Your Weekly Michigan Political Brief michiganadvance.com/2025/11/21/y...

A trio of organizations opposing the restart of a nuclear plant off the coast of Lake Michigan filed a lawsuit in federal court earlier this week against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the plant’s operator, Holtec. Story from @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

An update to our story from Thursday. While the Howell Township board voted to place a six month moratorium on data center applications, those opposed to the project say it does not include the current proposal. Details 👇

In the wake of the 2020 presidential election, former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, now a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, condemned election denialism by President Trump and his allies. But as he heads into 2026, Rogers has surrounded himself with election deniers. Story from @kdailey.bsky.social

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township were among the most effective lawmakers in terms of sponsored legislation in a specific policy area, the Center for Effective Lawmaking said in a new report. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

“We remember and honor the memory of those transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people who lost their lives to anti-trans violence,” Rev. Dr. Lawrence T. Richardson said in a virtual church service celebrating Transgender Day of Remembrance on Thursday evening. From @kdailey.bsky.social

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ call for a close reexamination of the 42 million people who receive federal food aid has befuddled advocates and lawmakers, coming mere days after recipients began to see benefits that had been stalled during the government shutdown.

Michigan Advance Trivia: A carving of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, greets visitors above the entryway to what iconic Detroit destination? Check back later for the answer.

GREENBELT, Md. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials detailed to a federal judge Thursday plans for the Trump administration to again remove the wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, this time to the West African country of Liberia.

As plans and announcements for new AI data centers proliferate across Michigan, a Howell Township trustee is telling people that the parent company for Facebook and Instagram is behind another project planned on more than 1,000 acres of agricultural land. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

President Trump took to the social media platform that he owns to post a number of statements calling for imprisonment and even death of a number of Democratic lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, calling a video they made “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS.” From @kdailey.bsky.social

After a federal appeals court held that Michigan is not immune to legal action for its decision to revoke a Canadian energy company’s easement to operate a pipeline in the Great Lakes, the Whitmer Administration is seeking an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. From @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

As the Department of Energy issues a third order prolonging operations for a coal plant in west Michigan slated to close in June, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has requested a stay on the extension. Story from @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

The Michigan Supreme Court has proposed an order to prohibit civil arrests from taking place in a courthouse, which matches actions taken by other states to prevent federal immigration agents from arresting noncitizens with no criminal record on civil immigration warrants. By @kdailey.bsky.social

In this commentary from Howell resident Breanne Green, she says efforts to ram through data centers have united people across the political spectrum. “Good, solid, well thought-out projects don’t need secrecy, non disclosure agreements (NDAs), or fear of public pushback. Only bad ones do.”

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House approved legislation Wednesday that would revoke part of a law Congress approved just last week, which for the first time allows senators to sue the federal government, potentially for millions of dollars, if their data is subpoenaed without their knowledge.

William Null of Shelbyville is the latest candidate to signal their interest in seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2026, despite his history of being implicated in the plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Ethics Committee opened an investigation Wednesday into Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills for numerous allegations, including violations of campaign finance laws and sexual misconduct or dating violence.

Following an Australian clean energy company’s decision in September to cancel plans for a battery plant in Detroit, state Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) joined leaders from the Michigan Electric Vehicle Alliance and IBEW Local 58 to break down how the project could have helped the community.

Michigan Advance Trivia: The Joseph A. Labadie Collection at the University of Michigan is home to one of the largest archives of what historical specialty? Check back later for the answer.

A law set to take effect in early December gives Texans the power to sue anyone involved in mailing abortion pills to the state, from drug companies to doctors. Whether Texas’ statute can puncture other states’ shield laws remains to be seen.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is facing increasing pressure from abortion opponents and advocates over how it regulates a drug that has become central to abortion access since Roe v. Wade was overturned three years ago. From @sofiaresnick.bsky.social

WASHINGTON — U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said Wednesday he will proceed with his inquiry on whether there is sufficient evidence to charge officials in the Trump administration with contempt for violating his order to return deportation flights to the United States.

WASHINGTON — At least 25 bills have been introduced this Congress to further limit lawmakers and their family members from trading individual stocks, and representatives across the aisle renewed pressure Wednesday on U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to take up the issue.

U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet called on Congress to extend enhanced tax credits for the Affordable Care Act in a press conference with advocacy group Protect Our Care on Wednesday. Story from @kdailey.bsky.social

A host of environmental advocacy groups on Tuesday argued guidelines laying out the requirements for data centers to receive certain tax exemptions fall outside the law’s requirements. Story by @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social michiganadvance.com/2025/11/19/a...

A transgender high school student in Ann Arbor has become the target of Republican lawmakers and conservative media backlash as her high school volleyball team made it to quarterfinals in the state’s varsity volleyball tournament. Story from @kdailey.bsky.social

A coal-fueled power plant in West Olive, Mich. which was originally set to shut down at the end of May will continue operating after President Donald Trump’s Administration issued another order that will extend operations for the plant through Feb. 17, 2026. Story from @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

In recent weeks, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin has led the call to curb President Donald Trump’s executive powers, with U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) on Tuesday joining Slotkin in calling for an end to the presidential pardon. Story from @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

A woman who says she unwittingly walked into a meeting of the Manistee County Republican Party is speaking out after attendees were handed a flyer suggesting motorists were justified in using force – including driving through crowds of people – to clear protestors. By @jonkingnews.bsky.social

Abdul El-Sayed is leading Michigan Democrats in pushing to label the war on Gaza a genocide, urging the party to match its values with action, a stance long held by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Continuing a tradition of offering clemency ahead of the holiday season, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer welcomed staff members from Maybury Farm in Macomb County to join her outside the Capitol for her annual turkey pardon. From @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

Michigan Advance Trivia: In 1922, the Detroit Institute of Arts became the first museum in the United States to own a painting from what renowned artist? Check back later for the answer.

Michigan AG Dana Nessel held a roundtable with the Michigan League for Public Policy on Tuesday afternoon to discuss food security, specifically impacts of the lapse of SNAP during the federal government shutdown and the continuing attacks on the food aid program. From @kdailey.bsky.social

The legislative earmark reforms championed by Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township) during the fraught 2025-26 budget process became law on Tuesday after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the House and Senate’s respective bills into law. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

WASHINGTON — Two leading Democrats on a U.S. House panel called on the head of an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor responsible for protecting workers’ benefits to take action to address improper health insurance claim denials, in a Tuesday letter provided exclusively to States Newsroom.

Abdul El-Sayed, the progressive candidate on the Democratic Party side of Michigan’s U.S. Senate race, gained a powerful ally in former Congressman Andy Levin, a stalwart labor union supporter. Story from @bensolis1.bsky.social

Following up on a request by Michigan AG Dana Nessel, the Michigan Public Service Commission announced Tuesday it would hold a public hearing to take comments on DTE’s application to approve contracts to supply power to a data center project in Saline Township. By @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to pass legislation Tuesday to force the release of unclassified investigative files from the case against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a friend to the rich and powerful who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration took major steps Tuesday in trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, announcing six total inter-agency agreements signed with other departments that will transfer several of its responsibilities to those agencies.

When it comes to what social factors have the greatest impact on health outcomes for Michigan residents, access to financial resources is the biggest driver, according to a new report from the Citizen’s Research Council of Michigan. Story from @kdailey.bsky.social

More than 60 members of the congressional Democratic Women’s Caucus, including Detroit Democrats Rashida Tlaib and Shri Thanedar, on Tuesday sent a letter to the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raising “extreme concerns” about the treatment of pregnant immigrants in detention.

For at least the next dozen years, rural areas will continue to have only about two-thirds of the primary care physicians they need, according to a report released Monday by the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund, which based its analysis on federal health workforce data. Story from @stateline.org

Defend The Vote on Tuesday endorsed Matt Maasdam and state Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), who are seeking the party’s nominations in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District and 4th Congressional District races, respectively. From @bensolis1.bsky.social

Michigan Advance Trivia: What roadside attraction in Ossineke, Michigan features more than two dozen cement-plastic statues built between 1935 and 1967? Check back later for the answer.

The review council that President Trump tasked with overhauling the Federal Emergency Management Agency was supposed to release its recommendations before Monday but missed the deadline. A congressional staffer said the report could be published as soon as mid-December.

As a West Michigan coal plant continues to produce power after it was slated to cease operations, several Michigan Democrats are speaking out against the Trump administration’s decision to keep the plant online, advising against another extension to its lifespan. By @kdavidsonjrn.bsky.social

WASHINGTON — Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey has been granted access to all grand jury materials in his case after a federal judge found “profound investigative missteps” that could result in the dismissal of Comey’s indictment.

WASHINGTON — David Richardson, the senior official performing the duties of the administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has resigned and moved to the “private sector,” a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.

Today kicks off Michigan Advance’s year-end fundraising drive. Between now and December 31, we’re aiming to raise $10,000 to power our nonprofit news into the new year. If our work has helped you understand Michigan better, consider supporting our work today. michiganadvance.com/donate/