNS 6 News
• In Senate bid, Slotkin betting voters are fed up with school shootings
• Michigan Senate OK’s gun safety proposals on background checks, more – Detroit Free Press
• Gov. Whitmer Signs Bipartisan Legislation Expanding Rights and Freedoms for LGBTQ+ Michiganders – Governor’s Office1
• SBE President Pugh Considering Senate Run – Detroit News
• “CSI” Actor Hill Harper Readying a Senate Run – Puck
• Lansing Mayor Andy Schor won’t run for 7th Congressional seat
• Michigan voter roll maintenance means removing nearly 100,000 registrations – Bridge Michigan
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visiting Michigan in April
• The war on drag shows – Popular Information
• Experts cast doubt that Lapeer librarian can be charged over LGBTQ book – Bridge Michigan
• The fate of ‘Gender Queer’ now in the hands of Lapeer librarian – Bridge Michigan
• Hate crimes in the U.S. increased by 11.6% in 2021 from the previous year, per a new FBI report – The Recount

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Clearing the field for Slotkin, a battle over worker rights (including a potential petition drive) and a homeless GOP. That tops the conversation this week.

Mark and Jeff focus, however, on the drive in Lansing to finally do something about the epidemic of mass shootings. Joining the conversation is pollster Richard Czuba of the Glengariff Group. His recent polling shows overwhelming bipartisan public support for a wide variety of gun safety measures.Czuba has been conducting survey research since 1983. After serving as the advisor to Michigan’s Governor for Research and Planning, overseeing a new brand campaign for the state of Mchigan, and being extensively involved in both political and policy campaigns, he took his extensive experience in public surveying and policy and founded the Glengariff Group, Inc. in 1998. He brings more than three decades of expertise in survey and focus group research, issue management, and strategic planning with all levels of government and public sector organizations.

Also talking about gun safety this week: President Joe Biden.

President Biden announces an Executive Order designed to expand federal expansion of background checks for gun purchases.===========================

This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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Links to Stories We’re Following This Week* Biden Announces Executive Order Bolstering Gun Safety Measures – The New York Times * Biden announces new order on gun violence, but options are limited – The Washington Post * Inside the Gun Safety Package Michigan Lawmakers Want to Pass – Time * Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. Here’s what the laws are now – Bridge Michigan * Michigan voters support lifetime firearms ban for some crimes, poll says – Detroit News * Insider: Voters in poll see gun laws as priority for Michigan Legislature – Detroit News * Gun rights group calls for recall effort against lawmakers who vote for reform – Fox47 Lansing * Michigan man who threatened Dems charged with gun crime – WLNS 6 News * New Statewide Voter Poll – the Economy, Future Direction; Pronounced Partisan Differences Continue – Detroit Regional Chamber * How Democrats disarmed a brewing Senate battle in Michigan – POLITICO * Michigan Senate repeals right-to-work law, restores prevailing wage – Detroit. News * Whitmer plans to sign right-to-work repeal despite referendum promise- Detroit News * Michigan Right-to-Work backers plot ballot proposal as Dems pursue repeal – Bridge Michigan * What is Michigan Right-to-Work: How law impacted wages, jobs, unions – Bridge Michigan * Democrats pitch tax credit for union dues, other pro-labor measures * Insider: Michigan GOP chair says she’s ‘decentralizing’ operations * Wayne State creates plan guaranteeing free tuition to half of its students – Detroit News * Wayne State to offer free tuition to certain Michigan students – Detroit Free Press * Michigan prosecutor mulls charging Lapeer library over LGBTQ book – Bridge Michigan * President’s Budget | OMB | The White House * House conservatives issue new spending demands in debt ceiling debate – The Washington Post * February job growth tempered but strong – The Washington Post

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Yes, it’s the “March Madness” edition of “A Republic, If You Can Keep It”. This year, the orgy of college basketball is joined by the madness that is Tucker Carlson and Fox News, along with the incredible productivity of the Michigan’s new legislative majority in Lansing.

That new Democratic majority is moving major legislation at a record-setting pace. Several huge bills have cleared the Legislature in the last few days. Among them: a nearly one-billion-dollar tax cut, mandatory background checks for all gun purchases, an expansion of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act providing basic protections for LGBTQ+ Michiganders, and a $630-million incentive package for the Ford battery plant in Marshall. Other bills moving quickly through the legislature repeal the Snyder-era attacks on unions, repeal Michigan’s 1931 abortion law and enact new gun safety laws.

Joining the podcast this week: longtime Republican activist Saul Anuzis. Saul was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005–2009 and was also a candidate for national chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009 and 2011. His political career started early. At the University of Michigan-Dearborn Saul was the first chairman of the College Republican club. In 1980, 21-year-old Anuzis was elected as the youngest delegate to the Republican National Convention. A year later he was elected third vice chairman of the Michigan Republican Party in 1981.

Today, Saul is one of the leaders in a bipartisan effort to reform the presidential election process. The United States is the only democracy in the world that makes it possible to finish second in an election… and still win. Two of the last four Presidents lost the popular vote but were elected thanks to the Electoral College. The National Popular Vote initiative would end that giant-sized quirk in our elections.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Links to Stories We’re Following This Week* House votes to expand background checks on gun sales – Detroit Free Press * Gun reform proposals receive first hearing in Michigan Legislature – WILX TV * Michigan voters support lifetime firearms ban for some crimes, poll says – Detroit News * Michigan Safety Survey Report – Glengariff Group * MSU shooting victim’s mom testifies for gun safety laws – Bridge Michigan * Democrats mobilize on gun safety bills after flipping state legislatures, governor’s offices – The Washington Post * Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. Here’s what the laws are now | Bridge Michigan * Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work – Detroit Free Press * Tax relief restored for Michigan retirees, low-income earners- Detroit Free Press * Whitmer approves $630 million to support Ford battery plant – Detroit Free Press * 5 (mostly) good things to know about Michigan’s progress on EVs – Bridge Michigan * New Michigan scholarship seeks to fill jobs at state’s EV companies – Bridge Michigan * Opinion | Ford Is Leaving Tesla in the Dust – The New York Times * Michigan Right-to-Work repeal advances to House – Bridge Michigan * Michigan House votes to repeal 1931 abortion ban – Bridge Michigan * Opinion | Joe Biden: My Plan to Extend Medicare for Another Generation – The New York Times * The Programs You’d Have to Cut to Balance the Budget – The New York Times * Tucker Carlson amplifies Jan. 6 lies with GOP-provided video – AP News * Tucker Carlson mocked by Anderson Cooper, Stephen Colbert over Jan. 6 coverage on Fox – The Washington Post * Ambitions collide as rising Democrats consider higher office – POLITICO * Why Michigan Republicans are fretting about 2024 – The Hill * Ex-Michigan GOP chair, others interviewed for fake Trump elector probe * Andy Schor planning run for Slotkin’s Michigan Congressional seat * Andy Schor – Already Being Attacked By Washington Partisans * Voters Oppose States Censoring Discussions of Racism in Schools * Jack Carpenter accused of threatening to kill Jewish officials in Michigan – The Washington Post * Detroit VA hospital harmed patients, altered records, investigation reveals – Detroit News * VA secretary: Fixes being made at Detroit hospital after critical report – Detroit News

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This weekend marks the beginning of our third year with the podcast. This is show Number 108 since we kicked off our weekly chat with columnist Bill Kristol. Since then, we have had the opportunity to talk with many of the top national and state political leaders, journalists and political operatives. We thank them all, and especially thank our growing cadre of weekly listeners..

Elissa Slotkin’s Announcement for Senate – YouTubeWe begin the podcast with an update on the race to succeed Debbie Stabenow in the U.S. Senate. We have our first significant official candidate: Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin announced her candidacy at the beginning of the week … and raised more than $1-million in contributions within 24 hours of her well-coordinated announcement. Perhaps just as significant: Republican Congressman John James decided against running, and that seems to open the door even wider for a wacko Q-Anon MAGA election-denier Republican to get the nomination.

The state House Elections Committee held its first hearing this week on a large package of voter rights legislation, focusing on a bill to keep guns out of polling places. As committee chair Penelope Tsernoglou told us on the pod two weeks ago, the entire package of voting rights bills is on the fast track.

But that’s not the case in a lot of states which are actually moving in the opposite direction, making it harder to vote. Joining the conversation is someone working every day for free and fair elections, Corey Dukes. Corey leads Protect Democracy’s State Election Advocacy team along with its efforts to engage and mobilize leaders in civil society.

During his time at Protect Democracy, Corey has directed the organization’s work engaging with 2020 presidential candidates as well as its work anticipating and responding to the results of the 2020 and 2022 elections across several key states. Previously, Corey served as a senior policy advisor to United States Senator Claire McCaskill, Pennsylvania state director for Hillary for America, and as a senior advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren. He has also served as a campaign and media consultant focused on engaging communities of color.
Protect Democracy is a cross-ideological non-profit group dedicated to defeating the authoritarian threat, building more resilient democratic institutions, and protecting our freedom and liberal democracy. Its experts and advocates use litigation, legislative and communications strategies, technology, research, and analysis to stand up for free and fair elections, the rule of law, fact-based debate, and a better democracy for future generations.===========================

This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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Links to Stories We’re Following This Week* Elissa Slotkin running for US Senate seat in Michigan – Detroit Free Press * Elissa Slotkin announces bid to succeed Debbie Stabenow. Who’s in, out of Michigan U.S. Senate race? – Bridge Michigan * Slotkin raises over $1M after campaign announcement – WILX TV * Almost 18 months from the primary, Michigan’s U.S. Senate race has early entrants – mlive.com * GOP Rep. John James won’t seek Michigan’s open Senate seat – WLNS 6 News * Michigan Lt. Gov. Gilchrist says he won’t run for U.S. Senate – Detroit News * 7th, 10th congressional districts update – Daily Kos * Tom Barrett to run again for Congress in 2024; Dems still considering – Lansing State Journal * Michigan lawmakers send Whitmer tax cuts; $180 payments are dead – Bridge Michigan * Michigan Senate OKs $1.3B spending deal: $630M for Ford battery plant prep – Bridge Michigan * Michigan Senate passes bill to protect LGBTQ from discrimination – Detroit Free Press * Christian and Muslim groups oppose LGBTQ rights bill, call for changes – Detroit Free Press * New state bills restrict transgender health care — for adults – The Washington Post * Dubious Democracy 2022 – FairVote * Competitive congressional districts decline – POLITICO * Finley: Michigan to weigh switch to national popular vote – Detroit News * Is there any hope for Kristine Karamo as Michigan Republican chair? – The Ballenger Report * Michigan GOP donor base shrinks as party tilts right, records show – Detroit Free Press * Conservative group steps in to aid Michigan Trump electors – Detroit News * GOP election deniers are gaining control of Republican operations – Raw Story * Ron DeSantis’ War on Freedom – Mother Jones * Eli Lilly caps insulin prices at $35 a month – Axios

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Just when we thought Michigan Republicans couldn’t edge further into the chasm of conspiracy theory crazy, the once Grand Old Party bypasses Trump-and-Pillow-Guy endorsed Matt DePerno for party chair because he just wasn’t extreme enough. Jeff offer an R-rated analysis of the current status of his former party under the dubious leadership of the Tin Foil Hat brigade. Meanwhile, the new Democratic majority in the Legislature is moving pedal-to-the-metal speed on issues near-and-dear to the hearts of their core constituency.

One of them: major tax cuts. Joining the conversation is the Senate sponsor of the legislation providing nearly a billion-dollars in tax cuts for working families and retirees, Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet. Just days into her first term in the Michigan Senate, Senator McDonald Rivet is spearheading the expansion of the state’s match of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit from 6 percent to 30 percent. This historic legislation will provide half a billion dollars into Michigan’s local economies annually.

She brings to the Senate 30 years as an educational and economic policy strategist and executive where she worked to revitalize neighborhoods, increase youth development programs, and address institutional inequities. Prior to her election to the state Senate she served as vice president of Michigan Future, Inc., chief strategy officer for the Michigan Health Improvement Alliance, Bay City Commissioner, and president/CEO of Greater Midland, Inc. She was also a lead architect of Michigan’s birth to five systems of care (Great Start) and its parent organization, the Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC).

McDonald Rivet has a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in education and public administration from the University of Michigan-Flint. She and her husband, Joseph, are proud parents of six children and live in Bay City.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

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Links to the stories we’re following

Official Podcast of Michigan Democratic Party

• Finley: R.I.P., Michigan GOP – Detroit News
• Michigan G.O.P. Installs Kristina Karamo, an Election Denier, as Leader – The New York Times
• How Democrats are using their new power in these two state legislature – Axios
• What It Looks Like When the Far Right Takes Control of Local Government – POLITICO
• Michigan lawmaker survey offers glimpse on gun law changes – Detroit Free Press
• Gun bill would require background checks for Michigan rifle, shotgun sales – Detroit News
• Michigan Democrats move to tighten gun rules after MSU shootings – Bridge Michigan
• Democratic Governors Form Alliance on Abortion Rights – NowThis
• Tax deal clears Michigan Senate, but inflation checks remain in limbo – Bridge Michigan

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The horror of this week at Michigan State University casts a cloud over our state, and especially the campus just five miles east of the Capitol building. It was the 67th mass shooting in the first 46 days of 2023. As we recorded this week’s podcast, a memorial service was gathering in the center of the East Lansing campus in remembrance of Arielle Anderson, Alexander Verner and Brian Fraser … and with prayers for five more students hospitalized at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital.

Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner and Arielle Anderson===========================

This week it’s the “Perry for President” (be still, my heart) edition of “A Republic, If You Can Keep It”. Yes, Perry Johnson thinks he’s ready to be America’s Quality Guru in Chief … along with the somewhat more qualified but equally unlikely to win former South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley. Maybe a Perry – Nicki ticket?

Also this week, Michigan Republicans head to their state convention this weekend secure in the knowledge their next chairperson will be an Election Denier. The pre-convention activities begin, appropriately, with a Matt DePerno fundraiser at The Nut House (a sports bar across the street from the convention hall).

We’re joined this week by President Ron Bieber, who has served at president of the Michigan AFL-CIO since 2015. Bieber joined UAW Local 730 in 1978, after hiring into the General Motors Metal Fabricating plant in Wyoming, Michigan. He was elected to his first union position at the age of 23, and moved up the ranks, being appointed to the UAW International staff in 1992. In 2009, Bieber was promoted as an Administrative Assistant to the UAW President and named the Director of the UAW CAP Department. In this position, his responsibilities included the administration of the Political, Retired Workers and Civil Rights departments of the UAW.

Ron currently serves on the boards of the Economic Alliance of Michigan, the Michigan Association of United Ways, and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition.

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
• Community – Media Relations
• Issue – Image Management
• Database Development & List Management

===========================

Links to stories we’re following

• MSU shooting victims remembered: Alexandria Verner, Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser – The Washington Post
• Twitter: “A survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting is a student at Michigan State University
• Oxford High student survives second shooting at Michigan State – The Washington Post
• MSU shooting 2023: ‘We cannot keep living like this:’ Dems vow gun reform | Bridge Michigan
• Opinion | Michigan State shootings are a reminder: We must take the guns away – The Washington Post

This week in politics

• Michigan House OKs Democratic tax plan as tensions hit Capitol
• Minority Leader Hall, Michigan Republicans Set To Turn Their Backs On Inflation Relief – Michigan Democratic Party
• Insider: Wentworth-linked nonprofit spent $137,000 on travel
• President Perry Johnson? Michigan businessman launches long-shot campaign | Bridge Michigan
• Finley: Perry Johnson’s bizarro presidential campaign ad aims to shock
• Perry for Prez Super Bowl ad via Twitter
• Election deniers vie to lead broke Michigan GOP. Donors aren’t happy. | Bridge Michigan
• Campaign donors love a winner, dump Michigan GOP for Democrats after election | Bridge Michigan
• National Task Force on Election Crises Report
• Sanctions for bogus election lawsuits spurs GOP proposal to protect attorneys from punishment – Raw Story
• An inauspicious start to House GOP Oversight hearings – The Washington Post
• Republicans Swing and Miss on Hunter Biden and Twitter – Mother Jones
• Laptop email suggests Hunter Biden read newspapers, not classified documents – The Washington Post

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The State of the Union becomes a soft launch for the Biden reelection campaign; the Governor’s budget takes full advantage of a massive state surplus; Michigan is officially in the first tier of presidential primary states; and more state Republicans are under criminal investigation. Our guest is the chair of the state House Elections Committee, East Lansing Representative Penelope Tsernoglou.

Rep. Tsernoglou’s legislative priorities include expanding fair access to the ballot; advocating for labor unions, workers, and working families; increasing access to health care; reforming the criminal justice system, defending Michigan’s water and air, protecting our children from gun violence; and supporting public education.

Born in Metro Detroit, Rep. Tsernoglou grew up in Southfield. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, with majors in psychology and sociology. After graduating from Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law, she worked as a victims advocate for End Violent Encounters (EVE), Lansing’s first shelter devoted to survivors of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault. She later worked as a defense attorney representing indigent defendants and juveniles in Ingham and Eaton Counties.

Rep. Tsernoglou has devoted much of her career to public service. She served three terms on the Ingham County Commission (including one term as chair). She is former owner of Practical Political Consultants, a bipartisan political data supplier, which played a crucial supporting role in the 2018 Voters Not Politicians campaign to end gerrymandering of the congressional and legislative district maps.

Links to the stories we’re following

GOP Crime Watch

• State officials indicate a criminal investigation is underway into Sen. Bumstead ⋆ Michigan Advance
• Feds investigate ex-House Speaker Johnson for bribery in pot licensing
• FBI raids pot lobbyist’s home in bribery probe involving ex-Speaker
• ‘Dark money’ nonprofit at center of yet another Lansing scandal
• Marijuana group quietly gave cash to Michigan lawmakers’ nonprofits
• The crimes Trump or his allies could be charged with in Fulton County – The Washington Post

Presidential Primary

• Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition – The New York Times
• Michigan’s move to early primary state brings potential economic boon

Whitmer’s Lowering MI Costs agenda

• Whitmer presents $79B state budget resulting from record state surplus
• Minority Leader Hall again calls for immediate, long-lasting relief for Michiganders, small businesses
• Democrats, out of power for decades, passing bills in record time in Lansing | Bridge Michigan
• Whitmer, Dems want ‘inflation relief’ checks for all taxpayers
• Whitmer laid out talent attraction plan in annual address
• Michigan Democrats seek to codify LGBTQ civil-rights protections | Bridge Michigan
• UPDATE: Michigan fights back – by Judd Legum
• Trump vows to use DOJ and Congress to make being transgender illegal while promoting the ‘nuclear family’ – Raw Story

The GOP ‘Big Brother’ Agenda

• The College Board Just Watered Down Its New AP African American History Course – Mother Jones
• The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Curriculum for African American Studies – The New York Times
• DeSantis targets state college for overhaul with new conservative identity
• DeSantis trolls with ‘tax-free gas stove’ proposal — there’s just one big problem with that – Raw Story===========================

This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
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• On-Line and Automated Surveys
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The first million-selling hit from Motown is our theme this week. (RIP Barrett Strong, 1941-2023)Virtually all political scandals involve either seeking greater power, or money. This week’s discussion focuses on the latter. We are joined in the podcast by two national leaders in the drive to disrupt the political money machine: Gabe Lezra from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (better known as CREW), and Lisa Gilbert from Public Citizen.

Topping the political news this week: legislative Democrats move quickly on economic development, two major tax cuts and the presidential primary; Haley Stevens rules out a Senate race; Republicans double down on whining about 2020 and the Big Lie; and Florida provides a preview of the Big Brother mentality that could be the mantra of our next President.

Lisa Gilbert is the Executive Vice President at Public Citizen. She advocates for government transparency and integrity, financial reform, civil justice, and consumer protections. Lisa has testified before Congress, and been quoted in publications such as the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Washington Post and NPR. She was also a featured contributor to the National Journal’s “Expert Blog” on lobbying and ethics, and writes frequently for USA Today, Yahoo Finance, and The Hill.

Gabe Lezra is the Federal Policy Manager and a Senior Counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), where he specializes in anti-corruption, democracy reform, and government ethics law. He also serves as the Policy Working Group Leader at the Declaration for American Democracy (DFAD) coalition, where he has helped develop the coalition’s democracy reform agenda. Prior to joining CREW, Gabe served as a counsel at the American Association for Justice and as a financial institutions and consumer law associate at Debevoise and Plimpton LLP in New York. Gabe received his J.D. with honors from Georgetown Law and his B.A. with high honors from Wesleyan University.

This week in politics

• Michigan moves for early slot for 2024 presidential primary | AP News
• Michigan slated for early slot in 2024 presidential primary
• Haley Stevens on Twitter: Not running for US Senate
• Democrats win, GOP upset as Michigan votes to move up presidential primary | Bridge Michigan
• Whitmer: Pension tax rollback and EITC should be 2023’s first laws
• Whitmer signs spending bill, allocates $240M in federal COVID-19 funds
• Business group to Michigan Legislature: Extend tax cuts to more seniors | Bridge Michigan
• Some seniors may be left out of Lansing’s rush to cut taxes
• Gretchen Whitmer on guns: ‘The time for only thoughts and prayers is over.’ | Bridge Michigan
• Minimum wage increase set for February blocked by Michigan court | Bridge Michigan
• Livengood: Whitmer’s messaging has a ring of national aspiration
• GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel defeats rival in fierce campaign | AP News
• The crimes Trump or his allies could be charged with in Fulton County – The Washington Post

The GOP gameplan…

• GOP report shows plan to ramp up focus on disproven election fraud claims – The Washington Post
• RNC urges GOP candidates to ‘go on offense’ on abortion in 2024 – The Washington Post
• Inside the audacious new scheme to erase LGBTQ people from Michigan schools
• Fighting misinformation in U.S. history
• GOP-led committees plan to issue subpoenas in Biden probes without consulting Democrats | CNN Politics

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
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Topping the political news this week: the Governor delivers a populist State of the State message, with Democrats in the Legislature cheering repeatedly and Republican members sitting on their hands – even to the point of not cheering a proposal to help young children, or throwing shade at Ohio and Indiana. Mark and Jeff analyze the Governor’s address, and talk legislative priorities with the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Leader, Grand Rapids Senator Winnie Brinks.

Also this week: in what’s becoming our weekly Republicans in Trouble segment, Macomb Prosecutor Pete Lucido has done it again – this time quoting the GOAT of insurrectionists, Gen. Robert E. Lee, and being targeted in another lawsuit alleging official misconduct. And there’s a lot happening in both the state and national Republican Party leadership that pits the ultra-MAGAs against less extreme MAGAs.

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks has the historic distinction of being the first woman to ever hold this position in the Michigan Senate, as well as being the first woman to represent Grand Rapids in the Michigan Senate in more than 100 years. Her legislative focus has been on clean drinking water in Michigan and has worked tirelessly on efforts to reduce the prevalence of toxic PFAS chemicals in it. Her other policy passions have included improving equity in maternal health care, reproductive rights, reducing prescription drug costs, and helping uplift local communities and organizations.

Before being elected to the state House (where she served two terms) Brinks was a caseworker at The Source, helping businesses and nonprofits improve workplaces and retain employees. She also worked as the director of a community-based corrections agency and as a school paraprofessional. She is a graduate of Calvin College, earning a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a concentration in sociology.

State of the State

• Whitmer in State of the State calls for tax cuts, gun safety
• 5 takeaways from Michigan Gov. Whitmer’s State of the State speech
• Gretchen Whitmer State of the State: Tax cuts, gun reform, expand pre-K
• State of the State: Whitmer urges ‘immediate’ tax relief, gun reforms
• Michigan Democrats move to strike abortion ban references from state law
• Michigan revenue surplus balloons to $9.2B as ‘mild recession’ looms

Also this week

• Calley and El-Sayed rule out Senate campaigns, McMorrow stays mum
• Slotkin preps Senate run after winning tough reelection bid | AP News
• In Michigan, Democratic women are rising. Now some are weighing a Senate run. – The Washington Post
• Trump endorses DePerno in race for Michigan Republican Party chair
• Michigan Senate OKs earlier presidential primary, to dismay of GOP
• Bitter RNC chair race roiled by questions of Trump loyalty – The Washington Post
• Ex-assistant prosecutor accuses Lucido of retaliation, sues under whistleblower law
• Macomb Prosecutor Lucido apologizes for post quoting Robert E. Lee
• Pete Lucido lands in hot seat again over allegations of racism, sexism
• Dems vote to give states more time on new primary calendar | AP News
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer open to charging tolls on Michigan roads
• Highway tolls could raise $1B to fix Michigan roads, study finds. Is it time?
• Report: Electric vehicle sales could cost Michigan roads $500M by 2030
• Right-to-Work repeal just a start: Michigan Democrats eye pro-worker agenda
• Historic fight brewing over repeal of Michigan’s ‘right-to-work’ law
• Susan J. Demas: Michigan Democrats can’t buckle on repealing Right to Work
• Michigan GOP to Democrats: Don’t mess with income tax rollback
• Michigan Democrats aim to tighten environment regs, reduce industry control
• Lawmakers plan ethics reforms amid ‘several ongoing investigations’
• A Majority of Republican Voters Say the GOP Should Raise the Debt Limit — Without Cuts to Social Security or Medicare
• End may be near for Michigan redistricting panel, a year after finishing maps
• At a Va. union hall, Biden to tout accomplishments, take aim at GOP – The Washington Post

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We’ve got a MAGA alert agenda this week:

• Michigan Republicans have a battle of election deniers for chair of their party.
• Some top Michigan Republicans want to draft charisma-challenged Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to lead the 2024 ticket.
• In Ottawa County, the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party is on full display with a purge of county officials who aren’t radical enough for the new county commission.
• And the MAGA wing is looking at a takeover of some mid-Michigan school boards.

The MAGA-craziness is on display in DC as well, with reality-adjacent people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan now into power positions in the U.S. House…which also features a couple of committee assignments for the Congressman currently known as George Santos.

Joining the conversation this week is former Republican Denver Riggleman of Virginia. A former Air Force officer and National Security Agency contractor, Riggleman was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2018. He was defeated in his bid for reelection in 2020, losing to Republican primary challenger Bob Good in a drive-through party convention.

Riggleman co-authored a book with Hunter Walker titled, The Breach, which was published in October of 2022. The book detailed his work on the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. He is the only member of the Republican party to speak on the House of Representatives floor against QAnon. He is a co-sponsor of 2020 US House resolution “Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes”. He is also one of the co-authors of the Network Contagion Research Institute report called “THE QANON CONSPIRACY: Destroying Families, Dividing Communities, Undermining Democracy” which he wrote before the January 6 storming of the US Capitol.

This week in Michigan politics:

• Michigan Democrats: Let’s move up presidential primary. GOP: Not so fast | Bridge Michigan
• New Hampshire Democrats to Biden: Changing primary calendar will ‘wreak havoc’ on us | The Hill
• Biden risks backlash with 2024 presidential election primary calendar
• Inside the Early Elbowing for Michigan’s Open Senate Seat
• Pressure coming for Stabenow to step down early | WLNS 6 News
• Perry Johnson, mulling presidential or U.S. Senate run in Michigan, plans Super Bowl ad
• Basically broke, Michigan GOP to charge delegates to attend convention | Bridge Michigan
• New Ottawa County board ends racial diversity office, hires John Gibbs
• Ottawa County’s newly named health officer spread baseless COVID-19 info
• Michigan GOP chair candidates stick with unproven election claims
• Conservative group names 5 Greater Lansing school districts to watchlist
• Top Michigan Republicans move to draft DeSantis for 2024
• Michigan Biden electors sue false Trump slate
• House GOP votes: Marjorie Taylor Greene is not ‘fringe‘
• Insider: Some … relegated to subcommittees after speaker vote

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
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The Michigan Legislature’s 2023 session has officially started. Democrats, now controlling both chambers for the first time in 40 years, have already introduced a raft of high-priority bills. And the 2024 game of political musical chairs is underway. We update the race to succeed Debbie Stabenow in the Senate, and the likely domino effect of that race on Michigan’s congressional delegation.

Walt Sorg sits in for Mark Brewer who is on vacation. Walt and Jeff decided that makes it a good time to talk about Mark behind his back … specifically about how Mark was one of the behind-the-scenes heroes of the 2022 midterm election. His constant vigilance over those who would wreak havoc on the electoral process was a big factor in keeping the election and post-election period quiet and without controversy.

Some of the stories in this week’s panoply of Michigan politics:

• Perry Johnson considering U.S. Senate bid, launching book
• Holly Otterbein on Twitter: “Abdul El-Sayed…doesn’t “have any plans” to run for Senate in 2024
• Ken Coleman on Twitter: “Former state Rep. Leslie Love (D-Detroit) interested in running for U.S. Senate
• Opinion | Debbie Stabenow retires, but Democrats can keep Michigan’s Senate seat – The Washington Post
• Benson on Michigan Senate run: ‘I’m really happy in my current job’
• Michigan AG Nessel reopens investigation into false Trump electors – Detroit News
• Dana Nessel: There’s ‘clear evidence’ to charge fake electors loyal to Trump – Bridge Michigan
• Returning citizens feel betrayed after Bernstein blasts clerk hire – Detroit Free Press
• Peters will again chair the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm – NBC News
• AP-NORC Poll on 2023 Priorities
• CBS News poll: Inflation, cooperation and…investigation? Americans on what the new Congress should — and shouldn’t — deliver – CBS News
• DeVos-funded campaign for school voucher-like plan withdraws petitions in a sign of defeat | Bridge Michigan
• Ann Arbor Public Schools mask mandate relieves some, frustrates others | Bridge Michigan
• Michigan Republicans pitch absentee ‘ballot harvesting.’ That’s not legal. | Bridge Michigan
• Speaker, Senate Majority Leader Make Priorities Known with First Bills – Senate news release
• New Democratic majority kicks off session with bills axing Right to Work, 1931 abortion ban ⋆ Michigan Advance
• Michigan Democrats, back in power in Lansing, eye quick action on tax cuts – Bridge Michigan
• Historic fight brewing over repeal of Michigan’s right-to-work law – Detroit Free Press
• 8 Republicans vote against Tate as House speaker as GOP grapples with life in the minority ⋆ Michigan Advance

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
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In Washington D.C., Republicans are a hot mess – with two former Michigan congressmen waiting in the wings as a possible solution. In Michigan – a political shocker. Even as Democrats take full control of state government, Senator Debbie Stabenow drops a political bombshell.

Michigan politics has been upended by the decision of Senator Stabenow to end a half-century of public service to, in her words, “I intend to begin a new chapter in my life that includes continuing to serve our State outside of elected office while spending precious time with my amazing 96-year-old mom and my wonderful family.”

The Michigan inauguration on January 1 not only launched the Democratic trifecta in Michigan State government, it cemented the prominence of women and minority group members in all the centers of political power within state government. Women are now Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Senate Majority Leader, Chief Justice, House Speaker Pro Tem, and chairs of both the House and Senate Appropriations Committee. Two more top leaders — the Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House — are African Americans, and the two Majority Floor leaders are am Indian-American and Middle East-American. Add to that: eight of Michigan’s 13 members of Congress are women!

In other political news over the last week:

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sworn in for second term: 8 issues to watch in 2023 in Michigan | Bridge Michigan
• Whitmer pledges gun control, relief for seniors, in 2nd inaugural speech
• Gretchen Whitmer won’t boost gas taxes. But maybe a mileage tax for roads? | Bridge Michigan
• Livengood: Michigan Legislature’s term limits experiment begins anew
• Michigan Supreme Court picks Clement as Chief Justice for full term
• Meet Michigan’s new lawmakers: They’re younger, more educated, less diverse | Bridge Michigan
• Hey Michigan Dems: Here are four ways to score bipartisan wins this year | Bridge Michigan
• Whitmer’s husband, Marc Mallory, retired from dentistry after threats
• Finley: Fred Upton finds House speaker suggestion ‘intriguing’
• Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash tweets outside bid for House speaker
• Amash at Capitol to pitch himself as ‘nonpartisan’ speaker amid tumult
• All but two McCarthy defectors in House are election deniers – The Washington Post
• Lavora Barnes seeks reelection as leader of Michigan Democratic Party
• ‘To Hell with It’: A GOP Congressman Reflects on His One Term in Trump’s Party – POLITICO
• Charlie Kirk delivers a warning to the RNC, and sparks a backlash – The Washington Post
• New Ottawa County board ends racial diversity office, hires John Gibbs | Bridge Michigan
• Feds assisting probe of former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield | Bridge Michigan
• Insider: House Dem leader says Chatfield ethics review still needed
• The Michigan lawyer pushing Trump’s voter-fraud fictions in U.S. court
• Michigan evaded election chaos in midterm
• Testimony of former MI GOP chair Laura Cox to Jan 6 committee
• Colleen House, GOP activist and first wife of John Engler, dies at 70
• Art in the U.S. Capitol honors 141 enslavers and 13 Confederates – Washington Post
• MI Legislature approves resolution to replace Lewis Cass statue in US Capitol;

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This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
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More than 100 years ago, George Satayana wrote “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” When it comes to political scandals it is especially true. So today, some Michigan political history that may foreshadow one of the first big stories of 2023.

Pulitizer Prize-winning reproters Eric Freedman, and Jim, Mitzelfeld, right, celebrate news of their award April 12, 1994 with Detroit News Editor and Publisher Robert H. Giles. The first story in their winning series on the mishandling of spending by the Michigan State House Fiscal Agency was printed in January 1993. Diane Weiss / The Detroit NewsAnd that is the investigation of former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield – an investigation that began with accusations of sexual misbehavior and quickly branched out to major misuse of government money, campaign fundraising practices bordering on bribery, and the sometimes toxic intersection of high-powered lobbyists and government decision makers.

29 years ago Lansing was embroiled in a scandal with many of the same overtones of the Chatfield affair. Massive amounts of money were stolen by the powerful and excessively independent director of the state House of Representatives’ fiscal agency.

Mitzelfeld (left) and Friedman (right) nearly 30 years later, joined by 1990 Pulitzer winner M.L. Elrick of the Detroit Free Press.As has been true with the Chatfield scandal, much of the public’s knowledge of the corrupt behavior was revealed by reporters from the Detroit News. The coverage of the 1993 House Fiscal Agency Scandal was led by reporters Jim Mitzelfeld and Eric Freedman. They were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting … and they join us on a special edition of “A Republic, If You Can Keep It”. (The interview was recorded before we learned that the U.S. Justice Department was assisting in the Chatfield investigation; anything either of our guests say regarding that investigation is solely based on what they had read in the news.)

For more information on the two scandals:

• The 7 worst political scandals in Michigan history
• The Scandal, 20 Years Later – John Lindstrom blog post
• Corruption lingers 20 years after legislative scandal erupts – Spartan Newsroom (by Eric Freedman)
• Leaders act quickly in fiscal agency scandal. – Free Online Library
• U.S. v. MORBERG | 863 F.Supp. 511 (1994) | upp51111272 | Leagle.com
• Michigan State Police hand off Lee Chatfield probe to Attorney General | Bridge Michigan
• Ex-Speaker Lee Chatfield provided foothold in government for lobbyists – Detroit News
• Lee Chatfield traveled the nation as Michigan’s speaker, but who paid?
• Livengood: Chatfield scandal exposes unchecked influence of lobbyists
• Commentary: Tarnished gavels – Is corruption an occupational hazard for House speakers? – Spartan Newsroom (by Eric Freedman)

===========================

This week’s podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRA
EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:
• Public Opinion Surveys
• Market Research Studies
• Live Telephone Surveys
• On-Line and Automated Surveys
• Focus Group Research
• Bond Proposals – Millage Campaigns
• Political Campaigns & Consulting
• Ballot Proposals – Issue Advocacy Research
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The recounts show what we all knew: Michigan’s elections were fair, and the vote counts accurate.

Michigan has a major supporting role in the January 6 final report – with evidence that could put some state Republicans in jail as it details efforts by Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s Michigan victory.

And two of the top-tier Biden successors, according to the buzz machine, are Michiganders: Gretchen Whitmer and Pete Buttigieg. One of them is reported quietly building a campaign infrastructure if Biden decides not to run.

Also in this week’s cornucopia of politics and/or political crime news:
• Final Report of the January 6th Committee
• Michigan Trump electors invoked 5th Amendment more than 100 times
• Michigan recount: Big expense, very few changed votes, results show | Bridge Michigan
• Partial hand recounts of two ballot proposals validate election results
• Michigan election board certifies recounts upholding proposal win
• In strategy session, Michigan Republicans say donors abandoned them
• What Trump told Shirkey, Chatfield to try to get Michigan election overturned
• Buttigieg 2024 – Punchbowl News
• The Democrats Have a Deeper Bench Than You Think – The Bulwark
• How Democrats could use their big Michigan win to set up the 2024 race – POLITICO
• New Statewide Poll: Inflation Concerns Persist, Voters Optimistic About Democracy – Detroit Regional Chamber
• Insider: Voters in poll see gun laws as priority for Michigan Legislature
• How Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Democrats plan to cut Michigan taxes in 2023 | Bridge Michigan
• Michigan Democrats eye other abortion law changes as Prop 3 set to take effect | Bridge Michigan
• Read the summary of the Jan. 6 committee report – The Washington Post
• Trump is accused of using copyrighted images in his NFT collection | The Independent
• Chatfield scandal helped boost reform effort, but Senate failed us

This week’s podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” throughout 2022!

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On this week's podcast:

In Lansing, Democrats are quickly and quietly putting in place their leadership structure as they prepare to take control of both chambers. In Washington, it’s just the opposite for House Republicans who face the prospect of being unable to elect a Speaker of the House.

The upcoming resignation of Michigan Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack brings some major changes to the court: a centrist Republican appointee as the new Chief Justice (at least, for awhile) and the first-ever black woman named to McCormack’s unfinished term.

Elizabeth Clement, a moderate on Michigan Supreme Court, named chief justice | Bridge Michigan Kyra Harris Bolden makes history with appointment to Michigan Supreme Court | Bridge Michigan Newest Michigan Supreme Court member is a young Black mom. How it's historic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s to-do list: gun control, tax cuts, Right-to-Work repeal | Bridge Michigan As Democrats take charge in Lansing, some business leaders sweat their agenda | Bridge Michigan Michigan GOP leader: Bid to probe 2022 election a ‘shameless’ stunt | Bridge Michigan Wentworth: House was ready to investigate allegations against Chatfield Biden coming to Michigan on Nov. 29 to tout semiconductor bill Opinion | How the Supreme Court can start to regain Americans’ trust in its ethics - The Washington Post Morning Consult National Tracking Poll November 18-20

Joining the conversation this week: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Nesselwas reelected with an eight-and-a-half point victory over Big Lie promoter and potential criminal defendant Matt DePerno, a definite improvement over her narrow 2.75 point victory over Tom Leonard four years ago.

As Attorney General, her visibility rose first when state GOP chairman Ron Weiser referred to her as one of Michigan’s “three witches” (along with Gov. Whitmer and Secretary of State Benson), and achieved national prominence when then-President Donald Trump labeled her a “wacky do-nothing."

Nessel first achieved legal prominence in 2014 when she successfully argued for the plaintiffs in DeBoer v. Snyder, which challenged Michigan's ban on the statewide legal recognition of same-sex marriage; the case was eventually combined with others and appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States as Obergefell v. Hodges, which led to the nationwide legal recognition of same-sex marriage. In 2016, she founded Fair Michigan, a nonprofit organization that works to prosecute hate crimes against the LGBT community. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Welcome to 2024! The dust is still settling from last week's mid-term elections (especially among the shell-shocked GOP), but Donald Trump's inevitable campaign is now official ... greeted by the New York Post headline "Florida Man Makes Announcement" and burying the story on page 26 .

Closer to home, Gretchen Whitmer surprised many by making it clear she has no Presidential ambitions. Also this week:

7 policies Whitmer, Michigan Democratic lawmakers will push Democrats big midterm win overshadows loss of Black voices - mlive.com Macomb Democrats steamed about national party snubbing Marlinga Michigan's midterm after redistricting: what results showed US Supreme Court dismisses appeal in Michigan redistricting lawsuit Women, LGBTQ lawmakers to have larger representation in Michigan’s upcoming legislature - mlive.com Analysis: Parents rights school board campaigns lost most Michigan races | Bridge Michigan Michigan GOP memo blames Tudor Dixon's performance for lost majorities Trump loyalist Matthew DePerno running to be Michigan GOP chair | Bridge Michigan Michigan GOP party chair race: James Craig out, Matthew DePerno in ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’: Did Elissa Slotkin’s Win Reveal Trumpism’s Self-Defeating Toxicity? - POLITICO

Joining the conversation this week is the newly named state Senate President Pro Tem, Jeremy Moss. Moss is completing his first term after serving for four years in the state House. He grew up in Southfield and attended Michigan State University where he participated in several student-led humanitarian aid missions in the US and around the globe, twice traveling to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to assist with cleanup efforts and spending time abroad in Uruguay to build housing in among the most impoverished areas of South America.

Moss’s political career began 11 years ago with a successful run for a seat on the Southfield City Council where became the youngest-ever elected official in the city’s history at age 25. In the state House he worked across the aisle to pass ten bills that would open up government records to public scrutiny by subjecting the governor’s office and state legislature to the principles of the Freedom of Information Act. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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It was supposed to be a nationwide Red Wave, but nationally turned into a Pink Drizzle and ... in Michigan ... a Blue Tsunami. Mark and Jeff analyze an election that

Re-elected the Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General Flipped both the state Senate and state House to Democratic majorities Gave overwhelming voter approval to a woman's right to choose, progressive election reforms and changes in term limits Kept the state's Supreme Court with a 4-3 Democratic majority

Despite the pre-voting angst,it was a peaceful election with no controversies, no violence and a record turnout for a mid-term election. And just like that, the political calendar flips from 2022 to 2024!

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It's down to the last days and hours until Election Day. With more than 1.1-million votes already cast, the turnout likely will come close to the record mid-term election of 2018. The outcome is definitely in doubt: will the polls showing close-but-comfortable leads for the top of the Democratic ticket mean Michigan Democrats successful overcome the historic headwinds of a mid-term, or will the election deniers leading the state's GOP ticket pull off historic upsets?

Add to it continuing false claims of election fraud in 2020 and it's likely that next Tuesday will only be a waypoint in the 2022 election story as any (if not most) losing GOP candidates reflexively shout "rigged election" and "vote fraud".

In the podcast, we mention one story that can help combat the claims of vote fraud: Bridge Michigan's Jonathan Oosting does a deep dive into the many levels of security built into the state's absentee voting process. We recommend the article to one and all!

Also this week:

Cheney tells Slotkin crowd to 'walk away from politics as usual' Barack Obama rallies for Gretchen Whitmer, seeks to boost turnout in Detroit | Bridge Michigan Why early vote returns might produce a 'mirage' on election night in Michigan Tim Michels Says GOP Will 'Never Lose Another Election' in Wisconsin If He Wins Jocelyn Benson: ‘We’ve delivered on our promises.’ Republicans aren’t so sure. | Bridge Michigan National issues, pandemic led to partisan Lansing area school board races Poll: Slotkin leads Barrett in tossup race for U.S. House Poll: Where Michigan voters stand on Whitmer, Dixon 1 week before election (Glengarrif Poll) Cygnal Momentum Tracking Poll: Michigan Statewide – 11/1/22

Joining the pre-election conversation is the politics editor of the Detroit News, Chad Livengood.

Chad was a political reporter in The News' Lansing Bureau from 2012 through 2016 before becoming a reporter and columnist at Crain's Detroit Business. He rejoined The News' politics team in May 2022. He began his journalism career as editor of Central Michigan University’s student paper. His early career included stints covering politics and government in Illinois and Delaware before returning to Michigan, and the Detroit News, ten years ago. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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We’re less than two weeks away from election day; about three-quarters of a  million ballots have already been cast, and another million absentee ballots have been issued. November 8 may be Election Day, but the election could well drag on for weeks as losing candidates … at least among the Republican nominees … scream “stolen election”.

Some of the highlights of this week in Michigan politics:

Barack Obama records TV ad promoting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer 5 clashes in the final Gretchen Whitmer-Tudor Dixon gubernatorial debate Michigan governor final debate: Fact checking Tudor Dixon-Gretchen Whitmer | Bridge Michigan Extremist Leader Boasts of Helping Michigan GOP Governor Candidate Tudor Dixon’s Campaign Records: DeVos PAC spent $6.3M on Tudor Dixon bid for Michigan governor | Bridge Michigan FACT CHECK: Tudor Dixon’s Ad Covers Up Her Dangerous Agenda to Gut School and Public Safety Funding While  Reversing Economic Development  - Michigan Democratic Party Carl Marlinga, John James spar in debate for US House seat

Polls

Morning Consult weekly tracking poll (national) (October 21-23) CNN Polls shows Whitmer ahead in races for governor Cygnal Poll (October 19-23) CBS YouGov Poll - October 12-14 Michigan’s 7th District voters favoring Democratic candidates, but Slotkin-Barrett race tight

Joining the conversation this week is Michigan's top non-partisan elections expert, Chris Thomas. Thomas served as the state Elections Director for 36 years under both Republican and Democratic Secretaries of State. In that role he administered Michigan election law, campaign finance act and lobbyist disclosure law and served as Secretary to the Board of State Canvassers. He began his election administration career in 1974 in Washington, D.C. with the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Federal Election Commission, joining the Michigan Elections office in 1982.

In 2013, President Obama appointed Thomas as a Commissioner on the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which made recommendations to improve the election day experience of America’s voters. Thomas earned a B.A. in Political Science from Michigan State University, a M.A. in Urban Affairs from St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO, and a J.D. from Thomas Cooley Law School. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Absentee ballots are coming in a record rates with election day just three weeks away – and a lot of Republicans are preparing to scream “rigged election” after they lose since a lot of them, including the GOP's statewide candidates, refuse to say they'll accept the results.

On this week's podcast, Jeff and Mark take a deep dive into what may be the most under-appreciated political battle this cycle: the battle for control of the Michigan Legislature. Republicans have dominated the Michigan Legislature for most of the last three decades, dating back to the GOP takeover of the Michigan Senate in 1983 (despite, thanks to gerrymandering, often getting fewer total votes that Democratic candidates). With the end of gerrymandered maps, Democrats are optimistic about flipping control of both the state Senate and House.

We're joined by two legislators focused on flipping control of both chambers: Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich and Representative Angela Witwer. Ananich is term-limited after representing Genesee County in the Senate for 8 years; Witwer has served four years after flipping a suburban Lansing district in 2018. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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It's Debate Week in Michigan. Gretchen Whitmer faces off with Tudor Dixon in a one-hour TV event that pits the former talkshow host against Michigan's first-term Governor.  The debate comes days after a new poll showing what we’ve suspected all along: Whitmer’s reelection lead is strong, but not the double-digit blowout indicated by earlier polls.

Also happening across Michigan's political landscape this week:

Whitmer: Defunding police ‘dangerous and foolish’' House Democrats Allege Corrupt Republican Caucus Shields its Lawmakers from Accountability Vice President Kamala Harris to visit metro Detroit on Oct. 15 As mask battles fade, Michigan school boards face new culture-war debates

Joining the podcast this week is Judge Carl Marlinga, running in the crucial 10th district against perpetual Republican candidate John James who has previously lost U.S. Senate bids to Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters.

Marlinga brings to the campaign nearly 40 years as the Macomb County Prosecutor and Macomb County Circuit Court and Probate Court Judge. On Feb. 25th, he retired after serving on the bench for 10 years, starting as probate judge in 2013 and then following his election to the 16th Judicial Circuit Court in 2016. From 1985-2004, he was elected and re-elected five times to be Macomb County prosecutor. 

(Mark) Marlinga has served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, and a special trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department’s Organized Crime Strike Force, assigned to the Detroit office. 

A lifelong resident of Michigan, Marlinga graduated from the University of Detroit summa cum laude and earned his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

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As we speculated in last week’s podcast, Donald Trump spent most of his two-hour diatribe in Macomb County talking about … Donald Trump, dedicating about 5% of his speech to actually supporting the BIg Lie believers leading the GOP state ticket. Also in the political headlines this week: longtime Republican powerbroker Bob LaBrant calls this year’s GOP ticket “the most unqualified state-level ticket in recent Michigan history” as he actively supports the entire Democratic statewide slate; the state Legislature takes a small step towards a less chaotic election with bipartisan support for making the counting of Absentee Ballots more timely; and the rhetoric is becoming more heated from opponents of the the Voting Rights and Reproductive Freedom ballot proposals.

Early voting has begun and the battleground races in Michigan have the attention of the nation. Four of Michigan’s 13 congressional districts are considered tossups.We’ll talk with one of the candidates in that spotlight: mid-Michigan two-term Representative Elissa Slotkin.

Representative Slotkin defied the political odds in 2018, ousting Republican Congressman Mike Bishop even as Donald Trump was winning in her congressional district. She was reelected in 2020, again in a district carried by Trump, downing challenge Paul Junge.

Slotkin was raised on the family farm in Holly. She has been in public service since graduating with a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. After graduate school she was recruited into the Central Intelligence Agency. Fluent in Arabic and Swahili, she served three tours in Iraq as a CIA analyst.

During the George W. Bush administration, she worked on the Iraq portfolio for the National Security Council. During Barack Obama's presidency, she worked for the State Department and the Department of Defense. Slotkin was acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 2015 to 2017.

In Congress she is recognized as an expert on national security issues, and also for her ability to work across party lines as a member of the bipartisan Problem-Solvers Caucus. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Early voting is underway in Michigan. In the race for Governor, Tudor Dixon is finally campaigning, focusing on social wedge issues, but her campaign continues to lack money. She may get some help when the nation’s #1 election denier, Donald Trump, brings his Big Lie Tour to Michigan this weekend to talk about himself and maybe help Tudor and the rest of the Republican statewide ticket.

The polls are saying that, as of now, it could be a Democratic landslide at the top of the ticket in Michigan. With voting underway, these polling numbers are much more significant than before. The most recent come to us via EPIC/MRA. The company’s CEO, Bernie Porn, talks with Mark and Jeff about his latest measure of the electorate..

Then we’re joined by former GOP political consultant Tim Miller. He is best known for his role as communications director for the Jeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign and for being an outspoken Republican critic of former U.S. president Donald Trump.

Miller was an Iowa staffer for John McCain in the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, and later served as national press secretary for the Jon Huntsman 2012 presidential campaign. During the Bush campaign, Miller drew notice as a "vocal critic" of Donald Trump. In 2020, Miller co-founded the advocacy organization Republican Voters Against Trump, which sponsored television and internet advertisements featuring lifelong Republicans explaining their decision to vote for former vice president Joe Biden instead of Trump, and served as its political director. He is now a contributing writer for The Bulwark and ROlling Stone, and a frequent guest commentator on MSNBC and CNN.

Miller recently published the best-selling book Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell. ________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Absentee ballots go into the mail in just two weeks. In Michigan, the attention and the massive ad spending is split between candidate races and two very high-profile ballot proposals.

Also this week on the podcast: * President Biden makes his 6th visit as President to Michigan with another Trump visit to Macomb County in 2 weeks … * Michigan’s battle over Reproductive Healthcare Rights gets the attention of the entire nation … * A surprising retirement from the state’s Supreme Court ... * Mark has an exclusive interview with one of the key members of the newly formed Republicans for Whitmer: Jeff Timmer!

Then Jeff and Mark discuss candidates and ballot proposals with Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party.

Elected in February 2019, she is the first Black woman to hold this post. Prior to being elected Chair, Barnes was the Chief Operating Officer for the MDP, a post she held since 2015.

A political veteran with extensive experience in field, communications, and fundraising, Barnes has implemented and grown a year-round, full-time organizing strategy in every corner of Michigan. She is chief architect of MDP’s Project 83, started in 2017. It is the blueprint for a successful organizing model now being adopted by other states in the country, following Michigan’s lead.

Barnes is a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Born in North Carolina, her family moved to Virginia where she spent the majority of her childhood. The mother of 3, Barnes lives with her family in Ann Arbor. _________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Another week, more political turmoil providing mostly bad news for the Michigan GOP:

Two petition drives go to the Michigan Supreme Court after Republicans refuse to accept the Reproductive Rights and Voting Rights petitions on seemingly spurious claims; Tudor Dixon's stealth campaign: no money, no events; Whitmer's polling lead grows to 13%; The Court of Appeals rules Michigan's 1931 abortion law unconstitutional; House Democrats Dare Daire; Bipartisan support for stricter gun safety laws in Michigan; Joe Biden returning to Michigan to talk e-powered cars

Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer hash it all out with some insider information and analysis based on decades in the trenches of partisan politics.

A Tribute to Our Listeners! _________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Bernie Porn

Craig Mauger

The two statewide tickets are set, with Republicans facing an uphill battle as the party's All-MAGA slate tries to inch away from extreme positions on reproductive freedom, election integrity and state taxes. Also in the mix: some growing legal problems for more than a few Republican candidates. Mark and Jeff are joined by two non-partisan experts to help set the stage for the final 9 weeks of campaigning:

Bernie Porn, chief number cruncher for EPIC-MRA Craig Mauger, politics and state government reporter for the Detroit News

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This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Sitting in with Jeff Timmer this week, guest co-host Walt Sorg, one of the founders of Voters Not Politicians and a longtime Lansing political presence. This week:

A surprise Democratic victory in a New York special election. Is this a sign of things to come, or a strictly New York phenomenon? New polling shows shoring up of Joe Biden's approval numbers, and widespread support for the major elements of the Inflation Reduction Act. Tudor Dixon's running mate is a little-known former legislator ... who may be just what she needed to avoid a circus-like state party convention this weekend. Two GOP state house candidates face major questions about whether they actually live in the districts where they are running.

Joining the conversation is Walt's onetime boss, Governor Jim Blanchard to assess the current Michigan political scene and how much the environment has changed in the 3 decades since Blanchard led the state.

Blanchard first came to statewide prominence as a young member of Congress who helped guide through the hugely successful federal bailout of Chrysler Corporation  After serving two terms as Governor, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada, and has been a highly successful partner with the D.C. legal powerhouse DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific,

Blanchard's two terms were highlighted by significant economic growth for the state, led by the state's manufacturing sector. _________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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While Joe Biden gets to celebrate a B.F.D., Republicans continue to pay homage to their Golden God nationally and in Michigan as the once Grand Old Party continues to disintegrate. One ominous sign (of many) for the GOP's state ticket: a lack of money. The Whitmer/Gilchrist/Nessel/Benson ticket is banking millions for the fall campaign while the opposition campaigns operate on fumes.

Also this week: opponents of the Reproductive Freedom constitutional amendment lash out at the petition printer … the Republicans’ would-be Secretary of State heads to New Jersey for some Trump love even as the state GOP faces major financial woes … Democrats prepare for the best kind of party convention (boring and uneventful) … while Republicans start preliminary feuding over Tudor Dixon’s running mate in the run up to a state convention that promises too be the political equivalent of a UFC championship fight - admittedly, in the lightweight class.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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A search warrant at Mar-A-Lago, a special prosecutor may put Matt DePerno's campaign to be Michigan's chief law enforcement official, and state Republicans look to what could be a volcanic summer convention. In other words, just another bizarre week in Michigan politics.

In Washington, a string of victories for President Biden. Congress is set to pass the biggest climate bill in history after already pushing through long-overdue support for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the first gun safety law in decades and much-needed jumpstart for a domestic microchips industry.

We’re joined this week by Michigan’s senior Democrat in Congress, Flint’s Dan Kildee. As Chief Deputy Whip—part of the Democratic leadership team in Congress—he acts as an important liaison among Members of Congress and the leadership to build support for Democratic priorities and legislation. Congressman Kildee serves on three committees: Ways and Means Committee, Budget and Science, Space and Technology.

Before being elected to Congress, Congressman Kildee co-founded and served as the president of the Center for Community Progress, a national non-profit organization focused on urban land reform and revitalization. He also founded Michigan's first land bank—the Genesee County Land Bank—which is responsible for tens of millions of dollars in redevelopment in Flint. The Genesee County Land Bank later served as a model for over 100 other land banks across the nation. Previously, Congressman Kildee served as the Genesee County Treasurer, on the Genesee County Board of Commissioners and on the Flint Board of Education.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Reproductive rights win in ruby-red Kansas... Peter Meijer pays the price... DeVos money and (maybe) Trump's endorsement does the job for Tudor Dixon... Incumbents fall in state legislative races

We record the day after Tuesday's primary election and are joined in the conversation by one of the shrewdest political analysts in the state: former Lt. Governor John Cherry.

Former staff member to Michigan State Senator Gary Corbin, Cherry served as the state political director for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees until 1982. He was then elected to the Michigan Legislature as a state Representative, state Senator and Senate Minority Leader. He then served 8 years as Lt. Governor under Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Cherry was respected and well-liked across the aisle and was a key ally for Granholm as she battled with legislative Republicans. He’s the first in a long line of family members in state government with at least one Cherry family member in state office since 1982: Cherry's facJohn’s wife, sister and son have all served in the Michigan Legislature...and his sister is currently Genesee County treasurer. 

On Primary Day his son John won the Democratic nomination for the state Senate after two terms in the state House.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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The primary voting ends next Tuesday at 8 p.m. with multiple key battles brewing. The most visible is, of course, the most-bizarre-ever Republican primary for the right to take on Gretchen Whitmer in November, a campaign with five candidates who have never held public office beyond the local level. A week out polling still showed "undecided" in the lead, with Tudor Dixon and her DeVos-funded campaign holding a slight lead over self-funding millionaire Kevin Rinke and indicted January 6th insurrectionist Ryan Kelly.

Also at issue: four Congressional primaries. Three are Democratic battles in southeast Michigan; the fourth has first-term Republican Peter Meijer at a risk of losing to Big Lie believing Trump-backed John Gibbs.

Joining the conversation is veteran journalist Zach Gorchow, publisher of the Gongwer news report — a must-have subscription newsletter for Capitol insiders.

Gorchow has covered Lansing for nearly 24 years, 20 of them with Gongwer plus a four-year stint at the Detroit Free Press. He was named publisher of Gongwer in 2020, succeeding our recent guest John Lindstrom.

He began his journalism career as a reporter at Michigan State University’s nationally acclaimed student newspaper The State News. He graduated from MSU with a degree in international relations. Zach is a native of Birmingham where he attended Seaholm High School.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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With just two weeks until the primary election, nearly 40% of Republican voters haven't made up their mind  between the five candidates. Three candidates are in a statistical tie; adding to the uncertainty is the impact of Democratic crossover votes, and whether Donald Trump will endorse a candidate.

Also on this week's agenda:

Joining the conversation is David Eggert, senior reporter for politics and policy with Crain's Detroit Business. Before joining Crain’s in May, he was Lansing bureau chief for the Associated Press for nearly 10 years.Eggert is a graduate of Northwestern University’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. He first covered Michigan state government 18 years ago as a reporter for the AP and assistant editor at the Lansing State Journal and is a native of Jackson, Michigan.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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The absentee ballots have been mailed with many Republican voters still making up their minds on their candidate to take on Gretchen Whitmer? Which Bill Lie, anti-choice, pro-Trump, tax-cut-promising candidate to choose? Did Wednesday's debate provide any clarification? The debate did, though, give an hour of TV exposure to a series of factual misstatements, conspiracy theories and occasional intramural insults. Mark and Jeff offer their take on the debate (with condolences to moderator Rick Albin, a first-class journalist who was forced to keep silent when he heard b.s. flowing).

The podcast then moves onto providing an historical perspective to current politics with longtime state Capitol reporter and pundit John Lindstrom.

John’s tenure covering Michigan government and politics goes back 45 years, starting with the well-respected Gongwer Capitol Report in 1977. In 1986 he began a 6 year stint with Crain’s before returning to Gongwer in 1993 where he went from reporter to editor and then publisher. John has covered every Michigan governor since William Milliken and interviewed literally hundreds of state legislators, state department directors and Michigan members of Congress. He’s also covered the Michigan campaigns of dozens of presidential candidates, as well as a couple dozen ballot proposals. In short, he’s a walking Wikipedia of the last half-century of Michigan politics.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Abortion.

It has turned our politics around. Mark and Jeff analyze the polling showing the Cobb decision is moving the numbers decidedly in the direction of Democrats.

Also on the podcast agenda this week: Michigan Republican voters are still undecided on Governor even as absentee ballots start showing up in mailboxes (meaning Jeff's pants are still a contender!); and the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions on gun rights and religious freedom could also get into the mid-term electoral mix.

_________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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Michigan was back in the spotlight at the January 6 Select Committee hearings, with tales of a possible overnighter in the state Capitol for the GOP slate of phony presidential electors. Republican witnesses confirmed that the multi-state phony elector plot was led by the Trump campaign; Michigan's 16 fraudulent electors are facing potential state and federal criminal charges.

Also on this week's agenda: Michigan Republicans double-down on stopping all abortions in Michigan; Texas Republicans give us a preview of our state's new GOP's radical policy agenda; and top Michigan Democrats make their pitch for having Michigan come first in the presidential primary calendar.

Mark and Jeff are joined by Michigan Advance reporter Ken Coleman. He covers southeast Michigan, economic justice and civil rights … and has some keen insights on the politics of southeast Michigan. He is a former Michigan Chronicle senior editor and served as the American Black Journal segment host on Detroit Public Television. He has written and published four books on black life in Detroit.

Coleman has served as a spokesperson for the Michigan Democratic Party, Detroit Public Schools, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence. Prior to joining the Advance, he worked for the Detroit Federation of Teachers as a communications specialist. _________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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This week’s focus: brand-new polling on the chaotic GOP race for Governor, along with James Craig’s you’ve-gotta-be-kidding write-in campaign, Perry Johnson’s latest court loss, and the state Senate going out of its way to diss LGBTQ+ Michiganders.

Our guest this week is Detroit state Representative Joe Tate, considered the frontrunner for House Democratic Leader in the 2023-24 session. We’ll talk about how Michigan Democrats plan to flip the state House and Senate and give Michigan its first Democrat-run state government since Jim Blanchard’s first term as Governor in 1983—39 years ago!

Representative Tate is a Detroit native. His father was a firefighter for the City of Detroit who gave his life while serving the city, while his mother was a Detroit public school teacher.

His first claim to fame came in athletics as a three-year starter and team captain on the Michigan State football team. In addition to his success on the field, Tate earned a degree in Public Policy and received Academic All-Big Ten honors for his excellence in the classroom. After graduating from MSU, Joe moved on to the National Football League (NFL) where he spent two years playing for three teams.

Tate left his career in athletics and was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the United States Marine Corps. He deployed twice to Afghanistan, first as a Platoon Commander and then as a Company Executive Officer, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of hundreds of Marines and sailors. After an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, resumed his education, earning an MBA and Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning, both from the University of Michigan. _________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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It has been a week focused on the intersection of crime and politics:

The initial hearing of the January 6 Special Committee laying the case that Trump led the attempted coup; GOP gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley arrested by the FBI; Multiple other Michigan Republicans facing criminal investigations Also this week: James Craig launches a Quixotic write-in campaign for Governor, believing that's less of a challenge than collected 15,000 valid signatures.

Mark and Jeff mull over the politics of this week's Law and Order edition of "A Republic, If You Can Keep It".

_______________________________________________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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In the rapidly developing state political scene ---

Three frustrated Republican would-be candidates for Governor lose in court The remaining GOP gubernatorial candidates bring a far-right message to the Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce The GOP opts to bypass voters on petition-drive-generated laws New polling shows minimal support for Betsy DeVos's latest efforts to take money away from public schools

Joining Mark and Jeff to update us on the latest are pollster Bernie Porn of EPIC-MRA public opinion research's and Emily Lawler, state government and politics at the Detroit Free Press.

_______________________________________________________________________________________ This week's podcast is underwritten by Practical Political Consulting and EPIC-MRA. We thank them for supporting "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

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A seismic shift in Michigan politics with as many as five would-be Republican gubernatorial candidates facing banishment from the August ballot due to petition signature fraud.

Joining Mark and Jeff this week are two seasoned political savants to shed some light on the sudden end of the James Craig and Perry Johnson campaigns are Michigan pollster Bernie Porn of EPIC-MRA; and Detroit native Mike Murphy who has been a top adviser to dozens of prominent Republican campaigns including those of George W. Bush, John McCain, Christie Todd Whitman, John Engler, Spencer Abraham and Arnold Schwarzenegger. These days, Murphy is a full-time pundit with regular network commentary gigs, and co-hosting the bipartisan political podcast Hacks on Tap with Obama administration veterans David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs.

Mike Murphy (l) & Bernie Porn offer insight into GOP chaos This week's podcast is sponsored by EPIC*MRA, ranked as Michigan's top public opinion research firm by FiveThirtyEight.com; and, Practical Political Consulting, the go-to campaign consultants in Michigan for more than 40 years.

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This week in politics:

Mark Brewer takes a victory lap as Pro-Choice advocates win a crucial court test Multiple state legislative candidates knocked off the ballot by the Secretary of State Mike Pence brings his defund the public schools campaign to Michigan Pennsylvania's GOP goes full MAGA; Democrats look to flip a Senate seat Two MAGA candidates bite the dust: Madison Cawthorn falls in North Carolina, a Trump-backed challenge to the Governor of Idaho falls short

All that ... inside info bundled with more than a little snark ... on this week's hosts-only presentation!

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This week in Michigan: * The Republicans hold their first gubernatorial debate with James Craig MIA * The candidates agree on opposing freedom of choice for women, with nuanced differences on who won in 2020 * Craig concedes petition fraud, but says it's not his fault * The Detroit Chamber limits participation in its upcoming debate to five candidates ... leaving out Tudor Dixon

Jeff and Mark also weigh in on problems with two GOP-sponsored petition drives, changing Michigan's term limits, a State Police investigation into former Speaker Lee Chatfield, new polling in the hotly contested 7th congressional district, and the GOP war within the Macomb County Republican Party.

Joining the conversation this week is “The Mooch”! Anthony Scaramucci is an American financier who served as the White House Director of Communications for 10 days in 2017.

Scaramucci’s worked at Goldman Sachs's investment banking, equities, and private wealth management divisions between 1989 and 1996. After leaving Goldman Sachs, he founded Oscar Capital Management, and in 2005, he founded the investment firm SkyBridge Capital.

(Mark) Days into his White House job, Scaramucci provoked controversy after launching a strongly-worded attack on members of the Trump Administration in an interview with The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza that he believed was off the record. Ten days after his appointment, he was dismissed by the new White House Chief of Staff, John F. Kelly, at the recommendation of President Donald Trump. He has since been critical of Trump in the media and voiced his support for Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

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How does the pending demise of Roe v Wade change Michigan politics in 2022? Mark and Jeff examine the new political playing field with veteran Republican political operative Bill Nowling.

Bill Nowling

Nowling is Executive Director of Strategic Communication at DP+. Previously, he was communication director for Wayne County (Michigan). Nowling has been a professional communicator for the better part of a quarter century, and he has advised governors, mayors, chief executives, and corporations on how to effectively communicate and manage change. More recently, Mr. Nowling has consulted on the Detroit municipal bankruptcy, the Flint water crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to being a public relations practitioner, Nowling is a communication researcher and a Ph.D. candidate in risk and crisis communication at Wayne State University.

Also this week: a heavily flawed Trumper candidate loses a special state House election in a very Republican west Michigan district to a Democrat ... the GOP gubernatorial primary campaign continues to breed uncertainty as the petitions of the presumed frontrunners are under the microscope ... and one of those candidates has an acting background that could come back to bite her.

This week's podcast is sponsored by EPIC • MRA, the state's top-rated public opinion research service. EPIC ▪ MRA offers expertise in: • Public Opinion Surveys - Market Research Studies • Live Telephone Surveys, On-Line and Automated Surveys • Focus Group Research • Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns • Political Campaigns Consulting • Ballot Proposals/Issue Advocacy Research • Community & Media Relations • Issue Image Management • Database Development & List Management

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The race to be the Republican nominee for Michigan Governor became the latest black eye for the Michigan GOP as petitions from at least 3 of the candidates may have fraudulent signatures. That could mean Perry Johnson, James Craig and/or Tudor Dixon don't even show up on the primary ballot. Craig has even more problems as northern Michigan Congressman Jack Bergman switches his endorsement from Craig to Johnson, and the former Detroit police chief reports lackluster fundraising.

Adding to the drama of the week: a state party convention described by multiple Republicans as a "shit show" as delegates endorsed Trump-back Big Lie believers for Attorney General and Secretary of State. John Truscott, who served as communications director for former Republican Gov. John Engler, tweeted On top of that, would-be state House Speaker Matt Maddock was expelled from the House GOP caucus, and congressional candidate Tom Barrett dove head-first into the swamp by alleging support for sexual exploitation of children by his opponent. Helping us wade through the week's GOP chaos is award-winning reporter Jonathan Oosting of Bridge Michigan. He has a master’s degree in journalism from Michigan State University and has previously worked for The Detroit News and MLive Media Group. He is Grand Rapids native and lives in Lansing with his wife and new daughter Mara (who makes a cameo appearance!).

________________________________________________________________________________ This week's podcast is sponsored by EPIC • MRA, the state's top-rated public opinion research service. EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:

Public Opinion Surveys - Market Research Studies

Live Telephone Surveys, On-Line and Automated Surveys

Focus Group Research

Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns

Political Campaigns & Consulting

Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research

Community - Media Relations

Issue - Image Management

Database Development & List Management

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The Republican culture wars was on full, ugly display in Michigan this week...and denounced by one of its targets. State Senator Mallory McMorrow's floor speech responding to Senator Lana Theis' fundraising email insinuation that McMorrow was "grooming" children for a life of sexual exploitation went viral with 10-million views and national media attention.   Also this week: 10 Republicans filed signatures for a place on the gubernatorial primary ballot. Who benefits most from a crowded field?    Joining the conversation this week is veteran communications consultant and former state legislator Buzz Thomas of Detroit. He is the founder and CEO of Thomas Group Consulting. Thomas spent 14 years in the Michigan legislature - the maximum allowed under term limits - including serving as Democratic Floor Leader in the Senate and as Democratic Leader in the House. He was co-chairman of the 2008 Michigan Presidential campaign of Barack Obama.  

In 2013 he founded and co-chaired Turnaround Detroit, the Super PAC credited with electing Mike Duggan Detroit’s mayor. While serving, his expertise in the areas of healthcare, education reform, business development incentives and arts and culture, a personal passion led to the creation of rigorous academic standards for Michigan schools and creation of tax incentive laws that helped spur development in Detroit. His success in the legislature led to more than two-dozen leadership awards, ranging from being named the legislator of the year by the Michigan Association of Regions to earning the Peacemaker Award from Wayne State University.

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Multiple Republican county conventions devolved into chaos as Trump backers faced off with the party's onetime establishment. Mark and Jeff analyze the fallout from the growing divide in the party and its implications for this fall. Also in our "legitimate political discourse": the Planned Parenthood lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Michigan's abortion ban; and the police killing of an unarmed African American in Grand Rapids. Both have significant political implications.

Joining the conversation this week is one of the national Democratic Party's strongest hopes for "flipping" a congressional district, immigration attorney Hillary Scholten. She's running in the newly drawn district centered in Grand Rapids where incumbent Republican Peter Meijer faces a Trump-supported primary opponent for the sin of voting in favor of impeaching Trump for instigating the January 6 insurrection. 

Scholten is an attorney with the Miller Johnson law firm in Grand Rapids. She is expert in immigration law, having served as Staff Attorney for the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, Judicial Law Clerk & Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Department of Justice Board of Immigration, and Immigration Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

This week's podcast is sponsored by EPIC/MRA, the state's top-rated public opinion research service. EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:

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Trump gives a Castro-esque nearly two-hour speech in Macomb County, promoting his Big Lie believing candidates for Michigan Secretary of State and Attorney General ... much to the consternation of non-Trumpist Republicans.

A tale of two campaigns: Congressman Fred Upton decides he's had enough, and would-be Attorney General Tom Leonard is pushed to the exits by his party's chairperson.

Sen. Curtis Hertel, Jr.

Joining Mark and Jeff this week for a wide-ranging conversation is state Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. (D-East Lansing).

Sen. Hertel came to the Senate after more than a decade of service in local government as an Ingham County Commissioner and later the county’s Register of Deeds. As a county commissioner he successfully led the charge for creating the Ingham Health Plan, a low-cost program to provide uninsured residents with basic heathcare. As Register of Deeds Hertel pioneered a program to protect homeowners against having their homes stolen by identity thieves and foreclosure scams. In the state Senate he is minority vice chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Speaker Curtis Hertel, Sr.

Sen. Hertel’s family has a long history of public service. He is the son of former state House co-Speaker Curtis Hertel. His uncles, Dennis and John Hertel, both served in the state Legislature with Dennis serving 12 years in Congress. His younger brother, Kevin, was elected to the State House of Representatives in 2016 and is currently running for the state Senate in Macomb County. In addition, his wife Elizabeth serves as director of the state‘’s Department of Health and Human Services.

This week's podcast is sponsored by EPIC/MRA, the state's top-rated public opinion research service. EPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:

Public Opinion Surveys - Market Research Studies

Live Telephone Surveys, On-Line and Automated Surveys

Focus Group Research

Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns

Political Campaigns & Consulting

Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research

Community - Media Relations

Issue - Image Management

Database Development & List Management

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The focus in Michigan politics this week is the apparent takeover of the state Republican Party by the Trump Big Lie faction even as the gloves come off in the race for the Attorney General. Bridge Michigan published a major "opposition research" dump on the sketchy professional resume of frontrunner Matt DePerno. DePerno's campaign is also under pressure for him to disclose how he used $400,000 in contributions raised in the name of fighting for "election integrity" (meaning another audit of the 2020 election).

Topping the week will be a Trump rally in northern Macomb County in support of DePerno and Secretary of State candidate Kristina Karamo, another Trump acolyte who preaches the Big Lie. What other Republicans will show up? Just as significant will be the list of Republicans who skip the rally.

Meanwhile, Republicans are focusing on the promise to "Fix the Damn Roads" campaign pledge by Gretchen Whitmer, running an ad that could boomerang on the GOP as billions flow into road repairs in a matter of weeks, and continuing right up to Election Day.

In our second segment, Mark and Jeff are joined by former CIA spymaster John Sipher.

John Sipher retired in 2014 after a 28-year career in the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, which included serving in Moscow and running the CIA’s Russia operations. Sipher served multiple overseas tours, as Chief of Station and Deputy Chief of Station, in Europe, the Balkans, Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. He also ran Russian operations at headquarters. He retired as a member of the CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service, and received the CIA’s Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. He is the co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, a global production company run by former senior intelligence officers from the US and UK and experienced Hollywood producers.

With the war in Ukraine dominating the headlines, there's nobody better to help us get into the mind of today’s version of the James Bond super-villain, war criminal Vladimir Putin.

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Governor Whitmer gained some powerful evidence of leadership for her reelection campaign with a pair of huge victories: announcement of a $1.7-billion expansion of a car-battery plant in west Michigan (weeks after GM's $7-billion investment commitment for electric vehicles and battery manufacturing); and an agreement with the Republican Legislature on a $4.7-billion supplemental spending bill which invests heavily in schools and infrastructure (roads, bridges, water supplies and more).

Also this week: the state board of canvassers gets shot down on a blatantly partisan change in the requirements for all political petitions; Donald Trump plans to visit the Trumpiest county in Michigan, Macomb; and there's a formidable new candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court.

Joining the conversation this week is Crain's Detroit senior editor Chad Livengood. Livengood covers Michigan politics, public policy and the revitalization of Detroit after decades of economic, social and political decline. His focus is on writing about the people, institutions and ideas that will be vital to returning a middle class to the poorest big city in America along with the politics and state policy issues impacting the state’s largest urban center.

Prior to joining Crain’s Chad covered state government for five years for the Detroit News. Earlier in his career he covered state government and politics in both Delaware and Illinois. He’s a graduate of Central Michigan University where he was editor in chief of the student newspaper.

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There's plenty going on in Michigan politics. Jeff and Mark offer their takes on the apparent domination of Donald Trump in Michigan politics, and the massive field of Democratic candidates in the Detroit-based 13th congressional district.

In our second segment, our focus shifts to Putin's vicious war on Ukraine. Joining the conversation is one of the nation's leading experts on the opaque world of the Putin dictatorship, Olga Lautman.

Lautman is a Non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis. She is also the creator and co-host of Kremlin File podcast series, which features expert discussions on the Kremlin’s internal affairs, global operations, and tactics used from their hybrid warfare toolkit to destabilize Western democracies.

Her research focuses on the cross-section of organized crime and intelligence operations in Russia and Ukraine, their impact on the West, and the monitoring of active measures campaigns conducted by the Kremlin to destabilize democratic practices and influence foreign elections.

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Jeff is off this week as he and his family deal with the sudden passing of their youngest son. Our hearts go out to Jeff, Mattie and their four other children. They have asked that we all respect their privacy. If you would like to send a message to the family, you can email "Comments@ARepublicPodcast.com".

Pinch-hitting for Jeff this week is one of the best of state capitol journalists, Craig Mauger of the Detroit News. Prior to joining the News, he was Executive Director of the non-partisan Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN) where he tracked the money that drives the political system.

Craig is a graduate of Ohio University's Scripps School of Journalism. He spent a decade working as a journalist covering government and politics. Prior to going MCFN three and a half years, he worked as a reporter for Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS News) in Lansing. At MIRS, much of Mauger's coverage focused on money in politics. He's written about the changing role of politically focused nonprofits, investigated the purchase of a new Senate office building and uncovered that a top state official was benefiting from primary residence tax breaks in two states.

At the Detroit News, has continued to “follow the money.”

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Since our last “legitimate political discourse,” Putin invaded Ukraine on what he labeled a peacekeeping mission (complete with bombs, missiles and miles-long convoys), President Biden began what the White House hopes is a reset with his State of the Union address, and the debate over Michigan’s new legislative districts’ impact on African-American voters became more heated.

Public relations and political consultant Darci McConnell joins the conversation to weigh in on the latter, as well as help us take the political temperature of Southeast Michigan.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, McConnell is no stranger to local government and politics. As president and CEO of Detroit-based McConnell Communications, Inc., she routinely works with local municipalities and politicians and in 2020, she was appointed to the Grosse Pointe Park City Council – the first African American to serve.

She has owned and operated her public relations business for 18 years and previously spent 14 years as a newspaper reporter across Michigan as well as in Washington, D.C. Her personal passion is making a difference in the lives of young people through mentoring and other opportunities.

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The week in Michigan Politics:

There’s another multi-millionaire candidate for Governor who’s off to a rocky-but-expensive start. Abortion and the right to use birth control grow as possibly pivotal issues in the 2022 general election. Mark and Jeff analyze both subjects.

The conversation pivots to the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump. Adding her expertise is former U.S. Attorney for Southeast Michigan Barbara McQuade. McQuade’s areas of legal interest include criminal law, criminal procedure, national security, data privacy, and civil rights. From 2010 to 2017, Professor McQuade served as the U.S attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan. Appointed by President Barack Obama, she was the first woman to serve in her position.

McQuade also served as vice chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee and co-chaired its Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee. As U.S. attorney, she oversaw cases involving public corruption, terrorism, corporate fraud, theft of trade secrets, civil rights, and health care fraud, among others. Professor McQuade also serves as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. She also co-hosts the #Sisters In Law podcast.

Professor McQuade teaches law at the University of Michigan where she earned her bachelor’s and law degrees.

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Another bizarre week in Michigan politics:

• former Michigan Republican chairperson Laura Cox is subpoenaed by Congress

• the home of two top staffers of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield is raided by the state police

• the Michigan Republican Party has an internal fight over how it will count votes at its state convention – will they continue to use the machines they bought from Dominion?

Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer analyze the political fallout. Then they are joined by Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist for a broad-ranging discussion of the Whitmer administration’s priorities for 2022 and beyond.

Lt. Governor Gilchrist’s professional background is in technology, receiving his first computer at age five and setting up a computer lab in a Detroit community recreation center using computers that he built himself at age 16. He studied computer engineering and computer science at the University of Michigan, graduating with honors, and later had a successful career as a software engineer at Microsoft, helping to build SharePoint into the fastest growing product in the company’s history.

Lt. Governor Gilchrist spent the next several years of his career as a social entrepreneur and community organizer who helped people in communities across America realize their full economic and political potential.

As part of the Whitmer Administration, Lt. Governor Gilchrist has sought to address injustice and inequity across our state at every level co-chairing the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration to leading the Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities.

Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist and his wife, Ellen, reside in Detroit where they are raising their twins, Emily and Garlin III, and daughter, Ruby.

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Still more on the Electoral College fraud conspiracy, the ever-growing field of far-right-wing Republican gubernatorial candidates and an amazing roster of petition drives are afloat in Michigan. Those of the subjects of our opening segment, now officially called our weekly “Legitimate Political Discourse.”

Then we shift the focus to the long-term future. While most of the political focus is on the 2022 and 2024 campaigns, there’s a new generation of voters who will soon dominate our political discussion. And they are decidedly leaning left.

John Della Volpe is the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and the author of “Fight: How Gen Z is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America.” The Washington Post referred to John as one of the world’s leading authorities on global sentiment, opinion and influence especially among young Americans and in the age of digital and social media.

In 2008, John received an Eisenhower Fellowship for which he traveled extensively throughout China, Hong Kong, and Korea (including a supervised day in North Korea) studying Millennials; in 2011, he was appointed to the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Media. His TV appearances include the most prestigious in politics: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah 😎!

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What a week:

• A high-powered coalition launches a petition drive to thwart the Republican-lead voter suppression petition drive
• A third lawsuit filed against the Redistricting Commission’s maps, even as another lawsuit loses in a divided state Supreme Court
• Two leaders of the Trump Electoral College fraud in Michigan get congressional subpoenas
• The former president is all-in for “his” candidate for Michigan Attorney General … and his establishment-favored rival is in deep trouble over the what’s turning into a major state capitol scandal

Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer sort it all out on this week’s episode!

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Another huge week in Michigan politics:

• Former House Speaker Lee Chatfield, already embroiled in a criminal investigation into sexual abuse charges, is now under the microscope for massive off-the-books spending out of his political slush fund
• Michigan Republican co-chair Meshawn Maddock is facing pushback for an allegedly racist tweet directed at Lt. Governor Garland Gilchrist, along with a federal investigation into the forged Electoral College documents scandal
• Governor Whitmer’s State of the State message leads with repeal of the very unpopular Snyder pension tax
• Whitmer gets a big political push from GM’s announcement of $7-billion in new Michigan investments

Joining the conversation is a legendary figure in Michigan politics, Bob LaBrant.

LaBrant served the Michigan Chamber of Commerce for 34 years, heading the political and legal programs. He is known nationally for his help in organizing corporate, association and chamber political action committees.

LaBrant has been active in the redistricting process in Michigan over the past four decades. He was the primary architect of Operation Redmap – the successful 2010 effort to take control of redistricting by winning control of the Michigan Legislature. As a result of his efforts, Republicans were able to gerrymander the state to maintain control of the Legislature and congressional delegation for most of the last decade.

Throughout his career, LaBrant aggressively pursued campaign finance legislation, Department of State rulings, campaign finance complaints and political litigation. And, as a longtime friend of Bob’s, I can say that even his most ardent opponents … including Mark … respect Bob for both his incredible political talent and his impeccable integrity.

His role in the 2010 Michigan gerrymander is part of his excellent book “PAC Man: A Memoir”, a revealing look at the real world of contemporary Michigan politics.

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A coordinated effort to steal the presidential election — by the Trump campaign. Republicans in Michigan and four other states sent forged certificates to Congress “awarding” their electoral votes to the losing candidate, Donald Trump. We’re joined by Michigan’s chief elections officer, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, to discuss the plot along with failed efforts to pass federal voting rights legislation.

Benson is Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State. She is a former dean of Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan, a co-founder of the Military Spouses of Michigan and a board member of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality. Benson is considered one of the nation’s leading experts in election law, and is author of State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process. Benson was elected as Michigan’s Secretary of State in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to hold the office since Richard H. Austin left 24 years earlier.

Secretary Benson graduated magna cum laude where she founded the now-annual Women in American Political Activism conference and was the first student to be elected to serve in the governing body for the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts. Benson received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School where she was a general editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review. Prior to attending law school, Benson worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center as an investigative journalist researching white supremacist and neo-Nazi organizations. Benson has also worked as a summer associate for voting rights and election law for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and as a legal assistant to Nina Totenberg at National Public Radio.

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The full half-hour-plus this week is devoted to several amazing developments in Michigan Politics, beginning with the dual scandals enveloping former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield. Accused first of sexual abuse by his now sister-in-law beginning when she was a teenager, he’s now the subject of investigations into his massive political slush fund.

Also on the agenda for Jeff and Mark: musical chairs as Michigan’s members of Congress figure out where they are running after redistricting, and who’s running to join the delegation; covid hits the Governor’s husband and her Lt. Governor in the same week; and Joe Biden takes off the gloves as the 2022 campaign gets underway in earnest.

And don’t forget — we’ve got some great stuff waiting for you at the Merch Store. Check it out!

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To start the new year, Mark and Jeff take a look back at two of the most tulmultuous issues of 2021: the anniversary of the January 6 assault on the Capitol and Republican efforts to rig future elections.

We go back to some often prescient commentary by five in our roster of amazing 2021 guests:

Michael Steele Governor Michael Dukakis Rep. Dan Kildee Steve Schmidt Col. Alexander Vindman We’re back in a week to kick off what promises to be a more-than-lively 2022 campaign season!

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For the first time ever, Michigan’s new congressional and legislative district maps have been drawn by non-politicians: the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, created by the 2018 ballot proposal 2. What does it mean for Michigan’s political balance of power? And will the maps survive inevitable court challenges?

Mark Brewer and Jeff Timmer are both experts on partisan redistricting from previous battles. They are joined by longtime Lansing political columnist Bill Ballenger to analyze what’s happened.

Ballenger is a former state Representative and state Senator. For more than 40 years he’s been one of the state’s most respected commentators on the Michigan political scene. He founded the insiders’ newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, and later started his Ballenger Report Blog and weekly podcast.

Here are the final maps approved by the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission on December 28th:

• Congressional: Chestnut
• State Senate: Linden
• State House: Hickory

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The Michigan Supreme Court tells the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission that its closed-door meeting violated the state constitution. However, the newly released memos from that meeting were a big nothing-burger, raising questions of why the Commission created the controversy in the first place.

Joining the conversation is one of the state’s top political writers, Kyle Melinn of the Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS). The MIRS daily newsletter is a must-read for everyone involved in state public policy. Melinn is news editor of the MIRS report. He also hosts the weekly MIRS Monday Podcast, a bipartisan review of the top political and policy stories in the state. He is a graduate of Michigan State University, beginning his journalism career at a daily newspaper in Dalton Georgia before joining MIRS in 2001…making him a 20-year veteran of the state’s political wars.

In 2019, for the 14th consecutive year, MIRS was voted “Most Effective Capitol News Coverage” securing 66 percent of the votes in an independent survey conducted by EPIC/MRA of Lansing lawmakers, lobbyists and staff. In addition, Melinn was voted “Most Effective Reporter in Covering the Capitol” in that same Insider’s Survey.

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Two GOP heavyweights face off: Michigan Right to Life endorses one candidate for Attorney General, former President Trump has endorsed another. Who will prevail?

Also on the docket this week: the Trump plan to overthrown the election and stage what amounts to a coup to stay in power. The revelations from the House Committee on January 6 are just the beginning, with public hearings in early 2022 promising to be must-see TV.

Joining the discussion in our second segment this week is one of the nation’s best investigative journalists, Judd Legum.

A native of Maryland, Judd earned a B.A. in Public Policy analysis from Pomona College and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in 2003.

Legum founded ThinkProgress in 2005, running it for two years before leaving in 2007 to join Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign as research director. Following the 2008 campaign, he practiced law in Maryland before returning to ThinkProgress in 2011, and became the site’s editor-in-chief in 2012. Under his supervision, the site grew up to a 40-person newsroom that earned 10 million unique visitors a month.

In 2018, Judd announced he was leaving ThinkProgress to develop an independent newsletter, published through Substack. Legum’s newsletter, Popular Information, is Substack’s first politically-focused publication. It launched July 23, 2018. Popular Information has become a go-to newsletter, maintaining an American tradition of journalistic muckraking dating back to pre-Revolutionary War pamphlets of Thomas Paine.

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A coalition of the state’s leading newspapers sue Michigan’s Independent Redistricting Commission for what the newspaper say were unconstitutional closed sessions, signaling the beginning of a long season of legal battles for the Citizens’ Commission. Mark and Jeff also analyze Governor Whitmer’s break with the Biden administration over vaccine mandates, and discuss the politics that are being driven by the tragedy at Oxford High School.

They are then joined by this week’s guest: Reed Galen, co-founder of the Republican insurgency group The Lincoln Project.

Galen is veteran public affairs and political professional with more than 20 years’ experience. He has spent more than a decade advising Fortune 50, 100 and 1000 companies in need of high-level counsel in the fields of strategic communications, procurement, and legislation. He has also managed several high-profile ballot measure campaigns in California, Texas, and Colorado.

Before moving to the private sector, he served as Deputy Campaign Manager for John McCain’s presidential campaign and Deputy Campaign Manager for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful 2006 re-election campaign. Galen also worked on both the 2000 and 2004 campaigns of President George W. Bush. Between campaigns, Galen spent a year at the White House and served the Bush Administration at both the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Homeland Security.

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Two of the most emotional issues of the last few decades came to a head this week: gun safety, and abortion rights. Mark and Jeff take a look at the politics in the aftermath of the horrific shooting in Oxford, and the U.S. Supreme Court hearing on Mississippi’s efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade.

They are then joined by one of the people responsible for the petition drive creating the state’s Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission, Walt Sorg.

Walt has been a part of state policy discussions for more than a half century, beginning as a teenage radio reporter covering the final weeks of the George Romney presidential campaign way back in 1968. Since then he’s held top-level staff positions in all three branches of Michigan government, including 9 years as press secretary to the Speaker of the House and 3 years as chief spokesman for Governor Jim Blanchard’s economic development program.

Walt began working to end partisan gerrymandering in 2013. Ultimately he became one of the founding board members of Voters Not Politicians, the grassroots group that collected more than 400,000 signatures for the ballot proposal that is now part of the Michigan constitution. He was one of the primary authors of the amendment which was approved by 61% of state voters.

The grassroots effort of Voters Not Politicians to amend Michigan’s constitution was chronicled in the award-winning documentary Slay the Dragon.

(And, for full disclosure, he’s also the producer of this podcast … usually someone operating behind the the scenes, but in front of the microphone this week!)