How has the reshuffled deck reshuffled the race? Who wins the election if it comes down to the economy?

Did you miss me? The last three weeks were pre-empted by the Olympics. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did! The week before that we were pre-empted by the British Open.

Did anything happen over the last month? Well, the day I was leaving for Paris, president Joe Biden announced he would not be running for reelection. My goodness, the churning rapids of the political world have been running wild ever since.

This morning we are going to work to get caught up and there’s very little time to do that with the Democratic National Convention getting underway this week in Chicago. What has the campaign shakeup done to the landscape in Michigan? Big congressional races, a Senate race, and the balance of power in Lansing are all hanging in the balance.

Also, both parties, especially over the last week, turning the spotlight on the economy. Inflation is coming under control, but that’s not to be confused with prices coming down. Banks are raising the specter of a recession. So, is there an advantage for one side or the other? We’ll start with economist Justin Wolfers on this busy morning.

A 20-year-old Pennsylvanian without much of an online presence. The former president survived the shooting, but one rally attendee did not and two others were critically wounded.

Tomorrow night, Republicans gather in Milwaukee to begin their nominating convention. We’re going to discuss it with our round table.

You can watch the July 14, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

If he acts in a personal capacity, something that is not considered an official duty, then he does not have immunity. Well, how do we begin to decide what is official and what is personal? And even for things that are official, does it make sense that the president is not held to the law? We’re going to talk about that.

I have been hoping to host a joint appearance in the democratic race to succeed Debbie Stabenow in the U.S. Senate between Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and the actor Hill Harper.

The Slotkin campaign has turned aside our invitation, but Hill Harper is on Flashpoint to talk about his candidacy. Is it a reach for someone with no elected office experience to start at the deep end of the pool?

What kind of experience can he bring to bear on the weighty issues facing the U.S.? And where does he stand on the question vexing Democrats everywhere this past week. Should president Biden be the Democratic nominee for president?

You can watch the July 7, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

The ratings were pretty high for a showdown in the matchup that most voters insist they don’t want. It was a wide-ranging 90-minutes, lots of topics, domestic and foreign.

The take from many reminded me of the 1960 debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. I’m not sure how much substance anyone took from that night, but all anyone could talk about was Nixon’s shifty, sweaty performance, sans makeup.

Thursday night, even Democrats were filling social media with their dismay at president Biden’s raspy, weak voice. On the other hand, as CNN Jon King said, Donald Trump broke the fact-check machine.

So, no surprise that the take from many, especially as the two argued over their golf handicaps, that they still just don’t like their choices. And, yet, here we are. Two weeks away from the Republican convention in Milwaukee.

You can watch the June 30, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

It’s a debate that breaks the rules and a couple pundits say it could be as important as the Nixon-JFK debate. We’ll get into it with our round table.

It has been a difficult week in Rochester Hills in the aftermath of the mass shooting at its Brookland Plaza splash pad. There are also questions about who could be held responsible. Oakland County sheriff Michael Bouchard and Rochester Hills mayor Bryan Barnett discuss.

Another topic, the safety and integrity of our vote this season. After chaos in the 2020 election at the then-TCF Center, Detroit City clerk Janice Winfrey talks changes to ensure a better process.

You can watch the June 23, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

There is no question the Detroit Riverfront has become a gleaming jewel. According to a USA Today poll, it is now the nation’s very best riverwalk. If you’re among the many who take advantage of its beauty, you already know it’s a stunner.

If you haven’t given it a try yet, you are missing out. But all of that is why we are focused this morning on another stunner. The allegations that William Smith, the chief financial officer, of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy embezzled up to the impossible to grasp amount of $40 million.

This isn’t exactly skimming a few bucks out of the petty cash account. The mess has already cost the conservancy its beloved CEO Mark Wallace. And while several foundations have worked so hard to pledge their continuing support, the questions are fair and critical -- how did this happen given the massive profile and budget of the conservancy and its who’s who board of directors?

How was it missed by the auditors? And what is the net effect on the nonprofit world in Detroit? So many questions and we are going to dig into it on this edition of Flashpoint.

We’re also going to dig into another development that broke on Mackinac Island and that is the Wayne Oakland Macomb Partnership on automation alley’s project diamond. Nowadays, 3D printers seem capable of printing out just about anything from a widget to a house. What does a massive network of connected 3D printers hold in store? The future perhaps.

You can watch the June 16, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

We’re going to start though with the protests over the Israel-Hamas war at the University of Michigan. Protesting is kind of a rite of collegiate passage for many. But have they gone too far when they march to the home of the Chair of the Board of Regents and tape a list of demands to her door and place fake body bags in her yard? Sarah Hubbard, who leads the Board of Regents, will be on Flashpoint to speak about it.

We’re also following Donald Trump’s lead, President Biden’s move to levy tariffs on China. What does that mean for the auto industry battles?

You can watch the May 19, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

We’ve passed the deadline for candidates and races are set. Why the Senate race for Debbie Stabenow’s seat is one of the most watched and the three key Congressional races in the state. Our roundtable is ready for that discussion.

Plus, four years after the pandemic started, there’s one county in Michigan that’s leading the recovery. That’s according to some new data out of the University of Michigan. What is Oakland County doing that has it surging ahead?

Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter is on Flashpoint to talk jobs.

You can watch the May 12, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

That is, of course, true of every presidential election. But here we are with razor thin margins for both sides and almost surreal matchup of a current president running against a former one.

That former one, Donald Trump, had a day off from his hush money trial. He was back in Michigan this past week and later this month, President Biden will be in Detroit for the NAACP Freedom Dinner.

Politically speaking, it’s already fraught enough. But now throw in the protests taking over college campuses all over the country. Testimony to the deep divide over the Israel-Hamas war.

Throw in the relatively robust third party candidacy of Robert Kennedy Junior and just because all of this isn’t crazy enough, we expect a move to dump the speaker of the house from inside his own party.

Then there’s the matter of Kristi Noem shooting her dog. We’ll talk about it all -- and we’ll take stock of what the NFL Draft did and didn’t do for Detroit.

You can watch the May 5, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

We’ve also been trying to juggle all of the various court proceedings going on in the past week. Crazy split screen viewing on Thursday as Donald Trump’s hush money trial was proceeding in New York just as the Supreme Court in Washington was hearing arguments surrounding his claims of presidential immunity.

That was the day after Trump and a number of others were described as “unindicted co-conspirators” in the Michigan case of the phony electors.

All of these matters provoke a ton of questions and we’ll consider those with former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, the author of a new book on the perils of disinformation in America.

And then, a little later on, a former Detroit Lion invites a bunch of kids to a very exclusive dinner. Why? Because Andre Fluellen wants them to dream.

You can watch the April 28, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan made it clear in his State of the City address last week he views this as a relaunch of Detroit and how it’s perceived in the national consciousness. The mayor sat down with us to talk about what’s ahead.

General Motors is on the move. It is leaving the Renaissance Center and heading down Woodward Avenue to anchor Dan Gilbert’s new Hudson’s development. So, how what do we do with five and a half million square feet? It’s an opportunity -- a daunting one though.

Crime stats in Detroit are moving in the right direction, but there was a large surprise in the numbers for the last six months and it was all predicted on a $10 million gamble.

You can watch the April 21, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

We watched Oakland County judge Cheryl Matthews making a very clear statement, sentencing James and Jennifer Crumbley to the maximum for the shooting that their son carried out at Oxford High School. The more than two years that they’ve already spent in jail, just a small fraction of the time they’re obliged to do -- though with appeals certainly to come.

Also, last week, a couple of tremors shot through the election. President Joe Biden wanting to stamp out more college debt -- and it’s no less controversial than the first run at it. Then we watched Arizona’s Supreme Court turn the clocks back in the state to an abortion law from 1864 that is a near-total ban on the procedure.

On Thursday, we learned inflation is hanging on quite stubbornly with prices ticking up a surprising 3.5% in March from a year ago. Hard to imagine interest rates dropping anytime soon and Wall Street responded with a 422 point hit.

You can watch the April 14, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

The 188th Congress is on track to be one of the least productive in American history. Sure, some of that is due to the fact that neither side is particularly invested in the other side’s success.

But that’s been true during many, many election cycles before. We are currently sharply divided over so many matters -- and many of them of critical importance and timeliness. We’ll see how much common ground we can find as I’m joined by Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Republican Congressman John James.

And then a little later, as I’ve said on this program before, when we got no fault insurance reform several years ago. I don’t think Michiganders believed coverage was being stripped away from those already receiving it.

You can watch the April 7, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

With a running mate announcement, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent run gets new energy. What does his campaign mean for the 2024 election?

It was quite a week, going back to the sight of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing in Baltimore after being hit by a cargo ship. A sturdy tap on one of the bridge supports brought the massive structure down. Later on this morning, we’ll take a look at what impact that disaster could have on Detroit and its signature industry.

We’re going to start out the conversation with the latest battle over abortion in Michigan. Now, yes, the matter may seem settled given the vote for reproductive freedom in 2022. But Democrats know the issue is a winner for them.

Last week, a Democrat won a usually Republican legislative seat in Alabama by making abortion and IVF the key issues. Back in Michigan, what about parental consent, which current law demands. Is that a winner for Democrats or is that finally a place where Republicans can get a foothold on the issue?

You can watch the March 31, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

But with the draft comes conversations about the growth of Downtown Detroit, incubating smaller businesses, and retaining talent in the region. You can’t have those conversations about investment without major players, like Rocket Companies Chairman Dan Gilbert.

Dan had a candid Q&A this week at the Michigan Chronicle’s Pancakes and Politics event. You’ll hear from him and then our roundtable as we talk Detroit business.

Then, a big investment in kids across Detroit and the entire region. Christy McDonald heads down to Corktown for a conversation with Lisa Ford and Andrew Stein about the new Michigan Central Station Children’s Endowment campaign.

• To find more information about the MCS Children’s Endowment Campaign, or to donate, visit yourchildrenfirstfoundation.org.

You can watch the March 24, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

This is the first time ever that the parents of a gunman have been held accountable for their responsibility in a mass shooting. It prompted a lot of conversation for parents.

There was also a vote in the U.S. House to ban TikTok in America unless TikTok is sold to strip away its connections to China. The House vote was one of the most bipartisan votes we’ve seen at the Capitol lately, but is is the right approach to our very complicated relationship with China?

It was a harrowing week for a group of Americans in Haiti led by Detroit author and journalist Mitch Albom. They’re safe and sound, but what now for the orphanage Mitch leads in Port Au Prince? And what’s next for one of the saddest places in the Western Hemisphere? We’ll talk with Mitch on Flashpoint.

You can watch the March 17, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

It was the most drama-starved Super Tuesday that most of us can remember. It merely cemented the coming Biden vs. Trump rematch as Nikki Haley finally threw in the towel.

Haley represents a number of Republican voters though. Last week, we talked about where they might turn their favor. But on the Democratic side, we’re all aware of president Biden’s problem with Arab American voters.

We’ve seen a growing frustration with him among Black voters, spelled out last week in an Op-ed in the Detroit Free Press by Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. He’s on Flashpoint to talk about why he believes the party is failing African Americans.

Also, the yearly State of the Region report is out from the Detroit Regional Chamber. In presenting it to the community, chamber CEO Sandy Baruah said, “Michigan’s house is on fire.” What do we need to do to get the fire under control?

Hopefully you remembered to set your clock ahead one hour to spring forward. It frustrates so many of us, and yet, why we do it is far more complicated than you may realize.

You can watch the March 10, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

Fifteen states and American Samoa hold their primaries two dance. But, as was the case with our primary last week, the usual drama is, well, lacking. We remain on the Biden-Trump collision course. Actually, we did get a little drama last Tuesday, as a judge said enough is enough. Pete Hoekstra is the Michigan Republican chairman and Kristina Karamo is out.

We did get yet another candidate for the open Senate seat as former Republican Congressman Justin Amash is jumping in. What are the takeaways from last week? We’ll talk about that.

We’re also going to catch up our public health worries. No, it’s not so much COVID at the moment. It’s two diseases that many assumed were in the rearview mirror. Michigan is among the state’s reporting a measles case, and Michigan and Detroit in particular are watching an unexpected surge inc ases of syphilis, long considered to be largely eradicated. We’ll turn to Dr. Jim Baker at University of Michigan for his thoughts.

Along with all of those primaries, Tuesday also marks the scheduled start of the trial for James Crumbley. Is he, too, culpable for the Oxford High School shooting as his wife was found to be? Or can he avoid her fate?

You can watch the March 3, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

That’s not to say there isn’t any drama coming. President Joe Biden has an unusual opponent, it’s uncommitted, and this isn’t a small matter.

Many political strategists will tell you Michigan is the linchpin to win the presidency in November. And yet, those upset with Biden’s positions on the Israel-Hamas war are urging voters to show their displeasure by withholding their support. Even though they are presumably even more upset by Donald Trump’s position on the matter.

We also have a conversation with the mayor of Dearborn, who has found himself a point man in the national conversation on this intense debate.

And, has the Alabama Supreme Court done the Democrats a favor by injecting new energy and anger into the abortion debate? Our roundtable will discuss.

You can watch the Feb. 25, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.

There were no classes on Tuesday because the shooting still feels very fresh in the minds of many. And, yet, it is so routine. The U.S. is averaging a mass shooting every day so far this year. The day after the MSU anniversary, gunfire broke out in Kansas City where people had gathered to celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win.

We are in the middle of a very key election year, and as I was texting with my many friends and family in Kansas City, it dawned on me that while we’ve heard plenty of stump talk about immigration and Ukraine and Russia and electric vehicles, I don’t know that I’ve heard the candidates talk about what we’re going to do about America’s mass shooting problem.

Maybe we’re just throwing up our hands? Maybe that will change as we move along the campaign trail? A trail that is still without a great map to follow in Michigan. We’ll discuss the struggle to create new voting districts in the state and we’ll talk with three members of the redistricting commission.

We’ll also talk about a couple of interesting political developments this week. Former Detroit police chief James Craig has dropped out of the U.S. Senate race, despite being one of the leaders in our latest poll.

And early on, the home quarantine advice was 10 days if you had COVID. Then it went to five. Now, another change is coming. What does that tell us about life with COVID in 2024?

You can watch the Feb. 18, 2024, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.