Free Republic

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration has declared an “extraordinary animal health emergency” and imposed “the most comprehensive measures in the country” to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza. “Producers must immediately implement robust biosecurity practices and create emergency preparedness plans and this order starts to address these on-farm risks,” Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Tim Boring said statement last week. Those measures include a biosecurity manager for every farm, a secure perimeter around poultry, cleaning and disinfection for people and vehicles, a log of all people and vehicles that enter farms, isolation of lactating cows until 30 days after...

RAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — With three months until Michigan’s Aug. 6 U.S. Senate Primary, Republican voters are largely undecided, however, of the four candidates, former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers has the most support. A new poll conducted by WOOD TV8, Emerson College Polling and The Hill found that 54% of Michigan Republican primary voters have not committed to a candidate. Rogers leads the race with 32% support, followed by former U.S. Representative Justin Amash with 8% support, businessman Sandy Pensler with 3% support, and Physician Sherry O’Donnell with 2% support. “Rogers’ support is ten points higher among male voters...

Actor Jeff Daniels said Friday on MSNBC’s “Deadline” that he believed midwesterners were done with former President Donald Trump’s “lack of decency.” On the New York business document trial, Daniels said, “I know this is costing him where I live in Michigan. This is costing him votes.” He continued, “There’s just a lack of decency that Donald has kind of hitched his wagon to. He keeps telling us these things. You know, I mean, I look at the trial every day, and you watch what happens in the trial, and then you watch him talk about it like it was...

New Emerson College Polling/The Hill swing state polls find President Biden trailing former President Trump in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin; the differences are within each survey’s margin of error.

LA County Assistant DA Diana Teran, who oversaw George Gascón's efforts to prosecute law enforcement officers instead of criminals and to release thousands of felons from prison early, was arrested Saturday on 11 felony charges related to the "unauthorized use of data from confidential, statutorily-protected peace officer files." Like many alleged felons in Los Angeles County, Teran was out on bail less than an hour after her arrest. Unlike many alleged felons in Los Angeles County, the Diana Teran scandal has the potential to topple the county's power structure, or to put a severe dent in it. That potential exists...

@justinamash The GOP field is now set for U.S. Senate in Michigan, and the choice is clear. I’m the only candidate with a record of following the Constitution, cutting spending, protecting free speech, fighting the surveillance state, and opposing the forever war. On August 6, we win big.

Former Rep. Peter Meijer is dropping his bid for Michigan’s open Senate seat, the Republican said in a statement Friday. “The hard reality is the fundamentals of the race have changed since we launched this campaign. After prayerful consideration, today I withdrew my name from the primary ballot. Without a strong pathway to victory, continuing this campaign only increases the likelihood of a divisive primary that would distract from the essential goal – conservative victories in November,” Meijer said. One of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the January 6, 2021, riot, Meijer...

Former Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., announced Friday evening that he had dropped out of the race to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate. "I got into this race because I believed I had the strongest chance of winning in November to work to right this ship and reverse trendlines that have only gotten worse over these past months," Meijer, whose family founded the Meijer supermarket chain, said in a statement posted on X. "The hard reality is the fundamentals of the race have changed significantly since we launched this campaign," he continued. "After prayerful consideration, today I withdrew my name...

On Friday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby stated that Hamas doesn’t care about the Palestinian people and if they did, “they’d lay down their arms, they’d step aside, they’d release those hostages,” but they’ve refused hostage release offers. Kirby also stated that there have been too many civilians killed in Gaza and the number of civilian casualties “needs to be zero.”

Program will address ‘insidious problem’ with racism in medicine: nurses association Nursing students at the University of Illinois soon will receive “diversity, equity, and inclusion” training via virtual reality courtesy of a $20,000 grant to address racism. The American Nurses Association, which awarded the grant through its National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, says the funds will address an “insidious problem” with racism in nursing. But other medical professionals and scholars say the project is a waste of money. The university’s College of Nursing plans to use the grant to hire a software engineer to create virtual reality training...

Former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows are unindicted co-conspirators in the Michigan attorney general's case against the state's so-called "fake electors" in the 2020 election, a state investigator revealed in court on Wednesday. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel charged 16 Republicans last year with forgery and conspiracy to commit election forgery for allegedly attempting to replace Michigan's electoral votes for Joe Biden with electoral votes for Trump at the certification of the vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Pro-Hamas students planted their flag at the University of Michigan Monday and began sharing anti-American propaganda. Students set up a “Liberated Zone” for Gaza on a Diag, a campus common area. Several tents could be seen, indicating the agitators intend to stay for a while. One banner read, “Encampment for Gaza: Divest Now!” Palestinian flags could be seen waving from the lampposts. A giant “Love Live the Intifada” banner blocked a sidewalk. Among the most chilling literature to be circulating was a handout that declared, “Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.” “The struggle for the liberation of Palestine is...

Barrett served for 22 years in the U.S. Army and was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. His platform is centered on "military readiness." Michigan GOP Congressional candidate Tom Barrett said he left the Army to run for Congress with goals to restore readiness in the military and stand up to President Joe Biden. "I retired from the army two years ago in large part because of the failure of leadership of Joe Biden and decided to run for Congress to stand up to Biden, and really bring about a course correction in our military," Barrett said on the "Just the...

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualified has for the ballot in the swing state of Michigan. Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan were nominated by the Natural Law Party, according to his campaign. Natural Law Party of Michigan chair Doug Dern said on Thursday that the Natural Law Party had nominated Kennedy on Wednesday in a convention. Former President Trump won Michigan in 2016 and President Biden won in 2020. "Thank you, Natural Law Party for nominating us to be on Michigan’s 2024 presidential ballot," Kennedy wrote on X.

In Tuesday’s special election in Michigan, Democrats won both House seats on the line, reclaiming control of the Michigan House. Both candidates who won, Mai Xiong of the 13th District and Peter Herzberg of the 25th District, were in areas that heavily favored Democrats. Democrats are now in control of both chambers of the state legislature as well as the office of the governor, giving them control of the entire state’s government. “I am incredibly humbled for the overwhelming support of the voters of the 13th House District, who have chosen me to represent our community as the next State...

Like communities around the country, Chicago is hemorrhaging cash to deal with the devastating consequences of Joe Biden’s border disaster. On Monday, the Budget and Government Operations Committee of the Chicago City Council voted 20-8 to send Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request for $70 million in additional City funding to care for illegals to the full Council. CBS News reports that the request is part of a spending plan announced by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in February. The State of Illinois and Cook County pledged a combined $250 million to help fund the crisis,...

Democratic candidates Peter Herzberg and Mai Xiong are projected to win their special elections in two Michigan state House races, allowing the party to regain full control of the state Legislature, according to Decision Desk HQ. Xiong defeated Republican Ronald Singer in District 13, which includes parts of Detroit, Center Line and Warren in Macomb and Wayne counties, according to the Detroit Free Press. Meanwhile, Herzberg defeated Republican Josh Powell in District 25, which includes parts of Wayne, Canton and Westland in Wayne County, according to the news outlet. Xiong is a former refugee from Thailand who most recently served...

The Michigan Senate has approved legislation that mandates kindergarten attendance in Michigan.The bill, which supporters say will improve early education, passed with a vote of 21-15, with Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Senate largely opposed. It must now go to the Michigan House for consideration.Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, a child who is five years old on Sept. 1 would be required to enroll in kindergarten, whether in a traditional public school, charter school, private school, or if their parents are homeschooling them.Michigan is one of more than a dozen states that do not require kindergarten. Despite this, the state...

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that abortion “is on the ballot in all 50 states’ because of a potential national abortion ban. Host Kristen Welker said, “Former President Trump held a rally last night. He did not mention the issue of abortion, but earlier this week he noted that abortion laws are left up to the states. he said he wouldn’t support a national ban. How concerned are you that his efforts to straddle the line could effectively weaken this issue for Democrats?”