Arnold Weinfeld News Today

State of the State is a monthly analysis of Michigan politics, policy and the economy from MSU's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR).

All eyes are staying on Russia, Ukraine, inflation and November’s mid-term elections, Michigan State University’s IPPSR podcasters are forecasting, with new State of the State results showing that Michigan has soured on the economy and President Joe Biden.

Tax cut fever is raging around the country as inflation rises and mid-term election strategies are heating up.

Holland, Michigan ranks number one in the state for quality of life in “Best Small Cities in America,” a study published by WalletHub, a personal finance website that tracks financial and other trends. It is one of five measures the study used to rank the desirability of small cities. Quality of life was assessed by measures like average commute time, city walkability and number of bars, restaurants and cultural centers per capita.

Federal funds eyed to potentially improve broadband access in Upper Peninsula

Matt Grossmann and Arnold Weinfeld talk with Suann Hammersmith. Before talking with Hammersmith, Grossmann and Weinfeld discuss the implications of loosening mask restrictions, the recent ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, and the “enormous” influx of federal dollars into Michigan’s state budget. The money is very helpful to Michigan communities in many ways, but Grossmann cautions that “the spigot is going to be turned off at some point.” Credit Cindy Kyle | MSU IPPSR Grossm...

Arnold Weinfeld, Charley Ballard, and Matt Grossmann discuss dealing with misinformation spread with Dustin Carnahan. Before exploring Carnahan’s work, Weinfeld, Ballard, and Grossmann talk about the impact of the Derek Chauvin conviction and the likelihood that it increases the chances for federal legislation. They say some more modest reform legislation could pass in some states, but that federal action is unlikely. They talk about how important video was to the George Floyd case and what, ...

Matt Grossmann, Charley Ballard, and Arnold Weinfled talk with Siddharth Chandra. The 1918 influenza pandemic provides a cautionary tale for what the future may hold for COVID-19, says Chandra. After a decade studying a flu virus that killed approximately 15,000 Michigan residents, Chandra, a professor in MSU’s James Madison College, saw his research come to life as he watched the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was so surreal,” said Chandra, who has a courtesy appointment in epid...

State of the State is the monthly roundup of policy and research for the state of Michigan from the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research at