1 on 1 with James Craig, victim of racial abuse speaks out, resignation at Brighton autism center
TUESDAY NEWS HIT - There's been little question about James Craig's future ambitions following his retirement from the Detroit Police Department, but on Tuesday the former chief plans to put the rubber to the road with a formal announcement.
Eying the Republican nomination, Craig made some not-so-subtle critiques of his potential Democratic opponent in an interview with FOX 2.
"Let me just say for starters, if you are a governor, or a mayor, your core responsibility is public safety," Craig said. "And when you talk about some of the reckless comments that have been made by some who sit on the left, the far left, defund the police, I think it's the governor's role to denounce it."
Craig is seen as an early front-runner in the gubernatorial race for the Republican Primary. While his law enforcement background added a new dimension to the campaign, it's his roots in Detroit that boost his profile as a competitive candidate in a general election.
When it came to his positions on the hot topics of the day, a mix of his police background and the familiar stances of the Republican Party informed his opinions.
"I reject mandates, I reject our government, saying that certain entities, that if you don't have employees fully vaccinated then that's a problem. That's government overreach," he said, arguing the governor should follow the science, but ‘not political science.’ He also disagreed with orders to mandate masks in schools. It should be a personal decision.
Instead of executive orders, he said he would use his influence in the governorship to convince others to get the vaccine.
Until Monday, Craig hadn't spoken much about his feelings about the 2020 election. FOX 2 asked him he thought it was stolen. "As far as I know, voter integrity is critically important. I'm not seeking an investigation."
FOX 2: "Fifty lawsuits have been thrown out."
Craig: "Like I said, if there's an investigation that says yes, I have not seen that."
The former chief also said he would welcome the endorsement from Donald Trump.
Craig plans to make his announcement on Belle Isle Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Casey Diskin asked to resign from Oxford Recovery Center
The subject of a FOX 2 investigation last week has been forced to resign from her position as a behavioral therapist after reports of her stealing the credentials from another doctor and using them as her own. She leveraged the theft to start a special therapy program at the Oxford Recovery Center in Brighton.
But on Monday, the center's CEO, who had admitted to knowing about Casey Diskin's backstory, said she had forced her to resign. The specialist whose identity was stolen is thankful but said the bigger story was about how Diskin's actions affected the families.
"When the story came out for the first time, I felt hopeful about the situation that something positive was going to happen. There have been so many times I felt helpless," said Dr. Kimberly Peck.
However, the allegations go beyond fraud. Diskin allegedly used unqualified autism treatments. Parents have called police after reporting unexplained injuries to their children. Michigan State Police previously said there wasn't enough information to go forward. The state's licensing agency is now investigating.
Muslim woman attacked on Spirit airline speaks out
Aicha Toure and others were getting their luggage together after their flight landed in Detroit when an older passenger accidentally hit another woman when her bag fell. The woman didn't receive an apology and threatened the woman, telling her ‘how about I take you outside and drag you.’
Toure intervened to play peacemaker. Instead, she became the target of rage from the woman. Toure then took her phone out to record. "I'm holding my phone and (she) lunged towards me and punched, with the intent to knock my phone out," she said.
The woman then used a racist slur and assaulted Toure. The head of the Council for American Islamic Relations said the slur rises to the level of a hate crime or ethnic intimidation "because it wasn't just hitting, it was cussing and ethnic slur - and it happened on 9/11," said Dawud Walid.
The woman was arrested and will no longer be able to fly on Spirit Airlines as a result. While officials with CAIR have advocated for hate crime charges, Toure is also considering civil litigation.
A college senior's remarkable recovery
When Annie Bruce awoke from her surgery, she said she could move her left leg ever so slightly - and that was it. Bruce had taken a bad fall after fainting when she fell down a flight of stairs and hit her head on a ledge. Rushed to a hospital, she had a broken bone in her neck that needed immediate surgery.
An orthopedic spine surgeon at Beaumont was able to relieve the pressure by fusing Bruce's spine with plates and screws. But the leftover bruising made for an uncertain future and it was unclear if Bruce would ever regain full mobility.
But the former state championship soccer player, she was not to be deterred. Fifteen days after the injury, she stood up. By Jan. 15, she was starting to walk. In April, she was trying to run. And in May, she was jumping rope.
"I thought maybe she would be able to stand and maybe just go to the bathroom with a walker or hopefully just kind of do short distances. I didn't imagine her being able to run and do the things that she's doing now," Dr. Park said. "Stories like this is what makes us want to be physicians."
Henry Ford reaches 98% vaccinated rate among staff
Nearly every one of its staff has complied with a vaccine deadline at Henry Ford Health Systems that mandated COVID-19 shots. Some have gotten exemptions from the shot while the hospital says it is working with its employees who are not vaccinated.
Instead of being fired, the workers will be placed on a three-week suspension without pay. Only then if they are not vaccinated will they have to resign. "If they refuse to resign and comply with this, then we would have to terminate their employment," said Bob Riney, the health system president.
Several businesses and companies are starting to have similar conversations with their staff. But hospitals, which have implemented vaccine mandates before the president's executive order, continue to bear the brunt of an unvaccinated population.
Ninety-five percent of its beds are currently being used by COVID-19 patients. Of which, 79% are unvaccinated while 10.8% are in-between doses.
What else we're watching
- Officials have released a report that cites the weakening of soil surrounding the Edenville dam that allowed for a major failure in infrastructure last year - and the evacuations of thousands.
- The former Dearborn Hyatt Regency hotel will be transformed into a market-rate apartment complex or possibly a small hotel - according to the unidentified buyer's attorney who spoke with the Detroit Free Press.
- Police were reported outside a small building where a major grow operation for weed was taking place. Large garbage bags full of weed were spotted by police.
- Pieces of the Mackinac Bridge are now up for grabs in an online auction, with parts starting at $20.
- Ever wanted to know what were the most dangerous stretches of I-75 in Michigan? There's a map for that: click here to learn more.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
The summer comeback is here, if only for a day. Temperatures will rebound into the upper 80s while a chance of severe weather will grow into the evening. There's a possibility of thunderstorms and hail further into the evening, but it's not high.
Apple releases emergency software update to fix security flaw
Apple released an emergency software patch to fix a security vulnerability that researchers said could allow hackers to directly infect Apple devices without any user action.
The researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab said the flaw allowed spyware from the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire firm, NSO Group, to directly infect the iPhone of a Saudi activist.
The flaw affected all Apple’s operating systems, the researchers said.
It was the first time a so-called "zero-click" exploit had been caught and analyzed, said the researchers, who found the malicious code on Sept. 7 and immediately alerted Apple. They said they had high confidence the Israeli company NSO Group was behind the attack, adding that the targeted activist asked to remain anonymous.