Monthly Archives: September, 2023

Few voters think children should undergo transgender interventions even with parental permission.

That's according to The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll of 2,500 registered voters across the U.S., conducted by Noble Predictive Insights. The poll found that 58% of those surveyed are against medical interventions such as gender-changing surgery or puberty blockers for children younger than 18 years old.

There were just 10% who said children should have the ability to undergo these inventions if they choose and another 21% who said children should be able to undergo these interventions, but only with parental permission.

The poll found 62% of men and 54% of women were against gender-changing surgery or puberty blockers for children.

Mike Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, said it was noteworthy how little public support there is for transgender interventions of minors.

"What's surprising – for how much you hear about it, how much it is in your face – you look at the public opinion data and there's definitely not a majority who are in support of this," Noble said. "Six in ten are saying, 'That's a non-starter.'"

There was support for gender-changing surgery or puberty blockers among those voters who identified themselves as "a strong Democrat." There were 22% of that voting bloc who said children should have the ability to undergo those inventions and another 40% who believe it should be allowed but only with parental permission. Just 23% of "strong Democrats" were against the interventions and another 15% were unsure.

Sixty-four percent of voters who said they had children under the age of 18 said minors should not be having these transgender medical interventions. And 40% of voters who said children should be able to have the medical interventions, with 25% of that group saying it needed to come with parental approval.

"The people who were the least on board were people who had children under the age 18," Noble said. "The ones who are the most supportive are the ones who never had children."

State legislatures across the country have debated laws either banning such procedures for minors or preventing such bans from being put in place, with laws varying widely.

States such as Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Georgia and at least 10 other states have put restrictions in place, with many facing legal challenges.

California is leading a coalition of 20 mostly blue states, including Illinois, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington in opposing such restrictions.

The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from July 31 to Aug. 3. Unlike traditional national polls, with limited respondent count of about 1,000, Noble Predictive surveyed 1,000 registered Republicans, 1,000 registered Democrats, and 500 independents, culminating in a sample size of 2,500. The margin of error for the aggregate sample was ±2.4%, with each political group independently weighted. For information about the methodology, visit www.noblepredictiveinsights.com.

(The Center Square) – There is immediate pushback to a proposal at the Wisconsin Capitol that would ban sex change surgeries and gender-affirming care for children.

The Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus condemned the plan from a handful of Republicans, calling it “cruel.”

“Once again, Republicans are interfering with private medical decisions that belong in the hands of patients and their doctors – not politicians. Gender-affirming care reduces gender dysphoria and helps people live healthy and authentic lives,” caucus members said in an open letter.

The legislation would ban any surgery that results in sterilization, a mastectomy, puberty blocking drugs and other hormone treatments for children.

Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, is the lead sponsor of the bill, which he is calling the Help Not Harm Act.

“There are too many studies that show the harm of these procedures, and there are too many stories of young people regretting their transition later. We need to help minors by giving them the inherent blessing of time,” Allen said. “This is why the state bans minors from voting, joining the military, getting a tattoo, signing a contract or buying alcohol or tobacco. “Why should the state depart from this prudent policy when it comes to minors engaging in untested, harmful and irreversible procedures?”

The LGBTQ+ Caucus counters that doctors and medical groups support gender-affirming care.

“Every major medical organization – including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Psychological Association – attests that gender-affirming care is safe, medically necessary, and saves lives,” the caucus members said. “We remain committed to protecting our LGBTQ+ youth in Wisconsin and will continue to be a voice for the LGBTQ+ community throughout our state. We will continue to fight to ensure that this bill – and any future legislation that harms LGBTQ+ Wisconsinites – will never become law in Wisconsin.”

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A group of 20 attorneys general want the U.S. Supreme Court to overrule a lower court's restrictions on local governments enforcing homeless camping bans.

In their petition regarding Johnson v. City of Grants Pass, the attorneys general wrote that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was wrong to prohibit state and local governments from enforcing laws that bar public spaces from being used as homeless encampments.

“The Constitution nowhere strips States of the power to regulate use of public spaces,” the attorneys general wrote. “It empowers States and guarantees an inviolable sovereignty meant to address local issues like homelessness.”

Meanwhile, the attorneys general said the 9th Circuit “relied on this Court’s ‘evolving standards of decency’ jurisprudence,” something they said “lacks textual, historical, or structural support.”

“The Court should put that troublesome jurisprudence to bed once and for all,” they added.

In 2018, the 9th Circuit ruled that the Eighth Amendment allows for the right to sleep and camp in public spaces. Earlier this year, the appeals court held that the amendment also prevents fines for people “engaging in involuntary, unavoidable life-sustaining acts.” However, the attorneys general argue that cities – especially those across the western U.S – are having a difficult time combating homelessness because of the ruling.

“When it comes to public encampments, States have significant land interests,” the attorneys general said. “States regulate public encampments to protect natural resources, prevent wildfires, preserve the value of recreation, and maintain an area’s dignity and public value.

The petition was filed by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom also submitted a brief for the Supreme Court to review the case.

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Online commerce giant Amazon said Tuesday that a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission could lead to higher prices and slower deliveries for customers.

The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Amazon.com Inc. alleging the company uses "anticompetitive and unfair strategies to illegally maintain its monopoly power."

Amazon said the FTC was misusing its authority and that the agency failed to understand the retail marketplace.

"Today’s suit makes clear the FTC’s focus has radically departed from its mission of protecting consumers and competition," David Zapolsky, senior vice president of Global Public Policy and general counsel for Amazon, said in a statement. "The practices the FTC is challenging have helped to spur competition and innovation across the retail industry, and have produced greater selection, lower prices, and faster delivery speeds for Amazon customers and greater opportunity for the many businesses that sell in Amazon’s store. If the FTC gets its way, the result would be fewer products to choose from, higher prices, slower deliveries for consumers, and reduced options for small businesses – the opposite of what antitrust law is designed to do."

The complaint alleges that Amazon violates the law by engaging "in a course of exclusionary conduct that prevents current competitors from growing and new competitors from emerging."

The complaint alleges Amazon stifles competition on price, product selection, quality, and "by preventing its current or future rivals from attracting a critical mass of shoppers and sellers, Amazon ensures that no current or future rival can threaten its dominance." Amazon's practices affect hundreds of billions of dollars in retail sales every year, according to the FTC.

"Our complaint lays out how Amazon has used a set of punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies," FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement. "The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them."

Amazon's Zapolsky offered a full defense of the company's practices in response.

"The FTC's complaint alleges that our pricing practices, our Fulfillment by Amazon offering, and Amazon Prime are anticompetitive," he wrote. "In so doing, the lawsuit reveals the Commission’s fundamental misunderstanding of retail."

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker on Tuesday joined a chorus of calls from top Democrats for Sen. Bob Menendez to resign after he was indicted last week on bribery and corruption charges.

In a statement, Booker called the allegations against Menendez, D-N.J., and his wife Nadine "shocking" and "disturbing" and said stepping down from "is best" for Menendez's constituents.

"The details of the allegations against Senator Menendez are of such a nature that the faith and trust of New Jerseyans as well as those he must work with in order to be effective have been shaken to the core," Booker said in a statement.

"Senator Menendez fiercely asserts his innocence and it is therefore understandable that he believes stepping down is patently unfair," he added. "But I believe this is a mistake."

On Friday, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York unsealed a 39-page indictment accusing Menendez and his wife of accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in bribes in exchange for using his political influence to benefit the Egyptian government and business associates in New Jersey.

Menendez and his wife received bribes including cash, gold, luxury vehicles and vacations, mortgage payments and other forms of compensation, prosecutors say. Federal agents said a search of his home found more than $480,000 in cash – some of it in envelopes stuffed into a jacket with his name on it – gold bars and a Mercedes Benz.

This is the second time Menendez has been indicted on allegations of bribery while a senator. In 2015, he was charged with illegally accepting favors from a Florida physician, including trips on a private jet, vacations to Paris and more than $700,000 in political contributions.

But unlike the previous allegations of bribery, when Democratic colleagues rushed to defend the longtime senator, his support is waning following the latest indictments.

Booker joins a group of 17 Democratic senators — including Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Jon Tester of Montana — who have publicly called on Menendez to step down.

Menendez is also facing calls to resign from other top Democrats including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who said in an interview that it would be a “good idea” if he stepped down.

On Monday, Menendez defended himself in public remarks and predicted that despite the charges he would be "exonerated" and retain his post as New Jersey's senior senator.

Menendez is up for reelection in the 2024 elections when Democrats will be seeking to retain control of the Senate. In 2018, he was elected to a third term with 54% of the vote, according to New Jersey election results.

On Saturday, Rep. Andy Kim, a third-term Democrat from South Jersey, announced that he will challenge Menendez in next year’s Democratic primary.

Milwaukee Police are requesting the public’ s assistance in identifying and locating the suspect and vehicle wanted in connection to a fatal hit and run that occurred on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at approximately 1:55 a.m., on the 2100 block of W. Canal St. The suspect vehicle is described as an unknown 2018-2020 white SUV, possibly a Kia Sportage. The suspect vehicle struck a pedestrian that was crossing the street. The unknown driver fled the scene in the vehicle. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milwaukee Police at (414) 935-7360, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (414)224-Tips / or P3 Tips App. [cid:[email protected]] [cid:[email protected]] [cid:[email protected]] The City of Milwaukee is subject to Wisconsin Statutes related to public records. Unless otherwise exempted from the public records law, senders and receivers of City of Milwaukee e-mail should presume that e-mail is subject to release upon request, and is subject to state records retention requirements. See City of Milwaukee full e-mail disclaimer at www.milwaukee.gov/email_disclaimer

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(The Center Square) – There is another proposal to legalize marijuana in Wisconsin, but there aren't any expectations this one will finally be the one.

State Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, introduced legislation she says would allow for “responsible adult use” of marijuana in the state.

“I’ve said this time and time again – we know that the most dangerous thing about cannabis in Wisconsin is that it remains illegal,” Agard said in a statement.

Agard has been one of the most vocal supporters of legal marijuana in Wisconsin for years. she recently wrapped up the second leg of her Grassroots Tour.

“For the past decade, I have worked to undo Wisconsin’s antiquated and deeply unjust marijuana policies and put our state on a prosperous path forward.”

State Rep. Darren Madison, D-Madison, is joining Agard in this latest legal marijuana pitch. He said legalizing marijuana is not just about tax money, or drug use, he said there is an issue of social justice at hand.

““Legalizing cannabis is a matter of public safety and racial justice here in Wisconsin. People in Wisconsin indulge in cannabis use and deserve the ability to buy safe cannabis and use it responsibly without being criminalized,” Madison said.

Agard agrees.

“This proposal will not only allow Wisconsin to right past wrongs, it will bring us in line with our neighbors and create countless opportunities to grow our economy and attract people to our state,” Agard said. “Wisconsin is ready to legalize it – 69% of Wisconsinites, including a majority of Republicans, support the full legalization of marijuana. It is way past time that our state honors the will of the majority and seizes the many positive economic and social benefits that cannabis legalization has to offer.”

A Marquette law school poll from February of last year showed 61% of people in the state want to see marijuana legalized, while 31% want to keep it illegal.

Republican lawmakers at the Wisconsin capital have said they could support a medical marijuana program, but there is little support among the Republican controlled legislature for full marijuana legalization.

Twenty-three states across the country already have fully legal marijuana, including Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.

Federal judge Roger Benitez overturned California's ban on standard-sized ammunition magazines, with California Attorney General Rob Bonta filing an immediate notice of appeal. The injunction on the ban will be stayed for 10 days, which means that the ban's overturn will likely not take effect as the decision is appealed.

“Unless we enshrine a Right to Safety in the Constitution, we are at the mercy of ideologues like Judge Benitez,” said California Governor Newsom in a public statement responding to the decision. “This is exactly why I’ve called for a Constitutional amendment, and this is why I’ll keep fighting to defend our right to protect ourselves from gun violence.”

Standard-capacity magazines have been illegal to manufacture, import, keep or offer for sale, give, or lend since 2000, and illegal to purchase or receive in any way since 2013. Proposition 64, passed by California voters in 2016, made it illegal to possess even legally-acquired standard-capacity magazines with more than 10 rounds under the rationale such a measure would limit mass shootings. Anyone who did not turn in their standard-capacity magazines by July 1, 2017 could have faced up t o a year in prison before an earlier inunction by Benitez. The most popular firearm sold in 2022, a Sig Sauer P320 pistol, comes with a 15 round magazine except where otherwise limited, such as in California.

“There is no American history or tradition of regulating firearms based on the number of rounds they can shoot, or of regulating the amount of ammunition that can be kept and carried,” wrote Benitez in his latest ruling.

Benitez first struck down Proposition 63’s rule in June 2017 right before enforcement began, noting only six mass shootings between 2006 and 2013 used the banned magazines, and that “entitlement to enjoy Second Amendment rights and just compensation is not eliminated simply because they possess ‘unpopular’ magazines holding more than 10 rounds.” In 2018, a 2-1 panel of the Ninth Circuit Court affirmed Benitez’ ruling on the confiscations.

In 2019, Benitez ruled against the ban on the acquisition of standard-capacity magazines, citing varying outcomes of women’s self-defense cases where having additional bullets made the difference between life and death. This decision was upheld in a 2020 panel of the Ninth Circuit Court, then overturned by an en banc decision of the same court in 2021. The United States Supreme Court vacated the Ninth Circuit Court’s en banc decision in 2022 and remanded it back to Benitez for a new decision. Benitez’ latest ruling, if upheld in the appeals process, could allow for the resumption of legal sale of standard-capacity magazines in California.

Connecticut lawmakers are calling for an investigation and changes in state election laws following allegations of absentee ballot fraud in a mayoral election.

Following the Sept. 12 primary, John Gomes, a Democrat who challenged incumbent Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, released video footage showing a woman depositing absentee ballots into a dropbox a week before the election. Gomes lost to Ganim by 251 mail-in or absentee votes despite beating him at the polls, according to the election results.

Gomes' campaign has filed a complaint with the state Elections Enforcement Commission as well as a lawsuit asking a state Superior Court judge to prevent the certification of last Tuesday's primary results and order a new election.

But the growing scandal has prompted Connecticut's top elected officials to call for investigations, changes in state elections laws, and tougher penalties for voter fraud.

House Republican leader Vincent Candelora said the Bridgeport incident confirms GOP concerns about voting by mail and "poses a direct threat to the public’s fragile confidence in our state’s voting process."

"Bridgeport residents, and voters statewide, deserve a swift, transparent response to this crisis with strong backing from Democrats at the capitol who promote themselves as defenders of democracy – including taking action in the upcoming special session to suspend use of absentee ballot drop boxes until the investigation is complete," he said in a statement.

Gov. Ned Lamont has said he wants investigators to "leave no stone unturned" looking into the claims of election fraud in Bridgeport but urged voters "not to jump to conclusions" about the video showing a Ganim supporter – identified by some news outlets as a city worker – stuffing ballots into a dropbox.

In a statement, Ganim denied any wrongdoing and said he doesn't "condone, in any way, actions taken by anyone including any campaign, city, or elected official, which undermines the integrity of either the electoral process or city property."

"The Bridgeport Police Department is actively investigating all these matters, and my administration will continue to update the public as we are able to obtain more information," he said.

Under Connecticut law, absentee ballots can only be returned by the registered voter who filled it out, a family member, law enforcement officers, local election officials or an individual caring for an ill or physically disabled person who received an absentee ballot. Violators face up to five years in prison and $5,000 fines.

Lawmakers, who will meet in a special session this week to deal with unrelated matters, are expected to approve the appointment of a special monitor for Bridgeport's next mayoral election.

Ben Pronto, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, has also called for an investigation and said Lamont and other top Democrats "should be screaming that it is time to charge the people seen on the video who are violating the law."

He called for stricter punishment "and actual jail time and larger fines for individuals who attempt to manipulate elections and destroy voters’ confidence in our electoral process."

"Our elections are too important to be wishy washy or to try to distract voters by pointing to national figures who have nothing to do with this debacle in Bridgeport," he said in a statement. "It is time for Democrat leaders across Connecticut to join with Republicans and work to make this practice a thing of the past."

Former President Donald Trump would defeat President Joe Biden by nearly 10 points in a head-to-head general election matchup, a newly released poll shows.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll was done in conjunction with Langer Research Associates and found that in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, Biden has 42% support compared to Trump’s 51% support.

“Joe Biden’s job approval rating is 19 points underwater, his ratings for handling the economy and immigration are at career lows, a record number of Americans say they’ve gotten worse off under his presidency, three-quarters say he’s too old for another term and Donald Trump is looking better in retrospect – all severe challenges for Biden in his re-election campaign ahead,” the group said in a news release.

The survey found 62% of Democrats say the party should pick someone other than Biden as their nominee.

“Among the 62 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents who oppose Biden for the nomination, 16 percent say they’d vote for Trump over Biden,” Gary Langer of Langer Research Associates said in his analysis.

Trump, who maintains a healthy lead over his Republican primary challengers, has slightly improved in his support while Biden has slightly declined, according to the poll.

Trump faces an array of state and federal charges with expected court dates to interrupt his campaigning in 2024. Biden faces an impeachment inquiry and ongoing questions about his son Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings and just how much the president was involved.

The developments in all of those cases will likely significantly impact the race.

The survey queried more than 1,000 adults in September with a margin of error of 3.5%.

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(The Center Square) – A national government watchdog a complaint over the group of former Wisconsin Supreme Court justices who are offering the state's assembly speaker advice on impeachment.

American Oversight, which says it’s a nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog, filed a complaint with Dane County's district attorney, asking him to void any action that comes from the panel.

The group says Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is breaking the state’s open meetings rules by asking the former justices for their advice on how to possibly move forward with an impeachment of Justice Janet Protasiewicz.

“Speaker Vos has convened a secret panel to quickly craft recommendations for the potential impeachment of a newly elected state supreme court justice – a fundamentally anti-democratic action that is of great public importance and interest. His efforts to shroud the work and the identities of the panelists in secrecy violates Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Law as well as the state’s strong and well-established commitment to government transparency,” American Oversight Executive Director Heather Sawyer said in a statement.

Vos last week said he was reaching out to former justices to get a sense of how the state could move forward with an impeachment proceeding.

“I am asking a panel of former members of the state Supreme Court to review and advise what the criteria are for impeachment,” Vos said at the time. “And to be able to go to the next step of this process if we’re not able to determine an off path.”

Vos has not said just which justices he has reached out to.

American Oversight says Wisconsin's open meeting laws require he make that information public.

“According to reports, the panel comprises three people, including former Justice David T. Prosser, but Vos has refused to disclose the identities of the other members. Vos has announced that the secret panel will complete its work within “the next few weeks,” Sawyer said. “The Wisconsin Open Meetings Law requires that governmental bodies provide advance notice of every meeting and hold those meetings in open session unless specific exemptions apply.”

Wisconsin's open meetings law generally applies to the state legislature, though there are exemptions for party caucuses, and rules set by the legislature itself.

(The Center Square) – Wolf hunters in Wisconsin say the state needs a population number, not for hunters and trappers but to help manage the health of the state’s wolf packs.

Luke Hilgemann, executive director of the International Order of T Roosevelt told state lawmakers the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is making an error by leaving a wolf population goal vague.

“Scientific research has shown that setting a numeric population goal for wolves can help ensure their survival while also addressing concerns about their impact on livestock and game species,” Hilgemann said.

As opposed to a specific wolf number, the DNR is considering wolf population ranges.

The population range proposal sets a goal of between 800 and 999 wolves in the state. If wolf numbers fall below 800, DNR says more protections may be needed.

If the wolf numbers top 1,000, DNR said hunting and trapping could be considered. If Wisconsin’s wolf population tops 1,200, the state would order a hunting and trapping season.

Hilgemann said those vague ranges could lead to problems down the road.

“The DNR currently estimates our wolf population to be around 1,000. However,

without a specific numeric goal, it is challenging to determine whether this number represents a healthy population size. A numeric goal would provide a benchmark for assessing the status of our wolf population and guide management decisions,” Hilgemann said.

Hilgemann said other states rely on specific wolf numbers, and Wisconsin should follow those models.

“In Wyoming, for instance, the state has set a goal of maintaining at least 100 wolves and 10 breeding pairs outside of Yellowstone National Park and the Wind River Reservation,” Hilgemann said. “Idaho has set a population goal of 150 wolves, while Montana's goal is 100 wolves. These goals have not only provided a clear direction for conservation efforts but have also helped to balance the needs of the wolves with those of the local communities, including ranchers and farmers.”

The DNR scheduled two more listening sessions for the wolf management plan, both for early next month. The DNR board is expected to finalize Wisconsin's wolf management at its next meeting Oct. 25.

The Department of Homeland Security has sparked controversy by adding to its Intelligence Board multiple members who signed on to the now debunked 2020 letter saying the Hunter Biden laptop story was “Russian disinformation.”

Now, House Republicans want answers, saying the new additions bring into question the federal group’s credibility and impartiality.

“Your decision to appoint members to this group who have demonstrated political bias suggests misplaced priorities,” the letter said.

House Committee on Homeland Security Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., and August Pfluger, R-Texas, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence, sent the letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the appointees.

The appointments in question include former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan, and former Associate Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice Tashina Gauhar.

The letter points out they were among the intelligence officials that influenced the last presidential election when they “incorrectly implied the New York Post’s reporting about Hunter Biden’s political influence peddling was the product of Russian disinformation.”

“That statement was used by various media organizations and social media businesses to downplay and censor the Post’s reporting before the 2020 presidential election,” the letter said.

These new members were added to DHS’ new Homeland Intelligence Experts Group, which is tasked with providing advice to DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

“Another member of this newly-created group, then-Associate Deputy Attorney General for the Department of Justice Tashina Gauhar, was extensively involved in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into baseless allegations that former President Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia,” the letter said “These are just a few notable examples of concerning actions by some of the members appointed to the group that call into question the group’s neutrality.”

The controversy comes as the border remains in crisis with millions of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. in recent years. As The Center Square reported, in the Texas town of Eagle Pass, Mayor Rolando Salinas Jr. declared a state of emergency this week as thousand of migrants have poured into his town.

So far, more than 50 counties in Texas alone have declared a state of emergency. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott officially has declared an invasion of his state citing the millions of migrants, a sentiment he reiterated earlier this week.

Other border states have had similar troubles, but it is not just an issue in border states.

New York City mayor Eric Adams has raised the alarm about his city’s difficulty in keeping up with the influx of migrants, one of several large metro areas north of the border feeling the impact of the increase in migrants.

The high number of migrants has become a political thorn in President Joe Biden’s side, and for now it seems likely to remain into the next presidential election.

“Rather than focus on addressing the catastrophic border crisis or I&A’s shortcomings to live up to its original purpose to equip the Homeland Security Enterprise, especially, our State, Local, Tribal and Territorial law enforcement partners, with timely intelligence and information, these actions appear to politicize the Department’s homeland security mission,” the letter said.

DHS did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

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(The Center Square) – A plan to renovate the Milwaukee Brewers’ American Family Field now could include $600 million of public funds, according to a report from CBS 58 Milwaukee.

The report says a new bill could be introduced early this week that would include $400 million in state funding along with $202.5 million in county and city funding for the $700 million project.

That included $5 million a year from Milwaukee County for 27 years along with $2.5 million annually from the city of Milwaukee over that same span.

“This is ridiculous and indefensible public policy,” said economist J.C. Bradbury of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University. “Any elected representative who supports this should be voted out of office, if not recalled. Remember George Petak.

"I am genuinely curious. What is the justification for spending $600 million of taxpayer money on renovating a 22-year-old stadium for a private business? What kind of person says, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable?’ "

The plan comes a month after anonymous threats were published saying the National League Central-leading Brewers would pursue leaving Milwaukee for a different city if publicly funded renovations for the stadium were not approved.

A Milwaukee County supervisor recently discussed reviving a five-county sales tax to pay its portion of the deal.

The CBS Milwaukee report also said it was undetermined what developments would occur outside the stadium and any tax deals related to those developments.

"The Brewers are continuing to work with both sides of the aisle to find a creative solution to ensure that the Stadium District can meet its obligations," Rick Schlesinger, the team's president of business operations, said in a statement to CBS Milwaukee. "And sign a generational lease extension at American Family Field.”

(The Center Square) – Right to Work supporters aren't worried about its future in Wisconsin, yet.

Workers at ASartek in Sparta recently removed their union, the United Electrical Workers Local 1161, after a three-year wait according to National Right to Work Foundation Vice President Patrick Semmens.

“To begin with, Spartek employee Carl Berg and his coworkers were trapped under a union-imposed ‘contract bar’ for roughly three years, during which they weren’t allowed to decertify the union. When Berg was finally able to submit the petition asking the NLRB for a decertification vote, it already contained signatures from the majority of his colleagues,” Semmens said. “That’s likely why the UE union disclaimed interest before a vote could even be scheduled: Union officials saw the support for the decertification vote and decided to disclaim interest in the unit as opposed to facing an embarrassing loss at the ballot box.”

Wisconsin lawmakers approved Right to Work in 2015, though it's never been popular with Democrats and continues to be a target.

Simmons isn't as worried about the future of Right to Work in Wisconsin as he is about proposed changes from the Biden administration.

“As long as the Foundation-backed 2020 reforms to the NLRB’s election rules remain in effect (collectively called the “Election Protection Rule”), workers have a 45-day window after an employer recognizes a union’s ‘card check’ claim of majority support in which to file a petition asking for a union decertification vote,” Semmens said. “Unfortunately, the Biden NLRB will release a rule any day now undoing the commonsense 2020 reforms. Additionally, the Biden NLRB has recently overturned decades of precedent to effectively mandate card check, and as a result there will be numerous legal challenges in federal court on that issue.”

Simmons said other states where right to work has been rolled back have seen that done through the legislature and Wisconsin's legislature continues to remain Republican-controlled.

“No state Right to Work law has ever been overturned in court, but union officials in Wisconsin have vast influence across the political system. National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys stand ready to defend Wisconsin workers’ Right to Work,” Semmens told The Center Square.

Spartac makes everything from fishing lures to vacuum sealed cups to Injection molded plastics. It has been in business since the 1950s and recently added on italics division.

The U.S. gross national debt surpassed $33 trillion, a troubling benchmark as lawmakers show little interest in reining in spending, let alone a balanced budget.

The milestone comes as Congress faces a deadline of Sept. 30 to pass another spending measure or face a federal government shutdown.

“$1 trillion more debt… SINCE JUNE!” Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., wrote on social media. “Now $33 trillion. Your family’s share is over $260,000. The swamp’s answer: let’s do another CR.”

The current deficits mean that debt will only continue to grow. Earlier this month, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office published its estimate of the deficit 11 months into the fiscal year which reported that the U.S. deficit hit about $1.5 trillion. At the same point last year, the deficit was under one trillion dollars.

That debt has several economic consequences, including elevated inflation and taxpayers shelling out billions just for interest payments on the debt. As The Center Square previously reported, within a decade the cost of interest payments on the national debt will cost taxpayers more than spending on national defense. In addition, interest payments on the national debt are on track to become the federal government’s biggest expense.

Some Republicans blasted President Joe Biden after the news broke.

“The U.S. national debt has exceeded $33 trillion for the first time in history,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., wrote on social media. “Biden’s reckless spending has created an economic crisis.”

Both parties, though, have rapidly added to the national debt over the last two decades.

“We’re $33 trillion in debt because when Congress passes spending bills, each item is often tied to every other item—packaged together in one, gigantic bill,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, wrote on social media. “That bill is then presented to Congress on a take-it-or-leave-it basis, with no real chance to amend, improve, or cut.”

Budget experts and fiscal projections show the debt will only get larger over the next decades.

“The Congressional Budget Office confirmed just last week that the underlying deficit is going to roughly double from last fiscal year to this one,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement. “Instead of hearing about solutions, we hear promises of which programs our leaders are unwilling to touch and which taxes they are unwilling to raise. That kind of talk is not only pandering, but it’s also downright irresponsible when we have a mess like this on our hands.”

As The Center Square previously reported, a bipartisan coalition of budget and fiscal groups formed a coalition to call on Congress to create a fiscal commission to address the issue.

The group of experts sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“We write to encourage the establishment of a bipartisan fiscal commission to help address the nation’s many budgetary and economic challenges,” the open letter said. “Though the recent Fiscal Responsibility Act improved the nation’s fiscal outlook, the national debt continues to approach record levels, major trust funds remain at risk of insolvency, and rising interest costs are increasingly crowding out other priorities.”

The Republican-led House Oversight Committee announced its first impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden is scheduled for Sept. 28, next Thursday.

The impeachment inquiry committee will have power to subpoena records and communications to dig up evidence and will likely be a thorn in Biden’s side heading into the 2024 election year.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last week directed three House Committees to lead the inquiry, pointing to evidence that the president's son, Hunter Biden, and his associates allegedly received millions of dollars from foreign entities and that the president knew about it.

Biden’s supporters immediately pushed back, arguing there was no evidence for the inquiry. McCarthy responded, saying the inquiry is to find the facts and that there is plenty of evidence. He pointed to about 150 U.S. Treasury Department suspicious activities reports filed by the agency around Hunter Biden’s dealings as well as bank records and testimony from IRS whistleblowers who said the Biden family and associates received around $20 million from entities in adversarial nations.

"The Treasury Department alone has more than 150 transactions involving the Biden family and other business associates that were flagged as suspicious activity by U.S. banks,” McCarthy said in his announcement. “Even a trusted FBI informant has alleged a bribe to the Biden family. Biden used his official office to coordinate with Hunter Biden’s business partners about Hunter’s role in Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company.”

Biden has repeatedly dismissed questions about his involvement in any kind of overseas payment scheme. He brushed aside the impeachment inquiry, but his campaign released a more aggressive statement in response.

“As Donald Trump ramped up his demands for a baseless impeachment inquiry, Kevin McCarthy cemented his role as the Trump campaign’s super-surrogate by turning the House of Representatives into an arm of his presidential campaign,” Ammar Moussa, spokesperson Biden’s presidential campaign, said in a statement, adding that "...McCarthy unequivocally said he would not move forward with an impeachment inquiry without holding a vote on the House floor. What has changed since then?

"Several members of the Speaker’s own conference have come out and publicly panned impeachment as a political stunt, pointing out there is no evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden as Republicans litigate the same debunked conspiracy theories they’ve investigated for over four years," Moussa added.

The impeachment inquiry will be led by House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., as well as Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, of the Judiciary Committee as well as Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who leads the Ways and Means Committee.

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee Brewers President Rick Schlesinger understands $600 million is a lot of money. He also understands American Family Field is running out of money, quickly.

Schlesinger didn’t downplay the cost to taxpayers after Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol introduced a plan to spend $600 million over the next 25-plus years to maintain and upgrade the Brewers’ ballpark.

“It is a lot of money,” Schlesinger told The Center Square. “Unfortunately, it is not inexpensive to keep a ballpark of this size and this stature in the condition it needs to be through the next generation.”

The latest ballpark funding plan would have $400 million coming from the state, another $200 million coming from Milwaukee and Milwaukee Count, and $100 million from the Brewers.

Schlesinger was clear, however, none of that money is going to the team or its owner Mark Atanasio.

“The money is not going to the Milwaukee Brewers baseball club. It is going from one or more governmental entities to a creature of the state government, i.e., the stadium district,” Schlesinger explained.

The Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District was created in 1996 to essentially serve as the Brewers’ landlord. The Stadium District, and what was then Miller Park, were funded through the .1% five-county tax.

That tax was repealed in 2020.

The end of the five-county tax is what Schlesinger says is driving the need for the $600 million.

“The district, which no longer has any revenue source of any amount coming in, other than miniscule license plate revenues, will run out of money in the next year or two,” Schlesinger said. “And the reason I am giving a little bit of wiggle room on the year or two is because we’re not sure how much The Stadium District has in funds right now.”

Much of the opposition to the Brewer ballpark funding deal centers on the idea of taxpayers paying for a stadium where a billion-dollar baseball team, and multi-million-dollar baseball players play.

Schlesinger said, again, American Family Field is owned by the state, not all of the money is needed at once, and there is a return on investment for having a professional baseball team in Milwaukee.

“The one thing I’d say to people who rightly focus on the dollar amount is, ‘what are the taxpayers getting for that $600 million?’” Schlesinger said. “I would say the direct revenues that we generate in income taxes and sales taxes exceed that amount. And the economic output and economic multiplier that we create through the ballpark exceeds that amount. The value of having Major League Baseball in the state certainly has a value that you can assign to it.”

Under the new deal, the Brewers would also sign a new lease that would keep the team in Milwaukee through 2050, 20-years longer than the current lease, and seven years longer than what Gov. Tony Evers first proposed.