JR Morning ~ June 11, 2026 ~ Full Show

Good to see you, my friend. Good to be here. Good morning. Chris is off today, and they told me, they said Jason Crow was coming in. I said, oh, boy, we're going to act up. Chris is not here. Jamie's not here. They left the boys at house. And I'm here on four hours of sleep. Oh, man. That game last night was crazy. Crazy. Yeah. You know, my frustration, though. with these official replays. You know, regulation NBA game should not be three hours long. No, absolutely not. They take just entirely too long. And it's too many of them. I mean. Yeah. And I tell you what, I'm tired of the three-pointer. I think we got to get rid of it. Watching people walk 20 yards to shoot a 30-foot jumper and then turn around and walk back. And nobody likes to drive anymore. There's no inside the paint game anymore. So we got to get rid of the three. The Knicks, they rallied from 29 points down. Largest comeback in finals history to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106. So now the Knicks are up three games to one. They could seal it Saturday in San Antonio. Well, in the way they've been playing on the road. Yeah, no. You know, they have. So, you know, I hope it comes back to New York because one of the fun things is the garden is the garden. But seeing all the celebrities court side is pretty fun. Definitely. You know, we had some storms rolled through here yesterday. And, you know, it was a dramatic rescue on the Detroit River after that severe weather. The Detroit Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene. About 7.30 last night, officials say high winds and fast-moving weather flipped several vessels, sending 12 people plunging into the water. In total, 20 people were stranded on seven different sailboats. According to authorities, all 12 were successfully pulled from the river, while another six boaters managed to make it back to shore unassisted. No serious injuries were reported. 20 people. That's nuts. I mean, you know, and I guess it was nice. outside and from what people told me there were some people at the Tigers game and they say man it you know it looked fine and then all of a sudden it just I mean during the game I kept getting you know the game interrupted yeah these weather alerts and I looked outside and everything's fine and I was texting people in Washington are like are you getting this all right everybody's and even there it wasn't happening and I don't think in Bloomfield Hills it didn't get around to about 939 45 and it was 10 minutes long Yeah, and so I'm sure a lot of people were out on their boats and stuff, and maybe a lot of them, you know, got taken by surprise because you will wonder, you know, why would you be out there when the weather is like that? But I think a lot of those people just got taken by surprise. Forecasting the weather didn't match up for a few hours. It didn't. Meanwhile, Michigan State Police are investigating after a body was discovered in the water near Bell Isle yesterday just before noon. The U.S. Coast Guard recovered the body at about 1155 yesterday morning. during an investigation that began after an abandoned vehicle was found on the island. Authorities say they're working to identify the individual and determine whether that abandoned car was connected to the discovery in any type of way. State police have stated there is no danger to the public, and that investigation is ongoing.

We got some good news on the UAW American Axel strike, that 10-day strike that threatened to cripple production that GM's most profitable trucks may soon be over. The UAW announcing a tentative agreement with American Axel in Three Rivers, highlighting the deal is a major wage hike, setting the new minimum shop floor pay at $30 an hour, reversing concessions made during. The 2008 recession, the contract also guarantees steady health care premiums, extra holidays, and $2,000 ratification bonus. About 1,000 workers walked out on May 31, impacting parts of heavy-duty Chevy Silverado's GMC, Sierra's union members will now review the details before casting a final ratification vote to return to work. It's a good payday. 30 bucks an hour? Yeah. And they worked it out. I mean, listen, Sean Fane is a really tough negotiator. And... That coupled with the fact that these parts could really, you know, cripple GM's, you know, high selling vehicles. Good thing they didn't drag this out. Good thing they brought to conclusion. I mean, the auto industry is facing enough challenges with the tariffs and the international competition we have right now. Yeah. The city of Detroit has lost its legal battle against the U.S. Census Bureau over how the federal government counts its residents. A federal judge denied Detroit's motion to block the Bureau's controversial. County cap rule. City officials argue the rules systematically undercounts Detroit by artificially deflating city population numbers to fit lower county estimates, costing the city vital federal funding. Despite the loss, the city did win a major concession, forcing the Bureau to stop penalizing Detroit's numbers when abandoned homes are demolished. Even with the disputed formula, latest estimates show Detroit's population grew to over 649,000 residents in 2025, making its third consecutive year of growth. Very marginal growth. Yes. But, I mean, you know, you've got to crawl before you walk. I mean, listen, when you had so many years prior where people were leaving and it was going the other way, I mean, to get a few coming this way. And just if we break even, it's a good day. Exactly. So also. Dylan Larkin, you know, trade talks are intensifying around the Red Wings captain, and the list of destinations are beginning to grow as well. Insiders confirmed the 30-year-old Center has expanded the list of teams for which he'll waive his no-trade clause. Contenders like Florida, Dallas, Vegas, Tampa Bay are among those rumored to be in the mix for the consistent 30-goal score who requested the trade last week. after Detroit missed the playoffs for a 10th straight season. General manager Steve Eisenman under no timeline to force a deal, but high stakes negotiations are expected to peak ahead of the NHL draft June 26th. We have not been hockey time in a long time. Oh, no, it's been. Yeah, I know it. And listen, you know, Dylan, you know, played in the Olympics, man, and got that good feeling, you know, and I don't know they were all-stars that were playing, but, you know, he got that good feeling of winning, you know, and he comes back here and...

Well, I got nothing to offer you. I've seen three hockey games in my entire life. I've heard of him. That's about as much as I know. Also today, the biggest tournament in sports. Officially underway today, the 26 FIFA World Cup kicked off with a record-breaking 48 teams competing across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. co-hosts Mexico face South Africa in Mexico City to launch the historic 104-match tournament, which will wrap up with the final in New Jersey on July 19th. Soccer fans in Detroit. can watch the action at local hotspots, including a massive kickoff party at the Breakman downtown, patio viewing at Sean O'Callagans and Plymouth, and match events at Shanghai in Farmington Hills. So a lot of places to watch. And FIFA, a big deal until the 19th. They'll be on TV. Fox is going to be carrying all the games. I've also only seen three soccer games in mind. Okay. So I got. I got my lanes and soccer and hockey are not in them. Tell us what's coming up at 619. You know, one of the most influential people in Lansing that no one's ever heard of, Tim Golding, who is the state director for Americans for Prosperity, which is a very significant free market advocacy group that advocates for less spending, lower regulations, lower taxes to try to grow. our population by growing our economy, creating more opportunities for people that are coming out of college and rather than fleeing to one of these border states that are flat and boring like Indiana or Ohio, stay here in Michigan, surrounded by these Great Lakes. So I'm looking forward to hear what Tim's working on. All right. And here's your chance right now before we go to break to win a trip to see Lionel Richie and Earthwind and Fire in the city of your choice. We've got your flights, your hotel, concert tickets, and premium VIP lounge access covered. It's your chance to sing along all night long with Lano Ritchie and Earthwind and Fire. The prize is provided by Live Nation. Text this hour's national keyword time. That's T-I-M-E to 95819. That's... Time, T-I-M-E-2-9-5819. We'll text you back to confirm your entry. Data and messaging rates may apply. Please don't text and drive. Play four times each weekday for four chances to win, official rules and more at WJR.com. Welcome back to J-R morning on a Thursday. Jason. Hey. Good morning, everybody. I'm honored to welcome onto the show, Tim Golding, the most important man in Lansing that no one's ever heard of. Tim, welcome. Thanks for having me, Jason. Thanks for the compliment. And I think you're the most important person in Lansing. All right, let's keep it going. Tell everyone a little bit about Americans for Prosperity and kind of the advocacy for free markets that you're involved in.

Yeah, we are the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan grassroots organization in the country on the center-right side of things. We have offices in 39 states, but we work in all 50. And we are grassroots advocacy. We work to give people a voice, help them amplify their message, make a difference with their lawmakers, make a difference in their communities. We give them the tools and the trainings to amplify their voices and help them be effective change agents for the things they want to see in their state, their community, and their nation. We do it 365, 24 hours a day, all the year, all week. We do it all day. We never stop. And, you know, Tim, everywhere you go, people are talking about the cost of living. That's what you hear from people. What are you hearing directly from Michigan families right now? Just exactly that. We talk to thousands of people every week, and the cost of living is hurting people. And we need people like Speaker Matt Hall and the House Republicans that we have a great relationship with that are doing. Great work to try to get policies passed. Obviously, they're getting hung up in the Senate, but to bring down the costs of living. And whether that's gasoline or how to heat and cool your home, all those things are really affecting people's pocketbooks and savings accounts. We want to work and bring policies to bear. And we work with lawmakers at the state and federal level every day to reduce the size and the scope of government and its intrusion into people's... personal lives and in their businesses. And we fight with every day for that. And some of the stuff that Speaker Hall has done this year is tremendous. They just passed a bunch of energy bills. They're going to bring energy costs down for homeowners, ratepayers. We're working on some housing reforms and zoning reforms. They're going to bring down the cost of housing so that especially young families can afford to stay in Michigan, live in this great state, raise families, start businesses, but it's just too expensive right now for people to do that. We hear that every single day. Well, Tim, you referenced Speaker Matt Hall there a couple times. And, you know, it's pretty remarkable that with a Democratic governor and a Democratic Senate, that Speaker Hall is the Republican controlling the House chamber has been able to actually drive the agenda in Lansing. And I think what's most remarkable is that he was single-handedly responsible for actually cutting the growth of government in Michigan last year with the budget in which he trimmed. $1 billion from what the governor was looking for. I've never seen in non-crisis times that kind of reduction in spending. But what are some of the issues that you're working on in Lansing right now and what's going to be the impact on our state's economy? Well, yeah, you're right. Nobody's working harder than Matt Hall and the rest of the House Republicans to get this stuff done for Michigan families. Some of the bigger things that we're working on with them are what's called the one of them is the Raines Act and regulations by the executive in need of scrutiny. Basically what that does is brings the power back from the bureaucracy, the unelected bureaucrats, and gives it back to the lawmakers.

so that the bureaucracy can't impose fees and fines and regulations when they're implementing laws that harm the economy. Those bills just passed out of the house, and that'll be a tremendous savings for Michigan families and businesses. They just passed a bunch of energy reform bills and property tax bills, tax bills that we were helping on those as well. like getting rid of the personal property tax, which will save small businesses and manufacturers, millions of dollars that they can reinvest in their companies, they can increase wages, they can hire new people, they can buy new equipment. They're not paying taxes on the equipment that they buy. That's what that personal property tax is. And a big savings for ratepayers when it comes to energy will be when the energy companies are not paying those taxes on their infrastructure improvement, on their equipment. It's mandated in those laws that savings get passed directly back to the ratepayers. That's huge for Michigan families. These recent package of bills that they're pushing are going to save. rate payers with Michigan families millions of dollars billions of dollars actually and some of the property tax things and the excuse me like the pop-up tax on and real estate transfer tax getting rid of those things they're just they're working every day to save Michigan families money it's our money it's not the government's money We need to find ways to cut spending. We don't have a revenue problem. We have spending problems in the state. And Matt Hall works every single day to try to reduce that. And I couldn't be more grateful for the effort he has put out there. And also on the Senate side, I'd like to say, Senator Lindsay just put forth the bill and hopefully this will get some traction where ratepayers, families don't have to pay taxes on their energy bills. That will save thousands. So. There's a lot of good stuff coming out of Lansing. You don't hear about it all the time because of the Democrat control media typically, but there's a lot of good things happen that are going to benefit Michigan families. And we talk to families every day, and I love this stuff that's going on. Tim, Americans for Prosperity, Michigan, opening that new field office in McComb County and Congresswoman Lisa McLean is going to be participating. What message do you think her involvement sends? The AFP is a market maker and not a market taker that we are helping shift paradigms and bring good results and good policies for Michigan families. And she's a part of a great relationship with Chairwoman. McLean and couldn't be happier that she's coming to visit the office, help kick off our grand opening. That's at 5 o'clock today at 20375 Hall Road. If you want more information, you can go to AFT, Michigan.com. But we couldn't be happier that she's going to help kick that off. And she knows the work we do. She knows at the state and the federal level that we're working every day for Michigan families. And she wants to be a part of it. We couldn't be happier.

And Tim, you mentioned, you know, the grassroots organization. And for people that don't know AFP, you know, it's got to be one of the largest, most influential grassroots organizations in the country and here in Michigan for certain. I think you guys have an incredible impact on what's happening in the state legislature and also at the federal level. For people that want to get involved with AFP, how do they do that? And what kind of things can they do by engaging with AFP? Tim, we've got about 30 seconds. Yeah, AFPMichigan.com, we can teach you how to be a committee organizer, Kansas neighborhoods, testify before committees, be a social media influencer. Any way that we can teach you a thousand different ways to get involved in politics and policy to make a difference in your community and your state and your country. We do it every day, all day, all across the whole country. And Michigan, we have a lot going on and we'd love to have you guys, whoever's listening, be a part of it. Tim Golding, State Director of Americans for Prosperity, Michigan. Appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much. Thanks, Tim. Good morning, Lloyd. Good morning. Jason Crow, and next up, a lawsuit has now been filed following the January police shooting death of 34-year-old John Genuine in Washington County. The suit alleges deputies fired 27 shots after a chase in Ipsilani Township, even though Genuine was unarmed and claims medical aid was not immediately provided afterward. As the Michigan Attorney General's Office reviews the case, Rejoined now by attorney Todd Flood to discuss the legal questions, accountability concerns, and the broader conversation surrounding police use of force. Counselor, good morning. Good morning, gentlemen. Good morning. Thanks for having me. For people just hearing about the case, Todd, can I walk us through what the lawsuit is alleging that happened during and after the shooting? So prior to the shooting, there was a 911 call for a dispatch of two black males in a van, white van, that pointed a gun or had a gun, handgun at that. And so my client, Mr. Genuine, was in a white van. He's a white male, and he's in a sprinter van. start to pursue him thinking he's the two suspects, but obviously they see he is not. Ultimately, they do what it's called a pit move. A pit move or maneuver is just basically, they attempted it twice, they hit him once and then do it again and then knock them over, which is against policy within the sheriff's department. But anyway, they knock them over. Once they knock them over on that passenger side, someone screamed shotgun or he has a shotgun obviously he didn't have a shotgun there was no gun and

Lloyd, when I tell you this, if you watch the video, it looks like the OK Corral. 27 shots, you have deputies firing from the front of the van, from the rear of the van, from the underneath of the van, from the top of the van. They hit my client, and my client's parents are on as well this morning. They hit John seven times, and I... had an autopsy, an independent autopsy done up in Oakland County. And this was a slow, painful bleed out death. There was no kill shot. They didn't hit them in the head. They didn't end him in the heart. It's just tragic and ugly. And then from there, you know, they don't render aid. They let them bleed out and kill him and find out he's not the suspect. He wasn't the suspect. So there's multiple counts we have within our lawsuit, but this is just a deliberate indifference, a lack of training, a lack of education. I don't know if it's societal and where police officers stand. I mean, I'm a law enforcement kind of guy, but I know. So many police officers have reached out to me after watching this and saying, you know, this is wrong. Yeah. So this lawsuit is, as my clients will tell you, is to get accountability. And more than anything, and these are the most lovely people in the world, you get to talk with them. They don't want this to happen anywhere else in America. You don't want it to happen. This is, you know, that message out there. There's no justice here. I mean, I can't turn back the hands of time. No. But hopefully there's some mercy. Well, Mr. Mrs. Genuine. My condolences for the tragedy that you're suffering, I can't imagine how you have had to navigate this situation and this unnecessary loss of life. And I mean, just hearing the description of it, what I've read in the papers about it, I mean, 27 shots coming from all angles. There wasn't a gun, and he wasn't even the person that was a suspect. I don't know how you are dealing with this right now, but thank you for sharing your story with us. Oh, you're welcome. You're welcome. No one should ever have to deal with this. It was a tragedy. It was not necessary. You know, our goal through this whole thing is only to prevent any family from ever, ever having to go through this again. Kelly, tell us about your son. Tell us something we don't know. Oh, my God. John was loyal to a fault. He loved working on cars with his father since he was, I don't know, I'd say four or five years old. They're always working on something. He was a decorated Navy veteran. He was very proud of that service. John also loved to cook. He got that for me.

And he was, Larry and I are in the process right now of going through his house. And I think I lost count of how many instant pots he has. He just, he loved to cook. He loved the putter in the garage with his father. He had a wicked sense of humor. He had many, many, many friends. And he was just, he was loyal to a fault. He was a, he was a good-hearted, good-hearted man. He loved Eve, he loved his dogs, Bonnie and Clyde. He'd come over our house and lay on that couch with them for hours. He was just an all-around good guy. He would do anything for his friends or his family, and he loved. loved his little brother Jake and his wife, Melissa. He was definitely a family man. So, Todd, what's next? What kind of a time frame will the family have to go through to get justice on this? You know, it could take some time. So we don't, you know, we had to file because it's being criminally investigated right now by the Attorney General's office. There's a lot of things that we can't get through FOIA. So we filed our lawsuit. We know a couple of the deputies, but there's several involved. So we filed what is called the John Doe and Jane Doe lawsuit. So the next step is that we will. serve it upon the Sheriff's Department and it'll get into the court system and we will ultimately amend the complaint and the judge will give us a scheduling order for us to go through. our case. And the unfortunate thing here, if I could change any law, I know we're on the rundown here, but if I could change any law, I would change the governmental immunity law because there's this higher burden, higher standard, and they get an automatic right to an appeal. So here, in my particular situation, you know, it's going to take time. But we have the wherewithal and the perseverance and the support from the family and loved ones to go through the fight. And we will fight for justice until, you know, the end in the civil case, the criminal case, it's under investigation. Larry and Kelly Genuine. We appreciate you coming on this morning and our deepest condolences to you and the rest of the family there. And we appreciate you coming on. Todd Flood, my friend, thank you for sharing this with us and giving us an update. And we'll keep following this with you along the way. Thank you so much. Always a pleasure. Thanks, guys. Be welcome. Thank you.

Coming up at 649, a candidate for Senate that we have not spoken to as of yet, but we will. His name is Robert Luzeri. He's going to join us next to tell us about his campaign and what he thinks needs to be done to change some things around here in Michigan. That's all up next at 649 here on J.R. By the way, he's running for Congress. Good morning. Welcome back to WJR. This is Jason Crow. I'm here guest hosting with my friend Lloyd Jackson. Good morning, sir. Good morning. I'm really excited to introduce a guy that I got to know a little over a year ago who is running for Congress in the McComb County seat where currently occupied by John James. That's the 10th District. The 10th District. It's an open seat. One of the purplest seats in America. This is the home of the Reagan Democrat. Remember when Stan Greenberg, the Democratic pollster many, many years ago, identified McComb County as having this very unique DNA politically. Robert Luzeri, welcome. Thanks for joining us this morning. Good morning, gentlemen. Thanks for having me. So, Robert, first thing I wanted to ask you to talk a little bit about is your family. You are the American immigrant story. Talk a little bit about your parents and how they came to America and what that's meant to you and how that shapes your candidacy. Yeah, sure. I have a story, Jason, that's only possible in the greatest country on the face of the earth, which is America. And my grandparents escaped communism and came to the United States. And my mom's a waitress, and my dad worked as a cook and a maintenance man. And my dad stood behind a grill so one day I could get on the radio and speak with you about my candidacy for Congress. And that's the American dream, Jason. That's not just my story. I'm sure it's your story and many of your listeners as well. And I'm just very grateful to grow up in the United States and now have a really strong desire for public service and patriotism and giving back. Robert, I know families in Michigan's 10th Congressional District, along with families across Michigan, they continue to struggle with affordability and cost of living concerns. What specific policies are you proposing to help working families? Sure, sure. Well, I think we need leaders that are going to put America first. And I think government can help or either get in the way. And we need people, I think, that are going to fight for McComb County very hard. And that's going to be me. And we do. We need a competitive tax code. We need lower tax rates. Things in the big, beautiful bill I thought, gave a lot of relief when I speak to voters in my district, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime.

no tax on Social Security, car loan interest being deferred. I think we need more housing, allowing developers and builders and working with them so we can bring down the cost of housing, having energy independence, really, really important. And I'd like to introduce a bill that says for every new regulation we have, we eliminate too. And so I think these are really good practical economic principles we can implement to give the American people relief. Robert, there's two other people running in the Republican primary. You've raised more money than the other candidates in the race, and here we are just 53 days before the primary election, and it's three weeks until absentee ballots go out. So voters are going to start voting, and you're, I'm sure, starting to send out mail and run digital ads and things like that. What's the biggest difference between you and your opponents in this race for the Republican nomination? Yeah, sure, Jason. I think we have to ask ourselves, you know, who do you want as your next member of Congress just across the entire state? Do you want, we see so many people in both parties, scandals. people that commit sexual assaults. We have politicians that enrich themselves with insider training. It's really disgusting. And I think, you know, faith, character, honesty, and integrity matter. And, you know, we want to implement good policy in the White House and the halls of Congress, but I think your own house matters most. And so that's how I was raised with faith and family and hard work and virtue. And that's really the main principle that I want to take to Congress. And I think that's what separates me from my opponents. My opponents have never lived paycheck to paycheck. They've never struggled financially. I was a prosecutor in Detroit my entire professional career. And so I know what it means to try to stand up for people. And I know what it means to live paycheck to paycheck. And I know what it means to value everything that you have. And that's a type of representative. that I'm going to be in Congress, and most of my opponents were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Their fathers are running their campaigns. Their fathers' bridge donors are giving them money, and I'm running on my own merit, and I'm really running for the people. And you know, Robert, you know, in today's political climate, you know, as well as everyone that many voters say that they're just tired of career politicians. You see yourself as an outsider candidate? Yeah, I would definitely say it's an outsider campaign. I think if you see the halt of Congress, and I... Did we I think we had we got phone issues. I think we lost him. We're trying to get them back real quick here if we can. But, you know, I mean, I know that people have said and, you know, and the folks I've talked to, they were like, you know, we just kind of want to shake it up a little bit because we get these career politicians and they tell us the same thing every time. And we don't, in some, okay. And I want to ask you that question again about career politicians. Once again, a lot of voters say they're tired of them, but, you know, do you see yourself as an outside candidate?

Yes, sorry for losing you for that's okay. But yeah, look, we definitely are an outsider and you're right. People are tired of, well, first, I know what pissed are really upset people in both the Democrat Republican Party, but I think term limits would be really important. And, you know, people I think, well, the halls of Congress look more like a senior care facility than they do representative of the people. And I think there's a strong desire for young, strong leadership that just wants to give back. So, yeah, we definitely are now outsider, and I think there's a hunger and thirst. to elect new people with new ideas. And, you know, don't just vote for a name that you consistently see on the ballot. I think it's important to do your research and vote for someone that's going to give you good service. Well, and I think you're definitely seeing a rejection of the insiders and elections that have happened just in the last few weeks and months. There's nine members of Congress that have sought higher office who have lost already in this year. And I expect there to be some more. Look at what's happening in Maine. You've got a very flawed candidate in Graham Platner, who the Democrats are embracing and is doing well in polling just because people are so fed up with Washington and how we're being governed. Agreed. And what are you going to do different than what you've observed now? I mean, you're new to this. You are an outsider. You've been politically active, but this is your first time as a candidate. How do you see yourself as being different when you get there? Yeah, sure. I do. I think, you know, you mentioned the gentleman in Maine. A lot of people in office, Jason, I think they lie about their resume. They lie about their background. I think that particular individual. you know, lied about their blue-collar background. And it does. I think it really starts with people that, you know, like what are their principles, right? And I think if you kid people in office that articulate the value system of loving your neighbor, caring for the sick, trying to help the less fortunate, we would live in such a more value-driven country. And so, you know, I'd like to see like something like a balanced budget amendment. introduced. I'd like to see a ban on insider trading. I think I would vote tomorrow for something that has some term limits in it, putting good economic, like, policy in place that we had just talked about earlier in the phone call. I think if you just do those easy, basic buildings, you know, people that care about law and order so families can live in safe communities. And I think if you stand up for those basic principles that this country was founded on, then people will thrive. Robert Luzeri, candidate for Congress. We appreciate you coming on this morning. Thank you so much. Thank you, gentlemen. Have a great day. Top of the hour next, 705.

property damage and intimidation tied to perceived financial support of Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Prosecutors also alleged discussions of extreme methods of harm and efforts to intimidate witnesses. The defendants include eight individuals from Michigan and other states, most in their 20s, with four from Ann Arbor. FBI raids were carried out Nipsilani earlier this week. U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon called the conduct anti-American, saying intimidation will be met with justice, and the case remains under federal review. Really amazing in this day and time that we see this kind of overt anti-Semitism. I know. The lessons that we should have learned decades ago seem to have been forgotten. Michigan State University Trustee Rima Vassar threatening to sue the university alleging years of discrimination in civil rights violations by the board and administration and pre-litigation demand letter obtained through a public records request. Basser's attorney claims the university and fellow trustees violated her First Amendment and due process rights and failed to follow board policy and actions taken against her. The letter sent May 17th gives MSU until June 17 to respond or face a federal lawsuit that could seek undisclosed damages, reimbursement of legal fees potentially exceeding $25 million, and restoration of trustee benefits she lost after refusing to sign a revised code of conduct. Basser, a former board chair, has been a... controversial figure on the MSU Board of Trustees previously facing investigations and internal disputes over ethics and governance. MSU has not publicly responded to the latest demand and the university is also navigating leadership changes as it searches for a new president. Yeah, MSU should be suing her. She has been an arsonist at Michigan State. She chased away a phenomenal president, Kevin Guskowitz, and we're now on our sixth president in six years at Michigan State. It's embarrassing and she's a big reason why. A former Detroit police officer has been sentenced to two years probation, with at least six months to be served in the Wayne County Jail after pleading no contest the charges he stole and shared explicit material from a woman's phone following her arrest. Prosecutors say, Duran Crawford accessed Samantha Thomason's phone in March of this year and sent himself nude images and videos without her consent. In court, Thomason told the judge she now lives in fear, saying everyday activities have become frightening since the incident and called the sentence too lenient. Crawford's attorney argued it was a momentary lapse in judgment in the otherwise strong career and said he later went to apologize, claims that Thomason disputes. Thomason is also now filing a $15 million civil lawsuit against Crawford, another officer in the city of Detroit. A lot of weirdos out there. I mean, your officer that... is supposed to uphold the law you arrest somebody you get her phone and you just decide to go through the phone and take things that you're not supposed to take and nobody's going to find out about it digital fingerprints all over the place and so uh that you know i remember when that story first broke and i talked about it and i said this is not going to end well and it didn't no

Coming up, we will get on the couch with Dr. Steve and hear from a patient that has some issues with a 17-year-old. And we'll talk about that coming up next. But first, it's time for WJR's business beat. Brought to you by shelving.com, we rack your world. Here is Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of Startup Nation to spotlight the entrepreneurial tech and startup community on WJR. Good morning. Social commerce, not just social media to drive the power of influencing, social commerce, which combines the power of social media's influencing with the ability to close the purchase of a product at the moment you've been influenced to do so. It's hot and it's getting hotter. Now, the most well-known example of social commerce is that conducted by the TikTok shop, but it's not the only example of social commerce doing well. While Facebook doesn't get the social commerce hype TikTok and Instagram do, the fact is it owns what brands actually want. Scale plus buying intent per Sprout's 2026 data. 85% of consumers have a Facebook profile, and 40% go there specifically to find products. And 70% of marketing leaders say it drives the strongest business impact of any platform. Now, unlike TikTok and Facebook's social commerce application, your shop acts like a discovery engine that drives shoppers to your own website to close the sales. Facebook shops in 2026 is a discovery and trust machine, not a checkout button. Win the browse and belief stage with video collections, fast service, and real user-generated content, then send that intent to a site built to close. To win at social commerce, Sprout offers these tips to keep in mind. Lead with short-term video. Facebook users engage most with sub-62nd branded video. Tag the exact product in reels and stories so viewers go straight from clip to cart. Track revenue. Not just vanity metrics, a reel can rack up likes and drive zero product clicks, but sales are the ultimate metric to track. So instead of tracking vanity metrics like likes, track clicks, collection views, conversion rate, and customer questions instead. Look, if we're going to succeed in small business today, we've simply got to be everywhere that existing buyers are. And we're forced to stay current with consumer expectations with respect to where and how they can purchase what it is that your business offers. Social commerce, including that, which is on Facebook, is emerging as one channel you simply can't afford to neglect. I'm Jeff Sloan, founder and CEO of StartupNation.com, and that's today's business beat on the great voice of the Great Lakes, WJR. Welcome back to JR morning on a Thursday. Well, I call it Friday Eve, actually. I'd rather have it be closer to Friday than just Thursday. And who's joining us? This is couch time with Dr. Steve, Dr. Steve Craig.

Craig Counseling Group and Craig Counseling Services. Dr. Steve, good to see you this morning. Good to see you guys. We got a newbie here today. We're going to test out. I know. I'm excited to be an amateur psychologist. Oh, he's in big trouble. Okay, let's see. Dr. Steve, my 17-year-old daughter recently got a psych evaluation that was done by a psychology student we know who's currently in grad school and learning how to give these tests. My daughter's test results showed most of the things we expected, like she was smart and a little ADD and a little anxious, but it also said she showed some signs of dissociative thinking, which we were told is associated with schizophrenia, and maybe more importantly, she showed some signs of depression. We're freaked out. This is a parent's worst nightmare. We want to talk to her about these things, but she insists she is fine and we don't want to make it worse by continuing to push her. Should we take her to get more testing? Do we drop it because she says she's fine? Do we make her talk about it? We'd never forgive ourselves that we didn't address this. We need some help here. What do we do? Lloyd, you better take this first. He's too new for this. The first thing I think is I would get a second opinion. You know, nothing against the, you know, I know the student is learning and everything, but it, to me, I would want to get an opinion from a certified licensed psychiatrist to make sure that these things that the student found. were legitimate things. You know, I don't want to make something bigger than what it is. Now, once we do that, if it turns out to be that, and when we get the help, but in the meantime, I would just, you know, love her and try to get her to talk about things if things are on her mind, not really press her, and, you know, try to make sure she has what she needs. But I think the first thing I would do is to get that second opinion. All right, Lloyd pays $2,000 for a full psychoval. Okay. It's my kid, man. That insurance doesn't cover. Good. Okay. Well, listen, that's job security for me. Call my office. You know, as a proper Gen Xer, rub some dirt on it, doesn't sound to me like this was a psych evaluation because there were concerns about where she was. It was that they had a friend that needed a little practice on psych evals. and got a little bit of a mixed result from someone who's not certified, as you say. And I think we are at a time in society where we are seeking out some psychological ailments that don't exist. And you see a lot of polling out there of people that identify themselves as having. And I think there's a little bit of a contagion that it's kind of trendy to have some sort of psychological thing or to be able to say that you're seeing somebody. So I'm kind of of the mind that, you know. She says she's fine. There were no signs prior to this psych evaluation that there was any trouble. So I wouldn't be thinking too much about it and move on. So we got Lloyd's $2,000 check. And we got... And then the other one, you know, nothing, right. Full spectrum. Yeah. You did really well today for a newbie. All right. These are good results. Yeah. There is... We have to talk about understanding people, understanding our society that you brought up.

and understanding the sensitivity of these tests, okay? You have to start from the basic that we all have a little of something. That's health. You don't, if you think of it across a spectrum, like, we're not perfect? Like, well, you're perfect. Okay, okay. That's why we don't test you. Right, you'll blow, you'll freak out the test. Okay. If you think of like the spectrum of OCD, okay, on one end you got people so afraid of germs that they won't leave the house. And on the other end, you got people like licking the, the buttons on the ATM machine. You know what I mean? Yeah. But neither one of those is health. You want someone to have a little enough OCD that they're not outlicking the ATM buttons, but not over there. Yeah. Everything is across a spectrum like that. You don't want to, you know, we don't like anxiety, but you need a little anxiety until you walk into, or you walk into traffic. Like what do we always say? You know, where do you find a non-anxious deer? over your mantle. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Right. So what these tests are going to do is they're, you know, they're going to point out, they're very sensitive. And so I'm making up a scale. If it's a three and, you know, 10 point scale, you should be a three in this and a four in that and a five and a four and a three. So it's going to tell you that you have a little of everything because that's normal. But we read these tests and we freak out or we go on the internet or we're diagnosis searching. Oh, yeah. Because, oh, my God, you showed a few signs of OCD. Well, good, you know. A little anxiety. Good. I don't want my kid to show up with none of these things. I just had this. I read one of these in my office recently. The parents were worried that the kid had autism. Okay, but again, you could make up a scale of really tight, concrete thinking on one end that, you know, you have no creativity, no loose associations, and on the other end is schizophrenia where you, you know, they're all over the place. Yeah. You know, I want my kid to be in the middle of that range to show a few signs of this and a few signs of that. That's what this test said, was that this kid was basically, yeah, we diagnose her as a teenage girl. Good. Okay. That's what happened. And so we have to not freak out in the world of the Internet and society, which is really the point that this makes, which you were dead on with is that this is why we have so many problems. People go online and they just, oh my God, we got this and we got this and then they talk to their friends and then all of a sudden the kid has a label and we're all way down this rabbit hole. And then they got a prescription. No, they do come to my office though, so that's okay. Okay. No, no. I make the speech all the time. You don't need to be here. You know, don't do this. So that's really what this is. Well, and the fact that we now see that, you know, people that go to get therapy find themselves going to therapy for years and years and years. Right. Therapy was working. You wouldn't need it. Right. You're supposed to graduate. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. But it becomes a way of life. Yes. So do these parents, you know, what do these parents do? Well, I don't want to be so cavalier as to say you don't, you just to blow it off. Okay. But you always should say to your kid.

Hey, how are you? The test showed that. What do you think? Do you think you're depressed and have a conversation? Sure. But if she's not showing any signs, she's, you know, again, normal teen, she might be crying one day and happy than, you know. There's a sort of a regular teenage stuff. Yeah. But, you know, you need to make, you need to talk about it. Hey, it showed this. What do you think? What do you think about it? You says, you're a little ADD, a little anxious. What do you think about it? Let's have a conversation. But if she says she's fine and there's no signs, what are you going to do? you know, make a big deal out of it. Yeah. You know, no. Plus with the way, you know, Jason said people diagnose up, she can start going, wow, I guess I really do have problems. And then she's on social media. I'm depressed, you know. And you just don't want to do that. So this is a, this is to me an easy one, which is just just. Pay no attention to this. Have a conversation and move on. All right. I'm really proud of my performance this. Right. Tim, man, you hit it off great. Jamie and Chris would be proud of you. He's one, one, one, you know, one for one. All right. All right, Jay. Thank you, Dr. Steve. We appreciate you. We'll see you next week. Jay, our morning continues after this. Good to be back with you, Lloyd. Good morning, Detroit. Next up. Therapy, oh no, we moved on from therapy Thursday. Yeah, we had it. You did very well. I just want to remind you that I led into our, we're both Gen Xers, but you sounded like a millennial. Did I? Yeah, you did. You need to check yourself. Next up, I want to welcome Jackie Charninga. I hope I said that well, right. Automotive reporter for the Detroit Free Press talking about easier EV charging for our automobiles. Welcome, Jackie. Thanks for having me. One of the biggest complaints, Jackie, that people have about electric vehicles is, you know, that charging anxiety. How significant is General Motors' new energy pass system in addressing that concern? Well, it's not just charging anxiety, but it's figuring out how to pay once you finally find a charger. So there's so many different companies with fast and slow charging publicly, but if you're not a Tesla customer already, or if you're trying to juggle different apps in your phone, it can be a real headache. So the Energy Pass app is going to actually hopefully put everything in one place for GM customers where they can find a station, pay, everything in one space. Jackie, how is it that we haven't standardized charging? You know, you have so many different vehicles with different kinds of charging, which makes it inconvenient. And when you've got, certainly during the Biden administration, kind of compelling people to embrace electric vehicles, that's one of the things that for the industry seems to make it a little bit more difficult to access the EV auto market is when you don't have a standardized charging technology.

It's kind of similar as to why Apple had their own charger compared to the Android users. It's the idea that the automakers were developing the same technology at the same time, but competing, and some of them that had invested in battery tech earlier. got a little ahead. So the North American charging standard was pretty much invented by Tesla, and it's the most efficient one. And so because they also were the fastest to get charging stations up, the other automakers, if they wanted to use them, were sort of forced to sell their customers' converters so that they could use them in public. So now GM actually also announced this week that they're 2027 model year vehicles are going to come standard with the classic inlets. And that's going to go a long way. But it's as to why they haven't standardized the chargers before now, it's like similar to why we have so many different auto companies. Everyone wants to. make their own money and get their customers to do things their way. So this is actually... Has there been any discussion at the federal level of Congress trying to create a standard for EVs so that we can kind of accelerate the adoption by consumers? Well, the North American standard is where the industry is moving. It's the fastest and best one for customers. I think they've been more or less letting the market have its decision, making the consumer go the way that the automakers are pushing them, and without having the federal government get involved and more assistance with charging, that's sort of an administration-to-administration objective. You know, Jackie, beyond the vehicles, GM is, it seems like, increasingly positioning itself as an energy company. You know, a fascinating part of this announcement is this bidirectional charging. You know, the idea that your vehicle could actually send power back to the grid of your home. How revolutionary could that become? It would be dependent on people buying in, not just the actual EV customers, but the utility companies. There would be... more of a federal standard to streamline this process needed. It's kind of complicated to participate today, which is what GM has acknowledged. But the idea that you could sell your own energy back to DTE and save money on your bill, that is going to be more and more enticing as time goes on between data centers and this extraordinary grid strain that we're already facing, energy bills are not.

going down anytime soon and with climate change potentially making it hotter every year the idea that our air conditioners are working overtime in summer is not a surprise to most You know, here in the United States, we don't have as much exposure to what China is doing in the EV market. And I've had some friends that are EV enthusiasts that have shown me vehicles that we never see that China is producing. And I certainly read and hear about China wanting access to our market. How much further ahead is China if they are ahead of us in terms of adopting EVs, but also the technology and the vehicles they're producing as compared to what we're producing? I mean, they're ahead for a lot of reasons. There are far more incentives for their consumers to purchase their own companies, EVs. But I think it's waning now. They're sort of reaching a saturation point. But the idea is the more I'm hearing about Chinese automobiles and I was in one not too long ago, they are very nice vehicles. They do not take long to charge. They're built extremely well. I wouldn't say that there's anything in them in particular that an U.S. automaker couldn't duplicate themselves if they chose. But it's a lot of internal parts that make them cheaper to produce and a lot of great engineering that goes into quick deployment. But in terms of those articles about how it takes five minutes to fill up when charging. And the vehicle itself looks pretty great. There's a lot of technological components that we only see in high-end luxury vehicles here. It is certainly something that would entice a U.S. buyer, even though they aren't available to them yet. And, Jackie, you know, GM's research into these sodium ion batteries, you know, we hear a lot about lithium shortages and supply chain concerns. Could these sodium ion batteries eventually, you know, help lower the cost of VB? It's possible, but the technology isn't that new. There's been experimentation with sodium ion for decades. The reason it hasn't been in vehicles is because the energy density that's required is lower, meaning the battery itself has to be... bigger and heavier. And when you're putting it in a car, you want your battery to be small and low weight so that the car can move more efficiently and burn less energy just getting around. But the fact that GM is investing in it for energy storage is a lot different. The idea is that because an energy storage system can be put anywhere. It doesn't have to move. It can be as heavy as you want it. And Michigan has quite a lot of salt. And lithium mining is something that is not quite as energy and time efficient, certainly not financially efficient. Jackie Charnaga is an automotive reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Jackie, we appreciate you coming on. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Coming up at 749, we'll be joined by Bill Shutey, Bill G. Shudy. He was going to be talking about a ballot proposal to move the AG and Secretary of State to the primary ballot. We'll talk to him next at 749 on J.R. Morning. Welcome back to J.R. Morning on a Thursday, a.k.a. Friday Eve, and the ideal of the American dream has long been tied to one powerful image. Owning a home, putting down roots, building a better future for the next generation. But in Michigan today, that dream feeling increasingly out of reach. Rising costs, higher property taxes, and first-time homebuyers now averaging age 40. House Republicans are now pushing a plan, they say. would significantly cut property taxes and make homeownership more affordable enjoying us to talk about the proposal, the broader housing crisis, and what it will take to restore the dream of homeownership, Representative Bill G. Shudee of Michigan's 95th District. Bill, good to talk with you again. Hey, good morning. Thanks for having me on the show. I was looking at the op-ed that you had in the Detroit News and you connect homeownership directly to the American dream. Why do you believe that the dream feels increasingly out of reach for many Michiganians today? Well, you know, absolutely. And I think if you think about the American dream, it's about making sure that your children's lives and your life can be better tomorrow than it is today. And home ownership is so key to that because it's where you lay your head. It is for many people, myself included, the most valuable asset that they own. And it tends to grow and appreciate over time. And what we've seen, unfortunately, in the state of Michigan is that it's too expensive to own a home. It's too expensive to live in your home. And that's undermining directly the American dream. I mean, many younger families, Bill, say they're doing everything right. You know, I'm working hard. I'm saving money. But I just still can't afford a home. What's broken in the system? Well, there's a lot of things that are broken in the system. For one, $100,000, $100,000 to every single-family, multifamily home build is regulatory costs. And that's coming directly from the government. And that's why yesterday I'm really glad we passed through the State House some basic procedures that say, hey, you know, you have, if the government doesn't get you your permanent time, if they don't meet their own deadlines, you get your money back for that permit. That's a big shift to our bureaucratic culture to help us work on making life more affordable in Michigan. But it's also property taxes. I mean, I was talking to a friend of mine. works at a bank in Midlands, and he said, Bill, for so many of our first-time homebuyers, the cost of their property taxes is higher than the principal and interest would be. We are pricing people out of the American dream. That is wrong.

Representative Jason Crow, thanks for joining us this morning. I mean, you really hit the nail on the head on the property taxes. I moved here from San Diego six years ago, and every single thing that I pay for was cheaper in Michigan except for one thing, property taxes. I pay about 20% more, and I had a house that cost twice as much in San Diego than the one that I live in here in Bluefield Hills, and it just goes to show you. How expensive owning a home, and I don't even have a mortgage, but I still pay a pretty good amount. But, you know, another thing, too, is that this is a macroeconomic problem as well, and that is supply and demand. And one thing that has gotten harder and harder, and you spoke to it with the cost of building new homes. is we are not producing enough supply to keep up with the population growth in the United States. I mean, affordable housing is a real problem, and I talk to employers around the state, but one of the struggles that they have in finding workforce is that they cannot find affordable housing in the area that they work. What other things can be done at the governmental level to try to alleviate that and get more supply? Well, you're exactly right. I think in my neck of the woods, the Great Lakes Bay region, we're at like a 95% housing occupancy rate. And it's hard to attract people to move here when we're more expensive than California. I mean, my goodness, that's not a compelling pitch to families or to employers. We need to make it easier to build. On another topic, there is some discussion in Lansing that you're involved in. Michigan is one of two states in the entire country that still nominates candidates at political party conventions, both for the Democrats and Republicans, and two of those are Attorney General and Secretary of State. You're involved in these conversations. What are you looking to have happen and what kind of timeframe are we looking at? Well, you know, Jason, I appreciate you bringing that up because there's two really key things that I'm focused on in this debate. And that's one, improving accountability in our education system. That's from our higher ed to our K through 12 education and strengthening the integrity in our elections process. I mean, it's concerning to me that the candidate to secure the elections in Michigan on the Democrat side was nominated in a convention where somebody apparently voted from Montenegro. I mean, the convention process, especially on the Democratic side, is a complete mess. They have multiple members of their own party, their leaders in their organization, calling for an audit, and they're just sweeping it under the rug because it was such a bad process. I mean, that's a disservice to the people of Michigan, and that really undermines faith and confidence in our elections. And then you talked about paying more in California. Well, we had to...

president of Michigan State University taking $800,000 pay cut just to get out of there. You know, so we've got to really make sure we reform the way our university boards function in Michigan. and we nominate our AG and SOS, make sure we strengthen the integrity of the process. And then you talk about nominations, the nominee for United States Senate for Republicans, Mike Rogers. You've got a very competitive Democratic primary with Abdul El-Sayed, Mallory McMorrow, and Haley Stevens. Talk a little bit about that race and how you see Mike Rogers stacking up against one of those three candidates in November. Well, I think Mike Rogers is definitely the fighter that Michigan needs. And you look over at the Democrat side, they are just busy beating each other up, getting farther and farther to the progressive extreme left and getting farther away from what Michigan really needs. And that's somebody who's focused on Michigan priorities, affordability, making us a better state to build your family. We're 44th in the nation in education. And all the Democrats want to talk about is a war in the Middle East and want to talk. talk about, you know, who's more beholden to, you know, the radical free Palestine movement. It's, that's a really sharp dichotomy. You have one candidate, Mike Rogers, who's focused on Michigan, and you have, you know, three candidates on the Democrat side who are focused on Israel versus Palestine. Representative Bill G. Schuette, always a pleasure having you on J.R. Morning, and we hope to have you back again soon. Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. Before we go to the break, I just got to bring up the finals, the NBA finals last night. You were up late. I decided to go to bed at halftime, and then when I woke up, it was like the last seconds, and I'm like, you know, and my wife is having to fix. She says, you know, they were down 29 points and they came back. It was really historic. I mean, it's the largest comeback in finals history. And so they beat the Spurs, 107, 106. O.G. Anobi was the hero. You know, he tapped the ball in, like, one second left or 1.2 seconds left, and they got it, man. So they're up three games to one. They could win it all. I got to tell you, it was torment to watch the actual game. I think anybody who had been best off tuning in for the last five minutes because it was just a whooping through most of it. I twice cut away to watch full episodes of the family guy. I came back and still found it to be a 20-point lead. and struggle to stay awake. But what a finish. What, I mean, this is where 3-1, this thing could be done soon. It could be done on Saturday. All right. Coming up the 8 o'clock hour here on J.R. morning, math scores for kids. Still low. Not just because of the pandemic. Good morning, Lloyd. Good morning, Detroit. Good morning, everyone. It is a great morning right now. We could get some. Some more stormy weather later today. It is warm, another heat advisory. Well, then at least it'll be really humid. Oh, yeah. That it will be. I mean, you know, for a long time before this current stretch hit, we had some great weather, and it was not humid. It just felt really good. It was warm, but it felt good. Because it was so damn windy every day. It's the windiest spring I've seen in a long time. But when you add that humidity to it, it feels a little different. And that storm yesterday.

caused some problems for multiple boats near Bell Isle. The Detroit Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene about 7.30 last night. Those storms kind of moved through Wayne County, and officials say high winds and fast-moving weather flipped several vessels, sending 12 people plunging into the water. In total, 20 people were stranded on seven different sailboats. According to authorities, all 12 people were successfully pulled from the river. Another six boaters, they managed to get back to shore, not being assisted. And there were no serious injuries, no deaths. So it turned out, it could have been a lot worse. Yeah, I'm still shocked 20 people. That's a lot of people. Absolutely. For a very quick storm, too. Very fast-moving storm. Also, a 10-day strike that threatened to cripple production at General Motors' most profitable trucks. May soon be over, the UAW announcing a tentative agreement with American Axel in Three Rivers highlighting the deal is a major wage hike, setting the new minimum shop floor pay at $30 an hour, reversing concessions made during the 2008 recession. The contract also guarantees steady health care premiums, extra holidays, and a $2,000 ratification bonus. About 1,000 workers walked out on May 31st, impacting parts for heavy-duty Chevy Silveradoes and... GMC Sierra's union members will now review the details before casting that final ratification vote to return to work. Well, it's good news they get this buttoned up. The auto industry does not need any more pressures than what we've got already. Absolutely. The city of Detroit has lost its battle against the U.S. Census Bureau over how the federal government counts its residents. A federal judge denied Detroit's motion to block the Bureau's controversial county cap rule. City officials argue that the rule systematically undercounts Detroit by artificially deflating city population numbers to fit lower. County estimates, costing the city vital federal funding. Despite the loss, though, the city did win a major concession, forcing the Bureau to stop penalizing Detroit's numbers when abandoned homes are demolished. Even with the disputed formula, last estimates show Detroit's population grew to over 649,000 residents in 2025, marking its third consecutive. year of growth. A lot of people don't understand that a lot of federal funding is tied to population and Detroit's been pretty flat in revenues. We need the extra dollars here. Federal testing data released yesterday shows U.S. math scores for 9 and 13 year olds remain below levels seen. A decade ago, raising concerns about long-term academic and economic impacts. The results come from the National Assessment of Education Progress long-term trend exam, which tracks student performance over decades. While nine-year-olds showed slight improvement in math and reading, scores for 13-year-olds have largely stagnated since 2012 with little chains.

Since the last assessment in 2023, education officials say the lack of progress among middle school students is particularly troubling with experts warning it could translate into lower lifetime earnings and workforce shortages in key industries like health care and technology and manufacturing. Researchers also estimate the broader economic impact could reach trillions of dollars and lost productivity over time. Officials say the data shows the challenge is no longer. just pandemic-related, but part of a longer-term trend affecting student achievement nationwide. Given dramatic increases and per-people funding for public education, it is very disheartening that we are not seeing results from that additional dedication to resources. Things are flatlining at best and deteriorating at worst. Michigan State University Trustee Urima Vassar threatening to sue the university alleging years of discrimination in civil rights violations by the board and administration in a pre-litigation demand letter that was obtained through a public records request. Vassar's attorney claims the university and fellow trustees violated her First Amendment and due process rights and failed to follow board policy and actions taken against her. The letter sent May 17th gives MSU until June 17th to respond or face a federal lawsuit. that could seek undisclosed damages, reimbursement of legal fees, potentially exceeding $25 million, and restoration of trustee benefits that she lost after refusing to sign the revised code of conduct. Vassar, a former board chair, has been a controversial figure on the MSU Board of Trustees, previously facing investigations and internal disputes over ethics and governance. MSU has not publicly responded to the latest demand, and the university is navigating some leadership changes right now. They're searching for their next president. You know, I don't agree with MSU's actions trying to silence a duly elected trustee, but the reality is that she was targeted not for who she is, but how she's behaved. And she has been corrosive on that board. She's been a real liability for the university. And she's largely responsible for Kevin Guskowitz leaving Michigan State, taking an $800,000 pay cut to go to Clemson. A federal jury has indicted eight people in connection with what prosecutors described as a coordinated campaign of threats, intimidation, and vandalism targeting Jewish institutions, the University of Michigan, and law enforcement officials. The U.S. Department of Justice says the alleged activity included online and in-person threats, property damage, and intimidation tied to perceive financial support of Israel following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. Prosecutors also alleged discussions of extreme methods of harm in efforts to intimidate witnesses. The defendants include eight individuals from Michigan and other states, mostly in their 20s, with four from Ann Arbor. FBI raids were carried out Nipsilani earlier this week, and U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon called the conduct anti-American, saying intimidation will be met with justice. The case remains under federal review. Yeah, it's terrifying how anti-Semitism has grown in the United States, particularly among younger people.

The city of Mackinac Island, along with the Earnold Transit Company and Sheppler's Mackinall Island ferry, have agreed to intermediation as they work toward a long-term agreement on ferry service beyond 2027. The move was announced by the Fair Access to Mackinac Island Coalition, which says it is encouraged. Both sides are coming to the table to pursue a fair and stable solution for residents and visitors. Ferry service will continue during the 2026 season. While discussions focused on pricing, operations, and future access to the island, the companies involved say their priority remains providing safe, reliable, and affordable transportation to Mackinac Island. The mediation comes after recent state legislation gave island voters a potential role in regulatory ferry operations, including fares and related fees as negotiations continue between the city and ferry operators. You know, one of the cool things about Mackinac throughout history is it's been accessible to just about everybody, no matter where you are. Oh, yeah. Socioeconomics of our state. And one of the troubling things over the last few years is as private equity has gobbled up the Grand Hotel and Mission Point and other things, including the ferries. It's getting cost prohibitive. for an average income family to go to Mackinac anymore. I mean, I think the ferry, just that alone, is, I think, doubled in the last few years. It has. It's going to become a playground for the rich, and most people aren't going to be able to access it anymore. And the biggest tournament in sports is officially underway. 2026 FIFA World Cup has kicked off with a record-breaking 48 teams competing across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Co-host Mexico faced South Africa in Mexico City to launch the historic 104-match tournament. which will wrap up with the final in New Jersey on July 19th. A lot of people are going to be watching it here, a lot of places to watch it, and it'll be on TV as well. Fox is going to be carrying all the games, and so we'll be checking out FIFA. Maybe I'll watch a game. Coming up, we're going to be talking to someone that you know who had a relative have an issue with a particular drug that sold at gas station. I didn't know anything about Kratum until... Lindsey Palserock's sister had issues, and Lindsay's going to talk about that. All right. Lindsay's coming up next at 819, J.R. Morning. Welcome back to J.R. Morning on a Thursday, and across Michigan, Kratom is being sold openly in gas stations and convenience stores, often marketed as this natural energy or wellness product. But for some families, the consequences have been devastating. Advocates say what looks harmless on the shelf can quickly lead to dependence, withdrawal, and serious health risk, sparking a growing push for legislative action in Lansing. And joining us now is Michigan Policy Advocate Lindsay Palsrock, who has a deeply personal connection to this issue and is calling for urgent reform. Lindsay is good to have you. Thanks for being here. Thank you so much. Your perspective on Kratum comes from both personal experience and policy work. How did these two worlds kind of collide for you and when did you realize this needed to become a public issue for you?

Yeah, thank you. And that's right. It is personal in both in my career sense of being a policy advocate in Michigan as well as what my family experience. About three years ago, my only sister got extraordinarily ill mentally and physically in the point where our family was really in crisis. And we learned that her addiction withdrawals that she was going through and physical symptoms were from an unregulated product called Kratum. In this point in time, it was a brand called Feel Free that you can buy at any gas station. And it was unbelievable to realize that something that now up to 50 times stronger than morphine is sitting on the counters of gas stations, liquor stores, smoke shops in Michigan, and no one's doing anything about it. So at that point in time, I really dug in to do the research about what other states had done, what the feds are doing, and where we are in Michigan. And it was pretty appalled, and now I'm going to talk to anyone and everyone. to tell them about it to make sure we can get something happening here. Lindsay, Jason Crow, thank you for being on with us this morning and sharing this story. I'd never even heard of Kratum until I read your op-ed in Bridge, Michigan a few months ago and know that Speaker Matt Hall has been a champion and helped get legislation through the House. How is it, one, that it's not regulated, and how is it that the Senate has not passed this legislation? I know there's other Midwestern states that have banned Kratom, but you and I are both... parents of teenage boys and I'm kind of terrified to know that they would be able to go into a gas station and access something like this. Yeah, Jason, I mean, those are great questions, but the answers are pretty unsatisfying. Number one, I'd say this is a, because people like you and I haven't heard of this, the industry has gotten really far ahead in terms of misinformation and deception. So not only that there's no awareness, but then they're often getting misinformation. Again, my sister who eats organic and uses glass instead of plastic, you know. She was being micro-targeted as someone that would be using this as a wellness, you know, alternative to other, to pharmaceuticals or whatever, things around natural energy, et cetera. So, and frankly, something like bath salts, what we know used to be in the same place on the gas station shelves and has been banned. There was a big event that happened. You know, somebody, a guy ate someone's face on bath salts, right? And then there was outrage. And it was dealt with immediately. Well, Kratum has had kind of a slower, longer burn of people suffering and dying and becoming addicted. And your question about the Senate.

I don't know the answer, Jason, but I think, unfortunately, this partisan gridlock has so desensitized everyone to kind of what should be the basic mom and apple pie. Like, everyone agrees with this. This is not partisan type of issue. That there's complacency in just letting it sit just because the Republican House passed this bill. Industry supporters. you know, argue that regulation and not prohibition is the answer. And from your perspective, is there a version of regulation that would ever be strong enough to protect consumer? I'll say this. In general, when industry shows up with some policy ideas to regulate themselves, you know, to ask a lot of questions. But. The reality is that this is, again, we've got products and alkaloids and now hyperconcentrates that are up to 50 times stronger than morphine over the counter. And you've got a gas station attendant selling it to you, by the way, not a pharmacist. We have to take a massive pause. Could there be any redeemable qualities about Kratum and its use in the future after real studies, actual human trials? Maybe. But in the meantime, you don't just let... Average people walk in and legally become accidentally addicted or overdose on a product that we know enough to know is really harmful and deadly. So I think a ban is absolutely where municipalities and other states are going. It's where we need to go. I think that's it. Well, I think it's remarkable that something as potent as this is sold over the counter. I mean, to me, it would be the kind of thing. If it has a real use to help with pain management as the advocates of Kratum have represented, you think it would be something that would be prescribed by a doctor. I don't know a lot of people that when... looking for pain management, go to their local mobile station to buy Kratum. So it really is remarkable. I mean, you talk to legislators. You're a very respected voice in Lansing, you know, former executive at the Detroit Chamber and business leaders of Michigan. I mean, what do legislators tell you that are not supportive of the ban or at least regulating? Well, unfortunately, most of them who are not supportive won't talk to me. And that's a problem. And what's that telling you? What does that tell you? Right. And I really just urge others who have either had experience with this. I mean, this is a very hard thing for families because there's a lot of shame involved because my poor sister tried to detox herself probably 10 times before she ever even came out and told us what was happening. Because who wants to be accidentally addicted to something at the gas station? And that's, you know, she has to now through full heroin oxy protocols at detox at the psych hospital. I mean, that's insane, right? We've got to talk about it. We need more voices. It can't just be me. You know, I have a lot of friends, but not everybody likes me. That's okay. But this is kind of a fact-based stuff. But to your point, Jason, I just say there's very few arguments for keeping this stuff around. Well, it helps pain. Again, you've got to see your doctor, not your gas station. Well, it helps me get off heroin.

It actually doesn't. And no recovery or mental health person would ever say that. You end up in detox for Kratum alone then. Great, you know. But lastly, we'll go to the black market. And I say send Kratum to the black market. What is so devastating here is the access plus the deception that lulls all these people into thinking this must be okay. And it's devastating. So, yeah, the Senate needs to act. This is a crisis and we don't have a lot more time. What can listeners do to help? Well, they can Google contact your senator in Michigan. Right up there, you put in your address, it'll populate and show you who your senator is. And we've got to move forward having hearings and actual discussions about this in the Senate, but really it's an urgent issue. So ideally just please contact your senator and ask them to ban cratum. And if we want to study this and the FDA wants to look at it, which right now they say. Just a bunch of warnings about how harmful it is. Great. But right now, we've got to put a pause button on the sick, the sickness, the addiction, and the death related to Kratum in Michigan. Michigan policy advocate, Lindsay Pazerock. We appreciate you coming on, giving us this information, and hope your sister's doing better. And thank you so much for being here. She's doing great. Thank you so much. All right. Yeah, this is something has to be done. You shouldn't go to the gas station to get on something that gets you hooked. I don't even know how this is hard. Absolutely. It shouldn't even be hard. Mark Hollis is going to join us next. Talk about the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Good morning, Lloyd. Good morning, sir. What do you got plan this weekend? This weekend is going to be a party for me. Do tell. This weekend. My birthday was June 4th. 70th? 60th. Oh, okay. 60. And so we're going to have a little party this weekend, a 70s, 80s party. Damn. So you either come dressed 70s or come dressed 80s and we'll be listening to 70s and 80s. That is two good decades of style. Oh, man. That's, you know, that's just fun. And, you know, both of those decades were... were mine and my older brothers and sisters and, you know, and the music that they played that I listened to as a kid and then in the 80s and I'm in high school and, you know, I'm listening to some of that. So it's just, you know, and the thing is my kids who are grown now, you know, were born and, you know, my oldest son was born in the late 80s and then my other two kids were born in the 90s. They listen to the 70s and 80s music. They may listen to some of the music that's out now. They really don't care. They like that. My 16-year-old knows a lot of 70s and 80s music. Sure, because that's probably music that you play that they hear. And, you know, I think my kids just have old souls. Well, you know, I also think about when we were growing up, we didn't have as many musical options. I mean, the radio didn't play these things. True. I've told you before, I used to.

I grew up in Lansing, I used to drive to Brighton Saturday nights with my boombox to tape the electrifying mojo and the wizard on WJLB, W-J-L-B, W-H-Y-T. Oh, yeah. But think now at this age, like, that's another 50-plus years of music that our kids will be exposed to that, you know, we were not. We weren't raised with that kind of musical options. No, definitely, definitely not. And just the way you get music now for days compared to, you know. the streaming and you know kids are used to that but you don't have you don't have that high-fi anymore oh you know i do it just sits there it's kind of like a piece of furniture there i do but it's it's not the same uh for me you know i i loved going into the music stores and you know oh yeah rummaging through the albums recastow oh exactly the 45s and everything that well the eight tracks because you know i was around with my dad would take us on trips and you know we were talking about the group chicago earlier those are trip songs that my father would play on the eight track while we were on the road that was usually you know your 11 11 uh 8 tracks for a penny from columbia house for columbia house and we all had the same 11 too because there weren't that many choices no it wasn't and you probably sent in that penny and you probably never did send in anything else sending a lot of penny yes um Sports in the sports realm, FIFA begins today. Everybody's been talking about it. Finally gets underway today. The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off with this record-breaking 48 teams competing across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Co-host Mexico-face South Africa in Mexico City to launch this historic 104-match tournament. which will wrap up with the final in New Jersey on July 19th. So soccer fans here in Detroit, because they are a lot. They can catch the action at several local hotspots, including a massive kickoff party that's going to be at the Breitman downtown. Patio viewing will be at Sean O. Callahan's and Plymouth and match events at Shang Mai in Farmington Hills and just about any other sports bar that you go into. They're going to have FIFA. It's going to be on Fox and you can watch it at home if you like. All the games will be there so you can catch it. And it's a really big having all of these different countries and different places playing. Well, it's pretty amazing when you see how spread across the entire country these teams are lodging for these. for these competitions. How is the U.S. men's team expected to fare? I believe they're playing, it's either tonight or tomorrow night against Paraguay, I think. From what I understand, they seem to be a good team in doing well. Now, I was watching TV this morning, and they had the flag for Paraguay and the flag for... the United States and they had puppies, you know, determining, you know, which one would be back. The puppies didn't go towards the United States very much. So I don't know what that means. I'm just saying, you know. I think I'd rather watch puppies than soccer. Oh, my God. And last night, I mean, it's just really historic. I mean, even if you were not a...

basketball fan. If you watched this game last night to see how it ended. Now, maybe during the actual game, it probably wasn't too much to look out, you know, because people were, you know, the Knicks were just getting beat down. But it was like a record-breaking comeback in the finals. The New York Knicks rallied from 29 points down. The largest comeback in finals history. They beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106, the hero of the night OG. Anobi, who capped off this 33-point performance by executing a clutch, chase-down block, followed by a game-winning right-handed tip-in with just 1.2 seconds left on the clock. The miraculous Game 4 victory at Madison Square Garden gives the next commanding 3-1 series lead. Finals goes back to San Antonio on Saturday. They could win it all on Saturday. New York would be crazy. They have not won a championship since 1973. And the Pistons can beat these Knicks. Yes, they beat them three times during the regular season. And we should have beat them last year. If we were healthy, we had been national champs last year. Definitely. So who's on the line with us right now? Jason. Oh, we got Mark Hollis here to talk about the Rocket Mortgage Classic coming up. This is, I think, one of the funnest things that we have in Metro Detroit's had to see that this will be the last year. But Mark, welcome. Tell us what to expect and who we're going to see out there golfing this year. Well, it's great to be with you, Jason, and I apologize. Lloyd called and he wanted a little extra time to talk about the next. You just tell it all my secrets. I held off a little bit on timing. Give me some time, Mark. We are really excited about the 26 Rocket Classic going to be the best field that we've had in our history, eight years here in Detroit. Some of the fun things we've done is new parking locations out at Lawrence Tech and Oakland Mall. It makes it a lot more convenient for folks coming in. Ticket prices are among the most affordable on the PGA tour. That's the decision we made. quite some time. And as you mentioned, while this is the final edition of the Rocket Classic here at the Detroit Golf Club, there's so much that's been accomplished with this event over the years, $10 million changing the digital inclusion equation here in the city of Detroit as well as helping a lot of youth groups from College Caribbean or Midnight Golf, First T, Detroit, Pal. It's been fun to be part of this, and in no way are we stepping back from Detroit. There's a lot more great things to do. And Rock Entertainment Group and Rocket, of course, our leader, Dan Gilbert, we're all fired up and ready to keep this city thriving. And Mark, you know, the original mission was to put a national spotlight on the city of Detroit. You feel that mission has been fully achieved? Yeah, I've stated, you know, right up front that between the Detroit Grand Prix and the Rocket Classic, it's the reason we got the NFL draft. It's the reason we got the final four. It was kind of the start of the resurgence of big sporting events being in Detroit. And while professional golf is going through a lot of changes, I think it's time for us to step back and pause and the leadership with Rocket and everyone else agrees that.

There's so much to accomplish here. You look at when this event started in 2019 and what's happened with the city and that CBS spotlight has really helped. And it's brought other events to Detroit in a big way. Tell us about some of the golfers we'll see out there this year. Well, we have our media day. We've announced six of them already, but we have our media day. We're going to have a really big announcement about something we're doing downtown that's going to be a lot of fun and capture some attention. But Cam Young, he's ranked third in the world. You've got Ricky Fowler, of course, who comes back every year, Tony Fienow, who's a fan favorite. You've got Russell Henley, who's ranked eighth in the world. Zander Shoffley, who's... right around 10. So you've got some of the biggest names that are coming in. The beauty of the event is it's now later. It's usually right around the 4th of July or the last week of June. We're now toward the last week of July, July 30th to August 2nd. Better for people that live here because of the desire to go up north around that 4th of July time, whether you have a place or not. But also for players, you're going to see a lot of players dropping in the last couple of weeks. as they're trying to pick up those coveted FedEx Cup points to either get in the FedEx Cup playoffs, which start two weeks later, or stay in with the top 70 making the field. And, Mark, you know, the one thing I just really love about the tournament, and I think you mentioned this, is the way the tournament gave back, and it gives back to the season, bridging that digital divide, which was so very important, and it really made a difference. It really is. And that's the core. As you look at what Dan Sullivan done across many programs, not just a Rocket Classic, what he is provided for the city and will continue to provide is remarkable. I don't know of another individual that has done so much and cares so much about every resident, about every visitor that comes to the city. And that's the beauty of what this event did for the eight years of its existence. We're going to hit it with a really big pop this year and make it the best rocket classic Detroit's ever seen. And, you know, a celebration, a party of such, you know, good things start, good things end. And yet there's going to be something right on the tail that's going to pick up the pieces. Mark Hollis, Rocky Morgan's Classic Tournament Director, also host of JR Sunday on WJR. We appreciate you being here, buddy. And I'm a big fan of Jason. My dad was a lobbyist for McComb's schools, and I love his insight. I just sit back and I learn something every day. If you can't have Chris Renwick, you better have Jason. Uh-huh. See, you took that call from Jason for you to say that, too. I know how that worked. Okay. All right, Mark, have a good, everybody. See you later. All right. Coming up, we have a WJR sweet deal for you from Guernsey Farms Dairy. We'll talk to someone from there, 849, that sweet deal coming up next on JR morning.

Welcome back to JR morning. It's a classic Michigan summer tradition, family outings, ice cream cones, hometown favorites, and now there's a special way for listeners to enjoy it all while saving a little money. Starting today at 9, WJR and Guernsey Farms Dairy launching a sweet deal. $50 gift card available for just $25. Good at the Northville Scoop Shop and restaurant. And joining us now is Joe Kenville with Guernsey Farms Dairy to talk about the deal. Joe, good to talk with you. Yes, good morning, fellas. Happy Thursday, too, yeah. Oh, man, I can't wait, man, to get a little bit of that ice cream. This sweet deal, boy, and this partnership with JR, man, it's a really good deal. $25, listeners get $50 gift card. Go a lot with that. Heck, yeah, it's a great deal, especially with this warm weather and the humidity, nothing better than a nice scoop of ice cream or a lemonade or a chocolate milk to start the summer off right. Joe, your third generation owner. How did Guernsey Farms get started? What's the history? Well, we're coming up on 90 years of being in business. My grandparents started the dairy in 1940. They had 14 kids. All 14 were a part of it at some point. Today, my mom, who is the youngest of that generation, is the only one left still working. And then it's me and my brother and a couple cousins taking it over. Yeah, trying to be here for another 90 years. So very much still family owned and operated. That's very important to who we are. And are any of you lactose intolerant? No, I don't think that that would be a, it's definitely a job requirement that you got to enjoy dairy products. And you know, you got everything from like this award-winning ice cream, you got chocolate milk, lemonade that's, you know, known even on Mackinac Island. I mean, what's the secret behind that keeping quality so consistent across all of these different products you have? It really starts at the source. So just like everything else, good quality raw ingredients is what makes us successful. So we buy milk from a farm in Grand Rapids. They do a fantastic job. So we're bringing in a really quality raw milk. And then from there, just our process of trying to keep things as fresh as possible. We really are able to get milk out of a cow. pasteurized package and on a shelf in just about a 24-hour period. So there's a lot of things that go into it and it's a lot of hard work, but we're happy to do it and we're happy to serve our community.

Well, Joe, we want to remind listeners starting at 9 a.m. You can go on wjr.com, WJR and Guernsey Farms Dairy, launching the sweet deal, a $50 gift card available for just $25. You cannot beat it. It is hot outside. You want some ice cream, some good lemonade, some good chocolate milk. This is the time to get this gift card and really shop and have a good time. Joe Kenville with Guernsey Farms Dairy. We appreciate you coming on. Thanks for the sweet deal. Absolutely. Thank you guys so much. All right. Have a good one. It is a sweet deal, especially today. So what are your plans today? You're going to take a road trip, aren't you? I am about to jump in the car and spend eight hours driving to Baltimore for a lacrosse tournament. Oh, man. 95 degrees in Baltimore this weekend. So I got my tank top and my speedo for the side. Okay. You got that visual, everybody? You got it. Oh, man. Jason Crow, good to have you, buddy. Thanks for having me. Love you having me. My friend Matt Elliott's going to be on tomorrow. Tell him hello. He's got a book coming out, The Power of And. He's a great human being. Okay. We're going to look forward to that. All talk is next.