This week’s politics begin with a check on Zillow listings…

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• The man who once claimed a net worth of more than 10-Billion dollars says he can’t come up with a measly half-billion to satisfy a New York court judgment. If he’s so rich, why can’t he simply mortgage one of his many many many amazing properties?
  

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• There are more signs of cracks in Trump’s support within the Republican Party as Trump is dissed by former Veep Mike Pence, Indiana Sen. Todd Young, and Nikki Haley donors
  
• On the plus side for the former game-show host, it appears that the judge in his trial for stealing top-secret documents is totally in his hip pocket
  
• Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano says he won’t seek reelection, giving Democrats a chance to solidify their majority on the officially-but-not-really nonpartisan court
  
• Electric-powered cars are taking center-stage in the Michigan presidential campaign
  

Two anniversaries highlight the week:

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• The 14th anniversary of the signing of Obamacare: state Democrats are turning up the heat in federal races, going after Republican candidates on healthcare
  
• The 10th anniversary of the first same-sex wedding in Michigan
  

Also this week:

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• The UAW makes an endorsement in the Democratic primary race to succeed Dan Kildee
  
• The Legislature ends Michigan’s ban on surrogacy contracts and, in the process, protects In-Vitro Fertilization.
  
• Michigan Democrats are taking on the challenge of reconnecting with rural Michigan.
  

We talk with the authors of a provocative analysis of the partisan divide between rural and urban/suburban Michigan: “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy”. Journalist Paul Waldman is a former columnist for The Washington Post, The Week, and TheAmerican Prospect. He is currently an MSNBC columnist, writes The Cross Section newsletter, and co-hosts the Boundary Issues podcast.

Tom Schaller is a professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A former columnist for The Baltimore Sun, he has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. He is the author or co-author of four other books, including Common Enemies, The Stronghold, and Whistling Past Dixie.

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