Dave Bondy
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Wednesday April 30, 2025
April 30, 2025
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LANSING, MICH - Michigan residents and small business owners targeted by the Whitmer administration got a long-delayed chance to speak on April 23 as the Republican-controlled state House held its first hearings on government overreach during the COVID lockdowns.

Two business owners and a lawyer described how they were targeted by Attorney General Dana Nessel, the Whitmer administration, and local government at the House's Weaponization of State Government hearing.

Gov. Whitmer declared barbers and hairdressers “nonessential” in 2020. Six barbers and hairdressers defied the lockdown orders and were criminally charged for cutting hair at the Michigan Capitol on May 20, 2020.

Five years later, Karl Manke, an Owosso barber, is awaiting a ruling in the Shiawassee County Circuit Court to drop the fines, he said in the subcommitte hearing . During the lockdown period, state government entities temporarily suspended his barbershop and occupational license when he reopened his shop, according to Kallman Legal. Click here to read more.

 

LOS ANGELES, CALIF - A trans-identifying male competed in the U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship meet, and he took gold medals in every event he entered — in the 45-49 age group of the women’s division.

Ana Caldas, who has also raced under the names Hannah Caldas and Hugo Caldas, swam in five individual events and three relays over the course of the four-day competition in San Antonio — and won every individual race: the 50 yard freestyle, the 100 yard freestyle, the 50 yard breaststroke, and the 100 yard breaststroke. Caldas came in a full three seconds ahead of the second place finisher in the 100 yard freestyle, and four seconds ahead in the 50 and 100 yard breaststroke events. Click here to read more.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. - Secretary Sean Duffy is celebrating 100 days of prioritizing safety and efficiency at the Department of Transportation.

“The Department of Transportation is focused on its core mission of safety and efficiency,” Duffy said in a statement shared with The Daily Signal. “Under this administration, America is building again—forging a future with projects built to last.”

Just days after Duffy was sworn in, he responded to the first major commercial air crash since 2009. Duffy restricted helicopter traffic in the area around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and reduced airway congestion. He made that directive permanent to prevent future crashes.

The secretary also launched two investigations into DEI hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration after it was reported that an activist was leaking answers to an air traffic control exam.

Duffy accelerated the hiring of air traffic controllers and streamlined the process. He also demanded leaders in New York City and Washington, D.C., take action to improve transportation safety and reduce crime. Click here to learn more.

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WASHINGTON D.C. - One of the illegal aliens accused of stealing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s purse was reportedly arrested and released in New York City a few weeks before targeting her.

The suspect is identified as 49-year-old Mario Bustamante-Leiva of Chile, the New York Post reported on Monday, adding he was arrested in Washington, DC.

Prior to allegedly taking Noem’s bag as she enjoyed an Easter meal with her family at Capital Burger in D.C., the New York City Police Department’s (NYPD) warrant squad was looking for him.

“Bustamante-Leiva’s rap sheet also includes a 2021 shoplifting arrest in Utah and a headline-grabbing bust in 2015 across the pond in London, where he was arrested for a months-long theft spree and charged with palming $28,000 in phones, wallets and computers,” the Post article said.

In March, he was accused of taking a fanny pack from a shop in Times Square and making $1,200 credit card charges in approximately 20 minutes. Police eventually arrested the man and gave him a desk appearance ticket on fourth-degree felony grand larceny charges, then cut him loose. However, he reportedly did not show up on his court date and authorities launched a search. Click here to read more.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Missouri woman accused of fatally stabbing a paramedic who was trying to help her has been charged with murder.

The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office announced Sunday evening that 38-year-old Shanetta Bossell has been charged with murder in the first-degree and armed criminal action in the death of 29-year-old Graham Hoffman, a firefighter-paramedic with the Kansas City Fire Department.

If convicted, Bossell could be sentenced to spend the rest of her life behind bars. As of Sunday evening, she remained in custody on a $1 million bond, KCTV reports.

The Kansas City Police Department says just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday, emergency crews were called to the area of 152 Highway and North Oak Trafficway with reports of a woman, later identified as Bossell, walking on the highway. Callers had been concerned for her safety. Click here to read more.

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October 22, 2026
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Who Is Lady Budgetdown? The Mystery Account Raising Eyebrows and Uncovering School Finances
The anonymous figure behind a growing school transparency website says the project is run by one person, has faced threats of legal action and is expanding its reach across Michigan.

MICHIGAN — Who is Lady Budgetdown?

It’s a question that has circulated among Michigan educators, school administrators, taxpayers and social media users as a mysterious online watchdog continues digging into school district finances, superintendent salaries, bond proposals and public spending.

Now, the person behind the increasingly visible project is revealing new details about its origins, operations and future — while refusing to disclose their identity.

In an exclusive written interview, Lady Budgetdown confirmed the operation is run by a single individual, not a larger organization or political group.

 

“It started with just me, and it currently is only me,” Lady Budgetdown said.

The anonymous researcher said the project receives technical assistance with website development but independently oversees the research, reviews public records, creates content and determines what information gets published.

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October 22, 2026
News they don't want you to see
Thursday October 22, 2026

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Michigan school funding tops inflation since before the pandemic

Funding for public schools in Michigan has grown faster than inflation since before the pandemic.

Yet some school teachers, like Amanda Walker of Bay City Schools, have said that schools are being defunded. Walker is vice president of her district’s chapter of the Michigan Education Association.

“I do think there’s been a concerted effort to dismantle public education by defunding, by diverting funds to private schools, by tearing down teachers and accusing them of all sorts of nonsense. People see it, and they feel it, and they don’t like it,” Walker told an MEA news publication recently.

It can feel that way at school districts such as Bay City, where the student count dropped 16% between 2018-19 and 2025-26, according to MiSchoolData.org. Fewer students means less in per-pupil funding. Click here to read more.


 

Data centers become midterm minefield as candidates scramble to answer voter backlash

President Donald Trump has made no secret of his support for building new data centers across the country, but candidates in both parties are trying to show voters they are listening to growing concerns about the technology. With the midterms two weeks away, the issue could help decide who voters ultimately choose.

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting. Click here to read more.

Stay in contact with family with push to talk nationwide waterproof walkie talkies. Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

 

Click here to learn more and get an extra 10% off.

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Cops Release Woman Who Plowed Through Soccer Field: No Charges, No Explanation

The debate is playing out in city halls nationwide. In Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted down a proposal Tuesday that would have halted new data center development for a year, following a heated meeting. “We demand a healthy environment, clean air, clean water, which we have a human right to. We also demand representation that chooses us, the people, over the profits of a billionaire’s experiment,” said KeShaun Pearson, who attended the meeting.

In Hermantown, Minnesota, a rural community of about 10,000 people in the northeastern part of the state, the city council moved closer to approving a new Google data center. Some residents said officials haven’t pushed hard enough. Click here to read more.

 

Consumers Energy’s rate hike request comes days after $139M increase approved

Consumers Energy is looking for a rate hike on natural gas prices less than a week after the public service commission approved a $139 million increase.

The utility provider filed its notice of intent with regulators on Monday, which is required before it can submit its rate request.

The previous rate hike came out to about a 4.3% bump in monthly payments for natural gas.

Big picture view:

Consumers Energy has not said how much more it is asking for it its latest failing, but did say the new rate would last 12 months, ending Oct. 31, 2028.

Utility companies cannot set rates themselves. Instead, they submit a request to increase rates for either natural gas or electricity with the Michigan Public Service Commission.

After making the request, both parties and any other stakeholders weigh in on the case.

The Michigan Attorney General frequently intervenes in these cases. Click here to read more.

 

Trump and Vance announce $25M whistleblower program to encourage public to report alleged fraud

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.

The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.

During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.”

Trump said journalists could participate in the program. Click here to read more.

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October 20, 2026
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Michigan Audit Raises Questions About Medical Procedures Performed on Children in State Care
State auditors also identified problems with adoption approvals, oversight of children under state guardianship and security of confidential records.

LANSING, Mich. — Children under Michigan's guardianship underwent medical procedures without required consent or documentation, while thousands of others were not being consistently tracked by the state agency responsible for them, according to a new audit.

The Michigan Office of the Auditor General released a 40-page report Oct. 15 identifying significant deficiencies within the Michigan Children's Institute, which operates under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The institute serves as the legal guardian for children whose parental rights have been terminated.

Auditors concluded that the institute's selected guardianship activities were not sufficient, identifying problems with

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