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MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Police Department is connecting with protest organizers to ensure peaceful demonstrations this weekend. "It's a very open and fluid conversation just to make sure that we have all the details ironed out," said Acting Madison Police Chief John Patterson. Saturday is being called "Day of Defiance" as people in several states host "No Kings" rallies to protest ICE raids along with President Donald Trump's polices. Acting Chief Patterson says the department has been working alongside organizers for days. "We've been in touch with the event organizer on Saturday. There's been great application and back and...

According to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill would add $2.4 trillion to deficits over the next decade while forcing millions to lose health insurance coverage. In an interview with All Things Considered host Scott Detrow, the Wisconsin senator said Trump's bill — which narrowly passed the House — will not pass the Senate in its current form because it will "skyrocket" the deficit. "I can't accept this is the new normal," Johnson told NPR. "It's just unacceptable." Now that Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" is in the hands of the Senate, some...

The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Wisconsin-based Catholic charity group in a case centered on unemployment tax credits for religious institutions – delivering a victory for faith-based institutions, who had argued the state's decision had violated the religious clauses under the First Amendment. In a unanimous opinion, justices on the high court agreed that the state had engaged in an "unnecessary entanglement" in attempting to define whether religious groups should be entitled to an otherwise-available tax exemption based on the state’s criteria for religious behavior. "When the government distinguishes among religions based on theological differences in their provision...

Residents living across a huge area spanning three states have been warned of dangerous air pollution levels on Tuesday. Swathes of Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin are all affected by poor air quality, with an area around Minneapolis covered by one of the most severe warnings. Smoke from wildfires, combined with the current weather conditions, have contributed to the pollution. Why It Matters Health officials warn that vulnerable populations — such as children, older adults and individuals with existing respiratory issues — face heightened risks during periods of poor air quality. Even healthy members of the general public may experience health...

In case you were wondering what the Wisconsin Democratic Party is focused on these days — it's not inflation, the border crisis, or crumbling roads. Nope. Their latest priority is scrubbing the word "mother" from state law. This week, Democrats introduced the Marriage and Family Equality Act — a warm, fuzzy name for a bill that replaces "mother" with terms like "pregnant person." Apparently, acknowledging basic biology is now considered hAtE speech. Sorry, moms. It gets worse. Similarly, Governor Tony Evers' Senate Bill 45 doesn't just tweak a few terms — it replaces "mother" with "inseminated person" across 1,917 pages...

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Wednesday suggested that he might not run for reelection in 2028, possibly resulting in a race for an open Senate seat in a notable battleground state in a few years. “I learned in my second run, when I absolutely meant ‘second and final,” you can’t say never, never, okay?” Johnson said during a Milwaukee Press Club event on Wednesday when asked about a 2028 run. “I don’t want to,” he added. “Yeah, I’d like to dig my heels in now, set this nation on a sustainable course and then go home.” In the 2022 midterms,...

MADISON, WI -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended Dane County Judge Ellen Berz for a week following a complaint brought by the Wisconsin Judicial Commission. Berz will be suspended without pay starting June 26. The Commission alleged that Berz violated multiple parts of the Code of Judicial Ethics and then admitted to said violations. The Commission specifically referenced two incidents, one on May 31, 2019 and another on Dec. 13, 2021, in its complaint against Berz. During the 2019 incident, Berz allegedly used sarcasm towards a defendant and admonished him for asking to move a trial date saying...

A private attorney who worked as an attorney and public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced she is running for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The announcement follows another former Planned Parenthood’s successful bid to be elected to the same state Supreme Court earlier this year. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor is running to unseat current Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley, who is running for reelection. Taylor has spent her career as a private attorney, judge, state legislator, and an attorney and pubic policy director for Planned Parenthood. She implied she may not...

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a fiscal hawk who has openly criticized House Republicans' reconciliation bill, predicted Sunday that there are enough in his flock to stop the process "until the president gets serious about spending reduction and reducing the deficit." The big picture: Pushing President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" through the House was far from a painless process, but the fiscal package now heads to the Senate, where the chamber is likely to make changes. Johnson, who has not held back in his criticism of the bill championed by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), characterized the GOP-only legislation as "the...

Friday, in a clip that aired on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said President Donald Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Big” was unacceptable in its current form, as passed by the House of Representatives. Johnson told a reporter on Capitol Hill, “I couldn’t care less if he’s upset. I’m concerned about my children, my grandchildren, and the fact that we are stealing from them. We are stealing from our children and grandchildren. $37 trillion in debt, and we’re going to add to it as Republicans? That is unacceptable.” He added, “And that’s why there’s no way I’m going to...

GOP senators have raised concerns about the deficit impact of the emerging package, as well as the cuts to Medicaid and clean energy funding. WASHINGTON — As House Republicans scramble to corral the votes to pass a massive bill for President Donald Trump's agenda, their Senate counterparts are making clear the emerging package won’t fly as written when it reaches them.Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., was categorical that the product coming out of various House committees cannot pass the Senate as it currently stands.“No. We’ll make changes,” Hoeven said. “We’ve been talking with the House and there’s a lot of things...

The Wisconsin judge accused of helping an illegal immigrant evade arrest by ICE in her courtroom entered a not guilty plea Thursday in federal court. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on federal charges of concealing a person from arrest and obstruction of justice following the alleged incident involving Eduardo Flores-Ruiz last month. Around 200 protesters were demonstrating Thursday outside the federal courthouse in Milwaukee ahead of her court appearance. A trial date has now been set for July 21. The indictment accused Dugan of "falsely" telling federal officials in April that...

A federal grand jury indicted a Wisconsin circuit court judge on Tuesday, who was arrested last month for allegedly shielding an illegal immigrant from federal agents. Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested and charged with obstruction of an official proceeding on April 25, after evidence became known that she had shielded an illegal immigrant from federal agents, according to a criminal complaint. She was also charged with concealing an individual to prevent discovery and arrest. Dugan was indicted by a federal grand jury after listening to testimony regarding charges that she allegedly tried to help an illegal alien escape...

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., has a message for the “anonymous” person who made a “credible threat” against his family: “You will not intimidate me.” Still, the Wisconsin Republican says the specificity of the latest threat against his wife, children, and grandchildren forced him to cancel an online town hall session last week and miss several votes as he rushed back to his southwest Wisconsin home to make sure his loved ones were safe. Van Orden said the letter, sent to his Washington, D.C. office, was immediately reported to the appropriate authorities. The lawmaker’s congressional colleague, Rep. Bryan Steil, a...

Earlier today, J. Christian Adams reported comments made by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) regarding the Voting Rights Act. Sharing the podium with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, Sensenbrenner told a Washington audience Monday that he wants to “fix” the part of the law that the Supreme Court recently struck down. Sensenbrenner said he wants to fix the law so that it is immune to court challenges. “The first thing we have to do is take the monkey wrench that the court threw in it, out of the Voting Rights Act, and then use that monkey wrench to be able...

MADISON, Wis. -- The father of the 15-year-old girl who opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School last December, killing two people and injuring six more is in custody, online records show. According to online data provided by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Jeffrey Rupnow was booked into the Dane County Jail on Thursday. Madison police confirmed the arrest, and said Rupnow was taken into custody at around 3:45 a.m. Online court records show he was formally charged Wednesday with two counts of intentionally selling a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 and one felony count of contributing to...

The man arrested by immigration authorities in Milwaukee - despite a Wisconsin judge’s alleged attempt to shield him - is being held in a neighboring county’s jail as controversy continues to swirl around the case.Eduardo Flores Ruiz, 30, was locked up in the Ozaukee County Jail awaiting further court action as of April 30.He is accused of injuring three people in a recent domestic dispute, online records show.The Mexico native is the defendant whom Judge Hannah Dugan is accused of assisting in an April 18 incident at the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.Flores Ruiz appeared at the court for a hearing...

MADISON, Wis. -- A Florida man who was found to have communicated with the Abundant Life Christian School shooter was arrested for allegedly planning a mass shooting at a law enforcement facility. According to the arrest affidavit Damien Blade Allen and the 15-year-old girl who police say opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in December, killing two and injuring six, exchanged messages for months over TikTok. A joint investigation between FBI and US revealed Damien Blade Allen allegedly conspired with other individuals online to commit mass violence. Allen was also arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer. He allegedly...

This week, two judges lifted their robes to show a little ankle and in so doing revealed themselves to be completely indifferent to the laws they swore to uphold. Now they face federal prosecution. But like Murphy, the left has laws too, and those internecine rules must be observed and respected. Their rule book says federal charges are merely the beginning of what should happen to the two accused black-robed leftist criminals. It’s not as if we have a choice, do we? Leftists judges can’t paint outside the lines and help criminal illegal aliens without some blowback. So, with the...

The Wisconsin state Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended a Milwaukee judge who has been accused of allegedly helping an illegal migrant evade an immigration arrest. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI late last week on obstruction charges, after she allegedly helped Eduardo Flores Ruiz evade arrest by "intentionally [misdirecting] federal agents away from the subject." FBI Director Kash Patel said at the time that Flores Ruiz was also arrested. The state Supreme Court said that the suspension was in the best interest of the public, because Dugan has been charged with two federal crimes, according...