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Church Pays off Medical Debt of 1,899 Families

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Grand Rapids First, a church in Wyoming, Michigan, announced on Sunday it will pay off the medical debt of 1,899 families.

The church paid nearly $2 million in medical bills for people suffering poverty. “Today, that $1,832,439.26 that’s looming over families right now, those families that are living at poverty rates or less, has been paid in full as a result of a gift from this church,” lead pastor Sam Rijfkogel told the congregation during his Sunday sermon. “Paid in full, not held against them one bit.”

Rijfkogel first learned of the medical debt forgiveness programs when a Texas church made headlines for paying off $10 million in medical debt within its community. Grand Rapids First Executive Pastor and CFO Doug Tuttle said that through this process, they learned of the massive weight of medical debt hanging over poor families in their state — nearly $180 million. (Read more from “Church Pays off Medical Debt of 1,899 Families” HERE)

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A Reporter Thought She Had Hung up the Phone After Requesting an Interview With GOP Candidate John James. What She Said Next Will Put Your Jaw on the Floor

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A reporter for a Michigan newspaper called Michigan Senate Republican candidate John James’s campaign looking for an interview and thought she hung up the phone before leaving a voicemail saying “fucking John James … that would suck.”

Brenda Battel, a reporter for Huron Daily Tribune, left the voicemail on James’s campaign offices phone number at 3:40 PM Monday, requesting the interview for Wednesday, the day after the Nov. 6 midterm elections. In the voicemail, she expresses her interest in interviewing James, believes she hung up the phone, and then goes on to curse about a possible James victory, saying she doesn’t think it will happen.

“Hi, my name is Brenda Battel, I’m a reporter with the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe, Michigan,” Battel said in the voicemail.

“I’m looking to set up an appointment with Mr. James for some time on Wednesday for a phone interview regarding the election results,” Battel continued. “I’m probably going to send an email over to the [email protected] with some details. Um, if you’d like to call me back, my number is … extension … Thank you.”

Battel attempts to hang up after giving her number, but the phone remains connected.

[Warning: video contains explicit language]

(Read more from “A Reporter Thought She Had Hung up the Phone After Requesting an Interview With John James. What She Said Next Will Put Your Jaw on the Floor” HERE)

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Michigan Candidate Under Attack for Warning About Islamic ‘Civilization Jihad’ in U.S.

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Michigan state senators criticized a gubernatorial candidate on Thursday for making claims about a “civilization jihad” the Muslim Brotherhood started in the U.S.

State Sen. Patrick Colbeck on Thursday defended statements in which he claimed the Muslim Brotherhood orchestrated a cultural jihad in the U.S. and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed also had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood via the Muslim Student Association, according to The Associated Press. Colbeck’s defense came two days after Buzzfeed reported he made similar accusations at an event United West hosted — the senator garnered harsh criticism from Democratic state senators.

“There’s a lot of pressure being applied in our society right now. You’re seeing Muslim legislators in the state legislature. And you’re seeing also a push at the local level at city councils,” Colbeck said at the event where he presented a slideshow featuring “Civilization Jihad Techniques” as a subject.

“But we also have somebody [who] I will likely be running against in the general election, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, whose parents apparently have ties to Muslim Brotherhood back in Egypt. This is scary stuff. They’re already advertising him as the first Muslim governor. So this is a big deal,” he added.

Democratic state senators decried his comments and the defense thereof as cowardly, unsubstantiated, and a ploy to garner attention for his candidacy. (Read more from “Michigan Candidate Under Attack for Warning About Islamic ‘Civilization Jihad’ in U.S.” HERE)

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Local Weatherman Has Hilarious on Air Meltdown After Coworkers Complain About Forecast Once Too Much

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One fed-up Michigan meteorologist let loose like a winter snowstorm Tuesday after his coworkers complained about his weather report AGAIN.

Source: Michigan Meteorologist Weather Rant by BPR

“You guys are dragging me down. Every time I get done with the seven-day (forecast), you guys are like, ‘Ughhh, goshh, ahhh,’” Grand Rapids station WXMI meteorologist Garry Frank said live on air after his coworkers started whining again about Michigan’s blistering cold weather.

“Doesn’t matter what time I come on. 4:30, 5:30, 6:30, and then you expect me to be chipper for five straight hours. It’s miserable. What do you want me to do, lie to you? I’ll put 70 every day next time,” he added . . .

No worries, because his coworkers took his rant with good humor. So did the rest of America, which quickly elevated Frank to hero status for his willingness to keep it oh so real with us:

“So people keep asking me about the warm up and such. But the anchors and everyone always reacted the SAME way all week. I mentioned a couple of warm days and they STILL focused on the cold after,” he said to BuzzFeed. (Read more from “Local Weatherman Has Hilarious on Air Meltdown After Coworkers Complain About Forecast Once Too Much” HERE)

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Will This Man Be the First Muslim Governor?

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. . .Today, a rather unlikely-sounding candidate to become Michigan governor is looking to take back the state for the Democrats.

Abdul El-Sayed, a 33-year-old doctor and son of an Egyptian immigrant, is running an economically populist campaign that would also make him the first Muslim governor in American history. He’s competing to replace the term-limited Rick Snyder, the despised Republican who oversaw the infamous lead poisoning crisis in Flint (which was incidentally only recently declared over). It’s a major test of whether diverse economic populism can assemble a multi-racial coalition to defeat Trump and his Republican lackeys.

The campaign hit a minor controversy over the last week, as centrist Democrats have alleged he can’t legally run. Bridge Magazine quoted several election lawyers and party “leaders” — mostly anonymously, for some reason — arguing that since Michigan law stipulates that any gubernatorial candidate has to be registered to vote in the state for the previous four years and El-Sayed was registered in New York from 2013-16 when he was in medical school there, he’s ineligible.

Open-and-shut case? Hardly. Michigan records confirm that El-Sayed maintained his registration in Michigan continuously since 2003 (while obviously voting in two place isn’t legal, simply being registered in two places is), as well as an apartment in Ann Arbor. Robert Lenhard, an attorney for the campaign who was previously the chair of the Federal Election Commission, issued a statement Wednesday saying: “We have looked at this question closely and are confident Abdul El-Sayed is qualified to run for governor of Michigan.” (Read more from “Will This Man Be the First Muslim Governor?” HERE)

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New Push to Drop Sex-Assault Charges for Genital-Mutilating Doctor

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The Michigan doctor who is charged with mutilating the genitals of several young girls could face up to life in prison if convicted, but her lawyers will appear in federal court Tuesday and argue that one of the most serious charges should be dropped.

Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, a devout Shia Muslim living in the Detroit area, is charged with conspiracy, genital mutilation, transporting minors with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, lying to a federal agent and obstructing an official proceeding.

Attorney Elizabeth Yore, international child advocate and head of the EndFGMToday initiative, says the charge of “transporting minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity” is significant, warranted and appropriate.

“Federal prosecutors correctly argue that FGM is sexual assault,” she said.

But, according to MLive.com, a Michigan news site, Nagarwala’s attorney, Shannon Smith, is seeking to have the sexual assault charges thrown out on the grounds that mutilating little girls’ genitals does not give sexual gratification to the perpetrator and therefore cannot be considered a sexual assault. (Read more from “New Push to Drop Sex-Assault Charges for Genital-Mutilating Doctor” HERE)

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Judge to Marine Foster Dad: Ditch Guns or We’ll Take Your Boy

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When the state of Michigan asked William and Jill Johnson, a retired Marine and his tackle shop-owning wife, to be foster parents, they readily agreed.

After all, the child was their grandson, and the alternative was for him to go into foster care.

But during the course of the necessary paperwork for the placement, a local judge stunned them with the warning that they no longer would have all of their constitutional rights.

The judge explained bluntly: “We know we are violating numerous constitutional rights here, but if you do not comply, we will remove the boy from your home,” according to a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

The case has been brought on behalf of the Johnsons as well as Brian and Naomi Mason, and the Second Amendment Foundation. (Read more from “Judge to Marine Foster Dad: Ditch Guns or We’ll Take Your Boy” HERE)

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Nixing Pro-Life License Plates — and Funding for Suicide Prevention

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When Michigan’s Republican governor, Rick Snyder, first ran for elected office in 2010, he professed that he was “firmly pro-life” and had “a strong belief in the value of human life.” But on Friday, with his second and final term in office in sight (because of term limits), the supposedly pro-life governor did something inexcusable: He vetoed a bill authorizing a “choose life” license plate.

The bill, SB-163, passed both houses of the Michigan legislature with strong support and is so mainstream that 30 states and the District of Columbia already offer “choose life” plates — including (besides D.C.) the liberal bastions Massachusetts, Delaware, Connecticut, and Hawaii. But unlike the choose-life license plates available elsewhere, the Michigan plate would be the first to fund suicide-prevention efforts in addition to assisting women facing crisis pregnancies.

Given his earlier claims of being pro-life, and likely anticipating the backlash over his veto, Governor Snyder penned a letter explaining his rationale. His justification is just as indefensible as his veto. Here’s what he wrote:

In 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that when a state issues a specialty license plate, the state itself is speaking. And as a speaker, it is free to choose its message. . . . The “Choose Life” license plate is a political message that has the potential to bitterly divide millions of Michiganders and that, in my view, is not appropriate for a state-issued license plate.

(Read more from “Nixing Pro-Life License Plates — and Funding for Suicide Prevention” HERE)

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Michigan Cop Stabbed in Neck by Attacker Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’

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A police officer is in critical condition after he was stabbed multiple times Wednesday by an apparent jihadi at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Mich.

A Canadian-born suspect has been detained by authorities related to the stabbing of officer Jeff Neville in the neck and back. The suspect reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar,” an Islamic war cry, before proceeding to stab the Michigan State Police officer, Lt. Jeff Neville.

According to his Linkedin page, Neville has been an officer at the airport since 2001. Before then, he was a deputy sheriff at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, patrolling the area in southwest New York from 1982-1999. Overall, Neville has served the state of Michigan for 35 years.

A witness to the stabbing, Ken Brown, told M Live, “The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck. I said they need to get him a towel.” Brown added that he saw the armed assailant taken to the ground by police.

The FBI has taken over the investigation and is looking at the stabbing as a possible act of terrorism. The FBI usually takes the lead in all cases with a possible connection to terrorism.

A Michigan State Police official told CNN that it appeared the suspect deliberately targeted police.

The FBI is the lead agency in this incident. MSP is providing resources to our Federal and local partners as this scene progresses.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has urged the public to keep Officer Neville in their thoughts.

And the state police has urged the public to remain vigilant as authorities investigate the situation.

As of this writing, the suspect’s name has not been revealed. (For more from the author of “Michigan Cop Stabbed in Neck by Attacker Shouting ‘Allahu Akbar'” please click HERE)

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Here’s Why the Religious Freedom Clause Doesn’t Protect Female Genital Mutilation

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A Michigan grand jury recently indicted two Michigan doctors and a medical office manager for allegedly removing part of young girls’ clitorises. Shannon Smith, an attorney for Dr. Jumana Nagarwala argued that her client was being persecuted for her religion and that the procedure was part of a “religious practice” for the community.

The head of a Christian legal organization explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation why the religious freedom clause does not apply in the case of female genital mutilation, and will likely fail to provide legal cover in these cases.

“It’s not an absolute right that just because someone has a religious belief, they’re protected to do it. And it’s subject to when there’s a compelling state interest to the contrary,” Brad Dacus, head of the Pacific Justice Institute, explained to The DCNF.

The court usually allows religious accommodations in medical situations, Dacus went on, but not if the medical procedure permanently harms a person or causes death . . .

Female genital mutilation performers usually try to justify their practice by comparing it to male circumcision. There are, however, no similarities between the two procedures, Dacus said. (Read more from “Here’s Why the Religious Freedom Clause Doesn’t Protect Female Genital Mutilation” HERE)

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