Grand Rapids climate plan sparks tax, business fears
A global warming plan in the city of Grand Rapids will raise taxes on residents and drive business out of the city, landlords and property owners said in feedback to the city, according to records Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained.
The climate plan uses the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by municipal operations in 2008 as its benchmark, setting a goal for Michigan’s second-largest city to reduce its emissions 85% by 2030 and 100% by 2040.
The plan aims to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions by 62.8% per capita by 2030, with 2019 as the benchmark. The city wants to boost solar energy, use less energy, have more green space, and produce less food waste.
CapCon obtained more than 400 documents that residents and business owners sent to city officials, giving mixed feedback on the plan. Some supported the climate plan while others opposed it. Click here to read more.
Judicial Watch claims new FBI docs reveal warnings about suspicious person before Butler shooting
Judicial Watch revealed Thursday that new FBI documents it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that law enforcement had issued a suspicious individual warning in Butler, Pennsylvania, before the 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump.
The documents were part of a lawsuit Judicial Watch filed against the bureau last July after it failed to comply with a FOIA request on the shooting in 2024.
The records include a “FD-302” investigative report from July 16, 2024, which states that on the day of the shooting, law enforcement received radio reports about an “unknown male acting suspiciously.”
“One report included the unknown male looking at a law enforcement sniper position,” the report reads. “Several operators were communicating information about the unknown male back and forth over the radio--including to/from Command, to the Secret Service, to [Pennsylvania State Police], to ‘everybody.’” Click here to read more.
Border Patrol Stops Large Human Smuggling Attempt in California
Border Patrol agents in California have arrested 23 individuals in a human smuggling bust, according to Customs and Border Protection.
Four of the individuals arrested are believed to be human smugglers, and 19 are Mexican nationals, the agency reported.
Border Patrol agents spotted a vehicle on Jan. 31 in theEl Centro Sector of the U.S. border with Mexico, which they believed was being used for smuggling activity.
An investigation led agents to an apartment complex in Seeley, California, about 100 miles east of San Diego, where they saw individuals being transferred between vehicles.
Seven individuals attempted to flee the scene when agents approached, but officials pursued them. In addition to the 23 arrests, federal agents seized six vehicles that are connected to the investigation. Click here to read more.
Trump EPA repeals landmark carbon dioxide regulation
The Trump administration on Thursday revoked a scientific finding that long has been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, the most aggressive move by the president to roll back climate regulations.
The rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency rescinds a 2009 government declaration known as the endangerment finding that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.
The endangerment finding by the Obama administration is the legal underpinning of nearly all climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources that are heating the planet. Click here to read more.
Lawmakers express bipartisan outrage as DOJ accused of ‘spying’ on members’ Epstein searches
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are accusing the Department of Justice (DOJ) of spying on them as they reviewed the unredacted Epstein files on DOJ computers, tracking the documents they examined.
Attorney General Pam BondiPam Bondi was photographed during a congressional appearance before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday flipping to a document titled “Jayapal Pramila Search History,” seemingly reviewing the activity of the Washington Democrat who tangled with Bondi during the hearing.
Bondi had a binder at the ready of stats and crime summaries to hurl at lawmakers during the contentious hearing, but members are unnerved that the DOJ apparently tracked their searches to have at the ready.
