Scott Bauer, Author at The Rapid City Post

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a candidate for Wisconsin governor, gives a news conference, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Trump endorses Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s open race for governor

January 28, 2026

President Donald Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s open race for governor. Tuesday’s endorsement solidifies the congressman’s front-runner status in the Republican primary in the battleground state. It also bolstered Democrats’ attempts to tie Tiffany to unpopular elements of the president’s agenda. Trump says Tiffany “has always been at my side.” Tiffany has been a fierce Trump loyalist since he was elected to Congress in 2020. Tiffany faces Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann in the August primary. Numerous Democrats are running, including Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes.

Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate drops out, citing opposition to federal ‘retribution’

January 26, 2026

Republican candidate for Minnesota governor Chris Madel has ended his campaign in a surprise video announcement. Madel is a Minneapolis attorney and the lawyer for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and killed Renee Good earlier this month. The move on Monday comes amid growing calls from Republicans to investigate federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday. Madel says that while he supports the goal of deporting “the worst of the worst,” he thinks President Donald Trump’s administration’s immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities has gone too far and is an “unmitigated disaster.”

A sign outside of the Wisconsin Assembly chamber reminds visitors of a prohibition on livestreaming or taking video of lawmakers' debate on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Network shutdown leaves Wisconsin lawmakers meeting outside of public view

January 23, 2026

The shutdown of Wisconsin’s version of C-SPAN amid a shortfall of fundraising has left the state as perhaps the only one in the country where its legislative floor debates are not being broadcast. The absence of WisconsinEye has led to complaints from open government advocates and pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal to revive the network. A bipartisan proposal to bring the network back was introduced on Thursday, but it is unclear if it has enough support to pass. WisconsinEye had broadcast every floor session of the state Senate and Assembly since 2007 for free before it went dark in mid-December.

Wisconsin's Democratic Gov. Tony Evers discusses his call on the Republican-controlled Legislature to act on a broad array of his priorities in his final year in office on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Democrats hope a blue wave washes over Wisconsin and gives them total control of battleground state

January 15, 2026

Wisconsin Democrats are hoping to flip majority control of the Legislature and retain the governor’s seat this year. That would give them full control of the Statehouse for the first time in 16 years. Democrats think new district boundaries in the Senate and Assembly ordered by the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court will enhance their odds of taking the majority there. The open race for governor and a favorable midterm election cycle this year is also bolstering optimism among Democrats. Liberals also hope to pick up an open state Supreme Court seat in April. But while both Democrats and Republicans say significant Democratic wins are possible, they’re also voicing caution.

FILE - Assistant Attorney General Maria Lazar glances at Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne as he tells the court he plans to conclude testimony by the end of the day today during a hearing on whether to block the state's collective bargaining law from taking effect Friday, April 1, 2011 in Dane County Circuit Court in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Michael P. King, Pool)

Liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate raises 10 times more than conservative

January 15, 2026

The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court raised 10 times as much last year as her Republican-endorsed opponent, putting in stark relief the challenge conservatives face in winning the race in the battleground state. The reports filed this week offer the first glimpse at one key measurement of how the race to be decided on April 7 is stacking up. Liberals are optimistic they can win their fourth Supreme Court race in a row dating back to 2020 to solidify their hold on the court. Democratic-backed candidate Judge Chris Taylor faces Republican-endorsed Judge Maria Lazar.

Protesters confront federal immigration officers outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Democrats propose state laws to limit ICE after Minneapolis shooting of Renee Good

January 14, 2026

Democrats across the country are proposing state law changes to rein in federal immigration officers and protect the public following the shooting death of a protester in Minneapolis and the wounding of two people in Portland, Oregon. Many of the measures have been proposed in some form for years in Democratic-led states, but their momentum is growing as legislatures return to work amid President Donald Trump’s national immigration crackdown following the killing of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. Republicans are pushing back, blaming protesters for impeding enforcement of immigration laws.

FILE - A voter leaves Albion Town hall after casting their ballot on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Albion, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf, File)

US Justice Department sues 3 states, District of Columbia for voter data

December 18, 2025

The U.S. Justice Department has sued three states and the District of Columbia for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration. The Justice Department has now filed 22 lawsuits seeking voter information as part of its effort to collect detailed voting data and other election information across the country. The latest lawsuits were filed against Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and the District of Columbia. The move comes one week after the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted against the Justice Department’s request for the data. The Trump administration has characterized the lawsuits as part of an effort to ensure the security of elections.

FILE - Jim Troupis reads a statement after his court appearance outside a Dane County courtroom Dec. 12, 2024, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Sen. Ron Johnson asks DOJ to investigate Wisconsin judge in former Trump attorney’s case

December 12, 2025

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate allegations made by a former attorney for President Donald Trump in Wisconsin that a judge overseeing his felony case is guilty of misconduct and must step aside. The judge on Tuesday refused to step aside in the case of Trump’s former campaign attorney and two others who face felony forgery charges related to the 2020 election in the battleground state. Jim Troupis alleged that the Wisconsin judge overseeing his felony case had not written the August order refusing to dismiss the charges. Johnson sent his request to DOJ on Thursday.

FILE - This Wisconsin State Capitol is seen on Dec. 31, 2020, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

New judicial panels to hear Wisconsin redistricting lawsuits for the first time

December 11, 2025

Two lawsuits seeking to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional districts are scheduled to be discussed in court as a pair of three-judge panels never-before-used in the state meet for the first time. The Wisconsin Supreme Court last month ordered that the redistricting cases first by heard by the three-judge panels, employing a process created by Republicans in 2011 but never utilized. Friday’s hearings was to determine a schedule for moving forward in both cases. Any decisions of those panels can be appealed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is controlled 4-3 by liberal justices. Republicans hold six of the state’s eight congressional seats.

Joel Brennan, former top Evers aide, joins crowded 2026 Wisconsin governor race

December 11, 2025

A former top official in Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ administration is running to succeed the two-term Democrat. Joel Brennan launched his campaign Thursday, joining a crowded primary field for the 2026 election. Brennan told The Associated Press that he would be a governor who both fights President Donald Trump’s “chaos and dysfunction” and works across the aisle with Republicans in the state. He said he wants to build relationships with both Democrats and Republicans to “roll up our sleeves and work together.” Wisconsin is a politically divided state that went for Trump in 2016 and 2024 and President Joe Biden in 2020.

Wisconsin judge refuses to step aside as requested by former Trump attorney

December 9, 2025

A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday refused to step aside as requested by President Donald Trump’s former attorney who faces felony forgery case related to the 2020 election in the battleground state. The judge also refused to cancel a Monday preliminary hearing for Trump’s former attorney, who also previously worked as a judge in the same county where he is being prosecuted, and two other former Trump associates. The three former Trump aides face 11 felony charges each in relation to their roles in the 2020 fake elector scheme. They are: Jim Troupis, who was Trump’s attorney in Wisconsin in the 2020 election; Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who advised the campaign; and Mike Roman, Trump’s director of Election Day operations in 2020.

Former Trump aides allege judicial misconduct in Wisconsin fake elector case

December 8, 2025

President Donald Trump’s former attorney in battleground Wisconsin is alleging that a judge presiding over his case and that of two other Trump aides charged with felonies related to the 2020 election is guilty of misconduct and must step aside. All three of the former Trump associates asked on Monday that the preliminary hearing in their case set for Dec. 15 be postponed. They are also asking that an evidentiary hearing be held by a judge in another county to examine the allegations of wrongdoing. Details of the alleged misconduct were sealed by the court and not publicly available.

FILE - The entrance to the Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers is seen in the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond, File)

Wisconsin Supreme Court to decide whether local jails can hold immigrants for ICE

December 3, 2025

A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to take a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an immigrant rights group. The lawsuit argues that it is illegal for local Wisconsin jails to hold immigrant detainees at the request of federal authorities. The Wisconsin lawsuit comes as federal agents have launched high-profile immigration crackdowns in cities including Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. The enforcement tactics have been met with protests and lawsuits. A majority of justices on the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted Wednesday to take the ACLU case directly as an original action, rather than have it first work its way through lower courts.

FILE - Eugene Hasenfus stands outside U.S. District Court in Miami, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 1986 after appearing at a status hearing in his lawsuit against two Iran-Contra figures. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

Eugene Hasenfus, key figure in 1980s Iran-Contra affair, dies at 84

December 2, 2025

Eugene Hasenfus, who played a key role in unraveling the Iran-Contra affair after his CIA-backed supply plane was shot down over Nicaragua in 1986, has died. According to his obituary, Hasenfus died on Nov. 26 in Menominee, Michigan, after a nine-year battle with cancer. He was 84. Hafenfus was the lone survivor after the plane was shot down by the Nicaraguan government. Congress launched an investigation after the incident. Hafenfus was convicted in Nicaragua and sentenced to 30 years in prision. But Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega pardoned him and Hasenfus lived out his life in northern Wisconsin.

FILE - Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes speaks at a rally Oct. 29, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Democrat Mandela Barnes, a former US Senate candidate, enters the Wisconsin governor’s race

December 2, 2025

A Democrat who served four years as Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor and narrowly lost a 2022 U.S. Senate bid is running for governor in the battleground state. Mandela Barnes announced Tuesday that he is joining the crowded Democratic field for the open race in 2026. Barnes enters as the presumptive front-runner given his prominent name recognition and statewide funding network. Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is the highest profile Republican candidate and he is a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. Wisconsin is a politically divided state that elected Trump in 2016 and 2024 and Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

FILE - The Fitzgerald in a 1959 file photo, with a crew of 28 to 30 men, was carrying a load of 26,216 tons of taconite pellets. (AP Photo, file)

‘The legend lives on’: Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald still resonates 50 years later

November 1, 2025

November 10th marks the 50th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, perhaps the most famous of all the estimated 6,500 ships that have gone down in the Great Lakes. The Fitzgerald is remembered while others are forgotten, thanks in large part to Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 haunting folk ballad memorializing the wreck. The Fitzgerald was the largest ship ever to sink on the Great Lakes. All 29 members on board died. Family members of the crew and those still fascinated by the historic sinking gather each year for ceremonies at cities around the Great Lakes.

Wisconsin becomes the 36th state to limit cellphones in schools

October 31, 2025

Wisconsin has become the 36th state to limit cellphones and other electronic devices in school. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed the bill Friday. The bill was passed with bipartisan support. It requires districts to prohibit phone use during class time. Evers signed it despite some opposition from some Democrats in the Legislature who said controlling gun violence should be a higher priority than banning cellphones. This school year alone, new restrictions on phone use in schools went into effect in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

FILE - The Wisconsin Capitol is seen, Oct. 24, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer, File)

Wisconsin judge puts on hold ruling that required citizenship check of voters

October 31, 2025

A Wisconsin judge has put on hold his order that requires elections officials to verify the citizenship of all 3.6 million registered voters in the battleground state before the next statewide election in February. It now appears unlikely that the case will be resolved before elections in February and April. It may remain in limbo beyond the 2026 midterm election. The state Justice Department, headed by Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul, sought the stay while the case is being appealed. The attorney for two citizens who brought the lawsuit did not object while several other legal issues are pending.

FILE - Protesters are seen outside Planned Parenthood, Sept. 18, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Wisconsin Planned Parenthood resumes offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause

October 27, 2025

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has resumed offering abortions after a nearly monthlong pause due to federal Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill that took effect at the beginning of October. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it was able to resume offering abortions as of noon on Monday because it relinquished its status as an “essential community provider.” The organization says by doing that, it no longer fits the definition of a “prohibited entity” under the federal law and can receive Medicaid funds. Abortion funding has been under attack across the U.S., particularly for Planned Parenthood affiliates, which are the biggest provider.

Wisconsin DOJ asks judge to pause voter citizenship verification order

October 6, 2025

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is asking a judge to immediately put on hold his order that would require elections officials to verify the citizenship of all 3.6 million registered Wisconsin voters before the next statewide election in February. The state justice department, which represents the Wisconsin Elections Commission, on Monday asked for a stay pending an appeal. The fight over verifying the citizenship status of voters in battleground Wisconsin comes as President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has sought voter records from at least 26 states, including Wisconsin.

FILE - The entrance to the Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers is seen in the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., on March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond, File)

Conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge Maria Lazar is running for state Supreme Court

October 1, 2025

A conservative Wisconsin appeals court judge is running for an open seat on the battleground state’s Supreme Court. It is currently controlled 4-3 by liberals. Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar becomes the first conservative to enter the race. Liberal Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor, a former Democratic state lawmaker, is also running. The race is open after incumbent Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announced in August that she would not seek another 10-year term. Conservative candidates for the court have lost each of the past two elections by double-digit margins. Both of those races broke national spending records. The liberal candidate won in April despite heavy spending by billionaire Elon Musk.

Wisconsin Republican Bill Berrien quits governor’s race amid fallout over sexually explicit links

September 26, 2025

Wisconsin business owner Bill Berrien has ended his Republican campaign for governor, days after it was reported that he followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online, including a nonbinary pornography performer. Berrien is a former Navy SEAL and one of three announced prominent Republican candidates. He issued a lengthy statement Friday saying, “I had no idea that running for political office could be almost as dangerous” as “hunting down war criminals in Bosnia.” Berrien said he concluded he could not win the Republican primary. Berrien’s departure leaves U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who got into the race on Tuesday, and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann as the only Republican candidates. There are numerous Democrats running.

Democrat Francesca Hong promises to be ‘wild card’ in Wisconsin governor’s race

September 17, 2025

A Democratic state lawmaker who is promising to be a “wild card” is joining Wisconsin’s open race for governor. Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong, who joined the race Wednesday, says she will focus on a progressive agenda to benefit the working class. In addition to serving in the state Assembly, Hong works as a bartender, dishwasher and line cook. She joins a Democratic primary field that already includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and state Sen. Kelda Roys. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee business owner Bill Berrien are the only announced Republican candidates. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is retiring after two terms.

FILE - Judge Rebecca Bradley speaks as she kicks off her campaign for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Milwaukee, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Greg Moore, File)

A conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice won’t run again, creating an open seat

August 30, 2025

A conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court says she will not seek reelection, creating an open race for a seat on the court that’s controlled 4-3 by liberals. Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision announced Friday not to run for a second full term comes after conservative candidates for the highest court in the battleground state have lost each of the past two elections by double digits. The open race, to be decided in April, comes as a number of high-profile issues could make their way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in the coming months, including abortion, collective bargaining rights, congressional redistricting and election rules.

FILE - Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing in Milwaukee on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

Wisconsin judge accused of helping man evade ICE arrest loses a bid to drop charges

August 26, 2025

A federal judge is allowing a case to proceed against a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April and indicted on federal charges in May. U.S. District Judge Lynne Adelman on Tuesday rejected Dugan’s motion to dismiss the charges against her. A magistrate judge in July had recommended the case proceed. Adelman’s decision could be appealed. Attorneys for Dugan said Tuesday that if the case goes to trial, they expect to show she “simply treated this case like any other in front of her courtroom.”

FILE - Ryan Borgwardt appears in a Green Lake County courtroom Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Green Lake, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash,File)

Wisconsin missing kayaker who faked his own death is sentenced to 89 days in jail

August 26, 2025

A Wisconsin man has been sentenced to 89 days in jail for faking his own drowning to meet a woman in the country of Georgia. Ryan Borgwardt misled law enforcement for 89 days, prompting a judge to match his sentence to that duration. On Tuesday, Borgwardt changed his plea from not guilty to no contest and agreed to pay $30,000 in restitution. He was reported missing last August after telling his wife he was kayaking. Investigators later discovered he had traveled to meet a woman in Uzbekistan. Borgwardt returned to the U.S. in December and was charged with obstructing the search for his body.

FILE - Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Little Chute, Wis. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez enters 2026 governor’s race, calls Trump a ‘maniac’

July 25, 2025

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is the first Democrat to officially enter the race for governor. She launched her candidacy Friday, the day after Gov. Tony Evers decided not to seek a third term. A second Democrat, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, says he is “taking steps” toward running. In her campaign launch video, Rodriguez called President Donald Trump “a maniac.” Several other Democrats are expected to run. On the Republican side, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and manufacturer Bill Berrien have announced their candidacies. This marks the first open governor’s race in Wisconsin since 2010.

FILE - Absentee ballots during a count at the Wisconsin Center, Nov. 8, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Former Wisconsin clerk who failed to count ballots broke laws, the state’s elections commission says

July 9, 2025

An investigation by Wisconsin’s elections commission has concluded that unlawful actions by Madison’s former city clerk led to nearly 200 absentee ballots going uncounted in the 2024 presidential election. The report released Wednesday accuses Maribeth Witzel-Behl of violating five election laws, including mishandling absentee ballots. Whether she is actually charged with any crimes would be up to the Dane County district attorney. Two bags of uncounted ballots were discovered weeks after the election, but the clerk’s office delayed notifying officials. Witzel-Behl resigned in April. The commission will vote on the report’s findings and recommendations on July 17.

Wisconsin Supreme Court clears the way for a conversion therapy ban to be made permanent

July 8, 2025

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has cleared the way for the state to permanently enact a ban on conversion therapy. The court ruled Tuesday that a Republican-controlled legislative committee’s rejection of a state agency rule that would ban the practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people was unconstitutional. The 4-3 ruling from the liberal-controlled court comes amid the national battle over LGBTQ+ rights. The court’s ruling has a broad impact far beyond the conversion therapy issue. It takes power away from the Legislature to block the enactment of rules that carry the force of law by the governor’s office.

FILE - Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers gives the annual State of the State address, Jan. 22, 2025, at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Wisconsin budget deal cuts taxes and boosts university funding

July 1, 2025

A budget deal brokered by Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the state Legislature has cleared a key hurdle just hours after it was made public. The Legislature’s budget committee passed it on Tuesday. The budget cuts income taxes by $1.3 billion and increases funding for the Universities of Wisconsin despite a threatened cut. Democrats credited gains they made due to redistricting that forced Republicans to negotiate. The Legislature is scheduled to start voting on passing the budget on Wednesday. The deadline for a new budget was Monday, but current funding continues until a new spending plan is signed.

FILE - The entrance to the Wisconsin Supreme Court chambers is seen inside the state Capitol in Madison, Wis., March 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond, File)

Wisconsin Supreme Court refuses to hear challenges to the state’s congressional district boundaries

June 25, 2025

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court has refused to hear challenges brought by Democrats seeking to throw out the battleground state’s current congressional district boundaries before the 2026 midterms. Democrats asked the court to redraw the maps, which would have put two of the state’s six congressional seats currently held by Republicans into play. But the court on Wednesday, for the second time in as many years, refused to hear the challenges. Republicans hold six of the state’s eight U.S. House seats, but only two of those districts are considered competitive.

Wisconsin Supreme Court sides with Republican Legislature in fight with governor

June 25, 2025

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has handed a victory to the Republican-controlled Legislature in a power struggle with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. The court on Wednesday struck down his partial veto of a Republican bill in a case that tested both the limits of his broad veto powers and the Legislature’s ability to exert influence by controlling funding. The court also agreed with the Republican-controlled Legislature and said it can put funding for certain state programs into an emergency fund under the control of its budget committee. Evers had argued such a move was unconstitutional.

Staff search visitors entering the Wisconsin Senate gallery in the state Capitol just days after the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Todd Richmond)

Lawmakers on edge as statehouse security tightens after Minnesota shootings

June 18, 2025

Anxious lawmakers are convening under heightened security in Wisconsin’s state Capitol, one of the most publicly accessible statehouses in the country. The session day Wednesday came less than a week after a legislator in neighboring Minnesota was shot and killed and other lawmakers were targeted. The tension playing out in Wisconsin and other states after the Minnesota killings pits those who want to keep state capitols as open and accessible as possible against those concerned about increasing threats and acts of violence against officeholders. Numerous states took action this week to protect personal information of lawmakers after the targeted shootings of two Minnesota state lawmakers.

Wisconsin dairy farmer sues Trump administration claiming discrimination against white farmers

June 16, 2025

A Wisconsin dairy farmer has alleged in a federal lawsuit that the Trump administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities. The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust. The lawsuit alleges that the government continues to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in a USDA program.

FILE - Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan leaves the federal courthouse after a hearing Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

Trump administration urges court not to dismiss case against Wisconsin judge

June 9, 2025

The Trump administration argues that charges should not be dropped against a Wisconsin judge indicted for allegedly helping a man who is in the country evade U.S. immigration agents seeking to arrest him in her courthouse. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice urged a federal judge pn Monday to reject a motion filed by Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan seeking to dismiss the charges against her. Justice Department attorneys say dropping the charges would be “unprecedented” and allow judges to be above the law. A grand jury indicted Dugan on May 13 and she pleaded not guilty ahead of a scheduled July 21 trial.

FILE - Elon Musk speaks at a town hall March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

Elon Musk’s pullback from politics comes after his last big investment was a flop

May 20, 2025

Wisconsin could go down as billionaire Elon Musk’s last big spend on a political campaign. And it was a flop. Musk, the richest person in the world, said Tuesday that he would be spending less on political campaigns, an announcement that came just seven weeks after the candidate he backed in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race lost by 10 percentage points. Musk’s spending helped make it the most expensive court race in U.S. history. And it came just five months after Musk spent at least $250 million to help President Donald Trump win, reversing losses in Wisconsin and other battleground states four years earlier.

Scott Bauer.