Free Republic

Alecia and Bounkham Phonesavanh never imagined their family would be at the center of a controversy over the militarization of police. But that’s exactly where they found themselves when their toddler was seriously injured by a SWAT team, also leaving them with a $1 million medical bill they have no hope of paying. “They messed up,” Alecia Phonesavanh told ABC News' "20/20." “They had a faulty search warrant. They raided the wrong house.” In the spring of 2014, the Phonesavanh’s home in Janesville, Wisconsin, was destroyed by fire. Homeless with four young children, they packed one of their last remaining...

MADISON, Wis. -- A newly formed coalition of more than 300 construction-related private businesses in Wisconsin announced Wednesday that it will work to defeat a right-to-work proposal being discussed by Republican leaders in the Legislature. Formation of the group comes as talks proceed behind the scenes among Republicans who control the Legislature about the timing of a right-to-work bill and what form it may take. Gov. Scott Walker repeated his message Wednesday, during a brief speech to Republican state senators in the Capitol, that he sees right-to-work as a distraction from his agenda. He told lawmakers he wants them focused...

In July, I wrote about the pressure that University of Wisconsin officials have been exerting on the faculty for greater “equity” on campus. My “Madness in Madison” essay pointed out that university administrators are so caught up in egalitarian groupthink that they want to reduce or eliminate differences in students’ choice of majors and in the distribution of grades. That essay elicited a defensive reaction from the university. Chief Diversity Officer Patrick Sims stated in a July 22, 2014 press release that UW’s diversity plan does not entail “a quota system for apportioning grades by race.” Bringing up quotas, however,...

John McAdams, a Marquette University associate professor, says he is being "treated like a potential terrorist" after being suspended with pay and banned from campus while the university investigates his conduct, presumably because he publicly criticized a teaching assistant for not allowing discussion of gay marriage in an ethics class. A student had objected to the teaching assistant's handling of the class discussion weeks ago and, after class, recorded his conversation with her. The teaching assistant told the student that "some opinions are not appropriate, such as racist opinions, sexist opinions." She suggested if someone in the class were homosexual,...

Editor's note: This piece was co-authored by Tim Graham.Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are polar opposites, a Tea Party conservative and an Occupy Wall Street socialist. Then there are the similarities: Both were elected in 2012, both have Harvard on their resume and both are mentioned as presidential material. But the media's read of the two demonstrates an unquestionable slant. Both senators have shaken up the Senate over heavy spending and regulation. When Warren does it, she's promoted as a profile in courage, standing up for fairness. When Cruz does it, he's a selfish brat causing meltdowns. On...

He didn’t say whether he had a particular moderate in mind. Any theories? Cruz, a deeply conservative Texas Republican and likely 2016 candidate himself, called Bush a “good governor in Florida,” before warning against nominating a centrist Republican. He didn’t specifically place Bush in that category, but the implication was clear: Bush, the son of former President George H.W. Bush and the brother of former President George W. Bush, is far more moderate than the Republican base is on a host of issues including immigration and education.“If we nominate another candidate in the mold of a Bob Dole or a...

Despite a 2007 court record claiming she lived in the same Waukesha County home she currently lives in, voting records for the executive director of the union front group Wisconsin Jobs Now shows Jennifer Epps-Addison voted in the City of Milwaukee a dozen times between 2007 and 2012. Wisconsin election records show Epps-Addison is currently registered to vote at her $369,000 Waukesha County home. While changing her voting address from the City of Milwaukee to Waukesha County’s Village of Menomonee Falls in 2012 may not seem unusual, a signed Waukesha County court document indicates Epps-Addison lived in her Waukesha County...

Jennifer Waloway, a nurse practitioner who oversees six family planning clinics in northeastern Wisconsin, was opening the mail in August when she came upon a letter from the state. It asked NEWCAP Community Health Services, which runs the clinics, to please submit a check payable to the State of Wisconsin. The amount: $1,169,837.10. "I was a little in shock," Waloway said. The letter from the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health Services said its audit showed that NEWCAP incorrectly had billed — and been paid — by the Medicaid and BadgerCare Plus programs for prescription drugs...

DELAVAN, Wis. – The Delavan-Darien School District denied a family’s request to enroll their children in a neighboring school district by citing the “best interest” of the children. “We believe it is in the best interest of your children to attend the Delavan-Darien School District,” said a letter from Superintendent Robert Crist to Les and Carol Paur. “Your application for the above students to transfer out of the Delavan-Darien School District into the Williams Bay School District under the open enrollment program has been denied by the Delavan-Darien School District for the 2014-15 school year.” Carol Paur, the mother of...

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin pro-life groups are gearing up for another legislative session, with plans to push for a new ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and to revive a host of initiatives that went nowhere last time around. The pro-life lobby scored a huge victory last session when the GOP-controlled Legislature passed a law requiring abortion providers to obtain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Republicans retained their majorities in the Assembly and Senate in November’s elections, setting the stage for more wins for anti-abortion groups. Republican leaders aren’t publicly committing to anything, but Democrats are already fuming....

SENATE REPUBLICANS VOTE TO WAIVE THE CONSTITUTION There is no question that President Obama's executive amnesty violates the Constitution. Even the president acknowledged back in September that he would be "ignoring the law" to carry out such an action. Ted Cruz (R-TX)U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) raised a constitutional point of order against the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending that, if sustained, would have sent the bill back to the House to remove amnesty funding. Unfortunately, a group of Republicans joined the Democrats in voting to reject Cruz's point of order and to ignore the serious constitutional problems with the president's...

Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Coats (R-IN) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Enzi (R-WY) Flake (R-AZ) Graham (R-SC) Hatch (R-UT) Heller (R-NV) Johnson (R-WI) Kirk (R-IL) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Toomey (R-PA) Wicker (R-MS) Not Voting Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK)

Chippewa Falls, WI — Dashcam video has been released that shows the disturbing last moments of a man’s life as he’s detained by a Chippewa Falls police officer on the way to the hospital. 29-year-old Casey Kressin died after suffering a severe asthma attack when the vehicle that was rushing him to the hospital was pulled over by a Chippewa Falls police officer. After they were stopped, Kressin’s girlfriend immediately starts to beg the officer to take him to the hospital. The officer instead calls for an ambulance. The couple was just 3 miles from the hospital when they were...

On Republicans working with Obama to pass a $1.1 trillion Omnibus spending bill written by and for the Chamber of Amnesty… I don’t know how you go into 2016…and you say: ‘Okay, I want you to support the GOP because…we didn’t stop immigration-amnesty, we’re gonna bring in a lot more guest workers, and we think it’s good to do these big omnibus bills…oh, and by the way, we’re probably gonna fight a couple more wars. Vote for us.’ … What position would you rather be in? Warren’s position or, like, Paul Ryan– Mister Budget Hawk? Oh boy, that Paul Ryan...

Gov. Scott Walker is meeting with Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson Tuesday as he pursues a potential presidential run. Adelson has been a key financial backer for Walker in his last two runs for governor and, if persuaded, could be a source of even greater funds for a White House bid. In the last presidential contest, Adelson, the president of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., and his wife put $30 million into groups backing failed GOP candidate Mitt Romney in the general election and, before that, $20 million into a super PAC that propped up Newt Gingrich's unsuccessful Republican...

One of two concealed gun permit holders involved in a rolling shootout down Milwaukee streets and freeways last year was turned down Thursday when he asked a judge to order the return of the gun seized after the incident. Roy Anthony Scott told police he was merely trying to escape from Eric Adamany, 29, and fired in self-defense. Scott was never charged in the June 2013 shootout. Adamany was, and his case of recklessly endangering safety is pending. Scott, also 29, was charged in September 2013 with being party to the crime of armed robbery at an auto-parts store three...

An anti-harassment training at a Catholic university in Wisconsin encouraged employees to report anyone they hear criticizing gay marriage to the school’s human-resources department. A presentation at the Marquette University training featured a story about a fictional wheelchair-bound employee, “Harassed Hans,” who had been overhearing his co-workers Becky and Maria talk about “their opposition to same-sex marriage all week,” according to an article in the National Catholic Register.

Under Gov. Scott Walker's leadership and the Republican control of Wisconsin's Legislature, Planned Parenthood has weathered a focused effort to diminish its role within the state. But through the sustained battle, the women's health organization has found silver linings. "I think since we’ve been so shut out of state government we have had an opportunity to build stronger local relationships," said Nicole Safar, public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. Dane County is a prime example of a place where Planned Parenthood works closely with local government to provide sex education and other programming. The local partnership "doesn't make...

Police in Beloit, Wisconsin, want residents to volunteer to let officers search their homes for firearms as part of a new initiative that officials believe will help reduce gun violence. Beloit Police Chief Norm Jacobs told Wisconsin Public Radio that officers will mostly be looking for guns in homes that residents might not even be aware of. “That’s really what we’re looking for. Maybe we’ll find a toy gun that’s been altered by a youngster in the house — and we know the tragedies that can occur there on occasion,” he added. Jacobs also told WPR that “gun violence is...

The protesters stopped traffic on the freeway. (Revolution News) Fourteen protesters were arrested including two children, ages 6 and 10. The children were taken to child protective services. WISN reported: Protesters from Ferguson, Missouri, took over the streets of downtown Milwaukee Saturday. The gathering caused disruption for some people trying to get around just weeks before Christmas as protesters marched through the streets. At one point, the demonstration forced a part of the freeway to be shut down. Police arrested 14 people shortly before 1 p.m. as a result of the protest that took place near Interstate 94 and Second...