Last night’s GOP debate on CNN included a lot of talk on the American auto bailout. In Michigan, employment has started to rebound in part thanks to manufacturing jobs associated with the auto industry. Elsewhere in the state, Jeremy Hobson sat down with the CEO of Domino’s Pizza to see how the company is faring in these tough economic times, and to see what kind of effect Bain Capital had on the business. And speaking of the auto bailout, how do Americans in general feel about it?

The Obama administration is expected to announce a plan to cut the federal corporate tax from 35 percent (that’s the second highest rate in the world) down to 28 percent. The consumer sentiment figure is a measure of how consumers are feeling about the economy and it’s put together by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan. The nation’s most populous state, California, had a brush with fiscal calamity this month, and lawmakers had to scramble recently to close a $5 billion budget shortfall.

All week, our own Jeremy Hobson will be broadcasting from Michigan as part of our Election 2012: The Real Economy coverage. Today, he speaks with Republican Governor Rick Snyder about the state’s economic recovery. Michigan was a big recipient of bailout money — and speaking of bailouts, Greece will receive another round of money from its European partners.

The group that runs the Medical College Admissions Test — or MCAT — is rolling out a new exam in 2015 that will include questions about the psychological and social underpinnings of medicine. Ohio is betting big on casinos, opening up gambling later this year in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. As outdoor outfitter L.L.Bean celebrates its centennial this year, one of the company’s oldest products is making a comeback. Happy President’s Day!

Ford CEO Alan Mulally discusses the driving forces behind his company’s turnaround and what makes Michigan unique. From Detroit to down South, where reality TV producers are mining the stories of rural folks. Food companies grapple with higher ingredient costs. Rising gas prices are likely to eat all of the payroll tax break. Britain and France are set to sign a nuclear energy deal. And hidden taxpayer costs in the mortgage settlement are emerging.

Rupert Murdoch is facing tensions with his staff at The Sun after nine of its journalists were arrested in the last few weeks for alleged corruption. The rental car market in the United States has been dominated by American brands, but that could soon change. Commercial real estate experts are starting to see what will become of the hundreds of Borders store spaces that closed last year.

Congressional negotiators have agreed to a deal that would extend the payroll tax cut through the end of the year. Yesterday, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited the White House and the Pentagon before meeting with American business leaders at the U.S. chamber of commerce. The Westminster Dog Show dropped Pedigree as a sponsor this year, saying its sad ads that promote adoption from animal shelters turned off its audience. And President’s Day is fast approaching, but a lot of Americans don’t take that day, or others, off — and that could be a problem for the economy.

Two former Bear Stearns executives accused of misleading investors about the quality of risky mortgages have settled with the federal government. Waffle House is transforming more than a hundred restaurants into Valentine wonderlands. President Obama is meeting today with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is expected to be the next president of China. And some experts are looking to Zynga’s earnings to help predict how Facebook will fare in the coming months.

President Obama will announce his proposed budget for 2013 today, and it is expected to include a lot of infrastructure spending. In Greece, big budget cuts were passed over the weekend — but how do the new minimum wage requirements and public sector job cuts there compare to the U.S.? And we take a closer look at the world of natural gas through the eyes of an energy company CEO.