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LANSING, Mich - The 2025 state budget spends $200,000 on traffic control at the Michigan International Speedway, and a prominent policy advocate is waving a red flag.

“Those dollars are headed in the wrong direction,” John Mozena, president of the Center for Economic Accountability, told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email. “It should be NASCAR compensating taxpayers for the costs its races are imposing on the surrounding community, not the other way around.”

When fans leave the speedway, state police provide traffic control services. Attendees pay admission fees, but Michigan taxpayers foot the bill for traffic control for up to 125,000 people leaving the track.

The events turn a quiet rural area into a giant traffic jam, Mozena said, and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing should bear the cost for traffic control. Click here to read more.

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WEST PALM BEACH, FLA - Ryan Wesley Routh was charged on Monday with two federal gun crimes in connection with his alleged assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump one day earlier.

But Routh’s interactions with authorities — and reporters — began long before he was taken into custody on Sunday after the barrel of his rifle was spotted sticking out from a bush at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club.

Routh, who is likely to face additional charges as federal prosecutors seek an indictment, has a long history of run-ins with police.

But after years spent developing a rap sheet — that included involvement in an armed standoff with police after a traffic stop in 2002 and other lesser offenses — Routh rebranded himself as a Ukrainian resistance fighter who was taken seriously by reporters, sitting for interviews with several major media outlets the past two years, including the New York Times, Semafor, and Newsweek. Click here to read more.

 

OXFORD, Mass. - A Massachusetts teen is proving hard work and some free time after school pays off big.

The Cordova family says their 16-year-old son Dylan is already cruising toward a successful future.

Dylan’s new Jeep Wrangler is everything he dreamed of.

But in order to get his new set of wheels, he put in a lot of hours behind another set of wheels.

It all began in 2020 during the pandemic. Dylan was only 12 years old.

“You’re just sitting at home playing Fortnite and I wanted to save up because I wanted a Jeep. I see everyone driving a Jeep, having fun,” Dylan described. “My dad came from Guatemala, so he started working really young, too. So, I kind of wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

“I always tell them, ‘Work hard. Work for your goals because nothing comes easy. Nothing is free, especially in these times.’ You know?” Dylan’s father, Samuel Cordova said. “Everything is so expensive. I tell them, ‘Do the best you can.’” Click here to read more.

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WASHINGTON D.C. - The Educational Choice for Children Act of 2024 becomes the first nationwide school choice bill to pass out of committee in U.S. history. Now it goes to the U.S. House floor, giving hope to Illinois families denied the option by state lawmakers.

For the first time in U.S. history, a federal school choice bill has passed out of committee and advanced to the U.S. House floor – a hopeful move for 15,000 low-income Illinois students whose scholarships were taken away by state lawmakers.

The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means passed H.R. 9462, or the Educational Choice for Children Act of 2024, aimed to “help end the skilled labor shortage and expand educational scholarships for low-income families and students.” It passed the committee by a vote of 23-16 on Sept. 11. Click here to read more.

 

AUSTIN, TX - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday declared the Venezuelan gang, Tren De Aragua (TDA) as a foreign terrorist organization. Texas Department of Public Safety is aggressively targeting gang members who were released into country by Biden administration, he said.

“I will not allow them to use Texas as a base of operations to terrorize our citizens,” Abbott said at a news conference in Houston. “Texas is a law and order state and I will ensure that law enforcement has every tool they need to keep our community safe.”

Tren De Aragua is characterized as “MS13 on steroids,” Abbott said, referring to a violent El Salvadoran gang. It’s “the largest criminal organization in Venezuela … that has now expanded to a transnational criminal organization … dominating the international flow of migrants from South America through Mexico into the United States.” Click here to read more.

I made a bold choice to leave my 25-year career in mainstream media to bring you real, unfiltered stories. I do this because I believe in transparency, truth, and keeping journalism alive for the people. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help. Subscribe for $5 a month. You can quit at anytime.

Become a Supporter

 

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Health this week advised against using mRNA COVID-19 vaccines heading into the fall and winter, typically a season with an uptick in respiratory illness.

The department said that for those 65 and older with underlying health conditions concerned about COVID-19, providers should “prioritize patient access to non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and treatment.”

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said in the new guidance that Floridians should prioritize being active, minimize processed foods, prioritize vegetables and healthy fats, and to spend time outdoors to improve vitamin D levels.

Despite the approval, the Florida Health Department expressed concern over the “lack” of clinical trial data specific to newly-approved COVID-19 boosters. Click here to read more.

 

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who previously supported defunding police efforts, is now pushing to "increase patrols in areas reeling from ongoing criminal behavior" after the deadly shooting of a popular chef left the community reeling.

Shaun Brady, a 44-year-old Irish immigrant, was shot dead outside the restaurant he owned Aug. 28 just after 5 p.m, police said.

"Preliminary investigation revealed the victim was taking out trash when he observed multiple subjects by a vehicle," Kansas City Police told Fox News Digital. "An interaction between the victim and subjects occurred that led to the victim being shot."

"Like many in our community, I am heartbroken to learn of the death of Shaun Brady. I have met him, laughed with him, heard just a bit of his and his family's story and was inspired by the business and the community he was building in Kansas City. I grieve for and express my sincerest condolences to his family and all who knew him," Lucas said in a statement.  Click here to read more.

 

 EL PASO, TX - It started in a prison in the Venezuelan state of Aragua nearly a decade ago. Now, the gang known as “Tren de Aragua” (TDA) has expanded into what the Justice Department calls a “transnational criminal organization” with branches in most of the Western Hemisphere.

TDA figures in more than 100 police investigations around the U.S., including Texas, New York, Colorado and Wisconsin. And, according to reports, its leaders have given members the green light to open fire on U.S. law enforcement.

“This TDA is a very special threat,” said former New York State Homeland Security adviser Michael Balboni. “They’ve created a transnational drug pipeline,” he told NewsNation.

The gang has also been called “MS-13 on steroids,” invoking the name of the notorious gang formed by Salvadoran immigrants in Los Angeles in the 1980s. Click here to read more.

 

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA - The alleged would-be Trump assassin on Sunday stood 300-500 yards away from the former president with scoped rifle, authorities said.

“How far away was the president when this gentleman was caught,” reporters asked authorities during a press conference on Sunday.

“Probably between 300-500 yards,” said Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. “But with a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance.”

As many as four to six shots were fired by the Secret Service. It remains unknown if the would-be assailant returned fire.

As to why the would-be assassin was able to get that close to the former president despite a previous assassination attempt on him in June, the authorities said that the security perimeter could only be so wide due to him being a presidential candidate as opposed to a sitting president. Click here to read more.

 

LANSING, Mich - Seven Michigan public school districts, the recipients of the first electric school buses in the state, reported mixed but mostly positive experiences about the vehicles since adopting them five years ago.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy released summaries of feedback on electric buses’ real-world performance, coming from public school districts in Ann Arbor, Gaylord, Kalamazoo, Oxford, Roseville, Three Rivers and Zeeland.

Within the past two years alone, Michigan has directed more than $239 million in federal and state taxpayer dollars to electric school bus infrastructure.

One of the biggest initial concerns – electric bus performance in cold weather – proved manageable in each district, with four of the seven districts reporting no problems at all. 

“They handle great in all types of weather,” one district told EGLE, which did not identify district names in its releases of the quotes. “Overall, they are a great bus to have in the fleet. Would like a few more to add for in-town routes. There is no noise inside the bus – no engine noise. Students really like the overall atmosphere of the bus.” Click here to learn more.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL – Authorities have apprehended a suspect following an attempted assassination near former President Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sunday. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw revealed that a Secret Service agent spotted a rifle with a scope protruding from a fence, immediately engaging the suspect in a tense and rapidly unfolding situation.

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The suspect was positioned between 300 to 500 yards away from Trump at the time of the incident, according to officials familiar with the investigation. A witness, who later played a crucial role in the suspect's capture, saw the individual fleeing from the bushes and managed to photograph his vehicle, a black Nissan, which led law enforcement directly to the suspect.

“We had a witness who came forward and said, ‘I saw the guy running out of the bushes. He jumped into a black Nissan, and I took a picture of the vehicle and the tag,’” Sheriff Bradshaw stated at a press conference. “This critical information allowed us to track the vehicle and alert the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, which quickly detained the suspect.”

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office was first alerted at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET by the U.S. Secret Service, which reported gunshots. The suspect, whose identity remains undisclosed, was apprehended without a weapon in his possession, and his vehicle was immediately secured and transferred to FBI custody for further examination.

Martin County Sheriff William D. Snyder described the arrest and noted that his office deployed extensive resources to capture the suspect safely. “We flooded Interstate 95 and closed down a significant section of the highway to ensure this suspect was intercepted without further risk to public safety,” Snyder said. “I have full confidence from the investigators that we have the individual responsible.”

Sheriff Snyder also reported that the suspect remained unusually composed during the arrest, displaying little emotion and not questioning why he was being detained. “He wasn’t showing any signs of distress or surprise, which is concerning given the severity of the situation,” Snyder added.

The FBI has taken over the investigation in coordination with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service. Special Agent Jeffrey Veltri of the FBI’s Miami field office urged the public to remain clear of the area and called for anyone with information to come forward via the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or through the FBI’s website. “This was a targeted, premeditated act, and we are utilizing every resource to support this investigation,” Veltri stated during a news conference.

The incident also prompted a lockdown at Trump’s campaign office in West Palm Beach, where staff members were present during the time of the shooting. The lockdown has since been lifted, but the heightened security and ongoing investigation continue to underscore the gravity of the incident.

Authorities have not disclosed any further details regarding the suspect’s motive or background as the investigation remains active. The attempted assassination marks one of the most serious security breaches near the former president, raising questions about the ongoing threats faced by high-profile political figures in the United States.