By GLENN GAMBOA

Michael R. Bloomberg has believed mayors have plenty to teach each other since he was mayor of New York City and supported the effort to share good municipal ideas through his nonprofit Bloomberg Philanthropies since he left office in 2013.

However, as more nations get bogged down in what the media entrepreneur and philanthropist calls “ideological battles and finger-pointing,” Bloomberg says mayors can do even more. He is expanding his support for them internationally, with the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative, a collaboration with the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Hertie School in Berlin. And other philanthropists are investing in building stronger municipal governments to strengthen urban communities.

“Mayors are more important than ever because cities are more important than ever,” Bloomberg told The Associated Press in a statement. “For the first time in the history of the world, a growing majority of the world’s people live in cities – and cities lie at the heart of many of the biggest challenges facing countries, including expanding economic opportunity.”

The new international initiative, established by a $50 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies, brings together 30 mayors and 60 senior officials from 17 countries, representing over 21 million residents.

After one meeting in October, some already see the potential.

Oliver Coppard, mayor of South Yorkshire, England, jumped at the chance to work with Bloomberg Philanthropies again. Coppard learned much at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, which focuses on training American mayors, but offers 25% of its seats to international mayors. And even he was surprised by how much he had in common with the first international class of mayors. They all look for ways to get their organizations to move faster, deal with social media, and communicate better with their communities.

“It was actually really surprising,” Coppard said. “There are a bunch of areas where, we all felt, despite the very different context that we work in, we were facing very similar challenges.”

A ‘show me, not trust me’ moment for mayors

Despite the varying political ideologies and viewpoints from a wide range of countries, Coppard said what united the mayors was a desire to serve their communities better through health care, transportation, and communication.

It’s exactly what James Anderson, head of Government Innovation programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, hoped they would find. But he says tackling those issues has broader implications that require more philanthropic involvement.

“All of these mayors are recognizing that local governments have become the bulwark for democratic legitimacy,” Anderson said. “They feel the burden of that. And they want new and better ways to rebuild trust and a sense amongst their citizenry that government — local government, in particular — sees them and can respond to their needs in impactful ways.”

Anderson said the mayors also understand they have to show how government works for its community. Public safety, trash pickup and snow plowing have taken on new significance.

“We are in a moment where trust in institutions is very low,” he said. “This is a ‘Show me, not trust me’ moment. And mayors recognize that means they need to govern differently.”

Joseph Deitch, founder of the Elevate Prize Foundation, believes that philanthropy also has to support mayors and their cities differently.

“These days, there’s so much polarization,” he said. “Everyone is defending their corner. So where can we have common ground? I think one of those places is love of our cities.”

Launching Elevate Cities in Miami

To cultivate a stronger bond to those places, Deitch has launched Elevate Cities, a new initiative that both celebrates what makes cities special and convenes community leaders to make them better. The initiative will start in Deitch’s current home with Elevate Miami, though he hopes to expand it quickly to other cities.

In November, Elevate Miami awarded $25,000 unrestricted grants to three different Miami nonprofits to increase their impact on the city. Later this month, there will be a citywide scavenger hunt to introduce Miami residents to nonprofits in the area. And in January, Elevate Miami will launch a contest to write a love song to the city.

Kim Coupounas, Elevate Cities CEO, says that getting people to recognize all the positive things happening around them in their city makes it easier to cultivate civic pride. It also makes it easier for municipal leaders to get support from the community.

“We’re really trying to engage all of the city,” she said. “There’s so much potential and possibility that can come to life because we join hands and recognize what a good place we live in and what more can happen here.”

Bloomberg said he hopes the new Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative and other programs supporting municipal leaders will help spread good ideas and the diversity of viewpoints needed to try new strategies for their cities.

“If mayors want to do big things, they can’t afford to play it safe,” he said.

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

By Melissa Nann Burke, mburke@detroitnews.com

A compromise draft of the annual defense policy bill released late Sunday maintains authorization to spend $14 million for infrastructure upgrades at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County ahead of the arrival of two new airframes, the F-15EX fighters and KC-46 tankers.

The provision had been included in version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the Senate in October. The House is expected to take up the compromise text Thursday or Friday.

The $14 million is allocated to provide $9 million for design of the runway improvements needed at the Harrison Township base, $2.8 million for taxiway “alpha” improvements and $2.4 million for the “bravo” runway improvements design, according to the bill text. The runway work is part of a realignment project at Selfridge estimated to cost $124 million.

Democratic Sens. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township and Elissa Slotkin of Holly secured the funding over the summer as members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The text also includes $4.4 million for the Camp Grayling All-Domain Warfighting Training Complex.

The broader National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 includes an $8 billion increase in the Pentagon’s topline budget, a 3.8% pay raise for military members, puts limits on future troop reductions in Europe and South Korea and authorizes $400 million for Ukraine security assistance, according to bill summaries.

The authorization for funding at Selfridge follows President Donald Trump’s directive earlier this year for the Air Force to send 21 F-15EX aircraft to Selfridge starting in 2028 to replace the aging A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron that is set to be retired at the base on Lake St. Clair northeast of Detroit.

Trump in doing so overruled the Air Force in a gesture that the president said should “save this place.”

The NDAA compromise prohibits the Air Force from retiring the “Warthog” Thunderbolt II “early” in fiscal 2026, including those at Selfridge ― something that Michigan’s delegation had pushed for in a letter this fall to leaders of the Armed Services panels.

The lawmakers’ aim in retaining the provision in NDAA is to minimize the gap between the time when the A-10s will roll out of Selfridge and the replacement flying mission, F-15EX fighters, is supposed to arrive in 2028 in an effort to maintain the workforce of pilots and maintenance staff for the aircraft.

Led by U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, a Charlotte Republican, Michigan lawmakers in late October wrote in the letter asking for the NDAA to use the Senate’s language that required the Air Force to maintain a minimum fleet size of 162 A-10 aircraft and prohibited the early retirement of the A-10s without the approval of Congress.

“This would basically do a transition between the two (platforms) without a significant or sizable gap between them,” Barrett told The Detroit News of the effort in October. “And that’s the big issue we’re trying to stop. Now that we have the commitment for the new F-15EX aircraft, we don’t want the A-10s to go dormant early and present a gap.”

The lawmakers have fretted that a gap of a year or two between flying missions would potentially see the staff at Selfridge devoted to pilot training, maintenance and other tasks reassigned or placed elsewhere without the aircraft at the base.

Idaho’s congressional delegation also joined the Michigan delegation’s letter, including GOP Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, whose state hosts an A-10 squadron at Gowen Field that is set to be replaced with F-16s.

The Air Force has long planned to divest the aging A-10 Thunderbolt fleet to spend instead on next-generation aircraft. The Maryland Air National Guard, based in eastern Baltimore County, deactivated its last remaining A-10s in September, sending most to a boneyard in Arizona and two to Selfridge in Harrison Township.

A general picked to serve as the next chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, Kenneth S. Wilsbach, this fall reiterated the Pentagon’s plans to send a squadron of F-15EX fighter aircraft to Selfridge on time in 2028, assuming the required infrastructure upgrades are complete.

Wilsbach said the Air Force would have to train the new crews and maintenance personnel as they transition from the A-10 to the F-15EX, a process that could take six to 18 months.

“So we’ll have to work on that timing,” Wilsbach said at the time.

Michigan’s delegation and state officials lobbied for over a decade for a fighter mission to replace the A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron at Selfridge.

Hamtramck City Clerk Rana Faraj has filed a sweeping lawsuit against Mayor Amer Ghalib, six council members, and City Manager Alex LaGrou, accusing them of retaliating against her for reporting ballot harvesting, voter intimidation, and residency fraud during the 2025 election cycle.

The post Hamtramck city clerk sues mayor and council, alleging retaliation for reporting election fraud appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.

By Luke Ramseth, lramseth@detroitnews.com

New car prices didn’t spike after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs in the spring, as some experts and dealers projected.

But prices on many models are now pushing notably higher — and analysts said carmakers recouping Trump’s higher import costs is a key factor.

Consider a recent analysis that found automakers are implementing more aggressive price increases on 2026 model-year vehicles compared to when 2025s were hitting dealership lots last year.

Cloud Theory, which tracks car inventory on dealer websites across the country, found the average marketed price increase on 2026 models was nearly $2,000, compared to an approximately $400 uptick during last year’s model year changeover. This year, 23 models have at least a $2,000 price hike; last year there were just nine.

“What I think is different this year is you have a lot of cost increases that are $1,000 or $1,500 or more, $2,000 or more,” said Rick Wainschel, Cloud Theory’s vice president of data and analytics, whose analysis looked at 2026 models with at least 2,000 vehicles in inventory.

“I think that’s a big change and a big shift that’s occurred, and it’s hard to point to any other catalyst for that (except for) tariff costs that the OEMs have had to absorb for the last eight months, and will likely have to absorb going forward,” he said.

Any increase comes on top of average car prices that were already hovering around $50,000. Pair that with stubbornly high interest rates, and the average monthly car payment is now $766, according to Edmunds.com Inc., up more than 3% from a year ago. A record share of subprime borrowers has been falling behind on their auto loans this fall.

Yet the huge car sticker price increases tied to tariffs — which analysts originally warned might tally anywhere from an extra $5,000 to $15,000 per vehicle — haven’t come to pass.

Among the reasons: competitive pressures between rival automakers, concern over blowback from Trump, large pre-tariff vehicle inventories that gave companies a lag time before pricing adjustments were needed, as well as policy adjustments that reduced the pain of the tariffs themselves.

Automakers opted to absorb many of the extra costs in the near term.

But if you’re shopping for a new car right now or plan to in the coming months, experts said it is likely tariffs will cost you in one way or another, even if it’s tough to discern exactly how. Automakers haven’t been eager to publicly disclose any connection between tariffs and their pricing adjustments.

Vehicle destination charges — those mandatory fees for transporting the car to the dealership — are rising, revealing one area where automakers “might be trying to make up a little bit of the costs,” said Erin Keating, an executive analyst at Cox Automotive Inc.

There are also signs of automakers pulling features out of certain models in a bid to trim costs while holding the same sticker price, a phenomenon known as shrinkflation. And then there are indications of carmakers offsetting their tariff costs with higher 2026 model-year MSRPs.

“Automakers really held their prices throughout the ’25 model year, and we’re starting to see a bit (of an impact) in ’26,” said Stephanie Brinley, an auto analyst with S&P Global Mobility. “But it’s being wrapped up in different ways, so it’s very difficult to suss out.”

Car companies often adjust pricing on new model-year vehicles, whether due to minor repackaging of features and trim levels, or full overhauls that include new technology and freshened sheet metal. Brinley said that means there’s no clear way for consumers to figure out where those extra tariff costs might’ve been tacked on.

Keating agrees the tariff impacts have been hard to pin down. Average car prices have been rising steadily much of this year — with September reaching an all-time high above $50,000 — but she said some of that uptick would have been expected anyway because of normal inflation.

The analyst now feels confident those initial shocking projections of price hikes in the 10% to 15% range aren’t going to happen: “The market just won’t bear it,” she said.

Automakers appear to be settling into their new normal under Trump. They’ve secured at least some tariff relief on parts and vehicles imported from certain countries, while simultaneously feeling the benefits of Trump’s moves to loosen federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards.

A September J.P. Morgan report estimated combined tariff costs on vehicles and parts will amount to $41 billion in the first year, rising to $45 billion in year two and $52 billion in year three.

The bank expects automakers and consumers to ultimately share the burden equally, which could lead to a 3% increase in new vehicle prices: “This will hit consumers hard,” the report said, “especially as many are already struggling to afford new vehicles.”

Wainschel, the Cloud Theory analyst, said average prices listed on dealer websites have only increased a few hundred dollars per vehicle since the tariffs took effect in early April. But that’s because automakers have pushed an increasing number of affordable models and trims into the market, which has helped hold the overall average price down.

If the current mix of vehicle types listed for sale was the same as it was back in April, Wainschel said, average prices would, in fact, look approximately $1,300 higher now: “So there are some things that are masking the increases that are taking place, the segment mix being a big part of it.”

Brendan Harrington, president of Autobahn Fort Worth in Texas, which sells Porsche, BMW, Mini, Volvo, Volkswagen, Jaguar and Land Rover brands, said big price hikes didn’t occur early on as companies fretted over losing market share.

But now, carmakers are beginning to make larger changes in response to tariffs, he said, including trimming back slower-selling models and increasing MSRPs where they can. He said Porsche and Land Rover are two examples of brands that have upped prices in response to tariffs.

And carmakers are also passing through higher destination charges, he said — increases that are adding $200 to $300 to the cost of a car. Tariffs also are contributing to steadily rising costs for Harrington’s parts and service departments.

“Until now, every OEM has really tried to hold the line,” he said. “But we are seeing prices now come up.”

The National Park Service has removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from its list of free admission days, according to the agency's website.

Several days were added, however, including Sept. 17, which is Constitution Day, and June 14, which is Flag Day and President Donald Trump's birthday.

Admission fees have been waived on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for several years.

Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery, was added as a free admission day last year after being recognized as a federal holiday during the Biden administration in 2021.

RELATED STORY | National Park Service to offer digital passes, raise fees for foreign visitors

The changes are the latest efforts by the Trump administration to remove all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Entrance fees vary from park to park but are typically around $35 per vehicle. The free admission holidays will only apply to U.S. citizens and residents.

The new list of free entry dates:

Presidents Day: Feb. 16 Memorial Day: May 31 Flag Day/President Donald Trumps birthday: June 14 Independence Day weekend: July 35 110th Birthday of the National Park Service: Aug. 25 Constitution Day: Sept. 17 Theodore Roosevelts birthday: Oct. 27 Veterans Day: Nov. 11Watch: What is Juneteenth?

One person has died in California following an outbreak of amatoxin poisoning linked to wild, foraged mushrooms, state health officials said.

The California Department of Public Health said more than 20 cases have been identified since mid-November, with clusters in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas. Several patients, including children, have suffered severe liver damage, and at least one person may require a liver transplant.

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The agency urged the public to avoid foraging entirely during what it called a high-risk season for toxic mushrooms. Officials said death cap mushrooms, among the most dangerous types, can be easily mistaken for safe, edible varieties and cannot be made safe by cooking.

Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure," said Dr. Erica Pan, the states public health officer. Because the death cap can easily be mistaken for edible safe mushrooms, we advise the public not to forage for wild mushrooms at all during this high-risk season.

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Symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain typically appear within 6 to 24 hours but may briefly improve before severe or fatal liver damage can develop.

Death caps grow widely across the state, particularly near oak and other hardwood trees following fall and winter rains.

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s push to expand control over independent federal agencies comes before a sympathetic Supreme Court that could overturn a 90-year-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members.

Lawyers for the administration are defending President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter without cause and calling on the court to jettison the unanimous 1935 decision in Humphrey’s Executor.

Arguments are taking place Monday.

The court’s six conservative justices already have signaled strong support for the administration’s position, over the objection of their three liberal colleagues, by allowing Slaughter and the board members of other agencies to be removed from their jobs even as their legal challenges continue.

Members of the National Labor Relations Board, the Merit Systems Protection Board and the Consumer Product Safety Commission also have been fired by Trump.

The only officials who have so far survived efforts to remove them are Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, and Shira Perlmutter, a copyright official with the Library of Congress. The court has suggested that it will view the Fed differently from other independent agencies, and Trump has said he wants her out because of allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook says she did nothing wrong.

A second question in the Slaughter case could affect Cook. Even if a firing turns out to be illegal, the court wants to decide whether judges have the power to reinstate someone.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote earlier this year that fired employees who win in court can likely get back pay, but not reinstatement.

That might affect Cook’s ability to remain in her job. The justices have seemed wary about the economic uncertainty that might result if Trump can fire the leaders of the central bank. The court will hear separate arguments in January about whether Cook can remain in her job as her court challenge proceeds.

Chief Justice John Roberts has written a series of opinions dating back to 2010 that have steadily whittled away at laws restricting the president’s ability to fire people.

In 2020, Roberts wrote for the court that “the President’s removal power is the rule, not the exception” in a decision upholding Trump’s firing of the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau despite job protections similar to those upheld in Humphrey’s case.

In the 2024 immunity decision that spared Trump from being prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, Roberts included the power to fire among the president’s “conclusive and preclusive” powers that Congress lacks the authority to restrict.

The court also was dealing with an FTC member who was fired, by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935, who preferred his own choice at an agency that would have a lot to say about the New Deal.

William Humphrey refused Roosevelt’s request for his resignation. After Humphrey died the next year, the person charged with administering his estate, Humphrey’s executor, sued for back pay.

The justices unanimously upheld the law establishing the FTC and limiting the president to removing a commissioner only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.”

Dozens of hockey players will come together for a 24-hour, continuous hockey game in East Lansing to benefit a nonprofit raising funds for pediatric cancer.

The LivSports 24-hour hockey Marathon, presented by LivFree, will take place April 18-19, 2026, at the historic Munn Arena on the campus of Michigan State University.

"LivFree is a childhood cancer nonprofit organization that brings families together through a moment of joy. These moments may be small in scale, but the scope of their impact is great," the organization's website said.

During the 24-hour hockey marathon, more than 80 adult hockey players will come together to play the 24-hour game that will be broken up into three divisions.

Players who register have to raise $1,500, which is the average cost to support a LivFree family and provide them a moment of joy.

The three divisions are:

Division A - "These players participate at an advanced to elite competitive level in adult leagues in top tiers and/or participated at a competitive level (D1-3) in college and beyond." Division B - "B players that participate at an advanced competitive level in adult leagues in higher tiers and/or participated in college (D3-club)." Division 3 - "Players that participate in adult league hockey at the lower tiers should join Division C. This designation is for players of all skills, some who have been playing for many years, others who have added hockey to their adults lives."

Each division will feature two teams that play each other throughout the 24 hours.

The event will kick off at 2 p.m. on April 18 with the games going until 2 p.m. the next day. Each group will paly games ranging from 25 minutes to 90 minutes, with seven hours of ice time per skater over the 24 hours.

Players will have access to locker rooms and player areas, plus meals, snacks and hydration stations, rest areas, on-site athletic trainers and more.

For more information on the event, and to register, you can visit the event's website here.

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA says it will include three-minute hydration breaks in each half of every game at next year’s World Cup, not just those played in hot weather.

The referee will stop the game 22 minutes into each half for players to take drinks, regardless of the temperature, the host country — the United States, Canada or Mexico — or whether the stadium has a roof and air conditioning.

The change may also be a hit with broadcasters, since it makes the game schedule more predictable. FIFA said it was first announced when the governing body’s chief tournament officer for the 2026 World Cup, Manolo Zubiria, attended a meeting with broadcasters.

He indicated that referees may have some flexibility if there’s a stoppage shortly before the 22-minute mark for an injury.

“This will be addressed on the spot with the referee,” Zubiria said.

FIFA said the move is a “streamlined and simplified version” of an earlier practice of having breaks after 30 minutes over a certain temperature threshold, once set at 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit) on the wet bulb global temperature system.

The change comes after heat and humidity affected players during some games at this year’s Club World Cup in the U.S.

At that tournament, FIFA reacted by lowering the threshold for cooling or water breaks and also placing more water and towels around the edge of the field.

Heat has long been an issue at major soccer tournaments. Amid concerns ahead of the 2014 World Cup, a Brazilian court ordered FIFA to make its recommended breaks mandatory or face fines.

Multiple reports of larcenies from unlocked vehicles parked in Bloomfield Township were reported during the overnight hours from Dec. 4 to Dec. 5, officials said.

Purses, computers, shopping bags full of merchandise, and other personal property were reported stolen from eight vehicles, according to Bloomfield Township police. All the vehicles had been left unlocked in driveways, police said.

While an investigation continues, the Bloomfield Township Police Department said the community’s support is needed to thwart any more would-be thieves.

Residents are strongly urged to remove all valuables from inside their cars, keep them locked and don’t leave keys inside when they aren’t occupied.

Teen found stabbed at Royal Oak Township hotel

The cold weather and snow in metro Detroit to start December has led to the opening of all four ski and snowboard resorts in metro Detroit.

According to the websites for each resort, all are open and ready for skiers and snowboarders. Check out the details below for each resort for the week starting Dec. 8. (Hours are subject to change in the coming weeks and months)

Pine Knob Ski & Snowboard Resort - 7778 Sashabaw Rd. in Clarkston

Monday & Tuesday - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday & Thursday - 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 - 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14 - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Alpine Valley - 6775 Highland Rd. in White Lake

Monday through Friday - 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday - 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Mt. Brighton - 4141 Bauer Rd. in Brighton

Monday, Dec. 8 through Thursday, Dec. 11 - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 - 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 - 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14 - 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Mt. Holly - 13536 Dixie Highway in Holly

Monday through Wednesday - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday - TBD Saturday - 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Changes that Disney made to a popular program that lets qualifying disabled people skip long lines at its California and Florida theme parks are too restrictive, disabled fans contend in a federal lawsuit and shareholder proposal that seek to expand eligibility.

The battle over who can skip long lines on popular rides because of their disabilities marks the latest struggle by Disney to accommodate disabled visitors while cracking down on past abuses. But some Disney fans say the company has gone too far and has no right to determine who is disabled.

"This isn't right. This isn't what Walt and Roy would have wanted," said Shannon Bonadurer, referring to the Disney brothers who founded the entertainment empire. Despite being unable to wait for long periods of time in the heat because she uses an ileostomy bag, Bonadurer was denied a pass for the disability program.

In a statement, Disney said it was committed to providing a great experience to all visitors, particularly those with disabilities who may require special accommodations.

Here's a look at changes to Disney parks' policies for disabled visitors.

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What is the disability program?

The Disability Access Service, or DAS, program allows pass-holders and their immediate family members to make an online reservation for a ride while in the park and then get into an expedited line that typically takes about 10 minutes when they're ready to go on the ride. DAS guests never have to wait in normal standby lines, which on the most popular attractions can be two hours or more.

The DAS program started in 2013 in response to past abuses by disabled "tour guides" who charged money, sometimes hundreds of dollars, to accompany able-bodied guests, enabling such guests to go to the front of lines. Disney says the DAS program needed changing because it had grown fourfold. Before last year's changes, the percentage of guests having DAS passes jumped from around 5% to 20% over the past dozen years "and showed no signs of slowing," the company said in court papers.

Disney parks make other accommodations for disabled visitors, including maps in Braille, a device that helps transfer visitors from wheelchairs to ride seats, quiet break locations and American Sign Language interpreters for some live shows. The parks permit some service animals on rides and allow some disabled guests to leave a line and rejoin their party before boarding a ride.

WATCH: Disney drops effort to block wrongful death lawsuit over Disney+ contract

Who qualifies now?

Disney narrowed the scope from people with a wider range of disabilities to mostly guests who "due to a developmental disability such as autism or similar" have difficulties waiting in a long line. Under the changes, guests seeking a DAS pass must be interviewed via video chat by a Disney worker and a contracted medical professional who determine if the person is eligible. Visitors found to have lied can be barred from the parks.

Some people with disabilities who have been denied say the new policy is too restrictive. Not only was Bonadurer denied a pass, but so was her 25-year-old son, who is blind and has cerebral palsy and autism.

"They are making a determination about whether you're disabled enough," said Bonadurer, a professional travel adviser from Michigan. "I would love to wait in line with everyone else, and so would my son, since that would mean he has a normal life. But we don't, and unfortunately for us, we need adaptations to how we wait."

Disney says the Americans with Disabilities Act doesn't require equal treatment of people with varying disabilities. The company accommodates those visitors who don't meet the new DAS criteria with alternatives, Disney said in court filings responding to a federal lawsuit in California.

"For example, in a crowded movie theater, a person using a wheelchair may be entitled to priority seating even if they arrive shortly before the movie starts, while a deaf person may only be entitled to a seat with closed captioning," the company said.

At Disney's main theme park rival, Universal, disabled visitors can get shorter lines if they have a card issued by an international board that certifies venues for their accessibility.

What's next?

A shareholder proposal submitted on behalf of DAS Defenders, an advocacy group of Disney fans opposed to the DAS changes, calls on the company next year to commission an independent review of its disability policies and publicly release the findings. The shareholder proposal claims the change to the DAS program has contributed to lower park attendance.

Disney's attorneys told the Securities and Exchange Commission in a November letter that it intends to block the proposal ahead of the company's 2026 shareholder meeting, saying it was false and misleading about the reasons for an attendance decline, which the company attributed to hurricanes. The company also argued the shareholder proposal amounts to micromanaging day-to-day operations.

President Donald Trump is planning a $12 billion farm aid package, Scripps News confirmed.

Farmers are considered one of Trumps core constituencies, but many have been hurt by his economic policies. Trade disputes with countries such as China have strained the agricultural sector and cut into many farmers bottom lines.

Trump has long been reluctant to acknowledge that his policies have negatively affected some Americans. But after Democrats scored significant gains in Novembers elections, with the economy a top concern for voter,s the administration appears to be making adjustments.

It remains unclear how the aid package would be structured or who would qualify for assistance. The president is expected to formally announce the plan Monday afternoon.

Michigan's minimum wage will increase once again 2026, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

According to the state, the minimum hourly wage will increase from $12.48 to $13.73 per hour.

Watch below: 2024 report on Michigan's minimum wage set to increase

Michigan's minimum wage set to rise soon

The state said the 85% rate for minors ages 16 and 17 will increase from $10.60 per hour to $11.67 per hour.

Tipped employee rate of hourly pay will increase to $5.49 per hour, 40% of the full minimum wage, provided the employee receives at least $8.24 in tips.

According to the state, the training wage of $4.25 per hour for newly-hired employees under the age of 20 for their first 90 calendar days remains unchanged.

In 2025, the minimum wage increased twice after the Michigan Supreme Court struck down the legislature's adopt and amend strategy.

For tipped employees, the rate will increase on this schedule:

Effective Feb. 21, 2026, it will be 60% of the minimum hourly wage rate.  Effective Feb. 21, 2027, it will be 70% of the minimum hourly wage rate.  Effective Feb. 21, 2028, it will be 80% of the minimum hourly wage rate.  Effective Feb. 21, 2029, it will be 90% of the minimum hourly wage rate.  Effective Feb. 21, 2030, and thereafter, it will be 100% of the minimum hourly wage rate. 

Starting in October 2028 and every October after, the state treasurer will calculate an adjusted minimum wage, increasing it by the rate of inflation. That adjusted minimum wage rate will be published by Nov. 1 and will be effective starting Feb. 21 of the following year.

Paramount has gone hostile with a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, challenging Netflix, which reached a $72 billion takeover deal with the company just days ago.

Paramount said Monday that it is going straight to Warner Bros. shareholders with a $30 per share in cash offer for the entirety of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its Global Networks segment, asking them to reject the deal with Netflix.

That is the same bid that Warner Bros. rejected in favor of the offer from Netflix in a merger that would alter the U.S. entertainment landscape.

RELATED STORY | Trump says Netflix deal to buy Warner Bros. 'could be a problem'

Paramount criticized the Netflix offer, saying it exposes WBD shareholders to a protracted multi-jurisdictional regulatory clearance process with an uncertain outcome along with a complex and volatile mix of equity and cash.

Paramount said it had submitted six proposals to Warner Bros. Discovery over a 12 week period.

We believe our offer will create a stronger Hollywood. It is in the best interests of the creative community, consumers and the movie theater industry," Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison said in a statement. "We believe they will benefit from the enhanced competition, higher content spend and theatrical release output, and a greater number of movies in theaters as a result of our proposed transaction,

RELATED STORY | Streaming shake-up: Netflix to absorb Warner Bros. and HBO in $82.7 billion deal

On Friday Netflix struck a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant behind Harry Potter and HBO Max. The cash and stock deal is valued at $27.75 per Warner share, giving it a total enterprise value of $82.7 billion, including debt. The transaction is expected to close in the next 12 to 18 months, after Warner completes its previously announced separation of its cable operations. Not included in the deal are networks such as CNN and Discovery.

But President Donald Trump said Sunday that the deal struck by Netflix to buy Warner Bros. Discovery could be a problem because of the size of the combined market share.

This might be your chance to get your hands on the viral Starbucks "Bearista" cup that has been sold out for weeks.

The company posted an Instagram video on Sunday featuring the cup. The caption said, "Your chance is in the Starbucks app. Tomorrow, 12/8."

There were no other details given about the possible restock.

The bear-shaped cup was added as part of the coffee chain's holiday collection on Nov. 6. It features a glass teddy bear wearing a green Starbucks beanie.

RELATED STORY | Think you can beat 'Whamageddon'? Dodge this one song until Christmas Eve

The 20-ounce cup costs about $30, but they immediately sold out after they were launched.

You can find the cups being resold online for hundreds of dollars.

A 45-year-old man has been charged with two counts of assault after he allegedly struck a school safety officer and a principal with his vehicle at a Sterling Heights middle school.

Investigators say that Lemuel Young was blocking a bus lane at Donald L. Bemis Junior High School when the school safety officer approached his vehicle, asking him to move.

Authorities say that Young refused, striking the officer with his vehicle when he stepped in front of the vehicle.

The principal of the school was called to assist, also stepping in front of the vehicle. Young proceeded to strike the principal with his vehicle three times, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office.

Young appeared in court last week and faces two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, each a 4-year felony. Young's bond was set at $10,000 cash/surety only, no 10 percent. He has also been ordered not to contact the officer or the principal, not to enter the premises of the school, and not to possess a weapon.

Young is due back in court twice more later this month.

The conduct alleged in this case is shocking and completely unacceptable. Using a vehicle as a weapon is extraordinarily dangerous and will not be tolerated. My office is committed to holding offenders fully accountable and will pursue justice on behalf of victims and the public, said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido in a media release on the charges.

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By SEUNG MIN KIM, JOSH FUNK AND DIDI TANG, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning a $12 billion farm aid package, according to a White House official — a boost to farmers who have struggled to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs after the president raised tariffs on China as part of a broader trade war.

According to the official, who was granted anonymity to speak ahead of a planned announcement, Trump will unveil the plan Monday afternoon at a White House roundtable with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, lawmakers and farmers who grow corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, rice, cattle, wheat, and potatoes.

Farmers have backed Trump politically, but his aggressive trade policies and frequently changing tariff rates have come under increasing scrutiny because of the impact on the agricultural sector and because of broader consumer worries.

The aid is the administration’s latest effort to defend Trump’s economic stewardship and answer voter angst about rising costs — even as the president has dismissed concerns about affordability as a Democratic “hoax.”

Upwards of $11 billion is set aside for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance program, which the White House says will offer one-time payments to farmers for row crops.

Soybeans and sorghum were hit the hardest by the trade dispute with China because more than half of those crops are exported each year with most of the harvest going to China.

The aid is meant to help farmers who have suffered from trade wars with other nations, inflation, and other market disruptions.

The rest of the money will be for farmers who grow crops not covered under the bridge assistance program, according to the White House official. The money is intended to offer certainty to farmers as they market the current harvest, as well as plan for next year’s harvest.

China purchases have been slow

In October, after Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, the White House said Beijing had promised to buy at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans by the end of the calendar year, plus 25 million metric tons a year in each of the next three years. Soybean farmers have been hit especially hard by Trump’s trade war with China, which is the world’s largest buyer of soybeans.

China has purchased more than 2.8 million metric tons of soybeans since Trump announced the agreement at the end of October. That’s only about one quarter of what administration officials said China had promised, but Bessent has said China is on track to meet its goal by the end of February.

“These prices haven’t come in, because the Chinese actually used our soybean farmers as pawns in the trade negotiations,” Bessent said on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” explaining why a “bridge payment” to farmers was needed.

During his first presidency, Trump also provided aid to farmers amid his trade wars. He gave them more than $22 billion in 2019 and nearly $46 billion in 2020, though that year also included aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump has also been under pressure to address soaring beef prices, which have hit records for a number of reasons. Demand for beef has been strong at a time when drought has cut U.S. herds and imports from Mexico are down due to a resurgence in a parasite. Trump has said he would allow for more imports of Argentine beef.

He also had asked the Department of Justice to investigate foreign-owned meat packers he accused of driving up the price of beef, although he has not provided evidence to back his claims.

On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order directing the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission to look at “anti-competitive behavior” in food supply chains — including seed, fertilizer and equipment — and consider taking enforcement actions or developing new regulations.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the connection to tariffs to a White House official.

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota contributed to this report.