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Wisconsin Gov. Evers secures federal funding for historic land conservation deal despite GOP opposition

Wisconsin Gov. Evers secures federal funding for historic land conservation deal despite GOP opposition

Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that he has secured federal money to complete the largest land conservation purchase in Wisconsin history, going around Republicans in the Legislature who had blocked the project. The state Department of Natural Resources planned last year to spend about $4 million from the state’s Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program to help finance the purchase of the nearly 70,000 acre property east of Rhinelander in northern Wisconsin known as the Pelican River Forest. The U.S. Forestry Service had agreed to pay the remaining 75% of the easement. Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee in April blocked spending stewardship dollars on the project. Sen. Mary Felzkowski, one of the lawmakers who objected to the project, said she was worried about the effect removing that much land from future potential development would have on northern Wisconsin’s economy. The GOP has long criticized the stewardship program because it removes blocks of private land from local tax rolls and prevents development. WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS TO CONSIDER MEDICAL MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION PROPOSAL BY REPUBLICANS Evers announced Tuesday in his State of the State address that the U.S. Forestry Service’s Forest Legacy Program would fund the state’s share of the easement, thereby getting around the Legislature’s budget committee. The rejection of that project was cited by Evers in his lawsuit filed with the Wisconsin Supreme Court in October arguing that the Legislature is obstructing basic government functions. WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS FACES SCRUTINY OVER USE OF BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER’S NAME IN STATE EMAIL The Conservation Fund, a Virginia-based national land conservation group, owns the land. The easement guarantees the land will be left in an undeveloped state with public access for hunting, fishing, trapping and motorized recreation such as snowmobiles and four-wheelers. Clint Miller, central Midwest regional director for The Conservation Fund, called it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to protect nearly 70,000 acres of forestland.”

Thai court clears former PM hopeful Pita of violating election law

Thai court clears former PM hopeful Pita of violating election law

Pita Limjaroenrat, who led his reformist party to victory on wave of youth support, also reinstated as a lawmaker. Thailand’s Constitutional Court has found Pita Limjaroenrat, the popular politician who was blocked from becoming prime minister, not guilty of violating election law and allowed him to be reinstated as a lawmaker. On Wednesday, the court ruled by eight votes to one that Pita had not broken rules banning members of parliament from owning shares in media companies. The case revolved around shares in ITV television station, which has not broadcast since 2007. Pita has said he inherited the shares from his father when he died. His Move Forward Party, which was a surprise winner in parliamentary elections in May, fought on a progressive platform viewed as a threat to royalists and the military. But he was targeted by conservative politicians after unelected senators blocked him from becoming premier. In July, the court temporarily suspended Pita from parliament after accepting a complaint against him alleging he was unqualified to run in the elections over the issue of holding shares in the media company. He later resigned as party leader. The same court on Wednesday deemed the company had no broadcast concession and should not be considered a mass media organisation. “ITV was not operating as a media company on the day the party submitted the respondent’s name for election,” judge Punya Udchachon said in reading the court’s verdict. “Holding the shares did not violate the law. The court has ruled his MP status has not ended.” Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Bangkok, said Pita still had ambitions for the top job. “I did ask him … while he was leaving whether he did still have ambitions for that post. He said he still did. He was still the party’s nominee for prime minister.” Move Forward soared to victory on the promise of ending business monopolies and reforming a draconian law meting out long prison terms to anyone insulting the monarchy. After nearly a decade of military-controlled government, the win reflected a strong mandate for change. “They won the elections, they were forced into opposition. I think they’re pretty happy to sit back for this term, but they’re still a very major political force. Voters in Thailand are still very hungry for the reform they voted for,” Al Jazeera’s Cheng said. Too early to celebrate? The victory will have come as a boost to the Harvard-educated politician viewed as a threat to the status quo, whose party has harnessed the power of social media to attract massive support from young, urban and liberal voters. After the ruling, Pita said he aimed to return to parliament “as soon as possible”, though it was not clear when this would be. “We are asking the parliament when I am allowed to be back in – there is a discrepancy between two organisations, the court and the parliament. When I am allowed, I will be there,” he told reporters. But more challenges lie in wait. The same court will next week decide whether Move Forward’s reformist policies are unconstitutional, constituting an attempt to “overthrow the democratic regime of government with the king as the head of state”. In particular, plans to scrap the law penalising defamation of Thailand’s royal family are in the line of fire. Critics say the lese majeste law, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, is often abused as a political weapon. Both cases have been brought by conservative politicians, part of a two-decade battle for power in Thailand pitting a nexus of royalists, military and old money families against parties elected on populist or progressive platforms. Move Forward’s current leader, Chaithawat Tulathon, has said that an unfavourable ruling next week could be used to advance future cases against them that could lead to the party’s dissolution. Move Forward’s predecessor, the Future Forward party, was dissolved by a Constitutional Court ruling in 2020. Supporters of the party have said the cases typify the sort of dirty tricks that have long been used by the ruling conservative establishment to hamper or oust political rivals, utilising the courts and nominally independent state agencies such as the Election Commission as legal weapons. Adblock test (Why?)

Trump wins New Hampshire primary: Five key takeaways and what’s next

Trump wins New Hampshire primary: Five key takeaways and what’s next

United States Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has solidified his hold on his party’s electorate after his New Hampshire primary win against Nikki Haley, his only other major Republican rival left in the race. Here are the key takeaways from the contest: Trump’s way forward Trump won 54.6 percent of Tuesday’s vote in New Hampshire while Haley won 43.2 percent  By late Tuesday in the northeastern US state, 20 of its 22 delegates to the Republican National Convention had been allotted based on the voting: 11 going to Trump and eight to Haley. While opinion polls had tipped Trump as the winner, many analysts had suggested that Haley stood a chance against him in New Hampshire, a state with a high number of unaffiliated and independent voters and a conservative base that is more moderate than in many other states. Haley was even backed by the state’s popular governor, Chris Sununu. However, the indicted former president won fairly easily, putting himself on a glide path to a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination. The biggest threat to his nomination, according to some analysts, comes from the possibility of a conviction and jail time as an outcome of one of the several trials Trump faces. (Al Jazeera) Warning signs for Trump Trump’s victory wasn’t nearly as sweeping as his Iowa win last week, but it was never expected to be in a state with an electorate packed with moderate Republicans and independents. Trump did not carry key groups of swing voters. Haley beat Trump among primary voters who identify as moderates as well as independents, 60 percent of whom voted for Haley, according to exit polls by Edison Research. She also beat Trump among those with college degrees 56 percent to 41 percent. A town-by-town map shows Trump fell to Haley in New Hampshire in many of the same areas where he lost to Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Perhaps the biggest warning sign of all was on abortion. The issue did not hurt Trump in the primary but could be central in a matchup against Biden. Among voters who considered the issue their top priority, Haley won 64 percent to 30 percent even though she is arguably as conservative — if not more — on the issue than Trump. The former US president has bragged about his role in getting the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade, a 1973 high court ruling that had said the US Constitution protected a right to abortion, yet he has in recent weeks also spoken of the need to find a middle ground on abortion restrictions. Haley too has backed the right of states to enforce abortion restrictions but has cautioned that it might be difficult, even for a Republican administration, to push through a nationwide ban. Haley still in the race Despite Haley’s defeat, she has strongly suggested she would stay in the race until at least the primary in her home state of South Carolina on February 24. “New Hampshire is first in the nation. It’s not last in the nation. This race is far from over,” Haley told cheering supporters in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. Haley’s team pointed out that roughly five in 10 primary voters do not support Trump. Her advisers insist she will stay in the race to serve as a vehicle for those anti-Trump forces who are still hoping that the former president might be forced out of the race by his legal problems. Joe Biden’s win Despite not being on the Democratic primary ballot, President Joe Biden won among the Democrats, beating Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips. More than 30,000 Democrats braved the cold to write in Biden’s name even though it meant nothing in the grand electoral scheme. No delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August will be selected from the primary vote. This is due to a dispute between the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the New Hampshire governor after the DNC announced that New Hampshire would no longer be the first Democratic primary in the nation, leading Biden not to register for the ballot even though the state went ahead with the primary. Reminiscent of the 2020 presidential race, Trump and Biden will likely face off again in 2024 for a rematch that many voters say they do not want. Trump’s speech After Haley announced she will remain in the race, Trump attacked her in his victory speech. He said that when the primary contest reaches her home state of South Carolina, “we’re going to win easily.” Trump’s address was loaded with his trademark warnings about immigration as he continued to lie about winning the 2020 election. At one point swearing on primetime TV, Trump said the US was a “failing country” and claimed that undocumented migrants were coming from psychiatric hospitals and prisons and “killing our country”. “We are going to win this. We have no choice. If we don’t win, I think our country is finished.” What’s next Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, noted that multiple states on the primary calendar will have setups similar to New Hampshire, where independents could influence the vote. South Carolina is holding its Democratic and Republican primaries on different dates. It allows any voter who doesn’t first cast a ballot in the Democratic primary on February 3 to vote in the Republican contest on the 24th. Michigan, which follows, has an open primary, which means voters don’t have to vote in their own party’s primary but may “cross-over” and vote in the other party’s. Then comes Super Tuesday on March 5 when 874 delegates are up for grabs a 15 states and one US territory. Ankney said roughly two-thirds of those are in states with open or semi-open primaries. She named Virginia, Massachusetts, Texas and North Carolina among states where Haley could perform well with independent or moderate voters whom the campaign views as persuadable. If Trump blows Haley out in her home state of South Carolina, where she served two terms

Wisconsin Republicans hastily approve new legislative maps

Wisconsin Republicans hastily approve new legislative maps

Wisconsin Republicans made a last-ditch effort Tuesday to avoid having the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court put in place new legislative district boundaries for the November election. The Republican-controlled Senate passed new Senate and Assembly maps just over an hour after unveiling them, not giving the public or Democrats a chance to review them ahead of their release. Democrats said they didn’t have time to analyze the proposal before the vote. And Assembly Republicans were discussing passing maps as proposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers without any changes. That could stop the Wisconsin Supreme Court from ordering maps that were even worse for Republicans. WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS WOULD MAINTAIN MAJORITY IN PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE MAPS, BUT WITH REDUCED DOMINANCE Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said that the new maps approved by the Senate were the same as what Evers proposed, but with changes to reduce the number of Republican incumbents who would have to face one another in November. The governor’s map was “clearly a partisan attack on us,” LeMahieu said. “We just wanted to make things somewhat fair,” he said. In yet another twist, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he supports passing the maps as proposed by Evers with no changes. He said Republicans can win under the lines drawn by Evers. “We would basically be giving Gov. Evers a huge win,” Vos said shortly after Evers concluded his State of the State speech. “Adopting his maps, stopping the lawsuit seems like something to me we could agree on, but I’m waiting on Gov. Evers to get back to us.” Evers’ spokesperson did not immediately return a message seeking comment. The Assembly could vote on the maps Wednesday. The Wisconsin Supreme Court last month tossed the current Republican-drawn district boundaries as unconstitutional and ordered new maps. Evers, Republicans, Democrats and others submitted maps that two consultants hired by the court are now reviewing. Their recommendation is due Feb. 1, and the court is expected to release new maps shortly after. But the court said it would defer to the Legislature if it could pass maps that Evers would sign into law. Evers and Democrats appeared unlikely to back the new Republican maps passed by the Senate which made changes to what he proposed. “This is about one thing: Republicans desperately trying to retain power,” Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback posted before the maps were released. “Full stop.” Cudaback said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that any maps that differ from the maps as Evers submitted them to the Supreme Court “aren’t the governor’s maps. Period.” If Evers vetoes the new Republican maps, it “will just show his true intent of trying to disenfranchise Republican voters around the state,” LeMahieu said. Democrats said the maps, detailed in a 169-page amendment, were an attempt by Republicans to protect their majorities that sit at 22-11 in the Senate and 64-35 in the Assembly. “This is not a serious proposal that we have before us,” Democratic Sen. Mark Spreitzer said. “These maps make changes that protect Republican incumbents.” The Senate passed the bill 17-14, with four Republicans joining 10 Democrats against. No Democrats voted for it. All maps under consideration by the Wisconsin Supreme Court are expected to shrink Republican majorities. WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT TOSSES GOP-DRAWN LEGISLATIVE MAPS, ORDERS NEW VOTING BOUNDARIES Under the Evers map, Republicans would have a seven-seat majority in the Assembly, down from 29 seats now, and just a one-seat edge in the Senate, based on an analysis by Marquette University Law School research fellow John D. Johnson. His analysis used a statistical model to predict the results of the 2022 state legislative election had they taken place in the newly proposed districts. LeMahieu said the changes Republicans were proposing to Evers’ maps would not affect the partisan breakdown of each district. This isn’t the first time Republicans have tried to take control of redistricting. In September, three months before the court ordered new maps, the Assembly passed a sweeping plan that takes the power of drawing maps out of the hands of lawmakers and gives it to nonpartisan staff. But Evers rejected the plan, calling it “bogus,” even though it largely resembled a nonpartisan redistricting plan he’s pushed for years. It was that bill that Senate Republicans amended before passing it Tuesday. It was passed just hours before Evers delivered his State of the State address.