The Chinese government has raised concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Danhao Wang, a University of Michigan researcher. According to Chinese officials, Wang was reportedly questioned by U.S. law enforcement shortly before his demise on campus last month—a detail that U.S. authorities have yet to verify.

Wang, who was actively engaged in research as an assistant in the fields of electrical and computer engineering, tragically lost his life in March following an incident at the George G. Brown Building.

On March 19, around 11 p.m., the University of Michigan Police Department received a call about an individual who had fallen within the building. Upon arrival, officers discovered Wang, who had fallen from an upper level. Despite efforts, he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Authorities are currently treating the incident as a potential case of self-harm. Importantly, the police have assured the public that there is no ongoing threat to the safety of the campus community.

In a related scene, University of Michigan graduates were recently seen exiting the central passageway at the William W. Cook Law Quadrangle. On May 20, 2025, they gathered to capture their graduation photographs in the iconic archway of Ann Arbor, embodying a moment of achievement and transition. (Detroit Free Press)

Chinese officials, however, have publicly raised concerns about the circumstances leading up to Wang’s death.

In a statement issued March 30, the Chinese Consulate in Chicago said a Chinese scholar died “the day after being questioned by U.S. law enforcement personnel,” adding that officials, acting under instructions from Beijing, had protested multiple times to U.S. government agencies and the university.

The consulate said it had contacted the scholar’s family “at the earliest opportunity” and was assisting them, while accusing the United States of “overstretching” national security concerns to “groundlessly interrogate and harass Chinese students and scholars.”

It also warned of a “serious chilling effect” and advised Chinese nationals in the U.S. to exercise caution in interactions with law enforcement and contact Chinese diplomatic missions if they encounter similar situations.

The consulate did not identify the individual.

During a March 27 press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China had protested the case and accused the United States of “groundlessly interrogat[ing] and harass[ing] Chinese scholars and students,” calling for a full investigation.

U.S. officials have not confirmed that any such questioning took place.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the FBI’s Detroit field office declined to say whether it had any contact with Wang.

“As a matter of longstanding policy, the FBI neither confirms nor denies the existence of any investigation or investigative activity involving specific individuals,” the bureau said.

University of Michigan police told Fox News Digital they would not be releasing additional information beyond their public statement, citing the ongoing investigation.

The researcher died at the University of Michigan. (Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)

The allegations were first reported by Michigan Advance, which said federal agencies declined to comment on whether Wang had been questioned prior to his death.

Wang’s death remains under investigation, and an autopsy report has been requested.

In a message to the university community, Engineering Dean Karen Thole described Wang as a “promising and brilliant young mind,” noting his research into advanced semiconductor materials had been published in “Nature.”

The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese nationals at U.S. universities. As previously reported by Michigan Advance, federal authorities have brought charges in recent months against individuals with ties to the University of Michigan accused of attempting to smuggle biological materials into the United States.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — While there are certainly quicker routes from Chicago to Los Angeles, none carry the mystique and cultural significance of Route 66.

Celebrated by John Steinbeck as the Mother Road guiding Dust Bowl migrants toward the promise of California, Route 66 has different meanings for various communities. For Native Americans living along its path, it represented an economic opportunity, albeit one that left its mark. Black travelers found it a refuge amid the perils of segregation. For music enthusiasts, it became synonymous with getting their kicks.

This year marks a century since Route 66 first opened. Although it hasn’t served as a primary transportation route for years, it continues to attract global visitors eager to embark on what is perhaps the quintessential American road adventure. Travelers come to revel in the glow of its neon signs, stay in its quirky motels, explore its unique attractions, and savor its diverse culinary experiences.

According to Sebastiaan de Boorder, a Dutch entrepreneur who, along with his wife, revitalized The Aztec Motel in Seligman, Arizona, each stop along the highway tells its own tale. “Route 66 is a vital chapter of American cultural history,” he noted. “Its historical significance and character are integral to understanding American culture.”

“It’s an essential part of American culture and history,” he said of the highway. “The historical aspect is just a very big important part of American culture, with its influence and its character.”

The dream

Route 66, which runs for roughly 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers) from Chicago through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California, was stitched together a century ago from a collection of Native American trading routes and old dirt roads with the goal of linking the industrial Midwest to the Pacific Coast.

Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the Father of Route 66, saw it as more than just a way to cross the country efficiently. It was a chance to connect rural America and create new pockets of commerce.

Avery knew the number 66 would be ripe for marketing and could be seared into drivers’ minds, and he was right: Route 66 has been immortalized in movies, books, including Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” and Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and songs such as Bobby Troup’s “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” which served as an anthem for post-World War II optimism and mobility.

Waves of migration

Since its November 1926 designation as one of the nation’s original numbered highways, the onetime Main Street of America has embodied the promise of prosperity.

It became a literal path of hope for migrants escaping drought-ravaged farms and poverty during the 1930s Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. And during World War II, it was used to move troops, equipment and workers out West.

The postwar boom of the 1940s and 1950s were Route 66’s heyday, as it became a popular vacation route. Cars became more affordable, disposable income increased, and people began chasing freedom on the open road.

“People generally have a sense of adventure, a sense curiosity. And you can find that on Route 66. This is the road of dreams,” author and historian Jim Hinckley said.

Going mainstream

Roadside diners and motels thrived, as crafty entrepreneurs dreamed up ways to part motorists from their money. There were rattlesnake pits, totem poles, trading posts, caverns where Old West outlaws purportedly hung out, and modern engineering marvels like St. Louis’ gleaming steel arch.

Barns were painted with larger-than-life ads, billboards teased local attractions, and neon was everywhere.

The cherry on top? The food.

There were places to grab and go, but also to sit down and relish a slice of home. The Cozy Dog Drive In — famous for its breaded hot dogs on a stick — has fit both bills since 1949. Inside the dining room in Springfield, Illinois, travelers tell tales of life on the highway.

“The road wouldn’t be alive without the stories of all the places along it that kept it going from town to town,” third-generation owner Josh Waldmire said. “We just survive off each other. The road feeds us, and as long as we put our feelings and love back into the road, it will reverberate with the travelers and the stories of the people.”

A divided highway

Route 66 was an economic boon to the Native American tribes along the way. But although it brought tourists, it also left scars of eminent domain across tribal land and perpetuated stereotypes.

More than half of the highway crossed through Indian Country, and vendor signs often made casual references to tipis and feathered headdresses — symbols easily appropriated for marketing but not always representative of the distinct cultures found along the route.

At Laguna Pueblo west of Albuquerque, restaurants and service stations sprang up, some operated by military veterans from the pueblo who were masters at fixing everything from flat tires to busted radiators.

Pueblo women adapted too, turning utilitarian pottery vessels into works of art coveted by tourists. Homemade bread and pies sealed the deal.

Laguna leaders have long considered the road — or he-ya-nhee’ in the tribe’s language of Keres — as “the corridor of commerce,” said businessman and tribal member Ron Solimon. Capitalizing on that potential, the tribe has built a multimillion-dollar empire of casinos, burger stands and other businesses.

There were also dangers along the route, particularly during the Jim Crow era, when Black travelers had to rely on guides like the Green Book to find safe lodging and services.

“Especially for long-distance travel, segregation was a fact of life,” said Matthew Pearce, state historian for the Oklahoma Historical Society. “And so Black motorists needed to know a safe place to go.”

The Threatt Filling Station near the central Oklahoma community of Luther wasn’t listed in the Green Book, but it did serve as a safe haven between two sundown towns, where people who weren’t white needed to leave by sunset. The station offered barbecue and even baseball.

Edward Threatt, whose grandparents opened the station around 1933, recalled a TV program about travelers getting their kicks on 66. “By and large, the Black traveler didn’t get a lot of kicks on Route 66,” he said. “And if they got some kicks, it wasn’t the kind you would think of.”

A new direction

President Dwight Eisenhower’s vision for a modern interstate highway system eventually led to Route 66 being decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985. Some towns along the route died, and it fell to local governments, state historical societies, and private businesses to preserve their sections of the famed road.

A driving force was Angel Delgadillo, a barber who lobbied the Arizona Legislature to designate the road as a historic highway. He saved Seligman from turning into a ghost town and set the bar for preservation elsewhere.

In New Mexico, original sketches for neon signs have been preserved, Route 66-themed murals abound and developers in Albuquerque have restored motor lodges along the longest urban stretch of the road still intact.

More than 90% of the road is still drivable in California. Cadillac Ranch in the Texas Panhandle offers the chance to spray-paint half-buried cars. And at the Mississippi River, travelers can walk or bike across the old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

More than 250 of the route’s buildings, districts and road segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But it’s more than bricks and asphalt that fuel the fascination.

“Some of the most interesting and fun things that happen to people when they travel the route is running into somebody they know or some happenstance thing that comes totally unexpected,” said author and historian Jim Ross. “And that’s a great part of the Route 66 experience.”

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On a lively Tuesday night, Kate Hudson and Brenda Song made a striking appearance at the Crypto.com Arena, lending their support to the Los Angeles Lakers, who were battling it out on the court despite being severely understaffed.

The two actresses were not alone in their courtside enthusiasm. Joined by their “Running Point” co-stars, Scott MacArthur and Drew Tarver, they cheered on the beleaguered Lakers, who were missing key players like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Marcus Smart.

Adding to the night’s excitement, the group witnessed the Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning NBA Champions, put on an impressive performance. Led by the formidable MVP Shai Gilegous-Alexander, the Thunder dominated the Lakers for the second time in just five days.

Amidst the game’s electric atmosphere, Hudson, glowing with her usual charm, took a moment to greet the Laker Girls. She also extended her congratulations to the UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team, who were honored during a first-half timeout for their triumphant win in the 2026 NCAA National Championship just the previous Sunday.

Their presence at the game was no mere coincidence. It served as a timely promotion for the second season of their Netflix series, “Running Point,” which is slated to premiere on April 23. The show draws inspiration from the life and leadership of Jeanie Buss, the former Lakers owner and current governor.

Elsewhere along the baseline, familiar faces filled out the frame: Former Lakers Danny Green and Pau Gasol. Reality personality Corey Gamble, and musician Giveon. A reminder that even in a shorthanded game, Los Angeles never lacks star power.

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OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) — As new information surfaces about the shutdown of West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park, leaders of safety-net healthcare facilities are expressing grave concerns about the future for providers catering to the city’s most economically disadvantaged patients.

While the closure of West Suburban wasn’t entirely unforeseen, it still took other Chicago safety-net healthcare providers by surprise. Stephanie Willding, CEO of CommunityHealth, shared her thoughts on the situation.

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“It wasn’t shocking, but the speed and manner of the closure were indeed surprising,” remarked Willding, who runs a free clinic staffed by volunteers for the uninsured. “Many safety-net institutions, including hospitals and federally qualified health centers, are in the throes of a financial crisis. Whether they are on the brink of shutting down or reducing services, changes are inevitable to keep their doors open and continue serving the community.”

These healthcare providers face a precarious situation, even if they manage to conclude a fiscal year without incurring debt. Their patient base often includes the city’s lowest-income residents, those on Medicaid, and the uninsured, who frequently have complex medical needs. Willding emphasized that this business model is unsustainable in the long term.

“A health center, federal-qualified health center, or safety-net hospital loses money on every patient visit,” Willding noted.

Willding said she expects it to become even more difficult when new work requirements for Medicaid go into effect next year.

SEE ALSO | Secret meeting held to oust West Suburban CEO before hospital’s closure, warnings of dire situation