MIRS Monday Podcast

MIRS Monday, Sept. 4, 2017

In this special Labor Day weekend edition of the MIRS Monday podcast, Ron Bieber, president the Michigan AFL-CIO gives his assessment on President Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican gubernatorial field and proposed civil service rule changes that would impact state employee bargaining powers.

Also, it's not just you. It's been dead in Lansing this summer. The MIRS team talks about why this summer has been the least active Lansing has seen since 2005 (and trust us, we're not complaining!). Finally, MIRS Editor Kyle Melinn argues Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhkof's point on why expanding FOIA to the Legislature may not be a good idea.

MIRS Monday, Aug. 28, 2017

Matt Morgan, a Democratic 1st Congressional candidate and a retired Marine, talks about how in a post-9/11 world, the us-versus-them attitude doesn't work with Islamic militant extremists. Morgan differentiates himself from incumbent U.S. Jack Bergman, also a retired Marine. Morgan also talks about his background in this interview.

Also, is Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed making a mistake by not walking in the Detroit Labor Day parade? And why shouldn't we be surprised that Gov. Rick Snyder has not vetoed as many bills as prior governors going back to the 1950s? This and more in this week's edition.

MIRS Monday, Aug. 21, 2017

It may be a citizen-led effort, but Katie Fahey, president and treasurer of Voters Not Politicians, says this well-organized effort to change Michigan's redistricting process is serious about getting the roughly 315,000 signatures needed to get a question on the 2018 ballot. Hear how the effort got started and the 7,000 volunteers working between now and February to make this happen.

Traditionally, those collecting signatures for a citizens initiative or a constitutional amendment have needed a $1 million or more to pay circulators to get the needed signatures. Why does this group believe it can buck the trend?

MIRS Monday, August 14, 2017

Listen to the Aug. 12 Democratic gubernatorial forum featuring frontrunner Gretchen Whitmer, former Detroit public health director Abdul El-Sayed, former Xerox executive Bill Cobbs and entrepreneur Shri Thaedar in its entirety. Also, prior to the audio replay of the two-hour event, MIRS reporter Simon Schuster breaks down the highlights from the event at the University of Michigan-Flint auditorium hosted by the Progressive Caucus of Mid-Michigan.

MIRS Monday, Aug. 7, 2017

What if lawmakers didn't have to travel to Lansing at all? They could just vote from home? That's the type of transformational change Mackinac Center CEO Joe Lehman suggested today in an interview in which he speaks to the Midland-based, free-market think tank, which celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year.

Also, Todd Courser's criminal attorney suggested today in court that the personal financial records of Judge William Collette be pulled to look for bribes. Maura Corrigan comes to Nick Lyon's defense and could FoxConn reshape the legacy of Gov. Rick Snyder.

MIRS Monday, July 31, 2017

New Target Insyght polling on the Detroit mayor's race paints a picture of how incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan is doing against challenger Sen. Coleman Young II. What is the state of that primary race and the primary races in Lansing, the 1st House District and the 109th House District?

Dennis Denno from Denno Research and Matt Resch from Resch Strategies break down these races and provide insight into how President Donald Trump may or may not be impacting the campaigns of those running in the Aug. 8 primaries.

Bert Johnson Interview on "Wake Up" With Steve Hood, 910 AM

The following is an unedited interview Sen. Bert Johnson (D-Highland Park) conducted with 910 AM Superstation host Steve Hood at 7:30 a.m. July 24 during which he maintains his innocence of the criminal charges leveled against him.

MIRS Monday, July 24, 2017

What is Sen. Patrick Colbeck's path to the Governor's chair? As the two-term state senator launches his campaign for 2018, MIRS explores how it's possible the anti-establishment, conservative lawmaker can be victorious in a Republican primary.

Also, is this year's legislature as productive as those in year's past? The MIRS team looks at the numbers to give an answer to that question. And how is it possible long-time, complex issues like no-fault auto insurance reform or municipal retirement benefit reform gets done this term?

MIRS Monday, July 17, 2017

Michigan will be out $800 million in Medicaid funding if the U.S. Senate passes its reforms to the Affordable Care Act, said Dennis Paradis, executive director of the Michigan Health Policy Forum at Michigan State University. How will that impact the state's Healthy Michigan program and the some 600,000 newly insured recipients? Paradis gives his opinion on this and the pathway he sees toward a "single payer" health care system in the United States.

The MIRS team gives its take on Kid Rock's new webpage advertising an alleged U.S. Senate campaign run. And what would happen if Calley's part-time legislature proposal is adopted by voters? Could legislators reject the presumption in the initiative that they would need to cut their pay in half. The answer is yes. Find out how.

MIRS Monday, July 10, 2017

The MIRS team talks electric vehicle roll-out issues with Mike ALAIMO, executive director of Clean Fuels Michigan.  Also, we dissect the "reset" of Lt. Gov. Brian CALLEY's part time legislature initiative, the latest entrant into the battle over Michigan's 8th Congressional district and the latest on the "Good Jobs" tax credit package that is stalled in the Michigan House.  Will lawmakers' Wednesday return push that package forward?