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What hasn’t happened in health care
In the legislative floor session that ends Nov. 12, health care — a topic that ranks as a top concern for Wisconsinites — has taken a back seat to contentious battles over Gov. Tony Evers’ powers and even his cabinet choices. But the subject was not entirely a no-show. The Assembly on Thursday will take […]
Pipeline protest bill now goes to Evers
The state Senate passed a bill escalating penalties for trespassing and vandalism at pipelines and other energy-related sites on a voice vote Tuesday, sending it to Gov. Tony Evers. A final effort to narrow the bill’s scope failed on a party-line vote. Assembly Bill 496 — backed by business interests as well as by labor […]
Health care expert warns of VA privatization risks
Several years ago, as veteran health care journalist Suzanne Gordon was exploring patient safety, her research led her to a model medical provider: the Veterans Administration. “The Veterans Administration is one of the only health care systems in the country that takes teaching teamwork really seriously,” Gordon said in a telephone interview. That’s important, she […]
Rebooting the New Deal
Eighty-six years ago, a new president undertook the most sweeping revision in American economic and social policy the United States had seen since the nation was born. The New Deal fulfilled what Franklin Delano Roosevelt had called for during his campaign in 1932: “a complete change in concept of what are the proper functions and […]
Sean Duffy’s rocky start
Ten days into the start of his new gig as a CNN commentator, Sean Duffy is off to a rough start. On Oct. 20, his first day in his new role, Duffy pushed a discredited conspiracy theory in defense of President Donald Trump’s request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he investigate former Vice President […]
Committee passes pipeline protest bill with only one Democrat voting no
The Senate version of a bill that would enhance criminal penalties for trespassing on pipeline sites and other energy- or water-related infrastructure passed out of the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Tuesday on a 4-1 paper-ballot vote. Sen. Fred Risser (D-Madison) cast the lone vote against SB 386, which has been promoted by […]
New report shows high levels of uninsured children
After falling steadily for at least eight years, the number of children without health insurance rose nationwide for the second year in a row in 2018, according to a new report released on Wednesday. Nationwide, 5.2% of children were without health insurance in 2018, according to the report, produced by the Georgetown University Center for […]
Wisconsin newsrooms brace for GateHouse/Gannett merger
As a shareholder vote approaches in three and a half weeks, the pending deal that would make Wisconsin’s largest daily newspaper part of the single largest newspaper chain in U.S. history looks like it’s stumbling toward the finish line. And while the two companies, GateHouse and Gannett, have already been cutting employees, observers expect that […]
Pipeline protest bill opponents hope for veto
As a controversial bill escalating penalties for trespassing on pipeline sites looks increasingly likely to pass the Wisconsin legislature, critics of the measure are shifting their focus to trying to persuade Gov. Tony Evers to veto it. On Tuesday, a state Senate hearing on the Senate version of the bill, SB 386, was essentially a […]
Pipeline protest bill has evolved from state to state
Bills like the one pending in Wisconsin have passed several states in various forms.
Midwest racial gaps grow
Industrial expansion and unionization helped improve the lives of many black families even in the face of segregation. When industry declined and unions shrank, their fortunes reversed.
Pence Wisconsin visit rescheduled for next week
The on-again, off-again trip to Wisconsin by Vice President Mike Pence to promote the Trump Administration’s revised trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is on again. Originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17, Pence’s visit to a Kenosha County company owned by Republican megadonors has now been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23. Pence is scheduled to […]