Will Rep. Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint) and the rest of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus be satisfied with anything short of Michigan State Police Director Kriste Kibbey Etue leaving her position? Neeley answers this question along with his feelings on whether Gov. Rick Snyder and his administration are responsive to the African American community, in general. Also, where is he on Speaker Tom Leonard and Mayor Mike Duggan's car insurance reform package?

The MIRS team deduces that Etue's response to her "degenerates" Facebook repost hasn't been executed well and discuss the danger that comes with either her or the Governor not meeting with the Black Caucus on the issue. And could Leonard nab the 55 (or 56 in six weeks) needed yes votes on his auto insurance package by posting the question on the board and putting members on record as voting no on an auto insurance rate cut? This and more in this week's edition.

The MIRS team ties a bow on the Michigan Republican Party's biennial conference on Mackinac Island by putting forth answers to some lingering questions: Was the event Attorney General Bill Schuette's coronation for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2018? Why did Schuette say he would "change" the state' prevailing wage law as opposed to "repealing it?" And why wasn't there a large presence for Lt. Gov. Brian Calley's Clean Michigan Government proposal?

Also, U.S. Senate candidate John James talks about the reaction of his prominent father, business leader and Democratic contributor John A. James, in running for the Republican nomination. How much of James' personal wealth will go into winning his bid next August? The anti-abortion, pro-gun conservative makes his case on this week's podcast.

U.S. Senate candidate Bob Young talks about the origins of his new "Bow Tie. Bad Ass" slogan, how former Gov. John Engler helped convince him to run against U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, his views on immigration and more. 

Also, President Donald Trump tweeted support for Attorney General Bill Schuette's gubernatorial ambitions, but will Schuette, a long-time government official, have trouble with anti-establishment Trump voters? The MIRS team kicks around that question and how Lena Epstein will fare in the 11th Congressional district as opposed to U.S. Senate.

This and much more on this week's edition of MIRS Monday.

U.S. Rep. David Trott opts not to run for Congress in 2018. Why not? Who will Republicans see sign up to take his place? Does this give Democrats a better shot at taking the 11th? The MIRS team tackles this question as well as the prospects of the part-time legislature proposal, the gubernatorial candidacy of Lt. Gov. Brian Calley, Andy Levin and the veto override attempt on the sales tax on vehicle trade-in.

Also, the state's urban search and rescue team is on its way to Florida to assist in the Hurricane Irma recovery efforts. What is this crew? What do they do? Lee Graham, executive director of the labor management side of Operating Engineers Local 324 answers the questions.

In this special Labor Day weekend edition of the MIRS Monday podcast, Ron Bieber, president the Michigan AFL-CIO gives his assessment on President Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial field and proposed civil service rule changes that would impact state employee bargaining powers.

Also, it's not just you. It's been dead in Lansing this summer. The MIRS team talks about why this summer has been the least active Lansing has seen since 2005 (and trust us, we're not complaining!). Finally, MIRS Editor Kyle Melinn argues Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhkof's point on why expanding FOIA to the Legislature may not be a good idea.

Matt Morgan, a Democratic 1st Congressional candidate and a retired Marine, talks about how in a post-9/11 world, the us-versus-them attitude doesn't work with Islamic militant extremists. Morgan differentiates himself from incumbent U.S. Jack Bergman, also a retired Marine. Morgan also talks about his background in this interview.

Also, is Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed making a mistake by not walking in the Detroit Labor Day parade? And why shouldn't we be surprised that Gov. Rick Snyder has not vetoed as many bills as prior governors going back to the 1950s? This and more in this week's edition.

It may be a citizen-led effort, but Katie Fahey, president and treasurer of Voters Not Politicians, says this well-organized effort to change Michigan's redistricting process is serious about getting the roughly 315,000 signatures needed to get a question on the 2018 ballot. Hear how the effort got started and the 7,000 volunteers working between now and February to make this happen.

Traditionally, those collecting signatures for a citizens initiative or a constitutional amendment have needed a $1 million or more to pay circulators to get the needed signatures. Why does this group believe it can buck the trend?

Listen to the Aug. 12 Democratic gubernatorial forum featuring frontrunner Gretchen Whitmer, former Detroit public health director Abdul El-Sayed, former Xerox executive Bill Cobbs and entrepreneur Shri Thaedar in its entirety. Also, prior to the audio replay of the two-hour event, MIRS reporter Simon Schuster breaks down the highlights from the event at the University of Michigan-Flint auditorium hosted by the Progressive Caucus of Mid-Michigan.

What if lawmakers didn't have to travel to Lansing at all? They could just vote from home? That's the type of transformational change Mackinac Center CEO Joe Lehman suggested today in an interview in which he speaks to the Midland-based, free-market think tank, which celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year.

Also, Todd Courser's criminal attorney suggested today in court that the personal financial records of Judge William Collette be pulled to look for bribes. Maura Corrigan comes to Nick Lyon's defense and could FoxConn reshape the legacy of Gov. Rick Snyder.

New Target Insyght polling on the Detroit mayor's race paints a picture of how incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan is doing against challenger Sen. Coleman Young II. What is the state of that primary race and the primary races in Lansing, the 1st House District and the 109th House District?

Dennis Denno from Denno Research and Matt Resch from Resch Strategies break down these races and provide insight into how President Donald Trump may or may not be impacting the campaigns of those running in the Aug. 8 primaries.