El-Sayed blames outdated funding approach for school woes

Michigan’s public schools suffer from an inadequate funding mechanism, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said in recent comments reported by Fox News. But the state abandoned that approach to funding in 1994.

“Those public schools are deeply underfunded,” El-Sayed told Martha MacCallum during an Oct. 5 interview. “We continue to pattern the way we pay taxes based on property tax.”

Michigan spends an average of $23,867 per pupil, from all sources, and funding has risen more than 30% over the past two years. The national per-pupil average is $16,526, according to Shawn Cooper, education policy director at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

“Mr. El-Sayed’s belief that property taxes are responsible for funding education in the classroom is simply incorrect,” Cooper told Michigan Capitol Confidential. Click here to read more.

 

State Health Dept. Sued Over Forced Unionizing of Michigan Home Caregivers

The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s effort to classify home caregivers as state employees for union representation. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the Michigan Constitution’s rules governing state employment and invalidate the election that certified SEIU Healthcare Michigan as the bargaining representative for home caregivers.

The foundation represents James “Jase” Bolger, a former member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger brings the lawsuit as a citizen, as the Michigan Constitution allows any citizen to sue to enforce its civil service provisions.

“Michigan’s Constitution puts safeguards around state employment for a reason: to keep politicians from using it to serve special interests,” said Bolger. Click here to read more.

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Everett Public Schools reaches settlement over Bible study with religious education group

EVERETT, Wash. — Everett Public Schools is making a public apology and giving students time for Bible study.

The district reached a settlement with the non-profit LifeWise, which gives voluntary Bible education to public school students off campus during school hours.

The settlement requires school board members to take religious liberty training, make changes to the district’s policies about religious activities, and pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees, according to First Liberty Institute.

LifeWise is based in Ohio and operates near an estimated 1,200 schools across the U.S. First Liberty Institute, the group representing LifeWise, calls this a victory for students’ and families’ First Amendment rights. Click here to read more.

 

Social Security checks next year won’t keep up with inflation

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Tens of millions of Americans who rely on Social Security benefits will get limited relief from rising prices when they receive monthly checks in 2027.

Payments will increase by an average of $75 per month, the Social Security Administration said Wednesday. The 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment was announced as the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics published September’s Consumer Price Index showing inflation rose 3.7% over 12 months, marking a jump from August’s 3.4%. Between 2025 and 2026, the cost-of-living adjustment was 2.8%.

The Trump administration said next year’s adjustment will give 72 million beneficiaries “greater financial stability.” Click here to read more.

 

Trump DOJ Investigates New Jersey Town for Allegations of ‘Egregious,’ ‘Unjust Delays’ Issuing Gun Licenses

The Civil Rights Division of President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating “whether Pennsauken, New Jersey deprives citizens of their right to bear arms” via “delays in issuing firearm licenses.”

“The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear firearms — including the right to carry firearms. The investigation focuses on the Pennsauken Township Police’s permitting system,” the DOJ explained in a press release Wednesday.

The announcement also noted, “It is a violation of the Second Amendment for government officials to delay issuing permits to purchase or carry firearms. In 2022, the Supreme Court held in New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen that a state’s permitting process is put towards ‘abusive ends’ when ‘lengthy wait times in processing license applications or exorbitant fees deny ordinary citizens their right to public carry.’” Click here to read more.

 

 

Records show Whitmer’s eight-day South Korea, Taiwan trip cost about $205K

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spent about $204,941 on an eight-day September trip to South Korea and Taiwan, according to documents Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained through a records request.

The trip itinerary shows 16 unredacted names and several redacted names, meaning it’s unclear how many persons went on the trip, which took place from Sept. 11 -19.

“Michigan is competing on the global stage, and the best way to win is to build relationships and make sure companies know what we bring to the table,” Whitmer said in a press release issued by her office. “In South Korea and Taiwan, we deepened our relationships with companies already creating good-paying jobs in Michigan, and showed others considering where to make their next investment why our state is the best place to build the future. These new partnerships in shipbuilding, robotics, chips, and other industries will shape our economy for decades to come.” Click here to read more.

 

Republicans weigh in on lawsuit challenging Jocelyn Benson’s election records destruction rule

Republicans on Thursday flied an amicus brief in an ongoing lawsuit against Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson challenging her order to destroy election records after seven days.

“You can’t claim to support election transparency while ordering election records destroyed,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement. “Benson’s rule wipes out records federal law requires to be preserved, and the RNC is fighting to make sure critical data isn’t erased from public view.”

The case involves Bridgewater Township Clerk Michelle McQueer, who for 11 months repeatedly requested clarification from Benson’s department on a rule for clerks to delete electronic poll book data seven days after an election is certified, which conflicts with federal laws requiring retention for 22 months. Click here to read more.

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Republicans Sue Lansing Over Nearly 2-to-1 Democratic Advantage in Election Poll Workers

LANSING, Mich. – The Republican National Committee (RNC), Michigan Republican Party and Ingham County Republican Party have filed a lawsuit against Lansing election officials, accusing them of stacking Election Day poll worker positions in Democrats’ favor and refusing to release public records.

According to the lawsuit, Lansing appointed 140 Democratic poll workers compared to just 71 Republicans to staff polling places during the August 2026 primary election – nearly twice as many Democrats as Republicans, despite Michigan law requiring election officials to appoint workers from both major political parties in as equal numbers as possible. Republicans allege they submitted qualified candidates for the positions but were largely passed over. Click here to read more.

 

China Used Military-Linked Kindergarten To Cultivate Ties With Mitch McConnell’s Wife And In-Laws

It is graduation day in Shanghai and Elaine Chao is in attendance.

The date is June 14, 2026 and in several hours Chao’s husband, Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, will be rushed to a hospital on the other side of the globe.

Chao has been returning to this Shanghai kindergarten for decades, where she has repeatedly met with officials from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and an influence and intelligence arm called the United Front Work Department (UFWD), according to Daily Caller News Foundation translations of dozens of Chinese government and state-media reports.

Beijing uses the UFWD to steer foreign policy and “gain access to advanced foreign technology,” according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Named in honor of Chao’s grandfather, the kindergarten is being used by a United Front arm as a stage to cultivate ties with Chao, documents show. Click here to read more.

 

State Health Dept. Sued Over Forced Unionizing of Michigan Home Caregivers

MIDLAND, Mich. — The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s effort to classify home caregivers as state employees for union representation. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the Michigan Constitution’s rules governing state employment and invalidate the election that certified SEIU Healthcare Michigan as the bargaining representative for home caregivers.

The foundation represents James “Jase” Bolger, a former member of the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Bolger brings the lawsuit as a citizen, as the Michigan Constitution allows any citizen to sue to enforce its civil service provisions.

“Michigan’s Constitution puts safeguards around state employment for a reason: to keep politicians from using it to serve special interests,” said Bolger. Click here to read more.

 

 

Just 25% of Michigan students meet ‘college ready’ SAT benchmark

The percentage of Michigan students ready for college continues to decline, with just a quarter meeting a key SAT benchmark last year.

“It’s true that SAT scores are only one predictor of college readiness,” Charlotte Pierce, senior policy analyst at EdTrust-Midwest, told Bridge Michigan. “However, these results align with other concerning opportunity gaps we see across Michigan schools, particularly those serving students with the greatest needs.”

The College Board, the nonprofit that develops and administers the SAT, considers students college ready when they score at least 530 on the math portion and 480 on the reading and writing portion.

In the 2025-26 school year, only 25.3% of Michigan students who took the SAT met that threshold, down from 26.6% the year prior, and 35% a decade ago. Click here to read more.

 

Ann Arbor nurse charged with helping detained illegal alien escape hospital

A nurse who was working at an Ann Arbor hospital now faces a federal misdemeanor charge for allegedly helping an illegal alien escape from federal custody months ago.

The case against 29-year-old Chloe Freeman, of Whitmore Lake, Michigan, stems from an incident May 28,2026, at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital.

Freeman is accused of helping the illegal immigrant from Mexico exit the hospital, after was injured while trying to evade arrest. He remains at large and has not yet been located by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trinity Health Michigan confirmed to CBS News Detroit that Freeman no longer works at the hospital. Click here to read more.

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Firefighters Union Removes El-Sayed From Endorsement List, Cites ‘Clerical Error’

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Professional Fire Fighters Union (MPFFU) is not endorsing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after its president said a clerical error placed his name on an initial list of endorsed candidates.

The union later removed El-Sayed’s name from the list.

Michigan News Source reached out to MPFFU President Matt Sahr for comment about the nature of the clerical error, but he did not respond by press time.

As reported by The Midwesterner, Sahr said the union’s initial endorsement list was sent to members on Sept. 11 or 12. El-Sayed’s name appeared at the top alongside Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson. The slate also included endorsements for the Michigan Supreme Court and dozens of local races. Click here to read more.

 

Serial killer in Lansing?

Police in Lansing are investigating a series of five deaths in the past year along the same river trail, and say they’re looking into the possibility they’re all connected.

Additionally, the deaths reportedly all happened within a one-mile stretch of the Lansing River Trail.

The victims ranged in age from 22-70 years old. The victims were reportedly Gino Chouinard, 54; Denis Dunnebacke, 70; Robert Smith, 57; Daniel Lusk, 22; and Louis Woodruff, 57.

The newspaper reports the earlier incident, involving Chouinard, happened on Oct. 14, 2025, with the most recent case, involving Woodruff, happening on Aug. 30, 2026. Click here to read more.

 

Supreme Court term brings cases on climate claims, gun rights, religious liberty and more

A new Supreme Court term began Monday with major cases that could reshape climate liability, gun rights, religious liberty, voting rules, immigration policy and more.

Zachary Shemtob, who has practiced law and now serves as the executive editor of SCOTUSblog, said this Supreme Court term isn’t shaping up to be as consequential as recent ones, including the just-completed “executive power term.”

But he and Michele Bratcher Goodwin, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown Law, both said there are still plenty of impactful cases on the docket.

And Shemtob said more key cases could be coming down the pike if justices agree to hear percolating disputes over tariffs, birthright citizenship or other Trump administration actions as part of their emergency docket throughout the term. Click here to read more.