Biden comes to Dearborn, Whitmer's travel issues grow, a Meijer parking lot brawl

President Joe Biden's second trip to Michigan will be part of his rollout and push for a more electrified fleet of U.S.-built cars.

Biden plans to tour the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn this afternoon, ahead of the company's unveiling of its electric F-150 Lightning.  

Since the president was inaugurated, American automakers in Detroit have ramped up their emphasis and company plans on electric vehicles. Along with company executives, lawmakers are also sending a similar message.

"We all care about the environment, but I want a strong health auto industry here in the United States of America. And I want them built by American autoworkers with good-paying jobs and I want the batteries that are going to go into those electric vehicles built here, in America, with good-paying union jobs," said Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn).

Dingell will be at the event along with Bill Ford Jr. and the president of the United Auto Workers union.

If there's anything the pandemic seized on in U.S. commerce that becomes an increasingly striking issue, it's the diversification and foreign nature of America's supply chain. 

That's become an issue for companies that need parts in their country to build cars, but instead, get most of those pieces from elsewhere. This is particularly an issue in the world of microchips, where a shortage has caused delays in rolling out new vehicles for Ford and General Motor dealerships.

But manufacturing them can be expensive and not enough plants exist in the U.S. That's why 75% of semiconductor manufacturing is done in Asia. 

Global markets allowed for making the supplies elsewhere as long as the supply chain remains intact. But after Covid obliterated that flow in 2020, the country is renewing its focus on building more of its supplies here.

After all, demand isn't going to fall for electric vehicles as companies like GM and Ford make plans for an entire electrified fleet in the next two decades.

Some of the research into those cars is going on in Dearborn these days - the same place Biden is expected to speak. 

He is expected to arrive between 1 and 2 p.m. Republicans are expected to respond to Biden's visit with an 11 a.m. press conference outside the Renaissance Center.

Plane that flew Whitmer to Florida didn't have proper FAA certification

The slow-moving controversy that started out as reports the governor visited Florida to see her sick father have metastasized into a growing problem for Gretchen Whitmer after the news was reported that the company that owned the private jet she flew on did not have proper FAA certification.

It was a nonprofit owned by Whitmer that paid for the trip and Whitmer herself who paid for the seat - more than $28,000 in expenses. But it's the private plane company Air Eagle that flew her to Florida. And the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed with FOX 2 yesterday they did not have a "Part 135 certificate," which is a requirement to charter flights.

However, the FAA also said it was too premature to conclude if a violation had occurred. "The FAA is looking into the matter," said a spokesperson. A retired FAA inspector now consulting for aviation companies said that without that certificate, the company is not complying with the rules and there could be safety problems. 

The company and pilot could face civil penalties up to $11,000 for each violation.

Brawl in Meijer parking lot started as road rage incident

Video posted to social media this weekend that accrued hundreds of thousands of views showed a brawl in a Meijer parking lot in Belleville. In it, two men fight as a little girl stands off to the side. While the woman filming the incident initially believed it was a case of potential child abduction, it instead turned into a case of road rage.

"We were trying to figure out what was going on, we really were just trying to de-escalate everything," said Shantel Misaki, who filmed the fight. She later stressed - as did Van Buren Police - that what happened started on the road. Police said the suspect was mad because the victim was driving too close. When they pulled into the Meijer parking lot, the suspect went after the man and his daughter, punching him in the back of his head.

"Let me just get over here and protect the baby, make sure nothing happens to her and let these guys duke it out," Misaki recalls thinking amid the fight. Van Buren police eventually arrested the man after he drove away, finding a few hundred dollars in stolen merchandise from another Meijer store. 

The suspect will be charged with assault and theft, police said.

Meet Detroit's new (interim) police chief

James White, the head of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights who spent 24 years as a Detroit police officer will be the law enforcement agency's next chief as the city searches for a permanent replacement. 

White was listed as one of the four potential candidates for the job and represents a shift in leadership style. And what does soon-to-be-retired chief James Craig think? "No reservations."

"Right now, stability is important and continuing to move in the direction that the city wants to see," he said. "…it’s going to take people in leadership positions or people in seats of influence, to stand up and denounce the rhetoric to support the men and women who face danger each and every day."

Wayne County's prosecutor praised the decision, arguing White is "not a glory seeker." Some saw that as a veiled insult toward Craig, who is considering his own run for future political office. Other community activists say their first choice would have been Assistant Chief Todd Bettison. But they're also ready to work with White.

Wyandotte police save overdosing driver at busy intersection

Bodycam footage from Wyandotte police shows the moments leading up to life-saving actions taken by officers after someone had passed out from a drug overdose at a busy intersection.

It happened on Eureka near Fort Street around 10:30 p.m. on May 6. "They were pounding on the window attempting to get attention," said Deputy Chief Archie Hamilton."The only thing left, was to break the window and unlock the door themselves.

Officers took their patrol car and blocked the vehicle from traveling any further before one officer broke a car window, cutting his hand in the process. According to the deputy chief, the officer did everything right and the driver's life was saved. 

The woman behind the wheel was taken to the hospital and will be charged with operating while intoxicated, possession of a controlled substance, and driving on a suspended license.

What else we're watching

  1. Photos of a now-empty Wixom Lake a year after it emptied following two dam failures near Midland show a surprising sight: all kinds of vegetation covering the former lakebed.
  2. Motor City Comic Con is returning to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi later this October. Tickets will go on sale soon.
  3. Police are looking for a 69-year-old man who has been missing since Monday night. Alfred Jones is in poor physical condition and has dementia. 
  4. An immigrant that has taken sanctuary in a Detroit church for three years will walk out of the building for the first time Tuesday.
  5. The city is installing 4,500 speed bumps and resurfacing 65 miles of roads, according to the Detroit road improvement plan that will be announced today at 11:30 a.m.

Live on FOX 2

Daily Forecast

Temperatures are expected to hit 80 degrees Tuesday. It will only take three more days before that figure is 90 degrees on Friday. Cloud coverage shouldn't start showing up until the mid-to-late afternoon.

88% of children covered by monthly payments starting in July

The Treasury Department said Monday that 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15.

The payments are part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, which expanded the child tax credit for one year and made it possible to pre-pay the benefits on a monthly basis. Nearly 88% of children are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action.

Qualified families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child under 6 and up to $250 per month for children between the ages of 6 and 17. The child tax credit was previously capped at $2,000 and only paid out to families with income tax obligations after they filed with the IRS.

But for this year, couples earning $150,000 or less can receive the full payments on the 15th of each month, in most cases by direct deposit. The benefits total $3,600 annually for children under 6 and $3,000 for those who are older. The IRS will determine eligibility based on the 2019 and 2020 tax years, but people will also be able to update their status through an online portal. The administration is also setting up another online portal for non-filers who might be eligible for the child tax credit.