Free Republic

General Motors has gutted its electric-vehicle ambitions and killed more than 1,000 jobs at its flagship Detroit assembly plant — replacing those workers with 50 robots and sparking outrage from labor unions. The replacement “collaborative robots,” or “cobots,” have been installed on the assembly line at GM’s Factory Zero plant in Michigan amid a sharply reduced demand for its EV models and the ensuing push to cut costs, reports said. The machines are now working alongside the remaining humans there who attach the body panels to vehicles as they move down the track, according to AutoBlog. The automaker insists the...

State Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly was abruptly and surprisingly replaced by first-term Sen. Stephen Harding as caucus leader on Friday, culminating tensions that has been brewing since before the start of the legislative session earlier this month. Kelly, a lawyer, was in his fourth year leading the minority caucus as a moderate trying to keep together the dozen-member group, including more-conservative lawmakers. His role was to help the caucus reach consensus on legislation often pushed by the 24-12 Democratic majority, and summing up floor debates prior to the final word from Senate President Pro Tempore Martin New of New...