The battle for 2nd place in the Republican presidential campaign gets launched … with nobody winning. While the GOP's Wannabe Eight gathered in Milwaukee, the Defendant in Chief appeared in two new prime time specials, “Live at the Fulton County Booking” and “Conversations with a Fired Talk Show Host on a Failing Website."

Representative Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township)

Also this week: the MAGA-inspired effort to recall a half-dozen state House members bogs down; and the UAW negotiations with the Big Three have major implications for the nation and Michigan's economy.

We're joined this week by a state legislator at the center of two major issues: gun safety, and added protections for victims of sexual abuse. Representative Julie Brixie’s district includes the MSU campus: site of a tragic mass shooting, and the starting point for the nightmare of Larry Nassar. Rep. Brixie has been active in community service for 25 years. With a Master’s degree in crop and soil sciences with a specialization in environmental toxicology, Brixie began as a citizen activist on environmental issues in the township. In 1998, she was named to the Meridian Township Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Commission. 

A year later she was elected to the Meridian Township Board, where she served her community for 18 years – two terms as a Trustee and three terms as Treasurer. She is now in her third term in the state House, where she serves on the Appropriations Committee, chairing the subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources.