With Trump's placement of federal forces in Portland and his vow to send them to other cities, Matt Rothschild fears loss of democracy.

STATEWIDE - The panel digs into the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, now one of the worst 19 states in the country in containing the virus. How bad is it? What is the State Legislature, the Evers Administration, and local governments doing about it? As the federal cut-off of pandemic unemployment benefits looms, the panel discusses dissension in the ranks of the GOP, and the likely inadequate proposal they will make to the Democrats.

We also look at the immense economic impact being inflicted on working Americans, and the disproportionate impact on communities of color. Will right-wing conservatives in The Senate and the White House get their act together, or will they unleash a historic wave of utility cut offs, hunger, evictions, and foreclosures?

Listen Now – Episode #452
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Fifth District Congressional Candidate Palzewicz agrees with Joe Biden's approach to fighting the virus, which calls for “a decisive public health response" to curb the spread and a decisive economic plan that delivers real relief.

Brookfield, WI – Americans are tired of the lies and denial of the Covid-19 pandemic coming out of the White House and the Republican Party, but Democrat Tom Palzewicz, running for the Fifth Congressional District seat in Washington, promises transparency and empathy in working for a clear national plan to help.

Palzewicz agrees with Joe Biden's approach to fighting the virus, which calls for “a decisive public health response to curb the spread of this disease and provide treatment to those in need — as well as a decisive economic response that delivers real relief to American workers, families, and small businesses, and protects the economy as a whole.”

Palzewicz is ready to roll up his sleeves and work for Wisconsin by promoting bi-partisan cooperation and discussion.

“The Republican response in Wisconsin, led by Scott Fitzgerald, has been to file a lawsuit and have the Wisconsin Supreme Court do the legislating,” said Palzewicz. “There was no discussion, or debate on the floor of the legislature, no kind of democratic process. That is not how government is supposed to work. It is, however, the way Donald Trump works and the Republicans are all too eager to fall in line and do his bidding. This kind of action goes beyond mere denial of the truth or the scientific facts of the matter—it's pure political bullying.”

Palzewicz promises to face the pandemic issue head-on and help the country form and effective crisis response, based on solid scientific fact to fight the disease and a well-designed plan to bring relief to American workers, small businesses and the economy.

“Wisconsin was poised to make a good recovery after shutting down,” Palzewicz explained. “But Governor Tony Evers and the Badger Bounce Back Plan was stopped, even though we were meeting all of the goals and readying for a safe reopening of the state. Since then, the numbers of cases continues to climb.”

The pandemic has spread from state to state over recent months, but the lessons learned from states like New York, under the leadership of Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, have not been learned by Republican-led states in the south. Texas and Florida are hitting record highs because the reopening strategy did not work.

“The virus does not know political party and even when states do the right thing, like California, the numbers can climb,” said Palzewicz. “That's why we need a national strategy on this virus and a concerted effort to plan for future eventualities. We need to learn and adjust, learn and plan. The Republicans want to sweep this under the rug. It doesn't work.”

Palzewicz will continue working to earn the trust of Fifth District voters, who will make the choice between Republican autocracy, or a return to American democracy.

As Trump continues to ignore the COVID-19 crisis, elderly Wisconsinites have been put in even greater danger.

WISCONSIN -- Today, Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Philip Shulman released the following statement on Donald Trump’s endangerment of senior Wisconsinites:

“As Trump continues to ignore the COVID-19 crisis and infections spike across the Badger State and the country, elderly Wisconsinites have been put in even greater danger. Trump’s actions have threatened seniors since long before the Coronavirus came to the United States; Trump has attacked Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and has repeatedly tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no replacement plan. This has made it far more difficult for seniors to get crucial resources they rely on such as home care, medicine, and money to pay for groceries and rent.

“Older Americans deserve to live their lives with dignity and respect, instead of living with the threats of Trump’s heartless policy goals. He doesn’t care about the well-being of older Wisconsinites and they see just how dangerous another four years of his presidency would be for them. That’s why their support continues to grow for Vice President Biden who has a plan to address the crisis Donald Trump helped create by ensuring seniors receive the care they need without having to fight for their livelihoods.”

Additional Background:

• 28% of Wisconsinites on Medicaid are elderly or disabled.
• As of 2018, over 1,100,000 Wisconsinites receive Medicare.
• Medicaid Covers Nearly Two-Thirds Of The Nation’s Nursing Home Residents. “Though Medicare generally covers older people, Medicaid funds long-term services, including nursing home stays. Nearly two-thirds of America’s 1.4 million nursing home residents rely on Medicaid to cover their care.” [Washington Post, 6/27/17]
• Policy Experts Said Trump’s Efforts To Repeal The ACA “Would Weaken Resident Protections, Strip Many Nursing-Home Workers Of Health Coverage, Limit Long-Term-Care Options For Many Seniors, And Undermine Efforts To Improve Nursing-Home Quality At A Critical Moment.” “While toppling the law wouldn’t necessarily erase all the reporting requirements, it would weaken resident protections, strip many nursing-home workers of health coverage, limit long-term-care options for many seniors, and undermine efforts to improve nursing-home quality at a critical moment, policy experts say. Janet Wells, a long-term-care public policy consultant in Washington, D.C., says the ACA ‘addressed some of the obvious weaknesses in implementation and enforcement’ of previous nursing-home reform law.” [MarketWatch, 7/2/20]

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/clean-drinking-water-s5.jpgJaeger wants to advocate for sound, responsible environmental laws and policies while Nygren will favor big business.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/covid-19-workers-meatpacking-s5.jpgFactory worker, activist, and writer in Green Bay, Wisconsin exposes role of UFCW International and its local union leaders in outbreaks of COVID-19 in meatpacking industry.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address on the Governor's Task Force on Broadband Access, which was announced earlier this week.

Audio file of radio address.

Hi, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

Seemingly overnight, COVID-19 has changed how Wisconsinites live, learn, and work.

Whether it’s working, going to school, or visiting with the doctor, folks have adapted to doing it all from home, which has only underscored that access to reliable high-speed broadband is not a luxury, but a necessity for Wisconsin’s families, students, and businesses.

That’s why this week we announced our Task Force on Broadband Access. This group will work to ensure that Wisconsin’s underserved communities can get the access they need to high-speed internet.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, about 7 percent of Wisconsinites lack access to high-speed internet and we know that burden falls largely on our rural communities. That’s why I am proud that in our last budget we were able to make the largest state investment in broadband to reach more underserved areas of our state.

Our Task Force will look beyond funding to find innovative, creative solutions to the broadband disparities in our state, because now more than ever, a strong state economy depends on access to high-speed internet for our schools, businesses, hospitals, and homes.

Thank you.

Agrees legislative package removes barriers and helps families across the state get needed relief.

Madison - Rep. Staush Gruszynski (D-Green Bay) released the following statement today about the UI benefits reforms package:

“Across our state and our country, people have lost their jobs, and many are still out of work due to COVID-19 as people are encouraged to continue staying safer at home. Many states, including Wisconsin, have seen unemployment programs inundated by millions of claims from individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Green Bay is no different. Even with DWD increasing staffing, adding call centers and streamlining systems, there are still people who are in need of help due to a complex UI system that has only been further complicated by Republican legislation over the last 10 years. Today’s legislative package removes barriers and helps families across the state get needed relief. The legislature needs to act and take these steps to help people in crisis and I fully support these much needed changes.”

WISCONSIN - Citizen Action holds news events around the state to call attention to the damage inaction in Washington is doing to the economic well being of working families. Without urgent action by the middle of next week, the unemployed will be cut-off of enhanced unemployment assistance, and we are already facing a wave of utility cut-offs, evictions, and foreclosures.

As corporate leaders and their political puppets demand the reopening of schools, we welcome Ben Ward from the MTEA (the Milwaukee teacher’s union) to discuss whether it is even possible to have in-person classed safely when the pandemic continues to rage. We also talk with Voces de la Frontera’s Christine Nuemann-Ortiz and Mario Ramirez about their follow up meeting with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services concerning the outrageous decision to withhold the COVID-19 infection numbers of businesses.

LISTEN NOW – EPISODE #451
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On Tax Day, Wisconsinites discover Trump lent a hand to the rich and well-connected rather than passing a meaningful tax overhaul to help working families.