Michigan
Michigan Congressman abandons town hall after ‘ceasefire now’ chants
Constituents at Congressman’s town hall demand a ceasefire in Gaza. The representative ended up leaving the meeting. | Michigan Communist Party USA via X (formerly Twitter)
WYANDOTTE, Mich. — U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) left his own Town Hall meeting early Saturday in what could only be described as a political disaster. His exit came after a room full of his constituents began chanting “Ceasefire now!” in response to the lawmaker’s refusal to call for an immediate end to the Israeli government’s genocidal military campaign in Palestine.
Even before the event at the Downriver Council for the Arts here began, Thanedar was grilled about his continued political support for the Biden Administration’s blank-check for Israel’s invasion.
It was clear the majority of attendees, passionate and determined, were there to press their representative for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. With picket signs, pro-Palestine, pro-peace and anti-war buttons in abundance, the residents of Michigan’s 13th Congressional District were prepared for non-violent, peaceful confrontation and strong political messaging.
Taj, wearing a UAW Detroit Axle jacket and a fourth generation Detroiter, told People’s World he showed up to speak on the issues most important to his neighborhood and petition for peace in Gaza. Tax dollars, he said, that are being used for weapons to Israel would be better used to fund poverty alleviation programs here in Detroit.
“Economic growth in the city is not benefiting the legacy, majority Black, population,” Taj added, and instead is benefitting the largest corporations and billionaires.” He hopes Rep. Thanedar will pressure President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire.
“I’m here to push you to call for an immediate ceasefire,” Leslie, another resident in the 13th District, said. “We want our tax dollars spent on Detroit…for affordable housing, for schools…it is so sad they are being used for genocide.”
Money for schools, not for war
“Why are we not calling for a ceasefire and redirecting military funds to our schools?” Angela from Hamtramck, a public-school teacher and a member of the Teachers Union, asked. “I am working multiple jobs, I spend my ‘time-off’ caring for my students who live in poverty, who have nowhere to go after class, who have nothing to eat, and yet we always have money for war.”
People’s World spoke with another Teachers Union member, a middle school teacher, who drove out on a Saturday morning to the meeting to “be the political voice for her students,” the majority of whom are Muslim and Arab-American. Michigan’s 13th Congressional District is home to the largest Arab population in the United States, but the teacher reported that many of her students feel “voiceless in the face of the on-going catastrophe.”
“The school administration told us that we weren’t allowed to talk about the conflict in class,” continued the teacher who asked not to be named for this story, “But I let my kids talk about it anyway. It’s important for them to express their justified concerns about seeing their peers being killed by bombs, entire schools leveled, on television.”
War is never a solution
“War is never a solution,” Congressman Thanedar said many times during the Town Hall.
“I am not here to defend Israel,” he said. “How do you justify killing off 26,000 people? There is no justification for that. I don’t know how to justify that.”
However, by not calling for an immediate ceasefire and a political solution, Thanedar is supporting not only war, but the most heinous atrocities, war crimes, and genocide being committed by Israel in their war against the Palestinian people, many constituents said.
“You just said war is not the solution, but you continue to support the funding of Israel’s war,” an audience member said. “Israel is committing war crimes, and you are standing behind them. It seems like your words are empty.”
Noelle, a member of the Detroit News Guild and also a resident of the 13th District, pointed to the recent decision by the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to take “all measures to prevent genocidal acts, prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to genocide, and take immediate and effective steps to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.”
Thanedar responded he will only call for a ceasefire when the Israeli hostages are released. He made no mention of the Palestinian prisoners.
Only an immediate ceasefire and an end to the occupation will facilitate the conditions necessary to “release all hostages and the more than 10,000 Palestinian political prisoners currently being held in Israeli prisons. Why haven’t you called for that?” Noelle demanded to know.
No functioning hospitals remaining
Zaya Maqdessi, a social worker and another resident of the 13th District who works in the field of maternal and infant mental health, told People’s World that in Gaza there were 36 hospitals just a few months ago and now there are none.
Maqdessi was born in Baghdad and shared a story of how, during the U.S. war on Iraq, her father, even while in a hospital, would constantly fear an incoming U.S. missile headed straight towards them. “I implore you to call for an immediate ceasefire and to end the blockade of Gaza so that the people there may stop being massacred, so that they may begin the very long journey of healing and rebuilding,” Maqdessi told Thanedar.
Ceasefire now!
After Thanedar attempted to redirect the barrage of ceasefire and pro-peace questions towards lectures on “terrorism” and “self-defense, Hasan Newash, a Nakba survivor and prominent Palestinian-American activist in Detroit, told the congressman: “We don’t want to be taught. We don’t need to be taught. You keep trying to teach us.” He continued, “We want to teach you!” Why aren’t you listening to us? Why aren’t you calling for a ceasefire? Ceasefire now!”
A wave erupted among the constituents, following Newash’s remarks with clapping and shouting in unison, “Ceasefire now! Ceasefire now!” Newash joined in. This went on for several minutes as Thanedar awkwardly walked back and forth, up and down the aisles of chairs, waiting for the chanting to end.
Suddenly, another contingent of activists, coming from the Pro-Palestine rally outside, walked in and joined the chorus of peace constituents demanding that Thanedar call for an immediate ceasefire. He stood there momentarily and abruptly exited his own Town Hall.
Out of touch
Most attendees felt that Thanedar is out of touch with his district. “He literally turning his back on his constituents,” said one.
Major municipalities in the region have passed resolutions calling for a ceasefire, including Hamtramck, Detroit, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Wayne County, Ann Arbor, Canton, Ypsilanti and Washtenaw County. Additionally, the UAW International is officed in downtown Detroit. The union recently joined the ceasefire movement, publishing a statement calling for a “permanent and lasting ceasefire.”
Next door, in the 12th Congressional District, Rep. Rashida Tlaib is leading the effort with Rep. Cori Bush (Dem. Mo.) to pass a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives calling for an immediate ceasefire. Attendees at Saturday’s town hall lobbied Thanedar to sign on to that resolution, H.Res. 786, but after today’s events it appears he does not have the political will to do so.
Political troubles
Politically, this sample showing is not a good sign for Biden’s re-election chances in Michigan. With the exception of Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in the U.S. Congress, and others such as U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Mich. 6th District), many elected officials and politicians in Michigan have opted to remain silent on the situation in Gaza.
Senior representatives from the Biden campaign had sought to visit Dearborn, Michigan on Friday to speak with Arab and Muslim community leaders in an effort to garner support for his re-election bid. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, along with several others, refused to meet with them.
“What do I tell my residents? My residents who have lost loved ones overseas,” Hammoud told reporters. “This is not the time to talk about elections. This is the time to ask and demand for an immediate cease fire.”
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CONTRIBUTOR
Emergency responders navigate Black Lake looking to rescue flood victims
Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection were on Black Lake looking for flood victims April 17, 2026.
The Cheboygan River level remained elevated Sunday as forecasters continued to issue fresh warnings about flooding in the region, though measurements at the dam were trending gradually downward.
The river was 7.56 inches below the top of the dam as of 12:45 p.m. Sunday, about a quarter of an inch below the prior measurement taken at 8:30 a.m., according to Michigan State Police. Levels had fluctuated around the seven-inch range below the dam’s top late Friday and Saturday after surging substantially higher earlier in the week.
State officials alerted the public about the emergency at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex on April 10 when the river was 18 inches below the dam’s top. It then fell 2 inches to 20 inches below cresting on Saturday before starting five consecutive days of rising levels, raising concerns over the potential for a major flood disaster downstream in and around the city of Cheboygan.
Scattered snow showers are possible in Cheboygan and other parts of the northern Lower Peninsula on Sunday and into Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. Much of the remainder of the week is expected to be sunny.
The weather agency on Sunday morning posted a flood warning for Cheboygan and Emmet counties that’s in effect until 8 p.m. Tuesday. “Expect many areas of slow moving or standing water,” it said.
People should stay away from flooded roads to avoid being swept away, the agency said, adding that “river banks and culverts can become unstable and unsafe.”
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office also warned of “significant debris” flowing through local waterways and urged residents to stay away. The sheriff listed on its Facebook page more than a dozen road closures as of Sunday.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development urged residents Sunday to keep animals and farm equipment safe. It said livestock should be moved to higher ground, and utilities for lower-lying farm building should be switched off. Building doors and windows should be left partially open to “equalize pressure and help prevent buildings from shifting.”
The agency also broadly warned about the dangers of floodwater, given that it can contain harmful bacteria, sewage, toxic chemicals and debris. Pets should be kept way, the MDARD said. And all food and utensils should be kept away from it.
Michigan State Police scheduled a meeting at 6 p.m. Sunday to provide the public an update on the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex situation. It will take place at the Cheboygan Opera House, 403 North Huran St., in Cheboygan. Residents can also join remotely via Zoom, with details on the agency’s social media pages.
lramseth@detroitnews.com
Lansing — Jocelyn Benson, the front runner for the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor, said she believes her work in eight years as secretary of state will help convince voters to promote her this fall.
On Sunday, during a convention in Detroit, Democrats will pick a new secretary of state nominee. And on Thursday, Benson’s campaign for governor submitted about 30,000 petition signatures to get her name on the Aug. 4 primary ballot.
Amid those key moments in the 2026 election cycle, Benson, a former law school dean, sat down Thursday afternoon for an interview with The Detroit News about her time as secretary of state.
“I think that’s what people are looking for: A government that saves them time, saves them money and makes their life easier,” Benson contended. “I’ve done that as secretary of state, and I’ll do that as governor.”
The following interview was edited for length and clarity.
Question: You just dropped off your signatures this weekend. The Democrats are going to be gathering to nominate a new person for secretary of state. I was just looking over your campaign promises from 2017, do you feel like you hit them?
Benson: I had two goals when I came into office: wait times down and voter turnout up. And we did both, and I’m really proud of that.
When I started, we did a strategic planning session every January, and during our first strategic planning session in 2019, we filled the whiteboard on every wall in the office. And in our most recent one, the final one, we had just sort of one, just one little to-do list item left, which was really gratifying. Because we have not just increased turnout, but we’ve transformed our elections, eliminated gerrymandering, implemented the state’s first-ever citizens redistricting commission, which was no easy task, and then also implemented a number of new election procedures and options, educated voters about them and took Michigan’s elections from being ranked 31st in the country to No. 2.
We also did that while reducing those wait times (in Secretary of State offices), transforming our customer service experience. … Wait times are consistently 20 minutes or less, which was my No. 1 campaign goal.
Q: What were some of the strategies you used to get the wait times down for people?
A: No. 1, we listened to our employees, and No. 2, we collected data about what wasn’t working. You can’t fix what you can’t measure. And No. 3, we actually went around the country and looked at what states that actually had low wait times were doing. There weren’t many, but there were a few. Indiana and Illinois, had some interesting things that they did, and we took best practices that were working in other states and replicated them here.
But that first piece was key, listening to our employees. Early on in the process, we brought everyone in, all the branch office directors. I was expecting a daylong retreat where we would be discussing ideas, and I sat down with the director of branch office services. He had a whole PowerPoint presentation that went through everything we needed to do, from filling 900 vacant positions that were just vacant and not filled, to creating internally this opportunity for people to schedule the visit ahead of time.
We didn’t pay someone else to build that. That was built by our employees.
Q: When you ran in 2018, one of the big things you were talking about was election security. Do you feel like you’ve achieved that: improving election security? And what do you think about more people probably having faith in the results of elections then than they do now?
A: I am really proud of the fact that in this era of misinformation, we were able to protect our elections and ensure they remained secure.
While withstanding this unprecedented scrutiny and an unprecedented level of frivolous lawsuits, sham legislative hearings and falsehoods spread about our elections in the eye of the storm, we not only met the moment, but we built a better election system through it. That’s evidenced by the fact that we now have choices on how to vote in our state, we’ve modernized how you can register to vote and have increased the registration numbers we have.
Q: If one of these current candidates for secretary of state came to you and said, “I believe that the election is secure and everything is fine, but obviously there’s a lot of voters who don’t. How do we improve that?” What would you say to them?
A: Transparency is our friend.
Q: Just continue to open the process up as much as possible?
A: Well, the facts are on our side. The process is secure. So one of the most important things we need to do first is just continue to give people the tools that they need to get their questions answered and work with folks across the aisle, like we worked with Sen. Ed McBroom in 2021 to invite them into the process as well as answer questions that they have, while also, of course, maintaining any necessary confidence or security about the information that we’re providing.
But the through line is just transparency.
Q: What do you say to some of your opponents who will say, “Yeah, you decreased wait times. But what about the campaign finance website?” It’s not functioning, as they would hope it would.
A: Well, it’s certainly better than what we’ve had in the past. I think it’s important to remember that when I first ran for office, one of the things I heard most on the trail was actually, when are you going to get rid of MERTS (the former campaign finance disclosure system)?
Q: But that’s from people who are on the back end of it?
A: Right. Yeah. So I didn’t want to leave office without taking on that behemoth, knowing that it wasn’t going to be a smooth process, but it’s a necessary one if we were actually going to have a more transparent system, which I would argue also is something that the next secretary of state really needs to lean into more: getting money out of politics. I’ll be an ally for that as governor.
But when it comes to MITN and that process, one, what it really underscores is that I’m not afraid to take on big behemoths that others, frankly, past secretaries of state, refused to do, because it was too hard. And it does invite criticism. Whenever you try to transform a massive system that’s broken, yes, there are going to be hiccups along the way.
Q: Do you think voters are interested in that message: “I’ve improved these systems. I’m in government. I’ve succeeded in government. I can make it work.” Or are they looking for someone to just change everything?
A: People see a broken system that needs fixing, and they know I have transformed and fixed a system that every single one of our residents has interacted with. The other day, I was picking up food for my son and husband, and walking out with bags of food, and this gentleman in a pickup truck pulled up next to me in the parking lot and said, “Excuse me, are you the secretary of state?”
I was like, “I am.” And he said, “You know, I’m not political or anything. But I just was driving down this road the other day and realized when I passed the secretary of state’s office that it’s been years since I’ve had to go in there. Thank you for everything you’ve done to make that possible for me.” And I said, “Yeah, now imagine if all of government worked that well.”
Q: Do you think all three of the Democratic candidates running for secretary of state would be a good secretary of state? I know you’re not endorsing.
A: I’m committed to working with whoever comes through the convention and making sure they’re prepared to build on what we’ve done and achieve even more success.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
Before-and-after images of homes on Black Lake near Onaway provide perspectives on how the community was affected by April flooding.
Snowmelt and rain have stressed dams and caused lakes to flood in northern Michigan.
The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office shared on social media photos and videos that the agency captured of Cheboygan County floods on Friday, April 17 from both the ground and air.
Deputies “observed a level of destruction that simply cannot be understood from ground level,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Google Maps images taken from two locations on Black Lake in 2024, compared with the Friday images, show how the floodwater has changed the landscape.
On North Black River Road and Taylor Road, the water has overflowed to North Black River Road.
In the 400 block of South Black River Road, water has also flooded homes and lakeside property.
“Black Lake, Black River, Cheboygan River, Burt Lake, Mullet Lake, the Sturgeon River − and nearly every waterway in the county have overflowed beyond their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and in far too many cases, homes,” the sheriff’s office post said. “What should be familiar shorelines are now unrecognizable expanses of water.”
“Our hearts are with every family affected by this flooding,” Cheboygan County Sheriff Todd Ross said in the post. “We know many of you are facing significant damage to your homes and property, and the emotional toll that comes with it. Please know you are not alone. We are working around the clock with our partners to ensure safety, provide support, and begin the process of recovery. Stay strong, stay connected, and don’t hesitate to reach out for help, we will get through this together.”
Nearby, the UAW Black Lake Conference Center shared images on social media of floodwater threatening its Old Lodge.
The conference center is located at 2000 Maxon Road in Waverly Township.
The Cheboygan County Road Commission and the Cheboygan County Office of Emergency Management closed the bridge at Five Mile Point Road on Saturday, April 18 due to significant road washout in the area of South Black River Road and Red Bridge Road.
The sheriff’s office had encouraged residents in parts of the area to evacuate earlier in the week and said Saturday it had completed evacuation efforts on the west side of the lake.
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