Gov Whitmer sounds off on push to condemn Supreme Court’s gay marriage ruling
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, spoke out against a proposed resolution that condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges gay marriage ruling.
The resolution declares that “the Michigan House of Representatives reaffirms the definition of marriage as put forth by the Michigan voters and enshrined in our Constitution: a union between one man and one woman.”
The state’s constitution stipulates “the union of one man and one woman in marriage shall be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or similar union for any purpose.”
ICE ARRESTS HOMELESS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT WHO ASKED TO BE DETAINED OR ELSE HE WOULD ‘GO OUT AND COMMIT CRIMES’
But the landmark high court decision forced states to allow gay marriages.
The opinion asserts “same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry. No longer may this liberty be denied to them.”
The proposed resolution is being pushed by state Rep. Josh Schriver and multiple other Michigan state lawmakers.
“Has Obergefell v. Hodgesnot widened a portal, where gays, queers, transsexuals, polygamists, minor-attracted persons, and other perverts advance attacks on our children?” Schriver asked.
JUDGE ORDERS WALMART SHOPLIFTERS TO WASH CARS IN STORE PARKING LOT
“Now is the time to do the right thing. Now is the time to reassert the sovereignty of Christ as our king. Now is the time to restore the authority of God and submit our will to He who knows what’s best,” he declared.
Whitmer decried the effort in a video, saying that “some extreme members” are requesting for the nation’s high court “to overturn marriage equality.”
“Here’s my response to that: Hell no,” she declared in the video posted to social media on Tuesday.
MICHIGAN MOM WHO BRAVED FLAMES FOR SON IN HYPERBARIC CHAMBER EXPLOSION STRESSES TREATMENT DANGERS: ATTORNEY
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Schriver had recently urged people to pray for the governor, tweeting on Sunday, “Pray for Gretchen Whitmer today.”
NTSB chair assigns blame after flights nearly collide at Chicago airport
The harrowing near-miss between a Southwest Airlines plane and a private jet at a Chicago airport was a failure of the private jet crew to listen to air traffic control instructions, according to National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy.
Homendy made the statement during a Wednesday morning appearance on “Fox & Friends,” saying the Flexjet crew had been instructed to “line up and wait and hold short of runway 31C, which Southwest was landing on, and they failed to do so.”
Homendy noted, however, that the NTSB still has to conduct its investigation before coming to any final conclusions or taking any punitive action against the Flexjet crew.
“There’s a lot of information we still have to collect. We want to know what was going on in the cockpit of that airplane,” Homendy said. “We will collect air traffic control communications. We have asked for the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from Flexjet.”
DELTA FLIGHT FORCED TO RETURN TO ATLANTA AIRPORT AFTER ‘HAZE’ FILLS CABIN
President Donald Trump weighed in on the near crash on social media Wednesday, suggesting the Flexjet pilots may have been “sleeping.”
“GREAT JOB BY THE SOUTHWEST PILOTS IN CHICAGO. A NEARLY TRAGIC CLOSE CALL. PERHAPS SUSPEND THE PILOTS LICENSE OF THE OTHER PLANE, WHO MUST HAVE BEEN “SLEEPING!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Tuesday’s near-miss occurred when the Flexjet crossed the runway where a Southwest plane was coming in for landing. The Southwest craft had already touched down, but pilots observed the Flexjet and quickly took off once again to avoid a collision.
Duffy says the Flexjet crew may have their licenses revoked on Tuesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a preliminary statement that the “business jet entered the runway without authorization.” The agency, as well as the NTSB, said they are investigating the incident.
“We are aware of the occurrence today in Chicago,” a Flexjet spokesperson said in a statement. “Flexjet adheres to the highest safety standards and we are conducting a thorough investigation. Any action to rectify and ensure the highest safety standards will be taken.”
Homendy emphasized that Americans should remain confident that air travel is still the safest means of transportation.
TORONTO PLANE CRASH TIMELINE: DELTA FLIGHT FROM MINNEAPOLIS FLIPS UPSIDE DOWN WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LAND
The incident in Chicago comes after a series of aviation disasters across the country, several of them fatal.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ramped up scrutiny on America’s air travel systems after a helicopter collided with a commercial airliner over Washington, D.C., killing more than 60 people.
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Less than 48 hours later, a medical ambulance flight crashed in Philadelphia, leaving seven people dead.
Last week, two small planes collided midair at a regional airport in Arizona, killing two people.
Democrat tells Musk to ‘f— off’ in viral clip, immediately faces backlash
Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett caused a social media firestorm after telling Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk to “f— off” in the latest example of her public opposition to the newly formed agency’s push to cut government waste and spending.
“F— off,” Crockett told reporter Joe Gallina outside Capitol Hill on Tuesday when asked what she would tell Elon Musk if she could tell him anything.
Crockett’s reaction immediately drew blowback from conservatives on social media, who took issue with the liberal firebrand’s tone.
“The face of the American left, ladies and gentlemen,” conservative account Johnny MAGA posted on X.
NEW DOGE BILL WOULD TARGET MORE THAN $200B IN ANNUAL IMPROPER PAYMENTS FROM SAFETY NETS, LAWMAKER SAYS
“Classy,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson posted on X.
“Jasmine Crocket = trash,” comedian Tim Young posted on X.
MEET THE FAR-LEFT GROUPS FUNDING ANTI-DOGE PROTESTS AT GOP OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
“Please make Jasmine Crockett the spokesperson of the Democrat Party,” former GOP congressional candidate Kathleen Anderson posted on X.
“Classy as ever…,” Washington Examiner White House correspondent Paul Bedard posted on X.
Crockett’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Many Democrats in Congress have been highly critical of Musk and DOGE, arguing that the billions in cuts the agency has announced are slashing important government resources and being done too quickly.
“DOGE is pretty cruel. Let’s be blunt about that,” Gov. Josh Green, D-Hawaii, said during a press conference last week with other Democratic governors. “These are people in our states that have worked long careers, very dedicated servants, and they’re getting kicked out of their lives.”
A recent poll, amplified by Musk on social media, suggests that a majority of the American people support DOGE’s mission.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll revealed a majority of Americans support reducing wasteful government spending. Most voters agree there should be a government agency dedicated to efficiency and that DOGE is helping to make major spending cuts, the nonprobability-based poll found.
White House explains bruise on Trump’s hand seen during Macron meeting
The bruise seen on the back of President Donald Trump’s hand is from him shaking other people’s hands, the White House said.
Trump was photographed earlier this week with a bruise on his right hand as he met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House.
“President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day,” she added.
FRENCH PRESIDENT MACRON TELLS TRUMP TO ‘BE CAREFUL’ IN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS TO END RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE
“President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” Leavitt also told NBC News.
TRUMP’S BUDGET BILL WITH $4.5 TRILLION IN TAX CUTS SURVIVES HOUSE VOTE
Around Thanksgiving last year, Trump, during an interview with TIME magazine, was asked about the bruising.
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“It’s from shaking hands with thousands of people,” he said.
Police investigating hit job of prominent real estate developer found dead at vacation home
A high-profile real estate developer from Colorado was found fatally shot in Belize over the weekend, and police say it could have been the result of a professional hit job by a disgruntled business associate, according to local reports.
Boris Mannsfeld, 56, was found lying face down on the floor of his yard Friday night with a bullet wound to the back of his head, local media outlet Breaking News Belize (BNB) reported.
The deadly incident took place at The Villas at Cocoplum in Maya Beach, a luxury villa complex Mannsfeld helped build in the small Central American country. In 2010, he set up his own development firm in Belize, Boris Mannsfeld and Associates, four years after he moved to the country on a permanent basis with his family.
TEENAGER GOING FOR A QUICK SWIM SEVERELY INJURED IN SHARK ATTACK
Police Commissioner Chester Williams told reporters that Mannsfeld’s death has all the hallmarks of a targeted hit, while adding that the exact motive remains unclear, BNB reported.
A loaded 9mm pistol, Mannsfeld’s wallet and a spent shell casing were found near his body, police told the outlet.
“It has all indications of a hit,” Williams said.
“We are looking at the business transactions that Mr. Mannsfeld may have with other individuals, with our view to see if we will be able to close in on a possible motive and perhaps suspect,” Williams said.
The police chief added that one suspect, Frik De Meyere, is currently in custody, although charges were yet to be filed as of Monday.
De Meyere is a former employee of Mannsfeld’s and was previously questioned in relation to the murder of businessman Ricardo Borja in 2023. Borja worked for Mansfield’s company, as did Darren Taylor, who was killed in 2024.
“It will not be wrong for one to assume that there may be some connection there, and we’re looking at that possibility,” William said.
Before his death, Borja claimed that De Meyere was behind a land fraud scheme and had scheduled a meeting with legal counsel, a real estate agency and the government’s special crime unit to present evidence against de Meyere, local outlet Amandala reported at the time. But De Meyere was killed before he could speak out.
BNB also reports that in a January email, Mannsfeld referenced a “massive fraud case” involving millions in stolen assets and noted his involvement in a $3.9 million lawsuit against a former associate.
Williams acknowledged Mannsfeld’s murder could be linked to the deaths of his Borja and Darren Taylor.
Fox News Digital reached out to police in Belize for further information but did not receive a response.
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A profile of Mannsfeld on his company’s website details how he “fell in love” with the country on his first trip there in 1992 and then made it his “barefoot paradise” in 2006. He spent 10 years in the U.S. working in real estate before moving to Belize, a former British colony bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east and Guatemala to the west and south.
He’s described as enjoying endurance mountain biking, road biking, and snow skiing, among other activities.
Mannsfeld’s business sells condos, land plots and other properties in Belize. It also states Mannsfeld was also involved in hotel projects, a concrete company and a renewable energy company.
News of Mannsfeld’s death comes after three American women were found dead from a possible overdose at a beach resort in Belize from a possible overdose.
American restaurant favorites will be wiped ‘off the map’ nationwide, expert warns
A growing number of major restaurant chains will likely continue to file for bankruptcy protection over the coming years as the industry struggles to manage the heavy debt it accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to bankruptcy attorney Daniel Gielchinsky.
“Restaurants that exist today may not exist in five years. They’ll be off the map,” Gielchinsky said. Additionally, consumers will “see a lot of restaurants with a decreased footprint,” he added.
The latest victim could be Hooters of America, which is considering filing for bankruptcy as a means of restructuring the restaurant chain and tackling its debt, sources recently told Bloomberg. The company would be the latest in a growing list of major chains such as TGI Friday’s, Denny’s, Ruby Tuesday, Rubio’s Coastal Grill and Red Lobster that have filed for protection in bankruptcy court.
Other companies, including those that didn’t file for bankruptcy protection, significantly reduced their footprint to position themselves better in the current environment. Wendy’s, for instance, announced in November that it was shuttering 140 underperforming locations through the end of 2024 as it looks to improve its “restaurant footprint and overall system health.”
HOOTERS LOOKING AT POSSIBLE BANKRUPTCY FILING
Gielchinsky said that “small restaurants and mom-and-pop restaurants are going under too.”
Several factors led to their downfall, according to Gielchinsky, founder and partner of South Florida-based DGIM Law. However, the COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst, as the industry saw traffic decline significantly.
Operators wanted to keep their doors open, so they had to cover costs like rent, insurance, and payroll, even though customers weren’t coming in. To stay afloat, restaurants relied on government subsidies but also on taking out loans to fund business expenses. This meant that companies accumulated debt that they had to pay back over time plus interest.
“There is no escaping borrowing, you are always going to have to pay that money back or wind up in bankruptcy and reorganize the structure of the debt,” Gielchinsky said.
RED LOBSTER IS BACK; CEO PLOTS FUTURE FOR SEAFOOD CHAIN
The problem, however, is that the industry expected consumer spending at restaurants to return to pre-pandemic levels once things returned to normal. When that didn’t happen, debt-ridden restaurants were unable to repay those loans, according to Gielchinsky.
Top-line revenue never rebounded, according to Gielchinsky, who said that “customers never came back in full force” due to changes in their habits and spending ability.
Consumers became accustomed to eating at home more and saving their disposable income for other things, which led them to stop going out to restaurants three to four times a week.
On top of that, inflation was hitting consumers harder, especially lower-income households, which make up a significant portion of quick-service restaurant customers.
He also added that the popularity of weight-loss drugs is playing a role. The drugs have convinced more people to rely on healthier habits such as cooking at home.
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Major heavy hitters in the industry have reported a decline in store sales in back-to-back quarters.
David Gibbs, the CEO of Yum! Brands, parent of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, told analysts earlier this month that sales at KFC stores declined 2% during the fiscal year. During the last three months of the year, sales remained flat compared with the same period last year.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski previously warned that while it anticipated a challenging environment in 2024, its performance for the year had fallen short of its expectations. The company rolled out a new value menu at its restaurants in a bid to rejuvenate traffic.
In its earnings call earlier this month, McDonald’s CFO Ian Frederick Borden said the company’s “2025 outlook reflects the current environment of softer, declining restaurant industry traffic in the U.S.”
Biden’s lasting damage after cancelling pipeline project that Trump may not be able to undo
President Donald Trump turned heads with his call for restarting the Keystone XL Pipeline. While the energy industry welcomes the new business-friendly administration, the Biden administration’s damage is not easily undone.
Keystone was a privately funded project constructing 1,200 miles of pipeline that would have brought 850,000 barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta, Canada, to the U.S. Gulf Coast for refining.
Because it would cross international borders, the U.S. State Department has permitting jurisdiction. In 2015, the Obama State Department approved the project, but President Obama, urged by Secretary of State John Kerry, denied the permits in the name of climate change.
Trump’s reversal resumed construction, but the project was still ongoing when Joe Biden was inaugurated, and on his first day he revoked the permission, putting more than a thousand people out of work.
THE GIGANTIC SLUSH FUND INSIDE THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE
With Keystone back in the news, here are three long-term consequences Biden’s cancellation caused:
Trust in American Government is Damaged
Biden’s cancellation set an ugly and dangerous precedent. The parent company of Keystone XL did not apply for a permit from the Obama State Department, nor did they make a deal with Donald Trump. They reached an agreement with the U.S. government, whose full faith and credit was undermined by Biden.
Obama fueled the drama around Keystone XL by calling it “dirty” and invoking fear of climate change. This labeling could apply to any large-scale construction project: an airport, a nuclear plant, a refinery. Activist groups will always present their “science,” and outrage over “climate justice” can persuade a fickle future president to undo anything.
That is the precedent Biden set. America’s word hinges on elections.
5 PRIORITIES CRUCIAL TO SUCCESS OF TRUMP’S ENERGY COUNCIL
Government vs. Private Sector
Part of President Trump’s appeal is that he is not a career politician. He was a businessman and even more pertinent, he was a builder. The private sector understands financial risks in ways government never can.
Look at the $2 billion grant Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made to liberal activist Stacey Abrams for a new climate nonprofit with zero staff and zero accomplishments. The organizations had only $100 in revenue, and yet it received a taxpayer investment 20 million times earnings. Such a windfall would never happen in the private sector.
Government operatives, whether agency bureaucrats or longtime elected officials, don’t understand the complexities of a project like Keystone. A lifelong politician himself, Biden’s cancellation didn’t come with a “bailout” by taxpayers.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MUST INVEST IN INNOVATION TO REASSERT ENERGY DOMINANCE
Would any company take another risk on a costly project with green crusaders like California Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., looming as wannabe White House hopefuls?
The Jobs Risks
The personal sacrifice energy workers make for their jobs is often overlooked. On a 1,200-mile pipeline there are no Zoom meetings, working from home or even a commute home. You live at a camp, or many of the older workers have trailers or campers, and you travel with the project.
Like all construction jobs with an end date, skilled workers are lining up their next projects in advance. There were workers on Keystone who had five years of projected employment, but after Biden’s actions, lost everything at the hands of a guy who called himself “Scranton Joe.”
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Unlike today’s maelstrom of coverage over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) bringing accountability to government bureaucrats, there was no sympathy or support from the mainstream media. No fawning “60 Minutes” segment or weepy CBS story of a park ranger who lost his “dream job.”
The Keystone XL workers were necessary casualties in Biden’s effort to save the planet.
Even with Trump in charge, government needs to win back the trust of industry. The federal government could sign an agreement that a cancellation of a project would lead to a refund of costs. Congress could reclaim permitting jurisdiction from the executive branch through well-written legislation.
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As a builder, Donald Trump understands the importance of infrastructure projects. The Alaska LNG pipeline will need more than a decade. Proposed LNG pipelines from Pennsylvania to New England will require at least five years.
Businesses are thinking twice before putting billions of dollars on the line. Workers are taking a second look before taking a flyer on a project that a politician could cancel. These are not only the lessons of Keystone, but also the sad legacy of Joe Biden and the lasting damage he did to our country.
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‘Clueless’ Dem mayor takes a verbal scorching from voter for trampling the Constitution
Boston Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu took a verbal scorching on Tuesday as one resident of the liberal city slammed her as “clueless” for pushing back against Trump border czar Tom Homan.
“I think she’s pretty clueless as to the oath that she took when she took office and to the Constitution that she’s supposed to uphold,” Catherine Vitale, a former city council candidate, told “Fox & Friends.”
Homan pledged to “bring hell” to the sanctuary city after Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox told a local news station “we don’t enforce” civil immigration detainers filed by ICE.
BOSTON COUNCILWOMAN SOUNDS OFF AFTER TOM HOMAN’S CPAC PROMISE TO ‘BRING HELL’: ‘WE DON’T SCARE EASY’
“You’re not a police commissioner,” Homan fired back at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Saturday. “Take that badge off your chest. Put it in the desk drawer. Because you became a politician. You forgot what it’s like to be a cop.”
Wu called Homan “pretty clueless” for insulting Cox, adding that “decades of experience,” leadership and results “speak for themselves.”
Vitale, who is organizing a protest in support of Homan next week, said she believes Wu “doesn’t care” about high crime rates that affect people in communities like hers.
BOSTON COUNCILWOMAN BACKS OFF AFTER RIDICULING TOM HOMAN’S EMPLOYMENT HISTORY IN FIERY POST: ‘I UNDERSTAND’
“There’s tons of crime almost every single day. There’s a shooting. We don’t always hear about them, but we hear them because we’re there. I don’t think that most of the crime actually even gets reported on. People don’t get arrested. Charges don’t get pressed on people who are looting stores,” Vitale said.
“It’s like a jungle out here,” she added.
Wu is one of four Democratic mayors slated to testify before Congress on sanctuary policies next week.
Homan, meanwhile, continues to lead ICE raids against criminal illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities across the U.S., including Chicago, Boston and New York City.
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