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. They'll Vote for Him Anyway. - The Atlantic

Trump’s ‘stupid,’ ‘stupid’ town hall

Takeaways from Trump’s CNN town hall: election lies and attacks on E. Jean Carroll - AP News

Fact-checking Donald Trump’s CNN town hall claims on Jan. 6, abortion, Mar-a-Lago documents - PolitiFact

Opinion | What Trump should have been asked at his CNN town hall - The Washington Post

George Santos charged with 13 crimes including money laundering, fraud - The Washington Post

The George Santos Indictment, Annotated - The New York Times

Santos Indictment Leaves Many Lies, Mysteries, and Scandals Unaddressed – Mother Jones

Under the Radar, Right-Wing Push to Tighten Voting Laws Persists - The New York Times

Georgia dashes Democratic dreams of an early 2024 presidential primary - The Washington Post

Long-shot GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy wants to limit voting by younger Americans - The Washington Post

The GOP Culture War

Key Constituencies for Democrats Value the Democratic Party’s Focus on Personal Rights and Working for the People - Data for Progress

Michigan GOP lawyer speaks against any 'voice but a Christian voice' - Detroit News

The Inside Track with Mark & Lisa: Guest Attorney Dan Hartman

Key Constituencies for Democrats Value the Democratic Party’s Focus on Personal Rights and Working for the People - Data for Progress

(Indiana) Gov. Holcomb signs book banning measure - Indianapolis Star

DeSantis Agenda Faces Opposition From Voters Nationally - Data for Progress

REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida - Popular Information

How DeSantis gave Democrats the ‘session from hell’ - POLITICO

REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida - Popular Information

Most say mifepristone abortion pill should stay on market, Post-ABC poll finds - The Washington Post

Anti-trans laws backed by GOP find support in Washington Post-KFF poll - The Washington Post

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

Biden Proposes Emission Rules to Boost Sales of Electric Cars - The New York Times

Sen. Shink Introduces Sustainability-Centered Legislation to Repeal ‘Ban on Bag Bans’ - Senator Sue Shink

Here's why the downpour in Fort Lauderdale just wouldn't stop - AP News

Gun Safety

At Michigan State University, Whitmer signs first gun reform bills ⋆ Michigan Advance

What Michigan's new gun proposals would actually do - Lansing State Journal

Gun groups sue House, Senate over ability to testify on firearms bills - Detroit News

NRA convention draws top GOP 2024 hopefuls after shootings - AP News

White House Memo re: NRA Convention and gun safety

The Democrat Who’s Betting Her Senate Bid on Gun Control - The New Republic

Reproductive Rights

Whitmer: Abortion pill remains ‘legal in Michigan,’ despite judge’s ruling - Bridge Michigan

AG Nessel Joins Multistate Coalition to Fight Back Against Decision to Block Medication Abortion Access

Appeals court decision raises questions about access to abortion pill - Detroit Free Press

Abortion pill legal fight heads toward Supreme Court showdown - NBC News

DeSantis signs Florida GOP's 6-week abortion ban into law - AP News

Democrats in the News

Michigan Democratic Party Legacy Dinner Tickets

Governor Whitmer: The First 100 Days (video)

Dems make major inroads in the youth vote. And it's not just college kids. - POLITICO

Chicago to host 2024 Democratic National Convention - Chicago Sun-Times

Michigan Democrats: Give driver licenses to undocumented immigrants - Bridge Michigan

House Introduces Bills to Expand Support for Crime Victims - Rep. Julie Rogers

Republicans in Disarray

Tenure of new Michigan GOP chair who spread Beyoncé paganism conspiracy theory is off to a rocky start - CNN Politics

Michigan GOP may scrap 2024 primary for closed caucus. That could help Trump - Bridge Michigan

Ex-Michigan Senate leader's nonprofit still spending 3 years later - Detroit News

Special counsel focuses on Trump fundraising off false election claims - The Washington Post

Clarence Thomas Didn’t Disclose Harlan Crow Real Estate Deal — ProPublica

Justice Thomas failed to report 2014 real estate deal with Texas mega-donor - AP News

Editorial | Ron DeSantis says he's for freedom. His Florida agenda says otherwise. - The Washington Post

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. Most counties may not enforce them - Bridge Michigan

Ron DeSantis' donors and allies question if he's ready for 2024 - NBC News

Right Now, Ron DeSantis Lacks the Killer Spirit to Vanquish Trump - The Daily Beast

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visiting Michigan in April - Detroit News

Senator Peters Named Most Effective Senator by Non-Partisan Group WZMQ19.com

The fight over parental rights in schools comes to the House floor - The Washington Post

Biden’s Billionaire Tax and Budget Proposals Enjoy Widespread Voter Support - Data For Progress

(Marjorie Taylor) Greene's DC jail visit pulls GOP closer to Jan. 6 rioters - AP News

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.

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This week's podcast is underwritten in part by EPIC-MRAEPIC ▪ MRA is a full service survey research firm with expertise in:

• Public Opinion Surveys

• Market Research Studies

• Live Telephone Surveys

• On-Line and Automated Surveys

• Focus Group Research

• Bond Proposals - Millage Campaigns

• Political Campaigns & Consulting

• Ballot Proposals - Issue Advocacy Research

• Community - Media Relations

• Issue - Image Management

• Database Development & List Management

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Links to Stories We're Following This Week

House votes to expand background checks on gun sales - Detroit Free Press

Gun reform proposals receive first hearing in Michigan Legislature - WILX TV

Michigan voters support lifetime firearms ban for some crimes, poll says - Detroit News

Michigan Safety Survey Report - Glengariff Group

MSU shooting victim’s mom testifies for gun safety laws - Bridge Michigan

Democrats mobilize on gun safety bills after flipping state legislatures, governor's offices - The Washington Post

Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. Here’s what the laws are now | Bridge Michigan

Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work - Detroit Free Press

Tax relief restored for Michigan retirees, low-income earners- Detroit Free Press

Whitmer approves $630 million to support Ford battery plant - Detroit Free Press

5 (mostly) good things to know about Michigan’s progress on EVs - Bridge Michigan

New Michigan scholarship seeks to fill jobs at state’s EV companies - Bridge Michigan

Opinion | Ford Is Leaving Tesla in the Dust - The New York Times

Michigan Right-to-Work repeal advances to House - Bridge Michigan

Michigan House votes to repeal 1931 abortion ban - Bridge Michigan

Opinion | Joe Biden: My Plan to Extend Medicare for Another Generation - The New York Times

The Programs You’d Have to Cut to Balance the Budget - The New York Times

Tucker Carlson amplifies Jan. 6 lies with GOP-provided video - AP News

Tucker Carlson mocked by Anderson Cooper, Stephen Colbert over Jan. 6 coverage on Fox - The Washington Post

Ambitions collide as rising Democrats consider higher office - POLITICO

Why Michigan Republicans are fretting about 2024 - The Hill

Ex-Michigan GOP chair, others interviewed for fake Trump elector probe

Andy Schor planning run for Slotkin’s Michigan Congressional seat

Andy Schor - Already Being Attacked By Washington Partisans

Voters Oppose States Censoring Discussions of Racism in Schools

Jack Carpenter accused of threatening to kill Jewish officials in Michigan - The Washington Post

Detroit VA hospital harmed patients, altered records, investigation reveals - Detroit News

VA secretary: Fixes being made at Detroit hospital after critical report - Detroit News