President Donald Trump endorsed Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of Department of Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, in the Republican primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District Tuesday evening. (Alfonso headshot courtesy of campaign)

President Donald Trump endorsed Michael Alfonso, the son-in-law of Department of Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy, in the Republican primary for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District Tuesday evening.

The race for the seat, which represents a large swath of the state’s northwest area, is open as current Rep. Tom Tiffany is running in the open race for governor. Trump has endorsed Tiffany in that race.

“It is my Great Honor to endorse MAGA Warrior Michael Alfonso, a young ‘STAR’ who is running to represent the incredible people of Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District,” Trump said in a post. “As your next Congressman, Michael will work tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Champion our Amazing Farmers and Ranchers, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Support our Military/Veterans, Safeguard our Elections, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment.”

Alfonso, who is 25 and married to Duffy’s daughter Evita Duffy-Alfonso, announced his campaign for the seat in Oct. 2025, saying that “Northern Wisconsin needs to continue to have a representative who will truly put our families, communities, and America first.” He has worked as a producer for the The Dan Bongino podcast.

“I was born and raised with the traditional Wisconsin values of faith, community, and hard work – and now I’m ready to give back to the area that gave so much to me. I’ve watched as the American Dream has continued to slip away from the people who so deserve it,” Alfonso said. “I’ve seen the effects of higher taxes and the increased cost of living on our families and our farms, and the erosion of our constitutional rights.”

The seat was held by Duffy from 2010 until 2019 when he abruptly resigned to focus on his family especially as his ninth child was diagnosed with severe health complications. 

Politico reports that Duffy’s campaigning on behalf of his son-in-law, including pushing Trump hard for an endorsement, had become a point of frustration in the White House.

Duffy said in a statement to Politico that Alfonso “will be the hardest working MAGA warrior for Wisconsin’s 7th district.” 

“I show up for the American people and for my family, and I’ll never apologize for that. My son-in-law will make a great congressman, and I know he is honored to have President Trump’s complete and total endorsement,” Duffy said. 

Trump’s endorsement has held significant sway in past elections in Wisconsin. Freshman U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, a businessman, entered the race for Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District in 2024 with Trump’s endorsement and went on to win a three-way primary that year. 

Alfonso said it is his “greatest honor” to accept the endorsement. 

“He is truly the greatest president of all time, and I pledge to be a steadfast MAGA warrior for the people of Wisconsin’s 7th District,” Alfonso said. 

There are two other Republicans running for the open seat, which leans Republican, including Paul Wassgren, a businessman, and Jessi Ebben, a Stanley resident with a background in public relations and health care. Businessman Chris Armstrong and former state lawmaker and environmental advocate Fred Clark are running in the Democratic primary for the seat. 

The Wisconsin College Republicans and Turning Point Action have endorsed Alfonso as well. 

According to his campaign website, Alfonso has said that was “deeply inspired by the courage of Charlie Kirk, who risked his life to speak the truth on American campuses,” as a college student at UW-Madison. The website adds, “in the wake of Charlie’s assassination, Michael is ready to take on the challenge and honor of representing the hardworking people of Wisconsin’s 7th District.”

“He is an America First Gen-Z conservative who truly gets our generation, and will champion real conservative values as a congressman,” the Wisconsin College Republicans said in a statement.

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Demonstrators gather outside of the Henry Whipple Federal Building, shouting at federal vehicles and recording their plates Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

A Minneapolis-based human rights group is suing the Department of Homeland Security, accusing DHS officials and agents of illegally and systematically preventing detained immigrants from meeting with their lawyers.

The proposed class action lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court of Minnesota, was brought on behalf of the Advocates for Human Rights and a St. Paul woman referred to by the initials “L.H.M.”

According to the complaint, L.H.M., who has lived in Minnesota since 2019 and has a pending asylum claim, was arrested Monday after a routine check-in at ICE’s Office of Intensive Supervision in Bloomington.

After L.H.M.’s family contacted her attorney, the lawyer immediately travelled to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building but was unilaterally refused access to L.H.M.

L.H.M. recently underwent cranial surgery, the lawsuit states, and “has significant medical needs that may be severely adversely affected by detention conditions or involuntary transfer out of state.”

According to the claim, federal agents at the Whipple Building — and at least one ICE attorney — have repeatedly told frustrated lawyers that “no visitation between detainees and attorneys is or has ever been permitted at Whipple.”

“This is false,” the complaint continues. “Whipple has rooms labeled ‘ERO Visitation,’ where attorneys have met with clients held at Whipple for years.”

Nowadays, when lawyers attempt to arrange visits at Whipple, phone calls and emails allegedly go unanswered.

According to the suit, one lawyer was recently threatened with arrest at the Whipple Building, despite having received prior permission from agency officials. Another attorney attempting to speak to a client was “confronted by six armed security personnel, one of whom said, ‘We’re not having a debate here, turn your car around and get the hell out of here.’”

The lawsuit asserts claims under the First Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, the Administrative Procedures Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

A spokesperson for Homeland Security responded: “Any allegations people detained by ICE do not have access to attorneys are false. Illegal aliens in the Whipple Federal Building have access to phones they can use to contact their families and lawyers. Additionally, ICE gives all illegal aliens arrested a court-approved list of free or low-cost attorneys. All detainees receive full due process.”

(Homeland Security has a burgeoning record of providing false information to the public, as detailed in a recent Stateline story; after the recent killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol, a Homeland Security spokesperson claimed Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” even though he never drew his gun, for which he had a permit.)

This is not the first time DHS has been sued for impeding detainees’ access to counsel. Similar suits in New York and Illinois have resulted in court orders.

DHS also has a recent history of defying court orders.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz, chief judge of the Minnesota district, issued an order in a habeas petition in which he identified 96 court orders that ICE has violated since January 1 – a tally that he said is likely an undercount because it was assembled in haste.

“This list should give pause to anyone — no matter his or her political beliefs — who cares about the rule of law,” wrote Schiltz, who was appointed to the bench by George W. Bush and clerked for Antonin Scalia, the late Supreme Court justice and conservative icon.

“ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence,” Schiltz wrote.

Screenshot from Bruce Springsteen's song 'Streets of Minneapolis'

Bruce Springsteen released a fiery anti-ICE protest song on Wednesday slamming “King Trump’s private army” and venerating the observers and demonstrators who “stood for justice, their voices ringing through the night.”

The song from the rock legend comes just days after federal immigration agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA, on Saturday. He is the second fatality in a month, following poet and mother Renee Good, who was killed about a mile away in her car on Jan. 7. Both victims are honored by name in Springsteen’s lyrics, with the refrain, “We’ll remember the names of those who died; On the streets of Minneapolis.”

In a statement, Springsteen said he wrote the song on Saturday following Pretti’s killing and dedicated it to “the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”

The title of the song echoes his 1993 song, “Streets of Philadelphia,” written for the film “Philadelphia” about the AIDS epidemic.

The song’s release underscores the cultural and historical significance of the resistance to the violent federal siege on the state still underway, which has mobilized tens of thousands in opposition and captured international attention through bystander videos documenting the federal agents’ brutality against immigrants and American citizens alike.

The song pays homage to the signature symbols of resistance — the whistle and the phone — which counter Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem’s “dirty lies.”

President Trump promised “reckoning and retribution is coming” for Minnesota and sent 3,000 federal agents and officers to the state in the “largest (Department of Homeland Security) operation ever.” But the operation, labeled a military occupation by local Democratic leaders, has turned public opinion sharply against the president and ICE.

A picture sits at a memorial to Alex Pretti on Jan. 25, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Minnesota’s U.S. senators took to the chamber’s floor Wednesday afternoon to honor two constituents killed by federal agents this month and call for the Department of Homeland Security to end its surge in the Twin Cities.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith led a chorus of Democratic senators calling for an end to the aggressive tactics used by immigration officers during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown following the fatal shootings of Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24, by federal agents in Minneapolis.

The Democrats repeated their demand that Congress amend the annual DHS funding bill, which must pass by Friday at midnight to avoid a partial government shutdown, to add accountability measures. 

Smith and Klobuchar, who is reported to be considering a bid for governor this year, added more personal reflections about the weekslong influx of immigration agents, and the massive protests against it, in their state.

“I want to just take a pause to acknowledge my beloved Minnesota,” Smith said, her voice starting to shake. “I am so proud to be your senator, and, you know, so many people around the country are looking to you, to us, for hope, and you are showing the world how to respond to violence, how to stand up to bullies with strength and with dignity and with peace.”

They said the DHS funding bill should not pass until the department withdraws its agents from the state. Klobuchar and other Democrats who spoke over the following hour-plus also called for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to resign.

“There must be new leadership in the Department of Homeland Security now, and there must be major reforms to these agencies before this Congress should approve another cent,” Klobuchar said.

Those reforms should include an end to immigration agents’ “roving patrols,” requirements that agents remove masks and wear body cameras, and that the department enforce a use-of-force policy and provide “meaningful accountability” and transparency into officer-involved shootings, Klobuchar said.

Minnesota’s senators also called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to depart their home state.

“I can not state it more unequivocally: ICE must leave Minnesota,” Klobuchar said.

Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy talks with reporters in the Dirksen Senate office building on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — The fierce debate surrounding school choice initiatives took center stage Wednesday during a hearing in a U.S. Senate panel. 

President Donald Trump’s administration and congressional Republicans have made school choice a central point of their education agenda, including a sweeping national school voucher program baked into the GOP’s mega tax and spending cut bill Trump signed into law in July. 

The hearing came in the middle of National School Choice Week, which the U.S. Department of Education dubbed a “time to highlight the many different types of education across the United States and to empower families to choose the best learning option for their child’s success.” 

The umbrella term “school choice” centers on alternative programs to one’s assigned public school. Opponents argue these efforts drain critical funds and resources from school districts, though advocates say the initiatives are necessary for parents dissatisfied with their local public schools.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which held the hearing, described school choice as “the avenue for expressing the innovation that we need to meet a student’s need.” 

“Traditional schools work for many students — what we’re asking, though, is to give the parent the choice if it does not,” the Louisiana Republican added.

Many models for school choice

Proponents in Ohio and Florida touted the work of their respective organizations and the broader school choice efforts in their states. 

Cris Gulacy-Worrel serves as vice president of Oakmont Education, an operator of dropout recovery charter schools serving more than 5,500 students in Ohio, Iowa and Michigan. 

Gulacy-Worrel said last year, Oakmont Education “graduated 1,309 students, and we’ve placed over 4,500 young people directly into the workforce over the last three years alone.”

“For far too long, we’ve been told school choice is about (Education Savings Accounts) or public charter schools — it’s not,” she said. “What we’re really talking about is educational plurality, a system with room for many models and many pathways to success.”

John Kirtley is chairman of Step Up For Students, a nonprofit scholarship funding organization that distributes scholarships for children in Florida. 

Kirtley said his state “has been moving towards a new definition of public education: Raise taxpayer dollars to educate children, but then empower families to direct those dollars to different providers and even different delivery methods that best suit their individual children’s learning needs.” 

More than half of all K-12 students in the Sunshine State participate in a school choice program rather than attending their local public school. 

Bernie Sanders sees two-tier system created

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the panel’s ranking member, said that while there are a “number of things we can and should be doing to strengthen and improve education” in the country, “we should not be creating a two-tier education system in America — private schools for the wealthy and well-connected and severely under-funded and under-resourced public schools for low-income, disabled and working-class kids.” 

The Vermont independent said that “unfortunately, that is precisely what the Trump administration and my Republican colleagues in Congress are doing,” pointing to the national school voucher program that’s now law. 

Sanders’ staff released a committee report Wednesday analyzing the state laws of 21 states with school voucher programs that scholarship granting organizations administer, in an effort to understand the forthcoming federal school voucher program’s potential effects.

Among the findings, the report concluded that “nearly half of analyzed private schools (48%) explicitly state that they choose not to provide some or all students with disabilities with the services, protections, and rights provided to those students in public schools under federal law.” 

Arizona voucher program

Marisol Garcia, president of the Arizona Education Association, testified about the negative repercussions of private school vouchers in the Grand Canyon state. 

In 2022, Arizona became the first state in the country to enact a universal school voucher program. 

Garcia described her state’s voucher program as a “bloated mess costing three times more than it was projected” and said vouchers “often only offer the illusion of choice.” 

“Every child deserves a great public school in Arizona,” she added. “Our experiences show that vouchers are not the way to achieve that goal.” 

National school voucher program 

The permanent national school voucher program, starting in 2027, allocates up to $1,700 in federal tax credits for individuals who donate to organizations that provide private and religious school scholarships. 

The program reflects a sweeping bill that Cassidy and GOP Reps. Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Burgess Owens of Utah had reintroduced in their respective chambers in 2025.

Cassidy defended the program during the hearing, saying: “We’re not trying to supplant funding for public education — we’re trying to supplement funding for education.” 

As of Tuesday, nearly half of all states have opted in to the initiative, per the Education Department. 

Musician Nicki Minaj attends the Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Jan. 28, 2026 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump touted the coming generation of “Trump Account children” Wednesday as the administration aims to deflect attention from rising food prices and a deadly federal immigration crackdown that in recent weeks took the lives of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

The day-long U.S. Treasury Department event in Washington, D.C., brought together big names from corporate America and entertainment to promote forthcoming tax-deferred investment accounts that will be available to all U.S. children — and that will be seeded with one-time $1,000 contributions from the government for babies born between Jan. 1, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2028.

Trump said the accounts, enacted under the massive tax and spending cuts package in July, will be “remembered as one of the most transformative policy innovations of all time.”

“Perhaps no provision of the great, big, beautiful bill will prove more consequential than Trump Accounts,” Trump said during his roughly 45-minute speech that included a brief appearance by Grammy-nominated rapper Nicki Minaj, who has become an advocate for the policy.

Higher birth rate

Ahead of the president’s remarks, panel speakers, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Dell Technologies CEO Michael Dell, framed the policy as celebratory of this year’s 250th birthday of the United States, and as a carrot to encourage a higher birth rate.

“Today and forevermore, every child born in America becomes a shareholder in America,” said Brad Gerstner, founder and CEO of Altimeter Capital, a California-based tech investment firm.

The Treasury event, titled the “Trump Accounts Summit,” came one day after Trump delivered remarks on the economy in Iowa, where he told voters, “I hope you remember us for the midterms.”

The event also followed days of protests and intense criticism of the administration, even from Trump’s own party, over the Jan. 24 fatal shooting in Minneapolis by federal agents of 37-year-old Alex Pretti. Pretti’s death occurred just over two weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a driver, Renee Good, 37, also amid the administration’s immigration crackdown in the Midwestern city.

An interest-bearing account for American children has drawn bipartisan support. 

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., touted his own such proposal in late 2018, bringing the idea to the 2020 presidential campaign trail. Booker’s “American Opportunity Account” bill proposed $1,000 seed money from the government, with up to $2,000 in annual contributions per child, depending on a family’s income level.

In May, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, with the backing of Dell and Gerstner,  proposed similar accounts for every child born in the U.S. to be seeded with $1,000 from the government. Cruz attended Wednesday’s event and received public recognition from the president.

Launch coming in July

The Trump Accounts, as named in the law, are set to launch July 5, according to the White House website, TrumpAccounts.gov. 

While the accounts will legally belong to a minor, they can only be managed by a parent or guardian until a child’s 18th birthday. Parents and guardians will need to elect to open the account during tax filing season or via a government portal scheduled to launch this summer.

The accounts are structured like a traditional individual retirement account, but with different investment features and restrictions.

Annual contributions from parents and guardians, as well as their employers, are capped at $5,000 per year. Parents can elect to divert pre-tax contributions from their paychecks directly into their child’s account. Employers can match up to $2,500.

Trump told the crowd Wednesday that “dozens of major employers have signed up to add the Trump account contributions to their employee benefit packages, including Uber, Schwab, Charter Communications and many, many others.”

The government’s $1,000 seed money as well as contributions from state and local governments, and 501(c)3 organizations, will not count toward the $5,000 annual cap.

The most high-profile foundation contribution to date has come from Dell, and his wife Susan, who pledged last month to give $250 to children up to age 10 who were born before the time window to receive the government seed money. The money is targeted to children in ZIP codes where the median income is less than $150,000, Dell said Wednesday.

Trump said other companies announced “really big contributions” Wednesday, including Intel, Nvidia, Broadcom, IBM, Steak and Shake, Coinbase, Continental Resources and Comcast.

William McBride, chief economist at the Tax Foundation, told States Newsroom during an interview Tuesday that while specific federal guidance is still emerging, direct charitable contributions to individual investment accounts are “pretty much a completely new concept in the tax code.”

The Tax Foundation, a nonprofit that describes itself as nonpartisan, advocates for economic growth and simpler tax policies.

Some exceptions to penalty

The accounts are bound by certain restrictions, including a prohibition on withdrawals until age 18, when the account essentially becomes an individual retirement account subject to tax penalties for early withdrawal before age 59.5.

Penalty-free exceptions include accessing the cash for a first-home purchase, up to $10,000; birth or child adoption fees up to $5,000; and qualifying medical expenses.

“It’s aimed at trying to get families to save and grow that balance,” said Rita Assaf, vice president of retirement offerings for Fidelity Investments.

“But for those that need flexibility of cash, this is where maybe that account, depending on your goal, may not be a right account for you. For day-to-day, or, some sort of big event needs before age 18, that’s where you might want to consider other accounts,” Assaf told States Newsroom in an interview Tuesday.

Other restrictions on the account include types of investments. Eligible investments include mutual funds or exchange traded funds, or ETFs, that track the returns of large American companies, for example the S&P 500 index.

A child’s account that receives the maximum family and employer contributions of $5,000 at the start of each year could grow to nearly $200,000 by age 18, assuming a 7% annual rate of return, according to a Fidelity Investment hypothetical example, not adjusted for inflation. 

If a child qualified for the $1,000 government seed money, and a parent left it untouched until age 18, the White House estimates the former minor would have $5,800 upon reaching adulthood, assuming historical returns for the S&P 500.

McBride said that while several specifics remain unclear, the accounts have “a lot of potential” and that advocates hope children from varying socioeconomic levels become more engaged in the process of creating wealth, learning how to invest money, and manage money.

“I’d say it has huge upside, and it just remains to be seen if it will actually catch on and become a way to sort of encourage a broader swath of society to participate in the benefits of capitalism, if you will.”

A masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent knocks on a car window in Minnesota on Jan. 12, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday detailed the “common sense” changes they want to implement for federal immigration enforcement, saying reforms must be added to a funding package that needs to become law before the weekend to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after a closed-door lunch that lawmakers in the conference are united on several policy restrictions.

They include:

• The end of roving patrols;
• Tightening the rules governing the use of warrants;
• Requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement to coordinate with state and local law enforcement;
• Implementing a uniform code of conduct that holds federal law enforcement to the same set of standards that apply to state and local agencies;
• Barring the wearing of masks;
• Requiring the use of body cameras;
• Mandating immigration agents carry proper identification. 

“These are common-sense reforms, ones that Americans know and expect from law enforcement,” Schumer said. “If Republicans refuse to support them, they are choosing chaos over order, plain and simple. They are choosing to protect ICE from accountability over American lives.”

Schumer said Democrats want to negotiate with Republicans, but called on Senate GOP leaders to separate out the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security from a package that includes five other full-year appropriations bills. 

The bills must become law before a Friday midnight deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. 

Schumer said he expects senators could “very quickly negotiate a bipartisan proposal” on restrictions to federal immigration activities.

Thune, White House weigh in

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said shortly before Schumer spoke that he isn’t ruling out any options for funding the government.

“These are all hypotheticals at this point, and I will reserve optionality to consider that,” Thune said. “But I think the best path forward, as I’ve said, is to keep the package intact. And if there are things that the Democrats want that the administration can agree with them about, then let’s do that.”

Thune expressed concern that any changes to the six-bill government spending package, which includes funding for the Department of Defense, would require it to go back to the House for final approval before it could become law. 

The House is out this week and isn’t scheduled to return to Capitol Hill until 

Monday, possibly causing a brief funding lapse if Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., doesn’t call that chamber back early. 

A White House official said in a statement to States Newsroom the administration wants to avoid a shutdown and is committed to a “productive dialogue with the Congress.”

“A demand for agreement on legislative reforms as a condition of funding the Department of Homeland Security with a government funding deadline just 48 hours away is a demand for a partial government shutdown,” according to a White House official. “This bipartisan appropriations package, which the Democrats agreed to and have now walked away from, has been under negotiation for more than a month. The White House urges congressional Democrats not to subject the country to another debilitating government shutdown.”

Schumer said during his press conference the White House “has had no specific, good, concrete ideas.”

Alex Pretti killing

Congress has approved half of a dozen full-year government funding bills, but hasn’t yet cleared the remaining measures, which make up a huge swath of government spending. 

A partial government shutdown would affect the Departments of Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, State, Transportation and Treasury. The Executive Office of the President, Supreme Court and judicial branch would also go without funding. 

Democrats’ insistence for additional guardrails on how federal immigration officers operate follows the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti, the second person in Minneapolis shot and killed by federal immigration agents.

ICE would still be able to operate during a shutdown, due to an influx of funding from the massive tax and spending cuts package Republicans passed and President Donald Trump signed into law last summer.

The “One Big Beautiful Act” provided the Department of Homeland Security with $170 billion for immigration enforcement spread across four years, with $75 billion of that going directly to ICE. 

The Homeland Security appropriations bill at the center of the current dispute in Congress keeps ICE flat funded at $10 billion for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1 and will end on Sept. 30.

In the wake of the Jan. 7 shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by federal immigration officer Jonathan Ross, Democrats and Republicans agreed to some changes for the department that are provided for in the bill. That includes $20 million for body cameras for ICE and other federal immigration officers, $20 million for independent oversight of detention facilities and a $1 billion cut to Customs and Border Protection funding, which totals $18.3 billion.  

Border Patrol agents’ shooting of Pretti on Jan. 24 spurred Democrats to call for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign and demand additional reforms at DHS. 

No masks, body cameras required

Maine independent Sen. Angus King said Wednesday while the funding bill up for debate allocates money for optional body cameras, he wants to require immigration agents to wear them and to identify themselves. 

“I think one of the things that should be in it is no masks,” King said. “There’s not a law enforcement agency in the United States that wears masks. I’ve never encountered that before in my life.”

King added he wants to see increased “accountability” for federal immigration officers, including “independent investigations of injuries to either detainees or private citizens.”

The top Democrat on the panel that deals with Homeland Security funding, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said the proposed changes are a start.

“I’ve got a much longer list of reforms that I would like, but we’re operating in a world of possibility, and I think that these reforms are things that we could get done in the next couple days, or the next week,” he said. 

Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she’s okay splitting off the Homeland Security spending bill from the rest of the package. 

Murkowski also said she believes Trump should replace Noem.

“Ultimately it’s his call as to who he keeps in this position, whether it’s Secretary Noem or someone else. I understand that. And he’ll decide,” she said. “I just think that he deserves better.”

Two ‘losers,’ Trump says

North Carolina GOP Sen. Thom Tillis also called for Noem’s resignation, and for White House senior advisor Stephen Miller to be removed. Miller is the main architect of the Trump administration’s immigration policy, and played a pivotal role in the president’s first administration.

On Tuesday during an interview with ABC News, Trump called Tillis and Murkowski “both losers” for calling for Noem’s resignation and criticizing her handling of immigration operations in Minnesota. The president has stood by Noem.

“I’m kind of excited about being called a loser,” Tillis said. “Apparently, that qualifies me for DHS secretary and senior advisor to the president.”

South Dakota Republican Sen. Mike Rounds didn’t entirely rule out supporting a five-bill funding package if GOP leaders agree to remove the DHS appropriations bill. 

“I won’t get ahead of the president on it … but even if you do that, the House still has to approve that,” Rounds said. “The question is, logistically, can they get back in time to do it by Friday night?”

Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, ranking member on the House Homeland Security Appropriations subcommittee, wrote in a social media post that while the current bill isn’t perfect, it “is better than those alternatives.”

“But the worst thing Congress could do is allow a powerful department to operate with a blank check under a continuing resolution or shut the government down entirely.”

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents carried out a raid Wednesday at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center is located in Union City, Georgia. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

ATLANTA — Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation raided the Fulton County elections warehouse Wednesday. 

A court order signed by Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas authorized agents to seize all physical ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton County, all ballot images and Fulton County’s 2020 voter rolls. A copy of the order was given to the Recorder by a House lawmaker.

“We are aware of the ongoing law enforcement activity involving the FBI at the Fulton County warehouse,” said Cae’Lenthya Moore, the executive assistant to Fulton County Clerk Ché Alexander. “At this time, we are only aware of activities involving the warehouse location.”

Officials at the FBI’s field office in Atlanta did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 

The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center is located in Union City, just south of Atlanta. The county, which is home to much of the city of Atlanta, was also at the center of President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen in Georgia and other swing states.

Fulton County was also where Trump was indicted in 2023 following his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.

Fulton County Elections Board Chair Sherri Allen told reporters that “Fulton County Department of Registration and Elections has always, and will continue to maintain fair, transparent and accurate elections.” 

“We have fully complied,” she added. “We will always comply with law enforcement and with the rule of law.”

Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts said he has not been told where the ballots will be taken upon leaving the warehouse, and that he can no longer guarantee they will remain safe and secure. Audits of the 2020 election in Fulton County, he added, have repeatedly been found to be accurate.

“That election has been reviewed, it’s been audited, and in every case, every instance, we get a clean bill of health,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly blamed his 2020 loss on unfounded accusations of rampant voting fraud, even though two recounts affirmed former President Joe Biden’s narrow victory in Georgia. Last week, in a speech before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump once again claimed that the 2020 election was rigged and said that the individuals involved “will soon be prosecuted for what they did.”

State Rep. Saira Draper, an Atlanta Democrat and voting rights attorney who showed up to the scene of the raid, said the raid was “an assault on our democracy,” and an attempt to target a Democratic stronghold in Georgia.

“This is certainly an attempt to sow chaos, it is an attempt to undermine confidence in our elections,” she said. “It’s focused on Fulton County, because this is where the Democratic voters are.”

The Carter Center, which helps monitor elections across the U.S. as well as in countries like Venezuela, Sierra Leone and Nepal, said the raid “appears to be yet another attempt to sow doubt in election integrity and undermine voter confidence during a consequential election year.”

In December, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Fulton County for refusing to turn over voter records from the 2020 election. Alexander, the county clerk, previously denied Justice Department officials’ request for the data according to the lawsuit, stating that the records were under seal and could not be released without a court order. She later filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.

The Justice Department has also filed its most recent lawsuit seeking Georgia’s unredacted voter data against Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger last week. Officials from the secretary of state’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the raid.

Georgia’s political ecosystem, however, was quick to react. In a statement, Georgia GOP Chair Josh McKoon celebrated the FBI’s raid, saying that it was “long overdue.”

“Georgians have waited years for real answers about what happened in 2020,” McKoon said. “Getting every detail out, especially around ballot handling and processes in Fulton, is absolutely critical.”

But Charlie Bailey, chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia, criticized the move.

“Every Georgian should be alarmed that Donald Trump is wielding federal law enforcement to push his baseless, dangerous lies about winning the 2020 election,” Bailey said in a statement, adding that “we will not be intimidated by a fragile bully who has been proven wrong by independent reviews time and time again.”

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for re-election in November, also criticized the raid, calling it a “sore loser’s crusade.”

“From Minnesota to Georgia, on display to the whole world is a President spiraling out of control, wielding federal law enforcement as an unaccountable instrument of personal power and revenge,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who is running for Senate on the Republican side, put out a statement on social media, saying “Georgians are about to get some long-overdue answers and learn just how right President Trump was in 2020.”

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, another Republican Senate candidate, also issued a succinct statement directed at FBI Director Kash Patel.

“Go get ‘em, Kash,” he wrote.

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann speaks at the first candidate forum of the campaign cycle. He said “affordability” is the greatest threat and expressed concerns about young people and retirees leaving the state to live elsewhere. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann announced Wednesday afternoon that he is ending his campaign for governor. The announcement comes after President Donald Trump endorsed Schoemann’s rival, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany Tuesday. 

Schoemann, who launched his campaign about nine months ago, congratulated Tiffany on the endorsement.

“I wish Tom great success in November,” Schoemann said in a statement. “If we focus on the people of Wisconsin rather than fighting with one another, we can make Wisconsin the place to be, not just be from.”

Tiffany, who has represented Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District since 2020, has been considered the frontrunner in the GOP primary race since he entered in September 2025. In recent campaign finance reports, Tiffany outraised Schoemann by nearly $1.5 million.

Schoemann’s exit from the race clears the way for Tiffany to go on to be the Republican nominee in the general election in November. His is the second dropout from the GOP primary. Businessman Bill Berrien dropped out last year shortly after Tiffany joined the race.

Trump announced his endorsement of Tiffany in a Truth Social post on Tuesday evening, saying he has “always been at my side.” Tiffany told WISN-12 that he learned about the endorsement at a dinner and spoke to Schoemann on Wednesday.

“I think the primary is probably behind us,” Tiffany said.

Tiffany said in a statement that he appreciates Schoemann’s words.

“We are both committed to making Wisconsin the place to be,” Tiffany said. “As governor, I will ensure seniors, young families, and the next generation can afford to stay here by lowering property taxes and utility rates, cutting red tape to reduce housing costs and delivering honest government and strong schools for every Wisconsinite.” 

The primary is scheduled for Aug 11. The Democratic primary field remains crowded and includes Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Milwaukee Co. Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes, former Department of Administration Sec. Joel Brennan. 

The winner of the Democratic primary will likely face Tiffany on Nov. 3.

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U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., left, and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., stand outside the regional ICE headquarters at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building on Jan. 10, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  A man squirted an unknown substance on Omar during a town hall on Jan. 27, 2026. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police investigated a drastic increase in threats against members of Congress and their staffs last year, looking into nearly 15,000 statements, behaviors and communications.

The volume of investigations rose sharply from the 9,474 USCP checked during 2024, the 8,008 in 2023 and the 7,501 in 2022. 

USCP Chief Michael Sullivan wrote in a statement released around the time a man squirted an unknown substance on Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall Tuesday night that the agency has been strengthening its “partnerships with law enforcement agencies across the country to keep the Members of Congress safe when they are away from Capitol Hill.”

“We want to make sure agencies have the resources they need to be able to enhance protection, which is critical to the democratic process,” Sullivan added.

Political violence

Last year saw several instances of political violence, including the arson at the official home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the killing of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, the shooting at the CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a rally at Utah Valley University.

Earlier Tuesday, at an appearance in Iowa, President Donald Trump singled out Omar, a Somali-American who came to the United States with family members as asylum seekers in 1995 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. 

Trump, who frequently criticizes Omar, said she should not speak about the U.S. Constitution when she comes from a country that is a “disaster,” adding Somalia is known for “pirates.”

USCP said in its announcement the number of partnerships with local or state law enforcement to bolster security for lawmakers when they are away from Capitol Hill tripled during the last year, rising from approximately 115 to 350 departments.

“For any agency that does not have a formal agreement with us, I would encourage them to proactively reach out,” USCP Intelligence Services Bureau Director Ravi Satkalmi wrote in a statement. “The agreement provides a framework for us to reimburse partner agencies for support they provide to help secure Members of Congress.”

Spending increase for lawmakers’ security

Congress approved USCP’s annual funding bill in November, increasing spending on the agency by $46 million to a total of $852 million.

The legislation included $203.5 million “for the Senate and the House to enhance security measures and member protection,” according to a summary from Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash. 

That same package, which ended the government shutdown, provided an additional $30 million for USCP, $30 million for the U.S. Marshals Service to bolster security for members of the judicial and executive branches, and $28 million for enhanced safety for Supreme Court justices.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Wednesday morning the attack on Omar was “unfortunate” and that everyone has a responsibility to “dial down the temperature.”

“When you’re a public figure, obviously, those are some of the things that come with the job. But it’s up to our citizens in this country too, the people out there, to do their part, obviously, to make their views known and weigh in and exercise their First Amendment right. But do it in a way that’s lawful and hopefully respectful.”

The endorsement gives another boost to Tiffany’s primary campaign, though he was already considered the frontrunner. Tiffany at a press conference in October 2025. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner)

President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany for Wisconsin governor Tuesday evening, saying that the 7th Congressional District representative has “always been at my side.”

The endorsement gives another boost to Tiffany’s primary campaign, though he was already considered the frontrunner over Washington Co. Executive Josh Schoemann, who was the first candidate to join the open race. 

“A very successful Businessman, Family Farmer, and State Legislator, prior to becoming a distinguished United States Congressman, Tom is a Proven Leader who has dedicated his life to serving his Community,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. 

Trump said in his Truth Social post endorsing Tiffany that Wisconsin is a “very special place to me in that we had a BIG Presidential Election Win just over one year ago” and noted he had previously endorsed Tiffany in his campaign for Congress. Trump won Wisconsin over former Vice President Kamala Harris by a little over 29,000 votes in 2024. It was the second time a Republican had carried the state since 1984; the first time was Trump’s 2016 win in Wisconsin.

“As your next Governor, Tom will continue to work tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Champion American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Ensure LAW AND ORDER, Strengthen our Brave Military/Veterans, Advance Election Integrity, Advocate for the Working Men and Women of Wisconsin, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment. He will fight to advance Common Sense Values, and put WISCONSIN, AND AMERICA, FIRST,” Trump said.

Tiffany, who has represented Wisconsin’s 7th CD since 2020, said he was honored to earn Trump’s endorsement. 

“Just one year into his second term, wages are rising, gas prices are down, our economy is growing, and our border is secure,” Tiffany said in a statement.

“For seven years, Democrat leadership has pushed our state in the wrong direction. As governor, I will make Wisconsin great again by lowering utility rates and property taxes, cutting burdensome red tape, rooting out waste and fraud, and restoring common-sense leadership to Madison.”

Earlier this week at a press conference, Tiffany highlighted his plan to eliminate the 400-year veto issued by Evers which extended a two-year increase in school districts’ authority to raise  school revenues for the next four centuries. He also said he would freeze property taxes should he become governor. Tiffany’s announcement was overshadowed by remarks he made about the recent shooting of Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse from Green Bay,  by federal Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. 

Tiffany said at the press conference that he hadn’t seen the video of the Pretti shooting. He followed up the next day with a social media post saying he would work with local, state and federal law enforcement to “remove criminal illegal aliens” and that Minnesota leaders should do the same.

“Cooperation is how you avoid tragic consequences. Deporting illegal aliens is how you make America safer. And waiting for the facts is how you avoid escalating the situation,” Tiffany said.

Bystander footage of the Pretti shooting shows him being pinned down by federal agents before being shot in the back and does not support Trump administration claims that he tried to assault or impede the agents.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker issued a statement that tied Tiffany to a number of the actions taken under the Trump administration. 

“We agree with Donald Trump — Tom Tiffany has been by his side for all of it: ICE murdering Americans in the streets, the Big Ugly Bill, ending funding for the Affordable Care Act, invading Greenland, and raising everyday costs. Donald Trump just made Tom Tiffany the general election nominee, and we will stop him from bringing his chaotic and dangerous agenda in November,” Remiker said.

Tiffany has often aligned himself with the Trump administration throughout his time in office including as one of two Wisconsin members of Congress who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results in two states. Prior to his time in Congress, Tiffany served in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate. 

Trump has previously been involved in primaries in Wisconsin and carried significant influence.

During the 2022 Republican governor’s primary, Trump endorsed businessman Tim Michels over former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who at the time was considered the frontrunner in the race. Michels went on to win that primary with 47% of the vote. Michels lost in the general election to Gov. Tony Evers by 3.5 percentage points. 

In 2024, Trump endorsed businessman U.S. Rep. Tony Wied, who won in a three-way primary that year and now represents Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District.

The Schoemann campaign has not responded to a request for comment from the Wisconsin Examiner. 

The winner of the Aug. 11 Republican primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary on Nov. 3 this year. Several Democratic primary candidates issued reactions to Trump’s endorsement of Tiffany. 

Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez said that “Wisconsinites know what ‘Trump–Tiffany leadership’ actually looks like. Higher health care costs. Cuts to Medicaid. Families squeezed by rent, groceries, and utility bills. Chaos and fear instead of safety. Those are their priorities. And we’re all paying the price.” 

Former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said Trump endorsed Tiffany because “he’s been a rubber stamp for his agenda in Washington, giving tax cuts to the wealthiest while making life harder for families and farmers here at home.” 

“It’s time to reject Trump’s chaos and Tiffany’s Washington Way and get things done the Wisconsin Way. That’s what I’ll do as Governor,” Barnes said. 

Former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes said that “Wisconsin needs a leader, not a sidekick.” 

Milwaukee Co. Exec. David Crowley sarcastically congratulated Tiffany, saying he “would be a great addition to Trump’s Board of Peace.” He posted an edited photo of Trump with notorious fictional villains Voldemort, Darth Vader and the Joker as well as President of Russia Vladimir Putin. 

Other candidates in the Democratic primary include state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), state Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) and former Department of Administration Sec. Joel Brennan.

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(The Center Square) – A bill that will require each Wisconsin school district to define appropriate communication between staff and students has passed an Assembly committee and had a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Education on Wednesday.

(The Center Square) - Several blue states appear set to lose electoral college votes while red states will make sweeping gains, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests.

(The Center Square) - Wisconsin’s population saw a slight uptick by 0.26% in new U.S. Census estimates for July 1, 2025, as state population estimates have shown the state is now likely to recede in population.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s school choice program is growing as Department of Public Instruction began open enrollment for the state’s choice programs.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

President Donald Trump’s endorsement of U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin’s open race for governor led the congressman’s top Republican rival to drop out of the race less than a day later.

Tiffany now faces only nominal opposition for the Republican nomination in the battleground state after Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann announced his decision to drop out Wednesday. Schoemann congratulated Tiffany on the Trump endorsement and wished him “great success” in November.

Trump announced the endorsement in a social media post on Tuesday night, saying Tiffany “has always been at my side.”

Tiffany has been a fierce Trump loyalist since he was elected to Congress in 2020. Prior to that, he served just over seven years in the Legislature, where he was a firm backer of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

Tiffany still faces Andy Manske, a 26-year-old medical services technician, in the Republican primary. Manske vowed to remain in the race, despite raising almost no money so far compared to Tiffany’s more than $2 million.

Trump said that as governor, Tiffany would work to grow the economy, cut taxes, secure the border, ensure law and order, support the military and protect gun rights.

Tiffany said he was honored to receive the endorsement and promised that if elected, “I will make Wisconsin great again by lowering utility rates and property taxes, cutting burdensome red tape, rooting out waste and fraud, and restoring common-sense leadership to Madison.”

Democrats blasted the endorsement.

“Tiffany has proudly voted in lockstep for Washington Republicans’ expensive and unpopular agenda that has hurt families, farmers, and small businesses across Wisconsin,” Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Izzi Levy said.

Wisconsin’s governor’s race is open for the first time in 16 years after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers decided not to seek a third term. Prominent Democrats who are running include former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes; current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez; Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley; state Sen. Kelda Roys; state Rep. Francesca Hong; former state economic development director Missy Hughes; and former Evers aide Joel Brennan.

Tiffany faces some historical hurdles. No sitting member of Congress has ever been elected governor of Wisconsin. And in the past 36 years, gubernatorial candidates who were from the same party as the president in a midterm election have lost every time, except for Evers in 2022.

But Democrats have also never held the office more than eight years in a row.

Wisconsin Watch is a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom. Subscribe to our newsletters to get our investigative stories and Friday news roundup. This story is published in partnership with The Associated Press.

Trump endorses Rep. Tom Tiffany in Wisconsin governor’s race, leading GOP rival Josh Schoemann to drop out is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Madison suburb of DeForest, where a $12 billion data center proposal has been in development for months, abruptly announced Jan. 27 that the data center “is not feasible.”

The statement by the village government indicates the proposal will be dropped.

The announcement came a day after Wisconsin Watch reported on secrecy on the part of local governments regarding seven major data centers around Wisconsin. 

In DeForest, village staff worked for at least seven months with Virginia-based QTS Data Centers before the proposal was publicly announced in October. On Nov. 18, the village president said at a public board meeting that members had only known about the project for weeks.

A key issue was the village would have had to annex 1,600 acres in the neighboring town of Vienna.

QTS was expected to make a presentation Jan. 27 to a village board committee, ahead of consideration by the village board on Feb. 3 and a public hearing on Feb. 9. 

Instead, the village issued a statement Tuesday, saying: 

“After individual discussions with the Village Board trustees, village staff have determined that QTS’ data center proposal is not feasible in DeForest. Village staff have recommended to the village president to reject the annexation petition during the Feb. 3 Village Board meeting.”

Dan Jansen, a DeForest resident who opposes the data center, told Wisconsin Watch that the months of preparation appeared to give the proposal momentum, but that he believes it never had enough support on the seven-member village board.

Village President Jane Cahill Wolfgram, who had expressed frustration with residents’ opposition to the data center, told Wisconsin Watch on Jan. 28: “We have looked at the project as much as we can right now and decided it’s not the direction we should go.”

Our original story on data center secrecy was the result of a reader tip. If you have suggestions for future stories, please let us know.

DeForest announces it won’t move forward with controversial $12 billion data center is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Wisconsin stands at a pivotal moment.

Artificial intelligence, cloud computing and hyperscale data centers are arriving quickly, bringing enormous demand for electricity and water. The real question is not whether these investments will come, but how we manage them and who pays the costs if we get it wrong.

As a purple state, Wisconsin has long shown that good energy policy is practical, not ideological. Families want affordable bills. Businesses want reliable power. Communities want clean water and economic opportunity. That same common-sense approach must guide how we respond to rapid data center growth.

An unprecedented load and a real affordability risk

The scale of proposed data centers is unlike anything Wisconsin has seen.

Just two projects, one in Port Washington and another in Mount Pleasant, have requested nearly four gigawatts of electricity combined. That is more power than all Wisconsin households use today.

Meeting this demand will require massive investments in power plants, transmission lines, substations, pipelines and water infrastructure. But under Wisconsin’s current utility model, these costs are not paid only by the companies driving demand. They are instead spread across all of us who pay electric bills, including families, farms and small businesses that won’t benefit from data center power.

For small businesses operating on thin margins, even modest increases in electric or water rates affect hiring, pricing and long-term viability. In rural communities with fewer customers sharing infrastructure costs, the impact can be even more severe.

This concern is already becoming real. Utilities are citing data center demand to justify new methane gas plants and delaying coal plant retirements. Utilities doubling down on fossil fuels should give every one of us pause.

Why costly gas is the wrong answer

Building new methane gas plants for data centers would lock customers into decades of fuel price volatility, even though cleaner options have become cheaper and faster to deploy.

Wind, solar and battery storage can come online far more quickly than fossil fuel plants and without exposing families and businesses to unpredictable fuel costs. Battery storage costs alone have fallen nearly 90% over the past decade. 

Across the country, these tools are replacing methane gas plants in states as different as Texas and California.

There is also a serious risk that we will pay higher bills for decades, even when data centers stop using those methane gas plants. In Nevada, a major utility has acknowledged that only about 15% of proposed data centers are likely to be built. When speculative projects fall through, all of us are left to pay for infrastructure we actually never needed.

This is not ideology. It is basic financial risk management, and basic fairness.

Clean energy is the lowest-cost path

Wisconsin policymakers and elected officials need to put guardrails into place to protect everyday residents from the AI bubble that’s threatening the state. The core principle? That data centers operate on 100% clean energy, not as a slogan, but because it is the lowest-cost and lowest-risk option over time.

A smart framework would require developers to:

• Supply at least 30% of their power from on-site and Wisconsin-based renewable energy.
• Offset additional demand through energy efficiency, demand response – at least 25% of peak capacity – and smart grid flexibility.
• Participate fully in utility efficiency and renewable energy programs rather than opting out.

Each data center project should require a legally binding Community Benefit Agreement that clearly defines community protections and benefits, negotiated among developers, local governments, neighborhood-based organizations, and underserved communities.

This approach reduces peak demand, lowers infrastructure costs and protects existing customers while allowing data centers to advance.

Major companies like Microsoft, Google and Meta have already publicly committed to operating on carbon-free energy. We need to hold them to that. Wisconsin risks losing our competitive advantage if we default to gas-heavy solutions instead of offering clean, flexible grids.

Water is a non-negotiable constraint

Energy is not the only concern. Water matters just as much.

A single hyperscale data center can use millions of gallons of water per day, either directly for cooling or indirectly through power generation. In communities with limited water systems, that can crowd out agricultural use and raise residents’ water bills.

Wisconsin should require closed-loop cooling systems, full accounting of direct and indirect water use and ongoing public reporting to ensure local water supplies are protected.

A practical path forward

Wisconsin does not have to choose between economic growth and affordability. We can do both if we insist on clear guardrails.

That means requiring data centers to pay the full cost of service, powering growth with clean energy first and protecting water resources and ratepayers from unnecessary risk.

Data centers are coming. The question is whether Wisconsin families and small businesses will be partners in that growth or be left paying higher bills for decades to come.

If we choose smart clean power over costly gas, Wisconsin can lead.

For more information

Check out the Clean Economy Coalition of Wisconsin (CECW) Data Center Accountability Framework, a statewide roadmap for policymakers to manage the rapid expansion of large-scale data centers in the state.

John Imes is co-founder and executive director of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative and village president of Shorewood Hills. He has spent decades working with businesses, policymakers and local governments to advance pragmatic clean energy and infrastructure solutions that protect ratepayers, strengthen communities and support Wisconsin’s economy.

Opinion: How Wisconsin can protect consumers and the environment during the data center boom is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Last week we asked for your questions about immigration enforcement in Wisconsin, particularly as thousands of federal immigration agents patrol Minnesota’s Twin Cities, conducting door-to-door searches for immigrants and clashing daily with protesters and observers.

One reader reached out for information about Wisconsin’s firearms laws, citing the example of armed civilians at anti-ICE protests in Minnesota. The question preceded the Jan. 24 killing of Alex Pretti by a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officer in Minneapolis — a shooting that escalated tensions in Minnesota, sparked national protests and reignited questions about unchecked federal power. 

The episode also renewed a national conversation about the implications of exercising Second Amendment rights during protests and interactions with law enforcement. Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse at Minneapolis’ Veterans Affairs hospital, held a concealed carry permit for the handgun he carried that day. Video of the incident shows a CBP officer confiscating the handgun shortly before other agents shot Pretti multiple times, killing him.

Here’s the reader’s question and our answer below:  

I would like to know more about open carry in Wisconsin. I know Wisconsin has more permissive open carry laws compared to Minnesota. But, I know there are some restrictions as to locations as well.

Wisconsin law is, at least on the surface, fairly permissive on the matter of carrying firearms in most public spaces — a practice often referred to as “open carry.” 

“As long as you’re not a prohibited possessor for a firearm and you’re an adult, you are allowed to lawfully open carry a firearm in the state of Wisconsin,” said Milwaukee defense attorney Tom Grieve, a former state prosecutor and Second Amendment commentator.

Those prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal or state law include those with a felony conviction, anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence or anyone subject to a domestic violence protective order. Others prohibited include people found not guilty of a felony by reason of mental illness, those adjudicated incompetent by a court or those with a history of involuntary commitments for mental illness or drug dependence.

Legal permanent residents can lawfully own a firearm, provided they meet other eligibility requirements. Most foreign nationals with nonimmigrant visas, including temporary employment-based visas, cannot own guns. Federal law also bars unauthorized immigrants from owning firearms — a rule that withstood a recent challenge in federal court.

But carrying openly, particularly without a concealed carry license, can be a legal minefield. Carrying a firearm on federal property — including post offices — or on school grounds is a felony, and Wisconsin law sets a 1,000-foot radius around all school properties in which possessing a firearm is generally illegal. In urban areas, Grieve added, “you’re almost always within 1,000 feet of a school.”

The right to carry — either open or concealed — also does not extend to police stations, courthouses or correctional facilities. Private property owners may prohibit guns on their premises and direct anyone violating their rules to leave. “Signs or no signs, if you’re asked to leave, you have to leave,” said Nik Clark, president of the advocacy group Wisconsin Carry, Inc. Private property owners cannot, however, bar people from keeping a gun in their personal vehicle while on their premises.

Concealed carry license holders are allowed to carry within 1,000 feet of a school under state law, but they are not exempt from the law prohibiting firearms on school grounds. Licensees may also carry their guns in bars and taverns, but only if they do not drink alcohol. 

Wisconsin residents over the age of 21 who are permitted to own a firearm can apply for a concealed carry license through the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Applicants must prove they have completed a firearms training course and background check and pay a $40 fee to obtain their first license, which remains valid for five years. 

State law generally prohibited Wisconsinites from carrying concealed firearms until 2011, when then-Gov. Scott Walker signed into law broad concealed carry rights that extend to most public spaces, including the state Capitol. 

The state issued or renewed more than 67,000 concealed carry licenses in 2024. Bryan Voss, a Milwaukee-area firearms instructor and member of the Wisconsin Libertarian Party, said the demographics of concealed carry license applicants are shifting. 

“I’ve heard that Black women are the most rapidly growing population of gun owners,” he said, “and the makeup of the classes does seem to support that.”

Most states either honor Wisconsin concealed carry licenses or do not require a license to carry a concealed firearm. Neighboring Illinois and Minnesota do not honor Wisconsin licenses, nor do 12 other states and the District of Columbia.

A growing number of states, including Illinois, prohibit openly carrying “long guns” — meaning rifles and shotguns — at protests. Those rules aim to prevent armed confrontations between protesters, counterprotesters and law enforcement, said University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor John Gross. “What (law enforcement) don’t want,” he said, “is a situation where you have two armed groups facing off against one another with the police in between them.”

But Wisconsin law generally allows both open and licensed concealed carry at political demonstrations. A few demonstrators carried rifles outside the Wisconsin State Capitol during a massive protest against COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, for instance. 

Minnesota also allows concealed carry permit holders to bring firearms to political demonstrations. 

Family members have confirmed that Pretti held a concealed carry permit for the handgun that a CBP agent confiscated moments before the shooting. Minnesota laws allow concealed carry permit holders to openly carry their firearms, although videos show Pretti had his handgun holstered and was holding a phone camera.

Wisconsin attorneys and gun rights advocates argue gun owners considering openly carrying their firearms at protests should think carefully about their decision.

“We have a right to our own self-defense, and the defense of our family and of our communities,” Voss said. “(But) I usually advise people against open carry. I find that there are very few situations in which that makes anyone feel better or really does you any good. Worst case scenario, it makes you the target.”

“When you are open carrying a firearm people generally think, ‘Oh, this is a great way to deter someone,’” Grieve said. “It might (be), or they’re just going to make sure the first thing they do is grab your firearm.”

Clark broadly cautioned against bringing firearms to protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

“I would encourage anyone who wants to go ‘demonstrate’ armed to keep a safe distance from law enforcement,” he wrote in an email. “Wave your flag, say what you want to say, but don’t get in close contact with law enforcement. I would advise anyone not to try to interfere with law enforcement at all. But if you do interfere with law enforcement, doing so armed is presenting yourself as a deadly threat and that is dangerous for both law enforcement and agitators.”

Still, Grieve said, carrying a firearm in the presence of law enforcement is not intrinsically grounds for officers to react with deadly force, as some Trump administration officials suggested in the immediate aftermath of Pretti’s killing. 

“If that’s the case, then game wardens in the United States would be slaughtering tens of thousands of Americans every year,” he said, “because those are law enforcement officials who, by their very nature, are dealing with armed Americans on a daily and hourly basis.”

Voss challenged the White House’s initial efforts to blame Pretti’s death on his decision to carry a firearm. In his view, none of Pretti’s actions captured on video justified the shooting. “At what point did (Pretti) do something that invited an immediate execution?” he asked.

Gross shares a similar view of the shooting. “He was a lawful gun owner legally carrying his firearm in a public space, and any arguments from the Department of Homeland Security or the FBI or other members of federal law enforcement that his possession of that weapon by itself indicates some intent to harm federal law enforcement (are) completely ridiculous.”

He was referring to comments from FBI Director Kash Patel and then-Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino questioning Pretti’s reasons for carrying a firearm on Jan. 24. Bovino has since been removed from his role.

“If that were true, it would eviscerate the Second Amendment right to possess a firearm,” Gross added. “It would essentially be saying, ‘If federal agents believe you have a gun, and you potentially could use that firearm against them, then they have the authority to disarm you or even use deadly force against you to protect themselves.’”

If you are considering carrying a firearm in Wisconsin either openly or concealed, consult with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and, if possible, an attorney to learn more about how to legally and safely exercise your Second Amendment rights, Grieve said. 

Wisconsinites may remember another incident that placed the intersection of firearms rights and protests in national headlines: In August 2020, then-17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of Illinois shot and killed two men in separate confrontations while patrolling Kenosha as part of an informal volunteer militia amid civil unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer. Rittenhouse later stood trial for homicide and reckless endangerment, among other charges. A Kenosha County jury acquitted Rittenhouse in 2021.

Rittenhouse has since become a gun rights advocate, and the shooting of Pretti prompted some national pundits to compare his exercise of Second Amendment rights to Pretti’s. Rittenhouse himself weighed in on Monday via Twitter. “Carry everywhere,” he wrote. “It is your right.”

Guns and protests: What are Wisconsin’s laws on open and concealed carry? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Travis Vanden Heuvel knew Alexi Pretti as a child through the Green Bay Boys Choir.

The post ‘He was always the one to help’: A Wisconsin childhood friend remembers Alex Pretti  appeared first on WPR.