Joe Biden
Arizona attorney general first to sue over Biden vaccine mandate on private businesses
WASHINGTON — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Tuesday filed the first lawsuit against the Biden administration’s upcoming COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private companies with at least 100 employees, arguing that the federal requirement violates the U.S. Constitution. In the legal complaint, Brnovich argues that the vaccine mandate President Joe Biden announced last week violates […]
Will backing Wisconsin’s Maricopa-style ‘fraudit’ hurt legislators’ contributions?
Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) is making a name for herself. Out of the 99 members of the state Assembly, few representatives are recognizable to the general public. But as the chair of the Assembly elections committee who successfully pushed to launch a massive “Arizona-style audit,” Brandtjen’s office confirms that her emails, phone calls and […]
After another state budget failure, we need a Democratic realignment in Wisconsin
As the leader of a large-scale grassroots group that urged a full veto of the state budgets in both 2019 and the 2021, you may expect me to rail against Gov. Tony Evers’ decision this summer to sign largely intact the GOP’s latest instrument of fiscal sabotage. This is not that column. Endless hand-wringing over what […]
No masks may mean fines, lawsuits and lost school insurance
The television cameras were rolling as students boarded the yellow buses at Germantown’s Kennedy Middle School without face masks. Nor was a bus driver wearing his mask as he pulled away. Milwaukee WTMJ 4 interviewed Germantown Superintendent Brett Stousland who only said that the district “recommended” masks. Stousland stated to the camera that he was […]
Biden to travel to New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia for 9/11 observances
WASHINGTON—To honor the nearly 3,000 Americans who died 20 years ago on 9/11, President Joe Biden will visit the sites of the terrorist attacks. Biden on Saturday will observe the anniversary in New York City, where hijackers crashed two passenger jets into the World Trade Center, killing 2,753 people. He’ll also visit Shanksville, Penn., where […]
COVID-19 vaccines or weekly tests to be mandated for millions of U.S. workers
WASHINGTON — More than 80 million employees of private businesses in the U.S. will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing as part of the Biden administration’s latest strategy for combating the still-surging coronavirus pandemic. The upcoming vaccine rule for companies with at least 100 employees is one plank of an increasingly […]
Lower drug costs to transform health care
Every ten days, I need treatment that requires the injection of artificial clotting factors. Since I am a hemophiliac, this treatment could literally mean the difference between life and death. All because I’m missing one of the thirteen proteins that serves as one of the dominos in the “typical” clotting process. Each treatment requires $18,000 […]
Biden faces down GOP governors on school mask bans
WASHINGTON — With eight states so far prohibiting schools from levying mask requirements, President Joe Biden is pledging that his administration will use all of its oversight and legal authority to stick up for local officials trying to keep their schools safe. What remains to be seen is how far the federal government can or will […]
Biden mandates vaccines in nursing homes, admonishes GOP governors on school masks
WASHINGTON — Nursing homes will be required to ensure their staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the Biden administration announced Wednesday in a major move on vaccinations as the delta variant sweeps many states. President Joe Biden at a press conference also criticized Republican governors who have prohibited […]
How Congress will attempt the biggest expansion of U.S. social programs since FDR
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate this week passed a massive bipartisan infrastructure bill and an even larger budget blueprint that would pave the way for historic changes in U.S. health, education, climate and tax policies. The two measures are roped to each other, reflecting Democrats’ strategy to pass what they can on a bipartisan basis with Republicans […]
Marquette poll underscores the Wisconsin voter divides
New Marquette poll shows long-standing divides persist among voters over politics, policy in Wisconsin One of the most closely watched portions of the Marquette Law School Poll for political observers is which politicians are above and underwater in their favorability ratings. Pollster Charles Franklin released the first poll of 2021 on Wednesday with new information […]
Biden touts his win on Senate-passed infrastructure bill to state and local leaders
One day after the U.S. Senate approved the bipartisan infrastructure bill that he championed, President Joe Biden met virtually Wednesday with scores of state, local and tribal leaders to build support for the measure as it heads to the House. The meeting resembled a victory lap, with state, local and tribal leaders of both parties […]