Michigan
Michigan leaders clash along party lines after Trump’s threat to block Gordie Howe bridge
DETROIT, MI – Widespread pushback ― and some support ― have rolled in one day after President Donald Trump first threatened to stymie opening the Gordie Howe International Bridge with a list of economic complaints about Canada.
In a post on his platform Truth Social Monday, Feb. 9, Trump suggested he block the new span, claiming the U.S. should own “at least half” of the bridge. He also demanded the country’s northern neighbor agree to trade deals more beneficial to the U.S., calling out Canada’s considering a deal with China.
Since the post, leaders on both sides of the border have sought to clarify details about the Gordie Howe Bridge, particularly the ownership stake the U.S. already has and how the cost of the multi-billion-dollar project has been covered.
“As a reminder, Canada financed the construction of the bridge, which was built by union construction workers from both sides of the border,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Tuesday, Feb. 10, “and it will be operated under a joint ownership agreement between Michigan and Canada.”
Still, Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall and other Republicans, including U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers and U.S. Rep. John James, defended Trump’s comments Tuesday.
In remarks to the Detroit News, the speaker said Canada “should treat us more fairly” with “better reciprocal trade deals” and that considering a deal with China was “really out of bounds.”
White House officials also continued to maintain Trump’s right to amend a permit for a new bridge between Canada and Michigan. Hours after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with Trump early Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Canadian controlling “what crosses” was “unacceptable to the president.”
Construction for the Gordie Howe Bridge began in 2018, and it’s expected to open to traffic, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, sometime this year. Canada will recoup its costs through tolls.
On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Matthew Moroun, whose family owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge, met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington earlier on Monday before Lutnick called Trump.
The Moroun family has previously appealed to the Trump administration, CBC News reported, to stop the Gordie Howe Bridge in step with claims that it would infringe on an exclusive right to collect tolls. Despite his post Monday, Trump supported the bridge project in his first term.
Rick Snyder, a Republican and former Michigan governor, encouraged Trump challenge his advisors in a piece for the Detroit News Tuesday, adding only the Moroun family would benefit from a delay in the Gordie Howe span.
“The GHIB (Gordie Howe International Bridge) is a great deal for America that I hope you will be proud of,” wrote Snyder, who played a role in kicking off the project.
“We have some issues with Canada that should be negotiated. But picking this bridge as the leverage point doesn’t seem to make the most sense given your other tools. The bridge stoppage approach would primarily harm Americans.”
Michigan Democrats, in part, agreed, citing the bridge’s importance.
“This is the busiest trade crossing in North America,” Whitmer said. “The Gordie Howe International Bridge is all about jobs. It’s good for Michigan workers and it’s good for Michigan’s auto industry.
“… This project has been a tremendous example of bipartisan and international cooperation. It’s going to open one way or another, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon cutting.”
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell said Trump was “once again protecting the interests of your billionaire donor friends” instead of “for American workers and our economy.” In a statement, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said Trump’s “chaos” will yield “higher costs, fewer jobs, and greater uncertainty for our state’s auto industry.”
Michigan
What to know about cyclosporiasis as Michigan health officials investigate 300+ cases in outbreak
Over 300 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported within a week in Southeast Michigan, and Michigan health officials are investigating.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are actively investigating the potential source of the “large and growing outbreak” of cases confirmed in Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson and Livingston counties.
Health officials also reported 24 cases across 11 other Michigan counties, including in the city of Detroit. Typically, Michigan only gets around 50 cases per year.
On July 1, MDHHS reported there were at least 170 cases. On Thursday, the number of cases jumped to at least 300.
Read more –> Michigan health officials warn of ‘large and growing outbreak’ of cyclosporiasis
The age range of individuals who were diagnosed with the illness ranges from 8 years old to 84 years old, with a median age of 41, according to MDHHS.
Health officials are working to determine the common exposure of the outbreak in Michigan.
Here’s what to know about cyclosporiasis:
What is cyclosporiasis?
Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite and infects the small intestine.
Healthcare providers can diagnose the illness by testing a stool sample.
Signs and symptoms
If infected with cyclosporiasis, people may experience watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.
The illness can last from a few days to over a month if the illness is not treated. Symptoms could relapse.
The timeframe from becoming infected to becoming sick usually takes about one week but can range from two days to two weeks or more.
In the US, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce. People can get infected with Cyclospora more than once.
Anyone who experiences symptoms of cyclosporiasis should see their healthcare provider.
How it spreads
The illness can spread when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces.
The CDC said it can take at least one or two weeks outside the body for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, making direct person-to-person transmission unlikely.
How to prevent cyclosporiasis
According to the CDC, people can prevent infection by avoiding food or water that may contain feces and by following food safety recommendations for safe preparation and storage.
The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.
Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.
Read more on prevention here.
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A shooting altercation between two groups of young people at a shopping mall in Dearborn, Michigan, left two people dead and a third injured over what is typically the most violent weekend of the year in the US, police said.
The shooting occurred as the US began celebrating the Fourth of July, historically a holiday weekend that sees higher rates of gun violence across the country. In 2024, the Gun Violence Archive reported more than 500 shootings over Independence Day weekend.
The shooting at Fairlane Town Center on Friday sent mall patrons scrambling, including a person who was hit by a vehicle outside the mall while attempting to flee, said Issa Shahin, the Dearborn police chief.
People believed to be linked to the fight were being questioned at the police station, but no one was immediately taken into custody, he said.
Shahin said the altercation was not a random act: the two groups knew each other and after they came into contact at the mall a fight started that escalated into gunfire. Members of both groups had handguns, he said.
One of the victims died inside Fairlane Town Center and the other died at a nearby hospital. Details on the third person who was shot were not released.
The mall was evacuated after the shooting and police planned to keep it closed while they investigated.
A video posted to social media appeared to show people running from the shopping center after gunshots could be heard.
Fairlane Town Center has more than 125 stores and restaurants, according to its website.
Dearborn is a suburb of Detroit with a population of more than 100,000 people about nine miles west of Detroit.
Tyhrann Howard, Michigan state police specialist lieutenant, said the agency was assisting with the investigation and referred questions to the Dearborn police.
A person who answered the phone at the telephone number for mall security declined comment.
Associated Press contributed reporting
Lansing — Michigan lawmakers worked through the night into Friday morning on a new state budget that will use an array of spending cuts and funding maneuvers to close a $1 billion tax revenue gap.
The plan will increase the state’s investment in basic per-student support for Michigan schools and will feature $125 million for special projects sought by legislators. However, 10 state departments will get less money than they had the year before, and a variety of state initiatives, such as the arts and culture program, Pure Michigan and the Office of Global Michigan, will see cuts.
Senate Appropriations Chairwoman Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, described the new budget, which authorized somewhere around $84 billion in spending, as one “full of compromises.”
“This was a very challenging budget negotiation, mainly because of the $1 billion deficit that we had to ensure to address,” Anthony said. “But being able to do so without reducing any benefits for folks who are receiving Medicaid or food assistance is probably the proudest thing … that comes out of this process.”
The Legislature convened throughout the night Thursday into Friday morning, when the state Capitol would normally have been closed for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Under state law, the Republican-led House and Democratic-led Senate are supposed to approve a new budget by July 1 each year. The first of the funding bills wasn’t unveiled this week until about 3:13 a.m. Friday morning, two days after the deadline.
Lawmakers would likely have a few hours to read the bills before the final votes, which were expected later Friday.
On Thursday afternoon, Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs, said Senate Republicans had no information about what was in the budget blueprint. He labeled the process playing out in the Legislature “nonsense.”
Likewise, Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake Township, said lawmakers had about 30 to 40 minutes between being briefed on the budget and when they had to vote on it.
“We have no idea what’s in these bills,” Runestad said.
In February, Jen Flood, Whitmer’s budget director, said the state was facing a $1.8 billion financial gap. Health care costs had jumped, the Legislature had dedicated more tax dollars to roads, and the federal government, led by Republican President Donald Trump, had forced states to pay for a larger share of costs associated with food assistance for low-income families.
Whitmer initially proposed an $88.1 budget for next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. She sought a bevy of new taxes on smokers, gamblers and digital advertising. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, refused to go along with the tax hikes.
The new budget will be somewhat close to the current budget in overall amount of approximately $84 million.
Hall and Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, had been working for weeks to create the new funding plan. Hall announced a final deal had been reached Thursday.
The ultimate agreement involved dozens of other bills that were tied to the budget’s approval, including a long-sought measure by some Democrats that would double the cap on the state’s transformational brownfield program, which allows businesses behind large developments to keep income tax and sales withholdings resulting from their projects, from $1.6 billion to $3.2 billion.
The incentive is expected to be used to spur the redevelopment of Detroit’s riverfront Renaissance Center. The Senate approved the brownfield bill in December. The House voted 82-26 in favor of it early Friday.
The Senate also took up early Friday a House-backed proposal to ban former lawmakers from being paid to lobby for two years after leaving office. The bill passed in a vote of 29-7.
How will schools be funded?
Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, acknowledged lawmakers were shifting a larger amount of School Aid Fund money, which would normally go to K-12 schools, toward higher education and community colleges.
The number appeared to rise from about $1.3 billion in the current year to about $2 billion in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, setting a new record. Whitmer had proposed using $1.7 billion from the School Aid Fund to support the operations of universities and community colleges.
The moves effectively free up money in the General Fund, where tax dollars are currently tight, for other needs.
“It’s too much,” Camilleri said of the shifts. “But we’re dealing with a divided Legislature with different priorities, and we all needed to fill the budget gap.”
Robert McCann, executive director of the K-12 Alliance of Michigan, blasted the approach lawmakers took.
“Nothing in this budget justifies it once again being done late,” McCann said. “There is little in it focused on supporting Michigan’s schools, even as it raids nearly $2 billion from the School Aid Fund to pay for data centers and corporate tax handouts.”
The K-12 budget went down from $21.3 billion to $19.8 billion, a 7 percent drop in federal funds on paper.
But the plan appears to allow the federal funds not included in the tally to be spent, so it wasn’t clear how much total spending there would actually be under the legislation.
Lawmakers are increasing the base per-pupil foundation allowance for schools by about 2.5% from $10,050 to $10,300. They are also investing $50 million in high-impact tutoring and instituting a long-term plan for a so-called weighted funding formula, which would tie extra support to economically disadvantaged students and students who are learning English.
House Appropriations Chairwoman Ann Bollin, R-Brighton, touted the weighted funding formula, which will be phased in over the next 15 years.
“This is a transformational school budget, where we are making record investments,” Bollin said.
For Michigan’s public universities, overall funding increased by 12% from $2.3 billion to $2.6 billion, with more money for operations and scholarships.
What were the cuts and projects?
Lawmakers’ final plan also cut $8 million in funding for the Pure Michigan tourism campaign, which received $17 million in support in the current year. The Office of Global Michigan got $500,000 less, dropping its total to about $41.4 million. And the arts and culture program got $685,200 less, dropping its total to $8 million.
Among state departments, the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy saw the largest percentage drop in funding of 31%, going from $967 million to $671 million. The decrease was largely due to the reduction of money for a federal sewage and stormwater program.
Lawmakers did provide $125 million for special projects around the state.
There was $3 million for the Schoenherr Road Bridge Reconstruction in Shelby Township, $1.4 million for the Rochester Community House expansion and renovation, $3.7 million for water main replacements in Utica and $2 million for a fire station project in Waterford Township, according to the spending plan.
cmauger@detroitnews.com
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