Party on the Peninsulas

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹ Chairperson Barnes: A national celebration and state nominations after that

✹ Impressions of a First-time National Delegate, Susan Skidmore

✹ This week’s Trump/GOP Outrage: Lying about Healthcare

In the News

Harris – Walz Campaign

• Kamala Harris unveils 2024 policy agenda, including $6,000 child tax credit for baby’s first year – The Washington Post
• Where do Trump and Harris stand on key issues? Abortion, immigration, taxes – AP News
• Kamala Harris holds slight national lead over Donald Trump, Post-ABC-Ipsos poll finds – The Washington Post
• Kamala Harris Puts Four Sun Belt States Back in Play, Times/Siena Polls Find – The New York Times
• Harris Leads Trump in Three Key States, Times/Siena Polls Find – The New York Times
• Americans see Kamala Harris as more honest than Trump: AP-NORC poll – AP News
• Playbook: How Harris is remaking the 2024 election – POLITICO
• Vibe Check: Voter Enthusiasm and Harris’ Favorability Have Surged Since Biden’s Exit – Data for Progress
• Americans’ first impressions of Walz are positive, negative for Vance – The Washington Post

Michigan Politics

• Bankrolled by pharmaceuticals, Mike Rogers helped block Medicare price negotiation – The Michigan Independent
• Republican candidates go full MAGA at Michigan Supreme Court debate – The Gander
• Cornel West disqualified from Michigan ballot – NBC News

National Politics and Policy

• Inflation cools, giving more likelihood for interest rate cuts soon – Detroit Free Press
• Inflation Slipped to 2.9% in July, The First Time Since 2021 – Wall Street Journal
• White House says deals struck to cut prices of popular Medicare drugs that cost $50 billion yearly – AP News
• Negotiating for Lower Drug Prices Works, Saves Billions – HHS.gov
• The case for Harris embracing nationwide free school meals – Public Notice
• New senate polls show gains for most Democrats in battleground states – NBC News
• Watch: Idiot J.D. Vance’s Speech Derails With Embarrassing Flubs – The New Republic
• Why Inflation Might Not Win the Election for Trump – Wall Street Journal

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Trump Says Presidential Medal Is Better Than Medal of Honor – Daily Beast
• Willie Brown to Donald Trump: Mention My Name Again and Get Sued – The New York Times
• Trump Made $300,000 for Endorsing Bible, Financial Disclosure Shows – The New York Times
• 14 Hours of Videos from Project 2025’s Presidential Administration Academy — ProPublica
• Trump campaign tweet shows they’re reviving a racist American tradition – MSNBC

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹ Chairperson Barnes: 15,000 smiles at Detroit Metro Airport!

✹ The Winning Coalition: Michigan Republicans for Harris/Walz co-chair Bill Nowling
    Harris launches ‘Republicans for Harris’ to win over GOP voters – AP News

✹ This week’s Trump/GOP Outrage: The smear campaign has already begun

In the News

Harris – Walz Campaign

• Kamala Harris, Tim Walz in Michigan: ‘We’re not going back’ to Donald Trump – Bridge Michigan
• FULL SPEECH: Kamala Harris, Tim Walz Michigan rally – YouTube
• Harris Leads Trump in Three Key States, Times/Siena Polls Find – The New York Times
• We Polled The Rust Belt. Here’s What We Found. – Split Ticket
• Tim Walz defends military record against Team Trump stolen valor smears
• Kamala Harris rallies with UAW in Michigan: ‘We believe in the collective’ – Bridge Michigan
• Tim Walz: From Small-Town Minnesota to the Campaign Trail – The American Prospect
• Details you should know about Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – Minneapolis Star Tribune

Michigan Politics

• Michigan primary 2024 results live: U.S. House – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan primary 2024 results live: U.S. Senate – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan primary 2024 results live: State House – Bridge Michigan
• Video: Chair Lavora Barnes on MSNBC’s The Last Word – YouTube
• Benson: Michigan’s Primary Election was secure, Election Night turnout steady – MI Secretary of State
• After two years of far-right rule in a Michigan county, one chance to change it – The Washington Post
• 2024 primary election tees up battle for control of Michigan House – Detroit Free Press
• In Michigan, criminal charges and election denying no barrier to ballot victory – Bridge Michigan
• Elon Musk PAC investigated by Michigan secretary of state – CNBC

National Politics and Policy

• Mortgage Rates Drop to 15-Month Low – Wall Street Journal
• Trump and Harris agree to debate on Sept. 10, ABC says – AP News
• Trump holds meandering news conference, where he agrees to debate Harris – The Washington Post
• Fact Checking Trump’s Mar-a-Lago News Conference – The New York Times
• Trump News Conference “Littered with Falsehoods” – The New York Times
• Maryland assault weapons ban upheld by 4th Circuit – The Washington Post
• Arizona grand jurors discussed indicting Trump, but prosecutors urged them not to – The Washington Post
• Utah Bans 13 Books From All Public Schools – The New York Times
• Justice Thomas Failed to Disclose More Private Jet Trips, Senate Democrats Say – The New York Times

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Opinion | GOP smear campaign against Walz military service must be rebutted – Eugene Robinson/The Washington Post
• Fact check: Assessing claims about Tim Walz’s military service – The Washington Post
• Vets Group Calls BS on GOP Attacks of Tim Walz’s Military Service – Daily Beast
• VIDEO – Chris Hayes debunks right-wing ‘B.S.’ about Tim Walz’s military career – MSNBC
• Elon Musk’s X Is Spreading Deepfakes of Kamala Harris – Mother Jones
• Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos — ProPublica
• Trump took a private flight with Project 2025 leader in 2022 – The Washington Post
• The Infernal Triangle: Crow Jim: Project 2025’s Obsession With Reverse Racism – The American Prospect
• FACT FOCUS: Claims made in Donald Trump’s news conference – AP News
• On targeting Hillary Clinton, Trump isn’t done rewriting history – Maddow Blog
• Biden says he’s “not confident at all” there will be a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses – CBS News
• Jenna Ellis, Former Trump Lawyer, Will Cooperate in Arizona Election Fraud Case – The New York Times

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹ Chairperson Barnes: A Week to Celebrate

✹ Democratic Voices: Mike Rogers has sold out Michiganders to get rich

✹ This week’s Trump/GOP Outrage:
   Overt Racism and Sexism

This Week in the News

Harris for President

• Harris has secured enough Democratic delegate votes to become their party’s nominee, chair says – AP News
• UAW endorses Harris, giving her blue-collar firepower in industrial states |- AP News
• Election 2024: Harris dares Trump to ‘say it to my face’ and debate her – AP News
• Kamala Harris Erases Trump’s Swing-State Lead in 2024 Election: Poll – Bloomberg
• Opinion | Hillary Clinton: How Kamala Harris Can Win and Make History – The New York Times

Michigan

• VIDEO – Paul Whelan Thanks Government, Supporters – Wall Street Journal
• Michigan Supreme Court rules against Legislature in adopt, amend case – Detroit Free Press
• What to know about Michigan’s pending minimum wage changes – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan bills would expand insurance contraception coverage – Detroit Free Press
• Deep in conspiracy country, a Michigan election clerk reconsiders retirement – Bridge Michigan
• Detroit lawyer: My friend, JD Vance, ditched beliefs for ‘money and power’ – Bridge Michigan
• Chair Lavora Barnes MSNBC Interview with Ali Velshi – YouTube

National Politics and Policy

• Opinion | Joe Biden: My plan to reform the Supreme Court and ensure no president is above the law – The Washington Post
• In an attempt to reverse the Supreme Court’s immunity decision, Schumer introduces the No Kings Act – AP News
• What the U.S.-Russia Prisoner Swap Means For President Biden – Wall Street Journal
• Bill to expand child tax credit and restore business tax breaks rejected in the Senate – AP News
• Employers added 114,000 jobs in July – The Washington Post
• Proposed US rule would ban airlines from charging parents additional fees to sit with their children – AP News

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 Case Could Still Blow Up Before the Election – Daily Beast
• White Man Tells Black Journalists His Black Opponent Is Not Black – Mother Jones
• Live fact check: Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists conference – PBS News/Politifact
• Trump and allies unleash attacks on Harris’s gender and racial identity – The Washington Post
• The Real Reason Trump Attacks Harris’ Racial Identity: It’s a Distraction – Daily Beast
• Childless Adults and Stepparents Have Some Thoughts on JD Vance – Mother Jones
• $10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt – The Washington Post
• Trump’s Conflicts of Interests — ProPublica
• Meyerson on TAP: The Republican War on Voter Initiatives Rolls On – The American Prospect
• The truth about “migrant crime” during the Trump administration – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Rick Wilson on the weirdness of JD Vance – Aaron Rupar/Public Notice
• J.D. Vance’s Disregard for the Rule of Law – Wall Street Journal
• Trump Proposes Fox News Debate with Kamala Harris on Sept. 4 – The New York Times

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹ Chairperson Barnes: Energized, excited and enthused!

✹ Ingham Clerk Barb Byrum: Protecting elections from Republic attacks

✹This week’s Trump/GOP Outrage:
   GOP Incompetence

This Week in the News

Harris for President

• Kamala Harris’s life, career and firsts from AG to the vice presidency – The Washington Post
• Biden’s Michigan delegates vote ‘overwhelmingly’ to endorse VP Harris – Detroit Free Press
• Election 2024: Harris raised $200M in first week of White House campaign – AP News
• Harris Unlikely to Face Obstacles in Using Biden’s Campaign Funds – Michigan Campaign Finance Network
• Kamala Harris Gets a Potentially Game-Changing Youth Vote Endorsement – Daily Beast
• Barack and Michelle Obama Endorse Kamala Harris for President – Harris 2024 – YouTube
• Fed’s preferred inflation gauge cools, adding to likelihood of a September rate cut – AP News
• Opinion | Biden legacy will show U.S. economy, foreign policy improved – Fareed Zakaria/The Washington Post
• Opinion | Three Writers <including Mallory McMorrow> on the Promise of Kamala Harris – The New York Times

Michigan Politics

• Audio – Lavora Barnes on NPR’s “1-A”
• Why Democrats feel confident about holding the Senate in November – Senator Gary Peters/MSNBC
• New Michigan poll shows where Trump-Harris race stands after Biden decision – ClickOnDetroit.com
• UAW chief rips Trump as ‘scab’ who ‘didn’t do a damn thing’ for auto industry – MSNBC
• Whitmer says she’s not interested in joining Harris ticket – Detroit Free Press
• Mike Rogers Supports Keeping Trump’s Tax-Cuts-for-the-Rich  – Washington Examiner
• Jeff Timmer: Republicans threaten the ‘Chimes of Freedom’ – Michigan Advance
• Trump, Fain trade barbs over UAW, state of auto industry – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan GOP overstated its bank balance by $200K in recent FEC report – Detroit Free Press

Michigan Policy

• Whitmer signs $23.4B education budget into law. Here’s what’s in it. – Detroit Free Press
• Alpena County moves to fire library officials over sexually-themed youth books – Bridge Michigan

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Trump Significantly Hikes Fee For New Members to Join Mar-a-Lago Club – Daily Beas
• Arkansas has the worst voter registration rate. Republicans are pushing to make registration harder. – Justin Glawe/Popular Information
• What Project 2025 Would Mean for America’s Climate Policies – Mother Jones
• Take this hillbilly’s word for it: JD Vance doesn’t speak for us. – Willie Carver via MSNBC
• Nebraska Supreme Court upholds law restricting both medical care for transgender youth and abortion – AP News

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹President Joe Biden: Patriot

✹Senator Dayna Pokehanki: the GOP’s war on women

✹This week’s Trump/GOP Outrage:
   Running away from Project 2025

Kamala Harris’s life, career and firsts from AG to the vice presidency – The Washington Post
Gretchen Whitmer endorses Kamala Harris for president – Detroit Free Press
Kamala Harris Gets a Potentially Game-Changing Youth Vote Endorsement – Daily Beast

This Week in the (Other) News

Michigan Politics

• Trump, Fain trade barbs over UAW, state of auto industry – Detroit Free Press
• Lansing Mayor Andy Schor responds to Tom Barrett viewpoint on crime – Lansing State Journal
• Public Policy Poll: Michigan & Pennsylvania
• Donald Trump sues Gretchen Whitmer over Michigan voter registration efforts – Bridge Michigan
• Jeff Timmer: Republicans threaten the ‘Chimes of Freedom’ • Michigan Advance

The Republican National Convention

• Fact-checking Day 1 of the 2024 RNC – The Washington Post
• Fact-checking Day 2 of the 2024 RNC – The Washington Post
• Fact-checking Day 3 of the 2024 RNC – The Washington Post
• Fact-checking Trump on RNC’s Day 4 – The Washington Post
• The Republican National Convention Was a “Man’s World” – Mother Jones
• A Party of Precarious Manhood, Led by a Blithering Idiot – The American Prospect
• Opinion | RNC celebration in Milwaukee belies unpopular abortion, gun policies – Eugene Robinson/The Washington Post
• In Vance, Trump finds a kindred spirit on election denial and Jan. 6 – The Washington Post
• Hillary Clinton Slams Donald Trump for Picking Election Denier J.D. Vance as VP – Daily Beast

National Politics

• Take this hillbilly’s word for it: JD Vance doesn’t speak for us. Willie Carver via MSNBC
• It’s a Workers’ Party Now? – Mother Jones
• This <GOP> Crew Is Totally Beatable – David Frum/The Atlantic
• Senate Republicans block Democratic bill codifying Roe v. Wade abortion protections – NBC News
• Majority of Voters Think Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Alito Should Be Impeached, Support Gift Bans and Term Limits – Data for Progress
• Blue Labs Polling of Alternative nominees – Kelly, Moore, Shapiro, Whitmer
• Trump’s Proposed Tax Cuts and Increased Tariffs Could Hurt Poorer Households – The New York Times
• How a Republican election sweep could hobble U.S. climate efforts – The Washington Post
• Dow Clinches Best Day in More Than a Year, S&P 500 Hits New Record – Wall Street Journal

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹Condemning political violence

✹President Joe Biden’s  address to the nation

✹State Representative Kristian Grant on Democrats’ work to expand affordable housing in Michigan

This Week in the (Other) News

Editorial: Donald Trump Is Unfit for a Second Term – The New York Times
‘Unfit’ to serve, ‘con artist’: How Trump’s VP finalists once bashed him – The Washington Post

Michigan Politics

• President Joe Biden impassioned, invigorated in Detroit speech – Detroit Free Press
• Biden goes on attack against Trump, media in Detroit – Detroit News
• “True Gretch” – Simon and Schuster
• March 2020 Biden rally looked like ‘superspreader,’ Whitmer says in new book – Detroit News
• VIDEO: “He’s Up For This” – Gov. Whitmer On President Biden’s Ability To Serve A Second Term – Late Show with Stephen Colbert
• Gov. Whitmer shuts down 2024 presidential talk but doesn’t hide her ambitions in timely book launch – AP News
• Once solidly red, northwest Michigan offers fighting chance for Democrats – Bridge Michigan

Michigan Policy

• Michigan House Approves Critical Housing Legislation – housedems.com
• Gov. Whitmer Celebrates Record Construction Jobs in Michigan – Governor’s Office
• GM investment into Lansing Grand River plant expected to save 650 UAW jobs – Lansing State Journal
• Free school breakfast and lunch program extended for another school year – Detroit Free Press
• Feds give $500M to Lansing GM auto plant to switch to EVs – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan HOAs can’t ban solar panels under newly passed bill – Bridge Michigan

GOP Outrages

• What is Project 2025? And what would it mean for Michigan? – Bridge Michigan
• What Trump doesn’t want you to know about Project 2025 – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• 2024 Republican Platform – RNC
• The Republican Party platform has an audience of one: Donald Trump – Michael Steele/MSNBC
• Senate Republicans block Democratic bill codifying Roe v. Wade abortion protections – NBC News
• Arkansas Secretary of State Rejects Abortion Amendment Petitions – The American Prospect
• How a second Trump term could destroy Medicare as we know it – MSNBC
• GOP jump-starts 2024 election challenges with Trump-inspired lawsuits – The Washington Post
• Clarence Thomas Accepted Yacht Trip to Russia, Chopper Flight to Putin’s Hometown: Democrats – Daily Beast
• Dems seek special counsel to investigate Justice Clarence Thomas – MSNBC
• Trump’s tip trick – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Russia Seeks to Boost Trump in 2024 Election, U.S. Intelligence Officials Say – Wall Street Journal
• AP Poll: Americans split over Trump’s sentencing in hush money case – AP News

National

• Jobs report June 2024 – CNBC
• Inflation Eases Again in June as Labor Market and Broader Indicators of Growth Show Signs of Slowing – Fannie Mae
• Economists Say Inflation Would Be Worse Under Trump Than Biden – Wall Street Journal
• I.R.S. Crackdown on Delinquent Millionaires Yields $1 Billion – The New York Times
• Support for legal abortion has risen since Dobbs, AP-NORC poll finds | AP News
• Marist Poll July 9-10: Biden 50 Trump 48
• Kamala Harris Sharpens Her Attacks on Trump – The New York Times

Climate Change

• Hurricane Beryl Leaves Millions Without Power in Texas: What to Know – The New York Times
• Here’s Where Climate Change Is Driving Up Home Insurance Rates – The New York Times
• Intense Heat Suspected in 4 Weekend Deaths in Oregon – The New York Times
• The major wildfires impacting Northern California – FOX40 Sacramento

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹MDP Chair Lavora Barnes on a return, after 248 years, of having a King preside over America

✹This week’s Trump/GOP Outrages The double-standard of Republicans and the media for judging Joe Biden and Donald Trump

✹Michigan political legend Mark Grebner on the quiet-but-critical role of county commissions, strategies for GOTV and the amazing career of Debbie Stabenow

This Week in the News

Michigan Politics

• Whitmer Disavows ‘Draft Gretch’ Movement — and Delivers A Warning to Biden – POLITICO
• Whitmer Slams Rival’s Leak That She Said Biden will Lose Michigan – The Daily Beast
• Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers connected to Saudi companies, including one with nuclear ambitions – Heartland Signal
• Republican rivals attack Rogers as Senate favorite and allies counter criticism – Detroit News

Michigan Policy

• Michigan lawmakers want to outlaw deepfake sexual content: What it is – Detroit Free Press
• Macomb Prosecutor Peter Lucido sues county’s top attorney, ethics board
• Michigan HOAs can’t ban solar panels under newly passed bill – Bridge Michigan

GOP/Trump Outrages

• Jobs report June 2024 – CNBC
• (From January 2021) Trump will have the worst jobs record in modern U.S. history – The Washington Post
• Sotomayor’s scathing Trump immunity dissent makes November’s stakes clear – Neal Katyal/MSNBC
• The Supreme Court Just Put Trump Above the Law – Mother Jones
• The Supreme Court Just Gave ‘King’ Trump License to Really Run Riot – The Daily Beast
• Opinion | There Is Apparently No Accountability — Ever — for Donald Trump – Frank Bruni/The New York Times
• Supreme power grab – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• SCOTUS completes the biggest power grab in modern US history – Public Notice
• Varying Treatment of Biden and Trump Puts Their Parties in Stark Relief – The New York Times
• Trump Amplifies Calls To Jail Biden, Harris, Pence, McConnell – The New York Times
• Florida: School library books governments disagree with can be banned
• Rudolph Giuliani disbarred as court finds he lied about Trump’s election loss – AP News
• Republicans Are Already Running Against Kamala Harris – Mother Jones

National

• Job growth, while still brisk, is moderating to 206,000 new jobs in June – The Washington Post
• Biden administration tells doctors they must provide emergency abortions – AP News
• Organizers Say Abortion Access Is Headed to the Ballot in 3 More States – The New York Times
• Abortion-rights advocates in Arizona submit needed signatures to put the issue on November ballot | AP News
• Who pays tariffs? And how do we know? – Paul Krugman via The New York Times

Climate Change

• Hurricane Beryl: Earliest Ever Cat 5 Hurricane Now Threatening U.S. Landfall – Daily Beast
• The major wildfires impacting Northern California – FOX40 Sacramento
• Dengue fever is surging worldwide. The epidemic has reached the U.S. – The Washington Post

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹MDP Chair Lavora Barnes on the presidential debate: Joe Biden’s performance gets the headlines, totally obscuring the barrage of lies and outrageous statements from the increasingly unhinged Donald Trump

✹This week’s Trump/GOP Outrages The unconscionable partisanship of the U.S. Supreme Court, led by its delay of the ruling on Trump’s ridiculous claim of total presidential immunity from criminal accountability. And Oklahoma’s new mandate adding Bible study to public classroom.

✹Joe Biden bounces back with a fiery post-debate speech in North Carolina, labeling Trump for what he is: a convicted felon who lies at every opportunity. We have highlights from the speech.

This Week in the News

Michigan Politics

• Ex-Michigan GOP chair asks Court of Appeals to overturn her ouster – Detroit News
• Michigan GOP went to war with itself. Can it rebuild to win for Donald Trump? – Bridge Michigan

Michigan Policy

• Judge blocks Michigan’s 24-hour mandatory waiting period for abortions – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan lawmakers approve $82.5B state spending plan for 2025 – Detroit Free Press
• Bill barrage: Michigan lawmakers pass ‘Taylor Swift’ bot ban in summer rush – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan’s $23B education deal: Free community college for all, pre-K for many – Bridge Michigan
• Redistricting commission chooses final state Senate plan for court approval – Michigan Public Radio
• Government transparency plan passes Michigan Senate — which had been roadblock – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan House votes to expand unemployment benefits to 26 weeks. GOP fumes – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan senator proposes state-level ban on bump stocks – Detroit News

National

• Nobel Prize-winning economists: Trump would ‘reignite’ inflation – MSNBC
• All the former Trump Administration officials no longer supporting him – Biden’s Wins on X
• 7 in 10 think Supreme Court justices prioritize ideology: AP poll | AP News
• Supreme Court ruling on Indiana mayor is latest to weaken corruption laws – The Washington Post
• Supreme Court’s Abortion Rulings May Set the Stage for More Restrictions – The New York Times
• Supreme Court rules bans on homeless camping do not violate Constitution – The Washington Post
• Iowa Supreme Court says abortion ban can take effect in latest ruling – Des Moines Register
• Oklahoma State Superintendent Orders Bible Be Taught in Schools – Wall Street Journal
• South Carolina poised to impose draconian censorship regime on school libraries – Popular Information
• Ohio redistricting amendment campaign will turn in 750,000-plus signatures on Monday, group says – cleveland.com
• Biden pardons veterans convicted under military law banning gay sex – CNN Politics

The Debate

• Biden rallies crowd, attempting to tamp down debate concerns in Raleigh – The Washington Post
• Biden-Trump debate: Here are the false claims made during the faceoff – AP News
• Fact-checking last night’s presidential debate – Politifact
• Trump’s ‘Black jobs’ comment was a lowlight in his fact-free debate performance – MSNBC
• In debate, Trump raises stakes in race to address climate crisis – MSNBC
• Jen Psaki: Where Biden goes from here after debate ‘loss’ – MSNBC
• Trump Turned “Palestinian” Into a Slur – Mother Jones

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This Week’s “Party on the Peninsulas”

✹MDP Chair Lavora Barnes on the new GOP Campaign Tactic: “Cheap Fakes” that amount to video lies about Joe Biden.

✹This week’s Trump/GOP Outrage The U.S. Supreme Court’s six-month delay in deciding whether Trump had presidential immunity, i.e., the right to ignore the law whenever he felt like it.

✹Michigan Democrats versus “Deep Fake” A.I. generated X-rated videos.

We’re joined by the chief sponsor of legislation reigning in A.I. deep fakes, East Lansing Representative Penelope Tsernoglou. Her bill requiring identification of political deep fakes is now law; her bill attacking X-rated A.I. generated images and videos has just passed in the House.

In the News This Week

The Ten Commandments as Practice by the GOP
— Jimmy Kimmel Live —

Michigan Politics

• ‘The Interview’: Gretchen Whitmer Wants a Gen X President — in 2028 – The New York Times
• Neil Friske arrest: Michigan state representative held after chasing adult dancer with a gun. – Slate
• Freep endorsements in Dem primary: Scholten, Dingell, Stevens, Tlaib – Detroit Free Press
• Black voters say Trump’s indictments don’t rally their support – Detroit Free Press

Michigan Policy

• ‘Deepfake’ sexual content targeted by bills passed by Michigan House – Detroit Free Press
• Federal appeal court returns Enbridge Line 5 case to Michigan – Michigan Public Radio
• Supreme Court upholds gun law intended to protect domestic violence victims – AP News

Trump/GOP Outrages

• ‘Cheapfake’ Biden videos enrapture right-wing media, but deeply mislead – The Washington Post
• Sinclair floods local news websites with hundreds of deceptive articles about Biden’s mental fitness – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Trump challenges Biden to a cognitive test but misstates the name of doctor who tested him – Los Angeles Times
• Trump’s black voter outreach at a Suddenly White Church – via X
• Trump cranks up false, inflammatory messages to rake in campaign cash – The Washington Post
• Judge in Trump Documents Case Rejected Suggestions to Step Aside – The New York Times
• Middle class Americans would suffer under Trump’s import tax plan – MSNBC
• Lara Trump: ‘Doesn’t Matter’ if Trump’s in Prison for RNC – Daily Beast
• Republicans Gag Mentions of Trump’s Conviction on the House Floor – The New York Times
• Trump World Reportedly Flirts With a Return to Mandatory Military Service – Mother Jones
• On campaign trail, RFK Jr. pushes ‘bonkers’ theory about CIA’s ‘takeover of the American press’ – ABC News
• First They Tried to “Cure” Gayness. Now They’re Fixated on “Healing” Trans People. – Mother Jones
• DeSantis Vetoes All Arts Grants in Florida – The New York Times

National

• Biden’s Title IX rule, expanding protections for LGBTQ+ students, blocked by judge in 6 additional states | AP News
• Biden settles on a message to take out Trump: He’s even worse than before – The Washington Post
• New Polling Shows the Real Fallout From the Trump Conviction – POLITICO
• Biden’s Secret Weapon Against Trump: Older Voters – Wall Street Journal
• Two Years Since Dobbs, Voters Are Concerned About New Abortion Restrictions and Support Expanding Access
• Former Governor Mitch Daniels (R-Indiana): The GOP has a lock on some states, Democrats others. It’s not healthy. – The Washington Post
• Where Trump and Biden stand on key LGBTQ+ issues – Politifact
• Louisiana Requires Ten Commandments to Be Displayed in Public-School Classrooms – Wall Street Journal
• Opinion: GOP Pushes Ten Commandments but Ignores Jesus’ Actual Teachings – Matt Lewis/Daily Beast
• On campaign trail, RFK Jr. pushes ‘bonkers’ theory about CIA’s ‘takeover of the American press’ – ABC News

Climate Change

• Well Beyond the U.S., Heat and Climate Extremes Are Hitting Billions – The New York Times
• For shrinking Mississippi River towns, frequent floods worsen fortunes – AP News
• The Weatherman Who Tried to Bring Climate Science to a Red State – The New York Times

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From Chairperson Lavora Barnes

To listen to Republicans, we’re in the middle of an apocalyptic crime wave. The reality: the crime rates have dropped dramatically since they peaked in 2020 during the Trump administration. 

In his “Popular Information” newsletter, investigative journalist Judd Legum reports: ‘In a speech earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Trump said that under Biden, the United States is “plagued by bloodshed, chaos and violent crime.” A March press release by the Republican National Committee claimed that “crime [is] spiking” as a result of Biden’s policies. Trump’s claims are being repeated by other Republicans running for office.’

It’s all another Big Lie, ironically being promoted by a convicted criminal.

New data released this last week by the FBI reveals that both violent crime and property crime have dropped dramatically this year. The data compares crime in the first quarter of 2024 with crime in the first quarter of 2023. It shows substantial drops in every category, including murder ( down 26.4%), rape (down 25.7%), robbery (down 17.8%), and property crime (down 15.1%). The only crime rate going up: indictments and convictions of the leaders of efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including indictments of Trump and multiple members of his reelection team.

President Biden is working to continue cutting into violent crime through enactment of common-sense gun laws that make it tougher on criminals without taking away the 2nd amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. At a Washington conference hosted by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund on Tuesday, the President listed gun-related accomplishments during his administration, prompting huge cheers from the hundreds in the audience. He also called for a ban on assault-style weapons and universal background checks for firearms purchases.

This comes even as the Trump-appointed majority on the Supreme Court votes to end the ban on bump stocks, which are used to turn semi automatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns. A bump stock was used in the most devastating mass shooting in US history, the 2017 shooting in Las Vegas where 60 died and more than 400 were wounded. 

Another word of the week: ethics. Republicans in the U.S. Senate have blocked legislation which would create ethics rules for the Supreme Court. The vote came on the same day when three more high-price trips by Justice Clarence Thomas, paid for by a billionaire GOP donor, were revealed by Pro Publica. Thomas’s known ledger of free trips and vacations now totals more than Four-Million-Dollars, roughly equal to his salary over the same time period. Thomas is by far the most ethically corrupt justice in the court’s recent history.

In Michigan, it’s a different story. Momentum is on the side of higher ethical standards in the wake of a series of scandals involving former Republican legislative leaders.

A part of that progress: Attorney General Dana Nessel has affirmed Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s tough enforcement of financial disclosures by public officials and political candidates. The opinion upholds rules that state elected officials must offer details of outside income and that must include names and addresses of the source. Nessel and Benson are the drive for even tougher financial disclosure and ethics laws.

Democrats in the Legislature are also working with Governor Whitmer to fine-tune Michigan’s economic development efforts involving what’s known as the SOAR Fund. Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve fund has allocated $3 billion toward big projects since it was formed in late 2021. The fund puts Michigan on a level playing field with other states in the region competing for job-creating business investments. Representative Jason Hoskins is leading the efforts to update the program. He is serving his first term in the 18th House District, which comprises Southfield, Lathrup Village and parts of Farmington, Farmington Hills and Oak Park. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s in public administration, with a concentration in local government management and received his law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) School of Law. Rep. Hoskins helped create and later served as president of the UDM Law chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

Prior to his time in office, Rep. Hoskins served on the Southfield City Council. 

His legislative priorities include boosting the economy, supporting education, investing in our communities, ending gun violence, safeguarding our elections, protecting the environment, fighting for justice, and improving access to and affordability of health care.

In the News This Week …

Michigan Politics

• Michigan Democratic Party Targets MAGA Matt Hall, State House GOP with New Five-Figure Domestic Violence Gun Safety Accountability Ad Campaign – Michigan Democratic Party
• PODCAST Could Trump-Curious Black Voters Swing the Election? (w/Lavora Barnes) – Crooked Media
• Signature gatherers accused of sinking Michigan GOP campaigns to face trial – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan Court of Appeals rejects Kumar’s attempt to get back on the congressional ballot • Michigan Advance
• Matt DePerno announces run for Michigan Supreme Court – wzzm13.com
• Freep endorsement: Republican Amash in US Senate Aug. 6 primary – Detroit Free Press

Michigan Policy

• SOAR remake bills see big changes, advance out of committee – WEMU-FM
• ‘Deepfake’ sexual content targeted by bills passed by Michigan House – Detroit Free Press
• Severe weather costs Michigan millions. Can funding meet demands? – Bridge Michigan
• AG opinion offers guidance for politicians to comply w disclosure rules – WDET 101.9 FM

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Opinion | Today’s Opinions: Trump wants to take us back to 19th-century corruption – Drew Goins/The Washington Post
• How Republicans used ‘cheap fake’ videos to attack Biden over 24 hours – The Washington Post
• JB Pritzker, the Democrat Who Isn’t Afraid to Call Trump a Felon – The New York Times
• Michael Steele: Republicans decry weaponized justice system post-Trump conviction, focus on Hunter Biden – MSNBC
• Senate conservatives expand their blockade of Biden nominees – Punchbowl News
• Trump Returns to the Scene of the Crime—and the GOP Cheers – The Daily Beast
• Biden campaign seizes upon Trump’s Capitol Hill visit with a televised reminder of his role on January 6 – CNN Politics
• CEOs at Trump meeting: He was ‘meandering’ and ‘doesn’t know what he’s talking about’ – CNBC
• Video: Trump and J6 – @JoeBiden on X
• Trump’s Milwaukee ‘horrible city’ controversy; leaders respond – Fox 6/Milwaukee
• Harlan Crow Provided Clarence Thomas Additional Private Jet Flights: Senate Investigators — ProPublica
• Trump plans constitutional showdown with Congress over federal budget – The Washington Post
• Here’s how little Americans know about the 2024 campaign – The Washington Post

National

• WATCH: Biden calls for ban on assault-style weapons at Gun Sense University conference – PBS NewsHour
• Biden and gun control advocates want to flip an issue long dominated by the NRA – AP News
• FBI: Crime down sharply under Biden administration – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• US Producer Prices Surprise With Biggest Decline Since October – Bloomberg
• Consumer Price Index Summary – 2024 M05 Results
• Biden administration seeks to wipe consumer medical debt off most credit reports with proposed rule – AP News
• Ohio special election is latest encouraging sign for Democrats – The Washington Post
• DOJ won’t prosecute AG Garland for contempt of Congress – AP News
• Supreme Court opinions: Clarence Thomas legalizing bump stocks is indefensible – Slate
• Florida’s 2024 hurricane season arrives with a rainy deluge – AP News
• DeSantis rejects climate change rationale for record-breaking floods – The Washington Post
• Supreme Court strikes down Trump-era ban on gun bump stocks – AP News
• Federal court blocked new rules aimed at protecting transgender students – The Washington Post
• Republicans introduce bill to ban federal DEI programs – The Washington Post
• Supreme Court Backs Starbucks Over ‘Memphis 7’ Union Case – The New York Times
• North Carolina’s GOP Opposes Embryo Destruction. That Could Threaten IVF. – Mother Jones
• How Biden and Trump want to rewrite the tax code – The Washington Post