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China Trade Set to Be Major Issue in Wisconsin’s 2012 Senate Race

As the race for Wisconsin's open U.S. Senate seat heats up, China has taken the spotlight. Republican candidate Eric Hovde has launched an ad blaming the outsourcing of U.S. jobs on the corporate tax rate.

The ad appears to be in response to Democratic candidate Tammy Baldwin's recent ad on China. Baldwin slams China, for violating trade rules by dumping paper on the U.S. market and harming the Wisconsin paper industry, which employs some 50,000 workers.

Second ALEC-Approved Law Rejected by U.S. Supreme Court

In a little-noticed ruling amidst clamor over the healthcare decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an Arizona law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, holding it was preempted by the National Voting Registration Act (NVRA). The law was adopted as a "model" bill by the American Legislative Exchange Council [ALEC] in 2008. For the second time in one week, the conservative U.S. Supreme Court has curtailed ALEC's anti-immigrant agenda.

CNN's "Dewey Defeats Truman" Moment

CNN jumped the gun this morning when it erroneously announced that the Supreme Court had struck down the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate -- appearing to side with the court's most vocal critics of the healthcare overhaul.

At 10:11 EDT the CNN headline read "Mandate Struck Down" and opined "the ruling overturns requirement that Americans must buy health insurance. The decision will affect you, generations of Americans and this fall's presidential race."

Partisan Motivation Behind Voter ID Laid Bare

Though evidence suggests laws requiring photo ID at the polls will suppress votes from Democratic constituencies like students and people of color, voter ID supporters have long claimed the laws are merely a nonpartisan, common sense effort to promote "election integrity." But recent developments in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin show that Republicans are counting on voter ID laws to deliver the presidency to Mitt Romney in 2012.

Who is Leaking Who? Charlie Sykes Named in John Doe Documents

Charlie SykesIf you listen to Milwaukee talk radio you have no doubt heard WTMJ's Charlie Sykes crying to high heaven about the outrageous, politically motivated witch hunt of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker being run out of the Milwaukee District Attorney's office. Milwaukee DA John Chisholm has been spearheading a secret "John Doe" criminal investigation of Walker's former staff and associates for two years now. Trials for four of Walker's associates are pending this fall.

According to Sykes, the DA's office is "leaking like a sieve" and is the source of a damaging article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -- a serious charge, since people can be criminally prosecuted for violating the secrecy rules of the John Doe. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Dan Bice has broken most of the stories about the investigation, but has repeatedly denied that he is getting leaks from prosecutors.

The ALEC Exposed Art Contest Results: CMD's Top Picks

The corporate exodus from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is testament to the power of citizen activism in preserving our democracy. Over the past few months, in response to public pressure, 20 corporations and more than 50 legislators have severed ties with the right-wing organization that brings together politicians and corporations to vote, behind closed doors, on controversial "model" bills that are then introduced in statehouses across the land. While a coalition of clean government organizations has been working to drag ALEC out of the shadows, citizens across the country have also been showing up at ALEC meetings with clever protest signs, uploading ALEC-related videos on YouTube and even organizing a national day of occupy protests to draw attention to ALEC's corporate agenda.

Supreme Court Applies Citizens United to States: Rules for Robber Barons and Copper Kings

If notorious Montana copper baron William Andrews Clark were alive today, he would be celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court decision that nullified Montana's 100 year old Corrupt Practices Act. Legal observers said Monday that the Court's ruling applies its controversial 2010 Citizens United decision to all state electoral races down to dog catcher and leaves little room for states or localities to regulate "independent" corporate campaign contributions.

Koch-funded AFP Launches Attack on Tammy Baldwin as U.S. Senate Race Heats Up

The Koch-funded astroturf group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), has launched a $3 million dollar ad buy in U.S. Senate races across the country, and is spending more than $400,000 on ads attacking Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Baldwin is running for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Herb Kohl. As a non-profit organized under Section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, AFP is not required to disclose their spending or funding, but in this case AFP Wisconsin issued a press release announcing the amount of its ad buy.

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