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Virginia approved the ERA. Now what’s the holdup?
WASHINGTON — Virginia’s sprint to green-light the Equal Rights Amendment this month was heralded by proponents across the country. Buoyed by new Democratic majorities in both chambers of its General Assembly, Virginia became the 38th state to approve the amendment that would guarantee equal legal rights regardless of sex. Michigan ratified the ERA more than 40 […]
Trump impeachment trial gets personal in U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — Even before opening arguments were made in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate, things got testy. U.S. House Democrats and Trump’s lawyers sparred for hours Tuesday over the parameters for the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history, offering a preview of their substantive arguments and setting the tone for […]
Pelosi picks impeachment squad as House votes to send articles to Senate
WASHINGTON — An Army veteran, a former cop and a congressional aide during the Nixon impeachment proceedings are among the U.S. House Democrats who will soon make the case for ousting President Donald Trump from office. The U.S. House on Wednesday approved a resolution 228-193 that named seven impeachment managers to serve as prosecutors in […]
U.S. House votes on Slotkin resolution checking Trump on Iran military action
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Thursday on a resolution to curtail President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran without first securing congressional approval. The chamber voted 224-194, largely along party lines, to approve the resolution from Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly), which would direct Trump to halt the use of U.S. armed […]
Another former Scott Walker appointee elevated to top U.S. EPA job under Trump
WASHINGTON — A former senior environmental official who served under Wisconsin ex-Gov. Scott Walker has been elevated to a top job in the President Trump administration. Kurt Thiede, who was deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from 2015 to 2017, has taken the reins of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes […]
‘Real rush’ of Trump rules expected in case he loses in 2020
WASHINGTON — The President Trump administration is preparing to finalize a host of high-profile rules in 2020, including policies that will impact everything from auto emissions to food stamp access. With the November presidential election approaching, the administration is widely expected to make a push to wrap up pending regulations early in 2020 in an […]
Leaders line up to denounce Trump’s comment that late Rep. Dingell is in hell
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) was with his longtime friend and colleague, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), on Wednesday night when she got word that President Donald Trump had suggested during a campaign rally in Battle Creek that her husband was in hell. Upton and Dingell both serve on the bipartisan U.S. […]
Trump becomes 3rd president impeached by U.S. House
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted to impeach President Donald Trump Wednesday night, making him the third president to be impeached in U.S. history. Trump was impeached on largely party line votes on charges that he abused power and obstructed Congress. The charges surround allegations that Trump improperly pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate his political […]
New report blames gerrymandering for stalled gun-safety bills in Michigan
WASHINGTON — Most Michiganders favor stricter gun laws, recent polling suggests, but efforts to advance gun safety legislation have languished in the state Legislature. That disconnect is likely due in part to partisan gerrymandering, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center for American Progress, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that advocates progressive policies. […]
Dems have a plan to fight Trump on climate censorship
WASHINGTON — A freshman congressman, troubled by allegations of climate censorship by the President Trump administration, is attempting to make it harder for political appointees to scrub scientific information from government reports. U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) introduced legislation this month dubbed the “Stop Climate Censorship Act.” If enacted, it would require political appointees at […]
U.S. House Judiciary panel votes to impeach Trump, full vote could come during his Michigan trip
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump Friday morning along party lines. That sets up a likely vote next week in the full House — which could be on Wednesday, the day Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are scheduled to hold a “Merry Christmas” rally […]
Death penalty case divides U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared split this week as justices considered an appeal from James McKinney, who has been on death row in Arizona since 1993. McKinney was convicted of two murders that occurred during burglaries he committed with his half-brother in Maricopa County in 1991. McKinney was 23 years old at the […]