Category: Uncategorized

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:26 — 43.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

While Michigan Democrats continue to enact legislation focused on making lives better for working families, democracy is under assault from MAGA Republicans across the nation. The leader of the Republican Party has called for defunding the FBI and Justice Department even as their congressional leaders call for across-the-board cuts that defund police nationwide. MAGA Republicans continue attacks on fair-and-open elections, the civil rights of the trans community, the reproductive healthcare rights of women, and even on drag queens.

On this week’s podcast, MDP chair Lavora Barnes discusses

• The expulsion of two Democratic legislators from the Tennessee House of Representatives
• Still more criminal problems for Michigan Republicans
• Attacks on the rights of transgender Americans by MAGA-dominated legislatures
• Michigan’s new marketing campaigns for businesses, professionals and visitors: the un-Florida!
• The big win for fair elections and reproductive healthcare rights in Wisconsin

Stories We’re Following This Week

Reproductive Healthcare Rights

• Governor Whitmer Repeals Michigan’s Extreme 1931 Abortion Ban
• Texas judge suspends FDA approval of abortion pill mifepristone – The Washington Post
• Statement from President Joe Biden on Decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA – The White House
• Statement from Vice President Harris on Decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA – The White House
• Opinion | The Abortion Ban Backlash Is Starting to Freak Out Republicans – The New York Times

Marketing Michigan

• Gov. Whitmer Launches New Bold Approach to Marketing the State as Home of Opportunity for All
• Lt. Gov. Gilchrist Announces Innovative Partnership to Attract and Retain Investment Professionals in Michigan
• Gov. Whitmer Announces Hemlock Semiconductor Joins State Partnership to Lower Cost of Child Care for Employees

Gun Safety and the Tennessee House Expulsions

• Tennessee lawmakers expelled by House GOP: Reps. Pearson, Jones ousted – The Tennessean
• Tennessee lawmakers’ removal part of a GOP effort to tamp down dissent – The Washington Post
• Vice President Harris travels to Tennessee to meet with expelled lawmakers – The Washington Post
• What top Republican lawmakers said about the Nashville school shooting – The Washington Post
• White House calls Ron DeSantis ‘shameful’ for signing Florida gun bill – The Washington Post
• Michigan Democrats have more ideas on gun safety, labor, civil rights – Detroit Free Press

State Government

• Former House Speaker Rick Johnson, others charged in marijuana bribery case ⋆ Michigan Advance
• Benson in wake of Johnson scandal: Lobbying law rewrite overdue – Detroit News
• Michigan insurers will cover preventive screenings during ACA appeals – Detroit Free Press
• Gilchrist touts Democrats’ policies as party nears 100 days in control

Wisconsin Supreme Court

• Democrats’ choice wins key Wisconsin Supreme Court race – AP News
• Janet Protasiewicz defeats Dan Kelly in Wisconsin Supreme Court race – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• (3) Judge Janet Protasiewicz on how to pronounce her name – Twitter

GOP Attacks on LGBTQ Rights

• Indiana governor signs ban on gender-affirming health care – AP News
• GOP lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky – AP News
• Florida Senate approves ban on transgender treatments for kids – POLITICO
• North Dakota advances suite of restrictions on trans rights – AP News
• West Virginia governor signs ban on gender-affirming care – AP News
• Kansas passes trans bathroom bill; Arkansas OKs own version – AP News
• Utah Is “Protecting” LGBTQ+ Kids by Letting Their Parents Read All Their Messages – Mother Jones
• High court: Trans girl can run girls track in West Virginia – AP News

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:12 — 12.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Another week, another shooting followed by more Thoughts and Prayers. At the federal level, Republicans make it clear that is all they are willing to do as innocent Americans are slaughtered, almost always with legally obtained AR-15 style assault rifles.

Democrats in the Michigan Legislature also offer sincere thoughts and prayers, but are continuing to move forward with action on common-sense gun safety laws that have the support of an overwhelming majority of Michiganders.

We are joined this week by the chair of the state House Criminal Justice Committee, Representative Kara Hope, on gun safety as well as protecting election workers from threats of violence.

News Stories We Are Following This Week

• Michigan is passing gun safety laws. Most counties may not enforce them – Bridge Michigan
• Democratic gun safety laws met with a shrug in Michigan gun country – Bridge Michigan
• After Nashville shooting, Senate chaplain makes rare plea to lawmakers – The Washington Post
• In Congress, little urgency to address gun violence with legislation – The Washington Post
• What top Republican lawmakers said about the Nashville school shooting – The Washington Post
• Legislature’s three-month sprint reflects sea change in Michigan politics
• GOP lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky – AP News
• West Virginia governor signs ban on gender-affirming care – AP News
• Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel calls income tax cut temporary. Republicans express fury – Bridge Michigan
• On second look, Michigan’s COVID death rate wasn’t so bad, study finds – Bridge Michigan
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: “That woman from Michigan” – CBS News via YouTube
• 20 Michigan high schools to teach African American AP course this fall – Bridge Michigan
• Poll: Cut federal spending — but not big-ticket programs – AP News
• Arizona Democrats sue to keep ‘No Labels’ candidates off ballots – CNN Politics
• Yellen calls climate change ‘existential threat’ after GOP lawmaker labels it ‘Trojan horse’ for spending – The Hill
• Lansing power players, secret deals draw feds’ attention in marijuana probe – Detroit News
• Republicans Face Setbacks in Push to Tighten Voting Laws on College Campuses – The New York Times

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:26 — 58.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

We have an epidemic of gun violence in this country. The leading cause of death of children is guns; seemingly every night the news includes reports of still another mass shooting.

As Governor Whitmer said after the tragedy at Michigan State University, the time for “only thoughts and prayers is over”. And Democrats in the Legislature agree, and are enacting common-sense gun safety measures that are being demanded by voters. The bills have overwhelming public support, but that support isn’t shared by the Michigan Republican Party. The party called the bills a step towards gun confiscation, and compared them to the actions of Nazis in the 1930s. 

Joining this week’s podcast is the Speaker Pro-Tem of the Michigan House, Laurie Pohutsky.

She is serving her third term representing the 17th House District, which encompasses parts of Northwest Detroit, North Redford Charter Township and Northeast Livonia. She is a long-time activist and volunteer, and spent time as a crisis hotline volunteer and a caregiver at Angela Hospice.

Pohutsky graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in microbiology. After college, Pohutsky worked in the fields of food safety, toxicology and health care. She brings this knowledge, along with her experience in water quality testing, with her to the Michigan House of Representatives. She has a deep commitment to bringing a scientific perspective to government and advocating for environmental causes.

Stories across Michigan on politics and policy

• Legislature’s three-month sprint reflects sea change in Michigan politics – Detroit News
• Michigan Right to Work repeal, prevailing wage clear Legislature, head to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan lawmakers repeal right-to-work, revive prevailing wage – Detroit News
• Michigan Democrats vote once more to repeal right-to-work – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan Gov. Whitmer says time for ‘only thoughts and prayers’ is over, vows to take action on gun violence – Fox News
• Michigan passes ‘safe storage’ gun bill; state GOP likens it to Nazism -|Bridge Michigan
• Michigan House passes safe gun storaproposal – WILX TV
• Oxford shooter’s parents can be tried for manslaughter, court rules – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan GOP slammed for comparing gun reform to Holocaust – AP News
• Michigan GOP tries to tie gun reforms to Holocaust, draws backlash – Detroit News
• Karamo: Gun laws equate to slavery, internment camps – Twitter
• Michigan GOP leader: Whitmer, a ‘monster,’ should face criminal investigation for COVID response – mlive.com
• House Freedom Caucus Radical Budget Demands – Twitter
• Freedom Caucus lays out debt limit, spending demands – Roll Call
• Biden’s Billionaire Tax and Budget Proposals Enjoy Widespread Voter Support – Data for Progress.org
• Michigan 3rd grade reading law retention requirement removed – Detroit Free Press
• New bill could ban child marriages in Michigan – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan judge approves $626 million Flint water crisis settlement – Bridge Michigan
• Generative AI is a legal minefield – Axios
• Biden-Trump fake audio argument – TikTok
• Could Michigan’s GOP split into two? – WLNS 6 News
• Michigan voter roll maintenance means removing nearly 100,000 registrations – Bridge Michigan
• The war on drag shows – Popular Information
• Experts cast doubt that Lapeer librarian can be charged over LGBTQ book – Bridge Michigan
• The fate of ‘Gender Queer’ now in the hands of Lapeer librarian – Bridge Michigan
• As US education secretary, I want us to enrich public schools, not ban books and topics – New York Times Op-ed Column

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 15:27 — 13.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

In the last week there have been two major developments showing respect: respect for LGBTQ+ Michiganders as the Governor signs a law expanding the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity … and respect for workers’ rights.

Under the Snyder administration, there were continual attacks on the rights of workers to improve their working conditions and pay. The most egregious: after saying that so-called “right to work” legislation wasn’t on his agenda, in 2012 Governor Snyder and Republicans jammed through a ban on union shop contracts during a lame-duck legislative session. The bills passed with no committee hearings and minimal floor debate on straight party line votes.

Just this week, the former Governor doubled down on his betrayal of workers with an op-ed in the Detroit News claiming that repealing the law means Michigan is now closed to business.

Also working it’s way quickly through the Legislature:  restoring Michigan’s prevailing wage law, which requires that workers on government-funded projects be paid a wage consistent with the local prevailing wage.

Our guest this week is Ron Bieber, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO, who talks about how these bills are good news for ALL Michigan workers.

Links to stories we’re following

• Michigan set to repeal right-to-work laws – The Washington Post
• The Union Advantage – U.S. Department of Labor
• Snyder: Repealing right to work means ‘closed for business – Detroit News
• Michigan Right-to-Work backers plot ballot proposal as Dems pursue repeal – Bridge Michigan
• What is Michigan Right-to-Work: How law impacted wages, jobs, unions – Bridge Michigan
• Democrats pitch tax credit for union dues, other pro-labor measures
• Inside the Gun Safety Package Michigan Lawmakers Want to Pass – Time Magazine
• Michigan Senate OKs ‘history-making’ gun control bills after gun violence
• Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. Here’s what the laws are now – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan voters support lifetime firearms ban for some crimes, poll says – Detroit News
• Insider: Voters in poll see gun laws as priority for Michigan Legislature – Detroit News
• Gun rights group calls for recall effort against lawmakers who vote for reform – Fox47 Lansing
• Joe Biden seeks more gun background checks through new executive order – USA Today
• Biden Remarks on Gun Background Checks – White House
• Michigan man who threatened Dems charged with gun crime – WLNS 6 News
• Gov. Whitmer Signs Bipartisan Legislation Expanding Rights and Freedoms for LGBTQ+ Michiganders – Governor’s Office
• New Statewide Voter Poll –  the Economy, Future Direction; Pronounced Partisan Differences Continue – Detroit Regional Chamber
• How Democrats disarmed a brewing Senate battle in Michigan – POLITICO
• Michigan Republicans face debt, crossroads on presidential primary – Detroit News
• New GOP chair rejects party headquarters; accepts donor and voter data – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan a Top State for Electric Vehicle & Battery Investments, Bringing Home $16.6 Billion, Creating 16,300 Good-Paying Jobs
• Lt. Gov. Gilchrist Joins Public, Private Partners to Launch New $10 Million Microloan Fund for Women, Veterans, and Entrepreneurs of ColorWayne State to offer free tuition to certain Michigan students – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan lawmakers slam ‘new normal’ of DTE, Consumers outages
• Michigan prosecutor mulls charging Lapeer library over LGBTQ book – Bridge Michigan
• President’s Budget | OMB | The White House
• Biden’s 2024 Budget Proposal Wins Support of Voters- Morning Consult
• Biden says he’s focused ‘intensely’ on lowering drug costs | AP News
• Opinion | Republicans Are Delusional If They Think Biden Will Be Easy to Beat – POLITICO
• House conservatives issue new spending demands in debt ceiling debate – The Washington Post
• February job growth tempered but strong – The Washington Post
• Hilary Scholten on Her First Months in Congress – The Dispatch

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:46 — 7.1MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

The Democratic Legislature is setting historic records for movement of major legislation, all focused on improving the lives of Michigan families: their schools, their workplace, and their cost of living. Today’s podcast catches up on all the incredible action by our legislators, beginning with a nearly $1-billion tax cut for working families and senior citizens.

Links to Stories We’re Following This Week

• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signs Michigan tax relief, minus $180 inflation relief checks | Bridge Michigan
• Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan House Democrats pass prevailing wage bill – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan House votes to repeal 1931 abortion ban – Bridge Michigan
• House votes to expand background checks on gun sales – Detroit Free Press
• Gun reform proposals receive first hearing in Michigan Legislature – WILX TV
• Michigan bill would repeal legal protections for gun industry – Detroit News
• Michigan voters support lifetime firearms ban for some crimes, poll says – Detroit News
• Michigan Safety Survey Report – Glengariff Group
• MSU shooting victim’s mom testifies for gun safety laws – Bridge Michigan
• Democrats mobilize on gun safety bills after flipping state legislatures, governor’s offices – The Washington Post
• Democrats push Michigan gun reforms. Here’s what the laws are now – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan House passes bills to repeal right-to-work – Detroit Free Press
• Tax relief restored for Michigan retirees, low-income earners- Detroit Free Press
• Whitmer approves $630 million to support Ford battery plant – Detroit Free Press
• 5 (mostly) good things to know about Michigan’s progress on EVs – Bridge Michigan
• New Michigan scholarship seeks to fill jobs at state’s EV companies – Bridge Michigan
• Opinion | Ford Is Leaving Tesla in the Dust – The New York Times
• Biden 2024 budget to revive transformative economic policy plans – The Washington Post
• Opinion | Joe Biden: My Plan to Extend Medicare for Another Generation – The New York Times
• The Programs You’d Have to Cut to Balance the Budget – The New York Times
• Biden budget vs. House GOP: Values on display in debt fight | AP News
• Tucker Carlson amplifies Jan. 6 lies with GOP-provided video | AP News
• Tucker Carlson mocked by Anderson Cooper, Stephen Colbert over Jan. 6 coverage on Fox – The Washington Post
• Why Michigan Republicans are fretting about 2024 – The Hill
• Ex-Michigan GOP chair, others interviewed for fake Trump elector probe
• Voters Oppose States Censoring Discussions of Racism in Schools
• Jack Carpenter accused of threatening to kill Jewish officials in Michigan – The Washington Post
• Detroit VA hospital harmed patients, altered records, investigation reveals – Detroit News
• VA secretary: Fixes being made at Detroit hospital after critical report – Detroit News

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:44 — 18.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

Tax cuts, civil rights, gun safety, voter protection — just another remarkable week of results for Michigan driven by Democrats in the Legislature. Joining the conversation this week is Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) who is getting results at the federal level on multiple issues directly impacting the people of our state.

Links We Are Following This Week

• Dingell Statement on Transport of Hazardous Waste from East Palestine, Ohio to Belleville | Congresswoman Debbie Dingell
• Detroit VA hospital harmed patients, altered records, investigation reveals – Detroit News
• Eli Lilly caps insulin prices at $35 a month – Axios
• Jack Carpenter accused of threatening to kill Jewish officials in Michigan – The Washington Post
• Michigan lawmakers send Whitmer tax cuts; $180 payments are dead – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan Senate OKs $1.3B spending deal: $630M for Ford battery plant prep – Bridge Michigan
• New Michigan scholarship seeks to fill jobs at state’s EV companies – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan Senate passes bill to protect LGBTQ from discrimination – Detroit Free Press
• Christian and Muslim groups oppose LGBTQ rights bill, call for changes – Detroit Free Press
• New state bills restrict transgender health care — for adults – The Washington Post
• Gun reform proposals receive first hearing in Michigan Legislature – WILX TV
• Michigan House votes to repeal 1931 abortion ban – Bridge Michigan
• Voters Oppose States Censoring Discussions of Racism in Schools
• Obama launches leadership network focused on local civic engagement – The Washington Post
• Dubious Democracy 2022 – FairVote
• Competitive congressional districts decline – POLITICO
• National popular vote for president builds momentum in Michigan | Bridge Michigan
• Finley: Michigan to weigh switch to national popular vote – Detroit News
• Is there any hope for Kristine Karamo as Michigan Republican chair? – The Ballenger Report
• Michigan GOP donor base shrinks as party tilts right, records show – Detroit Free Press
• Conservative group steps in to aid Michigan Trump electors – Detroit News
• GOP election deniers are gaining control of Republican operations – Raw Story
• Ron DeSantis’ War on Freedom – Mother Jones

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:23 — 15.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

FOCUS

First, our focus as Democrats. Some of the pundits look at the new ultra-right-wing Michigan Republican Party leadership team and assume that Democrats have it made – even some prominent Republicans across Michigan are saying it.

We have to maintain FOCUS: focus on organizing at the grassroots level, focus on continuing to recruit the very best candidates, and focus on fundraising to support those candidates. Michigan is still a purple state and we cannot take anything for granted, no matter what’s happening at the state GOP Headquarters. 

And FOCUS also applies to our policy agenda. It’s easy for political candidates to make promises. The challenge is following through, especially on those issues where there’s a fundamental divide between the two major parties.

Here in Michigan, it’s especially challenging because of the razor-thin majorities Democrats hold in the state Legislature: 56-54 in the state House, 20-18 in the state Senate.

Even with those small majorities, Democrats are following through to make campaign promises a reality. The House and Senate have already passed a nearly one-billion-dollar tax cut package focused on working families and retirees. Several other major planks of our campaign are moving quickly through the Legislative process.

We are joined this week by Senator Stephanie Chang, chair of the Senate’s Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee about two major groups of bills: civil rights for LGBTQ+ Michiganders, and badly needed gun safety laws.

This week in the news:

• How Democrats are using their new power in these two state legislatures – Axios
• Democratic Governors Form Alliance on Abortion Rights – NowThis
• 12 states sue FDA to make mifepristone abortion pill more accessible – The Washington Post
• AG Nessel Joins Multistate Coalitions to Defend and Protect Access to Medication Abortion
• Tax deal clears Michigan Senate, but inflation checks remain in limbo – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan lawmaker survey offers glimpse on gun law changes – Detroit Free Press
• Gun bill would require background checks for Michigan rifle, shotgun sales – Detroit News
• Michigan Democrats move to tighten gun rules after MSU shootings – Bridge Michigan
• Slotkin: Gun owners who support reform should contact elected officials – Detroit Free Press
• A guide to Michigan Democrats’ gun safety bills – Detroit Free Press
• Spartan Strong Fund – Financial support for shooting victims
• Good signs for Democrats in Wisconsin, Virginia primaries, special elections – The Washington Post
• Finley: R.I.P., Michigan GOP – Detroit News
• Michigan G.O.P. Installs Kristina Karamo, an Election Denier, as Leader – The New York Times
• Michigan GOP donor base shrinks as party tilts right, records show
• What It Looks Like When the Far Right Takes Control of Local Government – POLITICO
• GOP election deniers are gaining control of Republican operations – Raw Story
• Trump’s grip on the Republican base is slipping ahead of 2024 election – The Washington Post

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:31 — 10.0MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

We add our voices in support of the MSU community, and especially to the family and friends of the three students murdered and those critically injured the shooting rampage. The response from all corners of Michigan demonstrates that, in this time of tragedy, we are all Spartans.

The carnage at MSU raises, once again, a terrible question: how many more must die? Nationally we are averaging more than 1 mass shooting a day so far this year. In Michigan, Democrats have been fighting for common-sense gun safety legislation for years, stymied by Republicans beholden to the NRA’s lobbyists. With

Democrats now in the majority, our leaders have pledged quick action on gun safety bills which Governor Whitmer has promised to sign.

On this week’s podcast we talk with the state Senator who represents MSU, Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh, about those efforts, along with Democrat-led efforts to cut taxes for Michigan working families and retirees.

Links to this week’s News Stories

• MSU shooting victims remembered: Alexandria Verner, Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser – The Washington Post
• Twitter: “A survivor of the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting is a student at Michigan State University
• Michigan Democrats pushed for stronger gun laws before MSU shooting – The Washington Post
• Michigan Senate leader: Lawmakers must ‘meet this moment with action’ – Detroit News
• this:’ Dems vow gun reform | Bridge Michigan
• Laws provided path for MSU gunman to own firearm after conviction – Detroit News
• Statement from President Joe Biden on the Shooting at Michigan State University – The White House

• Ford Taps Michigan for New LFP Battery Plant; Creates 2,500 More New American Jobs | Ford Media Center
• Ford to create 2,500 jobs at new $3.5 billion EV battery manufacturing facility in Michigan – MEDA

• Tax deal clears Michigan Senate, but inflation checks remain in limbo | Bridge Michigan
• Minority Leader Hall, Michigan Republicans Set To Turn Their Backs On Inflation Relief – Michigan Democratic Party
• Who benefits most from tax cut plans from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan Republicans? | Bridge Michigan
• Michigan SOS Benson pushes to ban guns at polling places, create Voting Rights Act – Fox 2 Detroit
• National Task Force on Election Crises Report
• Far-right Republican groups surge in swing state Michigan | Reuters
• Fox Stars Privately Expressed Disbelief About Trump’s Election Fraud Claims – The New York Times

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:26 — 32.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

More than 1,600 Michigan Democrats have selected the leadership team for the 2023-24 election cycle.

Chairperson Lavora Barnes was unanimously reelected, and joining her team in Lansing are vice chairs Rep. Jason Morgan and Sen. Erika Geiss. Chairperson Barnes talks with both of them on this week’s podcast.

Also in the news this week —

• Governor Whitmer has sent the Legislature a budget that puts a priority on lowering taxes for working families, investing in Michigan education, and investing in making Michigan the next Silicon Valley.
  
• President Biden’s State of the Union Address has touched a nerve with Republicans by correctly pointing out multiple statements by Republicans calling for cuts and even ending Social Security and Medicare benefits. While the GOP leaders in the House and Senate say it’s not GOP policy, influential members in both chambers are on record calling for the cuts.
• Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services are reminding Michigan consumers to be aware of phishing text messages that claim their EBT benefit cards are locked. The message includes a phone number to call for help. Responding to these messages may allow scammers to access the card’s funds.
• There are still more Republican scandals in Lansing. This time, the investigations are into former House Speakers Rick Johnson and Jason Wentworth.

Democratic Party State Convention

• Michigan Democrats take a victory lap at convention, reelect leader – mLive
• Michigan Democrats reelect party chairwoman Lavora Barnes

Whitmer Budget

• Gov. Whitmer Announces Fiscal Year 2024 Budget: Building a Brighter Future
• What Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to fund in $79B budget 
• 5 highlights of Whitmer’s record-setting state budget plan
• Whitmer, Dems want ‘inflation relief’ checks for all taxpayers
• Michigan inflation relief checks may be in jeopardy, even as tax cut passes
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pitches 9 percent boost in Michigan school spending
• Democrats, out of power for decades, passing bills in record time in Lansing 
• Whitmer laid out talent attraction plan in annual address
• What you may have missed in Whitmer’s budget recommendation
• Civil rights department would grow by one third under Whitmer budget

Whitmer’s Lowering MI Costs agenda

• U.S. Automakers Aim to Make Detroit the Next Silicon Valley
• Michigan Democrats seek to codify LGBTQ civil-rights protections
• businesses
• UPDATE: Michigan fights back attacks on LBQTQ+ students
• Trump vows to use DOJ and Congress to make being transgender illegal while promoting the ‘nuclear family’
• The College Board Just Watered Down Its New AP African American History Course
• The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Curriculum for African American Studies
• DeSantis targets state college for overhaul with new conservative identity
• DeSantis trolls with ‘tax-free gas stove’ proposal — there’s just one big problem with that – Raw Story

State of the Union

• Biden Lays Down Economic Challenge to House Republicans in State of the Union Address
• Opinion | Biden’s State of the Union shows he is no punching bag – The Washington Post
• GOP’s John Thune Sees US Debt-Ceiling Hike as Vehicle for Budget Cuts – Bloomberg
• House Republicans eye Social Security, Medicare in debt limit fight
• Republican House Conservatives Threaten Debt Limit Default to Cut Social Programs
• Entitlement, Spending Cap Plans Linked by GOP to Debt-Limit Deal

GOP Crime Watch

• State officials indicate a criminal investigation is underway into Sen. Bumstead
• Insider: Wentworth-linked nonprofit spent $137,000 on travel
• Marijuana group quietly gave cash to Michigan lawmakers’ nonprofits
• Feds investigate ex-House Speaker Johnson for bribery in pot licensing
• FBI raids pot lobbyist’s home in bribery probe involving ex-Speaker
• ‘Dark money’ nonprofit at center of yet another Lansing scandal
• The crimes Trump or his allies could be charged with in Fulton County (Georgia)
• Trump campaign paid researchers to prove 2020 fraud but kept findings secret

Presidential Primary

• Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition
• Michigan’s move to early primary state brings potential economic boon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:48 — 8.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS | More

The Legislature session is off to a fast start with Democrats taking immediate action on several of Governor Whitmer’s top priorities: job creation, tax cuts for working families, and moving Michigan to the head of the line in the presidential primary calendar.

Chairperson Lavora Barnes reports this week from Philadelphia just minutes after the wrap-up of the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting.

Links for More Information on this week’s political news

• Democrats, out of power for decades, passing bills in record time in Lansing | Bridge Michigan
• Whitmer, Dems want ‘inflation relief’ checks for all taxpayers – Detroit Free Press
• From Twitter: Record speed as the Legislature starts the 2023-24 session
• Good-bye Iowa! Democrats approve Biden’s revamped primary calendar – Reuters
• Democrats Overhaul Party’s Primary Calendar, Upending a Political Tradition – The New York Times
• Michigan’s move to early primary state brings potential economic boon – Detroit News
• Michigan Democrats seek to codify LGBTQ civil-rights protections | Bridge Michigan
• Trump vows to use DOJ and Congress to make being transgender illegal while promoting the ‘nuclear family’ – Raw Story
• Employers added 517,000 jobs in January, surprisingly strong growth in the labor market – The Washington Post
• Michigan GOP in turmoil as leaders navigate tricky Trump terrain – NBC News
• RNC urges Republicans to double down on anti-abortion laws. – Slate
• State officials indicate a criminal investigation is underway into Sen. Bumstead ⋆ Michigan Advance
• Feds investigate ex-House Speaker Johnson for bribery in pot licensing
• ‘Dark money’ nonprofit at center of yet another Lansing scandal – Detroit Free Press
• Democrats want House investigation into Rep. Daire Rendon’s role in voting machine probe – MLive.com