A Hazel Park man has been charged in connection with a quadruple shooting in Detroit in which two people died.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged Jaylen Lee Robinson, 30, in the fatal shootings of Martin Clay, 32, of Davison, and Maria Jenkins, 34, of Highland Park, and the nonfatal shootings of two Detroit women, ages 28 and 39.
Worthy said in a release that Detroit police officers were dispatched to a gas station in the 3300 block of Puritan Street, east of Dexter Avenue, for a reported shooting at about 4 a.m. Monday, July 28.
Officers observed Clay on the floor of the gas station with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and buttocks area. Jenkins and the two other women had gunshot wounds to the torso.
Clay was dead at the scene. Jenkins died a short time later at a hospital.
A verbal altercation between Robinson and Clay escalated to a physical fight, and Robinson fired a handgun multiple times, the release said.
Robinson is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of felony firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
At his arraignment Friday in 36th District Court in Detroit, he was remanded to the Wayne County Jail.
He faces a probable cause conference Aug. 12 and a preliminary exam Aug. 19 before Judge Shawn Jacque.
Michigan State Police detectives seized high-end merchandise from at least six Oak Park stores, alleging the items are counterfeit.
MSP said in a release that its detectives recently executed a search warrant on the stores in the Greenfield Plaza, 21700 Greenfield Road, between Eight Mile and Nine Mile roads.
MSP alleged the sellers knew the name-brand items were fake. An investigation is continuing.
The release said MSP received a tip about the allegedly counterfeit items.
“Undercover detectives were able to identify and purchase the counterfeit items,” the release said.
“Often, these counterfeit items contain harmful chemicals that can endanger (your) health,” said First Lt. Mike Shaw. “The saying of (if) it seems too good to be true normally is true. Make sure the items you purchase are legit; your health may depend on it.”
Not all businesses in the Greenfield Plaza are impacted, the release said.
Michigan State Police executed a search warrant on at least six stores at the Greenfield Plaza in Oak Park and seized high-end merchandise alleged to be counterfeit. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.
A maintenance worker killed in a shooting at the Devon Park Apartments in Royal Oak was not involved in a dispute between two tenants that led to shots being fired, police said.
Officers responded to the complex on Crooks Road between 13 Mile and Normandy roads at about noon Thursday, July 31, on a report of shots fired in the parking lot.
Officers and firefighters performed life-saving measures on the maintenance worker, Police Chief Michael Moore said in a briefing with the news media Thursday. The maintenance worker died a short time later. Police did not release his name.
Police apprehended a suspect at the scene, Moore said.
He said the suspect, who lives at Devon Park, and another tenant were involved in a dispute before the suspect produced a pistol and fired several shots.
“I do believe there was a history there,” Moore said. He did not release details on the nature of the dispute.
Lt. Rich Millard confirmed Friday that the maintenance worker was not involved in the dispute.
Millard said the suspect, who remains in custody, will likely be arraigned over the weekend.
NEW YORK (AP) — The National Science Foundation can continue to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars from researchers in several states until litigation aimed at restoring it plays out, a federal court ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge John Cronan in New York declined to force the NSF to restart payments immediately, while the case is still being decided, as requested by the sixteen Democrat-led states who brought the suit, including New York, Hawaii, California, Colorado and Connecticut.
In his ruling, Cronan said he would not grant the preliminary injunction in part because it may be that another court, the Court of Federal Claims, has jurisdiction over what is essentially a case about money. He also said the states failed to show that NSF’s actions were counter to the agency’s mandate.
The lawsuit filed in May alleges that the National Science Foundation’s new grant-funding priorities as well as a cap on what’s known as indirect research expenses “violate the law and jeopardize America’s longstanding global leadership in STEM.”
Another district court had already blocked the the cap on indirect costs — administrative expenses that allow research to get done like paying support staff and maintaining equipment. This injunction had been requested to restore funding to the grants that were cut.
In April, the NSF announced a new set of priorities and began axing hundreds of grants for research focused on things like misinformation and diversity, equity and inclusion. Researchers who lost funding also were studying artificial intelligence, post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans, STEM education for K-12 students and more.
Researchers were not given a specific explanation for why their grants were canceled, attorney Colleen Faherty, representing the state of New York, said during last month’s hearing. Instead, they received boilerplate language stating that their work “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.”
NSF has long been directed by Congress to encourage underrepresented groups like women and people with disabilities to participate in STEM. According to the lawsuit, the science foundation’s funding cuts already halted efforts to train the next generation of scientists in fields like computer science, math and environmental science.
A lawyer for the NSF said at the hearing that the agency has the authority to fund whatever research it deems necessary — and has since its inception in 1950. In the court filing, the government also argued that its current priorities were to “create opportunities for all Americans everywhere” and “not preference some groups at the expense of others, or directly/indirectly exclude individuals or groups.”
The plaintiff states are trying to “substitute their own judgement for the judgement of the agency,” Adam Gitlin, an attorney for the NSF, said during the hearing.
The science foundation is still funding some projects related to expanding representation in STEM, Cronan wrote in his ruling. Per the lawsuit filed in May, for example, the University of Northern Colorado lost funding for only one of its nine programs focused on increasing participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
The states are reviewing the decision, according to spokespeople from the New York and Hawaii attorney general offices. The National Science Foundation declined to comment.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The headquarters of the National Science Foundation is photographed May 29, 2025, in Alexandria, Va. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge agreed on Friday to temporarily block the Trump administration’s efforts to expand fast-track deportations of immigrants who legally entered the U.S. under a process known as humanitarian parole — a ruling that could benefit hundreds of thousands of people.
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Department of Homeland Security exceeded its statutory authority in its effort to expand “expedited removal” for many immigrants. The judge said those immigrants are facing perils that outweigh any harm from “pressing pause” on the administration’s plans.
The case “presents a question of fair play” for people fleeing oppression and violence in their home countries, Cobb said in her 84-page order.
“In a world of bad options, they played by the rules,” she wrote. “Now, the Government has not only closed off those pathways for new arrivals but changed the game for parolees already here, restricting their ability to seek immigration relief and subjecting them to summary removal despite statutory law prohibiting the Executive Branch from doing so.”
Fast-track deportations allow immigration officers to remove somebody from the U.S. without seeing a judge first. In immigration cases, parole allows somebody applying for admission to the U.S. to enter the country without being held in detention.
Immigrants’ advocacy groups sued Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to challenge three recent DHS agency actions that expanded expedited removal. A surge of arrests at immigration courts highlights the lawsuit’s high stakes.
The judge’s ruling applies to any non-citizen who has entered the U.S. through the parole process at a port of entry. She suspended the challenged DHS actions until the case’s conclusion.
Cobb said the case’s “underlying question” is whether people who escaped oppression will have the chance to “plead their case within a system of rules.”
“Or, alternatively, will they be summarily removed from a country that — as they are swept up at checkpoints and outside courtrooms, often by plainclothes officers without explanation or charges — may look to them more and more like the countries from which they tried to escape?” she added.
A plaintiffs’ attorney, Justice Action Center legal director Esther Sung, described the ruling as a “huge win” for hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their families. Sung said many people are afraid to attend routine immigration hearings out of fear of getting arrested.
“Hopefully this decision will alleviate that fear,” Sung said.
Since May, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have positioned themselves in hallways to arrest people after judges accept government requests to dismiss deportation cases. After being arrested, the government renews deportation proceedings but under fast-track authority.
President Donald Trump sharply expanded fast-track authority in January, allowing immigration officers to deport someone without first seeing a judge. Although fast-track deportations can be put on hold by filing an asylum claim, people may be unaware of that right and, even if they are, can be swiftly removed if they fail an initial screening.
“Expedited removal” was created under a 1996 law and has been used widely for people stopped at the border since 2004. Trump attempted to expand those powers nationwide to anyone in the country less than two years in 2019 but was held up in court. His latest efforts amount to a second try.
ICE exercised its expanded authority sparingly at first during Trump’s second term but has since relied on it for aggressive enforcement in immigration courts and in “workplace raids,” according to plaintiffs’ attorneys.
Spagat reported from San Diego.
Federal agents escort a man to a transport bus after he was detained following an appearance at immigration court, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials have told more than a half-dozen of the nation’s top medical organizations that they will no longer help establish vaccination recommendations.
The government told the organizations on Thursday via email that their experts are being disinvited from the workgroups that have been the backbone of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
The organizations include the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
“I’m concerned and distressed,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University vaccine expert who for decades has been involved with ACIP and its workgroups.
He said the move will likely propel a confusing fragmentation of vaccine guidance, as patients may hear the government say one thing and hear their doctors say another.
One email said the organizations are “special interest groups and therefore are expected to have a ‘bias’ based on their constituency and/or population that they represent.”
A federal health official on Friday confirmed the action, which was first reported by Bloomberg.
The decision was the latest development in what has become a saga involving the ACIP. The committee, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration should be used.
CDC directors have traditionally almost always approved those recommendations, which are widely heeded by doctors and greenlight insurance coverage for shots.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before becoming the U.S. government’s top health official, and in June abruptly fired the entire ACIP after accusing them of being too closely aligned with manufacturers. He handpicked replacements that include several vaccine skeptics.
The workgroups typically include not only committee members but also a number of experts from medical and scientific organizations. At workgroup meetings, members evaluate data from vaccine manufacturers and the CDC, and formulate vaccination recommendation proposals to be presented to the full committee.
The structure was created for several reasons, Schaffner said. The professional groups provide input about what might and might not be possible for doctors to implement. And it helped build respect and trust in ACIP recommendations, having the buy-in of respected medical organizations, he said.
Workgroup members are vetted for conflicts of interest, to make sure than no one who had, say, made money from working on a hepatitis vaccine was placed on the hepatitis committee, Schaffner noted.
Also disinvited from the groups were the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the American Geriatrics Society, the American Osteopathic Association, the National Medical Association and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
In a joint statement Friday, the AMA and several of the other organizations said: “To remove our deep medical expertise from this vital and once transparent process is irresponsible, dangerous to our nation’s health, and will further undermine public and clinician trust in vaccines.”
They urged the administration to reconsider the move “so we can continue to feel confident in its vaccine recommendations for our patients.”
Some of the professional organizations have criticized Kennedy’s changes to the ACIP, and three of the disinvited groups last month joined a lawsuit against the government over Kennedy’s decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for most children and pregnant women.
In a social media post Friday, one of the Kennedy-appointed ACIP members — Retsef Levi — wrote that the working groups “will engage experts from even broader set of disciplines!”
Levi, a business management professor, also wrote that working group membership “will be based on merit & expertise — not membership in organizations proven to have (conflicts of interest) and radical & narrow view of public health!”
HHS officials have not said which people are going to be added to the ACIP workgroups.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE – A sign outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campus in Atlanta is seen as a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices takes place on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the conduit for federal funds to NPR and PBS, announced on Friday that it is beginning to wind down its operations given President Trump has signed a law clawing back $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting through fiscal year 2027.
The announcement follows a largely party-line vote last month that approved the cuts to public broadcasting as part of a $9 billion rescissions package that also included cuts to foreign aid that was sent by the White House earlier this year. While public media officials had held a glimmer of hope that lawmakers would restore some of the money in the following year, the Senate Appropriations Committee declined to do that on Thursday.
“Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison said in a statement. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”
“Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country,” Harrison said.
CPB informed employees that the majority of staff positions will be eliminated with the close of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. It said a small team would remain until January to “focus on compliance, fiscal distributions, and resolution of long-term financial obligations including ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system,” according to the CPB statement.
Disclosure: This story was reported and written by NPR correspondent Scott Neuman. It was edited by Deputy Business Editor Emily Kopp and Managing Editor Vickie Walton-James. Under NPR’s protocol for reporting on itself, no NPR corporate official or news executive reviewed this story before it was posted publicly.
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Federal judge T.S. Ellis III, whose legal scholarship and commanding courtroom presence was evident in numerous high-profile trials, has died after a long illness. He was 85.
Ellis oversaw the trials of former Donald Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and former U.S. Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson as well as the plea deal of “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh across a judicial career that lasted more than 35 years.
His acerbic wit sometimes drew muted complaints at the courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, where Ellis was based, but his legal reasoning was unquestioned.
Ellis died Wednesday at his home in Keswick, according to the Cremation Society of Virginia.
Thomas Selby Ellis III was born in Colombia in 1940 and frequently found ways in court to utilize his Spanish-language skills. He often told Spanish-speaking defendants who relied on interpreters to speak up as they pleaded for leniency, saying he wanted to hear their words for himself.
He joined the Navy after receiving an undergraduate degree from Princeton, and completed graduate studies at Oxford. He received his law degree from Harvard, graduating magna cum laude.
He was appointed to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan in 1987.
In a courthouse known as the “Rocket Docket” for its speedy disposition of cases, Ellis’ courtroom reflected his iconoclastic nature. Rarely did his hearings start on time, though when he presided over jury trials his punctuality improved as he zealously guarded jurors’ time commitments.
He frequently chastised lawyers to cut short long-winded arguments, in what he called “a concession to the shortness of life.” But he was easily coaxed or diverted into telling stories from the bench recalling episodes from his long legal career.
He snapped at lawyers who annoyed him, but would often adopt a more conciliatory tone later in the same hearing, and apologize for his short temper.
His penchant for speaking freely drew raised eyebrows at what was arguably the highest-profile trial over which he presided: the prosecution of Manafort, on charges of tax and bank fraud related to his work advising pro-Russia Ukrainian politicians before managing Trump’s campaign.
Ellis ultimately delivered a 47-month sentence, and said as an aside that Manafort appeared to have lived “an otherwise blameless life,” a phrase he often used at criminal sentencings. Critics who found much to blame in Manafort’s long career working for clients including the tobacco industry and international despots were outraged by the comment.
In 2009, Ellis sentenced Jefferson, a former Louisiana congressman, to 13 years in prison for taking bribes, including $90,000 found hidden in his freezer. The case threw multiple curveballs at Ellis, including a sexual relationship between a key witness and an investigating FBI agent.
In 2017, Ellis reduced Jefferson’s sentence to time served after a Supreme Court case changed the rules for what constitutes bribery of public officials. He made clear, though, that he believed Jefferson’s actions were criminal, and called his conduct “venal.”
“Public corruption is a cancer,” he said at the time of Jefferson’s resentencing. “It needs to be prosecuted and punished.”
Ellis’ sentencing hearings often followed a familiar script in which he invited defendants to explain themselves “by way of extenuation, mitigation, or indeed anything at all” that they wanted to say on their behalf. He invariably told defendants before passing judgment that “you write the pages to your own life story.”
Ellis took senior status as a judge in 2007 but regularly worked an extensive docket. In recent years, with his failing health, his cases were reassigned.
FILE – In this courtroom sketch, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, left, presides during a hearing for captured American Taliban John Walker Lindh, seated, on Feb. 15, 2002, in Alexandria, Va. Ellis, who oversaw numerous high-profile trials, died Wednesday, July 30, 2025, after a long illness at the age of 85. (AP Photo/Arthur Lien, File)
Color-coded folders and notebooks. A fresh stash of pens and pencils. A new outfit.
Millions of American students from preschool through college, and their (often) bankrolling parents, back-to-school shop ahead of each fall. But as prices rise, technology evolves and new products hit the shelves, families are seeking ways to keep checking off the school supply list affordably.
“When I was young, I had $50 to go to the grocery store. I go now, and that’s, like, three or four items,” said Matt Marsh, Minneapolis managing partner at Deloitte. “Everything costs more. So families are getting squeezed a bit, and it’s creating a level of anxiety.”
According to PwC’s inaugural back-to-school survey, nearly 3 in 4 parents said they’ll spend the same or more than they did last year on school supplies, even with higher prices and economic volatility.
“There’s still this underlying element of consumer confidence,” said Kelly Pedersen, a partner at PwC. “Even though we hear a lot of uncertainty in the market, people still need to shop for back-to-school.”
Plan and budget
Before shopping, take inventory of last year’s supplies. About a third of parents plan to reuse items, according to PwC.
Budgeting, paired with a specific shopping list, can prevent impulse buying.
In Minneapolis, parents Deloitte surveyed expected to spend $682 per child this year. That’s 20% more than the national average.
Niki Kroll of Minneapolis typically starts her back-to-school shopping in July and has already noticed higher prices. Various name-brand notebooks, folders and backpacks seem to be more expensive than previous years. But she has had success finding pencils, glue sticks and other basics on sale.
Those surveyed planned to spend less on clothing and more on school supplies. They also plan to spend more of their budget on tech than last year, though experts expect the total of those tech purchases to stay flat in comparison to last year’s $520 per family.
Assess need
As kids progress in school, more advanced classes might require new tech purchases, like a different calculator model, nearly each year. Delaying that purchase if possible or downgrading it — such as buying an older or used version — can free up room for more necessities like binders, scissors and pencil cases.
“Consider asking your child’s teacher what’s essential on day one vs. what can wait until later in the year,” wrote Ted Rossman, Bankrate senior industry analyst, in an analyst note.
Shop now
More than a third of parents PwC surveyed said they’re starting earlier this year to snag better prices and beat the rush.
“There’s this thought that the better deals are out there earlier before the heart of back-to-school in August,” Pedersen said.
Deloitte’s survey found more than two-thirds of Minneapolis parents plan to finish most of their school shopping by the end of July. They were able to cash in on recent sales like Target’s Circle Week and Amazon’s Prime Day. But several retailers are hosting back-to-school promotions through August.
Target announced Tuesday “Back-to-School-idays” discounts from July 27-Aug. 2. The retailer is maintaining its 2024 prices on key items, and some stores will have personalization stations with embroidery and patches for backpacks, lunchboxes, towels and pillows.
Walmart is offering lower prices than last year on select items, such as highlighters, erasers and notebooks.
Use AI
One in five parents told PwC they plan to use artificial intelligence to find the best deals this season.
“The biggest change we’ve seen with AI shopping is the agent concept, basically putting in your shopping list and budget to optimize your list and what you buy,” Pedersen said. “It’s really taking all of the searching work out of having to do back-to-school shopping.”
AI tools like app and website ChatGPT allow users to paste in a list of school supplies and make requests, like “find these items for the cheapest prices online or in-store within 20 miles of Minneapolis.” Users can also ask to search specific stores and keep the total under a certain amount.
Don’t fall for influencers
Deloitte’s data shows parents who use social media are likely to spend 1½ times more on back-to-school than others. Higher education, bigger wages, better access to the internet and more leisure time spent online all play a role.
“Generally, retailers are moving marketing dollars toward influencers, and influencers are creating behaviors that might result in that splurge purchase,” Marsh said.
More than two-thirds of Minneapolis parents said their child’s preferences often steer them to spend more, and 63% are willing to spend a little extra on their child’s first-day outfit compared with 57% nationally.
Make it fun
In Bloomington, Mall of America is hosting giveaways, limited-time promotions and events for back-to-school. Shoppers can scan the Mall of America app once per day for a chance to win a gift card or rewards points. The mall plans to give away more than $10,000 in gift cards between Aug. 11-31.
Deals are also available for the Nickelodeon Universe theme park and Crayola Experience from Aug. 4-Sept. 30.
“For parents and families coming to Mall of America, it’s a one-stop shop,” said Jill Renslow, Mall of America’s chief business development and marketing officer. “It’s a destination where people have that tradition of coming for not only shopping, but to go on some rides or grab lunch.”
Many cities also offer local events for free or low-cost school supplies, just look on city events calendars.
In store vs. online
Younger parents are leading a small resurgence of in-store shopping.
“Every year in our stats, Gen Zs are the ones who are visiting physical stores the most,” Pedersen said. “[They] value in-person experiences, and in some cases, they’re willing to pay a premium price for that.”
Gen Z also reported a higher likelihood of buying in-store. In previous years, younger shoppers more commonly browsed stores to try on or test products but made final purchases online.
Income also plays a role. Families earning under $75,000 are nearly twice as likely to shop only in-store, while higher-income households tend to prefer online shopping.
Be strategic
While inflation has cooled to 2.4%, prices are still up nearly 24% compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to Bankrate.
“It’s not like when the rate goes down, prices go down. They just don’t go up as fast anymore,” Marsh said. “But there’s a lot of economic anxiety about pricing.”
Looking for generic versions of favorite brands or comparing prices across stores can save money. So can thrifting, Pedersen said. About a fifth of shoppers said they’re looking to shop secondhand.
Shoppers can stack discounts by combining a rewards credit card with store promotions or other available offers, which can add up to considerable savings, Rossman wrote in an analyst note.
For Kroll, she enjoys letting her kids pick their most personal items, like lunchboxes. Despite higher prices, those moments are some of her family’s favorite memories.
“We really like shopping for backpacks and things that have more wiggle room for the kids’ own style. The lists have gotten quite specific, so it’s fun when they can pick out their own stuff,” Kroll said. “My son knows immediately what he wants, and my daughter tries on about 10 backpacks while looking in the mirror.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — A stalemate over the pace of confirmations has delayed the Senate’s yearly August recess, for now, as President Donald Trump declares that his nominees “should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT” and as Democrats slow the process by forcing procedural votes on almost all of Trump’s picks.
Caught in the middle, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he will keep the Senate in session over the weekend, at least, to hold confirmation votes while also negotiating with Democrats to speed up consideration of dozens of nominees. The two sides haven’t come to agreement yet, and it’s still unclear if Trump, who has been publicly calling on Republicans to cancel their break, would be onboard with any bipartisan deal.
Thune said Friday he was leaving some of the negotiations to Trump and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“That’s how this is going to get resolved,” Thune said. “We’ll see where that leads.”
Senators in both parties are eager to leave Washington for their annual break, when many of them tour their states to talk to constituents. Republicans in particular are eager to return home and sell the massive tax and spending cuts package they passed in July as Democrats vow to use it against them in the 2026 midterm elections. The House, which has no role in the confirmation process, fled Washington a week ago.
But Trump has other plans.
“The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!!” Trump posted on social media Thursday night, after a meeting with Thune at the White House. “We have to save our Country from the Lunatic Left. Republicans, for the health and safety of the USA, DO YOUR JOB, and confirm All Nominees.”
Thune said this week that Republicans are considering changing the Senate’s rules when they get back in September to make it easier to quickly approve a president’s nominations — and to try and avoid a similar stalemate in the future. Democrats have blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any quick unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each one, a lengthy process that takes several days per nominee and allows for debate time.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Friday that Senate GOP leadership was “going back, drafting a specific rule for us to react to” as they try to plot a path forward.
It’s the first time in recent history that the minority party hasn’t allowed at least some quick confirmations. Thune has already kept the Senate in session for more days, and with longer hours, this year to try and confirm as many of Trump’s nominees as possible.
Democrats have little desire to give in, even though they too are eager to skip town after several long months of work and bitter partisan fights over legislation. Schumer has said Democrats have blocked quick votes because, “historically bad nominees deserved historic levels of scrutiny.”
There are more than 150 nominations on the Senate calendar, and confirming them all would take more than a month even if the Senate does stay in session, if Democrats draw out the process.
The standoff is just the latest chapter in an ever-escalating Senate fight over nominations in the last two decades. Both parties have increasingly used stalling tactics to delay confirmations that were once quick, bipartisan and routine. In 2013, Democrats changed Senate rules for lower court judicial nominees to remove the 60-vote threshold for confirmations as Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s judicial nominations. In 2017, Republicans did the same for Supreme Court nominees as Democrats tried to block Trump’s nomination of Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Still, Thune says, the Democrats’ current delays are a “historic level of obstruction.”
In his first year as leader, Thune has worked with Trump to quickly confirm his Cabinet and navigated complicated internal party dynamics to pass the tax and spending cuts package, which Trump sees as his signature policy achievement.
Yet the president is applying increasing pressure on Thune and his conference, trying to control the Senate’s schedule and calling out three Republican senators in social media posts this week — including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the senior-most Senate Republican who worked closely with Trump to confirm his picks for Supreme Court in his first term.
Trump criticized Grassley for keeping with Senate tradition and working with home state Democrats on some judicial confirmations, saying that he got Grassley re-elected “when he was down, by a lot.”
Opening a committee hearing on Thursday, Grassley defended the practice and added that he was “offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults.”
Trump also criticized Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley for working with Democrats on a stock trading ban for lawmakers. And in a post late Thursday, he counseled Republicans to “vote the exact opposite” of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, a moderate who has worked with Democrats on spending bills this year and frequently opposes Trump.
Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributedto this report.
Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center, speaks during a news conference after a policy luncheon at the Capitol Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the firing of the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures after a report showed hiring slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously reported.
Trump in a post on his social media platform alleged that the figures were manipulated for political reasons and said that Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, should be fired.
“I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said on Truth Social. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.”
Friday’s jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated.
McEntarfer was nominated by Biden in 2023 and became the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in January 2024. Commissioners typically serve four-year terms but since they are political appointees can be fired. The commissioner is the only political appointee of the agency, which has hundreds of career civil servants.
Trump focused much of his ire on the revisions the agency made to previous hiring data. Job gains in May were revised down to just 19,000 from 125,000, and in June they were cut to 14,000 from 147,000. In July, only 73,000 positions were added. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1%.
“No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers,” Trump wrote. “She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”
The monthly employment report is one of the most closely-watched pieces of government economic data and can cause sharp swings in financial markets. The disappointing figure sent U.S. market indexes about 1.5% lower Friday.
While the jobs numbers are often the subject of political spin, economists and Wall Street investors — with millions of dollars at stake — have always accepted U.S. government economic data as free from political manipulation.
President Donald Trump speaks as Cody Campbell, left, and professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau listen during an event for the signing of an executive order restarting the Presidential Fitness Test in public schools, Thursday, July 31, 2025, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats are launching a nationwide summer blitz designed to force vulnerable Republicans to defend President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill — especially Medicaid cuts that will leave millions of Americans without health care coverage.
Republican leaders in Washington, meanwhile, have encouraged their members to promote more popular aspects of the bill during smaller controlled appearances where GOP officials are less likely to face difficult questions or protests.
The Democratic National Committee’s “Organizing Summer” will feature events in all 50 states, beginning with Alaska, Texas, Colorado and California over the coming week. The party’s message will be reinforced by online advertising and billboard trucks at state and county fairs in the coming days targeting vulnerable House Republicans in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Jersey, among other states.
“As Democrats, our job is to ensure that every American across the country understands the devastating impacts of this bill,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said. “Democrats will be holding events, highlighting Republican hypocrisy, and ensuring Americans across the country know exactly who is responsible for taking away health care, food, construction jobs, and nursing homes in order to give massive handouts to billionaires.”
FILE – Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin speaks after winning the vote at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., Feb. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)
The massive Republican-backed tax and spending package that Trump called “big, beautiful” and signed into law on July 4 may ultimately become the defining issue of next year’s midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress for Trump’s final two years in office.
Republicans are touting the bill as a tax cut for all Americans, but polling suggests that U.S. adults have been slow to embrace the GOP’s message. The new law will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits through 2034, leave more than another 10 million people without health insurance and leave millions of others without food stamps, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
For much of the year, Republican officials have avoided town hall meetings with constituents or public appearances where they might face protesters or unscripted questions from voters. GOP members of Congress may be slightly more visible this summer, however, according to a memo distributed this week by the House Republican campaign arm.
The memo encourages Republicans to be proactive in selling Trump’s bill during the August recess, although the National Republican Campaign Committee suggests its members focus on tax cuts in smaller settings they can control.
Among the NRCC’s suggestions outlined in the memo: “Visit a local hospital and discuss how you voted for no tax on overtime,” “stop by a restaurant to highlight your vote on no tax on tips” and “work the counter at a local store and chat about your work to lower costs.”
The monthlong August break “is a critical opportunity to continue to define how this legislation will help every voter and push back on Democrat fearmongering,” the Republican memo says.
Democrats are planning a decidedly more public campaign this month than their Republican rivals, although they’ll also offer “multi-day intensive bootcamps” as part of a training program for political operatives and community leaders.
Events are being planned for all 50 states with special focus on 35 of the most competitive congressional districts in the country. Current and former Democratic officials will be featured, including former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who emerged as a leader against gun violence since her 2011 assassination attempt.
As part of the new effort, the Democratic National Committee is also launching a new digital advertising campaign initially targeting vulnerable Republicans in Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. That’s in addition to the DNC sending mobile billboard trucks to county fairs in the districts of Republicans in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“Trump’s big ugly bill: $4 trillion giveaway to billionaires. The rest of us pay the price,” read the billboards, which will feature the name and face of each Republican congressman.
And as Republicans search for an effective message to sell Trump’s bill, Democrats are increasingly confident.
“The big, ugly law is a political disaster,” said Viet Shelton, spokesman for the House Democrats campaign arm. “Everyone hates it and vulnerable House Republicans know it, which is why they’re scared to face their constituents in person during the August recess.”
People ask questions as Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., holds a town hall meeting Friday, July 25, 2025, in Wasco, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
More states are passing laws to protect information generated by a person’s brain and nervous system as technology improves the ability to unlock the sensitive details of a person’s health, mental states, emotions and cognitive functioning.
Colorado, California, and Montana are among the states that have recently required safeguarding brain data collected by devices outside of medical settings. That includes headphones, earbuds and other wearable consumer products that aim to improve sleep, focus and aging by measuring electrical activity and sending the data to an app on users’ phones.
A report by the Neurorights Foundation, an advocacy group that aims to protect people from the misuse of neurotechnology, found that 29 of 30 companies with neurotechnology products that can be purchased online have access to brain data and “provide no meaningful limitations to this access.” Almost all of them can share data with third parties.
In June, the American Medical Association called for greater regulation of neural data. In April, several Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether companies are exploiting consumers’ brain data. Juliana Gruenwald Henderson, a deputy director of the FTC’s Office of Public Affairs, said the agency had received the letter but had no additional comment.
Although current devices gather relatively basic information like sleep states, advocates for brain data protection caution that future technologies, including artificial intelligence, could extract more personal and sensitive information about people’s medical conditions or innermost thoughts.
“If you collect the data today, what can you read from it five years from now because the technology is advancing so quickly?” said Democratic state Sen. Cathy Kipp, who sponsored Colorado’s 2024 neural data protection bill when she was in the state House of Representatives.
As both excitement and trepidation about AI build, at least 28 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands have enacted some type of AI regulation separate from the privacy bills protecting neural data. President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” included a 10-year halt on states passing laws to regulate AI, but the Senate stripped that provision out of the budget reconciliation bill before voting to approve it on July 1.
The spirit of laws in Colorado, California, and Montana is to protect the neural data itself, not to regulate any algorithm or AI that might use it, said Sean Pauzauskie, medical director for the Neurorights Foundation.
But neurotechnology and AI go hand in hand, Pauzauskie said. “A lot of what these devices promise is based on pattern recognition. AI is really driving the usability and significance of the patterns in the brain data.”
Cristin Welle, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said that AI’s ability to identify patterns is a game changer in her field. “But contribution of a person’s neural data on an AI training set should be voluntary. It should be an opt-in, not a given.”
Chile in 2021 became the first country to adopt a constitutional amendment for neurorights, which prioritize human rights in the development of neurotechnology and collection of neural data, and UNESCO has said that neurotechnology and artificial intelligence could together pose a threat to human identity and autonomy.
Neurotechnology can sound like science fiction. Researchers used a cap with 128 electrodes and an AI model to decode the brain’s electric signals from thoughts into speech. And two years ago, a study described how neuroscientists reconstructed the Pink Floyd song “Another Brick in the Wall” by analyzing the brain signals of 29 epilepsy patients who listened to the song with electrodes implanted in their brains.
The aim is to use neurotechnology to help those with paralysis or speech disabilities, as well as treat or diagnose traumatic brain injuries and brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Elon Musk’s Neuralink and Synchron, funded by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos, are among the companies with clinical trials underway for devices implanted in the brain.
Pauzauskie, a hospital neurologist, started worrying four years ago about the blurring of the line between clinical and consumer use of neural data. He noted that the devices used by his epilepsy patients were also available for purchase online, but without protections afforded by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in medical settings.
Pauzauskie approached Kipp two years ago at a constituent meetup in his hometown of Fort Collins to propose a law to protect brain data in Colorado. “The first words out of her mouth that I’ll never forget were, ‘Who would be against people owning their own brain data?’” he said.
Brain data protection is one of the rare issues that unite lawmakers across the political aisle. The bills in California, Montana, and Colorado passed unanimously or nearly unanimously. Montana’s law will go into effect in October.
Neural data protection laws in Colorado and California amend each state’s general consumer privacy act, while Montana’s law adds to its existing genetic information privacy act. Colorado and Montana require initial express consent to collect or use neural data and separate consent or the ability to opt out before disclosing that data to a third party. A business must provide a way for consumers to delete their data when operating in all three states.
“I want a very hard line in the sand that says, you own this completely,” said Montana state Republican Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, who sponsored his state’s neural data bill and other privacy laws. “You have to give consent. You have the right to have it deleted. You have complete rights over this information.”
For Zolnikov, Montana’s bill is a blueprint for a national neural data protection law, and Pauzauskie said support of regulatory efforts by groups like the AMA pave the way for further federal and state efforts.
Welle agreed that federal regulations are needed in addition to these new state laws. “I absolutely hope that we can come up with something on a national level that can enshrine people’s neural rights into law, because I think this is going to be more important than we can even imagine at this time.”
BRUSSELS (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration says it is weighing what to do with family planning supplies stockpiled in Europe that campaigners and two U.S. senators are fighting to save from destruction.
Concerns that the Trump administration plans to incinerate the stockpile have angered family planning advocates on both sides of the Atlantic. Campaigners say the supplies stored in a U.S.-funded warehouse in Geel, Belgium, include contraceptive pills, contraceptive implants and IUDs that could spare women in war zones and elsewhere the hardship of unwanted pregnancies.
U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said Thursday in response to a question about the contraceptives that “we’re still in the process here in terms of determining the way forward.”
“When we have an update, we’ll provide it,” he said.
Belgium says it has been talking with U.S. diplomats about trying to spare the supplies from destruction, including possibly moving them out of the warehouse. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Florinda Baleci told The Associated Press that she couldn’t comment further “to avoid influencing the outcome of the discussions.”
Pigott didn’t detail the types of contraceptives that make up the stockpile. He said some of the supplies, bought by the previous administration, could “potentially be” drugs designed to induce abortions. Pigott didn’t detail how that might impact Trump administration thinking about how to deal with the drugs or the entire stockpile.
Costing more than $9 million and funded by U.S taxpayers, the family planning supplies were intended for women in war zones, refugee camps and elsewhere, according to a bipartisan letter of protest to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio from U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski.
They said destroying the stockpile “would be a waste of U.S. taxpayer dollars as well as an abdication of U.S. global leadership in preventing unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions and maternal deaths — key goals of U.S. foreign assistance.”
They urged Rubio to allow another country or partner to distribute the contraceptives.
Concerns voiced by European campaigners and lawmakers that the supplies could be transported to France for incineration have led to mounting pressure on government officials to intervene and save them.
The executive branch of the European Union, through spokesman Guillaume Mercier, said Friday that “we continue to monitor the situation closely to explore the most effective solutions.”
The U.S. branch of family planning aid group MSI Reproductive Choices said it offered to purchase, repackage and distribute the stock at its own expense but “these efforts were repeatedly rejected.” The group said the supplies included long-acting IUDs, contraceptive implants and pills, and that they have long shelf-lives, extending as far as 2031.
Aid group Doctors Without Borders said incineration would be “an intentionally reckless and harmful act against women and girls everywhere.”
Charles Dallara, the grandson of a French former lawmaker who was a contraception pioneer in France, urged President Emmanuel Macron to not let France “become an accomplice to this scandal.”
“Do not allow France to take part in the destruction of essential health tools for millions of women,” Dallara wrote in an appeal to the French leader. “We have a moral and historical responsibility.”
Leicester reported from Paris. Matthew Lee contributed from Washington, D.C.
FILE – Irene A Kerkulah, the health officer in charge at the Palala Clinic, looks at an almost-empty shelf at the clinic that once held contraceptives, in Bong County, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Annie Risemberg, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The Senate confirmed Andrea Lucas to another term as commissioner of the country’s workplace civil rights agency, demonstrating firm Republican support for her efforts to root out diversity programs, roll back protections for transgender workers and prioritize religious rights in the workplace.
Democratic lawmakers and prominent civil rights groups fiercely opposed Lucas’ confirmation, saying she has subjected the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to the whims of the president, who elevated her to acting chair in January and, in an unprecedented act, fired two of the agency’s Democratic commissioners before their terms expired.
Lucas, who was first appointed to the EEOC in 2020, secured another five-year term with a 52-45 party-line Senate vote on Thursday night, but it will be up to President Donald Trump if she continues as chair.
Lucas has firmly aligned the EEOC with Trump’s civil rights agenda, declaring during her confirmation hearing last month that she doesn’t consider the agency to be independent, a position she acknowledged was a shift from her previously stated views.
In compliance with Trump’s executive order declaring two unchangeable sexes, the EEOC dropped lawsuits on behalf of transgender workers and stalled progress on others. Lucas has also leveraged the EEOC’s enforcement powers to help the Trump administration target private institutions over their DEI programs or allegations of antisemitism. Her confirmation came a week after the EEOC secured a $21 million settlement with Columbia University over allegations of harassment against Jewish employees, part of a broader agreement with the Trump administration to restore federal research money.
“I look forward to continuing the historic progress this agency has made since the start of the second Trump Administration under my leadership — from securing multiple settlements with some of the world’s largest law firms to disavow DEI and embrace merit-based hiring and other employment practices, to obtaining the largest EEOC settlement to date for victims of antisemitism on behalf of Jewish employees at Columbia University,” Lucas said in a statement following her confirmation.
Democrats have assailed Lucas’ leadership as part of the Trump administration’s wider attempts to increase his authority by politicizing agencies long considered to be independent.
“In just a few short months as Acting Chair, Andrea Lucas has warped the mission of the EEOC beyond recognition and weaponized the agency to green light discrimination, roll back protections for people who are sexually assaulted at work, and intimidate anyone who challenges President Trump,” Sen. Patty Murray said in a statement.
Last week, legal and civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against the EEOC claiming that is has unlawfully refused to enforce federal protections for transgender workers.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supported Lucas’ confirmation, saying in a statement that she “believes in finding balance in EEOC policies and decisions.”
The EEOC, which investigates employment discrimination in the private sector, was created by Congress under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The dismissals of the commissioners left the EEOC without the quorum needed to make some major decisions. That will change if the Senate confirms a second Trump nominee, Britanny Panuccio.
FILE – Andrea Lucas, nominee to be a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, testifies during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing, June 18, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors said they now expect music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs could face a prison sentence “substantially higher” than the four to five years they once thought he was likely to face after his conviction on two prostitution-related charges.
They made the observation late Thursday in a Manhattan federal court written submission in which they also opposed Combs’ request this week to be released on $50 million bail while he awaits an Oct. 3 sentencing.
In early July, Combs, 55, was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges carrying potential life prison terms but was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution for arranging for girlfriends and male sex workers to travel to engage in sexual encounters that he filmed.
Each prostitution-related charge carries a potential maximum 10 years in prison.
Prosecutors said after the verdict that they thought federal sentencing guidelines meant to prevent wide disparities in sentencings for the same crimes would likely call for a prison term of four to five years. But they said Thursday they believe the guidelines range “will be substantially higher,” raising the risk Combs will flee.
Judge Arun Subramanian will have wide latitude in determining a sentence and can choose to ignore the guidelines, which are not mandatory. Combs’ lawyers have said they believe the guidelines, if properly calculated, will call for 21 to 27 months in prison.
On the day of the verdict, prosecutors won a bail fight after defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo argued Combs should be freed immediately on bail.
Subramanian denied the defense request, saying Combs had not met the burden of showing by clear and convincing evidence a “lack of danger to any person or the community.” But he said Agnifilo could renew the request.
In doing so Tuesday, Agnifilo cited other cases he said were comparable to Combs’ conviction in which defendants were granted bail. And he cited severe conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Combs has been held since his September arrest at a New York hotel.
He also said Combs was being treated unfairly for engaging in a “swingers” lifestyle in which he and his girlfriends sometimes invited male sex workers to join them in multiday marathon sex performances.
Prosecutors said in their filing Thursday that Combs’ conviction on the prostitution-related counts carried a mandatory requirement that he remain in jail prior to sentencing, unless he could prove exceptional circumstances, which they said he cannot.
They said he should also remain in prison as a danger to the community, a claim that Agnifilo disputed in his papers.
“Sean Combs will not be violent to anyone. As we said in court, this jury gave him his life back, and he will not squander his second chance at life, nor would he do anything to further jeopardize his seven children not having a father, and four of his children not having a parent at all,” Agnifilo wrote earlier this week.
Prosecutors also said conditions at the federal lockup had improved considerably before Combs was arrested. A federal judge in January 2024 had blasted conditions at the jail, including its extensive lockdowns and inadequate medical care.
Prosecutors said cases cited by Agnifilo in which other defendants received bail were not comparable to the crimes Combs was convicted of carrying out, particularly because of his propensity for violence.
“The defendant’s extensive history of violence — and his continued attempt to minimize his recent violent conduct — demonstrates his dangerousness and that he is not amendable to supervision,” they wrote. “The defendant utterly fails to establish by clear and convincing evidence, as required, that he does not pose a danger to the community.”
In this courtroom sketch, flanked by defense attorneys Teny Geragos, left, and Brian Steel, right, Sean “Diddy” Combs, center, reacts after he was denied bail on prostitution-related offenses, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in Manhattan federal court in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we cover an upcoming exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts centered around Indigenous artists. Plus, where to hear jazz in the Avenue of Fashion this weekend.
The Detroit Institute of Arts has just announced that it’s hosting a Native American exhibit in September. According to the museum’s website, “The Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation” exhibit will feature 60 U.S.-based Anishinaabe artists in the first major exhibition on Native Americans at the museum in 30 years.
The artwork will feature jewelry, basketry and painting. Additionally, there will be pottery and woodworking displays.
The exhibition has been curated with an advisory council of Ojibwe, Ottawa and Potawatomi artists. Gallery text will include Anishnaabemowin, a language of the Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes.
People can see the exhibition Sep. 28, 2025 through April 5, 2026.
Jazz on the Ave returns
Mike’s Fresh Market and the University Commonwealth are hosting a block party this weekend. The 17th Annual Jazz on the Ave festival is a customer appreciation block party on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion, located on Livernois Avenue.
The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 2 from noon to 8 p.m., featuring live music, free food, bounce houses and a parade at 4 p.m. It will also include a car show by Community Services LLC. Jamal Abro, owner of Mike’s Fresh Market, says this is a way to thank the community.
Learn how to build a rain garden
The City of Dearborn is partnering with nonprofit Friends of the Rouge to host a rain garden workshop next weekend.
Regina Sistrunk is the Community Development Compliance Officer for the City of Dearborn. She says in a news release that rain gardens are a holistic way to prevent rainwater from entering the sewer system each year. Participants will learn how rain gardens reduce flooding and support wildlife.
The workshop is funded through Dearborn’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds. The “Rain Gardens 101” class takes place on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 10–11 a.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. To register, visit therouge.org.
Chief Medical Executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, says she wants to dispel misconceptions and confusion about the shot, after the CDC stopped recommending it for healthy children and pregnant women.
“Our recommendations at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, after reviewing all of the data and guidance, have not changed. We continue to recommend the COVID vaccine for everyone aged six months and older, including those who are pregnant.”
Dr. Bagdasarian says the state’s recommendations align with national medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
Support local journalism.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
In this episode of The Detroit Evening Report, we cover the Detroit Police Department as they increase enforcement of the city’s curfew policy. Plus, Canadian wildfire smoke is headed this way.
The Detroit Police Department has some new tools to increase enforcement of its curfew policies. City Council approved a bill along those lines on Tuesday, July 29. Parents of violators will see fines rise from $75 to $250 for the first offense. A second offense will result in a fine of $500. That’s up from $100.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison says the goal is to prevent crime and keep kids safe.
“We’ve had too many instances of young people being out past curfew and have been arrested with a firearm, have been shot, have done other mischievous type things,” Bettison said. “Just this past weekend, I had a 13 year old that we arrested after curfew, set multiple collision shops on fire. That’s totally not acceptable. 13.”
Parents will no longer face jail time for curfew violations. Fines may be waived if they take a parental responsibility course.
Detroit’s curfew policy requires kids 15 and under to be off the streets between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless they’re with a parent. 16 and 17 year olds have an 11 p.m. curfew.
Air quality alert
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has issued an air quality alert has been issued for all of Michigan for Wednesday, July 30 and Thursday, July 31. That includes the city of Detroit.
Canadian wildfire smoke is traveling south through Michigan today. That will bring fine particulate matter into the area. The result will be air quality that is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. Some areas could increase to the “unhealthy” range.
People with asthma, heart disease and other health conditions should limit their time outside. Those residents should also keep their windows closed. Others should avoid strenuous activities outside until the air quality alert has lifted.
50 years since Jimmy Hoffa disappeared
Today is the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. The former head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters vanished some time after arriving at the Machus Red Fox restaurant in Bloomfield Township on July 30, 1975. His body has never been found. There are scores of rumors and theories about what happened to him, but none have been proven. Hoffa served as president of the Teamsters union from 1957 until 1971.
Lions to play in Hall of Fame game
The Detroit Lions are getting ready for their first pre-season game of the year. The Lions will play in the nationally-televised Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio tomorrow evening. They play the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Lions have high hopes for the 2025 season. The team won 15 games and lost just two during the regular season last year. Detroit lost the NFC Divisional playoff game to the Washington Commanders to end their season.
The Hall of Fame Game will be played on Thursday, July 31 at 8 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
Do you have a community story we should tell? Let us know in an email at detroiteveningreport@wdet.org.
Support local journalism.
WDET strives to cover what’s happening in your community. As a public media institution, we maintain our ability to explore the music and culture of our region through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.
The case against a Detroiter accused of fatally stabbing a man who was reportedly his friend has been bound over to Oakland County Circuit Court for possible trial.
At the conclusion of a preliminary exam Tuesday in 46th District Court, Judge Cynthia Arvant ruled there was probable cause to advance the case against Gregory Clark, 66.
Clark is charged with second-degree homicide for the death of 64-year-old Eddie Fisher Clora, who was stabbed in the chest on April 12 in Southfield. Clark had been charged with manslaughter, but the prosecution subsequently amended the charge.
Gregory Clark booking photo
Clora was fatally stabbed during a fight with Clark outside a BP gas station at Eight Mile and Lahser roads, police said. He died at Henry Ford Providence Southfield Hospital.Clora’s family identified Clark as the assailant based on video evidence, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office — and described the two men as friends. Clark turned himself in four days after the stabbing, the prosecutor’s office said.
Clark is scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 6 before Oakland County Circuit Judge Nanci Grant. If convicted, he could face life in prison. For now, he’s in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $500,000, requiring him to post 10% to be released.
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