Republicans want recipients of the coronavirus vaccines to know if they were developed using fetal cells. The two main vaccines weren’t. Even so, officials say ‘informed consent’ would create unnecessary confusion.
Jonathan Oosting
Jonathan is a deputy editor for Bridge Michigan. He helps plan and execute in-depth reporting and campaign coverage. As a longtime political reporter, Jonathan was named 2021 Journalist of the Year by the Michigan Press Association. He and a colleague shared that honor again in 2023, when they were also named Journalists of the Year by the Society of Professional Journalists – Detroit Chapter. Jonathan covered the state Capitol for The Detroit News and MLive before joining Bridge in September of 2019. He's from Grand Rapids, lives in Lansing and loves spending time Up North.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan GOP at crossroads, seeks to rebuild after ‘civil war’ over leadership
Real estate magnate Ron Weiser takes over a party rift with divisions following President Trump’s loss and failed effort to overturn the election. Weiser is an establishment Republican, but other party officials elected Saturday are Trump loyalists.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Game on. Michigan contact sports may resume Monday as COVID cases wane.
As the state’s Republican-run Legislature tries again to rein in the Whitmer administration’s pandemic authority, the governor said that encouraging trends in efforts to contain COVID-19 will allow even indoor sports to resume — with some cautions.
Posted inMichigan Government
‘Sleazy payoff’ claim rocks Michigan GOP ahead of convention election
As Michigan Republicans seek to regroup, the current state chair is accusing her presumed successor of a $200,000 payoff and seeking to block his election at this weekend’s state convention.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan GOP says Whitmer has ‘emasculated’ them, up ante in fight over COVID
A power struggle between Republicans and the Democratic governor shows no sign of letting up, and advocates say schools and the needy could be the victims.
Posted inMichigan Government
COVID orders fuel extremism in tiny Upper Peninsula town. Some fear unrest.
Calumet was once the center of Michigan’s mining industry. These days, it’s grown into a hotspot for an anti-government movement that’s prompted a mask burning ceremony, an armed demonstration, election conspiracies and a caravan to last month’s Capitol protest.
Posted inMichigan Government
'Let them play!' High school athletes sue Michigan over contact sports ban
A Michigan Court of Claims lawsuit seeks to overturn a state order barring high school contact sports through Feb. 21 to slow the spread of COVID-19. The suit claims it’s a double standard to allow collegiate and professional sports, but not high school ones.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan GOP moving on from vote fraud lies, but won’t apologize for them
How can you govern if half the party believes a lie? That’s a question former U.S. Rep. Mitchell and others have asked, but others who pushed fraud claims say they had a responsibility to investigate.
Posted inMichigan Government
Gretchen Whitmer calls for unity in COVID fight as Michigan GOP digs in heels
Michigan governor keeps it brief in her third State of State speech, while Republicans block appointments and threaten to withhold federal COVID funding unless Whitmer relaxes business and school restrictions.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan’s new House speaker: We’ll fight Whitmer until she works with GOP
On the eve of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s State of the State Address, new Michigan House Speaker Jason Wentworth says partisanship ‘can’t get any worse’ in Lansing and blames the governor for the troubles.