Politics + Gov
Column: Studies, class-action suit link hair relaxers to cancer. Black women are at risk.
When I saw reports about a National Institutes of Health study that found women who used chemical hair straighteners known as relaxers were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who didn’t, a sulfur-scented flashback zapped me back to my first experience getting my hair relaxed. I was 10 or 11, […]
GOP senators walk out of vote on subpoenas in U.S. Supreme Court ethics inquiry
WASHINGTON — South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham and Republican colleagues stormed out of a Democratic-led U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee vote on Thursday to authorize subpoenas for two high-profile GOP operatives as part of an ethics probe into undisclosed financial ties to U.S. Supreme Court justices. The panel voted 11-0 to subpoena billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow […]
Whitmer makes first appointments to newly established LGBTQ+ Commission
After issuing Executive Order 2023-5 in June to create Michigan’s LGBTQ+ Commission, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has announced the statewide commission’s first appointed members. The commission was created to ensure representation for Michigan’s LGBTQ+ community at all levels of government, including its executive branch, according to a statement from the governor’s office. Whitmer on Thursday announced […]
At Detroit NAACP, Whitmer signs voting rights bills
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a set of bills on Thursday that she said “will ensure every vote in Michigan can be cast and counted, no matter who you are or where you live.” “In Michigan, we are proving through our actions that we stand for fundamental American values of freedom and democracy,” Whitmer […]
U of M student vote canceled on competing resolutions over Israel-Hamas conflict
A vote by students at the University of Michigan on competing resolutions concerning the conflict between Israel and Hamas has been canceled. In an email to the student body Thursday morning, U of M’s Vice President and General Counsel Timothy Lynch said that due to the inappropriate use of the university’s email system, the voting […]
Whitmer signs labor organizing, fishery regulation manoomin bills and more
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a series of bills Wednesday implementing new policies to support union organizations and their right to organize, as well as connecting residents to English language services and regulating fisheries. Unions can struggle to get in contact with new hires as hire information isn’t always accessible, sponsor of SB 169 state Sen. […]
DHHS redoubles efforts as Michigan residents continue to lose Medicaid coverage
While 168,088 Michigan residents renewed Medicaid or Healthy Michigan plan coverage in October, more than 85,000 others did not, with Thursday the deadline to turn in their paperwork or face being disenrolled from the programs. That’s according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which announced the latest renewal numbers Wednesday for […]
Democrats split on placing conditions on military aid to Israel
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are divided on whether to set guardrails on additional military aid to Israel as that country responds to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks with airstrikes and a ground war in Gaza. It’s not yet clear what those conditions would be or how they would affect congressional support for aid […]
Buttigieg says former President Carter encouraged him to drop out of the 2020 presidential race
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in East Lansing on Wednesday that former President Jimmy Carter encouraged him to drop out of the 2020 presidential election. “I had come there in hopes that we might be able to earn some support from them, but it was clear that things were not going my way by […]
Business groups band together to counter ‘risky economic proposals’ advanced by Democrats
While Michigan pundits and policymakers have set their sights on addressing population decline and economic development in the state, some business and policy groups are joining together to oppose efforts proposed in the Democratic-led Legislature. Great Lakes Growth was founded by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Manufacturers Association, Detroit Regional Chamber, Grand Rapids Chamber, […]
On this day in 1953: Former Gov. Kim Sigler dies in plane crash
On Nov. 30, 1953, GOP former Gov. Kim Sigler died in a plane crash. He was 59. Often described as “Hollywood Kim” because of his dapper style, Sigler served a single two-year term as Michigan governor from 1947 to 1949. His tenure occurred as the nation continued its transition from the World War II era […]
Two years after school shooting, Oxford community members reflect, talk gun violence prevention
The day before the second anniversary of the mass shooting at Oxford High School, survivors and their parents met for a roundtable discussion at Oakland University on how Michigan can prevent another school shooting. Thursday will mark two years since the mass shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021, that killed four students […]