About MacIver Institute: The MacIver Institute is a Wisconsin-based think tank that promotes free markets, individual freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government. Through research, analysis, and community engagement, we work to advance these principles and positively impact the lives of all Wisconsinites.
Spotlight
Gov. Evers: "I’ve Never Encouraged or Directed Anyone to Break any Laws”
Governor Tony Evers is facing backlash from his directive that state employees should not answer any questions from federal immigration enforcement, including if they are presented with a warrant.
Evers' memo drew the attention of Border Czar Tom Homan, who cryptically answered "Wait to see what's coming" when asked about possibly arresting Evers for a violation of federal law.
Evers is backtracking now, saying he "never encouraged or directed anyone to break any laws." Benjamin Yount has more on the story.
Deep Dive
Liberals have been up in arms about the deportation of illegal immigrants supposedly being deprived of due process.
In this week's Deep Dive, Richard Moore takes a look at due process. While progressives run around yelling for due process for criminal immigrants and cartoonish judges, there are less glamorous though far more serious issues of due process being contested every day in the United States.
You Should Know
Madison Ballot Investigation Blames Former Clerk, "significant discrepancies"
A City of Madison report into ballots that went missing last November says there are dozens of "significant discrepancies" in what former Madison Clerk Maribth Witzel-Behl told investigators and what the other witnesses in the case said.
The city of Madison released the report on its investigation into the missing ballots Wednesday. It paints a picture of Witzel-Behl as disconnected, distracted, and unconcerned with how 193 absentee ballots were lost on Election Day, and never counted.
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Coming Soon
Wisconsin Republicans Introduce not so “super-sexy” Regulatory Reform Package
Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are looking to roll back as many of the state’s regulations as they can. Both Assembly and Senate Republicans on Wednesday introduced what they are calling the Red Tape Reset.
The package includes legislation to limit emergency rules from the governor and state agencies, regularly review Wisconsin’s 160,000 regulations, and limit regulations to one topic at a time.
Look for possible action on this legislation in the coming months.
Quick Clicks
Wisconsin Latest Test Scores Show Kids Continue to Struggle
The Department of Public Instruction on Monday released the scores from several years of the state’s Forward Exam, which is the state test taken mostly by kids in elementary school and junior high. Will Flanders, an education expert for the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said Wisconsin school kids continue to fall behind.
“To the surprise of no one, [the test scores] reveal that student proficiency is still down since the COVID 19 pandemic. Proficiency is about 3.61% lower in third grade reading statewide than the 2018-19 school year,” Flanders wrote on Twitter.
Washington County’s Schoemann Enters 2026 Race for Governor
Washington County executive Josh Schoemann on Thursday filed the paperwork to run for governor. Schoeman has not announced anything , officially, but people close to him say that may change soon.
Schoemann has been Washington County Executive since 2020, before that he was County Administrator and the county's manager. He was re-elected as county exec in the April 2024 election. He did not have an opponent in that race.
Schoemann has made headlines for his focus on housing and economic growth in Washington County, and for his local election integrity push.
For Your Commute
On this week's MacIver News Minute, Bill Osmulski covers Gov. Tony Evers' trade missions and how they didn't really accomplish much of what they were supposed to - unless you count a sweet vacation as Gov. Evers' goal.
About MacIver Institute: The MacIver Institute is a Wisconsin-based think tank that promotes free markets, individual freedom, personal responsibility, and limited government. Through research, analysis, and community engagement, we work to advance these principles and positively impact the lives of all Wisconsinites.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher, its employees, or any affiliated organization.
Last Update: May 05, 2025 5:21 pm CDT
