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Figures close to Donald Trump are bashing Elon Musk and his voter organization as “grifters” in a new report.
According to reports, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s ground game is suffering due to opportunists, naming tech billionaire Elon Musk’s group among them. “I think it’s what happens when you let a bunch of grifters take over,” a Trumpworld source said of Musk’s Save America PAC, speaking frankly anonymously about internal discussions concerning the campaign’s lack of a voter turnout strategy. “S—t is always gonna produce s—t.”
Musk’s Save America PAC has turned up efforts in the last few weeks, offering his door knockers $30 an hour “with bonuses for performance” in addition to creating a hybrid petition and sweepstakes where those participating get the chance to snag $1 million (that effort caught the attention of a court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Musk was slated to appear on Thursday (Oct. 31). But Trump insiders, while lauding Musk’s passion, question the effectiveness of such actions. “What happens is, you skim a bunch of money off the top, and then you hire the dumbest people and pay them a little bit of money,” the strategist said. “There’s no way of tracking whether it’s effective or not. It’s hard to track the output, and thus the effectiveness of the output.”
Another issue that’s come to light on social media involving Musk’s PAC is allegations that the SpaceX founder flew Black people hired as door knockers into Michigan, where they were driven around in the back of a U-Haul truck and told that they wouldn’t be receiving hotel rooms unless they were to “maintain a 17-22% engagement rate during the campaign” – higher than the average rates. There’s also the lack of geo-tracking, forcing door knockers to utilize “offline workbooks” that don’t always sync up with staffers’ records at the regional offices.
The campaign team for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has poured robust amounts of money into their ground game in Michigan, setting up 52 offices throughout the state and at least 375 staffers. But they have wondered about Trump’s efforts in the last days of the election. “It’s been fascinating. It’s been weird? It’s been weird,” said Michigan state senator and Harris surrogate Mallory McMorrow, who noted that one of Musk’s workers she met confessed he was a Democrat just in it for the money.
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A fight between a Black vendor and white vendors at a rally for Donald Trump in Michigan caught the attention of social media, who chalked it up to the tone of the event.
On Thursday (October 3), the crowd waiting to hear former president Donald Trump outside of a venue in Saginaw, Michigan waiting to hear former president Donald Trump wound up being bystanders to a brawl between a Black vendor and white vendors selling memorabilia. The incident took place at 10:20 A.M. at the Ryder Center for Health and Physical Education at Saginaw Valley State University. It was captured on video by Anna Liz Nichols, a reporter for the Michigan Advance, who shared it in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
According to reports, the fight stemmed from a verbal argument and led to the Black vendor being pummeled while he was on the ground by the two white vendors as the crowd of 1,000 rally attendees looked on. It was confirmed by the Associated Press that the fight involved only vendors and no one else from the crowd. “The Trump campaign reports that all of the individuals involved in the altercation were vendors, none were attendees and all were ejected from the premises,” a spokesperson for the campaign team said in a statement via text message.
The incident caught the attention of several people on social media, some of whom initially thought that it was a fight between supporters of the former president. It didn’t go unnoticed by some who noted how the Black vendor wound up not faring too well in the fight, with some commenting that he shouldn’t have even been present. The rally in Saginaw is another event critical for the Trump campaign in a battleground state as early voting for the November presidential elections has begun. Ohio Senator JD Vance held two rallies in Marne and Auburn Hills the day before, and Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to hold a rally in Flint on Friday (October 4).
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Corey Harris, a Michigan man due in court virtually for a hearing, certainly didn’t do himself any favors earlier this month before the meeting with the judge. Mr. Harris, who has a suspended license, called into the hearing while driving which sparked the judge to react with disbelief.
Corey Harris, 44, was slated to speak to Washtenaw County Judge Cedric Simpson and called into the hearing via Zoom while driving a vehicle. As reported by Detroit outlet WXYZ, Harris was charged with driving with a suspended license in October 2023. Assistant Public Defender Natalie Pate introduced the case to the judge, and the Zoom call began with Harris simply driving along without any concern for the optics.
Harris caused Judge Simpson to become flabbergasted after he asked the judge for a moment to park his vehicle after he explained he was heading to his doctor’s office. After a moment, Judge Simpson couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.
“No, I’m looking at his record. He doesn’t have a license. He’s suspended and he’s just driving,” Simpson says, trying to maintain his composure. Simpson added, “I don’t even know why he would do that.”
Instead of proceeding with the hearing, Judge Simpson revoked Harris’ bond and ordered Harris to turn himself in by 6 PM that day. As the Detroit News added in its reporting, Harris was set to appear before the court in connection to his suspended license case.
Corey Harris is due back in court on June 5, hopefully taking Uber or getting a lift from a friend.
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Photo: Zinkevych / Getty
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A Michigan man known for tracking and luring out child predators was shot and killed after confronting two teens at a restaurant.
Last Friday (Sept. 29), Robert Wayne Lee, whom online followers called “Boobac Shakur,” was shot and killed after confronting two teens alleging that they were sexual predators targeting children. The Michigan man gained notoriety for waging an online campaign by posing as a 15-year-old girl to lure out and confront pedophiles, often recording videos of the encounters, which he’d share to his Instagram and Facebook pages which had over 54,000 and 11,000 followers respectively.
It was a tactic police considered dangerous, saying that while his “one-man crusade has led to the arrest and criminal charges being filed against several men,” including a former police officer, “he has also mistakenly identified someone as a sexual predator who was not,” with Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald saying in a statement that Lee “was investigated for and charged with crimes for destroying property of individuals who were not the target of his ‘sting’ operations.”
The incident occurred at a restaurant in Pontiac at the corner of North Perry and MLK Boulevard at 10:30 p.m., according to police. Lee had gone there to confront two teens, 17 and 18, and according to the press release had gotten into a confrontation with the 18-year-old accusing him of being a pedophile. Lee then attacked him, leading him to pull out a knife. The 17-year-old then allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Lee several times. Lee would be rushed to the hospital, where he would die from his sustained injuries.
According to reports, both suspects were apprehended on Saturday afternoon in Pontiac. “While we certainly understand his desire to hold child predators accountable, many times well-intentioned individuals who engaged in this don’t know the standard of evidence required for convictions and often underestimate the potential for violence confronting a suspected predator,” said Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Lee.
Lee’s family has created a GoFundMe account to pay for the cost of his funeral and to take care of his daughter. “In the tight-knit community, we were fortunate to have a beacon of light named Robert Lee, a true hometown hero,” the crowdfunding page states. “Robert dedicated his life to protecting the innocence of our children from those with malicious intentions.”
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A Black man in Michigan had his prison sentence cleared after a white judge showed bias in his pre-trial hearing.
Last Wednesday (August 3rd), Leron Liggins, who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for two drug charges had his sentence vacated. This came after a three-judge panel, in line with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ruled that a judge violated Liggins’ Fifth Amendment right to due process by commenting that Liggins “looks like a criminal” in a pretrial hearing back in 2020.
U.S. District Judge Stephen Murphy III, who is white, remarked as he presided over the hearing in January 2020. Murphy had been frustrated with delays in the case due to Liggins, who is Black, deciding to change his attorneys in the time since being indicted in February 2018. Expressing frustration with the delays, Judge Murphy stated that he was “tired of this case.” “What do you want me to do? This guy looks like a criminal to me,” Murphy said before continuing: “This is what criminals do. This isn’t what innocent people, who want a fair trial do.”
The comments compelled Liggins to file a motion to have Judge Murphy recused, which Murphy denied after the case resumed in October 2021. “I was mad, I was hostile, I was disapproving, and I regret it. I made a mistake by yelling like that, but I wasn’t upset or concluding that Mr. Liggins was—was guilty of an offense or hostile or partial toward him,” he said, apologizing in his remarks to Liggins’ attorney.
The panel of judges highlighted this moment in their opinion. “Even if one were to assume a lack of racial bias on the part of the district judge, the remark nevertheless raises the specter of such bias. … Beyond this remark, the district judge’s other remarks could be understood to demonstrate clear prejudgment of Liggins’ guilt,” it said. Federal prosecutors could still file for a new trial, as there was no ruling on evidentiary issues presented by Liggins’ defense team.
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Source: Scott Olson / Getty / Hill Harper
Author, and actor, Hill Harper is no stranger to the world of politics, and now he is looking to make a big splash in Michigan’s 2024 senate race.
The New York Times reports Harper hopes to add US Senator to his list of accomplishments after throwing his name in a Democratic Primary that will have plenty of people closely monitoring it.
Harper has pledged to run as progressive and hopes that will be enough to convince Michigan voters to choose him over Moderate Democrat Elissa Slotkin.
The actor best known for his roles on CSI: NY and The Good Doctor and now a first-time candidate is running on a campaign that will work towards expanding social security, making sure the people he hopes to represent will have access to affordable healthcare, addressing income inequality and tackling student debt.
He spoke about his campaign in an interview shared by the New York Times:
“It became clear to me that folks across Michigan don’t feel like they are being represented in Washington, D.C.,” he said, describing his conversations with people at farmers’ markets and union halls as he weighed his decision to run. The state’s Democratic leadership, which holds the governor’s office and both chambers of the Michigan Statehouse, he added, has “done a lot to move the state forward, but Washington is still broken.”
Harper Has Worked With Former President Barack Obama
Unlike some other celebrities, the 57-year-old actor isn’t new to politics. Harper was good friends with former President Barack Obama. The two men befriended each other while attending Harvard while playing basketball.
Obama would later appoint his friend to his President’s Cancer Panel in 2012, which worked alongside the National Institute of Health (NIH) that made recommendations to the Obama administration about cancer healthcare policies.
Hill Harper Isn’t Getting The Warm Announcement He Hoped He Would
Harper’s announcement is being met with a mixed reception. Some point to him misgendering Zaya Wade on her birthday while trying to push his book or for allegedly being transphobic.
Some people point out the Iowa native, who moved to Detroit in 2018, but barely stays in his home.
He also has some people excited about his Senate run. Actor Mark Ruffalo and Michael Skolnick both hit Twitter to support Mr. Harper’s run for the Senate.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
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Photo: Scott Olson / Getty
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The search for three Michigan rappers who had been missing for over a week after their show in Detroit was canceled due to technical problems may have come to a tragic end.
Armani Kelly, Dante Wicker, and Montoya Givens, went missing over a week ago after their show in Detroit was canceled due to technical problems. According to The New York Times, the men have not been heard from since January 21 and both missing persons and homicide units with the Detroit Police Department and other police agencies participated in the investigation.
According to The Detroit Free Press, “multiple” bodies have been found in an abandoned apartment building in the city of Highland Park–an enclave near Detroit.
Per the Free Press, Antoine Woods, who identified himself as Wicker’s cousin, said police had not told his family whether Wicker was among the victims found, but that “we think it’s my cousin in there.”
Taylor Perrin, the fiancee of Oscoda rap artist Armani Kelly, said that she was notified that the bodies had been found though there had not been a positive identification she had been told to make the trip from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Detroit.
Wicker and Givens, both 31, were supposed to join Kelly, 27, who was performing at only his second show in his career. Kelly is from Oscoda, Mich. approximately three hours away from Detroit. He drove down for the show at a club called Lounge 31.
Woods said his cousin, “was excited about making music.”
According to the New York Times report, Kelly met Wicker and Givens while they were all in prison. While the police said that all three were to be at Lounge 31 on Jan. 21 for a rap event, it is still being determined if Wicker and Givens were also supposed to perform. The car that Kelly was driving which belonged to his mother was found in Warren, Mich., a Detroit suburb.
The Free Press spoke to Darnell Williams the owner of Lounge 31 the performances were canceled the night the men went missing because of technical failures with DJ equipment. He said there were too many people in the crowd to know whether or when the missing men arrived at the venue, but that police were reviewing video footage.
Detroit Police have said that there has been no activity on any of the men’s phones since January 21. “What was the most concerning, candidly, was the fact that there’s been no activity on their phones since they’ve been reported missing,” James E. White, the Detroit police chief, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “And that’s very, very concerning. That’s an unusual circumstance.”
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Three Black Michigan rappers have been missing for over a week after their show in Detroit was canceled due to technical problems.
Armani Kelly, Dante Wicker and Montoya Givens went missing over a week ago after their show in Detroit was canceled due to technical problems. According to The New York Times, the men have not been heard from since Jan. 21, and both missing persons and homicide units with the Detroit Police Department are investigating.
Wicker and Givens, both 31, were supposed to join Kelly, 27, who was performing at only his second show in his career. Kelly is from Oscoda, Mich., approximately three hours away from Detroit. He drove down for the show at a club called Lounge 31.
His fiancée, Taylor Perrin, of Grand Rapids, Mich., said that she spoke to him at about 5 p.m. on Jan. 21 and that he told her about the technical difficulties and that he was planning to look for another venue with an open mic.
According to the report, Kelly met Wicker and Givens while they were all in prison. While the police said that all three were to be at Lounge 31 Jan. 21 for a rap event, it is unclear if Wicker and Givens were also supposed to perform. The car that Kelly was driving which belonged to his mother was found in Warren, Mich., a Detroit suburb.
Detroit Police have said that there has been no activity on any of the men’s phones since Jan. 21. “What was the most concerning, candidly, was the fact that there’s been no activity on their phones since they’ve been reported missing,” James E. White, the Detroit police chief, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “And that’s very, very concerning. That’s an unusual circumstance.”
Michigan police and police in three surrounding cities are actively working on the case.
“Our determination and love for him is what’s been driving us this whole time,” Perrin told The New York Times. “And not knowing whether the man I’m supposed to marry is dead or alive — I can’t stop until I see his face again, and I won’t.”
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