(The Center Square) – It doesn’t look like the leadership in the Wisconsin legislature will be changing next year.

Republicans in the Assembly re-elected Speaker Robin Vos, while Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate re-elected Dianne Hesselbein as Minority Leader.

Senate Republicans last week re-elected Sen. Devin LeMahieu as Majority Leader.

Democrats in the Assembly are the only ones who have not yet voted for their leader. That vote is set for Tuesday.

The leadership re-elections signal that next year likely won’t be that much different from the past two years at the Capitol in Madison.

In fact, both Vos and Hasselbein said their priorities for the new session are no different than their priorities from the one that’s about to end.

“We have an opportunity to make sure that the wishes of the public in Wisconsin become the reality that we work on over the next 14 to 15 months,” Vols told reporters.

The new legislature will be tasked with writing a new state budget.

Hesselbein said Democrats want to add to that state budget and spend more on Gov. Tony Evers’ top priorities.

“We know that there's no reason we should be fighting on these. Whether it's Medicaid expansion, supporting K-12 [education], higher education, technical colleges, paid family medical leave, and helping support those people that with Child Care Counts. These are issues that we all care deeply about, and those are the things that we're going to be fighting for on day one,” Hesselbein said.

Vos said Assembly Republicans are not looking to spend any more money in the new state budget.

“Voters are saying they want us to focus on what's important to them. I think our campaigns really did that. They were focused almost entirely on ‘How do we deal with the inflation that's ravaging through every income strata and every part of Wisconsin?’ If you talk to most folks they know the price of groceries. They know that rent is higher. They know that the cost of just about everything is higher,” Vos said. “We have a record-surplus and…at least for Assembly Republicans, we are not in a rush to spend that. We are in a rush to return it back to the people of Wisconsin. The best way that we can help folks deal with inflation is by putting the money that they overpaid back in their wallets, so that they can choose to spend it on things that are important to their family. So that's going to be something that we work on right away next spring.”

The new legislature will take its oath and begin its new session in January.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary.

“I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” Trump said in a statement. “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.”

The lifelong Democrat became an Independent during his presidential campaign and then endorsed Trump, helping propel Trump to victory.

Kennedy has been outspoken about the need to take on corporate food companies as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to address the chronic health crisis in America.

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” Trump said. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”

Kennedy is also known for his skepticism of some vaccines.

Kennedy has pushed his “Make America Healthy Again” movement in recent months, raising concerns about the chemicals in American food and how federal health agencies have either allowed harmful food and drugs or been coopted by corporations.

The MAHA website emphasizes regenerative agriculture, habitat preservation, combatting corporate corruption and removing toxins from the environment.

“Robert F Kennedy Jr will be The Secretary of Health and Human Services!” Donald Trump Jr. posted on X. “Promises Made Promises Kept.”

Republicans will again control the U.S. House of Representatives, multiple media outlets are projecting.

The call means President-elect Donald Trump is at the helm as Republicans have secured all three branches of the federal government.

Decision Desk HQ called the House for Republicans days ago, but other media outlets like CNN and NBC News held out until Wednesday afternoon to put Republicans at at least 218 seats after flipping one overall in their favor with a few more races to call.

The Associated Press and Fox News still have not called the House, leaving Republicans at 217 seats.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to serve as majority leader as Trump rolled out several picks to fill out his administration.

Republican control of the House will likely prevent Trump from facing more impeachment attempts and House investigations as well as give an edge in funding battles.

“Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump for joining House Republicans this morning,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Fla., who was reelected to his role Wednesday, wrote on X. “Our strong @HouseGOP majority is looking forward to advancing your agenda that puts the American people FIRST! As you said, we will unify and get it done!”

President-elect Donald Trump picked Tesla CEO Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

The department's acronym, DOGE, is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said the new group will pave the way for his administration to "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulation, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies."

Trump laid out lofty goals for the group in his announcement this week.

"It will become, potentially, 'The Manhatten Project,' of our time," Trump's announcement said. "Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of 'DOGE' for a very long time."

It won't be an official government agency, which will likely allow Musk and Ramaswamy to avoid public financial disclosures.

Trump said the change he's looking for won't come from within the existing federal government.

"To drive this kind of change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside the government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform and create and entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before," the announcement noted.

Trump said he looks forward to what Musk and Ramaswamy can accomplish.

"Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 trillion of government spending," he said.

Trump also gave them a deadline: July 4, 2026.

"A smaller government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy will be the perfect gift to America" on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, according to the announcement.

Ramaswamy, who dropped out the race for the GOP nomination to endorse Trump in January, has previously proposed significant cuts. During his campaign, Ramaswamy proposed cutting 75% of the federal workforce.

Musk recently suggested that he could cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, or about one-third of total U.S. spending. He's been tossing out ideas on X, previously Twitter before Musk bought the company and changed the name.

"The world is suffering slow strangulation by overregulation. Every year, the noose tightens a little more," Musk wrote in a post on X on Wednesday. "We finally have a mandate to delete the mountain of choking regulations that do not serve the greater good."

Musk also said he isn't a threat to democracy, but a threat to bureaucracy.

DOGE already has an X account. It's first post: "Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely!"

Some budget experts have called Musk's pledge to cut $2 trillion a pipe dream, noting that many of the problems DOGE wants to address have proven intractable.

Brian Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute think tank, called Musk's proposal "a random number unattached to reality."

Marc Goldwein, the senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said it could be done with 10 aggressive policies, mostly focused on Medicare and Medicaid.

"The government can legitimately save trillions over a decade by reducing waste and improving efficiency – and I hope we do," Goldwein wrote on X. "Achieving these savings requires major changes to how and how much we pay for health care."

Medicare (annual cost of about $1 trillion) is a federal health insurance program for people 65 or older, and some people younger than 65 with certain disabilities or conditions. Medicaid (annual cost of about $558 billion) is a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for some people with limited income and resources.

The Government Accountability Office, which serves as the research arm of Congress, estimated annual fraud losses cost taxpayers between $233 billion and $521 billion annually, in a report in April. The fraud estimate's range represents 3% to 7% of average federal obligations. The Office of Management and Budget publicly questioned that estimate, calling it "not plausible."

"OMB has significant concerns that this report will not further efforts to prevent and reduce fraud, but rather will create confusion and promote misleading generalizations that have no factual connection to specific federal programs," Jason Miller, the deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, wrote of OMB concerns in a three-page letter to officials with the Government Accountability Office.

On the campaign trail, Ramaswamy detailed his plan to reduce the federal workforce by 75% during an event at the America First Policy Institute in Washington in 2023.

Ramaswamy said he would shutter the FBI (about 35,000 employees); the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (5,099 employees); the U.S. Department of Education (about 4,200 employees); the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (about 3,000 employees); and the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Services (about 1,500 employees).

Under Ramaswamy's campaign plan, some 15,000 FBI employees would be moved to other agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Drug Enforcement Administration, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security.

Some groups called the Department of Government Efficiency goals a stretch. Others had more pointed things to say.

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive consumer advocacy organization founded by Ralph Nader, said the government agencies and regulations Ramaswamy proposed cutting are in place to protect people.

"The purpose of government regulations is to protect the American people," she said in a statement. "We all depend on these regulations to protect our air, water, workers, children's safety, and so much more. 'Cutting red tape' is shorthand for getting rid of the safeguards that protect us in order to benefit corporate interests."

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Vice President Kamala Harris addressed her supporters and the nation at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C. Wednesday afternoon, where she publicly conceded the race to former President Donald Trump.

Harris – the 60-year-old former California Attorney General and U.S. senator currently serving as vice president – called for loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and the peaceful transition of power in her speech.

She clearly conceded the race and pledged to help former President Donald Trump with the transition.

“My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve,” Harris said to begin her remarks. “The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when i say the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.”

Harris thanked her family, supporters, her team, President Joe Biden, her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and poll workers.

“Over the 107 days of this campaign we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by love and country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future,” Harris said. “And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us.”

Harris’ comments come as voting results continued to pour in showing former President Donald Trump either winning or leading in all seven swing states, putting him over 300 electoral votes and a roughly 5 million vote lead in the popular vote.

Now, Harris is expected to certify the election in early January ahead of Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

“We must accept the results of this election,” Harris said in her remarks. “I also told [Trump] that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transition of power.

“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign, the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people,” Harris continued.

Harris reportedly called Trump to concede the race earlier Wednesday afternoon. Harris held off on addressing her supporters or calling Trump into the early morning Wednesday as results poured in and made her path to the White House impossible.

Trump gave his own remarks early Wednesday, promising a new “golden age” in America.

“Frankly, I believe this was the greatest political movement of all time, and maybe beyond,” Trump said, promising to “help our country heal.”

President Joe Biden also reportedly called to congratulate Trump, who outperformed expectations on Tuesday after indictments, assassination attempts and constant media criticism in a historic political comeback.

No president has had two nonconsecutive terms since Grover Cleveland, who was elected president for the second time in 1892.

In her speech, Harris laid out some of the policy or ideological issues that motivated her campaign, pledging to continue to fight for those ideas.

She also spoke an encouraging message to the young people in attendance at her speech.

“To everyone who is watching … this is not a time to throw up our hands,” Harris said. “This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, to mobilize and to stay engaged for the sake of freedom and justice and the future that we all know we can build together.”

(The Center Square) – Incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin defeated Republican challenger Eric Hovde in a race declared Wednesday afternoon.

Baldwin held a lead of 28,958 votes with 49.38% of the vote to Hovde’s 48.52%.

“The voters have spoken and our campaign has won,” Baldwin wrote on social media. “Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done. I'm proud to head back to the Senate to keep fighting for our workers, farmers, and families that make our state great.”

Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done. I'm proud to head back to the Senate to keep fighting for our workers, farmers, and families that make our state great.

If the difference remains less than 1%, Hovde will automatically qualify for a re-count.

After the unofficial tallies are done, a canvas must be complete and filed by Nov. 19. Then Hovde would have three days from the time the final canvas is received to ask for a recount.

Republican leaders, including Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming, pointed toward third-party candidate Thomas Leager, who received 28,717 votes in the U.S. Senate race. Leager was found to have been funded by Democratic firms and donors despite saying that he was recruited to run by the Patriots Run Project.

Schimming called Leager and the America First party a “fake candidate under a fake party name.”

“Democrats have to come in and pose as something they are not,” Schimming said.

Schimming said that he would work with Hovde’s campaign to determine if they will ask for a recount, saying it is a “very very close race.” That decision has not been made yet, Schimming said.

(The Center Square) – Third District Congressman Rep. Derrick Van Orden defeated Rebecca Cooke in a race that was called late Wednesday morning by multiple outlets.

Van Orden, the Republican incumbent, had 51.35% of the vote with 211,696 to Cooke’s 48.65% with 200,556 votes in the district that includes Eau Claire and areas south of the city and extending east toward Oshkosh.

Incumbents won seven of the eight U.S. House seats in Wisconsin as the Republicans hold a 6-2 advantage in the state.

Republican Tony Wied topped Democrat Kristin Lyerly in the 8th District to fill an empty seat held by Republican Mike Gallagher until his April 24 resignation. Wied received 57.3% of the vote to Lyerly’s 42.7%.

Republican incumbent Reps. Bryan Steil (1st District), Scott Fitzgerald (5th District), Glenn Grothman (6th District) and Tom Tiffany (7th District) won races along with Democratic incumbents Mark Pocan (2nd District) and Gwen Moore (4th District).

Pocan represents a district including Madison and Moore represents Milwaukee.

Van Orden went back and forth during the race but ultimately did not schedule a debate.

Van Orden recently testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee about the effects of illegal immigration on Wisconsin on a statewide scale.

Van Orden fought back after Cooke incorrectly accused him of skipping a health care policy forum during the campaign.

The group organizing the forum, the Western Wisconsin Medical Society, called Cooke’s comments inaccurate and disappointing.

https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_3543096c-87f8-11ef-87e1-1bfc5f5a2ccc.html

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(The Center Square) – Wisconsin voters approved a state constitution change requiring someone to be a citizen to vote in elections.

The ballot measure had 75% approval with more than 95% of the statewide voted tallied.

Currently, the Wisconsin constitution states that "Every United States citizen age 18 or older who is a resident of an election district" is a qualified voter; the ballot proposal would replace the phrase “every United States citizen” with “only a United States citizen.”

The ballot measure comes as leaders across the state called for a process for the state to check its voter rolls for noncitizens and remove them, ensuring election integrity in the state.

Currently, election commissions cannot check their rolls with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to ensure an estimated 90,000 individuals who are currently legally in the state, who can get a drivers license, do not register to vote.

Several voting groups across the state spoke out against the ballot measure, including the League of Women Voters.

"The change from 'every' to 'only' is a downgrade to all of our voting rights," the group said. "The language changes our constitutionally protected voting rights from a guarantee for all citizens to a limitation that could be used to erode our voting rights."

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Former President Donald Trump sued CBS News in federal court in Texas alleging it violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Trump sued CBS Broadcasting Inc. in U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas Amarillo Division alleging the network’s “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to (a) confuse, deceive, and mislead the public, and (b) attempt to tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party” in the 2024 presidential election, the 19-page brief states.

The lawsuit alleges CBS News violated the Texas Business and Commerce Code and the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA) when it aired two different versions of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.

On Oct. 5 and 6, CBS News “aired two different versions of its 60 Minutes interview with Kamala” citing examples of the differences between the versions. In both clips, Harris is asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the clips include different statements by Harris.

“Millions of Americans, including residents of Texas and this District, were confused and misled by the two doctored Interview versions,” the lawsuit alleges. “President Trump commented on the matter, writing on Truth Social: ‘In normal times, what happened on 60 Minutes, (deceptively ‘doctoring’ her answers), would be THE END OF ANYONE’S CAMPAIGN! Kamala is slow, incoherent, and in no way qualified to be President of the United States. RELEASE THE TAPES FOR THE GOOD OF AMERICA. We can do it the nice way, or the hard way!”

He also called for CBS News’ broadcasting license to be rescinded.

In response to widespread criticism of the interview by multiple outlets that alleged CBS edited the interview, CBS News issued a statement, saying the accusations were false.

“60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response. When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment,” it said.

The brief states that CBS’s statement concedes that “Trump was accurate in his assertion that the interview with Kamala was doctored to confuse, deceive, and mislead the American People in order to try and interfere in the election on behalf of Kamala.”

After the interview aired, Trump’s counsel sent a letter to CBS demanding that it “immediately provide and publicly release the full, unedited transcript of the interview,” which it declined to do.

The Center for American Rights also filed a formal broadcast distortion complaint with the Federal Elections Commission. The different versions of the interview that aired “amount to deliberate news distortion – a violation of FCC rules governing broadcasters' public interest obligations,” CAR said. It also demanded that “CBS release the unedited transcript of the interview to set the record straight.”

Trump’s attorneys filed the lawsuit in Texas, the brief states, because the interview was aired in Texas and because CBS “engaged in substantial and not isolated business activities in Texas.” They also cite other examples, including a 2004 CBS News 60 Minutes interview in which forged documents were allegedly presented “in an attempt to impugn President George W. Bush’s integrity regarding his service in the Texas Air National Guard.” It also cited other examples of “dishonest reporting.”

The lawsuit claims the damages to Trump are between $75,000 and up to at least $10 billion, saying “CBS’ distortion of the 60 Minutes interview damaged President Trump’s fundraising and support values by several billions of dollars, particularly in Texas.”

A CBS spokesperson issued a statement saying Trump’s claims were false.

“The Interview was not doctored; and 60 MINUTES did not hide any part of the Vice President’s answer to the question at issue. 60 MINUTES fairly presented the Interview to inform the viewing audience, and not to mislead it. The lawsuit Trump has brought today against CBS is completely without merit and we will vigorously defend against it,” the spokesperson said.

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Social media’s influence is causing Gen Z’s interest in skilled trades to rise, according to a report by Thumbtack – something a trade organization co-director said is “inspiring and eye-opening.”

“55% of Gen Zers are considering a skilled trade career (up 12% from last year) – including 72% of those with a college degree,” Thumbtack’s report stated.

Thumbtack is a company that helps people “care for and improve their homes” by finding a skilled tradesman nearby.

“84% of both Gen Zers and their parents express high respect for the skilled trades,” according to Thumbtack’s report.

The report shows that social media is a driving force behind Gen Z’s interest in trades, with “67% of Gen Zers – including 78% of those with a college degree – [saying] social media has increased their interest in these professions.”

“Skilled trades professionals are driving this trend, with 60% of pros saying that their careers are becoming increasingly ‘Instagrammable,’” the report stated, which feeds Gen Z’s desire to “[keep] it real” and “see both the good and bad parts of ‘a hard day’s work.’”

Ahead of social media, however, parents are the top influence as it concerns Gen Z’s career choice, according to the report.

Reasons Gen Z is attracted to the skilled trades are “the ability to earn money and work right away, to pursue a career they enjoy, and to learn new skills.”

These are “all attributes [skilled] pros rate as better than other industries,” the report stated. “Compared with an office job, the trades offer an opportunity to run your own company, control your own schedule, and pursue a career you enjoy.”

Unfortunately, “only 41% of [Gen Z] reported having any access to trade programs in school, effectively cutting off a pathway to well-paying skilled trades jobs for students every year.”

“When such programs are provided, however, Gen Z embraces them: 83% of Gen Zers who’ve taken shop class said it was their favorite subject,” according to the report.

Gen Z is “most interested in trade careers as engineers, electricians, carpenters, welders, general contractors, and plumbers,” which is “good news for both Gen Z and our communities,” the report stated.

“Gen Z college graduates are seven times more likely to regret attending college than pros who attended trade school,” according to the report. “And 83% of pros would still choose a skilled trades career if they could turn back the clock and decide again.

“80 percent of parents agree learning a skilled trade can be a better pathway to economic security than going to college,” Thumbtack said in another release. “Yet 77 percent of parents still say they’ve encouraged their children to attend a four-year college.”

Mark Hedstrom, co-executive director of Skilled Careers Coalition, told The Center Square that “there was a time when a college degree provided automatic entry into a lifelong, fulfilling career.”

“Today many young people graduating from college find themselves saddled with loan debt and unable to find a job in their field of choice,” Hedstrom said. “Skilled careers provide young people with an alternate path to success.”

Skilled Careers Coalition “looks to inspire the next generation of talent to pursue a skilled career and streamline the talent ecosystem to close the skills gap,” according to its website.

“Demand for talented professionals across a vast array of skilled trades and industries is higher than it’s ever been,” Hedstrom said.

“For young people to see others like them on social media working with their hands, earning a great living, and literally getting the job done, is both inspiring and eye-opening,” Hedstrom said. “Colleges and universities and the military are great career options for some, but for millions of high schoolers and those in the Gen Z set, these options either lack appeal, or just don’t work.”

Hedstrom also told The Center Square that although in its own study it found that guidance counselors, parents, and friends are the top career influencers for students, Skilled Careers Coalition is jumping onto the social media bandwagon with its Skills Jam entertainment brand.

“With the goal to inspire the next generation of master builders, welders, plumbers, creators and fixers, Skills Jam is a story- and information-sharing social media platform about the skilled trades for youth by youth,” Hedstrom said.

Thumbtack surveyed 1,000 Gen Zers, 1,000 Gen Z parents, and 1,233 Thumbtack Pros – those in a skilled trade –in July and August of 2024 for its study.