Wisconsin Right Now

This is a column by Amy Hemmer. Maybe 2020 was a blessing in disguise… The strong gust of wind blowing across the United States on the morning of Nov. 6, 2024, originated from most voters breathing a huge sigh of relief.  Trump had won the presidential election decisively in a true landslide, with both the electoral college and the popular votes going for Trump! This win could be described (in Trump-speak) as BIGLY! Trump received 312 electoral votes to Harris’s 226.  The Republicans won the Senate 53 to 47 and the House 219 to 213.  The popular vote currently shows Trump at 76,733,140 with Harris millions of votes behind. The American people knew the country was in deep trouble from within and voted accordingly. If Harris had beaten Trump, she would have continued the same disastrous policies of the Biden/Harris Administration and then some. Instead, voters spoke to put an end to bullying Marxist policies. To put an end to the insanity the left has imposed upon the nation as ...

A majority of Americans support President-elect Donald Trump's plan to declare a national emergency over the border crisis, according to a new poll. Declaring such an emergency would allow Trump to utilize the military to secure the border and help with his plan to deport violent criminal foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally. The Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted online by pollster Scott Rasmussen Nov. 18-19. It asked: "President Trump has said that he will declare a national emergency because of the illegal immigration problem. This would let the Trump Administration use military force to help with a mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Do you favor or oppose declaring a national emergency to address the problem of illegal immigration?" In response, 31% of those polled said they strongly favor declaring a national emergency, and 24% said they somewhat favor it. Combined, 55% of Americans support Trump's plan. Those in ...

Jose Ibarra, a suspected member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and in America illegally since 2022 according to immigration officials, has been found guilty on all counts related to the murder of Laken Riley. Judge H. Patrick Haggard gave the ruling on Wednesday morning shortly after testimony and closing arguments had closed. Ibarra's defense attorneys waived the right to a jury trial in opting for a bench trial. Riley, 22, was a former University of Georgia student who had transferred into the Augusta University nursing program on the Athens campus. Her name became synonymous with immigration campaign points by Republicans in this year's election cycle. Prosecutors said, and Haggard agreed, Ibarra killed Riley on the morning of Feb. 22 as she was jogging near her Athens apartment. Haggard said he took two legal pads full of notes during the trial but typically just listened during closing arguments. The judge offered that he wrote down two things, one by pros...

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) is urging the Legislature to "rein in DPI’s ability to change accountability standards in education" after the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released new report card data on November 19 in which "the only expectation is mediocrity." WILL Research Director Will Flanders, stated, “DPI has rewritten academic standards so that the only expectation is mediocrity, and Wisconsinites must not stand for it. Continual changes to both the Forward Exam and state report cards have created a ‘Frankenstein’s’ monster of an accountability system that outright hides declining academic achievement. The legislature must act in 2025.” Wisconsin DPI told Fox 6 that "94% of public school districts met, exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations. The ratings contain five categories: Significantly Exceeds Expectations, E xceeds Expectations (four stars), Meets Expectations (three stars), Meets Few Expectat...

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Tuesday that his office will oppose President-elect Donald Trump's motion to dismiss his felony conviction in New York. Bragg said that despite plans to oppose Trump's motion, his office would agree to hit pause on the proceedings pending the judge's decision on Trump's motion to dismiss. Bragg also suggested the case could wait until Trump's finishes his term in the White House. "No current law establishes that a president's temporary immunity from prosecution requires dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution and that is based on unofficial conduct for which the defendant is also not immune," Bragg wrote in a letter to Judge Juan Merchan. "Rather, existing law suggests that the Court must balance competing constitutional interests and proceed 'in a manner that preserves both the independence of the E...

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Deanne Criswell, told lawmakers that she personally approved the firing of an employee who directed FEMA workers to not knock on the doors of those affected by Hurricane Helene if they had Trump signs in their yards. Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and wreaked havoc from Florida up the Eastern United States, killing more than 100 people in North Carolina alone and causing billions of dollars of damage across several states. In less than two weeks, Hurricane Milton did its own damage in many of the same areas, leaving thousands of Americans needing help. FEMA, however, has taken fire for its handling of the storms as well as its ongoing funding to help illegal immigrants. In particular, The Daily Wire first broke news showing screenshots of text messages from a FEMA employee telling about a dozen workers under her supervision to avoid visiting houses with Trump signs. The text message instructed workers that i...

Citing discrimination against nonminorities in farming assistance programs, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty has filed an amicus brief in support of plaintiff Robert Holman's litigation against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He's a corn and soybean farmer. The institute is calling on the incoming Trump administration to address the issue among other federal agencies as well. In an amicus brief supporting Holman, the conservative-leaning institute says prioritizing members of races deemed “socially disadvantaged” in taxpayer-funded assistance programs is unconstitutional. “During the Biden administration, race discrimination infected every nook and cranny of the federal government,” Deputy Counsel Dan Lennington of the Institute for Law and Liberty said. “These programs impact Americans and small businesses every day. The new Congress and administration should immediately dismantle each one of these discriminatory programs. Otherwise, we’ll see them in ...

Photos and video show the extensive damage to Oscar's Frozen Custard & Sandwiches on November 19 after a fire "ravaged" the popular Waukesha, Wisconsin, restaurant. The cause remains unclear. "It is with profound sadness that we are posting today about the loss of our beloved Brookfield Location. As most of you already know the building was ravaged by fire early this morning - at this time we have no further details to share as to how the fire started, we are happy to provide more information on that side of things when we have more," a November 19 statement on the restaurant's Facebook page said. [gallery ids="311300,311301,311302,311303,311304,311305,311306,311307,311308"] "At this moment, what stands out as the most important part of this tragedy is that it happened without injury to anyone - thank goodness no one was in the building," the statement says, sharing a dramatic photo. "We are incredibly thankful to the ...

  (The Center Square) – President-elect Donald Trump is nominating former Congressman and current Fox Business host Sean Duffy to serve as his Department of Transportation secretary. “During his time in Congress, Sean was a respected voice and communicator in the Republican Conference, advocating for Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Growth, and Rural Development,” Trump said in a statement. “Admired across the aisle, Sean worked with Democrats to clear extensive Legislative hurdles to build the largest road and bridge project in Minnesota History.” Duffy is an attorney who represented the seventh district of Wisconsin from 2011-2019 as a Republican. “He will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America's highways, tunnels, bridges and airports,” Trump said. “The husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on FoxNews, and the father of nine incredible children, Sean knows how important it is for families to be able to t...

Just over a week after “the biggest comeback in political history,” many of us are still riding high on feelings of elation and hope after Republicans took back the White House, the Senate, and have officially held on to the majority in the House of Representatives. President Trump has been given a clear mandate after overwhelmingly winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote. And after seeing Trump’s cabinet picks so far, it looks like real change within our government will happen. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the heads of the Department of Government Efficiency? Tom Homan as the border czar? RFK Jr. as head of the Department of Health and Human Services? This is NOT business as usual. I’m under no illusions that this will be easy, especially with a narrow majority in the House. Democrats won’t just sit back without trying to obstruct President Trump and his agenda. But if the goal is to “drain the swamp” and bring serious reform to our government agencies, we’re...

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has badly mismanaged the state crime lab, a new report from his office shows , especially in the key area of DNA, where delays jumped significantly over his predecessor, Brad Schimel. This has been the case ever since Kaul took office in 2019. Although he defeated Schimel largely by hammering the Republican on crime lab delays, Kaul, five years into office now, has failed to get his hands around the lab backlogs. And his old excuse of COVID has long ago run out. Kaul said in the November 2024 report that he couldn't "meaningfully" reduce crime lab backlogs without getting more spending/staff, and he's tried to say he's doing better than some other crime labs. However, the fact is evident from his own reports: the Democrat Kaul is presiding over a crime lab that is far less productive than it was under Schimel, while still not turning evidence around as fast in multiple key areas. This matters because Kaul said the cri...

Republicans in the Assembly re-elected Speaker Robin Vos, while Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate re-elected Dianne Hesselbein as Minority Leader. Senate Republicans last week re-elected Sen. Devin LeMahieu as Majority Leader. Democrats in the Assembly are the only ones who have not yet voted for their leader. That vote is set for Tuesday. The leadership re-elections signal that next year likely won’t be that much different from the past two years at the Capitol in Madison. In fact, both Vos and Hasselbein said their priorities for the new session are no different than their priorities from the one that’s about to end. “We have an opportunity to make sure that the wishes of the public in Wisconsin become the reality that we work on over the next 14 to 15 months,” Vols told reporters. The new legislature will be tasked with writing a new state budget. Hesselbein said Democrats want to add to that state budget and spend more on Gov. Tony Evers’ top priorities. “We know ...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” Trump said in a statement. “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health.” The lifelong Democrat became an Independent during his presidential campaign and then endorsed Trump, helping propel Trump to victory. Kennedy has been outspoken about the need to take on corporate food companies as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to address the chronic health crisis in America. “The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceut...

  Republicans will again control the U.S. House of Representatives, multiple media outlets are projecting. The call means President-elect Donald Trump is at the helm as Republicans have secured all three branches of the federal government. Decision Desk HQ called the House for Republicans days ago, but other media outlets like CNN and NBC News held out until Wednesday afternoon to put Republicans at at least 218 seats after flipping one overall in their favor with a few more races to call. The Associated Press and Fox News still have not called the House, leaving Republicans at 217 seats. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans on Wednesday  elected U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to serve as majority leader as Trump rolled out several picks to fill out his administration. Republican control of the House will likely prevent Trump from facing more impeachment attempts and House investigations as well as give an edge in funding battles. “Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump for jo...

(The Center Square) – President-elect Donald Trump picked Tesla CEO Elon Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency. The department's acronym, DOGE, is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said the new group will pave the way for his administration to "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulation, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies." Trump laid out lofty goals for the group in his announcement this week. "It will become, potentially, 'The Manhatten Project,' of our time," Trump's announcement said. "Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of 'DOGE' for a very long time." It won't be an official government agency, which will likely allow Musk and Ramaswamy to avoid public financial disclosures. Trump said the change he's looking for won't come from within the existing federal g...

Eric Hovde spoke with Jessica McBride on Tuesday as she sat in for Mark Belling on WISN 1130. You can hear the interview at about 2:17 mark. In a video on X, Hovde said he was considering seeking a recount of the election results. https://x.com/EricHovde/status/1856444700707958981/video/1 Baldwin currently leads Hovde by less than 30,000 votes, 49.4% to 48.5%, with 99% of the vote counted. https://www.wisconsinrightnow.com/eric-hovde-gives-update-on-senate-election-results/?feed_id=24188&_unique_id=67356e1814254

Eric Hovde spoke with Jessica McBride on Tuesday as she sat in for Mark Belling on WISN 1130. You can hear the interview at about 2:17 mark. In a video on X, Hovde said he was considering seeking a recount of the election results. https://x.com/EricHovde/status/1856444700707958981/video/1 Baldwin currently leads Hovde by less than 30,000 votes, 49.4% to 48.5%, with 99% of the vote counted. https://www.wisconsinrightnow.com/eric-hovde-gives-update-on-senate-election-results/?feed_id=24162&_unique_id=67356db43bbb5

As liberal women shave their heads on TikTok and pledge to stop having sex with men who voted for Trump (not that they care), and hosts on "The View" screech ridiculously about supposedly sexist Latinos, it's worth reminding everyone why Kamala Harris actually lost. And why Democrats did. The best part of the Trump victory is that it was a broad coalition. More blacks, Hispanics, younger generation folks, Native Americans, and women joined the Trump movement. They feel part of it now. This is healthy for America. Trump's victory in 2016 was a lot narrower. No, all Latinos aren't sexist, Americans didn't just elect Hitler, Trump's victory wasn't due to conservative "misinformation," and your Democratic mom doesn't have to move to Costa Rica, women's rights aren't being stripped away by a "felon rapist," or any number of insane comments liberals have thrown around in the aftermath of their embarrassing rout. Here a...

  Vice President Kamala Harris addressed her supporters and the nation at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C. Wednesday afternoon, where she publicly conceded the race to former President Donald Trump. Harris – the 60-year-old former California Attorney General and U.S. senator currently serving as vice president – called for loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and the peaceful transition of power in her speech. She clearly conceded the race and pledged to help former President Donald Trump with the transition. “My heart is full today, full of gratitude for the trust you have placed in me, full of love for our country and full of resolve,” Harris said to begin her remarks. “The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but hear me when i say the light of America’s promise will always burn bright as long as we never give up and as long as we keep fighting.” Harris thanked her family, supporters, her team, Pre...

Incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin defeated Republican challenger Eric Hovde in a race declared Wednesday afternoon. Baldwin held a lead of 28,958 votes with 49.38% of the vote to Hovde’s 48.52%. “The voters have spoken and our campaign has won,” Baldwin wrote on social media. “Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done. I'm proud to head back to the Senate to keep fighting for our workers, farmers, and families that make our state great.” Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done. I'm proud to head back to the Senate to keep fighting for our workers, farmers, and families that make our state great. If the difference remains less than 1%, Hovde will automatically qualify for a re-count. After the unofficial tallies are done, a canvas must be complete and filed by Nov. 19. Then Hovde would have three days from the time the...