Video Essays & Interview Podcasts

Over the past thirty-five years, the United States has quietly transformed its criminal-justice system into something resembling a permanent domestic battlefield.In this episode, we trace how successive “wars” at home—the war on crime, the war on drugs, the war on terror, and the war on immigrat…

I Left My Blue-Collar Hometown On A Schwinn And Learned How The "Other Half" Actually LivesHave you ever felt that crushing pressure to leave home just to "figure out your future"? 🤔 In this episode, I’m looking back at 1970, when I ditched the factory smoke of Flint, Michigan, for a 2,000-mile c…

When water systems fail, the damage is not the same for everyone.In Flint, the deepest harm lives in children’s brains.In other cities, the damage is buried in pipes, mains, and hydrants. In this episode, Arthur Busch (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurbusch/) examines what really gets damag…

Flint on the Brink is a clear-eyed examination of an American rust-belt city struggling to decide who controls its future.In this episode, former Michigan prosecutor and legal educator Arthur Busch (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurbusch/) reads and expands on his essay Flint on the Brink: How …

Do federal officials enjoy absolute immunity from state criminal prosecution?In this episode, former prosecutor Arthur Busch dismantles the myth of “absolute immunity” for federal agents and explains how state and county prosecutors can and sometimes must bring criminal charges against ICE office…

In November 1986, a well-known university provost in Flint, Michigan, was found raped and murdered in her bed inside a locked gatehouse on the grounds of one of the city’s most secure estates. There were no signs of forced entry, immediately suggesting the offender was not a stranger but someone wi…

This is a short excerpt from an upcoming episode of Flint Justice.In this preview, Arthur Busch explores the real Michigan homicide case that inspired Anatomy of a Murder and the lawyer behind it, John D. Voelker—prosecutor, defense attorney, Supreme Court justice, and writer.The full episode…

In 1952, a saloon killing in a small Upper Peninsula town became one of the most important—and controversial—criminal trials in Michigan history.The lawyer who defended the accused was John D. Voelker: former county prosecutor, defense attorney, future Michigan Supreme Court justice, and a gifte…

This is an original report from The Mitten Channel.We examine Michigan stories through research, lived experience, and careful analysis—connecting local events to larger questions about justice, history, and public accountability.This piece is part of our ongoing independent work.No sponsors. …

This is an original report from The Mitten Channel.We examine Michigan stories through research, lived experience, and careful analysis—connecting local events to larger questions about justice, history, and public accountability.This piece is part of our ongoing independent work.No sponsors. …

The Age of Anxiety: Political Media, Dementia, and the Boomer FearIn Michigan living rooms—from Flint to Saginaw to small towns up north—older Americans watch political news that feels less like reporting and more like a public trial of aging itself. Every stumble, verbal slip, or moment of conf…

In 1937, a 23-year-old Flint woman stood between General Motors security, Flint police gunfire, and the workers fighting for their lives inside Fisher Body.Her name was Genora Johnson Dollinger — and she did more than rally the Women’s Emergency Brigade.She dodged bullets for the UAW and helped s…