By Craig Mauger, cmauger@detroitnews.com

A Michigan judge ruled against marijuana businesses in the state Monday, rejecting their arguments that a new 24% wholesale tax on their products, imposed by the Legislature as part of a road-funding deal, should be immediately blocked.

The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association has contended that the new tax should have required supermajority support from lawmakers during votes in October, which it didn’t get, because the policy amends a ballot proposal that voters approved in 2018 to legalize recreational marijuana and set a 10% tax on retail sales.

However, Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel said in her 28-page decision Monday that the new wholesale tax bill was “consistent” with the text of the ballot proposal, which recognized “other taxes.”

“Plaintiffs have not met the stiff burden of demonstrating that they will likely succeed on the merits,” Patel wrote of not granting a preliminary injunction against the new law.

For now, her ruling allows the new 24% tax to go into effect Jan. 1.

But it wasn’t an outright victory for the Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration.

Patel said there “remain questions of fact” whether the 24% wholesale excise tax interferes with the purposes of the 2018 ballot proposal. Patel noted the businesses had argued that voters “purposefully selected the 10% excise tax on retail sales to keep retail prices reasonable” and to diminish the illicit market.

“Discovery will be required to develop the evidence needed to support the parties’ positions in this regard,” Patel wrote, rejecting the state’s pursuit of a summary judgment against the businesses on the matter.

Patel set a scheduling conference for Jan. 13 but referenced “the high likelihood that both parties will seek an appeal to the Court of Appeals.” Whitmer appointed Patel to the Court of Appeals in 2022.

In reaction to the decision, Rose Tantraphol, spokeswoman for the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association, said the organization plans a “swift appeal.”

“We don’t believe the Court of Claims made the right call,” Tantraphol said. “While we are deeply frustrated by this ruling, I can tell you this: The fight is far from over.”

The wholesale tax was at the center of a road-funding compromise that ended a months-long budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the Capitol in October.

The nonpartisan Michigan House Fiscal Agency has projected the wholesale marijuana tax would create about $420 million in additional revenue for roads annually.

Under the state Constitution, to amend a voter-approved policy, three-fourths of the lawmakers in the House and Senate would have to support the change. While the new wholesale tax wasn’t added directly to the voter-approved law, the lawyers argued the tax’s passage effectively amended it.

The 24% new tax didn’t get three-fourths support in the House or Senate. In the Senate, only 19 of the 37 lawmakers supported it.

The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association represents about 400 licensed marijuana businesses. Last year, Michigan’s recreational marijuana retail sales came in at about $3.2 billion, according to monthly reports from the Cannabis Regulatory Agency.

By JOSH BOAK, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he would allow Nvidia to sell an advanced type of computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China.

There have been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips to be sold to China as it could help the country better compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities, but there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.

The chip, known as the H200, is not Nvidia’s most advanced product. Those chips, called Blackwell and the upcoming Rubin, were not part of what Trump approved.

Trump said on social media that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping about his decision and “President Xi responded positively!”

“This policy will support American Jobs, strengthen U.S. Manufacturing, and benefit American Taxpayers,” Trump said in his post.

Trump said the Commerce Department was “finalizing the details” for other chipmakers such as AMD and Intel to sell their technologies abroad.

The approval of the licenses to sell Nvidia H200 chips reflects the increasing power and close relationship that the company’s founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, enjoys with the president. But there have been concerns that China will find ways to use the chips to develop its own AI products in ways that could pose national security risks for the U.S., a primary concern of the Biden administration that sought to limit exports.

Nvidia has a market cap of $4.5 trillion and Trump’s announcement appeared to drive the stock slightly higher in after hours trading.

The Trump administration on Monday abruptly withdrew a controversial policy aimed at reshaping a multi-billion-dollar anti-homelessness grant program run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as the proposed changes drew lawsuits from over a dozen states and localities as well as homeless-serving organizations.

In a court filing Monday afternoon, officials wrote they withdrew guidance documents pertaining to the new policy in order to assess the issues raised by Plaintiffs in their suits and to fashion a revised [plan]. A new notice on the programs website says the agency still intends to exercise this discretion and make changes to the program, and that officials expect to share the updated policy well in advance of the deadline for obligation of available Fiscal Year 2025 funds.

As Scripps News reported in November, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner is pushing a significant overhaul of the Continuum of Care program, which provides government grants to localities and aid organizations that combat homelessness via housing support, mental health and job training services.

Among the proposed changes to the nearly $4 billion program was a significantly lowered cap on how much funding could go towards long-term housing support; whereas previous funding years limited spending on long-term housing programs to 90% of grant receipts, Turners changes limited it to just 30%.

Prior to us getting here in the Biden administration, there were no strings attached to almost $4 billion of taxpayer funding, Turner argued in an interview with Scripps News last month. There was no accountability, and so we have to change that.

In a statement to Scripps News Monday evening, a HUD spokesperson said the agency "fully stands by the fundamental reforms" to the program and will "reissue [the guidance document] as quickly as possible with technical corrections."

"The Department remains fully committed to make long overdue reforms to its homelessness assistance programs," the spokesperson added.

EARLIER THIS YEAR | Trump admin announces billion-dollar changes to a program that helps people out of homelessness

Housing advocates and groups that work to address homelessness, meanwhile, have spoken out forcefully against the proposed changes.

The proposed changes represent a reckless and illegal leap backwards for homeless response in the United States, Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, said in a statement. There is no doubt that it will cause homelessness to rise across this nation.

The proposed changes are a destructive departure from decades of homelessness policy and will put an estimated 170,000 people into homelessness, echoed Renee M. Willis, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. These actions will destabilize communities across the country.

Willis and Olivas groups were among the coalition of local governments and nonprofits that sued to try to block the policy in early December, following over a dozen, predominately Democratically-led states that filed a separate lawsuit in late November.

HUD has adopted new policies that threaten to cancel thousands of existing projects, require providers to fundamentally reshape their programs on an impossible timeline, and essentially guarantee that tens of thousands of formerly homeless individuals and families will be evicted back into homelessness, the states allege in their complaint. HUD is now holding these funds and the people they help hostage.

Asked about the organizations criticisms and officials lawsuits at the time, a HUD spokesperson declined to comment, pointing Scripps News to Turners public remarks.

During a previously-scheduled hearing in the states lawsuit on Monday afternoon, attorneys on both sides sparred about the proposed changes, and well as the recent withdrawal of the policy documents.

The plaintiffs contend that withdrawing the policy as the Trump administration did violates the law, similar to their argument that the way they announced it was unlawful. They signaled that they intend to move forward with their challenge to the policy on both substantive and procedural grounds.

Presiding Judge Mary S. McElroy ordered the government to produce information about how and why the policy was rescinded by Dec. 15, overturning the Justice Departments requests for a delay until the new year, and scheduled a follow-up hearing for the 19

th

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By Charles E. Ramirez, cramirez@detroitnews.com

A meteorite was spotted over northern Michigan’s sky on Sunday, according to a company that chases storms and follows the weather.

The fireball was seen over Michigan at about 6 p.m., Michigan Storm Chasers said Sunday on its Facebook page and on X. The southwestern Michigan company also shared video of the shooting star captured by its network of weather- and sky-watching cameras.

Company officials said the meteorite was part of the Geminids meteor shower visible this week.

The Geminids meteor shower peaks in mid-December every year, according to NASA. Its meteors first began appearing in the mid-1800s, and the shower is one of the major ones seen annually.

During its peak, 120 Geminid meteors can be seen per hour under perfect conditions, NASA said. The Geminids are bright and fast meteors and tend to be yellow in color.

Michigan Storm Chasers officials also said the object broke apart over the area between Traverse City and Gaylord.

“Our weather camera network of now 90+ cameras doesn’t let anything sneak by,” the company boasted. “At least ten of our cameras tonight (some live on our YouTube channel 24/7) caught the meteorite as it approximately broke apart somewhere over the Kalkaska county region.”

The American Meteor Society in the State of New York said it received 81 reports about a fireball seen over Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, Canada, and Tamil Nadu, India on Sunday.

This isn’t the first time reports of meteorites created a buzz around Michigan.

A meteor about the size of a cargo van flew over southeast Michigan in January 2018. Meteorite hunters found bits of the space rock on a frozen lake near Hamburg, Michigan. Some of them were taken to the Field Museum in Chicago to be examined by scientists.

The post Muslim mental health care centers emerge in mosques to better serve communities facing barriers appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

Detroit's Senate Theater, a nearly 100-year-old community landmark powered entirely by volunteers, faces mounting financial pressures as costly repairs threaten its future operations.

Watch Christiana Ford's video report: Nearly 100-year-old Detroit Senate Theater needs community support for repairs

The nonprofit Detroit Theater Organ Society, which owns and operates the Southwest Detroit venue, needs approximately $150,000 for building maintenance despite recent Giving Tuesday fundraising efforts.

"We're maintaining one of the few movie theaters that are left in the city of Detroit," said John Lauter, secretary of the board of directors for the Detroit Theater Organ Society.

The theater's story began with a beloved pipe organ that needed a home after being displaced during Fisher Theatre renovations in 1961. What started as a private club has evolved into a public theater hosting movies, concerts and shows for the community.

"The grand mission is to keep a roof over the head of this instrument, which we really want to preserve. It's a very historical piece. It's a very significant piece to Detroit and to this type of organ," said Lauter. "We also want to keep being a theater for the neighborhood and for the city."

However, the building's age presents increasing challenges for the volunteer-run organization.

"Time is constant. The clock ticks every moment the building gets older," Lauter said. "We're getting to the point where some of the physical demands of the building are becoming pressing."

Current priorities include masonry repairs, stage support improvements and fire safety system upgrades. The organization relies on raising money from programming and on donations to fund these essential projects.

"We need more donors in this. We're getting into six figures in these projects all told," Lauter said.

The theater previously faced a similar challenge when its original attraction sign deteriorated to the point where its structure was declared unsafe. Donors raised over $140,000 to replace it with a new LED sign.

"We were able to raise that money and defray that cost," Lauter said.

The organization hopes end-of-year contributions will help bridge the current funding gap and preserve the theater's unique community role.

"We're keeping alive this building and this tradition of going to the theater to see films together with people, and it's a different experience," Lauter said.

This story was reported on-air 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.

Busy schedules can lead to less sleep, but a method called sleep banking might help you stay ahead of it.

Ask Dr. Nandi: Sleep banking can help with getting some rest in advance

Sleep banking means saving or banking sleep, so you can use it later.  In the medical world, we call it sleep extension.

Heres how it works: you intentionally get more sleep even just 15 minutes more each night in the days leading up to when you expect to sleep less. And that can really make a difference.

Studies show it can improve cognition and recognition related to vigilant attention.

Vigilant attention is your ability to stay alert and react quickly without mistakes, especially during long or boring tasks like driving or monitoring a screen.

Now, the people who benefit the most are those who have limited control over their schedules. That would include anyone working long shifts like doctors, nurses, firefighters and paramedics. Also, students cramming before big exams or professionals facing a project deadline can benefit from it occasionally. 

There are limits. Sleep banking hasnt been proven to help with more complicated thinking like executive functioning tasks. Executive functioning refers to the brain skills you use to plan, make decisions, multitask and handle complex daily activities. Its different from basic alertness or reaction speed.

That said, sleep banking is much better than getting less sleep. A sleep debt can take a toll on you mentally and physically. Not only can it cause daytime sleepiness and impair mental function, but it can also affect mood, safety, performance and reduce immune function. It may increase the risk of health issues like diabetes, obesity and heart problems.

If you do try sleep banking, its best to avoid making it a long-term habit. For most healthy adults, the goal is still seven to nine hours of sleep every night and going to bed and waking up at the same time.

As for who shouldnt try it, anyone who struggles with insomnia should avoid sleep banking. Going to bed early and lying awake for long periods doesnt help and can make frustration worse. 

So, use sleep banking occasionally if your schedule demands it, but then return to your normal routine as soon as you can. Great sleep hygiene is still the best strategy for your overall health.

The post Detroit Evening Report: Opioid settlement to fund addiction recovery in Michigan appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

A petition demanding the removal of Lee Zeldin from his role as head of Environmental Protection Agency circulated on social media highlights a rift between the conservative health-focused bloc behind the Make America Healthy Again movement, or MAHA, and the mission of the Trump administration when it comes to deregulatory priorities.

The petition, written in the form of a letter to President Trump, criticizes Zeldin for prioritizing the interests of chemical corporations over the well-being of American families and children, warning this approach will inevitably lead to higher rates of chronic disease, greater medical costs, and tremendous strain on our healthcare system.

Organizers of the petition include Alex Clark, a wellness podcast host that partners with Turning Point USA, and Zen Honeycutt, the founder and executive director of Moms Across America, a group that focuses on food safety, pesticides and vaccine standards.

Also on the petition is Moms Clean Air Force, an advocacy group of U.S. mothers seeking to protect children from the effects of air pollution and climate change.

With every proposed deregulation, hes allowing families and children to be exposed to more soot, more mercury, more methane, more toxic chemicals, more tailpipe pollution, and more climate pollution," said MCAF founder and director Dominique Browning. "Lee Zeldin must go.

Zeldins EPA recently rolled out new pesticide approvals, and a rollback of chemical safeguards, directly contradicting MAHAs focus on public health. Policy around PFAS chemicals, known as forever chemicals that are tied to severe health issues, appear to have spurred the call for action online and underscores growing tensions within President Trumps political base over the chemicals in the nations air, water, and food.

An active ingredient in newly approved pesticides, isocycloseram, is slated to be used on agricultural crops, turf, and potentially around homes and commercial sites.

Around the same time, the agency moved to roll back drinking water protections for several PFAS compounds.

The changes come just about a year after then President elect Donald Trump tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his Health and Human Services Secretary. At the time he explained that Kennedy would "play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming health crisis in this country."

RELATED STORY | A new EPA proposal would limit the agencys ability to enforce clean water rules

While HHS and EPA are separate agencies, frustration from the MAHA organizers has lead to the call for an EPA leader who will genuinely defend public health and truly put America First.

An EPA spokesperson wrote in part to Scripps News that every decision under Trump's EPA "is grounded in rigorous, transparent, gold standard science. We are simultaneously protecting human health, safeguarding the environment, and driving economic growth. Those who claim this is impossible are either uninformed or dishonest.

HHS did not respond to Scripps News request for comment.

The petition, and the pushback from the entity it criticizes, highlights a widening fracture within conservative and MAGA-era political alliances, as traditional industry-friendly Republicans who back deregulation and point to economic benefits face the growing popularity of a section of the party who say they prioritize health and chemical safety.

Zeldin appears to still have the support of President Trump.

At a recent White House roundtable discussing the $12 billion aid package for farmers and his plan to roll back environmental regulations on farm equipment, President Trump said Zeldin is doing a fantastic job.

By BILL BARROW and JOHN HANNA

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett launched a campaign Monday for the U.S. Senate in Texas, bringing a national profile to a race that may be critical to Democrats’ long-shot hopes of reclaiming a Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections.

Crockett, one of Congress’ most outspoken Democrats and a frequent target of GOP attacks, jumped into the race on the final day of qualifying in Texas. She is seeking the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, who is running for reelection in the GOP-dominated state.

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to wrest control from Republicans next November, when most of the seats up for reelection are in states like Texas that President Donald Trump won last year. Democrats have long hoped to make Texas more competitive after decades of Republican dominance. Cornyn, first elected to the Senate since 2002, is facing the toughest GOP primary of his career against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Crockett’s announcement came hours after former Rep. Colin Allred ended his own campaign for the Democratic nomination in favor of attempting a House comeback bid. She faces a March 3 primary against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, a former teacher with a rising national profile fueled by viral social media posts challenging Republican policies such as private school vouchers and requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

“It’s going to be a sprint from now until the primary, but in Texas you have to think about the voter base overall in November, too,” said Kamau Marshall, a Democratic consultant who has worked for Allred before and worked on other campaigns in Texas. “Who can do the work on the ground? After the primary, who can win in the general?”

GOP hopes to make Crockett’s style a liability

Talarico raised almost $6.3 million in the three weeks after he formally organized his primary campaign committee in September, according to its first campaign finance report, and he had nearly $5 million in cash on hand at the end of the month. Crockett raised about $2.7 million for her House campaign fund from July through September and ended the month with $4.6 million in cash on hand.

Crockett also could test Democratic voters’ appetite for a blunt communicator who is eager to take on Republicans as their party sets out again in pursuit of a statewide victory in Texas for the first time since 1994. She did not issue a statement ahead of a formal announcement of her candidacy Monday afternoon in Dallas.

Republicans were quick to try to turn Crockett’s national profile and her penchant for public clashes with opponents into liabilities. Paxton issued a statement calling her “Crazy Crockett,” and Republican National Committee spokesperson Delanie Bomar said, “Jasmine Crockett’s shenanigans are an embarrassment to Texas.”

“Everything’s bigger in Texas — except her ability to win this race,” Bomar said.

Talarico welcomed Crockett to the Democratic primary but pointed to his fundraising and said he has 10,000 volunteers, adding, “Our movement is rooted in unity over division.”

Democrats see their best opportunity to pick up the Texas seat if Paxton wins the Republican nomination because he has been shadowed for much of his career by legal and personal issues. Yet Paxton is popular with Trump’s most ardent supporters.

Hunt, who has served two terms representing a Houston-area district, defied GOP leaders by entering the GOP race.

Crockett is known for her viral moments

Crockett, a civil rights attorney serving her second House term, built her national profile with a candid style and viral moments on Capitol Hill. Among those who have taken notice is Trump, who has called her a “low IQ person.” In response, Crockett said she would agree to take an IQ test against the president.

She traded insults with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who announced last month that she would resign in January, and had heated exchanges with Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

She also mocked Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — who uses a wheelchair — as “Gov. Hot Wheels.” She later said she was referring to Abbott’s policy of using “planes, trains and automobiles” to send thousands of immigrants in Texas illegally to Democratic-led cities.

Democrats came closest in the past 30 years to winning a statewide contest in 2018, when former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke came within 3 points of ousting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. That was during the midterm election of Trump’s first administration, and Democrats believe next year’s race could be similarly favorable to their party.

Allred lost to Cruz by 8.5 points last year. He is running for the House in a newly drawn district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which he represented in Congress before his Senate bid in 2024.

Allred says he wants to avoid a bruising primary

An internal party battle, Allred said, “would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump and one of his Republican bootlickers.”

Marshall said Allred made the right call. But he said Talarico and Crockett both face distinct challenges and added that Democrats have work to do across the nation’s second most populous state.

He said Crockett is a “solid national figure” who has a large social media following and is a frequent presence on cable news. That could be an advantage with Democratic primary voters, Marshall said, but not necessarily afterward.

Talarico, meanwhile, must raise money and build name recognition to make the leap from the Texas House of Representatives to a strong statewide candidacy, Marshall said.

A winning Democratic candidate in Texas, Marshall said, would have to energize Black voters, mainly in metro Houston and Dallas, win the kind of diverse suburbs and exurbs like those Allred once represented in Congress, and get enough rural votes, especially among Latinos in the Rio Grande Valley.

“It’s about building complicated coalitions in a big state,” Marshall said.

Allred’s House bid comes under a new GOP map

Allred’s new district is part of the new congressional map that Texas lawmakers approved earlier this year as part of Trump’s push to redraw House boundaries to Republicans’ advantage. It includes some areas that Allred represented in Congress from 2019-2025. Most of the district is currently being represented by Rep. Marc Veasey, but he has planned to run in a new, neighboring district.

A former professional football player and civil rights attorney, Allred was among Democrats’ star recruits for the 2018 midterms. That year, the party gained a net of 40 House seats, including multiple suburban and exurban districts in Texas, and won a House majority that redefined Trump’s first presidency.

Marshall said Allred also is helping Democrats’ cause by becoming a candidate for another office, and he said that’s a key for the party to have any shot at flipping the state.

“The infrastructure isn’t terrible but it clearly needs improvement,” he said. “Having strong, competitive candidates for every office is part of building that energy and operation. Texas needs strong candidates in House races, for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general — every office — so that voters are hearing from Democrats everywhere.”

By MICHAEL R. SISAK The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Moments after Luigi Mangione was put in handcuffs at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s, a police officer searching his backpack found a loaded gun magazine wrapped in a pair of underwear.

The discovery, recounted in court Monday as Mangione fights to exclude evidence from his New York murder case, convinced police in Altoona, Pennsylvania, that he was the man wanted for killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan five days earlier.

“It’s him, dude. It’s him, 100%,” an officer was heard saying on body-worn camera video from Mangione’s Dec. 9, 2024 arrest, punctuating the remark with expletives as the officer combing the bag, Christy Wasser, held up the magazine.

Wasser, a 19-year Altoona police veteran, testified on the fourth day of a pretrial hearing as Mangione seeks to bar prosecutors from using the magazine and other evidence against him, including a 9 mm handgun and a notebook that were found during a subsequent search of the bag.

Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal murder charges. He appeared in good health on Monday, intently watching the video and occasionally jotting notes. The hearing, which began Dec. 1 and was postponed Friday because of his apparent illness, applies only to the state case. His lawyers are making a similar push to exclude the evidence from his federal case, where prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Prosecutors have said the handgun found in the backpack matches the firearm used in the killing and that writings in the notebook showed Mangione’s disdain for health insurers and ideas about killing a CEO at an investor conference.

Mangione’s lawyers contend the items should be excluded because police didn’t have a search warrant for the backpack. Prosecutors contend the search was legal and that officers eventually obtained a warrant.

Wasser, testifying in full uniform, said she was following Altoona police protocols that require promptly searching a suspect’s property at the time of an arrest, in part to check for potentially dangerous items. She was heard on body-worn camera footage played in court that she wanted to check the bag for bombs before removing it from the McDonald’s.

Wasser told another officer she didn’t want to repeat an incident in which another Altoona officer had inadvertently brought a bomb to the police station.

Thompson, 50, was killed as he walked to a Manhattan hotel for his company’s investor conference on Dec. 4, 2024. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan, after police there received a 911 call about a McDonald’s customer who appeared to resemble the suspect.

Wasser said that prior to responding to the McDonald’s she had seen some coverage of Thompson’s killing on Fox News, including the surveillance video of the shooting and images of the suspected shooter.

Wasser began searching his bag as officers took him into custody on initial charges of forgery and false identification, after he acknowledged giving them a bogus driving license, police said. The same fake name was used by the alleged gunman used at a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting.

By then, a handcuffed Mangione had been informed of his right to remain silent — and invoked it — when asked if there was anything in the bag that officers should be concerned about.

According to body-worn camera video, the first few items Wasser found were innocuous: a hoagie, a loaf of bread and a smaller bag containing a passport, cellphone and computer chip.

Then she pulled out the underwear, unwrapping the gray pair to reveal the magazine.

Satisfied there was no bomb, she suspended her search and placed some of the items back in the bag. She resumed her search at the police station, almost immediately finding the gun and silencer. Later, while cataloging everything in the bag in what’s known as an inventory search, she found the notebook.

A Blair County, Pennsylvania, prosecutor testified that a judge later signed off on a search warrant for the bag, a few hours after the searches were completed. The warrant, she said, provided a legal mechanism for Altoona police to turn the evidence over to New York City detectives investigating Thompson’s killing.

As he has through the case, Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann described Thompson’s killing as an “execution” and referred to his notebook as a “manifesto” — terms that Mangione’s lawyers said were prejudicial and inappropriate.

Judge Gregory Carro said the wording had “no bearing” on him, but warned Seidemann that he’s “certainly not going to do that at trial” when jurors are present.

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett launched a campaign Monday for the U.S. Senate in Texas, bringing a national profile to a race that may be critical to Democrats long-shot hopes of reclaiming a Senate majority in next years midterm elections.

Crockett, one of Congress most outspoken Democrats and a frequent target of GOP attacks, jumped into the race on the final day of qualifying in Texas. She is seeking the Senate seat held by Republican John Cornyn, who is running for reelection in the GOP-dominated state.

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to wrest control from Republicans next November, when most of the seats up for reelection are in states like Texas that President Donald Trump won last year. Democrats have long hoped to make Texas more competitive after decades of Republican dominance. Cornyn, first elected to the Senate since 2002, is facing the toughest GOP primary of his career against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

Crocketts announcement came hours after former Rep. Colin Allred ended his own campaign for the Democratic nomination in favor of attempting a House comeback bid. She faces a March 3 primary against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, a former teacher with a rising national profile fueled by viral social media posts challenging Republican policies such as private school vouchers and requiring the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

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Talarico raised almost $6.3 million in the three weeks after he formally organized his primary campaign committee in September, according its first campaign finance report, and he had nearly $5 million in cash on hand at the end of the month. Crockett raised about $2.7 million for her House campaign fund from July through September and ended the month with $4.6 million in cash on hand.

Crockett also could test Democratic voters appetite for a blunt communicator who is eager to take on Republicans as their party sets out again in pursuit of a statewide victory in Texas for the first time since 1994.

Democrats see their best opportunity to pick up the Texas seat if Paxton wins the Republican nomination because he has been shadowed for much of his career by legal and personal issues. Yet Paxton is popular with Trumps most ardent supporters.

Hunt, who has served two terms representing a Houston-area district, defied GOP leaders by entering the GOP race.

Crockett, a civil rights attorney serving her second House term, built her national profile with a candid style and viral moments on Capitol Hill. Among those who have taken notice is Trump, who has called her a low IQ person. In response, Crockett said she would agree to take an IQ test against the president.

She traded insults with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who announced last month that she would resign in January, and had heated exchanges with Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

She also mocked Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott who uses a wheelchair as Gov. Hot Wheels. She later said she was referring to Abbotts policy of using planes, trains and automobiles to send thousands of immigrants in Texas illegally to Democratic-led cities.

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Democrats came closest in the past 30 years to winning a statewide contest in 2018, when former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke came within 3 points of ousting Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. That was during the midterm election of Trumps first administration, and Democrats believe next years race could be similarly favorable to their party.

Allred lost to Cruz by 8.5 points last year. He is running for the House in a newly drawn district in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which he represented in Congress before his Senate bid in 2024.

An internal party battle, Allred said, would prevent the Democratic Party from going into this critical election unified against the danger posed to our communities and our Constitution by Donald Trump and one of his Republican bootlickers.

Allreds new district is part of the new congressional map that Texas lawmakers approved earlier this year as part of Trumps push to redraw House boundaries to Republicans advantage. It includes some areas that Allred represented in Congress from 2019-2025. Most of the district is currently being represented by Rep. Marc Veasey, but he has planned to run in a new, neighboring district.

A former professional football player and civil rights attorney, Allred was among Democrats star recruits for the 2018 midterms. That year, the party gained a net of 40 House seats, including multiple suburban and exurban districts in Texas, and won a House majority that redefined Trumps first presidency.

Besides avoiding a free-for-all Senate primary, Marshall said Allred is helping Democrats cause by becoming a candidate for another office, and he said thats a key for the party to have any shot at flipping the state.

The infrastructure isnt terrible but it clearly needs improvement, he said. Having strong, competitive candidates for every office is part of building that energy and operation. Texas needs strong candidates in House races, for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general every office so that voters are hearing from Democrats everywhere.

New York City reached a record-tying 12 days with no murders — a streak only ended when a 38-year-old man was shot in the stairwell of a Bronx NYCHA building, police said Monday.

Gregory Stewart was shot in the head about 9:05 p.m. Sunday inside a Sotomayor Houses building on Watson Ave. near Rosedale Ave. in Soundview, cops said. Medics rushed the victim to Jacobi Medical Center but he could not be saved.

Stewart’s murder ended a stretch of 12 days, beginning Nov. 25, that saw no new recorded homicides citywide. The only other time the city is known to have gone that long with no murders was in 2015, which also saw a 12-day stretch with no homicides, according to NYPD stats.

“Right strategy. Great execution. That’s how you set record after record,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement Monday. “Thank you to the members of the NYPD who have sacrificed so much this year to drive down violent crime to record lows.”

A man was taken into custody in Sunday’ slaying but has not yet been charged. The victim lived in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, according to cops.

The last known murder in the city before Sunday’s homicide was the stabbing death of 80-year-old Lev Vayner inside his apartment on Overlook Terrace near W. 184th St. in Washington Heights on Nov. 24.

The suspect, 45-year-old Alon Riabichev, whom Vayner was kindly letting crash with him, called 911 around 3:15 a.m. and confessed to having killed Vayner, according to prosecutors. Riabichev is charged with murder.

Michigan's 24% tax on marijuana will go into effect at the start of 2026 after a Court of Claims judge denied a request for an injunction.

Judge Sima Patel issued the ruling which reads in part, "The Court finds insupportable plaintiffs argument in 25-160 that the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA) is the sole method by which to tax regulated marijuana in Michigan and that the 24% wholesale excise tax could only be enacted through an amendment to the MRTMA passed by a supermajority."

Watch below: Questions surround marijuana tax hike to fund road repairs

Questions surround marijuana tax hike to fund road repairs

The lawsuit came from the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MiCIA) and they argued their case last month in front of Patel.

Michigan voters made their voices heard in 2018 when they passed a citizen ballot initiative legalizing cannabis, MiCIA Spokeswoman Rose Tantraphol said in a press release back in November. When the state Legislature passed this law imposing a 24% wholesale tax on cannabis, it did so in violation of provisions in the states constitution. Lawmakers used a trojan horse process during chaotic, middle-of-the-night actions to ram this legislation through. Were fighting to protect the will of Michigan voters.

Earlier this year, the Michigan legislature passed a law that put the 24% tax on marijuana products to create revenue to partially fund Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's plans to fix the roads.

When I took office, I made a promise to fix the damn roads so Michiganders could get where theyre going faster and safer, Whitmer said in a video after signing the bill in October.

The tax will be put on the sale of marijuana from growers and processors to retailers.

Adam Hoffer, director of excise tax policy at the Tax Foundation, said the new tax will almost certainly lead to an increase in retail prices and a decrease in sales. The Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency predicted a 14.4% sales decline. Shoppers will still also have to pay a 10% retail excise tax on marijuana, which has been in place since it was legalized in 2018, plus a 6% sales tax.

Fresh off receiving one of entertainments highest accolades, KISS co-founder Gene Simmons joined Scripps News to talk about his advocacy for legislation that would require U.S. radio stations to pay artists when their songs are played on AM/FM airwaves.

Simmons, who was honored Sunday at the Kennedy Center Honors, spoke about the American Music Fairness Act, a bill he argues would correct what he calls decades of injustice in the industry. Under current U.S. law, artists do not receive performance royalties from traditional radio broadcasts.

RELATED STORY | Spotify Wrapped is here. Here's who topped the charts

"The artist is not getting anything and that's an injustice that needs bipartisan support," Simmons told Scripps News anchor Maritsa Georgiou.

Simmons will speak with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, urging them to pass the bill.

"This is not just about the past, Elvis and Sinatra, this is about the future, and we need to remind ourselves that America invented, created the music of planet Earth," Simmons asserted. "Rock and roll, blues, jazz, hip hop, country and western."

RELATED STORY | 'Evil and disgusting': Sabrina Carpenter scolds White House's use of her music in video

The American Music Fairness Act was introduced in January and remains in the House Judiciary Committee, where it has not yet advanced.

The rock legend said he plans to meet with lawmakers from both parties, expressing confidence that the measure could move forward.

"This is about what's fair for America and our stars," Simmon said.

He added that he's confident that Democrats and Republicans will join together to pass the bill.

To see the full interview, including Simmons comments on media bias and an awkward exchange with Scripps News anchor Maritsa Georgiou, watch the full conversation above.

By FATIMA HUSSEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has proclaimed solidarity with U.S. farmers in recent months as they grappled with the loss of a major soybean buyer due to President Donald Trump’s trade war with China.

But now, Bessent says he’s divested his holdings in North Dakota soybean farmland. “I actually just divested it this week as part of my ethics agreement, so I’m out of that business,” Bessent said on the CBS program “Face the Nation,” Sunday.

Bessent’s holdings had raised eyebrows as he headed Trump administration negotiations with China over trade and tariffs. On Monday, he’s expected to be part of an announcement for a new $12 billion farm aid package at the White House.

Bessent, a millionaire former hedge fund manager, had in October stated that he shared the concerns of U.S. farmers who bore the brunt of the trade war between the U.S. and China, telling ABC News “I’m actually a soybean farmer.”

China had been the largest buyer of American soybeans, but significantly increased tariffs on farm products in May after Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese goods — and cut its purchases of U.S. soybeans.

“I have felt this pain too,” Bessent said.

An ethics agreement compliance certification filing on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website, dated Dec. 5, provides some explanation about the financial disclosure, but not much detail.

As part of his ethics agreement, Bessent was required to divest his portion of the investment, which he had described was made through a family partnership. A Treasury representative did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

President Donald Trumps former personal attorney, Alina Habba, said Monday she is resigning as the top federal prosecutor for New Jersey, giving up her fight to stay in the job after an appeals court said she had been serving in the post unlawfully.

In a statement posted on social media, Habba assailed the court's ruling as political, but said she was resigning to protect the stability and integrity of her office.

But do not mistake compliance for surrender, she said, adding that the administration would continue its appeal. This decision will not weaken the Justice Department and it will not weaken me.

Habba said she would remain with the Justice Department as a senior advisor to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Habba, 41, was appointed in March to serve a temporary term as acting U.S. attorney for New Jersey, a powerful post charged with enforcing federal criminal and civil law.

Once a partner in a small New Jersey law firm, Habba was among Trumps most visible legal defenders during the four years he was out of power, representing him in court and frequently appearing on cable TV news as his legal spokesperson.

But she had limited federal court experience, and New Jerseys two Democratic senators indicated they would block her confirmation in the U.S. Senate.

When her term expired in July, a panel of federal judges appointed one of her subordinates to the role instead. But Bondi promptly fired the replacement, blaming Habbas removal on politically minded judges.

RELATED STORY | Court rules former Trump lawyer Alina Habba cant serve as New Jersey's top prosecutor

A lower-court judges finding that Habba was unlawfully serving in the position soon triggered a monthslong legal standoff, prompting confusion and delays within New Jerseys federal court system.

Then, earlier this month, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia disqualified her from serving in the role, writing in their opinion that the citizens of New Jersey and the loyal employees in the U.S. Attorneys Office deserve some clarity and stability.

Habba is one of several Trump administration prosecutors whose appointments have faced challenges.

The Justice Department had vowed to appeal a judges ruling dismissing the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on the grounds that the prosecutor who filed the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Its unclear whether the administrations decision to abandon the fight to keep Habba in office may impact other U.S. attorneys whose appointments have been challenged by defense lawyers.

In a statement posted on X on Monday, Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche accused judges of engaging in an unconscionable campaign of bias and hostility against Halligan for questioning why she was still being identified as U.S. attorney on court documents.

A fourth-grade teacher at Pleasantview Elementary School in Eastpointe Community Schools if facing federal child pornography charges after being arrested in Vermont.

Martin Waskowski has been charged with transporting child pornography in interstate of foreign commerce and knowingly possesing child pornography that had been transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

Waskowski was arrested on December 3 while trying to enter into the U.S. from Canada at the Highgate Springs Port of Entry in Highgate, Vermont, which is towards the western state border with New York. Officials say he had been flagged for secondary inspection because he was "an exact match" for "a law enforcement records inquiry with suspicion of attempted sexual enticement of a minor."

According to the criminal complaint, during the secondary inspection, a Customs and Border Patrol officer examined Waskowski's phone and found "probably child sexual abuse material." Waskowski was then detained and the Homeland Security Investigations was called for assistance. It was during an examination of Waskowski's phone by the HSI agent that, according to the criminal complaint, images of children under the age of 14 involved in various sex acts were found interspersed with personal photos and videos of Waskowki.

During questioning, officials say Waskowski admitted to "seeking and receiving" child pornography, as well as producing child pornography by recording a spy camera of a 12-year-old boy in a restroom at his Michigan home. Parents at Pleasantview Elementary, where Waskowski has been a 4th Grade teacher for three school years, are frustrated by the alleged findings.

Its awful. Its scary, what do you do? You leave your kids, you think theyre in good hands and then you find out a predator is in the school," grandparent at the elementary school Sharon Smith said.

During a court appearance, Waskowski was ordered to be released to the custody of his father for home detention. He was also ordered to say away from areas where children may be and not contact any minors. He is due back in Vermont Federal Court on December 23.

Eastpointe Community Schools released the following statemtn on their website about the case:

Eastpointe Community Schools was notified on Friday, December 5, 2025, by the Michigan State Police and the Department of Homeland Security that a Pleasantview teacher had been arrested out of state on December 3, 2025, and charged with possession and transportation of child exploitation materials. Prior to this formal notification, the District had no knowledge of, nor had it received any allegations related to, this individual. Eastpointe Community Schools was notified on Friday, December 5, 2025, by the Michigan State Police and the Department of Homeland Security that a Pleasantview teacher had been arrested out of state on December 3, 2025, and charged with possession and transportation of child exploitation materials. Prior to this formal notification, the District had no knowledge of, nor had it received any allegations related to, this individual. Upon receiving this information, the District took immediate action and placed Pleasantview Elementary teacher Martin Waskowski on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. As with all criminal proceedings, a charge is an allegation; the individual is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. However, the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We take this matter extremely seriously, and regardless of the outcome of the criminal investigation, the District will continue to act in the best interest of children at all times. Mr. Waskowski has been employed with Eastpointe Community Schools at Pleasantview for three school years. A long-term substitute teacher has been assigned to the classroom to ensure continuity of instruction and minimize any disruption to students learning. The District is cooperating fully with the agencies involved in the investigation. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has established a dedicated email for parents or guardians to report any concerning behavior. School social workers are also available to support students who may have questions or concerns. For tips or information related to this matter, please email: <u>HSI-Waskowski-Investigation@hsi.dhs.gov</u>

A suspect has been arrested upstate for the Midtown Manhattan shooting that wounded Jets player Kris Boyd last month, law enforcement sources said Monday.

The 20-year-old suspect was not immediately charged but sources say he is expected to face charges of attempted murder after he is transported to Manhattan from Amherst, a Buffalo suburb where a U.S. Marshals task force nabbed him.

The suspect lives in the Bronx and has four prior arrests, including one last year for reckless endangerment and a 2018 robbery arrest as a juvenile delinquent that was sealed, law enforcement sources said.

The gunman early on Nov. 16 was part of a group of men who mocked the stylish clothes Boyd and his friends were wearing when they arrived at Sei Less, a W. 38th St. Asian fusion hot spot popular with the well-heeled.

Boyd and his friends, including fellow Jets players Irvin Charles and Jamien Sherwood, ignored the taunts, police said, but left the club after a short while and were mocked again by the same group, sparking an argument that got physical.

Boyd was shot in the chest, the bullet travelling into his lung, as the fight escalated.

The shooter and his accomplics ran off, police said, with the shooter later identified after cops released surveillance footage of him in the hopes someone would recognize him.

The suspect’s name has not been publicly released as detectives worked to establish probable cause to charge him.

Boyd was rushed to Bellevue Hospital and later released but was returned to the hospital over Thanksgiving after facing setback in his recovery, he posted on social media,