Republican leaders on Wednesday stripped Rep. Cynthia Johnson of her committee assignments after she posted a video on Facebook saying Trump supporters should ‘be careful.’ Johnson has faced death threats for a week following a hearing on claims of voter fraud.

At least 8 percent of state lawmakers have had the coronavirus, nearly double the rate of the state as a whole, according to totals released Wednesday. Lawmakers are under scrutiny following a hearing last week that featured two attorneys for President Donald Trump who now have the coronavirus.

Arguing that state restrictions infringe on religious liberty, Catholic high schools are asking a federal court to allow them to decide whether to offer in-person instruction even as COVID surges through Michigan.

Michigan is experiencing its highest levels of mortality since early in the pandemic. But COVID’s victims now are typically older and whiter.

Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield reversed a decision to hold more House sessions as additional lawmakers sought tests and quarantine after possible contact with an infected staffer.

Days after Rudy Giuliani’s visit, authorities are investigating a COVID-19 workplace safety complaint in the Michigan House of Representatives, where Republican leaders have rejected Democratic calls to allow remote voting and require face masks in the Michigan Capitol and committee rooms.

The extension keeps bowling alleys, casinos and other businesses closed and bans indoor service at bars and restaurants while Whitmer again calls on the GOP Legislature for more unemployment aid and a mask mandate.

Six Michigan lawmakers disclosed positive COVID tests in November, and more await test results after exposure to Rudy Giuliani, who is now hospitalized. But GOP leaders don’t require reporting of positive tests, nor say how many lawmakers have the virus, which critics say imperils everyone who works in the Capitol.

State officials are reaching out to Black residents, who have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. While there is significant public skepticism toward a COVID vaccine, mistrust runs even deeper in the African-American community due to a legacy of mistreatment in government public health efforts.

The number of COVID hospitalizations across Michigan fell four days straight, teasing hope even as dozens of hospitals remain at or near capacity. It’s “not sustainable,” according to a state hospital association, asking Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to continue pandemic orders.

President Trump ally Sidney Powell and six GOP electors sued the state Nov. 25, alleging fraud and irregularities in Michigan, which Democrat Joe Biden won by 154,188 votes. The judge rejected Republicans’ request for an injunction as the suit proceeds, saying the case is not supported by facts.

Up to half of all Michigan K-12 students were taking all of their classes from home, with more added after the recent state coronavirus health order. Rural areas are particularly struggling.