As Michigan Democrats enter the thick of a competitive Senate primary campaign, one candidate is trying to position himself as an outsider who wants to fix a broken system and take on the oligarchy.
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed is a Bernie Sanders-endorsed former public health director who has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/13/abdul-el-sayed-democrat-senate-candidate-michigan">compared</a> to New York City’s recently elected democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He wants Medicare for all, believes big corporations are to blame for the problems in government and the economy, and insists that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must be abolished. 
But El-Sayed doesn’t want to be labeled a leftist or a democratic socialist. 
“I’m a scientist. I’m not a socialist,” El-Sayed told The Daily Wire during a 20-minute phone interview last week. “As a scientist, I&#8217;m interested in answering empirical problems. I&#8217;m interested in what works to solve a big problem.” 
“I don&#8217;t know what far-Left means, but I am the change agent, and I think the better way to analyze our politics right now is not Left and Right,” El-Sayed said. “I think those monikers are ill-suited for this time and, frankly, they&#8217;re a bit of a callback to a bygone era.”
El-Sayed is a Muslim running to represent a state with one of the highest Muslim populations in the United States. He is also running to represent a purple state that has voted to elect President Donald Trump twice. 
Asked how he felt about the increased scrutiny of Muslim immigrants in places like Michigan and Minnesota and the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, El-Sayed told The Daily Wire that he believes ICE should be abolished. He also argued that conservatives should support calls for ICE to be abolished. 
“It&#8217;s interesting that again we&#8217;ve allowed one narcissistic man to completely twist the idea of what being a conservative was supposed to be about,” he said. “Because when I talked to folks across the state — whether they&#8217;re self-described Democrats or Republicans or independents or none of the above — they&#8217;re always saying, ‘I just want our government to operate in a way that respects and empowers the Constitution.’&#8221; 
“Conservatives talk about small government, conservatives talk about protecting folks from tyranny. This is literally big government in support of tyranny,” El-Sayed said of Trump’s ICE deployment. “So I just think abolishing is a conservative position, don&#8217;t you?”
El-Sayed is clearly no fan of President Trump, and he told The Daily Wire that he believes Trump is the “worst symptom” of a broader “disease.” 
“The disease is the system that allows big corporations, billionaires, oligarchs to buy and sell access to politicians that lets them rig the system against us,” he added. “It&#8217;s the reason we get paid less for the work we do, and we have to pay more for the things we have to buy.” 
If that messaging sounds familiar, it’s because it echoes the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheTNHoller/videos/zohran-we-are-an-existential-threat-to-billionaires-who-think-their-money-can-bu/1898412347696567/">rhetoric</a> of far-Left politicians, including New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OcasioCortez/posts/there-is-an-extreme-concentration-of-power-greed-and-corruption-is-taking-over-t/1234154698067114/">said</a> last year, &#8220;The oligarchs who installed Donald Trump in power have one mission: to make billionaires richer at the expense of the United States of America. It is their agenda to keep wages low and loot our public goods.&#8221;
Mamdani also used similar language on his way to winning New York City’s mayoral election last year. Speaking at a rally last October, Mamdani said that the leftist movement propelling his campaign is an “existential threat to billionaires who think their money can buy our democracy.” 
“We are an existential threat to a broken status quo that buries the voices of working people beneath corporations,” Mamdani added at the time. 
It also aligns with the messaging that democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders has used for decades. In his endorsement of El-Sayed last year, Sanders <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOBjGD2AKE9/">said</a> that Congress “desperately needs right now … members with the guts to stand up to the oligarchs.” 
“Abdul certainly would be doing that, so I’m delighted to be supporting him,” Sanders added. 
While Mamdani, Sanders, and AOC fully adopted the democratic socialist moniker, El-Sayed told The Daily Wire that he’s a capitalist who believes the “biggest danger to capitalism is monopoly,” not “government regulation.” 
“We&#8217;re living in an era right now where monopolies and oligopolies are destroying the idea of a market itself,” El-Sayed said. “And so if we want capitalism to work, you actually have to have meaningful government involvement to protect markets from monopoly and oligopoly too big to fail.”
The democratic socialism of Mamdani, Sanders, and AOC propelled them into power in the liberal enclaves of New York and Vermont, but it likely won&#8217;t play well in Michigan, a blue-collar manufacturing hub that helped elect Trump in both 2016 and 2024. El-Sayed seems to be putting himself in a position to garner some of the momentum of the far-Left without explicitly identifying with the far-Left&#8217;s newfound fascination with socialism.
The Bernie Sanders-endorsed candidate is in a tightly contested race for the seat left open by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. The former health director faces state Senator Mallory McMorrow and U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, with recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/michigan-us-senate-election-polls-2026.html">polling</a> showing El-Sayed sitting in third place, but not by much. The Daily Wire reached out to the campaigns for McMorrow and Stevens, requesting interviews, but they have not responded. 
El-Sayed has sought to separate himself from the other Democrats in the race by highlighting his refusal to accept campaign donations from corporations. He is also the candidate who has been the most critical of U.S. support for Israel, telling The Daily Wire, “Our tax dollars are being used to continue genocide.” 
His anti-Israel stance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dem-senate-candidate-accuses-israel-of-invading-gaza-in-oct-7-fundraising-email">sparked controversy</a> last October when El-Sayed&#8217;s campaign sent a fundraising email on the anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel that made no mention of Hamas’ atrocities and blamed Israel for launching “a ground invasion of Gaza.” After the email was sent on October 7, 2025, El-Sayed’s campaign said it went out by mistake. 
Asked by The Daily Wire this week how such a mistake could happen, El-Sayed said the email had been approved to go out, but was supposed to be sent on a different day. 
“It went out, and I very quickly reached out to leaders in the Jewish community to apologize for having stepped on their grief,” he said, adding, “The message in the email is something I stand by.” 
When asked about his faith, El-Sayed told The Daily Wire that he’s “proud” to be Muslim and also “really proud” of the U.S. Constitution. 
“One of the things I love about my constitution is that it protects my right to practice as I choose to practice or not practice at all,” he said. “The idea that anybody should be pointing at one religious group in the name of the Constitution and saying that those people are not fit to be here or not fit to serve seems to me to be inconsistent with what the Constitution actually guarantees.” 
El-Sayed condemned conservatives who he said attempt to “twist conservatism to be about a very particular kind of fascism.” 
“When people come at me because I&#8217;m Muslim, I always laugh,” he added. “I&#8217;m like, man, you think you know something about America and you know nothing at all.”

Abdul El-Sayed

‘I’m Not A Socialist’: Michigan’s Mamdani Leans On The Left’s New Playbook But Rejects The Label

'I'm Not A Socialist': Michigan's Mamdani Has The Left's New Playbook But Doesn't Want The New Label

2026 Midterms

Michigan

U.S. Senate

President Donald Trump tore into Canada again on Monday, threatening to prevent the opening of a bridge connecting Ontario to Michigan — a project finally nearing completion after almost eight years of construction.
Trump blasted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for holding trade talks with China as Canada continues to levy tariffs on U.S. products. The president said that Canada must treat &#8220;the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,&#8221; and until that happens, he will not allow the bridge to open.
&#8220;The Tariffs Canada charges us for our Dairy products have, for many years, been unacceptable, putting our Farmers at great financial risk. I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116043090074364624">wrote</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;We will start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY.&#8221;
The bridge, which is named after Detroit Red Wings hockey legend Gordie Howe, would connect Windsor, Ontario, to the Motor City. The Canadian government paid for its construction and would jointly own the bridge with the state of Michigan, The Detroit News <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/09/trump-threatens-to-block-gordie-howe-international-bridge-from-opening-michigan-ontario-canada/88597688007/">reported</a>.
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is slated to open sometime this year, but Trump&#8217;s threat could throw a wrench in those plans. While the bridge would be partly owned by Michigan, Trump could prevent the bridge from being operational by declining to staff the port of entry with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, however, promised Michigan&#8217;s Democratic senators last year that the crossing would be staffed.
Trump complained that Canada constructed the bridge &#8220;with virtually no U.S. content,&#8221; adding, &#8220;They own both the Canada and the United States side.&#8221; Trump also criticized former President Barack Obama for &#8220;stupidly&#8221; granting Canada a waiver &#8220;so they could get around the BUY AMERICAN Act, and not use any American products, including our Steel.&#8221;
Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who met with Trump in the Oval Office last year, wasn&#8217;t concerned with the bridge&#8217;s grand opening being pushed back because of Trump&#8217;s comments.
&#8220;It&#8217;s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting,&#8221; a Whitmer spokeswoman said on Monday. The spokeswoman said the Gordie Howe Bridge is &#8220;a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation.&#8221;
The bridge would allow people to cross the border by bike, on foot, or in a vehicle. There are currently two ways for vehicles to cross from Detroit into Windsor, or vice versa: through the Windsor Tunnel, which runs under the Detroit River, or across the Ambassador Bridge, a 96-year-old suspension bridge. The Gordie Howe International Bridge would help with traffic congestion at the U.S.-Canada border crossing while also providing a more direct connection between I-75 and Ontario&#8217;s Highway 401.
Last month, Canada and China reached a preliminary agreement on trade that would lower some tariffs, including on Chinese electric vehicles shipped to Canada. After Prime Minister Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping held trade talks, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115950424403894234">threatened</a> to increase U.S. tariffs on Canadian products to 100% if the two countries reached a deal. Trump also warned Carney against allowing China to use Canada as a &#8220;drop off port&#8221; to send its goods into the United States.
&#8220;China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.&#8221;
On Monday, Trump warned that if Canada agrees to a deal with China, &#8220;The first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.&#8221;

Donald Trump/Gordie Howe International Bridge

Trump Rips Canada, Threatens To Shut Down Grand Opening Of Bridge Connecting Ontario To Michigan

Canada

China

Donald Trump

trade

Michigan&#8217;s leftist Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/ag/-/media/Project/Websites/AG/releases/2026/January/Michigan-Energy-Affordability-Complaint.pdf?rev=5fe0d3cf29174f30a7f4853ef1eb0c22&amp;hash=3242B297D226DCDD835DF7D328490E32">lawsuit</a> on behalf of Michigan residents on Friday, arguing that multiple oil companies violated antitrust laws and conspired to harm the renewable energy and electric vehicle markets.
The lawsuit <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2026/01/23/attorney-general-nessel-files-lawsuit-against-fossil-fuel-defendants">alleges</a> that BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and the oil industry association, the American Petroleum Institute, acted &#8220;as a cartel&#8221; to go after renewable energy sources and &#8220;restrain the emergence of electric vehicles.&#8221; The alleged conspiracy has caused Michigan residents to &#8220;suffer artificially high home and transportation energy costs,&#8221; according to Nessel.
&#8220;Specifically, by suppressing innovation and investment in renewable energy, EVs, and EV infrastructure, Defendants have artificially reduced the output of electricity as a substitute for gasoline and other energy sources,&#8221; the lawsuit states. &#8220;This restraint not only eliminated competitive pressure that would have lowered prices, but also deprived Michigan consumers of meaningful choice, forcing them to buy primary and transportation energy products at supracompetitive prices and with additional costs in the form of negative externalities.&#8221;
Critics of the EV push have argued the opposite of what Michigan claims in the lawsuit, saying that in recent years, the federal government and some state governments have artificially propped up the EV market in an attempt to encourage Americans to give up gas-powered vehicles.
American automakers, such as Michigan-based Ford and General Motors, have recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ford-delays-production-of-new-electric-vehicles-by-years-as-consumers-sour-on-evs">dialed back</a> their investments in EV production due to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gms-ev-struggles-trigger-mass-layoffs-in-three-states">low demand</a> and high manufacturing costs. Last year, the EV market took a hit when President Donald Trump ended the Biden-era EV tax credit, which encouraged Americans to buy alternatives to gas- and diesel-fueled vehicles.
Nessel&#8217;s lawsuit accuses the oil companies of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act, and the Michigan Antitrust Reform Act, which prohibit monopolies and anti-competitive practices. The state of Michigan is demanding a jury trial.
&#8220;Michigan is facing an energy affordability crisis as our home energy costs skyrocket and consumers are left without affordable options for transportation. Whether you own a home, a small business, or run a large corporation, rising energy and transportation costs harm everyone,&#8221; Nessel <a href="https://x.com/dananessel/status/2014782329961509273">said</a>.
The Daily Wire reached out to each of the oil companies accused by Michigan in the lawsuit.
Chevron counsel Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. said that courts have dismissed similar lawsuits in multiple states, adding that Michigan&#8217;s lawsuit &#8220;ignores the fact that Michigan is highly dependent on oil and gas to support the state’s automakers and workers,” The Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/michigan/2026/01/23/michigan-attorney-general-dana-nessel-lawsuit-conspiracy-oil-companies/88298387007/">reported</a>.
Ryan Meyers, general counsel for the American Petroleum Institute, added, &#8220;These baseless lawsuits are a coordinated campaign against an industry that powers everyday life, drives America’s economy, and is actively reducing emissions. We continue to believe that energy policy belongs in Congress, not a patchwork of courtrooms.”

Dana Nessel

Michigan Dem AG Sues Oil Companies, Calls Them ‘A Cartel’ That Conspired To Stifle EV Market

Oil and Gas

President Donald Trump could be seen on video flipping the bird and saying the phrase &#8220;f*ck you&#8221; in the direction of a heckler during his Tuesday visit to the Ford F-150 plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
The president, in town for a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, toured the F-150 plant as well — and responded in the moment as someone in the crowd shouted at him, apparently accusing the president of &#8220;protecting&#8221; the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Entertainment site TMZ first reported the news, sharing video of the brief exchange that quickly made its way across social media.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EXCLUSIVE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EXCLUSIVE</a> 😳 President Trump was filmed flipping off a Ford worker who yelled &#8220;pedophile protector&#8221; at him. <a href="https://t.co/m5nLYtWxxT">https://t.co/m5nLYtWxxT</a> <a href="https://t.co/512zEYV6WC">pic.twitter.com/512zEYV6WC</a>
— TMZ (@TMZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/2011193178263605453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;It’s hard to make out the full sentence shouted at Trump, but it seems to have included the words ‘pedophile protector,'&#8221; the outlet reported. Trump could be seen turning to look at the person who had shouted at him before apparently saying, &#8220;f*ck you,&#8221; and flipping him a middle finger for good measure.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung addressed the video as it circulated, explaining, &#8220;A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.&#8221;
Throughout most of the president&#8217;s tour, the plant workers crowded around him as they shook his hand and posed for photos.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/OFqEPVD9LY">pic.twitter.com/OFqEPVD9LY</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2011174073091670360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
While he was at the Detroit automotive plant, Trump also sat for an interview with new &#8220;CBS Evening News&#8221; anchor Tony Dokoupil.
In that interview, among a number of other topics, Trump talked about what was going on in the auto industry – particularly since he&#8217;d put a stop to imminent electric vehicle mandates set in motion by former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>: &#8220;I want electric, and I want gasoline, and I want hybrids — I want everything. But you were going to be forced, under the mandate, to buy an electric car in a very short period of time. I didn&#8217;t want that, and I ended that.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/jTU4v6bMev">pic.twitter.com/jTU4v6bMev</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2011224265983738344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;I want electric, and I want gasoline, and I want hybrids — I want everything. But you were going to be forced, under the mandate, to buy an electric car in a very short period of time. I didn&#8217;t want that, and I ended that,&#8221; Trump explained.

US-VENEZUELA-POLITICS-CONFLICT-OIL

Trump Flips Off Auto Worker During Ford Plant Visit

Executive

Ford Motor Co.

Jeffrey Epstein

Politics

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow, a Democrat who&#8217;s running for U.S. Senate in 2026, said in a video posted to social media on Thursday that she &#8220;would not be able to control&#8221; herself if she saw conservative Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh in public.
The undated video, posted on X by Townhall, shows McMorrow answering a question from someone about the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. McMorrow, a Notre Dame grad and one of the Democratic leaders in the Michigan Senate, said that it makes her &#8220;furious&#8221; that Coney Barrett also graduated from Notre Dame.
&#8220;I talked to somebody yesterday who said they saw her with Brett Kavanaugh at a tailgate last weekend. I was like, &#8216;I would not be able to control myself,'&#8221; McMorrow said. &#8220;That would be a bad— there would be beers thrown in people&#8217;s faces.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨WATCH: Democrat Candidate for Senate in Michigan Mallory McMorrow says that she would not be able to stop herself from hurling cans of beer at Amy Coney Barrett &amp; Brett Kavanaugh if she saw them in public.
Despicable! <a href="https://t.co/aQTsPBnvQC">pic.twitter.com/aQTsPBnvQC</a>
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/2001727745919680652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire reached out to McMorrow&#8217;s Senate office and her campaign team to ask about her comments, but they did not respond.
Conservative Supreme Court justices have been the target of intense criticism from Democratic leaders in recent years. In 2020, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/05/chuck-schumer-supreme-court-comments-121960">called out</a> Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch by name and warned that they would &#8220;pay the price&#8221; if they voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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&#8220;You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,&#8221; Schumer added at the time. The Democratic leader was rebuked by many of his colleagues and by Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote, “Justices know that criticism comes with the territory, but threatening statements of this sort from the highest levels of government are not only inappropriate, they are dangerous.”
Then, in 2022, shortly after the court overturned Roe v. Wade, a trans-identifying male traveled to the home of Kavanaugh with plans to assassinate the conservative justice.
McMorrow is one of three Democrats who are seeking to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. The 2026 election in Michigan will be one of the most closely watched contests in the country, as Republicans hope to capitalize on the open seat. McMorrow, 39, has served in the Michigan Senate since 2019 and became the Senate majority whip in 2023, where she has focused on advocating for abortion, especially after the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Earlier this year, McMorrow rubbed shoulders with a radical leftist blogger who mocked Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated. In late September, McMorrow <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-democrat-teams-up-with-leftist-blogger-who-mocked-charlie-kirk-after-assassination">attended a fundraiser</a> alongside Rebecca Schoenkopf, who, a day after Kirk was killed, published an article titled “Second Amendment Comes for Charlie Kirk.”

Mallory McMorrow/Brett Kavanaugh/Amy Coney Barrett

Dem Senate Hopeful Says She’d Throw Beer At Conservative Justices, Lacks Self-Control

Amy Coney Barrett

Brett Kavanaugh

Democrats

Elections

Supreme Court

The city council in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the University of Michigan, voted unanimously earlier this week to remove hundreds of neighborhood crime watch signs, arguing that the crime watch program promotes &#8220;race-based hyper-vigilance.&#8221;
The Ann Arbor City Council voted 10-0 to direct city employees to begin removing all neighborhood crime watch signs by July 15 in an effort to become more &#8220;welcoming and inclusive,&#8221; according to <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/12/heres-why-neighborhood-crime-watch-signs-in-ann-arbor-are-going-away.html">MLive</a>. Neighborhood crime watch programs have been commonplace in American towns for decades, organizing residents to be on constant alert, and warning potential criminals that any suspicious activity will be reported to the police.
According to the all-Democrat Ann Arbor city council, however, the signs reinforce &#8220;race-based hyper-vigilance and suspicion particularly toward Black, Brown, and other marginalized residents and visitors.&#8221;
“These programs were often rooted in assumptions about who did and did not ‘belong’ in a neighborhood,&#8221; the city council stated, adding, “This dynamic encouraged informal surveillance practices that disproportionately targeted people of color and contributed to patterns of exclusion under the guise of public safety.”
Overall, the city&#8217;s crime rate has dropped in 2025 compared to last year, but in downtown Ann Arbor, authorities have seen a 9% <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0QhC2uTG-E">increase</a> in total crime in 2025 and an 11% jump in violent crime.
City officials said that the neighborhood watch programs in Ann Arbor are already defunct, arguing that removing the 600-plus signs throughout the city is the next logical step.
“The neighborhood watch signs that still stand across Ann Arbor really come from a different era,” said Councilwoman Jen Eyer. “They’ve become furniture, just part of the background. I drive past one every day entering my neighborhood and barely registered it until this issue was raised to me.”
But Eyer argued that a major reason for removing is that &#8220;evidence suggests that signs and practices rooted in constant vigilance can actually reinforce fear and erode neighborly trust, promoting a myth of safety rather than safety itself.&#8221;
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Councilwoman Cynthia Harrison criticized the &#8220;culture&#8221; of neighborhood watch programs, bringing up the case of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was shot and killed in Florida in 2012 by George Zimmerman, who was a volunteer for his neighborhood watch program.
“Many of us could not talk about this culture without remembering Trayvon Martin, a young black teenager walking through a neighborhood he had every right to be in, yet perceived as a threat simply for being there,” said Harrison.
Zimmerman confronted Martin and accused him of suspicious activity in the neighborhood before Martin attacked him. Following a trial that gained national attention, Zimmerman was acquitted by a Florida jury on all charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Harrison argued that Martin was killed because neighborhood watch programs focus on surveillance over building relationships, according to MLive.
“Neighborhood watch was built on an old idea that heterogeneous neighborhoods create danger,” she said. “Ann Arbor is built on the understanding that diversity creates strength.”
Ann Arbor and the surrounding Washtenaw County are one of the most liberal places in Michigan. Recently, the Trump administration accused Ann Arbor authorities of obstructing federal immigration operations. Ann Arbor leaders rejected the Trump administration&#8217;s labeling of Ann Arbor as a sanctuary city.
“While Ann Arbor is not a sanctuary city, we are proud to be an inclusive and welcoming city,” Mayor Pro Tem Travis Radina said earlier this year. “We know diversity is a strength and believe in protecting the constitutionally granted rights of all our residents.”
Washtenaw County also elected a new sheriff last year who wants to focus on &#8220;environmental justice.&#8221; In a phone interview with <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-sheriff-in-major-michigan-county-wants-to-fight-violent-crime-through-environmental-justice">The Daily Wire</a> earlier this year, Sheriff Alyshia Dyer, a Democrat, said that she wanted to drastically change the department&#8217;s outlook on environmental issues. She also discussed her plans to implement an “Environmental Crimes Unit” in her first term, which would focus on looking into “air pollution, water contamination, and hazardous waste management.”
“The sheriff’s office historically hasn’t been necessarily a strong champion in this work, but there’s no reason we can’t be,” Dyer added.

Ann Arbor

Liberal Michigan City Cites Racism In Decision To Remove Neighborhood Crime Watch Signs

Liberal Michigan City To Remove Neighborhood Crime Watch Signs, Argues Program Promotes Racism

Crime

Leftism

President Donald Trump sues the BBC for billions of dollars as the White House rebuffs a controversial exposé, newly declassified documents cast suspicion on the Mar-a-Lago raid, and the University of Michigan launches an investigation as the Sherrone Moore scandal deepens.
It’s Wednesday, December 17, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the video version can be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251217-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel">seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trump-sues-bbc-michigan-athletics-probed-12-17-25/id1576594336?i=1000741658046" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Vs. The BBC</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1016197 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Trump-Battles-BBC-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Trump-Battles-BBC-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Trump-Battles-BBC-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Trump-Battles-BBC-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Trump-Battles-BBC-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Trump-Battles-BBC.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
President Trump has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-files-5-billion-lawsuit-against-bbc-over-malicious-documentary">launched</a> a multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the BBC as he continues to clash with media outlets at home and abroad. This week, the president filed a 46-page lawsuit in a federal court in Miami, accusing the BBC of defamation and violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. He is looking for $10 billion from the broadcaster. The suit stems from a documentary the BBC released ahead of the 2024 election titled, “Trump: A Second Chance.” The film spliced together two quotes from Trump&#8217;s speech that were said about an hour apart, making it appear as if the president called for violence at the U.S. Capitol and leaving out Trump’s request to protest &#8220;peacefully and patriotically.&#8221; The lawsuit accused the BBC of “intentionally, maliciously and deceptively doctoring [Trump’s] speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Messages Reveal DOJ Pushed For Mar-a-Lago Raid Over FBI Objections</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1016199 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Mar-A-Lago-Misgivings-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Mar-A-Lago-Misgivings-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Mar-A-Lago-Misgivings-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Mar-A-Lago-Misgivings-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Mar-A-Lago-Misgivings-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Mar-A-Lago-Misgivings.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
The FBI did not believe it had the proper justification to raid Mar-a-Lago in August 2022, but the Biden Justice Department pushed for it anyway. Messages <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-agents-worried-there-was-no-cause-to-raid-mar-a-lago-biden-doj-made-them-do-it-anyway?author=Virginia+Kruta&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=FBI+Agents+Worried+There+Was+No+Cause+To+Raid+Mar-a-Lago%3B+Biden+DOJ+Made+Them+Do+It+Anyway">released</a> by the FBI detail that agents involved in the investigation into classified documents kept at President Trump’s Florida home believed that search warrants obtained for the raid lacked proper predicate. FBI agents also discussed a combative relationship the Biden Justice Department had started with Trump’s legal team, and expressed concern about FBI agents standing in the crossfire between the DOJ and Trump’s team.
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Michigan Probes Athletics Department After Moore Ouster</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-1016201 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Michigan-Scandal-Deepens-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Michigan-Scandal-Deepens-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Michigan-Scandal-Deepens-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Michigan-Scandal-Deepens-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Michigan-Scandal-Deepens-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Michigan-Scandal-Deepens.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
The University of Michigan is looking into its athletics department following the firing of head football coach Sherrone Moore and his subsequent arrest. Moore was fired last week after an inappropriate relationship with a staffer was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/moore-comes-to-light-after-michigan-head-football-coach-arrested-following-surprise-firing">revealed</a>. Now, the University of Michigan has commissioned an investigation into the practices and culture of its entire athletics department. The investigation will be handled by the same Chicago-based law firm that opened an inquiry earlier this fall into Moore’s affair.

MRN_251217_V1

Morning Brief: Trump Sues BBC, More Revelations On Mar-a-Lago Raid, And Michigan’s Sweeping Athletics Probe

Morning Brief: Trump Sues BBC, FBI Objected To MAL Raid, And UM’s Sweeping Probe After Moore Ouster

Department of Justice

Joe Biden

Morning Wire

University of Michigan

The Michigan Republican-controlled House used a little-known provision in state law to cut $645 million in government funding, including slashing multiple left-wing causes, last week.
The cuts were a major move for Republicans who are up against a Democrat-controlled state Senate and a Democratic governor that have pushed for bigger state budgets and a more expansive state government. Republican House Speaker Matt Hall told The Daily Wire that the cuts came after Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer asked for an extension on $2.7 billion that had been earmarked under a previous budget, but had not been spent by the end of the fiscal year.
&#8220;We had the opportunity using this law to cut more spending before Whitmer was able to put it into her slush funds,&#8221; Hall said.
The State Budget Office, which is controlled by Whitmer, sent letters to the House and Senate budget committees, requesting an extension on the $2.7 billion in funding that was not used, Bridge Michigan <a href="https://bridgemi.com/michigan-government/michigan-house-cancels-645m-in-state-spending-without-senate-ok/">reported</a>. The GOP-controlled House budget committee opposed many of the programs in the Whitmer administration&#8217;s funding request and decided to send $645 million back to the state&#8217;s general fund.
Hall accused Whitmer and Democrats of requesting &#8220;a lot more money than they need&#8221; for the budget extension, adding, &#8220;And then they keep the money and they work-project it into their slush fund, so they have it for years.&#8221;
The <a href="https://wwmt.com/news/local/645-million-programs-cut-michigan-house-republicans-work-projects-appropriations-money-politics-wwmt">biggest cut</a> was $159 million to Whitmer&#8217;s Make It in Michigan Competitiveness Fund. The fund, which Whitmer created with the approval of the state legislature in 2024, matches federal grants with the state&#8217;s job creation goals. Another target of the Republican cuts was the Community Enhancement Grants, which were denied nearly $103 million. Some of the money from the grants has gone toward a festival in Detroit to celebrate diversity, according to WWMT <a href="https://wwmt.com/news/local/645-million-programs-cut-michigan-house-republicans-work-projects-appropriations-money-politics-wwmt">News Channel 3</a>. The Community Enhancement Grants were combined under one line item, meaning Republicans had to cut all of them to slash funding for the grants that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
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Other priorities that were among the Republican cuts included over $1.2 million for a program aimed at stocking public bathrooms with feminine hygiene products. Hall told The Daily Wire that the program also requires boys&#8217; bathrooms to be stocked with tampons. Republicans also slashed funding for some of Whitmer&#8217;s green energy projects, such as her goal to build electric vehicle chargers along the coast of Lake Michigan.
Another department that took a hit from the cuts was the Office of Global Michigan, which housed a program that Whitmer used to make government handouts <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michigan-republicans-sound-alarm-on-state-program-potentially-giving-illegal-immigrants-up-to-500-per-month-in-rental-assistance">available to illegal immigrants</a>. The Office of Global Michigan, which lost around $1.3 million in the cuts, is also riddled with diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
Michigan Democrats blasted Republicans over the cuts, calling them &#8220;cruel&#8221; and &#8220;disgusting.&#8221; Democrats specifically called out cuts to the RxKids program, which helps some parents pay for their children&#8217;s prescriptions. Democrats also blasted Republicans for making cuts to &#8220;Wigs for Kids,&#8221; which provides wigs and other services for children going through cancer treatments. Democratic state Rep. Will Snyder said the GOP cuts were one of the most “unprecedented displays of cruelty that I’ve ever seen during my time here in Lansing,” according to <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2025/12/11/michigan-dems-say-645m-work-project-cuts-are-cruel-gops-rylee-linting-also-calls-foul/">Michigan Advance</a>.
“This budget instrument was never intended for this purpose, and using it with such haste and scale proves the dangerous nature of crossing pre-existing and long standing-lines, even if (it was) potentially legally permissible,” Snyder said. “We are just now beginning to understand the full scope of these disgusting actions.”
“There’s a special place in hell for someone willing to yank money away from moms and babies 15 days before Christmas,” said Senate Democratic Majority Leader Winnie Brinks. “I hope Matt Hall takes this holiday season to look within himself and reevaluate what exactly he’s doing here.”
Democratic leaders also suggested that they could pursue legal action to prevent the massive cuts.
Hall brushed off the criticism from Democrats, arguing that the state could still use some of the other government funding in its &#8220;slush fund&#8221; to put toward charities, such as Wigs for Kids.
&#8220;We can reappropriate funds that have a good purpose. We can come back through a supplemental budget, and we can put it back to use,&#8221; Hall said. &#8220;But I think the Whitmer administration should come in and they should explain to us where every one of these dollars is going. Something they wouldn&#8217;t do when they were trying to prevent us from making the cuts.&#8221;

Michigan State Capitol

Michigan Republicans Slash Funding For Leftist Causes With Massive Government Spending Cuts

Michigan Republicans Slash Funding For Leftist Priorities With Massive Government Spending Cuts

Gretchen Whitmer

spending

American forces seize an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the Senate shoots down competing bills on the future of health care, and a prominent college football coach is fired—then arrested.
It’s Friday, December 12, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251212-member-exclusive">video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">U.S. Seizes Oil Tanker Off Venezuela Coast</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1013813" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Tanker-Seizure-Shock-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Tanker-Seizure-Shock-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Tanker-Seizure-Shock-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Tanker-Seizure-Shock-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Tanker-Seizure-Shock-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Tanker-Seizure-Shock.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The United States seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday in an escalation of President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Bloomberg was the first to report that a tanker had been seized earlier Wednesday, and President Trump confirmed the news later in the day at a roundtable with business leaders.
“An interesting day from the standpoint of news. As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large–largest one ever seized, actually,” <a href="https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1998847332616421875">said</a> Trump.
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Some administration officials posted a video of the operation that showed American forces dropping onto the tanker and taking control of it. Attorney General Pam Bondi explained that the United States “executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.” She added that the oil tanker had been sanctioned because of “its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.”
Maduro’s response: The Venezuelan government condemned the seizure in a statement that said Venezuela “strongly denounces and repudiates what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy.”
This development has to be concerning to Maduro. Venezuela is a petrostate, with petroleum accounting for nearly the entire economy. The money the Maduro regime receives from oil sales is the key to its stability. Because the United States has sanctions on Venezuelan oil, Maduro has been forced to do business with regimes that typically are opposed to American interests, such as China. And then at deep discounts to offset the risk of violating American sanctions. If Venezuela is no longer able to sell its oil, that’s a huge blow to Maduro’s revenue.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">The Battle Over Obamacare Continues</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1013815" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Senate-Subsidies-Split-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Senate-Subsidies-Split-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Senate-Subsidies-Split-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Senate-Subsidies-Split-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Senate-Subsidies-Split-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Senate-Subsidies-Split.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The battle over Obamacare is in full swing, with Democrats advocating for extended subsidies and Republicans offering alternative healthcare options.
Two votes took place in the Senate on Thursday regarding the looming Obamacare deadline. Neither of the bills passed, but it’s important to break down what Democrats and Republicans are pushing forward, because this deadline is coming up in a matter of weeks.
The Democrat bill: The Democrat-backed bill, called the “Lower Health Care Costs Act,” would extend Obamacare subsidies, which are technically tax credits, for another three years. These started back in 2021 and were only supposed to be in place for two years, but Democrats extended them until December 31.
The plan is pricey; it’s expected to cost taxpayers about $83 billion. But Democrats argue that the extension is necessary, otherwise more than 20 million Americans will see their healthcare costs more than double, on average. Republicans dispute that.
“Twenty-two million of the 24 million people will still get their subsidies, the original Obamacare subsidies, which subsidize the insurance at 91% of the premiums. So, their premiums won’t double,” GOP Sen. Ron Johnson told Morning Wire last month. “Going from zero to a negligible amount is an infinite increase. You can’t put that as ‘doubling premiums.’ The people we’re talking about, the 1.6 million people whose subsidies completely go away—I’m willing to work with Democrats on that.”
Republicans also argue that Obamacare, and specifically these subsidies, are creating massive fraud–another burden on the American taxpayer.
The GOP bill: The GOP-backed bill, called the “Health Care Freedom for Patients Act of 2025,” does let the Obamacare subsidies expire on the timeline Democrats set. But it also offers Americans direct payments to help cover healthcare costs. This was an idea floated by President Trump last month.
The health savings accounts created by the bill would be available to Americans earning up to 700% of the federal poverty limit, and the funds would range from $1,000 to $1,500 for 2026 and 2027. The accounts would restrict use for abortion and certain gender-transition coverage.
Republicans needed 60 votes, which would have to include a handful of Democrats, but that didn’t happen.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Michigan Head Coach Arrested</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1013817" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Sherrone-Moore-Saga-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Sherrone-Moore-Saga-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Sherrone-Moore-Saga-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Sherrone-Moore-Saga-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Sherrone-Moore-Saga-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Sherrone-Moore-Saga.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: The University of Michigan finds itself engulfed in controversy after administrators abruptly <a href="https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/michigan-fires-football-coach-sherrone-moore-621eb019?mod=hp_lead_pos9">fired</a> head football coach Sherrone Moore with cause. Now, he’s in custody on suspicion of assault. Morning Wire spoke to former Michigan quarterback and Daily Wire Crain &amp; Company co-host David Cone about the Moore saga. (This interview has been lightly edited.)
Morning Wire: I&#8217;ve been, honestly, kind of shocked by this story. We looked at it initially and thought, oh, this will be an Evening Wire. And then it turned into a full-blown story that we felt like was worth covering here. What exactly is happening in this case?
Cone: A sad day for Michigan football. A sad day for this country. I just want to say that first and again, I&#8217;m praying for this man because there&#8217;s some very serious allegations here. I&#8217;ll just say to you now that I heard as far back as September, following Michigan&#8217;s loss to Oklahoma, I had a very reliable source closely associated with Michigan football call me and just say it&#8217;s widely known that Sherrone Moore has engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a staff member, and that conduct likely resulted in a pregnancy that was terminated. I heard this in September. I did some due diligence, but every time I would hear something that corroborated that, I would hear something else that says, that&#8217;s just rumor. Come to find out, throughout the fall, many other people and former players close to the program have been hearing something very similar. Wednesday, Warde Manuel, the athletic director, decided to fire head coach Sherrone Moore. … The reports out of Ann Arbor are that Sherrone Moore did not take that news very well, and that allegedly threatened to take his own life. I don&#8217;t know if this was directly with his wife or with the staff member. There is a question here, possibly threatening to even take her life, and he was arrested. I do want to go to as reliable of a source as it gets with the University of Michigan. This is John Bacon, and this is directly from <a href="https://x.com/Johnubacon/status/1998978431154008380">him</a>: “The UM employee presented irrefutable documentation about Moore&#8217;s conduct to UM leaders this morning (Wednesday). The president and regents had seen enough, and Manuel fired him (Wednesday) afternoon. Moore is now detained in protective custody in a mental health institution.”
Morning Wire: One of the big questions here is who knew what when. You say you have the source, it&#8217;s pretty shocking you heard this all the way back in September. Do you feel that this is a cover-up situation by the administration? And that&#8217;s a major allegation to make, but is that possibly the case?
Cone: That is a critical question that you&#8217;re asking, particularly since we are a week now removed from National Signing Day. You have national recruits here who, in good faith, signed their name to a national letter of intent because they thought Sherrone Moore was going to be the head football coach–how does that impact their decision? I lived through this as a recruit at this very place. This was my alma mater. But again, this is way bigger than football. We&#8217;re talking about someone&#8217;s life or family at stake here. So again, I can&#8217;t answer what board members will do when I just know that if I&#8217;m hearing about something in September, the athletic director certainly must have heard about this sooner. At the same time, how does he separate rumors that he must hear on a daily basis versus something that is credible and he must investigate?

MRN_251212_V1

Morning Brief: Oil Tanker Tango, Obamacare Subsidy Standoff, & Major College Football Coach Arrested

Morning Brief: Oil Tanker Tango, Obamacare Battle Continues, And UM Football Coach Arrested

Nicolas Maduro

Obamacare

Venezuela

The phrase &#8220;there is more to the story&#8221; is an understatement when it comes to what is currently unfolding in Michigan.
The University of Michigan fired head coach Sherrone Moore Wednesday, citing an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. That itself is huge news for one of the nation&#8217;s premier football programs, but buckle up. There&#8217;s more.
In just a few short hours, Moore was terminated from his head coaching position and is now in the custody of the Washtenaw County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, according to booking records, though no charges have been filed at this time.
It appears that Moore was initially taken into custody by the Pittsfield Township Police Department. Pittsfield police said it took an unnamed suspect into custody Wednesday evening as part of an assault investigation. According to the department, a man was taken into custody in the 3000 block of Ann Arbor-Saline Road in Pittsfield Township — this is just a few miles south of the University of Michigan. The suspect was then booked into the Washtenaw County Jail, where he awaits his first court appearance on Friday.
Officials with the department said the incident doesn&#8217;t appear to be random in nature, and there is no ongoing threat to the community. The Daily Wire reached out to Pittsfield Police Thursday morning in reference to Moore&#8217;s case and was told no further details on this case are being shared at this time. The police department directed The Daily Wire to a press release involving an assault investigation.
The university said that it fired the 39-year-old coach following an investigation into Moore&#8217;s improper relationship with a staff member.
&#8220;U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,&#8221; Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel said on Wednesday. &#8220;Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.&#8221;
An author who has covered Michigan Football for decades said in an interview Thursday morning with Fox 2 Detroit that Moore and his staffer were investigated this summer and both denied any relationship. John Bacon said Wednesday that the story changed when the staffer reported the relationship to the university.
&#8220;She went on the &#8216;hill&#8217; (where administration offices are) with the receipts, the text messages, the emails, the documents and so on laying out the details of the relationship,&#8221; Bacon said on Fox 2.
Bacon then opened up about what allegedly led to Moore being taken into custody.
&#8220;He broke into the employee&#8217;s home in Pittsfield Township&#8230;grabbed a knife apparently and threatened to harm her and harm himself,&#8221; Bacon said.
Per the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/12/11/sports/fired-michigan-coach-sherrone-moore-reportedly-attacked-woman-had-stalked-her-for-months-911-call/">New York Post</a>, a University of Michigan employee called 911 on December 10 to report an alleged attack by Moore. The caller said he had been stalking the victim for months, per the 911 call audio, which was obtained by the Post.
Bacon said since Moore&#8217;s arrest he is being monitored by mental health professionals while in custody.
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ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Wednesday after the firing that Michigan investigated Moore this fall after receiving a tip about the situation with the staffer, but the university didn&#8217;t find credible evidence. On Wednesday, however, university officials presented &#8220;overwhelming&#8221; evidence against Moore, and he was quickly dismissed.
ESPN&#8217;s Adam Schefter said on Thursday morning, &#8220;What we haven&#8217;t heard yet is Sherrone Moore&#8217;s side of this, and he gets his say in this particular situation as well. I do know that he felt like people had it in for him for an awful long time there while he was at Michigan. He felt like there were people who are out to get him. So all these things can all be true.&#8221;
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The firing comes days after National Signing Day, when Moore landed a No. 12-ranked recruiting class.
Before the drama unfolded on Wednesday, Moore was part of another controversy. Earlier this season, he served a two-game suspension for the illegal advanced scouting scheme involving former Michigan Football staffer, Connor Stalions.
Moore leaves Michigan with a 17-8 overall record. His final loss was against rival Ohio State.
Biff Poggi will serve as Michigan&#8217;s interim head coach in the Citrus Bowl against Texas on December 31.

Sherrone Moore

‘Moore’ Comes To Light After Michigan Head Football Coach Arrested Following Surprise Firing

College Football

Comedian David Spade is calling out a mall in Michigan for hosting a Christmas tree lighting ceremony that intentionally omitted the word “Christmas.”
Spade described what happened during a recent episode of his podcast, “Fly on the Wall,” which he hosts alongside fellow comedian and “SNL” alum Dana Carvey. 
&#8220;I will say that Christmas is taking a little bit of a beating lately. It is December and I saw the other day there was a tree lighting ceremony for the Christmas tree in some dopey mall… but it said tree lighting ceremony, and they were careful not to say the word Christmas during the whole ceremony,&#8221; Spade said during the episode.
The “Joe Dirt” star did not identify which mall he was referring to, only claiming it was in Michigan.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Christmas Prep Episode???" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f0rCtfRjeso?start=196&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;Why?&#8221; Spade went on. &#8220;So it&#8217;s just a tree? And you go, I would understand if you said, &#8216;They&#8217;re doing the tree lighting at [the mall] or whatever. You go, ‘OK.’ But to consciously avoid that, then what is the tree for?&#8221; he continued. &#8220;A December to Remember? Is it a Lexus dealership? Why do we have… for the whole month? Isn&#8217;t it for Christmas?&#8221;
Carvey chimed in to say plenty of non-Christians he knew were not offended by Christmas despite it being a Christian holiday.
“I’d say stop that bullsh*t,” Spade went on. “They like all things about it, [just] don’t say that word.”
Spade said it was ridiculous that establishments were willing to dance around the word without stating it. The podcast hosts also claimed Christmas has been commandeered by the secular crowd anyway.
&#8220;If you&#8217;re of faith, it&#8217;s about Christianity,&#8221; Carvey said. &#8220;But I think at this point in America, it&#8217;s just Christmas. It&#8217;s a fun holiday. I don’t like the thought police. I don’t like to have words I can’t use.”
Spade identified himself as a Christian, but also said he was “more spiritual” when Carvey described him as “lapsed.” The comedian further referenced the current persecution of Christians in African countries such as Nigeria.
&#8220;We&#8217;re taking a beating down in Africa,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s like this is not the year to be Christian. I will tell you that.&#8221;

David Spade

David Spade Slams Mall For Omitting ‘Christmas’ From Tree Lighting Ceremony

David Spade Slams Mall For Omitting 'Christmas' From Tree Lighting Ceremony

Celebrities

Christmas

comedian

Entertainment

U.S.

An illegal immigrant sex offender was working as a college professor in Michigan before he was swept up in the Trump administration&#8217;s mass deportation raids.
Sumith Gunasekera of Sri Lanka first entered the United States in February 1998, before leaving for Canada. He returned later that year on a student visa and with a rap sheet, <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/11/25/ice-detroit-arrests-criminal-illegal-alien-history-sex-crimes-working-college" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He told officers during his latest arrest that he was an associate professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan.
When he tried to apply for a different form of immigration status in 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services discovered that he had been convicted of crimes in Canada.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement nabbed him in Detroit earlier this month.
“It&#8217;s sickening that a sex offender was working as a professor on an American college campus and was given access to vulnerable students to potentially victimize them,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a Tuesday statement.
“Thanks to the brave ICE law enforcement officers, this sicko is behind bars and no longer able to prey on Americans. His days of exploiting the immigration system are OVER. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminals are not welcome in the U.S.,&#8221; she said.
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Authorities in Ontario arrested Gunasekera in August 1998 for uttering death threats, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was rearrested three days later for invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference against a victim he admitted was a minor.
In November 1998, a court in Brampton, Ontario, convicted Gunasekera of uttering a threat to cause death or bodily harm and sexual interference, sentencing him to one month of incarceration and one year of probation.
The illegal immigrant then found himself back in cuffs in Las Vegas in 2003 for open and gross lewdness, according to the feds.
A Las Vegas court convicted Gunasekera in 2004 of disorderly conduct, sentencing him to fines.
The school has since placed Gunasekera on leave, they said in a statement.
“Ferris State University leaders on Tuesday became aware of accusations regarding Professor Sumith Gunasekera. He has been placed on administrative leave while the university gathers more information,” FSU Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Dave Murray said, <a href="https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/ferris-state-professor-arrested-by-ice-placed-on-leave-by-university-big-rapids" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to local reports.
“This is a personnel issue and it would be inappropriate for the university to further discuss the matter,&#8221; Murray added.
The Trump administration&#8217;s immigration sweeps have yielded the arrests of several educators.
Federal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-superintendent-wasnt-checked-through-federal-e-verify-system">immigration agents nabbed</a> the then-superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Ian Andre Roberts, who turned out to be an illegal immigrant from Guyana with a deportation order he ignored.
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Untitled design – 2025-11-26T091040.678

ICE Nabs Illegal Immigrant Sex Offender Employed As Professor At Michigan University

Illegal Immigrant Sex Offender Employed As Professor At Michigan University

illegal immigrant

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

university professors

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