Michigan State University
Professor of Economics at Michigan State University
PROFILE
Charles Ballard
Guest
FROM Charles Ballard
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How hard have trade agreements hit Motor City? Donald Trump unveiled details of his economic policy plan Monday in a speech in Detroit . Some of the details of Trump’s plan are typical Republican fare – an across-the-board tax cut, reforming the tax code, and repealing and replacing Obamacare. But there were also some departures from the Republican play book. Trump proposed making child care costs tax deductible and attacked trade deals like NAFTA and the proposed Trans Pacific Partnership. Michigan has become an important focus for both campaigns, which are wooing so-called blue collar voters hit hard by manufacturing job losses. Hillary Clinton is expected to lay out her economic plan in Detroit later this week. But just how hard have trade agreements hit Motor City?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
State of the Economy New numbers from the Census today show little upward movement from last year. Median income last year didn’t budge from the previous year, and it’s the same story with poverty. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is meeting today and tomorrow to decide whether or not to raise interest rates.
To the Point
Workers, Wages and Walker Republican Governor Scott Walker is ready to sign a law that allows workers to benefit from union negotiations without paying union dues. And his opposition to organized labor — both public and private -- has lifted him into the top tier of GOP candidates for president. Three years ago, Walker told reporters he would do "everything in his power" to prevent a so-called "Right to Work Law" from passing in his state. But last week in Washington he told a standing-room-only crowd the Conservative Political Action Conference, "Wisconsin will become the 25th state in America that allows workers the freedom to choose whether they want to work for a company and to be in a union or not."
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Terrorism in London: Lessons for the US This weekend’s terrorist attack in London left seven people dead and almost 50 injured. London police fatally shot the attackers, and ISIS claimed responsibility.
Bookworm
Morgan Parker: There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé Morgan Parker says that the poems in her book There Are Things More Beautiful than Beyoncé take a stand against the clichés of the dominant culture.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?