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The nest isn’t so empty: Affordability crunch has 49% of young adults living with parents

WASHINGTON D.C. — Nearly half of young adults lived with a parent last year, illustrating the struggles of a generation trying to gain a financial foothold.

A report from the Federal Reserve in May showed 49% of adults under age 30 lived with a parent, up 12 percentage points since 2019.

“Everything is just out of reach,” a 28-year-old woman who lives with her mother in the Atlanta suburbs told The Wall Street Journal.

That woman said a young adult could live on their own if they wanted, but they’d be “dead broke at the end of the month.”

Another young woman told the Journal that the COVID-19 pandemic “flipped the script” on young adults moving back in with their parents. Click here to read more.

 

Michigan Business Development Program’s deals are plentiful; its results are not

The workhorse of the state’s business subsidy programs is not the one that gives out deals for hundreds of millions of dollars. Instead, it’s the program where assistance is limited to $10 million payouts, the Michigan Business Development Program. This program has made 875 deals since it began in 2012. But while it makes a lot of deals, it also falls short. It’s just not an effective use of taxpayer money.

One of the basic problems is that it gives taxpayer money to companies and doesn’t ask for anything in return. All businesses that have a project where they expect to create enough jobs — 25 to 50 of them — are eligible, regardless of whether they would do anything differently without money. The only nod to accomplishing anything is that preference may be given to businesses “that need additional assistance for deal-closing and for second stage company gap financing.” Click here to read more.

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Trump announces Walmart to lower prices for thousands of products at his administration’s request

resident Donald Trump said Monday that Walmart has confirmed it will be lowering its prices for thousands of products this summer at his administration’s request in celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday.

Walmart said it will be lowering prices through its signature Rollbacks and Sam’s Club programs, and customers can expect savings on groceries, household and everyday essentials, outdoor living, toys and apparel.

Trump noted that one grocery price that the savings include is a reduction in the cost of beef, which he said will be lowered by almost 15% per pound. Walmart said a pound of beef will now cost $5.94 instead of $6.74. Click here to read more.

 

Joy Reid Guest Rooting for Team USA to Lose So Victory Won’t be ‘Exploited’ by Trump

If you feel like you might not dislike the left enough, keep reading.

On July 1, the same day that U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun was hit with a red card in the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, former MSNBC host Joy Reid welcomed Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation, onto her podcast.

During the interview, Zirin made it clear that he was not rooting for America and wanted to see the U.S. “knocked down a peg,” at least in part, for fear of its victories being “exploited” by President Trump.

“I find myself really wishing the United States was actually playing a team from the Global South so I could truly root with even more fervor to see them get knocked down a peg, because we know how it’s going to be exploited if they go forward in the Cup,” Zirin said. “Let’s just be real about that.” Click here to read more.

 

America learned long ago that air-conditioning saves lives. Why does Europe remain so stubborn about it?

During his inaugural speech on Jan. 1, Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared, “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”

It certainly feels warm these days.

As temperatures climbed during the heat wave that blanketed much of the eastern United States, the mayor took to social media with a familiar message from the government. “New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool,” he tweeted. “Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can.”

This is the real face of the political left: Individual comfort and convenience should be subordinated to collective priorities, with government officials deciding how much energy ordinary people ought to consume. Click here to read more.

 

 

Michigan medical school suggests using tickborne disease to curb meat eating

A recent study from a medical school affiliated with Western Michigan University promotes spreading a tickborne disease to curb meat eating, a stance that has prompted calls for an end to taxpayer funding for the school.

The WMU Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine received $600,000 in state grants in 2020 and 2025, according to a Michigan Strategic Fund report. The school also received more than $10 million in federal grants from fiscal year 2020 through 2026, according to USA Spending.

But the school is under fire over the 2025 study in the journal “Bioethics” encouraging proliferation of ticks that carry Alpha-gal syndrome, which has the potential to make people allergic to red meat. Click here to read more.

 

Michigan taxpayers are funding the push for higher taxes

When you paid your taxes last month, perhaps you grumbled about the amount. Did you know your tax dollars are used to call for higher taxes?

Local governments use public funds to argue for tax hikes. School districts blanket communities with information about the benefits of millages and other tax measures. Taxpayer-funded bureaucracies hold public town halls and plaster social media with demands for more of your money. Superintendents warn about the dire consequences if the measure fails.

Strictly speaking, Michigan law prohibits using public funds or property for electioneering. Public bodies are free, however, to share factual information. School districts can explain how much money a bond proposal would raise and what projects it would fund. If they stop short of telling people to vote “yes,” they avoid violating the law. Click here to read more.

Mamdani’s thermostat moment draws conservative backlash, flashbacks of Carter’s ‘sweater speech’

ew York democratic-socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdi’s suggestion that city residents turn up their thermostats to 78 degrees during the heatwave this July 4 holiday weekend to help conserve energy has drawn sharp criticism from essentially every corner of the conservative movement – with some members even going so far as to compare the mayor’s comment to Democrat President Jimmy Carter’s 1977 “sweater speech.”

“New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool,” Mamdani wrote Wednesday on the social platform X. “Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can.”

He also wrote: “A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved. Let’s ease demand – and get through the heat – together.” Click here to read more.

 

Bee-wildering scene: Millions of honeybees swarm Texas neighborhood after crash

ORANGE COUNTY, Texas (TNND) — Millions of honeybees got loose in a Texas neighborhood Sunday morning after an 18-wheeler carrying hundreds of beehives overturned, according to officials.

Orange County Emergency Services urged residents to stay indoors because of a “heavy presence of bees in the area.” By Sunday afternoon, crews were still working to safely transfer the hives onto transport trucks before moving them to a local honey farm.

Local beekeepers and volunteers also pitched in to help recover the bees. Christie Ray, owner of Queen Bee Supply, shared photos and videos of the effort on Facebook.

“Not something you ever want to see, but so nice to see beekeepers helping beekeepers,” Ray wrote. “From commercial outfits to backyard beekeepers, grateful for everyone that came out and helped!” Click here to read more.

 

Michigan House passes $75B state budget overnight with no new tax increases

LANSING, Mich. Lawmakers in Lansing have passed a $75 billion state budget with no new tax increases for the fiscal year after an overnight session.

The newly passed budget, estimated to be $10 billion less than last year’s, expands investments in places like education, roads and infrastructure, Medicaid, mental health and public safety, while reducing unnecessary spending, according to House Republicans.

“We didn’t come to Lansing to rubber stamp another spending binge,” said State Rep. Matt Maddock. “We came here to protect taxpayers, expose waste, and hold government accountable. This budget reflects that fight from beginning to end.”

Lawmakers say the budget prevents around $800 million in tax increases while also protecting the state’s ‘Rainy Day’ fund. Click here to read more.

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Michigan spent $1.8B on corporate welfare, got 3% of promised jobs

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer promised that $2.7 billion in corporate welfare would create 20,595 jobs. It has only created 602 jobs so far, according to a new report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

The report focuses on eight major projects that were offered $2.7 billion in exchange for the promise of 20,595 jobs. So far, $1.8 billion of the money offered has been spent, but only 602 jobs have been created, according to the report produced by James Hohman, fiscal policy director at the Mackinac Center. That’s 3% of total employment positions announced.

“The money delivered to select companies would have been better left in taxpayers’ pockets,” Hohman said. Click here to read more.

 

How a school district cut chronic absenteeism by 65%

Nearly 1-in-4 students were chronically absent in 2023 at New Trier High School. That dropped by 65% after reforms were implemented.

One of the wealthiest high school districts in Illinois fought a serious attendance problem with a plan that included explicit expectations, intervention procedures and consequences.

In the first 50 days of the 2022-23 school year, just over 24% of students at New Trier High School were chronically absent, defined by state law as missing 10% or more of the school year, including valid and invalid absences.

The school experienced heightened absenteesim after the COVID-19 pandemic and worked actively to keep students in class. After implementing reforms, absenteeism plummeted to about 8.5% in the first 50 days of the next school year, 2023-24. Click here to read more.

 

18-month-old boy chokes to death on popcorn kernel, with mother facing manslaughter charge

Documents filed in Nassau County Supreme Court show a grand jury indicted Olivia Bithorn, also known as Olivia Russell, on one count of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

The indictment alleged that Bithorn “recklessly caused the death” of Luke Russell Jr. in April.

Prosecutors also alleged Bithorn knowingly acted “in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare” of the toddler, as well as another child, Ruby Russell.

The boy choked on an unpopped popcorn kernel after he and his 3-year-old sister were allegedly left unattended while Bithorn drank alcohol in another room, according to 12 News Long Island. Click here to read more.

 

DOJ Investigates Gallego For Alleged Campaign Finance Violations

The Justice Department (DOJ) launched an investigation into Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego on Monday for alleged campaign finance violations, reports show.

A source familiar said the federal probe originated from a “whistleblower complaint” out of Southern California, according to Axios. This comes after a Senate Ethics Committee misconduct complaint against Gallego was dismissed Monday.

Gallego used funds from a political action committee, or PAC, for personal leisure, including family trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland and Disney World, Politico previously reported, citing campaign finance documents and an individual familiar with the lawmaker’s spending.

Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna alleged Gallego was responsible for sexual misconduct and campaign finance violations in April, leading to months of investigation before the committee concluded there was no evidence to support Luna’s claims. Click here to read more.

 

Trump signs memorandum expanding ‘Freedom to Fix’ vehicles to lower repair costs

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum Monday directing the Environmental Protection Agency to expand Americans’ ability to repair their own vehicles, aiming to lower costs by reducing regulatory barriers on aftermarket parts and “tampering” enforcement.

The action targets what the administration calls lingering uncertainty under the Clean Air Act that has driven up repair expenses and limited consumer choices. It builds on Trump’s broader deregulatory efforts, including rescinding greenhouse gas emissions rules for vehicles and affirming rights to repair agricultural equipment.

“We are not going to be going after people who are fixing their own vehicle like past Administrations have,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in remarks accompanying the signing. Click here to read more.

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