Politics & Government
Push to purge Wisconsin voters goes to court Friday
Update: On Friday afternoon Ozaukee County Circuit Judge Paul Malloy ordered the state to purge the rolls of voters who may have moved. He also denied the League of Women Voters’ petition to intervene in the case. In issuing a writ of mandamus, the judge took the strongest action he could take, ordering the state to immediately comply […]
DeVos under fire during testy Capitol Hill hearing
WASHINGTON — A Florida Democratic congresswoman on Thursday told Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, “You are the most unpopular person in our government.” Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) was among the many Democrats who berated DeVos at a U.S. House Education and Labor Committee hearing on the Trump administration’s controversial rewrite of a student loan forgiveness policy. […]
House moves to impeach; Sensenbrenner calls it ‘weakest case in history’
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee kicked off a vote on impeachment articles Wednesday night with a plea to his Republican colleagues. “I know you,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.). “I have worked with many of you for years. I consider you to be good and decent public servants.” He spoke […]
Narrower of two PFAS bills advances
One of two bills in the Legislature aimed at the growing concern about PFAS chemicals cleared an Assembly committee Wednesday, but the author of a second says his own measure is essential to providing a more comprehensive solution. AB-323, authored by State Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), bars the use of firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl or […]
PFAS provisions struck from must-pass defense bill
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats and environmental advocates suffered a stinging setback with the release of a defense policy bill this week that lacks key provisions to crack down on a widespread class of chemicals linked to serious health problems. The must-pass legislation represented the lawmakers’ best hope this year for enacting a comprehensive set of […]
Pay raise approval process drags for state workers
After several months delay, contracts covering unionized state workers could finally go before state lawmakers for their required review next week. A spokeswoman for state Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) said Tuesday that the Joint Committee on Employment Relations has penciled in a meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 18, pending confirmation that all members can attend. Roth […]
Democrats, Trump declare victory on massive trade deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats have worked out key differences with the Trump administration over a massive trade deal, allowing both sides to declare a legislative victory on the same day the House unveiled articles of impeachment against the president. If ratified, the deal would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which took […]
New bill to get better look at veteran suicides and over-medication
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) has partnered with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Arkansas) to introduce new legislation to help address the over-prescription of medications to U.S. veterans. Called the Veterans Over-medication and Suicide Prevention Act, the measure would direct the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct an independent study on the deaths of veterans under […]
Milwaukee officials urge warming shelters and kindness for homeless
Milwaukee County supervisors Steve Shea (Dist. 8) and Sequanna Taylor (Dist. 2) are urging the city’s local warming centers to open once temperatures hit 32 degrees. As the winter continues and hard weather comes and goes, they encourage residents and community members to observe and respect the needs of people caught in the cycle of […]
Democrats’ impeachment articles: abuse of power, obstruction of Congress
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats on Tuesday announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders to formally lay out their charges against the president: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. A vote on the articles is expected […]
Are all school gun violence incidents equal?
Gun violence and school safety became the topic of the week in Wisconsin, after a confrontation between police officers and a Waukesha South high school student last Monday ended with the student hospitalized for a gunshot wound. In the wake of that incident, eight other schools reported possible threats from students. The ripple effect shocked […]
Baldwin to Trump: Fire Stephen Miller
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) joined 26 other senators on Monday demanding that President Donald Trump fire White House immigration adviser Stephen Miller. “Recent reports confirm that he advanced white nationalist, anti-immigrant ideologies,” the senators said of Miller. “Continuing to employ him as the senior architect of your immigration policies ensures that those policies discriminate […]