Michigan has a rich history of women in the state's top leadership. Can Vice President Kamala Harris learn anything from our state's political leaders about running—and winning—as a woman? We talked to BBC reporter Madeline Halpert has been thinking about that question and recently wrote about what lessons Michigan's women-dominated politics offers to the likely Democratic presidential nominee.

GUESTS ON TODAY’S SHOW:

• Madeline Halpert, North America correspondent for the BBC

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Extreme weather patterns, fruit flies, and decay have impacted Michigan's sweet cherry crop this year. Governor Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture asking them to declare a federal disaster for the region, which would make emergency funding available for the state's cherry farmers. On this episode of the podcast, we'll talk to one of those farmers about how he's coping with this tough year.

GUESTS ON THIS EPISODE

• Isaiah Wunsch, CEO of Wunsch Farms and agribusiness consultant for Third Coast Fruit Co.

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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The FAFSA rollout for the 2025-26 academic year has been delayed, continuing headaches for students applying for federal aid for higher education. The updated 2024-25 FAFSA form suffered from a series of delays, glitches, and other issues, impacting the number of students who chose to fill out the application for student aid, and potentially limiting the options they had for financing a college education. On this episode, we'll dig into what happened, the potential ramifications for students, and the outlook for next year.

GUEST:

• Jason Gonzales, higher education reporter for Chalkbeat

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Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.