On Hand

When you’re planning to vote, it's easy to focus on the top of the ticket. But what about all those other important contests farther down the ballot?

This year, Michigan votes on two races for the Michigan Supreme Court. The state’s highest court has decided some pretty big issues in the past five years. Need voters sift through thousands of pages of written opinions to be informed? And what about candidates aspiring to this court, who may or may not have judicial records?

On this episode, a look at how Michigan’s highest court gets elected, and how you might vet the candidates before you vote.

GUEST:

Nicholas Bagley, Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, and a former chief legal counsel to Governor Gretchen Whitmer, for two periods in 2020 and 2022.

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When it comes to this year's election coverage, team Stateside is passing the mic. Our new limited-run podcast series What the Vote? is reported by Gen Z, for Gen Z. It’s all about what matters to young people in politics–and why they matter in this election. We kick off the series with an episode reported and written by Stateside production assistant Adan Quan all about what it means for young people to have a seat at the political table. 

New episodes of What the Vote? drop every Tuesday and Thursday through October 24. Subscribe to the Michigan Public Presents podcast feed wherever you listen to make sure you don't miss an episode. 

GUEST:

Adán Quan, Stateside production assistant 

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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A program to provide cash assistance to new moms and babies in the state is expanding. The state has become a sort of proving ground for basic income assistance.

GUEST:

• Kate Wells, health reporter, Michigan Public

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How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music draws on over 50 years of the networks conversation with and about women musicians that have shaped the industry. The book was largely inspired by Turning the Tables, a series co-founded by music critic Ann Powers.

She and Alison Fensterstock, editor of the new book, joined Stateside to chat about some of the Michigan musicians that have made their mark. Fensterstock's book tour will make a stop at Source Booksellers in Detroit on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:

• Ann Powers, music critic and correspondent for NPR, co-founder of NPR's Turning the Tables

• Alison Fensterstock, contributor to NPR's Turning the Tables; editor of How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music

Looking for more conversations from Stateside? Right this way.

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

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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It's Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish holiday marking the New Year. And this year, it falls at a time when Israel has just invaded Lebanon, and is approaching the one-year mark of Hamas' attack on Israel. Events of the past year have left many Jews, here in Michigan, in the US – and certainly in Israel - as uncertain of the future as they’ve been in this young century. 

GUEST:

• Shimri Zameret is an Israeli citizen, and a Lecturer and Researcher at the UM in the Program of International & Comparative Studies. 

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Michigan has a sizable Lebanese-American population, many of whom have friends and family living in Lebanon. The community is reeling as tensions with Israel have spilled into an escalation of violence and civilian deaths. Documentarian Razi Jafri talks about reactions from the community in Michigan, and the political organizing coalescing among Arab Americans here.

GUEST:

• Razi Jafri, journalist and documentarian  

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A new book, "The Black Utopians", is an intimate, historical look at the places of community, solace, and sustainability created by Black Americans over generations. That includes in Detroit, where The Church of the Black Madonna, became a hub for Black Christian Nationalism and Civil Rights.

GUEST: 

• Aaron Robertson, author, "The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America"

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During his term, former U.S. President Donald Trump focused on the issue of manufacturing, specifically within the auto industry. Now he's promising more tariffs on foreign made goods and raw materials if he becomes president once again.

One of the tariffs that he pursued back in 2018 was requested by a Michigan company, Whirlpool, the maker of various appliances. "Whirlpool had been petitioning the U.S. government for years that that their foreign competitors L.G. and Samsung had been unfairly dumping cheaper made and with cheaper labor, foreign labor, washing machines in the U.S. market and driving down prices to the point that Whirlpool was having a hard time competing anymore," said Chad Livengood, a politics editor for the Detroit News.

Livengood wrote an analysis recently about how trade and tariffs have affected Michigan and decodes what the candidates are saying about them this season. He said, while the tariffs helped Whirpool, and created about 1,800 jobs in the U.S., the benefits came at a cost, “The price of washing machines in this country across the board went up 12% in 2018. I mean, there was instant inflation caused by tariffs.”

GUEST:

• Chad Livengood, politics editor at the Detroit News

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Breaking down the nitty gritty of the utility bill everyone in southeast Michigan: DTE. The energy provider is a source of seemingly endless consternation as consumers feel the pinch from both frequent outages and DTE rate-hike requests. Detroit Free Press columnist Khalil AlHajal recently wrote about it in his column.

GUEST:

Khalil AlHajal, columnist, Detroit Free Press

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Energy gathered from the sun or wind is often seen as a solution to climate change, but there’s a rising conflict in small towns throughout the state over large-scale renewable energy projects. This election season there's been much discussion about how local township and county races have focused on this issue.

Roger Kerson, a Michigan-based writer for Barn Raiser Media, detailed why residents in these communites are pushing back against renewable energy and how opposition goes back to the early 2000s.

GUEST: 

Roger Kerson, Michigan-based writer for Barn Raiser Media

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If you like what you hear, consider supporting our work.

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