A Republic, If You Can Keep It

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

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

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

The most unqualified national security team ever assembled demonstrates its total lack of competence…and defends itself by attacking Atlantic Magazine and Jeffrey Goldberg. Their fallback defense: no harm, no foul. The attack was successful so it’s no big whoop. Trump, who appears to be out of the loop on a lot of what's happening inside his administration, is keeping his focus on leveraging the presidency to make money for himself, while co-President Elon Musk continues his brazen violations of federal laws and the U.S. constitution. The latest outrages from the Trump-Musk administration: intimidating, punishing and extorting any law firm that dares challenge their mission to destroy the federal government; using the unmatched financial leverage of the federal budget to demand fealty from universities and large corporations; and a new Executive Order which will take away voting rights from untold hundreds-of-thousands of Americans. Clay Jones - claytoons.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 ===========================

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

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

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

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