Monthly Archives: September, 2024

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New research shows that school enrollment has declined in over 5,000 public schools in the U.S., suggesting families are rejecting traditional schools because of the pandemic.

The Fordham Institute's new study, conducted by researcher Sofoklis Goulas from the Brookings Institution, released Wednesday, found that families were over twice as likely to leave low-performing public schools.

“These declines do not seem to be explained by declining birth rates or any changes in the enrollment of charter schools or private schools,” Goulas said. “There is something else going on.”

The enrollment declines aren’t random, which leads Goulas to suspect that students aren’t just missing but instead are seeking alternatives.

“This new research allows us to see whether these declines are random across schools or whether it could be something related to the efficacy,” Goulas said. “And we find that the big low-performing schools experience larger enrollment declines, which makes us think that, indeed, families are looking for something else.”

Goulas added that families could be looking at homeschooling, but the definitive research isn’t out yet. Whatever the cause for the enrollment declines, Goulas said the COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst.

Goulas said that during the pandemic and related school closures by leaders, families were experimenting with alternative arrangements, like homeschooling, which may have worked well for some. Families may also have been disappointed with how schools reacted during the pandemic, Goulas said.

Another aspect of the pandemic closures is learning loss, which Goulas said may drive families to alternatives as they hope to catch their kids up.

Goulas said that as important as the topic is, many do not want to discuss ebbing enrollment because of what it might mean for a community.

“A lot people do not want to discuss declining school enrollment because of operation pressures schools experience that may eventually lead to school closures,” Goulas said. “Even though school closures are a rare phenomenon – we don’t see a lot of school closures in the historical data – they are associated with declining enrollment.”

Goulas’ advice for district superintendents was to look at where there has already been a market response.

“Since enrollment decline is not a phenomenon that manifests randomly across schools, the low-performing schools might be those that experience the greater declines,” Goulas said. “They might be the ones that are closer to closure.”

But, Goulas said, every case is different and the needs of every community will need to be taken under consideration.

“It is difficult to get the consistent definition of low-performance – schools that are not doing a great job serving their community – because even a bad school serves some students,” Goulas said.

In the introduction to the report, the Fordham Institute’s Amber Northern and Michael Petrilli pointed out that schools nationwide have empty schools which they ask taxpayers to fund.

“In Chicago, where 35% of seats are now unfilled, nearly three in five school buildings are underutilized,” they write in the introduction to the report.

“In Milwaukee, at least 40 schools are ‘significantly underenrolled’ (though that hasn’t stopped the district from requesting a 30%increase in property taxes),” they write. “In Broward [County, Florida], 67 schools are now operating at less than 70% capacity. The same can be said for 48 schools in Fort Worth.”

Goulas said that he hopes his research will help school leaders figure out how to prepare their school districts for success early enough for them to adequately prepare for the necessary changes.

“These are very hard questions, they vary across districts, but we feel that outlining them can help district superintendents, can help them make plans that help all students,” Goulas said.

Support for Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump has grown among Hispanic and Black likely voters in Texas, according to a new poll.

Trump also is continuing to lead his Democratic challenger, Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the poll published by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation.

Trump holds a six-point lead over Harris, 50% to 44%.

“Harris and Trump are effectively tied among Hispanic likely voters (49% vs. 43%),” the report states. Trump’s “strength among Texas Hispanic likely voters continues to show a striking resilience,” TxHPF CEO Jason Villalba said.

The split represents a 10-point drop among Texas Hispanic likely voters who favored President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Trump has also gained support from likely Black voters in Texas. In 2024, he has support from 17% of Texas Black voters surveyed, up from 6% in 2020, according to the data.

Overall, among all likely Texas voters polled, 51% hold a favorable opinion of Trump compared to 44% who do of Harris.

According to the group’s April poll, Trump held a 12-point lead over Biden, 46% to 34%.

The top four issues that stand out as the most important to Texas likely voters are the economy, the future of democracy, immigration and border security, and reproductive rights, according to the report.

By religious affiliation, 75% of Hispanics identifying as born-again Christians say they are voting for Trump, followed by 32% of Hispanic Roman Catholics and 18% of non-religious Hispanics. The majority of Hispanics identifying as nonreligious, 69%, say they are voting for Harris, followed by 61% of self-identifying Hispanic Roman Catholics and 24% of born-again Christians.

In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz holds a three-point lead over his Democratic challenger U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.

Nearly one-third polled, 30%, said they don't know enough about Allred to have an opinion about him. Among those who do, 41% hold a favorable opinion compared to 29% who don't. Cruz, who’s running for his third term, holds higher favorability (47%) and unfavorability (50%) ratings than Allred.

Allred leads Cruz among Black and Hispanic voters by 61% and 11%, respectively.

The majority of Texas Hispanics identifying as born-again Christians, 65%, say they are voting for Cruz; 31% of Hispanic Roman Catholics and 13% of non-religious Hispanics also say they are voting for Cruz. The majority of non-religious Hispanics, 72%, 61% of Hispanic Roman Catholics, and 29% of Hispanic born again Christians say they are voting for Allred.

Survey demographics do not appear to be equally representative of likely Texas voters by race, gender, religion or political affiliation, according to the data. White likely voters account for 57% surveyed, Hispanics 24%, Blacks 13%, and other for 6%. The majority polled were women and between the ages of 45 and 64, according to the data. Republicans account for 49% of those surveyed, Democrats, 38%, and independents, 12%.

The survey does not appear to include members of faith communities outside of two Christian categories and nonreligious.

The poll was conducted among 1,200 likely Texas voters between Sept. 13-18 and has a margin of error of roughly 3%.

According to a recent University of Texas/Texas Politics Project Poll, Texas voters support Trump and Cruz over their Democratic challengers.

“Texas voters express more trust in Trump on the issues that have regularly topped the ‘most important problems facing the state’ items over the last two years of polling, including the current poll,” the UT/TPP poll states, including the economy, immigration and border security and crime, crime and public safety, foreign policy and infrastructure.

Allred has endorsed Harris.

Allred, whose campaign is depicting him as a moderate, voted nearly 100% of the time with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, according to his voting record. He voted against oil and natural gas bills and against border security bills, critics argue would have benefitted Texas when two other Texas Democratic congressmen voted for them.

A bipartisan Senate report released Wednesday blasts the U.S. Secret Service for several significant failures that led to the near-fatal assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler County, Pennsylvania, over the summer.

The report indicates that security knew the shooter was on the roof minutes before Trump was shot.

Meanwhile, a bill that would increase the Secret Service protection for former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature.

The new Senate report lays out a litany of failures from the Secret Service, including failure to delegate responsibilities to agents and officers, failure to keep the key buildings cleared, failure to work will with local law enforcement, who were helping with security, and more.

The report includes a list of failures, including that the Secret Service did not properly respond after the would-be assassin was identified as a suspicious person over an hour before Trump took the stage.

A stunning paragraph from the report lays out the gravity of some of the mistakes:

“Approximately two minutes before shots were fired, the USSS Security Room, located on the rally grounds, was told that there was an individual on the roof of the AGR building,” the report said. “Shortly before shots were fired, a USSS counter sniper observed local officers running towards the AGR building with guns drawn.”

Critics have blasted the agency from its poor planning of the event, its slow and clumsy response and its unwillingness to share details publicly after the incident. The former head of the Secret Service resigned after a disastrous Congressional hearing on the issue where lawmakers from both sides took her to task.

The report also said an inexperienced agent had trouble getting the drone working and spent hours calling a tech support hotline for help. The agents apparently also had problems with their radios, something that is common, according to the repot.

“From planning missteps, to the siloed and flawed communication to the lack of effective coordination between law enforcement, to the breakdowns in technology, the Secret Service’s failures that allowed an assassination attempt on former President Trump at his July 13 rally were shocking, unacceptable, and preventable – and they led to tragic consequences,” said Chairman Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.

Lawmakers called for accountability and ongoing oversight.

“Our initial findings clearly show a series of multiple failures of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and an inexcusable dereliction of duty,” Ranking Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said in a statement. “Not only did USSS fail to ensure the AGR roof was adequately covered, they were also aware of a suspicious individual with a rangefinder for at least 27 minutes and did not delay proceedings or remove former President Trump from the stage, even after being informed that the suspicious individual was on the roof of the AGR building.”

Paul said that federal law enforcement agencies had “obstructed” the Congressional inquiry into this issue.

“What happened on July 13 was an accumulation of errors that produced a perfect storm of stunning failure,” added Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “It was a tragedy and completely preventable from the outset.”

The bill that would increase Trump’s protection comes after the former president survived his second assassination attempt this year and would give presidential-level Secret Service protection to all nominated presidential and vice presidential candidates. The U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill on Tuesday evening. It has already passed in the House.

As The Center Square previously reported, President Joe Biden recently told reporters that the Secret Service “needs more help."

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(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is out with a new report that says rolling back the limitations on collective bargaining included adopted more than a decade ago in Act 10 would cost local governments in Wisconsin nearly $500 million.

“At the time of Act 10’s passage, the legislation saved Wisconsin from pending financial ruin. As the federal government pulled back funding provided in the Great Recession, the state faced a budget deficit of more than $3.6 billion – the equivalent of nearly $5 billion today. Act 10 fixed the fiscal hole, and state and local budgets adjusted to the ‘new normal.’ There is little doubt that going back on the law would be ruinous for all levels of government,” the report states.

WILL’s Will Flanders said the nearly half-billion-dollar price tag for local governments includes:

● $113 million in new health insurance costs

● $360 million in new retirement benefit costs

● $12.7 million in new salary costs

“When faced with a budget shortfall, governments have two main options: raise additional revenue or cut services. It is not clear how this gap would be closed, but it is likely that a significant increase in the tax burden for Wisconsinites would be necessary,” the report adds.

The report looks at the cost projections for health insurance and retirement costs. It also notes that Act 10 never really slowed the pace of pay rises, acknowledging “Pay in 2012 – the last year prior to full Act

10 implementation – was $65,101 compared to $65,468 today. However, it seems the pay growth rate was arrested by the legislation. From 2000 to 2012, annual pay increases averaged about $241. From 2012 to 2022, pay increases averaged $46.”

The WILL report also quotes Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, who said ending Act 10 would be just as impactful as its implementation.

“It’s almost unfathomable how consequential it would be if Act 10 were repealed. I mean, we’ve made so much progress in the 10, 15 years since that was adopted,” Schoemann said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s here in Washington County, one of the most conservative places in Wisconsin or a place like the city of Milwaukee, the city of Madison, there have been huge reforms that have occurred at the local level since then. So to think about taking a step backwards in that way would be extraordinarily detrimental to our organization. And I think municipalities across the state of Wisconsin.”

WILL released a previous report on Act 10’s impact on public schools costs, That report said Act 10 has saved taxpayers more than $1.5 billion over the past decade-plus.

Act 10 is headed for a hearing before the Wisconsin Supreme Court after a Dane County judge questioned why and how lawmakers exempted certain public employees, like policemen and firefighters, from the law.

Haitians are not just arriving in Springfield, Ohio, but also in small rural towns nationwide as a result of several Biden-Harris administration policies.

Since fiscal 2021, more than 485,000 Haitian illegal border crossers, a record, have been reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The overwhelming majority were reported this fiscal year, nearly 216,000, compared to 48,727 in fiscal 2021.

Since fiscal 2021 through August, the majority have been apprehended at the southwest border of nearly 262,000, followed by nearly 221,000 nationwide and nearly 2,300 at the northern border, according to the data.

Additionally, since July, 205,000 Haitians have been released through the CHNV parole program, according to CBP data. Of the more than 765,000 illegal foreign nationals released into the country through the CBP One app, the top nationality is Haitian.Through these programs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also extended Temporary Permanent Status to them and granted work authorization.

All of these programs are illegal, state attorneys general who've sued to stop them, argue. U.S. House Republicans also cited them as among the many illegal actions Mayorkas caused them to impeach him. Mayorkas has since only expanded the programs and extended TPS.

When responding to the Haitian influx, local officials claim Haitians are there to work and are contributing to society despite claims by residents to the contrary.

The city of Springfield claims a "surge in our population over the last several years, primarily due to an influx of legal immigrants," suggesting that Springfield "is an appealing place for many reasons including lower cost of living and available work."

Springfield Mayor Bob Rue has said "my hands are tied in many ways" about the influx of Haitians, pointing to a designation they were given by the Biden-Harris administration. The TPS program "came from the White House and is a Homeland Security policy," he said at a recent city commission meeting.

Springfield residents have argued the overwhelming majority of Haitians are enrolling in welfare and not working; have caused increased crime andthere aren't enough police to deal with it; and residents are being killed by Haitian drivers. Rue has expressed concerns about the dangerous driving conditions, saying, "I have almost been hit myself."

In the last three years, Springfield's 50,000 population has swelled by roughly 20,000. City officials claim they are there "legally" through TPS through Feb. 3, 2026.

In Sylacauga, Alabama, residents have been demanding answers about busloads of Haitians being dropped into their community. At a Sept. 5 city council meeting, City Council President Tiffany Nix shut down a meeting and made the issue about race. "We have no reason to treat people differently because of how they look," she said. "There's no reason for us to discuss this any further." She also said, "I'm going to welcome anybody to Sylacauga that wants to come to Sylacauga," 1819 News reported.

Sylacauga resident David Phillips said, "there is no way the State Department can vet these people," adding that they were coming from a failed state and potentially dangerous.

Residents continue to speak out. At a Sept. 17 meeting, Nix said Haitians were there on 18-month visas. A meeting has also been scheduled with state and federal lawmakers.

In Coffee County, one resident claimed, "30,000 illegal aliens are scheduled to arrive in the first week of October, 1,000 of them in Baldwin County," and that human trafficking was involved, 1819 News reported. Enterprise City Councilman Greg Padgett posted a statement on Facebook saying, "Enterprise is not a sanctuary city; No elected officials have received bribes to allow Haitians into our city; No one informed the elected officials of our city about this program, how many are here, and for what purpose - so there has been nothing covered up." He also said they are "doing our best to obtain factual answers."

In Charleroi, Penn., the immigrant population has grown "by over 2,000% in just the last two years," primarily due to a Haitian influx, 11 News reported. Despite this creating a strain for the local school district, Charleroi Council Borough Manager Joe Manning told KDKA News, Haitians aren't "a drain on our resources, they don't cause problems."Charleroi Council President Kristin Hopkins-Calek said their community is "steeped in a rich history of immigration," and Haitians were making a positive contribution, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported.

Under current law, the majority of Haitians being released into the U.S. are inadmissible but have been ordered to be released by the Biden-Harris administration and given "notice to appear" documents for an immigration court hearing years into the future. The NTA states they are inadmissible, CBP officials have explained to The Center Square. Several U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security reports acknowledge their NTA inadmissible status and state their release, not removal, violates federal law established by Congress. If federal law were followed, House Republicans argue the large majority would be prohibited entry.

Many inadmissible Haitians became citizens of Mexico, Chile and other countries, living and working there for years prior to claiming asylum in the U.S., The Center Square has previously reported. Border Patrol and local Texas officials first realized this when what became 30,000 Haitians descended on Del Rio, Texas, in September 2021. Many left their passports and identifying documents – which show their citizenship was not Haitian – in Mexico, claiming they had none. The majority were released into communities nationwide, The Center Square reported.

(The Center Square) – A Republican lawmaker in Wisconsin want to avoid another fight to get off the ballot.

State Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, who oversees the Assembly’s elections committee said on UpFront over the weekend that he wants to change the state law that keeps people on the ballot, almost no matter what.

"We can't force people to do things they don't want to do anymore, even if they wanted to do them earlier," Krug said.

Krug said there’s no victory in forcing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the November ballot even though he’s no longer running for president.

Kennedy has challenged Wisconsin’s ballot access law by arguing it creates two timelines for getting off the ballot. Kennedy says Wisconsin law sets one deadline for Republicans and Democrats to get off the ballot, while it sets another timeline for independent candidates.

A Dane County judge has already rejected Kennedy’s claim, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court was still considering Kennedy’s argument.

Krug said Kennedy has a point to be made.

"I think you saw in the court case they made a pretty strong First Amendment argument that it wasn't what he wanted to do any more, and we kind of forced him into it,” Krug explained. “So that would be the change, I would propose next session is just saying before that final meeting with WEC, let's define what qualified means on the ballot."

It is, however, unlikely Krug and his fellow Republicans will be able to change Wisconsin’s ballot laws. Gov. Tony Evers has vetoed almost every election legislation that lawmakers have sent him over the past four years.

The governor has said he will not sign any new laws that make it more difficult for people to vote.

"I think that's been the challenge we've had the last four years is helping people understand why and how they are working so closely with our clerks, getting information out, having a lot of hearings, a session about ideas and changes we wanted to make," Krug said during the weekend show. "Not a ton of changes got signed into state law, but I think everybody's awareness of how our election process works and how their interactions with their clerks can be handled really gives me a lot of confidence going into this last stretch of the election cycle, that it's safe and secure."

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(The Center Square) – At the Wisconsin Election Commission’s request, the state’s Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up the petition to rule on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawsuit seeking his removal from the ballot, bypassing the court of appeals.

The decision follows the Dane County Circuit Court’s ruling Monday to keep Kennedy on the ballot.

“Given the need for a prompt resolution of this appeal, the court does not contemplate holding oral argument in this matter,” the court announced. “The court will endeavor to issue a written decision as expeditiously as possible.”

The action breaks with typical court procedure to reject premature petitions, leading Justices Rebecca Bradley and Annette Ziegler to issue a dissent.

“A majority of this court grants the Wisconsin Elections Commission’s (WEC) petition to bypass the court of appeals before the WEC has filed its response brief, despite the majority’s professed practice in prior cases of ‘generally den[ying] as premature petitions for bypass prior to the filing of briefs in the court of appeals,’ Bradley said Friday. “Such arbitrariness by courts is antithetical to the original understanding of the judicial role.”

Kennedy’s effort to remove himself from the state’s ballot has encountered setbacks for months. After withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsing former President Donald Trump, Kennedy had sent a letter Aug. 23 to the WEC, requesting his name be removed from the ballot.

But in its certification of presidential candidates five days later, the WEC voted 5-1 to put Kennedy’s name on the ballot, saying he had missed the Aug. 6 deadline for third party candidates to withdraw from the General Election. Following the decision, county clerks were authorized to begin printing ballots and Kennedy filed his lawsuit, which the Dane County Circuit Court struck down.

As Americans struggle with high inflationary costs, paying record high grocery costs and energy bills, Congress continues to allocate billions of dollars of taxpayer money to fund services for illegal border crossers living in U.S. cities.

Prior to the last budget funding showdown in March, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said in January that “any bill that does not secure the border is not acceptable.”

He also identified 64 examples of ways he says the Biden-Harris administration “worked to systematically undermine America’s border security.”

In February, House Republicans impeached Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas arguing he was derelict in his duty and violated the public trust by creating a border crisis. One month later, the majority of Republicans who voted to impeach him, passed a spending bill that funded programs he created they maintain are illegal.

While Americans complain about escalating crime caused by illegal border crossers who’ve inundated their communities, Congress funded the programs that brought them there – and are keeping them there – including DHS’ Shelter and Services Program grants funneling billions to primarily Democratic states, counties, cities as well as nonprofits.

Likewise, the U.S. Senate’s “strongest border security bill in history” the White House, Senate and House Democrats keep touting, co-authored by U.S. Sen. James Lankford, R-OK, allocated “an additional $1.4 billion in SSP funds, and provide additional needed tools and resources to respond to historic global migration,” DHS says – to fund caring for illegal border crossers released into the US.

DHS recently announced the latest round of SSP funding of $380 million—a drop in the bucket to overall spending authorized by Congress. This round “augments the $259.13 million in SSP grants that DHS distributed in April 2024 … which was authorized by Congress to support communities that are providing services to migrants,” DHS says.

The April DHS grant money was distributed after Congress in March passed a $1.2 trillion spending package to avoid a so-called government shutdown, despite Johnson’s and others’ claims, about requiring border security as a condition for passing it.

More than $780 million worth of SSP and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program – Humanitarian Awards grants were awarded in fiscal 2023 “which went to organizations and cities across the country,” DHS says. That’s after DHS awarded $640.9 million in fiscal 2024 “to enable non-federal entities to off-set allowable costs incurred for services associated with noncitizen migrant arrivals in their communities,” also authorized by Congress.

Here are examples of fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024 grant recipients and the amounts they received.

The SSP grants are awarded in phases. One round in fiscal 2024, totaling $40.8 million, was awarded to:

City/County of Denver, $5.9 million;District of Columbia, $2.7 million;City of Chicago, $3.8 million;Commonwealth of Massachusetts, nearly $4.9 million;NYC Office of Management and Budget, $20.4 million;City of Philadelphia over $3 million.That’s after $275 million was awarded to 55 recipients in the attached spreadsheet. Top recipients in one round of funding include:New York City’s Office of Management and Budget, $38.8 million;Pima County, Ariz., $21.8 million;Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego of $19.5 million;Maricopa County, $11.6 million, among others.

Democratic-led cities also received large payouts in one round of funding:

Atlanta, $10.8 million;Chicago, $9.6 million;Denver, $5.8 million.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also cashed in, receiving nearly $7 million; the District of Columbia received $8.7 million; Illinois, $9.6 million, all in one round of funding.

Democratic controlled El Paso County has long received federal money to coordinate transporting illegal foreign nationals north to New York City, Chicago and Denver, The Center Square reported; Austin and San Antonio followed suit flying north “guests coming from the border,” to “proactively manage the flow of people” out of their cities.

These grants exclude others awarded through numerous other federal agencies, including FEMA, U.S. Health and Human Services and others.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-FL, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-KY, and several House Freedom Caucus members argue Congress has a constitutional requirement to stop funding the border crisis. DeSantis, a Freedom Caucus member when he served in Congress, has asked, “How many congressmen rail against Biden’s transgressions yet still vote to fund them?”

Massie said in January that “in March, when funding expires, we can put a rider in the next bill that says none of the money hereby appropriated can be used to countermand border security measures of the states.”

This didn’t happen. The majority of Republicans voted to keep spending taxpayer money on these programs. By July, a U.S. House Judiciary Committee report highlighted examples of how Congress was still funding the border crisis.

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In many battleground states, former President Donald Trump is in better position this election cycle compared to the same time in the 2020 election cycle when he lost to Joe Biden.

In six of the seven consensus states, Trump’s polling average is better than the same point four years ago. Ninety-three electoral college votes ride on Pennsylvania (19), North Carolina (16), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Arizona (11), Wisconsin (10) and Nevada (six).

Biden won six of those states in 2020 – North Carolina was the exception – and the electoral college 306-232.

Polling information from Project 538 is included in the following state by state summaries.

Michigan

Michigan is a perfect example of this trend.

At this point in 2020, Biden led Trump by nearly 8%. This year, Vice President Kamala Harris leads Trump by only 1.8%, which is well within the margin of error.

Harris polls better than Biden when he was in the race in June and July. Michigan has the trifecta of Democrats for governor and majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.

Biden was leading Trump by 7.9% in polling heading into Election Day. He then won by just 2.8%.

This year, Harris' 5% behind Biden could be pivotal.

Arizona

Arizona is seeing a very similar trend to Michigan.

In 2020, Biden led Trump by an average of 4.8%. Compared to Trump’s lead today in the state of nearly 1%, polling has Trump up nearly 6% compared to his 2020 average.

Harris is still within the margin of error, usually about 3% to 4% on most polls.

Biden led the polls by 2.6% going into Election Day and won by 11,000 votes, or just 0.3%.

Georgia

In Georgia, Trump is polling just 0.4% ahead of Harris – down from 1.4% over Biden four years ago.

In 2020, Biden began leading Trump on Oct. 1. By Election Day, he was 1.2% ahead of Trump. The winning difference was about 11,000 votes, or just 0.2%.

Since 1980, this was only one of two times that the Republican presidential candidate lost in Georgia.

Nevada

While Harris is ahead of Trump in Nevada by 0.5%, it is 5% less than Biden's lead at the same time. Trump never led in polling in the final three months.

This election season, Trump has led the polls numerous times since early August.

In 2020, Biden was polling 5.3% ahead of Trump on Election Day. Yet, he won by only 2.4%.

North Carolina

North Carolina is particularly interesting. It has been the focus of both campaigns over the last few weeks, and Democrats believe they can win the state for the first time since Barack Obama won it in 2008.

Trump outperformed the polls here both four and eight years ago, winning the state twice.

In 2020, Biden was polling 1.8% ahead of Trump going into Election Day and lost by 1.3%. The Democrat never trailed in the final months, and was 1.2% ahead at this same time.

Trump has led all four polls in the last week since his debate against Harris, and his consensus lead is a slim 0.3%.

Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, Harris is polling 3% behind where Biden was polling at this point in 2020. She is leading Trump by 1.4%, while Biden was leading him by 4.8%.

On Election Day, Biden was nearly 5% ahead of Trump, and won by 1.2%.

Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, Trump has significantly narrowed Harris' recent lead.

At this point in 2020, Biden was leading by 6.7%, but he eventually finished on Election Day with polling a whopping 8.4% ahead of Trump. He won by just 0.8%.

This time around, Harris is ahead only 1.6%, or within the margin of error. Since August, Trump has slowly been narrowing her lead over him.

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(The Center Square) – There are new challenges to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ 400-year school funding increase.

Both the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the Institute for Reforming Government recently filed amicus briefs with the Wisconsin Supreme Court, challenging the governor's veto power.

“The partial veto power is a tool in the governor’s toolbelt, but it has a specific purpose. When it comes to fiscal policy, the partial veto power is a one-way rachet. It empowers the governor to tighten public spending and taxation by eliminating or reducing budgetary items, but it does not permit the reverse. The governor cannot use the partial veto power to increase either appropriations or revenue. That function requires a different tool – legislative power – which is not in the governor’s toolbelt,” IRGs brief states.

Evers changed a line in the current state budget to change a two-year school funding increase into a 400-year increase.

IRG CEO C.J. Szafir said the governor’s veto is both “unconstitutional and sets a disastrous precedent for policy.”

“Separation of powers is worth the fighting for and while we do not file a lot of briefs, we felt this was a debate that we couldn't sit out,” Szafir added.

WILL Attorney Skylar Croy called Evers’ veto both “dangerous and unconstitutional.”

“No executive should have the power to single handedly manipulate bills into something entirely beyond the legislature’s intentions. Continuing to operate this way will create negative consequences far into the future,” Croy added.

Evers changed the line “for the limit for the 2023-2024 school year and the 2024-2025 school year, add $325” to read “For the limit for 2023-2425, add $325.”

WILL’s argument to the court states that while the Wisconsin Constitution gives the governor a limited partial veto power.

“Appropriation bills may be approved in whole or in part by the governor, and the part approved shall become law,” the constitution states.

“However, a ‘part’ refers to a ‘part’ of the policy proposal in the bill, not the alphanumeric characters,” WILL argues to the court.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court in June said it would consider the case and has asked for arguments.

Evers has defended the 400-year funding increase as a way to “provide school districts with predictable long-term increases for the foreseeable future.”

The court has not said when it will hear oral arguments in the case.

Wisconsin Right Now is in Springfield, Ohio, reporting on the ground. Stay tuned for more. Springfield, Ohio, Mayor Rob Rue told Wisconsin Right Now on...