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On our political radar this week…
Michigan Republicans have turned their backs on the craziest of the MAGA crazies with hopes of at least one upset in November. But the leader in their race for Governor had a bad weekend. John James had some of the delegates booing him as he was introduced for his speech … much to the delight of septuagenarian perpetual candidate Perry Johnson.- Volunteers manning a Rank MI Vote booth at the Michigan Republican Party’s endorsement convention this past weekend were asked to leave by party leaders and security after Rep. MAGA Matt Maddock told them their presence wasn’t welcome…and called them Communists. Rank MI Vote volunteers said they had paid the party for a booth under the name of the ballot question seeking to establish a ranked voting system in the state and wanted to talk with people who are politically active about their objective.
- The Michigan Court of Appeals which ruled that 37 absentee ballots for Mayor of Hamtramck should be counted … in an election that was otherwise decided by 11 votes.
- National Democrats have targeted two Michigan Republicans in Congress for retirement. “House Majority Forward” is running ads on the TSA mess at airports – pointing out that Bill Huizenga and Tom Barrett blocked legislation paying TSA agents … even though the bill they opposed was unanimously approved by the Senate.
- A new tabulation from the Huffington Post shows Donald Trump’s nearly weekly golf trips to Florida have cost taxpayers $100-million in the last year. He is on track to hit nearly one-third of a billion dollars by the end of his term.
- The latest in the Trump ego-massage campaign: Trump shared the first images of his planned presidential library in downtown Miami, posting a short video that depicts a skyscraper which appears to be about 50 stories tall and filled with reconstructions of parts of the White House, military vehicles and at least two gold statues of Trump. Also included in plans for the gaudy Miami high rise: a hotel, golden escalators, gold doo-dads everywhere, displays attacking Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and the Boeing 747 given to Trump by the oil sheiks of Qatar. Probably missing from the high-rise library: books … and any mentions of Jeffrey Epstein.
- Another Trump stroking comes by way of Florida. Travelers in Palm Beach soon will be able to drive down President Donald J. Trump Boulevard to catch a flight at President Donald J. Trump International Airport, all in the shadow of nearby Mar-a-Lago, owned by President Donald J. Trump.
- Trump had a hat-trick of losses in court over the last week: construction on his half-billion-dollar ballroom has been paused, with the judge saying it needed congressional approval, another judge ruled the defunding of NPR and PBS was unconstitutional, and still another judge ruled that presidential immunity did not shield Trump from lawsuits growing out of the January 6 insurrection. And the Supreme Court seems poised to reject Trump’s abolishing of birthright citizenship.
- Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson calls bullshit on the latest Trump executive order which turns control of elections to the Post Office, Department of Justice and Homeland Security. Her immediate reaction: “States run elections, not the president. This executive order is illegal on its face.” Expect to hear from Dana Nessel and other Democratic state attorneys general about a lawsuit in the near future.
There’s seemingly no end to politics in our lives. It has even infiltrated sports. As we approach this weekend’s Final Four in men’s basketball, we take a deep dive into the intersection of Sports, Politics and Money with three-time Michigan Sportscaster of the Year Jack Ebling. He has covered college sports dating back to the days when Jim Harbaugh was the University of Michigan’s quarterback and Earvin Johnson was a magical MSU freshman. Unlike ESPN’s Stephen Smith, Jack’s take on political issues actually make sense … and he doesn’t start screaming to make his point!
A two-time graduate of MSU, the former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards before entering broadcasting in 2002. In addition to the sportswriting honors, Jack was named 2017 Michigan Broadcaster of the Year and was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has received 21 major state and national writing awards, authored or co-authored eight books and contributed more than 125 articles for national publications. He has hosted sports and news talk radio shows for nearly a quarter-century, including The Drive with Jack Ebling. Every Sunday evening since 2013, he has hosted Press Pass with Jack Ebling on FOX 47 in Lansing, the state’s longest-running hour-long, year-long sports TV show.
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