Yesterday was another primary, this one in Pennsylvania. The downballot races were interesting but what caught my eye, really, was the percent of the GOP presidential primary vote that did not vote for TFG. In the five Philadelphia suburbs, that percent ranged from a high of 25% in Montgomery County to a low of 19% in Bucks County. Although the comparisons are not exact, that led me to calculate the percent of the GOP primary vote for Nikki Hayley in the North Shore and the main population centers in Ozaukee County. (A small percentage of anti-Trump votes went for Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, or Ron DeSantis, but those dissenting votes were not tabulated in this data set.) Here is the percent of votes for Hayley in key cities and villages:

Learn more about Wisconsin voters who have turned away from Adolf Twittler by visiting a page of video testimonials from Wisconsin voters who supported Orange Julius in the past.

The Washington Post has a decent article about the Pennsylvania results, even though it dabbles in "bothsidesism" see: Protest votes in Pennsylvania primary loom over Trump, Biden in November. The piece does note the Wisconsin results as well as those from Pennsylvania. In Wisconsin, Biden's share of the Democratic vote in the North Shore and Ozaukee County was pretty consistently at 90% or above. So the Democratic Party here looks pretty unified. But the Republican party in our neck of the woods does not. After all, Nikki Haley had dropped out of the race on March 6, almost two weeks before early in-person voting in Wisconsin took place. When I look at the numbers, I see fertile ground for persuasion. Even if disaffected Republicans can't see their way to vote for President Biden, we will make progress if we persuade them either to stay home or at least to refrain from voting in the presidential election.

Looking foreward: consider attending Grassroots North Shore's presentations on the new election maps in place for the November 5 election. We're holding the New Maps: What's In Them For You event on Sunday, May 19, at Plymouth Church (2017 E Hampshire St, Milwaukee) from 4:30 - 6:00pm. Come meet the candidates and kick off their campaigns by signing their nomination papers. For the first time in over a decade, we can begin to rebalance the legislature this November. Four seats in particular are within reach: Assembly Districts 22, 23, and 24 plus Senate District 8. You can RSVP now. Even if you can't come, you can sign the nomination papers for candidates in whose districts you reside. Just visit our Elections 2024 page for instructions and links to download the forms.

You have probably heard that the package of aid for Ukraine, Israel, and our allies in Taiwan and other Pacific countries has at last passed both House and Senate. President Biden is scheduled to sign the bill into law today. It has taken six long months of obstruction by MAGA Republicans in the House. All the while President Biden remained patient but engaged. Speaker Mike Johnson indulged his right flank for quite a long time before he decided to build coalitions of more moderate Republicans and virtually every Democrat in the House. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the Senate too, although there were definitely some contrary views too. You can see how every member of the Senate voted on this urgent bill at the Washington Post (link gifted to get you past the paywall). Speaker Johnson finally turned the cranks, but President Biden gets another bipartisan win!

This week is full to overflowing with news from the judicial system. Now you can see the transcripts from the first two days of testimony in the New York State criminal election interference case, though using a page by page, undownloadable system. You can also learn about what the posting contains in New York Court System to Publish Daily Transcripts of Trump’s Trial.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has a particularly potent end-of-term calendar for oral arguments.

• On April 16, SCOTUS heard arguments in Fischer v. U.S., a case that seeks to prevent the government from bringing charges based on a law that prohibits a person from destroying documents and other forms of evidence or who "otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so." A January 6 felon wants the court to rule that the statute on which his conviction partly rests applies only to destruction or alteration of evidence during an investigation or trial. Not to participating in a violent (but peaceful) attack (or protest) seeking to overturn the government. Audio of the oral argument is here.
• On April 22, SCOTUS heard arguments that will determine whether cities can, in effect, criminalize homelessness. At issue is whether sleeping outside on public property is illegal, even if the people sleeping outside have nowhere else to go. Audio of the oral argument is here.
• Today, the case was Moyle v. U.S. The question is whether the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act preempts the state law banning abortions in Idaho. Amy Howe's article on SCOTUSblog, Supreme Court divided over federal-state conflict on emergency abortion ban, analyzes the day's argument. Generally, national laws override state laws, in accord with the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. But with this results-driven court, the showdown between the federal and state governments may not be as clear cut as it should. After all, the court allowed the the Idaho abortion ban to be in effect while SCOTUS considers the matter. Audio of the oral argument is here.
• And tomorrow, SCOTUS will hear Benedict Donald's plea for "total immunity" from all prosecutions. Technically, the question at hand is "whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office." The crux of the matter may well be who decides what acts are "official." The oral arguments will be streamed live on the court's server or through the New York Times, the Washington Post, or your favorite cable news channel.

Finally, here's a recommended action item for the week: Wisconsin Environmental Justice aims to build a statewide coalition to increase understanding of the connection between fossil fuels and climate change. We are also seeking the state of Wisconsin and cities and counties across the state to begin litigation against the fossil fuel industry for the harm they have caused our planet. We would like you to visit our website, W4EJ.org, to learn more and sign our petition.

I also want to recommend Robert Kagan's clear-eyed and thoughtful look at the ideological traditions into which Trump supporters fit, titled We have a radical democracy. Will Trump voters destroy it? The article is quite long — an excerpt from his forthcoming book Rebellion: How Antiliberalism is Tearing America Apart — Again — but well worth the time you'll need to devote to it. A key assertion sets the tone for the bulk of the piece: "For a significant segment of the Republican electorate, the white-hot core of the Trump movement, [his supporters will vote for him] because they want to see the system overthrown. This should not come as a shock, for it is not a new phenomenon. On the contrary, it is as old as the republic."

EVENTS

Wednesday, April 24

Thursday, April 25

Friday, April 26

Saturday, April 27

Wednesday, May 1

Saturday, May 4

Tuesday, May 7

Thursday, May 9

Saturday, May 11

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Saturday & Sunday, June 8-9

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