The economy. Immigration. Reproductive rights.

These are just a few of the issues presidential candidates regularly raise while campaigning in the battleground state of Michigan.

But how are they playing with the state’s electorate?

Voters in the metro Detroit region mirror some of those same concerns. Yet some have other policies they’d like to see addressed — and a wide range of views on which a potential new occupant of the White House might be the best one to take those issues on.

The economy 

For Keith Rowe, housing is the name of his game. He works in the mortgage industry and finds his sales hinge on having what he calls a “healthy” economy.

“It’s been absolutely brutal compared to five or six years ago, putting mortgage loans out for people, homes being absolutely unaffordable,” Rowe said.

He blames government regulation.

“It tends to choke the life out of business with fees and unnecessary oversight and rules that really get in the way of the people that it was meant to protect,” Rowe said.

Voter Ricardo Copeland claims it’s not just the government regulations, it’s the political party in charge of making them.

“As soon as the Democrats got in office, that’s when everything shot up,” he said.

Selling items at a recent Trump rally in Warren, Copeland praised the Republican presidential nominees’ plan to cut corporate taxes.

“You don’t tax the rich, you give the rich tax breaks. That’s when everything comes down. You don’t tax the bakers, you don’t tax the farmers, you don’t tax General Motors. Because McDonald’s is not going to take the hit. They’re going to put it on their Happy Meal, they’re going to put that on the consumer. Give them tax breaks. They hire people.”

Detroit senior Ayanna Johnson is not worried about being hired. She says she lives off of Social Security. And she’s worried about losing it under a new Republican administration.

“Trump gets in office and he’s talking about taking it away. What are people going to do? Where they’re going to go? I’m a lot leery,” she said.

Johnson adds that, in her opinion, the former president should not even be in the current election conversation.

“I think those ‘powers that be’ have gotten scared of Trump. He should be in jail. He got convicted. He incited that riot on Jan. 6. That’s unheard of,” she said. “We have protests, we have issues. But nobody as long as I can remember has ever done something like that in the nation’s capitol.”

Back at the Trump rally in Warren, William Going recites the GOP candidate’s pledge to “Drill baby drill” for fossil fuels in the U.S.

Going attributes the high price of groceries in gas to the Biden administration’s push for more clean energy sources.

“I would love to see where we’re actually exporting oil instead of importing oil. That’s why gas was so cheap when Trump was president,” Going said. “And then shipping costs, that’s the gas price again. If gas goes up, shipping goes up. If shipping goes up, the cost of items goes up. If the cost of items goes up, the cost of labor goes up. It’s not rocket science.”

Small business

“It seems like the more I make, the less I’m getting,” said Delano Shorter, who owns a small cleaning business.

He says he’s not just dealing with high prices at the grocery store, he’s fighting to keep his company from going under.

“Inflation is out of control. Even after they say that it’s going down, it’s not. These prices for cleaning supplies go up more and more, every year. With it being more expensive, I have to charge my clients more because of the inflation of my products that I’ll have to use,” Shorter said.

But beautician Christina Brothern sees a silver lining for her salon business in the policies Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris promises to pursue.

“She’s about small businesses. She’s about people and not just organizations. She’s about your health. My daughter is pre-diabetic. Kamala’s about insulin, about helping the people that can’t afford it because it’s so expensive. She’s about helping the people, the minorities that don’t make that much money, actually live,” she said.

Immigration and war

Clarkston resident Anna Johnson originally came to Michigan from Mexico.

She says she applauds Trump’s vow to launch a massive deportation effort if he regains the White House.

“I came to this country legally. I follow the steps. I pay money to become a legal citizen,” Johnson said. “And when I see on the TV, literally, an open border, that just breaks my heart. It’s almost like a slap on the face to me. I have to follow the procedures, I have to fill out the forms, go through clearance to make sure that I was a good person, a safe person to be living in this country.”

Housing specialist Alex Alexander also has her eyes on what’s happening outside the U.S.

She says for her, it’s the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon swaying her vote.

And Alexander says she’s not happy with either the response by the U.S. to the situation or the pledges made along the presidential campaign trail.

“I was hoping to have some candidates that were a little bit more pro-Palestinian,” Alexander said. “In my opinion, Kamala Harris had a shining perfect storm opportunity to be in opposition to the war, or at least opposition to sending resources to Israel, right as she got the nomination. And she didn’t, which means that her interests lie elsewhere. I’m not a huge fan of that.”

At a gas station in Roseville, a man who gives his name only as Billy Bee says he’s equally unhappy.

But he’s concerned about protests over the Biden administration’s support for Israel, even though he says he has relatives that have been displaced because of the ongoing warfare.

“All these people protesting amounts to nothing at the end of the day,” he said. “I tell my own people from Lebanon that if you don’t like it, then leave (the U.S.) Bring me a Palestinian that can point out which life one of the protesters saved. There’s nothing.”

Detroiter Savannah Robbins disagrees.

She says her top issues are the conflict in Gaza and whether Donald Trump becomes the future architect of U.S. policy in the region.

“I fear Donald Trump being president again and what that would do to our democracy,” Robbins said. “Women’s right to choose abortion access, trans people’s right to health care, I’m worried about all of it. I feel like Donald Trump is intent on destroying democracy one step at a time, whether it’s him or it’s the masterminds behind Project 2025.”

The road to uncertainty

Along Detroit’s Woodward Avenue, Uber driver Dennis Custovic guides his car over several potholes.

He says his conversations with passengers convinced him there’s an especially rough road for one particular segment of the U.S. populace.

“My major issue right now is we have more poor people than ever. I talk to people all the time and we need to help the poor in any type of way, affordable housing, getting better pay, secure jobs. It’s kind of like a hit or miss,” he said.

Custovic’s hands tightened on his steering wheel just a bit as he considered which of the major party contenders for the White House might best address poverty.

“You’ve got a vice president mentioning the middle class, that she is from the middle class. So many promises, but nothing is happening under Biden. And she’s in the chair, she’s the vice president. She should be more aware of what can be done,” he said.

Custovic frowned as he navigated both the traffic and his choices for president.

“And then on the other side, you have Trump. He is a businessman but he’s a silly fellow. At the same time, I’m kind of scared of him. Why? Because he say things that don’t make no sense. In many occasions he’s attacking certain groups of people. So I don’t really know. You know, it’s tough. It’s tough.”

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The latest polling continues to show a statistical dead-heat in the presidential race across political battleground states like Michigan.

Surveys also reveal the chief concern for most voters remains the state of the economy and the high cost of living.

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have each touted their vision for the economy during recent campaign stops in Michigan.

At a town hall in Warren last Friday, former Trump claimed he would use a combination of tariffs and corporate tax breaks to protect U.S. jobs.

“You have to elect a person with business talent and common sense, and this whole thing is going to turn around very quickly,” Trump said.

Trump also made a stop at FALK, a manufacturing company in West Michigan, to promote his economic recovery plan. Harris counters that Trump’s tax plan could push the economy towards a recession.

At a recent town hall in Oakland County with Oprah Winfrey, Harris said she will work to stop what she calls “price gouging” by companies, and provide loans for small business start-ups and first-time home buyers.

One of the signature accomplishments of Trump’s term was the U.S. Mexico-Canada trade agreement that replaced NAFTA — a deal United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain says is bad for autoworkers.

“Donald Trump wants to spin this that he fixed NAFTA. He didn’t fix anything. He made it worse,” Fain said. “The deficits and the trade imbalance grew worse under Trump’s NAFTA.”

A report by the U.S. Department of Commerce showed that the yearly trade deficit increased by about $200 billion from 2016 to 2020.

In a statement released last Thursday, Harris said she wanted a full review of the deal when it comes up in 2026.

Drumming up union support

Winning over auto workers — and union members — has been a top priority for both Harris and Trump during the 2024 election cycle.

Many unions — including the United Auto Workers — have endorsed Harris, though strong support for Trump by the Teamsters’ rank-and-file likely led to the leadership deciding not to make an endorsement. The inaction has been celebrated as a win for the Trump campaign.

Trump — and other Republicans — have referred to federal environmental rules surrounding fuel economy standards as an “electric vehicle mandate”.

That’s something that rankles Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters.

“Well, let’s be clear, there’s not a mandate on electric vehicles. People will be free to choose the vehicles that they would like, but we also have to make electric vehicles because we are in global competition for the next generation of vehicles and the future of the auto industry, which is electric,” Peters said.

A study from J.D. Power and Associates found EV sales make up about 9% of all new cars and trucks sold in the U.S.

And a recent report from NPR showed that the Americans who are most skeptical about the environmental benefits of EVs, also tend to be the people who worry the least about the climate.

Trump has stated that EVs will kill the American auto industry — though he did soften his stance a bit after being supported by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. During Friday’s town hall event, Trump vowed to increase the use of oil and gas reserves and levy heavy tariffs on foreign products to help drive energy costs down.

A new study published this week found people with asthma have an especially hard time breathing properly in Detroit.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America rated the Motor City the third worst municipality in the nation for those who routinely need to use an inhaler or nebulizer.

The foundations’ president, Kenneth Mendez, says the group weighed how many people in a city have asthma, how frequently people die from it and the number of times the condition drives residents to visit an emergency room.

“Detroit ranks high in those three areas and that’s one of the reasons why it’s No. 3 on the list.”

– Kenneth Mendez, president of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Listen: New report ranks Detroit as third worst city in U.S. for those with asthma

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Kenneth Mendez: Detroit ranks high in those three areas and that’s one of the reasons why it’s No. 3 on the list. There’s social determinants of health, there’s family origins related to it, but certainly it really hits communities of color. Black Americans are three times more likely to be diagnosed with asthma, five times more likely to be treated in an emergency room. And Black women have the highest mortality rate of any gender or ethnic group. So those factors really are emblematic of things that we need to do in order to better control our asthma and work with our doctors.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Are those demographic groups especially at risk because they have less access to good health care? Or because the factories or whatever might produce pollution that could exacerbate asthma happen to be based in communities of color or poorer areas?

KM: There are a number of factors that go into it. Clearly, your zip code, where you live, has an impact. You can tell how long someone’s gonna live from that. But access to care, additional pollution in certain areas is a trigger for asthma. People in some communities can’t afford to live in areas that do not have high levels of pollution. Those are the kinds of things that go into asthma exacerbation and triggers if you have asthma.

QK: Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Talib, for one, has long pushed to get the Environmental Protection Agency to take into account the cumulative impact of pollution in a given area if they’re going to issue a permit through the Clean Air or Clean Water Acts. If that kind of legislation was passed, do you think it would really make a difference?

KM: Let me break that into two pieces. One is, I think the laws and policies will help. The EPA has come out with a “tailpipe rule” to reduce emissions from light trucks and cars, which are significant contributors to bad air and carbon dioxide. So I think having pieces of legislation passed, whether they’re at the federal or at the state level, can be very helpful to those with asthma. For example, in local communities, you can have an idling rule on school grounds basically saying when people are picking up their children, they shouldn’t have their cars idling. Reducing those kind of tailpipe emissions can go a long way towards helping people with asthma and allergies, in particular in some of those communities that are disproportionately impacted.

In the big picture, the longer growing seasons, the additional carbon dioxide, all those things have an impact on allergies. And allergies are a trigger for asthma. Those are the things that through federal policies and legislation we can try and eliminate. The Inflation Reduction Act clearly had some incentives to reduce pollution and try and amplify clean energy alternatives. So those kinds of things can make a difference. Climate change, with the longer growing seasons, more intense releases of pollen because of carbon dioxide, are all triggers for allergies and asthma. A lot of people say, ‘I’ve never had allergies before. They’re getting a lot worse.’ And that’s because of the additional load on your system from those triggers. We need to reduce our carbon footprint. That will go a long way towards reducing asthma and allergies.

One of the worst parts of World War II is coming to metro Detroit this month. And it’s scheduled to keep coming into January.

Each week about 25 semi-trucks will haul low-level radioactive waste from New York to a disposal site in Wayne County’s Van Buren township.

It’s by-products from the Manhattan Project, which created the atomic bombs dropped in Japan that ended World War II.

It’s also the latest in a series of toxic material shipments sent to Michigan raising concerns among some members of Congress and other officials.

That includes Wayne County Executive Warren Evans. He says there’s a disconnect between federal agencies that regulate hazardous waste, the company that owns the Van Buren disposal site and Michigan’s government.

“It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material.”

-Wayne County Executive Warren Evans

Listen: Warren Evans on toxic atomic waste coming to Wayne County

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Warren Evans: I don’t believe that they level with us about what they’re doing. My trust level for them is almost zero. And it doesn’t lead to good results or good communications back and forth. The only time we hear about these waste issues is when a reporter writes a story and we read about it and they become automatically defensive. I’m concerned about the lack of notice (that shipments are coming to Michigan.) That leads me to be concerned about the level of hazardous waste in the material and the amount that’s coming and how it’s being transported.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: The Army Corps of Engineers has said they’re not required to notify anybody if they’re sending waste to a facility that’s allowed to take those kinds of shipments, which the one in Van Buren is. So when you say you don’t think that they’re leveling with you, what do you think needs to be changed?

WE: They said they’re not “required” to. What the heck does that mean? Does it mean there’s a prohibition about doing it? They’re hiding behind a rule that doesn’t require them to do it. But good public policy does require them to do it, them or somebody, I think. Hiding behind a rule that doesn’t make you do it just tells me the rule doesn’t make any sense and you’re not concerned about the reaction of the public’s health concerns about this. If that’s the way you feel, then I’m troubled by the whole thing.

QK: You’ve had a couple of town hall meetings about this and other toxic waste that came from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. What are you hearing from residents about the situations?

WE: It’s real clear that residents don’t want it here. And what we hear from the federal agencies is how safe they claim to be and what the rules and federal regulations are. That’s not what people are asking for. They are asking for clear answers about why so much of it is coming here and just how safe is it? It’s troubling to me, because the agencies are answering questions in a very bureaucratic way. “This is regulation 207 and we’re required to do that.” It’s double-speak to me. People are asking about the health concerns that they have, the health concerns that they’re afraid of in the future. They are asking for solid, honest answers. Part of that would be alleviated if there was more discussion about the actual hazardous waste, the toxicity of it, how it’s being transported and how it is being kept in the landfill. That would help people determine whether the safety valves are there or not there. When you hear the agencies talk about it, they say they have a stellar track record for keeping us safe. And every year you hear about catastrophes that occur and violations that occur at these different waste treatment places. Those two notions don’t square in my mind or the minds of anybody else that has any sense.

QK: So you still have some concerns when state environmental officials say that they’ve tested this latest waste coming from the Manhattan Project, that it’s within the limits that the site is permitted to take? And there’s only seven similar sites in the country, so you just gotta grit your teeth and bear with it?

WE: Yeah but that doesn’t really make sense. There’s a significant amount of it that’s coming and there’s certainly no legal prohibition against dividing it into some different landfills. Why does it all have to come here? Particularly since the waste is rated at a level that would allow it to go to many other landfills — and many other landfills that are closer to New York than here. They can talk all day about how this landfill provides added security. But if the waste is rated low enough that it can go just about anywhere, then why don’t you send it just about anywhere?

QK: I have heard that it was somewhat cheaper to dispose of it in landfills here as opposed to other places. Have you heard that same reasoning?

WE: Absolutely. And I think that that, in and of itself, calls for a state solution. It appears to me that there are two solutions that we ought to be working on as a community. One is, we ought to act legislatively, get our legislature to refuse to take it. In other words, change the rules about Michigan being able to take the hazardous waste. That’s why it’s coming out of New York, New York won’t take it. That’s one option. That’s a pretty drastic one, but a significant one. The other one is to raise the tipping fees such that it is not so profitable for those who want to deliver the waste here. I think both of those are solutions that bear some close scrutiny and, I think, support.

There are many states that are less populated than Michigan. Wayne County is the largest by population county in the state of Michigan. It doesn’t make sense to me that we would be the location of choice so often for this toxic material. Nobody wants it. There’s no financial advantage to the county for accepting it. The disadvantages are creating a further health care risk. And we’re already rated poorly in the state of Michigan in terms of health indicators.

There likely was no busier man at last week’s Democratic National Convention than transplanted Michigander Pete Buttigieg.

The U.S. transportation secretary stresses he’s using his personal time to campaign for the Harris-Walz ticket — and he seemed to be the go-to spokesperson for the media.

Buttigieg, who was on the list of potential Harris running mates, is viewed by some pundits as a possible gubernatorial candidate when Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited out after 2026.

But Buttigieg says he’s focusing now on helping Democrats maintain the enthusiasm shown at the convention all the way through to Election Day.

Listen: Buttigieg says Dems will ‘bottle’ energy from DNC to propel presidential ticket

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Pete Buttigieg: We’ve got many, long weeks ahead. But what we’re going to do is we’re going to take the joy and the positive energy [from the convention], we’re going to bottle it up and we’re going to use it to propel us through the weeks ahead. Of course, on every campaign there are curveballs, there are setbacks. Although I do think it is notable that in the many weeks since Kamala Harris became our candidate, she hasn’t put a foot wrong. People kept saying, “Is this the honeymoon? You know, this is a few days, then it gets real.” The energy has been sustained. The momentum has been sustained. But as she keeps reminding us, we still need to remember that this is an underdog effort.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: Any concerns about the protests regarding Israel and Gaza at the convention and whether or not that could actually have a significant impact on the campaign going forward?

PB: That’s one more point of difference between us and the Trump-Vance ticket. Not just the approach she has, to bringing peace to the Middle East, but also the approach she’s bringing to engaging protesters and demonstrators. She’s reaching out to those parts of our party that are so concerned. Versus this idea you hear from Trump about basically turning the military on protesters. We understand the legitimate concerns of those who have spoken out and will continue to engage.

QK: When you talk to voters about what their number one issue is, there still seems to be a lot of worries about the economy. You obviously have a big background in the Midwest, as well as with issues like infrastructure and so on. What do you see that a Harris administration could do that a Trump administration would not, in terms of trying to help lower prices, etc?

PB: The biggest concern in the economy is around prices. And economists who have analyzed the Trump plan believe it will add $3,900 a year to a family’s expenses, because he wants to add all these additional charges (tariffs) on imported goods. You contrast that with the Harris plan that’s very focused on lowering costs. Also, if we want to talk about economic performance, let’s talk about jobs. There was a manufacturing recession under Trump, and that’s even before COVID. Right now, there’s a manufacturing boom the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. A construction boom as well, because the infrastructure policies that Trump failed to deliver, this administration has. These are the kinds of things that are explaining why you’ve had in these last few years the most job creation in any presidency in history. Now we’ve got to pair that with continued work to drive prices and inflation back to baseline. And that’s exactly what you’re seeing right now.

QK: How do you make voters feel that? I hear people recite the data and then people say, “Well, I’m not really feeling that in my own house.”

PB: We got to meet folks where they are. This is a real concern, you can’t wave it away. That’s exactly why Harris is being criticized now for being too aggressive in trying to bring prices down. But I think that’s the right kind of focus that demonstrates concern for what voters are feeling. We also, though, need to make sure that there’s no attempt to rewrite history and have people forget about the manufacturing recession and other problems that happened during the Trump years.

QK: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigned on “fixing the damn roads.” You’ve been a Michigan resident for a while now. She is term limited out after 2026. Would you think about running for governor yourself?

PB: I sincerely am not sure what the future holds for me. I’ve got the best job right now and, of course, I’m not speaking in that capacity. But I also am having the best time when I’m not at my day job, campaigning for a ticket and a party that I really believe in. Between the two, those things are taking about 120% of my capacity.

QK: Are you really having the best time? It’s so politically divided now it seems like it would just be hell at times to deal with from the inside.

PB: Well, look, it’s hard work, but it’s hard work that’s worth doing. I believe in politics as a force that, if you understand it in the right way, can make our lives better. As I shared with the convention audience, I recognize the fact that the simple existence of my family — just what goes on at our dinner table — is only possible because of political involvement, political courage and political action that brought about things like marriage equality. Whatever the biggest issue is that’s affecting somebody’s life, chances are it either gets better or worse depending on the political choices we make. Of course it’s hard. But that doesn’t mean it has to be a death match. And part of why I think Americans are ready to change the channel away from the Trump show, part of why folks are just more and more tired of that, is that most Americans don’t view the political process as something that has to be all about negativity and grievance and revenge. It can be a process of engaging our neighbors, and of course it’ll be tough sometimes, but it can also be really uplifting.

It’s really great speaking to the Michigan audience, in particular, because that’s where the infrastructure and the manufacturing results of the Biden-Harris vision are not just playing out, but very much at stake. The job creation and the clean energy economy that’s bringing back so many blue collar jobs in the industrial Midwest, that will either be developed or it will be destroyed, depending on who the next administration is led by. I want to make sure it’s developed so we create even more jobs.

Use the media player above to listen to the interview with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

President Biden personally thanked more than 100 members of the U.S. government earlier this month for their help in negotiating the recent prisoner exchange with Russia.

The massive deal brought Michigan native Paul Whelan back to the U.S after being held in Russia since the end of 2018 on charges of espionage that both he and federal officials say are bogus.

Some experts believe the exchange could set a model for how nations engage in such so-called “hostage diplomacy” in the future.

Northwestern University Assistant Professor Danielle Gilbert works with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on matters concerning wrongful detentions.

She says duplicating the kind of deal that gained Whelan’s release will not be easy.

Listen: Why the deal that freed Whelan, Gershkovich may be hard to duplicate

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Danielle Gilbert: These are extremely difficult negotiations. Not only are we talking about some of the fiercest adversaries that have to come to the table to come to an agreement in terms of the United States and Russia; but also the challenge of bringing together all of these other parties, getting other governments to agree to put their own prisoners on the line to participate in this complex multi-party swap. This was extremely advanced negotiation that took place at the highest levels of government over the course of quite some time. And that all of it was held as such a tight secret until the actual release was also pretty spectacular.

Quinn Klinefelter, WDET News: There are reports that Germany wanted Putin opponent Alexei Navalny as part of any deal that would include Whelan in exchange for a Russian assassin that was held by Germany. And then Navalny passed away a few days after the deal was supposedly struck. Yet it seemed Germany’s willingness to make a deal continued and that seemed to open the pathway to the eventual exchange. Does it surprise you that Germany would actually, finally partake in such an effort?

DG: Vladimir Putin and his government continually pushed for the release of Vadim Krasikov, the FSB assassin who was imprisoned in Germany for murder. But the United States government didn’t have the power to release Krasikov, that was something that was only up to Chancellor Scholz and the government of Germany. So that took some really difficult conversations behind the scenes. President Biden was drawing on the friendship and the alliance with Germany, speaking to Chancellor Scholz and representatives at the highest level of the German government. And not only about the importance of their alliance, their partnership and friendship with the U.S. and opposition to what Russia was doing in this particular case, but also ensuring that the ultimate deal — the prisoner swap — included Russian dissidents, political opponents to Vladimir Putin. That those people would be released from detention and they’d be able to come to Germany. Countries like the United States and its Western democratic partners and allies are being targeted by autocratic states like Russia.

QK: Beyond the number of nations involved in the swap, the sheer multitude of prisoners involved in the exchange seems to be far different from what one would normally think of in a hostage deal, which is sterotypically a one-for-one prisoner swap. Do you think similar hostage deals that could happen in the future are also likely going to have to include many, many more countries and in effect “enlarge the pie” of what is being offered in any exchange?

DG: It’s a great question. It remains to be seen. I think in past prisoner swaps with Russia, we really have seen that one-for-one dynamic. Russia wrongfully detains an American and they demand the specific release of a Russian who was arrested in the United States. And those deals, while they might be controversial, are about as straightforward as they can get in terms of prisoner swaps. This one (involving Whelan) was extremely complicated because of the number of countries involved, the number of prisoners, the complicated choreography. In an ideal world, the countries that are frequent targets of this kind of attack are going to start really working together to deter the practice going forward.

Read more: Family of Novi man released from Russian prison say they can finally exhale

QK: One of the criticisms of the exchange has been that it rewards Russia and by extension any other country that would follow suit for taking Americans hostage that the government believes could be used as trade bait. How do you think the U.S. can combat that kind of approach?

DG: That requires coordination among allies, drawing on the tools of the international system. How can they punish a state like Russia for engaging in this practice? There might be sanctions on hostage takers, it might result in prosecution or other means of drawing on a country’s own legal system. And thinking about ways to exclude Russia from the things that it might enjoy in the international system.

QK: The U.S. is already involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. There’s few other examples that would be testier for governments to be dealing with than an ongoing war. And yet this deal seems to have achieved Russia’s goals. So in the future would actions like sanctions be sufficient? Is there something else that countries can do to try to deter this type of hostage-taking?

DG: That’s the real million dollar question. It’s the question that gets me up in the morning. Government officials in the United States and a lot of other frequent targets, countries like Canada, the U.K. and Australia are putting their best minds to work to figure this out. The commission that I’m a part of at CSIS is also working on this question and hoping to make recommendations to the next U.S. presidential administration on how they might think about deterring this practice going forward. One big part of it has to do with prevention. Let’s say the U.S. government can’t put more sanctions on these countries that are already so heavily sanctioned. Well, what can the U.S. government do to prevent its citizens from traveling to places like Russia in the first place? How can they increase education? How can they engage the private sector that requires employees to travel to make sure that Americans who are going to these places are aware of the risks that they might be facing, understand other countries’ laws and hopefully stop traveling to places that the U.S. government strongly urges Americans not to visit, like Russia.

Use the media player above to listen to the interview with Danielle Gilbert.

Democrats continue basking in the afterglow of an energetic national convention, where Kamala Harris became the first Black woman to lead a major party presidential ticket.

But as the fanfare fades, Democrats now must grapple with perhaps THE overriding issue among voters — the state of the economy, and the price of goods and services.

The party faithful say the Midwest — and Michigan in particular — remain the epicenter of efforts to define how best to address economic concerns.

At one of the Michigan delegate breakfasts held throughout the convention, those munching their eggs and bagels were greeted by a familiar figure. 

Former Michigan Governor and current U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm pushed-back against surveys showing many voters feel their personal finances were better, when Republicans and Donald Trump controlled the White House. 

“They are not better on the economy!” Granholm said. “This administration, the Biden-Harris administration has created more jobs than any president in the history of America in one term. We are the ones who are bringing this economy back, and Michigan is at the tip of the spear.”

Yet Democrats in the room know many Michigan voters feel pushed daily by the cost of food and other items that government data says should actually be more affordable. 

The contradiction is not lost on the volunteer chair of the state Democrats 12th Congressional District, Kevin Tolbert. He says he’ll be retiring within days from his full-time job with the United Auto Worker union and claims Republicans who blame Democrats for inflation are selling his fellow members a bad bill of goods.

“Those prices aren’t high because of something that someone in government did,” said Tolbert. “Those prices are high because we have conglomerates controlling the majority of the grocery stores and the things of that nature. So I know people are feeling that pain, but if we understand the focus is directed correctly. Let’s look at the real problems and figure out solutions instead of being targeted to be mad at the wrong people.”

Yet a significant number of traditionally left-leaning union members say they will back Trump because he is for the “working class.”

It’s a theme GOP Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance touted during a recent campaign stop in a Grand Rapids suburb. 

“When American businesses threatened to shut down factories and move them to Mexico and China, remember what Trump did? He picked up the phone and said, ‘if you do that, I’m going to introduce you to a little word called the tariff.’ And a lot of Americans benefit because he was willing to fight for their interests and their American jobs,” Vance said.

Democrats counter that Trump wants to target so many foreign products with tariffs it would amount to a national sales tax on goods and services.

Vice President Kamala Harris presented her economic agenda about a week before accepting the Democratic nomination for president.

Though somewhat vague on specifics, Harris pledged to limit the cost of prescription drugs and work to pass what she calls the first federal ban on price-gouging by grocery store chains. 

“My plan will include new penalties for opportunistic companies that exploit crises and break the rules, and we will support smaller food businesses that are trying to play by the rules and get ahead,” she said. “Because I believe more competition means lower prices for you and your families.” 

It’s a vow greeted with gratitude by some outside the chain link fences that surrounded the Chicago convention site, even among those who chanted a message that might startle Michiganders almost as much as high food prices.

A small group of Ohioans lined a street, chanting “Ohio! Fire Jim Jordan-dot-com. Elect Tamie Wilson to Congress. Ohio!” They were campaigning for the Democrat’s long-shot bid to unseat Trump ally Jordan in the U.S. House. 

Wilson says Jordan and the GOP tried to stop the Biden administration from setting up a domestic supply chain for semiconductor chips and electric batteries. She says such efforts further inflame an electorate already edgy about their finances. 

“Oh yeah, everyone’s worried about the economy,” said Wilson. “I’m worried about the economy, and that’s why I’m running for Congress. You know, Jim Jordan, he voted against the CHIPS Act, which is bringing 10,000 jobs to Ohio. People in my district shouldn’t have to drive an hour, two hours, to get a good-paying job.” 

Standing with Wilson, Ohio attorney Rocky Ratliff notes that the COVID-19 pandemic caused economic upheaval across the country. 

He says those who fondly remember the flow of commerce during most of former President Trump’s term forget the situation the Biden-Harris administration found itself in. 

“What they got was a world to clean up post-COVID, with kids in school, with the economy and so forth, having to kick-start it,” he said. “They didn’t have a well-running economy handed down by the Obama presidency. So they didn’t have that opportunity. Ever.” 

Nearby, at the entrance to the “Dem-Palooza” Expo, volunteer Julia Hofmann said she traveled to the convention from Orlando, Florida, where the pandemic — and the resulting economic chaos — turned her life upside down. 

“I am a small business owner and a mother of three. And it is hard, it is hard,” she said. “When I planned my family several years ago and knew I wanted three children…I knew I could afford it. And now I can’t. And the spending power of clients has gone down dramatically. So as a small business owner I’m greatly impacted.” 

Hofmann says she is not so concerned about who to blame for high prices. She says she just wants Kamala Harris to bring cost of living down. 

“I don’t think that is Biden’s fault. I think the wheels were in motion and a lot of what transpired was from policy that Trump put into place,” said Hofmann. “Not thrilled with how Biden has addressed it, or lack of addressing. So I think a fresher face might be good.” 

It’s a hope shared by other Democrats at the national convention, even as Republicans contend Harris is part of a Biden administration they claim has not effectively addressed the nation’s financial woes. 

President Biden has reportedly been frustrated that much of his economic agenda has been slow to show an impact voters can feel. 

Whether presidential candidate Harris can make the case that she will have more of an immediate impact on prices may decide who wins battleground states like Michigan — and ultimately — the White House.