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Wisconsin state is bordered by the states of Michigan (north), Illinois (south), Iowa, and Minnesota (west).

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WISCONSIN New:

20090126

John Boehner

Government

Economic

Legislation

Politics

History

Poor

Family

Women's

Medical

Abortion

AL.

Ohio

Wisconsin

"Republicans Irate Over Expansion of Republican-Approved Program." ... "[T]he family-planning program that [California Democratic Representative and House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi supports expanding in the stimulus bill was created in 1972 under the leadership of Republican president Richard Nixon." ... "What's being proposed is an expansion in the number of states that can use Medicaid money, with a federal match, to help low-income women prevent unwanted pregnancies. Of the 26 states that already have Medicaid waivers for family planning, eight are led by Republican governors (AL [Alabama], FL [Florida], MS [Mississippi], SC [South Carolina], CA [California], LA [Louisiana], MN [Minnesota] and RI [Rhode Island] -- a ninth, MO [Missouri], had a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] governor until this past November). If this policy is truly a taxpayer gift to "the abortion industry," as [Ohio Republican Representative] John Boehner and House Republicans claim, where are the GOP governors promising to end the program in their states?" ... "Additionally, the process of obtaining a waiver for Medicaid family-planning coverage is extremely cumbersome. A letter written by Wisconsin health regulators in 2007 noted that some states have had to wait for as long as two years before their request was approved. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that eliminating the waiver requirement would save states $400 million over 10 years." -By Elana Schor

-TPMDC .TalkingPointsMemo

20081210

Poverty

Emergency

People

Health

Wisconsin

"From canned goods to fresh, food banks adapt." ... "Vanessa Rosales comes to the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry here [in Madison, Wisconsin's capital] rather than others for one reason: She can choose what food she brings home, rather than being handed a bag filled with random groceries." ... "The pantry, which looks like a small grocery store, is indicative of broad changes going on at the nation's food banks and food pantries." ... "No longer simply the domain of canned corn and peanut butter, food banks are preparing ready-to-eat meals, opening their own farms and partnering with institutions as varied as local supermarkets and state prisons to help gather and process food. They are also handling much more fresh produce, which requires overhauling the way they store and distribute food." ... "Pantries, which distribute the food donated to food banks, are also acting as social service clearinghouses. Many are handing out information about screenings for breast and cervical cancer and sending volunteers out to sign up people for food stamps." ... "And as demand continues to rise, food banks are trying to feed more people with less food." ... ""I keep hearing that demand is up and up and up," said Ross Fraser, a spokesman for Feeding America, which provides more than two billion pounds of food annually to food banks around the country. "I heard one person saying they're feeding schoolteachers. The needle is moving higher up the socioeconomic class, and people making more money are needing emergency food assistance."" (1, 2) -By Katie Zezima

-IHT.com

20081020

Barack Obama

Madelyn Dunham

Grandmother

Hawaii

Indiana

Wisconsin

Des-Moines

Iowa

Politics

2008 Election

"Obama will make emergency trip to Hawaii to visit his Grandmother." ... "[2008 Election Democratic] Presidential hopeful Barack Obama will make an emergency trip back to the [Hawaii] islands this week to visit his grandmother." ... "A campaign spokesman says 86-year old Madelyn Dunham is very ill." ... "Obama plans to leave Indianapolis [Indiania's capital] on Thursday afternoon." ... "His grandmother has always been one of the most important people in his life." ... ""She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me," said Obama on August 28." ... "Obama will be stepping off the campaign trail for a couple days to be at his grandmother's side." ... "He cancelled his appearances in Madison, Wisconsin, and Des Moines, Iowa to make the trip." -By Marisa Yamane

-KHON2.com

20081014

Barack Obama

2008 Election

Federal

Law

Politics

Investigation

Colorado

Indiana

Ohio

Michigan

Nevada

North Carolina

New Hampshire

Wisconsin

"Obama Campaign: Count Every Vote." ... "Republicans have been raising a huge stink about voter fraud in recent days, but the much bigger question on Election Day [2008] is whether every vote (or at least most of them) will actually be counted." ... "The New York Times published a shocking story last week, reporting that "tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law."" ... "The article continued: "Although much attention this year has been focused on the millions of new voters being added to the rolls by the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama, there has been far less notice given to the number of voters being dropped from those same rolls." The paper looked at six swing states: Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina. "Michigan and Colorado are removing voters from the rolls within 90 days of a federal election, which is not allowed except when voters die, notify the authorities that they have moved out of state, or have been declared unfit to vote. Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio seem to be improperly using Social Security data to verify registration applications for new voters."" ... "The net effect: in Michigan 33,000 voters were removed from the rolls in August and in Colorado 37,000 voters were purged in three weeks since mid-July. Imagine this scenario--on Election Day thousands of voters will show up to the polls, only to be told they're not registered, leading to chaos and confusion, perhaps in large enough numbers to swing the results in crucial swing states." ... "It's a scary thought--and one the [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama campaign says they're preparing for. On a conference call today, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe and legal counsel Bob Bauer laid out their plans to ensure that every vote is counted." ... ""This has been an election of enormous interest to the American people and we think that's something that should be celebrated," Plouffe said. "Our opponents seem to have a different view."" ... "Obama counsel Bob Bauer pointed to examples in Montana, where Republicans have used change-of-address forms to improperly challenge new Democratic registrants (a federal judge called the GOP's tactics "political chicanery"); in Ohio, where Republicans challenged same-day registration and absentee voting (the 6th circuit court said the claim rested on "shaky ground"); in Michigan, where Republicans tried to use foreclosure lists to purge voters; and in Wisconsin, where the Republican Attorney General is suing the state's board of elections. (And just today, a GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican] operative was indicted for lying to the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] about charges that he jammed the phones of the New Hampshire Democratic Party on Election Day 2002.)" -By Ari Berman

-TheNation.com

20080923

John McCain

Rick Davis

Corporate

Politics

Federal

Housing

Wisconsin

2008 Election

"McCain Transition Head Lobbied for Freddie Mac Before Takeover." ... "The lobbying firm of the man Republicans say [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain has chosen to begin planning a presidential transition earned more than a quarter of a million dollars this year representing Freddie Mac, one of the companies McCain blames for the nation's financial crisis." ... "Timmons & Co., whose founder and chairman emeritus is William Timmons Sr., was registered to lobby for Freddie Mac from 2000 through this month, when the federal government took over both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae." ... "Newly available congressional records show Timmons's firm received $260,000 this year before its lobbying activities were barred under terms of the government rescue of the failed [housing] mortgage giant. Timmons, 77, is listed as a lobbyist for Freddie Mac on the company's midyear financial-disclosure form." ... "McCain has labeled Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae as prime culprits in creating the financial storm that has roiled Wall Street and Washington." ... "``At the center of the problem were the lobbyists, politicians, and bureaucrats who succeeded in persuading Congress and the administration to ignore the festering problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,'' he said last week in Green Bay, Wisconsin." ... "``Using money and influence, they prevented reforms that would have curbed their power and limited their ability to damage our economy,'' he said. ``And now, as ever, the American taxpayers are left to pay the price for Washington's failure.''" ... "The McCain camp was also dealing with reports about the lobbying work of campaign manager Rick Davis." ... "The New York Times reported yesterday that Davis was paid almost $2 million in fees over five years by a group primarily funded by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae that was intended to help stave off more stringent federal regulation of the housing companies. " -By Jonathan D. Salant and Timothy J. Burger

-Bloomberg

20080905

Sarah Palin

John McCain

Money

Politics

Accounting

Alaska

Wisconsin

2008 Election

"Plane Not Sold on eBay." ... "One of the compelling anecdotes about [2008 Election Republican Vice Presidential Candidate] Sarah Palin is that she auctioned off the Alaska governor's jet on eBay after taking office -- a swift move made by a reformer hoping to clean up the excesses of her predecessor." ... "But in fact, the jet did not sell on eBay. It was sold to a businessman from Valdez named Larry Reynolds, who paid $2.1 million for the jet, shy of the original $2.7 million purchase price, according to contemporaneous news reports, including a story in the New York Times." ... "Dan Spencer, the director of administrative services for Alaska's Public Safety Department, said that the Republican speaker of the Alaska House, John L. Harris, brokered the deal. Reynolds made campaign contributions to both Palin and Harris in 2006 and 2007." ... "But that hasn't stopped Palin, or John McCain, from implying -- and, on Friday, claiming outright -- that Palin did sell the jet on the Internet." ... ""You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor and sold it on eBay -- and made a profit!" [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain declared in Wisconsin at a campaign stop on Friday." -By Anne E. Kornblut

-WashingtonPost

20080530

Barack Obama - John McCain - Accounting - People - Families - US - Iraq - Military - Book - MT - Arizona - Wisconsin - 2008 Election - "Obama slams McCain on Iraq facts." ... "[2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama isn't expected to speak until 7:45 pm ET at a rally in Great Falls, MT [Montana]. But his campaign has released excerpts of his remarks, which go right after [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate John] McCain's "pre-surge levels" misstatement yesterday. They also invoke Scott McClellan's new book." ... "[Barack Obama:] "There are honest differences about how to move forward in Iraq, just like there were honest differences about whether or not we should go to war," Obama is supposed to say. "John McCain was for the invasion of Iraq; I opposed it. John McCain wants to continue George Bush’s war in Iraq indefinitely; I want to end it. So there’s going to be a clear choice for the American people this November."" ... ""But that’s not what John McCain’s been talking about the last few days. He’s been proposing a joint trip to Iraq that’s nothing more than a political stunt. He’s even been using it to raise a few dollars for his campaign. But it seems like [Arizona Senator] Sen. McCain’s a lot more interested in my travel plans than the facts, because yesterday – in his continued effort to put the best light on a failed policy – he stood up in Wisconsin and said, 'We have drawn down to pre-surge levels' in Iraq."" ... ""That’s not true, and anyone running for commander-in-chief should know better. As the saying goes, you’re entitled to your own view, but not your own facts. We’ve got around 150,000 troops in Iraq -- 20,000 more than we had before the surge. We have plans to get down to around 140,000 later this summer -- that’s still more troops than we had in Iraq before the surge. And today, Sen. McCain refused to correct his mistake. Just like George Bush, when he was presented with the truth, he just dug in and refused to admit his mistake. His campaign said it amounts to 'nitpicking.'"" ... ""Well, I don’t think tens of thousands of American troops amounts to nitpicking. Tell that to the young men and women who are serving bravely and brilliantly under our flag. Tell that to the families who have seen their loved ones fight tour after tour after tour of duty in a war that should’ve never been authorized and never been waged."" ... ""It’s time for a debate that’s based on the truth, and I can’t think of anything more important than how many Americans are in harm’s way. It’s time for a debate that’s based on how we’re going to end this war -- not a debate that’s based on raising a few dollars for John McCain’s campaign."" ... ""The American people have had enough spin. Just this week, we were reminded by President Bush’s own former spokesman of how it was deception -- not straight talk -- that misled the American people into war. It’s time to cut through the tough talk so that we can be straight with the American people about a war that’s cost us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars without making us safer. It’s time to end the political game-playing so that we can finally end this war. That’s what I’ll do in this campaign. And that’s what I’ll do when I’m President of the United States."" -From Mark Murray and Athena Jones -MSNBC

20080529

John McCain - 2008 Election - Wisconsin - Arizona - US - Iraq - Military - Terrorism - "McCain Declares Mosul "Quiet" On Same Day As Three Suicide Attacks (Video)." ... "Speaking about Iraq at a townhall event on Thursday evening in Greensdale, Wisconsin, [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate and Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain declared, "I can tell you that it is succeeding. I can look you in the eye and tell you it's succeeding. We have drawn down to pre-surge levels. Basra, Mosul and now Sadr city are quiet and it's long and it's hard and it's tough and there will be setbacks..."" ... "McCain was wrong on two points. First, U.S. [United States] forces have not returned to pre-surge levels. Before the surge, there were 130,000 troops in Iraq; even if the scheduled troop reductions are carried out as planned, there will still be 140,000 troops in Iraq in August." ... "Moreover, McCain's claim that Mosul [Iraq] is "quiet" was disproved earlier today in grim fashion. Three suicide bombings -- two in Mosul and another in a surrounding town -- left 30 Iraqis dead and more than two dozen injured, according to press_reports. " -By Nico Pitney -HuffingtonPost.com

20080513

Corporate - Environmental - Health - Politics - Investigation - Manufacturing - Water - Michigan - Illinois - Indiana - Minnesota - Ohio - Wisconsin - "U.S. Senators Probe Departure of EPA Midwest Administrator." ... "The circumstances surrounding the resignation of Mary Gade, formerly the U.S. [United States] EPA's [Environmental Protection Agency's] regional administrator for the Midwest, are under investigation by an environmental committee of the U.S. Senate." ... "On May 2, the "Chicago Tribune" reported that two top aides to Johnson demanded that Gade resign or be fired by June 1, 2008. She has since submitted her resignation and is currently on administrative leave." ... "According to the Tribune's story, Gade believed her forced resignation was due to her efforts to push Dow Chemical Company to clean up dioxin contamination in Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron stemming from its Midland, Michigan chemical manufacturing plant. Dioxin is a known carcinogen." ... "The paper also reported that officials from Dow Chemical had met with EPA officials in Washington in January 2008 because they were unhappy with Gade's approach, and that Gade's handling of this issue became the subject of criticism from her superiors in Washington." ... "On January 4, 2008, Gade terminated negotiations with Dow Chemical aimed at a settlement to conduct a study and interim cleanup actions for dioxin contamination along the Tittabawassee River system, the Saginaw River and the Saginaw Bay. The negotiations under the Superfund Act began in October 2007 with the participation of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality." ... ""I am extremely disappointed with this outcome," said Gade on January 4. "EPA approached negotiations with high hopes and realistic expectations. Our team put in many long hours of good faith efforts that came to an unfortunate end today. EPA is now reviewing its options for ensuring that dioxin contamination in the river system and the Midland area can be fully addressed."" ... "An environmental attorney, Gade was appointed regional administrator of EPA Region 5 in October 2006 to oversee federal environmental programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin." -ENS

20080408

Drug - Safety - Investigation - Wis - US - China - Animals - Corporation - "Reports of deaths linked to blood-thinner heparin triple." .. "The number of reports of deaths linked to all versions of the blood thinner heparin -- including a tainted version of the drug sold by Baxter International Inc. [Incorporated] -- have tripled, according to a new report released Tuesday by the U.S. [United States] Food and Drug Administration." .. "The FDA [Food and Drug Administration] said there are now 62 reports of deaths of patients who experienced one or more allergic reactions and who were infused with heparin from Jan. [January] 1, 2007 through the end of last month, the agency said. That compares to just 19 deaths from an earlier FDA report." .. "Baxter recalled the drug in February after a spike in severe allergic reactions in patients. Further investigation revealed a significant amount of an unidentified foreign substance contaminated batches of heparin." .. "The suspected ingredient originated at a Changzhou, China, plant owned by Scientific Protein Laboratories, a Baxter supplier based in Waunakee, Wis. [Wisconsin] Last month the FDA disclosed that low-cost animal cartilage made its way into Baxter's heparin but has not determined a specific link to allergic reactions." -By Bruce Japsen -ChicagoTribune

20080215

Corporate - Government - Drug - Manufacturing - Safety - Politics - Investigation - Wisconsin - Michigan - US - China - "F.D.A. Broke Its Rules by Not Inspecting Chinese Plant With Problem Drug." ... "The Food and Drug Administration [overseen by Republican President Bush] violated its own policies when it approved for sale a crucial blood-thinning drug without first inspecting a Chinese plant which, along with a plant in Wisconsin, made the drug’s active pharmaceutical ingredient." ... "“It was obviously a glitch” that the drug, heparin, produced and sold by Baxter International, was approved for sale without a plant inspection, said Karen Riley, an F.D.A. spokeswoman." ... "[Michigan Democratic] Representative Bart Stupak, Democrat of Michigan and chairman of a House investigative subcommittee, said that no matter what happened with the heparin inquiry, the F.D.A.’s inability to provide basic information about the Chinese manufacturing plant weeks after concerns were first raised was deeply troubling." ... "“They can’t tell us if they’ve inspected this plant, what other problems might have been identified at this plant, or what other U.S. firms might be getting supplies from this plant,” he said." ... "Over the past year, a wave of tainted goods from China, including deadly pet food ingredients and tainted fish, has prompted concern about whether [F.D.A.] regulators are adequately monitoring imports’ safety." -By Gardiner Harris and Walt Bogdanich with contributions by Andrew W. Lehren -NYTimes

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20080124

Telecom - Amnesty - Corporate - Government - Intelligence - Surveillance - Wisconsin - Nevada - Connecticut - "Feingold: "I Really Do Disagree" With Reid On FISA." ... "A long-debated provision over whether or not telephone companies would get a free pass for aiding the U.S. [United States] government in warrentless surveillance hits the Senate floor today. And it threatens to open up fissures within the Democratic Party." ... "In an interview with the Huffington Post on Thursday morning, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Sen. Russ Feingold, who opposes granting immunity to those companies, expressed disappointment that his party's leader, [Nevada Democratic Senator] Sen. Harry Reid, was not doing more to help strike the provision from a newly considered version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." ... ""Of course I have great respect for the Majority Leader," said Feingold. "He is a good friend of mine. But I really do disagree with his way of proceeding."" ... "At issue is the likely passage of a version of FISA that contains retroactive immunity over one that doesn't. Reid has said he supports the former, but legislatively, the path has been paved for the passage of the latter. In addition, there is debate over an amendment offered by [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd, to strip immunity from any FISA bill. If that fails -- and it seems likely -- Dodd has threatened to filibuster the whole bill. On Wednesday, Reid was interpreted as saying any such filibuster will be the standing and talking variety as opposed to an agreed-upon 60-vote minimum threshold. Feingold, who supports Dodd's stance, took slight issue with that approach." ... ""We should have a normal process w[h]ere this is debated based on a majority vote in the senate," said the Wisconsin Democrat. "That's the way it should have been done and I regret that it's not being done that way. Of course, I support Senator Dodd. He and I were principally involved in making sure this didn't get jammed through before the holidays and I will be supporting him again. But this decision does make it harder."" -By Sam Stein -HuffingtonPost.com

20080123

Mitch McConnell - Noteworthy - Government - Intelligence - Surveillance - Corporate - Telecom - Amnesty - Politics - Nevada - Kentucky - Vermont - Connecticut - Wisconsin - "Your Harry Reid-led Senate in action." ... "[Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid -- who has (a) done more than any other individual to ensure that Bush's demands for telecom immunity and warrantless eavesdropping powers will be met in full and (b) allowed the Republicans all year to block virtually every bill without having to bother to actually filibuster -- went to the Senate floor yesterday and, with the scripted assistance of [Kentucky Republican Senator] Mitch McConnell and [Vermont Democratic Senator] Pat Leahy, warned [Connecticut Democratic Senator] Chris Dodd, [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Russ Feingold and others that they would be selfishly wreaking havoc on the schedules of their fellow Senators (making them work over the weekend, ruining their planned "retreat," and even preventing them from going to Davos!) if they bothered everyone with their annoying, pointless little filibuster." ... "To do so, Reid announced that, unlike for the multiple filibusters from Republican colleagues, he would actually force Dodd and company to engage in a real filibuster. This is what Reid said:"

"[I]f people think they are going to talk this to death, we are going to be in here all night. This is not something we are going to have a silent filibuster on. If someone wants to filibuster this bill, they are going to do it in the openness of the Senate."

"Thatis what Democrats have been urging Reid to do to the filibustering Republicans all year -- in order to dramatize their obstructionism -- but he has refused to make them actually filibuster anything, generously agreeing instead that every bill requires 60 votes. Instead, he reserves such punishment only for the members of his own caucus trying to take a stand for the rule of law and the Constitution, those who are trying finally to bring some accountability to this administration." -By Glenn Greenwald -Salon

20071227

John Edwards - Wisconsin - Iowa - Poll - Union - 2004 Election - 2008 Election - "Edwards may be closer than he appears." ... "In 2004 [Election], when [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards nearly beat John Kerry in Wisconsin, he declared, "Objects in your mirror may be closer than they appear."" ... "In 2008, he may be getting close again." ... "He has run in Iowa and knows the caucus system. He has worked rural counties, where a little-reported study revealed that last time it took only 22 caucus-goers to win a delegate, compared with 80 in urban counties." ... "According to a shrewd observer, a big chunk of Dick Gephardt's 2004 trade union support has gone to Edwards. Adding what he already had gives him a solid share of the 122,000 people who caucused last time." ... "[Iowa] Caucus-goers whose candidates don't get 15 percent at a given caucus can switch on a subsequent ballot to a "viable" candidate. A recent poll found Edwards is much more likely (42 percent) to be the second choice of those whose candidate didn't make the cut than Obama (31 percent) or Clinton (27 percent)." -By Dan Payne -BostonGlobe

20071217

Chris Dodd - Corporate - Government - Spy - Law - Intelligence - Politics - Telephone - Internet - E-Mails - Electronic - Civil Liberties - 2008 Election - Foreign - American - Nevada - Conn - Wisc - VT - Mass - "Spy law showdown postponed until next year." ... "Congress won't decide until next year whether to pass a complex law that would let telephone and Internet companies off the hook from lawsuits alleging illicit cooperation with federal government spies." ... "In something of an unexpected move, U.S. Senate Majority Leader [Nevada Democratic Senator] Harry Reid took to the Senate floor on Monday evening and announced he would postpone debate on the so-called FISA Amendments Act [FISA: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]. That bill, which has already been approved in a closed-door meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, would grant such corporate immunity and make it easier for the feds to snoop on phone calls and e-mails involving foreigners and Americans without a warrant, drawing rampant criticism from civil liberties groups." ... "Earlier in the day, however, it appeared more certain that the Senate would move ahead with a vote to approve the controversial Senate measure, which would provide legal immunity to electronic communications providers that have allegedly opened up their networks to the National Security Agency and other federal spies since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Above vocal objections from some Democrats, the senators nevertheless voted 76-10 to limit debate and other stalling tactics related to the bill." ... "But in the end, last-minute rallying from Democrats opposed to the telecommunications immunity provisions applied the necessary pressure." ... "Perhaps most notably, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate and Connecticut Senator] Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), a presidential hopeful, devoted nearly the entire day to delivering one impassioned speech after another about his opposition to granting legal immunity to telecommunications companies accused of providing illegal assistance to government spying programs. Other influential Democratic senators, including [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), [Vermont Democratic Senator] Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and [Massachusetts Democratic Senator] Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) echoed his concerns at various points during the day." -By Anne Broache -CNET

20070811

US - Political - Terrorism - Government - Foreign - Intelligence - Communications - Surveillance - Law - Wisconsin - California - "Reported Drop in Surveillance Spurred a Law." ... "At a closed-door briefing in mid-July, senior intelligence officials startled lawmakers with some troubling news. American eavesdroppers were collecting just 25 percent of the foreign-based communications they had been receiving a few months earlier." ... "Congress needed to act quickly, intelligence officials said, to repair a dangerous situation." ... "Some lawmakers were alarmed. Others, jaded by past intelligence warnings, were skeptical." ... "The report helped set off a furious legislative rush last week that, improbably, broadened the [Republican President Bush] administration’s authority to wiretap terrorism suspects without court oversight." ... "To many Democrats who opposed the action, it was a reflection of fear mongering by the White House, and political capitulation by some fellow Democrats." ... "“There was an intentional manipulation of the facts to get this legislation through,” said Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, a Democrat on the Intelligence Committee who voted against the plan." ... "Representative [California Democratic Representative] Jane Harman, Democrat of California, said the White House “very skillfully played the fear card.”" (1, 2) -By Eric Lichtblau, James Risen, and Mark Mazzetti -NYTimes

20070803

US - Canada - Michigan - Minnesota - Wisconsin - Lake - History - Climate - Business - "Lake Superior changes puzzle scientists." ... "Deep enough to hold the combined water in all the other Great Lakes and with a surface area as large as South Carolina, Lake Superior's size has lent it an aura of invulnerability." ... "But the mighty Superior [bordered by Ontario, Canada and the US states of Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin] is losing water and getting warmer, worrying those who live near its shores, scientists and companies that rely on the lake for business." ... "The changes to the lake could be signs of climate change, although scientists aren't sure." ... "Superior's level is at its lowest point in eight decades and will set a record this fall if, as expected, it dips three more inches. Meanwhile, the average water temperature has surged 4.5 degrees since 1979, significantly above the 2.7-degree rise in the region's air temperature during the same period." ... "That's no small deal for a freshwater sea that was created from glacial melt as the Ice Age ended and remains chilly in all seasons." ... "A weather buoy on the western side recently recorded an "amazing" 75 degrees, "as warm a surface temperature as we've ever seen in this lake," said Jay Austin, assistant professor at the University of Minnesota at Duluth's Large Lakes Observatory." -AP via -CNN

20070730

Alberto R Gonzales - Secret - Government - Wiretapping - Torture - Intelligence - Law - Politics - Civil Liberties - Wis - Texas - Maine - "Gonzales's Truthfulness Long Disputed: Claims of Misstatements to Shield [Republican President] Bush Stretch Back a Decade." ... "When Alberto R. Gonzales was asked during his January 2005 confirmation hearing whether the Bush administration would ever allow wiretapping of U.S. citizens without warrants, he initially dismissed the query as a "hypothetical situation."" ... "But when [Wisconsin Democratic Senator] Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) pressed him further, Gonzales declared: "It is not the policy or the agenda of this president to authorize actions that would be in contravention of our criminal statutes."" ... "By then, however, the government had been conducting a secret wiretapping program for more than three years without court oversight, possibly in conflict with federal intelligence laws. Gonzales had personally defended the effort in fierce internal debates. Feingold later called his testimony that day "misleading and deeply troubling."" ... "Over the past 2 1/2 years, lawmakers have accused Gonzales of dissembling on many topics, including civil liberties abuses under the USA Patriot Act and his role in reviewing aggressive interrogation tactics. After a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in February 2006, Gonzales sent the panel a six-page, single-spaced letter to "clarify" six major points of testimony, including his erroneous claim that the Justice Department had never undertaken a legal analysis of domestic wiretapping." ... "Questions about Gonzales's willingness to shade the truth on Bush's behalf came to prominence in the 1996 episode in which Bush was excused from Texas jury duty in a drunken-driving case. Bush was then the state's governor, and Gonzales was his general counsel. If Bush had served, he probably would have had to disclose his own drunken-driving conviction in Maine two decades earlier." ... "The judge, prosecutor and defense attorney involved in the case have said that Gonzales met with the judge and argued that jury service would pose a potential conflict of interest for Bush, who could be asked to pardon the defendant. Gonzales has disputed that account. He made no mention of meeting with the judge in a written statement submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee." (1, 2) -By Dan Eggen and Amy Goldstein with contributions by Alice Crites -WashingtonPost

20070628

Government - Money - Politics - Military - Construction - Energy - Water - Legislation - Wis - "Bush called out for his earmarks." ... "Democratic and Republican appropriators are accusing [Republican] President Bush of urging Congress to pack spending bills with pet projects despite his high-profile crackdown on earmarks this year." ... "A House Appropriations Committee report accompanying legislation funding the Department of the Interior shows that Bush requested 93 of the 321 earmarks in the bill. A panel report for the financial services and general government spending bill showed that Bush requested 17 special projects worth $947 million, more than any single member of Congress." ... "Senate appropriators have identified more than 350 earmarks in the military construction spending bill requested by the president." ... "[Wisconsin Democratic Representative] Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said yesterday that Bush has requested the overwhelming majority of earmarks — over 800 — in the energy and water appropriations bill. In a floor speech delivered last week, Obey said that in fiscal 2006 Bush asked for 987 specific earmark projects in the budget for the Army Corps of Engineers." -By Alexander Bolton -TheHill.com

20070510

Karl Rove - Alberto Gonzales - Kyle Sampson - Bradley Schlozman - Political - US Attorneys - Law - Enforcement - 2006 Election - New Mexico - Pennsylvania - Wisconsin - MO - "White House sought investigations of voter fraud allegations before elections." ... "Only weeks before last year's pivotal [2006] midterm elections, the White House urged the Justice Department to pursue voter-fraud allegations against Democrats in three battleground states, a high-ranking Justice official has told congressional investigators." ... "In two instances in October 2006, [Republican] President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove, or his deputies passed the allegations on to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' then-chief of staff, Kyle Sampson." ... "Sampson tapped Gonzales aide Matthew Friedrich, who'd just left his post as chief of staff of the criminal division. In the first case, Friedrich agreed to find out whether Justice officials knew of "rampant" voter fraud or "lax" enforcement in parts of New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, and report back." ... "But Friedrich declined to pursue a related matter from Wisconsin, he told congressional investigators, because an inquiry so close to an election could inappropriately sway voting results. Friedrich decided not to pass the matter on to the criminal division for investigation, even though Sampson gave him a 30-page report prepared by Republican activists that made claims of voting fraud." ... "While it was known that Rove and the White House had complained about prosecutors not aggressively investigating voter fraud, Friedrich's testimony suggests that the Justice Department itself was under pressure to open voter fraud cases despite a department policy that discourages such action so close to an election." ... "Another former U.S. attorney, Todd Graves of Kansas City, Mo. [Missouri], revealed this week that he was asked to step aside for another candidate. He also said he had refused to sign off on a voting-rights lawsuit, which another Justice Department official later approved in Washington. The official, Brad Schlozman, later became Graves' temporary replacement." -By Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor -McClatchy via -RealCities

20070323

Griffin - Rove - Schlozman - US Attorneys - Poor - People - Civil Righs - Law - Enforcement - Politics - Ark - Florida - Colorado - Wisconsin - Minnesota - Iowa - Arkansas - Michigan - Nevada - New Mexico - Georgia - 2004 Election - 2008 Election - "New U.S. attorneys seem to have partisan records." ... "Under [Republican] President Bush, the Justice Department has backed laws that narrow minority voting rights and pressed U.S. attorneys to investigate voter fraud - policies that critics say have been intended to suppress Democratic votes." ... "Since 2005, McClatchy Newspapers has found, Bush has appointed at least three U.S. attorneys who had worked in the Justice Department's civil rights division when it was rolling back longstanding voting-rights policies aimed at protecting predominantly poor, minority voters." ... "Another newly installed U.S. attorney, Tim Griffin in Little Rock, Ark. [Arkansas], was accused of participating in efforts to suppress Democratic votes in Florida during the 2004 presidential election while he was a research director for the Republican National Committee. He's denied any wrongdoing." ... "Taken together, critics say, the replacement of the U.S. attorneys, the voter-fraud campaign and the changes in Justice Department voting rights policies suggest that the Bush administration may have been using its law enforcement powers for partisan political purposes." ... "Last April, while the Justice Department and the White House were planning the [US Attorneys] firings, [Republican President Bush's deputy chief of staff Karl] Rove gave a speech in Washington to the Republican National Lawyers Association. He ticked off 11 states that he said could be pivotal in the 2008 elections. Bush has appointed new U.S. attorneys in nine of them since 2005: Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico. U.S. attorneys in the latter four were among those fired." ... "Several former voting rights lawyers, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of antagonizing the administration, said the division's political appointees reversed the recommendations of career lawyers in key cases and transferred or drove out most of the unit's veteran attorneys." ... "Bradley Schlozman, who was the civil rights division's deputy chief, agreed in 2005 to reverse the career staff's recommendations to challenge a Georgia law that would have required voters to pay $20 for photo IDs and in some cases travel as far as 30 miles to obtain the ID card." ... "A federal judge threw out the Georgia law, calling it an unconstitutional, Jim Crow-era poll tax." -By Greg Gordon, Margaret Talev and Marisa Taylor with contributions by Tish Wells and Ron Hutcheson -McClatchy via -RealCities

20060918

Food - Wisconsin - "E. coli spinach scare increases to 21 states." ... "The nationwide health scare over [E. coli] bacteria-ridden spinach widened Monday, as the number of states reporting sickness linked to the outbreak increased to 21." ... "Earlier Monday, the Food and Drug Administration widened its warning against eating any bagged spinach to include all fresh spinach." ... "At least 111 people have become ill." ... "Investigators have blamed a death in Wisconsin on the outbreak, said Dr. David Acheson of the FDA." ... "The victims are believed to be infected with the strain of E. coli called 0157:H7, he told reporters in a telephone conference call Sunday night. Fifty-six were hospitalized, at least 16 with a form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome." -CNN

20060815

TV - Telecom - Marketing - Industry - Media - Consumer - Wisconsin - "FCC questions TV stations on 'fake news'." ... "The Federal Communications Commission has mailed letters to the owners of 77 television stations inquiring about their use of video news releases, a type of programming critics refer to as "fake news."" ... "The probe was sparked by a study of newsroom use of material provided by public relations firms. The study, entitled "Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed," was compiled by the Center for Media and Democracy, a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization that monitors the public relations industry." ... "When stations air video news releases, they are required to disclose to viewers "the nature, source and sponsorship of the material that they are viewing," according to the FCC." -AP via -USATODAY

20060731

Minnesota - Wisconsin - Kentucky - North Carolina - Massachusetts - "Police groups to hold summit on rising crime." ... "Citing increasing concerns about violent crime, law enforcement authorities are convening a national summit here next month to deal with sudden spikes in homicides, robberies and assaults." ... "Local police officials and municipal authorities from more than a dozen cities, including Minneapolis [Minnesota], Milwaukee [Wisconsin], Louisville [Kentucky], Charlotte [North Carolina] and Boston [Massachusetts] will meet Aug. 30 in Washington, where the mayor and police chief recently declared a "crime emergency."" ... ""What we've seen happen in the past year across this country deserves all of our attention," said Charlotte Police Chief Darrel Stephens, referring to the first significant jump in homicides and other major crimes in more than a decade. "We need to get a better sense of what is going on."" -By Kevin Johnson -USATODAY

20060614

Ala. - Wis. - Mo. - "After long decline, murders rise in small cities." ... "It's too soon to call it a trend, but last year's jump in murders - particularly in smaller cities - has some police and crime experts worried." ... "Murders rose 4.8 percent, the largest percentage increase in 15 years, according to the preliminary FBI numbers released Monday. And while the number of murders in the nation's largest cities barely changed, cities with smaller populations saw a much sharper increase. Murders were up 76 percent in Birmingham, Ala., 40 percent in Milwaukee [Wis.], and 42 percent in Kansas City, Mo., and 12.5 percent on average for all cities between 100,000 and 250,000 people." ... ""This looks like something real," says David Kennedy, director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at CUNY's John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "It's usually very unwise to read too much into the year-to-year movement. But within the general national decline [in violent crime in the past decade] there has been a general trend in the smaller jurisdictions and in rural areas that has been on the increase."" -By Amanda Paulson and Sara Miller Llana -CSMonitor

20060519

Michael Hayden - Intelligence - Terrorism - Secrets - Law - Privacy - Porter Goss - Maine - Russ Feingold - Wisconsin - Oregon - "Senators Use Hayden Hearing to Criticize Bush Surveillance Plan." ... "Senators reviewing General Michael Hayden's nomination to lead the CIA used his confirmation hearing to criticize the Bush administration's failure to tell them about warrantless eavesdropping of suspected terrorists." ... "``The Congress was really never consulted or informed in a manner that we could truly perform our oversight role,'' Maine Republican Olympia Snowe told Hayden. The failure to brief all members of the House and Senate intelligence committees until the day before the confirmation hearing ``breeds corrosive mistrust,'' she said." ... "Democrats Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Ron Wyden of Oregon accused Hayden of misleading Congress in 2002 when he said the government was obtaining warrants to conduct surveillance." ... "President George W. Bush nominated Hayden to succeed Porter Goss, himself a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Goss resigned from the CIA post earlier this month. Hayden is currently deputy director in the Office of National Intelligence, which was created last year to coordinate all U.S. intelligence-gathering operations." -By James Rowley and Jeff St.Onge -Bloomberg

20060511

Secret - Government - Terrorism - Telephone - Database - Intelligence - Law - Civil Liberties - Politics - California - Russ Feingold - Wisconsin - "Bush Says U.S. Spying Is Not Widespread." ... "President Bush today denied that the government is "mining or trolling through the personal lives of innocent Americans," as Democrats expressed outrage over a news report describing a National Security Agency program that has collected vast amounts of telephone records." ... "He [Bush] said all intelligence work was conducted "within the law" and that domestic conversations were not listened to without a court warrant." ... ""The privacy of all Americans is fiercely protected in all our activities," he said. "Our efforts are focused on Al Qaeda and their known associates."" ... "But Democrats reacted angrily to the USA Today article and its description of the program's vast size, including an assertion by one unnamed source that its goal was the creation of a database of every phone call ever made within the United States' borders." ... "Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who is a member of the Intelligence Committee as well as the Judiciary Committee, appeared to confirm at least the gist of the article, while stressing that what was under discussion was not wiretapping. "It's fair to say that what is in the news this morning is not content collection," she said." ... "Even so, she warned, "I happen to believe that we are on our way to a major Constitutional confrontation on the Fourth Amendment guarantees over unreasonable search and seizure."" ... "Senator Russell D. Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat who is also on both the judiciary and intelligence panels, expressed dismay over what he termed the administration's "arrogance and abuse of power." He said the United States can fight terrorism and still protect privacy, "but only if we have a president who believes in these principles."" (1, 2) -By John O'Neil -NYTimes

20060424

Psychology - Military - Scuba - Florida - Wisconsin - "Scientists Probe the Use of the Tongue." ... "In their quest to create the super warrior of the future, some military researchers aren't focusing on organs like muscles or hearts. They're looking at tongues." ... "By routing signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other equipment through the tongue to the brain, they hope to give elite soldiers superhuman senses similar to owls, snakes and fish." ... "Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition envision their work giving Army Rangers 360-degree unobstructed vision at night and allowing Navy SEALs to sense sonar in their heads while maintaining normal vision underwater turning sci-fi into reality." ... "The device, known as "Brain Port," was pioneered more than 30 years ago by Dr. Paul Bach-y-Rita, a University of Wisconsin neuroscientist. Bach-y-Rita began routing images from a camera through electrodes taped to people's backs and later discovered the tongue was a superior transmitter." (1, 2) -By Melissa Nelson -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20060407

US Immigration - Business - Jobs - Law - Enforcement - Wisc. - "Key House Republican vows to oppose immigration measure." ... "House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., told USA TODAY in an interview Friday that the Senate measure, which won support from Republican and Democratic leaders as well as President Bush, is unacceptable to him because it would grant millions of people who came here illegally a chance at citizenship." ... "His immigration and border security proposal, approved by the House in December, aims at beefing up border security and enforcement of existing immigration laws. It does not contain provisions permitting more foreign workers into the USA or provide for those now working here illegally to obtain citizenship." ... ""What we have to do in order to make a bill work is first secure the border and enforce the employer sanctions law to cut off the magnet of jobs in the United States," Sensenbrenner said. "When we do that and see that it is working, then we deal with the 11 million illegal immigrants who are in the country."" ... "As long as employers can hire illegal immigrants without being punished, Sensenbrenner said, they will bypass American citizens and legal immigrants in favor of a cheaper wage." -By Kathy Kiely -USATODAY

20060331

Government - Intelligence - Law - History - Russ Feingold - Wisconsin - "Nixon Aide Urges Censure Of Bush." ... "Nixon White House counselor John Dean asserted Friday that President Bush's domestic spying exceeds the wrongdoing that toppled his former boss from power, and a veteran Republican snapped that Democrats were trying to "score political points" with a motion to censure Mr. Bush." ... ""Had the Senate or House, or both, censured or somehow warned Richard Nixon, the tragedy of Watergate might have been prevented," Dean told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "Hopefully the Senate will not sit by while even more serious abuses unfold before it."" ... "Testifying to a Senate committee on Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Russell Feingold's resolution to censure Mr. Bush, Dean said the president "needs to be told he cannot simply ignore a law with no consequences."" (1, 2) -AP -CBSNews

20060313

Intelligence - Law - Privacy - Wisconsin - "Senator wants Bush censured over spying." ... "A liberal Democrat and potential White House contender is proposing censuring President Bush for authorizing domestic eavesdropping, saying the White House misled Americans about its legality." ... "''The president has broken the law and, in some way, he must be held accountable,'' Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., told The Associated Press in an interview." ... "The resolution says the president ''repeatedly misled the public''" -By Douglass K. Daniel -AP via -SLTrib.com
Terrorism - Intelligence - Law - Privacy - 2008 Election - Wisconsin - "Feingold to call for rare presidential censure." ... "A top Democratic senator said he plans to introduce Monday a resolution calling for President Bush to be censured for his domestic wiretapping program." ... "[Wisconsin] Sen. Russ Feingold, a potential [2008] presidential candidate, told CNN's "American Morning" the surveillance program is illegal and he will fight against the "intimidation campaign" that the Bush administration has launched to defend it." ... "The Bush administration has painted complaints about the program as obstacles to winning the war on terrorism. Feingold lashed out Monday against such arguments." ... ""This is the game of intimidation and it's working," he said. "... Even Republican senators have said this is not within the law. But the intimidation campaign of calling people names makes people apparently afraid of saying exactly what the law is and stand up for the Constitution."" -CNN
Intelligence - Civil Liberties - Privacy - Law - Wis. - "Democrat Plans to Ask Senate to Censure Bush." ... "Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) said Sunday that he would ask the Senate to censure President Bush for authorizing a warrantless domestic spying program, signaling a new determination by Democrats to keep the heat on the White House over the controversial eavesdropping by the National Security Agency." ... "Announcing plans to introduce a censure resolution today, Feingold said, "The president must be held accountable for authorizing a program that clearly violates the law and then misleading the country about its existence and its legality."" ... "He and other critics of the surveillance have accused the administration of violating a 1978 law that requires court approval for the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on people in the United States." ... "Feingold, appearing on ABC's "This Week," defended his move. "We as a Congress have to stand up to a president who acts as if the Bill of Rights and the Constitution were repealed on Sept. 11," he said." -By Richard Simon -LAtimes

20060312

Government - Law - Intelligence - Privacy - 2008 Election - Wisconsin - "Feingold Calls for Bush to Be Censured Over Spying." ... "A Democratic senator who is widely believed to be considering a run for the White House in 2008 said today that he would seek to censure President Bush because of his domestic eavesdropping program." ... "The senator, Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin, said, "What the president did by consciously and intentionally violating the Constitution and laws of this country with this illegal wiretapping has to be answered." He added, "Proper accountability is a censuring of the president, saying, 'Mr. President, acknowledge that you broke the law, return to the law, return to our system of government.' "" -By John Files -NYTimes

20051218

Secret- Government - Terrorism - Intelligence - Privacy - Law - Wisconsin - "Bush, under fire, defends spy program: President says eavesdropping policy is 'vital'." ... "President Bush acknowledged yesterday that he has repeatedly authorized secret eavesdropping within the United States without obtaining warrants, a policy that some critics called illegal. The admission came one day after the president refused to address the issue." ... "Bush yesterday said he reauthorized the program more than 30 times since the Sept. 11 attacks and vowed to continue it despite criticism by some members of both political parties." ... "But Senator Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, urged the president to suspend the program immediately. Feingold said the program violates a law that requires a court order for such surveillance." -By Michael Kranish -Boston/Globe

20051216

Government - Terrorism - Law - Civil Liberties - Wisconsin - Idaho - "Senate may decide fate of Patriot Act's expiring provisions." ... "The Senate was still weighing a proposed accord with the House to extend the expiring 16 provisions of the law enacted in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. But that compromise appeared to lack the necessary votes to succeed." ... "The White House and its congressional allies prefer to let the provisions expire and hold Democrats responsible in next year's midterm elections rather than let opponents whittle away at the law." ... "But the critics, who include senators with such wide-ranging views as Democrat Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Republican Larry Craig of Idaho, say they don't want the Patriot Act to expire — they just want enough time to improve the bill to the point where it doesn't infringe on American liberties." -USATODAY

20051117

Idaho - New_Hampshire - Alaska - Illinois - Wisconsin - Colorado - Secret - GOV - Police - Intelligence - Civil Liberties - Library - Business - Health - Privacy - Politics - "Senators Vow To Block Patriot Act." ... "Half a dozen senators worried about civil liberties –three Democrats and three Republicans – said Thursday they will try to block the measure to renew the Patriot Act, CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports." ... "The most controversial parts of the law that vastly expanded FBI powers after 9/11 expire at the end of the year unless renewed. An agreement on a measure to do that between the House and Senate doesn't include some minimal new protections these senators want, including having a judge review broad secret warrants when the FBI seeks information from libraries, hospitals and banks." ... ""If further changes are not made, we will work to stop this bill from becoming law," GOP Sens. Larry Craig [Idaho], John Sununu [New Hampshire] and Lisa Murkowski [Alaska] and Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin [Illinois], Russ Feingold [Wisconsin] and Ken Salazar [Colorado] said in a letter to the Senate Judiciary and Intelligence committees." -AP -CBSNews

20051030

Wisconsin - Halloween - "Hundreds Arrested in Wis. Halloween Crowd: Police Break Up Crowd at Halloween Celebrations in Madison, Wis.; More Than 400 Arrested." ... "A weekend of Halloween celebrations popular with college students resulted in more than 400 arrests, and police used bursts of pepper spray early Sunday to break up crowds of revelers." ... "Mayor Dave Cieslewicz suggested canceling the annual gathering. The downtown party near the University of Wisconsin-Madison attracts college students from across the Midwest, and has turned chaotic in the past. Last year, 455 were arrested." -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20051017

Stem Cells -Massachusetts - Wisconsin - Political - Religious - Health - "Stem cell discovery avoids loss of embryo: Laboratory breakthrough may ease moral, religious concerns over beginning of life." ... "Two teams of U.S. scientists have found ways to harvest stem cells from embryos without sacrificing a viable life in the process." ... "If these proof-of-principle experiments, which were conducted in mice, can translate to humans, they might ease the fierce ethical and political storm that surrounds embryonic stem-cell research." ... "Stem cells from human embryos are considered the key to regenerative medicine. They have the power to multiply indefinitely and grow into all the various tissues that make up a human body. As it stands now, the only way to access these cells is to snatch them from the inner mass of a budding embryo that is destroyed in the process. For those who believe life begins at conception, the method is tantamount to murder." ... "But scientists at the Massachusetts-based biotech firm Advanced Cell Technology and the University of Wisconsin have now demonstrated that if they pluck a cell from an embryo that is a speck of just eight cells, the embryo can survive to be implanted in a uterus and result in a normal pregnancy." -By Carolyn Abraham -GlobeAndMail

20050315

- Wisconsin - "Police Focus on Religion in Milwaukee Shootings." ... "The police said Monday that they were increasingly focused on religion as the motive for a man's murderous rampage through a church service on Saturday at a suburban Milwaukee hotel, promising a full investigation even though the killings ended in suicide." ... "The local pastor of the Living Church of God, Randy L. Gregory, who was killed along with his 16-year-old son, appears to have been executed, the authorities said, while others among the seven dead and four injured were shot at random." ... "The Living Church of God, an offshoot of a sect seen by some as a cult, the Worldwide Church of God, is a fringe group that advocates literal adherence to the Bible, observes a Saturday Sabbath, rejects the Holy Trinity concept and frequently focuses on a coming apocalypse." -By Jodi Wilgoren -NYTimes

20050313

- Wisconsin - "Wisconsin Church Gunman May Have Been Angry at Sermon." ... "A gunman who opened fire at a crowded church service in a Wisconsin hotel, killing seven people, including the pastor and his son, was a congregant who may have been angry about a sermon, police said on Sunday." ... "It was during a church gathering in a meeting room at the hotel that [Terry] Ratzmann, a computer programer who was about to lose his job, entered the room from the back. He fired a total of 22 shots into the crowd of about 50 to 60 people, police told reporters." -Reuters
- Wisconsin - "Wis. Sect Focused on 'End Time' Prophecy: Religious Sect Involved in Deadly Shooting at Wis. [Wisconsin] Hotel Focused on 'End-Time' Prophecies." ... "Terry Ratzmann, the man who police say killed seven people and then himself during a church service, was a member of the Living Church of God, a denomination that focuses on "end-time" prophecies." ... "The church's estimated 6,300 members in 40 countries place a strong emphasis on using world news to "prove" that these are end times, to be followed by Christ's second coming." ... "This year, the group's leader, Dr. Roderick C. Meredith, wrote that events prophesied in the Bible are "beginning to occur with increasing frequency."" (1, 2) -AP via -ABCNEWS.com

20040414

- "Dead soldier's sisters excused duty in war zone." ... "Michelle Witmer, 20, died last Friday in an ambush of her Humvee, and her father's plea to the Pentagon to spare his two other daughters, who were also serving in Wisconsin national guard units in Iraq, received attention throughout the US." -By Suzanne Goldenberg -Guardian.co.uk

20040217

2004 ELECTION - "Kerry wins Wisconsin, edges out Edwards." ... "John Kerry squeezed past hard-charging John Edwards on Tuesday to win Wisconsin's primary, gateway to a 10-state, two-man showdown March 2. Howard Dean, his candidacy doomed, considered endorsing one of his rivals." ... "Clinging to a six-point lead, Kerry said, "A win is a win."" ... "Counting Wisconsin, Kerry has pocketed 608 of the 2,161 delegates needed to secure the nomination, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Dean had just 201, Edwards 190 and Al Sharpton 16." -By Ron Fournier -AP via -SFGate.com

20040205

2004 ELECTION - "Dean Says He Will Quit Race if He Fails to Win Wisconsin." ... "Howard Dean sent an overnight e-mail message to supporters saying he would quit the Democratic presidential race if he did not win the Wisconsin primary on Feb. 17." ... "The message, which comes as Dr. Dean is under increasing pressure to quit the race from unions and members of Congress supporting his campaign, is a marked shift from the candidate's recent comments." ... ""The entire race has come down to this: we must win Wisconsin," Dr. Dean, the former governor of Vermont, said in the e-mail, which asked for $50 contributions, with a goal of raising $700,000 by Sunday, to put television advertisements up before Wisconsin's primary." -NYTimes via -Google-News

20011125

"Baby ban on US child support shirker. The highest court in the US state of Wisconsin has upheld a ban preventing a man who owes thousands of dollars in child support from having any more children." -BBC /News

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