Michigan
Michigan task force created to spur political debates beginning with US Senate race
A coalition of Michigan groups, including the Detroit Economic Club, Oakland University and others, have formed a task force working to address a recent decline in the number of political debates by arranging more such events beginning with this year’s campaign for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
On Monday, the Michigan Debate Task Force sent letters to the seven major party candidates — three Democrats and four Republicans — running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, informing them that whomever wins the Aug. 6 Democratic and Republican primaries will be invited to three debates to be held across the state in September and October ahead of the general election.
Third party candidates or independents appearing on the Nov. 5 ballot would also be invited to participate as long as they meet certain conditions, including polling at 5% or higher in at least two public and independent statewide polls in the month before the first debate, to be held in the Grand Rapids area on Sept. 12.
Other debates would be held in the Traverse City area on Oct. 10 and in metro Detroit on Oct. 22. That schedule, the group said, means the first would occur before absentee ballots are sent, the second before the beginning of Michigan’s early voting period and the third two weeks before Election Day, permitting voters “to hear from the candidates directly no matter how they wish to cast their ballot.”
More: Peter Meijer leaves GOP race for US Senate
Several state media organizations, including the Detroit Free Press, have endorsed the task force and its proposal to hold debates focused on issues of regional and statewide importance, as well as its mission to be an independent and neutral group convening political debates.
“Voters in Michigan are being deprived of important opportunities to hear directly and in an unfiltered settingfrom those who want to serve as the state’s leaders. This is a problem that is escalating across the nation,” the group said in a news release. “By hosting regular debates for statewide offices in Michigan, the task force will increase the opportunities voters have to hear directly from candidates rather than through controlled messages thus improving the quality of information available to voters during the campaign season.”
The group came together over the last couple of years as officials at Oakland University and the Detroit Economic Club began to independently look into ways of generating more debates, especially after the state’s 2022 elections. That year, there were no debates between the state attorney general and secretary of state candidates; two between the gubernatorial candidates were held after absentee ballots went out and less than four weeks before the election.
Eventually, the two groups joined forces and began looking for other partners, with the list growing to include the Economic Club of Traverse City, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Grand Valley State University, the Hispanic Center, the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance, Northwestern Michigan College, the Urban League of Detroit and Southeast Michigan and the Urban League of West Michigan.
Dave Dulio, director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University, was one of those instrumental in bringing the task force together. He said the idea is to “change the dynamic that sees candidates control everything” that voters get to see before an election. And while, he said, it’s understandable that candidates wish to exercise such control, “that doesn’t mean it serves the public interest.”
“This is a long-term effort,” he said. “We’re not going to necessarily see the kind of debates that maybe we would all want right away but we can improve things incrementally. For the task force the idea is to do it with more frequency and with a neutral party — that being the task force — involved.”
If successful, he said, over time, candidates will learn to understand that they need to participate in the debates, which, for now, will be limited to statewide races, though Dulio said he could see the task force becoming a resource for regional or more local groups to arrange debates of their own.
As for beginning with the U.S. Senate race, Dulio said it’s a natural place to start: “It might be that in September one of the candidates has a pretty sizable polling lead and has a command on the race but my hunch is it’s going to be a close election,” he said. “It’s a hotly contested open seat race that could be the one that determines majority control of the U.S Senate for the next two years.”
The three Democrats who are expected to appear on the August primary ballot include U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, of Holly; Detroit actor Hill Harper and Dearborn businessman Nasser Beydoun. The Republican field includes former U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers, of Brighton, and Justin Amash, of Cascade Township, Grosse Pointe businessman Sandy Pensler and west Michigan physician Sherry O’Donnell.
Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Black-legged ticks have been increasing across Michigan this summer, raising concerns about tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.
—> Michigan health officials alarmed by surge in Lyme disease cases
Researchers at Michigan State University say the large white-tailed deer population plays a key role in spreading these ticks.
To address the problem, MSU scientists are testing food capsules containing biomarkers to see if deer will eat them.
Each capsule currently includes corn, alfalfa, molasses, and a biomarker that helps track how many deer consume the capsules.
If successful, the capsules will eventually contain a vaccine to help deer build immunity to ticks, similar to how dogs are vaccinated.
The goal is to reduce the number of ticks on deer, which could lower the risk of tick-borne diseases for people spending time outdoors.
MSU professors describe this as an innovative method that could be a game-changer for controlling black-legged ticks and Lyme disease in Michigan. The capsules are being introduced in selected parks and land preserves in the Mid-Michigan area as part of the early phase of this research.
In the future, the team plans to add a drug or vaccine to the capsules to eliminate ticks on deer, aiming to stop the problem at its source.
—> 4 ways to protect yourself from ticks in Michigan, and 4 things to do after you’re outside
Copyright 2025 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
President Donald Trump’s administration renewed its request Sunday for a federal appeals court to let him fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, a move the president is seeking ahead of the central bank’s vote on interest rates.
The Trump administration filed a response just ahead of a 3 p.m. Eastern deadline Sunday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that Cook’s legal arguments for why she should stay on the job were meritless. Lawyers for Cook argued in a Saturday filing that the Trump administration has not shown sufficient cause to fire her, and stressed the risks to the economy and country if the president were allowed to fire a Fed governor without proper cause.
Sunday’s filing is the latest step in an unprecedented effort by the White House to shape the historically independent Fed. Cook’s firing marks the first time in the central bank’s 112-year history that a president has tried to fire a governor.
“The public and the executive share an interest in ensuring the integrity of the Federal Reserve,” Trump’s lawyers argued in Sunday’s filing. “And that requires respecting the president’s statutory authority to remove governors ‘for cause’ when such cause arises.”
Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.
Trump relied on those allegations to fire Cook “for cause.”
Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, referred to the condominium as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”
Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing and a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
The administration appealed and asked for an emergency ruling just before the Fed is set to meet this week and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.
It’s an in-state matchup on Saturday, Sept. 13, as Michigan football (1-1) takes on the Central Michigan Chippewas (1-1) for the Wolverines’ second home game of the season.
After a loss on the road at Oklahoma last week in which Michigan struggled to generate offense, the Wolverines — and particularly freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood — are looking to sharpen their offensive skills against a weaker Chippewas.
They’ll have to do so without coach Sherrone Moore, however. The coach is serving the first of a two-game suspension sanctioned by the school for his role in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. In the interim, Biff Poggi will lead the Wolverines.
Michigan’s task will be to hone its skills on both sides of the ball, but with an emphasis on offense. The Wolverines struggled to run the ball last week and Underwood had difficulty connecting with receivers downfield as well. Central Michigan provides a perfect opportunity for Michigan to build its offensive cohesiveness before beginning Big Ten play.
Follow along below for live updates.
Michigan football vs. Central Michigan early availability report
Michigan – Out: QB Davis Warren (knee), OT Andrew Babalola (knee). Probable: DB Rod Moore (knee), DB Shamari Earls (undisclosed), DB Caleb Anderson (undisclosed). Questionable: TE Marlin Klein (right foot/ankle), DB Zeke Berry (lower body), RB John Volker (undisclosed), LB Jaydon Hood (undisclosed), RB Bryson Kuzdzal (undisclosed), RB Donovan Johnson (undisclosed), edge Devon Baxter, DT Ike Iwunnah (undisclosed), WR C.J. Charleston (undisclosed). Doubtful: OL Gio-EL Hadi (left ankle/foot)
Central Michigan – Missed Week 2: TE Rory Callahan, OL John Iannuzzi.
Matchup: No. 22 Michigan (1-1) vs. Central Michigan (1-1)
Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Sept. 13; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.
TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WCSX-FM (94.7).Looking for a free mini puzzle? Play the USA TODAY Quick Cross now.
Line: Wolverines by 27½.
Michigan football schedule 2025
Week 1: W, 34-17 vs New Mexico.
Week 2: L, 13-24 at Oklahoma
Week 3: vs Central Michigan, Saturday Sept. 13, noon ET (Big Ten Network).
Week 4: at Nebraska, Saturday Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS).
Week 5: BYE.
Week 6: vs Wisconsin, Saturday Oct. 4, 12 p.m. or 3:30 p.m.
Week 7: at USC, Saturday Oct. 11, time TBD.
Week 8: vs Washington, Saturday Oct. 18, time TBD.
Week 9: at Michigan State, Saturday Oct. 25, time TBD.
Week 10: vs Purdue, Sautrday Nov. 1, time TBD.
Week 11: BYE.
Week 12: at Northwestern, Saturday Nov. 15, time TBD.
Week 13: at Maryland, Saturday Nov. 22, time TBD.
Week 14: vs Ohio State, Saturday Nov. 29, noon ET (Fox).
Contact Matthew Auchincloss at mauchincloss@freepress.com.
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