Rick Pluta

Michigan State University interim president John Engler is facing fallout from e-mails he sent regarding the Larry Nassar scandal.  A new redistricting proposal is heading to the November ballot.  Plus, Planned Parenthood is facing major cuts due to the next state budget.  WEMU's David Fair and the Michigan Public Radio Network's Rick Pluta discuss these issues in this week's "The State of Politics."

A state elections board has complied with a court order to place a question on the November ballot.  It would change how congressional and legislative district boundaries are drawn.

The ACLU was in court Monday trying to get a federal judge to issue an order that immigration officers cannot threaten or coerce detained Iraqis into signing a document that could help deport them.

A new state rule requires local water systems to get rid of all their lead service lines over the next 20 years.  These are the types of pipes that contributed to the Flint water crisis.

The decision on whether voters will decide to overhaul how Michigan draws congressional and legislative districts is now before the state Supreme Court.

The Legislature has sent Governor Rick Snyder the new state budget, including a provision that attempts to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

A new law extends the statute of limitations for victims of sexual assaults to file lawsuits and for suspects to face prosecution.  It was signed Tuesday by Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley while Governor Rick Snyder is out of the country.

Former Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon delivered her first public comments since resigning in January under the hot lights of a US Senate hearing room. 

Government officials, gubernatorial candidates, and business and industry leaders have spent the week on Mackinac Island.  Through the week, some policy decisions have been made and, as we head toward mid-term elections, some issues are taking definitive shape.  Rick Pluta has been covering the Regional Chamber Conference on the island and joins WEMU's David Fair for a look back at the week and a look ahead to what's to come. 

Former US House Speaker John Boehner says the Republican Party is no more.  He said so at a conference on Mackinac Island.

The economy, roads, education, and insurance were the issues last night at a political debate on Mackinac Island between six Republicans and Democrats running for governor.

Environmental groups are using a large gathering of Michigan’s political and business leaders on Mackinac Island to pressure the state to shut down Enbridge Energy’s Line 5. 

Michigan has earmarked $50 million as a down payment towards the billion dollar cost of upgrading the Soo Locks.  Governor Rick Snyder and legislative leaders announced it will be part of the new state budget. 

Governor Rick Snyder has approved a six-month ban on ships dropping anchor in the Straits of Mackinac.  It’s a response to a mishap in April that caused a mineral oil spill and damage to Enbridge Line 5.

A petition drive aimed at ending gerrymandering in Michigan has turned in it's signatures but, for now, it remains in flux.  We now know how the legislature wants to spend a $315-million dollar windfall in the new state budget.  Those are just a few of the topics covered in 89.1 WEMU's 'The State of Politics' this week. 

Miranda warnings to suspects who are arrested and questioned are not complete unless officers include the detail that attorneys can be in the room before and during interrogations.  That decision came yesterday from the state Court of Appeals.

The state Department of Civil Rights is now accepting complaints from people who say they’ve faced discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.  It’s also getting ready to defend its right to do so.

A question to boost Michigan’s minimum wage to $12 an hour could be headed to the November ballot. 

The State of Michigan gets a $315-million dollar windfall.  That money will be used in a budget that should be finalized in early June.  Working out the sticking points on Medicaid reform may take much longer.  Those are just two of the topics covered in 89.1 WEMU's 'The State of Politics." 

Marijuana-infused beer, wine, and spirits would be outlawed under a bill adopted by the State Senate.  The Senate vote took place with an eye toward the November ballot.

Governor Rick Snyder and state lawmakers have an extra $315 million to work with as they finalize the new budget.  

The Michigan Supreme Court has called a halt to a petition campaign to repeal wage protections for workers on government-funded construction projects. 

Construction worker unions have asked the Michigan Supreme Court to put the brakes on sending a petition-initiated question to the Legislature.  The unions say the petition campaign broke the rules.  

Construction workers unions plan to file an emergency motion Monday with the Michigan Supreme Court.  They want to block a question that would end protections for union-level wages from going to the Legislature.

The four Republicans and three Democrats running for governor appeared together for the first time yesterday.  Arguments about ethics and racism broke out at the forum.