Yearly Archives: 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris has a fight on her hands if she wants to inherit the Democratic presidential mantle after President Joe Biden’s time is over, according to a new poll.

The Politico/Morning Consult poll shows that voters have serious doubts about Harris’ electability.

The poll found only 14% of voters said it was “very likely” Harris would win a general election for president if she became the Democratic nominee. Another 20% said it was “somewhat likely.”

The poll is especially noteworthy given Biden's age. The incumbent president is 81 years old and appears increasingly in decline.

A moment of confusion for Biden at a June 6 D-Day ceremony went viral last week, the latest in a string of similar incidents. At the same time, Biden remains competitive with former President Donald Trump, though several polls suggest Trump has a lead over the president.

Biden's incidents have led some to speculate that Democrats could or should try to replace Biden at the Democratic convention in Chicago in August. That would be a highly unusual, though not impossible, move. Removing Biden would naturally raise the question about who could replace him, but for now voters seem to lack confidence that Harris could win.

The poll also looked ahead to 2028: “If President Joe Biden were not in the running for president in 2028, which of the following Democrats, if any, would you want to be the Democratic candidate for president?”

While Harris was top of the list among Democrats, she only received 21% support. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg both received 10% support each, while 41% said they were unsure or didn't know.

Only 42% of those polled described Harris as trustworthy, and 44% described her as honest, according to the poll.

Notably, only 36% of those surveyed said Biden should replace Harris as his VP on the ticket.

(The Center Square) – Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol don’t want Gov. Tony Evers to waste the chance to get a good look at Milwaukee Public Schools’ shortcomings.

Evers recently called for an operational and an instructional audit of MPS.

“I’m proposing today to go two steps further with two important goals: the first, to audit MPS’ programs and operations in their entirety, and the second, to audit the effectiveness of teaching and instruction of our kids in classrooms across the district,” Evers said.

The governor, however, wants to keep the audit within his administration and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said that’d be a mistake.

“I’m glad that Gov. Evers has called for an audit of the Milwaukee Public School System. Gov. Evers and DPI should work with Joint Legislative Audit Committee Co-Chairs [Eric] Wimberger and [Robert] Wittke to discuss authorizing the non-partisan Legislative Audit Bureau to audit MPS, DPI and any other involved stakeholders,” LeMahieu said. “The LAB is more than capable of handling this important undertaking independently and transparently without the use of outside contractors.”

The worry is an audit controlled by the governor’s office will not fully look into MPS’s shortcomings.

The calls for audits in Milwaukee Public Schools come after the state withheld nearly $17 million last week because of incomplete and late financial reports. One of those reports was due to the Department of Public Instruction in September 2023.

Evers has asked MPS leaders to be a part of any audit process but warned that not everyone will be invited.

“I also have to say – I’m exceedingly disappointed by the politicking and jockeying I’ve seen since this situation came to light by opportunists who’re seizing this moment to serve their own selfish goals instead of worrying about what matters most: our kids,” Evers added.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos took to social media to accuse the governor of being the one who is playing politics.

“And who do you think [Evers] will suggest conducts the audits?” Vos asked. “The same failed DPI bureaucrats who allowed this to happen or his administration who wanted to dismantle the school choice system so all kids were forced into this MPS mess? We need real reforms to the current mentality where MPS has been protecting the bureaucracy and Gov. Evers has been advocating for shoveling hundreds of millions of dollars into this broken system.”

An industry group says the Biden administration’s new staffing regulations for long-term care facilities are unrealistic.

The mandate requires that all nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding provide a total of at least 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Plus, nursing homes must have a registered nurse onsite at all times.

Research by SeniorLiving.org shows 82%, or nearly 12,000 facilities in the U.S., will need to hire staff or face being shut down.

Spokesperson Corie Wagner said Illinois is home to the fifth highest number of understaffed nursing homes in the country.

“If we were to apply the new policies and new standards to nursing homes in Illinois today, 84% of facilities would need more staff, and that is really significant,” said Wagner.

The mandate will be phased in over three years, with rural communities having up to five years.

Nursing home operators strongly objected to the minimum staffing proposal in September, saying they already struggle to fill open positions.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in September announced a $75 million campaign to increase the number of nurses in nursing homes.

Nearly 1.2 million residents live in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified, long-term care facilities, but Wagner said that number is expected to increase.

“It’s called the Silver Tsunami, so more Americans are aged 65 or older than ever,” said Wagner. “It's one of the largest segments of our population but the infrastructure we have is not keeping up with our population shift.”

A resolution aimed at overturning Biden’s nursing home staffing mandate has a legitimate chance to pass the U.S. Senate.

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee’s superintendent could soon be out of a job.

The city’s school board is set to meet late Monday afternoon to talk about Superintendent Keith Posley’s future.

The meeting comes after blowback from Milwaukee parents over proposed budget cuts, a threat from the state to withhold millions of dollars in school aid and a demand from activists in the city for “accountability.”

“These are serious violations that directly call into question MPS’ financial stewardship of taxpayer dollars. We are dismayed, though not surprised, that our concerns have been proven well-founded – and we repeat our calls that Milwaukee cannot afford for business as usual to continue at MPS,” City Forward Collective Executive Director Colleston Morgan Jr. said Friday.

Posley has not answered questions about how MPS missed last year’s deadline for a pair of state-required financial reports.

Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction last week threatened to withhold $15 million in general state, and special education dollars from Milwaukee Public Schools.

“Families are now at risk of having to pay even more in additional taxes than MPS officials indicated during the referendum campaign. This is the direct result of MPS’ own mistakes and mismanagement of public funds – nothing short of a violation of the public trust,” Morgan added.

Voters in Milwaukee approved a $252 million tax increase for MPS back in April.

The sales pitch for that referendum was to avoid deep cuts to Milwaukee schools. But Posley’s latest budget, which was supposed to be finalized last week, includes nearly 300 jobs cuts. About half of those are teaching jobs.

Morgan also took issue with what he sees as a double standard when it comes to the mistakes of MPS.

“If issues of this magnitude had occurred at a public charter school or a private school participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the school in question would be subject to severe sanctions – up to and including closure or loss of eligibility for public funding. Milwaukee Public Schools should be held to at least the same high standards for financial accountability as our city’s charter and private schools,” Morgan added. “MPS should face the same rigorous scrutiny and oversight as any other school operator would for these persistent and systemic failures.”

MPS’ board says Monday’s meeting will include a closed-door session on Posleys future and possible discipline, as well as a public hearing on those missing financial reports.

Donald Trump’s campaign announced Friday that they raised $34.8 million in small-dollar donations in the aftermath of the former president’s conviction on 34 felonies in a hush money trial.

"Today, the Trump campaign announced a record-shattering small-dollar fundraising haul following the sham Biden Trial verdict totaling $34.8 million – nearly double the biggest day ever recorded for the Trump campaign on the WinRed platform," the Trump campaign posted on Truth Social, the social media platform Trump created after he was banned from Twitter.

One of Trump's main fundraising websites crashed within minutes after the verdict was announced on Thursday, an early indication that the conviction may trigger a flood of donations from supporters.

"From just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small dollar donors," according a statement from Trump campaign advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles. "Not only was the amount historic, but 29.7% of yesterday’s donor’s were brand new donors to the WinRed platform.

"President Trump and our campaign are immensely grateful from this outpouring of support from patriots across our country. President Trump is fighting to save our nation and November 5th is the day Americans will deliver the real verdict."

Scott Adams, a California man with 1.1 million followers on X, said he donated to the Trump campaign.

"I just donated to Trump," Adams posted. "The donation page crashed from traffic. This is the hill to die on."

Those opposed to Trump also said they made donations to President Joe Biden.

Amy Cumpton, a woman from Oklahoma City, posted on X that she donated to the Biden campaign and tagged Team Trump in her reply.

"Me and me husband donated $34 each to Biden tonight in honor of Trumps convictions. We have never made a political donation before," Cumpton wrote.