Zohran Mamdani wins New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, defeating ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump asks Supreme Court to remove 3 Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to remove three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who were fired by President Donald Trump and then reinstated by a federal judge. Trump has the power to fire independent agency board members, the Justice Department argued in its filing to the high court, pointing to a May ruling by the Supreme Court that endorsed a robust view of presidential power. The administration asked the court for an immediate order to allow the firings to go forward, over the objections of lawyers for the commissioners. The commission helps protect consumers from dangerous products by issuing recalls, suing errant companies and more. Trump fired the three Democrats on the five-member commission in May. They were serving seven-year terms after being nominated by President Joe Biden. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox in Baltimore ruled in June that the dismissals were unlawful. Maddox sought to distinguish the commission's role from those of other agencies where the Supreme Court has allowed firings to go forward. A month earlier, the high court's conservative majority declined to reinstate members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board finding that the Constitution appears to give the president the authority to fire the board members 'without cause.' The three liberal justices dissented. The administration has argued that all the agencies are under Trump's control as the head of the executive branch. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Maddox, a Biden nominee, noted that it can be difficult to characterize the product safety commission's functions as purely executive. The fight over the president's power to fire could prompt the court to consider overturning a 90-year-old Supreme Court decision known as Humphrey's Executor. In that case from 1935, the court unanimously held that presidents cannot fire independent board members without cause. The decision ushered in an era of powerful independent federal agencies charged with regulating labor relations, employment discrimination, the airwaves and much else. But it has long rankled conservative legal theorists who argue the modern administrative state gets the Constitution all wrong because such agencies should answer to the president. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created in 1972. Its five members must maintain a partisan split, with no more than three representing the president's party. They serve staggered terms. That structure ensures that each president has 'the opportunity to influence, but not control,' the commission, attorneys for the fired commissioners wrote in court filings. They argued the recent terminations could jeopardize the commission's independence.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wisconsin Republicans look to Democrats to pass the state budget deal
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Legislature pushed to pass a compromise state budget Wednesday, with Democratic votes expected to be needed to approve the deal reached between Gov. Tony Evers and majority Republicans. The two-year spending plan would affect nearly every person in the battleground state. Income taxes would be cut for working people and retirees, sales taxes would be eliminated on residential electric bills and it would cost more to get a driver's license, buy license plates and title a vehicle. Evers, who has broad partial veto powers, has promised not to kill any portions of the budget he agreed to with Republicans. In a concession to the Democratic governor, Republicans also agreed to spend more money on special education services in K-12 schools, subsidize child care costs and give the Universities of Wisconsin its biggest increase in nearly two decades. The plan would also likely result in higher property taxes in many school districts due to no increase in general aid to pay for operations. The budget also calls for closing a troubled aging prison in Green Bay by 2029, but stops short of enacting a more broad prison overhaul plan put forward by Evers. Fast-moving plan Key details of the proposal were not released until early Tuesday morning, giving lawmakers and the public just over a day to understand the massive deal before the Legislature votes on it. Republicans planned to vote on it in both the Senate and Assembly on the same day. In at least the past 50 years, the budget has never passed both houses on the same day. There was urgency to pass the plan because of one part that increases an assessment on hospitals to help fund the state's Medicaid program and hospital provider payments. Changes being discussed in Congress could prohibit or limit the state's ability to do this in the future, Evers warned. 'That's why we're working so fast to get it done,' Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said Wednesday. The new state budget was supposed to begin on Tuesday but under Wisconsin law — even though it's late — the current spending plan continues and there is no government shutdown. Evers, who is midway through his second term, said he would announce his decision on seeking a third term after he has signed the budget. He has 10 working days after the Legislature passes the budget to take action on it. Republicans need Democratic votes Democrats said newly drawn legislative maps, which helped them pick up seats in November and narrow the Republican majorities, led to greater compromise this year. Republican Sen. Patrick Testin, a member of the budget committee, said the plan was far from perfect, but 'this is where we're at with divided government.' While Republicans still hold majorities in the Senate and Assembly, they were expected to need Democratic votes to pass it in the Senate. Republicans have a narrow 18-15 majority there, and two Republicans have publicly said they planned to vote against the deal. LeMahieu, the Republican Senate leader, said more GOP lawmakers planned to vote for the budget than against it, but declined to give exact numbers. Democratic senators were brought into budget negotiations in the final days to secure enough votes to pass it. 'It's a bipartisan deal,' Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein said before the vote. 'I think everybody left the table wishing it was different, but this is something everyone has agreed on.' Democratic criticism But that didn't stop some of the most liberal Democrats in the Legislature from speaking out against the plan on Tuesday, calling for more changes before a vote. Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson, of Milwaukee, pledged to vote against the plan, noting that property taxes would go up and nearly two-thirds of K-12 school districts would see a drop in state aid. In a social media post, Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong, of Madison, urged voters to contact Evers and lawmakers to pressure them to reject the plan, which she said 'fails to meet the needs of our children and working-class families.' Democratic Sen. Kelda Roys, a member of the budget committee, said she was leaning toward voting against the plan. But fellow Democratic budget committee member Sen. LaTonya Johnson signaled that she would back it. 'It should be a bipartisan document of our values and of our priorities,' Johnson said. 'And it was a bipartisan effort, not necessarily by choice, but by force, and that's OK. We'll take it any way we can get it.' Democratic senators refused to say how they planned to vote at a news conference prior to debate starting.
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Wisconsin Republicans look to Democrats to pass the state budget deal
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Legislature pushed to pass a compromise state budget Wednesday, with Democratic votes expected to be needed to approve the deal reached between Gov. Tony Evers and majority Republicans. The two-year spending plan would affect nearly every person in the battleground state. Income taxes would be cut for working people and retirees, sales taxes would be eliminated on residential electric bills and it would cost more to get a driver's license, buy license plates and title a vehicle.
