Episodes

Photo is A.I. generated We recorded this week’s podcast at 5 p.m. EDT Thursday. Minutes before we hit the ‘record’ button, the New York jury handed down its verdict…so Jeff had to put on his Lincoln Project hat. In his absence Walt Sorg joins Mark on a day that will go down in American history. Clearly the guilty verdict on 34 felony counts is our #1 topic, but there are other talk-worthy stories in our political biosphere: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito refuses to follow the ethical standa...

It’s the most anticipated verdict since O.J. Topping the political news as we record: Majority of Americans wrongly believe US is in recession, and most blame Biden – The Guardian The planned debate of U.S. Senate candidates fizzles out as GOP frontrunner Mike Rogers pulls out … and Democratic frontrunner Elissa Slotkin responds by saying “me too” It’s official: congressman Shri Thanedar won’t have to deal with Adam Hollier on the primary ballot The Biden-Harris campaign continues to focus on M...

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble… The Main Event: Battle of the Presidents Maybe. Maybe not. Trump’s Peanut Gallery takes over the sliming of the criminal justice system Robert Kennedy’s running mate demonstrates her major qualification for office: donating another $8-million to prop up the campaign There’s another ethics embarrassment brewing in Lansing over lobbyist gifts of tickets to sporting events Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are the A-list of targets for the Biden campaign Lansing lawm...

This week’s guest: Mother Jones national voting rights correspondent Ari Berman, author of the new book “Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It” Every week it seems politics gets even more bizarre. A week after Kristi Noem destroys her political career by revealing she’s a puppy killer — Bobby Kennedy Jr. tells us a brain worm has caused permanent damage to his cognitive ability. The latest polls show momentum for President Biden as he campaign...

It’s been a great week for the late night comics: Trump’s courtroom catnaps, Kristi Noem’s one-person animal control program, and Joe Biden’s week-late contribution to the annual 4-20 marijuana celebration. Abortion laws continue to torment elected Republicans South Dakota abortion rights groups collect enough signatures to advance ballot measure – NBC News Joe Biden has an epiphany with a reclassification of weed Trump opens up to Time magazine about his 2nd term plans – and it’s dystopian pr...

Matt Davies – Washington Post Another week, still more insanity… It’s O.J. without the white Bronco as the first-ever criminal trial of a former President gets underway with the former publisher of National Enquirer throwing Trump under the bus. “Catch and Kill” was a strategy for keeping Trump out of political trouble. Now it describes his legal predicament: he got caught, and it could kill his candidacy, his company and possibly his freedom. New York law enforcement and corrections officials ...

Still another week like no other: the previous guy napping at his own criminal trial, the current guy seeing his polling numbers nudge upwards with an economy that the Wall Street Journal calls “The Envy of the World”, and a stunning tipping point in a major Michigan political scandal: Attorney General Nessel stuns Lansing with criminal indictments of former House Speaker Lee Chatfield and his wife. We’ll talk with outspoken campaign finance reform advocate Bob LaBrant. Democrats, as expected, ...

What a week as things go from bad to worse for the Martyr of Mar-a-Lago: History will be made this week as the first-ever criminal trial of a former President gets underway Trump announces his “whatever” wishy-washy abortion policy during a total eclipse, only to have an Arizona court ruling shove his weasle-words into a harsh spotlight. A federal court has rejected Republican efforts to overturn Michigan’s voter approved election reform laws The Republican National Committee is fundraising wit...

Jack Ohman – Tribute Content Agency “Let’s Nuke Gaza”: that is apparently the new middle east strategy of Michigan’s “unremarkable and brain dead” congressman Tim Walberg (R-Tipton). Also this week: We were blessed with a visit from Mar-A-Lago librarian and bible salesman D. J. Trump, who announced a consolation call and more than a few so-called facts in a Grand Rapids harangue that didn’t quite match reality. Dan Kildee dropped a huge hint … a $14,000 hint … about his preferred successor in C...

Ann Taenes – Washington Post Trump’s RNC is reuniting the band: convicted criminals Paul Manafort and Steve Bannon (and maybe now-in-jail Peter Navarro) plus world-class whackos Steven Miller and Corey Lewandowski…under the “leadership” of daughter-in-law Lara Trump. It’s looking like a rerun of 2020, but better organized but without Jared or Ivanka. Just this week, we’re seeing The screening for new Republican National Committee employees: do they agree that the 2020 election was stolen? Michi...

This week’s politics begin with a check on Zillow listings… The man who once claimed a net worth of more than 10-Billion dollars says he can’t come up with a measly half-billion to satisfy a New York court judgment. If he’s so rich, why can’t he simply mortgage one of his many many many amazing properties? M.Wuerker – Politico There are more signs of cracks in Trump’s support within the Republican Party as Trump is dissed by former Veep Mike Pence, Indiana Sen. Todd Young, and Nikki Haley don...

Just some of this week’s political happenings — The Trump-appointed prosecutor who questioned the President’s memory has his own memory losses when questioned by Congress The President returns to Michigan in what will become a recurring political story for our state Donald Trump weighs in on the Republican race for U.S. senate, endorsing a candidate who once called Trump’s political tactics “destructive”. In a move that will bring joy to the hearts of the football and basketball coaches at Mich...

The general election campaign for President is officially underway… Scranton Joe delivers a take-no-prisoners State of the Union that leaves his supporters ecstatic and Republicans sputtering. Spoiler alert: the 2024 Campaign theme is a sequel movie “This Country for Old Men” Super Tuesday was a good day for former athletes who want to be Senators: one-time NFL star Colin Allred wins the Democratic nomination to run against Ted Cruz; in California, Michigan State University alum and All-Star ba...

This week in politics starts, of course, with Michigan’s Presidential Primary. The primary has Biden and Trump winning by a bunch — but both campaigns see warning signs for November. Also this week: Sneaker salesman Trump graciously accepts victory by calling Gretchen Whitmer “a terrible governor who sold you out”, and UAW president Shawn Fein “atrocious” A state court has, for now, put Kristina Karamo out to political pasture, but the fight for control of what’s left of the Michigan Republican...

Another remarkable week in national and state politics: The Michigan presidential primary is Tuesday. Biden and Trump will win, but both can be wounded in the process. Vice President Harris campaigned in west Michigan Thursday. Surrounded by Governor Whitmer, Senator Stabenow and Congresswoman Hillary Scholten – all women – the focus was on reproductive rights, an issue catapulted back to the debate by an insane court ruling in Alabama. The Biden campaign goes into attack mode, focusing on the ...

It’s been another remarkable week in national and state politics. Nationally, President Biden takes off the gloves – battering Donald Trump after Trump’s vow to abandon our NATO allies if they don’t pay protection. The GOP’s governing body confirms it is part of the Trump family-run business, confirming his choice for a new Michigan GOP chair … but it’s not going to be a peaceful transition of power. James Craig, once again considered a Republican frontrunner, gives up on his 2nd straight state...

The debate over solar energy in Michigan may move to the ballot. It’s been another remarkable week in national and state politics. Nationally: A three-judge DC court of appeals panel unanimously shoots down Donald Trump’s claim that a President has full immunity from crimes. The Supreme Court signals that it will not allow states to take Trump’s name off the ballot. Nikki Haley comes in a distant second in Nevada, losing by 30 points to “none of the above.” The Republican caucuses in the House ...

MAGA Republicans had no problem with White House visits during the Trump years by B-List singers Ted Nugent, Kid Rock and Kanye West – but they are freaking out when confronted with the possible Biden endorsement by the most popular entertainer in the world. They are also going ballistic about the UAW’s Shawn Fain’s emphatic support of President Biden. As we record this podcast, Biden is a couple of miles from my Macomb County home visiting with some of the 1-million UAW workers and retirees … v...

Donald Trump appears to have done what Jeff predicted on this podcast months ago: locked up the nomination for his third attempt to win the national popular vote. But in the process, some new, large chinks in his Mar-A-Lago armor are showing up as some Haley supporters join the never-Trump movement. Trump has already started his annual “the election is stolen” mantra, apparently in anticipation of losing again. Meanwhile, President Biden gets two big boosts to his reelection chances: First: the ...

Self-described “stable genius” D. J. Trump cleverly labels Iowa’s #1 cash crop as “non-liquid gold.” This week, on A Republic, If You Can Keep It: 17% of Republicans in the corn-rich state of Iowa have spoken. Their message: Trump really won in 2020, but half of them don’t want Trump in 2024. Trump doubles-down on his contention that a President has a license to kill Michigan Republicans prepare for their presidential-delegate-selection convention – but can they afford the room rental? We may h...

Trump. Donald Trump. A License to Kill? Donald Trump’s lawyer contends a President has the right to break the law without facing criminal prosecution, even if that means ordering a political assassination. That was just the beginning in an especially active week of lying and sedition by the Orange Menace as he: Resurrected an oldie-but-goodie lie. In 2015 it was Barack Obama who wasn’t a real American eligible to run because he was born in Kenya; in 2016 it was Ted Cruz, challenged for being a ...

Election law … and the courts … dominate politics as we begin 2024: Michigan’s redistricting re-do – what, why, and how! The Supreme Court’s challenge from conflicting decisions on Trump’s ballot access A separate Supreme Court challenge on whether the President is above the law … or, as Nixon famously told David Frost decades ago “but when the President does it, that means that it’s not illegal” Also this week: Another candidate steps up to succeed Dan Kildee in Congress, and immediately bec...

Festivus, the holiday created by the folks on the Seinfeld TV show, is this Saturday: the TV-official day for the airing of grievances. For Donald Trump, every day is a day for the airing of grievances — and this week he had plenty of opportunity: Colorado’s Supreme Court threw him off that state’s ballot … for now Nearly a quarter of Trump voters say he shouldn’t be the nominee if he’s convicted of a felony, but another one-third want a president willing to break rules and the law if that gets...

As their Lord and Master Donald Trump has commanded, Republicans in the U.S. House have officially launched a fishing expedition in hopes of finding something — anything! — they can use as an excuse to impeach Joe Biden. It was a straight party-line vote: something that may haunt Republicans next November. Just to give Democrats even more electoral ammunition: The economic numbers continue to shine: a new record-setting high this week for the Dow Jones Industrials, inflation and mortgage rates ...