Superpower Suicide The geopolitics of our moment

No lies detected

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit wins the Michigan Democratic Party endorsement for attorney general in a win for the party's progressive wing.

Lt. Gov. @garlingilchrist.bsky.social has won the Michigan Democratic Party's endorsement for secretary of state on the first ballot.

"That's what you get when you don't have a message," U.S. Senate candidate @abdulelsayed.bsky.social says as the band passes by his media availability.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has arrived for the MDP Legacy Dinner and lots of folks immediately lined up for photos. The theme of tonight's fundraiser is "celebrating a legacy of getting the job done," honoring Whitmer. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will speak later.

Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, who is running for governor, is invited to read the Pledge of Allegiance at the MDP's Legacy Dinner with very brief remarks. Unclear if other candidates will be appearing at tonight's fundraiser.

"The thing I feel positive about is that we will get through any difficult moment in our country's history with two things: engaged citizens and principled leaders," Sen. @elissaslotkin.bsky.social says at the MDP Legacy Dinner.

The voices missing from the ceasefire table • Michigan Advance The United States is back at the negotiating table with the Islamic Republic

The voices missing from the ceasefire table

michiganadvance.com/2026/04/17/t...

Commentary from Dr. Mitra Aliabouzar, an Iranian dissident, who serves as a Research Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Radiology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Hanging with Virginia Mercury Editor Samantha Willis and Idaho Capital Sun Editor Christina Lords.

Jacob Weisberg, CEO of Pushkin Industries and Juju Chang, co-anchor of ABC News’ Nightline

Panel on US immigration policy with Dara Lind, Senior Fellow, American Immigration Council, Will Freeman, CFR Fellow for Latin America Studies and Phil Williams, Chief Investigative Reporter, NewsChannel 5 Nashville. Alexandra Starr of the International Crisis Group moderated.

Panel on Foreign Policy Implications of the Midterm Election with CFR’s James M. Lindsay, Jocelyn Kiley of the Pew Research Center, Mara Liasson, National Political Correspondent for NPR and CFR’s Carla Anne Robbins moderating.

Great panels at the Council on Foreign Relations workshop, but also a wonderful chance to connect with fellow journalists and other State Newsroom editors. Always glad to see such an investment in local journalism.

It’s moments like that I miss being in radio.

Democratic U-M regents race ablaze with infighting between Jordan Acker, challenger Amir Makled • Michigan Advance Ongoing tensions within the Michigan Democratic Party involving two candidates for a position with the University of Michigan Board of Regents boiled over this week. The drama pitted an incumbent, Jor...

The drama pitted an incumbent, Jordan Acker, against a challenger, Amir Makeld, in a war of words, attack ads that landed in party members’ mailboxes and text messages, and the excavation of old social media posts — some dealing with Israel’s war in Gaza.

Story by @roththereporter.bsky.social

Trump’s DOJ wants personal voter data for ‘improper purposes,’ Michigan official says • Michigan Advance The Department of Justice’s stated reason for obtaining sensitive personal data on millions of voters masks the Trump administration’s true intention for obtaining state voter lists, Michigan’s top el...

The Department of Justice’s stated reason for obtaining sensitive personal data on millions of voters masks the Trump administration’s true intention for obtaining state voter lists, Michigan’s top election official asserted in federal appeals court Monday.

Story by @jonshorman.bsky.social

How the Trump Administration Diverted Resources to Support Mass Deportations From prison guard training to FEMA staff, internal memos and budget footnotes reveal the extent to which the Trump administration shifted programs and personnel toward immigration enforcement.

Seems fine. “NOTUS found that at least twice in 2025, the agency redirected money to ICE that was originally intended for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office: one lump of money for training and another for a national biosurveillance center.”
www.notus.org/immigration/...

Fluoride in drinking water has no effect on IQ or brain function, a long-term study shows.

The new research is the first to measure community water fluoridation exposure during childhood and any potential impact on cognition up to age 80.

The results contradict RFK Jr. statements.

My god. Essential, horrifying reporting here.

USDA Secretary Rollins faces question on fertilizer costs during visit to Michigan State University • Michigan Advance During a visit to Michigan State University on Monday to announce support programs for specialty crops research, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was asked about the federal government’s p...

Alongside U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, Rollins joined reporters at the university’s Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center to announce the opening of applications for the department’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative, as well as the Specialty Crop Block Grant.

Story by @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

Heading to New York City to represent @michiganadvance.com and @statesnewsroom.com at the Council on Foreign Relations Local Journalists Workshop. ✏️📓

aka

DTW to LGA to rep MA and SN at CFR

The Founders provided multiple mechanisms to deal with an unfit president. What they could not provide was the courage to use them.

In Bruges scene where Colin Farrell is pointing a gun at his head and Brendon Gleeson is also pointing a gun at Colin Farrell's head

Current status of the Strait of Hormuz dispute

For those keeping score at home:

☑️ First he demanded the strait be opened

☑️ Then didn’t care if it was open

☑️ Then demanded again it be opened

☑️ Now says U.S. will "begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz"

🤓🤪😭

"Magataotao" on Twitter writes: "I am Catholic. This👇is not my Pope." Attached is a video of the Pope saying that we should search for peace and reject war. A community note under their tweet says: "You are not a Catholic if you do not accept the Pope, but rather a schismatic. Canon 751: “Schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff,” ie. the Pope. https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib3-cann747-755_en.html"

first in my bloodline to see someone get excommunicated by a community note

Are sovereign Tribal lands the next target for AI companies?

Welcome to the tribe. Pass the gefilte fish.

Greetings from the campus of Michigan State University. There is a line wrapping around two buildings to see @abdulelsayed.bsky.social and Hasan Piker, so this room is about to be FULL. There is an overflow room, but that might also fill up, and they might turn some away. Wild times.

Blue Cross wants to pay less, my son may pay the price • Michigan Advance Blue Cross is using my son's life as leverage

Blue Cross wants to pay less, my son may pay the price

michiganadvance.com/2026/04/06/b...

Commentary in today’s @michiganadvance.com

Waiting now on the longitude and latitude coordinates

‘Proactively fall in line:’ Holocaust Memorial Museum quietly changed content after Trump returned to office Two former employees said they believed the museum was altering its content preemptively to avoid unwanted negative attention from the Trump administration.

“The decisions here … absolutely seem to be preemptive in order to save face and not cause any disturbances,” the second former staffer said, adding there was concern about “engaging in conversations that might take the participant out of the context of Europe, 1933 to 1945, and into present day.”

It’s going great

Have they tried swearing at it? That always worked for me.

Sen. Wyden has something to say…