Michigan Attorney General supports lawsuits to preserve public media
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has signed onto a legal brief alongside 22 other attorneys general to support lawsuits brought by the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio that are attempting to block federal funding cuts to their organizations.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in May to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, stating in the order that 'neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens'.
Since then, NPR and PBS filed two separate lawsuits arguing the funding cuts threaten the First Amendment and create public safety hazards for citizens served by their local affiliates who rely on public media for weather, health and safety alerts.
Forum highlights cost defunding public media has on emergency alerts, educational programming
The brief Nessel and other attorneys general filed last week backs the arguments made by public media and warns of the harm that could come from weakening public media programming and infrastructure.
'Public media is a vital source of independent information for countless Michiganders and Americans, especially in rural communities, where it is often the only option available,' Nessel said in a news release Monday.
Law enforcement depends on public media when issuing AMBER Alerts to find abducted children, as well as Silver Alerts for missing elderly individuals or individuals with developmental disabilities, the legal brief outlines. Public broadcasters provide critical coverage of emerging public safety threats like active shooters, especially in news deserts where public media may be the only resource to quickly disseminate information, the brief adds.
The public media stations in Michigan, many serving rural communities outside of many news outlets' coverage areas, also provide emergency information that help residents navigate extreme weather of other crises, Nessel's news release said.
'Attempts to defund public journalism are a blatant attack on the press and the First Amendment, and a disservice to the people who rely on it every day,' Nessel said. 'Public radio reaches nearly every corner of our state, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues and with public media in defense of this essential news source.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pete Buttigieg Listed These 4 Ways The Trump Admin Is Making Americans' Lives "Worse," And It's So Simple Yet So True
Former secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg is being applauded online for his recent, simple breakdown on all the ways Donald Trump's chosen cabinet is negatively impacting Americans' lives. While sitting down for NPR's Morning Edition, Pete insisted that Democrats need to change their approach if they want to reach voters. "We do have to look at what we're doing that makes it hard to hear what we have to say," he told host Steve Inskeep. "Too often we talk in terms that are academic. When we're talking about deeply important things, like freedom and democracy, we still have to have a way of talking about it that relates to how everyday life is different." Related: As an example, Pete shared ways our "everyday life is different and worse" under Trump's presidency, because, as he said, "When you have an autocrat in power, he can get away with appointing incompetent people over very important things in our lives." To start, he said, "Right now we have the secretary of defense — in charge of defending the American people — who was accidentally texting military strike information to journalists." This, of course, is in reference to reporting from the Atlantic that claimed the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat where former Fox & Friends Weekend host, now Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, discussed sensitive war plans. "We have the person in charge of American public health, who is a quack who doesn't believe in medicine, and now measles is on the rise in America," he continued. Here, Pete is referring to Health Secretary RFK Jr., who commonly and vocally questions the safety of vaccines and even suggested the measles vaccine causes autism in children. Now, 20 years after measles was declared to be eliminated in the United States, outbreaks are popping up around the US as the public grows skeptical of vaccines under the new administration. Related: "We have a secretary of education — in charge of your kid's educational well-being — who has spoken about the importance of 'A1,' which means she does not understand that the acronym is AI, which means she does not understand the most important development affecting education in our lifetimes." Education Secretary Linda McMahon — yes, the former CEO of WWE — confused AI technology with A1, the name of a popular steak sauce. While speaking at a summit in April, McMahon said, "A school system that's going to start making sure that first graders, or even pre-Ks, have A1 teaching in every year. That's a wonderful thing!" Pete continued, "We have a secretary of homeland security who sat on funding and did not allow it to go to Texas during the floods for at least two days for no good reason." Finally, we have Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who reportedly decided to enact a rule requiring her personal sign-off on any grant or contract over $100,000. The move was heavily criticized amid the deadly flooding in Texas earlier this year, as some argue the signature delayed getting aid to those who needed it. Related: "So these things do affect you," Pete concluded. "Not for academic reasons, but because of what happens when you have a loss of accountability. Those are the kinds of things I think we need to talk about before anybody can hear us." A clip of Pete's simple yet effective explanation was shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, where it garnered over 1.7 million views and over 1,000 comments. By and large, people are calling Pete's breakdown "brilliant." One person said, "This breakdown of the incompetence of the administration is simple yet brilliant. And the reality of how they're affecting peoples' REAL lives is heartbreaking and infuriating." "Last thirty seconds should be mandatory listening," another agreed. "The loss of accountability over trumps horrible yes men stooge picks for cabinet undeniably makes your life worse as an American. It isn't up for debate." Others called Pete "the best communicator in US politics"... Related: ...and insisted, "This is who We The People employ!!!" Talks like this have made Pete a favorite amongst voters looking to the future of the Democratic Party. And even some abroad. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
Buzz Feed
14 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
4 Ways Trump's Policies Harm Americans, Per Buttigieg
Former secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg is being applauded online for his recent, simple breakdown on all the ways Donald Trump's chosen cabinet is negatively impacting Americans' lives. While sitting down for NPR's Morning Edition, Pete insisted that Democrats need to change their approach if they want to reach voters. "We do have to look at what we're doing that makes it hard to hear what we have to say," he told host Steve Inskeep. "Too often we talk in terms that are academic. When we're talking about deeply important things, like freedom and democracy, we still have to have a way of talking about it that relates to how everyday life is different." As an example, Pete shared ways our "everyday life is different and worse" under Trump's presidency, because, as he said, "When you have an autocrat in power, he can get away with appointing incompetent people over very important things in our lives." To start, he said, "Right now we have the secretary of defense — in charge of defending the American people — who was accidentally texting military strike information to journalists." "We have the person in charge of American public health, who is a quack who doesn't believe in medicine, and now measles is on the rise in America," he continued. "We have a secretary of education — in charge of your kid's educational well-being — who has spoken about the importance of 'A1,' which means she does not understand that the acronym is AI, which means she does not understand the most important development affecting education in our lifetimes." Pete continued, "We have a secretary of homeland security who sat on funding and did not allow it to go to Texas during the floods for at least two days for no good reason." "So these things do affect you," Pete concluded. "Not for academic reasons, but because of what happens when you have a loss of accountability. Those are the kinds of things I think we need to talk about before anybody can hear us." A clip of Pete's simple yet effective explanation was shared to X, formerly known as Twitter, where it garnered over 1.7 million views and over 1,000 comments. By and large, people are calling Pete's breakdown "brilliant." One person said, "This breakdown of the incompetence of the administration is simple yet brilliant. And the reality of how they're affecting peoples' REAL lives is heartbreaking and infuriating." "Last thirty seconds should be mandatory listening," another agreed. "The loss of accountability over trumps horrible yes men stooge picks for cabinet undeniably makes your life worse as an American. It isn't up for debate." Others called Pete "the best communicator in US politics"... ...and insisted, "This is who We The People employ!!!" Talks like this have made Pete a favorite amongst voters looking to the future of the Democratic Party. And even some abroad. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Actor Dean Cain, who played Superman in the '90s, reveals he joined ICE
Dean Cain was once the Man of Steel, but the TV superhero icon has a new title. Cain, who played Superman in the 1990s series "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," revealed to fans that he enlisted as an officer in the federal agency U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to an Aug. 5 video shared to Cain's social media channels. "For those who don't know, I am a sworn law enforcement officer, as well as being a filmmaker, and I felt it was important to join with our first responders to help secure the safety of all Americans, not just talk about it," Cain, 59, said. "So, I joined up." USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Cain and ICE for comment. Cain also used the minute-and-a-half clip as an informal recruitment ad to tout the "great benefits" of working for ICE, which reportedly include a $50,000 signing bonus, student loan repayment, enhanced retirement benefits and special pay for individuals working in field operations and law enforcement roles. "So, if you want to help save America, ICE is arresting the worst of the worst and removing them from America's streets. I like that. I voted for that," Cain said. "They need your help. We need your help, to protect our homeland and our families." Cain's comments come amid increased scrutiny of ICE in recent months. In June, several demonstrations erupted in Los Angeles in response to a series of immigration raids carried out by the federal agency. The raids, which sparked nationwide protests, took place as part of a directive from President Donald Trump to find immigrants living in the United States illegally. Several celebrities, including Jimmy Kimmel, Kim Kardashian, Cardi B and Mark Ruffalo, have spoken out against the ICE raids and the Trump administration's involvement. Cain portrayed DC Comics legend Clark Kent and his superhero alias, Superman, on "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" from 1993-1997. The ABC dramedy, which also starred Teri Hatcher and Lane Smith, earned five Primetime Emmy nominations during its four-year run. Dean Cain's ICE video sparks fan backlash Cain's announcement of his ICE employment did not sit well with some fans, who took to the comments section on Instagram to share their dismay over the actor's affiliation with the controversial agency. "Shame on you Dean — that's the most un-Superman thing you could possibly advocate," @supergirl_titans wrote. "You are such a massive disappointment and only bring shame to the red cape. I trusted you," @imaginairycloud commented. While @gomdiaz said "it's a free country," the user added: "I hope one I'll understand how a person can watch the now standard footage of HOW they 'handle' human beings and not only not be sad and morally disgusted but also promote it." Despite the criticism, some fans came to Cain's defense. "Wow, you really are Superman - that is so cool!!!" @jmcmahon0278 wrote, while @anthonyhershko commented: "LEGEND!!!!!!!!!👏🫡" Meanwhile, user @jlenagha pointed out the irony of Cain's professional relationship with ICE, given the actor's Japanese heritage (Cain was born in Michigan, but his biological father is Japanese). "Immigrants that come to this country, whether they're undocumented or not, should be given due process," the user added. "Trump said he was going after gang members, criminals etc. That's not been the case. He's been going after regular people. This tarnishes my view of Dean. I'm shocked he's endorsing ICE."
