MAGA Republicans had no problem with White House visits during the Trump years by B-List singers Ted Nugent, Kid Rock and Kanye West – but they are freaking out when confronted with the possible Biden endorsement by the most popular entertainer in the world. They are also going ballistic about the UAW’s Shawn Fain’s emphatic support of President Biden. As we record this podcast, Biden is a couple of miles from my Macomb County home visiting with some of the 1-million UAW workers and retirees … voters who could be the difference in swing states across the industrial midwest.

Also this week:

The latest campaign finance reports are in. How much do they signal about the elections? We’ll take a look at some of those reports.

The Citizens Independent Redistricting Commission has some new state House maps for southeast Michigan. Will the maps survive federal court scrutiny … and do they shift the balance of political power in our 50-50 state?

Secretary of State Benson has a $1-million political war chest - a signal for 2026?

Joe Biden continues to draw heat from Michigan Palestinians; meanwhile the only Palestinian-American in Congress, Rashida Tlaib raises $3.6 million in the last three months of 2023.

Republicans now say it might be okay to ignore the Supreme Court, using the same logic that was used by the southern states when they succeeded and launched the Civil War.

In Flint, there's a new contender for congress: the Mayor.

We are joined this week by the Democratic candidate in one of what will be one of the most hotly contested congressional races in the nation – former state Senator Curtis Hertel, who is running to succeed Elissa Slotkin in the House.

As Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Director of Legislative Affairs, Hertel led the state through passing bipartisan legislation that cut taxes for seniors and working families, expanded workers’ rights, and won additional new investments in advanced manufacturing that will bring good-paying jobs to Mid-Michigan and across the state. He was also instrumental in passing legislation that repealed the archaic 1931 law that banned abortion in Michigan, even in cases of rape and incest.

In the legislature, Hertel led the fight to preserve Michigan’s status as the world leader in auto manufacturing and bring thousands of next-generation electric vehicle jobs to Mid-Michigan by working with Democrats and Republicans to help pass the legislation that won GM’s $6.5 billion investment in the Delta and Orion Township battery cell and electric vehicle plants.

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA, 

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

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You really need this for your mourning coffee!