Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today rejected demands from the Trump administration that schools be reopened this fall for in-person instruction, countering that the decision should be made at the local level. Meanwhile, as the Madison and Dane County health department issued the state’s

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ popcorn company received a loan of at least $150,000, one of thousands that went to Wisconsin businesses as part of a federal program to help companies retain employees amid the fallout from COVID-19. The Small Business Administration today

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Wisconsin GOP isn’t requiring attendees at next week’s state convention to sign a waiver related to COVID-19. Those who attended a rally featuring Vice President Mike Pence in Pewaukee last week were required to sign one acknowledging “an inherent risk of

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Madison Metropolitan School District share of state general aid for the 2020-21 school year fell for the fourth year in a row. New DPI school aid estimates showed Madison schools are slated to receive about $31.3 million, $5.5 million less than

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Roughly one out of every five voters who cast an in-person absentee ballot in the state’s two largest cities during the 2018 midterm elections did so before the two-week early voting window that will be in place this fall. A unanimous federal

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The lead attorney for the state and national Dem parties indicated today the coalition that’s filed a series of lawsuits seeking changes to Wisconsin’s election laws wants them in place for the November election, not the August primary. Attorney John Devaney said

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — President Trump touted his efforts to rebuild the military and breathe life into the nation’s manufacturing sector in a winding address that also promoted the USMCA trade deal and his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking from an outdoor stage against

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers has activated the Wisconsin National Guard to support Madison law enforcement and first responders and protect critical infrastructure following violent protests last night. According to Evers’ announcement this afternoon, Guard members may not prevent people from peacefully protesting or

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Vice President Mike Pence during a pair of suburban Milwaukee visits today dismissed calls to defund police, touted an improving economy and praised private school choice. In a speech in Pewaukee, Pence called the killing of George Floyd at the hands of

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Vice President Mike Pence is now scheduled to kick off tomorrow’s trip to Wisconsin with a stop at Waukesha STEM Academy, where he is set to participate in a school choice roundtable with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The stop was announced today

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes today released a legislative package that would ban the use of chokeholds and only allow deadly force as a last resort. They said the proposals would produce “transparency in policing.” But the guv passed

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Joe Biden will formally accept the Dem presidential nomination in Milwaukee despite a potentially scaled-back convention over COVID-19 concerns. Biden camp spokesman Bill Russo in a statement confirmed the former VP will take the nomination in the city, but he said decisions

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Wisconsin Elections Commission today voted unanimously to approve sending an absentee ballot application to some 2.7 million voters, pending a handful of changes to the language in the documents. The move comes after a group of Assembly Republicans drafted a letter

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Ethics Commissioner Scot Ross opened his term on the panel by addressing structural racism before slamming the state’s Republican leaders. “Black people are treated unequally by the police. Black people are treated unequally in the workplace. Black people are treated unequally in

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald today demanded Gov. Tony Evers identify the staffer who secretly recorded their May 14 conversation with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, say who authorized the taping and provide details on disciplining staff. Evers last week said he was

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Amid a bipartisan call to fire the staffer who authorized taping a phone call with GOP leaders, Gov. Tony Evers today declined to name the aide who approved recording the conversation. “I will not discuss personnel issues in public, but needless to

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Legislature’s top two Republicans today accused Gov. Tony Evers of secretly taping a May meeting with them, calling it “Nixonesque.” A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said the Rochester Republican’s office received an open records request seeking any copies of

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today announced the Wisconsin National Guard has concluded its mission assisting local law enforcement in a series of protests prompted by the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer. Meanwhile, the Legislative Black Caucus

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers last year created a blind trust for the vast majority of his investments, signing a contract that limits his knowledge of the fund to basic information such as what he’d need to file a tax return. The details of

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Declaring racism a public health crisis, Gov. Tony Evers today renewed his call to accept federal money to expand the Medicaid program, arguing it would help address racial disparities in Wisconsin. In a call with reporters today, the guv noted racial disparities