Dave Bondy
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Friday February 14, 2025
February 14, 2025

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LANSING, Mich - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive budget proposal would cut funding for schools serving some of the state’s neediest students. It would also fund preschool for all the state’s four-year-olds even though many parents have no interest in enrolling their children. Worse still, the budget fails to fix the dire state of Michigan’s K-12 education system.

The governor’s $21.2 billion School Aid Fund proposal for fiscal year 2026 would give districts a 4.1% increase to the foundation allowance, which is the state’s per-pupil minimum funding guarantee for every public school. The 2025 budget maintains the $9,608 allocation from the previous year, while the 2026 proposal would raise it to $10,000 per student. This would help narrow the funding gap between districts at opposite ends of the funding spectrum.

At the same time, the 2026 proposal would increase some funding disparities between conventional district schools and charter schools. Last year, the Legislature lowered the amount districts are required to contribute to the state’s retirement system for school employees, a decision that boosted districts’ funding by about $374 per student, on average. Charter schools, most of which do not contribute to the retirement system, received a one-time appropriation of $375 per student to offer comparable treatment. Click here to read more.

 

DALLAS, TX - Police in Dallas, Texas, will not join Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) deportation raids or arrests that have been targeting illegal immigrants across the nation in the midst of a resurgent Trump presidency.

Dallas Police Department (DPD) Interim Chief Michael Igo on Wednesday told a gathering of Spanish speakers at Familia Bethel Internacional church, “The Dallas Police Department is not assisting any federal agency on detaining people that are either documented or undocumented in the city of Dallas,” Fox News reported on Thursday.

His comments came amid several meetings planned to inform the community’s immigrants about the situation. Igo also told the group officers would not turn in or report illegals who call 911 for help or those police pull over regarding traffic violations. He then encouraged them to call the department when they needed help and continue living their daily lives. Click here to read more.

 

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich - Michigan’s largest health care system caved to pressure from transgender activists just days after announcing an end to sex change treatments for kids.

Grand Rapids-based Corewell Health announced Wednesday it’s “lifting (the) pause” on new “gender-affirming” hormone treatments for minors undergoing a sex change the company instituted on Friday, WOOD reports.

“We briefly paused beginning these therapies to allow us time to assess the potential impact that recent policy changes might have on our patients and their health,” Corewell said in a statement.

President Donald Trump last month issued an executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” that promises to end federal aid to medical institutions that engage in “gender affirming care” for minors. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - The most striking aspect of President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) isn’t that unsavory aid recipients have misused taxpayer dollars. It’s that anyone is shocked by the revelations of waste, fraud, and abuse. After all, watchdog groups have sounded the alarm for years about misuse of USAID funds.

People shouldn’t just be enraged by USAID’s wasteful spending. They should also focus on what that spending supported—particularly when it promoted terror or aligned with Hamas’s interests.

Rather than being used to provide humanitarian aid and stabilize conflict-ridden regions—in accordance with USAID’s stated goal—American funds have often been funneled into corrupt, Hamas-tied institutions, with minimal oversight. A new multiyear study of USAID by the Middle East Forum identified $164 million in grants to radical organizations, including $122 million to those “aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters.” The MEF also found that “millions of federal dollars have been handed by USAID to organizations directly in Gaza controlled by Hamas, with government officials even visiting Gaza terror proxies’ offices and launching joint programs.”

FARGO, ND - A North Dakota woman is warning others after she suffered third-degree burns from an electric blanket.

Leslie Scott’s ordeal started just over two months ago when she decided to buy a heated blanket. She went to bed with the blanket on Dec. 6. The following day, she quickly noticed she had been burned, KVLY reports.

“I woke up, got ready, went to work, and on my way to work, I was like, ‘Why is my leg on fire?’” Scott said. “I made it to work... and I went and checked. I had a blister and my skin missing from my leg.”

Scott’s doctor says she suffered third-degree burns in her right lower leg, and the pain is still there.

 

FARGO, N.D. (KVLY/Gray News) - A North Dakota woman is warning others after she suffered third-degree burns from an electric blanket.

Leslie Scott’s ordeal started just over two months ago when she decided to buy a heated blanket. She went to bed with the blanket on Dec. 6. The following day, she quickly noticed she had been burned, KVLY reports.

“I woke up, got ready, went to work, and on my way to work, I was like, ‘Why is my leg on fire?’” Scott said. “I made it to work... and I went and checked. I had a blister and my skin missing from my leg.”

Scott’s doctor says she suffered third-degree burns in her right lower leg, and the pain is still there. Click here to read more.

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BREAKING: Charges Dropped Against Michigan Duck Rescue Founders After DNR Case Collapses

The legal battle between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary has come to an end. with all charges dismissed against the couple who run the operation.

Matthew and Teresa Lyson, founders of the Salem Township sanctuary, had faced six criminal charges each after state officials accused them of keeping and caring for waterfowl without proper permits. This week, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the cases in their entirety, following months of public scrutiny and growing political pressure.

“This is great news,” Lyson told Keeping It Real. “All charges against me and Teresa are 100 percent gone. It’s a done deal, and we get to start new.”

Background of the Case

The Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary has operated for nearly two decades, caring for injured or abandoned ducks, geese, and other waterfowl — many of which suffer from “angel wing,” a deformity often caused by people feeding them improper food. The Lysons say their work ...

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January 03, 2026
The White House says the United States carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country, with more details promised later.

The White House says the United States carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and that President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country, with more details promised later.

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December 31, 2025
2026 is THE YEAR

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January 02, 2026
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Friday January 2, 2026

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NYC Schools Are Losing Students and Burning Cash. Mamdani Could Make the Situation Worse.

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is inheriting a public school system that has made some progress in student learning but is completely dysfunctional in terms of financial stability and operations. And his campaign promises are likely to worsen the system’s flaws.

New York City’s public schools once educated more than a million students, but the system’s enrollment has been steadily declining. Since 2020, it has lost 10 percent of its K-12 students. Even with the expansion of pre-K and 3-K programs for young children, the schools are serving 115,000 fewer students than they did seven years ago. Click here to read more.

 

Dearborn’s Support Of Terrorist Organizations Keeps Popping Up

In 1997, the United States government designated both Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

Nearly 30 years later, the consistent support of those organizations by people within the city of Dearborn has been a constant source of controversy.

Amer Zahr is a Muslim comedian who serves on the board of education for Dearborn’s public school district. He made news recently when he said he was detained by Israel police while in Nazareth performing a show.

Pro-Israel websites have been tracking a series of controversial comments Zahr has made in the last few years, specifically that he supports Hamas and Hezbollah.

“We say very proudly, that we stand with every resistance against Israel and every resistance against the occupation, whether … it’s called Hamas, whether it’s called Hezbollah, we stand with everybody who stands against Israel …” Zahr said in one video. Click here to read more.


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Waste watch: Illinois’ porky budget gives $7M to move pigs

Despite state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, claiming “there is no pork” in the 2026 Illinois budget, there is at least one piece: $7 million to move the University of Illinois’ pigs.

The $7 million grant is to move the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign’s swine research center to a new location. Administrators want the pigs to vacate so they can redevelop the land.

The Swine Research Center is around 10 acres and hosts “a surgery suite, storage facility, a small feed manufacturing facility, animal housing, and animal support space.” Its research primarily focuses on “nutrition, metabolism, reproduction, and behavior.” The relocation appears to refer to the Imported Swine Research Labratory, which focuses on “biomedical sciences that use pigs as a model for human health and medicine.” Click here to read more.

 

Trump administration to resume wage garnishments for student loan defaulters in January

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Trump administration has announced plans to send approximately 1,000 notices to borrowers the week of Jan. 7, signaling the resumption of wage garnishments for those who have not made a student loan payment in nine months or more. This marks a significant shift, as no federal student loans have been referred to collections since the onset of the pandemic.

Emmett Pepper, a bankruptcy attorney in Charleston, explained the process:

“Unlike other wage garnishments people may be familiar with, if somebody, just a regular company sues you, they have to go through the court system, they have to wait for time to lapse for appeals and all that stuff. They don’t have to do this.”

Pepper emphasized that money will start being deducted from paychecks, but everyone will receive a notice prior to the garnishment. Click here to read more.

 

Innocent Man Sues for Over $60,000 After Police Blew Up His Business. A Court Says He’s Entitled to Nothing.

The Takings Clause of the 5th Amendment “was designed to bar Government from forcing some people alone to bear public burdens,” the Supreme Court said in Arnstrong vs United States, “which, in all fairness and justice, should be borne by the public as a whole.” That was just over 65 years ago.

It is, unfortunately, not living up to that promise.

For the latest example, we can look to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which ruled last month that an innocent man whose business was destroyed by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers in pursuit of a fugitive is not entitled to compensation for damages under the Takings Clause. This is despite the law’s pledge that the government provide “just compensation” when it usurps private property for a public use. Click here to read more.

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December 31, 2025
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December 30, 2025
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Tuesday December 30, 2025

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Feds Conduct Door-To-Door Checks At Suspected Minneapolis Fraud Sites

Homeland Security Investigations agents were on the ground in Minneapolis on Monday, conducting door-to-door checks at suspected fraud sites, as authorities examined the alleged involvement of Somali immigrants in a broader criminal scheme.

The Department of Homeland Security posted a video showing two agents entering a convenience store, where they ask the clerk about a suspicious business next door. Last week, independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a 42-minute video allegingthat numerous daycare and learning centers in the Twin Cities area had no children on-site, despite receiving millions of dollars in government funding.

“The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found. Under the leadership of [Secretary Kristi Noem], DHS is working to deliver results,” Homeland Security posted on social media. Click here to read more.

 

Michigan Election Rocked by AI Deepfakes Targeting GOP Candidate

SAGINAW, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan’s latest political controversy isn’t about tax policy or crumbling roads – it’s about digital deception. A series of AI-generated deepfake videos recently circulated online falsely portraying a Republican candidate as gay and aligned with a transgender advocacy group, fueling voter confusion and renewed scrutiny in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence. A deepfake is AI-generated media that makes it look or sound like someone said or did something they never actually did.

A now-deleted website and Facebook page were uncovered portraying Saginaw attorney Jason Tunney, a candidate in the 35th Senate District’s February 3 special primary, as gay and backed by a transgender group calling itself “Tranneys for Tunney.” Included were videos showing Tunney kissing another man and speaking in front of pro-LGBTQ+ messaging. Tunney, who is not gay, is married to a woman named Pamela and is a conservative Republican. Click here to read more.


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‘Just Snapped’: Jan. 6 Pipe Bomb Suspect Brian Cole Jr.’s Confession Revealed in Court Docs

DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Federal prosecutors told a judge that the man suspected of planting pipebombs near the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee headquarters in January 2021 confessed to the crime in an affidavit filed Sunday.

The Department of Justice announced Dec. 4 the arrest of Brian Cole Jr. on charges of transporting an explosive device and attempted malicious destruction by means of explosive materials.

In the filing, prosecutors note Cole said he “just snapped” and wanted to punish both political parties, adding he was inspired by The Troubles, a roughly 30-year ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland.

“The defendant explained that after the 2020 election, ‘when it first seemed like something was wrong’ and ‘stuff started happening,’ he began following the issue closely on YouTube and Reddit and felt ‘bewildered,’” the filing said. Click here to read more. Click here to read more.

 

The miracle cure for sickle cell is now 2 years old. Most are still waiting.

The Trump administration has a plan to provide access to new treatments for sickle cell disease, the hereditary condition that has meant a lifetime of excruciating pain and debilitating health issues for tens of thousands of mostly Black Americans.

It’s one of few initiatives on which President Donald Trump and the public health establishment are aligned. But for parents desperate for a cure for children with a disease that, besides pain, causes infections, vision problems, delayed puberty and regular visits to the hospital, it doesn’t mean they’ll get the gene therapy treatments anytime soon. Click here to read more.

 

Trump administration rolls out $50 billion rural health fund

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Monday that it was launching its $50 billion initiative to help rural communities nationwide, which was created through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July.

All 50 states will receive monetary assistance that will go to rural areas starting next year, with the first wave of awards ranging from $147 million to $281 million.

The awards are expected to be used to bring more resources to Americans in rural areas, including by expanding preventive, primary, maternal, and behavioral health services; strengthen and sustain the rural clinical workforce; and modernize medical technology in rural areas. Click here to read more.

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