Susan J. Demas
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Editor-in-chief & columnist at @MichiganAdvance, views are my own. Fmr. Inside Michigan Politics publisher. Mom, spouse, hiker, wanderer, feminist. HCIC.
Articles by Susan J. Demas
Aaron Rupar on Why Minnesota Is Trump's Favorite Target | First Draft with Susan J. Demas
This week began with Donald Trump’s continued weaponization of government, with DHS raiding the home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who he’s villainized throughout his time in office. So why is Trump obsessed with attacking Representative Omar, the Somali community, and the people of Minnesota? For the answer to that and more, we turned to Minnesota native Aaron Rupar, founder of Public Notice on Substack.
BREAKING: Kimberly Guilfoyle Resigns | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia announced at her first press briefing this morning that Kimberly Guilfoyle had been asked to resign as ambassador to Greece following explosive reporting in the Wall Street Journal about her alleged corruption. While on air, Susan Demas and Edwin Eisendrath got word that Don Trump Jr.’s former girlfriend had indeed stepped down.
The Michigan Election You’re Not Hearing About
You can be forgiven for thinking the only big election in Michigan this year is the open seat in the U.S. Senate. That race has sucked up most of the oxygen both in traditional media and social media, where Bernie Sanders-backed progressive Abdul El-Sayed is a bonafide star. In the bruising August primary, the charismatic former health official squeaked out a narrow win over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. Now El-Sayed is facing Republican former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen.
BREAKING: DHS Agents Search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Home | The Weekly Assignment
Breaking news this morning: Homeland Security Investigations agents, which conduct criminal investigations, raided the home of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who’s faced several threats. Trump and Republicans have been ramping up attacks against Somali immigrants in the state ahead of the midterms. This is certainly one of the more alarming October surprises, with more likely to come. Comedian and commentator Maya May joins Susan J.
Stopping the Data Center Cash Grab | Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet Joins Susan J. Demas
Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet, a Democrat who represents Michigan’s 8th District, knows all too well the impact data centers are having on local communities. She speaks with Susan J. Demas about legislation she’s introduced to hold them accountable. The Congresswoman also breaks down the Michigan congressional districts Democrats could pick up in their quest to flip the House — the 4th, 7th, 10th, and even the 1st.
Fox News: Souring On Trump? | Decoding Fox News’ Juliet Jeske on First Draft
Juliet Jeske watches Fox News so we don’t have to and she has the scars to prove it. Juliet talked to Susan Demas on First Draft about why the right-wing network has abandoned their diner interviews and undecided voter panels this election season (Hint: polling for Republicans is … not good). Get the lowdown on why Fox News is focused on Abdul El-Sayed and James Talarico during the midterms and why the network may be moving on from Trump. Articles I Thought We Were Losing America. I Was Wrong.
Trump: 'Let Them Take Out Los Angeles' | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
As another SCOTUS term begin and the midterms are less than 30 days away, the plague (yes ...THAT plague) is making news in Russia. Meanwhile, Trump calls for journalists to be arrested and for destroying Los Angeles and San Diego. Everything’s going great! Join Susan Demas and Edwin Eisendrath for all the latest. Articles I Thought We Were Losing America. I Was Wrong. Note from the Author: We shared this letter to a handful of our most active supporters and donors on Friday.
SCOTUS’ New Term: What’s Ahead | The Weekly Assignment with United for Democracy’s Stasha M. Rhodes
It’s the first Monday of October, which means the Supreme Court is back in session. In the last decade, the Supreme Court has moved further right with Donald Trump’s appointments, thanks to the Federalist Society. And more and more, we’re seeing the rampant corruption of SCOTUS with little to no accountability. Stasha M. Rhodes is the Executive Director with United For Democracy and joins Susan J.
Trump Misses the Cameras | Comedian Pete Dominick Joins First Draft with Susan Demas
After Trump banned MSNOW, CNN, and Politico from the White House, a funny thing happened. Outlets from Fox News to the New York Times rose up in solidarity and refused to cover his ribbon-cutting Monday.
Mainstream Media Stands Up to Trump (Finally) | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
Trump threatened Iran again at the UN today. He's banned the media from the White House (certain networks he doesn't like, anyway). He's crashing the economy. I could go on. But the pushback has gotten louder, stronger, and more unified. White House reporters and their platforms are standing unified against his move. And pollsters are showing his approval dipping below 30% — that mythical line nobody thought he would ever breach. He only has himself to blame.
Trump’s War on the Press Backfires
Donald Trump announced Friday that he’s barring three news organizations, CNN, MSNOW, and Politico, from the White House, accusing them of “purposely” writing “negative news” to “diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.” He didn’t name a story. He didn’t need to. The point was never a specific grievance. What Trump is trying to do is make the price of a White House press pass taking a de facto loyalty pledge.
Economist Justin Wolfers on Trump, Gas Prices, & America in 2060 | The Weekly Assignment
Fall is in the air, which means winter is almost around the corner. However, as the days get cooler, Americans are feeling the price crunch and wondering how they’ll be able to afford their heating bills and holiday costs on top of rising prices for beef, gas, and more. Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan economic professor and writer of Platypus Economics, returns to Lincoln Square. On The Weekly Assignment with Susan J.
The Politicians Making Us Sick | The Bulwark’s Jonathan Cohn Joins First Draft
Jonathan Cohn has been covering healthcare for almost 30 years and he now writes The Breakdownon The Bulwark. He joins Susan Demas to talk about the Trump administration’s cuts to health and food safety, the deadly measles outbreak, RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine agenda and what it all means for Americans. Susan and Jonathan also discuss the critical U.S. Senate race in Michigan between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and former Congressman Mike Rogers, where healthcare is a defining issue.
SCOTUS Actually Slaps Down Trump | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas
On their weekly show, Edwin Eisendrath and Susan Demas don’t always cover a lot of good news. This week was no exception, as they discussed everything from the Saudi oil crisis to Trump’s allies threatening to shut down the Kennedy Center. But they did start out with some hope: On Monday, the Supreme Court blocked the Postal Service from imposing new restrictions on mail voting this November. And hey, today is National Voter Registration Day. Check out important resources here.
Tara Palmeri on Getting Kicked Out of Trumpapalooza with Epstein Survivors | The Weekly Assignment
Last week, Donald Trump and the GOP held their midterm convention to promote the administration’s apparent “accomplishments” ahead of the November elections. Except, after promises of making things cheaper and no new wars, that hasn’t happened. There’s another promise that hasn’t been fulfilled: Releasing the full Epstein Files.
LIVE FROM GERMANY: Why Elon & Trump Are Celebrating Election Results Here | Historian Thomas Zimmer & Susan J. Demas
AfD, Germany’s far-right party, scored a big victory in elections over the weekend. And guess who was thrilled about that? If you guessed Donald Trump and Elon Musk, you’re correct. Susan J. Demas talked with historian Thomas Zimmer, who joins us again from Hamburg, about what those election results mean. His primary focus is on rising authoritarianism in America, so we also checked in with him about where our country is at, almost two years into Trump’s second term.
Dolly Parton, Gloria Steinem, & ‘Trump-a-Palooza’ | Journalist Jill Lawrence Joins First Draft
There’s a lot going on this week, so we turn to Jill Lawrence, an award-winning journalist who’s covered politics and culture inside and out for USA Today, National Journal, the Associated Press, and The Daily Beast. She now publishes the Substack newsletter, History Keeps Happening, and can be found at jilllawrence.com. Jill talks to Susan J. Demas about her latest pieces on Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem, as well as the latest in the midterm elections.
Elon Helps the Far-Right Win in Germany | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
What did you do over Labor Day? Donald Trump apparently spent it generating AI slop for his Human Printer, Natalie Harp, to throw up on Truth Social. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has been busy helping the far-right AfD party gain a foothold in Germany. And he’s planning to spend millions aiding Republicans in the November elections. Share What can we do? Tune in to this conversation with Susan Demas and Edwin Eisendrath. And let us know what we should talk about next in the comments.
Gloria Steinem Didn’t Live to See a Female President. I’m Starting to Wonder If I Will.
About 30 years ago, I saw Gloria Steinem speak to a standing-only crowd at the University of Iowa. Afterward, she stayed to talk with a long line of students. I told her — with the total sincerity of someone who hadn’t lived very much at that point — that she’d been a huge inspiration to my life. She smiled and said something to the effect that this is how we make change in the world: by passing lessons to the next generation, who carry them forward as they keep fighting to make things better.
We Can’t Let a Dumber America Be Trump’s Legacy
We have officially entered a new era of stupid in this country. To be fair, we’ve been lurching in this direction for a while. But watching Donald Trump giddily name one of our five Great Lakes last week felt like an escalation even by his standards. Lake Ontario is now “Lake America,” according to an executive order Trump signed on Aug. 27 (and it’s now emblazoned on Trump Store hats that will cost you a cool $55).
Is Elon Musk Trying to Buy the Midterms? | The Cause with LOLGOP & Susan J. Demas
Elon Musk may not be a trillionaire anymore, but he’s still a dick. And after spending big to get Trump elected in 2024, he’s playing in the midterms to try and save Republicans. LOLGOP (aka Jason Sattler) asked Susan J. Demas to talk about her reporting in Michigan during the 2024 election. Musk played Jewish and Arab-American voters against one another with hit pieces over the war in Gaza. What dirty tricks can we expect from him this time around?
Amoral News Reporting & Trump | Stop The Presses’ Mark Jacob Joins First Draft with Susan J. Demas
Generate transcript A transcript unlocks clips, previews, and editing. Thank you Joanna, ilibee, Marian rose, Kris O, GeorgeCarlinWasRight, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.
RFK Jr. Under Fire | The Weekly Assignment with Dr. Rob Davidson
With the biggest measles outbreak in the U.S. in decades, a growing number of food recalls, and rising health care costs, we need medical experts more than ever. That’s why Dr. Rob Davidson joins The Weekly Assignment this week. He’s the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Health Care, an ER physician and Co-Host of the Paging America Podcast. Dr. Rob discussed how Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.
SCOTUS Blesses Trump’s Ballroom | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
Turmoil continues to grow in the Trump administration, with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigning after clashing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the handling of the Iran war and growing mismanagement at the Pentagon. Susan Demas and Edwin Eisendrath discuss the need for major structural reform amid Trump’s attacks on government institutions, the Supreme Court, and the media. They call for stronger congressional oversight, court reform, ethics rules, and accountability.
Fact-Based Journalism Isn’t Dead. But We Need to Work to Keep It Alive.
I’ve been wrestling with a disturbing question for the last several months: Do people even want fact-based journalism anymore? For most of my 25 years working in media, I would have told you that question was absurd. Verified, on-the-record reporting was the dominant model in American media for decades (however imperfectly newsrooms executed it).
Edward Abbey Warned Us About This. Trump Is Doing It Anyway.
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” — Edward Abbey The first time my daughter saw a giant sequoia was hiking in Yosemite National Park when she was just 8 years old. We’d made the trek into the Mariposa Grove as a late spring snow began to fall at the end of our Memorial Day weekend trip.
We Need a Reckoning on Polling | Simon Rosenberg Joins First Draft
As the 2026 midterms approach, some polling is becoming harder to trust, with cheap new technology flooding the ecosystem. Low-quality surveys and partisan pollsters have been working to manufacture narratives about who’s winning — a pattern Simon Rosenberg first started calling out in 2022 when the promised red wave never crashed.
SCOTUS OKs Trump's Crackdown on Mail-In Voting | Susan Demas & Edwin Eisendrath LIVE
Trump’s Trade War continues as negotiations between the U.S. and Canada collapse with new tariffs in sight. Ontario Premier Doug Ford had some choice words for Trump, calling him a “loser” and inviting him to “kiss my ass.” In related news, President Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level yet, with just 33% of Americans approving of his performance, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. Susan J.
Rep. Jared Huffman on the Christian Nationalist Plot | The Weekly Assignment
Donald Trump’s use of Christian nationalism in his campaigns and political rhetoric has contributed to a blurring of the lines between political and religious identity. This gray area is what Congressman Jared Huffman explores in his book, No Prophets: The Fight to Save Democracy from Christian Nationalism. Huffman argues that the separation of church and state is vital to protecting the values of American democracy and remains a central part of his work in Congress.
Wisconsin Democrats on Offense | First Draft with COURIER’s Pat Kreitlow & Susan J. Demas
Despite high hopes for progressives, DSA candidate Francesca Hong narrowly lost to David Crowley in last week’s Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial primary. Despite her loss, Hong’s campaign demonstrated the power of grassroots engagement, sparking a broader discussion about how progressive Democrats can counter the Republican Party by exposing its billionaire donors and showing how their influence affects the general public.
Trump Throws in with North Korea | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
Susan J. Demas and Edwin Eisendrath of It’s The Democracy, Stupidbroke down Donald Trump’s latest foreign policy chaos — from cozying up to North Korea and abandoning South Korea, to threatening to bomb our ally, Oman, to dragging America deeper into the war with Iran. Trump is recklessly reshuffling America’s alliances while Congress sits on the sidelines, refusing to do its job. And back home, the damage is just as ugly.
Trump Wants to Bulldoze Big Bend. He’s Already Looted the Rest of the Park System.
There’s a particular kind of quiet in Big Bend National Park that can be hard to find anywhere else in the Lower 48. It’s the hushed Chihuahuan Desert at night where the Milky Way seems close enough to touch, the surprising breeze at the summit of Emory Peak, and the power of the Rio Grande cutting through limestone canyons that took millions of years to carve. It’s one of the least-visited, least-crowded, most genuinely wild places the National Park Service protects.
How Dems Can Win in Red States | The Weekly Assignment with Jess Piper
Democrats are beginning to make progress in rural and traditionally Republican areas. That’s something Jess Piper has been working hard on as the head of Blue Missouri. In her red state, ballot initiatives for abortion rights and against taxes have won, proving that progressive ideas can still win out in conservative areas.
What Just Happened in Wisconsin? | First Draft with Rachel Bitecofer
Following some critical Midwest elections on Tuesday, Susan J. Demas sits down with Rachel Bitecofer, a former professor and pollster who now writes The Cycleon Substack, to break down some of the most important (and funniest) primaries of this cycle. Starting with the funniest, Mike Lindell, better known as the My Pillow Guy, lost the Minnesota GOP gubernatorial primary, despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump himself.
Dems Aren't Divided | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
In the aftermath of Michigan’s Democratic primary, U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is facing heavy racially motivated attacks from Republicans, highlighting broader concerns about Islamophobia in American politics.
Trump's Making Student Loan Debt Great Again | The Weekly Assignment with Randi Weingarten
Trump’s cuts to education funding and student loan programs have led to fewer opportunities for students, particularly working-class and first-generation college students. Sam Osterhout and Susan J. Demas are joined by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten to discuss how the Trump administration’s policies are contributing to a growing financial crisis for students and families.
Democrats Should Stop Freaking Out About Third Way
Everyone needs to take a breath about Third Way. The centrist think tank announced last week that it’s spending $15 million between now and 2028 to fight the Democratic Socialists of America.
Are Dems in Disarray? | The Hill's Amie Parnes Joins First Draft with Susan Demas
Following Tuesday’s primary elections, especially in Missouri and Michigan, it’s clear that the ideological rift in the Democratic Party isn’t getting resolved anytime soon. After progressives scored big victories in New York and Colorado, they had a more mixed result this week, with former Congresswoman Cori Bush failing to take back her seat and Abdul El-Sayed winning a narrow victory in the Michigan U.S. Senate primary. Susan J.
Stop Letting Trump Write Your Headlines
Almost every day, Donald Trump unleashes a blitzkrieg of lies. And almost every day, members of the beltway press give him the benefit of the doubt simply because he occupies the Oval Office. We’ve been watching his routine for a decade, and yet somehow, the corporate media still has no idea how to cover him — or any of the other pathological liars in power. Now it’s true that some stories knock down Trump’s absurd claims in the body of the story.
Republicans Save Trump (Again) | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas LIVE
With even GOP senators on their way out falling in line behind Todd Blanche, despite his hideous record, it’s clear the party has chosen Trump over the people. Today, Susan J. Demas and Edwin Eisendrath of It’s The Democracy, Stupiddiscussed the lengths Republicans will go to to appease Trump and what their obsequiousness says about the right-wing obsession with masculinity. Moving on to midterms, Michigan is a perfect snapshot of the Democratic Party’s divide.
Trump's Reflecting Pool Case Goes Down the Drain | The Weekly Assignment with Joe Sudbay
It’s a moment of disarray for the MAGA bunch! After Trump claimed for weeks that “vandal’s” tore up the lining of the reflecting pool, former FOX News host and current U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Friday dropped charges against a former Olympic swimmer. In a moment of humiliation for the administration, they finally had to admit that they couldn’t back their case up. In the wake of that news, Donald Trump did what he does best in these situations: double down.
Trump’s New Red Scare Isn’t About 2026. It’s About 2028.
“The barbarians are inside the gate — and Democrats are WELCOMING them in.” — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) Donald Trump and Republicans have a new villain just in time for the midterms, and it’s not socialism anymore. It’s full-on communism, baby. In the past few weeks, Trump has warned that the Democratic Party’s ascendant left wants to “completely destroy the traditional American way of life.” “I think it’s the biggest threat to our nation there is, maybe since our founding,” he declared.
We’re Cooked: How Social Media Melts Your Grip on Reality
Last month, Cecilia Vega, the correspondent CBS fired from 60 Minutesthis spring, stood in front of a room of her peers at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference and said something that should terrify anyone who still cares about facts.
We Learned All the Wrong Lessons from COVID. This Week’s Fauci Hearing Proves It.
Dr. Anthony Fauci spent three hours this week pleading the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times before a Senate committee run by Rand Paul. It was a sad, destructive spectacle that tells you everything about how badly we’ve botched the lessons of a pandemic that killed more than a million Americans. Republicans billed the hearing as an unflinching investigation into COVID-19’s origins. But this was never a search for truth.
Michigan's Must-Watch Primary: What You Need to Know | First Draft with Susan Demas & Michigan Advance's Jon King
Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary between Democrats Abdul El-Sayed and Congresswoman is about more than picking a nominee. The real fight is over the party’s future. But winning on Aug. 4 means nothing if the coalition falls apart by November. And Michigan has seen this movie before — most recently in 2024 when Donald Trump won the state. Susan J.
Less Than 100 Days Out From Midterms. Who's Ready? | The Strategy Session with Matthew Dowd & Joe Trippi
We’re now less than 100 days out from the midterms and the stakes couldn’t be higher. But Donald Trump continues to throw whatever voter suppression spaghetti he can at the wall in hopes of sticking it to voters. His latest schemes have been pleading to the MAGA-leaning Supreme Court to mess with mail-in voting to battling with GOP Senate Leader John Thune over a planned recess so his precious SAVE Act can be passed.
The Pentagon's Playing Games on Troop Casualties | Edwin Eisendrath & Susan Demas
Trump’s failures can be felt by virtually every American. Rising prices at the grocery store and gas pump, food safety failures, and military families that won’t see their loved ones again because of Trump’s, ego-fueled, illegal war. The Trump administration’s willingness to underreport and downplay the deaths of Americans reflects a president who, in the words of Edwin Eisendrath, “doesn’t see the humanity of anyone.” In this episode, Susan J.
Donald Trump Is Acting Like a Man Running Out of Time
Donald Trump is trying to make himself immortal — and that appears to be his top priority during his second term. He’s grown bored of the war he started in Iran and doesn’t care about the inflation he vowed to end on day one, but he never gets tired of slapping his name and face on everything he can. The corruption is massive and ongoing. Palm Beach International Airport is now President Donald J. Trump International, a taxpayer-funded rebrand costing at least $5.5 million.
Trump Bombs at the White House Correspondents' Dinner | The Weekly Assignment with Pete Dominick
With the Pentagon reporting that America is running low on missiles, Donald Trump decided to lighten the heavy load for taxpayers and deliver bomb after bomb, on stage, at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Political commentator and seasoned comedian Pete Dominick joins Susan J. Demas and Sam Osterhout to break down Trump’s painfully awkward performance. Every good comedian knows how to recover from a bad joke — everyone except Trump.
Why Trump’s War on the Press Is Different This Time
Donald Trump spent Friday night at a party in his own honor, in a ballroom he built, thrown by the very press corps he’s spent over a decade trying to destroy. The rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner — postponed since a gunman opened fire at the original April event — finally happened Friday at the Waldorf Astoria, the hotel Trump used to own and still can’t stop bragging about.
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