LA JEUNESSE WITHDRAWS, ENDORSES VAN GINHOVEN: Jake La Jeunesse has formally withdrawn from the Democratic primary contest for the MI Senate seat in District 38. In his statement he offers his “full support and endorsement to Kelli van Ginhoven,” and he “encourages voters to support her in the upcoming primary.”

MI SENATE VOTES TO OVERTURN HOUSE’S BACKDOOR BUDGET CUTS: We told you in the last newsletter about the move by the Republican-controlled state House Appropriation Committee to unilaterally cut $645 M in already approved funds from the state budget. In reaction to that move, the state Senate passed a bill last Tuesday that would restore those funds. The bill will now move to the state House but it’s unlikely that Republican Speaker Matt Hall will allow a vote. It’s interesting to note that, while one of the Republican House Appropriations Committee members who voted for the funding cuts is our local Rep. Greg Markkanen, our Senator Ed McBroom was among the Republican Senators who voted for the bill to restore the funding. MORE: Michigan Advance

EPSTEIN FILES — DOJ RELEASE FALLS SHORT: Deadline Day — last Friday — was the date by which the Department of Justice was mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act to make all unclassified Epstein-related records, documents, and communications publicly available in a searchable format. What happened instead fell far short of that legal standard - the amount of materials released was paltry compared to prior acknowledgments of the total amount of materials the DOJ has, many of the files were inappropriately redacted, the files were not fully searchable, and the initial release was seemingly slanted politically (pictures of Bill Clinton that made headlines, but little mention of Donald Trump - who Epstein at one point called his “closest friend”. Democrats and Republicans both criticized the release. Senator Schumer reacted to the posting and then removal of photographs showing collections of framed photos including ones of Donald Trump. He saw it as potential sign of the administration trying to hide things, and said “This could be one of the biggest cover ups in American history.” As this week began lawmakers were weighing impeachment of the Attorney General. MORE: Los Angeles Times

RANK MI VOTE ENDS EFFORT FOR 2026: The group leading the petition drive for a constitutional amendment to change how Michigan votes has ended its signature gathering efforts for the 2026 election. A report by Lansing news station WLNS suggested the group had gathered less than half the required signatures for the petition as of this month. Rank MI Vote organizers intend to relaunch efforts in April 2027 for the 2028 election. MORE: Bridge Michigan

WHITMER DEALT LOSE IN LINE 5 FIGHT: A federal district judge ruled last week that Governor Whitmer had no authority to order the closure of the Line 5 pipeline in a setback to the overall fight to stop Line 5. It’s unclear at this point if the state will appeal. Other Line 5 cases continue to (slowly) move forward. MORE: Detroit News

DATA CENTERS - 1) DOWNSTATE APPROVAL AND 2) LOCAL TALK NOW AVAILABLE: The controversy over a massive AI data center in Saline Township, southwest of Ypsilanti, made headlines again last week when the Public Service Commission approved the electrical supply contract between DTE Energy and the center’s developers. Concerns about the development, including impacts on the local water supply and the potential for rising utility rates for DTE ratepayers had led to public protests as recently as last week. Data center concerns are not confined to the lower peninsula, as the experience this past summer with a cryptocurrency data center in Dafter Township, south of Sault Ste. Marie, shows. Last week we mentioned the talk on cryptocurrency data centers given by Audrey Gerard of Michigan United and Kevin Carter of UP North Advocacy at the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The recording of that talk is now available and worth your time as an introduction to the issues around data centers. These issues are becoming far more prominent across rural America. As part of the talk Gerard and Carter announced the formation of the Northern Michigan Alliance for Responsible Development to help educate the public on these issues and urge local governments to adopt appropriate regulations (including temporary moratoriums) on data center construction. A webinar will follow on January 18th, with more details forthcoming. MORE: CBS News (Saline Twp.) and KUUF (local talk by Gerard and Carter)

TOO EARLY? WELL, YES: A new poll of of 1,521 registered voters made headlines last week. The poll showed Democratic NY Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leading VP JD Vance in a hypothetical match-up for the 2028 presidential race, by 51% to 49%. Given that AOC may not be the front-runner among potential Democratic candidates, does that mean that other Dem candidates are in an even stronger position for 2028? Or, like most polls this far ahead of an election, does it not mean much at all? Chances are the latter. MORE: Daily Beast

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS EFFORT TO SELL OUR NATIONAL PARKS?: An amendment quietly inserted by Utah’s Senator Mike Lee into a must-pass bill in the US Senate would appear to have allowed the federal government to sell national park land. After alert Park advocates raised their voices and flooded Senate offices with calls opposing the unacceptable language, the amendment, just as quietly, was withdrawn. MORE: Western Watersheds Project