The Musk coup is moving forward with minimal signs of effective opposition. Congressional Republicans are rolling over complacently while the Musk teenage Ninjas storm federal offices, and Democrats do little other than scream. A lot of federal employees deemed insufficiently loyal to the Mar-a-Lago golf pro are being fired, laid off or encouraged to quit … meaning literally millions of hours of professional expertise will be lost, replaced by True Believers. In Michigan, the race for the U.S. Senate is beginning to take form in both parties. We take a deep dive into the likely primary contests.

Joining the discussion with an update on the turmoil in the state Legislature is veteran Michigan politics and state government reporter Lauren Gibbons from Bridge Michigan. Prior to joining Bridge’s Capitol team, she worked at MLive, where she led coverage of the state Legislature and the redistricting process, and before that covered the state Senate for MIRS News. She has covered the ins and outs of Michigan politics for nearly a decade and has won awards both for her political coverage and her work documenting the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. Lauren grew up in the Lansing area and graduated from Michigan State University, majoring in journalism and history. She lives in Ferndale, and her party tricks include Irish dancing and telling friends what political districts they live in without looking. She is also an expert on music that highlights Michigan!

The first major partisan battle with the new split-control Legislature is underway, with the Senate majority leader suing the Speaker of the House. We begin this week’s pod exploring that lawsuit with Majority Leader Winnie Brink’s lead attorney in the case: the honorable Mr. Mark Brewer!

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This episode is sponsored in part by EPIC ▪ MRA,