Laura Benjamin of Eau Claire, the most recent entry into the 2026 3rd Congressional District race, says it’s time to make America work for working Americans.

The former city council member and owner of a marketing and communications company, was a recent guest on our radio show, where she outlined her priority issues and the reasons why she believes Democratic primary voters will want to make a change next year when they decide who should take on second-term Republican US Rep. Derrick Van Orden.

Rebecca Cooke, the party’s 2024 nominee, has already announced her 2026 campaign, as has Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge for the district that takes up much of western and parts of central Wisconsin.

BUDGET BAIT & SWITCH – State Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) is calling out majority Republicans for not being transparent about getting public input on the state’s next biennial budget.

The Joint Finance Committee recently finished holding four public hearings around Wisconsin, but Smith points out that nobody there could actually comment on what the final budget bill is likely to be since Republicans haven’t written it yet.

Smith says instead of talking about general concepts, Republicans should allow public input on the specifics of a bill once they write it.

That Republican bill, whenever it’s written, is what will likely be passed by the Senate and Assembly and sent to Gov. Tony Evers for his signature or some form of a veto.

NATURE AND SERVICE VOLUNTEERS CUT – The latest cuts from President Trump and Elon Musk affect more than 400 community volunteers in Wisconsin.

They are part of nationwide cuts to AmeriCorps, a program that for more than 30 years has allowed more than 1 million Americans to participate in community service with nonprofit groups, ranging from conservation to health care, from homelessness to helping youth in crisis.

In many instances, Trump and Musk have claimed the programs they are cutting are engaged in waste, fraud, and abuse or specialize in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that they oppose.

State Rep. Jodi Emerson, an Eau Claire Democrat, said no one can figure out what would prompt a president to make cuts that impact Beaver Creek Reserve, Western Dairyland, Girl Scouts, and other service and education projects.

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul told WISN-TV’s Upfront, that people shouldn’t read too much into the state Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily suspend Judge Hannah Dugan — arrested by President Donald Trump’s FBI and charged with assisting an undocumented immigrant who was a defendant in her court.

Kaul and the justices characterized Hannah’s suspension as a routine or expected move, whatever the strength or weakness of the charges… and Kaul said it is not a sign of guilt or innocence in her federal case.

Kaul didn’t weigh in on the arrest itself but said the state might get involved down the line, depending on how things play out.

Kaul also backed Gov. Tony Evers’ advice to state employees in case of an immigration raid, telling them to immediately call a lawyer. Kaul called it a smart, common-sense step to make sure things are done by the book and that personal data stays protected. He thinks the criticism is more about politics than policy.

Penny Wise, Pound Foolish-Wisconsin health officials are raising red flags over a proposed $880 billion in federal budget cuts—saying the move would gut Medicaid, shift billions in costs onto Wisconsin taxpayers, and make it harder for working adults, kids, and seniors to access care. Nearly 1 in 5 people in Wisconsin rely on Medicaid programs like BadgerCare Plus for everything from checkups to nursing home support.

There's new and historic legislation about the freedom to bodily autonomy in Wisconsin.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI) supports the Abortion Rights Restoration Act.

“This bill is about protecting a patient’s ability to decide for herself what kind of reproductive health care she needs,” said Tanya Atkinson, President of PPAWI.

“This bill is also about protecting health care professionals from criminal punishments for providing patient-centered and medically indicated health care for their patients."

Meanwhile, PPAW is asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to interpret an 1849 law that banned abortions.

"The right to life and liberty, including the right to make one’s own decisions about whether or not to give birth and medical decisions related to pregnancy or abortion care from a chosen health care provider,” the organization asserts, “is fundamental.” Planned Parenthood also argues that if it operated as a ban, the 1849 law would violate the constitutional rights of doctors to practice their chosen profession.

✏️: Salina Heller

Gov. Evers told WISN-TV’s UpFront he’s still weighing a reelection run — but says we’ll get an answer right after the budget.

The arrest of a Milwaukee County judge by President Trump's FBI will make it harder for ordinary Americans to get the justice they deserve, according to attorney and state Sen.
Kelda Roys (D-Madison).

Roys notes that judges are increasingly bothered by federal agents using local courthouses as places to make arrests of people alleged to be undocumented immigrants. Doing so is seen by Roys and others as a pure intimidation tactic, but it's also likely to mean some criminal defendants and people who witness crimes will be less likely to show up in court.

Roys says Friday's arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan is evidence of Trump's ongoing effort to have an authoritarian government that can ignore laws and individuals' rights.

An Eau Claire native is among the parents nationwide expressing outrage over Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s recent remarks about autism.

Kennedy, President Trump’s secretary of health and human services, that implied autistic children and members of the neuro-divergent community could not be contributing members of society.

Sarah Driever, who said she is also on what’s commonly called the autism spectrum, described her twin 5-year-old sons as medically complex, but capable of learning, thinking, communicating and participating. Driever said she is, like others, alarmed at Kennedy’s claim that an “environmental toxin” must be the cause of autism and that he wants to build a registry of people with autism, using personal medical records. Decades of research has found no single cause—and Driever said if Kennedy and Trump want to be helpful, they can start by reversing all of the cuts they’ve made to medical research.