News
Senators ask for data on impact if ACA ends
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) wants the Trump Administration to produce data on what would happen if a pending lawsuit to throw out the Affordable Care Act is successful. The lawsuit brought by 20 Republican state attorneys general, Texas v United States, declares the ACA unconstitutional, and a lower court judge agreed in a December ruling. […]
Where are Wisconsin’s GOP heavyweights now?
WASHINGTON — In early 2011, political prospects looked spectacular for three Republican rising stars from Wisconsin. Scott Walker had just won the governorship as Republicans flipped the state Senate and Assembly. Paul Ryan was ascendant in the U.S. House, taking the gavel of the powerful Budget Committee after Republicans seized control of that chamber. Reince […]
Will Marsy’s Law founder’s legal troubles harm the Wisconsin referendum?
Wisconsin is eight months away from an April 2020 statewide referendum asking if voters want to amend the state constitution to include Marsy’s Law, a crime victim rights bill. In May, the state Senate and Assembly overwhelmingly voted to send Marsy’s Law to the ballot on a bipartisan vote. Marsy’s Law for All is a […]
AG Kaul punches back over lame-duck laws
Today Legislative Republicans filed a lawsuit before the Wisconsin Supreme Court alleging that Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has not sufficiently complied with the lame-duck laws they passed after then-Gov. Scott Walker and then-Attorney General Brad Schimel had been voted out of office, but had not yet completed their terms. That lame-duck session, used to […]
Wisconsin: First to kill the death penalty
Attorney General William Barr announced last week that the federal government will begin executing prisoners in December after a 16-year hiatus. President Donald Trump, a longtime supporter of capital punishment, has called for its expansion to punish certain drug crimes and his Supreme Court appointments have moved the court to the right on this issue. […]
Sanctuary rally: “These people are us.”
State Reps. Marisabel Cabrera and Jonathan Brostoff and state Sen. Chris Larson joined immigration activists and advocates outside Milwaukee City Hall on Tuesday to announce new pro-immigrant legislation. The Rally For Sanctuary In Wisconsin sent a clear message that participants stand united in opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies. “It was a good show of […]
Critics see ‘power grab’ in lawsuit to limit Evers’ veto
On Wednesday, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) announced that it is filing an original action with the state Supreme Court, seeking to undo several of Gov. Tony Evers’ partial vetoes of the state budget sent to him by the Republican-controlled legislature. “It’s important to get the constitution right,” WILL’s executive director, […]
Biden’s record on crime, immigration attacked in 2nd Detroit debate
DETROIT — The Democratic Party brought its two night of debates in downtown Detroit to a close Wednesday, as frontrunner former Vice President Joe Biden fended off challengers trying to gain a foothold in what has so far been a mostly static primary since his entrance in April. Tuesday’s debate with the 10 other qualifying candidates in […]
Justice Abrahamson’s last day at work
Today is the last day on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for Justice Shirley Abrahamson, the longest-serving justice in state history and a pathbreaker who opened the way for women in the legal profession. At a farewell ceremony on June 18, former Gov. Jim Doyle remembered when his father first hired Justice Abrahamson, the former chief […]
Summer work program abused
A special visa program to bring short-term visitors to the U.S. has ballooned into “a source of cheap and exploitable labor,” says a new report — and Wisconsin ranks number three among states making use of that feature. The Summer Work Travel program, which enables foreign visitors to work during their stay in the U.S., […]
Overdose weekend
Over the weekend, 14 fatal overdoses occurred in Milwaukee County, with the Medical Examiner’s office responding to three in just under an hour on Sunday. Although toxicology is still pending for many of the dead, some information is known. They were mostly older than 30, including a 64-year-old woman who died on Saturday, apparently after […]
Dems split on health care, manufacturing in Detroit debate
Ten candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination argued Tuesday night that they represent the best chance to deny President Donald Trump re-election, with their approaches spanning the ideological spectrum as the party moves forward from its 2016 surprise defeat. In this second round of Democratic debates, CNN moderators Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, and Dana Bash […]