JR Afternoon with Chris Renwick

JR Afternoon with Chris Renwick ~ December 4, 2024 ~ Full Show

December 4, 2024 ~ JR Afternoon with Chris Renwick On this episode: Chris finds out what the Michigan Republicans hope to accomplish when they take the majority next year; learns more about the Ukraine conflict from a Wayne State University Professor who's on the ground there and then gets the low-down on the Holly Dickens Festival.

Duration:: 1h 13m
Broadcast on:: 05 Dec 2024
Audio Format:: other

Well, come in two o'clock hour. It is wonderful to have you and we're busy today and a ton of really big stories To follow this afternoon and I want to start here locally because in what has been at least in my mind one of the worst kept secrets particularly after Detroit mayor Mike Duggan decided and announced that he was not going to seek another term as the mayor of the Motor City I Think everybody kind of logically looked at it and said okay Mike Duggan's gonna run for governor in two years and now we know that to be the case and I just want to say what Mike Duggan is done for the city of Detroit has been spectacular spectacular look Does anybody bat a thousand nope like are you perfect on all fronts nope? but Mike Duggan has ushered in a Period in Detroit That I think a lot of us going back 15-20 years ago 10 years ago We wouldn't have even thought possible and so what makes Mike Duggan so incredibly unique is his ability to work with a bunch of different people and And and to the benefit of the people his constituencies the people that he represents What else is very interesting Is Mike Duggan today in his announcement? Says that he will not run as a Democrat. He will not run as a Republican. He will run as an independent now the most interesting thing about this to me again what from my perspective was the worst kept secret is That this is a litmus test There are going to be candidates all across the country in places similar to Detroit and I don't just mean From a demographic standpoint. I mean from an ideological standpoint people that just want to get things done That somebody like Mike Duggan who ran and won the mayoral race as a write-in candidate Like this guy is going to put could if he were to win could show you a blueprint on how to win as an independent show you a blueprint on how to bring people together Without being under the umbrella of one of the major parties You know in his announcement today. He said look I don't fit in the Democrats. I don't fit with the Republicans So I'm an independent and seeing how many people truly believe that and feel that and think that way that it's pretty obvious that there's a large group of people that that fit under that category and So I think it's going to be very interesting over the next two years how Duggan runs a campaign how he runs a race as an independent who he reaches to because there are a lot of people particularly on the Right that would vote for Mike Duggan We took those calls a couple of weeks ago when he said he wasn't going to run for reelection as the mayor But we had we had people calling and saying I'm a conservative, but I'll I'd vote for Mike Duggan for governor So I this could be very interesting. It's something that we're gonna. We're gonna keep an eye on also on the national stage the counting is officially in and we've got the the the Political makeup of the House of Representatives and it is a very thin majority for Republicans 215 or excuse me 220 for Republicans 215 for Democrats and it boy. It just makes things really tight Really tight. You can't have a lot of of people Leaving on on particular votes Now a lot of these votes, you know, it won't matter but on on bigger more potentially maybe Quencil legislation a very very very very thin majority for Republicans, which was expected It was expected and and they had one majority already they needed to 18 They got to 218 but the fact that they only have a five Representative lead in the House of Representatives is going to be another interesting storyline to watch I'm also interesting Americans are showing more interest in buying homes as mortgage rates continue to decline Mortgage applications according to CNBC rose 6% last week Rates dropped below 6.7%. It's their lowest point in a month and and really over the last couple of years when the Fed started raising interest rates To to bring you know the the home mortgage interest rate up north of 7% and so now Coming down creeping down creeping down You know how much of this has to how much of this goes into what? the this election meant if there are People out there that are that are Maybe a little bullish on the fact that Donald Trump is going to cut regulations that there's going to be things that are going to be done To bring these interest rates down further So going into 2025 It could be a pretty solid Housing market at least from some of the experts opinions meanwhile in Michigan Home prices are are are are are continuing to grow? and I mean you just look at I mean just look at the percentages I mean you're talking about what almost 31% of homes Sold for above list price It's still down from where it was last year But of course it was because the interest rate kept creeping higher and so people started pulling the reins back a little bit But what you could see and this is where you know guys like David Hall when when we talked to him on this show at at Hall financial is that what you could end up seeing is that there is going to be a rush to buy homes and If you buy in now and yes, you'll have a higher interest rate but in a couple of years when that rate drops hopefully you refinance and you basically cut the line you beat the rush of Everybody else wanting to buy homes too So the 2025 could be a very interesting year in Michigan in terms of of home sales also this story out of Manhattan the CEO of United health care shot Outside of his New York City Hotel in what officials are calling a premeditated Pre-planned targeted attack and they still haven't found this guy. They haven't found the gunman Wearing a mask wearing gloves and and got away But it happened just before 7 o'clock this morning and ironically Brian Thompson who's 50 years old the CEO of United health care was on his way to speak to the company's investor conference When somebody came up and shot him a number of times several rounds according to police commissioner Jessica Tisch so that that is an absolutely wild story and Police are now on the the hunt in New York City in in Midtown Manhattan For for this gunman. All right. We'll take a break coming up on the other side republicans in this last election Windback control of the House of Representatives in Lansing What are they hoping to accomplish because you're talking about divided government? Democrats still control the Senate obviously governor Gretchen Whitmer in the house But now you're talking about a much more difficult path for Gretchen Whitmer to get things accomplished In the state of Michigan things that they got accomplished over the last two years that probably wouldn't have gone through Here in the state if Republicans had control of one of the chambers in Lansing So we'll talk to Mike Harris. He's the Republican caucus whip for the Republicans coming up next here our chair afternoon so as of yesterday lawmakers returned to Lansing for the lame duck because between yesterday and January 8th Democrats still do have control of all three chambers in Lansing They've got the Senate they've got the House and they've got the governor's office and they've enjoyed a A power that they haven't had for many many years 40 years ish Going back that far and as of this last election Republicans won control of the House and so what are the the major plans for the Republican Party going forward? How will? Lansing work over the next two years. Let's bring in representative Mike Harris He's the Republican caucus whip for the party in the house and he joins me here this afternoon. It's good to have you That's good to have you to have me on. Thank you. I want to start a little bit with the lame duck What do you expect over the next couple of weeks before you take power back in the house? Well, I it's a it's a huge gamble. We're not sure exactly what's gonna come up The one benefit to us is the Democrats have not been showing up for work That does allow us a little bit more leverage and in helping to craft the agenda But if they decide they want to come to work, I think it could be anybody's game You know, they they control what goes up for a vote and we'll have to see what kind of radical policies they They try and complete before the end of the year. Well a couple of things that are gonna be on the table obviously is minimum wage paid sick time are a couple of things that are being considered and then of course this proposal For two hundred and fifty million dollars in in state funding Taxpayer dollars to go towards the the remodeling of the rent send down on the river Are these some of the things that that we might see up for a vote? Well, we hope and pray that the tip minimum wage and the paid sick leave comes up I'm not sure why it hasn't come up for a vote yet this should be a number one priority to take care of our small businesses and our our food service industry and We have yet to see the movement on it. I hope to God that we actually do I mean we have businesses that are ready to shut their doors that are still recovering from the pandemic. So So we are pushing for that. And so hopefully that will be one of the issues that comes up. I Don't see the rent send going through it's I think there's some there are some people that That would like to see it happen But I think there's fractures from the Democrat caucus on it and I'm not sure the Republicans are going to give them the votes to help So then as of January 8th Republicans will be back in control in the House of Representatives Let's start a little bit. Well, what's the wish list for you guys when when you're whipping votes up on the floor? Or when you're talking to your colleagues. What are are some of the big to-dos for Republicans in this in this next? go around Sure. Well, I think first and foremost if the tip minimum wage and the paid sick leave do not get handled in lame duck I think that needs to be top priority for us come January a follow-up would be road funding which as I'm sure you've heard Speaker like Hall has put together a very promising plan on how to fund our roads But the third and maybe the biggest for next term would be the oversight factor so right now we basically have two legs for our committee structure and that's You know policy and appropriations Well, Speaker like Hall is going to really advocate and put in place in oversight Leg on the committees and you know for the last two years and even before we've seen some failures in the bureaucratic side of government and we think that the taxpayers need to get their money's worth and so we want to make sure that we have correct oversight that we're looking into things that need to be handled and Make sure that the the taxpayers get what they're asking for well And then of course even this situation is a little different even going back to 2018 2018 and and 20 when when the governor was elected and then even going into 2022 I Mean things things have been very different in Lansing over the last couple of years What's the plan to work with the governor's office? What's the plan to work with? With your colleagues in the Senate to get things done is is is are we expecting stonewalling or well? How how do we expect this this version of Lansing to work? Or how should we expect them? Well, yeah, right? I well, I think the taxpayers should expect that we're going to find ways to work together and find some common goals that will actually benefit the state and You know, I'm sure stonewalling or you know Some difference of opinions on things could happen with some some more partisan type issues But the majority of what we do truly should be bipartisan work And I think there's plenty of things worse to tackle especially when it comes to Raining in what we've seen over the last couple of years With government overreach and I think there's people on both sides of the aisle that have the temperament to handle that So we truly do hope for good things and hope that we can bring things back to legitimate government Especially with our spending our spending's been out of control. So we hope to bring that in Do you feel like Republicans have some momentum coming in? I mean you look at what happened obviously at the national stage, but is there something to be said? For having this kind of momentum coming off this particular election What do you think the people of Michigan want here? I Think that people in Michigan are looking for a change. I mean, I think we saw that at the The voting precincts this time and you know, we saw major changes federally We saw major changes and us being able to flip the house And I think as long as we are acting responsibly, we're gonna look forward to more of that come two years from now But we need to make sure that we are again bringing government back to responsible legitimate purposes, and I think we haven't seen that one You know one of the your responsibilities as the whip is is you're kind of you're all over the place, right? You're talking to Republicans from all corners of the state of Michigan To see where they're at or if how they're feeling on certain issues You mentioned a couple of minutes ago On the minimum wage and paid sick leave that there are fractions even in the Democratic Party that are hesitant to make moves on this What is your feeling about Republicans coming in to to this this next? This next year and this next term. Do you feel like everybody is relatively rowing in the same direction? I? Do I do especially when it comes to our business community? I and this is this is one of the pillars of of our Republican principles is is looking at what really drives our economy and You know the bigger picture is why have people left Michigan? You know and a lot of it has to do with everything from regulatory structure to us not creating a good Environment economically for our people and our businesses So I think you're gonna see that be one of the major pillars going into this next term for us to All navigate together, and I think that's a it's a huge piece that I think our clock is is ready to move on You talked about being responsible being response Responsible with the budget being responsible for people's for people's money And I think that that should be paramount in in every version of Lansing whatever it may be How does how does how do you take that principle and put it into practice then coming up? Well a lot of it like like you said as the whip you know it's trying to get everybody together trying to get everybody to to ruin the same direction and Where we may have some some smaller differences opinion? I think not only are the Republicans But I think we have some of the Democrats that are are ready to want to push the state forward And I'm not sure that their current leadership has allowed them to do that So I think there's some that are even breathing a little sigh of relief that maybe they can they can act on some principles that Are responsible government? I mean not not everyone on the other side is you know Progressive we you know we do have some moderates that really look at especially business communities and how it hurts their communities They look at it somewhat similar to us and I think we'll find some backing on their side as well now Mike Harris the caucus whip for the Republicans in the house appreciate your time stay in touch and we'll talk again very soon Awesome. Thanks for having me. Yep. You got it. I'd love to hear from you. What do you expect from from this incoming? Group of lawmakers and Lansing as of January 8th Republicans take over the House of Representatives love to hear from you eight hundred eight five nine zero nine five seven more next So Republicans will take over in the house Starting January 8th. I want to know what your expectations are if you have any expectations I mean when you're dealing in this type of divided government the realities are it's things Things are a little more messy You know there are gonna be a lot of little things that they vote on that there will be You know Bipartisan support for but once you start getting into some of the bigger issues once you start getting into some of the more Made up political issues then things get a little messy and that's where real compromise is gonna have to come into play and so Are you what are you expecting? Because I think there will be a lot of stonewalling. I think there will be a lot of not taking Issues up in the opposite chamber. I think there will be a tremendous amount of of difficulty for the governor to get Whatever her agenda is for these next two years and so I think things are gonna be a little different But that's not always bad thing. You know, I think when you've got unchecked powers You know, you tend to get a little loose a goosey Well, whereas if you've got divided government you have to find commonalities you have to find common ground So that's there for you. I also want to talk about Mike Duncan a little bit more Because I saw Mike Duggan. I interviewed him at the tree lighting ceremony put on by the downtown Detroit partnership down a campus marshes a couple of weeks ago now and You know one of the things that I Asked him. I said are you you know, you're not running for mayor anymore and you know, these are great events Do you kind of take it in a little more like do you kind of look around and? You know, I don't want to say bask in it all, but I mean there's been a lot of really hard work done that that he and his team have put in And you know, he said yeah, it's it's cool to see how far Detroit has come and so One of the things that I have always appreciated about Mike Duggan and again. I don't think any of these people are perfect I don't think anybody bats a thousand. It's impossible Like you're gonna do things that aren't gonna be in total of grants You're gonna do things that people are excited about you're gonna do things that people don't like but at the end of the day It's it's a totality thing. It's like how have how have you operated in totality and I think Mike Duggan passes that test and When we brought this up a couple weeks ago when he announced that he was Not gonna seek reelection as mayor You know, I had you know a couple you guys called and said I'm a conservative But I had vote for Mike Duggan like what he's done with the city is spectacular and So I think that that that when he announces that he's not running as a Democrat. He's not seeking the Democratic nomination first of all, it's a big bet on yourself like you got to be pretty darn comfortable in your belief system and in your perspective to Kind of buck that trend right and not not not need that Validation or support system. I mean that's impressive like that's a big bet on yourself But then when you I mean if you zoom out just a little bit maybe a lot If you zoom out a lot You look at where most people are most people aren't far right most people aren't far left Most people are somewhere in the middle They're either they're in the middle middle like they're in dependence. These are people that vote both ways There are there are people that are are in the middle And then maybe you you squeak out just to the left or a little bit or you scootch over to the right a little bit But these are common sense folks. These are people in the middle And so Mike Duggan is saying that more people are like that than are on the fringes and What I appreciate about Mike Duggan even going all the way back to when you know He won the mayoral race as a right-in candidate, which is unbelievable in the city of Detroit then there's there's something there and I think Mike Duggan whether it was Donald Trump whether it was Joe Biden there was a real willingness to To work and work together to benefit the city There's a real want to Collaborate with the business community or there's a real desire to work with nonprofits There's a real desire to help people and again things are you know over the span of of his Mayorship There are still neighborhoods that need to be addressed there are still things that need to happen But Detroit is at a completely different place under Mike Duggan and the plans that he rolled out and his willingness to work with with everybody So I think it's what makes Mike Duggan a particularly unique candidate and When you consider he's gonna run as an independent I think that this is going to be looked at on a on a much grander scale I Think that when you when when other cities around the country or other states around the country look at what Detroit has been through and where We're at and we're not done but where we've come and And and how you how? What what was the perspective of the leadership? Well, then how do you how do you? Multiply that how do you how do you make that bigger and I think that's what Mike Duggan's gonna try to do here So it's very interesting to me. This is a very interesting litmus test for somebody like Mike Duggan Who's a a relative moderate somebody who is who is catering to that group of Independence and moderate voters and and can you can that scale to the size of a state? I think it can I Certainly think it can 8085 9 0 9 5 7 800 8 5 9 0 W. J. I want to hear from you It's got a rod and Plymouth. He's got thoughts. What's up, Rod? You know, Doug and he's a great listener communicator and an implement implementer. Yes He's looking out for everyone's best interest and this says a lot though But right right, you know, what's crazy about that is even like I Think the appearance of that is so valuable, right? Maybe whether or not that's true or whatever about any anybody the fact that we all feel that Mike Duggan is trying to to do the best for everybody. I think that's really valuable That's that's not really a trait that everybody has Well, he's he conveys confidence to everybody They's gonna get the job done that he's gonna do it in the people's best interest Which is what I'm leading to but by him running as an independence as a whole lot about the press of state of the Democrat Party, but here's the thing. I think he is the individual who will finally get Full transparency in state government Moved into a bill so he can pass it. Oh, I'd love that. I'd love that If that were the only thing he would get done in a in in his term that would be fantastic I'm hopeful. I you know, we'll love to see thanks Rob. It's good who William in River Rouge. What's up, willy? Hey, Chris, how you doing anybody? I'm good. My friend. How are you? I'm I'm blessed. I woke up this morning That's the truth. I got a couple points. I'd like to put on. I know I got limited time with the pardoning of Biden pardoning his son I think it's unfair that he Has that ability. I don't think the president should have the pardon Ability we he was convicted and or tried and convicted under his Our group of his peers. Mm-hmm, and I'm sure there's a lot of people in the United States right now They got have tax problems wait looming over their head. Why can't we all have? Pardon on our tax bills. Well, William, I think that's what that that exact issue is Where Democrats are their short circuiting? It's that it's that exact Situation so when when the president says nobody's above the law or when Democrats come out on, you know MSNBC or CNN or whatever and they say nobody's above the law and the president is right not pardoning his son like that's what short circuiting them is because you're playing favorites because it's your kid and Again, that's very human. I don't have much of a problem with that on a human level But there are people out there. They're gonna well why aren't you pardoning me or I've got, you know I have a lesser charge that I'm going to jail for and and and you're not pardoning me and So right when they've when they've created that narrative and he went around and circumvented it and decided to pardon his son That's the that's the mess that he's made So you're right. I think you're exactly right William, and I and I I think with what yeah And a thing with Washington DC the biggest problem is we have Democrats and Republicans And they both have to please their party their people. Yeah, and the thing in Washington is there there's to do what the people want them to do and it's just the We need more more parties people to be able to and you know one and these people have to make big decisions and It's not you're not gonna make this high guy happy and then you're not gonna make sure a guy happy Yeah, yeah, William appreciate you my friend. Good stuff eight hundred eight five nine zero nine five seven eight hundred eight five nine zero WJR will continue with your calls your texts coming up also on the other side a Wayne state professor has spent its extensive time in Ukraine will get his perspective on some of the developments things that are happening between Russia and Ukraine next here on jr afternoon All right I'll tell you I make one little mistake. I Got Brian yelling at me Danielle's coming off of a sickness. She's on steroids playing macho man Randy Savage today We'll do we'll talk about Ukraine coming up We'll talk about Ukraine coming up at three in the three o'clock hour three 18. We'll talk about it We're gonna do a much fun or much more fun story now because the Holly Dickens festival is going on just under an hour away from we're at in Holly and tons of things to do and It's a year yearly tradition Around the holidays Jerome Raska is the director of the Holly Dickens festival and joins me this afternoon Jerome. It's great to have you Oh, I'm happy to be here. What a this is an absolute staple of this time of year Yes, it sure is it's our 51st annual Holly Dickens festival And and I want you to tell us a little bit about what this festival is from a historic perspective And and why so many people flock to it every year Well, first of all It's the holiday season and if you need to if you need a little jumpstart in that holiday spirit What better place what better place to go than to Holly, Michigan, you know, Holly for the holidays is what we like to say and The the Dickens fest itself was started 51 years ago by a group of local merchants Simply to bring more business to the local business community our our downtown our Victorian buildings The cointness of the downtown is lined with unique and fun little shops for, you know holiday shopping or year-round shopping we have festivals year-round but this time of year particularly the You know the warmth of the community and the little shops and then with the festival We bring in even more and we have vendors lining the street and we've had chestnuts roasting on open fires We got horse and carriage rides. It's it's truly all the sounds in the fields of the season to just put you in the spirit Well and everything is family-friendly, right? So so people can bring their kids and if there's a little bit of snow You know, you got you got sledding there Santa's train. You've got people could take pictures What the big fella you can write your your wish list to him as well and and I think that's what makes it all so special, right? It's it's an all-encompassing Feeling that that the Holly Dickens festival provides to people It certainly is it's it's definitely family-friendly. It's also a great destination for those that might not have little ones still at home We attract a lot of people that just want to come out and get in the holiday spirit We have what we call a wreath walk and many of our businesses participated and decorated wreaths In their businesses and they're all available for purchase to help support the festival because I don't think I mentioned But this festival is run by all volunteers This is a volunteer based organization and without the 50-plus volunteers that helped put this festival on annually We wouldn't have one. So it's truly a group of dedicated folks And we encourage people to come and join in the fun We actually have which I find very unique because I I've been to a lot of other festivals and I have not seen this we have a Costume closet if you will so it's a wardrobe area that you can gather some of your friends or even just you and your family Come on up. Go to the costume area They'll fit you in period clothing and you can stroll the streets dressed in Victorian clothing It's super fun and you get an audience with Queen Victoria if you want to you can do that too And she's a licensed officiant. So if anyone's looking to make it real serious They can do that as well during the festival or they can just renew their vows There's packages available on our website that they can sign up for a Holly Dickens festival.org. That is very very cool What goes into the planning process because it is I think what makes this festival so special is that you've got people in The community putting it on so it is a true community event you mentioned the volunteers But what what goes into the planning of this because I can't imagine you start planning in you know, September We know we start planning in January So we will have right after the holidays. We have our first get together We kind of talk about all the the good the bad the ugly and figure out because our goal is to make it a little bit better And a little bit more improved each year and that's how it's got to where it is today The leadership prior to my being involved has been amazing and has brought it this far And I'm just helping carry the torch to take it in on a little bit further And truly these dedicated individuals It's unbelievable the amount of hours they put in all year long because we have work weekends where we're, you know Repairing some of our little shell a sheds that we have vendors in and things like that things need repair Things need to be painted that just the fresh look we do that all summer long Well, and and I think it shows. I was there a couple of years ago. We had a blast and And it only gets it gets better and better every year. So things started kicked off last weekend What's the what's the the schedule now moving forward? Well, obviously For this Saturday and Sunday and the following Saturday and Sunday the best place is to go to our website Holly Dickens festival org for all the detail lists. I do also want to remind everyone that we do offer a free shuttle So if you park at the elementary school or the Presbyterian Church on Maple Street coming into town There's a free shuttle that runs every 15 minutes both days of the festivals So and also a lot of times people don't understand this there. There's no admission fee. This is a free festival You can come bring your family enjoy obviously we do have donation boxes throughout if people feel so inclined to help offset some of the costs We appreciate Contributions you can use them. Oh PayPal or plain old cash either one, but outside of that It's a free festival and we just encourage people to come get in the holiday spirit and enjoy You know our beautiful town of Holly Holly at the at the holidays is what we like week two Starting Saturday the theme decked out for Dickens week three. God bless us everyone That's the 14th and the 15th. So great things great food great fun to have for everybody bring the whole family down To to Holly for Holly Dickens festival Jerome raska. Thanks so much for your time really appreciate it Stay warm out there and have a great festival and I wanted to mention we have a plenty of activities that go on indoors So if we have another cold weekend, yeah, don't hesitate to come out. There's plenty of things going on You can go in and warm up really good stuff Jerome. Thank you for your time. Appreciate you Happy holidays. Yeah, happy holidays to you as as well All right coming up in the three o'clock hour We will talk about what is unfolding in Ukraine and and from the perspective of somebody who has been there somebody who has spent extensive time in Ukraine during this conflict with Russia because some really substantial decisions particularly on the United States side of things has maybe changed this this war and changed this conflict the use of US long-range missiles into Russian territory certainly changes things Russia becoming more in Bolton We'll talk about that in the three o'clock hours. We continue here on Jay afternoon All right three o'clock hour. It is good to have you. Hey, make sure you're listening in the three o'clock hour tomorrow Because I've got a stay-and-play package for two in beautiful marine city courtesy of the inn on Water Street and Thumb Coast theaters We'll we'll give it away tomorrow, but a wonderful package at Marine City's premier boutique hotel The inn on Water Street tickets to the experience at boardwalk theaters production of yes, Virginia There is a Santa Claus playing now through December 22nd. We will give that away for you tomorrow in the three o'clock hours, so make sure you're listening um a Couple of things we're following today Before we get into our conversation with a professor at Wayne State University who has spent extensive time in Ukraine over the war With Russia it interesting to get his perspective. We'll do that coming up at 318 But Mike Duggan today announced that he's gonna run for governor as an independent and I think that when you look at it at the totality of Mike Duggan's leadership as the mayor of Detroit Huge plus huge plus and again nobody bats a thousand not everybody's gonna be happy but considering where Detroit was a dilapidated mess in bankruptcy and you know Important services weren't reaching people that the city has done. I Don't know if we've done a complete 180 yet because there's still a lot of growth, but we've done pretty darn good Considering where we were a decade decade decade decade and a half ago So Mike Duggan announced a couple of weeks ago that he was not running for mayor again And I think the the perception was well, he's gonna run for governor in two years when Gretchen Whitmer's second term is is done and Then you've got you know, Joe Tate for example who is currently the speaker of the house for the Democrats and in Lansing He won't be once Republicans take over on January 8th But he's somebody that wants to run for mayor in the city of Detroit. He's open an exploratory committee. So it's going to be a Pact race But Mike Duggan is gonna run as an independent. So he's not seeking the nomination from Democrats He certainly isn't seeking the nomination from Republicans But the indications that I get from people Here on this show talking to folks is that Mike Duggan is a very very attractive candidate for that job based on what he has done in the city of Detroit and so I think that Mike Duggan's run or expected run as an independent Could be a litmus test around the country for other major cities that have gone through hardships You know like that for example the mayor of San Francisco now the incoming mayor Well, we're gonna do college it's gonna be common sense. We're gonna work in the middle like it is a complete turn around From where San Francisco has been over the last however many years we're in it and has gone to you know the level of crazy town and So things are changing things are different and and you're starting to see that in other big communities You guys you got mayor Adams out in Washington or in New York City saying oh Yeah, we're gonna we're gonna have we're gonna work with Donald Trump We're gonna work with Tom Holman and we're gonna we're gonna make sure that people who are here illegally and hurting people Aren't allowed to stay? like I mean That there is something changing here and I think if any major city who has gone through any hardships If there is one model around the country that you you want to model yourself after it is the city of Detroit and a lot of that has come from the leadership of Mike Duggan and So it's gonna be very interesting to see very interesting to see how how this thing progresses But we'll watch for it um you know on Fox News this morning Pete Haggseth mom was on and Trying to lessen the blow of his candidacy to to be appointed to the position that he is he has been put in to lead the Pentagon and It's not a surprise That when somebody like Donald Trump nominate somebody for cabinet position while all of a sudden You know you start getting you know a hit piece or people coming out of the woodwork This is not surprising and happened to It happened a Brett Kavanaugh in infamously with his nomination to the high court and and and it's just it's just not unique. It's not a surprise but when you consider Who is going to be in charge of nominating these folks and when you've got Republicans in the Senate saying yeah boy Pete Haggs has got some real hurdles that he's got overcome You know the Hill is reporting that out of the three kind of more You know, I don't know some of the more consequential or controversial picks whether it's Cash Patel to lead the FBI or Pete Haggseth to lead the Pentagon or Tulsi Gabbard that Ironically, Tulsi Gabbard has the toughest path Based on things that she said about Ukraine things that she said about Russia You've got Russian state media saying that they they they praise her in being that that role so there there's a lot of there's a lot of things out there and and the rumors are out of the Trump transition team is that well, maybe somebody like Pete Haggseth for example is like maybe we need to start considering other options or maybe Tulsi Gabbard Has a different role? But just an interesting look again, not unbelievable not shocking. This is generally what happens that things start coming out you start trying to discredit people and And you hope that makes a difference in this case for the Democrats meanwhile everything is set in stone on the national stage Republicans will have a five-seat advantage in the House of Representatives 220 to 215 It is it's razor-thin. It's a very very narrow majority now not all Republicans are are totally on board with that with everything that Donald Trump wants to do or not all Republicans are going to be as willing to do some of the things that are going to be proposed because Look, if they're in moderate districts, they're going to have a difficult time They're going to have a difficult time keeping their job or being reelected so Just a couple of things to keep an eye on when Donald Trump gets inaugurated and and starts rolling with his his agenda What all of that means? All right, we'll take a break. We will talk to a professor at Wayne State University who has been long in Ukraine Studying what has been going on there. We'll get a firsthand account from him coming up next here on jr afternoon So an escalation over two years ago as Russia invaded Ukraine Has left Thousands and thousands of people of dead The united states and other european allies trying to support Ukraine financially with munitions and we've seen an escalation on the russian side north korean troops coming over to fight on behalf of the russian army and most recently President joe biden's decision to allow the Ukrainian army to use long-range missiles provided by the united states Inside russian territory and we've seen a medium range ballistic missile essentially fired into ukraine from russia as a result And so it leaves A lot of questions particularly now that donald trump has won the presidency will there continue to be a level of funding? That we've seen over the last couple of years that aid that the united states Is sending flautomir zalinski spoke with donald trump said it was a good conversation But really what does it look like on the ground level? Let's head on out to austria where vince at artmen the adjunct professor at wain state university center for peace and conflict studies finds himself He's leaving ukraine coming home And it sounds like he's already got a trip planned to go back um Vincent it's good to have you Thank you very much. It's an honor to be here. I I want to start a little bit with what is What what is the the feeling amongst the ukraine and people as we stand today? Um, you know, I think uh right now morale is About what you could expect. Uh, it's been a very long year. Um, I think you just mentioned the Political changes here in the united states. Um, and that has definitely put Uh, a lot of people into an a sort of anxiety Because they don't know as as you quite rightly said what's what's coming next, but at at the same time Uh ukrenians aren't going to give up. They know the costs of uh, what what capitulation would mean um and Even though the situation at the front lines is quite difficult Uh, I still know several people personally who Really just within the last couple of months have gone from doing humanitarian volunteering to joining the armed forces That have a sense of uh, patriotic duty. Um, but again, there's there's fear and concern over the political shifts Uh in in in the west and of course Now with the winter coming on the power uh, the strikes on ukraine's power grid are Escalating once again that this was a big deal during this summer Uh, it sort of tapered off for a while and and and now russia is really striking the power grid again in an in an attempt to sort of freeze ukrenians Uh, over the winter and this is difficult, but it's not something that ukrenians have not Built with before and so people try to go on with their life as as best they can but uh, particularly for for young kids and and the elderly Uh and people with mobility issues, uh, this can this could be very difficult because people sometimes are Uh trapped in their apartments because the elevators don't work in the power is out and there's no heat and no light and so Uh You know people but you know people try to get get on as best as they can Um, and even in cities closer to the front line like hardkeys Which has really been relentlessly pounded over the last few months With with glide bombs that are much larger than anything that can hit uh, keve right now People remain defiant again life life goes on and and and i don't think ukrenians are or you know thinking about giving up anytime soon You know the escalations recently North korean troops have come down to support russia and fight on their behalf The united states has joined a list of Countries in europe in particular that have said you know, we need to allow the ukrenian army to use Our munitions inside russian territory. It can it can provide a boost to their offensive and really start to push the russians Back, um, and and then of course As a result of that as as president biden has joined those calls that have been growing for Seemingly, uh, the better part of a year and a half or so you've got Vladimir poutin Basically altering and amending how they're going to how they could consider using nuclear weapons What what what are the these? Kind of ramp ups on all of these fronts. What does that mean for the ukrenian forces fighting? Well, I think you you you bring up some very interesting points And I want to say I guess i'll take this in in two parts. Um, the the long-range weapons That the the u.s Great britain other countries have finally begun to allow the ukrenians to use. Um, are very very helpful They you know, there's been this slogan among ukrenians now and and advocates here in the u.s for a few months Strike the archer not the arrow and and what this means is that russia all along has been able to hit ukrenian with impunity with with missiles and with bombers that are that are Based far far away from the front lines where where ukren can't hit them And so ukren every night is is hit with cruise missiles and and ballistic missiles That ukren has not been able here to for to to strike back So being able to do this Is is really quite important I also though want to say that there are no wonder weapons, you know, sometimes we People get caught up in this idea that you know, there's this one weapon that's just going to single-handedly change the course of the war And and that will be that And there was no such wonder weapon. Um, every every weapon Uh that we send whether it's f-16s tanks artillery shells Long-range missiles all of these in aggregate can help turn the tide um And in many ways a lot of these weapons are much more than a match for their russian counterparts And this is why russia is so keen to try to prevent them from being used The way that they're trying to prevent them from being used is as you quite rightly mentioned uh trying to so uh dissents and and and hysteria and panic in the west Particularly these of the nuclear war Now I couldn't even possibly go down the list of all of the times since the 1990s that russia has rattled its nuclear saver Uh, but it's done so many many times and while it's very important Hello. Yes gotcha. Yep. Oh, sorry. I heard a beep on my right. I thought I got disconnected. We got Yeah, uh, so so while it's very important to keep in mind Uh, that you know nuclear war is quite quite uh dangerous I I really don't think that it's much more than than saver rattling uh, this array arashnik medium range ballistic missile that you mentioned um, I actually just read a report in the moscow times today um that Revealed that this was more or less just a publicity stunt russian does not have very many of these things Its economy is not equipped to mass produce these things um, it was really meant as a uh, a publicity stunt to try to scare people in the west uh to To be to be afraid of of nuclear war And and to avoid this supposed cycle of of of escalation Well, then then there were reports that zalinsky was willing to talk and and find some sort of Resolve to this and end to this conflict um at least the one over the last couple of years is there any indication that that's True or or what would need to happen for that to happen Yes, and no, um Ukraine has been you know Quote, I'm quote willing to talk all along as long as the talks were held in good faith And would lead to a just peace which would at the very bare minimum require russian troops to leave ukraine and restore ukraine's 1991 borders um, the reason for this is that uh Ukrainians know quite well what the costs of occupation are and they're grizzly I won't go into all the horrible details, but you know, I think we all kind of know the kinds of things that happen In the the areas that are occupied by the russian army Um, and so you Ukrainians do not want to give up the fight because it's not just losing territory You understand it's losing their families and it's losing their friends and it's losing their fellow citizens um to protect you know potentially generations worth of oppression Um, and so there have really within the last week then some weird suggestions that ukraine might be able to you know Or be willing to temporarily see some territory to be gotten back Diplomatically sometime in the future as long as the unoccupied parts of ukraine We're given nato protection sort of a west germany Situation back in the cold war where germany was divided between this, you know, the soviet Sure, uh and the western allied and and the west germany was you know protected with by nato um That said zilenski himself Has pointed out that nato hasn't actually suggested any such thing So it's really kind of a non-shower. Yeah, uh, ukraine ukraine rick. Sorry. Go ahead No, no, and I think that that things like that make a lot of sense And there's there's obviously a lot still to be hashed out and and we're gonna have to see if if that all happens Uh vince an artman. Thank you so much. Really appreciate your time. I hope we catch up down the road stay in touch Thank you so much. Take take a break. Come back for more next So I gotta tell you uh One of the really fun things about This time of year for me now with little kids Like jake six and a half henry is going to be three in january. So they are very like well aware of like what's going on Um, it's fun now as they get a little older particularly jake because he's in first grade now And they are very much like before it was like, I want a toy or like yeah, I want this but now Like it's it's specific It's like I want this toy because it can do this thing and uh, you know charlie at school is getting one or like It's so funny watching how they like And then you go back and you're like yeah, I remember I was that way about a yo-yo or like oh, I really wanted Uh pokemon or whatever like I remember that So it's really fun With the kids now as they get older this time of year And if you don't get that Christmas is ruined. Well, you know last night We wrote our letters to santa So and it was funny because my wife She's very Creative and fun and does all these fun things for the kids So she found this like really nice like printed sheet For a list for santa. So you're right you're right like My name is jake up. I'm six years old I have been a good boy this year the best part. Here's the best part Little henry. I told you he's a maniac and on this sheet Uh, you can say I have been a good boy this year. I've been a bad boy this year or I've been a little bit of both So we're like talking to them. I'm like, we're like jake. Have you been good this year? Have you been bad this year or maybe a little bit of both? He's like, I've been good this year and we're like yeah You've been good this year. That's very self-aware And henry I said henry have you been good this year bad this year or a little bit of both and he goes Let's his finger up to his mouth Scrunches his eyebrows and kind of looks up Shrugs his shoulders and goes a little bit of both Hahaha I go that's right. You've been a little bit of both very good santa will appreciate the honesty So then we you know We write our lists and what they want and it's only a couple things for that they want from santa so uh We we write them down or whatever and um And then you sign your name and away you go And um, I said uh, did should you guys think that you're gonna? Santa will bring you these things And they said oh, absolutely Absolutely Santa will bring us these things and we're like, okay cool The other part in how Christmas has evolved especially when you have little kids Are you familiar with the elf on the shelf? I am sadly I am the elf on the shelf the elf on the shelf is A real drag on Christmas. I must say It's really just a way to make sure the kids are good because he's always watching yeah, but see here I have a real fundamental issue with the elf on the shelf. He's Santa's nerd. Yeah, he is Santa's nerd and that's fine But here's where I have a real problem with elf on the shelf. Mm-hmm, and it's actually more of like a societal thing It's a nice thing. It's a nice. It's a nice thing to have yeah It's a little much, but whatever The problem is you have to do it You there has to be an elf at your house really Wow, well because especially as you get a little older you have friends and they have you talk to kids Yeah, oh the elf the elf is at my house now Oh, here's the elf. Oh the the elf came last night. He kind of finally came And you can't be the kid who knows no there's no elf Yeah, you don't want your kids being those kids. It's a real societal issue. It sounds like a drag You know what it's nice. I don't have a problem with that. I like nice But it's it's another thing that you gotta after a couple of weeks. It becomes a little much You gotta worry about it's a chore now. It's a chore. Well, and then again the elf on the shelf for people who don't know is a little elf and he comes to your house and he uh, you know sit somewhere And He reports back to Santa when you go to bed how you've been that day And then When you wake up he's in a different spot in your house. Yep doing something different so he can see everything you do But you can't touch him Kids can't touch him because he loses his magic. She can't play with him. You gotta just let him be. He's the watchdog Um, which means the elf has to move Every night. Yeah, he's in a new spot. Yep, which means The elf has to be moved added responsibility. The elf has to be the elf has to be at a different spot And then of course the elf has really evolved over the years Because the elf will oftentimes or occasionally bring things For the nice little children in the household really bring it. Yeah. Well this year. I'll tell you what he brought this year the elf when he when he uh resurfaced on december 1st Uh appeared in a and i'm not kidding a little neck pillow Uh And a rolly luggage suitcase. Well, you know it was a long trip with uh two Hershey kisses in it One for each child The next day the elf Decided to sit in the christmas tree And had a little note on it and said oh, I forgot something in my magic luggage That you should go check And when we went and checked Uh elfie is who he is affectionately known by in my house We went and checked elfie's luggage. There was a big long wand sticking out of it And that wand is magic And when you flick it at the tree all the lights turn off Are you flicking at the tree and all the lights turn on? Wow It's a very special wand So now that has been uh in uh included in the festivities this year And the elf has to do all of these things Which means that you have to do all of these things And it's an whole other thing that you got to do with elf on the shelf But it's just it's it's another added layer. I can't wait till it goes away I don't think it's ever going. I don't think the elf goes away By the way, by the way, well after christmas the elf goes away The elf comes december 1st and stays till christmas And then he goes back to the north pole. Yeah It's really quite a marketing thing. It's it's really remarkable Movies about it tv shows about the elf on the shelf. We really should have one here watching danielle. Well, to be honest Yeah No comments good. No comment on that And but again, this is this is where the holidays are now with little kids This is this is what these are all the things that you have to do And then of course i'm thinking as they're filling out their letters to santa i'm like boy I wish santa would bring you these things and you know, that's You know It's pretty good. That's a nice little list you got there But then It's like my wife's like well, what about presence from us and i'm like all yeah, there's presence from us gramma grampa gramma grampa gramma grampa gramma grampa all the gramma grampas It's a it's a extensive list great grandparents the whole deal It's it is quite an extensive thing quite a whole Yes And as a result and in our house what we have to do Because of this Is like we go through our basement which i finished during the pandemic which has become a playroom It's like well, we need to purge a little bit. We need to donate some toys. We need to make other people's christmas is nice You know, and it's like hey, what what what can we what can we do to uh To help make somebody else's christmas nice. Let's let's look at some stuff. Maybe you don't play with it anymore Maybe somebody else would really like this Yeah, it's a nice thing to do and uh, and of course they're like, no, I like that like You haven't played with this In nine months, but i'm gonna play with it now, but we gotta play with it now Apparently my niece is very good at that like very good at purging she is fully aware that nah I don't like that. She had a barbie dream house. I didn't get rid of my barbie dream house until I was like 25 Not a joke, but she had one of those had the elevator and everything and she was just like I don't want it. I'm done with it She's just good. Well, it's very nice. Yeah, it's very nice That's very good that you do that um, but whatever so the christmas season has evolved Way beyond where it was even when I was a kid Which I mean, you know, it wasn't that long ago But in in reality, I mean things are very different now things are very different now But it's fun the phone that was ringing just now was your grandma jerry. Oh, yeah She said she wants to know if you've ever forgotten to move the elf um No No, the elf the elf always gets the elf it always finds himself in a new spot in the morning and Is this your Or is it stephanies? It's it's uh, it's uh, oh, it's it's well, uh, the elf Yeah finds himself in a new spot. Yeah, and it is a collective effort. Oh, okay It's a collective effort. I gotta be careful. I don't know where the kids are right now No, I understand your but you sometimes the elf needs help the elf can't just get up and move around Yeah, we gotta, you know, pick them up with chopsticks and we'll yeah, I can't touch them because he goes away Um, but here's the good part about the elf on the shelf. Wait. You can't touch him either I thought just a little kid nobody can be touched. Oh, I did the elf can't be touched I don't I've never had an elf on a shelf. So I know like rubber gloves or something This is this is uh, this is uh, this is my just-in-case It's not a butterfly. Everybody. Yeah, everybody's gonna be very delicate with the elf on the shelf Here's here's where the elf on the shelf is really valuable When uh, I'm like, hey jake go put your shoes on Hey jake go put your shoes on jake put your shoes on Like dude the elf is right there You gotta you gotta you gotta listen and he's like, I forgot about the elf And i'll run and go put his shoes on stupid elf Nark Yeah, so there you go. It's a good. It's fun timing. It's helpful. Yeah, it's it's helpful It's it's helpful to it's nice to induce headaches when you're that age to have a reminder You're right and it's not always mom and dad Yelling over and over and over. It's the elf. It's a little elfy. Yep. Yeah, a lot of power in that Sway with the big fella. All right. We'll take a break. Come back from orange air afternoon Come on. Can you prepare yourself here? Get yourself going Put your boots on jake me. I'm always prepared. You're ready I need this guy to be dialed in Hello gentlemen. I need you to bring it. Hello. We gotta get elf on a shelf for Ken bro We gotta get out. Do you have an elf on the shelf at your house? No, I do that. How old are your girls? Uh, they're over 20 shows me did they uh, did you do the elf on the shelf was that a thing for them? No, I wasn't a thing about anything and you said it wasn't a thing for your kids either. Oh lord. No. Yeah, it's nice This is for the newest new age children. You know what and uh, uh, uh, uh, my daughter Son-in-law had been doing it for a while and it takes a lot of creativity. Yeah, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of work Yeah, I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but I'll Get up with you later on Yeah, we've got plenty of time to talk uh lots of eyes on the lions last weekend or last week. I guess that was fun Yeah, how about this? Uh interesting the lions were able to set a new NFL record for viewership on Thanksgiving Uh in their normal time slot according to si the NFL announced a record average viewership Of 34.2 million across its three thanksgiving games last week with the dallas cowboys and giants and packers and dolphins Following that game on a hot little blue and silver the lions and bears averaged Seven and a half million viewers a record for the early thanksgiving day slot And I might add an 11 percent bump from last year's lion's packers tilt Uh safety curvy joseph for all the right reasons Uh saying Uh kicking it with the podcast that the lions are now america's team Yeah, which means 34 million people which means what like an eighth of the country saw what an absolute moron maddie berflus was One of the were if not the worst clock management Runs in the history of the game. I think he was great. And I think this would give him a contract extension instead of firing him I don't know why they got rid of that man Yeah, well, you know It was only a matter of time because it wasn't his first faux pas by any stretch of the imagination But this time around it was just the latest well this time around Apparently in the locker room afterwards the bears players had had it they had just had it Right. Well, and then you start to saw you you start to see a little bit of the the breakdown, right? Like I don't know why we didn't call a timeout. I know he said it was that he was perfect It was that's way. Well, that's a neighbor for a second. That's what I'm saying So right then he either came out and said oh god screwed up. You might have been able to survive I don't think so I'm i'm shocked He wasn't given the ziggy by the powers that be leaving that walk the walk out the field Right, but that is kevin warren is the head of that organization Security can take this man off the field. He can't be here We've already seen kevin warren at work who used to be the big champion and also yeah, he was with the lions with milling so He was He was the vice president of the miller. Really? Oh, yeah. Oh, I didn't know that. Yeah. Oh, well, he was so bad milling got rid of him Now wait a minute And those were dark days I don't remember those days though, you know, let's talk about this Just been too good lately the NFL suspended texas line backer aziz al shayir three games just three games for repeated violations of player safety rules after is Crazy crazy horrific hit Uh to the head of jaguars quarterback trevallorens by now everyone has seen the video and uh, you know, trevallorens was sliding al shayir was coming in Felt like he could have pulled up felt like he kind of could have made a move to miss him avoid him And then and then it was the forearm To trevallorens his head. He was in he was a went to concussion protocol. It was egregious as hell Um, and I know in the past because look there have been instances where you take into account Was it a late slide? Was the slide executed Uh, did the defender have really any time to react all of these things come into the equation And I in the past in certain situations have defended the defender because you have milliseconds Correct to decide what you're going to do in this particular situation As I mentioned it was just egregious. He had time Okay three games if the nfl wants this out of the game and they say they do Because he is a repeat offender. There's been other right situations along the way Right, three games is not nearly enough. Yeah, once you even if you're running full speed Once you see the quarterback's legs come forward Yeah, you gotta pull over you gotta pull up you can go over the top of them Any of you hit them if you hit them on the lower part of the body. Okay, you get to 15 yards or whatever and then whatever But once you see those legs come down, why are you hit on it just it makes no sense I don't know. I don't know. I but here here's what I will say um They have catered so much of these rules to the offensive game And they have catered to that side of the football for for a very long time Is it unreasonable to think that maybe there should be some changes on the defensive side of things too? Did you see the last television contract? Yes. Okay. They're not getting those money those dollars for defense. Right. Okay And that's why you see offensive players getting the the rules put toward them Yes, and the next country would be 12 dollars and 50 said if you start putting the defense, I agree Um also real quickly. Um, why are we using sports? Commentators to talk about politics like why are we calling on steven a smith to talk about the election? I don't care where he stands on anything What are we are you that low on guests? Well, we'll talk tomorrow about why they're gonna pay them 120 million dollars too All right, we'll talk about that tomorrow. What are we at coming up? We're gonna talk about Steve. No, that We're talking about the mayor and the governor to be and we're gonna talk about Um, we're gonna talk about how they mark his clothes. They've been sold. Oh, yes Yeah, we're gonna talk about all right very good. Mitch album and the crew coming up. We'll see you tomorrow. Same time same place. Have a good [BLANK_AUDIO]