Media Cyphers Kalamazoo

We start by talking a bit about the Kalamazoo election results, the low turn out, and how the Foundation For Excellence hollows out democracy in our humble town.

An art installation at the University of Michigan has been moved around out of view in a dubious fashion, and Michigan's own Rashida Tlaib is leading the charge to recognize the genocide in Gaza and legislate accordingly.

We give a brief update on Asylum Lake and look ...

We begin our show talking about push back from residents in Pavilion Township against a new data center.

Lawrence joins us to talk a bit about election day and we spend time talking about the SNAP freeze, potential Michigan solutions and the politicians in its way, and an alarming development from Fox News who recently boosted AI generated videos- presenting them as real- that echoed racist welfare dog-whistles from the 80s.

Di...

We spend the first part of our show running down the candidates running for mayor and city commission here in Kalamazoo. 

A local hero returns after participating in the Freedom Flotilla and FEMA is refusing funds to help northern Michiganders rebuild after a devastating ice storm last March.

In Maple Grove, Michigan an elected official is in hot water for being married to a Neo-Nazi YouTuber.

And we close with coverage on th...

We briefly comment on Kalamazoo's new city manager and look at legislation that would penalize the houseless for sleeping in their cars at highway rest areas in Michigan.

Lukas Filcek joins us to discuss his work to bring Rank Choice Voting to Michigan with the Rank MI Vote organization.

Lawrence joins us to look back at Charlie Kirk's legacy, and we spend most of the hour talking about the No Kings protests. While they had the...

We open talking about a conservative turn in Japanese politics and the fallout of the big BS bill on healthcare in Michigan.

We spent the rest of the hour talking to Chris Glasser, a candidate for mayor here in Kalamazoo.

We take a critical eye to a recent story from WWMT framing housing in strictly capitalist terms from a landlord's perspective, then pivot to some international stories including the not-so-noble recipient of t...

Communities here in Michigan, where water fluoridation began, are beginning to stop the public health measure amid misinformation and conspiracies about what fluoride does to our precious bodily fluids.

We look at an article from GRIID that examines how local news outlets often prioritize billionaire backed fluff stories over community organizing and stories about state violence.

The struggle against the genocide in Gaza contin...

We look at how the Trump administration's executive orders on DEI are effecting area hospitals, a story out of Detroit about some crucial organizing from Detroit Will Breathe, and how schools around the country are responding to ICE activity.

In a bad week for fascists Jair Bolsonaro will be looking at serious jail time for his attempted coup and we talk about the legacy of Charlie Kirk and the media reaction to his killing.

02...

We start our show looking at an article from the Gazette on the residents of the Milwood Estates Mobile Home Park- the park and living conditions are deteriorating as the park owner's neglect make things go from bad to worse.

We look at an article from Bridge Michigan looking at the fallout of the Trump administration's policies in the form of plummeting international student enrollment.

We talk about the ICE detention facility...

We look at a story from the AP about corn yields in Michigan and dig into the connections between climate change,  agriculture, and monopoly capitalism.

Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor is ceasing treatment of gender dysphoria in trans youth following pressure from the Trump administration.

Lawrence joins us to discuss a recent vote in the DNC on an arms embargo to Israel failing- and we dive into the "why" on them voting against...

Tristen Jessup of We the People Action Fund joins us to discuss their organization's efforts to pass ballot initiatives to amend the city charter in Kalamazoo to support a tenant's right to organize and their right to renew their lease.

The Fall semester is around the corner so we give some of the new students a Media Cyphers 101.

We talk about geological concerns with the safety of the Line 5 pipeline, Trump targeting in-state...

We open our show talking about how Republicans in Lansing are proposing a bill that would elevate street protests to a misdemeanor punishable with jail time.

We look at an article from Truthout that dives into the hype around AI and why the working class should be wary.

Lawrence joins us to talk about how WNBA players are fighting for pay equity amidst an upsurge in misogyny amplified by casino capitalists online.

We look at ...

We look at an article from Bridge Michigan about how cities around the state are applying a punitive approach to houselessness, and how housing advocates are speaking truth to power on the efficacy of Housing First. We also look at the intersection of austerity, mental health, housing, and authoritarianism.

An article from LeftVoice offers some sterling analysis about voters in Detroit and the record low turnout for their recent ...

We begin our show talking about a ballot initiative that would curtail dark money spending in Michigan then discuss how the Big BS Bill is going to put Michigan's budget into a multi-billion dollar shortfall.

We look at the Trump administration's recent executive order targeting the houseless and its aim to eschew housing first approaches for the revival of institutionalization. 

The people of Gaza are starving at the hands of ...

We open with some good news for folks in Kalamazoo experiencing medical debt. A report from NowKalamazoo recounts an area resident's experience attempting to deliver aid to Gaza and an article from Bridge MI lays out how the Trump administration's cuts will impact our state's climate resiliency hub projects.

Norah joins us to talk about cuts to the transit system in Chicago, the transphobia of centrist Democrat Gavin Newsome, and...

"Billionaires gathered in their masses..."

NowKalamazoo pens an open letter asking some Michigan press institutions to fact-check their coverage of "alternative facts" coming from the Trump administration.

We look at ICE activity in Michigan, the dynamics here in Kalamazoo, and ICE's funding turbocharge via the BBB.

We spent some time breaking down the class warfare in the "Big Bulls--t Bill" and the reaction of the establish...

In this sprawling episode Lawrence joins in to talk about the Lyoya civil trial being moved to Kalamazoo and a sad post-script to an attempt by local organizations to create a houseless pod community in the city.

We talk about recent instances of "MAGA terrorism" and how an attempt to hold road funding hostage by the Trump administration was blocked by a judge.

We look at insurgent DSA candidate Zohran Mamdani in NYC, was the m...

We begin with a big story about employees at a local Biggby asserting their rights and walking out from being overworked and harassed. 

We look at how a new bill in Lansing could help the lives of renters and present contrasting narratives from two different media sources and examine bias.

We discuss an article from BridgeMI about how Kalamazoo is preparing for the climate crisis, the political assassinations in Minnesota, and ...

We look at a labor dispute at Bronson Pediatrics that speaks to our political moment of austerity and the squeeze put on both workers and patients in our healthcare system.

An article from GRIID looks at the double standards practiced by a local news outlet when reporting on a story involving the kidnapping of immigrants.

The University of Michigan is in hot water after a Guardian article exposes the exorbitant sum the universi...

This week, the Empire Strikes Back at Michigan and Kalamazoo for respecting the humanity of immigrants and not ceding ground to critical racist theory (i.e., eliminating DEI) by attempting to blackmail those respective governments with funding freezes.

The President muses about pardoning the men who planned to kidnap Governor Whitmer and RFK Jr's health department turns in some sloppy (and dangerous) homework.

Michigan's chapte...