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DETROIT — Michigan Republicans are gathering in Detroit on Saturday to elect a new chair who will lead the party into the 2026 midterms in the battleground state, when several key races will be decided including a critical U.S. Senate seat.

After a tumultuous few years for the party defined by infighting, here is what’s at stake.

Three Republicans are asking party delegates for their votes.

The most well-known candidate is Meshawn Maddock, a MAGA activist, close ally to President Donald Trump and former party co-chair. Maddock faces eight forgery and conspiracy charges in an alleged false elector case stemming from the 2020 election.

Maddock refuted the charges, saying the prosecution is politically motivated and she believes the charges will be dropped.

Trump endorsed Maddock for the party chair position Thursday.

State Sen. Jim Runestad also is seeking the chairmanship. First elected to the state House of Representatives, Runestad has served 11 years in the statehouse.

Rounding out the choices is Joseph Cella, a former Trump ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Fifteen Republicans are accused of participating in a plan to falsely claim to be presidential electors for Trump in the 2020 election, despite Joe Biden’s victory in Michigan that year. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, dropped charges against a 16th defendant after reaching a cooperation deal.

The defendants have denied their actions were illegal. Each were criminally charged with eight counts of forgery and conspiracy in the case alleging the group signed a document during a December 2020 meeting at the Michigan Republican headquarters falsely stating they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified electors.” The fake certificates were ignored.

Biden won Michigan by nearly 155,000 votes over then-President Donald Trump in 2020, a result confirmed by a GOP-led state Senate investigation in 2021.

Maddock and the other defendants are currently waiting for a county district judge to decide if there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial. The next court date is scheduled for March 28, about a month after the GOP convention.

Michigan is set to be a key state to watch in the 2026 midterms, when Democrats will try to end Republicans’ control of the U.S. House and Senate in hopes of blunting Trump’s agenda.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters recently shocked the political world when he announced he is not seeking reelection, opening up a competitive seat. In 2024, Democrat Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeated Republican Mike Rogers for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Rogers came within less than 1 percentage point in November and is planning to run again. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is weighing whether to run.

Additionally, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term limited and names are lining up to replace her. Control of the state House of Representatives and Senate are on the line, as well as the offices of attorney general, secretary of state and two state Supreme Court seats.

Whoever Republicans choose will take over a party still recovering from a chaotic period defined by infighting and financial woes that started with a convention vote. A grassroots revolution in 2023 ushered in party chair Kristiana Karamo, a political newcomer who denied the results of the 2020 election.

Party finances tanked under her tenure, eventually forcing some Michigan Republicans, national Republicans and Trump himself to replace her with former congressman and ambassador Pete Hoekstra. Hoekstra is not seeking the position again as Trump has nominated him to serve as ambassador to Canada.

Across town, Democrats also are picking their next party chair Saturday.

Former state lawmaker and congressional candidate Curtis Hertel Jr. is expected to be selected for the role. Hertel unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House in the 2024 election, losing to former state lawmaker and Army veteran Tom Barrett by nearly 4 percentage points.

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YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. — Yosemite National Park employees who recently were fired by the Trump administration worry cuts will affect the experience of visitors and the welfare of wildlife that thrive in the popular vacation destination located in California’s Sierra Nevada.

Yosemite is home to giant sequoia trees and a haven for myriad wildlife species. El Capitan, a 3,000-foot (914-meter) wall of sheer granite and possibly the world’s most fabled rock face, attracts climbers from around the world. Such majestic qualities also are what attracted people to work at the beloved park that is a destination for families from California and throughout the country.

The Trump administration last week fired about 1,000 newly hired National Park Service employees who maintain and clean parks, educate visitors and perform other functions as part of its broad-based effort to downsize government.

Facing outcry, the administration plans to restore at least 50 jobs across the parks. The park service also said in a new memo it will hire more seasonal workers than normal. The park service has about 20,000 employees.

At least a dozen of those who lost their jobs worked at Yosemite.

Olek Chmura, a rock climber who moved to California from Ohio and last year took a job as a custodian at the park, received his letter of termination last week.

He and another laid-off custodian were the only two who worked his section of the park and he fears trash will pile up, restrooms won’t be cleaned and maintenance problems will grow, Chmura said.

“You’d be amazed with how many diapers I pick up off the side of the road. Beer bottles, toilet paper, all the stuff so you don’t have to see. You get to see the park in its true natural beauty,” he said.

Getting a job at the park was a dream come true because it allowed him to follow his passion of rock climbing during his time off, Chmura said.

“I knew the writing was on the wall but, I mean, nothing will just prepare you for the shock once you get that letter. Because, you know, it’s everything I love. It’s the park service,” he said. “I mean, our national monuments and parks are just our greatest treasure, and it just ruined my dream, you know?”

Public safety also could be at risk since the park’s search and rescue teams have been impacted by the layoffs, Chmura said.

Other former employees are concerned with the welfare of wildlife living in the park.

Andria Townsend was a carnivore specialist with the National Park Service, leading research on the fisher, a mammal and member of the weasel family, and the Sierra Nevada red fox, both endangered species.

Townsend had worked for the park service for more than two decades, but a recent promotion to a new position labeled her as a probationary employee and her job was eligible for termination.

She said she is worried about the future of wildlife in the park, including animals becoming accustomed to eating garbage left by humans if there is no one to dispose of it properly.

“Bigger picture long-term, what does this mean for the state of national parks? What does this mean for wildlife conservation? It’s really scary,” Townsend said. “It’s a really uncertain time for those of us who care about conservation and public lands, so I am definitely worried for the future.”

The park service says it is reinstating about 5,000 seasonal jobs across numerous parks that were cut as part of a spending freeze ordered by President Donald Trump. Seasonal workers are routinely added during the warm-weather months to serve the millions of visitors who descend on Yosemite each year.

The uncertainty and confusion has lowered morale among park employees and the communities surrounding the park, said Ken Yager, who founded the Yosemite Climbing Association and runs its museum in Mariposa, California, a gateway city to the park.

“People around here are pretty depressed,” Yager said. “They’re a little worried about what’s going to happen. How much further is it going to go?”

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MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Border Patrol agent whose killing in Vermont during a traffic stop near the Canadian border has been tied to a cultlike group is scheduled to be buried with full military honors Saturday at a national cemetery.

David Maland, 44, died Jan. 20 during the stop on Interstate 91 in Conventry, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of the border with Canada. The driver of the stopped car is accused of opening fire on Maland and other agents, sparking a shootout that left her companion dead. Both belonged to a group called the Zizians that may be linked to six deaths in three states, investigators said.

Maland, who went by Chris, is to be buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. A native of Minnesota, he served in the Air Force and the State Department before joining the Border Patrol.

“Chris was a loving son, brother, uncle, fiance and dedicated colleague,” his family said in a statement released late Friday. “His kind heart and fighting soul made him a warm and inviting person to be around and pillar of strength for his country.

“We love you, Chris. You’ll live in our hearts forever.”

In the Air Force, Maland was responsible for protecting bases, personnel and property. In 2001, he worked security duty at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11 attacks, his family said.

He received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among other honors, according to his obituary.

Maland was a K-9 handler at the State Department and at his Border Patrol job in Vermont. He first joined the Border Patrol in Texas.

“He will be remembered for his courage and commitment to protecting fellow Americans,” Minnesota state Rep. Krista Knudsen, Maland’s cousin, said on the House floor last month. “He is also a person who served faithfully with honor and bravery. He always put his service above himself.”

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PHOENIX — A member of the San Carlos Apache tribe was arrested Friday for allegedly starting a wildfire that destroyed 21 homes and forced hundreds of people on the southeastern Arizona reservation to evacuate, federal prosecutors said.

Keanu Rudy Dude, 25, was charged with arson in the July 2024 fire that burned more than 3 square miles (7.8 square kilometers), according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. He was arrested on an outstanding indictment issued by a federal grand jury in Phoenix.

A lawyer for Dude did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The fire damaged power lines — causing a temporary power outage — and took a week to fully contain, authorities said. A state of emergency was declared to help members of the tribe.

No one was injured in the Watch Fire, but the tribe’s chairman, Terry Rambler, described it at the time as the “most serious structural fire” on the reservation in decades.

Dude will have his initial court appearance Feb. 24.

Tribal officials have said he has a criminal record.

No other information about Dude’s arrest or a possible motive was immediately released.

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Thousands of Internal Revenue Service employees are out of a job as the Trump administration cuts the size of its workforce. CBS News reporter Kati Weis spoke with one of those employees. 

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The Los Angeles district attorney said he does not support a new trial for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences for the 1989 murders of their parents. CBS News reporter Jasmine Veal reports. 

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Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé and Doechii are among several artists who have already won big in the NAACP Image Awards ahead of the main event airing this Saturday on Paramount+ and BET. Former Vice President Kamala Harris is set to receive the Chairman’s Award as well. NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson and BET CEO Scott Mills join “The Daily Report” to discuss. 

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