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Michigan Policast for June 24, 2019
Segment One: Donald Trump kicks off (continues?) his re-election campaign
- Trump's 2020 re-election rally signals 2016 strategy may be used again
- ‘We Are Going On to Victory.' President Trump Officially Kicks Off His 2020 Reelection Campaign
- Michigan Democrats Challenge Trump on His Broken Promises to Autoworkers
.@realDonaldTrump says he has #Michigan 'in the bag' because of #autoworkers. In fact, our companies have cut thousands of jobs under Trump ... he lined the pockets of rich execs and left the workers out to dry @darrincamilleri @uaw @MIHouseDemsClick To Tweet“If you care about the future of the auto industry in Michigan, you shouldn’t vote for Donald Trump, since he clearly doesn’t work for you. Despite his promises to bring jobs back, factories have closed and Michiganders have suffered under his watch. He may be relaunching his reelection campaign tomorrow, but we know four more years of Donald Trump will be four more years of the same broken promises.” ~State Rep. Darrin Camilleri
- Trump claims auto manufacturing has boomed during his presidency — it hasn’t
- Jobs on hold for Michigan auto parts maker as Trump tariffs loom
- Trump faces failing strategy on auto jobs as he heads to Ohio
The automaker's injection of money and jobs into the Motor City contrasts sharply with news from rival General Motors Co., which announced plans to shutter its Detroit-Hamtramck plant next year and plans to close four others in the U.S. and Canada. … The company also said Ram heavy duty pickup truck production will stay in Mexico, despite a previous announcement that it would move to a factory in Warren.
.@realdonaldtrump 's relationship to #autoindustry has been childish and incoherent, w/ giveaways that weren't going to be reciprocated, deals he got hoodwinked on, & impossible demands based on US election cycles. ~ @mattdebord @businessinsider @uaw Click To Tweet .@realdonaldtrump lied to #autoworkers and he lied to #Michigan ... Trump's tax scam actually incentivizes companies to move autoworker jobs overseas. @darrincamilleri @uaw @mihousedems Click To TweetOhioans should now see that the emperor has no clothes, that his sound and fury signify nothing — or whatever literary cliché best captures the sad reality that a gigantic global corporation was somehow going to bend its business to the task of getting 51% of the Buckeye State to reelect the president. ~Matthew DeBord
Trump’s angry, blatantly untrue tweets and false promises about the @GM plant closures won’t do a thing to bring back jobs for thousands of autoworkers like Dnitra—the jobs he promised to save in the first place. pic.twitter.com/rYs2sttYnH
— CAP Action ?️? (@CAPAction) March 18, 2019
Segment Two: Petition drives attack women's rights
Right to Life of Michigan launches ballot drive to ban abortion procedure
Michigan allows groups to propose legislation through the citizen initiative process. If the group gets enough petition signatures to put proposed legislation on the ballot, the state legislature can decide whether to approve it.
If it chooses not to, the issue goes to the public on the next general election ballot. If it does approve it, it becomes law and cannot be vetoed by the governor. This route offers far better prospects for Right to Life, given that Republicans still control both chambers of the legislature while Whitmer, a Democrat, occupies the governor’s office.
Michigan petition drive seeks to ban abortion after fetal heartbeat
Michigan group seeks to ban abortions after fetal heartbeat detected
'The purpose of this petition drive is not only to protect babies with beating hearts in Michigan, it’s about far more than that,' ~Corey Shankleton @MIHeartbeatCoal @AyeVeeGee @mippadvocates @ppofmiClick To Tweet .@MIHeartbeatCoal claims that its petition drive is 'about far more than' protecting babies, and they don't tell you what that is. @christinebarry @ppofmi @mippadvocates #prochoice Click To TweetMichigan has a unique opportunity to bypass the Governor. Michigan law allows for what is called an Initiative Legislative Petition, simply put if 340,000 + valid signatures are gathered, then all that is required is a simple majority vote in the House and Senate for the bill to become law—completely bypassing the Governor! While collecting the signatures is a costly and challenging task, we believe with the help of churches and pro-life groups we can do it!
Michigan Heartbeat Coalition submits petition language to the Board of State Canvassers to protect unborn babies with beating hearts.
“The Heartbeat Bill is designed to be the arrow in the heart of Roe v. Wade,” said Corey Shankleton, President of Michigan Heartbeat Coalition. pic.twitter.com/T3YeWPbcPP
— Mark Cavitt (@MarkCavitt) May 21, 2019
- Abortion opponents get OK to start petition drives to restrict first, second trimester abortions
- Americans overwhelmingly support Roe v. Wade, but still favor abortion restrictions
- Majority of Americans don't want Roe v. Wade overturned, CBS News poll finds

Special guest Angela Vasquez Giroux of Planned Parenthood
Angela Vasquez Giroux is the Director of Communications and Media Relations, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan ( @mippadvocates ) You can follow her on Twitter here.
'The potential that either or both of these proposals could be enacted by the legislature w/o going to a vote of the people is extraordinarily undemocratic, it's an abuse of the process, and it's clearly dangerous for women's health.' ~ @AyeVeeGee Click To Tweet It's disgusting enough to have lawmakers interfering in private healthcare decisions, but even more so to have them prescribe things that are not only inappropriate but are designed just to traumatize women.' ~ @AyeVeeGee @ppofmi @mippadvocatesClick To Tweet If D&E is banned, the woman no longer has an option to the safest and least invasive surgery that may save her life. ... the ppl who back @Right_to_Life think that's a good idea. ~ @AyeVeeGee @ppofmi @mippadvocates Click To Tweet 'This should be a vote of the people, not an end-run around the process. We know that the vast majority of the citizens in Michigan do not support bans like this. ~ @AyeVeeGee @ppofmi @mippadvocatesClick To Tweet- How Federal Funding Works at Planned Parenthood
- Appeals court says Trump family planning restrictions can take effect
We care for 43k patients in MI using Title X, and every day w/o that funding is $17k out of our budget. We are the largest provider of TitleX services in the state. There are 30 providers, we take on 70% of the patients. ~ @AyeVeeGee @ppofmi Click To TweetThe administration and anti-abortion movement have celebrated the rules for blocking tens of millions of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood, which serves a large portion of the 4 million low-income patients receiving family planning and health services through the program. … For the first time in the Title X program's decades-long history, the new rules also allow funding to faith-based clinics opposing abortion and contraception and to promote “natural” family planning methods, including abstinence.
Segment Three: House Democrats fire back on road funding
The four bills would:
Increase the corporate income tax by 2.5 percent, implement a flow-through parity tax of 4.25 percent and repeal the harmful retirement tax (House Bill 4781-RABHI)
Create a Vehicle Miles Traveled Tax (VMT) on trucks of the two heaviest classes, 26,000 pounds or more, at 6 cents per mile (House Bill 4779-GREIG)
Create a Rhode-Island style bridge toll program for trucks (House Bill 4780-HOADLEY)
Create the “Fixing Michigan Roads” fund, where the revenue generated from the corporate tax and VMT bills would be directed (House Bill 4782-SNELLER)
- MICHIGAN CORPORATE INCOME TAX – a pdf explaining corporate tax rates and flow-through entities.
- Michigan's heavy trucks catch flak for roads, but they are few and far between – Excellent breakdown by @chadlivengood
- Michigan House GOP plans to replace sales tax on gasoline to fund roads
- The RhodeWorks Tolling Program
- Michigan Trucking Fast Facts
- Average miles driven per year by state
Special guest Lance Binoniemi of Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA)
Lance Binoniemi is Vice President of Government Affairs, Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association
New infrastructure money passed now will go into effect October 1. We may be able to get some projects done but we've pretty much lost this construction season. ~@thinkMITA #FTDR #FixMIState @govwhitmer @mi_republicans @mihousedemsClick To Tweet A plan that is long term and sustainable allows our members to ramp-up their workforce and equipment purchases. We've proven this brings more competition and costs will go down. ~@thinkMITA #FTDR #FixMIState @govwhitmer @mi_republicans @mihousedemsClick To Tweet Once a road falls from good/fair to poor condition, you have to totally reconstruct that road. Every $1 invested in fixing a good/fair road saves $6-$14 in reconstruction costs. ~@thinkMITA #FTDR @govwhitmer @mi_republicans @mihousedemsClick To TweetSegment Four: Just a little pre-debate chat
What are you looking for in the upcoming Democratic debates?
And more …
Yesterday, we heard from 20 candidates at #WeDecide on where they stand on the issues we care about. NOW it's time to say #IDecide. Speak up now — pledge to use your voice and vote in 2020: https://t.co/3HNWJ7mfC5 pic.twitter.com/MpBw58jqhz
— Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) June 23, 2019