Live coverage begins monday at 2 30 p. M. Eastern on cspan. The washington correspondent for the Detroit Free Press, and of course, michigan, a battleground state in 2020, as we speak to you in mid june. Michigan is the furthest out of reach for him. It looked that way all along. The most recent paul we have we have seen shows a 12 point lead for biden in the , reallythe pandemic there was a hotspot in michigan for a while, a lot of partisan feelings. Too, is the military going deal with civilian protests . Some of those tweets President Trump has done, fighting with Governor Whitmer, who is well liked in michigan. At this point, things look bad for him. That does not mean he could not make it back up. Comparing michigan with with constant wisconsin and pennsylvania, michigan is more for biden then the president. Many people said michigan was the blue wall for Hillary Clinton. Trump winning it. Why did he win michigan . What are the lessons for democrats this year . I have done post ,016 looking a lot of data things that jump out at me are that neither Hillary Clinton nor President Trump were wellliked. Statean was seen as a democrats had won routinely post 1988. Hillary clinton did not spend a lot of time there. Wellliked and people did not show up. Pollsction day, our showed her up a bit. It was close to the margin of error. Election day, you had Something Like 75,000 people show up at , and when youre 0. 2 ,g at a margin of that 75,000 did not vote for president even though they went to the polls was more than trump,to throw it for who had a lot more enthusiasm in rural areas than clinton did anywhere. That is what made the difference. , at the midpoint of this year we have had the impeachment, the global pandemic, the economic fallout, and now we have black lives matter and all the aftermath of the death of george floyd and what it has meant for communities around the country. How is that playing into michigan . Playing in to be dramatic fashion. Michigan was really the place where these protests about stayathome orders blew up. Involving Governor Whitmer, who has been mentioned as a possible Vice President ial pick for biden. She hasas not said she likes her job, but she has not said she is not interested. Michiganst movement in , which has been largely protrump, has taken off. Trump has fanned some of those flames as well. That seems to have accrued to the democrats benefit, largely because a lot of polls are showing Governor Whitmers actions are seen as being correct. Things that are helping the situation. Also regarding the death of george floyd, regarding the black lives matter movement, we have seen a great deal of protests, particularly in detroit. You have also had regarding the death of george floyd and black lives matter movement, we have seen a great deal of protests in detroit, and other areas. It has been tempestuous to say the least over the last couple of months. So far, that is accruing politically to the democrats benefit. Michigan being a state that is bluer in statewide elections than wisconsin and pennsylvania seems to be reverting back. Back to november, but there is plenty of time for the president to go back to michigan to make some changes and maybe bring that down, but right now it seems it is a tough road for him. Steve you mentioned a trump lead by joe biden, we saw the poll on the the Detroit Free Press, did that number surprise you . Scott any 12 point lead would shock me. It was six in january, the same poll had six points in michigan, biden was not in a good position in january. He has since nailed down the nomination. In march, we had our first coronavirus case, and he won the primary pretty handily over bernie sanders. 12 points is a big number. Do i think it will be 12 on election day . I would be shocked if it was 12 on election day, but 12, given what we are seeing in other polls nationally, that they are showing biden up in arizona and North Carolina and florida, states like ohio that are far more republican leaning than michigan. Steve you cover a lot of trade issues for the the Detroit Free Press. Who has the upper hand on that topic . Scott that will remain to be seen because President Trump has made such an issue of trade in the last election, and nafta the rewrite of nafta, for instance, means a lot in michigan where autoworkers rightly or wrongly feel nafta sent a town of jobs to mexico, sent a ton of jobs to mexico, and they never brought them back. That is what really caused the Auto Industry jobs for years, which there is evidence on both sides of that. Biden, though, has supported trade deals and certainly supported trade deals as Vice President under barack obama, had a particular kind of demeanor and rapport with workingclass voters who do not see him as quite such a globalist as maybe other democrats. There is a workingclass feel to him that puts him more in line to take that fight to trump in a way different than secretary clinton. But you raise a very, very good point. I would expect trump to bash biden over the head with trade, and do it repeatedly. That would accrue to his benefit if the other stuff that is not hislearly doesnt accrue to benefit, which is the bellicose tweets and attacks, and maybe stepping a little too far, that is the balance here. The president might have a winning argument with biden on trade in a state like michigan, all things being equal, but not all things are equal. The president is largely seen as a divider. His job approval numbers in michigan and elsewhere are not good. Women do not like the president. He is running really at a deficit with women, Something Like 60 women are for biden at this moment. And it goes up independent women, that number is in the 70s. So trade is an incredibly important issue in a state like michigan, and will be in this election. But there are other things dragging the president down that are frankly fully within his ability to change that i do not see him changing. Steve lets talk about the demographics in michigan. If the Peninsula Area and grand rapids tend to lead republican, ly lansing and detroit democrat areas, where are the swing areas of the state . Steve the swing areas move around from place to place. In west michigan, largely republican, you have grand rapids, which went for Governor Whitmer in the 2018 election. A lot of people, myself included, are watching to see what happens in that area, because if that area starts to moves a bit toward biden, that is bad news for President Trump. The same thing goes along the i70 Corridor North through the ohio border north all the way through michigan and all Industrial Areas that trump turned out in droves in 2016, he is not going to lose those areas. Im not saying that, but when you are getting around bay county, that area, which are bluecollar older Industrial Areas socially, some are conservative, but are willing to vote for a democrat because they have done it many times in the past. Those are areas to watch very carefully to see who is moving this way or that. Steve finally, how organized are the unions in michigan . Scott the unions are extremely organized. The question is whether or not there is no question some big unions asked me, the Teachers Union will be there for biden, and he will clean up with them. There is reason to believe while uaw leadership was in clintons camp four years ago and with biden this time, that whether the membership, the rankandfile supports him in as large of numbers are not is what remains to be seen. Four years ago, there is every reason to believe President Trump did pretty well with uaw rankandfile against Hillary Clinton. There is reason to believe joe biden can do better among them than she did for various demographic reasons, and the kind of candidate he is seen as being. He will have to deliver that, is, without question, going to go after him. Steve our look at battleground state michigan. Todd spangler from the Detroit Free Press thanks for joining us on cspan. Scott thank you, steve. Cspans washington journal, every day, we are taking your calls live on the of the day ands we will discuss policy issues that impact you. Petrilliing, michael discusses his recent oped the unequal American City and how blanket policies affect economies and education. In florida politics. Com correspondent talks about preparations and reaction from rncsleaders on the decision to move the 2020 National Convention to jacksonville florida. The president and executive director of the Lawyers Committee for civil rights under law on efforts to end Racial Injustice and advance criminal justice reform. Cspans washington journal, live at 7 00 eastern this morning. Be sure to join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. Coming up in congress, the Senate Returns this afternoon to continue work on the Great American outdoors act that would permanently fund the land and Water Conservation fund for National Parks and public lands projects. 5 30 p. M. Eastern, a possible vote by midweek. On the agenda on a vote to confirm judge walker to the d. C. Circuit court of appeals. The house is holding a series of pro forma sessions with no scheduled business until they return for votes on thursday, june 25. They will take up proxy voting still in effect due to coronavirus. Watch the house live on cspan, the senate today starting at 3 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan two. Tonight on the communicators, federal Communications Commission or michael orielly. Everyone is faced with the difficult circumstances from the covid19 pandemic. The Communications Network as a whole seems to be Holding Quite well. I dont like to promise anything or congratulate anybody to early so we will have to see if things hold that im pretty impressed with where things are now. In terms of some of the connectivity issues, the work from home issues, certainly conference is being done through this medium are more likely to increase over time. I wouldnt say this is the new normal, but it is more this way then returning to the old style. Tonight at 8 00 p. M. Eastern on the communicators on cspan2. Joining us from nashvilles dr. William shatner, s joining us is dr. William schaffner. Lets