Party on the Peninsulas

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From chairperson Lavora Barnes –

It was a joy during the week for me to personally congratulate the two newest Democrats in the state House of Representatives: Mai Xiong in the Warren area’s 13th House District and Peter Herzberg in the Westland area’s 25th House District. Both were elected to fill vacancies created when their predecessors were elected mayor of their city.

Once the special elections are certified by the state Board of Canvassers, Democrats will once again have a 56-54 majority in the House to go with the 20-18 majority in the state Senate. It comes just in time for enactment of a state budget which continues investments into our state that will pay benefits for generations: support for education, infrastructure and economic development headlining the new budget.

The challenge now: maintaining that House majority in the November election. The newly adopted district maps, according to analysts, give either party a statistical chance of winning the majority. Using the current lines, 56 of the new districts were carried in 2020 by Donald Trump and 54 by President Biden. We can’t rest on our laurels. With these citizen-drawn maps, we can expand our majority or we can lose it. It is up to us.

Here are things you can do to help keep the House majority:

• Reach out to your local candidate. You can help them with canvassing, fundraising, putting up a yard sign, hosting a home party, talking with your neighbors, writing a letter to the editor – they’ll let you know where you can help.
• Stay active and stay positive on social media. It’s fun to get into viral arguments but usually non-productive. What can help are short, concise, fact-based comments on issues. 
• And, if you are able, donate – to your state representative, to the House Democratic Campaign Committee, to your county Democratic Party and, of course. To the Michigan Democratic Party. As one astute consultant told me, campaigns are about two things: raising money, and everything else!

We have resources for you on all of this on our MDP website. Just click here! 

A new issue that is facing many communities: the mostly unregulated world of short-term rentals. The proliferation of companies like AirBNB and VRBO can be both a blessing and a curse. We are joined by state Representative Joey Andrews of St. Joseph who is sponsoring a package of bills to bring order to the Wild West of short-term rentals. With no regulatory framework in Michigan law, STRs have proliferated to a crisis point in many communities across the state. Representative Andrews is lead sponsor of a 10-bill package to bring order to where there is now chaos.

Representative Andrews is serving his first term representing the 38th House District, which covers parts of Allegan, Berrien and Van Buren counties. Born and raised in Southwestern Michigan, Representative Andrews knows and respects the unique issues facing lakeshore communities including the growing water issues of erosion, flooding, lead and aging infrastructure; and the short-term rental crisis gutting local communities.

Andrews was born and raised in St. Joseph. After graduating from high school he briefly left to attend college at Carson-Newman University in Tennessee. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history and music and went to law school at Wayne State University, graduating in 2013 with his law degree and passing the Michigan bar exam a year later.

This week’s Trump outrage is on full display in New York right now.

It goes hand-in-hand with his trial which, as we record the podcast, is set to begin with opening arguments on Monday. Trump is continuing his years-long efforts to destroy America’s faith in our justice system. In between courtroom naps he continues to attack every aspect of his trial and blatantly ignores court orders to stop his most outrageous attacks. With the help of his right-wing media stooges he’s even working to intimidate the jury, a tactic usually associated with mob bosses.

He’s daring the judge to do exactly what would happen to any other criminal defendant whose behavior was so outrageous: lock him up for contempt. Trump wants to be locked up because it would contribute to his victimhood whines. The one thing he says that is true: he’s being treated differently than other criminals. He’s getting far better treatment. No other criminal defendant has ever received the kid-gloves treatment that’s being given him.

But now, his fate is in the hands of 12 regular citizens who have pledged to judge him based on the facts presented in court. And that’s why Donald Trump is very, very scared.

In the News This Week

Michigan Politics

• Senate Democrats plot $79M advertising onslaught to hold on in November – POLITICO
• How R.F.K. Jr. Got on the Michigan Ballot, With Only Two Votes – The New York Times
• Mike Rogers deletes endorsement from peddler of fake pills that ‘reverse’ COVID vaccines – The Michigan Independent
• Congressional hopeful’s brother bankrolling super PAC aiding his candidacy – Detroit News
• Michigan GOP to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer: Send Michigan National Guard to southern border – Bridge Michigan
• Key figure in $25M Clare health campus controversy pleads guilty to fraud – Bridge Michigan

Michigan Policy

• Michigan lawmaker-to-lobbyist ban would close ‘revolving door’ in Lansing – Bridge Michigan
• Nessel: Secret donors are influencing policy decisions in Lansing – Detroit News
• Ottawa County board to consider anti-abortion resolution – mlive.com

Trump/GOP Disfunction Delusion Distopia

• Trump’s legal bills drain millions more from his political committees – The Washington Post
• Trump Campaign and GOP to Deploy Thousands of Election Workers to Monitor Voting – The New York Times
• Supreme Court won’t overturn sanctions for lawyers behind Michigan election fraud lawsuit – mlive.com
• Trump Election Inquiries Gain Ground in Swing States – The New York Times
• Luxury yachts and other myths: How Republican lawmakers echo Russian propaganda – NBC News

National

• ‘Envy of the World’—U.S. Economy Expected to Keep Powering Higher – Wall Street Journal
• Biden Shrinks Trump’s Edge in Latest Times/Siena Poll – The New York Times
• President Biden Makes Gains in an Election He Can Win – Democracy Corps
• Biden Title IX rules set to protect trans students, sexual abuse survivors – The Washington Post
• Shawn Fain’s victory speech after the Tennessee VW workers overwhelmingly support joining the UAW – via X
• Voters Across Party Lines Disapprove of Arizona’s Abortion Ban – Data for Progress
• New data discredits Republicans’ claims on Biden-era crime rates – Maddow Blog
• Homicides in U.S. drop amid voter concern over crime – Axios
• Gun legislation approved in Maine after Lewiston mass shooting – AP News
• AOC, Bernie Sanders: The Green New Deal for Public Housing is a major win for America – MSNBC
• 25 years after Columbine, trauma shadows survivors of the school shooting – AP News
• Opinion | The Kamala Harris Moment Has Arrived – Charles Blow/The New York Times
• The $6 Trillion Decision – The American Prospect
• Trump trade advisers plot dollar devaluation – POLITICO
• Supreme Court allows Idaho to enforce ban on gender-affirming care for minors – The Washington Post

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From Chairperson Lavora Barnes

“Whatever”.

That’s Donald Trump’s position on reproductive healthcare. He’s for whatever is convenient at the time he’s asked about it. In 1999, he said on Meet the Press that he was pro-choice, and opposed any federal law restricting abortion (even virtually non-existent late-term abortions).

Well, he’s changed that position almost as regularly as he’s changed wives. For decades, Donald Trump’s stance on abortion has been a moving target.

• In 2011, while considering a White House run, he told CPAC that he was pro-life.
• In 2016, while running for president, he told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews that there should be “some form of punishment” for the women who get abortions. 
• In 2018, he vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade and advocated for a 20-week national abortion ban. 

His latest position: a wishy-washy “whatever”: leave it up to the states, many of which have banned and even criminalized abortion. Of course, he can’t run away from a fact about which he brags: he killed Roe.

We all know that what Donald Trump says doesn’t necessarily line up with what he will do. You can be certain that a Trump administration, given the chance, would put in place a national law similar to the law just upheld in Arizona: criminalizing abortion and making it illegal nationwide. That would wipe out Michigan’s constitutional guarantee, approved overwhelmingly by our voters, that women make their own healthcare decisions without the government’s interference.

While Trump says he wouldn’t sign a national abortion ban, he hasn’t said how he will vote on the Florida constitutional amendment which would protect women’s reproductive freedom. Chances are he will dodge that question from now until November. And if, God forbid, he is elected and sent a nationwide ban, he will sign it.

As Rachel Maddow put it so concisely: “watch what they do, not what they say”.

Your Democratic party has made a commitment to reach out to all of Michigan. While Republicans cater to their extremist MAGA wing, Democrats are working in all 83 counties to show we’re working on behalf of everyone in this state. The facts backing that effort are undeniable. Since achieving the tri-fecta in state government, Democrats have moved the state forward on issues ranging from fixing the roads, strengthening the union rights of workers, expanding voter rights, guaranteeing the reproductive healthcare rights of women, cutting taxes for families, fighting climate change and much, much more.

But historically we’ve fallen short when it comes to elections in our smaller counties. Over the weekend our Rural Summit focused on how we can earn the support of more voters in rural Michigan.

Helping us define that strategy was one of the nation’s best pollsters, Celinda Lake. Celinda is one of the Democratic Party’s leading political strategists. She was one of two lead pollsters for the Biden campaign in 2020 and continues to serve as a pollster to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), other national party committees, and dozens of Democratic incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process. Celinda and her firm, Lake Research Partners, are known for cutting-edge research on issues including the economy, health care, the environment, and education.

In the News

Michigan Politics

• Pushing election fraud theories, group spent $1.2 million in Michigan – Detroit News
• House Majority PAC Announces $186 Million in 2024 TV and Digital Reservations – House Majority PAC
• Opinion: Gretchen Whitmer has head start on 2028 presidential election – John Lindstrom via Detroit Free Press

Michigan Policy

• Judge rejects GOP suit challenging new voting rights in Michigan – Detroit News
• Attorney General: Federal Court Rejects Lawsuit of 11 Republican State Legislators, Predicated on Independent State Legislature Theory – MI Attorney General
• ‘His love was very loud,’ says aunt of nonverbal boy who fatally shot himself with unattended gun – mlive.com
• Trump’s attack on Whitmer’s migrant housing subsidies largely false – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan lawmakers look to retool economic development – Detroit Free Press
• EPA sets new standards limiting harmful PFAS in drinking water – Detroit Free Press
• Attorney General: Attorney General Dana Nessel Statement in Support of EPA Proposed PFAS Drinking Water Standards – MI Attorney General

President Biden

• Biden with 4-point lead over Trump in new poll
• Biden Administration Cancels $7.4 Billion More in Student Loans – The New York Times
• What Joe Biden’s new student loan forgiveness plan means for Michigan borrowers | Bridge Michigan
• What to Know About Biden’s New Student-Loan Debt Forgiveness Plan – Wall Street Journal
• Biden Administration Is Closing the ‘Gun Show Loophole’ – Daily Beast
• Biden’s Plan B on Inflation: Turn It Against Trump – The New York Times
• A Closer Look at a Slight Shift in the Polls – The New York Times
• Biden campaign announces pulling in $90M in March – POLITICO

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Top Republican warns Russia propaganda is being echoed by his party members – The Washington Post
• VIDEO – The Conservative War on Democracy Was Over 200 Years in the Making – Mother Jones
• Which Trump lies stick? – Washington Post Fact Checker
• A Trump raising money off election lies? Now we’ve seen everything. – The Washington Post
• Secretary Benson statement on former President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud – MI Secretary of State
• Nuclear deal in tatters, Iran edges close to weapons capability – The Washington Post
• Trump, at Fund-Raiser, Says He Wants Immigrants From ‘Nice’ Countries – The New York Times
• Abortion ruling is a full-on disaster for Arizona Republicans – azcentral.com
• Kari Lake Claims She Opposes Arizona’s Near-Total Abortion Ban—The Same One She Cheered Two Years Ago – Mother Jones
• Arizona Republicans shut down discussion on proposed repeal of 1864 abortion law – AP News
• The GOP’s Abortion Quagmire – Washington Post
• Florida’s Anti-Trans Bathroom Law Spurs Harrowing Vigilante Attacks – Daily Beast
• ‘On life support’: Senate Republicans are prepared to sink the child tax credit bill
• Alabama secretary of state says Democratic convention too late to get Biden on ballot this fall – al.com
• Biden may miss Ohio ballot deadline, elections officials say – The Washington Post
• Librarians fear new penalties, even prison, as activists challenge books – AP News

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From chairperson Lavora Barnes

That, in one sentence, defines Donald Trump and describes his grotesque speech in Grand Rapids. 

Donald Trump came here to politicize a tragic loss and lie to Michiganders’ faces about his record. When President Biden negotiated a tough, fair, and bipartisan border security deal, it was Trump who pressured his MAGA cronies to kill the bill, allowing the chaos to continue. 

No matter what he said in Grand Rapids, Donald Trump has no interest in being part of the solution because he doesn’t care about border security. He only cares about himself and whatever he thinks makes him look good, but Michiganders know the truth: Donald Trump has nothing to offer but dangerous rhetoric that promotes hate, division, and violence without making anyone safer.

Adding to that: he told the crowd he had talked with the family of murder victim Ruby Garcia. It was a lie, according to Ms. Garcia’s sister. Mavi Garcia said neither Trump nor anybody from his campaign has contacted her or anybody in her immediate family. She said her family is close and she would know if that had happened.

“It was shocking,” she told Wood TV.  “I kind of stopped watching it. I’d only seen up to that, after I heard a couple of misinformations he said, I just stopped watching it. She said she’s angry that Trump and others have turned her sister’s death into something political.

“It’s always been about illegal immigrants,” she said. “Nobody really speaks about when Americans do heinous crimes, and it’s kind of shocking why he would just bring up illegals. What about Americans who do heinous crimes like that?”

When asked about the apparent lie by The Daily Beast, the Trump campaign refused to reveal with whom the criminal defendant candidate talked. (You can watch the WOOD-TV interview by clicking here.)

The Garcia family isn’t the only voice speaking out against Trump. The Washington Post published a truly shocking list this week of former top-level Trump appointees who have not endorsed his candidacy. Among them:

• Vice President Mike Pence
• Attorney General William Barr
• Chief of staff General John Kelly
• Chief of Staff Mark Mulvaney
• Secretary of Defense General James Mattis
• Secretary of Defense Mark Esper
• National Security Adviser John Bolton
• National Security Chief of European Affairs Col. Alexander Vindman
• Joint Chiefs of Staff chair General Mark Milley
• U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley
• Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci
• Press secretary Stephanie Grisham
• Deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews
• White House Counsel Ty Cobb
• White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson
• 2016 Transition Director Chris Christie

As we noted last week you can add to that list President George W. Bush, and former Republican vice presidents Dick Cheney and Dan Qualye; Republican U.S. Senators Todd Young, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney. And even family members/White House advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have said they won’t campaign for him.

An alternate “The Word” for this week’s podcast could have just as easily been “Hypocrite”. How else can you describe a man who very publicly attends the funeral of a slain New York police officer but has never even contacted the family of a Capitol policeman who died as a result of the January 6 insurrection, or the dozens of police officers who were attacked and injured by his mob?

Officer Brian Sicknick’s father told the New York Daily News – quote – “He makes sure he gets his face out there. The guy’s a criminal. He’s the reason my son is dead — because of the riot at the Capitol. He’s a publicity hound. Trump does whatever will get him votes and helps Donald Trump. There’s nothing good about that man.”

On this week’s podcast, we’re looking to our future, specifically the future of public transit in Michigan with the leader of a new bipartisan group working on the issue, Representative Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor). As we’ll hear from Representative Morgan that public transportation impacts all of Michigan, not just cities and suburbs.

The son of a commercial fisherman, Representative Morgan was raised in Pinconning. By working part-time and thanks to state and federal student aid, Representative Morgan worked his way through college as a first-generation college student, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Northern Michigan University. He later earned a Master of Public Administration from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

Representative Morgan served for six years as a Washtenaw County commissioner and was elected as the county’s first-ever LGBTQ-identified person to serve as chair of the Board of Commissioners. He also served as a Northern Michigan University trustee and is a service member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Over the last 15 years, Representative Morgan has worked in various leadership positions in Michigan and Washington, D.C. for Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and in senior staff positions to five members of Congress. Much of his career has focused on higher education, including working as a director of government and community relations and later teaching government at Washtenaw Community College.

In the News

Michigan Politics

• Mike Rogers twice co-sponsored bills to suspend FDA approval of medication abortion drug – The Michigan Independent
• Michigan GOP’s racist tweet about the Baltimore mayor can be seen as a telltale sign of fascism- MSNBC

• Emails reveal Michigan auditor general helped write GOP draft requesting 2020 election audit  – Michigan Advance
• Michigan House of Representatives special elections (April 16, 2024) – Ballotpedia
• Michigan police officers’ union should be ashamed of endorsing Trump – MSNBC
• GOP nominee for special Michigan House election says he opposes abortion ‘without exception’ • Michigan Advance
• A Michigan Dem <Curtis Hertel Jr> tries to chat his way to victory – POLITICO
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announces book detailing her rapid rise in Democratic politics – AP News

Michigan Policy

• Michigan AG Dana Nessel: Democratic hate crime bills not tough enough – Bridge Michigan
• Ford sales jump 6.8% in 1st quarter, spiked by hybrid and EVs – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan redistricting: Court finds new Detroit maps better for Black voters – Bridge Michigan

National Politics and Policy

• What’s Wrong With the U.S. Economy? It’s You, Not the Data – Wall Street Journal
• Employers added jobs in March, reflecting a booming labor market – The Washington Post
• Corporate profit bonanza – Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby/Popular Information
• Biden campaign announces pulling in $90M in March – POLITICO
• RFK Jr.’s sister says a vote for him is ‘dangerous.’ Here’s why – CNN Politics
• The high-I.Q. nonsense of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Frank Bruni/New York Times
• Republicans’ Proposed Budget Policies Are Unpopular – Data for Progress
• 2024 Elections to Use District Maps Challenged as Discriminatory — ProPublica
• Florida marijuana amendment ballot gets court OK. Will weed be legal? – Tallahassee Democrat
• How Florida’s Ballot Measure on Abortion Could Give Democrats a Lifeline – Mother Jones
• Opinion – Republicans’ rabid loyalty to Trump could cost them 2024 election – Former RNC Chair Michael Steele via MSNBC
• No Labels has ended its 2024 presidential bid – AP News
• Elon Musk’s viral lie about the 2024 election uses bogus data – Judd Legum/Popular Information

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Ruby Garcia’s family says they never spoke with Trump, despite his claims – WOOD-TV Grand Rapids
• Many of Trump’s claims about the border and crime don’t stack up – Detroit Free Press
• Trump ‘capitalizing on horrible tragedy’ in Michigan visit, Whitmer tells CNN- Detroit News
• Trump in Michigan blasts ‘border bloodbath. Here are the facts – Bridge Michigan
• Family of Brian Sicknick, D.C. officer who died after Jan. 6 riot, slam Trump attending wake for NYPD cop Jonathan Diller – New York Daily News
• Former Trump officials are among the most vocal opponents of returning him to the White House – AP News
• Full List of Former Donald Trump Officials Refusing to Endorse Him – Newsweek
• Trump Wants to Jail His Opponents and Nobody Seems to Care – Daily Beast
• Another Trump Lie: How a tall tale of immigrants soliciting kids for sex made it to Trump – Detroit News
• Senator Raphael Warnock: ‘The Bible Does Not Need Trump’s Endorsement’ – Daily Beast
• Trump campaign assails Biden for declaring Easter Sunday as Transgender Day of Visibility – AP News
• VIDEO – Hello! The Book Of M̶o̶r̶m̶o̶n̶ TRUMP 🚪🔔 coming to Broadway – TikTok

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From chairperson Lavora Barnes

On Thursday, Democrats celebrated unity heading into the November election with an historic event: a massive fundraiser which brought together three great presidents: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Together they represent 20 years of leadership that moved America forward. 

The unity of the 3 Presidents was a reminder of the lack of Republican unity. Donald Trump is running without the support of much of his party’s leadership. He does not have the endorsement of President Bush, nor does he have the support of any of the living former GOP Vice Presidents: Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney and Mike Pence. Add to that the long list of more than two-dozen Trump cabinet members and White House staff who will not endorse him. Some are actively opposing him.

One of many reasons for that contrast is the philosophy behind the campaigns. 

Donald Trump is running to benefit Donald Trump. His two goals:

1. Stay out of prison, and
2. Make money for Donald Trump

His fundraising is all about him, a lot of it to cover his $100-million-and-growing personal legal bills. He has side hustles to make him wealthier, constantly hawking everything from sneakers to perfume and even Bibles with the profits going into his pocket. His TruthSocial is likely his next business to go bankrupt, but his cult members are pushing the short-term stock price to ridiculous levels which brings huge profits to Trump.

Despite all that wealth, he won’t pay his own legal bills.

At the fundraising event Thursday, Presidents Biden, Obama and Clinton had a different take on the presidency and why they served: the ability to make life better for Americans.

The fundraiser was historic in that it raised more than $25-million in one night for not just the Biden campaign, but to support Democrats up and down the ticket.

Trump has a fundraiser this week where he says he’ll raise more money. Maybe he will. But we know one winner from the event will be Trump himself. He’s staging the event at his Palm Beach club, and you can be sure he’s collecting a hefty rental and catering fee for the night … more money to line his pocket.

One of the commitments I had when I first became your party chair was to work in every county to earn every vote. This month, we will move closer to that goal with our first Michigan Rural Summit. It is being organized by the MDP’s Rural Caucus. On this week’s podcast we hear from caucus chair Mark Ludwig about the Summit.

Mark was born and raised in Michigan. His youth was spent assisting his father during the early days of the environmental movement, studying Great Lakes water birds affected by industrial pollution. He settled in Allegan County, founding a small beef farm in Clyde Township in 2005 with his wife Kim. Mark served on the Fennville Public School Board, Clyde Township Planning Commission and currently serves on the Allegan Conservation District Board of Directors. Mark graduated from Michigan State with a degree in Environmental Issues and has a Short Course Degree from UW Madison in Grass Based Dairy.

In the News

Michigan Politics

• Major shift in Biden-Trump swing state polling, including Michigan – mlive.com
• Video – MIGOP lawmaker claims buses at airport full of “illegal invaders,” but they carried NCAA teams – CNN
• Michigan Republican mistakes college basketball players for ‘illegal invaders’ – MSNBC
• Republican Senate candidates vow to take away health insurance from 1.3 million Michiganders – The Gander
• VIDEO – Democrats opening new campaign office in GR – WOOD-TV
• Michigan Dems opening 30 campaign offices, tout ‘ground game’ – Detroit News
• Trump slow to invest in states that could decide election as some in GOP fear ‘skeleton’ campaign – AP News
• Michigan GOP office was ‘stripped down to bare bones,’ new leader says – Detroit News
• 1 big question and 6 key takeaways from MLive polling on Ottawa County political takeover – mlive.com

Michigan Policy

• Michigan AG Nessel slams DTE Energy’s $456M rate hike request – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan redistricting: Court finds new Detroit maps better for Black voters – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan abortion rights advocates want parental consent law repealed – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan’s Palisades nuclear plant poised to reopen after $1.5B loan – Detroit Free Press
• Jennifer Granholm, Gretchen Whitmer tout pilot training program for electric auto jobs – Bridge Michigan
• Police are using Michigan’s ‘red flag’ law to confiscate guns. Here’s how – Bridge Michigan

Trump Outrages

• Was the 2020 election stolen? Job interviews at RNC take an unusual turn – The Washington Post
• Opinion | Will the MAGA faithful actually read Trump’s bible? – Eugene Robinson/The Washington Post
• No, undocumented immigrant crime rate isn’t higher as Trump claimed – USA Today
• Trump’s claims on crime rates clash with police data – NBC News
• The Hypocrisy Behind Trump’s Visit to NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s Wake – Daily Beast
• Trump Attacks Judge’s Daughter After Gag Order in Hush-Money Case – The New York Times
• Trump’s Truth Social is now a public company. Experts warn its multibillion-dollar valuation defies logic – CNN Business

National Politics

• The Biden Campaign Is Quietly Preparing a Trump Ambush – Daily Beast
• Abortion proves winning strategy for Alabama Democrat – POLITICO
• Biden and Harris argue that Democrats will preserve health care and Republicans would take it away – Detroit News
• The overlooked truths about Biden’s age – Frank Bruni/New York Times
• If You Voted For Nikki Haley… | Biden-Harris 2024 – YouTube
• Texas appeals court overturns voter fraud conviction for woman on probation – AP News
• Trump Has a Big Problem With GOP Voters – Daily Beast
• Donald Trump Has a Social Security Problem – Newsweek
• RFK Jr.’s Running Mate Nicole Shanahan Thinks IVF Is a Sham – Daily Beast
• Team MAGA turned Baltimore Key bridge collapse into a conspiracy – Charlie Skyes/MSNBC
• VIDEO – National Organizing Call with President Biden, President Obama & Speaker Emerita Pelosi – YouTube

National Policy

• Opinion: Why has Obamacare worked? – Paul Krugman/New York Times
• Florida Passes Law Banning Social Media for Minors Under 14 – Wall Street Journal
• The fear of going too far: Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s biggest abortion case since Dobbs – POLITICO
• Biden vs. Trump: A Choice, Not an Echo, on Economic Policy – Wall Street Journal
• Supermarkets profited off pandemic and supply chain problems, FTC says – Scripps News
• Montana Supreme Court strikes down voting restrictions – The Washington Post

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From chairperson Lavora Barnes –

Saturday marked the 14th anniversary of the signature achievement of the Obama administration: enactment of the Affordable Care Act, a. k. a. “Obamacare.” Republicans rampaged against the legislation, calling it the potential death knell for the U.S. healthcare system, raising the spectre of government “death panels” deciding who lives and who dies, and predicting it would mean you could no longer choose your doctors.

President Obama fought for the law knowing it could mean he’d be a one-term President. Today in America, the Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever, and coverage is more affordable than ever.

There are more than 100 million Americans — friends, family, neighbors, people you love — who can no longer be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition. More than 45 million Americans have health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act and millions of seniors have lower prescription drug costs. The Biden administration is expanding the benefits of the ACA with the new ability of Medicare to negotiate prescription costs.

The law has special meaning in Michigan, and the legacy of the Dingell family. The first national healthcare bill was introduced in 1943 by Congressman John Dingell Senior. After his death, the law was reintroduced every session on his birthday by his son, John Dingell Junior. When President Obama signed the law in 2009, John Dingell was seated next to the President and presented with the first pen used to make the law official.

In a hot-mike moment, Vice President Biden famously called it, “a big blanking deal.” It still is.

But if Donald Trump and extreme MAGA Republicans in Congress get their way, they will gut the Affordable Care Act and rip away health care from millions — just like they tried to do in 2017.

As we approach the fall election, it’s important to remember that ALL of the Republican U.S. Senate candidates are enemies of the ACA. Mike Rogers, Peter Meijer, Sandy Pensler, and Justin Amash have all vowed to gut the Affordable Care Act which would result in millions of Michiganders being denied health care access and increase costs for families.

During the most recent enrollment period, more than 418,000 Michiganders signed up for affordable health care coverage. A repeal of the Affordable Care Act means “1.3 million Michiganders would lose their insurance and about 1.8 million with pre-existing health conditions could lose critical protections.”

Saturday was also a special anniversary for 323 Michigan families. It was their 10th wedding anniversary. Theirs were the first same-sex weddings in Michigan history. It’s also a part of the legacy of Attorney General Dana Nessel. In 2014, Nessel successfully argued for the plaintiffs in DeBoer v. Snyder, which challenged Michigan’s ban on the statewide legal recognition of same-sex marriage; the case was eventually combined with others and appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States as Obergefell v. Hodges, which led to the nationwide legal recognition of same-sex marriage. Another benefit of that legal effort: Nessel met her wife Alanna Maguire while they were both working on the case. She proposed to Maguire in 2015 outside of the United States Supreme Court. 

This week will be remembered for the enactment of another pro-family law: a statute protecting surrogacy births, and in vitro fertilization. We’re joined by the sponsor of the new law, Representative Samantha Steckloff. The bills are a long overdue win for reproductive rights and would-be parents who can’t conceive on their own. They not only safeguard the rights of biological parents, but also prioritize the protection and the reproductive freedom of those surrogates.

Representative Steckloff is serving her second term representing Michigan’s 19th House District. A lifelong resident of Farmington Hills, Rep. Steckloff has been a consistent and tenacious leader on the issues that impact her communities, as well as the state of Michigan as a whole. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 31 which has given her a unique understanding of the need to reform health insurance so no person will go broke battling a life-threatening disease.

In the News

The Anniversary of the ACA

• Obama Feared ‘One-Term Presidency’ After Passing Health Care Law – The New York Times
• John Dingell: The House’s Link To Health-Care History – KFF Health News
• Biden campaign uses ObamaCare anniversary to hammer Trump on health care – The Hill
• Michigan Dems Chair Celebrates ACA Ahead of Anniversary, Slams Republicans for Undermining Michiganders’ Health Care – Michigan Democratic Party
• Rogers, Meijer, Pensler, and Amash Vowed to Repeal Affordable Care Act and Revoke Health Care Coverage from 1.7 Million Michiganders – Michigan Democratic Party
• VIDEO – John James would raise healthcare cost

Michigan Policy

• Paid surrogate contracts may soon be legal in Michigan despite GOP concerns – Bridge Michigan
• Lawmakers Unveil Bipartisan Plan to Spur Nuclear Energy Generation in Michigan – housedems.com
• Attorney General: AG Nessel and Justice Department Sue Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets – MI Attorney General
• Secretary Benson announces Michigan’s elections ranked #2 in the nation by MIT Election Data and Science Lab – MI Secretary of State
• Bills to reshape ethics policies in Lansing to get hearing next month – Detroit News
• 323 weddings in 1 day: Same-sex couples sprinted to get married a decade ago – mlive.com

Michigan Politics

• Republican Senate candidates vow to take away health insurance from 1.3 million Michiganders – The Gander
• Michigan GOP office was ‘stripped down to bare bones,’ new leader says – Detroit News
• Michigan 2024 Poll: Trump 45%, Biden 44% – Emerson Polling
• A far-right faction took over Ottawa County. Its job approval is poor, MLive polling reveals – mlive.com

National Politics

• Trump faces a major threat from Liz Cheney and Mike Pence – Charlie Sykes/MSNBC
• How IVF and abortion access could shape the 2024 election – ABC News
• Biden Ad: “Better Off Now Than 4 Years Ago?” – via X
• Democrats seize on a GOP budget proposal that would raise Social Security retirement age – The Washington Post
• (Indiana) Senator Todd Young says he won’t endorse Trump’s candidacy – WISH TV/Indianapolis
• Kennedy family set to step up its efforts to help Biden’s campaign – NBC News
• Biden campaign recruits Nikki Haley donors to help defeat Donald Trump – CNBC
• Outside Groups Pledge Over $1 Billion to Aid Biden’s Re-election Effort – The New York Times

National Policy

• Biden-Harris Administration Approves Additional $5.8 Billion in Student Debt Relief for 78,000 Public Service Workers – U.S. Department of Education
• U.S. Home Sales Jumped 9.5% in February – Wall Street Journal
• Biden’s EPA Gives Automakers More Leeway to Phase Out Gas-Engine Cars – Wall Street Journal
• Alabama Becomes Latest State to Nix State-Funded DEI Efforts as Gov. Kay Ivey Signs New Law – The Daily Beast

Trump Outrages

• ‘So dangerous’: US Jews push back against Trump’s latest rhetoric on disloyalty – The Times of Israel
• Jewish leaders are decrying recent remarks by Donald Trump – AP News
• Trump’s long history with antisemitic tropes – The Washington Post
• VIDEO – Trump wants to rip away health care away from millions of Americans (via X)
• Trump Claims 2024 Election Will Be Rigged, Putting GOP Turnout at Risk – Wall Street Journal
• Cannon order on Trump jury instructions, PRA puzzles legal experts – The Washington Post
• Trump Criticizes Biden’s Plan on Israel War, Doesn’t Have One of His Own – WSJ
• Pro-Trump attorney Stefanie Lambert arrested after hearing over leaking Dominion documents – AP News
• Donald Trump’s COVID Pandemic Response Was Somehow Worse Than We Thought – The Daily Beast
• Kushner Developing Deals Overseas Even as His Father-in-Law Runs for President – The New York Times
• ‘It’s every level of corruption’: Jared Kushner continues the Trump family grift overseas – MSNBC

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From the chair

RESULTS

Government is supposed to work to improve our lives. We measure our public officials by results. Under Joe Biden and Gretchen Whitmer, we’re getting results.

Three years ago this week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. There’s an excellent report on what that has brought Michigan in the current edition of the online publication The Gander.

Among the highlights:

• 300,000 jobs added to Michigan’s economy
• The unemployment rate dropped from 6.5% in 2021 and has kept at 4% for the last 14 months.
• A surge in new businesses. According to US Chamber of Commerce data, nearly 150,000 small business applications were filed in the state in 2023.
• Tax relief for families. In Michigan, families of nearly 1.9 million children benefited from tax relief in 2021—with more than 1.1 million families receiving $3,000 or $3,600 per child, depending on their age. The legislation also enabled Michigan families earning less than $125,000 to get back up to half of what they spent on child care while working or studying, saving up to $8,000 for two children.
• An expansion to the federal Earned Income Tax Credit also benefited 600,000 workers in Michigan in 2021, providing up to $1,500 in tax relief to those without dependent children. The Whitmer administration added to that savings by repealing the Snyder Administration cuts to the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit.
• Michigan received more than $1.1 billion in federal funding to be used for rental and utility assistance. State officials said more than 250,000 applications were received, with more than 130,000 approved—an average of about $5,600 in aid for each household. Additional funding was designed to help low- and middle-income homeowners who fell behind on their bills.
• The American Rescue Plan Act  also expanded health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—ensuring more middle-income families in Michigan were eligible for low- or no-cost insurance, and providing key incentives for states to expand Medicaid.
  The law’s subsidies—which were reauthorized as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022—led to record-breaking sign-ups for ACA plans this year. More than 418,000 Michiganders) enrolled in plans for 2024. 
• More than $15 billion in ARPA funds have been dedicated to public safety, with investments by over 1,000 state and local governments to avoid cuts to police budgets, hire more cops, upgrade equipment for first responders, and expand community violence intervention programs. 
• Governor Whitmer campaigned on a promise to “Fix the Damn Roads”. She’s keeping that promise with massive repairs underway or completed across Michigan. Legislators are working on expanding road repairs to local streets.

We’re joined on the podcast this week be the chair of the state House Transportation Committee, Representative Ranjeev Puri. He is also House Majority Whip, serving his second term in the Michigan House, representing Canton Township.

Before joining the Legislature, Rep. Puri worked in financial consulting and then went on to work for President Barack Obama. After completing his MBA, Rep. Puri began his work in Detroit’s automotive industry, helping solve complex business problems and developing innovative solutions to help prepare Michigan for the economy of tomorrow. He believes in holistic solutions to the challenges facing the automotive industry, from cultivating the required talent by investing in our public education system to fixing and modernizing our infrastructure and building a regional transit system to attract and retain the talent of tomorrow.

Today his committee is focusing on a tremendously difficult issue: how to respond to shrinking gas tax revenues so that we can do more to fix Michigan’s pothole-plagued local roads.

In the News

• Three years later: What is Biden’s American Rescue Plan doing for Michigan? – The Gander
• American Rescue Plan – The White House
• Biden’s budget proposal: Family tax breaks, cheaper health care, more – AP News
• Voters Strongly Support Biden’s Strike Force on Corporate Price Gouging -Data for Progress

Michigan Politics

• GOP Justice David Viviano leaving Michigan Supreme Court – Bridge Michigan
• Mike Rogers targets China, but his own connections draw criticism – Detroit News
  
• Paul rips Trump for endorsing <Mike Rogers> ‘worst Deep State candidate this cycle’ – The Hill
• SEIU to spend $200 million to get working class voters to back Biden, Democrats – The Washington Post
• Once obscure freshman legislator becomes darling of the far right in Michigan – Detroit News

Michigan Policy

• Michigan Democrats eye new ethics disclosures, crackdown on gifts – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan lawmakers advance FOIA bills, introduce transparency measures – Detroit Free Press

Trump Outrages

• Trump tries, fails to clean up his Social Security, Medicare mess -MSNBC
• Donald Trump’s COVID Pandemic Response Was Somehow Worse Than We Thought – The Daily Beast
• Kushner Developing Deals Overseas Even as His Father-in-Law Runs for President – The New York Times
• ‘It’s every level of corruption’: Jared Kushner continues the Trump family grift overseas – MSNBC
• Trump has a bunch of new false claims. Here’s a guide. – The Washington Post
• Trump Is Flat-Out Lying About Having the ‘Most Secure Border in History’ as President – The Daily Beast
• New data explodes myth of crime wave fueled by migrants – Judd Legum/Popular Information

National

• Opinion | Democrats Need to Stop Playing Nice – Joe Klein/The New York Times
• Mike Pence on Fox News: “II will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year.” 
• Biden allies form new group to coordinate attacks on third-party candidates – The Washington Post
• Republican group planning $50M campaign to block Trump from reelection – The Hill
• To Win, Biden Must Make Trump Own the Chaos of 2020 – The Daily Beast
• What Robert Hur didn’t say in his Biden report speaks volumes – Representative Eric Swalwell via MSNBC
• Media compounds failure on Hur report – Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Texas governor predicted donations would pay for busing migrants out of state. He’s collected less than 1% of that cost – CNN Politics
• Video of Biden effigy beating prompts calls for Kansas GOP leaders to resign – AP News
• Hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people at schools have sharply risen in recent years – The Washington Post

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From the chair

“Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”
                                  — Ronald Reagan (10-28-1980)

One thing some politicians rely on during their campaigns: how time weakens our memory. It’s a tactic that Donald Trump’s campaign is using: hoping Americans don’t remember just how bad things were four years ago. 

Do Americans Have a ‘Collective Amnesia’ About Donald Trump? – The New York Times

For the first half of his term, Trump rode the wave of the 8-year Obama economic recovery. But by the end of Trump’s turn, that wave quickly disappeared thanks to his bungled non-response to the COVID pandemic. Let’s go back four years and revisit the reality Donald Trump would have us forget:

March, 2020
Unemployment was at 4.4 percent. But a month later, it was a staggering 14.8 percent. By the time Trump left office, his four-year record was the loss of 3-million jobs: the worst jobs number for a President since Herbert Hoover. This week, the monthly jobs report showed another 275,000 Americans were employed. Unemployment has been under 4 percent for a record 39 months … dating back to the beginning of the Biden administration.

March, 2020
A total of 80 U.S. cases of COVID had been reported. At the White House, Trump told Bob Woodward in private that he knew COVID was extremely deadly and highly contagious. 

But he told the nation that his administration had it under control, and that the virus would disappear in a matter of weeks. His administration offered nothing but happy-talk.

Nearly 1,200,000 Americans have died from COVID. And our economy began to shut down from the pandemic. Hospitals in many cities, including Detroit and Lansing, were jammed to capacity by COVID cases.  We had nationwide shortages of personal protective equipment: N95 masks, respirators, protective clothing and even exam gloves. Worldwide supply chains were disrupted, setting the stage for a logjam in the supply chain that would disrupt our economy for three years.

To his credit, Trump pushed the development of the first COVID vaccines…but he didn’t put in place a plan for getting the vaccine to the people.

Joe Biden came into office with the goal of getting 100-million Americans vaccinated within 100 days. They did it in 58 days. Nearly half the U.S. population was vaccinated within the first 6 months. It was the beginning of the end of the pandemic. COVID no longer threatened to shut down America.

March 2020
In world affairs, Trump had already seriously damaged our standing in the world. U.N. delegates literally laughed at him during his 2018 speech to the General Assembly. NATO was on the verge of falling apart due to Trump’s open hostility to the alliance that had kept the peace in Europe for 60 years. And Trump’s open admiration for autocrats – Putin, China’s Xi, Hungary’s Victor Orban (a guest at Mar-A-Lago just this week), Turkey’s Racip Ergogan and North Korea’s Kim Jung Un – was a slap in the face to democracies across the world.

Today, the NATO alliance has been strengthened by the addition of Sweden and Finland: two nations sharing a border with Putin’s Russia. NATO is united in its support for Ukraine, with every nation contributing to the war against Putin’s aggression. World leaders once again respect our nation and its leader.

So: in answer to Reagan’s question, the answer is
Yes! Under the leadership of Joe Biden, this nation is far better off now than it was 4 years ago.

Trump will do his best to make us think otherwise, but he has no choice. He was a disaster as President, and his return to office would be devastating.

The State of the Union

President Biden’s State of the Union address. It was superb, putting to rest the baseless Republican assault on the President’s capability to continue as one of the most effective Presidents in U.S. history. Ironically it came in the same week that featured some Donald Trump speeches where his sentences evolved into incoherent babbling, raising serious questions about his mental state.

It wasn’t just President Biden’s strong presentation. It was also his vision for America: virtually limitless possibilities for the nation. That was a stark contract to his predecessor’s continuing tearing down of our nation, calling it weak, unrespected and even “failing.” President Biden laid out a strong agenda for improving the lives of all Americans, building on the tremendous successes of his first 3 years.

In the after-speech commentary, I was struck by one analyst who said on Bill Maher’s “Real Time” show that President Biden focused on the long term: a commitment to leave a better country and better world for our children and grandchildren, rather than focusing on short-term politically driven policies. Signature Biden successes including support for U.S. manufacturing of computer chips, infrastructure investments and attacking climate change aren’t proposals designed as instant-gratification laws. They are laws that set the stage for world leadership for the next 50 years or more.

I was also deeply disappointed — but not surprised– by the aura of Republican incivility and downright rudeness during the speech that seems to get worse every year. We remember our shock when Congressman Joe Wilson shouted out “you lie” at Barack Obama during the State of the Union. Now, outbursts like that are seemingly a regular feature of Republican congressional behavior. The heckling from the likes of Marjorie Taylor Green are an embarrassment.

And it’s gotten so bad the Speaker of the House couldn’t even find it in himself to applaud when President Biden said there was no role for violence in politics, or that United States would not bow down to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. When did those become partisan issues?

Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s crude and rude behavior seems to have become the norm for many elected Republicans.

Joining the podcast this week is the chair of the state House Education Committee, Representative Matt Koleszar who is leading a deep-dive into ways to make our schools safer.

Representative Koleszar is serving his third term representing Michigan’s 22nd House District, which includes the cities of Northville and Plymouth, most of Northville and Plymouth Townships, and a portion of Livonia.

Prior to his election, Koleszar worked as a teacher and coach in the Airport Community School District and president of the Airport Education Association in Carleton. He received an undergraduate degree from Saginaw Valley State University before attending Eastern Michigan University, where he received a master’s degree in english studies.

Koleszar is committed to securing adequate funding for Michigan’s schools, finding effective solutions to fix the roads, and increasing access to and quality of healthcare in the state.

In the News

Michigan Policy

• Lawmakers want more CPR, cardiac arrest training for Michigan schools – Bridge Michigan
• MSU Trustee Rema Vassar responds, calls bullying investigation ‘deeply flawed’ – Lansing State Journal
• Mel Tucker, Michigan State to be sued by rape survivor Brenda Tracy – Lansing State Journal

Michigan Politics

• Conservative law firm earned $730K as Ottawa County’s new attorney, invoices show – mlive.com
• Man arrested for stalking AG Nessel, her wife in Wayne County – mlive.com
• Michigan GOP candidates embrace IVF but face doubters – Detroit News

National Policy

• VIDEO – President Biden’s State of the Union address in under 4 minutes – MSNBC
• Biden uses State of the Union to contrast with Trump, sell voters on a second term – AP
• Official Katie Britt GOP Response to State of the Union Has Republicans ‘Losing It’ – The Daily Beast
• Here’s what some Americans thought of Biden’s State of the Union address, according to CNN polling – CNN
• Healthy labor market continues to beat expectations, boost economy – The Washington Post
• Formula for a Pandemic: Trump vows to cut federal funds for schools with vaccine mandates – Maddow Blog
• Opinion | Republicans’ spending package will cut much-needed police funding – Eugene Robinson/The Washington Post
• The Next Red-Blue State Divide: EV Taxes – Wall Street Journal
• Ronny Jackson was demoted by Navy after investigation into White House actions – The Washington Post

National Politics

• Haley’s campaign exposed cracks in Trump’s GOP – ABC News
• VIDEO – Stefanik picks the wrong fight, asks whether we were better off in 2020 – Rachel Maddow
• RNC votes to install Trump’s handpicked chair, Michael Whatley – AP News
• Arizona’s Trump electors subpoenaed in grand jury investigation – The Washington Post
• No Labels delegates vote to move forward with presidential ticket – POLITICO
• Judge Rules Trump Has to Come Up With $91 Million for E. Jean Carroll Appeal
• Here are the details on Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton fundraiser – NBC News

Political insights from Kalamazoo’s Jordan Klepper…

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From the chair

“Chaos”

It’s the ongoing story of Republicans running to succeed Debbie Stabenow in the United States Senate. Their story got even more muddled this week with the announcement by ultra-right-wing former Congressman Justin Amash that he was joining the circular firing squad. Michigan Republicans’ brutal infighting is getting nastier by the day. Their caustic showdown will leave them with a badly damaged nominee who is out of touch with Michigan families. Amash has an extensive record of leaving Michiganders behind: supporting dangerous abortion bans, vowing to gut health care access, and backing the 2017 tax giveaway to the wealthy and large corporations.

In the meantime, the other Senate wannabes focused on slamming each other:

• Sandy Pensler and Mike Rogers engaged in website wars, with each redirecting Michiganders visiting mikerogersforsenate.com and electsandypensler.com to attacks on their opponent’s record. 
• Roger Stone, a Trump ally, took aim at Rogers for being a “blatant fraud” who “voters need to be leery of.” 
• Stone slammed Rogers for “leaving his home state of Michigan in the dust,” making nearly $2 million in the past two years alone, living in a $1.5 million Cape Coral mansion, and only moving back to Michigan “a few months before announcing his U.S. Senate run.”
• Donald Trump continued to complicate Republicans’ bid to win the Senate seat. In response to a question if he’d pardon Trump, Rogers said it’s in the “country’s best interest not to go through that nonsense.” He went on to say that Trump’s New York civil fraud case showed “two tiers of justice.” 
• Pensler bashed “career politicians” Rogers and Meijer, saying that most of the country’s problems were due to them “being unwilling to take on hard decisions because they’re afraid of losing their jobs.”

Grab your popcorn and pull up a chair. When millionaires Pensler, Rogers and Meijer start spending their vast personal funds you can count on the political bloodbath moving to your television.

All of this stands in stark contrast to the long history of our guest on this week’s podcast. Debbie Stabenow has always run on a forward-thinking platform of progress for Michigan, and the voters have endorsed that approach to campaigns time after time. Senator Stabenow symbolizes the very best in public service. Beginning as an Ingham County Commissioner, she has served the people of Michigan for nearly 50 years: state representative, state senator, Congresswoman and, for the last 23 years as our United States Senator.

In the News

Michigan Politics

• Mike Rogers tries to distance Senate campaign from past attempts to ban IVF – The Gander
• Amash makes GOP bid for U.S. Senate in Michigan, takes shots at rival – Detroit News
• Why Justin Amash could give the GOP a headache in Michigan’s Senate race – Dailykos.com
• 3 hours after he’s fired, <Ottawa County Administrator> John Gibbs claims it’s a contract breach and free speech violation – mlive.com

Michigan Policy

• A federal abortion ban could undo Michigan’s constitutional measure. How realistic is that? – mlive.com
• `Michigan Dems aim to ban guns at voting locations – Bridge Michigan
• New Legislation Aims to Stop Armed Intimidation of Voters – Brennan Center for Justice
• Michigan state House map proposal slated for court review – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan’s 4-year high school graduation rate rises 2nd year in a row – Bridge Michigan
• $900M solar component factory to add 1,100 clean energy jobs in Michigan – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan boosts funding to attract new EV-related factories – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan COVID deaths pass 40,000 – Bridge MI

Trump/GOP Outrages

• Trump Misleads About Crime and Public Safety, Again – Brennan Center for Justice
• The truth about illegal immigration and crime – The Washington Post
• Nikki Haley calls for all Trump legal cases to be ‘dealt with’ before November – NBC News
  

  

• Supreme Court Hands Trump a Win and Delays His Election Subversion Prosecution – Mother Jones
• VIDEO – ‘Republicans in robes’: Supreme Court critics see politics behind action on Trump immunity case – MSNBC
• VIDEO – ‘Historic proof’: If the Supreme Court wanted to move quickly it could – Chris Hayes/MSNBC
• Trump says he’s long worked ‘hand in hand’ with Black people. Let’s review. – The Washington Post
• Opinion | Trump’s pitch to Black voters is cringeworthy at best – Eugene Robinson/The Washington Post
• 125 Republicans have backed antiabortion bill without IVF exception – The Washington Post
• Opinion | Fear the Economic Impact of Donald Trump 2.0 – Steven Rattner/The New York Times
• Indiana man Andrew Nickles pleads guilty to threats over Michigan 2020 election – The Washington Post

National Policy and Politics

• Trump’s ‘Dominance’ of the GOP Primary Is an Illusion – The Daily Beast
• The Biden campaign is launching a nationwide effort to win the women’s vote, Jill Biden will lead it – AP News
• Hunter Biden gives House Republicans the rebuttal they didn’t want – The Washington Post
• Voters Support the U.S. Calling for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza and Conditioning Military Aid to Israel – Data for Progress
• IRS says millionaires haven’t filed tax returns in thousands of cases – The Washington Post
• Eric Holder: The NDRC’s 10 Year Plan – National Democratic Redistricting Committee
• Amid Florida’s Measles Outbreak, Surgeon General Goes Against Medical Guidance – The New York Times

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From the chair

It’s no secret that the Republican Party is in turmoil these days. The state party has a civil war underway with competing factions fighting for control. The national party is undergoing a leadership purge as Donald Trump transforms the RNC into another one of his companies. He is installing his daughter-in-law as co-chair, and she’s already made it clear the RNC has two missions: return the family to the Oval Office, and pay Trump’s legal bills.

Democrats are united. Yes, we will work tirelessly to reelect Joe Biden. But we are working just as hard on races all the way down the ballot. Michigan is a purple state, and it is going to be a battle to maintain the gains we’ve made in the last few years.

We have an ally at the top. The Democratic National Committee is 100% behind us. Joining me on a special episode of this podcast this week is my friend and leader, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison.

In the News

• VP Kamala Harris says Michigan’s abortion protections are at stake in 2024 – mlive.com
• Oklahoma Pols Want a Database of Everyone Who Has an Abortion – The Daily Beast
• After Alabama ruling threatens IVF, Haley says embryos ‘are babies’ – The Washington Post
• Trump Allies Plan New Sweeping Abortion Restrictions – The New York Times

Michigan Policy and Politics

• Trump’s NATO talk rattles Polish Americans in Michigan – Detroit News
• Why the Michigan Republican primary elections are a mess – Alex Wagner/MSNBC
• Report: Michigan’s highways getting better, but local roads deteriorating – Lansing State Journal
• John Gibbs accused of physical threats, sexist comments, installing secret camera – mlive.com
• Dana Nessel: Michigan GOP fundraisers engaged in ‘dark money scheme’ – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan’s first case under gun storage law filed in Genesee County – Detroit News
• EPIC-MRA Poll February 13-18 2024

Trump/Republican Outrages

• Opinion/Michael Steele – Trump’s RNC rebrand is a recipe for the Republican Party’s implosion – MSNBC
• ‘I think it’s probably financial’: Pelosi wonders what Putin has on Trump – MSNBC
• The GOP’s 2024 Campaign Message Is Falling Apart – The Daily Beast
• Trump says Black voters like him because he has been indicted and has a mug shot – The Washington Post
• A Vote for Trump Is a Vote for Putin—and a World in Danger – Daily Beast
• Trump and allies plotting militarized mass deportations, detention camps – The Washington Post
• Trump equates his domestic political opposition to WWII enemies abroad – The Washington Post
• Lara Trump: GOP voters OK with RNC paying legal fees for Trump – AP News
• Trump fundraising arm referred for prosecution by Wisconsin ethics commission – The Washington Post
• Michael Ian Black: West Virginia Republicans Want to Throw Librarians in Jail – The Daily Beast
• Florida high school teacher resigns after in-class library removed – Fort Myers News-Press

National Policy

• Biden Administration Cancels More Than $1.2 Billion in Student Loans – Mother Jones
• Biden faults Trump’s vaccine rollout as he cites total covid death toll – The Washington Post
• Wisconsin Democrats see path to majorities with end of GOP gerrymander- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Voters Who Are Concerned About Inflation Are Mostly Concerned About Grocery Prices — and Overwhelmingly Support Taking Action Against “Shrinkflation” – Data for Progress
• Opinion | New IRS funding includes more audits over private jet use – Catherine Rampell/The Washington Post
• Florida surgeon general defies science amid measles outbreak – The Washington Post
• It’s No Secret Our Tax System Punishes Low-Income People. It Doesn’t Have To. – Mother Jones
• Texas school legally punished Black student over hairstyle, judge says – AP News
• Newsmax Trashes Florida GOP Bills Targeting the ‘Liberal Media’ – The Daily Beast

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From the Chair

Early voting is underway in Michigan’s presidential primary.

A vote for any other presidential candidate or a vote as “uncommitted” does not help our cause against Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans. Trump and MAGA Republicans are a danger to our democracy and the health of our nation. Trump and MAGA Republicans are looking to undermine our democracy, remove gun safety measures, stall our nation’s economic progress, enact a national abortion ban, and much more. President Biden and our vision of unity must be at the forefront, and that begins with a united effort to support President Biden in the primary.

The nine-day early voting period, culminating with the election on February 27, is a result of one of the 142 new laws passed in 2023 by our Democratic Legislature that went into effect last Tuesday. The delay was thanks to ongoing Republican foot-dragging. The state constitution says a law can only go into effect immediately if it gets a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate. Republicans decided to delay the inevitable on all of those laws by denying the two-thirds immediate effect vote.

Regardless, the early voting law is part of a package of bills enacted by the Legislature to make it easier for Michigan citizens to exercise their right to vote. Other new election laws include secure drop boxes, electronic tracking and streamlined absentee ballot processes, including a permanent mail voter list. Another new law directs the state to automatically register people who are leaving incarceration to vote. Effective June 2025, this landmark legislation restores voting rights for historically disenfranchised people.

Against a backdrop of historical disenfranchisement, Democrats stand as fervent advocates for voting rights, and will continue working to strengthen voting rights and accessibility for all Michiganders, especially Black voters.

Election officials across Michigan have faced threats of violence since the 2020 election, hindering efforts to fully staff elections. A new law protects poll workers against intimidation and threats, ensuring a safe environment for election workers, and another makes it a felony to prevent an elected official from performing their official duties in conducting an election.

House Democrats have solidified Michigan’s commitment to accessible and secure elections with key bills reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen the state’s democracy. The measures increase access to voting, safeguard the democratic rights of Michiganders and affirm Michigan as a place where every voice matters.
And best of all: Michigan’s chief elections officer is the nation’s best Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson. She is one of the nation’s leading experts on election law and literally wrote the book on running state elections. “State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process”  looks into their pivotal role in the promotion of a healthy democracy. The book provides the first in-depth study of the Secretary’s role in registering voters, enforcing voting laws and regulations, overseeing elections, and certifying results.

In the wake of these monumental legislative victories, Michigan stands poised for a new era of empowered voters and strengthened democratic values. The dedication of our lawmakers has made it easier for every voice to be heard at the ballot box.

—

While the 2023 legislative session was a record-setter for passing important laws, there is more to be done. One important effort will be expanding on the state’s contribution to fighting climate change. We’re joined on the podcast by Washtenaw County state Senator Jeff Irwin, a key leader on climate change.

Senator Irwin is a fearless advocate for the environment, public education, and criminal justice reform, among other areas. He is serving his second term in the Michigan Senate.

Since 2018, Senator Irwin has introduced legislation tightening regulations against polluters and ensuring our schools are properly screening students for dyslexia — and getting them the help they need. He has worked to allow more juvenile offenders to seal their records, expunge all cannabis-related offenses, ban PFAS in food packaging and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Irwin has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan and lives in Washtenaw County. He represented the City of Ann Arbor in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2011 to 2017.

In the News

How to vote and when to do it: A Michigan primary primer – mlive.com

Michigan Policy

• Countdown to a Better Michigan! – housedems.com
• Gun, abortion, energy reform among 142 Michigan laws taking effect Tuesday – Bridge Michigan

Michigan Politics

• RNC recognizes Pete Hoekstra as Michigan GOP chair; Karamo ignores decision – mlive.com
• In battleground Michigan, a striking Republican schism persists – MSNBC
• Michigan GOP infighting shakes up presidential primary – Detroit News 
• ‘Mass confusion’ as Michigan GOP preps presidential caucus amid leadership fight – Bridge Michigan
• Michigan Rep. Josh Schriver condemned for ‘Great Replacement’ social media post ⋆ Michigan Advance
• GOP state rep stripped of committee after ‘great replacement’ post
• Michigan rep Josh Schriver thinks Abe Lincoln wrote the Constitution – Detroit Free Press
• Michigan GOP Rep. Josh Schriver Doubles Down on Racist Tweet – The Daily Beast
• Missing disclosures from Michigan U.S. Senate candidates prompt ethics complaints – mlive.com
• Prosecutor describes elector plot as ‘conspiracy’ tied to Trump team – Detroit News
• Democrats are trying to turn the GOP’s 2024 Senate contenders into Dr. Oz – NBC News
• Former Michigan Dems chair says he filed ethics complaint against Prosecutor Lucido – Detroit Free Press

Trump, the Crimes and the Courts

• The Full Stormy Hush-Money Tale Features Plenty of Witnesses Who Could Be Trouble for Trump – Mother Jones
• Trump fraud verdict: $364 million penalty imposed – AP News
• Trump’s “Valentine” to Melania is a Fundraising Grift – Twitter
• Trump ramps up calls to Congress to impeach Biden – The Washington Post
• Opinion | Trump Is Losing It – Jamelle Bouie/The New York Times

National News on Policy and Politics

• VIDEO – President Biden Delivers Remarks on Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Supplemental Agreement – YouTube
• Recession has struck some of the world’s top economies. The US keeps defying expectations – AP News
• Joe Manchin announces he will not run for president – NBC News
• Media creates Biden “fitness” crisis – by Judd Legum/Popular Information
• Second Trump presidency would axe Biden climate agenda, gut energy regulators – Reuters
• Trump Privately Expresses Support for a 16-Week Abortion Ban – The New York Times
• FBI informant charged with lying about the Biden’s ties to Ukrainian business – AP News
• VIDEO: Fox quiet after indictment of GOP ‘informant’ blows up impeachment case – Chris Hayes/MSNBC
• A chaotic US House is losing three Republican committee chairs to retirement in the span of a week – AP News
• VIDEO: The Problem with Border Protection: Donald Trump – Lincoln Project via YouTube
• Texas Soldiers ‘Don’t Believe’ In Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star – HuffPost
• Indiana National Guard headed to Texas to help secure southern border – Indianapolis Star
• Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Statement on Gov. Holcomb deploying Indiana National Guard to Texas Border for Political Stunt – Indiana Senate Democrats
• Faced with wave of hostile bills, transgender rights leaders are playing “a defense game” – AP News
• Trans women should be arrested over bathroom use, N.C. gubernatorial candidate says – The Washington Post