A new study has found that Rx Kids, a Michigan program that gives cash directly to new moms, helped reduce child welfare investigations among Flint infants by 32% in its first year.
So, why is it under attack in Lansing?
Today, The ‘Gander’s Kyle Kaminski breaks down why some Republican lawmakers are trying to cut the program—despite evidence that it’s helping thousands of Michigan families.
Plus: A look at how Michigan farming operating costs, bankruptcies, and suicides are spiking under Trump.
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Duggan ends gubernatorial run (Freep): Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced Thursday that he is ending his independent campaign for Michigan governor, citing weak polling and fundraising challenges against Democratic and Republican candidates.
House Republicans pass property tax cut (WKAR): Michigan House Republicans approved a package of property tax cuts that supporters, including Speaker Matt Hall, say would lower costs for homeowners and shrink state spending. Democrats opposed the plan, questioning how the lost revenue would be replaced.
Mop Up Michigan ‘very confident’ over proposal making the ballot (Bridge Michigan): A group pushing to ban political spending by Michigan utilities and major state contractors says it’s confident it has enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Mop Up Michigan’s proposal would ban companies like DTE Energy and Consumers Energy from making campaign contributions to officials who oversee them.
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There’s a fight happening in Lansing right now that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. And if Republican lawmakers get their way, thousands of Michigan families are going to feel it.
It’s all about a program that puts cash directly into the hands of pregnant moms and new parents. No hoops, no bureaucracy, just money when Michigan families need it most.
A new study, published in one of the most respected medical journals in the world, just confirmed that it’s working, and yet Michigan Republicans are out here trying to kill it anyway.
Here’s the deal: Rx Kids started in Flint in 2024. The idea is simple. Give families $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 a month for the first year of a baby’s life. No strings attached. And a recent report shows Michigan families are spending it on exactly what you’d expect—diapers, formula, rent, groceries, and getting to prenatal appointments. Since launching in Flint, the program has expanded to dozens of Michigan communities, urban and rural, from Detroit to the entire Upper Peninsula. And this summer, the program is rolling out to another 20 communities statewide. All told, it has supported more than 8,000 Michigan families and counting.
So, what are Michigan Republicans saying about this? House Speaker Matt Hall called RX Kids “a complete scam,” and claimed, without evidence, that mothers were spending the money on drugs and alcohol. House Appropriations Chair Ann Bollin went further, claiming at a fundraiser that mothers were collecting the money and then getting abortions. Neither claim is based in reality, and Bollin’s lie falls apart on its face: Rx Kids requires mothers to be 16 weeks pregnant to enroll, and about 96% of abortions happen before 15 weeks. Still, at the end of last year, Republicans quietly voted to strip funding for the program.
Attorney General Dana Nessel stepped in, ruled the move unconstitutional, and the funding was restored. But now Hall and Bollin are trying a different tactic, pushing to strip funding from the program through the budget process instead.
So what? Well, a program that puts money directly into the hands of Michigan moms—with peer-reviewed evidence that it’s helping families thrive—is being targeted by Republican legislators who are making things up to justify pulling the plug. Meanwhile, the program is about to reach its largest footprint ever, with bipartisan support from lawmakers whose own districts are clearly benefiting from it. This budget fight isn’t over, and Michigan families are watching to see whose side their lawmakers are actually on.
Political correspondent Kyle Kaminski has the details in this week’s “so what, Michigan?”
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Soybean farmer Doug Bartek on his farm on April 6, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)
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By Jonny Lupsha
When I first called Dennis Kellogg, the sixth-generation soybean farmer was burning a mulch-like tangle of soybean pods that had amassed due to recent flooding. By attaching a 20-pound propane canister to a hose and dousing the tangle, he could perform controlled burns and avoid potential runaway fires.
I asked him about it when I spoke with him again on May 13.
“We’ve got it all worked up now, and we’re gonna start planting soybeans this week,” Kellogg said. “Depending on weather, if we can keep moving, we could be done in about 10 days.”
The Ithaca resident is beginning his 63rd harvest. He took up farming at the age of 14. Now, he’s teaching his son to one day take over the family business and hoping his granddaughter will follow suit.
The path won’t be as easy as it was when he started farming in the 1960s.
The Michigan state Legislature and the US Congress have recently passed agriculture bills—and are currently negotiating others—that critics say directly harm Michigan farmers by providing limited protection and access to resources compared to large, corporate operations.
In an exclusive interview with The ‘Gander, Kellogg, who also serves on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Farmers Union, told me what it means for family farmers like himself and his son.
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Join The ’Gander on today, May 21, for a FREE livestreamed town hall on protecting kids online, moderated by chief political correspondent Kyle Kaminski.
The discussion will examine how platform design, corporate decisions, and policy gaps are shaping kids’ online experiences—and what parents, advocates, and policymakers are pushing for next.
Featured speakers include state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, Dr. Jenny Radesky of Michigan Medicine, and advocate Charay Gadd.
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By Abby Deatrick
Welcome to your weekly roundup of Michigan political events, protests, rallies, advocacy opportunities, and ways to take action statewide.
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📣 Have an event to add? Email Abigail Deatrick, The ’Gander’s state organizing coordinator, with details. Please send submissions at least one week before the event.
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