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Michigan attorney withdraws from Trump federal court nomination
Michigan attorney Michael Bogren is no longer being considered for a federal judicial position after previously being nominated by President Donald Trump. Trump had nominated Bogren to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. But the attorney faced backlash from Republicans who suggested he did not support the right to express religious […]
Amash explains no vote on enforcing subpoenas against Trump administration officials
U.S. Rep. Justin Amash (R-Cascade Twp.) sided with his party Tuesday on a resolution to make it easier to pursue legal action against President Donald Trump administration officials who defy congressional subpoenas. Although Amash split with the GOP in his call for Trump’s impeachment, the West Michigan lawmaker voted with his colleagues against a U.S. […]
Former MSU dean convicted of misconduct, faces up to 5 years
A jury found former Michigan State University dean — and Larry Nassar’s old boss — William Strampel guilty of misconduct and neglect of duty on Wednesday. The former MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean escaped charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, but a 12-member jury in Ingham County Circuit Court found him guilty of misconduct […]
Report: Trump poverty formula could cut number of welfare recipients
President Donald Trump’s administration is considering changing how the federal government calculates poverty. But the proposed adjustment could lead to fewer people being eligible for public assistance programs, according to a new report from the Washington D.C.-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The liberal-leaning think tank argued that gradually lowering the official poverty line […]
Whitmer asked at 19th Amendment event if ‘angry women’ will decide 2020 election
A ceremony celebrating the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote went slightly off-the-rails when a local TV reporter asked Gov. Gretchen Whitmer if she thinks “angry women” will play a decisive role in the 2020 presidential election. “Governor, could you speak to the power of the female vote, please? In the next election do […]
State panel wrestles with ballot initiative uncertainty
A state panel that approves citizen petition drive language mulled the idea Monday of adding a large disclaimer to guidelines for ballot circulators that their efforts could hinge on a pending court case. Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a legal opinion last month arguing that key sections are unconstitutional of a GOP law making it […]
Stabenow, Schumer bash GOP Senate ahead of 2020 as ‘legislative graveyard’
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are spearheading a push to use the Senate’s short list of legislative victories as political ammunition against Republicans in 2020. The Lansing Democrat and Schumer hatched the idea of U.S. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as “steward of the ‘legislative graveyard,’” Politico reported on […]
Nessel breaks with Whitmer in Detroit literacy lawsuit
Updated, 6:03 p.m. Attorney General Nessel broke ranks with the governor in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Detroit schoolchildren to ask the federal courts to decide whether a minimally adequate education is protected by the Constitution. “There are moments in our state’s and, indeed, our nation’s history when silence in the face of abhorrent […]
Whitmer looks beyond Line 5 with new task force as Enbridge files suit
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has created a state task force to study other ways of delivering propane to Upper Peninsula residents without Line 5 after talks soured with Enbridge and a court battle looms. The Canadian oil company on Thursday announced plans to sue the state of Michigan amid a series of sharp-tongued statements. Whitmer wins […]
Michigan could suffer most from Trump’s Mexico tariff plan
Michigan — whose voters broke the blue wall to turn out for then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016 — could end up being the hardest-hit state in the nation by the president’s plan to impose stiff tariffs on imported goods from Mexico. The Trump administration has proposed tacking on a 5-percent tariff starting Monday unless Mexico […]
Enbridge announces lawsuit, Nessel responds: ‘We’ll see you in court’
Canadian oil company Enbridge announced Thursday that it will sue the state of Michigan in an effort to protect its development of a planned pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown said in a statement that Enbridge “walked away from the negotiating table” by doing so, and that the governor […]
House GOP counters Whitmer’s 45-cent fuel tax hike with scaled-back roads plan
Michigan House Republicans on Thursday released a plan to dedicate Michigan’s 6-percent sales tax on vehicle fuel to state roads. They also advanced a measure to look into the value of state assets that could be sold for road money, including the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron. The plans constitute a GOP counterproposal to […]