A Republic, If You Can Keep It

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Clay Bennett:Chattanooga Times Free Press On 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 • 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

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Clay Bennett/Tribune Content Agency On 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 ▪ 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 ======================================================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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 ▪ MRA a full service survey research firm with expertise in • Public Opinion Surveys

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 MAGA "Sheep" - The Lincoln Project On 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 ▪ 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

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Ann Telnaes/AnnTelnaes.com On 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 ▪ 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 ====================================================== Rick McKee/Cagle.com

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 AnnTelnaes.com On 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 Representatives Pedro Molina/Tributne Content Agency. 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 ======================================================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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 speculation Keef Knight Project/www.pateon.com/keefknight 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 ======================================================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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 policies Mid-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-Journal 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 ======================================================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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.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 ======================================================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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 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 Management ======================================================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press The 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.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 =========================== ===========================

This week's show is sponsored in part by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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.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 =========================== ===========================

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 by EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS 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 Hertel There’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 Benson State 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 Call 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 =========================== ===========================

This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton 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 Lansing We'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 Media 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

This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton Fish Market 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 Mike Luckovich - Atlanta Journal Constitution Donald 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 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 =========================== ===========================

This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton 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 ▪ 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 =========================== ===========================

This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton 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 ▪ 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 =========================== ===========================

Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton 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 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 Management =========================== ===========================

This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton Fish Market Mike Lukovich-Atlanta Journal Constitution The “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 ▪ 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 =========================== ===========================

This week's show is sponsored by: EPIC-MRA Public Opinion Research MIRS News Fulton Fish Market Clay Jones - claytoonz.com This 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 DOJ 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 =========================== ===========================