Small Potatoes (Live – on tape – at Lakeshore Progressives)

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On our radar this week…

For the first time in our nearly six years and 295 episodes we’re on the road, delighted to be in Grand Haven with good people of Progressive Lakeshore, a nonpartisan, women-led initiative working to connect, inform & grow the progressive community.

Absentee ballots go into the mail in just 16 days … unless Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court majority decides to ignore the U.S. Constitution AGAIN! Trump has filed still another appeal with the Court demanding that the Post Office decides who gets their votes counted.

We’re also getting ready for this week’s Trumpapalooze in Dallas, a two-day tribute to America’s first and only criminal convict President. If he can stay awake, Trump will speak both nights of the gathering to an audience of people who 1) had nothing better to do, and 2) were willing to pay a minimum of $25,000 for the privilege of being in the presence of the nation’s chief executive/poopie pants napper.

One of the few Michigan Republicans on hand will be Senate candidate Mike Rogers who will no doubt use his podium time to lob anti-Muslim insults at Abdul El Sayed. Michigan Democrats will take the opportunity to reinforce the link between Rogers and a President who currently has a 30 percent approval rating in the state … with a whopping 67% saying in the EPIC-MRA Poll that Trump sucks.

Also on the speakers list: 10th district congressional candidate Michael Bouchard Jr.

A new study finds that Michigan households are paying an average of $5,600, more than anywhere in the nation, since new tariﬀs began to take eﬀect in January 2025. During that period, importers of goods bound for Michigan paid an estimated $23 billion in tariﬀs, the third largest of any state – behind only California and Texas. The analysis by the conservative National Taxpayers Union Foundation found that the state’s auto industry is particularly vulnerable to the tariﬀs because of its reliance on imported steel, aluminum and parts subject to tariﬀs. About $10 billion of Michigan’s tariﬀ cost was on cars and trucks, and another $5 billion in tariﬀs was on auto parts, the report said.

Top of mind for everyone: retail prices. We paid $4+/gallon on the way over to Grand Haven. The price of diesel fuel – which impacts the price of anything that has to be delivered – is averaging $5.75/gallon, an all-time record high. Airline tickets are up 20% from a year ago, hotels up around 10%. Even a Whopper is a whopping $6.19 at your local Burger King…but at least the lettuce won’t give us projectile diarrhea.

Trump’s wars continue unabated with no signs of peace with either Iran or Canada. Meanwhile, Trump’s ace team of real estate salesmen (Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff) spent some time in Moscow getting their marching orders from Putin. Meanwhile, Marco Rubio, believed to be the alleged Secretary of State, has been seen about as often in Washington as Mitch McConnell or Melania.

The share of Americans who associate themselves with the Democratic Party has grown significantly over the past year, according to data from Gallup. The shift, which signals the party’s largest advantage since 2008, is the latest sign of backlash against Republicans and the president ahead of the midterm elections. The latest data shows Democrats with a 10-percentage-point advantage over Republicans when voters are asked which party they identify with and when independent voters are asked which party they lean toward.

We’re still 2-plus weeks from the start of voting. All the signs point to the Blue Wave we’ve been predicting for nearly two years but, as we learned over the weekend in Ann Arbor, it ain’t over until it’s over … and even then it may not be over. Donald Trump is capable of seeing a losing score when the election is over, and then come up with a political Hail Mary. Mark is one of the legal team working to anticipate and head off a Trumpian coup and provides some insight into the preparations.