By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Their chances of becoming the next mayor of New York City may have dimmed. Their mission now? Stopping former Gov. Andrew Cuomo from getting to City Hall.

In the final day of campaigning before the city’s Democratic primary, candidates who are seen as long shots to win the nomination were urging voters to leave Cuomo off their ballots in the city’s ranked choice election in a last-ditch effort to block the former governor’s comeback from a sexual harassment scandal.

“Let’s make sure Andrew Cuomo gets nowhere near City Hall,” candidate and city Comptroller Brad Lander said Monday on WNYC radio, which interviewed the major candidates ahead of the election.

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, another candidate, similarly asked voters to not vote for Cuomo, telling the station, “We need fresh leadership, we need to turn the page and we need bold solutions at this moment.”

The pitches came as Cuomo, who has been considered the frontrunner for months, has also been trying to fend off a charge from Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, would be the city’s first Muslim and first Indian-American mayor if elected. A democratic socialist who got elected to the Legislature in 2020, Mamdani started the campaign as a relative unknown but has won support with a energetic campaign centered on improving the cost of living.

The assault on Cuomo from fellow members of the Democratic field comes as he has continued to rack up establishment endorsements. Former President Bill Clinton endorsed Cuomo on Sunday, saying voters should not “underestimate the complexity” for the challenges faced by a mayor. The New York Times didn’t issue an endorsement this year, but wrote an editorial praising Lander and saying Cuomo would be a better choice than Mamdani, who it said was unworthy of being on people’s ballots.

Cuomo and Mamdani have ratcheted up attacks on each other in the campaign’s final days.

“He’s about public relations,” Cuomo said of Mamdani, dismissing his opponent as too focused on looking great on social media, and not skilled enough as an executive to run the city.

Mamdani, meanwhile, exuded confidence, telling WNYC he is “one day from toppling a political dynasty.”

“New Yorkers are done with the cynical politics of the past. They want a future they can afford,” said Mamdani, who was endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

In a way, Mamdani and Cuomo represent the Democratic Party’s ideological divides, with Cuomo as an older moderate and Mamdani a younger progressive.

Their reactions to the American bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites on Sunday offered more evidence of the party’s internal split.

Cuomo, in a statement, criticized “the way Trump went about this without consulting Congress, without consulting the normal congressional officials” but stressed that “Iran cannot have nuclear capability.”

Mamdani released a statement that slammed Trump but quickly shifted focus back to his key issues, saying “these actions are the result of a political establishment that would rather spend trillions of dollars on weapons than lift millions out of poverty, launch endless wars while silencing calls for peace, and fearmonger about outsiders while billionaires hollow out our democracy from within.”

Cuomo, who won three terms as governor, resigned in 2021 after a report from the state attorney general concluded that he sexually harassed 11 women. He has denied wrongdoing.

New York City is using ranked choice voting in its Democratic mayoral primary election Tuesday, a system that allows voters to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. If one candidate is the first choice of a majority of voters, that person wins the race outright. If nobody hits that threshold, the votes are then tabulated in multiple rounds. After each round, the candidate in last place is eliminated. Votes cast for that person are then redistributed to the candidates ranked next on the voter’s ballot.

That continues until one candidate gets a majority.

Cuomo’s opponents have urged voters not to rank him at all and therefore deprive him of support in later rounds of counting.

“You do not have to go back to the name of Andrew Cuomo,” said Michael Blake, a former state lawmaker running in the primary. He told voters on WNYC that it was time to move on from the former governor.

Eleven candidates are on the ballot in the Democratic mayoral primary. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams isn’t one of them. He’s a Democrat but is running as an independent. The Republican Party has already picked its nominee, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa.

In todays Health Alert, Metro Detroit is under an extreme heat warning through 8 pm Tuesday. Hot weather is more than just uncomfortable - it can pose serious health risks.

My family and I love summer activities, but we always play it smart when the heat gets extreme. Thats because when its really hot, your body has to work extra hard to keep a stable internal temperature. You sweat more to cool down. And your heart may beat faster to move blood to your skin so heat can escape.

But when you lose too much fluid and important minerals like sodium and potassium, you can become dehydrated. That can cause your blood pressure to drop, making you feel dizzy, tired, or even faint.

And, if your body cant cool down fast enough, you can develop heat exhaustion, or worse, heatstroke. Heatstroke is a medical emergency. Your internal temperature can rise above 104 degrees, and your body loses the ability to bring it back down. At that point, organs like the brain, heart, and kidneys can become damaged and start to shut down. If not treated quickly, it can lead to seizures, coma, or even death.

Sadly, hundreds of Americans die from extreme heat every year, and many of those deaths are preventable.

Some of the early warning signs include muscle cramps, heavy sweating, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and feeling weak or short of breath. These are all signs your body is struggling to cool itself.

To stay safe, its all about prevention. Take it slow and drink water regularly, even if you dont feel thirsty. Apply sunscreen to avoid burns and wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to protect your skin. And dont forget a hat. Also, avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day, usually between 10 am and 4 pm. If you can, stay in air conditioning.

Its also important to check in on family, friends, and neighbors, especially older adults and young kids. People over 65, kids younger than 4, and people with chronic medical conditions are most at risk. If you take medications, ask your doctor or pharmacist if they can increase your sensitivity to heat.

The heat can sneak up on you, so pay attention to how youre feeling. Taking just a few simple steps can make a big difference in keeping you and your loved ones safe.

By JOSEPH KRAUSS and WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As President Donald Trump floats the idea of “regime change” in Tehran, previous U.S. attempts to remake the Middle East by force over the decades offer stark warnings about the possibility of a deepening involvement in the Iran-Israeli conflict.

“If the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on his social media site over the weekend. The came after the U.S. bombed Iran’s nuclear sites but before that country retaliated by firing its own missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday insisted that Trump, who spent years railing against “forever wars” and pushing an “America first” world view, had not committed a political about-face.

“The president’s posture and our military posture has not changed,” she said, suggesting that a more aggressive approach might be necessary if Iran ”refuses to give up their nuclear program or engage in talks.”

Leavitt also suggested that a new government in Iran could come about after its people stage a revolt — not necessarily requiring direct U.S. intervention.

“If they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn’t the Iranian people rise up,” she asked.

That’s a perilous path that other U.S. administrations have taken. And it’s a long way from Trump’s past dismissal of “stupid, endless wars,” and his scoffing at the idea of nation-building championed by his Republican predecessors — including in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the U.S. helped overthrow governments.

Some lessons learned from previous conflicts:

Initial success is often fleeting

U.S. special forces and Afghan allies drove the Taliban from power and chased Osama bin Laden into Pakistan within months of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. American tanks rolled into Baghdad weeks after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

But then, both wars went on for years.

The Taliban waged a tenacious, two-decade insurgency and swept back into power as the U.S. beat a chaotic retreat in 2021. The overthrow of Saddam plunged Iraq into chaos, with Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias battling each other and U.S. forces.

Israel has so far largely succeeded in taking out Iran’s air defenses and ballistic missiles and the U.S. strikes on three sites with missiles and 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) bunker-buster bombs has wrecked its nuclear program, Trump says. But that still potentially leaves hundreds of thousands in the military, the Revolutionary Guard and forces known as the Basij, who played a key role in quashing waves of anti-government protests in recent years.

Ground forces are key — but don’t guarantee success

Airstrikes have never been enough on their own.

Take, for example, Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. His forces withstood a seven-month NATO air campaign in 2011 before rebels fighting city by city eventually cornered and killed him.

There are currently no insurgent groups in Iran capable of taking on the Revolutionary Guard, and it’s hard to imagine Israeli or U.S. forces launching a ground invasion of a mountainous country of some 80 million people that is about four times as big as Iraq.

A split in Iran’s own security forces would furnish a ready-made insurgency, but it would also likely tip the country into civil war.

There’s also the question of how ordinary Iranians would respond.

Protests in recent years show that many Iranians believe their government is corrupt and repressive, and would welcome its demise. But the last time a foreign power attacked Iran — the Iraqi invasion of 1980 — people rallied around the flag.

At the moment, many appear to be lying low or leaving the capital.

Be wary of exiled opposition groups

Some of the biggest cheerleaders for the U.S. invasion of Iraq were exiled opposition figures, many of whom had left the country decades before. When they returned, essentially on the back of U.S. tanks, they were marginalized by local armed groups more loyal to Iran.

There are several large Iranian opposition groups based abroad. But they are not united and it’s unclear how much support any of them has inside the country.

The closest thing to a unifying opposition figure is Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought the theocracy to power. But many Iranians have bitter memories of repression under the shah, and others might reject Pahlavi over his outreach to Israel, especially if he tries to ride to power on the back of a foreign invasion.

Chaos is practically guaranteed

In Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya — and in Syria and Yemen after their 2011 uprisings — a familiar pattern emerged when governments were overthrown or seriously weakened.

Armed groups emerged with competing agendas. Neighboring countries backed local proxies. Weapons flowed in and large numbers of civilians fled. The fighting in some places boiled over into full-blown civil war, and ever more violent extremist groups sprouted from the chaos.

When it was all over, Saddam had been replaced by a corrupt and often dysfunctional government at least as friendly to Iran as it was to the United States. Gadhafi was replaced by myriad militias, many allied with foreign powers. The Taliban were replaced by the Taliban.

Weissert reported from Washington.

Holly High School students put their child development program skills to use for a creative interactive lesson with kindergarten students at Rose Pioneer Elementary.

Miranda Barth, the high school’s child development teacher, teamed up with Rose Pioneer teachers Kristie Brown and Tonya Edwards for a lesson during which students colored pictures of monsters they imagined after reading the book “I Need My Monster,” by Amanda Noll.

Kindergartners answered prompts to describe their monster’s personality, then the pictures were then sent to Barth’s child development students, who created stuffed animals based on the drawings.

The high school students visited the kindergarteners in May to deliver the stuffed animal monsters and read to them. The teachers provided copies of “I Need My Monster” for each student to take home.

“It was truly inspiring to witness my students put what they learned in class into practice interacting with the younger students,” said Barth. “This fun and engaging activity provided my students insights into child development careers and our Broncho kindergarteners a chance to see their budding imaginations brought to life.”

“I’d like to congratulate Miranda, Kristie and Tonya for organizing this innovative activity for our students to put what they learn in school into real-world action,” said Superintendent Scott Roper. “We look forward to providing more unique opportunities that help prepare our Bronchos for success and careers while still in our hallways.”

Oakland County announced the winners of its first Juneteenth Art and Essay Contest, recognizing student creativity and reflection on the theme, “Juneteenth: What does Freedom and Equality mean to me?”

The contest commemorates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States.

Community leaders, residents and students joined together for a festival featuring live music, food trucks, speakers, games and the raising of the Juneteenth flag under the theme “Stronger Together: Celebrating Freedom and Community.”

“This celebration reflects Oakland County’s deep commitment to inclusion, belonging and a future where every resident is valued and welcome,” said Dave Coulter, Oakland County’s executive. “The insight and heart in these student essays and artworks are powerful and inspiring.”

The 2025 winners include:

ARTWORK

Grades K–3: Derek Flores – Blanche Sims Elementary School in Lake Orion
Grades 4–7: Sangamitra Sivachandran Narmadha – Martell Elementary School in Troy
Grades 8–12: Zuri Earth – Cass Technical High School in Detroit and Oakland County resident
Post-Secondary Vocational: Taylor A. Buens – Jardon Vocational School in Ferndale

ESSAYS

Grades K–3: Shiv Lohia – Brookfield Academy in Troy, who compared fairness to cookie-sharing and equality to an egg experiment in school. He wrote, “If there is freedom and equality everywhere, there’ll be no more wars. Everyone will be happy and that’s the kind of world that will be beautiful and peaceful.”

Grades 4–7: Kairav Joshi – West Bloomfield Middle School, who highlighted the power of young voices in building a more inclusive and respectful society. “Freedom lets me be myself… Equality makes sure no one is left behind,” he wrote.

Grades 8–12: Ella Bunao – Athens High School in Troy, who explored the significance of Juneteenth and how freedom and equality must be actively pursued. She wrote, “Freedom means being able to live your life without fear, to speak your mind, and to make your own choices. Equality means that everyone, no matter their skin color, background, or beliefs, should be treated with the same respect and given the same opportunities.

Winners received a $150 gift card.

Russian drones and missiles killed at least 14 civilians and injured several dozen others in Ukraine in overnight attacks, local officials said Monday, with nine deaths reported in the capital, Kyiv, where an apartment building partially collapsed.

The attacks came as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began a visit to the United Kingdom, where he met privately with King Charles III.

Russia fired 352 drones and decoys overnight, as well as 11 ballistic missiles and five cruise missiles, Ukraines air force said. Air defenses intercepted or jammed 339 drones and 15 missiles before they could reach their targets, a statement said.

A Russian ballistic missile strike destroyed a high school later in the day in Ukraine's southern Odesa region, killing two staff, authorities said. No children were on the premises due to the summer vacation, said Zelenskyy, who described the strike as absolutely insane.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Ukraine claims latest strike damaged key bridge connecting Russia and Crimea

The strikes came nearly a week after a Russian attack killed 28 people in Kyiv, 23 of them in a residential building that collapsed after a direct missile hit. Russia has also hit civilian areas with long-range strikes in an apparent attempt to weaken Ukrainian morale.

'Coalition of murderers'

Russian forces have been trying to drive deeper into Ukraine as part of a summer push along the roughly 620-mile front line, though the Institute for the Study of War said progress has failed to make significant gains.

Russian forces are largely relying on poorly trained infantry to make gains in the face of Ukraines drone-based defense, the Washington-based think tank said late Sunday.

Zelenskyy said preliminary data indicated that Russian forces used North Korean missiles in the Kyiv strike. He described Russia, North Korea and Iran, which has provided drones to Russia, as a coalition of murderers."

IN THE SHADOWS | Ukraine's classrooms in the crosshairs of war

Zelenskyy said Ukraines defense and new ways to pressure Russia will be the two main topics in his visit to the United Kingdom on Monday. Zelenskyy met privately with King Charles III and stayed for lunch, Buckingham Palace said. He was also expected to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of this weeks NATO summit in The Hague, Starmers office said.

Drones hit hospitals and residential areas

Drones and missiles hit residential areas, hospitals and sports infrastructure in numerous districts across Kyiv, emergency services said.

The most severe damage was in Shevchenkivskyi district, where a section of a five-story apartment building collapsed.

Nine people were killed in the district, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Ten others, including a pregnant woman, were rescued from a nearby high-rise that also sustained heavy damage. Dozens of vehicles were burned or mangled by flying debris.

Oleksii Pozychaniuk, 29, who lives in the building next to the one struck, said he heard the whistle of the rocket approaching and froze in terror before feeling the impact.

Windows burst out, glass was flying everywhere, he said. We barely made it downstairs with my child. Everything here was on fire.

Klitschko said rescue workers were searching for survivors.

The Russian attack also damaged the entrance to the Sviatoshyn subway station in Kyiv, slightly injuring two people, said Timur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration. He said more than 30 people were injured across the city.

Underground subway stations have served as shelters for those seeking protection from aerial attacks. During almost nightly strikes, stations across Kyiv are often filled with people waiting out the danger.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot said the latest strikes demonstrated Russias unlimited cruelty by deliberately aiming at civilian targets, and promised more European sanctions on Moscow.

Long process to identify returned remains

Elsewhere in Ukraine, a drone attack killed two people and wounded 10 more in the Chernihiv region late Sunday, authorities said. Three children were among the wounded, according to the regional administration head, Viacheslav Chaus.

Another person was killed and eight wounded overnight in the city of Bila Tserkva, around 53 miles southwest of the capital.

Meanwhile, Russias Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 23 Ukrainian drones overnight into Monday.

Ukraine will take at least a year to identify the thousands of soldiers' bodies repatriated by Russia and establish whether Moscow has mistakenly included more of its servicemen, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.

Zelenskyy said Friday that Russia had included at least 20 of its own dead soldiers in recent exchanges with Ukraine, describing it as a result of Moscows disorganization in carrying out large swaps of wounded POWs and remains.

At least five of the bodies can be proven to be Russian, Klymenko told a press conference, with tests being conducted on others. Journalists were shown uniforms and items including cigarettes belonging to what Ukraine said were the five Russians.

The case against a Detroit felon accused of fatally shooting two men over a dice game in Pontiac last fall has advanced to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.

At the conclusion of a preliminary exam Monday in 50th District Court, the judge ruled there was probable cause for the charges against Davonte Demetri Franklin to proceed to the higher court.

Franklin, 33, is held without bond in the Oakland County Jail, charged with two counts of first-degree homicide for the deaths of Sidney Ward III, 20, of Highland Park, and Tyrone Davis Glenn Jr., 24, of Pontiac.

The fatal shootings happened Oct. 8, 2024 in an apartment on North Sanford Street near Fiddis Avenue, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.

Evidence from the scene indicated Franklin used a potato in an attempt to muffle the sounds of the gunshots, but witnesses reported hearing the shootings, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators allege Franklin shot the two because he was angry from losing $80 in a dice game.

Franklin is also charged with felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Arraignment is scheduled for June 30 before Judge Kwame Rowe.

Waterford man dead after being hit by van driven by 81 year old

Police: Birmingham man stabbed, kicked home’s front door in attempted break-in

For most of human history, extinction has been understood as an immutable fact of nature—a one-way door that, once closed, could never be reopened. Species disappear, their genetic innovations vanish forever, and the world moves on, forever diminished by their absence.

An inert grenade was found inside a carry-on bag at Detroit Metro Airport earlier this month, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

TSA officers detected the inert grenade during a routine screening at a security checkpoint.

The security checkpoint was evacuated and closed until a TSA explosive specialist and airport law enforcement determined it was inert.

I am proud of our dedicated officers who remain vigilant and work hard to keep our transportation systems secure and the traveling public safe, said TSAs Federal Security Director for Michigan, Reggie Stephens. When individuals bring prohibited items to our checkpoints, it significantly slows down the security screening process for other travelers.

The TSA is reminding people that replicas of explosives, such as hand grenades, are prohibited in both checked and carry-on luggage.

By Robbie Sequeira, Stateline.org

The Trump administration is pushing to reshape the federal housing safety net by slashing spending and shifting the burden of housing millions of people to states, which may be ill-equipped to handle the mission.

President Donald Trump’s recent budget request to Congress for fiscal year 2026, a preliminary plan released in early May and known as “skinny” because a more robust ask will follow, outlines a 44% cut to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, including a 43% reduction in rental assistance programs that support more than 9 million Americans.

Trump also wants to consolidate federal housing aid, which includes programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing, into block grants — or finite amounts of money that states would administer. The proposal also would cap eligibility for many aid recipients at two years, and significantly limit federal oversight over how states dole out housing aid to low-income, disabled and older renters.

The approach tracks suggestions outlined in the Heritage Foundation playbook known as Project 2025, in which first-term Trump advisers and other conservatives detailed how a second Trump term might look. The chapter on HUD recommends limiting a person’s time on federal assistance and “devolving many HUD functions to states and localities.”

To that end, Trump’s new housing aid budget request would put states in charge, urging them to create new systems and removing federal regulatory certainty that residents, landlords and developers rely on for low-income housing.

Trump’s request also proposes new rules, such as a two-year time limit on the receipt of Housing Choice Vouchers, formerly known as Section 8 vouchers, for households that do not include persons with disabilities or older adults. The vouchers, federal money paid directly to landlords, help eligible families afford rent in the private market.

Trump’s allies call the changes responsible, while detractors worry about rising homelessness among those who now receive aid.

Among the nearly 4.6 million households receiving HUD housing assistance in the 2020 census, the average household was made up of two people, and the average annual income was just under $18,000, according to a department report last year.

In testimony to Congress this month about the proposed fiscal 2026 budget, HUD Secretary Scott Turner said that HUD rental assistance is meant to be temporary, “the same way a treadway facilitates the crossing of an obstacle.”

“The block grant process will empower states to be more thoughtful and precise in their distribution and spending of taxpayer dollars,” Turner said.

The current budget reconciliation package, the tax-and-spending bill named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, doesn’t address individual Housing Choice Vouchers or send federal housing aid back to states. However, it would offer tax credits to developers of affordable housing and expand areas that could qualify for additional favorable tax cuts. That bill passed the House and is now undergoing consideration in the Senate.

Trump’s hopes for next year

The president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request serves as an outline of the administration’s vision for next year’s federal spending.

Congress — specifically the House and Senate Appropriations committees — must draft, negotiate and pass appropriations bills, which ultimately decide how much funding programs like rental assistance will receive.

Trump’s budget request provides sparse details on how much housing aid the federal government would give to each state, and how it would oversee spending. Housing advocates and state agencies are concerned.

“A big piece of the proposal is essentially re-creating rental assistance as we know it, and turning it into a state rental assistance block grant program,” said Kim Johnson, senior director of policy director at the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Experts say any resulting aid cuts would disproportionately affect families with children, older adults and individuals with disabilities, many of whom rely on rental subsidies and support to remain stably housed in high-rent markets.

“It would completely change how households might be able to receive rental assistance of any kind,” said Sonya Acosta, a senior policy analyst with the center. “It combines five of these programs that millions of people rely on, cuts the funding almost in half, and then leaves it completely to states to decide how to use that funding.”

That’s a shift most states can’t afford, say housing advocates.

A state-by-state analysis by the National Alliance to End Homelessness shows the highest rates of housing assistance are in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, along with a few blue states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.

“There’s no way to cut 43% of funding for rental assistance without people losing that assistance or their housing security,” said Johnson, of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

And it’s not just urban centers that would be hit; rural areas of Mississippi and Louisiana also have high rates of federal housing aid.

“A rural community who solely relies on federal funding would be even more impacted,” Johnson added.

While state housing finance agencies proved during the pandemic that they can rapidly deploy federal funding, Lisa Bowman, director of marketing and communications at the National Council of State Housing Agencies, warned that the budget’s shift to block grants would require sufficient funding, a clear transition plan and strong oversight to ensure success.

Housing authorities are requesting further guidance from the feds and members of Congress, and more detail is needed on how any block-grant process would work, Bowman wrote in an emailed statement to Stateline.

“There is still a risk of overregulation and micromanagement with a block grant,” she wrote. “That said, for any type of new block grant to the states to work, there would need to be a transition period both to ensure states can build the necessary infrastructure and oversight and to test and train new systems with the private sector, local government, and nonprofit organizations that would interact with it.”

In New York City, which operates the nation’s largest housing voucher program, officials didn’t outline what steps they would take if Trump’s proposed cuts become reality, but a spokesperson said the plans would hurt residents.

Howard Husock, a senior fellow in domestic policy studies at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, believes the most innovative aspect of the Trump proposal is the introduction of time limits on housing assistance, a mechanism not currently used in HUD’s rental programs.

But he cautioned that a blanket two-year time limit — especially if applied to existing tenants — would be “a recipe for chaos,” particularly in high-need areas such as New York City. Instead, he supports a phased approach focusing on new, non-disabled, non-elderly tenants.

“Block grants would allow states to move away from one-size-fits-all and apply rules based on their own housing needs,” Husock said to Stateline in an interview.

Affordable housing advocates disagree.

“If passed, the president’s proposed budget would be devastating for all federally assisted tenants,” said Michael Horgan, press secretary for the New York City Housing Authority in a statement to Stateline. “Block grants, program funding cuts, and time limits will only worsen the current housing crisis.”

A recent analysis of 100 metro areas by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that households using housing vouchers are more likely to live in higher income areas than those with other federal rental assistance.

“There is a high share of these households using (other) federal rental assistance in higher-poverty areas,” Gartland, the center’s researcher, explained, noting that programs such as the Housing Choice Vouchers are a rare but essential tool for expanding housing mobility.

“If you’re cutting the programming by 40%, you’re just putting additional strain on that program and just limiting that potential.”

For housing providers, uncertainty is growing

For property owners and landlords, the proposed shift in federal assistance and housing aid to the states isn’t just a policy question, it’s a business risk.

Alexandra Alvarado, director of education at the American Apartment Owners Association, said many smaller landlords are closely following proposed changes to the voucher program.

“Section 8 is a stabilizing force, especially for mom-and-pop landlords,” she said. “Many have had loyal tenants for years and rely on that steady income.”

According to Alvarado, landlords — especially small operators — have come to view housing vouchers not just as a public good, but also as a reliable business model where rent is often on time and predictable.

But with the proposed changes placing administration in the hands of state governments, landlords fear a breakdown in consistency.

“If the administration is serious about shifting responsibility to states, landlords will need a lot more clarity, and fast,” Alvarado said. “These programs are supposed to offer certainty. If states run them inconsistently or inefficiently, landlords may exit the market altogether.”

The transition itself, she added, may be destabilizing.

“You’re turning an ecosystem upside down. Change too many parts of the system at once, and you risk unintended domino effects.”

While developers may benefit from new tax incentives in the budget, Alvarado said that doesn’t offset the instability small landlords fear.

“Most mom-and-pop landlords don’t want to evict or raise rent, especially during hard times,” she said. “They just want to provide stable housing and be treated fairly.”

---

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization focused on state policy.

©2025 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff will be one of the players featured on season two of the Netflix docuseries "Quarterback."

The series is produced by NFL Films, Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions and Patrick Mahomes' 2PM Productions.

Along with Goff, the series will feature Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow and Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.

The first season featured Mahomes, Cousins and Marcus Mariota.

It was first announced he would be included back in March. On Monday, Netflix announced the show will be released on July 8.

Goff threw for 4,629 passing yards and 37 touchdowns last season with a 111.8 QB rating.

Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa, will be speaking at Detroit's Fisher Theatre this winter.

A Food Network icon, Garten has written 13 cookbooks and is stopping in Detroit as part of her series 'An On-Stage conversation with Ina Garten', with stops in Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia before heading to the Motor City. She will be in Detroit on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.

As part of the evening, Garten will discuss and elaborate on themes from her new memoir, 'Be Ready When The Luck Happens', which released in Fall of 2024. Garteen plans to touch on her difficult childhood, meeting her fiture husband and getting started in the food industry after answering an ad for a specialty food store.

Tickets for the evening go on sale this Friday, June 27, at 10 a.m. and start at $79. You can buy tickets at this link.

The post Parishioners, security staff prevent mass shooting at Michigan church, police say appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

President Donald Trump confirmed that no one was harmed in Iran's retaliatory attacks on an American base in Qatar.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump said Iran gave the U.S. "early notice" before firing 14 missiles at Al Udeid Air Base. He added that 13 of those missiles were "knocked down" and the 14th was "set free" because it was not threatening.

"Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same," President Trump's post says.

A U.S. official told Scripps News that Iran used both short and medium-range ballistic missiles in the attack, which was condemned by Qatari officials.

A top Iranian official said the number of missiles used in the attack in Qatar was the same as the number of bombs the U.S. dropped on three of its nuclear facilities on Saturday.

"The base targeted in the attack by Iranian forces was far from urban facilities and residential areas in Qatar," the official said.

Around the same time of the attack in Qatar, officials were reportedly informed about a potential attack on Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq. However, the Associated Press reports that the missiles never arrived and no one claimed responsibility.

The incidents occurred less than 48 hours after the U.S. struck Irans nuclear sites. President Trump said the operation caused monumental damage.

RELATED STORY | Trump hints at possibility of regime change in Iran, sending mixed messaging from administration

Pentagon officials described it as the largest operational deployment of B-2 bombers in U.S. history, with more than a dozen 30,000-pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs used in the assault.

The escalation has raised fears of a broader regional conflict, which began June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes that killed senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists.

Since then, Israel and Iran have exchanged near-daily strikes. Iran claims hundreds have been killed in the ongoing war, while Israel has reported limited casualties. However, some Iranian missiles have breached Israels Iron Dome defense system and caused damage to buildings.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the circumstances surrounding a base in Iraq that was initially believed to be targeted by Iran. The country has only claimed responsibility for the attack in Qatar.

With help from a $2.5 million from Oakland County’s housing trust fund, a new 72-unit multifamily housing development has opened in Pontiac.

Westwood South Apartments, 837 Golf Drive in Pontiac, have two complete buildings already at capacity and a third under construction.

Frank Bell, a U.S. Navy veteran and Pontiac native, lived in Lincoln Park until he had the opportunity to rent a Westwood apartment with help from the federal Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program. He uses a wheelchair after losing his legs to disease. He praised the developers for their humanistic treatment.

Humane treatment, he said, “is about peace, quiet and tranquility that’s what I have here.”

At Monday’s ribbon cutting, County Executive Dave Coulter said good quality, safe housing is essential for Oakland County residents of all income brackets, adding “healthy communities start with good neighborhoods.”

The county commission created the county’s housing trust fund with $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Coulter said that sounds like a lot of money, but it has all been committed. County officials are now working on ways to keep the fund going.

Coulter said grants made to developers will be repaid over time. Deputy County Executive Madiha Tariq said the commission has committed $2 million annually but she is also looking for donations to create a robust revolving fund.

The trust fund helps existing developers by providing funding with a requirement to include affordable housing units.

Bill Chalmers, Westwood Apartment Communities’ managing partner, said the county’s $2.5 grant was essential to finishing the contract, because inflation has increased costs.

He said 60% of people renting Westwood units work for United Wholesale Mortgage, less than three miles away. Three residents are from India – in one case a man came to the U.S. to work at Trinity Health and was thrilled to find a home close to work, he said.

The one- and two-bedroom units range from 660 square feet to 1,025 square feet with one or two bathrooms. The units have washer-dryer hook-ups, air conditioning, a dishwasher and microwave. Rent ranges from $1,150 to $1,450 with federal housing vouchers for up to six units in each of the three buildings.

Chalmers described Westwood as diverse in every possible way: Income, age, race, gender and sexual orientation.

The apartments are just south of the Links at Crystal Lake, a golf course on the edge of the lake, and less than two miles from Bowens senior center and across a parking lot from a Montessori school.

It is across the parking lot from the office for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, a Medicare and Medicaid program that serves Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

Chalmers said construction included adding 12 overnight beds for PACE.

Chalmers praised Vern Gustafsson, Pontiac’s former planning manager and now the project director and planner at the Pontiac Housing Commission, for shepherding the project through the city’s planning and zoning process.

Deborah Younger, the city’s economic development manager, told Chalmers about the county’s grant program and Councilwoman Melanie Rutherford was “a big champion” of the project even before she was elected to the city council, Chalmers said.

“One apartment, one home at a time,” said Rutherford, who is on the housing commission’s board of directors. “I’m so proud to be a part of this.”

The apartments are on the abandoned site of a former Baptist College. The project included gutting and renovating what had been dorm rooms for the college students, Chalmers said.

The first two buildings have reached capacity, he said. He expects a third building will fill up quickly after it is finished in September.

A 37-year-old Birmingham man accused of trying to break into a home by stabbing and kicking its front door is facing a charge of attempted home invasion.

According to the Bloomfield Township Police Department, officers arrested Peter Chan-Woong Chung on the porch of the home near Quarton and Lahser roads shortly before 2 a.m on June 21. A resident had called 911 to report a man dressed all in black was trying to break into the front door and was stabbing the door with a knife and trying to kick it in, police said.

Chung was under the influence of alcohol at the time, police said, and it doesn’t appear that he knows the residents.

The knife Chung allegedly used was found on a window ledge near the front door, police said. Damage to the door exceeded $1,000, police said.

At Chung’s arraignment, bond was set at $25,000 with a 10% provision — which allowed him to be released from custody after posting $2,500. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 3.

Waterford man dead after being hit by van driven by 81 year old

 

 

By MARK KENNEDY, AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Twenty-five years ago, a little girl with a bob haircut appeared on our TVs, speaking a mix of English and Spanish, with a spunky, can-do spirit. She had an adventure planned, a backpack, a monkey friend and upbeat songs.

“Hi, I’m Dora. What’s your name?” she asked.

This was, of course, “Dora the Explorer,” the first Latina to lead a major cartoon series and the girl who helped spearhead the rise of multicultural children’s programming in the U.S. on her way to becoming a cultural phenomenon.

“The show allowed Latinos to be depicted on TV as educators, teaching viewers how to speak our language, and yet at the same time, just teaching ordinary things that children need to learn,” said Brenda Victoria Castillo, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition.

Nickelodeon is celebrating Dora’s 25th anniversary with the feature-length live-action movie “Dora and the Search of Sol Dorado,” a third season of the rebooted animated series “Dora,” the podcast Dora’s Mermaid Adventures, an album of songs and plenty of toys and apparel.

“The great thing about Dora is that, yes, she celebrates Latin culture through every aspect — language, food, dress and music,” says Ramsey Naito, president of animation at Paramount and Nickelodeon. “But she also empowers everybody to be their true self and to be brave. She’s not exclusive. She’s inclusive.”

The original voice

Kathleen Herles had a special vantage point to see Dora’s influence: She was the original voice of the pint-size heroine, cast in the role when she was 7 and staying until she was 18 and off to college.

“It has been the longest journey and the greatest adventure of my life — no pun intended,” said Herles, who grew up in New York City to parents of Peruvian descent.

On the convention circuit, Herles would see firsthand the power of Dora. “I remember I would make kids cry, not intentionally,” she says. “Their mind goes to a memory, to a moment, it’s just incredible. It’s so special, it’s magical.”

Herles has lately been the voice actor for Dora’s mom on “Dora,” the reboot that started in 2024. It’s a full-circle moment for the actor and singer: “It changed my life forever, twice.”

“Dora the Explorer” led to what Herles laughingly calls the “Dora-verse” — the spinoff series “Go, Diego, Go!,” a sequel series “Dora and Friends: Into the City!” and the 2019 live-action feature film “Dora and the Lost City of Gold,” starring Isabela Merced, Eva Longoria and Michael Peña.

“Dora” co-creator Chris Gifford has watched his creation age up and down and take human form. “She has been older and she has been younger and she has a hair clip now,” he says. “Her essence, her positive spirit, her I-can-do-anything-with-your-help attitude has stuck through.”

Dora is firmly part of the culture, as big as her Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon. There’s a reference to her in “Inside Out 2,” she’s been mocked on “Saturday Night Live” and if you look carefully at the PBS show “Alma’s Way,” you can see a Dora doll in that heroine’s bedroom. TikTok users have embraced the “Backpack Song.”

“Those kids coming of age now — the ones who 25 years ago were just watching it as little preschoolers — they’re out there and they’re remembering,” says Valerie Walsh Valdes, co-creator of the original series and an executive producer on the new series and movie.

Creating a problem solver

Valdes and Gifford originally had the idea for a show about a little girl who was a problem solver. Like “Blue’s Clues,” it would reward kids for figuring out answers posed by the host.

“Preschoolers are the least powerful people in our world,” says Gifford. “They’re not able to button their sweater and not able to tie their shoes, but if they’re able to help Dora get to the City of Lost Toys and really feel like they helped, that’s something special.”

Nickelodeon suggested the girl be Latina and the creators ran with it, making her pan-Latina so no one would feel excluded. Latin representation on TV — then and now — has been a struggle.

The Latino Donor Collaborative’s 2024 Latinos in Media report found that Latino actors made up 9.8% of the main cast in lead, co-lead and ensemble roles in scripted shows. In non-scripted television, Latino hosts made up only 5% of host roles. That’s despite Latin people making up nearly 20% of the country.

“There were few programs at the time that featured Latina protagonists with Dora’s skin tone or features, so from that perspective, the representation is valuable,” says Erynn Masi de Casanova, head of the sociology department at the University of Cincinnati.

Dora was put in an animated world inside a computer, and the creators asked kids to help make the show better. They hired education consultants to tease out the skills Dora teaches, like spatial understanding and interpersonal. They brought in language and culture experts.

“We did it!” became her signature song.

Bilingual heroine

The series is seen in more than 150 countries and territories and translated in 32 languages on Nickelodeon channels and Paramount+. In English-speaking countries such as the United States and Australia, Dora teaches Spanish; in other markets — including the Hispanic U.S. markets — she teaches English.

Samantha Lorraine, 18, who grew up in Miami of Cuban heritage, had the Dora T-shirts and backpack. She laughs that she once even had the Dora bob.

In July, she’s starring as Dora in “Dora and the Search of Sol Dorado,” which was filmed in Colombia. “I’ve been doing my audition since day one,” she says.

“It’s an honor to be stepping into Dora’s shoes. It’s such a huge legacy,” she adds. “It’s really nice to be able to be a part of representation where it counts. And Dora is the epitome of that.”

Castillo, of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, puts Dora up there with Mickey Mouse in terms of an instantly recognized cultural character and says she’s relevant more than ever.

“We need more Doras,” she says. “If people were just open to being educated in other people’s languages and cultures and beliefs and not see it as a threat, we wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in this country and the world.”

The post Michigan businesses brace for summer without Canadians appeared first on WDET 101.9 FM.

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens said she plans to introduce legislation next week that would prevent President Donald Trump from unilaterally deploying active-duty military forces within the United States without approval from state or territorial leaders. The Michigan Democrat announced the “Stop Trump’s Abuse of Power Act” on Monday in response to the Trump administration’s deployment of U.S. Marines and thousands of federalized National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this month during protests tied to the president’s immigration crackdown.