Dave Bondy
Politics • Culture • News
News they don't want you to see
Tuesday July 15, 2025
July 15, 2025

I walked away from a high-paying job in mainstream media to bring you the truth they won’t touch — and for less than $1 a week, you can help keep this mission alive. You can cancel anytime, but your support means everything.

 

 

 
 

18,300 Michigan households could pay more under proposed education tax hike

Michigan would assess some of the highest income tax rates in the country under a proposal that would cause about 18,300 households to send more money to public schools, according to IRS data.

The tax increase would mean that only California, New York and Oregon would have a higher tax rate for the highest earners, James Hohman, fiscal policy director at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, told Michigan Capitol Confidential.

“Michigan currently charges a 4.25% income tax on all income,” he told CapCon in an email. “The proposal would create a new tax bracket and charge its taxpayers another 5%. In addition, Michigan allows local governments to assess income taxes. This means that high-earning taxpayers in Detroit would be subject to 48.65% tax rates when including federal, state and local income taxes. Taxpayers in Grand Rapids would be subject to 47.75% in income taxes.” Click here to read more.

 

Special education teacher accused of sexually abusing student, police say

TUCSON, Ariz. - A special education teacher is accused of sexually abusing a student.

Fabien Hector Benjamin III, who taught at Buena High School in Arizona, was arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor through recordings, luring a minor for sex, sexual abuse and public sexual indecency.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office started its investigation into Benjamin on Tuesday, and he resigned on Thursday after being with the school district for six years.

“When they do happen, especially in an educational world where the teacher is the role model, we take that very seriously,” Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels said. Click here to read more.

 

Biden Tells New York Times He Did Not Individually Approve Names of Many Pardoned Via Autopen

Former President Joe Biden admitted to the New York Times that he did not individually sign off on each of the pardons issued via his autopen signature to batches of criminals at the end of his term, though he reportedly delineated criteria to staff.

In the final months of his term, Biden issued four large sets of pardons, three of which were categorical clemency actions covering large swaths of people, the Times noted Sunday.

Per the outlet, Biden approved standards to give out categorical pardons to criminals in his final months in office, but staff ultimately ran a final list of names that supposedly met the criteria through the autopen, though it had been revised after Biden delineated the requirements: Click here to read more.

 

10 Unaccompanied Migrant Children Found at Marijuana Grow Sites

Ten of the 14 children found at the marijuana grow sites in California did not have a parent present at the facility, according to Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection conducted an operation at two marijuana grow sites in Carpinteria and Camarillo, California, last week and found 14 migrant children working among over 360 illegal aliens at the facilities.

“Our ICE enforcement officers found 14 children, 10 who were unaccompanied. They were likely being exploited—potential slave or forced labor, potential child and human trafficking, so this is something that is incredible disturbing and goes far beyond politics,” McLaughlin told Fox News over the weekend. Click here to read more.

 

American Parents Coalition Calls for Federal Investigation of YMCA

American Parents Coalition Executive Director Alleigh Marré is requesting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, chairwoman of the House Delivering on Government Efficiency subcommittee, investigate the YMCA’s use of over $600 million in annual federal funds to support policies jeopardizing children’s safety. She also accuses the YMCA of infringing on parental rights and violating federal law.

In Marré’s letter to Greene, she explains that the coalition filed a Title IX complaint earlier in July with the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development concerning how “YMCA affiliates across the country are allowing biological males in girls’ locker rooms, bathrooms, and overnight cabins.”

Marré also notes that parents are often not told about these arrangements. Click here to read more.

Subscribe now

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 16, 2026
Gas prices are climbing fast in Michigan, with some stations reaching nearly $5 a gallon. Here’s what’s driving the increase and what could happen next. Michigan GasPrices Economy

Gas prices are climbing fast in Michigan, with some stations reaching nearly $5 a gallon. Here’s what’s driving the increase and what could happen next.

#Michigan #GasPrices #Economy

00:01:17
September 12, 2026
Michigan schools have lost more than 100,000 students in just nine years, but somehow, they’ve added more than 35,000 full-time employees.

Michigan schools have lost more than 100,000 students in just nine years, but somehow, they’ve added more than 35,000 full-time employees.

00:01:21
September 09, 2026
E-bike crashes involving kids are getting attention in Michigan — and now a state lawmaker wants tougher rules. Would new age restrictions go too far? Michigan EBikes news

E-bike crashes involving kids are getting attention in Michigan — and now a state lawmaker wants tougher rules. Would new age restrictions go too far? #Michigan #EBikes #news

00:01:04
October 15, 2026
I may have to end my independent journalism

If I don't have more paid subscribers I may have to end my independent journalism. Support my work here--- https://davebondy.locals.com/support

September 28, 2026
Libertarian party disavows candidate for Governor Anthony Hudson
September 24, 2026
No show tonight.

I’m with my daughter at a school event which is way Morse important.

October 22, 2026
post photo preview
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.

Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
Read full Article
October 22, 2026
News they don't want you to see
Thursday October 22, 2026

Help me grow this newsletter. Invite a friend.

 

 

 
 

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.

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">
 

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.

Read full Article
October 20, 2026
post photo preview
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

Only for Supporters
To read the rest of this article and access other paid content, you must be a supporter
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