Dave Bondy
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News they don't want you to see
Thursday February 12, 2026
February 12, 2026

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Illinois gives $1.5M to ICE opponents

Illinois state lawmakers allocated a $1.5 million $1.5 million grant to the Hispanic chamber of commerce for “operating expenses.”

Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jaime di Paulo is outspoken against deportations of business owners, and has written an open letter calling for amnesty. His organization also published a guide for navigating ICE raids for business owners, and offers resources for government audits and “unexpected immigration-related challenges.”

The chamber provides services to Hispanic business owners, but why should state taxpayers fund them? Chambers of commerce across Illinois are funded by member dues. State funding of one chamber and not another effectively subsidizes some businesses over others. Click here to read more.

 

Whitmer’s Michigan missing out on jobs boom in Trump’s America

Jobs are booming in President Donald Trump’s America, but Michigan is missing out under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“Today’s blockbuster, expectation-shattering jobs report proves that President Trump’s economic agenda continues to pay off,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said in a statement Wednesday.

“The unemployment rate fell and private sector job growth remains robust – particularly for specialty trade construction jobs as the trillions in investments secured by the President pour into American manufacturing,” Desai said. “With new revisions showing the Biden jobs market was even worse than expected, President Trump continues to turn the page on the Biden disaster by rightsizing federal employment to the lowest level since 1966 and turbocharging economic growth.”

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday shows nonfarm payroll jobs surged by 130,000 in January, when the private sector added 172,000 jobs and the government shed 42,000. Click here to read more.


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Caring for Mom Is an Education in Scams and Fraud

It was summer 2021, and my mother’s desk was a mess, including a torn envelope from the IRS shoved in the back of a drawer.

“Mom?” I asked. “Did you pay your taxes?”

My mother, increasingly forgetful at 84, said she wasn’t sure. She told me to call her accountant of 30 years, who said the taxes hadn’t been paid but that he would take care of it.

That’s not all he took care of.

Within the year, a family member had my mother sign a blank check, which the accountant (or someone in his office) filled out for $25,000 to supposedly take over paying my mother’s bills – a task I was already doing. Instead of using the money for bills, the accountant paid himself the lion’s share of the funds. He then sent me an invoice for work I’d previously paid him for, at which point I told him never to contact my mother or me again. Click here to read more.

 

Stress on household finances mounts as delinquencies climb

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Stress on household finances continues to pile up as Americans take on record levels of debt to keep up with the cos of living and low-income earners struggle to stay afloat on their loans and day-to-day spending.

Evan as the economy continues to perform well overall, a growing share of consumers are facing challenges with budgets being pushed to the brink after five years of elevated inflation and a stalling labor market that has slowed wage increases. Americans are carrying record levels of debt and showing signs of stress in paying it back, particularly on the lower end of the income spectrum. Click here to read more.

 

FDA declines to review Moderna’s mRNA flu shot application

Moderna said Tuesday that the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research told the company that it would not initiate a review of the investigational mRNA vaccine. The company has requested a Type A meeting with the FDA, which is a high-priority discussion, to “understand” a path forward.

CBER Director Vinayak Prasad said in a letter that the refusal was because Moderna chose a standard-dose seasonal flu vaccine that has already been licensed as a comparison, according to the company. He cited the lack of an “adequate and well-controlled” study with a comparison that “does not reflect the best-available standard of care.” shot application. Click here to read more.

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October 15, 2026
I may have to end my independent journalism

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September 28, 2026
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I’m with my daughter at a school event which is way Morse important.

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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