JULIE BOSMAN

An independent panel investigating the Flint, Michigan, water crisis laid blame directly on Gov. Rick Snyder’s office, concluding that inept state employees in charge of supervising water quality and state-appointed emergency managers ignored mounting problems with the city water supply and stubbornly disregarded signs of widespread contamination.

A top aide to Michigan’s governor referred to people raising questions about the quality of Flint’s water as an “anti-everything group.” Other critics were accused of turning complaints about water into a “political football.” And worrisome findings about lead by a concerned pediatrician were dismissed as “data,” in quotes.

J. Dennis Hastert, the small-town wrestling coach who rose to political power as the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House, indicated in U.S. District Court on Thursday that he would plead guilty as part of a plea agreement in a case where he is accused of skirting banking laws and lying to the federal investigators.

Although the national economy is entering its sixth year of recovery from the recession, many states are still facing major funding gaps that have locked legislatures in protracted battles with governors.