Debbie Dingell

Ann Arbor's fire and police departments held a ceremony Friday at Fire Station No. 1 marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. City leaders, first responders and community members gathered to honor victims and reflect on the attacks' lasting impact.

Mayor Christopher Taylor acknowledged flaws in the national response while praising the bravery of individual first responders. U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell recounted being at Reagan National Airport that morning and recalled her late husband, Congressman John Dingell, refusing to leave the Capitol despite security warnings. She emphasized how communities of different faiths united in the aftermath.

Police Chief Andre Anderson stressed the shared responsibility for community safety, while Fire Chief Mike Kennedy noted that more than 140,000 responders, survivors and residents remain enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program due to related illnesses. Ann Arbor firefighters and officers read the names of the 343 FDNY firefighters and 60 NYPD and Port Authority officers killed, followed by a ceremonial bell ringing.
Ann Arbor held a 25th anniversary ceremony honoring 9/11 victims and first responders, featuring remarks from Mayor Taylor and Rep. Debbie Dingell.

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said she hopes progressive streamer Hasan Piker stays out of Michigan through Election Day, distancing herself from the controversy surrounding him. Piker has campaigned alongside Michigan Senate nominee Abdul el Sayed and drew bipartisan condemnation after suggesting last week that American Jews could face violence if they are perceived as uniquely tied to Israel's actions.

Dingell, seeking a seventh House term, told CNN she "strongly disagrees" with Piker's comments on Israel and past remarks on sexual violence, calling them "inexcusable." She said it's on el Sayed to make clear he doesn't share Piker's views. El Sayed has said only his campaign speaks for him, without fully condemning Piker, and has tried to redirect focus to economic issues. The episode underscores tension within Michigan's Democratic primary field ahead of the general election, as party figures navigate Piker's polarizing online influence and its potential impact on competitive 2026 races.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers halted work on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project in Joliet, Illinois, on July 24, pausing construction of a roughly $1.2 billion barrier designed to stop invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. The system combines engineered water flow, underwater sound, bubble curtains and electric current to block carp while allowing barge traffic.

Ohio Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Dave Joyce, joined by Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingell and Bill Huizenga, sent a letter urging the administration to lift the stop-work order, noting the project is fully funded and reviewed. Urgency grew after Illinois officials found juvenile silver carp in the Illinois River just 80 miles from Lake Michigan in mid-August, the farthest upstream detection in 16 years of monitoring. Experts warn established carp populations could devastate native fish species and the region's fishing economy. Construction began in 2024 with completion projected around 2030, a timeline already delayed by funding pauses.

President Trump escalated his trade dispute with Canada by threatening to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America." The proposal drew a cool reception in Oswego, N.Y., a Republican stronghold on the lake's shore that Trump carried by a wide margin in 2024.

Local GOP officials, including Oswego Mayor Rob Corradino, Assemblymember Will Barclay, and County Legislature Chair Jim Weatherup, said they see the idea as a negotiating tactic rather than a serious proposal, and none support changing the name. They argue the region depends on Canadian trade and tourism, noting Canadian visits to New York have dropped sharply amid the tariff fight, hurting Oswego attractions like Harborfest, Fort Ontario, and Oswego Speedway. New York exchanges tens of billions of dollars in goods and services with Canada annually. Officials warned that further escalation, including rhetoric like the renaming threat, could damage a longstanding cross-border relationship. Residents interviewed in Oswego, several of them Trump supporters, also rejected the "Lake America" idea.

The renaming proposal emerged amid a broader war of words between Trump and Ontario Premier Doug Ford after U.S.-Canada trade talks broke down, with Canadian officials describing the economic standoff as an "attack." The dispute has also drawn political mockery, including from Michigan Senator Debbie Dingell, who criticized Trump's environmental record on the Great Lakes.