Midday Roundup: Will Flint water crisis force Michigan governor to resign?

Under pressure. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday released 250 pages of emails related to the water crisis in Flint, but the move has done little to quell calls for his resignation. Snyder’s critics found no smoking gun in the emails, but the messages do show government officials were slow to respond to a chorus of concerns about Flint’s water quality that grew louder by the day. State officials switched Flint’s water supply as a cost-cutting measure while trying to shepherd the city through a financial catastrophe. But water from the Flint River turned out to be so toxic and corrosive that it’s not fit to drink. As it pumped through the city, the water leeched lead from the pipes, creating contamination levels that could cause permanent brain damage in the city’s children. Snyder has called in the National Guard to help distribute bottled water to residents, but many say the response is too little, too late. They also accuse the governor and other state officials of not taking the problem seriously because Flint is a blue-collar, majority African-American city.

Putin, assassin? A British inquiry released today blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the assassination of former KGB operative Alexander Litvinenko, who died 10 years ago after being poisoned in a London hotel. Litvinenko fled to Britain after flipping to work for British intelligence. According to British officials, two Russian assassins traveled to London to kill Litvinenko on orders from the FSB, the successor of the KGB, likely given directly by Putin. One of the two alleged assassins is now a member of the Russian parliament. The Russian government has refused to extradite the men to stand trial in the U.K. In response to the report, the British government will summon the Russian ambassador to express “profound displeasure” over Russia’s “blatant and unacceptable breach of the most fundamental tenants of international law,” Home Secretary Theresa May told Parliament today.

Unwelcome visitors. Nearly 45 million foreigners visited the Untied States last year, and only 1 percent of them overstayed their welcomes, according to a new report released by the Department of Homeland Security. About 500,000 people who came to the country by air or sea overstayed their visas or the length of time they were allowed to stay in the country without getting a visa. Congress first requested the report in 1997 and is only now getting it. But government officials plan to provide the information on an annual basis going forward. National-security experts warn the visa program offers potential terrorists a way to slip into the country and stay with little to no monitoring. After the 9/11 attacks, the government began working on an entry and exit tracking system, but officials still have trouble keeping track of when people leave the country.

On the stand. A Baltimore judge ruled Wednesday that the first police officer tried for the death of Freddie Gray cannot be forced to testify against three of his fellow officers. Officer William Porter’s trial in December ended in a hung jury. He was the first to be tried because prosecutors want him to testify against two of the other five officers involved in the incident. With Porter’s retrial scheduled for later this year, a judge agreed to push back the trial of one of the other officers. But he ruled the state could not compel Porter to testify against the others because it would further delay their trials. Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man, died last year a week after suffering a spinal cord injury while riding in the back of a police van. At his first trial, Porter testified he did not buckle a seat belt around Gray, who was handcuffed, but did tell the van’s driver Gray wanted to go the hospital.

On the job. The Buffalo Bills have hired the first full-time female assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL), taking the next step in efforts to bring women into men’s sports. Kathryn Smith will serve as a special teams quality control coach. She began working in the NFL in 2003 as a game day/special events intern for the New York Jets. She became a player personnel assistant in 2007 and then worked as assistant to head coach Rex Ryan, starting in 2014. She followed him to the Bills last year. “She has proven that she’s ready for the next step, so I’m excited and proud for her with this opportunity,” Ryan said in announcing her promotion.