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Wisconsin Examiner
Local leaders call for auto workers’ gains to spread to EV plants, Southern Black workers
Local Black elected leaders aligned with racial and economic justice groups want to build on the labor gains made through the United Auto Workers’ six-week strike. The union’s tentative deals with the big three automakers include major wins such as a 25% rise in pay and getting rid of the two-tier worker system. More than […] The post Local leaders call for auto workers’ gains to spread to EV plants, Southern Black workers appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Bills introduced to improve conditions in jails and prisons
In Wisconsin’s Capitol, a package of 17 bills aimed at improving conditions in the state’s incarceration facilities was introduced Thursday. Covering issues from hygiene to oversight and transparency, the proposals were crafted following recommendations from stakeholders including formerly incarcerated people and their families. The authors offered the legislation against a backdrop of at least two […] The post Bills introduced to improve conditions in jails and prisons appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
GOP bill targeting transgender people would require inmates be placed according to sex at birth
The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety committee considered a bill Thursday that would require inmates to be held in facilities that align with their sex at birth and that strip searches be completed by someone of the same sex using the same method of determination. The bill — SB 438/AB 447 — is the latest […] The post GOP bill targeting transgender people would require inmates be placed according to sex at birth appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Robin Vos’ impeachment threats and the Republican hall of mirrors
The Republican clown caucus scored a victory Thursday when Assembly Speaker Robin Vos caved to pressure from election deniers and moved forward articles of impeachment against Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe. Vos, who had previously said he didn’t plan to act on the impeachment threat, was apparently moved by a six-figure ad buy in […] The post Robin Vos’ impeachment threats and the Republican hall of mirrors appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Democrats propose eliminating Wisconsin abortion restrictions, requiring all-options counseling
Democratic lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates are looking past eliminating an 1849 Wisconsin law, which until recently had effectively ended all abortion services in the state, to repealing most state statutes restricting abortion. At a press conference on Wednesday, Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) said the “Reproductive Freedom Act” would restore […] The post Democrats propose eliminating Wisconsin abortion restrictions, requiring all-options counseling appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Public Service Commission to start announcing electric rate increases this week
State regulators are about to decide how much Wisconsin electric power companies can raise their rates in 2024. Between now and the end of the year, the Public Service Commission (PSC) is expected to act on rate increase petitions from five electric power companies. Two requests include proposals to charge ratepayers for the cost of […] The post Public Service Commission to start announcing electric rate increases this week appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
State and local election workers quitting amid abuse, officials tell U.S. Senate panel
State and local election officials face threats and intimidation, driving experienced workers out of the profession, a panel of election officials told a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday. Conspiracy theories have fueled a more hostile environment for election workers, which has led many to quit, creating more challenges for the inexperienced new leaders, the top election […] The post State and local election workers quitting amid abuse, officials tell U.S. Senate panel appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
White House, Pennsylvania senator urge Congress to pass emergency anti-opioid funding
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s top drug policy expert and Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey on Wednesday pressed Congress to approve billions in emergency funding to address opioid addiction. “We still have a ways to go to get it through the heads of people here in Washington about how important it is to vote […] The post White House, Pennsylvania senator urge Congress to pass emergency anti-opioid funding appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Assembly committee considers election changes, including early absentee ballot processing
Assembly lawmakers heard testimony on a slate of bills that would address concerns about Wisconsin’s election system on Tuesday, including one that would allow processing of absentee ballots to begin a day early. Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) told the Assembly Campaigns and Elections committee that AB 567, which would allow for “Monday processing” of absentee […] The post Assembly committee considers election changes, including early absentee ballot processing appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Tell me if you’ve heard this: Two senior citizens run for president
At 70, I’ve slowed down some. Well, a lot. And, yet, I could be president. This is not hubris. Not “could” as in there is any remote possibility that I will ever be president or want to be. But, “could” in the sense that saddled with that job, it would not be beyond my physical […] The post Tell me if you’ve heard this: Two senior citizens run for president appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Ukraine and Israel aid must be bound together, two Cabinet secretaries tell U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — Congress must approve funding for both Israel and Ukraine if it wants to avoid being dragged into a direct conflict with Russia or emboldening terrorist organizations, two top Biden administration officials told senators Tuesday. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken both testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that there […] The post Ukraine and Israel aid must be bound together, two Cabinet secretaries tell U.S. Senate appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Evers sues GOP leaders in the Legislature over ‘legislative vetoes’
This story has been updated. Responding to a series of roadblocks thrown by three powerful committees in the state Legislature, Gov. Tony Evers sued a half-dozen Republican lawmakers Tuesday, charging that the “legislative vetoes” amount to a violation of the Wisconsin Constitution’s separation of powers. “Through statutes that allow legislative committees to veto executive branch […] The post Evers sues GOP leaders in the Legislature over ‘legislative vetoes’ appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Fast-growing communities rewriting zoning unclear on requirements of new housing programs
This summer, Wisconsin lawmakers created several programs aimed at making a dent in the state’s shortage of affordable housing. As those programs are rolled out by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), they face their first hurdle — the slow and politically thorny process of municipal zoning updates. The programs, signed into law […] The post Fast-growing communities rewriting zoning unclear on requirements of new housing programs appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Blue and red states slash taxes despite warnings of hard times ahead
With a $750 million budget surplus on hand, there was little doubt whether North Dakota lawmakers would cut taxes earlier this year — the question was how much. “The surplus was strong, and we believe it’s going to be sustained into the future,” said state Rep. Craig Headland. “So, it just made sense to cut […] The post Blue and red states slash taxes despite warnings of hard times ahead appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Trump 14th Amendment trial in Colorado opens with focus on events of Jan. 6
A weeklong trial in a challenge to former President Donald Trump’s constitutional eligibility to seek office again began in a Denver courtroom on Monday with a focus on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol and interrupted the certification of election results. Six Colorado voters have alleged in […] The post Trump 14th Amendment trial in Colorado opens with focus on events of Jan. 6 appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
What is the Milwaukee Sheriff’s ‘MATRIX group’?
On the first day of Milwaukee’s George Floyd-inspired protests, officers from the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD) Special Investigations Division (SID) shared live updates within a secure chat pod. Two prominent local activists had been pulled over by an unmarked black Chevrolet SUV. What they first believed to be district attorney investigators turned out to be […] The post What is the Milwaukee Sheriff’s ‘MATRIX group’? appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Q&A with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on stopping police violence
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison recalled tears splashing on the screen of his phone in 2020, as he watched the video of the murder of 46-year-old George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. “When I first saw the video, I was stunned by it. I watched it. I watched it again, I watched […] The post Q&A with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on stopping police violence appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Doctor suing FDA recruited to scientific advisory board to ‘repurpose’ abortion pill
One of the anti-abortion doctors suing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to rescind its 2000 approval of a medication abortion regimen on the basis that one of the drugs is dangerous is now consulting on the development of a breast cancer treatment that involves the same drug: mifepristone. It is the family doctor’s latest […] The post Doctor suing FDA recruited to scientific advisory board to ‘repurpose’ abortion pill appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Republican bills penalize schools for free speech violations, end race-based aid
The Assembly’s higher education committee considered a bill Thursday that sets free speech policies at Wisconsin’s public universities and colleges and provides penalties for violating them. Another bill taken up by the committee would eliminate race-based higher education loan and grant programs. AB 553 lays out certain provisions that the authors said are meant to […] The post Republican bills penalize schools for free speech violations, end race-based aid appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
Next for a new U.S. House speaker: three-week deadline to dodge a government shutdown
WASHINGTON — Newly elected U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has three weeks to broker an agreement with Democrats to avoid a partial government shutdown when a short-term spending law expires on Nov. 17. The Louisiana Republican, who has leaped from relative obscurity to one of the four congressional leaders, has already spoken with his Senate […] The post Next for a new U.S. House speaker: three-week deadline to dodge a government shutdown appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.
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The Wisconsin Examiner is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news site offering a fresh perspective on politics and policy in our state. As the largest news bureau covering state government, the Examiner will offer investigative reporting and daily coverage dedicated to the public interest. In Wisconsin’s great progressive tradition, we aim to hold the powerful accountable to the people, follow the money, and dig out the truth. Although we give you the inside scoop, we are not a publication for “insiders.” Instead, we cover stories and voices that too often go unheard. We take our inspiration from the motto emblazoned on a ceiling in our state Capitol: “The Will of the People Is the Law of the Land.” The Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. We retain full editorial independence.
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