Podcasts about wisconsin republicans

Matt Rothschild and Angela Lang dive into Wisconsin's political landscape with guests like Jeff Mandel and Rep. Francesca Hong. Mandel critiques federal overreach, spotlighting a judge's arrest as a troubling power play by the Trump administration, which he argues is teetering on a constitutional crisis. He champions fusion voting to break the two-party grip, advocating for voter empowerment. Rep. Hong slams Wisconsin Republicans for ignoring constituents and dismantling crucial proposals like childcare funding. She promotes the Economic Bill of Rights to ensure basic worker rights and economic security, while condemning the divisive strategies of state leaders. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Guests: Jeff Mandell, Francesca Hong

The FBI arrested Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan last week after she allegedly tried to help a man evade immigration authorities in the courthouse. Wisconsin Republicans are calling for her removal from the bench and Democrats are calling her arrest an attack on the judicial branch. To get the details on what went down and what comes next — for the judge and our justice system — we spoke with one of the reporters who broke the story, columnist Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.   Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter. 

Wisconsin Republicans are coping with their Waterloo moment (losing the Supreme Court in the April 1st election) by doubling down on crony capitalism. They're rebranding the toxic ROFR bill as the Wisconsin Energy Reform Act. Meanwhile, they're shirking the fight for a responsible state budget. And speaking of Waterloo, the City of Waterloo has an authoritarian new policy masked as a concession to private property rights. Bill Osmulski and Michael Lucas have all the details on this edition of the MacIver Report Podcast.

A liberal won Wisconsin's Supreme Court election Tuesday, while two Florida Republicans won their special elections to fill U.S. House vacancies.USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer discusses cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services.Cory Booker breaks the record for the longest known Senate speech.The Trump administration acknowledges an 'administrative error' led to one deportation to El Salvador.USA TODAY National News Reporter Jeanine Santucci explains how cuts to the Department of Agriculture are hitting food banks.Val Kilmer dies at 65.Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@usatoday.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel faced each other in their only scheduled debate. Madison's mayor has placed the city clerk on paid leave with just weeks to go until the spring election. And, some Wisconsin Republicans have switched to hosting virtual town halls. This moves comes after some contentious in-person events held by their GOP colleagues.

Wisconsin Republican members of Congress are running scared from Medicaid cuts and the cowards are starting to do virtual town halls from bunkers, ducking open face-to-face dialogue with their own constituents. So much for the House of Representatives as the government closest to the people. Meanwhile House Republicans left Washington with no budget deal for a St. Patrick's Day vacation (we didn't know that was a thing), likely forcing a partial government shutdown Friday. Senate Democrats do the right thing and do not allow House Republicans to extort them into signing off on a bad deal which will give Trump and Musk a free hand to continue their unconstitutional assault on the civil service. As we are hurtling towards the critical April1st Supreme Court and Superintendent of Public Instruction elections, Crawford and Schimel debate. Was anyone listening? We welcome Citizen Action Organizer Kristie Tweed to clue us in on upcoming Medicaid Town Halls in La Crosse, Wausau, and Eau Claire later this month. Also, Citizen Action Climate Coordinator Kat Klawes joins us to discuss the path-breaking Climate Accountability Act and how you can get involved with our organizing. We also review the terrifying Mahmoud Khalil case, which reminds us of Red Scares and other dark moments in American history when civil rights were shredded.

In what will be the most expensive judge's race since...well the last one, Elon Musk is helping Judge Susan Crawford? We also give a brief overview on all the positions Brad Schimel seems to be taking, though nobody is really noticing. Did you hear about the campaign rally in Washington D.C. last night? Apparently The Democrats hate America and The Felon President fixed everything. Then, and you're never gonna believe it but Rep. Derrick Van Orden lost his mind on someone asking for help. And MTG doesn't think federal workers are worthy and others in the administration agree. Rounding things out, Wisconsin Republicans won't back down. As always, thank you for listening, texting and calling, we couldn't do this without you! Don't forget to download the free Civic Media app and take us wherever you are in the world! Matenaer On Air is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 10 am - noon across the state. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! You can also rate us on your podcast distribution center of choice, they go a long way! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X and YouTube to keep up with Jane and the show!

The state's legislative session is in full swing, and so far, some of the ideas being brought to the floor by Republicans mirror the agenda President Donald Trump has been pushing in Washington, D.C. To get the scoop on what's been proposed and how likely any of these initiatives are to be passed into law, host Bianca Martin speaks with Wisconsin Watch statehouse reporter Jack Kelly and statehouse reporting intern Hallie Claflin. Mentioned on the show Trump policies come to Wisconsin in first weeks of new session [Wisconsin Watch] Wanna talk to us about an episode? Leave us a voicemail at 608-318-3367 or email madison@citycast.fm. We're also on Instagram!  You can get more Madison news delivered right to your inbox by subscribing to the Madison Minutes morning newsletter.  Looking to advertise on City Cast Madison? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads.  Learn more about the sponsors of this February 24th episode here: Dane County Humane Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gov. Tony Evers is including money to address PFAS in his proposal for the next state budget. A package of proposed rules for election observers got mixed reactions from Republican lawmakers. And, the Dane County Sheriff's Office will no longer be paid for sharing some data with federal authorities.

A Republican state rep shares her hopes for a new session. How to properly dispose of your Christmas tree. How to care for birds this winter.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Dec. 11, 2024Restoration of Fair Voting Districts in Wisconsin Ends GOP Near Supermajority in Assembly and SenateIf you follow the American Democracy Minute you know that until last year Wisconsin held the infamous title as one of the most gerrymandered states in the U.S.  That changed November 5th.To view the whole script of today's report, please go to our website.Today's LinksArticles & Resources:Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - (2022) Wisconsin Republicans do not secure a supermajorityWisconsin Examiner - (2023) Special election moves Republicans closer to Assembly supermajorityAmerican Democracy Minute - (2023) With Court Cases and Elections Looming, the Wisconsin Assembly Scrambles to Protect its Gerrymandered Voting DistrictsAmerican Democracy Minute - Wisconsin Supreme Court Puts State Legislature's Maps on Naughty List, Orders Legislature to Draw Constitutional Voting DistrictsWisconsin Public Radio - Republicans retain majority in Wisconsin Assembly Wisconsin Watch - Democrats flip 14 legislative seats, affirming GOP gerrymander is deadWBAY - Republicans retain Wisconsin Senate control but lose supermajorityGroups Taking Action:Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition, Law Forward, Wisconsin Democracy CampaignRegister or Check Your Voter Registration:U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your StatePlease follow us on Facebook and SHARE!  Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.orgWant ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network's Audioport and PRX#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #Wisconsin #FairMaps #EndGerrymandering

Republican Donald Trump has defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the state's Presidential race. It was a good Election Day for Wisconsin Republicans running for Congress. And, we'll take a look into the state's cocktail, the Brandy Old Fashioned.

Earl kicks off the show discussing yesterday's August primary and the successful denial of the underhanded amendments added to the ballot by Wisconsin Republicans. Then, he talks about the vitriolic rhetoric being used by the Trump campaign and the Republicans warning the former President that his messaging needs to change. The Earl Ingram Show is a part of the Civic Media radio network and airs Monday through Friday from 8-10 am across the state. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook and X to keep up with Earl and the show!

The Republican National Convention getting underway in Milwaukee next week will certainly be a Who’s Who for the party, including our own Wisconsin VIPs. Former Governor and Presidential cabinet member Tommy Thompson is a convention delegate whose job in part has been and will continue to be energizing Wisconsin Republicans heading into November. On July […]

Today's podcast begins with host Mike Slater playing a little bit of music trivia before making some serious points about the Biden family and the high price of "ambition". Is it a virtue or is it a vice? How will it impact the 2024 Presidential race? Listen in because Slater has the answers!Following the opener, Wisconsin Republican Party Chairman Brian Schimming joins the show to talk about next week's RNC (that'll be in his state!) and recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision regarding ballot drop boxes. You won't want to miss this!

There are all sorts of ways to engage in political tricks meant to get around your lack of support with the voters: rigging the maps, obstructing voting rights, stacking the courts. Another trick involves abusing the referendum process to trick voters into passing constitutional amendments as part of a quiet power grab. We'll explain what Wisconsin Republicans are doing right now with an August referendum that would let them hold hostage more money designed for places other than tax cuts for the rich. UpNorthNews with Pat Kreitlow airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-8 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to https://civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast line up. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and Instagram to keep up with Pat & the show

One of Wisconsin's Republican congressmen who is in one of the state's competitive districts says Republicans have to be willing to go as far as Democrats to win the 2024 elections. Congressman Bryan Steil said on News Talk 1130 WISN that Republicans have to turn out their votes this November. To do that, he said, the party has to embrace every tool that's available. “You got to play by the rules as they're written. So, where Wisconsin law allows us to vote early, to vote absentee, to do other things to turn out the conservative vote, we got to play by the rules as they're written if you want to win,” Steil said.Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7ce2f52c38a?source_code=xxxxxxFull story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_d4aaafce-2da2-11ef-b7ea-9706b85dc72a.html 

Wisconsin Republicans hope to drum up the base at their state convention in Appleton this weekend. Will it affect infrastructure this big election year? Fundraising? Give insights into GOP priorities ahead of November? JR Ross of WisPolitics.com explains what to look for.

Wisconsin Republican lawmakers want to know exactly what diversity, equity and inclusion is doing in state government and what it is costing. The Joint Legislative Audit Commission on Tuesday began an audit of DEI programs throughout the state's executive agencies. Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, opened the first audit hearing with a blistering rebuke of DEI, which he says is nothing more than a fancy term for discrimination. Full story: Wisconsin legislature launches DEI audit Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wisconsininfocus/support

Wisconsin Republicans filed an election complaint about the balance of poll workers in Madison and Milwaukee. The RNC, along with the Dane County and Milwaukee County Republican Parties, filed two complaints with the Wisconsin Elections Commission that allege election managers in Madison and Milwaukee didn't hire enough Republican poll workers. State law requires election managers to work off a list of approved poll workers, but the Republican complaint accuses Madison and Milwaukee of ignoring hundreds of qualified Republican workers. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_e1b022b8-f7fa-11ee-957c-bb6d89752da2.html --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wisconsininfocus/support

Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Find out, with our April 8, 2020 episode! As per tradition, it was the day David Waldman reserves a chair and facemask for Elijah. It was also a Wednesday, the day David reserves for Greg Dworkin, who traditionally visits via Skype.  Dateline Somalia: A nation ravaged by pirates and rampant corruption, a population in anarchy as aid to those in need is commandeered by competing warlords for their own profit. Civilization crumbles into savagery. Back in the US, agents are seizing masks and other coronavirus supplies without a word, selling it to GOP-connected middlemen, intercepting, seizing, and "outbidding" the sales from those middlemen, then selling the gear thus seized BACK to those same middlemen in a victory for the free market. Of course these medical supplies aren't counterfeit, are they? That would be Un-American. We'll sue! Barbados knows from pirates. The US introduces them to extortion after Rihanna tried to run the blockade. Hydroxychloroquine could cause cardiac arrests. Hell, COVID-19 could cause cardiac arrests, so who  needs any more? Donald Trump does, because he and his voters need to feel smarter than doctors, and if Trump finds only one tenuous connection to one dubious success, well, that's better than nothing. Also: money. Donald Trump broke the agencies that were supposed to stop the Covid-19 epidemic and is killing all the watchdogs. The people who knew all along it was a hoax, will soon come to the conclusion that they knew along this was big trouble. (Unless they are already dead.) Will those people still vote for Trump, once they know this is all Donald's fault? Maybe. Bernie Sanders is correct as usual. The second most important vote of our lifetime has to be taken seriously, right now. Yesterday, the Wisconsin Republican party risked thousands of Democratic lives and even sacrificed a few of their own in what could be a template for November. It will take a while to figure out what just happened. It is no longer infrastructure week, at least for a while, as Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell make Phase 4 happen remotely.

Wisconsin Republicans are up in arms about Gov. Tony Evers latest wave of vetoes. The governor scuttled 40 Republican proposals. The list includes vetoes of a tax cut for retirees in the state, a plan to set a wolf hunt number and vetoes of a child care tax credit and a proposal to keep road salt out of the state's drinking water, both of which Evers has said were his biggest priorities. Republican lawmakers said the governor is simply playing politics. Full story: https://www.thecentersquare.com/wisconsin/article_f1733b0c-f059-11ee-be48-8beba1ca2c3b.html --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wisconsininfocus/support

Wisconsin Republican, Representative Mike Gallagher says he will resign from Congress. AP's Lisa Dwyer has more.

Lawyers for former President Donald Trump and ten Wisconsin Republicans who served as false electors had to affirm President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Find out more about that settlement, important 2024 potential legislative races and this week's upcoming senate floor session.

Democrats have brought the U.S. to its knees and we are barley holding on. The justice system has reached top level corruption.Wisconsin Republican leadership sell our state to the democratic machine and there may be nothing more that we can do about it. Wisconsin will soon no longer be a swing state and will dive deep into the blue depths. Many will be forced to leave to live normal lives.  

Dr. Fadia Nordtveit joins Inclusive Collective to talk about the link between sustainability and DEIB, how to align DEIB across functions as you develop you business model, and why she leans on data to drive change. Also, Nadia and Rob discuss Disney characters' efforts to unionize (and Rob gives a review of Goofy's Kitchen at Disneyland) and Wisconsin Republicans' constitutional amendment limiting DEI in government. Later, Nadia rants about the Valentine's Day ride-share strike and Rob raves about Princeton's president's defense of diversity on campus. Learn more about the articles mentioned: Wisconsin Assembly passes constitutional amendment to limit diversity efforts | CBS News | https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/wisconsin-lawmakers-to-vote-on-constitutional-amendment-to-limit-diversity-efforts/. Disneyland character performers announce plans to unionize | Reuters | https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/disneyland-character-performers-announce-plans-unionize-2024-02-13/. Thousands of U.S. Uber and Lyft drivers set to park their cars and picket at major airports in Valentine's Day strike | Fortune | https://fortune.com/2024/02/14/thousands-us-uber-lyft-drivers-park-cars-picket-major-airports-valentines-day-strike/ Elite Universities Have Not Sacrificed Excellence for Diversity | The Atlantic | https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/elite-universities-have-not-sacrificed-excellence-diversity/677429/ Connect with Dr. Fadia Nordveit on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drfadianordtveit Hosted by Nadia Butt and Rob Hadley. Produced by Rifelion Media. Contact us: inclusivecollective@rifelion.com Find episode transcripts here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nqh7hCZOp7EQc6SekaYmT2QHqCvjsYdH?usp=sharing For advertising opportunities please email PodcastPartnerships@Studio71us.com    Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for free wherever you're listening or by using this link: https://bit.ly/InclusiveCollective If you like the show, telling a friend about it would be amazing! You can text, email, Tweet, or send this link to a friend: https://bit.ly/InclusiveCollective Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Kansas City mayor says a deadly mass shooting could alter future public events in his city, the White House confirms a Russian “anti-satellite” weapon and Wisconsin Republicans approve new legislative maps to avoid court-mandated districts.

The national media is touting a Child Care Tax Credit that passed the House of Representatives Wednesday, but long time child poverty advocate Gwen Moore and Mark Pocan voted no. Why were the champions of President Biden's Child Tax Credit against this bill? What does the bill have to do with more big tax breaks for self-dealing corporations? Next we dissect the details of the latest state Legislative GOP tax cut for the wealthy, where taxpayers with incomes under $100,000 (59.6% of all fillers) would receive only 26.4% of the cut and taxpayers with incomes of $100,000 or more (40.4% of filers) would receive 73.6% of the cut! Gov. Evers rightly vetoes the latest GOP Legislative maps, as Republicans press Janet Protasiewicz to recuse herself from the challenge to the state's Congressional maps. Robert tells us more about a Calumet Co. Judge ruling that factory farms may not avoid DNR permits and the GOP pushing constitutional amendment to ban preferences for historically marginalized groups. We look at Wisconsin Republican efforts to support TX Governor Greg Abbott's nullification of federal immigration law. Finally we discuss some real solutions to the sudden and dangerous closure of major hospitals and clinics in Chippewa Valley.

1.30.2024 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: Voting Rights Act In Jeopardy, Cori Bush Investigation, Black Attorneys Face Discipline, Real or IA? A federal appeal court declined to reconsider the ruling that says private entities cannot bring lawsuits under a provision of the law known as Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Barbara Arnwine, the President and Founder of Transformative Justice Coalition is here to discuss the implications of this ruling on the future of voting rights.  Wisconsin Republicans are trying to pressure the newest liberal state supreme court justice to recuse herself from the state's registering case the court has yet to agree to hear.  Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush responds to the Justice Department's investigation into how she spent campaign funds on her security detail.  Two Black Florida attorneys, father and daughter, are at risk of being disciplined for disagreeing with a judge's ruling. They will be here to explain how disagreeing with a judge could lead to their disbarment.  Do you know how to spot fake news? AI-generated content is flooding YouTube with fake stories targeting black celebrities. We'll talk to a Social Analyst who will give us tips on spotting the misinformation.  Download the #BlackStarNetwork app on iOS, AppleTV, Android, Android TV, Roku, FireTV, SamsungTV and XBox  http://www.blackstarnetwork.com The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platforms covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A binding referendum proposed for the April ballot—asking about a ban on abortions after 14 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions in cases of rape and incest and to protect the life and health of the mother—is dividing Wisconsin Republicans.

Joe starts talking with Caller Kurt about how Wisconsin Republicans are driving him up the wallSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democrat has sex with another man inappropriately in U.S. Senate chamber.Wisconsin Republicans start talking about what Host Justin Schmidtka said for two years .  

Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who serves as Chairman of the House Select Committee on China, joins Johanna Maska to discuss his work on the committee and what he's doing to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable. They discuss disinformation on TikTok and its national security threat, failures in the Trump administration's trade policy, and the biggest threat from the CCP he worries about. Gallagher also tells us who among the Republican presidential candidates has the most credibility with their message to voters about China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after Hamas' brutal October 7th attack, Congressman Derrick Van Orden traveled to Israel and visited some of the sites where terrorists massacred innocent civilians. Van Orden, who is a retired Navy Seal and combat medic, was shocked by the massacre's bloody aftermath and the firsthand accounts he heard. This past week, the Wisconsin Republican joined host Dave Anthony to share what he saw in Israel and explain why it's important for the world to know how horrific the Hamas attack was. In the long and graphic discussion, Van Orden also explained why he is adamant about getting aid to Israel and angry as those backing the Palestinians. In fact, he told Dave why he even opposes sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. We made edits for time and thought it was important for you to hear our entire conversation with Rep. Derrick Van Orden. On today's FOX News Rundown Extra, you'll hear the full interview and learn more about the graphic things he witnessed and what America should be doing to support Israel's effort to crush Hamas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after Hamas' brutal October 7th attack, Congressman Derrick Van Orden traveled to Israel and visited some of the sites where terrorists massacred innocent civilians. Van Orden, who is a retired Navy Seal and combat medic, was shocked by the massacre's bloody aftermath and the firsthand accounts he heard. This past week, the Wisconsin Republican joined host Dave Anthony to share what he saw in Israel and explain why it's important for the world to know how horrific the Hamas attack was. In the long and graphic discussion, Van Orden also explained why he is adamant about getting aid to Israel and angry as those backing the Palestinians. In fact, he told Dave why he even opposes sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. We made edits for time and thought it was important for you to hear our entire conversation with Rep. Derrick Van Orden. On today's FOX News Rundown Extra, you'll hear the full interview and learn more about the graphic things he witnessed and what America should be doing to support Israel's effort to crush Hamas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ralph welcomes Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy to discuss recent attacks by Hamas and the Israeli military in Israel and Palestine. Then, international law expert Bruce Fein speaks with Ralph about the recent violence, America's response, and America's historical culpability. ‘Gideon Levy is a Haaretz columnist and a member of the newspaper's editorial board. He is the author of the weekly “Twilight Zone" feature, which covers the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza over the last 25 years, as well as the writer of political editorials for the newspaper. He is the author of the book The Punishment of Gaza.I think that there was something moving in [President Biden's] speech because he seemed very sincere. But I was really, really missing the other side, the Palestinians, the siege, the occupation, the apartheid, nothing of this exists in his world. It was really a speech of a Zionist…not of a statesman who sees the siege and sees the agony and the suffering of the Palestinians for the last decades. And doesn't see the connection between this barbaric attack on Israel on Saturday and all those preconditions which are all of them criminal and inhuman.Gideon LevyBruce Fein is a Constitutional scholar and an expert on international law.  Mr. Fein was Associate Deputy Attorney General under Ronald Reagan and he is the author of Constitutional Peril: The Life and Death Struggle for Our Constitution and Democracy, and American Empire: Before the Fall.In the international arena, justice is subordinated to power. And that's what we have here. And when President Biden yesterday says, “Oh, we're all in favor of a rule-based international order,” while he's supporting the very definition of genocide? It shows you how incredibly hypocritical and callous these politicians are. I don't want to single out Biden, because I think politicians in general are that way. And I'm not going to exclude some of those who are Palestinians too. It's a universal sociopathology in the political figures. And it's very, very tragic. 'Cause who loses? the peaceful civilians who want nothing more than a better life and opportunity to develop their faculties and have families.Bruce FeinGiven the current events and the destruction of Gaza, Biden should really demand an immediate ceasefire and negotiate to establish a truce. He's got to try to be an honest broker, and instead he's a dittohead bullhorn for more military activity by Israel. This is the low point in presidential positioning on the Middle East conflict since the end of World War II, and there's nobody in government to call him to account.Ralph NaderIn Case You Haven't Heard with Francesco DeSantis1. First, I must address the situation in Palestine. There is too much to say and the situation continues to develop rapidly, so instead of getting into specific news items I will instead read the October 8th statement released by progressive Palestinian congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. “I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity. The path to that future must include lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance. The failure to recognize the violent reality of living under siege, occupation, and apartheid makes no one safer. No person, no child anywhere should have to suffer or live in fear of violence. We cannot ignore the humanity in each other. As long as our country provides billions in unconditional funding to support the apartheid government, this heartbreaking cycle of violence will continue.”2. The United Auto Workers strike has notched their first major victory. According to a statement issued by the union on October 6th, “General Motors will include electric vehicle battery production work in the UAW's national master agreement with the company.” The statement lauded this agreement as a “historic step forward,” which will guarantee “the transition to electric vehicles at GM will be a just transition that brings good union jobs to communities across America.” Another major breakthrough is a whopping proposed 23% pay increase from Ford, with other topics ranging from Cost of Living Increases to profit sharing to retirement security. As union president Shawn Fain remarked “We may be foul-mouthed, but we're strategic. We may get fired up, but we're disciplined. We may be rowdy, but we're organized…We're not here to start a fight, we're here to finish one.”3. Last week, Dr. Cornell West announced that he would drop his bid for the Green Party nomination and instead continue his run as an independent. A statement from his campaign reads “The best way to challenge the entrenched system is by focusing 100 percent on the people, not on the intricacies of internal party dynamics,” per the New York Times. Barring other factors, this will complicate the activist academic's ability to appear on the ballot in many states. Within the same week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he would drop out of the Democratic Party primary and also run as an independent. Semafor reports that the Trump campaign now plans to target, rather than boost, the RFK Jr. campaign as his independent bid is expected to draw more votes from Trump than Biden in a general election.4. AP reports the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 4-3 in favor of hearing a challenge to the state's legislative maps, long regarded as lopsidedly gerrymandered in favor of Republicans. Liberal justice Janet Protasiewicz, under massive pressure from Wisconsin Republicans, refused to recuse herself from this case – setting the stage for a power struggle which could see Republican legislators go so far as to impeach her. Liberals took back a majority on the state supreme court following a 15-year run of conservative control.5. X, formerly Twitter, has “roll[ed] out [a] new ad format that can't be reported [or] blocked,” per Mashable. The article goes on to note that “the new ad format also doesn't disclose who is behind the ad or that it is even an advertisement at all.” This seems to violate FTC guidelines, which demand that disclosures of advertisements be “clear and conspicuous.”6. An ominous report in the Washington Post finds that if one asks an Amazon Alexa whether fraud was involved in the 2020 election, it will reply that the election was “'stolen by a massive amount of election fraud,' citing Rumble, a video-streaming service favored by conservatives.” Amazon claims these responses were limited and that the error has been corrected, but this incident foreshadows a much larger issue of disinformation becoming so plentiful that it overwhelms reliable sourcing in terms of sheer volume online. Others have reported similar issues with so-called AI programs, which cull the internet for their answers to specific questions.7. Politico reports that, following a DNC meeting this past week, the Iowa caucuses will no longer be first on the presidential primary calendar. The state will now vote with many other, larger states on March 5th, also known as Super Tuesday. Iowa delegates have made clear that they plan to “lobby for an earlier nominating contest in 2028.” On the other hand, New Hampshire has signaled that it will not abide by the Committee's decision to move their primary, and may hold a “rogue” primary on their chosen date. Elaine Kamarck, a DNC member told Politico “We've made our decision about the sequence of these early states and we're going to stick to that sequence.”8. Finally, El Pais reports that the “Colombian hitmen who killed presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio [have been] murdered in an Ecuadorian prison.” Sources claim the men were hanged in a cellblock. Just days prior, “the United States offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the masterminds behind Villavicencio's murder.” Outgoing right-wing Ecuadoran president Guillermo Lasso was in New York when the murders occurred, though former leftist president Rafael Correa wrote “If they are the hitmen who killed Villavicencio, it proves that the government was behind the crime.” Ecuador's contentious presidential election is slated for October 15th. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe

This week on the Friday Flyover, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan battle for Speaker of the U.S. House | UAW President Shawn Fain announces 8,700 Ford Kentucky Truck plant workers are joining the strike | Nurses are striking around the nation | Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Janet Protasiewicz stands her ground against GOP goofballshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/republicans-fail-to-coalesce-around-speaker-choice-leaving-house-in-limbo/ar-AA1i49oxhttps://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/uaw-launches-strike-against-fords-kentucky-truck-plant-signaling-major-escalation-in-labor-fight.htmlOct. 11 – Today, Ford came to the table with the same offer they submitted to us two weeks ago. It was an unacceptable move that triggered a strong and immediate response.UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning called on our 8,700 members at Ford's extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant to Stand Up and strike. Our Local 862 members answered the call and walked out today at 6:30 p.m.Our Stand Up strategy has won important victories at the table, but we must go further. We will keep increasing the pressure on Ford and all of the Big Three until we've won our fair share of the record profits we've made at Kentucky Truck and every Big Three plant.Tune in to Facebook Live this Friday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. for more announcements on the status of bargaining at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.General Motors last week agreed to include workers at its electric vehicle battery plant in the company's national contract with the union, which Fain called a “transformative win.”Fain said the union expects Chrysler parent Stellantis and Ford to follow suit, including battery plant workers in eventual contract agreements.The UAW has been gradually increasing the strikes since the work stoppages began after the sides failed to reach tentative agreements by Sept 14.The additional workers brings UAW's total to about 34,000 U.S. workers, or roughly 23% of UAW members covered by the expired contracts with the Detroit automakers, who are currently on strike.Fain will give bargaining updates and potentially announce further strikes at 10 a.m. Friday online, the union said Wednesday night.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/nurses-unions-push-for-mandatory-staff-to-patient-ratiosSafe Patients Limit Act would cap the number of patients per registered nurseBy PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Unions representing nurses in Illinois are pushing for legislation that would impose mandatory staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.But lobby groups representing hospitals and nursing homes say they are steadfastly opposed to the legislation, arguing that a nationwide nursing shortage makes it impossible to comply with such a mandate.The proposed Safe Patient Limits Act, by Sen. Celina Villanueva and Rep. Theresa Mah, both Chicago Democrats, was introduced in February and was the subject of a joint hearing last week in Chicago by two House committees. It's an issue that has been discussed in the General Assembly since 2019 but has thus far failed to gain the necessary traction for passage. The latest hearing came just three weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 24.“Short staffing isn't a mere inconvenience. It's a dire issue,” said Shaba Andrich, vice president of nursing homes for the SEIU Healthcare employee union. “It's predominantly a Black and brown issue. In historically marginalized communities of Chicago, these issues are magnified. These communities that already face systemic underinvestment are further deprived of adequate nursing care due to chronic short staffing.”The bill calls for setting a maximum number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. For example, in units with critical care or intensive care patients, the maximum number of patients per nurse would be just one. In units with pediatric patients, the bill would allow three patients per nurse, and in units with psychiatric patients, the bill would allow four patients per nurse.It also provides some legal protection for nurses, stating that they are to provide their services exclusively in the interest of patients, “unencumbered by the commercial or revenue-generating priorities” of a facility that employs registered professional nurses.Andrich, testifying before the committee last week, disputed the notion that there is a nursing shortage in Illinois. He said there is only “a shortage of caregivers who are refusing to be overworked and undervalued and underpaid,” and that the result of understaffing has direct consequences for patients.“Such understaffing isn't merely an operational concern. It translates into real world consequences,” he said. “Seniors enduring falls, malnutrition, missed medication, avoidable hospitalization, and, tragically, avoidable deaths.”Some of those who testified in favor of the bill accused hospitals and nursing homes of being more concerned about labor costs and profit margins than the best interests of patients.“We need this legislation because hospitals are incentivized to reduce labor costs. This means less staff,” said Jeanine Johnson, a critical care nurse at Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. “Hospital executives see budgets and labor costs. Nurses see patients and their lives.”A.J. Wilhelmi, president & CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, a hospital trade group, said it's true that health care providers face significant financial pressures, largely because Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates have not kept pace with the rising cost of health care. But he said contrary to what the unions claimed, there is a significant and growing nursing shortage in Illinois, and the proposed Safe Patient Limits Act would put even more of a financial burden on providers.During his testimony, Wilhelmi cited a state survey into the registered nurse workforce that was conducted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center – which is a state agency that works to promote the nursing profession. Of the respondents to that survey, 27 percent indicated an intent to retire within the next five years. The IHA interpreted that and other data in the survey to suggest the state could see a shortage of 14,400 registered nurses by 2025.“I'm deeply concerned that many hospitals in the state, particularly safety net hospitals, critical access hospitals, will be unable to absorb the huge cost that ratios would impose,” he said. “And given the enormous financial pressures that Illinois hospitals already face, if this bill becomes law, they're going to have to make some tough decisions like cutting back services, closing hundreds of beds, and eliminating jobs. And frankly, some of our hospitals might be forced to close.”Andy Allison, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the agency that administers the state's Medicaid program, suggested that the key to solving the staffing issues in hospitals and nursing homes is to raise wages to make the jobs more attractive.He noted that last year, lawmakers passed a significant overhaul of the way the state reimburses nursing homes through Medicaid, adding roughly $700 million in the form of incentives to increase wages and hire more staff.Before those reforms were adopted, he said, Illinois was home to 46 of the 100 worst-staffed nursing homes in the country. As of March 31, he said, that number had dropped to 14.“We hope that it becomes zero. We have a ways to go,” he said. “But in the last five quarters – that is, through March 31 of this year – in that five-quarter period, total nurse staffing hours statewide are up 15 percent.”Denise Stiger, an organizer for Teamsters Local 743, which represents health care workers in many Chicago-area facilities, said that money has not solved the problem, and that in some nursing homes, one CNA still could have as many as 20 patients to tend to during their shift.“We have to deal with the owners because they're slum lords. That's what they are,” she said. “And I understand that they get cited, and it's public. But these owners are not looking at that. These owners are looking at these patients as money.”Health care workers at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical facilities across the U.S. walked off the job on Wednesday morning, in an effort to ramp up pressure on their employer to fix a staffing shortage that has intensified since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Over 75,000 workers — including nurses, emergency department technicians, pharmacists and hundreds of others — went on strike in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.It is the biggest health care strike in U.S. history, according to the unions.Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, California, is one of the largest nonprofit health care providers in the United States, serving nearly 13 million patients. Most Kaiser workers who have walked off the job will be on strike for three days, until Saturday morning — except those in Virginia and Washington D.C., who will be on strike for 24 hours.Roughly 1,500 essential workers at four hospitals in Los Angeles County kicked off a five-day strike Monday morning to protest what they claim are dangerous working conditions and unfair labor practices by hospital management.Employees at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood walked off the job and picketed outside while nonunion nurses and staff were brought in to keep the hospital open, according to union organizers.Nurses and other staff at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, and Encino Hospital Medical Center are also participating in the strike through Friday.ST. LOUIS — Nurses at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital walked off their jobs for a 24-hour strike on Monday, a measure they said was necessary after the hospital failed to address their concerns about short staffing.Registered nurses union stages 24-hour strike at SSM Health St. Louis University HospitalMaddi O'Leary, a registered nurse who works in the bone marrow transplant unit, joins other SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital nurses represented by the National Nurses United union in staging a 24-hour strike Monday Sept. 25, 2023, outside the hospital.Christine Tannous, Post-Dispatch“We don't want to be out here,” said Maddi O'Leary, a nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit, who has worked at the hospital for eight years. “We want to be inside taking care of our patients. But we have not been given the resources to do so safely.”In a statement, SSM said the health system was “deeply disappointed” in the union's decision to organize a strike. The hospital said workers from nurse staffing agencies would help fill in where needed.Dozens rallied outside the hospital along South Grand Boulevard Monday, carrying signs and chanting. Nurses described feeling frustrated when they couldn't provide patients the quality of care they wanted to give because their units are understaffed.And when patients have to wait longer for care, health care workers receive backlash from them and their family members, they said. Several emergency department nurses said that they've noticed an increase in patients after South City Hospital, about 4 miles south, closed in early August following financial troubles.O'Leary said that while nursing shifts in her unit ideally are staffed by four nurses, lately there have been shifts with only two. That means she can't take a break because she can't leave the unit staffed by only one nurse.“Enough was enough,” she said.The strike was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Monday and end at 6:59 a.m. Tuesday. The nurses gave the hospital 10 days' notice.The union, National Nurses United, has represented nurses at the hospital since 2012. Though the nurses have held several protests to pressure SSM to increase staffing levels there, they had never before gone on strike.The nurses' labor agreement expired June 15. They have been in negotiations for a new contract since May and claim there has been little movement in bargaining. With the exception of the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, SLU Hospital is the only hospital in the region where nurses are unionized.SSM accused the California-based nurses union of holding strikes that are “intended to create tension and division within hospitals,” and said the moves are counterproductive to SSM's efforts to recruit and hire nurses.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/11/republicans-ease-off-impeachment-threat-after-supreme-court-accepted-redistricting-case/After months of threatening that they would consider impeaching liberal Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she weighed in on a lawsuit over the state's legislative maps, Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have pulled back from the idea. Republicans began raising impeachment before Protasiewicz was even elected in April, with then-Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) saying during his special election campaign for an open Senate seat that he would consider impeaching her. In August, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he would consider impeaching Protasiewicz if she weighed in on the redistricting lawsuit — stating in a radio interview that he believed she had “pre-judged” the case and that could constitute a violation of her oath of office. Late last week, Protasiewicz ruled against Republican motions requesting that she recuse herself, writing in an opinion that the standard for recusal Republicans were arguing for would be “unworkable.” On the same day, Protasiewicz joined the Court's three other liberals in voting to accept one of two lawsuits filed against the maps. As Republicans floated the impeachment possibility, and state Democrats launched a campaign to raise public opinion against it, Vos said he convened a panel of three former Supreme Court justices to weigh in on the idea. One of those former justices, conservative David Prosser, wrote in an email to Vos on Friday before the court's decision was released that nothing Protasiewicz had done rose to the level of corrupt conduct in office, which along with criminal acts is the standard for impeachment in the state Constitution. “In my view, ‘corrupt conduct' is not a term that is open to a mere political grievance,” Prosser wrote. “If that were the case, legislative bodies could be trading questionable impeachments with considerable frequency.”“To sum up my views, there should be no effort to impeach Justice Protasiewicz on anything we know now,” he continued. “Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime, or the subject has committed indisputable ‘corrupt conduct' while ‘in office.'”After the Court's decision was released last week, Vos said in a statement that he believes the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in on the issue. “Justice Protasiewicz should have recused herself. We think the United States Supreme Court precedent compels her recusal, and the United States Supreme Court will have the last word here,” Vos said.Wisconsin's impeachment process requires a simple majority vote of the Assembly to impeach and a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove an official. In addition to Vos' retreat from the threat, multiple Senate Republicans have stated they don't support impeachment, meaning there wouldn't be enough votes in the Senate to remove Protasiewicz. In an audio recording obtained by the Examiner, a staff member for Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) told a member of the public that “she does not support impeachment.” Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) also told CBS58 he doesn't support impeachment. Prior to the Court's acceptance of the case, concerns had been raised that under Wisconsin's impeachment statutes, a judge is unable to hear any cases while the Senate is considering conviction — meaning that if the Assembly voted to impeach, the Senate could hold off on a vote in order to delay the case. With the lack of supermajority support for impeachment in the Senate, state Democrats have called for Vos to drop the threats. “While it's long been clear the law wasn't on the Republicans' side, they now lack the votes to pursue conviction in the Senate — underscoring how any impeachment in the Assembly would represent an unprecedented abuse of the Wisconsin Constitution,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Joe Oslund said in a statement. “Broken clocks are right twice a day, and now that David Prosser and Duey Stroebel have somehow emerged as voices of reason here, Robin Vos should have no excuse for not knowing what time it is: time to drop his unconstitutional impeachment threats.”What caught your eye:Wisconsin Examiner, Capitol News Illinois, STL Post Dispatch, LA Times, Washington Post, CNBC, NPR

This week on the Friday Flyover, Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan battle for Speaker of the U.S. House | UAW President Shawn Fain announces 8,700 Ford Kentucky Truck plant workers are joining the strike | Nurses are striking around the nation | Wisconsin Supreme Court judge Janet Protasiewicz stands her ground against GOP goofballshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/republicans-fail-to-coalesce-around-speaker-choice-leaving-house-in-limbo/ar-AA1i49oxhttps://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/11/uaw-launches-strike-against-fords-kentucky-truck-plant-signaling-major-escalation-in-labor-fight.htmlOct. 11 – Today, Ford came to the table with the same offer they submitted to us two weeks ago. It was an unacceptable move that triggered a strong and immediate response.UAW President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning called on our 8,700 members at Ford's extremely profitable Kentucky Truck Plant to Stand Up and strike. Our Local 862 members answered the call and walked out today at 6:30 p.m.Our Stand Up strategy has won important victories at the table, but we must go further. We will keep increasing the pressure on Ford and all of the Big Three until we've won our fair share of the record profits we've made at Kentucky Truck and every Big Three plant.Tune in to Facebook Live this Friday, Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. for more announcements on the status of bargaining at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis.General Motors last week agreed to include workers at its electric vehicle battery plant in the company's national contract with the union, which Fain called a “transformative win.”Fain said the union expects Chrysler parent Stellantis and Ford to follow suit, including battery plant workers in eventual contract agreements.The UAW has been gradually increasing the strikes since the work stoppages began after the sides failed to reach tentative agreements by Sept 14.The additional workers brings UAW's total to about 34,000 U.S. workers, or roughly 23% of UAW members covered by the expired contracts with the Detroit automakers, who are currently on strike.Fain will give bargaining updates and potentially announce further strikes at 10 a.m. Friday online, the union said Wednesday night.https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/nurses-unions-push-for-mandatory-staff-to-patient-ratiosSafe Patients Limit Act would cap the number of patients per registered nurseBy PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinoisphancock@capitolnewsillinois.comSPRINGFIELD – Unions representing nurses in Illinois are pushing for legislation that would impose mandatory staff-to-patient ratios in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities.But lobby groups representing hospitals and nursing homes say they are steadfastly opposed to the legislation, arguing that a nationwide nursing shortage makes it impossible to comply with such a mandate.The proposed Safe Patient Limits Act, by Sen. Celina Villanueva and Rep. Theresa Mah, both Chicago Democrats, was introduced in February and was the subject of a joint hearing last week in Chicago by two House committees. It's an issue that has been discussed in the General Assembly since 2019 but has thus far failed to gain the necessary traction for passage. The latest hearing came just three weeks before lawmakers return to the Capitol for their fall veto session, which begins Oct. 24.“Short staffing isn't a mere inconvenience. It's a dire issue,” said Shaba Andrich, vice president of nursing homes for the SEIU Healthcare employee union. “It's predominantly a Black and brown issue. In historically marginalized communities of Chicago, these issues are magnified. These communities that already face systemic underinvestment are further deprived of adequate nursing care due to chronic short staffing.”The bill calls for setting a maximum number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse in specified situations. For example, in units with critical care or intensive care patients, the maximum number of patients per nurse would be just one. In units with pediatric patients, the bill would allow three patients per nurse, and in units with psychiatric patients, the bill would allow four patients per nurse.It also provides some legal protection for nurses, stating that they are to provide their services exclusively in the interest of patients, “unencumbered by the commercial or revenue-generating priorities” of a facility that employs registered professional nurses.Andrich, testifying before the committee last week, disputed the notion that there is a nursing shortage in Illinois. He said there is only “a shortage of caregivers who are refusing to be overworked and undervalued and underpaid,” and that the result of understaffing has direct consequences for patients.“Such understaffing isn't merely an operational concern. It translates into real world consequences,” he said. “Seniors enduring falls, malnutrition, missed medication, avoidable hospitalization, and, tragically, avoidable deaths.”Some of those who testified in favor of the bill accused hospitals and nursing homes of being more concerned about labor costs and profit margins than the best interests of patients.“We need this legislation because hospitals are incentivized to reduce labor costs. This means less staff,” said Jeanine Johnson, a critical care nurse at Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. “Hospital executives see budgets and labor costs. Nurses see patients and their lives.”A.J. Wilhelmi, president & CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, a hospital trade group, said it's true that health care providers face significant financial pressures, largely because Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates have not kept pace with the rising cost of health care. But he said contrary to what the unions claimed, there is a significant and growing nursing shortage in Illinois, and the proposed Safe Patient Limits Act would put even more of a financial burden on providers.During his testimony, Wilhelmi cited a state survey into the registered nurse workforce that was conducted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center – which is a state agency that works to promote the nursing profession. Of the respondents to that survey, 27 percent indicated an intent to retire within the next five years. The IHA interpreted that and other data in the survey to suggest the state could see a shortage of 14,400 registered nurses by 2025.“I'm deeply concerned that many hospitals in the state, particularly safety net hospitals, critical access hospitals, will be unable to absorb the huge cost that ratios would impose,” he said. “And given the enormous financial pressures that Illinois hospitals already face, if this bill becomes law, they're going to have to make some tough decisions like cutting back services, closing hundreds of beds, and eliminating jobs. And frankly, some of our hospitals might be forced to close.”Andy Allison, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the agency that administers the state's Medicaid program, suggested that the key to solving the staffing issues in hospitals and nursing homes is to raise wages to make the jobs more attractive.He noted that last year, lawmakers passed a significant overhaul of the way the state reimburses nursing homes through Medicaid, adding roughly $700 million in the form of incentives to increase wages and hire more staff.Before those reforms were adopted, he said, Illinois was home to 46 of the 100 worst-staffed nursing homes in the country. As of March 31, he said, that number had dropped to 14.“We hope that it becomes zero. We have a ways to go,” he said. “But in the last five quarters – that is, through March 31 of this year – in that five-quarter period, total nurse staffing hours statewide are up 15 percent.”Denise Stiger, an organizer for Teamsters Local 743, which represents health care workers in many Chicago-area facilities, said that money has not solved the problem, and that in some nursing homes, one CNA still could have as many as 20 patients to tend to during their shift.“We have to deal with the owners because they're slum lords. That's what they are,” she said. “And I understand that they get cited, and it's public. But these owners are not looking at that. These owners are looking at these patients as money.”Health care workers at hundreds of Kaiser Permanente hospitals and medical facilities across the U.S. walked off the job on Wednesday morning, in an effort to ramp up pressure on their employer to fix a staffing shortage that has intensified since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Over 75,000 workers — including nurses, emergency department technicians, pharmacists and hundreds of others — went on strike in California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia and Washington, D.C.It is the biggest health care strike in U.S. history, according to the unions.Kaiser, headquartered in Oakland, California, is one of the largest nonprofit health care providers in the United States, serving nearly 13 million patients. Most Kaiser workers who have walked off the job will be on strike for three days, until Saturday morning — except those in Virginia and Washington D.C., who will be on strike for 24 hours.Roughly 1,500 essential workers at four hospitals in Los Angeles County kicked off a five-day strike Monday morning to protest what they claim are dangerous working conditions and unfair labor practices by hospital management.Employees at St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood walked off the job and picketed outside while nonunion nurses and staff were brought in to keep the hospital open, according to union organizers.Nurses and other staff at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood, Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center, and Encino Hospital Medical Center are also participating in the strike through Friday.ST. LOUIS — Nurses at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital walked off their jobs for a 24-hour strike on Monday, a measure they said was necessary after the hospital failed to address their concerns about short staffing.Registered nurses union stages 24-hour strike at SSM Health St. Louis University HospitalMaddi O'Leary, a registered nurse who works in the bone marrow transplant unit, joins other SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital nurses represented by the National Nurses United union in staging a 24-hour strike Monday Sept. 25, 2023, outside the hospital.Christine Tannous, Post-Dispatch“We don't want to be out here,” said Maddi O'Leary, a nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit, who has worked at the hospital for eight years. “We want to be inside taking care of our patients. But we have not been given the resources to do so safely.”In a statement, SSM said the health system was “deeply disappointed” in the union's decision to organize a strike. The hospital said workers from nurse staffing agencies would help fill in where needed.Dozens rallied outside the hospital along South Grand Boulevard Monday, carrying signs and chanting. Nurses described feeling frustrated when they couldn't provide patients the quality of care they wanted to give because their units are understaffed.And when patients have to wait longer for care, health care workers receive backlash from them and their family members, they said. Several emergency department nurses said that they've noticed an increase in patients after South City Hospital, about 4 miles south, closed in early August following financial troubles.O'Leary said that while nursing shifts in her unit ideally are staffed by four nurses, lately there have been shifts with only two. That means she can't take a break because she can't leave the unit staffed by only one nurse.“Enough was enough,” she said.The strike was scheduled to begin at 7 a.m. Monday and end at 6:59 a.m. Tuesday. The nurses gave the hospital 10 days' notice.The union, National Nurses United, has represented nurses at the hospital since 2012. Though the nurses have held several protests to pressure SSM to increase staffing levels there, they had never before gone on strike.The nurses' labor agreement expired June 15. They have been in negotiations for a new contract since May and claim there has been little movement in bargaining. With the exception of the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, SLU Hospital is the only hospital in the region where nurses are unionized.SSM accused the California-based nurses union of holding strikes that are “intended to create tension and division within hospitals,” and said the moves are counterproductive to SSM's efforts to recruit and hire nurses.https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/11/republicans-ease-off-impeachment-threat-after-supreme-court-accepted-redistricting-case/After months of threatening that they would consider impeaching liberal Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz if she weighed in on a lawsuit over the state's legislative maps, Wisconsin Republican lawmakers have pulled back from the idea. Republicans began raising impeachment before Protasiewicz was even elected in April, with then-Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) saying during his special election campaign for an open Senate seat that he would consider impeaching her. In August, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said he would consider impeaching Protasiewicz if she weighed in on the redistricting lawsuit — stating in a radio interview that he believed she had “pre-judged” the case and that could constitute a violation of her oath of office. Late last week, Protasiewicz ruled against Republican motions requesting that she recuse herself, writing in an opinion that the standard for recusal Republicans were arguing for would be “unworkable.” On the same day, Protasiewicz joined the Court's three other liberals in voting to accept one of two lawsuits filed against the maps. As Republicans floated the impeachment possibility, and state Democrats launched a campaign to raise public opinion against it, Vos said he convened a panel of three former Supreme Court justices to weigh in on the idea. One of those former justices, conservative David Prosser, wrote in an email to Vos on Friday before the court's decision was released that nothing Protasiewicz had done rose to the level of corrupt conduct in office, which along with criminal acts is the standard for impeachment in the state Constitution. “In my view, ‘corrupt conduct' is not a term that is open to a mere political grievance,” Prosser wrote. “If that were the case, legislative bodies could be trading questionable impeachments with considerable frequency.”“To sum up my views, there should be no effort to impeach Justice Protasiewicz on anything we know now,” he continued. “Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime, or the subject has committed indisputable ‘corrupt conduct' while ‘in office.'”After the Court's decision was released last week, Vos said in a statement that he believes the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in on the issue. “Justice Protasiewicz should have recused herself. We think the United States Supreme Court precedent compels her recusal, and the United States Supreme Court will have the last word here,” Vos said.Wisconsin's impeachment process requires a simple majority vote of the Assembly to impeach and a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove an official. In addition to Vos' retreat from the threat, multiple Senate Republicans have stated they don't support impeachment, meaning there wouldn't be enough votes in the Senate to remove Protasiewicz. In an audio recording obtained by the Examiner, a staff member for Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton) told a member of the public that “she does not support impeachment.” Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) also told CBS58 he doesn't support impeachment. Prior to the Court's acceptance of the case, concerns had been raised that under Wisconsin's impeachment statutes, a judge is unable to hear any cases while the Senate is considering conviction — meaning that if the Assembly voted to impeach, the Senate could hold off on a vote in order to delay the case. With the lack of supermajority support for impeachment in the Senate, state Democrats have called for Vos to drop the threats. “While it's long been clear the law wasn't on the Republicans' side, they now lack the votes to pursue conviction in the Senate — underscoring how any impeachment in the Assembly would represent an unprecedented abuse of the Wisconsin Constitution,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Joe Oslund said in a statement. “Broken clocks are right twice a day, and now that David Prosser and Duey Stroebel have somehow emerged as voices of reason here, Robin Vos should have no excuse for not knowing what time it is: time to drop his unconstitutional impeachment threats.”What caught your eye:Wisconsin Examiner, Capitol News Illinois, STL Post Dispatch, LA Times, Washington Post, CNBC, NPR

This week: Wisconsin Republicans may impeach the Justice-Elect Protasiewicz for the crime of –– winning the election; Jeffrey Clark makes a half-hearted attempt to have his Fulton County case removed to federal court; plus pet costumes. Thanks HelloFresh! Go to HelloFresh.com/50COMPLICATED and use code 50COMPLICATED for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!Subscribe on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Its.Complicated/Subscribe to our podcast https://link.chtbl.com/its-complicatedFollow Asha on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_Asha's Substack: https://asharangappa.substack.com/Follow Renato on Twitter: https://twitter.com/renato_mariottiFollow Asha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asha.rangappa/Follow Renato on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renato.mariotti/Opening Theme and Bumper music provided by eitanepsteinmusic / Pond5

Today's stories: 1. Karl Rove calls out Republicans 2. Mitt Romney can't recognize his party 3. Chris Christie warns Trump 4. Local anchor condemns Lauren Boebert 5. Wisconsin Republicans prepare antidemocratic plan 6. Trump mocked by Lincoln Project Become a Patreon member at: https://www.patreon.com/lukebeasley Get connected below! Twitter - https://twitter.com/lukepbeasley Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lukebeasleyofficial/ TikTok - https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdSfpPHw/ YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM05jgFNwoeXvWfO9GuExzA

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are reunited with John Dickerson to discuss the Wisconsin Republicans' effort to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz and protect their gerrymander; Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to start an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden and prevent a government shutdown; and Biden's age problem and Donald Trump's battleground-state difficulties. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25! Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Scott Bauer for AP: “Why Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeaching a new state Supreme Court justice” City Cast Madison podcast: “How We Know Wisconsin's Maps are Gerrymandered” Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 536 U.S. 765 (2002) Luke Broadwater for The New York Times: “What We Know About the Impeachment Case Against Biden” and Carl Hulse and Luke Broadwater: “McCarthy Tries to Leverage Biden Impeachment to Avoid a Shutdown” Nate Cohn for The New York Times: “Trump's Electoral College Edge Seems to Be Fading” and “How to Interpret Polling Showing Biden's Loss of Nonwhite Support” FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: “Why Biden Is Losing Support Among Voters Of Color” Paul Waldman for MSNBC: “You can talk about Biden's age. Just not like this.” The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future by Franklin Foer Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “Mitt Romney says he will not seek a second term in the Senate” McKay Coppins for The Atlantic: “What Mitt Romney Saw In The Senate” “Mitt” on Netflix  Laura Vozzella for The Washington Post: “Va. Dem. House candidate performed sex online with husband for tips” Here are this week's chatters: Emily: The Knockout Queen: A Novel by Rufi Thorpe and The Vaster Wilds: A Novel by Lauren Groff John: The Journals of John Cheever edited by Robert Gottlieb; CBS News Sunday Morning; Ted Gioia in The Honest Broker: “Why Is Music Getting Sadder?”; and Chris Dalla Riva: “Tears Are Falling And I Feel The Pain” David: Zhong sauce by Fly By Jing Listener chatter from Ben: Tyler Vigen's “The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge” For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss Susanna Gibson, the Virginia Democratic House candidate who “performed sex online with husband for tips.”  In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.  Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Hosts Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz Follow @SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Huge news from Planned Parenthood on Thursday morning, they are announcing the resumption of abortions in the state. We welcome national baseball stadium expert Neil deMause, from Field of Schemes, to discuss the on-going conspiracy of billionaire baseball owners to grab public money they don't need. We discuss lessons for Wisconsin political leaders about the critical role they play in fighting and supporting the public interest instead of well connected ultra rich owners. Robert updates the political situation in Madison, and we discusses the important role teachers unions are playing in opposing a Nevada plan to give away public money for Las Vegas MLB stadium. House leader McCarthy formally pursues a quixotic impeachment of President Biden as the MAGA wing threatens to shut down the government and overthrow McCarthy. All of Wisconsin's Republican members of Congress supported the impeachment scheme. Meanwhile Senator Tammy Baldwin was busy actually leading, visiting rural Wisconsin talking to voters about the issues they care about. Wisconsin Republicans continue to struggle to find an opponent for Baldwin other than arsonist David Clarke who this week is busy setting the national Republican Party on metaphorical fire. The Republicans in Wisconsin continue to work to funnel more money to the rich, while Donal Trump proposed a huge new corporate tax cut on top of the largest corporate tax giveaway in American history contained in the first Trump tax package.

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are reunited with John Dickerson to discuss the Wisconsin Republicans' effort to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz and protect their gerrymander; Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to start an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden and prevent a government shutdown; and Biden's age problem and Donald Trump's battleground-state difficulties. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25! Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Scott Bauer for AP: “Why Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeaching a new state Supreme Court justice” City Cast Madison podcast: “How We Know Wisconsin's Maps are Gerrymandered” Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 536 U.S. 765 (2002) Luke Broadwater for The New York Times: “What We Know About the Impeachment Case Against Biden” and Carl Hulse and Luke Broadwater: “McCarthy Tries to Leverage Biden Impeachment to Avoid a Shutdown” Nate Cohn for The New York Times: “Trump's Electoral College Edge Seems to Be Fading” and “How to Interpret Polling Showing Biden's Loss of Nonwhite Support” FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: “Why Biden Is Losing Support Among Voters Of Color” Paul Waldman for MSNBC: “You can talk about Biden's age. Just not like this.” The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future by Franklin Foer Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “Mitt Romney says he will not seek a second term in the Senate” McKay Coppins for The Atlantic: “What Mitt Romney Saw In The Senate” “Mitt” on Netflix  Laura Vozzella for The Washington Post: “Va. Dem. House candidate performed sex online with husband for tips” Here are this week's chatters: Emily: The Knockout Queen: A Novel by Rufi Thorpe and The Vaster Wilds: A Novel by Lauren Groff John: The Journals of John Cheever edited by Robert Gottlieb; CBS News Sunday Morning; Ted Gioia in The Honest Broker: “Why Is Music Getting Sadder?”; and Chris Dalla Riva: “Tears Are Falling And I Feel The Pain” David: Zhong sauce by Fly By Jing Listener chatter from Ben: Tyler Vigen's “The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge” For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss Susanna Gibson, the Virginia Democratic House candidate who “performed sex online with husband for tips.”  In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.  Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Hosts Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz Follow @SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are reunited with John Dickerson to discuss the Wisconsin Republicans' effort to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz and protect their gerrymander; Speaker Kevin McCarthy's decision to start an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden and prevent a government shutdown; and Biden's age problem and Donald Trump's battleground-state difficulties. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25! Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Scott Bauer for AP: “Why Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeaching a new state Supreme Court justice” City Cast Madison podcast: “How We Know Wisconsin's Maps are Gerrymandered” Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 536 U.S. 765 (2002) Luke Broadwater for The New York Times: “What We Know About the Impeachment Case Against Biden” and Carl Hulse and Luke Broadwater: “McCarthy Tries to Leverage Biden Impeachment to Avoid a Shutdown” Nate Cohn for The New York Times: “Trump's Electoral College Edge Seems to Be Fading” and “How to Interpret Polling Showing Biden's Loss of Nonwhite Support” FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: “Why Biden Is Losing Support Among Voters Of Color” Paul Waldman for MSNBC: “You can talk about Biden's age. Just not like this.” The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future by Franklin Foer Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “Mitt Romney says he will not seek a second term in the Senate” McKay Coppins for The Atlantic: “What Mitt Romney Saw In The Senate” “Mitt” on Netflix  Laura Vozzella for The Washington Post: “Va. Dem. House candidate performed sex online with husband for tips” Here are this week's chatters: Emily: The Knockout Queen: A Novel by Rufi Thorpe and The Vaster Wilds: A Novel by Lauren Groff John: The Journals of John Cheever edited by Robert Gottlieb; CBS News Sunday Morning; Ted Gioia in The Honest Broker: “Why Is Music Getting Sadder?”; and Chris Dalla Riva: “Tears Are Falling And I Feel The Pain” David: Zhong sauce by Fly By Jing Listener chatter from Ben: Tyler Vigen's “The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge” For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss Susanna Gibson, the Virginia Democratic House candidate who “performed sex online with husband for tips.”  In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.  Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Hosts Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz Follow @SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh and Kate discuss Wisconsin Republicans' authoritarian bender, Kevin McCarthy's newest debacle and the panic around President Joe Biden's age.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

8.23.2022 #RolandMartinUnfiltered: MS Lifetime Felony Voting Ban,Marc Spears NBA Media HOF, Ced The Entertainer golf recap Federal judges block Mississippi's enforcement of a voting ban, a decision that could have far-reaching implications. We'll speak with the Senior Director for Voting and Representation at the Brennan Center for Justice to learn more. Wisconsin Republicans want Justice Janet Protasiewicz, the newest Democratic-backed Justice on the state Supreme Court, to recuse herself from lawsuits challenging GOP-drawn electoral maps. We'll break it down for you. Several of those charged in Georgia's Election case, including former Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powel, turned themselves in today. We'll have the latest on who's surrendered and who is trying to block an impending arrest warrant. Months after the Georgia Senate failed to pass the Crown Act, Valdosta State University baseball coach is accused of alleged hair discrimination. A leaked recording is raising questions about bias. You won't believe what the coach said. My friend and fellow NABJ member, senior NBA writer Marc J. Spears, who was recently awarded the Curt Gowdy Print Media Award will be here to discuss his extraordinary career. Download the Black Star Network app at http://www.blackstarnetwork.com! We're on iOS, AppleTV, Android, AndroidTV, Roku, FireTV, XBox and SamsungTV. The #BlackStarNetwork is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest host Jefferson Smith of the Democracy Nerd Podcast sits in for Thom Hartmann today explaining the Case: "Khary Penebaker et al v. Andrew Hitt et al." (fraudulent electors). Article: "What To Know About Wisconsin Republicans' Fake 2020 Electors" by Jonathon Sadowski. Poem: "Newspaper Poem" by Vera Sidhwa. Interview: Scott Thompson, Staff Counsel - Law Forward.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wisconsin joins other states trying to ban anatomically-correct child sex dolls, marketed to pedophiles.

Today's headlines: Former VP Mike Pence will comply with a judge's order to testify in the DOJ special counsel investigation into January 6th, but Trump may continue to appeal. Meanwhile, progressive candidate Brandon Johnson has won the mayoral election in Chicago. The Wisconsin Republicans have gained a supermajority in the state senate, allowing them to impeach elected officials. Democratic state lawmaker Tricia Cotham has defected to the Republican party, giving the Republicans a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers of the North Carolina legislature. A new report from Maryland's attorney general reveals that Catholic Church officials in Baltimore covered up sexual abuse of over 600 children for 60 years. Finally, the chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party and the state Senate Minority Leader were arrested and charged with trespassing after refusing to leave a protest in Tallahassee.  Resources/Articles mentioned this episode: AP News: Pence won't appeal order compelling grand jury testimony Chicago Tribune: Brandon Johnson wins Chicago mayor election AP News: GOP lawmaker wins Wis. Senate seat, creating supermajority NY Times: Democrat's U-Turn to Join the G.O.P. Upends North Carolina Politics NBC News: Baltimore's Catholic Church sexually abused at least 600 children over 60 years, Maryland AG says AP News: Florida Democrats charged after abortion rights protest Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage alongside Amanda Duberman and Bridget Schwartz

Melissa Murray hosts “The Beat” on Friday, January 20, and reports on counter-protests at an anti-abortion rally in D.C., GOP chaos, and Donald Trump's latest legal woe. Plus, Murray reports on Wisconsin Republicans caught celebrating voter suppression. Cecile Richards, Jen Psaki, Howard Dean, Joyce Vance, Steven Mazie, and Senator Latonya Johnson join.