Detroit, MI
Insider: Thanedar features Whitmer in a Mother Day’s campaign message
U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar tried to appeal to female voters ahead of Mother’s Day this past week with a glossy mail advertisement that arrived in mailboxes in the 13th Congressional District — 13 weeks before the Aug. 6 Democratic primary.
The advertisement’s message talked about Thanedar’s mother and wife, Shashi, with a photo of his family and the moms in this life.
“In Congress, I have tried following the lessons these strong women have taught me,” Thanedar wrote. “I’ve worked to empower women — by defending abortion rights, fighting for equal pay and fighting against discrimination in any form.”
Curiously, the ad also featured another mom — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a fellow Democrat who gave Thanedar’s chief primary opponent, state Sen. Adam Hollier, a job as director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.
Thanedar’s mailer didn’t identify Whitmer in writing, it just has a photo of him and the governor. But the image suggests Thanedar has the support of the state’s chief executive in his reelection bid against Hollier and Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters in a primary where the victory will almost assuredly prevail in the November general election.
Whitmer did not authorize Thanedar to use her image in the advertisement, said Helen Hare, spokeswoman for Whitmer’s Fight Like Hell political action committee.
“The use of this photo for campaign purposes is not authorized, and the Governor has not made an endorsement in this race,” Hare said in a statement.
More: Hollier congressional bid for ballot at risk over possible forged signatures
Uncommitted Dems pan ‘sanitized’ convention
The Uncommitted National Movement is demanding a meeting with top Democratic National Committee officials after a report that White House and Democratic leaders are discussing making the party’s August nominating convention partially virtual in an effort to minimize the threat of disruptions at the high-profile gathering.
Leaders of the Uncommitted movement, which began in Michigan, said the party is trying avoid debate over President Joe Biden’s support for Israel and his position on Palestinian rights. They aren’t having it.
“The DNC’s attempt to sideline genuine discourse and sanitize the convention undermines the spirit of democracy that our party’s voting base expects them to champion,” said Abbas Alawieh, a spokesman for Uncommitted.
“Open the party doors to genuine debate, let delegates speak freely, and show that the party still stands for the basic tenets of freedom and democracy.“
Abbas said the group wants a meeting with senior planners of the convention and DNC Chair Jaime Harrison to ensure delegates may attend in person and “speak freely.”
Politico reported that some party officials are pushing to make the August convention in Chicago hybrid similar to their COVID-era convention four years ago, with a mix of in-person speeches from Biden and others and also pre-recorded content and fewer opportunities for demonstrators or hecklers to interrupt.
The conversation comes amid campus protests around the country over the war and demonstrators often showing up at venues or in audiences where Biden speaks. Anger over Biden’s support for Israel in the Gaza war spread across communities in Michigan, spurring more than 100,000 residents to cast “uncommitted” ballots in protest during the Democratic presidential primary in February.
The Uncommitted movement won delegates in Michigan’s 6th and 12th congressional districts. Abbas on Saturday won his bid to represent the Uncommitted movement at the convention as a delegate for the 12th Congressional District. Rima Mohammad, former president of the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education, won to represent the 6th.
More: Biden’s threat to halt U.S. weapons to Israel draws immediate GOP blowback
Raimondo to Mackinac
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo is the latest speaker announced for the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference, hosted by the Detroit Regional Chamber at month’s end, organizers said last week.
“We’re looking forward to hearing a one-on-one discussion with her about her extraordinary career, from her leadership of the Department of Commerce and her leading role in the development of many of the policies and administration that we think have been critical to our biz including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said businesswoman Suzanne Shank, chair of this year’s conference. “That was a big get in our view.”
The conference will also feature a bipartisan debate among the top-polling U.S. Senate candidates at 5:30 p.m. May 30 based on a survey by the Lansing-based polling firm Glengariff Group.
Three Republicans and three Democrats have been invited to participate: Democrats Elissa Slotkin of Holly, Hill Harper of Detroit and Nasser Beydoun of Dearborn and Republicans Mike Rogers of Brighton, Sandy Pensler of Grosse Pointe Park and Justin Amash of Cascade Township. Television journalists Devin Scillian of WDIV (Channel 4) and Rick Albin of WOOD-TV will moderate the debate.
“We are working with all of their offices to confirm them for this opportunity,” Detroit Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah said.
“The format will allow both parties obviously to be on the stage at the same time. We think this is a unique format that really pushes candidates to speak to a broad audience, as opposed to speaking to their base voters. It creates a different dynamic.”
Others speakers on the agenda include Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, former House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing and Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, U.S. Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, state House Speaker Joe Tate, University of Michigan President Santa Ono, Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz, NBC News’ Chuck Todd and Suzanne P. Clark, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
State GOP plans for convention
The Michigan Republican Party has begun making plans for the Republican national convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee from July 15-18.
Michigan’s delegates for the convention will be staying at a hotel in Madison, Wisc., according to a party email, reviewed by The Detroit News.
“The hotel is just over an hour from the Fiserv Forum,” wrote Tyson Shepard, executive director of the Michigan Republican Party, in a recent message to delegates.
Delegates also selected Anne DeLisle of Genesee County, chairwoman of the 8th Congressional District Republican committee, to be the delegation chairman. And they chose Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, and Bronwyn Haltom of Kalamazoo County to represent the state on the convention’s platform committee.
More: Insider: Trump to headline conservative group’s convention in Detroit
More: Man acquitted of aiding Whitmer kidnap plot now running for sheriff
Tweet of the week
The Insider report’s “Tweet of the Week,” recognizing a social media post that was worthy of attention or, possibly, just a laugh, from the previous week goes to journalist Rachel Louise Just.
Just, who previously covered Michigan politics but now works in Arizona, responded to news that a TV show is in the works that’s planned to be a new version of “The Office” but based around a newspaper in a Midwestern town.
clivengood@detroitnews.com
mburke@detroitnews.com
cmauger@detroitnews.com
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
Detroit, MI
Air France flight bound for Detroit diverted to Canada over passenger from Congo, officials say
An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit, Michigan, was forced to divert to Montreal, Canada, on Wednesday due to U.S. flight restrictions linked to the Ebola outbreak after it was determined that one of the passengers was from the Democratic Republic of Congo, federal officials said.
Air France boarded the passenger “in error on a flight to the United States,” a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesperson told CBS News in a statement.
“Due to entry restrictions put in place to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus, the passenger should not have boarded the plane,” the CBP spokesperson said. “CBP took decisive action and prohibited the flight carrying that traveler from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and instead, diverted to Montreal, Canada.”
CBP did not say when the person had last been in the Congo or whether they were showing symptoms of the virus. It wasn’t immediately clear if the passenger was a Congolese national or had been traveling there.
When reached about the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration directed CBS News to CBP.
CBS News has also reached out to Air France and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for comment.
According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, Air France Flight 378 from Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport landed at Montreal Trudeau International Airport at 5:15 p.m. ET. The status of the passenger from the Congo was unknown. It was also unclear whether the flight, with the rest of the passengers, would continue on to Detroit.
On Monday, the CDC announced that people without U.S. passports who had traveled to Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past three weeks would be restricted from entering the country.
Earlier Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of CBP, confirmed that beginning Thursday, it would require all U.S.-bound flights carrying foreign travelers who have been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan at any point in the previous 21 days to fly into Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia.
The rule, according to its language, is designed to funnel those travelers to an airport “where the U.S. government is focusing public health resources to implement enhanced public health measures.”
It’s unclear how the DHS rule impacts the CDC’s earlier order.
An Ebola outbreak centered in eastern Congo was confirmed May 15 by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday there were at least 600 suspected Ebola cases so far, including 139 suspected deaths from the virus.
Health officials say the new outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, according to CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Céline Gounder.
Some of the city’s top music stars will headline the new Hart of Detroit Summer Festival set for June 19 at Hart Plaza.
The riverside party is 12 hours of hip-hop music, DJs, gospel karaoke, food trucks and a chance to shop small businesses. Headliners include Detroit rappers Kash Doll, Babytron, Icewear Vezzo, Trick Trick, Bruiser Wolf, Babyfxce E, 1UpTee and more, plus New Jersey’s Fetty Wap and Atlanta’s Boldy James.
The concerts will start at 5 p.m. and span two stages.
“Expected to draw attendees from across the Midwest, the festival blends music, culture, entrepreneurship and community into one of Detroit’s defining summer experiences,” reads a press release announcing the event.
The festival runs from noon to midnight. General admission tickets start at $75.63 with VIP access ranging $139.49-$239.40.
Tickets and a full schedule can be found at 313summer.com.
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
Detroit, MI
After back-to-back days of severe storms in Metro Detroit, cooler, calmer weather arrives mid-week
4Warn Weather – After multiple rounds of severe weather to start the week, southeast Michigan is finally getting a break from the storms.
The break comes after powerful winds, hail, downed trees, and scattered power outages once again swept across the region Tuesday afternoon and evening.
The latest round developed in hot, humid air as temperatures surged into the mid- and upper-80s Tuesday, helping fuel another active severe weather day across Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan.
While hail was reported, damaging straight-line winds were the primary threat as storms raced eastward.
The severe weather came just one day after violent storms on Monday afternoon and evening, leaving many residents already cleaning up debris and dealing with outages before Tuesday’s storms arrived.
Numerous storm reports were received on Tuesday across Southeast Michigan.
In Oakland County, several trees were snapped at Kensington Metropark near New Hudson around 2:30 p.m.
Additional reports described large trees and limbs blocking roads near White Lake and Keego Harbor, including damage to a camper from a falling limb.
Farther east, emergency managers reported trees and power lines down across portions of Macomb County, including near Washington Township and Stony Creek Metropark.
Wind gusts approached or exceeded severe limits in several areas. Detroit City Airport recorded a 54 mph gust, Monroe’s Custer Airport measured a 59 mph gust, and the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club along Lake St. Clair measured a powerful 76 mph marine thunderstorm wind gust shortly before 5 p.m.
Hail was also reported in Wayne County, including dime- to quarter-sized hail in Northwest Detroit.
Even late Tuesday night, drivers should remain alert for lingering hazards.
Some roads may still have ponding after downpours, especially in low-lying areas.
Utility crews also continue working to clear downed branches and restore power in spots hit by the strongest winds.
Drivers are urged to use caution overnight and avoid any downed power lines or barricaded streets.
The good news is that a dramatic pattern change is now underway.
After highs climbed well into the 80s on Tuesday, much cooler air is spilling into the Great Lakes behind a strong cold front.
High temperatures on Wednesday will struggle to reach the mid-60s across Metro Detroit, several degrees below the seasonal average of around 70 degrees for this time of year.
Wednesday
Wednesday will feel noticeably different from the summerlike heat earlier this week. North to northeast winds and cooler air off the lakes will keep conditions crisp through the day, with some communities near Lake Huron staying in the 50s.
For Tigers fans heading to Comerica Park on Wednesday evening as Detroit hosts the Cleveland Guardians for a 6:40 p.m. first pitch, weather conditions look much quieter.
Temperatures will likely fall through the upper 50s during the game with a light breeze and dry conditions.
Fans may want to bring a light jacket or hoodie after the sharp drop from Tuesday’s heat.
The cooler pattern continues through the rest of the work week with highs mainly in the 60s on Thursday and Friday.
Memorial Day Weekend
The forecast for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend remains a mixed bag.
Rain chances return Friday afternoon and continue at times Friday night into Saturday as another system moves into the Great Lakes.
A few showers could linger into parts of Sunday, meaning portions of the holiday weekend may be wet at times.
Despite the rain chances, temperatures will rebound into the 70s over the weekend with Memorial Day itself currently looking mainly dry and comfortable.
Monday is expected to feature partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies with highs in the upper 70s, which is favorable weather for parades, cookouts, and outdoor ceremonies.
After damaging winds and cleanup efforts across Southeast Michigan, many residents will likely welcome the cooler and quieter stretch ahead.
If you have storm or damage photos, share them with Local 4 at MIPics.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
-
California3 minutes agoThey used to battle in CA elections. Now, they back the same candidate
-
Colorado9 minutes agoColorado residents who switch to heat pumps can expect more rebates this summer
-
Connecticut15 minutes agoEversource seeks 11% rate hike for Connecticut residents by next summer
-
Delaware21 minutes agoMike Purzycki was enough for Wilmington. We’ll miss him | Opinion
-
Florida27 minutes agoMan who stabbed woman, her daughter to death in Coral Springs to be executed
-
Georgia32 minutes agoWhat channel is Tennessee softball vs Georgia on today? Time, TV schedule to watch Knoxville Super Regional Game 1
-
Hawaii39 minutes agoGeneral plan bill advances in County Council – West Hawaii Today
-
Idaho45 minutes agoMontana Tech, Idaho National Laboratory sign partnership agreement
