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Michigan legislative Republican leaders and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday theyd reached an understanding on future pandemic-related orders, signaling a possible end to a stalemate thats complicated budget talks and held up billions of dollars worth of COVID-19 aid.

House Speaker Jason Wentworth, R-Clare, and Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said in separate statements issued late Thursday afternoon that theyd reached an agreement with the governor to work on a plan to include the Legislature in future pandemic-related orders. They also said the governor agreed to end an effort to make COVID-19 workplace rules permanent.

In exchange, Wentworth and Shirkey said Whitmers administration will be looped into ongoing budget negotiations.

Both the House and Senate last week passed initial plans for the budget year that begins Oct. 2, although neither plan was negotiated with the administration. On Friday, financial experts in the House, Senate, and state Department of Treasury are expected to announce a multibillion-dollar increase to previous state revenue projections, and the state still has billions of dollars available in federal funding to allocate from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Act.

Related: Despite pandemic, Michigan projected to see multibillion-dollar budget surplus

Ive consistently said I believe the budget process is better with the governor involved, and the states pandemic management is better with the Legislature involved, Wentworth said. The critical issues facing our state are simply too big and are hurting too many people for us to waste any more time. The people we represent are tired of disagreement and just want results. This agreement is a good first step in getting us to that point.

Whitmer said in a statement the agreement shows how we can unite around investing in our schools, small businesses, and communities to help them thrive.

I look forward to working with the legislature to invest the billions in federal resources sent to us by both the Trump and Biden administrations and pass a budget that makes lasting investments in our shared priorities, she continued.

The Republican-led Legislature and the Whitmer administration have been at odds for months over the states handling of COVID-19, particularly when it came to mask-wearing requirements and restrictions on in-person business or events.

A key factor in the apparent thaw was an agreement from Whitmer to end an effort to make permanent workplace COVID-19 rules, enforced through the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Shirkey called the proposed permanent MIOSHA rules a foolish political game that should have ended the minute the CDC updated its guidelines and said he considered the decision to pull back a good faith gesture that she is willing to work with the Legislature.

A news release from the governors office stated rising vaccination rates, falling case numbers and recent updates from the CDC indicate permanent rules will no longer be necessary. MIOSHA will also remove the requirement that employers create a policy prohibiting in-person work for employees to the extent that their work activities can feasibly be completed remotely and update emergency rules to reflect recent guidance from the CDC and MDHHS.

Related: Michigan to lift outdoor COVID-19 restrictions June 1, indoor capacity limits July 1

The news comes hours after Whitmer announced a new timeline for the state to lift COVID-19 restrictions on businesses by July 1, a shift from her initial plan to lift remaining restrictions on a timeline based on vaccination rates.

Beginning Tuesday, June 1, all outdoor capacity limits will be removed, including at sporting events. Indoor settings, including event spaces, gyms and casinos, will increase capacity from 30% to 50%, while other indoor settings already at 50% will stay there for another month. Then on July 1, all broad restrictions will be lifted.

Michigan pivoted its mask mandate on May 15 to require face coverings indoors for only individuals who arent fully vaccinated, following CDC recommendations that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear a mask indoors in most situations. However, businesses and other venues can still require all staff and visitors to wear masks, and people who arent fully vaccinated are required to wear a mask indoors until July 1.

As of Wednesday, May 19, Michigan had administered nearly 7.9 million doses of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. About 56.8% of the 16 and older population has gotten a first dose, or about 4.6 million residents, and more than 3.7 million residents are fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 cases have declined for five weeks in Michigan, and hospitalizations are down for three weeks. Over the last seven days, the state has averaged 1,435 cases and 55 deaths per day. A month ago, Michigan averaged more than 6,000 cases and 57 deaths per day.

Vaccine appointments, including walk-ins, are available through local health departments, pharmacies and health care providers across the state. For more information, visit the states COVID-19 vaccine website.

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Republican lawmakers agree to negotiate budget, pandemic-related orders with Whitmer - MLive.com

by: Nexstar Media Wire, The Associated Press

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) The student reporter who gained national acclaim when he interviewed President Barack Obama at the White House in 2009 has died of natural causes, his family says.

Damon Weaver was 23 when he died May 1, his sister, Candace Hardy, told thePalm Beach Post. Further details were not released. He had been studying communications at Albany State University in Georgia.

Weaver was 11 when he interviewed Obama for 10 minutes in the Diplomatic Room on Aug. 13, 2009, asking questions that focused primarily on education. He covered school lunches, bullying, conflict resolution and how to succeed.

Weaver then asked Obama to be his homeboy, saying then-Vice President Joe Biden had already accepted.

Absolutely, a smiling Obama said, shaking the boys hand.

He used that meeting to later interview Oprah Winfrey and athletes like Dwyane Wade.

He was just a nice person, genuine, very intelligent, Hardy said. Very outspoken, outgoing. He never said no to anybody.

Weaver got his start in fifth grade when he volunteered for the school newscast at K.E. Cunningham/Canal Point Elementary in a farm community on the shores of Lake Okeechobee.

Damon was the kid who ran after me in the hall to tell me he was interested, his teacher, Brian Zimmerman, told the Post in 2016. And right away, I just saw the potential for the way he was on camera. You could see his personality come through. He wasnt nervous being on camera.

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Damon Weaver, kid reporter who interviewed Obama, dies at 23 - WCBD News 2

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (left) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (right). (Getty Images)

The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of a commission to investigate the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with two Washington state Republicans joining with Democrats to approve its formation.

Rep. Herrera Beutler in middle of impeachment trial turmoil

In total, 35 Republicans crossed party lines to join their Democratic colleagues in supporting the commission, with the final vote sitting at 252 to 175. That included Washington Republican Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler and Dan Newhouse.

Next, the commission will have to garner approval in the U.S. Senate, and faces a tough road ahead with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voicing his disapproval earlier this week. Speaking on the floor of the U.S. Senate, McConnell labeled it a slanted and unbalanced proposal, signaling that Republican support in the upper chamber may be limited. The bill will need 60 votes in the Senate in order to end debate and move it to a final vote.

Herrera Beutler and Newhouse have taken flack from fellow Republicans in recent months, having both voted to finalize the 2020 election results, as well as to impeach then-President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the Capitol riot.

Herrera Beutler also voted against the eventual ouster of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney from her role as Republican conference chair in Congress. Cheneys removal was the culmination of months of vocal opposition to Trumps prominence within the party following the events of Jan. 6 at the Capitol.

Report card grades state Republicans who supported impeachment

Herrera Beutlers own criticism of Trump after the Capitol riot saw her censured by the Clark County GOP last February. Rep. Newhouse will soon face a pair of Republican challengers including former gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp in the August primary in his bid for reelection, both of whom have criticized him for not adequately standing behind the former president.

The third Republican member of Washingtons Congressional delegation, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, voted against the formation of the Jan. 6 commission. McMorris Rodgers had also previously voted against impeaching Trump in January.

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Pair of Washington Republicans vote to approve investigation into Capitol riot - MyNorthwest.com

Remember when we had a president that cared about sneakers? Obviously they were not as important as his political leanings, but important, nonetheless, to folks like me. Though the occasion was rare, seeing Barack Obama in a pair of cool sneakers engaged an area of my mind that I dont think I expected a politician to ever touch. It didnt seem forced.

It wasnt an effort by a politician to make it seem like he fit in with the cool crowd. Obamas appreciation for sneakers seemed to be an authentic part of his nature. While some might assume it was him alone, some of the ease with which he was able to break these invisible barriers was due to the people around him. He had a team of like-minded individuals that were masters in their respective fields surrounding him.

One of those people was Chris Holliday. A hard man to find and one of the most low-key people I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with, Holliday is a man of many connections. In fact, it was Holliday that helped Complex secure then-Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for an appearance on Sneaker Shopping. When it came to Obama and sneakers, Holliday was the go-between. He says he sourced a lot of sneakers for the former president. However, he is more than just a sneaker guy.

Looking through Hollidays social media accountswell, accountthe first thing you notice is that he has some very influential friends. From the professional world of basketball to the White House, Holliday keeps company with those at the top of their game. The second thing you notice is that his sneaker collection runs pretty thick. And unlike most sneakerheads, hell rock a fresh pair while dressed in the usual political uniform of a suit and tie. Its a bit jarring and refreshing, but also speaks to the role he plays in connecting the dots between Black men and the political process that so often adversely affects them.

Lets be honest, when we think of politics, a Black man in a suit in a fresh pair of Jordans isnt the image that comes to mind. For Holliday, the sneakers are just a part of who he is. And as he navigates the world of politics, he is slowly changing the expectation and perception of a larger community that is now starting to understand their power.

As you grow up and you see different types of people from where youre from, he says, you realize who are the authentic people and who are not the authentic people.

Holliday was most recently the adviser to surrogate outreach for the Biden campaign. While the title sounds vague, the position helped the Biden campaign listen and connect to Black men. As Holliday describes it, his role was to curate the culture to translate and become a bridge for African-American men. With 2020 disrupted by the COVID pandemic, the job of connecting anyone to anyone was hard enough, let alone to a very specific group of people. Banking on his experience in marketing and promotions at iHeartRadio, Holliday developed a sense of how important the role of media can be in shaping the conversation. He also knows how individual voices can be more important than any media conglomerate.

One thing I realized is with athletes and entertainers, especially athletes right now, they are their own media companies, Holliday says. You wake up in the morning, you scroll to your feed. Me and my nephews, my cousins, my friends, we dont get up in the morning and turn on CNN, ABC, or NBC.

One of those athletes is Chris Paul, who Holliday stood next to on the campaign trail in one of the few photos I could find of him.

Chris is an essential piece in connecting politics, sports, and culture, which gave us a chance to ask our own questions and tell our own stories to President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the NBA veteran says of Holliday. What makes it even cooler is the fact he looks like us, speaks our language, and dresses the way we dressJs and all.

While Holliday didnt know it at the time, his start at iHeartRadio and front row view of the process of turning artists into stars would be the prep work needed to take on his role as a surrogate during the Obama administration. Starting out as a deputy press secretary in Florida for the 2008 campaign, Holliday began learning the ins and outs of the world of politics and how he could step in and help. During that initial campaign, he started to realize the power of telling stories and being true to yourself.

You just woke up in the morning, you tried to give something, give all that you have, but also trying to interject your own piece of who you really are. Obama, the campaign, was all about telling your story, he says.

That authenticity and storytelling often came through the eyes of Hollidays athlete friends. Back in the Obama administration, Steph Curry became a vocal advocate of the president, speaking against gun violence and appearing as part of the Malaria Initiative. Curry and Obama also came together on sneakers when Under Armour created the super-limited Under Armour Curry 3 sneaker that honored Obamas back-to-back terms as president. Holliday was the connector.

We all trust Chris, Curry says. He always tells it straight with a real feel for how we can make the biggest difference while still staying true to who we are, like we did together for the Democratic National Convention. And hes got that special personality that bridges and connects with people of every background while staying true to who he is, which is really rare. Its just dope to see a brother like Chris moving in these circles, representing the culture, and just trying to do right for people.

With the Biden administration leaning heavily on the world of social media, Holliday was able to connect the campaign with culture in a way that the Obama administration didnt need to. How athletes use their voice has changed tremendously since 2008. From podcasts, to YouTube vlogs, to full-on media and production companies, athletes and celebrities alike are telling their own stories, their own way. And with the NBA relaxing rules on footwear, weve seen a ton of messages in support of all types of causes across the sneakers we see on court. For Holliday, that voice and perspective is important. He believes that everyone needs to see people that look like people they know.

While there is an audience for the larger networks to reach, Holliday believes that there is a far greater impact when seeing someone from your own neighborhood, where the most help is needed, interacting with and championing the causes that are important to those communities.

When asked about his role in past administrations and how he got there, Holliday is quick to keep it as authentic as you can get.

For me, as a young Black man, I didnt grow up saying, Hey, I want to go work at the White House, Holliday explains while laughing under his breath. I didnt grow up doing that.

Through his experience working in politics, Holliday started his own company, Swing State Strategies. In addition to advising political campaigns and presidents on being inclusive, he is also tapped by CEOs and other executives to advise on how their companies can be more diverse. As an adviser, Chris is often sharing what seems all too obvious to most of us.

I tell people: How you can be inclusive of Black people is hire Black people, he says. Put them in these rooms.

In addition to advising politicians and CEOs, part of Hollidays job is to educate. For many, the world of politics and big business seem daunting and out of reach. He looks at it a different way. As he helps change the narrative around Black men, he also uses his platform to let people know that Harvard, Yale, and Princeton arent the only roads that lead to success. He believes that intelligence goes beyond what you score on an exam and extends to how you are able to feel a room and respond accordingly so that everyone leaves happy.

The smartest executives aint the guy that got on the shoes and tie, Holliday says.

Holliday believes the smartest executives that come to him for counsel extend a hand to the younger executives that look, speak, and think differently than they themselves do. He also feels that the more inclusive your surroundings, the more inclusive the result. Its this style of thinking that has led to a more inclusive sneaker world for us all. Big brands like Adidas are partnering with designers like Jerry Lorenzo to run entire divisions; Foot Locker named Melody Ehsani to run its womens business. It is these companies that wind up succeeding, according to Chris.

Holliday has witnessed these ideas in practice from within his own family. His cousin Victor, a video game designer and executive at Universal, wears Jordans to work. He notes that this distinction separates Victor from the majority of executives in a way that makes the rooms he is in more diverse. Holliday doesnt believe that the neighborhood you come from, or how you dress, disqualifies you from being an executive.

As part of his job, Holliday fields calls from executives asking about the latest footweara sign he believes comes from a genuine place of interest to understand sneaker culture. It is this new clashing of cool and smart that is bringing a different voice to the world, and CEOs are starting to recognize the value it has in creating a more diverse and inclusive business. Evidence of this can be seen in the release of the Air Jordan 11 Jubilee that brought in over $175 million over the holiday season. Holliday became the resource for many of the executives he works with when it came to securing their pairs.

You have to create dialogue, context, and open communication to figure out how to make everybody feel inclusive in this environment, Holliday says. To him, this is important because if it isnt done, those same people will continue to make laws and policies that dont pertain to the larger audience. Not just for African-American men, but also their kids.

The unresolved issues that exist in BIPOC communities arent always a priority in the world of politics, and, yet, in the past 12 months weve again realized how important the conversation can be to making us all feel like we have a part in the direction of this country. For Holliday, this connection is more important than ever. From CEOs of venture capital firms and tech companies, to some of the best basketball players in the world, to presidents, senators, and city councilmen, Holliday is bringing together people in a way that politics hasnt been able to do for as long as we can remember, all while teaching and being authentic to himself and his community.

Introduced to me as Obamas sneaker guy, it is clear that Hollidays role is much larger and more impactful than that. He serves as a bridge. He speaks and connects the world to young Black men and lets them know they dont have to fit in a box to change the world, they can just be themselves, fresh Js and all.

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From Obama to Kamala, Meet the Presidential Connect to Sneakers, Athletes, and CEOs - Complex

Correction: This article has been updated to correct which states Joe Biden won in 2020 that Donald Trump won in 2016.

WASHINGTONShortly after meeting at the White House on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., sent an aggressive fundraising text signaling a renewed effort to target his host, the president.

"I just met with Corrupt Joe Biden and hes STILL planning to push his radical Socialist agenda onto the American people," the text said.

McCarthy and other Republicans said intraparty squabbles, including the drama surrounding Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.,distracted them from presenting a unified front against Biden and his big spending plans.

Now that Cheney's been expelled from Republican congressional leadership, the GOP and its allies are renewing attacks on Biden on issues such as immigration, taxing the wealthy, foreign policyand the ability of a 78-year-old man to handle the political world's toughest jobs.

A number of factors, analysts said, have foiled those Republican attempts and could keep Republicans from landing a lasting punch.

Biden hosts 'big four' Congressional leaders at WH

President Joe Biden hosts the first formal gathering of the "big four" congressional leaders on Wednesday. Biden's sit-down Oval Office meeting comes as the White House accelerates its efforts to reach a bipartisan infrastructure agreement. (May 12)

AP

After more than three months in office, Biden enjoys approval ratings of more than 50%, and polling showssupport for his ambitious spending plans that include $1.9 trillion approved for COVID-19 relief and $2.3 trillion proposed for jobs and infrastructure.

'I don't understand the Republicans': Joe Biden says GOP in middle of 'mini-revolution' amid Cheney dustup

'Stop the Spending Spree': Fiscal conservatives mobilize to block Biden's jobs and families plans

The Republicans' success or failure in tarnishing Biden and his team could determine whether they win back Congress in 2022 and the White House in 2024. History is on their side: Midterm electionsfrequently see control of Congress change hands.

Ex-President Donald Trump, deprived of Twitter and other social mediabut still viewed by many as the most powerful Republican voice in the country, increased his outputof written statements, many of them attacking his successor over a variety of issues.

Stepped-up Republican attacks may not resonate, analysts said,especially if more people get back to work, inflation is checked, and the economy rebounds after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lara Brown, director of the Graduate School of Political Management at George Washington University, said most Americans "approve of the job President Biden is doing and believe that the country is on the right track."

"It is difficult for the Republicans to raise a ruckus and rile the public," she said, "when most are either satisfied or feeling optimistic about the future.

Republicans have had little success demonizing Biden with independent voters because so many people feel they know him, analysts said.

The president has been a fixture in American politics for more than a half-century. A senator from Delaware for more than three decades, Biden participated in many high-profile hearings and congressional debates. He served eight years as vice president to President Barack Obama.

After winning the Democratic nomination for president last year, Bidenracked up more than 80 million votes to unseat Trump despite Trump and his Republican allies lobbing constant allegations of malfeasance against Biden and his sonHunter, as well as attacks on Biden's fitness to hold office.

Some of those attacks have continued into the Biden presidencybutto little avail.

An average of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics gives Biden an average job approval rating of 54.2%.

The underlying data in those polls shows a common theme: Republicans tend not to like Biden, and Democrats support him strongly, including those who backed more liberal candidates such as Bernie Sanders in last year's primaries.

Americans have a generally positive view of the president who casts himself as the product of a working-class environment in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a practical politician willing to work with Republicans on legislation to help Americans.

"There's nothing new (Republicans) can say that's going to change anybody's mind," saidPatrickMurray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., left, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., head opposition to President Joe Biden's big spending plans.Evan Vucci, AP

Many Republicans expect Americans will become dissatisfied with record levels of government spending and debt, an increasingly crowded U.S.-Mexican borderand new rules and regulations promulgated by the Democratic Congress and the Biden administration.

Pledging to work with the Biden administration on an infrastructure bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is "hopeful" that "we may be able to do some things on a bipartisan basis but they got off to a pretty hard left-wing start."

"We don't intend to participate in turning America into a left-wing,kind of Bernie Sanders vision of what this country ought to be like," McConnell told Fox News after the meeting between Biden and congressional leaders.

Conservative groups are stepping up campaigns against Biden and his spending proposals.

The organization Americans For Prosperity is preparing ads for competitive House elections in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia. Biden wrested those states from Trump in the 2020 election, providing him his margin of victory in the Electoral College.

Some Republican criticism plays off Biden's age and his occasionally mangled syntax, but that strategy has met limited success. Some of the attacks mirror the ones Trump made in 2020 against "Sleepy Joe."

"Trump never found a salient way to brand Biden, and Republicans continue to struggle after the election," Republican strategist Alex Conant said.

"Conservatives main angle of criticism is Bidens age," he said, "but nobody is afraid of their grandfather."

Republicans said they were distracted in making the case against Biden by a lack of cohesion, including internal disagreements over what to do about Trump.

Some blamed Cheney, the now-former House Republican Conference chair who argued that the party should move past Trump and stop echoing his lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him. She said those claims triggered the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, an incident Democrats would surely use against Republicans when elections roll around.

'Just the Trump party':Liz Cheney's demotion proves Trump still rules Republican politics, experts say

'I will not sit back': In fiery speech, Rep. Liz Cheney calls Trump a 'threat'

House Republicans voted Wednesday to demote Cheney from her role as third-ranking Republican. She responded that the GOP would struggle against Biden and his agenda if it continues to embrace Trump and his conspiracy theories.

"To be as effective as we can be to fight against those things, our party has to be based on truth," Cheney told NBC News.

House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who supported demoting Cheney, said voters are disenchanted with Biden and the Democrats. Scalise told Fox News he sees "a lot of really serious concern about the direction that the socialist Democrats are taking us," and "Biden has embraced that far-left Bernie Sandersagenda."

"People don't want this to become a socialist nation, yet you see how far theyre moving," Scalise said.

Republicans had success taking control of Congress in the elections of 1994 and 2010, the first midterms for Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and BarackObama.

Both of those presidents were more polarizing than Biden, analysts said, and Republicans made great use of hot-button issues, such asDemocratic health care proposals.

The success of attacks on Biden may depend on overarching factors, particularly the state of the economy, analysts said. A massive event could also shake politics, as 9/11 did in the run-up to the 2002 elections.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for Republicans is they lack the megaphone of the White House to promote themselves and denigratetheir opponents.

"It's always difficult to generate a unifying message when you're the party out of power," GOP pollster Whit Ayres said.

Published9:30 am UTC May. 15, 2021Updated9:01 pm UTC May. 18, 2021

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Joe Biden proves an elusive target for Republicans. After Cheney fight, their focus is back on the president - USA TODAY