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Former RNC chair and Wisconsin native Reince Priebus appears in Mueller Report

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Former White House chief of staff and Wisconsin native Reince Priebus is part of the Mueller report. 

Priebus talked with the investigation team several times after he was fired by President Trump.

The report says that Priebus confirms former FBI director James Comey’s story about a one on one dinner where the President asked him if he wanted to remain in his position with the FBI.

Priebus was also there for the firing of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and a failed attempt to get former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to step down after he recused himself from the Mueller investigation.

Speaker Vos downplays Governor Evers plan to renegotiate Foxconn deal

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Speaker Robin Vos says there is no need to change the Foxconn deal.

This after Governor Evers said the company won’t hire a promised 13-thousand people. Vos tells WISN’s Jay Weber that if Foxconn doesn’t hire that many people, the company already won’t get its full set of tax breaks.

“It is beyond my level of understanding to think that a Governor of Wisconsin is rooting for the failure of the largest economic development project in our state’s history!”

He says that if the governor is worried about Foxconn not hiring 13-thousand people, then he should leave the contract with the company as-is.

“Might it take longer, might it happen another way, might they do it in a way that creates higher paying jobs? I mean, all of those are potential scenarios, but I have certainly have never had them say we’re going to only have half the jobs we promised.”

Vos says Democrats may be trying to sabotage Foxconn in Wisconsin — to pin the blame on President Trump.

 

State Democrat introduces bill to legalize marijuana

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Another attempt at making marijuana legal is headed to the state legislature.

State representative Melissa Sargent is taking another try at marijuana legalization. She says legalizing the plant will save the state millions of dollars in law enforcement hours, as well as ease the burden on the state prisons.

“According to an estimate by the ACLU, Wisconsin stands to save over 44 million dollars, through the legalization of a plant.”

Sargent says legalization will also save the state money and generate revenue through increased taxes. 

“Legalization provides true economic benefits at no costs to taxpayers, with real proven results, unlike the unsuccessful tax giveaways and empty promises that we’ve seen with corporations like Foxconn.”

Part of the measure would also release people in prison for non-violent marijuana convictions, and make it easier to get those crimes expunged from your record.

“Although as African Americans use marijuana at the same rates as white individuals, they are almost 4 times more likely to be arrested on non violent marijuana possession charges nationally, and almost six times more likely to be arrested in our great state.”

Republicans in the Legislature are unlikely to pick up the bill and stand opposed to full legalization.

Foxconn founder eyes Taiwanese presidential run

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The future of Foxconn’s Wisconsin project is in question as its founder eyes a presidential run.

Bloomberg reports that Foxconn founder Terry Gau has announced his candidacy for the Taiwanese presidency. This came after rumors that he’d be stepping down as CEO of the technology company.

Gau was crucial in the debate and planning of the project, personally making the trip to the US multiple times to meet with Governor Walker and President Trump in order to work out the deal to build a factory in the state. Those plans have since been scaled back, and it appears that Foxconn will not open a full LCD construction facility in the state, but rather use Wisconsin as a research hub instead.

There’s no clear successor in the path if Gau does step down to run Taiwan, leaving more doubt in the proposed construction of the Foxconn plant in Racine.

Former Milwaukee County register of deeds under investigation for fraud

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The FBI is investigating Milwaukee County’s former register of deeds.

The Journal Sentinel reports John La Fave, who retired abruptly last week, is under investigation, accused of stealing almost three million dollars from county taxpayers.

Newly-released federal court documents say La Fave created false invoices with a Brookfield-based internet service provider called Superior Support Resources, for work that was never done. La Fave is also accused of a similar scheme with an Iowa-based firm.

La Fave’s lawyer had no comment.

Bipartisan bill would prevent backlog of sexual assault test kits

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The attorney general and a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduce a bill to prevent future backlogs of sexual assault kits in Wisconsin. Attorney General Josh Kaul said the measure will establish timelines and protocols for victims, medical professionals and law enforcement.

“Under current Wisconsin law, there’s no statutory framework for the collection and processing of sexual assault kits,” Kahl said during a Tuesday press conference. “This legislation will change that.”

Under the bill, if the victim wants to report the sexual assault to law enforcement, a health care professional must notify police within 24 hours of collecting the kit. If the victim doesn’t want to report, the kit must still be sent to the state crime lab 72 hours. Kits are to be stored there for up to 10 years

Kaul said he’s confident the bipartisan bill would pass the Legislature. “This legislation sends a clear message, which is that we can never have another backlog of untested sexual assault kits again in Wisconsin.”

Governor Evers creates new task force to fight shady hiring practices

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Governor Evers is moving forward with a plan to crack down on employers failing to pay workers fairly.  

The Department of Workforce Development is getting more resources to stop employers from falsely claiming actual employees as independent contractors. State unemployment administrator Mark Riehl says the state wants to protect both taxpayers and employees.

“Employers who misclassify are not paying their unemployment insurance taxes. Usually they don’t have workers compensation.”

Riehl says that also means taxpayers are likely not seeing any income taxes or business taxes on work that’s being done, costing everyone else in the state more per year. The practice can also unfairly depress wages for everyone else. 

“What we have to have here is a level playing field, so that everyone can compete by the same rules.”

Riehl says the issue is a national one, but with very real implications for Wisconsin workers.

“I don’t think that this has had the same priority at the federal level, and so I think it’s up to the states, really, to address this problem.”

 

Trump to rally his base in Green Bay

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President Donald Trump will be making a stop in Green Bay at the end of the month. The rally will be held at the Resch Center on April 27. It’s the same day as the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, which President Trump has missed each year, and will miss again.

The President says he would rather hold a “positive rally.” Wisconsin is expected to once again be a battleground state in the upcoming election. Tickets are being given on a first come, first serve basis at the Trump campaign website, two tickets per mobile number.

WTAQ

Paul Ryan to join faculty at Notre Dame

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Former House Speaker Paul Ryan has a new job. He will be a professor and guest lecturer in political science and economics at the University of Notre Dame. Ryan will assume that position this fall.

The former Wisconsin congressman and current Janesville resident is expected to guest-lecture on the fundamentals of American government, the current state of political polarization, and Catholicism and economics.

Ryan’s two brothers, Stan and Tobin, earned bachelor’s degrees in economics from Notre Dame.

Bill would support Wisconsin’s hemp industry

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Proposed legislation will help support Wisconsin’s infant hemp industry. State Senator Patrick Testin said the legislation creates truth in labeling laws for hemp products, and incorporates lessons learned over the past year to create a program that better meets the needs of Wisconsin farmers and processors.

“We want to make sure that we’re able to administer our own program because we think we can administer it more effectively at the state level, as opposed to having the feds come in and mandate who it’s going to look and operate,” Testin said.

Is there money to be made? Representative Tony Kurtz is an organic farmer who grew hemp last year, the inaugural year for the state’s hemp program. “I’ll put it this way, I’m not growing it to lose money,” Kurtz said. “I think it will be profitable.”

The growing market for hemp derived products could represent an opportunity for Wisconsin’s hard-pressed dairy farmers to diversify. “Our farmers are going to run with this,” Testin said. “We’re really poisd right now to be the national leader.”
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