Monthly Archives: January, 2024

(The Center Square) – Some Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol want the state to help save local newsrooms.

Two Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Jimmy Anderson, D-Fitchburg, and Sen Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloint, introduced three pieces of legislation they hope will save local journalism.

The first would be a local journalism fellowship that would pay a handful of young reporters $40,000 to start their career in a local newsroom. The lawmakers are also pitching a 50% tax credit for newspaper subscriptions and a Wisconsin Civic Information Consortium.

“The Civic Information Consortium will boost local news coverage and civic engagement across the state, with a focus on addressing information gaps in communities long underserved by the commercial news market,” Spreitzer said. “A similar model in New Jersey has already allocated more than $6 million over just the past few years, uplifting Innovative new approaches to civic media and supporting news coverage in pockets of the state that have long been ignored by mainstream news beats.”

Anderson said there is a need for someone to do something to bolster local news in Wisconsin and across the country.

“Local news is dying. Over the past 20 years, a quarter of American newspapers have shuddered, and an average of two papers close down almost every week. Surviving newsrooms have been bought by venture capital firms and consolidated, often leading to massive layoffs. I think we saw just the past couple weeks there's a report of even more layoffs at the LA Times for instance,” Anderson added. “As our news diets are becoming increasingly nationalized, televised and sensationalized, the way we engage with our politics has changed for the worse. The news we consume today leaves us feeling disaffected, powerless, angry, and often serves to enforce tribal loyalties. In fact, decreased access to local journalism has been associated with higher levels of partisanship polarization and other negative affects voter turnout.”

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association supports the plan because it would mainly benefit the state’s newspaper industry. Advocates with Free Press Action also support the proposal. Free Press Action has a history of pushing for more government involvement in the news industry and a history of opposing media companies and the free market approach to new journalism.

The plan in Wisconsin comes after Democrats in Illinois pitched a similar proposal in their state earlier this month.

DEI training given to employees by UW Health instructs white employees that they will show "growth" on their "continued journey towards antiracism" if they...

Former President Donald Trump will remain on the Illinois ballot after the State Board of Elections dismissed a challenge alleging he was ineligible because of his challenging the results of 2020 election.

The elections board, in a bipartisan 7-1 vote, said it did not have the jurisdiction to remove Trump from the ballot.

A hearing officer had earlier recommended Trump’s name be removed.

The primary in Illinois is March 19. The General Election is Nov. 5.

This story is developing and will be updated.

(The Center Square) – As expected, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the political maps that he mostly drew.

Evers on Tuesday said he scuttled the so-called 99% maps because they were too favorable to Republicans.

“These maps are more the same. Republicans passed maps to help make sure Republican-gerrymandered incumbents get to keep their seats. Folks, that's just more gerrymandering,” Evers said. “Allowing politicians to move district lines so that their party can retain political power doesn't help root out gerrymandering from our democracy, it further entrenches it. And that's wrong.”

The maps the governor drew moved dozens of incumbent Republicans into new districts. Republicans moved some of those lawmakers back but largely left the governor’s maps unchanged.

Evers has denied he gerrymandered Wisconsin with his maps that would give Democrats control over the state legislature. Instead, he calls them fair maps.

“I have never been more hopeful that when Wisconsinites head to the ballot box later this year, they'll be voting under legislative maps that finally reflect the people of the state,” Evers explained. “Wisconsin voters don't want Republican or Democrat maps because Wisconsin isn't a red state, or blue state, or purple state. And our map should reflect that basic fact.”

Republicans weren’t surprised by Evers’ veto.

“This just proves that the governor is counting on the $10 million purchase of our Wisconsin State Supreme Court to unconstitutionally draw completely slanted maps to give a desired outcome,” Rep Barb Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, said on social media Tuesday.

“Gov. Evers just vetoed a ‘Fair Map’ he claimed he wanted,” Wisconsin Republican Party boss Brian Schimming said in a statement. “What he really wants is obvious: to have the legislative map decided by the Wisconsin Supreme Court that his party just bought and paid for. It’s as simple as that.”

The Center Square) – Act 10, the law that fundamentally weakened Wisconsin’s public school teachers’ unions, is headed back to court. And again there is an effort to save it.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Monday filed a motion to join the new case that seeks to end Act 10. That case claims there was “no conceivable rational basis” for Act 10 to begin with.

“There is no question that 2011 Wisconsin Act 10 significantly changed labor relations in Wisconsin. But since Act 10’s enactment over a decade ago, state and federal courts have repeatedly rebuffed constitutional challenges to the law by those who oppose it,” WILL wrote in its memo to the court. “Both the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin and Seventh Circuit in [the Walker case] had little trouble concluding that Wisconsin was free to distinguish between public safety and general employees, with the latter labeling this conclusion as ‘uncontroversial.’”

The latest challenge to Act 10 comes is a claim the law violates equal protection requirements by treating public safety employees like police officers differently than public school teachers.

“Not only has Act 10 survived more than a decade of state and federal court challenges, but it set a national precedent for protecting the freedom of taxpayers and state employees everywhere. WILL is proud to once again be on the side of Act 10. Wisconsin cannot afford to go backwards on this important issue,” WILL’s Lucas Vebber said in a statement.

WILL is asking to join the case on behalf of Kristi Koschkee, who it describes as an employee at a public school district.

“She does not want her local union interfering with her relationship with her employer by bargaining on subjects beyond those permitted by Act 10 or entering agreements that last longer than a year; she supports requiring unions to recertify annually, does not want to have her decision to abstain from a union certification vote work in the union’s favor, and does not want to be pressured into participating in recertification elections; and she opposes allowing unions to access employee wages directly through payroll deductions,” WILL’s court memo stated.

Former Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 10 in 2011. It limited teachers unions in Wisconsin to negotiating only salaries, and stopped unions from including other benefits in their regularly scheduled contract negotiations.

Conservatives estimate that Act 10 has saved taxpayers in Wisconsin over $17 billion in the decade-plus that it’s been a law.

State Senator Duey Stroebel joined me on The Meg Ellefson Show last week to discuss the Democrats’ absurd hyper-partisan scheme to gerrymander Wisconsin’s legislative...

A coalition of state attorneys general sent a letter Monday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas backing Texas in its border battle with the Biden administration.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defied the Biden administration last week, making clear he would continue to put up concertina wire fencing at the southern border to help stop the flow of illegal immigration, which has soared since Biden took office.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the issue last week, saying federal agents could continue to remove the concertina wire, but the ruling did not prohibit Texas from installing the border defenses. Abbott said after the ruling that the federal government had broken its pact with the states for not stopping what more than 50 Texas counties have declared an “invasion.”

That court case is the latest touchpoint for the ongoing immigration crisis and frustration of many border states and Republicans who argue Biden is willfully aiding millions of illegal immigrants get into the U.S.

“Since the Biden Administration has failed to do its job and secure the border, states like Texas have stepped up to protect their citizens,” the letter said. “A federal district court found that Texas’s border defense wires reduced illegal border crossings by more than two-thirds. Those barriers protect not just Texans from millions of illegal border crossings, but the rest of the nation.”

More than 10 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. since Biden took office, more than the population of about 40 U.S. states.

An impeachment effort is underway in the House for Mayorkas, the recipient of this letter, over similar concerns about the lack of border enforcement and Mayorkas policies.

The Biden administration has blamed Republicans, saying they have not passed the needed funding to secure the border. Republicans have pushed back, saying Biden’s changes to things like asylum policies have turned border agents into a processing and entry program instead of deterrence.

The Monday letter sided with Texas and said states “have an independent duty to defend against invasion.”

The letter was signed by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The leadership of the Arizona state legislature signed as well.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes co-led the effort.

“The invasion on our southern border has made every state a border state,” Bird said in a statement. “While the Biden Administration has opened the door wide for drug cartels, traffickers, and potential terrorists to cross our border, States have been left to fend for themselves. If the Biden Administration won’t do its job to secure our border and keep Americans safe, it should step aside to let the States do the job for them. Iowa proudly stands with Texas in this fight.”

Notably, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, introduced the “State Border Security Act” last week, which would block federal agents from “dismantling, removing, destroying” border barriers installed by states.

Milwaukee Police are investigating a double fatal shooting that occurred on Monday, January 29, 2024, at approximately 2:26 p.m., on the 4900 block of N. Hopkins Street. Preliminary information suggests that two individuals fired shots at each other subsequently striking each other. A 16-year-old sustained fatal injuries and died on scene. The second individual, a 21-year-old, was transported to a local hospital for treatment and later died at the hospital. The investigation is currently ongoing. 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. 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

A former IRS contractor who leaked former President Donald Trump's tax returns along with tax information for some of the nation's wealthiest people was sentenced Monday to five years in prison.

Charles Littlejohn, 38, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in October to disclosing tax return information without authorization.

Littlejohn, while working at the IRS as a contractor, stole tax return information associated with Trump and others. Littlejohn accessed tax returns associated with Trump on an IRS database "after using broad search parameters designed to conceal the true purpose of his queries," according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He then evaded IRS protocols to detect and prevent large downloads or uploads from its systems.

Prosecutors said Littlejohn then saved the tax returns to multiple personal storage devices, including an iPod, before contacting a news outlet. Between around August 2019 and October 2019, Littlejohn provided the news outlet with the tax return information associated with Trump. Littlejohn then stole additional tax return information related to Trump and provided it to the same news organization, which is not named in the indictment.

In September 2020, The New York Times published a series of articles about Trump's returns.

The Times has previously said Littlejohn was a whistleblower.

A spokesperson for The New York Times said: "We remain concerned when whistleblowers who provide information in the public interest are prosecuted."

"The Times's reporting on this topic played an important role in helping the public understand the financial ties and tax strategies of a sitting president – information that has long been seen as central to the knowledge that voters should have about the leader of our government and the candidates for that high office."

In July and August 2020, prosecutors said Littlejohn separately stole tax return information for thousands of the nation's wealthiest people, again evading IRS detection. In November 2020, Littlejohn disclosed this tax return information to another unnamed news organization, which published more than 50 articles using the stolen data. Littlejohn then obstructed the forthcoming investigation into his conduct by deleting and destroying evidence of his disclosures, according to prosecutors.

ProPublica published a series of articles on wealthy taxpayers during the same time frame.

"By using his role as a government contractor to gain access to private tax information, steal that information, and disclose it publicly, Charles Littlejohn broke federal law and betrayed the public's trust," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement last October.

The world is awaiting President Joe Biden’s response to a drone attack in Jordan over the weekend that left three U.S. servicemembers dead and more than 30 injured.

In his statement Sunday, Biden said “we know [the attack] was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq” and pledged to respond to the “despicable and wholly unjust attack.”

That statement raised questions about what the response could look like and if it would be severe enough to escalate to a broader war in the region.

White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby said at the White House briefing Monday that the administration “does not want a war” and “does not want to escalate.”

“But we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves and to continue that mission and to respond appropriately to these attacks,” Kirby said.

Kirby went on to say he would not get ahead of the president’s decision-making or give much information about what a response could look like. He said Biden is “weighing the options before him” and reiterated that the groups responsible for the attack are “backed by Tehran,” the capital of Iran.

The weekend drone strike is the latest in a string of attempted attacks by various terror and militia groups in the region. Those attacks have amplified since the Iranian-backed Hamas fighters carried out their deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Some experts and U.S. lawmakers called for a retaliatory strike against Iran, which has nuclear capabilities, but that strike could quickly grow into a wider regional war involving Israel and other Middle East nations.

Iran has publicly pushed back against the claim it is tied to the deaths of the U.S. servicemembers.

So far, the U.S. has not responded with a strike in the region, which is already on edge.

Biden’s response could be crucial for the Israeli-Hamas war and for determining whether the ongoing Middle East issues escalate into a larger conflict.

Meanwhile, Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired on ships in the Red Sea attempting to pass through the Suez canal, forcing billions of dollars in shipping to begin going south around the tip of Africa instead.

Biden responded by sending a U.S. mobile Naval base to the region, where U.S. forces are shooting down Houthi missiles and drones. Houthis have targeted the U.S. forces as well.

The Department of Defense released the names of the servicemembers, “Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Ga.; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Ga.; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Ga.”

In his statement Sunday, Biden honored the fallen troops.

“These service members embodied the very best of our nation: Unwavering in their bravery. Unflinching in their duty,” he said. “Unbending in their commitment to our country – risking their own safety for the safety of their fellow Americans, and our allies and partners with whom we stand in the fight against terrorism. It is a fight we will not cease.”

President Joe Biden’s support in America’s most Hispanic state has declined dramatically, according to a new poll.

Biden trails former president Donald Trump 57-41 in New Mexico, representing a sharp reversal from his 54-44 victory in 2020, according to the poll, conducted by Public Option Strategies in conjunction with Power the Future, an energy worker advocacy group.

The reversal of fortunes for Biden in New Mexico seems to be driven by dissatisfaction among Hispanic voters. Only 36% of Hispanic poll respondents approve of Biden, compared to 53% in July 2022. Conversely, 63% of Hispanic voters disapprove of Biden, compared to 43% in July 2022, according to the poll. Biden easily beat Trump among New Mexico's Hispanic voters 61% to 38% in the 2020 election.

Biden’s struggles in New Mexico might be reflective of a broader backlash against his performance overall, as evidenced by national polling. Nationally, 58% of voters disapprove of Biden's performance, in contrast to 39% who approve it, according to the poll. National polling data aggregated by FiveThirtyEight affirms these findings, with roughly 39% of Americans approving of Biden's performance.

The Center Square Voters Voice poll of more than 2,500 likely voters conducted in January found similar overall dissatisfaction: 59% of likely voters disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president, while 39% say they approve of the job he is doing.

Seventy-three percent of New Mexico voters rated the state’s economy as “only fair” or “poor.” Twenty-seven percent of respondents agreed that the economy is “good.” Hispanic voters were even more pessimistic, with 80% saying that the economy is “poor” 19% rating the economy as “good.” Only 26% of respondents agree that their personal economic situation has “gotten better.”

Fifty-four percent of New Mexico voters say that the oil and gas industry is “most important” to the well-being of the state’s economy, an industry that the Biden administration has been adversarial towards. And 66% of the state’s voters are opposed to government-backed efforts to move away from oil and gas as an energy source. On Friday, the president, supported by environmental activists, paused the approval of new liquified natural gas exports.

“This poll proves what many outside of Washington, D.C. already know: the constant attack on America’s energy sources leads to higher costs and families know more green mandates aren’t the answer,” Daniel Turner, founder and executive director of Power The Future, said in a statement. “The people of New Mexico know their state receives billions from the oil and natural gas industry, and Joe Biden is doing all he can to stop it. Support for Joe Biden in this deep blue state has evaporated, and that should send shockwaves through the White House.”

New Mexico voters are also wary of the growing push toward electric vehicles, according to the poll. Sixty percent of respondents say they do not want to purchase an electric vehicle and 67% think it will “cost them more in the long run.” The Biden administration has touted its commitment to growing the electric vehicle industry, increasing taxpayer funding to help expand electric vehicle charging stations and announcing a $3.9 billion initiative to improve the country’s electric grid.

Moreover, the poll reveals New Mexico voters rank the economy, crime, illegal immigration, and inflation as their most urgent concerns, issues that national voters rate Biden poorly on.

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There were 371,036 foreign nationals reported to have illegally entered the U.S. nationwide in December, the largest number for the month in U.S. history.

There were 302,034 foreign nationals who illegally entered the southwest land border, with the majority, 249,785, being apprehended between ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. By comparison, 73,414 illegal border crossers were apprehended at the southwest border in December 2021.

There were 15,349 foreign nationals apprehended illegally entering at the northern land border last month, the highest for the month in U.S. history, according to the data. By comparison, there were 2,205 apprehensions at the northern border in December 2021.

The data excludes gotaways, those who illegally enter and intentionally evade capture by law enforcement, which CBP doesn’t publicly report. When included, the totals are much higher. From Jan. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2023, there were an estimated 1.7 million gotaways to have illegally entered the U.S., The Center Square exclusively reported. Ultimately, law enforcement officials say they have no idea how many gotaways there are in the U.S., or who or where they are.

The overwhelming majority of illegal border crossers, including gotaways, are single adults, with the majority of them being single military age men, The Center Square has previously reported.

Retired FBI counter intelligence leaders recently sounded the alarm, warning that these unvetted men pose a terrorist threat. They also said President Joe Biden’s border policies have facilitated a “soft invasion” into the U.S. of military-age men coming from terror-linked regions, including China and Russia. “In its modern history the U.S. has never suffered an invasion of the homeland, and, yet, one is unfolding now,” they said.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to soon impeach him for failing to uphold his oath of office, as the House Committee on Homeland Security Committee Chairman has repeatedly argued, Mayorkas is “derelict in his duty” to protect the homeland.

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(The Center Square) – Lena Taylor is leaving the Wisconsin Senate to a chorus of kind words.

Gov. Tony Evers on Friday named Taylor as a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge.

“Sen. Taylor is a committed public servant who has dedicated her life to pursuing justice for her community and the people of Wisconsin,” Evers said. “I am confident that she will serve the people of Milwaukee County well as a circuit court judge.”

Taylor was first elected to the State Assembly in 2003, and then to the State Senate two years later.

Taylor resigned her Senate seat Friday and will start as a judge Tuesday.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of the 4th Senate and the 18th Assembly Districts, over the course of my 20-year tenure with the Wisconsin State Legislature. It has, also, been a pleasure to work with my colleagues, staff, state employees and the dedicated Capitol employees, that made it possible for me to serve my constituents,” Taylor said in a statement. “As I prepare for the next phase in my journey of public service, I must admit this feels like a full circle moment. I began my career as a public defender and then private practice attorney. Even in running for public office, the goal of justice reform, accountable and responsive systems, has always been my priority.”

Taylor is leaving with high praise, from both her fellow Democrats and Republicans.

“I will miss working with my friend, Sen. Lena Taylor. Although we come from different backgrounds and political philosophies, Lena and I were able to work together more often than not, as we did on improving policing. Never at a loss for (a lot) of words, Lena was a passionate advocate for Milwaukee and her beliefs,” Republican Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said Friday. “Even when we weren’t able to reach an agreement, we were often able to reach an understanding. I look forward to working with her in her new capacity as a member of the judiciary.”

“Sen Taylor is a fierce and effective advocate for the people of Milwaukee and her dedication to her community is unmatched. I am confident that the Senator will diligently fulfill the duties of a Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge because of her equitable pursuit of justice and commitment to the truth,” Senate Democratic Leader Diane Hesselbein said in a statement of her own. “It has been an honor to serve with Senator Taylor throughout my time in the State Legislature and I salute this excellent choice by Gov. Evers.”

Taylor’s new job opens a seat in the Wisconsin Senate and opens a spot to run under what will likely be new political maps later this year.

Becoming a judge also means a significant pay raise.

Wisconsin lawmakers make a little more than $57,000 a-year. Taylor will make a little more than $164,000 a-year.

A jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million in damages to a writer who accused him of him of ruining her reputation by denying he raped her in 1995 or 1996.

The jury awarded $18.3 million in compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages. That's far more than the $10 million writer E. Jean Carroll had sought.

Carroll sued Trump in 2019 after he denied that he had raped her in 1995 or 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room.

Trump had said he never met Carroll. His attorneys argued Carroll had sought fame and attention. Trump said she made up the story to boost sales of her memoir.

Trump said Friday's verdict was a sign the nation's legal system was broken.

"Absolutely ridiculous!," he wrote on Truth Social. "I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party. Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights. THIS IS NOT AMERICA!"

In May 2023, a jury found Trump liable for $5 million in damages for sexually abusing Carroll and calling her a liar. In that trial, Carroll testified that Trump raped her and then defamed her by calling her a liar in a 2022 post on Truth Social, his social media platform. That jury found Carroll failed to prove that Trump raped her, but proved that Trump sexually assaulted her.

Trump, 77, is leading in the primary race for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent President Joe Biden.

Carroll's civil case is among the many legal challenges Trump faces as he campaigns. He faces 91 felony charges in four criminal cases.

Trump has said the legal challenges amount to a politically charged witch hunt designed to interfere with his bid to re-take the White House.

The Washington D.C. trial, one of the two federal criminal cases, is set to start March 4. Special Counsel Jack Smith's team of federal prosecutors charged Trump with four federal counts related to contesting the 2020 election and the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The charges include conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction, and conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one's vote counted, according to the indictment. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

After that is Trump's New York state criminal case, set to start on March 25. In that case, Trump pleaded not guilty in April to 34 felony counts related to charges he paid hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels through a lawyer before the 2016 presidential election and covered it up as a legal expense before being elected president.

Then comes the scheduled start of the classified documents case in Florida on May 20. In that case, Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 felony counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn't have security clearance, and tried to thwart the government's attempts to get them back.

The final one is Trump's Georgia criminal trial is set for Aug. 4. In that case, Trump stands accused of trying to interfere in the state's 2020 election. He has pleaded not guilty.

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Twenty-five Republican governors said Thursday they back Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to defend the state's border with Mexico.

Abbott invoked the invasion clause of the U.S. Constitution on Wednesday and said the federal government broke its compact with the states.

The "Guarantee Clause" of the U.S. Constitution (Article IV, Section 4) "promises that the federal government 'shall protect each [State] against invasion." Fifty-one Texas counties have declared an invasion, citing an imminent threat created by transnational criminal organizations bringing in enough fentanyl to kill the entire state's population, and expressing support to defend Texas' sovereignty.

The governors said they support Abbott.

"Because the Biden administration has abdicated its constitutional compact duties to the states, Texas has every legal justification to protect the sovereignty of our states and our nation," the governors said.

The Biden administration sued Texas over the placement of wire barriers at the border in Eagle Pass. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday reversed a decision by a lower court that stopped the federal government from removing the wire.

Abbott has ordered the Texas National Guard to continue building the wire barriers.

"We stand in solidarity with our fellow Governor, Greg Abbott, and the State of Texas in utilizing every tool and strategy, including razor wire fences, to secure the border," the governors said in a statement. "We do it in part because the Biden Administration is refusing to enforce immigration laws already on the books and is illegally allowing mass parole across America of migrants who entered our country illegally."

Separately, former President Donald Trump also backed Abbott and the state of Texas' response.

"When I was President, we had the most secure Border in History. Joe Biden has surrendered our Border, and is aiding and abetting a massive Invasion of millions of Illegal Migrants into the United States," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Instead of fighting to protect our Country from this onslaught, Biden is, unbelievably, fighting to tie the hands of Governor Abbott and the State of Texas, so that the Invasion continues unchecked. In the face of this National Security, Public Safety, and Public Health Catastrophe, Texas has rightly invoked the Invasion Clause of the Constitution, and must be given full support to repel the Invasion."

Trump and Biden appear to be headed for a rematch of the 2020 election in November.

The governors' statement is signed by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s budget-makers are expecting less money over the next year but say that shouldn’t stop the state from giving taxpayers some of their money back.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released an updated revenue forecast for the state budget that will end in June 2025.

“Based upon our analysis, we project the closing, net general fund balance at the end of this biennium (June 30, 2025) to be $3,152.0 million. This is $439.1 million below the net balance that was projected at the time of enactment of the 2023-25 biennial budget,” the report stated.

Most of that decrease, some $422 million, comes from an expected drop in tax collections.

Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, and Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, the head of the budget writing Joint Finance Committee said even with the lower estimate, a $3.1 billion surplus is plenty of money to pay for a tax cut for Wisconsinites.

“Earlier this week, Republicans introduced a plan to send over $2 billion to the people of Wisconsin through targeted relief to middle income earners, families, and retirees,” Marklein and Born said in a statement. “Our plan builds on the decade-long practice of returning money to hardworking taxpayers, which has resulted in over $22 billion of savings for Wisconsin individuals, families and businesses. Our budget funded our priorities and met our obligations. Now we must return the excess to taxpayers. These updated revenue estimates show we have the money to do it.”

That proposal would target the tax cut to families who make $150,000 or less.

Marklein and Born said Wisconsin can provide that kind of relief, because of years of Republican budgeting.

“These estimates are consistent with what we expected when we crafted our budget. We created a responsible budget that protects taxpayer resources, while making important investments in our state. A decade of sound fiscal policies have contributed to the continued growth of our state’s economy and state government’s bottom line,” the two added.

In addition to the $3.1 billion surplus, Wisconsin, Marklein and Born said the state has $1.8 billion in its rainy day fund.

(The Center Square) – The president of the University of Wisconsin says young people are not choosing the university’s branch campuses.

President Jay Rothman told a crowd in Milwaukee the demand is simply not there for the UW’s local campuses like it once was.

“We had to accept what was market reality,” Rothman said at an event at the Milwaukee Press Club. “The attendance at those campuses have dropped drastically in the past 10 years, far more than any of our universities. We have to accept consumers aren’t looking at those branch campuses the way they once were.”

Rothman said online options are making things difficult for small, local campuses.

“If you’re in a branch campus, or somewhere hard to reach, online availability has changed the landscape,” Rothman said.

Rothman’s comments came after UW-Green Bay last week said it will end in-person classes at its Marinette campus at the end of the current semester. UW-Milwaukee County ended in-person classes at its Washington County campus, and UW-Oshkosh announced an end to in-person classes at its Fond du Lac campus.

All three campuses have just a few hundred students each this semester.

Rothman said, overall, the entire university system is facing some difficult financial times.

“We are having to make hard choices at some of our campuses including furloughs, buyouts and layoffs,” Rothman said.

He told the Press Club that 10 of the UW’s 13 campuses are all running a deficit this year.

Rothman said he hopes to close those deficits by 2028 but warned it will take more federal money to make that happen.

“We are all focused on the same thing, and that is student success. We have a long way, certainly encountering some headwinds in being successful, but we are going to work through it,” Rothman said.

As the conflict between the federal government and Texas escalates over the state's right to defend its border with Mexico, Gov. Greg Abbott is not backing down as a congressional Democrat called on President Joe Biden to federalize the Texas National Guard.

If the Texas National Guard were federalized solely to usurp Abbott’s constitutional authority to secure the Texas border, Congress should consider whether doing so constitutes a high crime and misdemeanor – an impeachable offense – under the U.S. Constitution, a constitutional law expert told The Center Square.

After Abbott invoked his constitutional authority to defend Texas’ border on Wednesday, saying, “The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States,” reports surfaced that Biden could federalize the Texas National Guard. This would result in pulling them from the Texas border and breaking the chain of command under Abbott.

Abbott called up several thousand guard members and positioned them at the Texas-Mexico border through his border security mission, Operation Lone Star. After the U.S. Supreme Court this week ruled Border Patrol agents could destroy Texas' concertina wire barriers, Abbott instructed guardsmen to build more.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat from San Antonio, said that if Abbott “defies” the Supreme Court’s ruling, Biden “needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now.”

The court ruling only addressed Border Patrol agent activity in Eagle Pass, Texas. It did not direct the governor to stop constructing the barriers or to stop enforcing state law.

Texas National Guard troops operating under Title 32 fall under the command of the Texas governor as their commander in chief. If federalized under Title 10, the Guard falls under the command of the president.

“If the Texas National Guard are federalized under Title 10 for the sole purpose of pulling them off the Texas border and out of the chain of command of the Commander in Chief of the Texas military, after Gov. Abbott invoked his constitutional authority to defend the Texas border, the founders would have envisioned this as a crime and misdemeanor and impeachable offense,” Jonathan Hullihan told The Center Square. Hullihan is a constitutional law and national security law expert, a former active duty Navy JAG, and general counsel of Citizens Defending Freedom.

He was among the first to call for Texas to declare an invasion. So far, 51 counties have declared an invasion, nearly 100 counties have issued disaster declarations and invasion declarations, or both, citing the border crisis.

Hullihan also said that federalizing Texas National Guard troops to usurp Abbott’s authority is a different matter than other reasons used to impeach, or attempt to impeach, former presidents because it directly relates to constitutional authority.

“This is not a phone call to Ukraine,” Hullihan said, referring to the U.S. House’s now discredited impeachment of former President Donald Trump. “This is not like having an affair with a White House intern,” he said, referring to a key fact in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton. “This is not like sending your guys to go search for intel in a campaign office,” referring to the Watergate scandal, he told The Center Square.

“Congress should consider if federalizing the Texas National Guard after their Texas commander in chief called them up under constitutional authority for the sole purpose of pulling them out of his chain of command constitutes a high crime and misdemeanor,” Hullihan told The Center Square. “Attempting to violate the authority of the U.S. Constitution could be viewed as an impeachable offense. The founders specifically wrote the U.S. Constitution with safeguards to protect state sovereignty should the federal government fail to protect them.”

Hullihan also reiterated what many Texans have argued: “Congress has failed to act on the border.” After Republican members of Congress held a news conference in Eagle Pass, border residents told The Center Square if Congress continues to use taxpayer dollars to fund policies that facilitate the border crisis, Congress is complicit in creating it and a national security threat.

“The question now is if Congress will defend the U.S. Constitution or not,” Hullihan said. “What’s happening in Texas is above politics and policy. This is about the founding principles of the U.S. Constitution and ensuring the checks and balances put in place will safeguard our constitutional republic and protect the lives, liberty and property of American citizens.

“Fundamentally, the government is charged with ensuring our individual liberty. We cannot allow transnational criminal organizations to operate unimpeded into our open border killing Americans. We have fought wars to defend our border, we must continue to fight today.”

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