Taylor served five terms in the Assembly representing Madison, and has worked as an attorney and as the public policy director for Planned Parenthood.

U.S. added 2.5 million jobs in May report, largely due to 2.7 million workers returning from furloughs.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/verso-plant-wr-s5.jpgVerso Corporation Announces Indefinite Shuttering of Plant in Wisconsin Rapids, indicating most of the 915 Jobs to Be Eliminated.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/covid-19-test2-s5.jpgWebsite has up-to-date information on the spread of COVID-19 cases, where to get help with unemployment applications, find work, and get testing.

WISCONSIN - Despite the acute risk that coronavirus poses to seniors, President Trump has put them in harm’s way with his disastrous response and repeated attempts to repeal the ACA. After spending years gutting the health care system, Republican lawmakers are backing Trump’s efforts to put partisan games above human lives.

The Wisconsin Alliance of the Association of Retired Americans Gary Mitchell penned an op-ed standing up for the elderly Wisconsinites Trump has put in his crosshairs.

Read the full story here or below.

Wisconsin Examiner: Gary Mitchell: Wisconsin seniors face extraordinary risks amid pandemic

As the COVID19 pandemic rages in America, our senior citizens face extraordinary risks.  I know, because I’m one of them. As a lung transplant survivor requiring immunosuppressing drugs, I fall squarely into the highest risk categories.

To date, about 80% of coronavirus deaths in America have been seniors over the age of 65.  But in spite of that fact, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies continue to undermine access to healthcare through sabotage of the Affordable Care Act. And it’s our seniors with the most to lose. 

Trump and Republicans in Congress have spent years systematically sabotaging seniors’ healthcare. Between undermining Medicaid expansion, proposing steep Medicare budget cuts and prescription drug price increases, and the repeated and ongoing attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they have done nothing but cause older Americans to lose coverage and face higher costs for care. At a time when millions of insured people are facing the possibility of coronavirus infection and devastating healthcare bills, the need for critical healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid has never been more important.

Specifically, nearly 40 million people across the country have already lost their jobs, and an estimated 27 million have lost their employer-sponsored health coverage as a result of the crisis. Economists have estimated that up to 43 million people could lose their job-based coverage during the pandemic. Outrageously, Trump and the Republicans backing him have eroded America’s healthcare safety net, which will undoubtedly devastate families and hamper efforts to curb the spread of this deadly disease.

To make matters worse, seniors are at high risk of developing serious complications if they contract COVID19. Roughly half of people who had died from coronavirus in Wisconsin were 70 or older as of mid-May.  Despite the dire warnings from experts, Trump and Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin are prioritizing reopening the economy even if it means sacrificing the health and safety of our nation’s most vulnerable people.

The fact is that as older adults, we face unique risks as the country grapples with this healthcare crisis. We know from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that the groups “at high-risk for severe illness from COVID19” are people 65 years old and older, and those who live in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.  Ahead of the pandemic, the Trump administration weakened the federal government’s oversight of nursing homes and rolled back critical protections for residents. Now, nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country have experienced a surge in outbreaks, with about one-third of deaths in America associated with these facilities. As of May 26, 41% of Wisconsin coronavirus deaths had occurred in long-term care facilities, and now more than 50 Wisconsin nursing homes are under investigation for coronavirus outbreaks.   

The novel coronavirus is also a threat to millions of seniors and older adults who live outside of institutions and may be exposed through work, family members or caregivers.  Roughly 47 million older adults in this country are aging in place.  More than seven million seniors are considered medically frail, 60% have at least two chronic conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, which are serious factors for developing complications from COVID-19.  And we know that nearly 32 million people ages 55-64 have pre-existing conditions. The current rush to reopen prematurely puts older workers at risk before their workplaces are safe again.

While the Trump Administration continues their war on seniors’ health care, Democrats in Congress are taking concrete action to lower costs and help them during this crisis, including passage of a bill to lower prescription drug prices by empowering Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug costs. They have also proposed strengthening the Affordable Care Act through a special enrollment period during the pandemic and to provide incentives to states which have yet to do so to expand Medicaid.  America’s seniors — and all who love them — desperately need President Trump and Republicans to end their assault on America’s health care.

Now.

The Guard concluded its missions in Green Bay and Racine on June 8, while additional troops remained on duty to support Madison into the evening of June 8.

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that the Wisconsin National Guard has concluded its mission to preserve public safety and protect the rights of protesters and the media as peaceful demonstrations occurred around Wisconsin following the murder of George Floyd.

In coordination with local leaders, nearly 1,500 troops mobilized over the last week in response to requests for Wisconsin National Guard assistance.

Approximately 125 troops originally mobilized to state active duty the evening of May 30 in Milwaukee when civil authorities in Milwaukee requested the Guard's assistance.

In partnership with Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales, Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, the Guard completed its mission in Milwaukee on June 8.

“This is a watershed moment for our nation, one that requires everyone being willing to come together. I am encouraged by the peaceful protesters who continue to make their voices heard and demand change, and I am grateful for the citizen soldiers of the Wisconsin National Guard whose important mission helped keep our communities safe,” said Gov. Evers.

“I am appreciative of the role the Wisconsin National Guard played in Milwaukee. We were grateful to have their assistance in protecting the rights of people to petition their government and assemble peacefully,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

“What we have seen in our community over the past several weeks is a call for radical, much needed change. I thank the organizers on the ground who remained peaceful while exercising their right to assemble and make their voices heard. I also recognize the citizen-soldiers of the Wisconsin National Guard for their cooperation in addressing the rapidly evolving events over the past week,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “As we move forward, Milwaukee County is determined to examine its own policies and practices to advance racial equity and justice. The time for action is now.”

Hundreds of additional troops mobilized as the Wisconsin National Guard received requests for assistance from civil authorities in Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine.

The Guard concluded its missions in Green Bay and Racine on June 8, while additional troops remained on duty to support Madison into the evening of June 8. The Guard's mission to support civil authorities in Kenosha concluded last week.

Serving the state, local communities, and Wisconsin's citizens during times of need is one of the National Guard's core missions. The Wisconsin National Guard responds at the request of, and in support of, civil authorities, and its troops serve in a support role as a resource that is available during times of emergency.

Approximately 10,000 Soldiers and Airmen make up the Wisconsin National Guard. More than 1,200 remain mobilized across Wisconsin supporting the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 500 are mobilized in places like Afghanistan, Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Horn of Africa in support of the Guard's federal missions overseas as the primary combat reserve of the Army and Air Force.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/joe-biden-s5.jpgSupports more traditional reforms, including funding for public schools, summer programs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment so officers can focus on policing.

Pride Month commemorates a time of momentous protests against systemic oppression and injustice.

MADISON - Monday, for just the second time in Wisconsin history, Governor Tony Evers ordered the Rainbow Pride flag to be flown above the State Capitol in celebration of the diversity and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community.

For the month of June, we honor our LGBTQ+ siblings that we have lost to hatred, violence, and fear — including transgender people of color like Tony McDade, who was shot and killed last month by a police officer in Tallahassee, Florida.

Pride Month commemorates a time of momentous protests against systemic oppression and injustice — a time deeply connected to our current moment. And although we have made significant strides, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition continues on in concert with ongoing struggles for racial equity and justice.

As Lieutenant Governor, I will always stand with and for the LGBTQ+ community and work to create a state that is equitable and inclusive for everyone, regardless of what they look like or who they love. A state that is inclusive and just for all. That's a future worth fighting for.

Thanks for your commitment to equality and justice.

In solidarity,

Mandela

Would establish a federal ban on chokeholds, eliminate the legal shield protecting police, mandate body cameras nationwide, limit military-style weapons to local police, and create a national database of officers with patterns of abuse.

WASHINGTON, DC - Democrats in both chambers introduced sweeping reforms on Monday designed to combat racial disparities in the criminal justice system — the party’s much awaited legislative response to recent police violence against African Americans that's sparked mass protests across the country and beyond.

Crafted by leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the Justice in Policing Act aims to rein in the use of excessive force by law enforcers, particularly the violence targeting blacks and other minorities, who die disproportionately at the hands of police.

Read the developing report here

Panel will hold listening sessions, make recommendations on rural resilience.

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers today named leaders from around the state to the Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity. The governor announced the commission during his State of the State speech in January. The commission will be tasked with developing long-term strategies on how Wisconsin can best support the needs of rural Wisconsinites and rural communities.

“Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Wisconsin’s rural communities were facing challenges to their very survival,” Gov. Evers said. “It is more important than ever to listen to the concerns of our rural residents and support them in finding solutions.”

The commission members include:

• Bob Atwell, President & CEO, Nicolet National Bank, Green Bay
• Thelma Heidel Baker, Owner Bossie Cow Farm, Random Lake
• Brittany Beyer, Executive Director, Grow North, Rhinelander
• Pamela Boivin, Executive Director and Loan Officer, NiiJii Capital Partners, Inc. (NiiCaP), Keshena
• David Falk, General Manager, ND Paper, Biron
• Tom Landgraf, Principal, Dimension Development, LLC, Madison
• Rachel Sauvola, Agriscience Teacher, New Richmond High School, New Richmond
• Lauren Thompson, Co-President, Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Council, Woodville
• Gina Tomlinson, CEO, Cochrane Co-op Telephone Company, Cochrane
• Susan Townsley, Clinical Social Worker, Stonehouse Counseling, Viroqua
• Jeff Tucker, Vice President of Business Development & Care Innovation, Marshfield Clinic, Eau Claire
• Cheu Vang, Owner, Vang C&C Farms, Jefferson

The commission is expected to hold listening sessions around the state later this summer on the impact of COVID-19 on rural communities and businesses, as well as the challenges and opportunities the pandemic has created. The commission’s recommendations will help to form the biennial state budget, which Gov. Evers will introduce early next year.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) will provide logistical and administrative support to the commission. In his State of the State address this year, Gov. Evers directed WEDC to create the Office of Rural Prosperity, and the organization recently named Kelliann Blazek as the first director of the office.

“WEDC is committed to helping rural communities and businesses in our state build long-term resilience,” said WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes. “By exploring new economic opportunities and improving the quality of life we can help rural communities weather the current conditions and emerge stronger for future generations.”

More information about the commission, its activities, and the Office of Rural Prosperity is available at wedc.org/rural-prosperity.