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Michigan Tag

The Huron Daily Tribune fired reporter Brenda Battel after she accidentally left an insulting voicemail for Michigan Republican Senate candidate John James. From The Daily Caller:
“Man, if he beats her [incumbent Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow]… Jesus! F***ing John James. That would suck! Whew, I don’t think it’s going to happen though,” Battel continued.

As we move ever closer to the 2018 midterms, all eyes are fixed on House and Senate races.  The need for President Trump to maintain, even expand, the number of seats in both Houses of Congress cannot be overstated, so it's heartening to see Republican candidate for Senate John James surging in Michigan. James, a combat veteran and businessman, describes himself as a "conservative Republican" and is seeing a surge not only in support via polling but in donations as money is flowing into his campaign.  While James is still a bit of a long-shot against incumbent Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow who has held that seat since 2000, the recent surge opens the possibility of a stunning—and very welcome—upset.

We often cover fake hate here at LI, but this case in Grand Rapids, Michigan is particularly disturbing because it involves children.  Several black children under the age of eight concocted a story about a white man urinating on one of them. It turns out that the children had invented the story about the white man (it was one of the children who had urinated on another child) to avoid getting in trouble.  The fabrication, however, resulted in the arrest of an innocent 60-year-old man and the usual outrage-before-facts from the left.  Even the local NAACP weighed in with their outraged outrage.

The recent surprise primary victory for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York convinced the socialist wing of the Democratic party that their time had finally come. One race they truly wanted to win was the Democratic primary for governor of Michigan. They even flew in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to help the campaign but it didn't work.

Now that Larry Nassar has received over 100 years for molesting hundreds of girls, the fallout has begun at Michigan State University and how officials handled the accusations over the years. From Lansing State Journal:
A 2014 sexual assault investigation of Larry Nassar by MSU’s Title IX office concluded that his conduct could open the university to lawsuits and expose patients to “unnecessary trauma based on the possibility of perceived inappropriate sexual misconduct.”

Embattled Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) has told a Detroit radio station that he will not seek re-election and endorses his son John Conyers III to replace him in Congress. From CNN:
"I am retiring today. And I want everyone to know how much I appreciate the support that...incredible, undiminished support I've received across the years of my supporters, not only in my district but across the country as well," Conyers said.
Conyers is facing numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment from former female employees. Another woman spoke up last night and claimed Conyers groped her in church.

Last February, I blogged about the sexual abuse allegations against former U.S. Olympic Gymnastics and Michigan State University physician Larry Nassar. The allegations came up in September 2016 and by November the number of women grew to 50. The number is now over 140. The number kept growing, with members of the latest U.S. Gymnastics team claiming Nassar abused them. An attorney representing one victim said the case is "Penn State all over again" due to "the same kind of institutional failures, involving multiple victims violated by a trusted staffer." On Wednesday, Nassar pled guilty to numerous charges of sexual abuse. His agreement with the prosecutors contained a prison sentence of 25 to 40 years.

Musician Kid Rock confirmed on Howard Stern's show that he is not running for the senate. The whole idea was a publicity stunt for his new album, but doesn't really regret it. From Detroit Free Press:
"F--- no, I’m not running for Senate. Are you kidding me?" Rock said on Howard Stern's SiriusXM show. "Who couldn’t figure that out? I’m releasing a new album. I’m going on tour too. Are you f---ing sh--ing me?"

The right of the private citizenry to make a public record request has, at least until recently, required local and federal governments to maintain a certain level of transparency. But a disturbing new trend has private citizens and even journalists flummoxed. In Louisiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and Oregon, individuals requesting public records have been sued by the agencies whose documents they requested. This new lawfare front has successfully kept public records out of the hands of requestors and made others think twice before making FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests.