New report shows Democratic-led states have substantially higher gas prices

States governed by a Democratic Party trifecta — in which members of that party control the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature — have gas prices that are on average 55 cents per gallon higher than those of states with a Republican Party trifecta, according to a new report published by the Institute for Energy Research.

Michigan has the second-highest gas taxes in the nation after California, according to Alex Stevens, manager of policy and communications at the institute.

The explanation lies in Michigan’s combination of the excise tax, fees, and surcharges required on gasoline and diesel sales, Stevens told Michigan Capitol Confidential in a phone interview. Click here to read more.

 

In corporate welfare, Michigan bets big, loses bigger

Voters get a raw deal when legislators take taxpayer money and give it to select businesses. Corporate subsidies are ineffective at creating jobs, unfair to taxpayers and other businesses, and expensive to the state budget. Every state legislator has a record on the subject, and voters should pay close attention.

Lawmakers tend to like giving special favors to select businesses because it generates good headlines. The companies get money for their new buildings and locations, and writing checks from the treasury to those businesses shows that the candidate is doing something about jobs.

Yet the favors do not deliver on their promise. Economists have used sophisticated methods to tease out the effects of selective business favors. Sometimes they find positive effects, but most of the time they find negative effects. Click here to read more.

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Ted Cruz demands Fauci face jail time, labels him America’s ‘most damaging bureaucrat’

SPOKANE, Wash. — Hazy skies are already settling in over western Washington - with more to come later this week - as Gov. Bob Ferguson has declared a statewide emergency that includes an outdoor burn ban

Wildfires from Canada and central Washington are already pushing smoke into western Washington and Seattle. And now, with several fires burning in Spokane and a shift in winds, it means more wildfire smoke coming our way.

The wildfires in Spokane have burned 700 structures, many of those being homes. Officials warn that number is expected to grow. Click here to read more.

 

Meet The Assistant AG Leading Trump’s Crackdown On Fraud

What started as a single video from an independent YouTuber has snowballed into a full-fledged administration effort to root out fraud — and leading the charge is Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald.

Trump appointed McDonald to the newly created post, and he was sworn in April 1. He reports to Vice President JD Vance, who also heads the White House’s new Anti-Fraud Task Force. Since then, “protecting taxpayer dollars” has become a rallying cry for the administration, with McDonald crisscrossing the country to roll out initiatives and partnerships aimed at the cause. Click here to read more.

 

Trump signs executive order establishing Military Spouse Commission opening direct line with military families

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office Monday, establishing the Military Spouse Commission to advise the president on policies affecting military spouses and families.

What we know:

The commission will provide annual recommendations to improve military families’ quality of life while strengthening military readiness offering advice on childcare, employment, housing and healthcare for military families.

The commission is designed to give the White House a direct line to the challenges facing military spouses, including childcare, employment, housing, healthcare, education and the demands of multiple deployments.

What they’re saying:

“America cannot have the strongest military in the world without the love and devotion of our remarkable military spouses, who make the extraordinary sacrifices for our country,” said Trump. Click here to read more.

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Federal judge: Grosse Pointe schools can’t enforce no-trespass order against parent who criticized pride flags

A federal judge has ordered Grosse Pointe Public Schools to stop enforcing a no-trespass order issued against a parent who criticized the display of rainbow pride flags inside his child’s middle school, ruling the parent is likely to succeed on his First Amendment retaliation claim.

U.S. District Judge Robert J. White on Friday granted a preliminary injunction sought by Gary Shane Pruitt, ordering the district to immediately stop enforcing the no-trespass order, remove Pruitt’s photograph from display inside Parcells Middle School and refrain from taking additional retaliatory action against him over his protected speech while the lawsuit proceeds. Click here to read more.

 

Trump-aligned parents rally behind kids’ online safety rules

Parents’ rights groups aligned with the MAGA movement and other socially conservative groups are imploring congressional leaders to enact strict rules that aim to prevent online dangers for kids.

They join a chorus of more progressive parent and survivor groups urging lawmakers ahead of an upcoming Senate Commerce online kids’ safety markup to enact robust and clear “duty of care” requirements that would legally compel technology companies to prevent harm to children.

In a July 30 letter to Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), shared first with POLITICO, the groups demanded specific standards that would require technology companies to “truly stand with, not against parents.” Click here to read more.

Mortgage rates hit 11-month high as oil prices rise

he national median family income for 2026 is $106,800, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the median price of an existing home sold in June 2026 was $440,600, according to the National Association of Realtors. Based on a 20% down payment and a 6.60% mortgage rate, the monthly principal and interest payment of $2,251 amounts to about 25% of the typical family’s monthly income.

Meanwhile, home prices are still rising — the National Association of Realtors reports the median home price was up 1.3% over the past year, and the median of $429,300 was an all-time high for the month of May. However, values have begun to dip in many formerly hot markets. The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller index released in late May showed national home prices grew just 0.7% in the past year. That was the weakest showing since 2011, when prices fell 3.9%. Click here to read more.

 

DOJ Uncovers $350 Million In Alleged Fraud

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division has uncovered roughly $350 million in alleged fraud across the Southeastern U.S., the Daily Caller has learned.

The charges span seven states in 17 different cases and involve SNAP benefits, Small Business Administration loans, housing benefits and tax fraud, officials told the Caller. The DOJ is expected to announce the cases Thursday alongside state partners in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina, which helped uncover the fraud. Click here to read more.

 

Confused Biden admitted he discovered classified materials ‘downstairs’ in bumbling chat with ghostwriter: ‘So many pauses and ums’

Joe Biden appeared confused, struggled to remember facts and lost his train of thought during a series of meandering conversations with his ghostwriter roughly four years before he was elected president.

The former commander-in-chief also repeatedly made reference to retaining classified information in the discussions with his biographer Mark Zwonitzer, according to newly-released audio tapes.

The heavily-redacted recordings of Biden working on his 2017 memoir with Zwonitzer were released Monday to the House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Oversight Project nonprofit after a two-year-long court battle.

“We now know what has been long assumed: the autopen scandal extends far back beyond just when Joe Biden ‘ran’ for president from his basement,” Oversight Project President Mike Howell said in a statement. Click here to read more.

 

 

Michigan unemployment remains among nation’s highest

Michigan’s unemployment rate declined slightly in June but remained well above the national average, continuing a pattern that has kept the state among the nation’s weakest labor markets as critics question Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s economic development strategy.

Michigan’s unemployment rate fell from 5.1% in May to 5.0% in June. Nationally, unemployment stood at 4.2%, leaving Michigan eight-tenths of a percentage point above the U.S. average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Even as she is preparing to leave office, Gretchen Whitmer is continuing her failed economic policies that have left Michiganders worse off,” Gabe Butzke, a spokesperson for conservative Michigan Forward Network said in a statement. “The governor has been trying for almost eight years to use a Democrat playbook to create jobs, and for eight years she has been unsuccessful.” Click here to read more.

 

Gladwin Mayor Challenges “Gag Clause” That Restricts Speech

GLADWIN, Mich. — The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation has issued a demand letter on behalf of Gladwin Mayor Sarah Kile challenging a provision in the City of Gladwin’s administrator contract that restricts elected officials and city employees from criticizing the administrator.

The clause is overly broad and vague, and it violates the First Amendment by limiting elected officials’ ability to speak openly with the public about government performance.

“I didn’t run for office to stay silent when I see problems that affect our residents,” said Kile. “The people who elected me expect honesty about how their government is working and where it can improve. Open discussion — even when it’s uncomfortable — is essential for good governance. Taxpayer-funded contracts should never be used to discourage us from speaking candidly in order to serve those who elected us.” Click here to read more.

Are you in Michigan and need work on your A/C Unit? Click here to learn more about how Bigfoot can help you.

 

Click here to contact Bigfoot for all your HVAC and home repair needs.

 

Ted Cruz demands Fauci face jail time, labels him America’s ‘most damaging bureaucrat’

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is calling for Anthony Fauci to be held in contempt, prosecuted for perjury and sent to jail after the former White House COVID-19 advisor pleaded his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times during a Senate hearing Wednesday.

“Years from now, they’ll look back and say, ‘What collective madness overtook this country?’” Cruz told Fox News Digital.

“I think Anthony Fauci has had contempt for Congress and contempt for the American people for decades,” he said. “His diary shows that he deliberately lied to the American people over and over and over again.” Click here to read more.

 

Over 18,200 cyclosporiasis cases now suspected in US: Where it’s getting worse

Cases of cyclosporiasis continue to climb in the U.S. as federal authorities link additional states to the ongoing outbreak.

As of Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there have been more than 6,700 confirmed cases of domestically acquired cyclosporiasis, the gastrointestinal illness caused by the cyclospora parasite, since May 1.

Over 11,500 cases are still pending confirmation, bringing the nation’s total to a suspected case count of more than 18,000. This is now considered to be the largest known outbreak of cyclosporiasis in the U.S.

There are currently nine states linked to the outbreak apparently caused by iceberg lettuce sourced from Mexico. Recently added to that group are Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Click here to read more.

 

Courage In The Capitol: Congress Must Act For Chloe Cole And America’s Kids

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday it will move to end a temporary subsidy under Medicare Part D, a Biden-era program that aimed to keep premiums stable for prescription drug plans.

The administration claimed the subsidy only benefited private insurance companies that offered the coverage but did not actually help enrollees.

Medicare Part D provides prescription drug coverage for millions of people through private insurance plans.

Regular Medicare, which most people qualify for after turning 65, does not come with prescription coverage, known as Part D. People must choose that separately.

The optional coverage helps people pay for brand-name and generic medications. Click here to read more.

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