On Hand

On today's episodes, you'll hear about the latest developments with Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Plus, environmentalists worry ballast water rule changes put the Great Lakes at risk of more invasive species. 

GUESTS:

Lester Graham, Michigan Radio reporter 

Marc Smith, Policy Director National Wildlife Federation

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Michigan is one of just a handful of states that doesn’t restrict guns in their statehouses. But in the wake of violent riots in D.C. last week, that’s changing. Today, the Michigan Capitol Commission voted to ban the open carry of firearms in the statehouse.

The proposal did not address concealed pistols. But it’s still a huge move for a state that has been very resistant to banning any weapons inside of the people’s building. We talk to a reporter who has been covering the story and a Democratic state lawmaker who says the new ban doesn’t go far enough.

GUESTS:

Rick Pluta, Capitol bureau chief for the Michigan Public Radio Network

Michigan House Minority Leader Donna Lasinski (D-52)

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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When Donald Trump told that crowd to go march on the Capitol saying they needed to show strength, he set off an unprecedented chain of events. It’s led us to a moment in which just about everyone has had to make a decision: what’s the appropriate response to all this? 

On today’s episode, we’ll talk about US Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's resignation and also put this moment into a historical context with presidential historian, Gleaves Whitney.

GUESTS:

David Jesse, reporter covering higher education for the Detroit Free Press

Gleaves Whitney, presidential historian and Executive Director of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

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President Donald Trump has spent months stoking outrage among his supporters with false claims about election fraud. Yesterday, that anger exploded in a terrifying and chaotic scene at the U.S. Capitol. A mob of pro-Trump extremists breached police and stormed into the House and Senate chambers.

On today’s episode, we’ll talk to a Democratic congressman who was in those chambers and a longtime Michigan Republican about what yesterday's events mean for the future of the Republican party, and for the country as a whole. 

GUESTS:

Congressman Dan Kildee, Democrat representing Michigan's 5th Congressional District

Jeff Timmer, former director of Michigan's Republican Party, now a partner at Two Rivers Public Affairs and a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project  

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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In a year marked by contentious partisan divisions, maybe the one thing Michigan Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on is criminal justice reform. Governor Whitmer earlier this week signed into a bipartisan package of major criminal justice reforms that addressed issues like mandatory minimum and penalties for driving on a suspended license.

Meanwhile, Washtenaw County became the first in the state to move toward eliminating cash bail for most criminal cases. On today’s episode, we’ll talk about what these reforms will mean for folks involved in the criminal justice system.

GUESTS:

Eli Savit, Washtenaw County prosecutor

Kimberly Buddin, policy counsel with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

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The state of Michigan has begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines, and frontline health workers and residents of long-term care facilities are first up to receive the vaccination. That’s based on federal and state guidance, which has designated a number of phases for vaccine distribution to particular populations of individuals.

Though it’s still early in the rollout process, Michigan is reporting a relatively low rate of administered COVID-19 vaccinations so far, compared with other states. As of early January, Michigan was lagging 40% behind the national average in vaccination rates.

GUESTS:

Dr. Arnold Monto, epidemiologist at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health and acting chair of the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee

Robin Erb, a health reporter for Bridge Michigan 

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

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Whether you took a holiday break from the news or stayed glued to Twitter all through December, it’s hard not to be compelled by what’s playing out among the nation’s Republican elected officials in this first week of 2021.

Dozens of congressional Republicans—including many in Michigan—have decided to contest the 2020 presidential election results. That’s despite the fact that both local and state officials have already certified Michigan’s results. We asked Politico reporter Tim Alberta to help us wrap our heads around what’s going on.

GUEST:

Tim Alberta, chief political correspondent for POLITICO and author of American Carnage.

Stateside’s theme music is by 14KT.

Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Michigan faves Tanya Blount and Michael Trotter’s band, The War and Treaty released a stunning new album on Rounder Records this year, called Hearts Town. It’s a ravishing mix of musical styles, soul, R&B, along with some callbacks to the Great American Songbook.

The Trotters’ interpretive skills are in high gear, as they work with finesse and passion through songs reflecting time-tested love amid hardship. If you’re hunting for music that acknowledges the pain of 2020, but that also paves the way for healing, The War and Treaty’s got you covered. We spoke with them from their home in Nashville about making the album. 

You can find Hearts Townhere at The War and Treaty website. 

Guests:

Michael Trotter and Tanya Blount Trotter

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Sitting down with a book has been such an incredible gift this past year, and there’s been a lot of good releases from Michigan authors in 2020. To give us some direction for our post-holiday bookstore shopping, we checked in with writer and critic Keith Taylor.

He talked to us about his favorite Michigan reads from 2020 and some of his own recent work, too. 

GUEST: 

Keith Taylor, poet, writer, and retired creative writing teacher at the University of Michigan

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It’s been a lean season for Michigan’s wine industry. A big part of the state’s wine culture are tasting rooms, and it has been hard to adapt them to fit within COVID restrictions. You can’t exactly spit into a bucket with a mask on.

On this episode, we’ll talk to the owner, winemaker, and brewer of a Michigan winery about how he’s trying to adapt to a new reality quickly enough to save the business.

GUEST: 

Mike Wells, owner of Black Fire Winery in Tecumseh, Michigan 

If you like what you hear on the pod, consider supporting our work.

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

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