U.S. automakers will receive a 30-day exemption from tariffs

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Morning Briefing

THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2025

In today's newsletter, angry customers begin 40-day boycott of Target stores, Michigan is still in a drought and Michigan car dealer and Michigan State clinches share of Big Ten title due to Michigan’s loss vs. Maryland.

Cheers to Michigan's award-winning beer scene🍻

Michigan keeps raking in the awards. Grand Rapids is once again

topping the list of the Best Beer Cities’ in U.S. for a fifth year in a row. The USA Today readers’ choice award also highlighted Grand Rapids' Beer City Ale Trail.

 

The national publication also highlighted two other places in Michigan for beer lovers. Hop Lot Brewing in Sutton’s Bay earned the No. 2 spot on best beer gardens in the US list for its expansive four-season beer garden. Watermark Brewing Company, just south of St. Joseph, landed on the list's No. 3 spot. 

 

If you're in Washtenaw County, check out this beer flight at Ann Arbor Brewing’s Corner Bar. 

Curated by Cara Hackett

A horse-drawn carriage leaves the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island

An aerial image of the beer garden at Hop Lot Brewing Company in Suttons Bay, Mich. on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com)

Trump grants tariffs pause for U.S. automakers after talks with Michigan’s ‘Big 3′

In the car industry: Michigan’s “Big Three” auto manufacturers and other U.S. automakers will receive a 30-day exemption from tariffs that experts worried would hobble domestic manufacturing and risk Michigan jobs, White House officials said. The announcement came from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt Wednesday, March 5, one day after Trump imposed 25% taxes — or tariffs — on Mexican and Canadian imports.

 

A preliminary injunction that will block President Donald Trump’s attempt to cut medical and public health research funds at universities was recently awarded by a federal court. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, in partnership with attorneys general in Massachusetts and Illinois, co-led the effort to block the Trump administrations attempt to cut reimbursements at colleges throughout the country.

 

Fighting bird flu: State agencies need more funding and the federal government needs to do more to help prevent a possible human pandemic stemming from the bird flu, according to Michigan House Democrats.

Read more

Angry customers begin 40-day boycott of 7th largest retailer in U.S.

Not shopping: Activists who are upset with Target’s decision to pull back on diversity, equity and inclusion policies have begun a boycott of the national retailer. According to CNN, the 40-day effort is being organized by Rev. Jamal Bryant, an Atlanta-based pastor who says Target “turned their back on our community.” According to the National Retail Federation, Target was the seventh largest retailer in the U.S. for 2024, bringing in $105.8 billion in sales in 2023.

 

Over 400 workers will be impacted by layoffs at Flagstar Bank in Metro Detroit. The company announced it plans to lay off 424 employees at its Corporate Drive site in Troy. The permanent layoffs will take place between April 22 and May 9, according to a notice the company filed through the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

 

Industry issues: A flurry of restaurant closures in Grand Rapids has highlighted the struggles facing the hospitality sector, from increased costs to shifting consumer habits, and one industry veteran warns there’s more pain to come. 

Read more

Michigan still in severe drought; Will March rain and snow help?

Much of Michigan is still solidly in some level of drought condition. We are in an active storm track now which looks like it will continue through March. 

Each of these March storm systems should bring Lower Michigan one-half inch to one-inch of liquid. If we can get three or four of these storms by mid-April we won’t have extremely dry topsoil going into the gardening and farming season. Here is the latest drought status as of last week.

 

Getting warmer: A few storm systems over the next 10 days will take a spring track bringing Michigan very mild air for early March. The southern half of Lower Michigan should even warm to 60 degrees for three or four afternoons in the next week and a half.

 

Getting outdoors: Rockport State Recreation Area is the perfect place to take your rock hunting hobby to the next level. The state park is known to have exposed fossils from the Devonian period – more than 400 million years ago. These fossils are from before the dinosaurs – even before the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea.

Read more

Michigan State clinches share of Big Ten title due to Michigan’s loss vs. Maryland

On the court: The No. 8 Spartans (24-5, 14-3) clinched at least a share of the conference regular-season title due to Michigan’s 71-65 loss at home to Maryland on Wednesday. It’s Michigan State’s first Big Ten title since 2020 when the Spartans clinched a share with a victory against Ohio State in the regular-season finale before the pandemic wiped out tournament play. 

 

Michigan State, which has won five straight, can claim the outright title with a victory at Iowa (15-14, 6-12) on Thursday before hosting the Wolverines in the regular-season finale on Sunday.

 

The 2024 NFL season proved to be an expensive one for several Detroit Lions players. Through 17 weeks of action, including the postseason, 10 Lions players accumulated a total of $233,736 in fines and penalties stemming from on-field infractions and post-touchdown celebrations.

Read more

Michigan’s fishing season begins April 1. Get your license now

Get prepared: Anglers wanting to hit the water during the 2025-26 fishing season will need to purchase a new fishing license, valid April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. These licenses are good for all species. Fishing licenses can be purchased at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or by downloading the Michigan DNR Hunt Fish app and purchasing them through the app. Anglers can even select the “auto renew” option to automatically purchase future licenses.

 

Speaking of fish: Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium will offer extended spring break hours later this month, along with new exhibits, interactive programs and 32,000 animals on display. New exhibits include Water of Wonder in Shedd’s historic rotunda, and the buzzing rainforest at Amazon Rising.

 

In the U.P.: You know what they say, never skip leg day. That’s especially true if you’re competing in the Red Bull 400. This year the competition is cranking way up − as in 40 stories high at a near vertical, climbing the largest artificial ski jump in the world. On Saturday, May 10, 800 athletes will compete against gravity and race up the historic ski hill on Copper Peak. 

Read more

 

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Thanks for waking up with the Morning Briefing. I'm glad you're here. 

 

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Hang in there, we are one day closer to the weekend! 

 

- Cara Hackett

 

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