‘Students are being exploited’

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Morning Briefing

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2024

Gov. Whitmer signs bills to protect IVF, Winter Storm Warning for U.P. and a famous Lake Michigan beach bar announces opening day.

Trump came into town

Yesterday I spent my afternoon outside of Devos Place in Grand Rapids going live on Facebook to cover the supporters who showed up to hear former President Donald Trump speak. The American flags on their shoulders still flew despite the rain.

 

Across the street, pro-immigration protesters gathered to rally for protection for immigrants as Trump campaigned for stronger border policies. Democrats pushed back against Trump ahead of his visit, calling him out for “exploiting” the death of a Michigan woman and scuttling a bipartisan border security deal.

 

Trump spoke to an invite-only crowd of more than 120 people. If reelected, Trump promised to seal the border and enact the “largest domestic deportation operation in the history of our country.” He said he would also impose a naval blockade on cartels.

Curated by Jamie Rewerts

Donald Trump shakes hands with James Tignanelli in front of a sign that reads ''Stop Biden's Border Bloodbath''

Former President Donald J. Trump shakes hands with Police Officers Association of Michigan President James Tignanelli at DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (Cory Morse | MLive.com)

‘Students are being exploited’: Deepfake videos pose growing risk to teens, school leaders warn

Raising awareness: As more minors are being targeted by online sextortion schemes nationwide, West Michigan school leaders are warning families about the growing threat of deepfake technology that can be used to manipulate students on the internet.

 

A new informational campaign called #StopThinkVerify seeks to educate students and parents about the risks associated with deepfakes, which are videos produced by artificial intelligence (AI) that look and sound real but are completely falsified.

 

In public interest: A highly contagious deadly bird flu has been detected at Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, one of the nation’s top egg producers and the biggest poultry farm in Michigan.

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Gov. Whitmer signs bills to protect IVF, decriminalize surrogacy contracts

HB 5207-5215: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills designed to expand reproductive freedoms in Michigan. The nine-bill package -- known collectively as The Michigan Family Protection Act -- was first passed in the House in November and passed in the Senate last month.

 

When it comes to affordable housing, Whitmer made her approach clear on Tuesday: “Build, baby, build.” Whitmer toured a new housing development in Kalamazoo called Zone 32 on Kalamazoo’s Northside.

 

More in politics: U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Twp., has not formally endorsed a candidate to succeed him, but he wrote big check to one.

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Michigan gas station owner accused of having enough fentanyl to kill 20 million people at stash house

Authorities have arrested a Detroit gas station owner after a series of raids led to police discovering thousands of pills, thousands of dollars in cash and enough fentanyl to kill 20 million people. According to Fox 2 Detroit, police raided three properties last week linked to Barry Willis following an investigation that began with Livonia police last year.

 

Over the first three months of 2024, Flint has seen a decline in reported violent crimes such as homicides, criminal sexual conduct, and larcenies. Flint police did report an uptick in burglaries.

 

An update: The leader of the white supremacist group “The Base” saw an appeal denied by the Michigan Supreme Court, upholding his 32-month incarceration sentence, according to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

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Winter Storm Warning for U.P., Winter Weather Advisory south to almost Traverse City

April snow: A full-fledged snowstorm is going to rage across the central and western Upper Peninsula through Thursday. Some of that snow will try to accumulate across northern Lower Michigan and the eastern U.P.

 

April skygazing: Spring stargazing is in full swing, and April 2024 has some blockbuster highlights: Planets meeting in the sky, a historic comet, the full Pink Moon and, of course, the Great American total solar eclipse. Here are a few of this month’s celestial events worth checking out.

 

Speaking of the eclipse:With the solar eclipse only days away, it’s time to start fine-tuning where we want to watch this sky show. The best model forecast shows the real weather may go against where climatology says it should be clear. Here’s a total cloud forecast along the eclipse path.

 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is hosting a watch party for the solar eclipse — which will be a partial eclipse in this location — on April 8.

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Lake Michigan beach bar, The Deck, announces opening day, music lineup for 10th season

Mark your calendar: It’s a big birthday year for Muskegon’s beachfront bar. The Deck, located at Pere Marquette Park on Lake Michigan, announced opening day for its 10th season will be Wednesday, May 15.

 

Famous faces: Just ahead of Detroit Tigers Opening Day 2024, Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Chumlee from “Pawn Stars” have come to Detroit where they try to grab some Detroit Tigers memorabilia.

 

Rest in peace: John Sinclair, the poet whose imprisonment for marijuana inspired the start of Ann Arbor’s long-running annual Hash Bash in the 1970s, has died. He was 82.

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We're halfway through the week.

Thank you for joining me today on this edition of the Morning Briefing. 

 

As always, you can catch the latest Michigan news at MLive.com. While you're there, consider becoming a subscriber.

 

Have a nice day!

 

— Jamie Rewerts

 

OTHER TOP STORIES

 

  • Michigan woman claimed cop raped her in a patrol vehicle. Video showed otherwise.

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  • Dan Campbell understands controversial hip-drop ban: ‘It’s a vicious tackle’

  • Busy Up North bridges over I-75 to be closed for most of summer

  • Police find injured toddler after woman flees drunken driving crash with child
 

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