MADISON - The following is the statement of Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Martha Laning celebrating the 4th of July:

"On this day, across our state, we recall the bravery of those patriots who declared independence from a powerful empire, and we honor the enduring spirit of America that continues to burn so brightly today.

"Even as this day of celebration serves as a reminder of those who made great sacrifices to let America thrive, it also invokes our duty as a people to ensure that our Nation lives up to its promise of a democracy in which all people are created and treated equally under the law. Furthermore, it is a time to envision how our Nation can live up to the purpose and goals of our Constitution when we insist that our leaders protect the most vulnerable Americans and guarantee economic opportunity for all Americans.

"We must not remain complacent with the work already done by our forefathers: we must stride ahead, join together, and carry that same valiant spirit with us as we confront the challenges of tomorrow.

"On our Nation's birthday, we remember and honor the enduring spirit of American democracy, and look forward to the trails we will continue to blaze in unity, equity, inclusiveness, and opportunity for all."

GOP failure this week to pass their draconian healthcare bill, Citizen Action Organizing Cooperatives, and more...

MILWAUKEE - We review the failed Senate Republican effort this week to hold a vote on their draconian healthcare bill. President Trump was optimistic saying, “healthcare is working along very well. We could have a big surprise with great a healthcare package... A great, great surprise.” Jorna highlights

Sen. Johnson’s disturbing comment comparing people with preexisting conditions to someone who has crashed their car and wants to buy auto insurance. We welcome Citizen Action Organizing Cooperative members, Lindsay Dorff (Green Bay) and Hans Breitenmoser (Merrill), to discuss their leadership in organizing citizen support for fair election maps and end to our current gerrymandered districts.

Jeff Smith, organizer for the Western Wisconsin Organizing Cooperative, joins us to talk about their fight against Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs.)  We also look at the new Marquette Poll which appears on the surface to show Gov. Walker gaining in popularity.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/highway-crowded-s5.jpgSchool budgets and road projects left in limbo by Republican inaction.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/gas-pumps-s5.jpgCredit card skimmers are often put into gas pumps and, when customers swipe cards, the skimmers read the information and criminals use it to steal money from bank accounts or make fraudulent charges on credit cards. Madison and the state legislature have passed legislation to fight this crime.

The Senate healthcare bill, Green Bay's State Rep. Eric Genrich on his visionary legislation to provide BadgerCare for all, Wisconsin's historic gerrymandering case, UW free speech, and more...

MILWAUKEE - We discuss the long-awaited, secretive Senate healthcare bill that includes larger cuts to Medicaid but differs little from the “mean” House bill that cuts healthcare from million Americans to provide a large tax break to the wealthy.

State Rep. Eric Genrich joins us to talk about his visionary legislation to provide BadgerCare for all through a public option.

We welcome Sachin Chheda, director of the Fair elections Project, to update us on the legal developments this week in the historic gerrymandering case the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear this fall.

We also review new developments on Republican efforts to restrict free speech at the UW System and how Gov. Walker’s plan to drug test Medicaid recipients received over 1000 public comments in opposition while only 5 comments in support.

http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/jailed-s5.jpgMonopolized political speech, mass incarceration and voter suppression together pack an enormous discriminatory wallop. Overcoming the new Jim Crow starts with recognizing it and seeing through the false justifications.