Outside Legal Counsel PLC filed an application for leave to appeal Aug. 11 on behalf of Anthony Banaszak, whose six-unit residential property on Garfield Avenue was damaged during an October 2022 police standoff.

The case, Banaszak v. State of Michigan, centers on whether the damage constitutes a compensable taking under the Michigan Constitution.

Police were attempting to arrest Banaszak’s tenant, Harold Nielsen, who had an outstanding felony warrant and barricaded himself inside the building, according to the law firm’s filing. Local officers eventually called in the Michigan State Police Emergency Support Team.

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According to records cited by Banaszak’s attorneys, officers broke windows and fired chemical munitions and other projectiles into the building during the hours-long operation. Photographs submitted in the case show shattered windows, projectile holes and other damage to the property.

Banaszak was not accused of a crime and was not the target of the police operation.

The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled against Banaszak, concluding that the property destruction did not amount to a compensable taking because the objective of the police operation was apprehending Nielsen rather than taking or damaging Banaszak’s property.

Banaszak’s attorneys argue that the lower court’s reasoning improperly limits protections contained in Article X, Section 2 of the Michigan Constitution.

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“The police wanted the suspect — but they destroyed the house to get him,” attorney Philip L. Ellison said in a statement announcing the appeal.

The case could have implications beyond Banaszak’s property. Federal courts have generally been reluctant to require governments to compensate property owners for damage resulting from police operations. Banaszak’s attorneys are asking Michigan’s highest court to interpret the state’s constitutional property protections independently from federal precedent.

The filing points to decisions from courts in Texas and Minnesota that have allowed property owners to pursue compensation claims involving damage caused during police efforts to apprehend suspects.

Ellison said the lawsuit does not depend on proving that police acted improperly. Instead, the argument is that even justified police actions can create an obligation for the government to compensate an innocent property owner whose property was intentionally damaged for a public purpose.

“Public safety is a public obligation,” Ellison said. “Its cost cannot constitutionally be assigned to the unlucky person whose house happened to stand between the State and its felony suspect.”

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The Michigan Supreme Court has not yet agreed to hear the case. Banaszak’s attorneys are asking the court to grant the application, reverse the lower court rulings and find that the intentional destruction of the property constitutes a compensable taking under the Michigan Constitution.

The case is Anthony Banaszak v. State of Michigan, Michigan Court of Appeals case No. 375636 and Court of Claims case No. 23-000097-MM.

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Democratic AG nominee Eli Savit ignored 500-pound black market marijuana operation

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, the Democratic nominee for Michigan Attorney General, is facing criticism for his decision not to prosecute individuals involved in an illicit 500-pound marijuana operation.

“500 pounds of illegally trafficked marijuana. No investigation. No charges. Evidence destroyed,” Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd, Savit’s Republican competition in the race, posted to X on Friday. “A prosecutor does not get to pick and choose which laws to enforce. My opponent’s record makes clear he believes otherwise.

“Michigan needs an Attorney General who will enforce the law, support law enforcement, and take the job of Michigan’s top cop seriously,” Lloyd wrote. Click here to read more.

Murderers. Rapists. Fentanyl Traffickers. Abdul El-Sayed Wants to Abolish the Agency Arresting Them.

As Michigan’s U.S. Senate race heats up, Democratic progressive Abdul El-Sayed continues to embrace a position that few candidates are willing to own: abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On his campaign website, El-Sayed argues the agency “cannot be reformed or retrained” and says it should be dismantled and replaced with a new immigration enforcement structure.

What that new structure is and if criminals would continue to be arrested has not been identified by El-Sayed. Michigan News Source reached out to his campaign for more clarification on what that new structure would be but they did not return our request for comment. Click here to read more.

5 non-citizens charged with voting in 2024 Michigan general election

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced charges against five non-citizens alleged to have voted in Michigan’s 2024 November general election.

Her office also brought charges against one U.S. citizen accused of registering their non-citizen spouse to vote.

Non-citizens allegedly voting in Michigan

By the numbers:

Sixteen cases of non-citizens voting in the 2024 election were brought to Nessel’s office, in addition to 22 more cases involving non-citizens voting in elections between 2009 and 2025, by the Michigan Department of State.

In addition to the six charged, 10 have been closed without charges, and 22 remain under review. Click here to read more.

Flawed drug tests can separate mothers and newborns

Advocates and medical groups are pushing to end childbirth drug testing practices they say are leading tens of thousands of families to face child welfare investigations, criminal allegations and, in some cases, separation from their children.

The urine drug tests, done on both the mother and newborn at childbirth in hospitals, often without explicit consent, are faulty, producing false-positive results nearly half the time, according to The Marshall Project. Even if a positive result is later dismissed, hospitals may still be required to report it to child welfare agencies and, in some cases, to law enforcement.

The degree to which these false results are being reported is staggering.

The Marshall Project discovered more than 70,000 instances after reviewing state and federal data spanning six years in 21 states. Click here to read more.

Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing

A robot was on fire. Again.

It was the summer of 2024, and the cutting-edge robots inside General Dynamics’ sweltering artillery factory near Dallas were catching fire with startling regularity, according to four former workers there. This wasn’t ideal, as the plant was supposed to be churning out urgently needed artillery shells for Ukraine. The robots, giant metal arms with clamps for hands, would end up drenched in oil, which would then — no surprise — combust as they moved steel blocks heated to 1,800 degrees into and out of a machine that periodically erupted columns of fire. One blaze that summer melted a robot’s cables, putting it out of commission for a week. Click here to read more.

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Study for unarmed responder program cost Ann Arbor $100k

Ann Arbor officials paid more than $100,000 for a 49-page study considering the city’s new program for unarmed responders.

The Ann Arbor City Council unanimously approved a plan on July 20 for an unarmed response team, but Tree City officials have been considering such a program for five years.

In 2021, the council adopted a resolution to develop an unarmed public safety response program, saying it would ease the burden on police and firefighters.

The city has spent $104,918 in federal stimulus funds on the program, according to a document that Michigan Capitol Confidential obtained through a records request. That money paid for a report prepared by Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants. Click here to read more.

Senate kids’ safety probe targets Roblox gaming platform

Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) launched an investigation Wednesday into Roblox’s handling of child safety on its online gaming platform.

“Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of our children, and the alleged criminal activity on Roblox warrants congressional scrutiny,” Hawley and Durbin, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, wrote in a letter obtained by POLITICO.

“Roblox is built on the foundation of safety. We do not compromise on that commitment,” Matt Kaufman, Roblox’s chief safety officer, said in a statement. “We look forward to sharing the facts about how we protect children on the platform.” Click here to read more.

El-Sayed Proclaimed ‘Obligation’ To Follow Sharia Law Until the Day He Dies

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed once declared his sacred “obligation” to follow Sharia law in every aspect of his life until he meets his maker on the day he dies, according to unearthed comments he made to the New York Times in 2009 as a young man buying his first home.

“Ultimately, the question is, when I die and I stand before God and go through everything I did in my life, I don’t want to say I did it the easy way instead of the Shariah-compliant way. Not because of fear but because of obligation,” said El-Sayed, who the Times identified at the time as a 24-year-old medical student and Rhodes scholar who had just taken out a “Sharia-compliant” mortgage to purchase a $123,000 condominium in Ann Arbor. Click here to read more.

Doctors profit from gender care: Assistant Secretary for Health talks next steps

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report released on Thursday alleged that doctors and hospitals pushed and profited from what it calls the fraud of gender medicine, focusing on the growth of medical interventions for gender dysphoria in minors.

The report, titled “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of Gender Medicine,” examines the expansion of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for minors. The report alleged that financial incentives and institutional pressures encouraged providers and hospitals to promote those interventions and that billing practices and clinical guidelines contributed to systemic fraud and harm. Click here to read more.

Flock will add privacy guardrails to camera systems amid backlash

Flock Safety will implement new privacy and data retention policies as pressure grows on the automated license plate operator to prevent its technology from being abused or used to conduct mass surveillance.

The company announced Thursday it will shorten the recommended default data retention window from 30 to seven days to cut the amount of time data will sit in Flock’s systems. Agencies can still set their own retention period in coordination with state or local policy.

It will also introduce an option for cities to control which types of offenses call for other agencies’ access to the Flock cameras, in an effort to give “communities more control over data sharing” while still permitting collaborations when needed. Click here to read more.

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Grosse Pointe parent wins federal injunction over trespass ban

A Michigan parent won a federal injunction in July that rescinds a no-trespass order from Grosse Pointe Public Schools.

Shane Pruitt was slapped with the order after he posted a video of rainbow/transgender pride flags that were on display at Parcells Middle School in September 2024.

The school district sent police to his home Oct. 21, 2024, and blocked him from entering school grounds or attending extracurricular activities. A picture of Pruitt’s face was posted at the entry to the school, and the district threatened him with criminal prosecution if he violated the order. He sued in federal district court in Detroit. Click here to read more.

‘Crazy’: 8-year-old boy reels in piranha while fishing at lake in Pennsylvania, dad says

An 8-year-old boy expecting to reel in a bass while fishing with his father caught a piranha from a lake in Pennsylvania.

Michael Coffey said he was fishing with his son, Seamus, when the boy hooked an unfamiliar fish.

At first, Coffey said he wasn’t sure what kind of fish it was and took a few guesses. He said it appeared to be a bluegill or something similar -- but bigger.

But, he said, Seamus identified it right away. Click here to look at pictures.

FBI Decided Biden-Ukraine Scandal Was ‘Russian Disinformation’ Without Even Running An Investigation

he Federal Bureau of Investigation ran a counterintelligence operation appearing to run cover for Biden family Ukraine business dealings and other Democrats, labeling them victims of Russian disinformation, while labeling many prominent Republicans as “conduit(s)” of such disinformation.

Democrat figures like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, George Soros, John Kerry, and Paul Pelosi were all labeled “target(s).” Republicans like Then-Attorney General Bill Barr, Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Then-Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Then-Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Then-acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney were considered “conduit(s).” Click here to read more.

ICE Deports Illegal Alien Gang Members Convicted of Manslaughter, Attempted Murder, Rape

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported illegal alien gang members convicted of crimes like manslaughter, attempted murder, and rape, among other offenses.

“In the last week, ICE has deported criminal illegal alien gang members, including killers, sexual assailants, drunk drivers, and drug traffickers,” Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said:

America is now a safer place with these criminals out of our country. DHS is delivering on President Trump’s mandate from the American people to deport illegal aliens and make America safe again. Deporting illegal aliens saves lives. [Emphasis added]

Click here to read more.

Metro Detroit Flock camera vandalism continues; surveillance complaints persist

The latest development in the backlash against license plate reader cameras is reports of vandalism across Metro Detroit.

Dig deeper:

Police say the cameras help solve crimes and find missing people. License plate reader cameras or LPRs, include the most popular brand, Flock, are being used in numerous cities and counties in Michigan.

Discussion over recent months has been a hot topic at public meetings, raising questions over privacy, government surveillance, transparency, and oversight.

Some critics of Flock cameras have gone further, illegally vandalizing them by breaking the readers or in some cases cutting them down. Click here to read more.

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Ann Arbor fields 40 complaints on gas leaf blowers

The city of Ann Arbor has fielded about 40 complaints to its hotline reporting gas-powered leaf blowers since 2024, according to records obtained by Michigan Capitol Confidential.

The city banned gas-powered leaf blowers in the summer of 2024 from from Jun. 1 to Sept. 30. It allowed them from Oct. 1 to May 30 through 2027.

The city received 12 complaints in 2024, 16 in 2025, and 12 in 2026.

Starting Jan. 1, 2028, the use of gas-powered leaf blowers will be prohibited at all times in the Tree City.

The stated purpose of the ordinance is “to protect the peace, health, safety, and welfare of persons in the City of Ann Arbor and to promote the city’s sustainability goals by reducing noise, pollution, and other negative effects from leaf blowers.” Click here to read more.

Newly released Fauci texts reveal private concerns during early COVID vaccine rollout

WASHINGTON (TNND) — Newly released text messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci’s government-issued phone are offering a glimpse into private discussions among top health officials about COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy during the early weeks of the vaccine rollout.

Republican Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky released a cluster of messages dating to late January 2021, just weeks after the first COVID vaccines became available to the public.

The messages show Fauci communicating with then-Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and then-CDC Director Rochelle Walensky about vaccination during pregnancy, when data involving pregnant women remained limited.

Fauci initially indicated he was not concerned about pregnant women receiving the vaccine but later raised a theoretical concern about vaccination during the first trimester. Click here to read more.

Universities’ double failure on antisemitism and free speech

Universities don’t have to choose between protecting Jewish students and championing freedom of speech. In fact, federal law requires them to do both. Yet when my alma mater, Brown University, resolved a federal civil rights investigation during the Biden administration in July 2024, the line between protected speech and unprotected conduct was unnecessarily blurred.

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had been investigating Brown’s handling of alleged antisemitism on campus after the October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. Brown maintained it had complied with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Had OCR found Brown in violation, it could have pulled federal funding from the university. The voluntary resolution agreement let Brown end the investigation while claiming to uphold its commitments to academic freedom. Click here to read more.

High taxes vs. low taxes: Which states are winning the population war?

At a time when Illinoisans call high taxes a top concern, competing states are providing relief.

The Tax Foundation ranked Illinois 38th-worst in the country when looking at taxes including those on sales, property and business.

Despite its high tax burden, Illinois maintains a constitutionally protected flat income tax, which provides taxpayers stability and predictability. Illinois’ flat tax kept the state’s ranking from sinking lower in its ranking, the Tax Foundation said.

However, of the 15 states with a flat income tax, Illinois was not among the seven that reduced their rates from 2025 to 2026.

That leaves Illinois with one of the highest flat income tax rates in the nation at 4.95%. Six of the seven flat-tax states that did not cut rates already have lower rates than Illinois’. Georgia’s 4.99% is scheduled to decrease every year until it reaches 3.99% and next year will drop below Illinois’ rate. Click here to read more.

Socialism Is So Hot Right Now. But One Candidate Seems Too Toxic For Even Them

The left is all in on Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates in deep-blue strongholds, but the movement’s biggest names are silent in a genuine battleground state.

Wisconsin state Rep. Francesca Hong sits on the verge of a historic nomination, and one election away from becoming the first Democratic socialist governor in American history, in the state President Donald Trump carried in 2024. Still, despite being one of the most talked about gubernatorial candidates of the 2026 cycle, the most prominent elected members on her side want nothing to do with her. Their indifference or calculated move could reveal the limits of the socialist boom in the U.S.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory sent far-left organizers into overdrive, ushering in similar surges in other liberal cities and districts. Click here to read more.

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BAY CITY, Mich - Most people don’t spend much time thinking about data centers. Unless, of course, their entire life is being uprooted by one.

Across the country, communities have found themselves debating massive facilities that consume large amounts of electricity, operate around the clock and can occupy hundreds of thousands of square feet. By the time residents hear about them, the conversation often revolves around a single question: can the city even regulate something like this?

Bay City is trying to make sure that question never has to be asked.

Next month, the Bay City Planning Commission will begin discussing a proposed ordinance that would establish the city’s first regulations specifically for data centers. The meeting is scheduled for August 19th, and while no data center has been proposed in Bay City, officials say they want the rules in place before one ever is.

At first glance, it may seem like an odd priority. Why write regulations for an industry that doesn’t exist here?

The answer is surprisingly simple: Bay City doesn’t want Big Data to catch it with its pants down.

Until recently, Bay City’s zoning ordinance didn’t specifically address data centers. A large data-processing facility could potentially fit within existing industrial zoning regulations without standards tailored to the unique issues these projects can present. Earlier this year, city officials concluded that wasn’t good enough. Rather than waiting for the first proposal to expose gaps in the ordinance, they decided to create a dedicated set of rules.

That decision became even more apparent during the city’s broader zoning rewrite.

As Planning Commission members worked through a comprehensive overhaul of Bay City’s zoning ordinance, they intentionally pulled data centers out of the larger document. Commissioners agreed the subject deserved its own discussion instead of being folded into hundreds of pages of unrelated zoning changes. The result is a standalone ordinance that will receive its own public review before any future project could be considered.

That may not sound exciting, but it represents an important difference in how cities plan. And I bet there are a few Michigan cities I won’t name that wish they had taken this step.

Too often, local governments don’t begin writing rules until a developer is already standing at the podium with a proposal. Residents scramble to understand unfamiliar technology. Officials rush to study ordinances from other communities. Public meetings become debates over a project rather than discussions about what the rules should be.

Exactly what those rules will include remains to be seen but communities across Michigan and the country have wrestled with many of the same issues that we likely will: Where should facilities this large be allowed? How should nearby neighborhoods be protected from noise generated by cooling equipment and backup generators? Should additional landscaping or setbacks be required? What kind of public review should accompany projects that can represent hundreds of millions of dollars in investment?

Data centers have become one of the fastest-growing forms of industrial development in the country as demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence continues to rise. Michigan has also taken steps to make itself more competitive for these projects through state policy, prompting communities to evaluate whether their local ordinances are prepared for an industry that barely existed when many zoning codes were written.

That doesn’t mean Bay City is about to land a hyperscale campus. It doesn’t even mean a developer has expressed interest. Thank God. But that’s precisely the point.

Planning works best before there’s a crisis, before there’s controversy and before the first application lands on a meeting agenda. Residents often complain that local governments react instead of plan. In this case, Bay City appears to be doing the opposite.

Whether you ultimately support or oppose the idea of data centers, the conversation about how they should fit into Bay City will likely begin long before any company asks to build one. The first step happens on August 19.

If you care about how the city grows—or simply want to understand the kinds of development officials believe could eventually reach Bay County—that meeting may be worth watching.

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The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation issued a demand letter on Kile’s behalf challenging a non-disparagement provision in City Administrator Kimberly Hines’ contract. The foundation argues the clause is overly broad, vague and violates the First Amendment by restricting elected officials’ ability to openly discuss government performance.

The contract states that city officials, including elected council members, employees and agents, must refrain from public or private statements that could reasonably be considered derogatory, false, defamatory or professionally damaging to the employee. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation argues the provision could restrict speech including comments at public meetings or statements to the media criticizing a public official.

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“I love serving this community,” Kile said in an interview. “But the past year I’ve had pretty much a gag order.”

Kile said the contract was approved by the council last August after the city’s previous manager left. According to Kile, Hines initially offered to help the city temporarily while officials dealt with the vacancy but ultimately remained in the position.

Kile said she was concerned about the non-disparagement language from the beginning and had pushed for the city to conduct a formal hiring process rather than appointing someone who initially offered to temporarily fill the role.

The mayor said the language is so broad that she worries even asking questions about city operations could potentially violate the agreement.

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“If I’m talking to someone who might go back and imply that the question was damaging to this person’s reputation, then we have a problem,” Kile said.

Kile said elected officials need to be able to question spending and other decisions without worrying that criticism could violate an employment contract.

“We should be critical of every single dollar we spend, of every decision we make, because it’s for the people of our beautiful city who deserve better,” Kile said.

The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation said the restriction could interfere with elected officials discussing government spending, administrative performance, service delivery and the treatment of public employees. The demand letter asks the city to revise the provision to protect the First Amendment rights of city officials and employees.

“The First Amendment does not stop at the doors of city hall,” Mackinac Center Legal Foundation senior attorney Steve Delie said in a statement announcing the challenge. Delie said public officials cannot use government authority to suppress criticism.

According to Kile, the contract states that violations of the provision by a city official could constitute a breach of ethical standards and potentially expose the city to civil liability for reputational harm.

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“I could cost the city that I love more money just by asking,” Kile said.

Kile also raised concerns about a separate city document distribution policy. She said the policy prevents council members from distributing certain documents themselves, leaving that authority to the city manager or clerk.

The administrator’s contract is a public record and can be obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, Kile said. But she argued residents should not have to search for government documents to understand what their elected officials have agreed to.

“Maybe no one knows about it. It’s hidden. That’s not OK in government,” Kile said.

Kile said she believes vigorous debate and criticism are essential to effective local government.

“When we are able to have healthy debate, that’s going to strengthen the policy, that’s going to strengthen the community and that’s going to build trust in our government,” she said.

Kile said she does not know who originally proposed including the non-disparagement language in Hines’ contract. She said she had served on public boards and reviewed numerous contracts before becoming mayor but had not encountered similar language.

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The dispute comes as Gladwin officials consider another contract with Hines. Kile said the council recently approved a one-month extension while negotiations continue.

“My hope is that this sort of clause will not be in the next contract or any contract moving forward,” Kile said.

The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation said further legal action could follow if the city does not address the concerns raised in its demand letter.

Kile said she hopes the dispute draws attention beyond Gladwin and discourages other government bodies from adopting similar provisions.

“Our tax dollars should not go to protect someone’s professional reputation,” Kile said. “Our tax dollars, our investments are in this community. They should serve this community, not serve people who are paid by this community.”

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Kile said she hopes the council ultimately removes the provision and conducts a formal process to determine who should lead the city.

“I ran on two things: always engagement and transparency,” Kile said. “I’m really hoping that we can continue down that path of real transparency for the people that we serve.”

Hines was contacted for comment but had not responded at the time of the interview.

Disclosure: The author of this story works for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Flint police said officers responded about 10:52 p.m. Aug. 8 after hearing gunfire near South Saginaw and First streets.

Officers found two adult men suffering from gunshot wounds. One man was pronounced dead at the scene. The second was taken to a local hospital, where police said he was listed in good condition.

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A suspect was taken into custody at the scene without further incident. Police said no additional suspects are believed to be outstanding.

The investigation remains active.

In a statement Sunday, Green called the events “deeply troubling” and said they do not reflect the values of the city.

“I understand the anxiety and concern an incident of this nature causes,” Green said. “Please know that we share your concern in keeping our streets, public spaces, and neighborhoods secure.”

Green praised the sergeant in charge and officers involved in the initial response, saying their “professionalism, quick assessment, and decisive action” helped secure the scene and apprehend the suspect without further violence.

He also thanked the University of Michigan-Flint Department of Public Safety, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Arrowhead Detail and Michigan State Police for assisting Flint police.

“The smooth coordination between these agencies proved vital in managing a chaotic scene efficiently and bringing this suspect into custody shortly after the incident occurred,” Green said.

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The chief also urged people attending large gatherings to follow police instructions, particularly orders to disperse following an incident. Green said such directives are intended to protect the crowd, maintain order and allow officers to focus on keeping people safe.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Michigan State Police Detective Trooper Andrew Ager at 810-237-6958. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-422-JAIL (5245), through the P3 Tips mobile app or through Crime Stoppers of Flint & Genesee County.

The Flint Drop Fest released the following statement:

After our festival ended there was a violent incident that yet again sets us many steps backwards as a city and community.

Thank you to the first responders are an amazing job all day and reacted quickly to ensure that our cleanup volunteers were out of harms way.

It’s incredibly sad that our community is plague with this sort of violence, and my heart goes out to the family of those affected by senseless violence.

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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.

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’

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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Editor’s note: Following publication of this story, Dr. Andrea Lee contacted us to say she played a substantive role in developing portions of the policy framework that ultimately became Senate Bill 952. Lee provided documentation that she says supports her involvement in the proposal’s development.

Carrie Dickerson and Maria Giancotti told me they also helped write Senate Bill 952 after navigating the special education process with their own children. They say their experiences exposed gaps in educator training, inconsistent implementation of federal law and costly barriers for families seeking help.

The legislation would require a portion of existing professional development hours for educators to focus on federal special education law, increase transparency through expanded public reporting and strengthen competency requirements for school administrators involved in special education decisions.

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The bill also proposes changes to Michigan’s complaint process by allowing the Michigan Department of Education to notify school districts after a complaint is filed, rather than requiring parents to do so themselves. Supporters say the change would help reduce concerns about retaliation while preserving districts’ ability to respond.

Another provision would strengthen oversight of student expulsions involving children with disabilities by reinforcing existing legal procedures and requiring trained personnel to review those decisions.

Dickerson and Giancotti say the proposal is intended to improve outcomes for students while giving teachers and administrators the training they need to properly implement federal special education law.

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The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Joseph Bellino, was introduced earlier this year and supporters are encouraging residents to contact members of the Senate Education Committee and the State Board of Education in support of a committee hearing.

According to the advocates, roughly 217,000 Michigan students currently receive services through Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, with additional students receiving accommodations through Section 504 plans.

They say their goal is to begin a broader conversation about improving special education across Michigan, even if the legislation is ultimately revised as it moves through the legislative process.

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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.

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According to a public notice from the Burton Department of Public Works, the city did not maintain requi…

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According to the White House Trump will visit the General Motors Milford Proving Ground on Monday, where he is expected to deliver remarks focused on American manufacturing and the auto industry.

The event is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at the General Motors Proving Ground, located at 3300 General Moto…

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Ellison, an attorney with Outside Legal Counsel, said …

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The allegations come after multiple assaults on corrections officers earlier this month at the Level IV prison in Gratiot County and amid ongoing concerns over mandatory overtime and vacancies that have plagued facilities across the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Nicole, a former corrections officer who worked at St. Louis Correctional Facility from 2021 until leaving in December after previously working in prison food service, said she decided to speak publicly because she believes conditions have deteriorated to a dangerous level. She said she remains in regular contact with officers still working inside the prison.

Subscribe to read the full investigation below, Nicole's complete interview, what a current corrections officer says is happening inside the prison, and the state's full response. I don't have a large newsroom behind me—just readers like you. Your support makes this reporting possible.

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