THE SHOW NOTES: Red Flags in Michigan, Violent Illegal Immigrant Crime, & The Looming Fiscal Cliff

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HEADLINE: Americans Aren’t Paying Close Attention to the 2024 Election - The Liberal Patriot

NEW: Adams calls for change to New York City's sanctuary city laws in harshest statement yet - Yahoo

CORRUPTION: Gavin Newsom exempted Panera Bread from California’s $20 minimum wage because the owner is a friend and donor. - Bloomberg

INSANE: California seized enough fentanyl last year to kill everyone in the world 'nearly twice over' - LA Times

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Red Flags in Michigan

Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their respective primaries in Michigan last night but neither should be overly optimistic:

Biden: The President barely won 80% of Michigan Democrats in yesterday’s largely uncontested primary after the state’s heavy Muslim population joined progressives in organizing a protest campaign resulting in nearly 100,000 ballots cast for “uncommitted”.

Why this matters: Yesterday’s underwhelming results signify three big hurdles for Biden in the must-win state of Michigan:

1) The Muslim population’s opposition to Biden’s support of Israel only appears to be gaining traction. The coalition was hoping for 10,000 “uncommitted” votes yesterday but topped 100,000.

2) Biden’s EV mandates have turned off Michigan auto workers who believe the push for green is costing the state jobs. Even The New York Times notes that electric vehicles are “simpler machines than their gas-powered forebears — and will require fewer hands to build” in Detroit.

3) Joe Biden claimed in a speech last year that his signature CHIPS and Science Act was supposed to benefit Hemlock Semiconductor - a massive Michigan employer that has been in business for seven decades. In reality, the company was cut out of the bill’s benefits and forced every major Michigan Democrat to publically air their grievances against the White House.

Trump: While Donald Trump decisively won the GOP primary, Nikki Haley won more than 1 in 4 Republican voters. The result was that Trump was yet again kept beneath 70% by an opponent who is all but running a symbolic campaign.

Violent Illegal Immigrant Crime

Following the death of Laken Riley at the hands of a violent illegal immigrant whom Democrats refused to deport, similar stories are being shared across the country:

• An Illegal immigrant who has been deported four times killed a teen and his mother while driving drunk in Colorado. - Denver Post

• An illegal immigrant raped a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint and stabbed another man before being arrested by police in Louisiana. - Fox 8

• An illegal immigrant has been arrested in connection to the murder of a 2-year-old boy in Maryland. - Fox 5

The Mayor of Athens was shouted down when he claimed at a press conference that illegal immigration was not to blame for the death of Laken Riley.

Government Shut Down?

Senior congressional leaders cornered House Speaker Mike Johnson at a White House meeting and pressed him to cave on Ukraine funding ahead of a looming government shutdown.

Details: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pressured Johnson to cave on border security and instead focus on securing Ukraine funding. Here are the quotes from the meeting:

• "The meeting on Ukraine was one of the most intense I've ever encountered in my many meetings in the Oval Office."

• "It was an intense meeting, it was an honest meeting."

• Despite the pressure, Johnson left the meeting and said the House is "actively pursuing and investigating all the various options" for passing Ukraine funding, but "the first priority of the country is our border."

How Panera Bread Ducked California’s New $20 Minimum Wage Law

Billionaire Greg Flynn, who made his fortune running one of the world’s largest restaurant franchise operations, is getting a new boost from sourdough loaves and brioche buns.

That's because a California law that’s about to raise the state minimum wage at fast-food spots to $20 an hour from $16 offers an unusual exemption for chains that bake bread and sell it as a standalone item.

Governor Gavin Newsom pushed for that break, according to people familiar with the matter. Among the main beneficiaries is Flynn, a longtime Newsom donor whose California holdings include two dozen Panera Bread locations.

The specificity of the exemption has puzzled observers for months, especially after the governor told reporters last year that it came about as “part of the sausage-making” of politics. In response to detailed questions, Newsom’s office said the wage law was the “result of countless hours of negotiations with dozens of stakeholders over two years” — and will make a real difference for hundreds of thousands of Californians.

Full story at Bloomberg (paywall)

Trending news:

• Biden To Give $850 Million to a Chinese-Owned Battery Company - Free Beacon

• Federal judge in Texas rules congressional passage of 2022 spending bill unconstitutional - NBC

• Senior Senate Democrats sound alarm on Michigan’s protest vote against Biden - CNN

• Supreme Court weighs Trump ban on gun 'bump stocks' - NBC

• Bitcoin tops $60K, highest in over 2 years - Axios

• There’s a Good Reason Haley’s Still Running – And It’s Not Trump’s Legal Problems - Politico

• Leaked Russian military files reveal criteria for nuclear strike - Financial Times (paywall)

• World’s Biggest Music Company Deploys the ‘Nuclear Option’ Against TikTok - WSJ (paywall)

• The Gigantic Rookie Bringing Fighting Back to Hockey - WSJ (paywall)

Market snapshot: