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U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

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Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

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A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

WI Protests: Biggest Capitol Crowd Ever

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Monday, March 14, 2011   

MADISON, Wis. - Led by a tractor-cade of farmers and featuring national figures like the Rev. Jesse Jackson, actress Susan Sarandon, filmmaker Michael Moore and the 14 Democratic Wisconsin senators who had just returned from three weeks in Illinois, protests at the state Capitol drew record crowds over the weekend.

Nino Amato, president of the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, says the protests will continue, even though Gov. Walker's Budget Repair Bill has been passed.

"The real challenge will be that people feel they weren't given a level playing field to express their concerns, and the impact this budget would have on our 5.6 million citizens."

The huge crowds, which by some estimates exceeded 100,000 people Saturday, have been drawn to the Capitol because people think the legislation moved too quickly, Amato says.

Now Amato expects the debate to focus on the state's proposed biennial budget, and the crowds will keep coming.

"Now the next step is in this budget debate. If they push this along at the same speed, or even half the speed that they did with the Budget Repair Bill, it's going to be a travesty for a lot of people. It's also going to have unintended consequences that will slow down Wisconsin's recovery."

Gov. Walker and the Republicans say changes to public employee collective bargaining and huge budget cuts are necessary to stabilize Wisconsin's economy, attract businesses and create jobs. Amato and others say it will have the opposite effect.

Amato notes that one of the many things the poor, the elderly and farmers are very concerned about is the proposed half-billion-dollar budget cut to Wisconsin's Medicaid Program.

"You're going to have people falling off Family Care, Senior Care, Badger Care. These people, to get the help they'll need, are going to have to go to the emergency room, and the emergency rooms are the most expensive form of health care in the world. Guess who pays for that? Not state government; not property tax dollars; but us, the insurance holders, who pay increases in premiums."

Amato, whose organization represents hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who will be directly affected by the budget cuts, says the fight to make changes to the proposed budget is not a race, not a marathon, but an Iron Man competition.




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