Midwest
Lawmakers demand answers from top Michigan official over suspected pro-Democrat electioneering
EXCLUSIVE: The entire Michigan House GOP delegation — plus a major committee chair — is demanding answers from a top state official regarding the potential use of federal taxpayer dollars for pro-Democratic Party electioneering.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, led a letter to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson calling for a probe into whether public funds for a federal agency-linked voter registration push may have been “weaponized” to “aid and abet President Biden’s reelection campaign.”
The demands followed Williams’ May subpoena to the Small Business Administration for records relating to actions in a memo forged between the SBA and Benson’s department.
The memo utilized a 2021 Biden executive order on “promoting access to voting” as its keystone and provided various directives relating to registering voters, according to the letter.
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Williams, head of the House Small Business Committee, and the co-signers seek to determine whether there is documentation reflecting allegations the voter registration work done under the memo strategically favors Democrats.
The letter claims 39 of 52 scheduled small business outreach events in Michigan take place in “counties with the highest populations of demographics targeted by the Democratic National Committee.
“Additionally, 100 percent of the visits to Michigan from the SBA Administrator and Deputy Administrator have taken place in counties with the highest populations of DNC target demographics.”
Williams and co-signers, including Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., questioned the proclivity of efforts occurring in places valued by the Biden administration and campaign.
“The United States is built upon the principle of free and fair elections, but the Biden administration seems to not care about upholding our democracy,” McClain said Tuesday.
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“Instead, they’re using the taxpayer-funded SBA to coordinate voter registration with Michigan’s Secretary of State.”
She called that alleged behavior an “abuse of power” that risks future election integrity.
“I will not rest until I get to the bottom of [this],” McClain said.
Williams added that evidence shows the SBA “has the ability to indirectly campaign” for Biden in a must-win state.
“This is a ridiculous — and likely illegal — use of taxpayer resources. I thank my Michigan colleagues for joining me in this effort, and we will not stop until the SBA is completely and totally forthcoming,” Williams said.
The letter cited a covertly recorded April video released by self-described “guerrilla journalist” James O’Keefe, which shows an SBA official claiming Small Business Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman’s travel is at times purposefully targeted to “indirectly campaign” for Biden.
In the video, a Guzman visit to vulnerable Sen. Jon Tester’s, D-Mont., home state is cited. The SBA official in the video notes Tester’s seat is a must-win for a continuing Democratic majority in the upper chamber.
Citing that context, the letter demanded Benson turn over all documents and communications between her department, SBA officials and external contractors relating to Michigan voter registration.
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It also demanded memo-related expense documentation, sources of the expense payments and the name of the state official designated as Benson’s liaison with the SBA.
Benson was also asked to turn over lists of relevant events in Republican House districts with notations about whether that GOP member as well as the state’s two Democratic senators, Gary Peters and Deborah Stabenow, were invited.
“If either of the two senators were invited but a Republican member of Congress was not, please detail the reasoning behind the lack of invitation,” Williams wrote.
In response to past criticisms of the Michigan Department of State’s (MDOS) work under the memo, spokeswoman Angela Benander said the agency enjoys being part of a “first-in-the-nation effort” with the small business community to “play an active role in our democracy.”
“Allegations that this program is being used to drive large amounts of voter activity in a partisan manner are patently false,” Benander said, adding, unsolicited, that criticisms of the voter registration web portal are unfounded due to its minimal use.
Critics, however, have suggested the attention given by a Biden administration agency to a key swing state in this way continues to draw suspicion.
Previously, Guzman said in a statement heralding the memo that it is meant to promote civic engagement and fulfill a Biden administration promise to protect and strengthen democracy.
“Small businesses are busy working on and in their businesses, and by meeting them where they are — on our website and at our small business outreach events — we can help facilitate voter registration and civic engagement so their voices are heard,” Guzman said.
An SBA representative declined to respond to a question about the veracity of O’Keefe’s video.
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Wisconsin
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Midwest
Terrifying moment caught on camera as road collapse suddenly swallows vehicles at busy intersection
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Dramatic video showed the moment a road collapsed below two unsuspecting motorists near the University of Nebraska-Omaha Tuesday, sending their vehicles feet below ground.
Footage taken by university security cameras appeared to show the two vehicles rolling up to an intersection, side-by-side, before a car pulled up behind them, seemingly triggering the collapse.
Emergency crews responded to the incident at 67th and Pacific streets at about 3:30 p.m., local outlet WOWT reported.
The collapse appeared to be triggered by a pickup truck behind the two cars. (UNO Public Safety/TMX)
The vehicles’ occupants had escaped the hole by the time authorities arrived.
“This caught everybody by surprise,” University of Nebraska-Omaha Public Safety Lt. Dan Martin told the outlet.
Dust could be seen as the vehicles fell into the pavement. (UNO Public Safety/TMX)
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No injuries were reported, though WOWT reported a water main broke during the collapse.
It is unclear what led to the collapse.
The outlet reported a heavy-duty tow truck with a crane retrieved the cars a few hours later, and crews worked to pull concrete from the crater.
It is unclear what led to the road collapse. (UNO Public Safety/TMX)
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Martin warned the sinkhole could expand, though it appears no additional sinkholes had been spotted as of Wednesday night.
Officials told WOWT the street will remain closed for “several days,” and motorists should avoid the area.
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Detroit, MI
Michigan State Police sends message to drivers after trooper involved in hit and run:
“Slow down and move over” is the message that Michigan State Police is sending to drivers after one of its troopers in a parked patrol car was struck while investigating a crash this weekend. The driver of that vehicle fled the scene.
Michigan State Police tells CBS News Detroit that we’re two months into the year, and it has had six incidents across the state where patrol cars were struck by oncoming vehicles. One of those incidents occurred on Sunday evening.
“Could have been much more tragic,” said MSP Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez, First District public information officer.
Gonzalez says on Sunday, an MSP trooper was near M-10 and Schaefer Highway in Detroit, simply doing his job, when his patrol car was hit from behind.
“Trooper was out there, and he was investigating a crash when, at the time, a Jeep SUV drove into the rear of the parked vehicle,” Gonzalez said.
The impact slid the trooper’s car into a concrete wall. The 29-year-old Detroit woman driving the Jeep SUV struck the center median, got out of the vehicle, and ran away.
“Not sure why they did it. Maybe not paying attention if they were distracted. They’re attempting to locate her at this time,” said Lt. Gonzalez.
The trooper walked away with minor injuries. Gonzalez says this incident is an example of why Michigan’s Move Over Law was put in place many years ago. The law, which went into effect in 2019, requires drivers to move over into the next lane and reduce their speed by at least 10 mph when emergency or service vehicles — police, fire, rescue, ambulance and road service — have their lights activated.
Drivers who are not able to move over are still required to reduce their speed.
“Trying to do our jobs, however, people are not paying attention. The law is easy. It’s simple. You see us, you see our lights activated, you have to slow down ten miles below the posted speed limit, and then if able, move over to the next occupied available lane,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez says crashes like this can be deadly and often avoided.
“One life lost over something that was a totally preventable crash, it’s way too much. We’re asking that you slow down and move over when you see our lights. It’s a simple message that we’ve been pushing out for years,” he said.
Sunday’s crash remains under investigation. Michigan State Police detectives are still working to track down the 29-year-old suspect.
In the meantime, police are out enforcing the Move Over Law.
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