Author
Sen. Barrett fundraising ask claims ‘your child’ is scheduled for gender reassignment surgery
Another Michigan Republican is fundraising off attacks on the LGBTQ+ community and supporters. A fundraising message sent by state Sen. Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte), who is seeking the Republican nomination for the newly drawn 7th Congressional District, claims, “President Biden is forcing 5-year-olds to learn about gender reassignment surgeries, gender identities, and other radical ideas,” adding […]
Nessel calls on Oxford board to provide transparency surrounding high school shooting
A day after meeting with families from Oxford Community Schools, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called for the district’s Board of Education to provide transparency regarding the events that led to the Nov. 30 school shooting that left four teenagers dead and seven other people injured. Tuesday’s letter followed a community conversation with district families […]
Redistricting reform advocates look ahead to protecting voting rights
The nonprofit group that successfully pushed to amend the Michigan Constitution and create a nonpartisan citizen-led redistricting process, took a moment Thursday to both reflect on the success of that effort, but also to say it was, “moving forward to protect rights of Michigan voters.” Voters Not Politicians (VNP), which helped establish the Michigan Independent […]
Michigan Dems endorse Benson and Nessel for reelection
The Michigan Democratic Party held its Spring Endorsement Convention Saturday where party members gave their stamp of approval to both Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel who are seeking second terms this fall. There were no surprises as more than a thousand of the party faithful gathered both at Huntington Place […]
Two men acquitted in Whitmer kidnapping trial
Two of the four men accused of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have been acquitted of charges, while a jury said they could not reach a verdict on the other two. That was the decision read aloud Friday in federal court in Grand Rapids in which jurors said Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta […]
Deliberations begin Monday in trial of accused Whitmer kidnapping plotters
Anti-government extremists or big talkers enticed by zealous federal agents? That’s the question that a jury will begin deliberating Monday in the trial of four men charged in an alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. During final arguments on Friday, prosecutors painted the defendants as being “filled with rage” against Whitmer in retaliation […]
Whitmer vetoes more GOP election restriction bills, saying they would ‘burden’ clerks
The latest act in the ongoing Kabuki theater over election reform in Michigan played out Friday when Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as expected, vetoed two more GOP measures dealing with voter registration. House Bills 4127 and 4128 would have required the Michigan Secretary of State to remove voters from the state’s Qualified Voter File (QVF) […]
An outdated legal theory could let Republicans subvert election results and redistricting processes
An obscure and heretofore discredited legal theory is shaping up to potentially become the next tool in efforts to give Republican-led state legislatures like that in Michigan sole authority over election law. The Independent State Legislature Doctrine has been described by SCOTUSblog as positing “that the Constitution gives state legislatures nearly unfettered authority to write […]
Mich. top doc says eliminating COVID is a ‘pipe dream,’ people with disabilities remain at risk
Although state health officials say Michigan is in a post-surge stage, future COVID-19 surges are likely to occur and residents with disabilities remain at risk. On Friday morning, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) held another in a series of online town hall discussions, this time with a focus on individuals with […]
Michigan sees effort to decertify 2020 election results, install Trump in White House in 2023
The right-wing effort to discredit the 2020 election results in Michigan is moving beyond demanding a so-called “forensic audit” with activists using the same debunked conspiracy theories to call for decertifying the results and forcing a constitutional crisis. Decertify Michigan is led by Robert Gelt, a former President Donald Trump supporter who initially sought to […]
More than three years after lapsing, Biden signs Violence Against Women Act reauthorization
More than three years after it expired, a landmark piece of anti-domestic violence legislation was signed back into law last week, with U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) calling it “long overdue.” A ceremony was held Wednesday at the White House event to mark the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Dingell, who wrote […]
Whitmer vetoes $2.5B GOP tax cut plan, saying it would mean ‘deep and painful cuts to services’
A $2.5 billion tax relief plan put forward by the Republican-led Legislature drew out the veto pen Friday from Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who said it would “blow a recurring, multi-billion-dollar hole in basic state government functions from public safety to potholes.” In returning Senate Bill 768, Whitmer said she was doing so at […]