A Republic, If You Can Keep It

Michigan Citizens for a Better Tomorrow
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Analysis and commentary on Michigan politics from former Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer and former Republican Party executive director Jeff Timmer.

  1. 5d ago

    The Home Stretch

    On our political radar this week… Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed are in the center of the national political spotlight We’re in the final days of a primary campaign that’s being watched by the nation: will the Democratic Socialist wing of the Democratic Party upset the centrist leadership? It’s the top political story of the week nationwide. Donald Trump’s approval rating is now officially in the deep freeze: 32-percent approval in the latest Quinnipiac poll. So Trump and his allies are rolling out more distractions:  a just-for-Fox-News Senate interrogation of Dr. Anthony Fauci, with Fauci refusing to take Rand Paul’s bait by taking the 5th more than 100 times © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com still another Trump construction project (this time, $22-billion for renovations at Dulles International Airport, which he’ll probably try to get renamed Trump International),  an announcement that the feds will buy 250 armored Cadillac Escalades, with a sticker price of around 300-thousand-dollars, instead of the usual Chevy Suburbans;   and a meandering monologue from Trump at a taxpayer-funded campaign rally in southeast Michigan which included a long litany of Trump distortions, lies and name-calling Democrats are openly celebrating Trump’s Michigan campaign appearance. It gave them still another opportunity to focus on Trump’s core failures. Party chair Curtis Hertel led the party’s “Welcome to Michigan, Donald” news conference  In the background, Democrats are assuming that Trump will use all of the federal government to interfere with a fair-and-open election in November. Trump with his faithful supplicants Mike Rogers and John James In Lansing, legislative Democrats have reintroduced the 9 bills that passed both chambers 18 months ago … then were effectively stalled by House Speaker MAGA Matt Hall. t’s strictly a messaging exercise. Chances for enactment of those bills a second time: zero.  © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by

  2. Jul 25

    Another War With Canada, Eh?

    On our political radar this week… Canadian officials cut the ribbon today to herald Monday’s scheduled opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge. Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford spoke directly of the latest Trump assault on America’s number one trading partner, saying “ Ontario will be ready to respond in any new American tariffs, will not back down, and will negotiate from a position of strength as a top trading partner, more than half of the United States.” Because of Trump’s latest tariff tantrum no Americans were invited to the event. At recording time the Bridge is set to open for vehicular traffic on Monday. Instead of presiding at a joint ribbon cutting which had been planned for next Monday midway between Detroit and Windsor, Trump will be a few miles north for a campaign rally. His campaign visit: an admission that Michigan Democrats could flip 3 Republican-held seats in Congress. For Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, it could be a political nightmare. He’ll have no choice but to join hands with a President whose approval rating is a pathetic 33 percent…and falling. On the Democratic side of the Senate race, Governor Whitmer has endorsed Haley Stevens. Polls show Stevens with a slight lead over Abdul El-Sayed … and El-Sayed drawing large crowds this last week at rallies featuring Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But the endorsement comes with nearly 700-thousand absentee ballots already been received by local clerks, and another 1.2-million absentee ballots have been issued but not yet returned. Early in-person voting begins on tomorrow. Defense Secretary (and former Fox & Friends B-Team talker) Pete Hegseth took a trip to Capitol Hill. The hostile reception he got from the Senate Appropriations Committee was enough to drive a man to drink. Hegseth wants another $90-billion to continue Trump’s War of Choice in Iran … and Senators made it clear they weren’t buying what he was selling. The normally soft-spoken Senator Gary Peters pulled no punches in lambasting the former Fox News weekend couch talker. Hegseth claims the Iran War has cost around $37-billion so far. Of course, with Trump’s massive budget deficit estimated at 2-trillion dollars, the entire cost of the war goes on the federal credit card to be paid by future generations. And Senator Elissa Slotkin says the real cost is more … 200-billion dollars or more.  The State Board of Canvassers voted to put the Money out of Politics proposal on the November ballot. If approved by voters and if it gets past a court challenge, the proposal would ban political spending by regulated utilities and companies with state contracts. Organizers got some major messaging help in the latest campaign finance reports which showed that CMS Energy has spent more than a quarter-million-dollars in a Republican primary targeting the chair of a House subcommittee who opposes construction of new data centers in Michigan. The number is huge. In 2024, there were a total of 13,491 votes cast in the district’s Republican primary (it’s a very red district so the primary is the real election). With a similar turnout this year, the spending equals $20 per vote. VIDEO: Confessions of the Dear Leader – The Lincoln Project ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is supported by

  3. Jul 17

    Party Like It’s 2020! (Guest: Jack Cocchiarella)

    On our political radar this week… America was treated to still another delusional rant from Donald Trump Thursday night about the issue that’s his singular fixation: imaginary election fraud six years ago. The speech came in a week of bad news from the mad man in the Oval Office:  Iran continues to dog-walk Trump and make the U.S. a laughing stock for the world, while the idiotic war continues to drive prices for American voters higher and higher.  Trump was finally forced to pay millions of dollars in damages to a woman he sexually assaulted, and once upon a time, this would have been major news. His nominees for Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence embarrass themselves in Senate confirmation hearings – and threaten our national security and the rule of law if confirmed. And the reflecting pool in Washington, D.C., continues to be a perfect metaphor for Trump’s presidency: his lack-of-self-awareness delusional hubris meeting the real-world reality of his total incompetence and stupidity. Hey, did anyone know dumb has a B in it? Trump’s speech about the 2020 election is both idiotic and alarming at the same time. Voters are locked in on the cost-of-living, while Trump, his administration, and all the Republicans are locked in using the fictional tropes about the 2020 election being rigged to deliberately rig the 2026 election. We should be far more alarmed than we are about the prospect of a free and fair election this November. Trump and the Republicans have settled in on the messaging we predicted here on this podcast several weeks ago – manufactured culture wars and racial scare tactics about violent crime – but with an unexpected blast from the past – COMMUNISM. That’s right. It’s Red Scare 3.0 for the GOP as they look to spend the rest of 2026 campaigning like it’s 1956. The political eyes of the nation are focused on Michigan’s race for the U.S. Senate, where there is also a significant new endorsement. Senator Gary Peters, whose retirement launched the battle for nomination, reversed his earlier neutrality decision to back Haley Stevens, saying the Senate isn’t the place for on-the-job training. The latest Detroit News polling, from well-respected pollster Richard Czuba, shows Stevens with a lead over Abdul El Sayed…and that Democratic voters are focused on two issues: the economy and fighting Trump. (It appears nobody mentioned the 2020 election.) Yesterday saw the latest federal fundraising reports from candidates and PACs across the country. And news flash: money still matters more than the terminally online chatter around campaigns. And Democrats overall continue to outperform Republicans here in Michigan and across the country. Democratic candidates for Senate and Congress are racking up massive hauls, and while the Republicans aren’t complete slouches, at least with their fundraising, they lag in most key races. Screenshot The political focus is on Michigan and the Democratic battle for the U.S. Senate nomination. Joining the conversation is someone watching especially closely, online political guru Jack Cocchiarella. His YouTube political updates are seen by more than 1-and-a-half million subscribers, and more than 2 million followers across social media platforms. Jeff first came to know Jack while he interned for the Lincoln Project during 2020 while he was still in high school. Now, after a political science path through Columbia University, he positions himself at the intersection of media virality and civic engagement—highlighting how today’s platforms shape electoral conversations. His commentary covers everything from algorithmic media dynamics to youth voter mobilization, and his channels regularly break down political stories, offering context, critique, and a call to action. Subscribe to our YouTube channel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

  4. Jul 10

    McCarthyism 2.0 (Guest: Sam Bagenstos)

    On our political radar this week… Demagogue Senator Joe McCarthy’s Red Scare tactics of the 1950s are back. The GOP game plan for the 2026 campaign is clear: branding Democrats as soft-on-crime and communists who want to destroy America. Using Hollywood terms, it’s a sequel to what was, for a while, a highly successful 1950’s crusade led by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. The candidates in Michigan’s two very high-profile primary battles had TV debates in the last few days. Did the debates change anything in the races for the GOP nomination for governor or the Dem nomination for U.S. Senate? Hint – I don’t think so. Not even a little bit. Donald Trump got a diplomatic “red card” for his unhinged performance at the meeting of NATO leaders, threatening and insulting our allies while praising the Turkish dictator who has been sanctioned for his cozy military relationship with Russia. The Graham Platner story has reached the inevitable conclusion in the wake of allegations he raped a former girlfriend with Platner defiant but recognizing his support had evaporated. Subscribe to our YouTube channel It’s time for Trump to cough up the $5-million judgement for sexually assaulting and then defaming E. Jean Carroll. Earlier this week a fed-up federal judge ordered the release of the escrowed $5.8 million in one of the defamation cases brought by columnist E. Jean Carrol related to Trump’s sexual assault against her, saying that Trump’s stalling was over. Still pending: another $83-million plus interest in the 2nd defamation case related to Trump’s sexual assault of Carroll. No word yet from the other 27 women who’ve credibly described Trump’s sexual crimes against them. Trump’s Justice Department is ramping up threats to disrupt and discredit the 2026 election, targeting three Democratic strongholds in Michigan. We’re joined by former DOJ voting rights attorney Sam Bagenstos. Bagenstos was a senior staffer at what it now Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services, the Project 2025-driven office of Management and Budget, and the nearly dormant Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights. From Inauguration Day 2021 to June 2022, he served as general counsel to the Office of Management and Budget where his responsibilities included working on President Biden’s Day One executive orders; helped respond to COVID-19, including implementing several crucial aid programs; and helped craft and implement the American Rescue Plan as well as the Inflation Reduction Act;. From 2009 to 2011, Bagenstos was the principal deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, the No. 2 official in the Civil Rights Division where he was lead attorney in multiple voting rights lawsuits. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Greed, Grift$ and Grab$: The Trump Crime Family Chronicles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

  5. Jul 2

    Donald’s Not So Successful Party

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel On our political radar this week… Trump’s heavily hyped Great American State Fair has been labeled the All-American Fyre Festival. Crowds are non-existent. It’s even so bad that Vanilla Ice pulled out at the last minute. Jeff notes that he’s had larger crowds in his shower than at Trump’s latest shitastical narcissistic failed attempt at performative jingoism. Voting has begun in Michigan’s primary election, headlined by the Republicans’ 3-way battle for the party gubernatorial nomination, and Democrats’ 3-way contest for the U.S. Senate nomination. We’ll get into the home-stretch tactics of all the contenders.  The election also brings with it endorsements of candidates by other politicians, special interest groups, and newspapers. Do they matter? Which ones are relevant, and which ones are meaningless? And the ad wars are also underway. With competitive races all over the place, plan on seeing tens of millions of dollars’ worth of ads on your TV and computer between now and August. – and even more between August and November. The issue of Trump’s massive corruption has moved front-and-center with disclosures of how the White House has become the center of a $2.2-billion POTUS Payday. It’s a 24/7/365 smash-and-grab with naked bribery as a sweetener. And that doesn’t take into account the billions falling into the greedy hands of his sons, son-in-law, and kleptocrat cronies. Now there are reports that Trump staged a hostile takeover of the 250th anniversary celebration to enrich political allies, harvest voter data and promote Christian nationalist ideology, according to a congressional investigation released on Thursday. The interim report, “From Vanity to Insanity: How the White House Cheated the American People Out of Their 250th Birthday”, outlines a web of alleged corruption, wire fraud and pay-to-play schemes orchestrated through a shadow corporation embedded within the National Park Foundation. Happy birthday America! © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com Rumors are growing of Perry Johnson-Mike Cox teaming up to consolidate the loudly vocal anti-John James sentiment among the hardcore MAGAs. It’s gotta happen soon, or not at all.  The SCOTUS wrapped up its annual term with a series of monumental last-day decisions, including one (1) affecting campaign finance coordination between parties and candidates, (2) defying the Trump-GOP attempt to disenfranchise military and other voters who use mail to send their ballots, (3) upholding the Republicans’ fixation with the g******s of child athletes, and upholding the birthright citizenship established in the 14th Amendment.   ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Greed, Grift$ and Grab$: The Trump Crime Family Chronicles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

  6. Jun 25

    Dead Ducks (Guest: Barbara McQuade)

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel On our political radar this week… AI created satire (in case you couldn’t figure that out!) There are dead ducks everywhere. In Switzerland, it could well be J.D. Vance’s presidential ambitions as the 60-day pause in Trump’s War is looking shakier by the day. In Lansing, it’s the almost invisible but now dead campaign of state Senate GOP Leader Aric Nesbitt’s gubernatorial campaign, with the final blow coming from Donald Trump. And in the nation’s capitol, it’s literally dead ducks … at least three of them spotted in the Trump-created algae-laden cesspool also known as the Reflecting Pool. In addition to the Nesbitt departure, there are a few other developments in the GOP race for Governor. Donald Trump has given is “Full and Complete Endorsement” to John James, and Perry Johnson is spending more of his millions on a massive statewide advertising blitz. Expect Mike Cox to do the same State House Speaker Matt Hall says there’s agreement on a framework for a state budget … you might call it a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). But as Vance and the two real estate developers are learning in Switzerland, there’s a big gap between an MOU and actual results. There’s big news about the 250th national birthday celebration in Washington D.C. In addition to a riveting 90-minute rant from Trump, you can look forward to a performance from renowned country singer Alexis Wilson … best known for her ongoing role as Kash Patel’s girlfriend. President Trump had another hissy fit this week, delaying the signing of a bipartisan housing bill. He announced he won’t sign the legislation until the Senate passes his voter suppression bill which he calls the SAVE Act. The bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act, aiming to ease the U.S. housing affordability crisis by streamlining construction rules, promoting local innovation and restricting large investor purchases.  It passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers. Trump clearly places a higher priority on voter suppression than housing for Americans who aren’t wealthy like him. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is celebrating a reversal by Homeland Security, which says it has cancelled plans to turn a warehouse in Romulus into a prison for undocumented immigrants. Former Homeland Director Kristi Noem spent more than $1-billion buying 10 warehouses … all of them for prices well above their appraised value. Taxpayers will lost hundreds-of-millions as a result of Noem’s hugely unpopular program. In New York City, the Mamdani slate swept the very Democratic city. In two non-Big Apple races, the winners for Democrats included women military veterans … including Vice Admiral Jenny LaCore, who was fired last year by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as part of his purge of top military officers. She’s running for the seat formerly held by Nancy Mace who opted to run for Governor (which she lost). Republicans will clearly try to brand the entire Democratic Party as captive of Mamdani Democratic Socialists. Does that work for them? And since our last episode, a celebration…but only if your name is Trump. Carvana or CarMax has delivered Donald Trump’s new ride. It’s a slightly used imported gold-encrusted airplane (a.k.a. $400-million bribe from Qatar), tastefully detailed with a whole lot of electronic do-dads, all paid for by U.S. taxpayers at a cost of around a billion dollars. Trump plans to keep it as his White House going-away bauble. This moment of joy in MAGAvillemoved us to create a musical tribute to Donald’s Golden Dream Machine which, for our YouTube viewers, also includes a brief photo tour of the free-but-not-really-free gift to Trump. Joining the podcast is law professor, author, podcast co-host and MS NOW legal analyst Barbara McQuade. When she’s not teaching future lawyers at the University of Michigan or fulfilling her multiple media commitments, Barb is a prolific author. Her latest book’s title gives a concise summary of what follows: “The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government.” The book is number one on the Amazon’s national and international security rankings, and lucky number 13 on this week’s New York Times non-fiction best sellers. Barb is pure Michigan: born in Detroit, two degrees from the University of Michigan, and a devout fan of Detroit and U of M sports teams. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Greed, Grift$ and Grab$: The Trump Crime Family Chronicles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

  7. Jun 19

    Unconditional Surrender

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel On our political radar this week… In the first days of Donald Trump’s Middle East War, he proclaimed that the only acceptable end was “unconditional surrender.” He didn’t specify WHO needed to surrender. This week, we got the answer. Iran wins permanent control of the straits of Hormuz, keeps its nuclear program, and gets around a half-trillion-dollars in direct aid and unfrozen assets. Trump got a lobster dinner at Versailles. Americans got the bill for tens-of-billions of dollars for bombs, drones and downed aircraft … and 13 American families got the ultimate bad news about their loved ones in the military. © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com Trump got elected by promising to Drain the Swamp. His many grifts have actually expanded the swamp for him, his family and his cronies. Now he’s created a real-life swamp with his $14-million paint job of the Reflecting Pool … which has gone from American Flag Blue to an algae-filled puke green. It’s the one American landmark that really should be named after him. Still on the subject of expensive vanity projects run amuck – when Trump announced his Ballroom Project, he said it would cost $200-million, paid completely through donations. That, like everything else under Trump, wasn’t even close to the truth. The Washington Post reports the latest cost estimate from Clark Construction – winners of the no-bid construction contract – is $600-million (a 200 percent cost overrun) with half of that coming from taxpayers. The Post reports that Trump knew the real cost before he announced the project and promised the no-cost-for-taxpayers. Trump is also screwing up Michigan’s economy a little more. A new analysis from the Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group says Trump’ s delay in opening the Gordie Howe International Bridge is costing $6-to-$7-million a week in direct costs to bridge operators and taxpayers, with even more potential costs to Michigan auto manufacturers.  The battle is entering the final stages in the Republican battle for the party’s gubernatorial nomination with much of the candidates’ efforts aimed at an audience of one. Will Donald Trump endorse? And if he does, will it matter?  State House Speaker Matt Hall is projecting another stalemate on a state budget, demanding Senate Democrats move some House-passed GOP bills before he will consider funding the state. It comes as state bean-counters report tax collections are running well ahead of projections. Total revenues are $370-million above initial estimates. An NFL team has become the latest proxy for the political wars. The Republicans who run Indiana have promised incentives of around $1-billion to move from Chicago to nearby Hammond, Indiana. Illinois has balked at the idea of taxpayer subsidies for the owners of the team that’s worth an estimated $9-billion, and booked profits of $75-million in the last reported year. A billion for billionaires … it’s the GOP mantra. VIDEO: Remember the Promises ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Greed, Grift$ and Grab$: The Trump Crime Family Chronicles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

  8. Jun 12

    I Love the Inflation (Guest: MIRS Editor Kyle Melinn)

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel On our political radar this week… A summer snowflake sighting in Wisconsin: Donald Trump stalked out of an NBC interview when his lies about election fraud were challenged by NBC’s Kristen Welker. While Trump was attacking mainstream media as “crooked”, his allies at CBS were proving they fit that description by firing 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley for calling out management efforts to spin stories on behalf of Trump. Just days after proclaiming “ I don’t think about Americans’ financial situations,” Trump gave Democrats another campaign commercial saying that “he loves the inflation” … which has hit a 3-year high. Adding to the out-of-touch aura from the White House, he’s reaching out to the average American as only an 80-year-old billionaire can do it: first by attending a basketball game where the cheapest tickets cost thousands, and then by offering a UFC 250 gold coin for $11,999.99. The Michigan sales tax on that trinket: $720. But it includes free shipping! © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com Entertainment for Trump’s 80th birthday party – the UFC concussion contests on what used to be the White House south lawn – has cost taxpayers upwards of $60-million plus thousands of hours of staff time according to the National Park Service. Add to that the $2-million or so it costs taxpayers almost every week for Trump’s  weekly golf trip to Florida and you’ve got enough money to gift 6,000 or so Americans with Trump 250 commemorative coins. As Michigan State University looks once again for a new President, retiring U.S. Senator Gary Peters’ name moves to the top of the speculation. This comes as retired Senator Debbie Stabenow and Governor Gretchen Whitmer say they’re not interested in the job. All 3 are MSU alumni. CMS Energy is adding to the politics of affordability, asking for still another massive rate increase. The utility wants to raise electric rates by $486-million. This rate hike request comes less than three months after the utility received approval for a $217 million increase. Attorney General Nessel and multiple legislators are pushing back – Nessel fighting the increase through the Public Service Commission, lawmakers proposing measures to limit the frequency of rate increase requests. The battle for control of the closely divided Michigan Legislature is well underway. Democrats need to flip 4 seats to regain control of the state House; Republicans need to turn around 2 seats to win control of the state Senate. We’ll get into the details with Kyle Melinn, editor of the insider newsletter MIRS News. Governor Whitmer headlined the ribbon cutting for an important bridge this week … just not THE bridge. While the Miller-Rotunda Bridge in Dearborn (important to the Ford Rouge Plant complex) is now open, the Trump administration continues to delay the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The Trump roadblock for Michigan’s economy is supported by state House Speaker Matt Hall, who says Michigan needs to renegotiate toll sharing for the bridge – even though Canada paid the full cost of construction. The New York Times is reporting that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is promoting Haley Stevens’ campaign for the U.S. Senate. This comes as Abdul El-Sayed surges in internal polls … all of this two weeks before the first primary election ballots go into the mail. Ballots begin going out to Michigan voters on June 25. Every elective state and federal job will be filled in the November election. While the spotlight will be on the races for Governor and U.S. Senate, there’s a lot more at stake, including control of the state Legislature. That’s where we started our conversation with visiting pundit and chronicler of Michigan politics, Kyle Melinn. Kyle is editor of the MIRS Report, the go-to source for Michigan political insiders, providing in-depth coverage of all of state government and politics. He’s been with MIRS for 25 years, dating back to the Engler administration. In addition to his daily reporting, he is also a political columnist for Lansing City Pulse. © Clay Jones – https://claytoonz.substack.com ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Introducing our new podcast! Greed, Grift$ and Grab$: The Trump Crime Family Chronicles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Republic, If You Can Keep It is sponsored in part by

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About

Analysis and commentary on Michigan politics from former Democratic Party chair Mark Brewer and former Republican Party executive director Jeff Timmer.

Information

  • Creator
    Michigan Citizens for a Better Tomorrow
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    275
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 Michigan Citizens for a Better Tomorrow, a non-profit social welfare corporation
  • Show Website
    A Republic, If You Can Keep It

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