A Republic, If You Can Keep It

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. =========================== 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 ===========================

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. =========================== 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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Michigan 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,

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. =========================== 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 =========================== 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...

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. =========================== 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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Michigan 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.

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. =========================== 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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Michigan 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

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-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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Campaigns 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

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. =========================== 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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Fox "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 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

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. =========================== 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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Republican Attacks on Transgender Americans GOP state legislatures pass historic surge in bills targeting LGBTQ rights - The Washington Post 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

Photo credit: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/Pool But 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. =========================== 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 =========================== Stories We’re Following This Week Gun 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 Governor Whitmer Repeals Michigan’s Extreme 1931 Abortion Ban - Executive Office The opaque $70 million scheme that could make Trump the next president - Judd Legum @ Popular Information Trump indictment document - AP News 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

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.” =========================== 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 =========================== 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.

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. =========================== 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 =========================== 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

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-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 =========================== 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

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. Anuzis served as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005-2009 and was a candidate for Chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009 and 2011. Previous positions included working with Newt Gingrich at American Solutions, Jack Kemp’s 1988 Presidential campaign, Chief of Staff to MI Senate Majority Leader Dick Posthumus, Chairman of the MI Senate Republican Campaign Committee and serving on the MI House Republican Campaign Committee and most recently as a Senior Advisor to the Ted Cruz for President Campaign in the 2016 cycle. Today, Anuzis 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. =========================== 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 =========================== 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

Contact Us! 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 - YouTube We 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-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 =========================== 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 Mi...

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. =========================== 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 =========================== 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

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. =========================== 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 =========================== 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

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-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

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:...

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:...

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...