Wisconsin - Global pulse News
  • Trump Makes Bizarre Danger About Schools And Vaccine Mandates

    Trump Makes Bizarre Danger About Schools And Vaccine Mandates

    Donald Trump swore at a rally Tuesday that if reelected, he’ll cut moneying to every school with a vaccine required ― although all 50 states have such laws on the books.

    “I will not provide one cent to any school that has a vaccine required or a mask required,” he stated at his rally in Racine, Wisconsin. The crowd went wild.

    It’s a pledge he’s made numerous times in current months, duplicating the very same line verbatim at rallies in March and Might.

    If he followed through on that, no school in the United States would get federal financing. All 50 states and Washington, D.C., have laws needing particular vaccines for trainees, consisting of measles, rubella, chickenpox, tetanus, pertussis and polio. Exemptions to the guideline differ by state, with California, New York City and a handful of other states keeping the strictest requireds.

    Public health professionals credit those vaccine requirements with getting rid of illness that as soon as eliminated countless individuals a year. Polio, an illness that contaminated, paralyzed or eliminated almost 60,000 American kids in 1952 alone, has actually been totally eliminated in the U.S. thanks to mass vaccination programs.

    Donald Trump declared at his Wisconsin rally that he

    Donald Trump stated at his Wisconsin rally that he “will not provide one cent to any school that has a vaccine required or a mask required.” JIM WATSON by means of Getty Images

    Trump’s project did not right away react to concerns about which vaccines he was describing. Months previously, his spokespeople stated he was just describing schools’ COVID-19 vaccine requireds. However he’s decreased to make that difference throughout his speeches, consisting of at Tuesday’s rally ― a choice that caters his celebration’s anti-vaccine crowd.

    A growing faction of conservatives have actually started questioning the security of vaccines in the last few years, regardless of the extreme clinical examination they go through before the general public gets them, and a scarcity of proof that they have any enduring negative side-effects. A Politico/Morning Consult survey discovered in 2015 that while vaccine apprehension had to do with equivalent amongst both Democrats and Republicans before 2020, majority of Republicans now state they care more about the possible health dangers of vaccines than the advantages.

    Though he as soon as took credit for the advancement of COVID-19 vaccines, Trump has actually considering that downsized his recommendation of them and vaccines in basic. Last month, he even assaulted independent governmental prospect Robert F. Kennedy Jr., among the most popular voices in the anti-vaccine motion, as not being anti-vaccine enough.

    “Republicans, get it out of your mind that you’re going to choose this guy since he’s conservative. He’s not. And by the method, he stated the other night that vaccines are great,” Trump stated in a video published to social networks. “He stated it on a program, a tv program, that vaccines are great. He’s all for them. Which’s what he stated. And for those of you that wish to vote since you believe he’s an anti-vaxxer, he’s not truly an anti-vaxxer.”

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  • Trump states love for Milwaukee at rally days after calling it a ‘terrible city’

    Trump states love for Milwaukee at rally days after calling it a ‘terrible city’

    Donald Trump made a brazen quote for assistance in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin on Tuesday by stating his love for its most significant population centre, Milwaukee, simply days after denigrating it as “an awful city”.

    Requiring to describe his own words to a city that will host the Republican nationwide convention next month, the previous president naturally selected to take on the issue head on at a project rally in neighbouring Racine, about 30 miles from Milwaukee along the coast of Lake Michigan.

    “I enjoy Milwaukee. I was the one that selected Milwaukee,” he stated in his opening words to a cheering crowd at Racine’s al fresco celebration park.

    “These lying individuals that they state: ‘Oh, he doesn’t like Milwaukee.’ I enjoy Milwaukee. I stated, You gotta repair the criminal activity. However I’m the one that selected Milwaukee and the Democrats, or the extreme left lunatics, as I call them, what they state is so horrible. They lie, lie, lie.”

    His conciliatory message to Milwaukee showed his project’s level of sensitivity to the prospective electoral expense of recently’s remarks in a conference with congressional Republican politicians at the United States Capitol, Trump’s very first check out given that the January 6 attack by a mob attempting to reverse his governmental election loss to Joe Biden.

    Related: Democrats take on Trump’s ‘terrible city’ remark about Milwaukee for advertisements

    Republican congressmen and strategists have actually rushed to minimize or contextualise the uncomplimentary remarks, initially reported on the site Punchbowl, which were even more awkward since Milwaukee will host the celebration’s nationwide convention beginning 15 July.

    Democrats have taken on the remarks with a marketing blitz that consisted of a signboard positioned near the website of Tuesday’s rally that read: “Need to know what’s actually ‘terrible?’ Donald Trump for Wisconsin’s economy”.

    10 signboards are being positioned throughout Milwaukee roaring out Trump’s unfavorable description in the run-up to the convention, which will see Trump when again chosen as the Republican governmental prospect.

    Tuesday’s rally was likewise Trump’s very first see to Wisconsin given that his conviction last month by a New york city court on 34 felony counts of falsifying files to hide hush-money payments made before the 2016 governmental election to an adult movie star who affirmed that she made love with him.

    The conviction has actually been another centerpiece for a $50m Democratic marketing offensive in Wisconsin and other battlefield states for the month of June. A 30-second advertisement that started airing on Monday concentrated on Trump’s criminal status in an effort to compare his character adversely with the president’s.

    The competitive messaging in between the 2 sides shows the essential battlefield status gotten by Wisconsin – which was directly won by Trump in his 2016 triumph over Hillary Clinton, however which Biden won by about 21,000 votes in 2020.

    A RealClearPolitics study today revealed Biden taping a 39.3% approval score in Wisconsin, with 55.7% disapproving.

    Trump and Biden are running neck-and-neck in many nationwide surveys, with Trump revealing leads in a number of battlefield states.

  • Trump states ‘I enjoy Milwaukee’ after supposedly utilizing the word ‘dreadful’ for the RNC host city

    Trump states ‘I enjoy Milwaukee’ after supposedly utilizing the word ‘dreadful’ for the RNC host city

    RACINE, Wisconsin (AP) — Previous President Donald Trump on Tuesday consistently applauded Milwaukee simply weeks before it hosts the Republican politician National Convention, playing clean-up after he supposedly utilized the word “dreadful” in speaking about swing-state Wisconsin’s biggest city.

    “I enjoy Milwaukee,” Trump informed the crowd in close-by Racine, Wisconsin. He was reported to have actually utilized the word in a closed-door conference with Republicans in the U.S. Home. Numerous of his allies who remained in the conference later on recommended he was speaking about criminal activity and citizen scams.

    Wisconsin is among a handful of battlefield states most likely to identify this year’s governmental race. It was among the so-called Democratic “blue wall” states that Trump directly won in 2016, leading the way for his surprise success. Biden turned the state back in 2020, and both projects are targeting it greatly this year.

    Trump’s Tuesday occasion in downtown Racine had the feel of a town 4th of July event. Before the presumptive GOP candidate’s arrival, c and w roared from speakers as Trump and American flags waved near a harbor ignoring Lake Michigan. Households collected under trees, attempting to prevent the 83-degree heat while consuming tacos and drinking lemonade.

    “Wisconsin is Trump nation” was composed throughout a big indication as advocates started to collect on the turf, using red, white and blue.

    In a different tv interview, Trump likewise rejected reports on Tuesday that, throughout the convention, he was preparing to remain over night in Chicago, Milwaukee’s competing 90 miles to the south, where Trump likewise has a downtown high-rise building along the Chicago River.

    Trump, in his speech, hammered Biden on migration and the border, consisting of a statement Tuesday that his administration will in the coming months enable specific partners of U.S. residents without legal status to look for long-term residency and ultimately citizenship.

    The relocation, which might provide relief to possibly numerous countless immigrants without legal status in the U.S., followed Biden revealed his own aggressive crackdown on the southern border previously this month, infuriating supporters and numerous Democratic legislators.

    Trump has actually often explained the record variety of immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully as an “intrusion,” recommending without proof that Biden is abetting prohibited border crossings to assist Democrats win elections.

    “Our nation is under intrusion. We ought to not be talking amnesty. We ought to be speaking about stopping the intrusion rather,” Trump stated, calling the strategy “an attack on American democracy.”

    The crowd reacted with chants of “Send them back!”

    Trump likewise rejected having actually called Milwaukee “dreadful” throughout a closed-door conference with Republican members of Congress in Washington recently, blaming “extreme left lunatics” who “lie, lie, lie.”

    Trump representative Steven Cheung recently did not reject that Trump had actually utilized the word, however stated he had actually been gotten of context and “was speaking about how dreadful criminal activity and citizen scams are.”

    Numerous congressmen who support Trump and participated in the conference likewise stated he was describing criminal activity and citizen scams, which he incorrectly declares spoiled the 2020 election in the state.

    Trump often knocks Democratic-led cities as risky, even as the most recent FBI stats reveal violent criminal activity is down throughout the country, and repeats fallacies about his 2020 loss.

    Hours before Trump took the phase, a line of numerous advocates snaked around the block in between rows of hawkers offering Trump Tee shirts, hats, indications and flags.

    The majority of approximately a lots Trump advocates talked to stated they were concentrated on the economy.

    Amongst the advocates waiting was Emmanuel McKinstry, a 58-year-old entrepreneur in Racine, who stated, “Economy is #1 for me.”

    McKinstry stated little Black-owned organizations like his were flourishing in Racine under Trump’s administration.

    “Whatever was more budget-friendly under Trump,” he stated. “However inflation has actually swollen under Biden, and it’s organizations that are suffering.”

    He stated he’s likewise worried about criminal activity in Racine after losing 2 bros to weapon violence.

    Dimple Navratil, 58, from Bombay, India, has actually resided in Racine for 25 years, running a little present store downtown called Dimple’s Imports. She stated she’d be discussing her experience as a female company owner throughout the rally.

    “Under Trump’s presidency, small companies were flourishing,” she stated. “I’m extremely favorable that’ll take place once again if he’s in workplace.”

    Samantha Cross, 35, drove almost 2 hours from Radford, Illinois, to go to the rally. With 4 kids, she stated the expense of groceries, school products and clothing for her kids have actually escalated amidst inflation under Biden. A couple of years earlier, she stated she might feed her household of 5 with about $500 a month. Now, that expense has actually doubled, she stated.

    “I’m here for the future of my kids,” she stated.

    And Matthew Brown, 56, stated he’s having a hard time to pay for increasing lease in Racine while taking care of his mom, who has dementia.

    “I’m confident Trump is going to repair this mess — or a minimum of attempt,” he stated. Brown used a t-shirt that stated “I’m choosing the felon” in brilliant red, white and blue.

    ___ Colvin reported from New york city.

  • Wisconsin Republicans obstruct PFAS clean-up till polluters are approved resistance

    Wisconsin Republicans obstruct PFAS clean-up till polluters are approved resistance

    Wisconsin Republicans are keeping $125m designated for clean-up of prevalent PFAS contamination in drinking water and have actually stated they will just launch the funds in exchange for resistance for polluters.

    The relocation belongs to a wider effort by Republicans in the state to take power from the Democratic guv, Tony Evers, the financing’s fans state, declaring such “political video games” are putting homeowners’ health at threat.

    “Individuals truly seem like they’re being imprisoned,” stated Lee Donahue, mayor of Campbell, which belongs to the La Crosse city and has actually drinking water infected with huge levels of PFAS. “It’s outrageous, and some would argue that it’s criminal, that they are keeping cash from neighborhoods in alarming requirement of tidy drinking water.”

    Related: What are PFAs? Whatever you require to learn about the ‘permanently chemicals’ surrounding us every day

    PFAS are a class of chemicals utilized throughout lots of markets to make items water-, stain- and heat-resistant. They are called “permanently chemicals” due to the fact that they don’t naturally break down, and they continue the environment and build up in human beings’ and animals’ bodies. The substances are connected to cancer, reduced resistance, thyroid issues, abnormality, kidney illness, liver issues and a variety of other major health problems.

    The Epa this year developed limitations for numerous of the most typical PFAS, consisting of levels at 4 parts per trillion (ppt) for the most harmful. PFAS are polluting water for more than 350,000 Wisconsin public water supply users, typically at levels far surpassing the limitations. A lot more personal wells have actually infected water. In Madison, the state capital, levels in water sources were discovered as high as 180,000ppt.

    In Campbell, where more than 500 wells have actually checked favorable for PFAS at levels approximately countless times above federal limitations, numerous suspect high rates of cancer and other major conditions that have actually afflicted the town’s homeowners come from the harmful chemicals.

    In the face of the crisis, bipartisan spending plan legislation that produced the $125m pot of cash for clean-up was authorized by the GOP-controlled legislature and signed by the guv in mid-2023. The funds are expected to go to the Wisconsin department of natural deposits.

    Related: Brand-new expense might bail out United States farmers destroyed by ‘permanently chemical’ contamination

    Formerly, cash authorized throughout budgeting procedures was launched to the state company. Given that Evers ousted the Republican Scott Walker in 2018, the GOP-controlled legislature has actually declared the joint financing committee (JFC) it manages can include specifications to how the cash is invested, or refuse to launch cash authorized in the spending plan.

    That offers Republican management more control over how Evers’s administration invests and governs, and the GOP is utilizing that legal theory to keep the PFAS-cleanup financing.

    “It is absolutely a power grab,” stated Erik Kanter, president of Tidy Wisconsin, which is lobbying on PFAS concerns.

    On the other hand, Republicans independently drifted a piece of legislation that offered a structure for how the $125m would be invested in PFAS clean-up, however it included what Kanter called a “toxin tablet”: it excused PFAS polluters from the state’s spill laws that are created to hold market responsible for the contamination it triggers.

    Evers banned the legislation due to the fact that of the spill law exemption. The department of natural deposits then proposed to GOP lawmakers that it would invest the $125m as detailed in the Republican legislation, however market would not be exempt from the spill laws. The legislature has actually up until now declined that proposition, and it is now on break for the rest of 2024.

    “At this moment in time it appears like the JFC is not going to launch those dollars,” Kanter stated. “That cash has actually been sitting there for practically a year and no one has actually gotten any aid due to the fact that of political video games in the legislature.”

    The Evers administration revealed in late Might that it would take legal action against the committee for keeping the funds and make a constitutional separation of powers declare. It charges the JFC’s withholding is “an unconstitutional legal veto”. Republican management did not instantly return an ask for remark.

    In the meantime, neighborhoods such as La Crosse continue to battle, Donahue stated. The city and county have actually up until now invested almost $1m attempting to figure out the expediency of using a surrounding aquifer and continue to monitor it to guarantee the PFAS plume polluting their drinking water source does not move.

    “What do we do?” Donahue asked. “We can’t manage to wait another year for aid.”

  • Trump describes Milwaukee as ‘dreadful’ right before the city hosts the Republican convention

    Trump describes Milwaukee as ‘dreadful’ right before the city hosts the Republican convention

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Previous President Donald Trump utilized the word “dreadful” in discussing Milwaukee — the city where he will accept the Republican election next month — throughout a closed-door conference Thursday with GOP congressmen, according to a number of individuals in the space who spoke later.

    The remark, initially reported by Punchbowl News while the conference remained in development, instantly drew differences from those there about what Trump indicated.

    A number of congressmen who support Trump and went to the conference argued he was describing criminal offense and citizen scams. Trump regularly knocks Democratic-led cities as hazardous — even as violent criminal offense reduced nationally in the most current FBI data — and repeats frauds about his loss in the 2020 election.

    President Joe Biden’s project and his Democratic allies caught the reported remark even as Wisconsin Republicans objected to how it was being analyzed. Biden published an image on the X social platform of himself welcoming the Milwaukee Bucks after their 2021 NBA champion with the message: “I take place to like Milwaukee.”

    Milwaukee is hosting the Republican politician National Convention beginning July 15 and is the biggest Democratic fortress in swing-state Wisconsin.

    Trump is arranged to be in Racine, Wisconsin, for a project rally on Tuesday, simply 3 weeks before heading to Milwaukee for the convention.

    Trump representative Steven Cheung published on X that Trump “was discussing how dreadful criminal offense and citizen scams are.”

    Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents western Wisconsin, stated Trump was discussing the “dreadful or dreadful” criminal offense rate in the city.

    “He was straight describing criminal offense in Milwaukee,” stated Van Orden, who informed The Associated Press he was sitting simply feet from the previous president.

    He stated Republican politicians in the space concurred. “They’re like, yeah, criminal offense is dreadful.”

    U.S. Reps. Glenn Grothman and Scott Fitzgerald, likewise both of Wisconsin, informed the Milwaukee Journal Guard that Trump was describing the upcoming election.

    However Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, who represents southeast Wisconsin, challenged that Trump made the remark.

    “I remained in the space,” Steil published on X. “President Trump did not state this. There is no much better location than Wisconsin in July.”

    And Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who represents northern Wisconsin, stated he never ever heard Trump call Milwaukee a “dreadful city.”

    “What I heard is to ensure there’s election stability in Milwaukee,” Tiffany stated in a telephone interview. “He’s discussing the states that remain in play and the states of biggest significance and Wisconsin is leading of the list.”

    A Trump assistant and 2 lawyers who encouraged him in 2020 were charged with felonies recently in Wisconsin for their functions in a plan to get Republican politicians to cast Wisconsin’s electoral tallies to Trump although he lost the state.

    Federal government and outdoors investigationshave evenly discovered there was no proof of extensive citizen scams that might have swung the 2020 election. However Trump has actually continued to spread out frauds about the election, especially in Wisconsin.

    Republican Rep. Jim Banks, of Indiana, stated he was likewise in the space and “Trump never ever disparaged Milwaukee.”

    “Simply another Democrat scam,” Banks published on X.

    Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, when inquired about Trump’s reported remarks, stated at a press conference, “If Donald Trump wishes to speak about things that he believes are dreadful, everybody endured his presidency, so right back at you pal.”

    U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, a Democrat who represents and resides in Milwaukee, made a nod to Trump’s current felony convictions in her action. Trump is arranged to be sentenced in New york city on July 11, days before the convention opens.

    “When he’s settled in with his parole officer, I am specific he will find that Milwaukee is a fantastic, lively and inviting city filled with varied areas and a growing service neighborhood,” Moore published on X.

    Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is up for reelection this year, stated on X that Milwaukee is “part of what makes Wisconsin the very best state in the country. Donald Trump wouldn’t comprehend even if a jury informed him so.” She utilized the Trump remark in a fundraising plea hours after it was initially reported.

    Regional and statewide Democratic leaders, consisting of Gov. Tony Evers, dealt with Republican politicians to land the convention this summer season.

    Evers, in action to Trump’s remark, published on X: “Include it to the list of things Donald Trump is incorrect about.” He followed it with an emoji of a clown face.

    Milwaukee was expected to host the 2020 Democratic National Convention, however that was moved nearly completely online due to the fact that of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    ___ Associated Press authors Jill Colvin and Lisa Mascaro in Washington added to this report.

  • Why Senate Democrats Are Outperforming Biden in Secret States

    Why Senate Democrats Are Outperforming Biden in Secret States

    RICHLAND CENTER, Wis. — It was a Pride Weekend in Wisconsin, a natural time for the state’s pathbreaking, freely gay senator to rally her Democratic base, however on Sunday, Tammy Baldwin was far from the parades and events in Madison and Milwaukee — at a dairy farm in Republican Richland County.

    “I’ll appear in deep-red counties, and they’ll resemble, ‘I can’t keep in mind the last time we’ve seen a sitting U.S. senator here, particularly not a Democrat,’” stated Baldwin, an hour into her simple work of distributing plastic flatware at a yearly dairy breakfast, and 5 months before Wisconsin citizens will choose whether to provide her a 3rd term. “I believe that starts to break through.”

    Wisconsin is among 7 states that will identify the presidency this November, however it will likewise assist identify which celebration manages the Senate. President Joe Biden and previous President Donald Trump are running neck-and-neck in the state, which Trump directly won in 2016 and Biden reclaimed in 2020.

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    Baldwin, by contrast, is running well ahead of the president and her assumed Republican challenger, rich lender Eric Hovde. Surveys launched early last month by The New york city Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College discovered Baldwin holding a lead of 49% to 40% over Hovde. In late Might, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report put the spread even larger, 12 portion points.

    That down-ballot Democratic strength is not separated to Wisconsin. Senate Democratic prospects likewise hold leads in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. A Marist Survey launched Tuesday stated Trump led Biden in Ohio by 7 portion points, however Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, leads his opposition, Bernie Moreno, by 5 portion points, a 12-point swing.

    In a memo of caution, shown donors, Americans for Success Action, a conservative group concentrated on assisting Republican politicians recover Senate control, stated that in states with heated Senate races citizens hold a deeply unfavorable view of Biden however favorable views of their Democratic senators.

    “It’s still early in the race, however we are seeing a few of the very same indication we saw in 2022,” stated Costs Riggs, a representative for the group. “Up until now, citizens are not linking Democrat Senate prospects to the top of the ticket, and regardless of deep displeasure, Biden hasn’t end up being the drag you’d anticipate.”

    There isn’t one factor that Democratic Senate prospects are doing so better than Biden. The policy surface for congressional prospects might be more beneficial than for the president. The majority of the Democratic prospects have the power of incumbency, in name acknowledgment and fundraising. And unlike Biden, many have challengers who are not popular and for that reason susceptible to unfavorable attacks.

    Over pancakes and cheese curds, Scott Scoundrel, a retired operating engineer in Richland County, echoed the unfavorable marketing versus Hovde when he called him an abundant guy from California — Democrats have actually been blasting him over his $7 million home in Laguna Beach, California.

    “His cash isn’t deceiving any person here,” he stated.

    Lauren Hitt, a representative for the Biden project, stated Senate Democratic prospects were working on the president’s program. It has actually benefited them, and eventually will benefit Biden.

    “In 2022, Democrats had the very best midterm efficiency by a president’s celebration in years due to the fact that the Biden-Harris program is extremely popular,” she stated, mentioning abortion rights and controls on drug rates. “President Biden’s record won at the tally box in 2022, and it will win once again in 2024.”

    Republican Senate project assistants dismissed any issues too. Reagan McCarthy, a representative for Moreno, kept in mind that as Moreno digs his escape of a ruthless main season, Brown has the assistance of hardly more than 40% of citizens — “a death area for any incumbent.”

    Elizabeth Gregory, a representative for Dave McCormick, the Republican tough Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, indicated the Times’ survey, which has Casey at 46% versus McCormick’s 41%. “Incumbent senators with Bob Casey’s survey numbers at this moment usually lose,” she stated, “and he will, too.”

    However for numerous factors, Senate Democratic prospects simply have it simpler than Biden. On the policy front, they are far less overloaded by debates that have the president crosswise in between his celebration’s left flank and the broad center of the electorate. Citizens by and big don’t anticipate Senate prospects to form U.S. diplomacy in Israel, nor do they hold a permeable U.S.-Mexican border versus them.

    “They don’t blame her for all the important things they blame President Biden for,” stated Pam Flick, a retired teacher and a Democrat from Richland Center, Wisconsin.

    As Biden balances concerns, consisting of controversial problems like drawing out billions of dollars in help for Ukraine, Democratic prospects can more directly focus on problems like decreasing childcare expenses — which Baldwin talked up Monday in Milwaukee.

    “Without concern,” Baldwin stated of whether the president ought to focus more on kitchen-table problems. “You’ve seen him deal with things like scrap charges; that relocation alone is extremely popular. What he hasn’t done yet is link the dots — that he’s the one who’s splitting down.”

    As Biden worked this spring to support flagging assistance amongst young progressives, canceling trainee financial obligation versus the dispositions of more moderate citizens and framing the election as a battle to conserve democracy, Senate Democratic prospects were strengthening their images with the center-left and center-right citizens they will require in swing states.

    Brown broadcast to highlight his bipartisan work to bring semiconductor production to Ohio, never ever discussing Biden’s name, though the president contributed in passing the legislation, referred to as the CHIPS and Science Act. An advertisement running in Nevada has Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat, promoting herself as “among the most bipartisan senators” who dealt with both celebrations to assist veterans exposed to poisonous burn pits in Iraq. Once again, Biden goes unmentioned on among his signature legal accomplishments, the PACT Act.

    A current advertisement by Casey in Pennsylvania did one much better, including hard-hatted employees stating, “Our own federal government turned their backs on us, utilizing Chinese steel to develop our facilities,” including, “Bob Casey stated no method.” Audiences might be forgiven for concluding that “our federal government” was Biden’s, although the president muscled through the “purchase American” arrangement for steel in his facilities costs.

    However project assistants in both celebrations warn not to check out excessive into the Senate Democrats’ policy plays, interaction abilities or tactical maneuvering. Their greatest benefits are far more apparent: Democratic senators running for reelection in Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have the power of incumbency on their side, working versus Republican politician oppositions who are far less understood.

    Which might matter many.

    “We’re so darned hectic, we don’t take notice of politics,” stated Sherry Nelson, 70, who co-owns the Huff-Nel-Sons Farm that hosted Sunday’s dairy breakfast, together with her partner, Larry Nelson, 69. However, she included of Baldwin, “I believe she’s doing a great task.”

    When it comes to the governmental contest, both Nelsons were exceptionally dissatisfied on their options.

    “It’s a flip of the coin,” Larry Nelson stated of his vote in November. “That’s about it.”

    Biden and Trump are running as incumbent versus incumbent, with neither having an edge in name recognition and both encumbered established unfavorable images.

    As Andrew Mamo, a strategist with the Baldwin project, put it, he’s attempting to form the viewpoints of 50% of Wisconsin’s citizens who don’t understand the Republican politician in this race, therefore for that reason can be swayed by unfavorable marketing. The Biden project in fact needs to alter some individuals’s minds about Trump, which is amongst the hardest tasks in politics. Citizens don’t tend to like to confess they were incorrect.

    The exceptions show the guideline. In Michigan, where Rep. Elissa Slotkin is running for the seat of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who is retiring, her lead over her anticipated Republican opposition, previous Rep. Mike Rogers, is within the margin of mistake in many surveys, with a minimum of a quarter of Michigan citizens uncertain. Neither prospect is an incumbent. Both originated from the Lansing location, with much of Michigan not familiar with them.

    In the Arizona Senate race to change Kyrsten Sinema after her retirement, Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, does hold a constant lead over his Republican challenger, previous news anchor Kari Lake. However that might be due to the fact that the much better recognized prospect is Lake, and she is not liked, not because she contradicted defeat in her unsuccessful run for guv in 2022.

    Mike Berg, a representative for the National Republican Politician Senatorial Committee, stated with Republican prospects still presenting themselves, the more crucial ballot number is the Democrats’ vote share, which for the most part is listed below 50%.

    “Our prospects still have substantial space to grow,” he stated, including, “these Democrats are going to win or lose with Biden despite their eleventh-hour efforts to develop range from him after backing every among his dreadful policies.”

    He might have a point. In the last 2 governmental elections, just a single prospect, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, won a race in a state that chose the opposite celebration’s governmental candidate.

    “The truth of the matter exists is less ticket splitting today than at any other time in American history,” Berg stated.

    Republicans currently have a benefit in their mission to reclaim the chamber. The GOP has all however won the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a deeply red state. To keep control of the Senate, Democrats will need to win every swing state race, plus their 2 races in Republican-leaning Montana and Ohio, unless in some way Democratic oppositions defy the chances versus Republican incumbents in Texas, Florida or Missouri.

    However if Republicans wish to add ball game, they need to not be contented, warned Brian Walsh, a Republican strategist as soon as with the National Republican Politician Senatorial Committee.

    “Definitely nobody’s panicking,” he stated, “however for Republican politicians who believe Biden’s unpopularity is simply going to equate down to these other Democrats, take a look at 2022,” when the president was likewise undesirable and the Democrats in fact got a seat in the Senate.

    c.2024 The New york city Times Business

  • To beat Trump, Biden ‘should have’ the Rust Belt — plus Omaha

    To beat Trump, Biden ‘should have’ the Rust Belt — plus Omaha

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden‘s probably course to re-election is a narrow one that depends on the exact same 3 states that offered Donald Trump the Oval Workplace in 2016 and after that tugged it far from him in 2020 — Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — in addition to a single electoral vote from an Omaha-based congressional district.

    Put another method, if Trump takes any of the Big 3 Rust Belt specifies in November, it is most likely an indicator that he has actually recovered the White Home. Less than 5 months from Election Day, they make up the genuine battlefield, according to numerous operatives in both celebrations.

    “That’s the need to have,” stated Faiz Shakir, a Democratic strategist who handled Bernie Sanders’s 2020 governmental project.

    However it is hard for any project to desert states where in charge has actually won, or come close, before. That’s especially real at this moment in the race, when project assistants think there is still time for their efforts to impact popular opinion, and in an election year in which the stack of Democratic-held electoral votes has actually been minimized by a current census. They likewise understand that they can’t require the opposition to invest valuable project money in states they have actually left for dead.

    So, in addition to the Big 3, Biden’s high command is releasing resources to Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, where he dominated in 2020, along with North Carolina, where Trump won by about 1.3 portion points.

    Today, most public surveys are revealing Trump leading in those states by bigger quantities than in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, where studies tend to be more detailed.

    Biden assistants state it is prematurely for triage.

    “Today, we see throughout all those locations a variety of paths” to reach 270 electoral votes, Dan Kanninen, the battlefield states director for the Biden project, stated. He explained a method of flooding carefully objected to states with personnel, purchasing advertisements and sending out Biden and his surrogates to speak to citizens in order to move the numbers.

    Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a co-chair of Biden’s project, decreased to eliminate Biden duplicating triumphes in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada — or discovering a method to turn electoral votes into his column in North Carolina — however he stressed the value of the Rust Belt.

    “We require to double down on Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania,” he stated.

    Biden and his White Home team — Very first Woman Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff — have actually been to Michigan a lots times jointly given that his re-election project released in 2015, according to an NBC News tally. The group has actually represented 10 journeys to Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, while they have actually gone to Georgia 8 times, Nevada and Arizona 7 times and North Carolina 5 times, according to the NBC Think piece.

    The very first woman strategies to take a trip to Wisconsin Thursday, where she will offer an early afternoon project speech in Green Bay. The city is the federal government and population center in Brown County, among the country’s crucial swing locations. From there, Jill Biden prepares to fly to Duluth, Minn., for a speech in a state that her spouse won in 2020 however that the Trump project has actually allocated as a pickup chance. On Friday and Saturday, she will project in Nevada and Arizona.

    The project’s choice to send her to Minnesota recommends that there is at least some issue in Biden’s circles about Trump’s inroads in a state Republican politicians have not won in majority a century. It has as numerous electoral votes as Wisconsin — 10 — however the majority of strategists think it is more Democratic-leaning than any of the Big 3.

    By himself, Trump has actually held 7 project occasions in Nevada, 6 each in Michigan and Pennsylvania, 3 each in Georgia and North Carolina, 2 in Wisconsin and one in Arizona, according to an NBC analysis of his travel. His schedule was constrained, he has actually stated, by the weeks he invested in a New york city courtroom before he was condemned on 34 counts associated to falsifying company records as part of a plan to assist his 2016 project by covering a declared affair that he rejects.

    Trump is arranged to appear at a rally in Detroit on Saturday and one in Racine, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. His project decreased to make assistants readily available to discuss their battlefield technique.

    Due to the fact that Democrats hold the White Home, it would be natural for them to play more defense and for Trump’s out-of-power Republican politicians to go on offense in a broader set of states. There just aren’t numerous — or possibly any — sensible targets for Biden outside the states he caught in 2020.

    Electoral mathematics has actually ended up being more complex for Biden since reapportionment following the 2020 census took an internet of 3 electoral votes far from states he won that year — consisting of one each from Michigan and Pennsylvania — and moved them into states that preferred Trump. Had Biden lost Georgia, Arizona and Nevada in 2020, and kept whatever else, he would have collected 273 electoral votes. Now, that figure is 270 — the precise number essential to win the presidency.

    Get In Nebraska. It is among 2 states, in addition to Maine, that award an electoral elect each congressional district a prospect wins. Statewide, Nebraska citizens have actually extremely preferred Republican governmental prospects in current elections. However Biden won the Omaha-based second Congressional District — and its single electoral vote — in 2020.

    It is possible that the election might boil down to that single Home district, which Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Trump and Biden every one as soon as in the last 4 election cycles.

    If Biden keeps the rust belt trifecta however loses Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, a Trump win in the Omaha district would lead to a 269-269 tie that would require the election to a vote of each state in your house. By winning the Big 3 plus Omaha — or Nevada, Georgia or Arizona — Biden would win outright.

    Khanna stated there’s something “distinctively engaging” about Biden and his financial message in the Rust Belt states, including that they represent “the clearest course to 270 electoral votes.”

    This short article was initially released on NBCNews.com

  • Biden campaign ramps up outreach to Black voters in Wisconsin as some organizers worry about turnout

    Biden campaign ramps up outreach to Black voters in Wisconsin as some organizers worry about turnout

    Racine, Wisconsin — Sheree Robinson was excited about being invited to ride in President Joe Biden’s motorcade during his trip to Wisconsin Wednesday. The Black mother of two and longtime resident of Racine said education funding in Mr. Biden’s American Rescue Plan enabled her to earn a HSED, a High School Equivalency Diploma. 

    “Our conversation was just so natural,” she said of the president. “He definitely has my vote, and I will talk to everyone else and let them know he needs their vote, too.”

    Asked if she thought he’d win this November, Robinson replied, “Why wouldn’t he?”

    Mr. Biden has a head start on former President Donald Trump in outreach and organizing support with Black communities. As part of a $14 million ad buy announced on Tuesday, the Biden campaign said there would be a seven-figure investment on ad buys in Black, Hispanic and AAPI media. The campaign says it will also have 46 offices across the battleground state, with headquarters in Milwaukee, a city where 39% of the population is Black according to the U.S. Census.

    The Black vote is a crucial bloc of Mr. Biden’s support, and national polling has shown a slight but nonetheless significant decline in enthusiasm. A 2020 CBS News national exit poll showed that 87% of Black voters supported Mr. Biden. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll from April showed a decrease in Black voters who said they’re “absolutely certain to vote,” dropping from 74% in June 2020 to 62% in April. 

    And the race in the state is tight. A CBS News April poll of Wisconsin found that 50% of likely voters supported Mr. Trump, while 49% support Mr. Biden. Turnout in Milwaukee decreased slightly from 2016 to 2020, according to local news outlet Wisconsin Watch.  

    “Even if only 85% of Black voters instead of 90% vote for Biden, additional turnout helps Democrats,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Concern No. 1 is just whether he will get a smaller share of the Black vote than he did last time around.”

    After he announced a $3.3 billion investment by Microsoft for a new data center in Racine County, Mr. Biden visited the Dr. John Bryant Community Center on Wednesday to meet with a room full of Black Wisconsin voters and volunteers who were being trained on using a voter outreach app. 

    In a memo, the campaign said the event is the first in a series of engagements the campaign has booked in May “that focus on deepening our organizing presence with the core constituencies that will be critical in this election.”

    “When I run in [my home state of] Delaware — not a joke — I get 90% of the African-American vote in off years and [presidential election] years, because you’re the most loyal constituency,” he told the crowd.

    US-VOTE-POLITICS-BIDEN
    US President Joe Biden takes a picture with supporters as he meets with campaign volunteers at Dr. John Bryant Community Center in Racine, Wisconsin, on May 8, 2024.

    MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images


    At that stop, Andrea Dyess talked with Mr. Biden about her battle with cancer 14 years ago, and how the healthcare costs nearly bankrupted her. She praised the Affordable Care Act and also said democracy was a key issue for her vote this November. 

    She let out a sigh when asked what she thought about Mr. Biden’s chances this November. 

    “Wisconsin is a hard state. But we’re going to make it blue,” she said, adding that her community in Racine has shown “strong” support for Mr. Biden. 

    Janet Mitchell, a 77-year-old Black voter in Racine, felt that voters her age would be voting for Mr. Biden but worried the response to Israeli strikes in Gaza could alienate younger voters. 

    “I think what’s going on in Israel has taken their eyes off what was supposedly going to be an easy race for Biden,” Mitchell said of younger voters. “It’s going to take all of us to get Biden back in office again.”

    While the Republican National Convention is going to be held in Milwaukee this summer, the Trump campaign has not yet said whether it has any field offices in the state, or what its plans are for outreach to Black voters. 

    US-VOTE-POLITICS-BIDEN
    US President Joe Biden hugs a campaign volunteer at Dr. John Bryant Community Center in Racine, Wisconsin, on May 8, 2024.

    MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images


    As the Biden campaign ramps up its Black voter outreach, 34 miles north, in Franklin Heights, a neighborhood in northwest Milwaukee, members of the nonprofit “Black Leaders Organizing Communities” say they’ve run into apathetic voters who feel the president hasn’t done enough on the economy, education and police reform.

    “Biden ain’t doing what we asked him to do… he needs to show us more,” said Antonio Hampton, a 45-year-old member of Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC). “We’re fighting for him to show us more, we want him there. Because we don’t want Trump in.”

    “When we’re out here canvassing, talking to people, they say ‘my vote don’t count.’ Because when they do go out and vote… nothing’s changed for them,” said 43 year-old BLOC member Broshea Jackson. “Our job is to educate them and make them understand why their vote is so valuable.”

    Tamer Malone, a 26-year-old who worked with BLOC to support Biden during the 2020 election, felt that his term has been “disappointing” on education and on police reform, but said local government officials share some of the blame, too. 

    She added that some Black voters in her community have been leaning toward Trump because of the stimulus checks they received at the peak of COVID-19 – though Malone notes that “was going to be distributed anyways, because it was a pandemic.”

    “They’re kind of neck and neck right now,” she said of Biden and Trump in the state. “Biden to me is ahead by a hair [in Wisconsin]. And that hair is the Black and Brown community. He just needs to step up. There’s so little time to turn around our community and make us feel like he’s worth our vote and voice.”

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  • Maddow Blog | Thursday’s Campaign Round-Up, 5.9.24

    Maddow Blog | Thursday’s Campaign Round-Up, 5.9.24

    Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.

    * In Wisconsin, the latest Quinnipiac University poll found President Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by six points, 50% to 44%, though the incumbent Democrat’s advantage slips to just one point when third-party candidates are added to the mix.

    * The same Quinnipiac poll in Wisconsin found Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin with a double-digit lead over her Republican rival, Eric Hovde, 54% to 42%.

    * Speaking of the Badger State, former House Speaker Paul Ryan confirmed this week that he will not vote for Trump in the fall. “Character is too important to me, and it’s a job that requires the kind of character he just doesn’t have,” the former congressman said.

    * Ohio’s Republican-led legislature was expected to tweak the state’s deadlines to ensure that Biden would appear on Ohio’s general election ballot. But what was supposed to be a relatively straightforward process has grown quite messy, and as NBC News reported, it now appears litigation will be needed to resolve the matter.

    * In Indiana’s 7th congressional district, Jennifer Pace appears to be on track to win the Republican Party’s nomination, which is problematic because Pace died in March.

    * Following some brutal media appearances, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem canceled some on-air interviews yesterday, blaming the weather.

    * And Politico reported this week, “FreedomWorks, the once-swaggering conservative organization that helped turn tea party protesters into a national political force, is shutting down, according to its president.” The libertarian-minded Obama-era organization focused on government spending and combatting “big government,” neither of which are especially important to the Trumpified GOP.

    This article was originally published on MSNBC.com

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  • Republicans approve audit of Wisconsin diversity, equity and inclusion practices

    Republicans approve audit of Wisconsin diversity, equity and inclusion practices

    The Republican-led Legislative Joint Audit Committee voted to approve the start of an audit Tuesday into diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) activities across state agencies. (Screenshot via Wiseye)

    The Wisconsin Republican-led Legislative Joint Audit Committee approved the start of an audit Tuesday into diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) activities across state agencies. 

    The action is Republicans’ latest move to target DEI initiatives across the state. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) called for the audit at the end of 2023 — following a deal with the UW system to limit DEI that he described as “just the first step in what will be our continuing efforts to eliminate these cancerous DEI practices.”

    State Auditor Joe Chrisman told lawmakers that it will be a “large” audit that would likely go into 2025, around the time that the Legislature begins gearing up to write the next state budget. 

    A memo by the Legislative Audit Bureau said the audit would look to determine specific activities performed in compliance with Executive Order 59, which Gov. Tony Evers signed in 2019, requiring state agencies to create equity and inclusion plans and other strategic plans, analyze how much is spent by agencies for DEI activities, including for staffing, and review reported outcomes resulting from DEI activities. 

    Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback called Republicans’ decision to launch the audit on social media the “most flagrant and sweeping example to date of Republicans’ efforts in recent years to weaponize” the Legislative Audit Bureau — “an entity that used to enjoy bipartisan credibility and support,” to “conduct purely ideological and politically-driven exercises at the behest of GOP committee chairs.” 

    Committee co-chair Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Green Bay) called DEI a “neo-Marxian philosophy meant to pit one socially-constructed class against another,” and called diversity, equity and inclusion efforts related to race or ethnicity “rebranded ethnic nationalism.” He added that Evers “divided Wisconsinites into identity groups against each other’s benefit” with his 2019 executive order. 

    “I look forward to this audit to uncover the monies that are being spent and tactics used to achieve state-sponsored discrimination against individuals,” Wimberger said.

    Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) called Wimberger’s opening comments “kind of far-right wing” and said they made clear the “intention of this audit.” 

    Lawmakers heard from Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld and Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman during the public hearing about the audit. 

    Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld told lawmakers that DEI has been a priority for the Evers administration, and that it isn’t limited to one agency but is “a principle and a strategy that is executed by every agency and impacts every state employee in the services.”

    “The governor recognizes that implementing best practices relating to efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce allows us to better recruit and retain talented staff, improve outcomes and deliver effective and efficient services,” Blumenfeld said. 

    Blumenfeld pointed to the state’s “Hire Anywhere in Wisconsin” initiative which helps support geographic diversity — hiring beyond Milwaukee and Madison — in the state’s workforce.

    “We have a good story to tell and we will watch it unfold through this audit,” Blumenfeld said. 

    Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman explained to lawmakers that the UW system uses DEI as a “portion of a holistic” approach to improving student success. 

    “We need to encourage more students from underrepresented groups, whether they be first generation students, veterans, students of lower socioeconomic means or racially diverse students, to attend our universities so that we can create a prosperous future for both those individuals and for the state of Wisconsin,” Rothman said. 

    Rothman told lawmakers that the UW system would cooperate fully with the audit, but said there were concerns about what the scope of the audit would be in practice. 

    “I’m struggling with what the standards of the audit might be, but again, we are willing to work with the committee. We’re willing to work with the state auditor to try to define that,” Rothman said. 

    The scope of the audit — and potential impacts of the findings — came up repeatedly in questions by  lawmakers as well. 

    Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) asked Blumenfeld if she thought the state’s program to hire geographically diverse workers could be affected by the audit. 

    “Could this audit impact employment in terms of your ability to retain and recruit different employees from across the state, not including Madison and Milwaukee?” Hong asked. 

    DOA head Blumenfeld responded that she would wait to see the audit unfold.

    Rep. John Macco (R-Ledgeview) asked the state auditor about whether the audit would look at whether DEI affects sports programs. 

    “As they recruit people into the sports teams, are they under the same guise of the DEI requirements and some of the other impacts?… Are we requiring our sports leadership teams to recruit from diverse groups, from physically disabled groups, from cultural groups?” Macco asked. 

    Chrisman, the state auditor, responded that “if that’s a narrative interest, we’ll certainly try to, try to understand it.” 

    The committee approved the audit in a party line vote with Hong, Carpenter, Sen. Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) and Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee) voting against.

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    The post Republicans approve audit of Wisconsin diversity, equity and inclusion practices appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner.

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  • Madison Bergmann allegedly moved student victim’s desk so she could rub his legs

    Madison Bergmann allegedly moved student victim’s desk so she could rub his legs

    Madison Bergmann, the Wisconsin teacher busted for allegedly “making out” with an 11-year-old in her classroom, allegedly moved the victim’s desk next to hers so that she could touch him during class without the other students seeing.

    “My daughter thought he was a problem kid,” another student’s mom told The Post. “She said that his desk got moved next to [Bergmann’s] a couple of months ago, and she just assumed that he was in trouble.

    “When it was time for lunch, she’d ask him to stay after class,” the mom continued, “so that just fed into the idea that he was constantly getting into trouble.”

    The abuse allegedly happened in Bergmann’s classroom at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wis. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    The alleged victim told cops a similar story.

    According to a criminal complaint filed Thursday in St. Croix District Court, the fifth grader told sex crime investigators that Bergmann would rub his thigh and calves during independent reading time.

    Due to the strategic placement of his desk in her classroom at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, “he did not believe any of the other kids would see it happening,” the complaint alleged.

    The boy also confirmed to police that Bergmann would have him stay after class. He claimed that Bergmann kissed him several times in her classroom, either after school or while the other students were at lunch.

    Madison Bergmann is free on $25,000 bond. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    Bergmann, 24, is charged with first-degree child sexual assault of a child under age 13.

    The boy’s family had befriended Bergmann, even going with her on a ski trip to Afton Alps, a nearby resort. Bergmann told authorities she received the boy’s number during that weekend.

    Last week, the boy’s mother overheard a troubling phone call and alerted the boy’s father. According to the complaint, the father confiscated the boy’s phone and read his text messages.

    In one text, according to the complaint, Bergmann told the boy that she “wanted to just grab your face and push you to the floor and make out with you.” In another text, she allegedly told him that, “I almost kissed you when you were on the ground today, but I got distracted by your stomach.”

    The boy’s enraged father printed out the texts and took them to the school. Authorities immediately opened an investigation.

    Cops searched Bergmann’s backpack and allegedly found a folder with the victim’s name on it. Inside were several handwritten letters.

    “In her notes she tells him that she loves him, wants to kiss him, he turns her on, and that she is obsessed with him,” the complaint says.

    Bergmann is free on a $25,000 bond. She has disabled her social media and is not allowed on school property or at school events. It’s unclear if she has yet hired an attorney authorized to speak on her behalf.

    Madison Bergmann and former fiancee Sam Hickman. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    Additionally, Bergmann, who was engaged to be married to Sam Hickman, will no longer be walking down the aisle in July.

    “It’s been indefinitely postponed,” a pal of her fiance told The Post Saturday.

    “And it probably won’t happen. He is really upset and heartbroken. He’s embarrassed and pissed. He didn’t deserve this. Everyone is pissed.”

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  • Madison Bergmann’s alleged 11-yo victim’s family enraged

    Madison Bergmann’s alleged 11-yo victim’s family enraged

    Madison Bergmann, the Wisconsin teacher busted for allgedly ‘making out’ with an 11-year-old in the halls of River Crest Elementary School was constantly thirsting for attention — leaving the family of her alleged victim furious.

    “Oh, they’re full of rage about this,” the mom of one of Bergman’s other students told The Post. “They’re out for her head. Everyone is. There are group texts and meetings, and people are checking in with [the family] to make sure they’re okay. It’s a mess.”

    While the families are outraged, the mom says there was always something which struck her as weird about Bergmann’s behavior.

    Madison Bergmann in a photo from her scocial media Madison Bergman/Facebook

    “I just suspected something was off,” says the mom. “Just a weird feeling. She was an attention seeker. A selfie queen. Pictures of herself from every angle, pictures of her cup of coffee, pictures of her cute shoes. Just one of those girls.”

    Bergmann, 24, has been charged with one count of first-degree child sexual assault. She was arrested after the victim’s parents found texts between the pair, according to charging documents obtained by the Post.

    The boy’s enraged father allegedly printed out the conversations and stormed into River Crest Elementary School. The school then contacted authorities, sparking an investigation.

    The charging documents allege the texts revealed intimate messages from Bergmann detailing their encounters inside the classroom during lunch or after school —  including texts telling the boy how much she enjoyed him touching her and “making out.”

    Additionally, cops say they found a folder with the victim’s name on it in her bag. The folder allegedly contained handwritten notes talking about how much they kissed.

    Bergman’s allegedly had inappropriate contact with the 11-year-old in her classroom during lunch breaks. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    In one of the letters, Bergmann allegedly wrote, “One of my cousins is in the 5th grade and I can’t imagine a man talking to her how we talk. I know we have a special relationship and I do love you more than anyone in the world but I have to be the adult here and stop.”

    When confronted with the letters, authorities say Bergmann invoked her right to hire an attorney.

    Cops do not state how long the alleged abuse had been going on, but Bergmann told investigators she had a close relationship with the family, and she got the boy’s number in December when the family invited her to the Afton Alps for winter break.

    Bergmann and fiancee Sam Hicks. Madison Bergmann/Facebook

    Bergmann is free on a $25,000 bond. She has disabled her social media and is not allowed on school property or at school events. It’s unclear if she has yet hired an attorney authorized to speak on her behalf.

    Additionally, Bergmann, who was engaged to be married, will no longer be walking down the aisle in July.

    “It’s been indefinitely postponed,” a pal of her fiancee said on Saturday. “And it probably won’t happen. He is really upset and heartbroken. He’s embarrassed and pissed. He didn’t deserve this. Everyone is pissed.”

    In a note to parents, the Hudson School District said they would provide counseling professionals for Bergmann’s students.

    “We understand the gravity of this situation and are committed to providing the necessary support for any child who may be impacted,” the district wrote.

    “We kindly request the school community to respect the privacy of Hudson students and their families and refrain from spreading rumors or speculation.”

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  • A Former Milwaukee Election Official Is Fined $3,000 for Obtaining Fake Absentee Ballots

    A Former Milwaukee Election Official Is Fined $3,000 for Obtaining Fake Absentee Ballots

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A former Milwaukee election official convicted of misconduct in office and fraud for obtaining fake absentee ballots was sentenced Thursday to one year of probation and fined $3,000.

    Kimberly Zapata, 47, also was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service.

    Prosecutors charged Zapata in November 2022 with one felony count of misconduct in public office and three misdemeanor counts of election fraud. A jury in March found her guilty on all four counts.

    Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Kori Ashley rejected an argument by Zapata’s attorneys that she was acting as a whistleblower, telling her before handing down the sentence that she had ways to make her point other than breaking the law.

    Speaking just before the sentence was handed down, Zapata said she regretted her actions that she said “stemmed from a complete emotional breakdown,” Wisconsin Public Radio reported. She said she has autism spectrum disorder, which makes it difficult for her to regulate emotions, sensory input and thought processes.

    “When someone uses my name, I want them to think of good qualities and the good things I have done,” Zapata said. “I don’t wish to be forever attached to what I did in that 8-minute window of my life.”

    Photos You Should See – April 2024

    The felony charge carried a maximum sentence of 3 1/2 years in prison. Each misdemeanor count carried a maximum six-month sentence.

    Milwaukee Assistant District Attorney Matthew Westphal said Zapata’s actions were “an attack on our electoral system,” which only works if the public can trust those administering it.

    “Accusations of election fraud have literally led to violence and a violent insurrection in Washington, D.C.,” Westphal said. “That’s kind of the behavior we’re looking at here on the spectrum. That’s where we end up when we have people that are violating their duties, and that are putting forth this false information.”

    In a sentencing memorandum, Zapata’s defense attorney Daniel Adams recommended a $500 fine and said any time behind bars would be “a gross injustice and completely unnecessary.”

    “She has zero prior criminal record and has been convicted of non-violent offenses,” he wrote to Ashley. “Her intention was not to steal votes but to expose a legitimate flaw in the elections system.”

    Zapata served as deputy director at the Milwaukee Election Commission in October 2022 when she used her work-issued laptop to obtain three military absentee ballots using fake names and Social Security numbers, according to a criminal complaint. She sent the ballots to Republican state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, an election conspiracy theorist, two weeks before the state’s gubernatorial and legislative elections.

    After officials learned of her actions, she was fired from her job with the city.

    Active military personnel do not have to register to vote or provide photo identification to obtain absentee ballots in Wisconsin. Zapata told investigators that she was stressed over death threats commission staff had been receiving from election conspiracy theorists and she wanted to shift their attention to real flaws in the system.

    Milwaukee, home to the largest number of Democrats in Wisconsin, has been a target for complaints from former President Donald Trump and his supporters, who made unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud to attack Biden’s 2020 victory.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Wisconsin’s RNC delegation lands downtown hotel after first being steered to Racine

    Wisconsin’s RNC delegation lands downtown hotel after first being steered to Racine

    WASHINGTON – Downtown hotels will be hard to come by when the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee in just over two months.

    But Wisconsin’s convention delegation have secured their rooms.

    The state’s delegation will stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites just half a mile from Fiserv Forum, the epicenter of the July 15-18 convention, after originally being slated to stay at a hotel in Racine, a Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesman told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week.

    Milwaukee's downtown Hampton Inn and Suites will house the Wisconsin delegation during the Republican National Convention.

    Milwaukee’s downtown Hampton Inn and Suites will house the Wisconsin delegation during the Republican National Convention.

    Exactly why the delegation was moved from Racine to the downtown Milwaukee hotel was not immediately clear, though one GOP official told the Journal Sentinel Tuesday the change was made during a back and forth between the Wisconsin delegation and the RNC.

    But the downtown hotel has faced financial trouble in recent years. The Hampton Inn & Suites closed temporarily last May but reopened under new owners — the fourth operators in just over four years.

    The Hampton Inn & Suites is just one of many around Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin the convention will put to use. Organizers have contracted with 111 hotels in Wisconsin for the RNC, officials told the Journal Sentinel.

    Organizers try to keep the members of each state delegation together in a hotel or in neighboring hotels for reasons including the ease of transportation and camaraderie, but figuring out who goes where can be complicated. Some of it has to do with politics.

    “Who are good supporters? Who is doing good work in their states? Who are the good actors? Who is working hard? Who is meeting certain deliverables and benchmarks in their states?” Elise Dickens, the chief executive officer for the Republican National Committee, said in March.

    Other hotel assignments have not been publicly released.

    Alison Dirr of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

    This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin RNC delegation lands downtown Milwaukee hotel assignment

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  • Maddow Blog | Republicans assemble oddly insulting set of 2024 candidates with Senate control on the line

    Maddow Blog | Republicans assemble oddly insulting set of 2024 candidates with Senate control on the line

    Several important swing states, like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, are anticipating hotly contested Senate races, with Senate control among the major stakes of the 2024 election, and yet the Republican Party has fielded candidates for these key races with surprisingly deficient local connections and insultingly flimsy fake biographies. Rachel Maddow reports.

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  • Democrats start out ahead in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin 2024 Senate races — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll

    Democrats start out ahead in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin 2024 Senate races — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll

    As Democrats play defense in U.S. Senate races this year, two battleground-state incumbents start out ahead in their reelection campaigns. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin are currently leading their lesser-known Republican challengers by seven points.

    Both Casey and Baldwin enjoyed large margins of victory in 2018, but their reelection bids look more competitive at the moment in what is a more challenging environment. We find plenty of undecided voters and good reasons for the races to tighten as the campaigns heat up this fall.

    senate-vote-choice-pa.png

    senate-vote-choice-wi.png

    Why things might change

    These estimates are snapshots of the race early in the election cycle. With several months to go before voting starts, there is plenty of time for movement. 

    So here’s why things could change: For one, the Republicans in the race are not well known to voters. It was under a week ago that David McCormick officially became the GOP nominee in Pennsylvania. He also ran for Senate in 2022, but lost to Mehmet Oz in the GOP primary. Eric Hovde in Wisconsin is currently much less familiar to voters than Baldwin, but the primary there isn’t until August, giving him plenty of time to get on voters’ radars and make his case.

    Despite enjoying higher name recognition than their challengers, both Casey and Baldwin are under 50% in the current preferences of likely voters. That leaves some work for them to do to persuade enough undecided voters to get them over the top. And they would be doing so in a different environment than the one six years ago. Back then, widespread anger toward Donald Trump propelled huge turnout and a blue wave. Today, many voters are unhappy with President Biden’s job performance, and the presidential race is very competitive in these states right now.

    And importantly, when you look at their recent votes for president and Congress, the undecided in these Senate races are by and large Republican voters — not surprising since they may not yet be familiar with their party’s nominee. They’re mostly voting for Trump at the top of the ticket. So there are lots of voters up for grabs who otherwise lean Republican.

    Given the decline in ticket splitting, our baseline expectation should be that these undecided voters will pick GOP candidates down ballot. In fact, only 5% of likely voters in Pennsylvania and 4% in Wisconsin are currently choosing different parties for president and Senate, slightly benefiting the Democratic senators at the moment. If undecided voters were choosing the same party for president and Senate, the margin in both races would tighten to under five points.


    These CBS News/YouGov surveys were conducted between April 19-25, 2024. They are based on representative samples of 1,306 registered voters in Pennsylvania and 1,245 in Wisconsin. Margins of error for likely voters are ±3.1 points in Pennsylvania and ±3.3 points in Wisconsin.

    Pennysylvania toplines

    Wisconsin toplines



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  • CBS News poll finds Biden-Trump race tight in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

    CBS News poll finds Biden-Trump race tight in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

    For years, they’ve been three of the handful of states that decided presidential elections. In the summer of 2020, amid the COVID pandemic and lockdown debates, sizable majorities in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania rated state economies badly. Incumbent President Donald Trump trailed in polls, and ultimately, the three close contests were won by challenger Joe Biden.

    Four years on, some things haven’t changed. We have the same two candidates locked in close — effectively even — races. And there are still negative views of the economy that now, as then, weigh on the 2024 incumbent, President Biden.

    Given the views of these candidates, the summer campaign here might be an argument about who is the less bad option: both candidates elicit more feelings of worry than confidence, more insecurity than security, and plenty of anger.

    now-vs-looking-back-state-economy.png

    With inflation looming large in their minds, most voters don’t say there’s even been improvement in their state’s economy post-pandemic: only a quarter say it has improved in the years since, with about half saying it has actually gotten worse.

    And few say their own finances are better compared to before the pandemic. This may be an essential part of their memory — comparing to before the coronavirus.

    state-economy-since-covid-pandemic.png

    Amid those poor economic numbers, here’s a change that’s working against Mr. Biden: he narrowly trails Donald Trump on “understands the needs and concerns of people like you.” That means he’s losing an edge he enjoyed in the summer of 2020 when we asked voters in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this question.

    better-understands-wi.png

    The choice between Mr. Biden and Trump now predominantly draws out negative feelings like worry and anger.

    Twice as many say Mr. Biden makes them feel worried as say he makes them feel either secure or confident. He trails Trump on making voters feel confident and secure.

    Trump, for his part, elicits more feelings of anger, which does fuel opposition to him, helping keep Mr. Biden in these races, despite sour economic views.

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    Another change is that voters are less likely to see Mr. Biden as “moderate” now than they were in 2020, blunting another item that worked to his advantage four years ago. The percentage of self-described moderates who see Biden as a moderate has decreased.

    Finances and the economy

    As we’ve seen nationwide, voters today recall their state’s economy “when Donald Trump was president” quite differently from the way it was viewed back in 2020, specifically. Ratings of the economy were quite low that year. So it may well be that when they think back about the Trump years, they’re thinking back to before the pandemic. That matters a lot for how they perceive their choice of Trump and Mr. Biden now.

    state-economy-summer-2020-vs-retrospective.png

    Thinking in retrospect about the economy under Trump while skipping over the pandemic in 2020 lends itself to a more favorable comparison with the economy now, under Mr. Biden. Moreover, many voters say their own finances today are worse than during the time before the pandemic.

    finances-now-vs-pre-covid.png

    And so, today we find plenty of voters want to change back: in all three states, many believe they would be financially better off with Trump back in office. Voters who feel this way are voting for him in large numbers.

    personal-finances-if-biden-or-trump-wins.png

    Mr. Biden’s perceived advantage on helping the middle class instead of the wealthy, at least relative to Trump, has taken a hit in Pennsylvania since the fall of 2020. That fall, voters felt Mr. Biden’s policies would be less likely than Trump’s to favor the wealthy. That’s still the case, but today, the gap between the two candidates has narrowed.

    biden-policies-favor-wealthy.png

    Defining the stakes

    So, given all that economic pessimism, what keeps Biden even? 

    First, there are other issues. 

    There’s an ongoing battle between the campaigns to define the stakes of the election this year. The Biden camp is pressing perceived risks to democracy, including infringements on rights, while the Trump campaign is hammering the incumbent on the economy. 

    Many rank both economy and democracy as important because it’s not an either-or-choice, but more rate the economy and inflation as major factors, compared to the state of democracy. 

    That advantages Trump, partly because he does a little better among those prioritizing the economy than Mr. Biden does with voters ranking democracy highly.

    vote-choice-by-economy-democracy-major-factor.png

    Abortion 

    It may be a state issue on policy, but it’s national politically — especially for Democrats — and it does accrue to their advantage.

    Sizable numbers in these states express anger about Roe v. Wade being overturned — most of them blame Trump for it, and they’re overwhelmingly backing Mr. Biden. 

    feel-about-roe-overturn-wi.png

    Most voters in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan report paying attention to events in other states like Florida and Arizona, so what individual states do has some national resonance.

    following-news-about-abortion-in-other-states.png

    That said, the race is more competitive among voters who are dissatisfied but not angry about the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. 

    These are voters to watch in the coming months. They could become potential persuasion targets for the Biden campaign, because most of them do favor abortion being legal in their state but don’t blame Trump for the overturning of Roe. The question will be whether they increase in anger, in blame of Trump, or in the salience of the issue overall. 

    vote-choice-by-feelings-about-roe-overturn.png

    Overall, abortion is still not as salient across the whole electorate as economic concerns. It trails far behind the economy and inflation, among other factors in each state.

    And how people feel about the financial impact of the next president is more closely related to their vote than whether they want abortion to be legal or not.

    major-factor-in-vote-mi.png

    Trump’s trial: not much of a factor

    Trump’s trial in New York isn’t much of a factor at the moment because it’s mostly Democrats and Biden voters who are paying attention, in the form of hearing or reading a lot about it.

    And even among Trump voters, the ones already strong in their support of him — and therefore, unlikely to be moved by much — are the ones who report paying more attention than do his less-committed supporters. 

    Overall, voters are equally likely to be concerned that the charges are politically motivated as they are that Trump committed a crime.

    trump-trial-heard-or-read-a-lot.png

    trump-trial-bigger-concern.png

    Breaking down vote patterns

    Here’s another notable change from 2020, and it’s within each candidate’s support set, perhaps reflecting voter displeasure with having this rematch:

    Each candidate’s “very strong” support number among backers is lower than it was in 2020 even though, at the same time, very few of them say they would ever consider switching candidates.

    So, with this kind of dynamic, it would not be surprising to see lower turnout rates or even higher third-party voting than the last election saw.

    vote-choice-pa.png

    vote-choice-mi.png

    vote-choice-wi.png

    Biden and young voters

    There’s been a lot of discussion about Mr. Biden’s slipping approval among younger voters and about his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, approving is not the same as voting. One is an evaluation, the other, a choice. 

    The young voters who want Mr. Biden to tell Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza are still voting for him, at about the same rate as younger voters overall. That said, expressed vote choice now isn’t the same as turning out in November, and as a group, young voters aren’t as likely to say they will.

    A Biden administration proposal that is popular with younger voters is canceling some student loan debt. Solid majorities of voters under 45 approve, and those who do are backing Mr. Biden in large numbers. And if they aren’t backing him, those who approve of the plan are more likely to say they would consider voting for him.

    Third-party tests

    In political polling, third-party measures can mean a lot of things. Sometimes they’re genuine support, sometimes they’re a way to voice a protest early in a cycle. Third-party candidates have tended to poll better than they perform at the ballot box in recent years, as some voters dissatisfied with major-party nominees simply don’t show up to vote at all. Either way, it’ll certainly be a story to watch in 2024 in states where such candidates are on the ballot. 

    In Michigan, with the presence of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. the net gap between Mr. Biden and Trump is the same, but Kennedy looks like he’s drawing more interest from the kinds of voters backing Trump than backing Mr. Biden.

    Most of those picking Kennedy in a four-way ballot test backed Trump initially in a two-way race with Mr. Biden, including leaners. 

    Kennedy’s supporters look more like Republicans than Democrats on a variety of measures, including their views on the economy, immigrants, and Trump’s trial, as well as how they voted recently, despite the fact that they often identify as moderates. (That can mean they just don’t feel at home in the usual political labels.)

    And eight in 10 say Mr. Biden makes them feel worried, while only half say so of Trump.

    It’s important to consider who picks each candidate, not just where the horse race ends up, when looking at the impact going forward in a campaign.

    vote-choice-mi-four-way.png

    These CBS News/YouGov surveys were conducted between April 19-25, 2024. They are based on representative samples of 1,287 registered voters in Michigan, 1,306 in Pennsylvania, and 1,245 in Wisconsin. Margins of error for registered voters: Michigan +/- 3.1 points, Pennsylvania +/- 3.1 points, and Wisconsin +/- 3.2 points.

    Michigan toplines

    Pennsylvania toplines

    Wisconsin toplines

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  • Jury Finds Wisconsin Man Guilty in Killing, Sexual Assault of 20-Month-Old Girl

    Jury Finds Wisconsin Man Guilty in Killing, Sexual Assault of 20-Month-Old Girl

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man has been convicted in the sexual assault and killing of a 20-month-old girl and abusing the child’s mother who then was his girlfriend.

    A jury on Friday found Marshawn Giles guilty of 15 charges including first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree child sexual assault resulting in great bodily harm and second-degree sexual assault. Giles had faced 18 criminal counts, but three were dropped.

    Authorities have said the toddler died in 2022 in Madison from blunt force injuries to her head, leaving her with multiple skull fractures. An autopsy also noted blunt force injuries elsewhere that were consistent with sexual assault.

    The second phase of Giles’ trial is expected to start next week. Defense attorneys will attempt to show he suffered from a mental disease or defect and was not criminally responsible for his actions at the time of the child’s death, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – April 2024

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  • Wisconsin Prison Inmate Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Cellmate

    Wisconsin Prison Inmate Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Cellmate

    FOND DU LAC, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin prison inmate charged with killing her cellmate pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree intentional homicide.

    Taylor Sanchez, 28, an inmate at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution, entered the plea during her arraignment in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court in the death of Cindy Schulz-Juedes.

    Schulz-Juedes, 68, was beaten to death on July 19, 2023, in the cell that she shared with Sanchez. Sanchez was charged in January.

    A phone message seeking comment was left for Sanchez’s public defender Tuesday evening.

    Sanchez said she had stopped taking her medications, was hearing voices, and killed her cellmate because she thought the victim was using her toothbrush to scrub the toilet, court records say.

    Sanchez was serving a two-year sentence for battery out of Kenosha County, Wisconsin Department of Corrections records show.

    Photos You Should See – April 2024

    Schulz-Juedes was convicted in Marathon County in October 2021 of being a party to first-degree intentional homicide and other charges in the fatal shooting of her husband, Kenneth Juedes, 58. She was sentenced in June 2022 to life in prison without the chance of parole.

    Kenneth Juedes, a pharmacist, was shot twice on Aug. 29, 2006, at the couple’s home in the town of Hull.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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  • Sturgeon travels record-setting distance down Mississippi, officials say. ‘What a trek!’

    Sturgeon travels record-setting distance down Mississippi, officials say. ‘What a trek!’

    Wildlife officials announced the discovery of a sturgeon that traveled a record 651 miles down the Mississippi River system.

    A lake sturgeon with a Wisconsin tag was recently spotted at the Lock 26 Dam on the Mississippi River near Alton, Illinois, according to an April 22 Facebook post from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

    “Our biologists confirmed that this sturgeon was initially tagged on the Chippewa River and swam at least 651 miles from Jim Falls,” DNR officials said. “That impressive journey is the longest-known distance a Chippewa River lake sturgeon has traveled!”

    Officials said the sturgeon was initially tagged at least 10 years ago and possibly as long as 25 years ago, but more precise date and location information was unavailable.

    Lake sturgeon can live to be 100 years old — with females reaching 150 — and are known to travel great distances, migrating “300 miles or more throughout contiguous bodies of water,” according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

    No federal protections for lake sturgeon

    The species itself is about 100 million years old, emerging around the time the dinosaurs went extinct, according to Wisconsin officials.

    Despite their longevity, overharvesting and habitat degradation have significantly reduced sturgeon populations around the world, including in the Midwestern United States.

    However, on Monday, April 22, federal wildlife officials announced that lake sturgeon don’t need Endangered Species Act protections, citing the success of stocking efforts.

    The decision ends the Center for Biological Diversity’s 2018 petition to list lake sturgeon as an endangered or threatened species.

    Sturgeon spearing seasons in Wisconsin and Michigan will continue as a result.

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