In the News

by Emily CrockettOpponents of the Black Lives Matter movement often use the phrase "all lives matter" to dismiss activists' concerns about police violence against black Americans. But now lawmakers in Missouri, where the Black Lives Matter movement began, are using the phrase in anti-abortion legislation. Rep. Mike Moon of the Missouri State House sponsored a bill called the All Lives Matter Act, which would define a fetus or embryo as a "person" from the moment of conception. It would also get ... Read more

by Kayla BrandonWhen a Wisconsin congressman took the House floor last week to talk about abortion, he also brought up another sensitive subject — race. U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy (R) addressed his ‘liberal friends’ and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to defend the lives of unborn African American babies:“…talk about fighting for the defenseless, the hopeless, and the downtrodden. There is no one more hopeless and voiceless than an unborn baby, but their silence is deafening. I can’t hear th... Read more

by Julia CravenRep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) says he's heard a lot about how the criminal justice system and other institutions treat African-Americans from the Congressional Black Caucus. But on Thursday, he wondered aloud on the House floor why the CBC wasn't more vocal about “how their communities are targeted in abortion.” “Here are some stunning facts. The African-American community is 15 percent of the country as a whole, but accounts for 40 percent of the abortions. Fifteen percent of American... Read more

by Alice Ollstein Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker waited just one day after President Obama announced a package of modest gun control reforms before directing his attorney general to explore challenging the new rule — becoming the first governor to threaten legal action over the regulations. Accusing President Obama of “disregarding the constitutional principles of separation of powers and exceeding his authority as chief executive,” Walker said in a statement that the executive order creates “uncer... Read more

by Jason SteinDemocratic officials at the state and federal level are calling for action on a Northwoods prison that is under investigation for alleged abuses of its juvenile prisoners.U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore of Milwaukee sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey on Wednesday asking that her office be briefed on the investigation being conducted by state Department of Justice and FBI agents into the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls, which sh... Read more

by Peter SchroederThe financial industry is eyeing a must-pass government funding bill as a way to stymie administration efforts to impose contentious new rules on the sector.As lawmakers work to craft an omnibus funding bill before a Dec. 11 deadline, the industry is pushing to include an amendment that could halt, or at least slow down, a reviled rule imposing a “fiduciary duty” on retirement investment advisers.The Obama administration has thrown its weight behind the Labor Department initiat... Read more

by Craig GilbertThe House voted by a large margin Thursday to increase screening of Syrian and Iraqi refugees before they enter the U.S., a step prompted by last week's terrorist attacks in Paris."If our law enforcement and intelligence community cannot verify that each and every person coming here is not a security threat, then they shouldn't be allowed in," Speaker Paul Ryan said before the vote. "Don't you think that common sense dictates we should take a pause and get this right?"The one-sid... Read more

by Andrea BeasleyThis week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was sworn in, and had a #winning moment when he pushed gender equality in the right direction, and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) seems to agree. Moore gave Trudeau kudos for his move to elect a gender-equal cabinet. GOP presidential candidate Carly Fiorina outlined what it means to be a feminist with a hopeful message, emphasizing “choice” as a catalyst for women to live “lives of dignity and purpose and meaning.”Rep. Donna F. ... Read more

by Vicki NeedhamFour top House Democrats are urging their colleagues to oppose any amendments to a highway bill that would damage efforts to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.), House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (Calif.) and Reps. Gwen Moore (Wis.) and Denny Heck (Wash.) sent a letter to the House Democratic Caucus on Monday, calling on the group to oppose the two-dozen amendments aimed at stopping a renewal of the Ex-Im Bank's... Read more

by John DiedrichIn the wake of a jury verdict against Badger Guns, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore is introducing a bill intended to increase oversight of gun stores that have sold guns connected to crime.The Gun Dealer Accountability Act would allow an increase in gun store inspections, require dealers to conduct an annual inventory and give regulators more power to investigate so-called sham license changes.Moore, a Democrat from Milwaukee, said the majority of gun dealers are responsible, but stores suc... Read more