Michigan
Longtime Michigan football announcer makes call on heart health

Over four decades of announcing games, former Michigan Football voice Jim Brandstatter, 74, has made some memorable calls.
“Wolverine nation, the long drought is over: Ohio State is vanquished.”
The words from University of Michigan’s 2021 victory are some that he’ll never forget.
But from his condominium on Florida’s east coast, the recently retired Brandstatter reflects on another notable call.
“I never had an issue with my heart, but I made the decision in my 60s to start seeing a cardiologist,” he said.
“I didn’t even know the problem was there, but they helped me manage my condition and keep living my life without major changes.”
Brandstatter played football for Michigan from 1969 to 1972, winning two Big Ten championships and earning two trips to the Rose Bowl.
During that time, he didn’t suffer any major injuries.
“I’m very lucky,” he said.
“I’m one of the few guys from that team with all my original parts: No artificial knees or hips. Nothing serious enough to send me to the hospital or require a surgery.”
His good health continued through his broadcast career, which started in local Michigan news.
In 1979, Brandstatter began calling color commentary for Michigan Football on the radio and took over as the play-by-play caller in 2014.
Getting proactive on heart health
Around 2012, Brandstatter visited U-M Health for his first appointment with cardiology.
His former coach, Bo Schembechler, had his first heart attack at the age of 39 before the Rose Bowl in which Brandstatter played.
Schembechler received several treatments at the U-M Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center, with care led by Kim Eagle, M.D., one of the center’s directors.
During one of his appointments, Brandstatter’s care team diagnosed him with atrial fibrillation.
Recent estimates show that around 10.5 million Americans have the condition, commonly called Afib.
Many people with Afib don’t experience regular symptoms, including Brandstatter.
However, the irregular heart rhythm can increase your risk of a heart attack and stroke if left untreated.
Brandstatter has received several treatments for Afib.
In addition to management with medications, Brandstatter’s electrophysiologist, Hakan Oral, M.D., also treated him with a minimally invasive catheter ablation.
This method involves threading a catheter into the heart’s left atrium, identifying spots that cause faulty heart signals and using heat or cold energy to stop them.
“Catheter ablation has evolved as a highly effective treatment modality for patients with atrial fibrillation, and U-M Health has been at the forefront of furthering this therapy over the last three decades,” Oral said.
“With the availability of latest ablation technology using nonthermal, 3D pulse field ablation, the procedure can often be safely performed within 60 to 90 minutes, and most patients can go home the same day.”
Throughout his treatment, Brandstatter was able to travel to broadcast U-M games. This continued through his retirement at the end of the 2021 season.
Despite leaving the booth, Brandstatter remains active on social media, where he produces video segments about U-M athletics.
He plays golf several days a week and takes many walks with his wife, Robbie.
“Jim Brandstatter was very proactive about his health,” Eagle said.
“I think that in watching what happened to Coach Schembechler and other former players and friends, he realized that when it comes to heart health, we all need to understand our risk factors and have a medical ‘coach.’ They can help find the best possible ‘game plan’ to prevent and overcome heart disease. It is gratifying to watch a patient with that mindset do so well.”
Brandstatter urges people to take his lead and get their heart checked at some point.
“For your own safety and peace of mind, find a cardiologist,” he said.
“Heart disease can happen to anyone and it’s best to treat it early.”
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Michigan
Michigan organization sends letter to Trump after comments on Gaza Strip

(CBS DETROIT) – One local organization that represents Middle Eastern Americans has written a letter to the Trump administration after it said it was troubled by the president’s comments on Gaza earlier this week.
The letter comes after Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. would “take over the Gaza Strip” and “own it,” and suggested that the Palestinian people should live elsewhere.
The comments troubled many Arab Americans in Metro Detroit, including Faye Nemer, the CEO of the Middle East and North Africa American (MENA) Chamber of Commerce. Nemer told CBS News Detroit that Mr. Trump’s press conference inspired her to draft the letter to his administration.
“That was the inflection point for us, hearing the commentary and the rhetoric during that press conference. It was very problematic and concerning from a community standpoint to hear such statements being made,” Nemer said.
In the open letter to the president, MENA notes that just before getting elected, Mr. Trump visited Dearborn and promised the Arab American community he would bring peace to the Middle East. Now, the organization is urging his administration to stick to that commitment.
Nemer says, though, that she’s optimistic because she says while Mr. Trump says a lot, he doesn’t always mean what he says and that the US taking over Gaza is unrealistic.
“We feel like it’s too far-fetched of a proposal. It is unrealistic,” she said.
Nemer says that many in her community are still supporting the president after voting for him in November, especially after this recent ceasefire in Israel and Gaza. But she says if that plan in Gaza were to ever come to fruition, she could say many people would regret their decision to vote for him.
Michigan
Danny Wolf, Dusty May speak on Michigan figuring out how to win close games

When it comes to Big Ten play, it’s important to think of the old adage announcers say every March: “Survive and advance.”
It was far from perfect, but Michigan did just that in Wednesday’s win over Oregon, 80-76. This was Michigan’s third win in a row, all by four points or less.
The Wolverines are figuring out how to win close games at the perfect time. The Wolverines are 6-4 in games decided by four points or less, including a 4-1 record over the past five weeks. Danny Wolf, who had 15 points and hit two clutch free throws late, spoke after the game about making the winning plays late.
“I said it after the game, we’ve been on the opposite side of the string,” Wolf said, referring to Michigan’s close losses. “You look at the Oklahoma game, the Arkansas game, Minnesota even, some of the worst losses, buzzer-beaters that you just don’t want. I think when you hit your free throws late, you get rebounds and you get stops, I think we did a good job of that tonight. It’s just a good feeling.”
A guy who played a big factor in this close win was Will Tschetter, who led the team with a personal season-high 17 points. Wolf praised Tschetter after the game.
“Very efficient player,” Wolf said. “We’re lucky to have him to say the least. The only thing he cares about is winning. I think that’s clearly evident to see. In today’s day and age, you don’t have a lot of that.”
Just like the Penn State win, Michigan saved its best defense for last, not allowing the Ducks to make a field goal in the final 3:18 of the game. The Wolverines turned stops early in the game into easy buckets, pushing the pace and scoring 25 points off Oregon’s 12 turnovers.
“I thought we contested well,” head coach Dusty May said on the team’s late-game defense. “We tried to get out in transition before they could get their zone set and when we did that, we were pretty effective.”
Michigan had a double-digit lead for a large portion of the half before Oregon came storming back. While you never like to see Michigan lose a big lead, close games come with the territory in this conference, and Michigan is figuring out how to win at the right time.
“Big Ten wins are hard, no matter how you look at it, you got to protect home court,” Wolf said. “I think it’s a common theme that we get these big leads, but we really got to stop beating at it. When we get these leads, myself included, we really got to focus on the team.”
“It’s February, if you can find a way to win and learn some lessons, that’s usually the objective,” May said. “I do think we made enough plays. In these 1-2 possession games, our guys have been able to get some stops, they made big free throws and came up with some extra possessions.”
After this close win, attention shifts to Indiana, with the Wolverines heading south to take on the Hoosiers. Michigan is tied with Michigan State for second place in the conference, so every game is crucial heading down the stretch.
Whenever he’s pressed about his Indiana roots, May tends to downplay it, and he did nothing different when asked about it Wednesday night.
“My wife Anna handles all the tickets, I’ve gotten 20 texts from friends saying ‘Hey, I’d love to grab dinner’, which shows that they have no idea,” May said. “I have a very closed mindset during the season, where all I can think about is how do we play better.
“My Mom lives in Bloomington, it is what it is. I’m going in there trying to win a freaking basketball game and that’s it.”
Michigan
Michigan Dem who refused to back Harris due to Israel support now blasting Trump Gaza proposal

A Michigan Democratic congresswoman who refused to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential run due to the Biden-Harris administration’s stand on Israel is now lashing out against the Republican who defeated her, citing his proposal on ending the Gaza conflict.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib blasted President Donald Trump for his comments on the war in Gaza and urged her allies to ramp up a push for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“This president can only spew this fanatical bulls— because of bipartisan support in Congress for funding genocide and ethnic cleansing,” Tlaib said on Twitter Tuesday. “It’s time for my two-state solution colleagues to speak.”
Tlaib’s comments came after Trump proposed a U.S. takeover of war-torn Gaza following the war, saying that Palestinians could be resettled to other countries.
SAUDI ARABIA CONTRADICTS TRUMP, VOWS NO TIES WITH ISRAEL WITHOUT CREATION OF PALESTINIAN STATE
President Donald Trump and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Getty Images)
But Tlaib’s calls for other lawmakers to “speak up” comes after she declined to take a stance on last year’s presidential election.
Tlaib’s decision not to endorse a candidate in the presidential race came during a time of severe backlash against the Biden administration’s policies in Gaza by many constituents in her district, with some Muslim leaders going so far as to endorse Trump despite their traditional support for Democratic candidates.
One such leader, Bishara Bahbah, chaired a group known as Arab Americans for Trump. But Bahbah announced on Wednesday that he was changing the name of the group, according to a report from the Associated Press, citing Trump’s comments on Gaza.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib and union activists discuss free speech on college campuses, at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
THE HISTORY OF GAZA AMID TRUMP’S PLAN TO REBUILD ENCLAVE
“The talk about what the president wants to do with Gaza, obviously we’re completely opposed to the idea of the transfer of Palestinians from anywhere in historic Palestine,” he said in a statement announcing the group’s name would be changed to Arab Americans for Peace. “And so we did not want to be behind the curve in terms of pushing for peace, because that has been our objective from the very beginning.”
But the sudden outcry in reaction to Trump’s comments wasn’t well received by all Democrats, with Democratic strategist Julian Epstein telling Fox News Digital that Trump’s proposal was a lot more positive than anything Tlaib appears to be offering as a solution.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Evan Vucci/AP)
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“Whether you agree or disagree with Trump’s proposal, at least he is proposing something that could lead to a bright future for Gaza,” Epstein said. “Tlaib, on the other hand, has advocated for policies that would keep the neo-Nazi, terrorist, race-hating Hamas in power while mimicking their rhetoric rom ‘river to sea,’ for which she was sanctioned by the House, including with Democratic support.”
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