Jocelyn Benson won’t say if voter rolls are free from noncitizen registrants

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson insists Michigan has done “more than any other state” to secure the state’s voter rolls, despite a federal investigation into repeated documented instances of noncitizen voting.

Confronted following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s final State of the State address on Wednesday, The Midwesterner asked Benson, “Can you assure Michiganders that there are no longer any noncitizens on the voter rolls?”

The Democrat frontrunner for governor dodged and told The Midwesterner she’s “actually done a lot, frankly, more than any other state, to ensure we’re driving down or increasing the security of our voter rolls.”

“So are there any other noncitizens on the voter rolls?” she was asked.

She dodged that, too. Click here to read more.

 

Massive EV Subsidies Not Paying Off

The future was supposed to have arrived this year in a cluster of counties just east of Atlanta in the form of a state-of-the-art factory that would churn out 400,000 electric vehicles a year. But when JoEllen Artz looks about her lifetime neighborhood, all she sees are holes.

“Those shovel holes they made in the ground? That’s it,” she said of the planned site of a Rivian manufacturing plant. “It’s awful, awful.”

The problem is not a lack of funds. On the promise of thousands of jobs, elected officials in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta have pledged some $8 billion to the project, including a $6.5 billion loan the Biden administration green-lit in its final hours.

Those loans are just two of the huge public bets, or investments, that state capitals and Washington, D.C., have made on EVs. While no one has calculated exactly how many federal and state dollars both Republican and Democratic elected officials have sent to that green sector, experts RealClearInvestigations consulted fixed the total north of $100 billion. Click here to read more.

 

Sen. Ashley Moody’s child sextortion bill moves to Senate floor

WASHINGTON — A bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida aimed at cracking down on online sextortion is moving to the Senate floor after passing out of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The legislation, known as the James T. Woods Act, would explicitly criminalize intentional threats to distribute child sexual abuse material and criminalize tactics frequently used by online predators to coerce minors. Supporters say the bill closes a gap in federal law that has forced prosecutors to rely on broader extortion statutes that do not specifically address sextortion. Click here to read more.

 

Time to rein in old MEGA gravy train

It was great to see legislators refuse to pass any new business subsidies in 2025. But the state is still going to pay $533.1 million more to select companies this year based on deals made two decades ago. That’s not right, and that’s not how policy is supposed to work.

Michigan operated a selective business tax credit program via the Michigan Economic Growth Authority and made deals with companies from 1995 to 2011. Deals lasted for up to twenty years, and companies received refundable tax credits based on the number of people employed in facilities covered by the agreement. With refundable credits, companies can get cash payments from the state when they receive credits worth more than what they owe in taxes. Click here to read more.

 

Austin 6th Street shooting: 3 dead; image shows apparent gunman as terror ties probed

AUSTIN, Texas - Three people, including the gunman, were killed, and 14 others were wounded in a mass shooting outside a bar in Austin's bustling Sixth Street entertainment district early Sunday morning that authorities said may have ties to terrorism.

At a press conference early Sunday, Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said police received a call around 1:40 a.m. for reports of a “male shooting” at Buford’s, a beer garden in the city’s busy entertainment district.

When police arrived at the scene, they confronted a man with a gun and then “returned fire, killing the suspect,” Davis said.

According to the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security later identified the gunman as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville, a suburb north of Austin. Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

 

 

Expert estimates Jocelyn Benson’s husband, Ryan Friedrichs, to make $70 MILLION off Saline data center project

Ryan Friedrichs could recognize a $70 million commission in his current role as vice president of billionaire Stephen Ross’ Related Digital Companies, which is endeavoring to build the $7 billion Stargate data center in Saline Township.

Friedrichs is married to Jocelyn Benson, who in her current position as Michigan Secretary of State is overseeing her own 2026 gubernatorial election.

Related Digital is developing the $7 billion “Stargate” project for Oracle and Open AI on 575 acres. The data center project is one of many proposals across the state that has been met with opposition by residents and communities. Click here to read more.

 

ICE agents rescue child from drowning in Plymouth hotel pool

PLYMOUTH, Minn. - A 4-year-old boy was saved by two off-duty ICE agents in Plymouth who performed CPR on him before paramedics brought him to a hospital.

Big picture view:

The Department of Homeland Security said two ICE agents “sprung into action” to rescue a 4-year-old boy who almost drowned in a hotel pool in Plymouth.

The agents then “performed CPR for several minutes before paramedics arrived.”

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that its deputies responded to a possible drowning at the Ramada Inn in Plymouth around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20. The boy was taken to the hospital before deputies arrived. Click here to read more.

\

Mortgage Rates Fall Below 6% For First Time Since 2022

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage this week was 5.98 percent, the first time the average rate has dropped into the five percent range in nearly three years, Freddie Mac reported Thursday.

“This rate, combined with the improving availability of homes for sale, is meaningful and will drive more potential buyers into the market for spring homebuying season,” Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates peaked at 7.79 percent in October of 2023. When Trump took office in January, rates were around seven percent. Since May, rates have been steadily declining.

On the campaign trail in 2024, Trump frequently said that his administration would bring down mortgage rates to make homebuying more affordable.

“We’re going to bring it down very fast, we’re going to bring energy down. We will drive down the rates so you will be able to pay 2 percent again and we will be able to finance or refinance your homes drastically,” Trump said at a rally in Arizona. Click here to read more.

 

New bill would block scholarship money for students

A new federal program will allow individuals to get an annual tax credit for donating funds for education, but Illinois students can access the money only if the state opts in.

Some lawmakers have proposed legislation that would prevent students from getting that much-needed help.

Senate Bill 3986 would prohibit Illinois from opting into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, which provides privately-donated funds for tutoring, fees for dual enrollment, educational therapies for students with disabilities and other academic needs.

While the bill would deny money for Illinois students, the federal tax credit to donors would not be affected. Donors could still benefit from the tax credit by simply donating to students in other states. Click here to read more

 

World Economic Forum CEO resigns after DOJ files show meetings, emails with Epstein

World Economic Forum CEO and President Borge Brende said he was resigning Thursday, after an investigation was conducted into his ties to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Brende, a former Norwegian foreign minister who became WEF president in 2017, announced his decision in a statement following the Justice Department’s release of Epstein files that showed he had three business dinners with the disgraced financier and had also communicated with him via email and text, Reuters reported.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8-1/2 years, has been profoundly rewarding,” Brende said in a statement, without mentioning Epstein. Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

 

 

Virginia shows Democrats ‘campaign as moderates but govern as Marxists’

The hard left turn of Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger since taking office after running on a moderate platform is being depicted as a warning for Michigan voters heading into the 2026 primaries in August and general election in November.

While highlighting major accomplishments from the state’s Republican House majority in 2025, former Republican National Committee Chair and CEO of Michigan Forward Ronna McDaniel offered a stark warning to Republicans Wednesday as the 2026 election cycle heats up.

Pointing to Virginia as an example of the potential consequences of the 2026 midterms, Michigan could follow the path of Virginia under Spanberger if Democrats regain full control of Lansing. Click here to read more.

 

Soros-Backed Prosecutor Allows Murder Suspects to Avoid Prison Time

Gret Glyer had ounded DonorSee, a charity platform that allowed donors to support specific people while giving video updates to show the donor’s concrete impact. Joshua Danehower, 37, who had gone on one date with Glyer’s wife Heather about 10 years previously, allegedly broke into the family’s house, snuck into the bedroom, and fired 10 shots into Gret Glyer, leaving his wife a widow and his two young children fatherless.

Due to the plea agreement, however, Danehower will move from a jail cell to a mental health facility. After a year, he will receive a psychological evaluation and may then gain his freedom.

Danehower is far from alone, however. Steve Descano, the commonwealth’s attorney for Fairfax County, Virginia, has overseen at least 10 murder pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity. Mental Health America notes that defendants charged with a felony use the insanity plea in less than 1% of cases, and it only succeeds 25% of the time. Click here to read more.

 

Man accused of trying to kidnap 13-year-old girl walking to school

The future was supposed to have arrived this year in a cluster of counties just east of Atlanta in the form of a state-of-the-art factory that would churn out 400,000 electric vehicles a year. But when JoEllen Artz looks about her lifetime neighborhood, all she sees are holes.

“Those shovel holes they made in the ground? That’s it,” she said of the planned site of a Rivian manufacturing plant. “It’s awful, awful.”

The problem is not a lack of funds. On the promise of thousands of jobs, elected officials in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta have pledged some $8 billion to the project, including a $6.5 billion loan the Biden administration green-lit in it’s final hours. Click here to read more.

 

Gun removed from home of man who wished to ‘shoot’ Trump; he claims misunderstanding

WARREN, Mich. - A man said he wanted to shoot the President during public comments at the Warren City Council meeting Tuesday night.

The backstory:

Now that man, Wesley Arnold, is being investigated by the Secret Service. He claims it is all a big misunderstanding.

“I just gave the Service Service my picture I took,” he said.

FOX 2: “You talked to the Secret Service?”

“They just left, they’re the ones that left before you got here,” said Arnold, 80.

The Secret Service did remove a handgun from the home.

FOX 2: “The Secret Service just left, they didn’t arrest you though.”

“That may or may not happen we’ll see,” he said, adding that he isn’t worried. “No, I’m a harmless old man and I believe in freedom of speech and I believe in informing my city council ... (unintelligible). Click here to read more.

 

Brevard Schools win arbitration over teacher’s use of male name for a female student without parental consent

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard Public Schools prevailed in an arbitration dispute over its decision not to renew a Satellite High School teacher’s contract after determining she repeatedly referred to a female student by a male name without required parental consent.

The arbitration, filed by the Brevard Federation of Teachers, challenged the non-renewal of teacher Melissa Calhoun’s annual contract. In a decision issued Feb. 19, the arbitrator confirmed the district acted within its authority and had sufficient grounds for the non-renewal.

“This was not simply a nickname or a casual classroom interaction,” said Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell. He explained further that deliberate use of male name for a female student constituted active participation in a student’s social gender transition and requires parental knowledge and consent. Click here to read more.