Whitmer brings 18 on Japan, Singapore trip'

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer brought 18 people to Japan and Singapore on the 12,000-mile round trip.

She announced the trip over the weekend.

“Singapore is one of the most dynamic economies in the world, a global hub for finance, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy,” Whitmer said in a news release. “By making this first-of-its-kind visit, we are opening the door for new trade opportunities, building connections with business leaders, and showing that Michigan is a reliable and innovative partner for the future. At the same time, we will deepen our decades-long relationship with Japan, reinforcing our partnerships in key shared industries. Whether tariffs shift or global markets fluctuate, Michigan remains open for business and eager to collaborate.” Click here to see all the names of the people on the list.

 

Two Largest Teachers Unions in U.S. Funneled $43.5 Million to Left-Wing Groups

The two largest teachers unions in the U.S. have dumped a combined $43.5 million into left-wing groups since 2022, according to a conservative watchdog group report.

National nonprofit group Defending Education released a report last week detailing the contributions of the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers to far-left groups and causes, citing disclosures to the Department of Labor, Fox News reported.

“It is clear that the teachers’ unions’ priorities are advancing far-left politics and radical social justice issues, not the education of children,” Defending Ed researcher Rhyen Staley told the outlet. “This is a slap in the face to families and teachers who want to focus on helping students improve their reading and math skills. It is time that Congress acts to stop this obscene redistribution of public monies to advance left-wing identity politics. Click here to read more.

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CBS News ‘Shamefully Edited’ Interview To ‘Whitewash’ Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s Background, Noem Says

CBS News edited an interview with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “whitewash” the criminal background of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, according to Noem.

Noem appeared on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday and defended the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Abrego Garcia, who is currently challenging his planned removal to Uganda.

The Homeland Security Secretary said that Abrego Garcia, who is in the United States illegally, committed crimes against children and his wife, but when her interview aired on CBS News, the network had cut out the part in which Noem had talked specifically about the accusations that Abrego Garcia is facing.

“And the one thing that we will continue to do is to make sure that he doesn’t walk free in the United States of America,” Noem said in a clip that aired on Face The Nation.

The edit cut short Noem’s response, which continued on for nearly 30 more seconds. Click here to read more.

 

11-year-old boy fatally shot after ‘ding dong ditch’ doorbell-ringing prank, police say

An 11-year-old boy was fatally shot in Houston after a prank in which he rang the doorbell of a home and ran away, police said Sunday.

The boy had been ringing doorbells as a prank late Saturday evening, the Houston Police Department said in a statement. Commonly referred to as “ding dong ditching,” the prank involves fleeing before someone inside the home opens the door.

The boy, who has not yet been identified, died of his wounds Sunday, police said.

Police spokesperson Shay Awosiyan said that officers were still investigating and had not arrested anybody in connection with the boy’s death as of Sunday evening.

Other “ding dong ditch” pranks have turned deadly in the past. In 2023, a Southern California man was convicted on three counts of first-degree murder for killing three teenage boys by intentionally ramming their car after they rang his doorbell as a prank. Click here to read more.

 

Wisconsin bill would ban concealed carry on college campuses

MADISON, Wis. — Carrying a concealed weapon would be illegal at public and private universities and colleges under a Democratic bill introduced Wednesday.

The legislation, proposed by Sen. Kelda Roys, D- Madison, and Rep. Brienne Brown, D- Whitewater, would extend the same protections that apply to public and private K-12 schools by prohibiting both open and concealed carry guns, with exceptions for law enforcement and campus-sanctioned activities.

“Nobody should be living with the fear of gun violence, but certainly not young people on college campuses across the state,” Roys said in announcing the legislation. “In terms of our drafting, it’s quite simple: Wisconsin already has gun-free school zones across the state, and this bill simply applies those protections to college campuses.”

Currently, colleges and universities are allowed to post signs prohibiting concealed carry weapons on their campuses, punishable by a citation for trespassing — which is a forfeiture, not a crime — and up to a $1,000 fine. People with legal concealed carry permits are exempt from the rules. Click here to read more.

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Michigan’s Green Energy Plan Means Higher Bills, More Blackouts

MIDLAND, Mich. — Michigan’s net-zero energy law could more than double utility bills, increase blackout risks, and deliver negligible climate benefits, a new report from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy warns.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “MI Healthy Climate Plan” mandates 100% clean energy by 2050 through a rapid transition to wind, solar, and battery storage as well as the phasing out of fossil fuels.

“Michigan’s Expensive Net-Zero Gamble: Projecting the Costs of Gov. Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan” was conducted in partnership with the Center of the American Experiment and Always On Energy Research. The report concludes that the governor’s proposed transition will strain the state’s power grid and impose major costs on taxpayers. Click here to read more.

 

Civil rights groups alarmed over Quebec’s move to ban prayer in public

Quebec says it will ban prayer in public, a move that civil rights groups described as an “alarming measure” that targets religious minority groups and would infringe on “basic democratic freedoms”.

The province’s secularism minister, Jean-François Roberge, said the move had been prompted by the “proliferation of street prayer” which he described as “a serious and sensitive issue” adding that the government had watched with “unease”. Roberge said the government would introduce legislation in the fall.

The announcement follows public statements from Quebec’s premier, François Legault, who expressed mounting frustration over public prayers in the province’s largest city, Montreal. Click here to read more.

 

Just 38.9% of Michigan third graders proficient in reading, according to state test

In the third grade, Michigan’s children are learning to recognize and use prefixes like re- and un- and suffixes like -ful and—less to expand their vocabulary. They practice high-frequency words that appear in nearly everything they will ever read, such as again, between, favorite, and important. As they grow into confident readers, they begin writing and reading compound words like playground, sunshine, and notebook.

But that progress is not happening at the rate it should. The latest state test results show that over 60% of third graders cannot read at grade level.

According to the Michigan Department of Education, only 38.9% of third graders scored proficient in reading on the most recent M-STEP exam, the poorest result since the test began. In 2019, before the pandemic and Michigan’s extended period of remote learning under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, nearly 45% of students were at grade level. The steady decline since then shows that many children have not recovered from those prolonged classroom closures. Click here to read more.

 

Left-Wing Dark Money Outfit Accused of Trying to Buy Social Media Influencers

One of the most influential left-wing dark money organizations stands accused of trying to buy social media influencers, aiming to unify the Left as Democrats struggle to find the path forward after President Donald Trump’s historic victory in November.

Trump’s interviews with conservative YouTubers, podcast hosts, and alternative media influencers accumulated more than 100 million views ahead of the 2024 presidential election, and it seems the group Sixteen Thirty Fund, which has ties to Arabella Advisors, is intent on galvanizing this new strategy on the other side of the aisle.

Will its efforts unite the woke infrastructure of the Left with the large audiences who flock to left-wing influencers? Or will the exposure of this effort further divide the Democrat activist class? Click here to read more.

 

Florida authorities uncover widespread illegal alien cheating scheme for CDL exam: report

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An investigation into a criminal scheme that allowed non-English speaking individuals to cheat on their commercial driver’s license, or CDL exam has exposed a link between fraud and fatal crashes, according to a report by First Coast News.

The report details how a group of men, including five who were arrested in Jacksonville, used hidden cameras and earpieces to receive test answers from accomplices outside of a DMV testing center.

The scheme, which the Florida Highway Patrol calls “organized fraud,” allowed applicants to obtain a CDL without a proper understanding of English or road signs.

According to First Coast News, the danger of the scheme was tragically illustrated by a fatal crash in South Florida. Click here to read more.

FLINT, Mich. — A Flint pastor is raising concerns about how city officials and police communicated with him and his congregation after a man allegedly threatened to bring an AR-15 rifle to his church.

Matthew Hougue Smith, pastor of Peoples Church in Flint, said while Sunday’s service was peaceful and included a surprise baptism, he has been left frustrated by what he described as little to no communication from city leaders and law enforcement.

“I have not received direct communication. I have had to reach out and physically go to the police department and that was the first time I’ve officially talked about this,” Smith said in a statement. “All I keep getting is, ‘A detective will begin investigating this coming Tuesday.’”

Smith said the suspect showed up near the church around 8:40 a.m. Sunday, prompting him to call 911. He said officers searched the area briefly but offered no reassurance, asking instead if he had a gun permit and telling him it was his responsibility to protect the congregation.

 

Smith said the suspect showed up near the church around 8:40 a.m. Sunday, prompting him to call 911. He said officers searched the area briefly but offered no reassurance, asking instead if he had a gun permit and telling him it was his responsibility to protect the congregation.

According to Smith, a Michigan State Police sergeant told him the agency could not take over the case because they had not been invited to do so by the city.

“After a credible terrorist threat was made to bring an AR-15 to the church, we still have had little to no contact with the police,” Smith said. “If any more harm comes to this city by the hands of this man, it is officially on the hands of the city as I have done everything I can do on my end.”

Earlier in the week, Peoples Church canceled services after Flint police said they were investigating threats made on Facebook.

I reached out to the City of Flint for comment, but have not received a response.