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Frank Abagnale on how to avoid getting scammed

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AARP Wisconsin brought Frank Abagnale to Madison on Thursday, to talk about how not be be a victim of scam artists. As a young man, Abagnale was a successful scammer himself.

“Most of all these scams are the same scams that have been going on for 50, 60 years. The difference is the technology that has made it so much easier to do and so much more convincing. To be able to manipulate peoples’ caller IDs and phone numbers, to be able to do the crime from thousands of miles away, from India, from China, from Russia.”

Abagnale, whose career as a con-man was depicted in the movie “Catch Me If You Can” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, said people continue to get taken advantage of by scammers, because they’re basically honest.

“Once you kind of educate people and give them the proper tools, they’re smart enough to protect themselves. But you can’t rely on the police, you can’t rely on the government, you can’t rely on the bank to protect you. You today have to be a smarter consumer, a wiser business person than you did 20 years ago, so you really have to educate yourself to protect yourself.

Abagnale is now a cybersecurity and fraud prevention expert,  and has been an adviser to the FBI for over 40 years.

AG Josh Kaul not satisfied with Purdue Pharma settlement

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Wisconsin is not part of a tentative settlement between Purdue Pharma and 22 states that sued the company over its role in the opioid crisis. The Washington Post reports that an executive committee of attorneys representing cities, counties and other groups in a federal lawsuit is recommending the deal be accepted.

But some state attorneys general, who sued Purdue and its owners, the Sackler family are not on board. That includes Wisconsin’s Josh Kaul, who releasded the following:

“The Sackler family has made billions of dollars from the sale of opioids. Wisconsin has alleged that two Purdue Pharma entities and Richard Sackler contributed to the opioid epidemic through unlawful conduct. We’re committed to getting justice and, in my view, Purdue’s current position doesn’t achieve that.”

The co-chairs of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, Representative John Nygren and Senator Alberta Darling, also released a statement:

“Through media reports, the attorney general stated Wisconsin is not one of the states agreeing to settle the Purdue Pharma case at this time.

We hope those reporters have signed non-disclosure agreements, because they are getting ‘confidential’ information from the attorney general that he refused to share with members of the Joint Committee on Finance.

It’s clear the attorney general did not need signed secrecy agreements to share case information. Now we know there wasn’t an ’emergency’ settlement to present to the committee two weeks ago. The attorney general should stop playing games, follow the law, and work with the Joint Committee on Finance.”

Kaul and the JFC co-chairs are currently involved in a dispute over lawsuit settlements. A law passed during last December’s lame-duck session requires the AG to get the approval for settlements from the Joint Finance Committee – but there is no process in place determining how that would work.

The Post reports that under terms of a plan negotiated for months, the Sacklers would relinquish control of Stamford, Conn.-based Purdue Pharma. The company would declare bankruptcy and be resurrected as a trust whose main purpose would be to combat the opioid epidemic.

State’s first 2019 human case of West Nile Virus confirmed

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The year’s first confirmed human case of West Nile Virus in Wisconsin has been reported. That case is reported in Northeastern Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is advising residents to continue to protect themselves against mosquito bites. West Nile virus is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito and is not spread person to person.

Mosquitoes get the virus by feeding on infected birds. The majority of human WNV cases occur during the months of August and September. But the risk of contracting WNV and other mosquito-borne illnesses is present any time mosquitoes are active, so be vigilant throughout the rest of the summer and into early fall.

Study finds housing shortage for Wisconsin workforce

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Not enough places to live – a new study from the Wisconsin Realtors Association finds housing availability has not kept up with a growing workforce. “The situation has been slowly developing, but basically over the last ten years in our fast-growing counties and in small towns, we’ve not built enough housing units to accomodate our population growth and the job growth, said study author Kurt Paulson.

“When you don’t built enough housing units of any type . . . obviously then prices rise, rents rise, and people have difficulty finding any sort of affordable or decent housing options in the communities where they work.”

Paulson said there are changes that are helping in some states. “A lot of them do have to do with altering zoning regulations, and other sorts of local government land use regulations that kind of limit the ability of housing construction, whether that be reducing lot sizes or decreasing parking requirements, other sorts regulations that drive up the cost of housing that ere not related to public health and safety.”

The study found that many lower-income residents are paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing.

State Senator Tom Tiffany announces run for 7th CD

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State Senator Tom Tiffany is now officially running for Congress in northern Wisconsin’s 7th District – and he’s all in with President Donald Trump.

“I travel 50,000 miles each year across the state. I see the results of the Trump tax cuts. They have turbocharged Wisconsin’s economy, because people are optimistic. You see it all over the state, including here in northern Wisconsin.”

Dates for primary and general elections to fill the 7th District seat have not yet been set. Congressman Sean Duffy resigned in order to help with his family’s ninth child, who will be born with a heart defect.

Tiffany made announcements across the district, including one posted to a campaign Facebook page, in which he praised Duffy’s work on behalf of northern Wisconsin and  railed against what he called “the socialist crew” of House Democrats.

Nancy Pelosi and her squad have proposed things like getting rid of cows. Yeah. A lot of people, a lot of your friends don’t believe that. Take a look, they have proposed things like that. Are you kidding me? This is America’s Dairyland.”

Tiffany was first elected to the Wisconsin Senate in 2012 and was the principal author of legislation signed into law in 2017 which effectively ended Wisconsin’s moratorium on sulfide mining. Democrats were quick to point that out, referring to the lawmaker as “a mining industry shill.”

Tiffany is so far the only Republican to officially announce for the 7th, although others are considering it.

Data reveals impacts of suicide in Wisconsin

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If you or someone you know is struggling, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1.800.273.8255 or text “HOPELINE” to 741741.

New data shows the impact of suicide in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has released findings from its most recent analysis of state suicide deaths and suicide-related injury. It’s part of an effort to update Wisconsin’s suicide prevention plan and reduce the number of suicide attempts and deaths.

This analysis found:

The state’s suicide rate rose 40% between 2000 and 2017.
From 2013-2017, suicide rates in Wisconsin were highest among individuals ages 45-54.
Of all state deaths by firearm from 2013-2017, 71% were suicide deaths.
In 2017, the majority of individuals who died by suicide in Wisconsin were male.
In 2017, suicide was the second leading cause of death among adolescents in Wisconsin.

Tuesday is Suicide Prevention Day, and September is Suicide Awareness Month.

State Representative Joan Ballweg says suicide remains a difficult topic for people to grapple with. “I think one of the things that prevents people from reaching out for treatment is that there is a stigma, that there’s something wrong with you that is not going to be solved, that people are not going to be able to overcome,” said the lawmaker, who chairs the Speaker’s Task Force on Suicide Prevention.

“Encouraging people to get into treatment, whether it is a behavioral health condition, or suicidal ideation, that conversation should be normalized.”

The task force held its last hearing this week. Members expect to have recommendations ready for the legislature to consider this session.

Baldwin wants action on expanded criminal backgrounds checks for gun purchases

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U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin says she’s a gun owner, and as Congress returns to Washington following the summer break, the Wisconsin Democrat says expanded criminal background checks for gun purchasers needs to be on the agenda.

“I think that makes common sense, and I don’t think any gun owner should have any concerns about that if they’re law abiding. This is not any violation or curtailment of the 2nd Amendment,” the Wisconsin Democrat said on WKOW-TV’s “Capitol City Sunday.”

After initially indicating support for expanded background checks, President Trump has since backed off, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he won’t bring anything to the floor that Trump won’t sign.

Evers leading trade mission to Japan

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Governor Tony Evers is leading a trade delegation to Japan. They’ll meet with Japanese leaders, visit the headquarters of Japanese companies doing business here, and help promote state exports during the nine day trip.

“Japan and Wisconsin have a longstanding relationship and deep ties,” Governor Evers said. “I look forward to renewing those relationships, learning more about our Japanese partners, and increasing opportunities for Wisconsin businesses.”

The 28 member delegation will be in Tokyo on Monday and Tuesday in the annual Midwest-Japan Association Conference, before moving on to Yokohama and Chiba City. It’s Evers’ first international trade mission since being elected.

Kind says Congress needs to ‘claw back’ trade authority from President Trump

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Third District congressman Ron Kind says President Trump has been irresponsible in pursuing his trade and tariff policies. The LaCrosse Democrat said during a conference call on Wednesday that Congress has deferred to the executive branch on trade policy for decades.

“I think it’s time now for Congress to start clawing back a lot of that authority, especially given how irresponsibly President Trump has used this authority.”

Kind said the failure of Trump’s trade wars is evident, in its effects on Wisconsin farmers. “I think many of them were hopeful that this guy knew what he was doing, that he had a longer term plan on strategy, but I don’t see it… I’ve never seen it.”

Kind said there is bipartisan support in Congress to restrict the president’s powers to set trade policy and enact tariffs. China announced Wednesday that a new round of trade talks will begin in October. President Trump insists that China wants to reach a new trade agreement.

Republicans consider run for Sensenbrenner’s 5th CD seat

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Jim Sensebrenner is a little worried that conservatives may box each other of his seat in Congress. Sensenbrenner told WISN’s Jay Weber that he’s leaving Congress in 2021 to try and hand the seat to a new conservative who can represent the 5th Congressional District.

“One of the concerns that I have is that you will have 5 or 6 conservatives and one RINO running in the Republican primary, and the RINO ends up winning without about 20% of the vote.”

Sensenbrenner said he’s walking away now to give a younger Republican a chance to take over his WOW (Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington) counties seat before Wisconsin draws its new political map after the 2020 census.

State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is “seriously weighing a run.” A statement from him says Washington D.C. “is a mess, and in need of more Wisconsin-style common sense,” and that “President Trump needs strong allies to fix it.”

Sensenbrenner has been in Congress since 1979. Fitzgerald hasn’t been in the legislature quite that long, but he is a veteran lawmaker, having first been elected to the Senate in 1994. Former state senator and 2018 Republican U.S. Senate nominee Leah Vukmir is also reported to be considering entering the race.