A Springfield Township man accused of shaking his child and nearly killing him is out of jail since a judge changed his $1 million bond to a personal bond – requiring no cash or surety to be posted.
Daniel Gracer, 31, is charged with one count of first-degree child abuse in connection with the near-fatal injuries his then-2-month-old son suffered in December. At Gracer’s arraignment earlier this month, a magistrate set bond at $1 million dollars and Gracer was remanded to the Oakland County Jail. At a court hearing on Tuesday, 52-2 District Judge Kelly Kostin granted Gracer a personal bond and he was released from jail shortly before 6 p.m., records show.
According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, on Dec. 23, 2024 deputies were called to a home in the 7000 block of Meadow Lane in Springfield Township for a report of an unresponsive baby. Gracer was caring for the boy at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
The baby suffered serious head and brain trauma, and a child abuse specialist who examined the baby determined the injuries were non-accidental, the sheriff’s office said. The brain injury, according to the specialist, was due to rapid acceleration and rapid deceleration, consistent with being shaken, the sheriff’s office said. The trauma was “nearly fatal,” the sheriff’s office said, and the baby is likely to have severely delayed development.
Hospital staff reportedly relayed the findings to the sheriff’s office which launched an investigation.
Gracer’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 14 for a probable cause conference.
Trump on Wednesday criticized the approach from the Senate Budget Committee chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and sided with the House GOP’s broader, if politically difficult, plan that includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and other priorities. Senators wanted to address those later, in a second package.
Vice President JD Vance was on his way to Capitol Hill to confer privately with Republican senators.
“Unlike the Lindsey Graham version of the very important Legislation currently being discussed, the House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, EVERYTHING, not just parts of it!” Trump posted on social media.
Trump wants the House’s version passed as a way to “kickstart” the process and “move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’”
The Senate’s Republican leadership is scrambling after being blindsided by the post.
“As they say, I did not see that one coming,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Thune had engineered the two-bill approach as a way to deliver an early victory for the White House and had pushed the Senate forward while the House is away on recess this week, saying it was time to act. Thune was meeting privately in his office with Graham.
“We’re planning to proceed, but obviously we are interested in, and hoping to hear with more clarity where the White House is coming from,” Thune said.
Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune of S.D., speaks to reporters, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, after a Senate policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
The sudden turn of events means more upheaval in the difficult budget process. Republicans have majority control of the House and Senate, but face big hurdles in trying to put the president’s agenda into law as Democrats prepare to counter the onslaught of actions from the White House.
Late Tuesday, Republicans had pushed ahead on the scaled-back budget bill, on a party-line vote, 50-47, in what was supposed to be the first step in unlocking Trump’s campaign promises — tax cuts, energy production and border controls — and dominating the agenda on Capitol Hill.
But it also comes as the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency effort is slashing costs across government departments, leaving a trail of fired federal workers and dismantling programs on which many Americans depend. Democrats, having floundered amid the initial upheaval coming from the White House, have emerged galvanized as they try to warn the public about what is at stake.
“These bills that they have have one purpose — and that is they’re trying to give a tax break to their billionaire buddies and have you, the average American person, pay for it,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York told The Associated Press.
Schumer convened a private call over the weekend with Democratic senators and agreed on a strategy to challenge Republicans for prioritizing tax cuts that primarily flow to the wealthy at the expense of program and service reductions in health care, scientific research, veterans services and elsewhere.
“This is going to be a long, drawn-out fight,” Schumer said.
The Senate’s budget process begins this week, with an initial 50 hours of debate followed by an expected all-night session with lots of attempts to amend the package.
The Republican package would allow $175 billion to be spent on border security, including money for mass deportation operations and building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, in addition to a $150 billion boost to the Pentagon and $20 billion for the Coast Guard.
Republicans are determined to push ahead after Trump border czar Tom Homan and top aide Stephen Miller told senators privately last week that they are running short of cash to accomplish the president’s immigration priorities.
Trump met with Republican senators last month, expressing no preference for one bill or two, but just that Congress “get the result.”
The Senate Budget Committee said its package would cost about $85.5 billion a year, for four years of Trump’s presidency, paid for with new reductions and revenues elsewhere that other committees will draw up.
Eyeing ways to pay for it, Republican senators are considering a rollback of the Biden administration’s methane emissions fee, which was approved by Democrats as part of climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act, and hoping to draw new revenue from energy leases as they aim to spur domestic energy production.
The House GOP bill is multiple times larger, with $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $1.5 trillion in spending reductions over the decade across Medicaid health care programs, food stamps and other services used by large swaths of the country. The cuts could ultimately grow to $2 trillion to appease hard-right conservatives.
The budget plans are being considered under what’s called the reconciliation process, which allows passage on a simple majority vote without many of the procedural hurdles that stall bills. Once rare, reconciliation is increasingly being used in the House and Senate to pass big packages on party-line votes when one party controls the White House and Congress.
During Trump’s first term, Republicans used the reconciliation process to pass the GOP tax cuts in 2017. Democrats used reconciliation during the Biden presidency era to approve COVID relief and also the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Capitol is seen framed through a window in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A "dictator" is now how President Donald Trump is referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after blaming the country for its ongoing war against Russia.
"Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start," President Trump said in a statement on his Truth Social platform. "... On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is 'MISSING.' He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden 'like a fiddle.' A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left."
"Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the 'gravy train' going," President Trump added. "I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died."
Several Republican Senators in Congress had mixed reactions to the president's comments, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska a relatively moderate member of the GOP refusing to stake a claim and saying she will look into it herself.
"I would like to see that [Trump's comments] in context because I would certainly never refer to President Zelenskyy as a dictator," Murkowski told Scripps News. "I will look at the direct quote but I certainly would not call President Zelenskyy a dictator."
When also asked about President Trump's accusation that Zelenskyy is seemingly responsible for starting the war, Murkowski said she disagreed and that "it was absolutely Russia at Putin's directive."
WATCH: Congressman Dan Goldman reacts to recent Trump administration moves, statements
Congressman Dan Goldman reacts to recent Trump administration moves, statements
Other Republican lawmakers agreed with Murkowski, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, with the latter, however, stating that Ukraine does need to hold elections despite the ongoing war.
"I wouldn't go that far," Hawley said in response to President Trump's "dictator" comments. "But they do need to have elections. I think the president's point that they suspended elections is not good. We had elections during the second World War Britain had elections. They should have an election."
Nonetheless, President Trump's comments come just a day after senior U.S. and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine without any representation from Kyiv present. Zelenskyy has insisted that he "will never accept" any peace deal that does not include Ukraine in the negotiations, and is demanding "real security guarantees" in order to come to the negotiating table with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We are thankful for all the support, unity between USA in USA around Ukraine support," Zelenskyy said earlier in the week. "... But there is no any leader in the world who can really make a deal with Putin without us about us."
The Trump administration disagrees with the notion that it is only negotiating with Russia and refusing to include Ukraine in talks. Brian Hughes, White House National Security Council spokesman, said President Trump was not necessarily blaming Ukraine for the start of the war, and that the Trump administration is "in touch with the Ukrainians" as well.
"You can't help facilitate peace if you ignore one side of the equation," Hughes told Scripps News. "So we're talking to the Ukrainians. We're engaging with our European partners, but we also started in Saudi Arabia a dialog with the Russians, to which is simply a next step in a process towards the President's commitment to finding a pathway to peace and stability."
An Oakland County jury on Tuesday delivered a $106 million verdict against a Birmingham-based health and beauty business after six women who worked there sued, claiming the owner subjected them to frequent verbal and physical sexual advances including thrusting his hips into a massage table, making inappropriate remarks about his family members and using the company’s LinkedIn account to solicit European prostitutes.
The women, each named Jane Doe in the lawsuit filed in June 2024 in Oakland County Circuit Court, worked at Science Beauty Tech for owner Gary Raykhinshteyn between 2021 and 2023. Some were as young as 19 when they were hired, said Todd Flood, managing partner at Flood Law, who represented five of the plaintiffs.
“What these women had to endure in the workplace was nothing short of horrific,” Flood said. “Let this be a lesson for all those who abuse their position of power – you will be held accountable.”
Raykhinshteyn called the jury’s decision “completely insane” and said the allegations were lies.
“This is just unheard of,” he said of the $106 million verdict. “These women are telling the judge I put a gun to their head and asked them to rub my penis? There is no proof.”
Among the numerous allegations against Raykhinshteyn in the complaint, none involved a firearm.
Propositions on social media
While working as an office assistant, Jane Doe 1 discovered a message sent by Raykhinshteyn on the company’s Instagram page in which he claimed he would offer to let her perform fellatio on the recipient of the message, “but he couldn’t because the third party did not have any money,” according to the complaint.
Two of the women alleged that Raykhinshteyn would also use the company Instagram account to request nude photographs from other women and the company’s LinkedIn account to book appointments with prostitutes in Europe.
In a separate incident, Jane Doe 4, who worked as an office manager at SBT, said Raykhinshteyn brought her along with him to Florida for a business conference sometime while she worked there between November 2021 and March 2022. When they arrived, she alleged, she learned that he had only booked one room and that only he would be attending the conference, while she was to wait in the room.
During the trip he repeatedly requested sex from her and asked her to watch him masturbate. She said that at one point he wrapped himself around her, releasing her only after she repeatedly pleaded for him to stop.
Each of the plaintiffs said Raykhinshteyn had touched them either on the shoulders, back or buttocks and made inappropriate comments toward them.
Jane Doe 6, who only worked at SBT from January to February in 2023, said Raykhinshteyn requested she give him a massage using a specialty device used to promote blood circulation, lymphatic drainage and reduction of cellulite and wrinkles in patients. During the massage, she alleged, Raykhinshteyn moaned and appeared to have an erection while he was lying on his back and when he rolled onto his stomach he thrusted his hips into the table.
Two of the women said Raykhinshteyn prodded them to profess their attraction to him and, when they declined, he responded by insulting their intelligence, appearance and weight, according to the complaint.
The plaintiffs also said their boss made comments about their wardrobes, telling some of them to wear more revealing attire at work or for business meetings, and telling one not to wear leggings to work because he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
During a text exchange with two of the plaintiffs, Raykhinshteyn referred to potential hires as “victims,” the suit alleged.
The business owner also was accused of making inappropriate remarks regarding his family members. Jane Doe 6 said Raykhinshteyn told her that when his daughter gets married, her husband can have sex with her against her will because it’s not rape if the two are married. He also allegedly told her that when he has sex with his wife, sometimes she just “lays there” and “takes it like a good wife.”
Retaliation alleged
The woman said Raykhinshteyn retaliated against them after they refused his advances by making disparaging comments, revoking their free parking or failing to pay them once they quit for work already completed.
Flood said the jury found in favor of the women based on findings of employment discrimination, hostile work environment, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Testifying in open court and confronting their former employer required immense bravery, as they had to relive the trauma that marred what should have been an exciting start to their professional careers,” Flood Law said in a press release. “Collectively, they hope to prevent Mr. Raykhinshteyn from causing further harm to young women while empowering those in similar situations to find their voices.”
Raykhinshteyn said he plans to appeal the decision and will consider filing a malpractice suit against his attorney, Jonahtan M. Jones.
Jones did not return a call seeking comment.
A judge’s gavel rests on a book of law. (Dreamstime/TNS)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is moving to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission.
The executive order that Trump signed Tuesday gives the president more power to shape the oversight of the financial system and lay out criteria for transportation safety, basic consumer protections and wireless, broadcast, satellite and broadband communications.
It is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to assert greater authority over the government, possibly limiting the spending of congressionally approved funds in ways that could set up lawsuits and lead courts to weigh in.
Past administrations saw public benefit in having regulators that could operate in the long-term interests of the country without the daily machinations of politics. Presidents could exercise informal control by whom they appointed to lead the agencies without necessarily requiring those agencies to submit strategic plans to the White House and lose access to funding initiatives as the order lays out.
But the Trump White House maintains that independent regulators could undermine the president’s agenda and the will of the voting public.
“For the Federal Government to be truly accountable to the American people, officials who wield vast executive power must be supervised and controlled by the people’s elected President,” said the order signed by Trump.
Independent agencies go back to 1887 with the creation of the Independent Commerce Commission, which initially existed to deal with railroad monopolies and the rates they charged. Multiple other regulators were built on this format and operated through presidential appointments and congressional oversight.
Roger Nober, a professor at George Washington University and director of the GW Regulator Studies Center, called the order “very significant.” The rule goes beyond existing requirements that regulations with an economic impact of more than $100 million or more go through a review by the White House Office of Management and Budget.
“The intent of this is to significantly scale back the independence of independent regulatory agencies,” said Nober, who was previously chair of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, an independent regulator, during George W. Bush’s presidency.
Nober stressed that he could understand why Trump might wish to bring a stock market regulator such as the SEC under greater White House control. But, he said, “we’ll have to see if this is the right approach in the long run to make independent agencies more politically responsible.”
The executive order covers the regulatory responsibilities of the Federal Reserve, but it would specifically keep its independence on setting short-term interest rates that can influence inflation rates and employment levels.
A Fed spokesperson declined to comment Wednesday on the executive order.
The order may have only a limited practical effect, at least in the short term. The Fed’s vice chair for supervision, Michael Barr, a Biden appointee, said last month that he would step down Feb. 28. The Fed also said it would pause any major rulemaking until Barr’s successor is confirmed.
Ian Katz, an analyst at the policy research firm Capital Alpha, believes a court challenge is one of the goals of the order.
“The White House and conservatives not only expect, but want, legal challenges to the executive order,” Katz wrote in an email. “They would like a Supreme Court ruling that further solidifies executive branch authority over the agencies.”
Under the order, the White House Office of Management and Budget would set performance standards and management objectives for the heads of independent agencies. The OMB could also change the funding apportioned to the agencies based on “activity, function, project, or object” that might be in conflict with the president’s agenda.
The heads of independent agencies would need to have special White House liaisons to coordinate with the president’s aides and advisers.
Associated Press economics writer Christopher Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump departs after speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Pool via AP)
January and the Detroit Auto Show fit like hand and a (winter) glove.
The show’s organizers said Wednesday it will be back next year from Jan. 14-25, solidifying itself as the first North American auto show on the calendar after a successful return this year. Like a mall, the Huntington Place showcase will again be anchored by Detroit automakers, The Gallery exhibit full of exotic cars, and Racing Day sponsored by the Detroit Grand Prix.
After a disjointed four years that saw multiple date changes and even cancellation due to the COVID pandemic, the Detroit Auto Show was back to its traditional January dates this year for the first time since 2019. Shedding its moniker as the North American International Auto Show as the auto industry has become less show-centric for vehicle reveals, the auto-palooza now carries the moniker Detroit Auto Show.
It attracted 275,000 people over 11 days this winter, well off its NAIAS peak of 800,000. The show boasted an economic impact of $370 million as it brought car fans into the city to kick off the new year.
Visitors explore the 2025 Detroit Auto Show on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025 at Huntington Place in Detroit. The show, which returned this year to its traditional January slot for the first time since 2019, will be back from Jan. 14-25, 2026. (Katy Kildee, The Detroit News/The Detroit News/TNS)
In an interview with Scripps News, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-New York, expressed strong concerns about President Donald Trump's recent executive order that places independent government agencies under the executive branch's control. Goldman argued that Trump's actions represent an unprecedented extension of executive power, compromising the independence of agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission, which were created by Congress to operate free from political influence.
"Donald Trump wants to put every single thing in the executive branch under his thumb, so that he can use all of the executive branch agencies for his own personal interests and for his own political retribution," Goldman told Scripps News. "It is absolutely lawless in many different ways, including the fact that it has to come back to Congress in order for it not to be independent."
Executive orders have long been used by presidents to implement their agenda. To date, President Trump has signed 70 executive orders. Throughout his entire four-year term, President Joe Biden signed 162.
But Goldman argues that President Trump has gone too far to implement executive orders and has ignored court orders that have temporarily stopped Trump from enacting his orders.
"If we have no rule of law, if court orders cannot be relied upon and cannot be trusted, it doesn't just undermine our government, it undermines every single contract that is entered in this country, and ultimately, it ruins the foundation of our democracy, of our economy, and certainly of our government," he said.
Goldman, who led House Democrats' impeachment trial against President Trump in 2019, said the president has already committed "dozens of impeachable offenses" in his first 30 days in office.
The 2019 impeachment inquiry involved President Trump allegedly pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for U.S. military aid. The incident occurred in a phone call between the two leaders three years before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Trump was impeached in a strictly party-line vote in the House of Representatives. Only one Republican, then-Sen. Mitt Romney, supported convicting President Trump in the Senate.
"He's violating the Constitution right, left, and center. The reality is the Republicans control the House and they control the Senate," Goldman said. "And not only are they in control in the majority, and therefore they would have to lead any kind of impeachment investigation, but they have demonstrated such a lack of spine and will and determination to even just uphold their own power. They're giving away their own authority in Congress and just turning it over to Donald Trump."
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Rubio spoke with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the European Union’s foreign policy chief to brief them immediately after Tuesday’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the State Department said.
Top European diplomats, as well as Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are all expected at the Group of 20 meeting in Johannesburg while the U.S. will be represented by a lower-level delegation.
A G20 meeting would normally be an opportunity for a U.S. secretary of state to push for support on U.S. positions, especially at the start of a new administration.
Analysts say Rubio’s absence reflects the Trump administration’s indifference to organizations promoting international cooperation, but Rubio has also directly rejected South Africa’s priorities for its G20 presidency. The hosts have picked “solidarity, equality, sustainability” as the theme of the G20 this year.
Rubio posted on X this month that he would also not attend the main G20 summit in Johannesburg in November, saying South Africa was using the gathering to promote diversity, equality and inclusion frameworks, “In other words: DEI and climate change.”
“My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism,” Rubio wrote.
Rubio’s decision to skip the G20 meeting also underscores a major deterioration in U.S. relations with South Africa, one of its key trade partners in Africa.
South Africa is due to hand over the presidency of the G20 to the U.S. at the end of this year, and the two countries are expected to work together under G20 protocols.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said on Wednesday that the U.S. would be represented in Johannesburg this week “in one form or shape or another” and stressed that Rubio’s decision was “not a complete boycott of South Africa’s G20” by the U.S.
Analysts in Africa says they still see a way for the G20 to make progress under South Africa’s presidency, even with limited U.S. interest. The EU, Russia and China have expressed support for South Africa’s G20 leadership.
“No one wants to be on the wrong side of the United States,” said Oscar van Heerden, senior researcher at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre of African Diplomacy and Leadership. “But I think everyone also realizes that what drives the foreign policy of the United States is not necessarily what drives the foreign policy of the European Union or the other members of the G20.”
While European allies have their own concerns over future cooperation with the Trump administration after they were sidelined by its move to hold bilateral talks this week with Russia, the G20 meeting was still an opportunity for the EU to promote inclusivity.
“Multilateralism is under threat right now,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in South Africa, “We also need to use this opportunity to develop the international system further to be more inclusive for all countries in the world.”
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Mogomotsi Magome in Johannesburg and Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa, contributed to this report.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends an interview after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, , U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Photo via AP)
MIAMI (AP) — President Donald Trump’s media company sued a Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Wednesday, accusing him of violating U.S. free speech protections when he imposed a ban on a right-wing supporter of the country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The lawsuit in Tampa federal court was filed just hours after Bolsonaro was charged in Brazil for participating in a would-be coup aimed at allowing him to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The plot, prosecutors allege, included a plan to poison Lula and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the main judicial foe of the former president.
The lawsuit in the U.S. was brought by Sarasota, Florida-based Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates the Truth Social media platform preferred by the president to communicate with his followers. It was joined as a plaintiff by Rumble, a video-sharing platform that partners with Truth Social and fashions itself a safe harbor for free expression.
In their 39-page complaint, the plaintiffs allege that Moraes overstepped his legal authority and international law by seeking to shut down the U.S.-based accounts of a right-wing Brazilian commentator who is seeking asylum in the U.S. The blogger is identified in the complaint only as “Political Dissident A.”
“Justice Moraes cannot dictate the contours of lawful discourse within the United States,” plaintiffs’ attorneys from New York-based Boies Schiller said in the complaint. “The United States has long upheld free speech as a cornerstone of its constitutional framework, enshrined in the First Amendment, and has consistently opposed censorship.”
According to the complaint, Rumble said it faced a fine of $9,000 a day and a shutdown of its service in Brazil if it doesn’t abide by Moraes’ order. The Trump media organization, although not the apparent target of Moraes’ gag order, said Truth Social’s operations would be impacted should Rumble be taken offline.
Moraes has emerged as Brazil’s chief legal powerbroker and would-be defender of the country’s democracy following the far- right Bolsonaro’s shock election in 2018.
What started as a judicial examination of fake news and threats to the high court has since evolved into a sprawling investigation into Bolsonaro himself on allegations of corruption and attempts to destabilize the country by testing the boundaries of free expression. In the run-up to the 2022 election, Bolsonaro used his sizable social media presence to raise unfounded doubts about Brazil’s electronic voting system.
Unlike the U.S., where the First Amendment is an almost sacred text taught in every elementary school, Brazil’s Constitution, drafted in the aftermath of the 1964-1985 military dictatorship, is more unwieldy and offers fewer protections for freedom of speech.
Under Moraes’ orders, police in 2020 raided the homes and froze the social media accounts of several far-right supporters and YouTube supporters of Bolsonaro.
Lawmakers loyal to the former army captain have pushed for Moraes’ impeachment and even some critics of Bolsonaro have questioned the justice’s aggressive tactics.
FILE – President Donald Trump, right, sits alongside Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a dinner at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., March 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
Chris Wright, secretary of the Department of Energy, admitted to mistakes after layoffs impacted employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
Speaking with Scripps News on Wednesday, Wright said, "I probably moved a little too quickly there, and when we made mistakes on layoffs in NNSA, we reversed them immediately, less than 24 hours. The security of our country, our nuclear deterrence, our nuclear weapons, is critical, and we take that message, we don't take that lightly."
The NNSA core mission is to "ensure the United States maintains a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear stockpile," according to its website.
NBC News reports that after the layoffs occurred, agency staff attempted to re-hire some of the employees but had trouble reaching them. It's unclear how many of the laid-off employees returned to work.
The layoffs were part of President Donald Trump's plan to shrink the federal government. The administration has targeted probationary employees, often newly hired individuals, likely because it has more legal authority to terminate the workers.
Wright claims the Department of Energy grew by 20% under the Biden administration, and he is working to "right-size" it.
It’s been a year since a Ferndale teen was fatally shot in a Southfield hotel room where he’d been hanging out with four friends.
But so far, no arrest has been made — because all of the witnesses refuse to speak with police about who pulled the trigger that ended the life of 15-year-old Tyler Johnson, said Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren.
The frustration that plagues Tyler’s grief-stricken mother because no one has been held accountable is not only justified, but personally relatable, Barren said: His own brother was murdered in 2007 in Detroit, and the case is still unsolved.
Just like in Tyler’s case, his brother’s friends “failed him,” Barren said, adding, “I can relate to friends not providing information.”
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday morning at the Southfield police station, Barren said investigators “absolutely” have an idea of which of the four teenage friends shot Tyler, killing him, but until one of them comes forward with the evidence needed, the case can’t progress. All have retained attorneys and aren’t cooperating with police, Barren said.
“We have physical evidence, we have circumstantial evidence…what we need is an eyewitness to bring those things together,” he said.
Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren and assistant prosecutor Justin Davis at Wednesday’s news conference (Screenshot from Fox 2 livestream)
Barren said “speculation” by the public, including comments made on social media, was a driving force behind the news conference — and reiterated why the case is stalled.
“We need these people — these juveniles who were there, (Tyler’s friends) — to have the courage to give this family justice. It takes courage to stand up,” he said.
Tyler was shot in the head on the morning of Feb. 11, 2024 at the Westin Hotel in Southfield and died from the injury four days later while hospitalized. He was a sophomore at Loyola High School in Detroit.
According to Southfield police, the five teenage friends were in a room rented by an uncle of one of them who left the boys there unsupervised. Police responding to the shooting detained two of the teens as they tried to flee — and one of them was found in possession of two firearms including the gun used to kill Tyler. He was charged with two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, which was adjudicated in juvenile court in Wayne County. But investigators have no evidence to directly tie him to the homicide, Barren said.
Cell phone evidence shows “multiple photos of the teens handling the weapon,” Barren said, but no photos of the fatal shooting were found.
Assistant prosecutor Justin Davis said Southfield police, including the chief, are “doing everything they can, exhausting all avenues.”
“At this point, they’ve reached a dead end…we need witnesses and we need evidence…to move forward with this case,” Davis said.
Barren said the five boys were close friends “who spent a lot of time together,” and their families also “associated as friends.”
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Since his election, President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for a major natural gas pipeline in Alaska — comments that have drawn fresh attention to a project that’s floundered for years despite support from state leaders.
Trump mentioned the pipeline at a news conference with Japan’s prime minister earlier this month, drawing praise from Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, both Republicans. As proposed, the nearly 810-mile pipeline would funnel gas from Alaska’s vast North Slope to port, with an eye largely on exports to Asian countries.
Critics, however, see this as a repackaged version of a decades-old effort that has struggled to gain traction. Hurdles include the cost — an estimated $44 billion for the pipeline and related infrastructure — competition from other projects and questions about its economic feasibility. One state senator said Alaska has put around $1 billion over the years into trying to get a pipeline built.
What is liquefied natural gas?
It’s natural gas that’s been cooled to a liquid form for shipping and storage. Natural gas, a fossil fuel, is extracted from underground.
The Alaska project calls for a pipeline from the gas fields of the North Slope to south-central Alaska. A liquefaction facility in Nikiski, southwest of Anchorage, would process and export the liquefied natural gas.
What has Trump said?
Trump, following his election, said his administration would ensure the project gets built “to provide affordable energy to Alaska and allies all over the world.” He highlighted it as a priority in an Alaska-specific executive order aimed at spurring resource development he signed on his first day in office. And during a recent news conference with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba of Japan, Trump touted the Alaska project’s relative proximity to that country and said there were talks “about a joint venture of some type.” He did not elaborate.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said the meeting between the leaders “was carried out in a way that would be beneficial to both sides and confirmed that the two nations will cooperate bilaterally toward strengthening energy security, including increasing LNG exports to Japan.” It did not specifically reference the Alaska project.
Trump was a booster of the project during his first term. In 2017, he was there for the signing in Beijing of an agreement between then-Alaska Gov. Bill Walker and representatives of Chinese companies that called for the parties to work together on elements of the project. That effort ultimately fizzled: Walker, an independent, left office in 2018, and his successor, Dunleavy, took the project in a different direction. The project has a history of new governors taking a different tack than their predecessors; Walker did it, too.
Walker called Trump’s recent actions significant: “What he has done is a tremendous boost to the awareness of the project worldwide.”
What have been some challenges?
Currently, there is no way to bring Alaska’s large gas reserves to market. The focus for decades by major companies on the North Slope has been on producing more profitable oil. The 800-mile trans-Alaska oil pipeline — which began operating in 1977 — is the state’s economic lifeline. Gas that occurs with deposits of oil is reinjected into the fields.
Changing markets and costs have been major obstacles, too.
What’s next?
State leaders are facing the likelihood that Alaska could have to import gas to help meet the needs of its most populous region due to production constraints in the aging Cook Inlet basin in south-central Alaska, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the North Slope. Cook Inlet is Alaska’s oldest producing oil and gas basin, dating to the 1950s.
Even a year ago, the idea of importing gas was widely seen by lawmakers as a humiliating possibility. But it’s now being met with resignation and hopes by some that it might simply be a short-term solution until a gas line is built.
Alaska House Majority Leader Chuck Kopp, a Republican, said Alaskans “need to be hopeful” and cautioned against negative thinking.
“We need to watch how we talk because it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and an energy project of this size, if it was successful, would be transformative to the economic security of our state,” he said.
Roger Marks, an oil and gas economist in Alaska, said he can’t see the pipeline project happening and said more energy should be devoted to preparing for possible imports. “Creating these false expectations has just been a big distraction from what needs to be done,” he said.
Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
NEW YORK (AP) — Union leaders have described President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Labor as a friend of organized labor. But as her confirmation hearing began Wednesday, advocates for workers’ rights question whether Lori Chavez-DeRemer will be able to uphold that reputation in an administration that has fired thousands of federal employees.
Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican member of Congress from Oregon and former mayor of a small city on the edge of liberal-leaning Portland, is appearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, the first stop in her confirmation process.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana who chairs the committee, opened the hearing by saying the Trump administration had an opportunity to enact a pro-American agenda. He said there were concerns about Chavez-DeRemer’s past support in Congress of the PRO Act, legislation that would allow more workers to conduct union organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers’ rights.
During her opening statement, Chavez-DeRemer described the Biden-era law as “imperfect.” When Cassidy asked her if she still supported it, she declined to give a yes or no answer.
“I do not believe the secretary of labor should write the laws. It would be up to Congress to write the law,” she said.
Vermont independent Bernie Sanders, the committee’s ranking member, asked Chavez-DeRemer if she would be a rubber stamp for the administration or stand with workers.
“If confirmed, my job will be to implement President Trump’s policy vision,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “And my guiding principle will be President Trump’s guiding principle — ensuring a level playing field for businesses, unions, and, most importantly, the American worker.”
During her one term as a congresswoman, Chavez-DeRemer’s voting record earned her strong union support. Some political observers surmised that Trump picked her as his labor secretary as a way to appeal to voters who are members of or affiliated with labor organizations. She is the daughter of a Teamster member.
Before she lost her House reelection bid in November, Chavez-DeRemer backed the PRO Act. The bill, one of former President Joe Biden’s priorities, passed the House in 2021 but didn’t gain traction in the Senate.
If confirmed as secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would be in charge of the Department of Labor’s nearly 16,000 full-time employees and a proposed budget of $13.9 billion in fiscal year 2025. She would set priorities that impact workers’ wages, ability to unionize, and health and safety, as well as employers’ rights to fire employees.
But it’s unclear how much power Chavez-DeRemer will be able to wield as Trump’s Cabinet moves to slash U.S. government spending and the size of the federal workforce. During his first month in office, the president froze trillions of dollars in federal funding and offered buyouts to most federal workers.
His administration last week started laying off nearly all probationary employees who had not yet gained civil service protection. Billionaire Elon Musk, who leads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, has called for getting rid of entire agencies.
“The Department of Labor is the agency where people in building are supposed to wake up every day thinking about how they can improve the lives of working people,” said Adam Shah, director of national policy at Jobs with Justice, a nonprofit organization that promotes workers’ rights. “It’s quite possible that no matter what the secretary of labor stands for, the billionaire embedded in the Trump administration, who is so keen on destroying the institutions, will be interested in gutting the Department of Labor.”
In January, Trump fired two of three Democratic commissioners serving on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a federal agency that enforces civil rights in the workplace. He also fired the acting chair of the National Labor Relations Board, Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve as an NLRB member, as well as General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo. Wilcox sued the Trump administration, arguing that federal law protects her from being arbitrarily dismissed.
Republicans have made inroads with working-class voters. Despite decades of labor unions siding with Democrats, and Trump’s apparent support for firing striking workers, his populist appeal gained him votes from rank-and-file union members.
Many major unions, including the AFL-CIO and the United Auto Workers, endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the presidential race. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters declined to endorse a candidate, and Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien spoke at the Republican National Convention. The Teamsters have endorsed Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination.
Some observers expect Chavez-DeRemer to receive more votes from Senate Democrats than some of Trump’s other Cabinet selections did. But the same positions that won her support from unions may make her a harder sell with business groups; the American Trucking Associations and the International Franchise Association said they hoped she would disavow her past support for the Pro Act by working to get it overturned.
Emily Twarog, an associate professor in the school of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois, said a question mark hangs over the labor secretary-designate even if she gets the Senate committee’s approval.
With the ongoing efforts by the current administration to limit or eliminate certain government functions, “how much will she actually be able to do to help workers in the Department of Labor if there’s limited funding and restrictions put on the work that can be done?” Twarog said.
FILE – Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Labor, left, is pictured on Capitol Hill, Jan. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
One year from now, Mike Duggan won’t be Detroit’s mayor and there is no shortage of folks vying for the job.
Whoever gets elected will see the city in its next phase of recovery post-bankruptcy. The city’s population is growing and home values are rising, but what’s next?
City Councilman Fred Durhal and current City Council President Mary Sheffield are in the running. Former City Council President — and longtime CEO of The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) — Saunteel Jenkins is also in the mix.
She sat down with WDET to discuss her vision for the city.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Saunteel Jenkins: Our next mayor has to be someone who will invest in Detroiters from cradle to career and beyond. They need experience in nonprofit, for profit, government and executive experience. The mayor is the CEO of the city of Detroit. I’ve been a CEO for the last 10 years, I know how to deliver, and I’ve been delivering for Detroiters my entire adult life. I want to invest in Detroiters from cradle to career and beyond, and what that means is a Detroit where our children have high-quality early childhood education and daycare centers. We’re making sure that our neighborhoods are safe places and spaces for kids, for families, for seniors. We’re creating businesses and business opportunities and jobs for Detroiters throughout the city, not just downtown. I think we need to have a master plan for each of our seven districts. And the reason that’s important is because it gives Detroiters an opportunity to participate in what the future of their neighborhood should look like. So if the master plan says this district, one needs another movie theater or another grocery store, and you’re opening a grocery store, we’re providing you with incentives to do so, and it provides transparency.
Russ McNamara, WDET News: Where is the next main area for growth in the city?
SJ: I think the next main area of growth has to be in the neighborhoods, not a neighborhood. I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time. It doesn’t have to be that we pick winners and losers. And that’s part of why that master planning process is so important. Because we can do a little bit everywhere, and if we continue to do a little bit everywhere each year, we will start to see the progress spread throughout the city.
RM: The city was still in turmoil when you left city council for THAW. Do you regret that decision at all?
SJ: No, I do not. So I would say the city was still in the process of completing the bankruptcy. I would say the city was in turmoil when I started as city council and we were trying to figure out how not to go into bankruptcy. You know, we were working with the state on a consent agreement and trying to figure out how to actually pay city employees and not miss a payday or not lay off police officers. When I left city council, we were exiting the bankruptcy, the plan of adjustment, the 10 year plan of adjustment, by the way, was in place. So we were actually coming out of the turmoil and setting the stage for, you know, the growth that we’re now seeing.
RM: So why come back now?
SJ: Because the next mayor is going to determine the trajectory of this city for generations to come. And having been there, having done the hard work to set the stage for the successes that we’re all celebrating, I want to make sure that we don’t go back, and that’s why it’s so important that our next mayor is somebody who was here during the tough times, who knows how we got out of it, and understands how to make sure we don’t go back there.
Use the media player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib is running for a second term, but his announcement Monday was quickly overshadowed by revelations that he and three city council members spent nearly $10,000 in public funds to attend President Donald Trump’s inauguration last month. The timing of his re-election bid, coming just hours before the story broke, raises questions about whether Ghalib was trying to get ahead of the controversy. Whatever the case, Ghalib, who made headlines last fall for endorsing Trump’s campaign, posted his re-election announcement on social media Monday afternoon, declaring that he would “continue to serve my city and my community with sincerity, commitment, and integrity, through this position and through other potential prestigious future positions.”
Billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is the de facto leader of the newly established U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, is now weighing whether American taxpayers should get refund checks following extensive cuts in federal spending.
In a post on Musk's social media platform X, one user proposed that Musk and President Donald Trump should announce a $5,000 "DOGE Dividend" payment to taxpayers due to the recent "savings delivered by DOGE."
"With DOGE reportedly achieving $1 billion in savings per day, President Trump has an opportunity to work with Congress to take DOGE one step further and deliver... a tax refund check to be sent after the expiration of DOGE in July 2026 funded exclusively with a portion of the total savings delivered by DOGE," James Fishback, CEO of Azoria investment firm, said in his request.
"DOGE is targeting $2 trillion in total savings. Take 20% of DOGE's total savings ($400 billion) and return it to the ~79 million U.S. households that will be net payers of federal income tax in CY [calendar year] 2025 as a tax-refund check called the 'DOGE Dividend'," Fishback added. "$400 billion in DOGE-driven savings *divided by* 79 million tax-paying households = $5,000 'DOGE Dividend' check per tax-paying household."
Musk replied to the request, stating, "Will check with the President."
The Trump administration created DOGE without congressional approval to reduce what it described as wasteful government spending, leading to the termination of thousands of federal employees across multiple agencies. The administration maintains Musk's efforts are making the government more efficient.
It remains to be seen whether DOGE at the directive of Musk has actually increased the productivity of the federal government. However, he claims the department's initiatives have saved billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
In the meantime, multiple legal actions have been taken against DOGE and the Trump administration, seeking to stop the layoffs of thousands of federal workers and to prevent Musk and his team from accessing the sensitive private data of millions of Americans all things a federal judge ruled against on Monday.
The Detroit Police Department is searching for the driver who they say hit and killed a man with their car earlier this month on the city's west side.
It happened in the area of Evergreen Road and Schoolcraft Road on Sunday, Feb. 2 around 10 p.m.
Police say that a man was attempting to cross the street when he was struck by the driver of an older model gray sedan and killed.
Police are searching for a gray sedan with front end damage after the crash. If you have any information about this incident, please call the Detroit Police Departments Fatal Squad Unit at 313-596-2260, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up, or DetroitRewards.tv
In a groundbreaking interview Tuesday night on Fox News, President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk appeared together for the first time, solidifying their partnership as they discussed plans for government efficiency and fiscal responsibility. The duo praised each other extensively, showcasing a blossoming friendship that has captured the attention of political observers.
At first glance, the optics of Musk sitting next to the Presidentone of the worlds richest men alongside the leader of the free worldwas striking. It resembled a true bromance as Trump noted the speculation surrounding the longevity of their partnership, particularly given the often-competing egos of billionaire figures.
The discussion quickly turned to the central focus of the interview: the ambitious goal of securing $1 trillion through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While Musk indicated that approximately $50 billion had been found thus far, some independent analysts have suggested a figure closer to $5 billion. Regardless of the precise amount, the U.S. can expect significant downsizing and potentially controversial initiatives from the Trump administration in the near future.
One of the significant points raised during the interview was President Trumps assurance that crucial social programs would remain untouched. He explicitly stated that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid would not be affected by the ongoing efforts of DOGE, despite speculation regarding potential cuts.
I think hes gonna find a trillion dollars, President Trump said during the interview. Social Security wont be touched... Medicare, Medicaid, none of that stuff is gonna be touched.
This assertion is particularly relevant as discussions around budget cuts continue to swirl in Washington.
A vital function of the DOGE team is to ensure that executive orders from the president are effectively implemented, Musk said.
If the bureaucracy is fighting the will of the people and preventing the president from implementing what the people want, then we live in a bureaucracy and not a democracy, Musk stated, underlining the importance of this initiative.
As the implications of DOGE unfold, the political landscape is set for further examination of potential cuts and efficiency reforms in the months ahead.
With the partnership of Trump and Musk at the forefront, all eyes will be on Washington as the administration works to advance its agenda for government efficiency while navigating the complexities of American politics.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Inmates in Michigan’s only prison for women are suing the state Department of Corrections for alleged forced labor and gender discrimination.
The lawsuit claims the plaintiffs at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility were forced to work as unpaid porters, cleaning common areas like showers and hallways, despite having chronic medical conditions. It’s asking the Michigan Court of Claims to certify its class action status.
Each of the women in the complaint live in the units that house the prison’s Vocational Village Curriculum but don’t participate in it. Instead, they work other paid prison jobs like for the Michigan Braille Transcribing Fund, or as tutors.
Still, women say prison staff told them if they don’t work at least one week a month as an unpaid porter, they could potentially face discipline and risk their paid jobs and educational opportunities.
“Prisoners in Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) correctional facilities who are assigned to work and/or school shall be paid and/or receive stipends for the assignments as set forth in this policy except if in the Special Alternative Incarceration Program,” MDOC’s directive on prison work reads.
The lawsuit claims the warden at Huron Valley told the women the unpaid work requirement was department wide, though the plaintiffs argue men in a similar situation didn’t have to work for free.
According to the complaint, attempts to resolve the issue within the prison system were unsuccessful, with a friend of one plaintiff reaching out personally to Kyle Kaminski, the MDOC legislative liaison.
In purported correspondence included in the complaint, Kaminski said the village model at the prison is supposed to have a different feel from the rest of the prison, leading to the need for more internal porters.
“At both male villages, having some responsibility for the unit is perceived as part of being in the Village community, but it seemed like the approach at WHV could have focused on that more,” the email reads.
The women, who are representing themselves in the lawsuit, are seeking damages from MDOC and an end to the unpaid labor policy. They’re also asking for court appointed attorneys.
MDOC did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.
WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today. Donate today »
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