Category: Wisconsin

Gableman: Wisconsin Audit’s Purpose Is to Determine What Was Supposed to Happen on Election Day

The Center Square
Michael Gableman

The latest update on Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ election investigation comes with a promise and a warning.

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman released a YouTube video on Monday, explaining his investigation into Election Day 2020.

“My job as special counsel is to gather all relevant information. And while I will draw my own conclusions, my goal is to put everything I know and everything I learn before you. So you can make up your own mind,” Gableman said. “But I think it’s critical to know that an obstruction of this office is an obstruction of each citizen’s right to know whether all ballots were appropriately counted; that our elections were managed with fairness, inclusivity and accountability.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Steil Introduces Amendments to National Defense Authorization Act

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) introduced several amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act. According to a press release from Rep. Steil’s office, “Bryan Steil introduced several amendments to the nation’s annual defense funding bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to strengthen the legislation and hold our adversaries accountable.”

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Wisconsin Office of Special Counsel Outlines Parameters of Election Investigation

Hayley Feland
Wisconsin state capitol on the inside

The Wisconsin Officer of Special Counsel’s Justice Michael Gableman explained the parameters of the Wisconsin election investigation in a video released Monday. Gableman stated that he works directly for “the people of Wisconsin,” saying that “the rich and the powerful have all the representation they need. I am here to make sure the same is true for everyone.”

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Federal Grant Gives College Nearly $500K to Increase ‘Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in STEM’

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Alverno College in Wisconsin recieved a $499,983 grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to increase “racial/ethnic and gender diversity in STEM.”

According to the NSF grant abstract, the money will be used to “directly engage” 400 students at the college who are currently enrolled in STEM courses and focus on connecting women and minority students to their “professional and social communities.”

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Wisconsin Rep. Gwen Moore and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar Call for Investigation into Fort McCoy Refugee Conditions

Hayley Feland
Ilhan Omar and Gwen Moore

Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI-04) and Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) are calling for an investigation into the Fort McCoy refugee conditions. In a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, they asked for an investigation into “possible mistreatment and/or neglect.” Moore and Omar said that they were requesting that Austin and others take steps to “ensure the safe and respectful treatment” of the Afghan refugees. They said that the refugees have “suffered enough” with “having to leave their country because of threats to their safety and security.”

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Wisconsin Senator Johnson Asks for Answers Regarding Natural Immunity from COVID

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), wrote a letter to Dr. Anthony Fauci demanding answers regarding natural immunity from COVID. The letter was also addressed to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Dr. Janet Woodcock, Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Johnson wrote, “As President Biden revealingly declared, the vaccine mandate ‘is not about freedom or personal choice.’ This administration’s decision to disregard the effectiveness of natural immunity and demand vaccination ignores current data and is an assault on all Americans’ civil liberties.”

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Wisconsin Representative Gallagher Introduces Bill Limiting Gain-of-Function Research

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08) introduced a bill that would limit gain-of-function research for five years by pausing taxpayer funding. Rep. Mike Gallagher, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) introduced bipartisan legislation that would “put a five-year freeze on taxpayer funding for gain-of-function research.”

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Wants to Join Redistricting Suit, Bypass Lawmakers

The Center Square
Tony Evers

Wisconsin’s governor is sending a clear signal that he can’t or doesn’t want to work with lawmakers in drawing the state’s new political map.

Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul on Monday asked a federal judge to allow them to join a lawsuit that would skip the constitutional process for drawing Wisconsin’s new map, and have the court draw it instead.

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U.S. Officials Confirm Six Measles Cases Among Afghan Refugees in Virginia, Wisconsin

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Six Afghan refugees in Virginia and Wisconsin have tested positive for the measles, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

The cases were reported among Afghan refugees who were evacuated to the U.S. after the Taliban took over Kabul, according to the AP. The cases were reported four days after flights bringing Afghans to the U.S. were suspended because some of the refugees had measles, the AP reported.

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Wisconsin Congressional Delegates Respond to Biden Admin COVID Vaccine Mandates

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin congressional delegates responded to the Biden Administration’s COVID vaccine mandates. Three Representatives, Gallagher (R-08-WI), Fitzgerald (R-05-WI), and Steil (R-01-WI), expressed disagreement with Biden’s order, requiring businesses that employ over 100 people to mandate vaccinations or weekly COVID testing. Biden’s order also mandated that any healthcare facility that accepts Medicare or Medicaid to have all of their employees vaccinated.

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Kleefisch Enters Wisconsin Governor’s Race as Republican Frontrunner

The Center Square

Former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch is running for governor of Wisconsin. It’s not a surprise, she’s been kind of running for months, but on Thursday she made it official.

“I am running because I have two kids who I want to choose Wisconsin to live their American dreams and one day raise families here,” Klkeefisch said in her prepared statement. “But that is only possible if we start putting the people first.”

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Wisconsin Office of Special Counsel Tells State Election Commission to Prevent Evidence Destruction

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Flag with ballot form

Special Counsel and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman is attempting to prevent the potential destruction of evidence pertaining to the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Gableman reminded the Wisconsin Election Commission via letter of its duty to prevent the tampering and destruction of evidence.

“I hereby request that you and your office preserve any and all records and evidence […] including but not limited to information retained on any and all voting machine,” including “metadata, router information, and/or access logs,” he wrote.

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Job Creators Network Bring Small Business Back Tour Coming to Waukesha, Wisconsin

Hayley Feland

The Job Creators Network’s (JCN) Bring Small Business Back (BSBB) tour is coming to Waukesha, Wisconsin on Tuesday. Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-05-WI) will be attending and will be given JCN’s “Defender of Small Business” award. The tour will be in Waukesha at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, September 14, at Weldall Manufacturing. Participants can register to attend on EventBrite. According to a press release, the speakers at the Waukesha stop will include Rep. Fitzgerald and JCN Chief Communications Officer Elaine Parker.

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Wisconsin Rep. Gallagher Opposes Using Photos in Navy Promotion Decisions to Enhance Diversity

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher (R-08-WI) wrote a letter to Vice Admiral John Nowell opposing the use of photographs when making decisions about promotions in the Navy. Gallagher and five other members of Congress wrote the letter because he believes that basing a decision about giving a naval officer a promotion on their headshot is not a good criteria.

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Wisconsin Democrat Candidate for Senate Charged with Theft and Fraud

Hayley Feland
Chantia Lewis

A Wisconsin candidate for U.S. Senate was charged with theft and fraud after violating campaign finance laws. Chantia Lewis, a current Milwaukee city council member, allegedly used over $21,000 improperly. As was reported by the Houston Chronicle, Lewis used over $21,000 of campaign finances on “car payments, family trips, a worship conference and other personal expenses.” The Milwaukee county attorney’s office filed a total of four felonies and one misdemeanor against her.

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Wisconsin Charter Schools Growing, Overcoming Law and Misperceptions

The Center Square

Wisconsin charter schools are on the rise despite legal hurdles and widespread myths.

First established in 1993, Wisconsin charter schools now number 235 with 14 schools listed as new since last year. That’s a 6% upward trend.

One of the schools listed as new is the Carmen Middle School of Science and Technology South Campus. The school was categorized as new because of a location move.

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Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil Questions Why Biden Admin Shuttered Trump Era Contingency and Crisis Response Bureau Before Afghanistan Withdrawal

Hayley Feland
Bryan Steil

Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil (R-01-WI) is questioning why the Biden Administration shuttered the Trump era Contingency and Crisis Response (CCR) Bureau prior to withdrawing from Afghanistan. Steil co-wrote a letter to the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken with another Representative, saying that he believes that the decision to shut down the CCR made the Afghanistan situation worse.

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Wisconsin Congressional Delegates Respond to Biden’s Waiving Afghanistan Congressional Report

Hayley Feland

Wisconsin congressional delegates responded to President Biden waiving the congressional mandate stating that the Pentagon is required to provide a detailed report regarding the risks surrounding withdrawing from Afghanistan. Representative Bryan Steil (R-01-WI) said in a comment to Star News Network that, “Before the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan, the Biden Administration waived an important Congressional mandate that would have provided vital information and transparency to both Congress and the American people.

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Report: Wisconsin Lost Track of 82,000 Ballots in State Biden Won by 20,000

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Wisconsin lost track of more than 82,000 mail-in ballots cast in the state in the November 2020 elections—more than four times the margin of difference separating the two presidential candidates in the state, according to a report by the nonprofit Public Interest Legal Foundation.  

The legal foundation, an election integrity watchdog group, released a research brief Friday looking at one of the most closely contested states in the 2020 presidential election. 

However, the Wisconsin Elections Commission disputes those findings, as the commission spokesman said the report “mischaracterizes election systems and cherry-picks data,” adding, it is “unreliable and frankly, it’s sloppy work.” 

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State Senator from Wisconsin: Governor Evers Has Failed to Raise Refugee Concerns

The Center Square

The Wisconsin state senator who represents the towns around Fort McCoy has issued the strongest objection yet to the still murky plan to bring thousands of Afghan refugees to central Wisconsin.

Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, on Friday sent a strongly worded letter to Gov. Evers asking for answers about who the refugees are and where they will go once they arrive.

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Redistricting Lawsuit Filed, Democratic Groups Want Wisconsin Courts to Draw Maps Immediately

The Center Square
Tony Evers

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. Census Bureau delivered Wisconsin’s 2020 Census numbers, a handful of voters have filed a lawsuit to toss out the state’s current political map, and have judges skip the legislature and draw new maps on their own.

The lawsuit will be heard in federal court in Madison. It argues that because of the Census data, the state’s current congressional and legislative maps are out of date, and cannot be used in any upcoming elections.

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Journalism Professor Deletes Tweet That Appeared to Advocate for Violence Against Rand Paul

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University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism Professor Mike Wagner appeared to encourage Republican Senator Rand Paul’s neighbor to assault him in response to the libertarian politician’s comments on COVID mandates.

Rene Boucher, the senator’s Kentucky neighbor, attacked Paul in 2017, allegedly over a dispute about a pile of sticks. Boucher had to pay damages to Paul and served home confinement and time in jail, according to NBC News.

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Wisconsin Democrat Rep. Ron Kind to Retire in District Trump Won, Opening Door for GOP Contenders

Cooper Moran

U.S. Representative Ron Kind (D-WI-03) will retire from Congress at the end of his term, deciding not to run for re-election in the Wisconsin swing district.

Kind’s southwestern Wisconsin district has gradually evolved over his approximately 25-year career in the House of Representatives, with former President Trump winning the district in the November 2020 election.

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Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Vos Expands Election Probe

Bradley Vasoli
Robin Vos

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said Friday he plans to hire more investigators and anticipates allowing more time for a probe into the 2020 presidential contest for Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral-College votes, the Associated Press has reported.

The official vote count in Wisconsin last November put Joe Biden ahead of Donald Trump by 20,682 votes. The margin was just over 0.6 percent of the nearly 3.3 million votes cast statewide. 

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Wisconsin Officials Pledge to Conduct Forensic Audit of 2020 Election

Cooper Moran
Janel Brandtjen

Wisconsin State Representative Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) pledged to conduct a full forensic audit of ballots cast in the state’s November 2020 election.

“I’ve traveled around our state as Chair of the Campaigns and Elections committee, voters have made it clear that they want a thorough, cyber-forensic examination of tabulators, ballot marking devices and other election equipment, which I will be helping facilitate on behalf of the committee as the chair,” Brandtjen, who serves as the head of the Wisconsin Assembly elections committee, said in a statement.

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Data Shows Increased Homicides in Six Major Cities Across the Country

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Police line do not cross tape

The number of homicides in six major cities across the country has increased compared to last year, disproportionately affecting black people, according to crime data.

Black people have represented a massive share of murder victims in six major cities through the first six months of 2021 compared to last year, which itself saw a large crime surge, according to data analyzed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DCNF analyzed both police department data and homicide reports compiled by local news outlets to determine how black people have been victimized in the wake of the 2020 crime spike.

“We are seeing an uptick in violent crime across the country, specifically gun violence,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told The New York Times earlier this month.

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Wisconsin Student Charged with Misdemeanor for Residence Hall Fire in Hate-Crime Hoax

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Viterbo University

A former Viterbo University student has been charged with one misdemeanor count of negligent handling of burning materials after police say she set a fire inside her dorm in April for “attention purposes.”

Victoria Unanka, if convicted, faces a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine or nine months in prison, or both, according to the criminal complaint.

Unanka, through her attorney, entered a not guilty plea at a court hearing on Wednesday, the La Crosse Tribune reports.

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Despite COVID-19, New Report Credits Georgia Policies for Improved Economic Outlook Ranking

Chris Butler

Cutting taxes, paying down debt and maintaining free market policies this past year helped Georgia and other states improve their rankings for economic competitiveness, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. An Arlington, Virginia-based organization this week released a report that praised Georgia, among other states, for its economic policies. Members of that group, The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) published the report, which they titled Rich States, Poor States. This is the report’s 14th edition.

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How Georgia’s Voting Law Compares to Seven Blue, Purple States’ Laws

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Flag with ballot form

Democrats have repeatedly denounced the new Georgia election integrity law that requires IDs for absentee ballots, but seldom criticize blue states that have comparable laws on their books—or in some cases, laws making it more difficult to vote than in Georgia.

“Overall, the Georgia law is pretty much in the mainstream and is not regressive or restrictive,” Jason Snead, executive director of the Honest Elections Project, told The Daily Signal. “The availability of absentee ballots and early voting is a lot more progressive than what’s in blue states.”

Here’s a look at how the new Georgia election law stacks up to voting laws in Democrat-leaning blue states.

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Newly Revealed Emails Show Green Bay Officials Gave Keys to 2020 Election to N.Y. Dem Operative

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The Wisconsin House of Representatives on Wednesday held a hearing to review election irregularities after newly revealed documents obtained by Wisconsin Spotlight revealed that Democrat activists, funded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, were able to infiltrate the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin’s five largest cities.

In Green Bay, a Democrat activist was actually given keys to the room where absentee ballots were stored before the 2020 presidential election.

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Legislatures in States Like Georgia Could Name Electoral College Electors, Giuliani Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s election lawyer, on Sunday laid out a possible path to victory that includes the legislatures in states that include Georgia, as well as the Supreme Court.

The legislatures in states like Georgia could take action voter fraud by naming Electoral College electors, which would likely push the election into the Supreme Court, Rudy Giuliani told Fox News on Sunday. He appeared on Maria Baritomo’s Sunday Morning Futures.

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