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Satanic group defies Kansas officials, plans 'black mass' at state Capitol

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Satanic group defies Kansas officials, plans 'black mass' at state Capitol

A group of self-described Satanists plans to stage a “black mass” inside the Kansas State Capitol, despite recent attempts by the governor and a group of bipartisan lawmakers to block it. 

The Satanic Grotto, a registered nonprofit that describes itself as an “independent and non-denominational Satanic church,” intends to hold its demonstration at the state Capitol on March 28. According to founder Michael Stewart, the event initially drew little attention, until allegations surfaced that he stole consecrated bread from a local Catholic church for use in the “black mass” ceremony.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, issued an order on March 12 barring The Satanic Grotto from entering the State House for its planned March 28 demonstration. That order was subsequently followed up by a modification of the State House’s building and grounds policies, led by a group of bipartisan state legislators.

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“There are more constructive ways to protest and express disagreements without insulting or denigrating sacred religious symbols,” Kelly said in an announcement about The Satanic Grotto’s “black mass” event. 

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In Satanist traditions, a “black mass” ceremony sometimes involves the desecration of the consecrated Eucharist, as was recounted online by Monsignor Roger J. Landry, a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, in 2014. Landry pointed out that, at the time, the New York Satanic Temple’s website described the black mass as a “perversion of the Catholic Mass” and posited that a consecrated host gets “corrupted by sexual fluids” during the ritual. 

Michael Stewart and The Satanic Grotto intend to move forward with their planned “black mass” demonstration at the Kansas State Capitol despite efforts from public officials to squash the event. (GETTY | Satanic Grotto)

A lawsuit brought by the bishop of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Joseph Naumann, alleged Stewart admitted on social media to stealing the consecrated Eucharist. The lawsuit also alleged members of The Satanic Grotto sent threatening letters to lawmakers. 

“The First Amendment does not protect criminal conduct,” Senate President Ty Masterson told the Kansas Reflector this week. “Recent statements from an organization – which pledged to engage in such conduct – necessitated a thoughtful review of policies to ensure the safety of all those visiting our State Capitol.” 

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Stewart, in an interview with Fox News Digital, did not deny the accusations that he was the owner of a social media account that admitted to taking the host. Stewart said that while he and his group may have sent rude letters to lawmakers in the past, none of them were threatening. An evidentiary hearing in the case took place Thursday, and it was ultimately dismissed after Stewart denied the allegations, he said.

Michael Stewart, founder of the Kansas-based group “The Satanic Grotto” (Michael Stewart/The Satanic Grotto)

Stewart promised to proceed with his demonstration at the Capitol on March 28, despite orders attempting to block it, even if it leads to his arrest. He expects to be joined by two or three other members of The Satanic Grotto but has urged unaffiliated supporters looking to confront public officials or law enforcement to stay back.

“It’s come up a lot lately that we’re going to storm the Capitol. And because [critics] see that one of our specific laws of the grotto speaks to violence, that we’re a violent organization. Neither one of those things are true,” Stewart said. “We’re going to the Capitol non-violently. This is not going to be January 6th. This is going to be a 1960s civil rights act. We’re not going to be literally slinging fecal matter on the walls.”

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The Kansas State Capitol is in central Topeka and is surrounded by over 20 acres of park-like grounds. (Don and Melinda Crawford/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Stewart said that the idea of the “black mass” demonstration in Topeka stemmed from the group wanting “to build a church that matches how Kansans define Satanism.”

“Part of that is activism,” Stewart said. “We started following different groups and counterprotests, and inevitably they all ended up at the Capitol, one way or another.” 

However, Stewart noted, the groups making use of their First Amendment rights by protesting at the Capitol were mostly all Christian groups “holding pictures of mutilated babies inside of our Capitol, holding prayers, holding praise and worship sessions, very openly, very boldly, consistently.”

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“I’ve rarely, if ever, seen anybody else do anything. And it just occurred to me, I was like, ‘Man, these guys are the only ones taking advantage of their rights.’”

Kelly’s office declined to comment on the situation when reached for comment, pointing Fox News Digital to a March 12 statement about the event. 

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Wisconsin

Polaris to lay off 200 Wisconsin workers, close facility in Osceola

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Polaris to lay off 200 Wisconsin workers, close facility in Osceola



The move comes after Polaris announced it was separating from Indian Motorcycle.

Powersports company Polaris has announced it plans to wind down the operations at its facility in Osceola which specializes in manufacturing Indian Motorcycle.

The move impacts roughly 200 Wisconsin workers at the facility.

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On Jan. 27, during a fourth quarter and full year earnings call for 2025, Polaris said the company expects to sell Indian Motorcycle by the end of the first quarter of 2026 to Carolwood, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles. However the company plans to maintain some stake in the company.

Polaris officials said called the sale of Indian Motorcycle was a “difficult decision” and added it was a “move that we believe is best for Polaris and Indian Motorcycle.”

In a post on X, Wisconsin Democrat Sen. Tammy Baldwin said:

“We have seen this story in Wisconsin too many times – a private equity firm buys a company, hollows it out, & fires its workers, all to pad their profits. It’s simply wrong.”



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Midwest

Trump hits the road to sell economic wins, as Republicans brace for high-stakes midterm showdown

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Trump hits the road to sell economic wins, as Republicans brace for high-stakes midterm showdown

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Facing a rough political climate as his party aims to hold their House and Senate majorities in this year’s midterm elections, President Donald Trump on Tuesday kicks off what the White House says will be weekly stops in states with key ballot box showdowns.

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It’s part of the president’s push to showcase he’s working to combat rising prices, a top issue on the minds of Americans. And as the Trump administration reels amid two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minnesota this month of U.S. citizens protesting aggressive tactics to deport millions of undocumented migrants, it’s also an effort to pivot to the economy from immigration.

Trump’s first stop is Iowa, a one-time Midwestern battleground turned red-leaning state the president carried by double digits in 2024 where Republicans are now playing defense as they defend open Senate and gubernatorial seats, as well as three competitive GOP-controlled House districts.

In suburban Des Moines, Trump will visit a local business, meet with lawmakers, and deliver an address on the economy.

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President Donald Trump launched the year-long countdown to America’s 250th anniversary, with a stop at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, on July 3, 2025. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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“The economy is good. It’s all good. Prices are coming way down, and we have a lot of very positive news,” Trump touted as he departed for Iowa.

And ahead of the trip, a White House official told Fox News Digital, “Inflation has cooled, economic growth is accelerating, and real wages are up for American workers.”

Deep concerns over inflation boosted Trump and Republicans to sweeping victories at the ballot box in 2024, as they won back the White House and Senate and keep their House majority.

But Democrats say their decisive victories in November’s 2025 elections, and their overperformances in special elections and other ballot box showdowns last year, were fueled by their laser focus on affordability amid persistent inflation.

The president’s approval on the economy has consistently hovered in negative territory since last March, and has dragged down his overall approval ratings during his first year back in the White House.

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Among the most recent national polls — a Wall Street Journal survey conducted earlier this month put Trump’s approval rating on the economy at 44%-54%, and he stood at 35%-56% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in the field this past weekend.

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“Donald Trump has tanked the economy for working families, making the cost-of-living an inescapable hell for millions of Americans. Everyday Americans are drowning under the weight of rising costs, flat wages, high unemployment, and record layoffs — it’s no wonder they’re concerned about making ends meet,” Democratic National Committee Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer argued in a statement.

But the Wall Street Journal poll indicated that congressional Republicans had an 11-point advantage over their Democratic rivals when it came to which party was better equipped to handle the economy.

Iowa is friendly ground for Trump, who convincingly won the state in his two presidential victories and one re-election defeat.

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President Donald Trump celebrates his victory in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses, at a campaign event in Des Moines on Jan. 15, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

But a memo from Democratic National Committee (DNC) Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman claimed, “However hard Trump tries to explain away his failing economy, it’s abundantly clear that Americans aren’t buying it, especially in Iowa, where Trump’s policies are raising costs for Iowans, devastating Iowa’s agricultural economy, and destroying thousands of jobs that working Iowans rely on.”

The White House disagrees, with the official arguing that “Iowans are better off with President Trump and Republican leadership,” noting that gas prices in the state “ranked the second lowest in the nation.”

And pointing to the various tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump’s domestic legislative achievement so far in his second term, the official said, “Iowans could see their wages rise up to $61,000 over the next four years.”

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The GOP, as it works to hold its congressional majorities, is dealing with a low propensity issue: MAGA voters who don’t always go to the polls when Trump’s name isn’t on the ballot.

But even though he’s not on the ballot this year, Trump pledged last week that he’ll be on the campaign trail “a lot” on behalf of fellow Republicans running in the midterms.

President Donald Trump gestures as he arrives to deliver remarks on the U.S. economy and affordability at the Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 2025. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Trump made stops last month and earlier this month in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Michigan to highlight his accomplishments on the economy.

And the weekly trips advertised by the White House are a big change from Trump’s first term, when the president didn’t start his campaign travel blitz until Labor Day.

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Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month that “the President of the United States is our secret weapon… He’s laser focused.”

“We got to make sure we turn our voters out, and we got to make sure that we have people energized. And there’s nobody that can energize our base more than President Trump,” Gruters added.

And the White House official said that the president “has always been most in his element when he’s interacting with everyday Americans, and the President’s domestic travel will allow him to most effectively underscore how this Administration has and continues to deliver economic prosperity for the American people.”

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Democrats are just fine with Trump hitting the road.

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“Trump has historically low approval ratings because he has put America last, sold out working families to hand out favors to billionaires, and made life unaffordable. Hitting the road will only remind Americans of his failures and force GOP candidates to tie themselves to his cratering presidency,” DNC chair Ken Martin argued in a statement to Fox News Digital.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit handling dozens of water main breaks amid frigid stretch

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Detroit handling dozens of water main breaks amid frigid stretch


The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) is dealing with dozens of water main breaks around the city as a cold snap continues.

Gary Brown, the DWSD director, said Tuesday morning that there were “at least a couple dozen” water main breaks.

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Water main break flooding:

At least three of those water main breaks led to flooding, which then resulted in frozen streets.

People on Laing near Britain, not far from Morang, have reportedly been complaining about a water main break since Monday, and 911 dispatchers have fielded calls about vehicles stuck in the ice and water.

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Another water main break flooded about ⅔ of Bringard near Barlow, which is south of Eight Mile, before freezing.

Also on the east side, a water main break with less severe flooding was reported on Dequindre near State Fair.

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What they’re saying:

“This is historic, regionally, to have this deep of a freeze for this long of a period of time,” Brown said.

According to Brown, the breaks have been the result of frigid temperatures and shifting.

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What’s next:

Brown said the department is prioritizing which breaks get repaired first. 

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“The prioritization is any person or street that may be completely out of water,” he said, noting that as of Monday night, no residents were out of water.

While crews work to repair the breaks, the water department is urging residents to be patient.

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“When you’ve got 30 or 40 water main breaks, we can’t get to everyone at the same time,” Brown said.

DetroitWinter Weather



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