Budget Ax Falls on Farmers’ Mental Health—Now Lawmakers Say That Was a Mistake

LANSING, Mich. — After Michigan cut funding for a farmer suicide prevention program this fall, lawmakers from both parties are asking whether the savings were worth the risk.

Reps. Matt Beirlein (R-Vassar) and Jasper Martus (D-Flushing) sent a letter to House and Senate appropriations chairs asking for the program’s return in a future supplemental budget. The request follows reporting showing that farming ranks among Michigan’s deadliest professions when it comes to suicide. Click here to read more.

 

Lawmakers Seek Bipartisan Reform for MI Economic Development Programs

LANSING, Mich. —  A bipartisan group of legislators in the Michigan House has joined forces to introduce an eight-bill package aimed at improving accountability and transparency in the state’s economic development programs. The legislation seeks to ensure taxpayers know how their money is being spent and whether job-creation promises are fulfilled.

The proposed legislation would bring greater oversight to economic development deals by:

• Requiring transparency in project data before and after approval.

• Mandating “failure notices” when job creation targets are not met.

• Ensuring proportional reductions in subsidies if goals fall short.

• Strengthening reporting and accountability for the Michigan Strategic Fund and Brownfield Redevelopment Fund. Click here to read more.

 

Fact Check Team: Who killed Charlie Kirk? What we know and -- what we still don't

WASHINGTON (TNND) — There has been no shortage of noise, speculation, and competing theories online following the killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. But when emotions run high, the facts matter more, and so do the gaps in the official narrative released by federal authorities.

What has been confirmed so far

A man named Tyler Robinson has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. As of now, he is the only person charged, and no co-conspirators have been publicly named by federal or state authorities.

Investigators have also confirmed the recovery of a rifle near the scene, found in a wooded area where the suspect allegedly fled. Click here to read more.

 

HHS takes sweeping action to reverse Biden-era policies on gender affirming care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a multi-pronged regulatory effort Thursday to curtail gender-affirming care for minors, including gender transition procedures at hospitals.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has drafted a rule that would prohibit pharmaceutical or surgical gender reassignment procedures from receiving federal Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program funding. It’s also proposing a rule that would allow it to withdraw Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that perform such surgeries on minors. HHS is also working to “reverse the Biden administration’s attempt” to classify gender dysphoria as a type of disability. If gender dysphoria were to be defined as a disability, then health care providers who don’t want to perform what the department has dubbed “sex-rejecting” procedures could be in danger of violating anti-discrimination laws. Click here to read more.

 

Court blocks Michigan conversion therapy ban on free speech grounds

DETROIT — A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked Michigan’s ban on conversion therapy for minors who are LGBTQ+, declaring it violates the First Amendment rights of therapists and counselors.

In a 2-1 opinion, the court said the law illegally restricts speech that reflects the moral beliefs of therapists. It set aside a lower court’s ruling and granted a preliminary injunction sought by Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties.

“The Michigan law discriminates based on viewpoint — meaning the law permits speech on a particular topic only if the speech expresses a viewpoint that the government itself approves,” Judge Raymond Kethledge wrote, joined by Judge Joan Larsen. Click here to read more.

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House Oversight Committee scrutinizes ‘serious ethical failures’ by AG Dana Nessel involving former staffer, Democratic Party official

The Michigan House Oversight Committee on Tuesday delved deeper into whether Attorney General Dana Nessel improperly intervened in a criminal case involving an organization that financially supported a ballot committee related to her spouse.

At issue is a criminal referral involving Bipartisan Solutions, a 501(c)(4) organization that allegedly solicited and received roughly $700,000 to support the Fair and Equal Michigan ballot committee. Nessel’s wife, Alena McGuire, served as a co-chair of the committee in what lawmakers described as a clear conflict of interest.

Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Twp., emphasized that Michigan law places investigative authority for campaign finance violations squarely with the Secretary of State. Click here to read more.

 

Officer battling kidney failure terminated 6 months before retirement, losing benefits

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — A longtime police officer with kidney failure is being terminated at the end of the month, just six months away from retirement.

With the termination of his employment comes the end of his health insurance, too.

Derek Williams is an officer with the Mount Vernon Police Department in New York.

Williams is a 19-year veteran of the department and a former member of the elite emergency service unit.

In 2020, he contracted COVID after months of working double shifts. He was recently diagnosed with kidney failure.

Williams described his declining health while he was surrounded by retired Mount Vernon police officers supporting their brother in blue. Click here to read more.

 

‘You see this news?’: What Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer told friends after the attack

Fifty-five minutes before he allegedly shot and killed right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson was bragging about his success playing the online puzzle game Wordle.

It was the morning of Sept. 10. Robinson had guessed the answer — “pouty” — on his third attempt. He sent his results and a celebratory meme to a friend, who responded with a meme of his own and conceded that it had taken him five tries.

By then, according to prosecutors, Robinson had already driven three hours from his home in southern Utah with a high-powered rifle. He was about to make his way onto the campus of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was set to speak to a crowd outdoors. Click here to read more.

 

These Congressmen Want To Give You the Right To Sue Federal Law Enforcement for Violating Your Rights

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D–Conn.) and Alex Padilla (D–Calif.) introduced the Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act on Monday, which would allow individuals, regardless of citizenship status, to sue federal law enforcement officers and agencies that violate their constitutional rights. The announcement comes in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that have violated the rights of both immigrants and American citizens.

Earlier this month, Blumenthal released a report on the unchecked authority that immigration officials under President Donald Trump have used to forcibly detain people. The report highlights the firsthand accounts of 22 American citizens wrongfully detained by immigration agents, five of whom testified during a public forum on December 9. Click here to read more.

 

Brown University Campus Safety Chief Lost Previous Job After Lack of Credentials

Brown University campus safety chief Rodney Chatman lost a previous job at University of Utah after lacking the credentials necessary to hold the position.

The U of U Department of Public Safety used a December 18, 2025, post to explain why the university was letting Chatman go, noting he was hired on February 17, 2020, without possessing all necessary certifications and was “given one year to obtain” said certifications.

The post goes on to explain that Chatman did not get his certifications and, additionally, was being investigate for alleged “criminal offices”

Brown University issued a July 20, 2021, release announcing Chatman being hired as Brown’s Vice President of Campus Safety. Click here to read more.

I left a high paying job in mainstream media to do this independently, and I can’t keep doing this work without your support.
If you’re able, please become a paid subscriber for less than $1 a week and click subscribe below to help keep it going.

Become a Supporter

 

 

House Oversight Committee scrutinizes ‘serious ethical failures’ by AG Dana Nessel involving former staffer, Democratic Party official

The Michigan House Oversight Committee on Tuesday delved deeper into whether Attorney General Dana Nessel improperly intervened in a criminal case involving an organization that financially supported a ballot committee related to her spouse.

At issue is a criminal referral involving Bipartisan Solutions, a 501(c)(4) organization that allegedly solicited and received roughly $700,000 to support the Fair and Equal Michigan ballot committee. Nessel’s wife, Alena McGuire, served as a co-chair of the committee in what lawmakers described as a clear conflict of interest.

Committee Chair Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Twp., emphasized that Michigan law places investigative authority for campaign finance violations squarely with the Secretary of State. Click here to read more.

 

Officer battling kidney failure terminated 6 months before retirement, losing benefits

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — A longtime police officer with kidney failure is being terminated at the end of the month, just six months away from retirement.

With the termination of his employment comes the end of his health insurance, too.

Derek Williams is an officer with the Mount Vernon Police Department in New York.

Williams is a 19-year veteran of the department and a former member of the elite emergency service unit.

In 2020, he contracted COVID after months of working double shifts. He was recently diagnosed with kidney failure.

Williams described his declining health while he was surrounded by retired Mount Vernon police officers supporting their brother in blue. Click here to read more.

 

‘You see this news?’: What Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer told friends after the attack

Fifty-five minutes before he allegedly shot and killed right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson was bragging about his success playing the online puzzle game Wordle.

It was the morning of Sept. 10. Robinson had guessed the answer — “pouty” — on his third attempt. He sent his results and a celebratory meme to a friend, who responded with a meme of his own and conceded that it had taken him five tries.

By then, according to prosecutors, Robinson had already driven three hours from his home in southern Utah with a high-powered rifle. He was about to make his way onto the campus of Utah Valley University, where Kirk was set to speak to a crowd outdoors. Click here to read more.

 

These Congressmen Want To Give You the Right To Sue Federal Law Enforcement for Violating Your Rights

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D–Conn.) and Alex Padilla (D–Calif.) introduced the Accountability for Federal Law Enforcement Act on Monday, which would allow individuals, regardless of citizenship status, to sue federal law enforcement officers and agencies that violate their constitutional rights. The announcement comes in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics that have violated the rights of both immigrants and American citizens.

Earlier this month, Blumenthal released a report on the unchecked authority that immigration officials under President Donald Trump have used to forcibly detain people. The report highlights the firsthand accounts of 22 American citizens wrongfully detained by immigration agents, five of whom testified during a public forum on December 9. Click here to read more.

 

Brown University Campus Safety Chief Lost Previous Job After Lack of Credentials

Brown University campus safety chief Rodney Chatman lost a previous job at University of Utah after lacking the credentials necessary to hold the position.

The U of U Department of Public Safety used a December 18, 2025, post to explain why the university was letting Chatman go, noting he was hired on February 17, 2020, without possessing all necessary certifications and was “given one year to obtain” said certifications.

The post goes on to explain that Chatman did not get his certifications and, additionally, was being investigate for alleged “criminal offices”

Brown University issued a July 20, 2021, release announcing Chatman being hired as Brown’s Vice President of Campus Safety. Click here to read more.