Matthew Brusky The U.S. continues to lead the world with about 7.7 million COVID-19 cases and 215,000 deaths. Wisconsin saw a new daily record of 3,132 cases, adding to about 150,000 cases, near 1,500 deaths. Wisconsin Democratic Governor Tony Evers moved to open up a field hospital to relieve rural and other hospitals with few open beds. State GOP legislators have no plan.
Neither does White House and GOP-led Senate. Trump ended negotiations with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on an economic stimulus bill, telling Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell “not to delay, but to instead focus full time on approving my outstanding nominee to the United States Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett.” The Senate Judiciary Committee begins confirmation hearings on Monday. Why the rush?
If Barrett is speedily confirmed she will be able to hear a lawsuit challenging the ACA’s constitutionality (November 10th). Trump and Wisconsin GOP Senator Ron Johnson are obsessed with having the court strike down the ACA. Moreover, Barrett is on the record expressing opposition to the ACA. Johnson, recovering from COVID-19, said nothing would stop him from voting for Barrett: “If we have to go in and vote, … I’ll go in a moon suit.” He prattled on: “I would certainly try to find a way – making sure that everybody was safe.” Oblivious!
Johnson doesn’t believe as he did in 2016 in waiting until after the election. Then he helped block a vote on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, six months before the election. Now, he wants to tilt the Supreme Court to strike down the ACA. Healthcare coverage for over 20 million, protections for about 54 million with preexisting conditions and treating women’s benefits – premiums equally are at risk.
It’s not the first time Johnson has played an odious role. Johnson “single-handedly” blocked Victoria Nourse, a widely respected UW-Madison law professor, from a confirmation hearing for a seat on the 7th U.S. Court of Appeals (MJS). Under Trump, Johnson voted to put Barrett on that court. Now, an irresponsible power grab to put Barrett on the Supreme Court.
–Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C., for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 – 2009.
The pandemic is not “under control” nor is “the end in sight”. Instead, the U.S. leads the world with 7.4 million COVID-19 cases and about 210,000 deaths. Wisconsin is seeing record daily increases, well over 130,000 cases, near 1,400 deaths and hospitalizations hitting new highs. Staggering.
Free time on Monday or Tuesday nights? Consider spending it volunteering for Citizen Action of Wisconsin at Phonebanking Mondays or Texting Tuesdays! Join thousands of volunteers in Wisconsin and across the country every Monday and Tuesday night to make calls and send texts for Citizen Action of Wisconsin Endorsed Member Candidates and presidential candidate Joe Biden. Below are sign up links!
Please come out for a socially distant Meet & Greet with our next State Assembly Representative, 
Why does Vernon County need a 128-bed jail that costs $1.8 million a year to run and is largely used to house inmates from the Milwaukee area? How does the prison system in Wisconsin contribute to systemic racism? What can we do to change the system?
Wisconsin’s 96th Assembly district has a chance to make history and help in creating better representation for the Driftless region! 
Join us on October 6th at 7:00pm via Zoom Meetings as we hang out with Citizen Action endorsed candidate, Chris Kapsner. We will be listening to his platform, strategy to win the election, and answer any questions you may have.
Join us on October 7th at 7:00pm via Zoom Meetings. Citizen Action endorsed candidate, Kim Butler will join us for a meet and greet. We will be listening to her platforms, strategy to win the election, and answer any questions you may have. Register in advance for this meeting 
We are will be joining a Literature Drop and Phone bank Party to get Citizen Action co-op member Emily Siegrist’s progressive campaign for State Assembly.
Citizen Action’s Climate & Equity Director Rafael Smith is one of the winners of the prestigious Bill Iwan Environmental Justice Award from Midwest Environmental Advocates. There is still time to attend the event, read more about it 
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This election has always been about healthcare. Trump’s incompetent pandemic response has resulted in the U.S. leading the world with about 7 million COVID-19 cases and over 205,000 deaths. Wisconsin is in the national spotlight with record daily increases, about 115,000 cases, and 1,300 deaths. The horrific national death toll is projected to reach 410,000 by year’s end.
Free time on Monday or Tuesday nights? Consider spending it volunteering for Citizen Action of Wisconsin at Phone banking Mondays or Texting Tuesdays! Join thousands of volunteers in Wisconsin and across the country every Monday and Tuesday night to make calls and send texts for Citizen Action of Wisconsin Endorsed Member Candidates and presidential candidate Joe Biden. Below are sign up links!
Are you someone in Southwest Wisconsin who reads our emails but has never fully joined our Driftless Co-op? We want to get you more involved! Are you a long time member with friends or family who care about progressive issues? We want to talk to those people!
This Saturday is your chance to meet State Assembly candidate 
Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorsed candidate and co-op member 
Two of our Citizen Action of Wisconsin endorsed Candidates are teaming up for an awesome, socially-distant event this Friday, September 25th at 5PM! Jonathan Hansen is running for the 30th Senate District and co-op member Kristina Shelton is running for the 90th Assembly. Join them for yoga, postcard writing, and lit drops. Meet at Fisk Park in Green Bay at 5pm and help Jonathon and Kristina win in November.
This has been election year like no other and so much is on the line. Voters are already getting their absentee ballots and returning them, and these candidates need you now more than ever to dig deep. In Northeast Wisconsin, our candidates have been getting creative and working exceptionally hard to flip Wisconsin Blue this November. Whether it’s Jonathon Hansen talking with voters from Oconto to Glennmore, Kristin Lyerly putting up huge barn signs in the Green Bay Suburbs, or Mary Lynne Donohue connecting with every voter possible, they know what is at stake this November. Here is a list of our endorsed Candidates in Northeast Wisconsin and how you can make a difference.
Join Citizen Action co-op member Tricia Zunker with special guest Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes for a virtual fundraiser on Tuesday, September 29th from 7 to 8 pm! This is going to be a lively and fun discussion of what’s at stake here and what the campaign is doing to secure a win in November. Questions for Tricia and Lt. Governor Barnes may be submitted in advance to 
There was a great story on the building of Citizen Action’s first African-American led organizing co-op, North Side Rising. Read the story 
We discuss the grossly insufficient indictment brought against only one of the Louisville police officers who killed Breonna Taylor. We welcome Citizen Action president Mark Thomsen to educate our listeners about new state legislation (LRB-6434/2) providing a blanket COVID-19 liability shield for businesses and how you can fight it. We continue our interviews with state legislative candidates talking with Deb Andraca and Sara Rodriguez who are making serious challenges to GOP assembly members in the Milwaukee suburbs. They tell us why these Republican gerrymandered districts are changing and ready to elect Democrats this year.
Support organizations in Louisville as they continue to mobilize people in this moment:
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Trump’s incompetent response to the pandemic has left the U.S. with the highest case and death toll in the world. There are 6.8 million cases nationally, over 100,000 in Wisconsin. U.S. deaths are above 200,000, over 1,200 in Wisconsin. And, the economy is in shambles, with mass unemployment and escalating business failures. Misery abounds.
Donald Trump knew the true threat of COVID19, but chose to “play it down.” Now, we’re faced with a death toll of nearly 200K and our communities are suffering. We can no longer be silent.
Free time on Monday or Tuesday nights? Consider spending it volunteering for Citizen Action of Wisconsin at Phonebanking Mondays or Texting Tuesdays! Join thousands of volunteers in Wisconsin and across the country every Monday and Tuesday night to make calls and send texts for Citizen Action of Wisconsin Endorsed Member Candidates and presidential candidate Joe Biden. Below are sign up links!
A new 88.9 FM Radio Milwaukee series on structural racism featured in the Nonprofit Quarterly magazine cited Citizen Action of Wisconsin’s groundbreaking research on the funneling of state economic development dollars to wealthy white suburbs by the Walker Administration. “A 2014 
Last Saturday, September 12th, Citizen Action’s Southeast WI Co-op had it’s annual assembly on line due to COVID-19. The assembly enabled us to feature our co-op leaders and endorsed candidates for the important November 3rd election. Rep. Robyn Vining, Rep. David Bowen joined candidates Emily Siegrist and Sara Rodriguez at the assembly to discuss their important state assembly elections. They were able to discuss the many ways to get involved with 
these campaigns and win our elections. Members also broke out in to small groups to learn about our historic organizing efforts for Green New Deal in Milwaukee County, healthcare, and much more! If you were able to join us, please fill out this 
We are proud to announce new state legislative endorsements for this upcoming election in the Southeastern co-op:
September 24th, 2020
Join us on September 23rd at 7:00pm via Zoom Meetings as we hang out with Citizen Action endorsed candidates, Amanda WhiteEagle (AD 92) & Sarah Yacoub (AD 30). We will be listening to their platforms, strategy to win the election, and answer any questions you may have.
Joni Anderson is running in a tight race for Wisconsin’s State Senate district 14. She needs volunteers now! There are ways for people to get involved locally or from across the state. Next week Joni’s campaign will be organizing teams to hang flyers on voter’s doors. They are currently sending out postcards to voters across the district. Very soon they will be launching a phone banking program.
Join Citizen Action co-op members Tricia Zunker and State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski for a virtual fundraiser! This will be an exciting and fun discussion of what’s at stake here and what we are doing to secure our win in November.
Citizen Action of Wisconsin is forming a rural issue team in the Driftless region. We understand that multiple crises are hitting rural Wisconsinites at once. Whether it is the disappearing small family farm, water quality, milk prices, rural infrastructure, the corporate takeover of the agriculture industry, housing, saving the USPS, COVID, climate change and historic flooding, CAFOs, or the need to reach rural voters we want to have a member team that is ready to respond and help to plan campaigns to improve the quality of life for rural, progressives in the Driftless region.
Wausau Mayor, Katie Rosenberg will be continuing a Wausau tradition that started several years ago, by inviting community members to bike to work with her, this upcoming Tuesday, September 22nd. The starting Point is Marathon Park – Exhibition Building at 7:45 a.m. Ride to City Hall with the Mayor and enjoy a “grab and go” breakfast before you make your way to work or elsewhere that morning. Sponsored by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee of Wausau. For more info, please contact Brad at 715-261-6686.
We discuss Wisconsin’s rapidly rising COVID-19 infection rate supercharged by the ill-conceived reopening of colleges and K-12 schools. We talk about the role of individual responsibility in containing the pandemic in the face of the worst national and state response in the developed world. Claire reviews a large national survey released this week finding the uninsured rate rose just before the country was hit by the coronovirus. We look at the huge opportunity Democratic State Assembly candidates have at winning seats previously thought safe for Republicans due to rigged district lines. What does winning these races have to do with creating fair maps? We welcome Citizen Action co-op member Emily Berge, who is a candidate for State Assembly in District 68 in the greater Eau Claire area, to discuss her campaign and what she is hearing on the ground.
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