Travelers flying this week may want to arrive at the airport earlier than usual as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown stretches into its fourth week.

Lines at several airports across the country have stretched through concourses, with some travelers waiting more than an hour to pass through security.

About 300 Transportation Security Administration agents have quit their jobs since the shutdown began, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who said employee callouts have also doubled during the standoff. TSA agents have already missed a partial paycheck and are now missing a full pay period.

RELATED STORY | TSA says PreCheck still operational after previous announcement of suspension during funding fight

Some airports, including those in Denver and Seattle, have begun asking for donations to support TSA workers during the shutdown, which Duffy blamed on political gridlock.

The funding dispute centers on immigration enforcement policy.

Democratic lawmakers have proposed changes to immigration enforcement as part of negotiations to restore DHS funding. The proposals include banning face masks worn by federal immigration agents, requiring judicial warrants before agents can enter private property, mandating body cameras for all agents, and establishing a standard uniform with a badge, identification number and last name prominently displayed.

Republicans have not agreed to all of the proposals, leaving DHS funding unresolved.

RELATED STORY | Travelers without REAL ID will face $45 charge and delays at airports

Michigan Democrats are launching their first digital ad of the 2026 U.S. Senate race, targeting Republican candidate Mike Rogers for supporting efforts to block the Gordie Howe International Bridge

The post Michigan Democrats launch ad tying Mike Rogers to Moroun family, opposition to Gordie Howe Bridge appeared first on Detroit Metro Times.

As the war in Iran enters its third week, the fighting continues to disrupt global oil shipping, pushing prices even higher.

AAA reports the national average price for a gallon of gas surpassed $3.70 as of Monday. One month ago, the average was around $2.93 per gallon.

Much of the uncertainty pushing prices higher is over the Strait of Hormuz the narrow waterway that is a vital trade route, with nearly one-fifth of the world's oil supply passing through it.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | US military sends 2,500 Marines and at least one more ship to Mideast

Fears have mounted that Iran could restrict the flow of oil and goods in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Irans new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to close the strait as the bombing campaign continues.

Over the weekend, President Donald Trump urged other countries to deploy naval forces to the Middle East to help keep the strait open. He suggested that nations affected by Irans actions would join the U.S. in "policing" shipping.

Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Irans attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe, Trump said Saturday.

We have already destroyed 100% of Irans Military capability, but its easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are," he added. "Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated.

RELATED STORY | Trump says war in Iran is 'pretty well complete,' but does not give specific end date

Irans foreign minister Abbas Araghchi suggested that the Trump administration is growing desperate.

The touted U.S. security umbrella has proven to be full of holes, inviting trouble rather than deterring it, Araghchi said. The U.S. is now begging others, even China, to help make Hormuz safe. Iran calls on brotherly neighbors to expel foreign aggressors, especially as their only concern is Israel.

Three people are dead and one person has been hospitalized after a crash that happened early Monday morning in Midtown, the Detroit Police Department tells us.

The crash happened around 1:30 a.m. on Temple and Cass, near Little Caesars Arena.

Footage from the aftermath of the crash

DPD: 3 dead, 1 hospitalized after crash in Midtown

We've been told that the person hospitalized in the crash is in critical condition.

Authorities say that the vehicle struck a parked truck in the incident. DPD is investigating what led up to the accident.

Paul Thomas Andersons One Battle After Another was crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards, handing Hollywoods top honor to a comic, multi-generational American saga of political resistance.

The ceremony Sunday, which also saw Michael B. Jordan win best actor and Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw make Oscar history as the first female director of photography to win the award, was a long-in-coming coronation for Anderson, a San Fernando Valley native who made his first short at age 18 and has been one of Americas most lionized filmmakers for decades. Before Sunday, Anderson had never won an Oscar.

But One Battle After Another, the favorite coming in, won six Oscars, including best director and best adapted screenplay for Anderson, the Oscars' first trophy for best casting and best supporting actor for an absent Sean Penn.

I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world were handing off to them, said Anderson while accepting the screenplay trophy. But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.

RELATED STORY | 'Sinners' shatters Oscar record with 16 nominations, making history

Ryan Coogler's Jim Crow-set, blues-soaked vampire tale Sinners, which came in with a record 16 nominations, also landed some big and even historic wins. Coogler, the widely loved filmmaker, won the first Oscar in an unblemished career that started out with Jordan in 2013's Fruitvale Station.

Arkapaw was also the first Black person to win for best cinematography. Only the fourth female cinematographer ever nominated, her win was a long-in-coming triumph for women behind the camera.

I really want all the women in room to stand up, said Arkapaw. Because I dont feel like I get here without you guys.

And Jordan, one of Hollywood's most liked leading men, won best actor in one of the night's closest races. The Dolby Theatre rose to its feet in the most thunderous applause of the night.

Yo, momma, whats up? said Jordan after staggering to the stage.

The Oscar night belonged to Warner Bros., the studio of One Battle After Another and Sinners, which scored a record-tying 11 wins. It was an oddly poignant note of triumph for the fabled studio, which weeks earlier agreed to a sale to Paramount Skydance, David Ellisons rapidly assembled media monolith. The $111 billion deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has Hollywood bracing for more layoffs.

But Sinners and One Battle After Another the much-acclaimed heavyweights of the season were each Hollywood anomalies: big-budget originals born from a personal vision. In a year where anxiety over studio contraction and the rise of artificial intelligence often consumed the industry, both films gave Hollywood fresh hope.

Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, making her the first Irish performer to ever win in the category. At an Oscars where no other acting award seemed a sure thing, Buckley cruised into Sundays Oscars at the Dolby Theatre as the overwhelming favorite.

It's Mother's Day in the U.K., said Buckley on the stage. I would like to dedicated this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart.

KPop and Frankenstein win for Netflix

From the start, when host Conan O'Brien sprinted through the year's nominees as Amy Madigan's character in the horror thriller Weapons in a pre-taped bit, Sunday's ceremony was quirky, a little clunky and preoccupied with the shifting place of movies in culture. There was, of all things, a tie for best live-action short film.

As expected, the Netflix sensation KPop Demon Hunters, 2025s most-watched film, won best animated feature, as well as best song for Golden. It was a big win for Netflix but a more qualified victory for the movies producer, Sony Pictures. Though it developed and produced the film, Sony sold KPop Demon Hunters to the streaming giant instead of giving it a theatrical release.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | 'Hamnet' and 'One Battle After Another' take top honors at Golden Globes

On Netflix, KPop Demon Hunters became a cultural phenomenon and the streaming platforms biggest hit. It has more than 325 million views and counting.

This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere, said co-director Maggie Kang.

Another Netflix release, Guillermo del Toros Frankenstein picked up three awards for its lavish craft, for costume design, makeup and hairstyling and for production design.

Amy Madigan won best supporting actress for her performance in the horror thriller Weapons, a win that came 40 years after the 75-year-old actor was first nominated, in 1986, for Twice in a Lifetime. Letting out a giant laugh as she hit the stage, Madigan exclaimed, This is great!

O'Brien presides over a ceremony shadowed by politics

Hosting for the second time, O'Brien began the Dolby Theatre show alluding to chaotic and frightening times. But he argued that the current geopolitical climate made the Oscars all the more resonate as a globally unifying force.

We pay tribute tonight, not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today optimism, O'Brien said. Were going to celebrate. Not because we think all is well, but because we work, and hope, for better.

Throughout the show, O'Brien hit a number of targets, like Timothe Chalamet who again missed out on winning his first Oscar, this time for Marty Supreme for his diss of opera and ballet. But the ceremony seldom wasn't shadowed by politics, whether in references to changes under U.S. President Donald Trump or the recently launched war in Iran.

Joachim Trier, whose Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value won best international film, quoted James Baldwin in his acceptance speech: All adults are responsible for all children, he said. Lets not vote for politicians that dont take this seriously into account.

Presenter Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night show last year was suspended after comments he made about Charlie Kirk's killing, was among the most blunt.

There are some countries that dont support free speech, said Kimmel. Im not at liberty to say which. Lets just leave it at North Korea and CBS.

Shortly after, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, a film about a Russian primary schoolteacher who documents his students' indoctrination to support Russia's war with Ukraine, won best documentary.

'Mr. Nobody Against Putin' is about how you lose your country, co-director said. And what we saw when working with this footage is that you lose it through countless, small, little acts of complicity.

We all face a moral choice, he added, but, luckily, a nobody is more powerful than you think.

Tributes to Reiner, Redford and others

Elegy also marked the Oscars. Producers expanded the in memoriam segment following a year that featured the deaths of so many Hollywood legends, including Keaton, Robert Duvall and Redford. Barbra Streisand spoke about Redford, her The Way We Were co-star.

Bob had real backbone, said Streisand, who called Redford an intellectual cowboy before singing a few bars of The Way We Were.

Billy Crystal paid tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner, who were killed in their home in December. Crystal, a close friend of Rob Reiner's who memorably starred in 1989's When Harry Met Sally... and 1987's Princess Bride. In his moving remarks, Crystal quoted the latter.

All we can say is: Buddy, how much fun we had storming the castle, said Crystal.

Theatrical bests streaming, again

Yet again, the nights final award again didn't go to a streaming release; Apple's CODA remains the only streaming film to achieve that distinction. Sinners and One Battle After Another were both theatrical releases shot on film.

Apple's top contender this time, the Formula One race drama F1, a movie that it partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute theatrically, won for best sound. The lone blockbuster of the year to go home with a win was Avatar: Fire and Ash, for visual effects.

Some of OBriens best digs came at the expense of the streamers. Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, he joked, was in a theater for the first time. The host also lamented the lack of nominees for Amazon MGM: Why isnt the website I order toilet paper from winning more Oscars?

Im honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards, said OBrien. Next year its going to be a Waymo in a tux.

Shoppers are working harder than ever to find deals as retailers pull back on the promo codes that once made saving money easy.

Retailers issued 45% fewer discount codes in the second half of 2025 than at the industry's peak in 2023, according to coupon platform SimplyCodes, which analyzed data from 80 national brands including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, DoorDash, H&M, Kohl's and Old Navy.

"Brands are just becoming more smart and intelligent about the way they leverage discount codes when looking at their inventory, their margins, and how that ties into things like acquiring new customers," said Jimmy Doheny, SimplyCodes' director of operations.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Spring travel savings hacks, as gas prices and airfares rise

Devon Williams, a mother of three, said she has noticed the change firsthand.

"Theres never really any savings in there that I need," she said. "It just encourages you to spend more on what you don't need just to get a little bit of savings."

Watch as retail experts show how to find discount codes:

Disappearing discounts: How to find retailer discount codes now

Deals with strings attached

Doheny said the era of universal promo codes is largely over.

"Those days of 'get 20% off for everyone,' those are kind of gone and theyve been gone for a little over a year," Doheny said.

Doheny said retailers are shifting toward gated offers discounts tied to memberships, store credit cards and mobile apps. Since 2023, those types of offers have grown from 10% to 19%.

"Retailers figured out that broad discounts eat into margins on stuff that would've sold anyway," said Stephanie Carls, RetailMeNot's retail insights expert. "So now they're pickier about who gets the deal and when."

How to save with fewer promo codes

Jennifer Johnson, founder of True Fashionistas, said signing up for loyalty rewards programs is now essential for shoppers looking to save.

"They are looking at more of a model of rewarding customers for shopping with them, more of a loyalty system," Johnson said.

The downside to loyalty programs is that shoppers must hand over personal information to participate.

Doheny also recommends monitoring retailers' websites, apps and social media accounts.

"To see, do they offer discounts there that maybe aren't really publicly visible, he said.

Carls said the better play is knowing when to buy in the first place.

"Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Black Friday still deliver. Off-season timing still works," she said. "And when deals do show up, stack what you can: loyalty discounts, cash back, price matching across retailers."

Always check for perks before you buy, so you dont waste your money.

___________________________________

"Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps").

Follow John:

Facebook: John Matarese Money Instagram: @johnmataresemoney X/Twitter: @JohnMatarese

For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com

Gas prices are up 15 cents in metro Detroit, and up slightly across the state from last week, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Metro Detroit drivers are paying an average of $3.64 per gallon, up 60 cents from this time last year.

In the state of Michigan, drivers are paying an average of $3.59 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel. That's four cents more than this time last week, 61 cents more than this time last month and 55 cents more than this time last year.

This means that for a full 15-gallon tank of gas, drivers are paying an average of $54, up $4 from last year's highest prices.

Here's a look at the priciest and cheapest gas prices across the state:

Most expensive gas price averages:  Ann Arbor ($3.64), Metro Detroit ($3.64), Jackson ($3.59) Least expensive gas price averages: Traverse City ($3.49), Marquette ($3.52), Benton Harbor ($3.52)

For more information on gas prices near you, click here.

Criminals are once again posing as deputies and other law enforcement agents, claiming you've missed jury duty, need to bond out a loved one from jail, or have unpaid tickets.

Watch Alicia's report below

New warnings issued over deputy impersonation scams in Oakland County

However, in the last week, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard has issued a new warning, because there's a twist in their tactics.

Candise Watts was one of the targets of a deputy impersonation scam. She received a voicemail that said, "This is Sergeant Parker with the Oakland County Sheriff's Office trying to establish contact with the one Candise Watts.

That voicemail started the mother and retired teacher from Waterford Township. She received the message on March 6, indicating she needed to call a number to deal with an "ongoing legal matter," so she did.

"He proceeded to explain to me that I failed to show up for jury duty," Watts said.

She never recalled receiving a summons, but then he texted her several official-looking documents, including a detailed arrest warrant.

The scammer also sent her a statement from the attorney general about surety bonds, and a QR code she needed to use to send her bond money to avoid 48 hours in jail.

"I was very scared," Watts said. "So, I went into my credit union, and I withdrew the $4,500. Then I got back into the car, and he gave me to another person. He gave it to me, Lieutenant Burton. And that gentleman proceeded to tell me where to go to get the voucher.

He sent her to a gas station to deposit the cash in what he called a "bond machine," but she didn't find one there. So he told her to try a liquor store down the street. That's when she realized he was directing her to Bitcoin machines.

She rushed to the nearest patrol services building and a real deputy told her it was a scam.

"What would you say is the most common imposter scam that you're seeing in Oakland County? I asked Bouchard.

Either jury duty or you've got a warrant for some kind of ticket.

Bouchard recently issued a warning about how the deputy imposter scam is evolving, but it always ends with these criminals wanting a large sum of money.

"How concerned are you by the longevity of this particular scam?" I asked.

Well, you know, it's really frustrating because we've seen people lose a lot of money and lose sleep. So, that's why we're constantly thanking media outlets like yourself that are bringing this to the public's attention because people are still getting calls, still getting texts, still getting emails, and they're falling for it," he said.

Remember, no deputy or legitimate law enforcement agency will ever call and demand money on the spot.

It's embarrassing, but sad, and sad that this happens all the time," Watts said.

If you get a call like this, hang up immediately, then report it to your local law enforcement agency or the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov/scams.

Another new tactic? Scammers telling people to keep them on the line, but leave the phone in the car while targeted victims go into the credit union, because they supposedly don't want to overhear bank information. However, they really don't want tellers to interfere, and they don't want people to hang up until sending them the money.

Where Your Voice Matters

Paul Thomas Andersons One Battle After Another was crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards, handing Hollywoods top honor to a comic, multi-generational American saga of political resistance.

The ceremony Sunday, which also saw Michael B. Jordan win best actor and Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw make Oscar history as the first female director of photography to win the award, was a long-in-coming coronation for Anderson, a San Fernando Valley native who made his first short at age 18 and has been one of Americas most lionized filmmakers for decades. Before Sunday, Anderson had never won an Oscar.

The Oscar night belonged to Warner Bros., the studio of One Battle After Another and Ryan Cooglers vampire tale Sinners." It was an oddly poignant note of triumph for the fabled studio, which weeks earlier agreed to a sale to Paramount Skydance, David Ellisons rapidly assembled media monolith. The deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has Hollywood bracing for more layoffs.

Sinners and One Battle After Another were each Hollywood anomalies: big-budget originals born from a personal vision. In a year where anxiety over studio contraction and the rise of artificial intelligence often consumed the industry, both films gave Hollywood fresh hope.

Jessie Buckley wins best actress

Jessie Buckley won best actress at the 98th Academy Awards for her performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet, making her the first Irish performer to ever win in the category.

At an Oscars where no other acting award seemed a sure thing, Buckley cruised into Sundays Oscars at the Dolby Theatre as the overwhelming favorite. But in the last decade, Buckley has quickly established herself as a widely admired actor, on stage and screen, and her anguished performance in Hamnet was arguably the defining tearjerker of 2025.

In her seat, Buckley immediately plunged her head into her hands.

"It's Mother's Day in the U.K.," said Buckley on the stage. "I would like to dedicated this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart."

After a lionized career stretching back three decades, Paul Thomas Anderson won his first Oscar for best director, a long-in-coming coronation for the One Battle After Another filmmaker.

Anderson, a widely admired figure in Hollywood who grew up in San Fernando Valley and made his first short at age 18, had not won an Academy Award before Sunday. Earlier in the ceremony, he won his first, for best adapted screenplay.

You make a guy work hard for one of these, said Anderson.

Michael B. Jordan won best actor for his double-duty performance as the twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Cooglers Sinners.

The win was a triumphant moment for Jordan, one of Hollywoods most widely loved young actors, whose ascent to Hollywood stardom began, partly, with Cooglers feature debut, 2013s Fruitvale Station.

The Dolby Theatre rose to its feet in the most thunderous applause of the night.

Yo, momma, whats up? said Jordan after staggering to the stage.

Later, Jordan added: I stand here because of the people who came here before me, listing best actor winners from Sidney Poitier to Will Smith.

Sinners" cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made Oscar history, becoming the first female director of photography to win the award in the 98 year history of the Academy Awards.

The win was a long-in-coming triumph for women behind the camera. Arkapaw was just the fourth woman ever nominated in the category; the first was Rachel Morrison in 2018 for Mudbound. The Dolby Theatre audience rose to a standing ovation as she took the stage.

"I really want all the women in room to stand up," said Arkapaw. "Because I don't feel like I get here without you guys."

Anderson and Ryan Coogler each won their first Oscars, moving tributes were paid to Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Rob Reiner and an absent Sean Penn won best supporting actor at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday.

One Battle After Another came into the show the best picture favorite, and it picked up three wins in the first half of the ceremony. Anderson, the film's writer-director, earned a standing ovation for his first win in 14 nominations.

I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world were handing off to them, said Anderson, who loosely adapted Thomas Pynchons Vineland.. But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.

The film also won the first award for best casting, for Cassandra Kulukundis, and best supporting actor for Penn. Penn, a previous two-time Oscar winner, had skipped other recent award ceremonies, too. Presenter Kieran Culkin said he couldnt be here this evening or didnt want to.

Immediately after Anderson's first Oscar, Coogler notched his first Academy Award, too. The Sinners writer-director won best original screenplay, and earned his own standing ovation. ("Sinners" later added the award for best score.)

KPop and Frankeinstein win for Netflix

From the start, when host Conan O'Brien sprinted through the year's nominees as Amy Madigan's character in the horror thriller Weapons in a pre-taped bit, Sunday's ceremony was quirky, a little clunky and preoccupied with the shifting place of movies in culture. There was, of all things, a tie for best live-action short film.

As expected, the Netflix sensation KPop Demon Hunters, 2025s most-watched film, won best animated feature, as well as best song for Golden." It was a big win for Netflix but a more qualified victory for the movies producer, Sony Pictures. Though it developed and produced the film, Sony sold KPop Demon Hunters to the streaming giant instead of giving it a theatrical release.

On Netflix, KPop Demon Hunters became a cultural phenomenon and the streaming platforms biggest hit. It has more than 325 million views and counting.

This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere, said co-director Maggie Kang.

Another Netflix release, Guillermo del Toros Frankenstein picked up three awards for its lavish craft, for costume design, makeup and hairstyling and for production design.

Amy Madigan won best supporting actress for her performance in the horror thriller Weapons, a win that came 40 years after the 75-year-old actor was first nominated, in 1986, for Twice in a Lifetime. Letting out a giant laugh as she hit the stage, Madigan exclaimed, This is great!

O'Brien presides over a ceremony shadowed by politics

Hosting for the second time, O'Brien began the Dolby Theatre show alluding to chaotic and frightening times." But he argued that the current geopolitical climate made the Oscars all the more resonate as a globally unifying force.

"We pay tribute tonight, not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today optimism, O'Brien said. Were going to celebrate. Not because we think all is well, but because we work, and hope, for better.

Throughout the show, O'Brien hit a number of targets, like Timothe Chalamet for his diss of opera and ballet. But the ceremony seldom wasn't shadowed by politics, whether in references to changes under U.S. President Donald Trump or the recently launched war in Iran.

Joachim Trier, whose Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value won best international film, quoted James Baldwin in his acceptance speech.

All adults are responsible for all children, he said. Lets not vote for politicians that dont take this seriously into account.

Presenter Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night show last year was suspended after comments he made about Charlie Kirk's killing, was among the most blunt.

There are some countries that dont support free speech, said Kimmel. Im not at liberty to say which. Lets just leave it at North Korea and CBS.

Shortly after, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, a film about a Russian primary school teacher who documents his students' indoctrination to support Russia's war with Ukraine, won best documentary.

'Mr. Nobody Against Putin' is about how you lose your country, co-director said. And what we saw when working with this footage is that you lose it through countless, small, little acts of complicity.

We all face a moral choice," he added, "but, luckily, a nobody is more powerful than you think."

Tributes to Reiner, Redford and others

Elegy also marked the Oscars. Producers expanded the in memoriam segment following a year that featured the deaths of so many Hollywood legends, including Keaton, Robert Duvall and Redford. Barbra Streisand spoke about Redford, her The Way We Were co-star.

Bob had real backbone," said Streisand, who called Redford an intellectual cowboy" before singing a few bars of The Way We Were.

Billy Crystal paid tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner, who were killed in their home in December. Crystal, a close friend of Rob Reiner's who memorably starred in 1989's When Harry Met Sally... and 1987's Princess Bride. In his moving remarks, Crystal quoted the latter.

All we can say is: Buddy, how much fun we had storming the castle, said Crystal.

Theatrical looks to best streaming, again

It seemed all but certain that the nights final award wouldn't go to a streaming release; Apple's CODA remains the only streaming film to achieve that distinction. Instead, best picture is likely to go to an anomaly in todays movie industry: big-budget original films from a personal vision.

Sinners and One Battle After Another were both theatrical releases shot on film. And both came from Warner Bros., the legacy studio thats agreed to merge with David Ellisons new media colossus, Paramount Skydance. The $111 billion deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has rattled an industry already reconciling itself to the acquisitions of MGM (by Amazon) and 20th Century Fox (by The Walt Disney Co.).

Apple's F1, a movie that it partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute theatrically, won for best sound. The lone blockbuster of the year to go home with a win was Avatar: Fire and Ash, for visual effects.

Some of OBriens best digs came at the expense of the streamers. Netflix chief Ted Sarandos, he joked, was in a theater for the first time. The host also lamented the lack of nominees for Amazon MGM: Why isnt the website I order toilet paper from winning more Oscars?

Im honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards, said OBrien. Next year its going to be a Waymo in a tux.

A filmmaker from mid-Michigan won an Oscar at the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday night.

Sam A. Davis is the director of "The Singers," which won the Oscar for Live Action Short Film. It actually tied for the Oscar with "Two People Exchanging Saliva."

During the speech, Davis said, "First, I want to thank my parents, who convinced a kid from Potterville, Michigan, that this was a viable career avenue."

According to a Deadline article, "The Singers" follows a story of the same name, of a group of men who make connections with one another through a singing competition.

In the interview with Deadline, Davis said there were several reasons why he felt compelled to adapt the story.

"Im from a small town in Michigan, and there were a lot of these people who were really soulful and complete with talents and passions, but you wouldnt know it at first glance," he said to Deadline.

Davis even told the website that the idea for the bar they filmed in came from a place in Michigan where he had always imagined filming in Michigan.

"However, it became impractical to get everyone to this small town in Michigan, so we ultimately decided to do it in LA and just fake the exteriors," Davis said.

The women's bracket has been revealed for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and we know which seed Michigan and Michigan State will have in March Madness.

Michigan is a 2-seed in the Forth Worth region, while Michigan State is a 5-seed in the Sacramento region.

The Wolverines will face No. 15 Holy Cross on Friday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2, and the Spartans will take on No. 12 Colorado State two hours later on ESPNNEWS.

Kim Barnes Arico and the Michigan Wolverines finished the season with a 25-6 record and a 15-3 record in Big Ten play. Led by a talented trio of sophomores in Syla Swords, Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway, the Wolverines enter this tournament winning 10 of their last 13 games. Being that U-M is a top-4 seed, they will host games in the Round of 64 and Round of 32.

Robyn Fralick and the Michigan State Spartans finished the season with a 22-8 record and a 11-7 record in Big Ten play. Led by Grace VanSlooten (15 points per game), the Spartans enter this tournament losing six of it's last 11 games. women's

Tip-off times are set to be announced later this evening; stay with 7 News Detroit for coverage of the NCAA tournament for the next few weeks.

The bracket has been revealed for the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and we now know what seeds Michigan and Michigan State will have for March Madness.

Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines have earned a No. 1 seed, while Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans have earned a No. 3 seed. Duke was given the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Michigan State will face North Dakota State in Buffalo as part of the East Region on Thursday. The Wolverines are in the Midwest region and will face the winner of UMBC vs. Howard on Thursday in Buffalo. MSU is set to tip-off at 4:05 p.m. on TNT, while Michigan is set to play at 7:10 p.m. on CBS.

The Wolverines finished the season with a 32-2 record, winning the Big Ten outright (19-1) and losing in the Big Ten Tournament Final, 80-72. Led by the Big Ten Player of the Year Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan has been ranked in the top 5 of the AP Poll, including a brief stint at No. 1, for most of the season, and that record is the best regular season record in program history.

The Spartans have not been far behind the Wolverines all season long, ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll for a large portion of the season. Izzo's team finished with a 25-7 record, including a 15-5 record in Big Ten play.

A broad and erratic patchwork of severe weather rumbled across much of the U.S. on Sunday, dumping heavy snow and making roads impassable in the Upper Midwest while damaging high winds swept across the Plains. Hawaii also continues to be affected by severe flooding.

And portions of the mid-South readied for late-day thunderstorms. Forecasters said the storms will spread eastward and by Monday threaten a large swath of the Eastern U.S., with mid-Atlantic states including Washington, D.C. at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes.

Successive punches of snow, wind and severe weather are going to impact the eastern half of the United States," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys said in an interview. Beyond the threat to lives and property, whether its wind gusts from a squall line, blizzard or snow, or just wind because of the storm, youre looking at several major airports being impacted.

Big snows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan

Over 20 inches (51 centimeters) of snow had fallen in some portions of southeastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin as of Sunday afternoon, according to National Weather Service reports, with more snow likely to fall in places like Minneapolis amid blizzard warnings by the weather service.

Warnings of hazardous road conditions were issued across Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, where transportation officials warned of worsening conditions Sunday with low visibility and snow-covered roadways.

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More than 600 flights flying out of and into the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport were canceled Sunday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. Dozens more through Detroit were also scrapped.

An area from central Wisconsin to Michigan's Upper Peninsula was likely to see over 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow, with higher isolated totals on the peninsula, Roys said. Lower snow accumulations in places like Chicago and Milwaukee will still likely create trouble for commuters on Monday, he added.

Wisconsin snowplow driver Aaron Haas said it was one of the worst storms he had seen in years. On Sunday around the town of Marshfield, Haas was stacking piles of snow as high as his truck.

You cant see anything when youre on the highways outside of the city, he said.

Jim Allen, 45, who lives on the Upper Peninsula, said his family stocked up on necessities and he was ready to clear snow several times Sunday with the shovel and snowblower.

"Were basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to, Allen said.

Landslides, rescues, collapsed home on Maui

Rain continued falling on Sunday in Hawaii, where acres of farmland and homes have been flooded, roads have been closed and shelters opened. PowerOutage.us, which tracks outages nationwide, reported over 50,000 electric customers in Hawaii without power as of early Sunday.

Flash flooding has been a major problem in recent days in places like Maui, Molokai and the Big Island, where rain had been falling from 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) an hour overnight, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post late Saturday that some areas of Maui had received more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain in the previous 24 hours.

Were seeing flooding, landslides, sinkholes, debris and downed power lines across the county, he said. Expressing gratitude in the Hawaiian language, the mayor added "mahalo for continuing to look out for one another.

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Footage incorporated into the mayor's video showed washed out or collapsed roads, a car stuck by floodwaters and raging waterways. National Guard and fire department workers have made multiple floodwater rescues, Bissen said.

Tom and Carrie Bashaw said they could do little to prevent part of their home in Maui's Iao Valley from collapsing beneath rising waters. On Friday, the water's force starting overtaking nearby trees.

When we lost the mango and monkey pod, we started throwing stuff in bags and packing up, Tom Bashaw told HawaiiNewsNow. They returned Saturday morning and the whole backside of the house was gone, he said.

Maui resident and real estate broker Jesse Wald, who recorded video of a coastal road's collapse Saturday, said other parts of road were flooded out by mud and sediment.

In the 20 years Ive been here Ive never seen this much rain," Wald said. Im from Wisconsin and we get thunderstorms, you know pretty often in the summer, so it felt like a Wisconsin thunderstorm but times 10."

Power outages remain, some from earlier high winds

More than 210,000 utility customers in six Great Lakes states were without electricity as of Sunday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. Some originated on Friday when gusts in the region reached 85 mph (137 km).

In Nebraska, about 30 National Guard members were deployed to help combat multiple wildfires across a broad swath of range and grassland, the state's Emergency Management Agency said.

As of Saturday, three of the largest wildfires had damaged well over 900 square miles (2,331 square kilometers), the agency said. One fire-related fatality was reported on Friday, and in a news release Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen urged residents to follow locally-issued evacuation orders, adding that winds were "supposed to be extraordinary on Sunday.

The weather service issued a high-wind warning Sunday for most of Nebraska, with wind gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph) possible amid falling snow. Roys said high winds would affect a region stretching from the U.S.-Mexico border to the Great Lakes, and from Denver eastward to the Appalachian Mountains.

Forecasters warn about line of storms, tornadoes

The National Weather Service warned that a line of severe storms with damaging winds would cross much of the Eastern U.S. by late Monday. It was to begin Sunday afternoon and cross the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.

The storm threat was expected to enter the Appalachians early Monday, then move toward the East Coast, where severe thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds and several tornadoes were expected during the day Monday, the weather service said.

A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina; Richmond, Virginia and the nation's capital. The weather service said an increased albeit much lower risk stretched north to New York and south to Florida, with thunderstorms possible in New England.

Hollywood will convene Sunday night for a nail-biter Academy Awards thats steering toward a coronation for either Paul Thomas Anderson or Ryan Coogler. Most would call that a win-win.

Andersons One Battle After Another is the favorite heading into the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. But Cooglers Sinners comes in the lead nominee with a record 16 nominations. Both filmmakers are poised to leave with their first Oscar.

RELATED STORY | 'Sinners' shatters Oscar record with 16 nominations, making history

But little else is assured at an Academy Awards where Michael B. Jordan or Timothe Chalamet (despite the ballet diss heard 'round the world) could win their first Academy Award in a too-close-to-call best actor race.

How to watch and stream the Oscars and red carpet

The telecast will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern. (YouTube will be the new home of the Oscars beginning in 2029.) The official red carpet preshow begins on ABC and Hulu at 6:30 p.m. EDT, while E! will kick off its red-carpet broadcast at 4 p.m.

What to expect from the 2026 Oscars

Conan OBrien is returning as host for the second year in a row. Despite the war in Iran and expanding geopolitical turmoil, OBrien has pledged an entertaining show in the mold of hosts like Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. Lets have fun with it, is my attitude, OBrien told reporters earlier in the week.

Still, the already high security will be even greater this year at an Oscars, taking place two weeks after the United States and President Donald Trump launched the war with Iran.

Of course, every year we monitor whats going on in the world, Raj Kapoor, executive producer of the show, said earlier in the week. We have the support of the FBI and the LAPD, and its a close collaboration.

Two of the five best song nominees will be performed: I Lied to You, from Sinners, with Miles Caton, Raphael Saadiq and others; and Golden from KPop Demon Hunters.

Theatrical looks to best streaming, again

KPop Demon Hunters, a Sony Pictures production that was sold to Netflix, was the most-watched movie of 2025. (It has 325 million views and counting, making it Netflix's most-streamed movie ever.) But it seems all but certain that the nights final award wont go to a streaming release; Apple's CODA remains the only streaming film to achieve that. Instead best picture is likely to go to an anomaly in todays movie industry: big-budget original films from a personal vision.

Sinners and One Battle After Another were both theatrical releases shot on film. And both came from Warner Bros., the legacy studio thats agreed to merge with David Ellisons new media colossus, Paramount Skydance. The $111 billion deal, which awaits regulatory approval, has rattled an industry already reconciling itself to the acquisitions of MGM (by Amazon) and 20th Century Fox (by The Walt Disney Co.).

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Elegy may mark Sundays Oscars. The in memoriam segment is expected to include, among many others, remembrances of Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Robert Duvall. OBrien, who had hosted a party attended by Rob and Michele Reiner the night before their deaths, has promised a very powerful tribute.

New this year is a best casting category. Another innovation is a requirement that Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members watch all nominees before voting. On the academys streaming platform even Oscar voting is streamed voters had to check a box attesting to having watched each nominee before voting in a category.

Few sure things in the acting categories

Whether those changes will have any effect on some of the nights closest races remains to be seen. Coming into the show, best actor is one of the most hard-to-call categories. Chalamet had been seen as the front-runner for his performance in Marty Supreme. But a swaggering meta campaign, that drew headlines, of all things, a perceived slight of ballet and opera, may have helped put Jordan into the lead. (In Chalamet's favor, the uproar only started as voting was ending.)

While Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) is widely expecting to win best actress, a first for Irish performers, the supporting categories are highly competitive. Amy Madigan (Weapons) is the slight favorite in best supporting actress, but Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another) and Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners) are in the mix, too.

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Despite almost no campaigning, Penn is viewed as the best supporting actor favorite. That award, could easily also go to Stellan Skarsgrd (Sentimental Value) or Delroy Lindo (Sinners).

Though the Oscars often feel largely removed from their times, a crop of nominees that explicitly grapple with the current political moment will be center stage. That includes not just One Battle After Another, which opens with a raid on an immigration detention facility, but movies like Kleber Mendona Filhos Brazilian political thriller The Secret Agent and Jafar Panahis Iranian revenge drama It Was Just an Accident.

The war in Iran has particular meaning to Panahi, whose film is nominated for best international feature and for best screenplay. The esteemed Iranian filmmaker and last year's Palme d'Or winner has made films clandestinely in his native Iran despite repeated imprisonment, travel ban and even home arrest. While promoting the film, Panahi was sentenced to a year in prison. At least one of his cowriter nominees, Mehdi Mahmoudian, was unable to leave Iran to attend Sundays awards.

Twenty three years ago, the Academy Awards were also held amid war in the Middle East. The 2003 Oscars took place just three days before the Iraq War began. Many in Hollywood protested the war. Chicago won best picture.

Two people are dead, and one person has been arrested after a police chase and crash in Clinton Township that police tell us happened over the weekend.

Around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14, authorities attempted to pull over a car driving at a high rate of speed on southbound Gratiot Avenue near Quinn Road. We're told the driver of that car started going faster when police lights were activated.

After a pursuit, the driver of the car ultimately crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Gratiot Avenue and 14 Mile.

We're told that two people in the other vehicle were killed in the crash. One of those people was a 25-year-old Southfield man; the other has not been formally identified.

After the crash, the driver of the car that police say caused the incident, a 54-year-old Sterling Heights man, was arrested, with an arraignment pending.

The Pentagon has released the identities of six U.S. Air Force members who died last week when a military refueling tanker plane crashed in western Iraq during a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury.

Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, were killed when their U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft was lost over Iraq on Thursday, according to U.S. officials.

Klinner, Savino and Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Koval, Angst and Simmons were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said the crew members were on a combat mission over "friendly" territory at the time their plane went down and that the incident was not not the result of hostile or friendly fire. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that a second plane involved in the operation was able to land safely. The incident remains under investigation.

The tanker is the fourth U.S. plane to go down since the war against Iran began. Earlier this month, U.S. ally Kuwait mistakenly downed three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets. All six crew members aboard those jets safely ejected and were recovered.

A Huntington Woods public works employee was recently killed while clearing storm debris from a road after high winds ripped through Metro Detroit.

See the full story in the video players below

DPW worker dies after getting pinned under tree limb during Huntington Woods storm clean-up DPW worker dies after getting pinned under tree limb during Huntington Woods storm clean-up

Doug Chmiel was a supervisor with the City of Huntington Woods Department of Public Works. He had been with the department for four years.

According to the Huntington Woods Department of Public Safety, Chmiel died after being hit by a fallen tree limb.

7 News Detroit Reporter Tiarra Braddock sat down with Michael Taylor, Chmiel's brother-in-law, who described him as the kind of person who brought everyone together.

"Doug was glue that held everybody together. He was very charismatic, always making sure everybody had a good time," Taylor said.

Taylor said he has known Chmiel most of his life.

"He's been my big brother since they started dating. I was about 11 or 12," Taylor said.

Taylor remembered Chmiel as a devoted family man and a faithful member of his community.

"A good husband to my sister, he was an active church member in his Faith Covenant Church in Farmington Hills," Taylor said.

Before his career in public works, Chmiel served in the military. Taylor shared details about his brother-in-law's service.

"He was actually in Operation Enduring Freedom in 2000/2004. He served six years in the Michigan Army National Guard and he was deployed over there. He was an artillery man," Taylor said.

Taylor was with his sister when the family received the devastating news.

"I was with my sister when they told us that he was not going to live," Taylor said.

Chmiel is survived by his wife, Dawn, and their three children 12-year-old Penny, 9-year-old Ellie, and 7-year-old Griffin.

"His kids loved him and they still do and they still want to see him and they're still asking for him sometimes," Taylor said.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover Chmiel's funeral costs and other expenses.

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.

A massive tree fell onto a home on Delaware Street near Five Mile and Beech Daily in Redford Township during high winds, leaving a couple displaced.

Watch Tiarra's report below

A tree crashed into a Redford Township home during high winds, displacing a couple

Tiffany Baker was at work when the tree came down on the home she and her husband were renting. Her husband was inside at the time.

"He was in the living room, and he said that the walls started looking like they were caving in and had like what's going on," Baker said.

Baker's husband and the couple's two dogs were able to safely make it out of the house. The damage extended beyond the structure itself.

"Even our car was demolished in there too; it went all the way over the house into the driveway," Baker said.

The city condemned the home, preventing the couple from retrieving their belongings.

"Now we have to buy everything new, the city deemed the house condemned and they won't let us in to get anything out. We literally had the clothes on our backs at the time. They were able to get us a few things that they saw that they thought were important," Baker said.

Baker and her husband are currently staying with a friend while they figure out their living situation.

"It just sucks not having somewhere to go that is home," Baker said.

Baker described the experience as surreal.

"It's still kind of like shocking, we both kinds of feel like we're going to wake up and it's not going to be real," Baker said.

A longtime friend set up a GoFundMe to help the couple cover costs not included in their renter's insurance.

"We're so so so thankful to everybody that has donated and is reaching out and donating to us personally and not even through there. It's just amazing to see how many people are in our corner and want to help," Baker 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.

Israeli soldiers fired on a car carrying a family in the northern West Bank, killing four people including two children, the Palestinian Authoritys Health Ministry said.

The official Palestinian news agency said the family was shot late Saturday after going out to buy new clothes for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan this week. Israel said it was investigating the shooting.

The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said that Ali and Waed Odeh, and two of their four children, were shot in the head. The Odehs two surviving children had shrapnel wounds that were examined by first responders once they were granted access, the group said, accusing Israel of delaying ambulances dispatched to the scene.

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Israels military and police said in a joint statement Sunday that forces opened fire after a car accelerated toward them in Tammun. They said the forces were pursuing suspects accused of terrorist activity and that the shooting was under investigation.

The members of the Odeh family were the latest casualties in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers and soldiers had previously shot and killed at least eight Palestinians since the start of the Iran war.

Since Israel and the U.S. attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Israeli authorities have restricted movement across the West Bank, intermittently closing hundreds of gates and checkpoints on roads used by residents, ambulances and commercial traffic. The barriers have tightened movement and made emergency response significantly more difficult, the Red Crescent told The Associated Press last week.

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Israeli rights group Yesh Din said on Wednesday that it had documented 109 incidents of settler violence in the occupied West Bank in dozens of Palestinian communities since the start of the war.

The toll is lower than at this point in 2025 a record year for violence that began with Israel invading northern West Bank cities that the military said were militant strongholds. Israeli forces still maintain a presence there.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded 18 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2026, including eight by Israeli settlers. Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank.