Dave Bondy
Politics • Culture • News
News they don't want you to see
Wednesday February 12, 2024
February 12, 2025
post photo preview

This email is free Monday through Friday! I also produce special investigations and shows on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

I left a high-paying media job to go independent, and I can’t do it without your support.

Paid subscriptions are just $6/month and keep this work alive. Cancel anytime. Click the red subscribe button to join!

 

 

 
 

LANSING, Mich - Republican lawmakers are pushing back against a new budget that is on track to increase state spending by 47% since 2018 and contains no plan to fix the state’s roads.

Whitmer’s $83.5 billion proposal for the 2026 state budget adds $1 billion in spending to the current year’s total. That total is 47% higher than the $56.8 billion budget in 2018, the year before Whitmer took office.

Whitmer made fixing the roads a key part of her 2018 election campaign. Her next budget proposal does not contain any mechanism for achieving that goal.

The governor’s budget calls for spending increases, Rep. Donni Steele said in a press release, but it fails to address the road problem.

“The governor’s proposal includes a billion dollar increase to the state budget over last year, which includes 800 new state employees and no additional funding to fix local roads,” the Orion Township Republican said. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C - Elon Musk, head of the new “Department of Government Efficiency,” didn’t mince words when he announced last week that the Trump administration was closing the U.S. Agency for International Development. He said his team was “feeding USAID into the wood chipper” and that it was “time for it to die.”

The crudeness might not have been necessary, but the proposal itself was warranted. Foreign aid has too many (often conflicting) goals, including promoting democracy, stability and geopolitical ties. It is long past time for the U.S. government to scrutinize the entire foreign assistance program and recognize that one of the central goals – promoting economic growth – has been a failure.

That’s why it’s a good idea to close down USAID, drop economic development as a goal of U.S. foreign policy and assign the State Department to manage vital emergency and humanitarian aid. It does, however, need to be done lawfully and in accordance with the Constitution. Unfortunately the Trump administration has not been following the law in its push to shut down the agency, which needs to be rectified. Click here to read more.


Do you want a free speech search engine that doesn’t track you or show bias? Click here to download the Freespoke APP. It’s free, give the a try.

 

ORLANDO, FLA - Executives at the Walt Disney Company are reportedly worried that soaring prices are alienating families from its theme parks, with internal surveys showing a decline in guests who are planning return visits to Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

The price of attending a Disney park has skyrocketed in recent years, with the typical price of a four-day stay inside the park rising by $1000 between 2019 and 2024, a new study conducted by The Wall Street Journal showed. The vast majority of that increase — nearly 80 percent — comes from new charges for services that were once free.

This has put a serious damper on fan enthusiasm. Internal surveys obtained by the Journal showed a decline in guests planning return visits to Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim — a potentially disastrous trend for Disney whose theme parks have served as a reliable cash cow for decades.

Attendance at Disney’s U.S. parks rose a mere 1 percent in the last fiscal year, down from 6 percent from the year before. Click here to read more.

 

ORLANDO, FLA - A judge ruled in favor of a school district that prevented a mom in Florida from volunteering at her kids’ elementary school after learning that she has an OnlyFans page.

In 2023, Victoria Triece sued the Orange County Public School District for $1 million after they allegedly banned her from volunteering at the Sand Lake Elementary School in Orlando, where her 5-year-old and 10-year-old sons attend.

She said someone sent an anonymous email to the principal in 2021 voicing their concerns, WESH reported.

“If I’m not hurting anybody and I’m not affecting anybody’s day, then it’s somebody’s choice to do something that’s fully legal,” Triece said.

Triece said the principal shared the email with her boss, including images of her adult content.

In her original filing, Triece claims the district violated her right to free speech and also alleged “sexual cyber harassment” for sharing pictures from her OnlyFans account with media outlets. Click here to read more.

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Federal and Nashville officials announced the indictment Tuesday of eight people involved in a human trafficking operation in Middle Tennessee, connecting two of those individuals to a Venezuelan gang.

Those individuals were indicted in the U.S. District of Middle Tennessee on charges ranging from conspiracy to commit interstate transportation for the purposes of prostitution from sex trafficking conspiracy. The indictment said those indicted in the case entered through the United States illegally.

As outlined in the indictment, a mother and son team who are accused of orchestrating the human trafficking ring consisted of Yilibeth Del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera (nicknamed Rivero) and Klevier Daniel Mota Rivero (Mota). They had the primary connection to Tren de Aragua — or TdA — a violent gang out of Venezuela.

Authorities said the crimes happened July 2022 and July 2024. The indictment stated that Rivero, her other children and their spouses rounded out the operation. Court records show that targeted women from Central and South America to offer them a better life in the United States. However, that proposition came at a cost for the women, who wound up being commercially sex trafficked in Murfreesboro and Nashville. Click here to read more.

community logo
Join the Dave Bondy Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
0
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Articles
September 25, 2025
School board bans clapping....seriously

ALPENA, Mich. — A new rule banning applause and other displays of emotion at Alpena Public Schools board meetings has sparked pushback from community members who say the policy infringes on their free speech rights.

The board recently adopted a policy prohibiting clapping, cheering, booing, or any demonstrations from audience members during meetings. Board President Eric Lawson said the restriction is meant to prevent disruptions and maintain order.

“We’re doing our best to show respect to you all and make sure you have adequate time for your comments,” Lawson said during a recent meeting. “Please show the board a little respect as well.”

Not everyone in attendance agreed. Several residents voiced frustration, including one woman who argued that clapping constitutes symbolic speech protected under the First Amendment.

“Clapping is a universal symbolic action that typically expresses approval,” she said. “Up until one week ago, clapping was a regular occurrence at these ...

00:02:38
September 22, 2025
Tensions flare at the Grand Ledge, Michigan school board meeting as parents clash over whether a teacher should be fired for a social media post about Charlie Kirk. Some demanded his removal, while others defended his right to speak out.

Tensions flare at the Grand Ledge, Michigan school board meeting as parents clash over whether a teacher should be fired for a social media post about Charlie Kirk. Some demanded his removal, while others defended his right to speak out.

00:01:43
September 15, 2025
The chants of “Charlie, Charlie” were echoed by a huge crowd during a vigil at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. charliekirk charliekirkvigil

The chants of “Charlie, Charlie” were echoed by a huge crowd during a vigil at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. #charliekirk #charliekirkvigil

00:00:15
September 23, 2025
Want to help keep this show going?

Become a paid supporter. I can't keep doing this without you.

September 22, 2025
President Trump on Tylenol "Don't take it"

President Trump on Tylenol "Don't take it"

September 22, 2025
BREAKING: Disney just announced Jimmy Kimmel’s show returns tomorrow.

BREAKING: Disney just announced Jimmy Kimmel’s show returns tomorrow.

post photo preview
post photo preview
News they don't want you to see
Friday October 3, 2025

I left my job as a local TV news anchor and reporter to go independent. Now I rely on paid subscribers to keep this work going. You can support real journalism for less than $1 a week — cancel anytime.

 

 

 

 
 

Enraged Father of Slain Woman Makes the Case for Keeping Repeat Criminals Behind Bars

“I will fight until my last breath for my daughter. You need to fight for the rest of our children, the rest of the innocents, and stop protecting the people that keep taking them from us, please.”

Those were the words of Stephen Federico, the father of a 22-year-old woman who was allegedly killed by a man who had faced 40 criminal charges in the years before her murder. He gave his impassioned testimony about the need for keeping more criminals behind bars at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Monday.

Federico’s heartbreaking testimony vividly highlighted one of the clearest reasons America’s Democrat-run cities face a serious crime problem: repeat offenders end up back out on the streets after being given countless chances by authorities.

It’s hard to listen to Federico speak about his daughter’s slaying and not be enraged. Click here to read more.

 

Ann Arbor’s Clean Energy Plan Cost Taxpayers Millions

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The city of Ann Arbor is spending millions of dollars to subsidize what it calls the “nation’s most aggressive climate plan.”

Ann Arbor wants its residents’ homes and businesses to be at “carbon neutrality” by the year 2030. So the city is subsidizing “pathways to decarbonize their homes and businesses.”

The city spent $2.3 million over the last 3 1/2 years helping 700 homes pay for the upfront cost of implementing solar energy.

Ann Arbor voters approved in November 2024 a “Sustainable Energy Utility.” The city described it as “an opt-in, supplemental, community-owned energy utility that provides 100% renewable energy from local solar and battery storage systems installed at participating homes and businesses in the city.”

The state of Michigan gave the city a $5 million grant to implement the Sustainable Energy Utility. Click here to read more.

https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png
 

Mormons Raise More Than $265K For Family Of Gunman Who Attacked Michigan Church

In the days following the attack in which four people were killed and eight more were wounded at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, Mormons who were grieving the tragedy did the unthinkable: They began raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the family of the man who shot and killed Latter-day Saints.

A Give SendGo fundraiser set up for the family of Thomas Jacob Sanford has raised more than $265,000, with many of the donations coming from members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Washington Post reported. On Sunday, Sanford drove his truck into the building of a Latter-day Saints church in Grand Blanc Township before stepping out of the vehicle and opening fire with a semiautomatic rifle, according to authorities. Sanford was also suspected of setting a fire to the church building before responding police officers killed him. Click here to read more.

 

FDA approves new generic abortion pill, promoting backlash from conservatives

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Another generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Drugmaker Evita Solutions said the FDA signed off on its low-cost form of the pill, which is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks.

The company also noted that medical abortion “is 97% effective when Mifepristone Tablets, 200 mg is taken in combination with misoprostol.” It added that mifepristone blocks the hormone needed for pregnancy to continue, while misoprostol causes contractions to expel the pregnancy from a woman’s body.

The announcement prompted backlash from conservative politicians and groups on Thursday. Click here to read more.

 

Supreme Court urged to restore Fourth Amendment protections for digital data

The Supreme Court begins a new term next week. In the coming months, the justices will consider cases touching nearly every corner of American life. Among the cases the Court is being asked to take up is one presenting an important question about digital privacy: can the government demand access to your location data from companies like Google without a warrant based on probable cause?

That question is at the heart of Chatrie v. United States. The case arises from a “geofence warrant” which let law enforcement sweep up information about everyone near the scene of a robbery—including many innocent bystanders. Pacific Legal Foundation filed a friend of the court brief on behalf of an amicus client urging the Court to hear the case and restore crucial Fourth Amendment protections for the digital age. Click here to read more.

Read full Article
October 02, 2025
post photo preview
News they don't want you to see
Thursday October 2, 2025

Make sure you get the Substack APP so you can watch my live shows on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. It’s free. Just click the red button below to get the APP.

 

 

 
 

Michigan to add 24% marijuana tax to fix the roads

Buying legal marijuana in Michigan will likely cost about 24% more starting next year, thanks to a tax hike meant to fill potholes.

Michigan’s political leaders have agreed not to shut down the state government over a budget impasse, but not all lawmakers are on board with upcoming tax hikes.

The statement claims that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, and House Speaker Matt Hall have agreed to pass a budget with road funding before Oct. 1.

The leaders agreed to pass the School Aid budget and state budget, including long-term road funding, before the end of the fiscal year.

Michigan Republicans and Democrats agreed to enact a 24% wholesale tax on marijuana. That tax will add to the already 10% excise tax for recreational marijuana and a 6% sales tax. Click here to read more.

 

Salvage crew finds $1 million treasure on 300-year-old shipwreck

VERO BEACH, Fla. - Over $1 million worth of silver and gold coins have been recovered from the remains of a Spanish fleet that sank off the Florida coast 310 years ago.

M/V Just Right Capt. Levin Shavers and his crew found over 1,000 silver coins, known as reales, and five gold coins, known as escudos, as well as other gold artifacts in the remains of the 1715 Treasure Fleet shipwreck during the summer salvage season.

“The best way I can describe it is if you lose something you really, really like and you’ve almost come to terms with it just never being found again, and then, all of a sudden, it shows up. It’s just such an awesome feeling,” Shavers said. Click here to read more.

https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.pnghttps://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)","title":null,"type":null,"href":null,"belowTheFold":false,"topImage":false,"internalRedirect":null,"isProcessing":false,"align":null,"offset":false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)" title="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png (1100×100)" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I5CQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2ea9316-1358-4bd7-97b5-7a04f92a0b2a_1100x100.png 1456w" sizes="100vw">
 

Elon Musk shares Erika Kirk’s call to ‘go to church’

Elon Musk, a man who once quipped that he’s OK with going to Hell because more people will be there, is now encouraging his followers to attend church.

Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, and CEO of the social media platform X, reposted a message from Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk on Sunday, in which she encouraged people to “Go to church.” Musk, who has taken a prominent role in American politics and public discourse since the first assassination attempt on Trump’s life, has identified himself as a “cultural Christian” in the past but has stopped short of fully embracing Christianity.

In a 2024 interviewwith Jordan Peterson, Musk explained, “While I’m not a particularly religious person, I do believe that the teachings of Jesus are good and wise and that there’s tremendous wisdom in turning the other cheek.” He also described himself as a “big believer in the principles of Christianity,” which he praised as “very good.”. Click here to read more.

 

Trump Uses Reagan-Era Policy to Ban Taxpayer-Funded Gender-Transition Surgeries

resident Donald Trump’s State Department will soon expand the scope of the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits the use of taxpayer dollars for abortions.

“The department will soon take additional steps to close loopholes that allowed taxpayer funding for promotion of abortion in previous iterations of the Mexico City Policy and expand the scope of the policy to ensure every penny of U.S. foreign assistance prioritizes American values, not the woke agenda,” a senior State Department official told The Daily Signal.

The expanded policy will prohibit U.S. funding for gender ideology, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. For example, the State Department is ending a $2 million grant to fund gender-affirming operations in Guatemala.

The new provision restricts a broader range of nongovernmental organization programming, such as those for HIV/AIDS, President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), maternal and child health, nutrition, and infectious diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. Click here to read more.

 

Catholic Families Pledge to Hit the Brakes on Smartphones

For many parents, the dangers and downsides of giving their children smartphones — the time wasted scrolling online, potential exposure to inappropriate content, and the anxiety and depression that can come from social-media addiction — are obvious.

What is far less obvious to many parents, in a society saturated with smartphone use among adults and children alike, is how to say “No” when their son or daughter asks for one.

One Catholic-founded Texas-based group is attempting to offer a solution: banding school parents together under a pledge to keep smartphones and social media out of their kids’ hands, based both on a Catholic vision of the human person as well as scientific evidence about the development of the young brain.

It’s hardly a wonder why parents who decide not to give their children personal, internet-connected devices feel like outliers.

A 2025 study by Common Sense Media (CSM) found that 1 in 4 children in the U.S. are given a smartphone by age 8. A different study surveyed 1,500 kids and found that two-thirds were given their first smartphone when they were 10 or younger. Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

 

Read full Article
October 01, 2025
post photo preview
Goodrich church says they had encounter with Grand Blanc Twp. Shooter
Goodrich church reveals new details about a recent encounter with the gunman.

GOODRICH, Mich. — A Michigan church is confirming that the man accused of opening fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township Sunday had a recent encounter just days before the deadly attack.

In an email to members, The River Church in Goodrich shared that Thomas Jacob Sanford, the suspect in Sunday’s mass shooting and fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Twp., visited its church on September 21 — a week before the attack. Church leaders say Sanford came with his family and spoke with staff about wanting to have his son baptized.

According to the church’s statement, Sanford became agitated during that conversation, though he showed no signs of physical violence and left without incident. “While he became agitated during that interaction, he did not show any indication of physical violence, and he and his family left without incident,” the statement read.

If you are not a paid subscriber consider becoming one. I walked away from the corporate controlled media to go independent. I rely on paid subscribers to keep my work going. Sign up below for less than $1 per week.

 

 

 

Church leaders say Sanford had also rented space at the River Church back in 2015, when his family used the building for a fundraiser related to his son’s medical condition. They emphasized that the event was a simple facility rental, not part of church ministry.

Following the Grand Blanc tragedy, law enforcement conducted a full inspection of the Goodrich location and cleared it as safe. Officers also swept surrounding areas “in an abundance of caution.”

The church said it released this information “in the spirit of transparency” and to assure members that every safety step is being taken.

In its message, The River Church also expressed deep sorrow for the victims and their families, quoting Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

The email concluded by thanking security and medical teams who serve across the church’s nine campuses, noting that some members of its security staff are armed while serving. Leaders said a full review of safety procedures is now underway.

Background on the Grand Blanc Church Shooting

Authorities say 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford drove a pickup truck into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township on Sunday, opened fire on worshippers, and then set the building on fire.

Four people were killed and eight were injured, including children and elderly victims. Investigators later discovered explosive devices inside the suspect’s vehicle. The FBI continues to lead the investigation, calling it a targeted act of violence.

Witnesses described the horrifying scene as worshippers scrambled to safety. The suspect was shot and killed by responding officers.
Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals