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Michigan spends record amount on schools, gets worse reading scores

Michigan is spending more money than ever on public schools, but test scores haven’t improved, according to new standardized test scores released earlier this month.

About 61.8% of third graders weren’t proficient at reading, according to the 2025-26 M-STEP, the state’s set of standardized tests. That’s a slight increase from the previous school year, when 61.2% of third graders weren’t proficient.

When Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2019, she vowed to fix the literacy crisis in Michigan.

As her second and final term comes to an end in four months, test scores are worse, despite increased state funding. Click here to read more.

 

GOP senators in tight races break with Trump, urge ICE to coordinate with local police

Republicans in some of the country’s most competitive midterm races are breaking with President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, publicly raising concerns about how Immigration and Customs Enforcement is carrying out operations in their states and districts.

In Kansas, Sen. Roger Marshall called for ICE to coordinate with local law enforcement during operations in southwest Kansas, arguing that local agencies know their communities and can help keep people safe.

Local officials in Dodge City, Garden City, and Liberal said they were not notified beforehand about increased ICE activity. They said they learned of operations only after agents appeared in their communities. Click here to read more.

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Majority of Michigan House Democrats vote against resolution condemning socialism

The Michigan House passed a resolution Wednesday condemning socialism and socialist political organizations and policies, with Republicans arguing the measure serves as a warning about the historical consequences of socialist and communist governments.

House Resolution 373 passed 58-34, mostly along party lines with 18 Democrat members not voting and one Democrat voting in favor of the resolution. The resolution was sponsored by Rep. Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Twp., Rep. Joseph Fox, R-Fremont, Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Twp., and Rep. Angela Rigas, R-Caledonia.

The resolution condemns socialism, the platform of the Democratic Socialists of America, and politicians who espouse socialist views. It also opposes the implementation of socialist policies in Michigan and the United States. Click here to read more.

 

MSU Police Investigate Three New Reports Against Former Physician Charged With Sexual Assault

Authorities are investigating three additional reports involving a former Michigan State University resident physician charged with criminal sexual conduct.

The MSU Department of Police and Public Safety said Friday that Arpit Saxena, 39, was arraigned in 54B District Court in East Lansing. He is being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $2 million bond, with a bond hearing scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28.

The court ordered Saxena to surrender his driver’s license and passport and barred him from contacting the victims. He faces three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Police said the three additional reports are being evaluated and investigated. The department has not said whether they involve additional alleged victims. Click here to read more.

 

Trans Nurse Accused of Abusing Premature Baby Is Out on Bond

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A premature baby girl who survived being born at just 23 weeks was nearly ready to go home. Instead, she suffered broken bones and bruises, and a transgender nurse is now facing four child abuse charges.

And despite the allegations involving one of the hospital’s most vulnerable patients, the accused nurse is out on bond, wearing an electronic tether while awaiting further court proceedings.

According to a report from WOOD-TV, Kieran Ansley, 43, a biological woman who identifies as a transgender man and formerly worked at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, faces two felony counts of second-degree child abuse and two misdemeanor counts of fourth-degree child abuse. Click here to read more.

 

 

Federal court throws out Nessel antitrust suit against oil companies

A federal judge has dismissed a climate-related lawsuit Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed against oil and gas companies.

The lawsuit, initially announced in 2024, was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan and alleged that several oil and gas companies contributed to climate change. Nessel retained three out-of-state law firms to pursue major petroleum firms.

The lawsuit against BP PLC, Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Shell PLC, and the American Petroleum Institute alleged they violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Michigan Antitrust Reform Act. Click here to read more.

 

Egyptian sentenced to life for funding Muslim Brotherhood giving money to Abdul El-Sayed’s U.S. Senate campaign

An Egyptian American activist sentenced to life in prison in absentia by a Cairo court for his support of the Muslim Brotherhood is pumping cash into Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign for U.S. Senate.

Mohamed Soltan, the 38-year-old president of the American Committee for Middle East Rights, is funneling funds to El-Sayed’s Abdul for U.S. Senate candidate committee as ACMER contributes to Fighting for Michigan PAC, the super PAC backing the former Wayne County health official.

Soltan was sentenced by an Egyptian court to life in prison in 2015 after spending two years behind bars alongside his father, Salah Soltan, a leading figure in the Muslim Brotherhood who served as deputy minister of endowments for Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Click here to read more.

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ICE Arrests Illegal Aliens Convicted of Murder, Sexual Abuse of Children

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more illegal aliens in sanctuary jurisdictions, including those convicted of murder, child rape, and possession of child sexual abuse material.

“Every day, the brave men and women of ICE are risking their lives to arrest and remove illegal aliens from our communities. Yesterday, ICE arrested murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and other dangerous criminals,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said.

Among those illegal aliens arrested is Esteban Enriquez-Munoz of Mexico. Enriquez-Munoz was arrested in the sanctuary state of California after having been convicted of murder, robbery, and assault. Click here to read more.

 

Mom who says she mistakenly put newborn in oven instead of crib learns her fate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A woman in Kansas City was sentenced after she placed her 1-month-old in an oven rather than a crib.

Mariah Thomas was sentenced to 13 years for the felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death.

Thomas pleaded guilty Tuesday and accepted her sentence, with a first-degree murder charge being dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Thomas’ child died in February 2024.

Officers responded to a home on a report that an infant wasn’t breathing on Feb. 10, 2024. The baby was found dead at the scene.

Detectives said the circumstances were suspicious enough to cause concern, leading to an investigation. Click here to read more.

 

Tucker Carlson Issues Shocking Call for Trump’s Cabinet to Remove Him from Office Via 25th Amendment: He Should Be ‘Bundled Up and Taken Out!’

Tucker Carlson called for President Donald Trump to be removed from office by his own administration officials under the 25th Amendment.

In an interview published Thursday with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Carlson continued his criticism of Trump, someone he once vocally supported, and went from impeachment talk to the 25th Amendment while discussing the ongoing Iran war.

“He’s not going to be punished for it. They’ll get him on corruption or whatever,” Carlson said when asked if Trump should be impeached over the war.

The former Fox News host declared Trump “should have been removed from office immediately when he threatened nuclear war.” Click here to read more.

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Michigan’s SNAP administration costs to jump $94 million as feds shift burden to states

Michigan’s cost to administer the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will rise by about $94 million in the coming fiscal year as the federal government shifts a larger share of food stamp expenses to the states.

Michigan spent approximately $382.7 million administering SNAP in fiscal year 2024, according to the Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services. The administrative costs included staffing, technology, employee training, fraud control, employment and training programs.

Historically, state and federal governments have split most SNAP administrative expenses equally. Beginning in fiscal year 2027, which starts Oct. 1, the federal contribution will fall from 50% to 25%, leaving states responsible for 75%. Click here to read more.

 

Other states will take Illinoisans’ money if Pritzker doesn’t opt into federal scholarship program

A new local billboard is garnering media attention by advertising that Illinois taxpayers can get a federal income tax credit for donating money to students out of state.

The billboard, in south suburban Chicago near the Indiana border, refers to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, also known as the Education Freedom Tax Credit. The program offers taxpayers a dollar-for-dollar income tax credit for donations of up to $1,700 per year to qualified scholarship-granting organizations.

Any taxpayer in any state can claim the credit starting in 2027. But only students in states whose governor has opted into the program can benefit from the donated education money.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not opted Illinois in. Four of Illinois’ neighbors have, including Indiana, where the billboard is advertising Illinoisans to donate scholarship money. Click here to read more.

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‘60 Minutes’ Airs Misleading Report on Trump Pardons

When Bari Weiss was hired to lead CBS News last year, many of the network’s star reporters feared the centrist founder of The Free Press news site would turn the network into a mouthpiece for the Trump administration. Longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after he accused Weiss of “murdering the show.”

If the season premiere of “60 Minutes” is any indication, progressives have little to complain about. In a segment titled “The Pardon Economy,” veteran CBS reporter Lesley Stahl alleges that Trump has upended the way U.S. presidents have dispensed pardons for “100 years or more” by creating a “new system” that involves lobbyists and high-priced “pardon brokers.”

Stahl’s report suggests that Trump has replaced the normal order – in which pardons typically go through an apolitical review by the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney– with a scheme that looks like “pay-to-play.” It has already led Democrats to vow they will investigate the issue if they retake the House in the November mid-term elections. Click here to read more.

 

AI, data center developers spending big to elect Jocelyn Benson governor of Michigan

Despite persistent claims her campaign eschews corporate donations, Jocelyn Benson’s recent campaign finance records tell a completely different story.

In fact, at least $1.55 million has flowed to Benson’s Democratic gubernatorial campaign and her Michigan Legacy PAC from donors directly tied to the data center and AI infrastructure industry. A significant portion of that sum was donated by Arista Networks co-founder Kenneth Duda and his wife Jennifer to MLPAC. Arista builds high-speed networking gear for hyperscale cloud and AI data centers.

But other data center and AI principals have fattened Benson’s campaign coffers as well, including Related Companies founder Stephen Ross, CEO Jeff Blau, and Vice President Ryan Friedrichs. Evan Goldberg is executive vice president at Oracle, which is working in partnership with OpenAI and Related Companies to force a data center into Saline Township. Click here to read more.

 

Mackinac Bridge crash: Jamaican man in custody, four injured after early morning collision

FOX 2 - One person is in custody following a two-vehicle crash on the Mackinac Bridge early Wednesday morning.

Michigan State Police responded to the scene just before 3 a.m. on the bridge following reports that multiple vehicles had collided on the bridge connecting the state’s two peninsulas.

Mackinac Bridge Crash

What we know:

A suspect was arrested for reckless driving causing serious impairment of body function, Michigan State Police announced Wednesday afternoon.

The crash happened after multiple vehicles passed through the toll booths on southbound I-75. After passing through the area, they accelerated quickly and “began driving recklessly at high rates of speed.” Click here to read more.