Monday, March 31, 2025
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Appeals Court rejects AG Josh Kaul's effort to block Elon Musk payments to Wisconsin voters
Molly Beck
MADISON - A panel of state appeals judges on Saturday rejected an effort by Attorney General Josh Kaul to block Elon Musk from paying voters in Wisconsin ahead of a pivotal state Supreme Court election on Tuesday.
A Madison-based state appeals court on Saturday declined to quickly intervene in an event Musk planned to hold Sunday during which he initially said he would pay two voters each $1 million and later backtracked and said the money would go to people who signed a petition to oppose judges who rule against President Donald Trump.
The appeals panel rejected a motion filed by Kaul late Friday seeking emergency relief after a Columbia County circuit judge rejected hearing Kaul's lawsuit against Musk before Sunday, according to Kaul.
Now, Kaul may ask the state Supreme Court to step in before Sunday but a spokesman for Kaul did not immediately say whether the Democratic attorney general planned to ask the high court.
In the order from the appeals court, the judges wrote Kaul had not filed or supported his request properly, which forced them to deny the request.
In a since-deleted post on X, Musk said he would hold an event Sunday in Wisconsin and hand out $1 million checks to voters "in appreciation for you taking the time to vote."
But after election experts and Democrats raised questions about whether the offer violated the state's election bribery laws, Musk deleted the post and said he would instead be handing over the checks to two people who would serve as spokespeople for his "Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges." The new post also no longer said attendance would be limited "to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election," as the original post had stated.
"To clarify a previous post, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges," Musk wrote. "I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition."
Musk, a close ally of Trump, has poured about $20 million into the race to back conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel through spending from his own coffers and via two outside groups.
Schimel has sought to distance himself from Musk's event in recent days.
"We have no plans to be there. We have a very aggressive campaign calendar," Schimel told reporters Friday. "I have no idea what he's doing. I have no idea what this rally is."
Liberal Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford called Musk's activities "immoral" on Saturday.
Kaul's lawsuit seeks a restraining order barring Musk "from any further promotion of the million-dollar gifts" to attendees of the planned Sunday event and "from making any payments to Wisconsin electors to vote."
In an odd twist, Crawford was initially assigned to oversee the case involving her race but a spokesman said it was a random assignment and that she will recuse.
The case was quickly reassigned to Columbia County Circuit Judge W. Andrew Voigt.
A spokesman for America PAC declined to comment on Kaul's plans.
The move comes after Kaul and Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern received a letter from the liberal Madison-based Law Forward legal firm, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and State Democracy Defenders Fund seeking "an immediate investigation."The groups asked Kaul and Lovern to review Musk's America PAC's offer to pay $100 to Wisconsin voters for signing a petition opposing 'activist judges' who have ruled against President Donald Trump and Musk's Thursday announcement of plans to give two voters each $1 million checks.
Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
Racine County restaurant owners react to rising egg prices
Caroline Neal
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In Glenview, Illinois, eggs cost $8.79 on Jan. 10. In the Midwest, egg prices have increased 102.6% compared to February 2024. |
RACINE COUNTY — Local breakfast diners and cafes in Racine County are feeling the impact of rising egg prices because of the avian flu outbreak.
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in the United States, egg prices have increased 96.8% since February 2024, with consumers paying around $5.89 for a dozen of large, grade A eggs.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wholesale egg prices declined “sharply” this month but are predicted to increase 57.6% in 2025.
Last year, egg farmers nationwide lost 38.4 million birds because of avian flu, USDA data showed.
“It’s a lot for restaurants to absorb, particularly in smaller cities like Racine,” said Corey Oakland, owner of Red Onion Cafe. “Eggs are such a heavily used product. For us, as a breakfast restaurant, that impacts certain things.”
Data indicates the Midwest has seen a similar increase: Up from $2.90 in February 2024, grocery shoppers paid $5.89 for a dozen of large, grade A eggs last month, marking a 102.6% increase in the region.
Both Jordan Bashayreh, manager at Meli Cafe Pancake House and Restaurant, and Michael Scamarcia, owner of Douglas Avenue Diner, said increasing egg prices are affecting their businesses.
“The margin is not there anymore, but we cannot also increase prices on consumers and customers,” Bashayreh said. “So we drop down in our margin to keep the price reasonable for customers.”
Some restaurants, like Denny’s and Waffle House, announced surcharges in February to keep up with rising prices.
For Scamarcia, the rising prices were “the cost of doing business.”
“As a consumer, I don’t want to be nickeled and dimed to death,” he said.
Bashayreh, too, said he did not consider a surcharge because it would have to apply to most menu items.
“Pancakes have eggs, French toast has eggs, crepes have eggs, omelets, skillets — the main ingredient here is eggs,” he said.
Though Oakland said Red Onion recently increased its prices to keep up with inflation, the restaurant did not add a surcharge for eggs.
“I don’t believe necessarily in some of the fees I’ve been hearing about because in the end, for sure it hurts and it’s an increase,” he said. “But when you look at it in the biggest pictures, if you have one egg on something, it’s not an incredible expense.”
Restaurant owners like Scamarcia, Oakland and Bashayreh buy eggs through a distributor.
Each week, Scamarcia orders around 4,500 eggs, and Bashayreh said he receives at least 9,000 eggs with each order.
Scamarcia has noticed a decline in prices: The week of March 24, 15 dozen eggs cost about $75; the week before, the same amount cost around $120.
For Oakland, ordering eggs was “almost like a game.”
With each order, the prices would increase at least $10, eventually getting to $130 and $140 per case.
But, he’s also noticed a decrease in his last two invoices.
“It looks like maybe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel at this point,” he said. “Hopefully it goes down just as quickly. It’s one of those things sometimes where prices go up super, super quick, but it takes a long time to get them back down.”
Even with prices decreasing, however, Scamarcia said he is still paying more than double what he paid before they increased.
“Still have to contend with that,” he said. “It’s still higher than what we were paying.”
Bashayreh echoed this sentiment, noting that when egg prices have risen previously, they’ve never fully come back down.
According to Bashayreh, eggs were around $10 in 2019 and 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, prices rose to $70-$90 per case. Prices later decreased to $40-$50, he said, but did not return to $9.
Bashayreh said he is expecting a similar trend this time around.
“It’s not going to go back like before the bird flu,” he said. “It’s going to go down a little bit, but it’s not going to go like before.”
After cyberattack, The Journal Times is back to full strength
Mike Boyd
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| Mike Boyd |
Since Feb. 3, when a cyberattack shut down most systems at Lee Enterprises, the parent company of The Journal Times, teams have been working day and night to bring you the complete newspaper you expect.
Today, we cannot be more pleased to tell you we are back to full strength.
For the past few days, you’ve probably noticed the newspaper has returned to its bigger size. It has more local news, sports and features, and we’ve brought back the Sunday Family & Life section. You’ll find your favorite columnists on the opinion page, and you’ll also see a return of some features we weren’t able to provide during the outage, such as A+.
We never stopped giving you the latest local news, sports and entertainment on journaltimes.com. But many of you have told us that you prefer to read a printed paper. One reader who wrote to us ended her handwritten letter with, “Coffee tastes so much better when you’re reading the paper.”
This outage wasn’t something we anticipated, and the road to recovery has been long. But along the way, you’ve shown the patience and grace typically reserved for a friend. And for that, we thank you.
We read every message of empathy and encouragement. And we read every note of frustration, too. You kept us motivated to move as fast as possible to resolve this issue and get back up to full speed.
We’re pleased to give you the paper you want and deserve, but we’re not satisfied to just return to normal. We’ll work hard to continue to be the best source of local news in Racine County.
Thank you for supporting the The Journal Times.
Saturday, March 29, 2025
AP photographer who took iconic Trump photo now barred from many White House events
Friday, March 28, 2025
Elon Musk is coming to Wisconsin ahead of state's 2025 Supreme Court election. What we know, don't know about DOGE leader's visit.
Christopher Kuhagen
Elon Musk has already poured in millions of dollars into the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election to help Waukesha County judge and conservative candidate Brad Schimel defeat Dane County judge and liberal candidate Susan Crawford.
Now, the billionaire says he's coming to the state two days before the high-stakes election.
The tech giant and leader of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency agency, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday night that he'll be in Wisconsin on Sunday.
Musk, the world's richest person, initially said he will give out two $1 million checks to people who have already voted. However, by late Friday morning, Musk's post has since been deleted. Musk owns X.
Shortly after, though, he posted again, clarifying that the checks would be given to individuals who would serve as spokespeople for his "Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges." The new post also no longer said attendance would be limited "to those who have voted in the Supreme Court election," as the original post had said.
Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said Friday that he planned to take legal action to stop the payments.
Here's what we know about his announcement and his growing presence and financial contributions in Wisconsin's Supreme Court race:
Where will Elon Musk speak in Wisconsin?
Musk didn't mention in either of his tweets where in Wisconsin he'd be speaking Sunday.
In the second post, he just wrote that he'll give a talk in the state and that entrance will be limited to those who've signed the petition against "activist judges."
Elon Musk Wisconsin petition, America PAC
Musk's giveaway to Wisconsin voters comes after a Green Bay man received $1 million from Elon Musk's super PAC, America PAC, for the Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
The man, who has been identified as Scott Ainsworth, signed Musk's "Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges."
America PAC also said it'll pay Wisconsin voters $100 to sign the petition, Axios reported. The plan could be illegal under state law, one Wisconsin election lawyer said. It's illegal for voters to receive or accept any money for their vote, according to state statutes.
Musk has spent $11.5 million through America PAC to promote Schimel and attack Crawford in the Supreme Court race. He's the largest donor in the race for either campaign.
Musk has funneled in nearly $20 million in support of Schimel, campaign records show. Musk, who campaigned for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, gave away millions of dollars last fall through his political action committee in swing states. Legal challenges failed.
When Trump won the presidency, he made Musk the head of DOGE, which he started that has gone on to fire thousands of federal employees from agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, National Park Service, the Agriculture Department and more.
Elon Musk net worth
Musk is the world's richest person with a net worth of over $344.9 billion, according to Forbes.
He co-founded several companies, including electric car maker Tesla, rocket producer SpaceX and xAI, an artificial startup. He bought Twitter, which he renamed X, for $44 billion in 2022.
Donald Trump has endorsed Brad Schimel in Wisconsin Supreme Court race
Musk isn't the only prominent name advocating for Schimel. President Donald Trump has been stumping hard for Schimel in recent days.
He endorsed Schimel last week on social media and, on Thursday, he appeared on a public call with the Waukesha County judge.
Trump encouraged voters to vote for Schimel and called Crawford a "hand-picked candidate of the Communists and Marxists." Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has endorsed Crawford, saying "there’s only one candidate ready to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Wisconsinites: Judge Susan Crawford."
Wisconsin early voting
Nearly 500,000 people have already voted in Wisconsin for Tuesday's spring election with the Supreme Court battle between Schimel and Crawford the headliner.
The winner will help shape the ideological philosophies in Wisconsin. Liberal justices have a slim 4-3 lead heading into the election.
Voters will also determine the state's top education official as well as whether to make voter ID law permanent and add it to the state constitution. Voter ID is already a requirement in the state.
AG Kaul seeks to block Musk's pledge to give $2 million to 2 voters ahead of Supreme Court election
MITCHELL SCHMIDT
Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and the state Department of Justice plan to take legal action to halt billionaire Elon Musk's pledge to deliver $1 million each to two Wisconsin residents in the final days leading up to the high-stakes April 1 election that will determine ideological control of the state Supreme Court.
Musk, a close aide to President Donald Trump who has showered millions of dollars on the race to support Republican-backed candidate Brad Schimel, said in a post on the social media platform X he will visit Wisconsin on Sunday to deliver the $1 million checks.
Kaul said on Friday he'll be seeking a court order to stop the payments.
"Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening," Kaul said in a statement.
Musk has offered $100 to anyone who signs his "Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges" and on Thursday he said a Green Bay man who signed the document had been awarded $1 million.
Late Thursday evening, Musk said in the now-deleted post he will deliver the checks "in appreciation for you taking the time to vote." Entry to the event was to be limited to "those who have voted in the Supreme Court election."
But as questions swirled regarding the legality of such a pledge, Musk deleted the post about 12 hours after posting it. In a subsequent post shortly after noon Friday, Musk said he will "hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition." He did not say where or when the event will take place, or how the two individuals will be selected.
He also amended his previous statement, noting that entry to the event will be limited to those who have signed his petition, rather than individuals who have already voted.
Schimel, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge, faces Democratic-backed Dane County Circuit Court Judge Susan Crawford in a race that's shattered previous spending records for state judicial elections.
Musk has spent more than $20 million on the race so far through two political action committees and direct donations to the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Musk has spent more than $20 million on the race so far through two political action committees and direct donations to the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
One of Musk's political action committees deployed a similar effort last year leading up to Trump's victory over then-Vice President Kamala Harris, offering $1 million a day to voters who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendment in several battleground states, including Wisconsin.
Philadelphia's district attorney sued to halt Musk's efforts in Pennsylvania in the 2024 presidential election, but a judge ultimately ruled prosecutors failed to show the attempt was an illegal lottery and it was allowed to continue through Nov. 4, according to the Associated Press.
Wisconsin election bribery laws ban individuals from offering "anything of value” to any elector in an attempt to “induce” them to vote or refrain from voting.
University of California election law professor Rick Hasen wrote in a Friday blog post that, while he hasn't researched Wisconsin caselaw surrounding election bribery, Musk's efforts "appear to violate the plain meaning of the statute."
"He’s offering a chance to win a million dollars, (which) is a thing of value, and it’s only offered to people who have voted," Hasan continued. "One might say he’s not inducing people, but instead rewarding them. I don’t think this helps, because the statute likely covers rewarding as well — think of people who decide to vote in order to attend the talk for the lottery chance to win a million dollars."
Officials with Crawford's campaign have called the payments a corrupt attempt to influence voters. Musk's involvement in the race began shortly after his Tesla electric car company sued Wisconsin for blocking it from opening dealerships in the state.
Crawford spokesperson Derrick Honeyman said Musk's efforts are "just a last-minute desperate distraction" and an attempt to influence the race in hopes of securing a favorable ruling in the lawsuit.
"Wisconsinites don’t want a billionaire like Musk telling them who to vote for, and on Tuesday, voters should reject Musk’s lackey Brad Schimel," Honeyman continued.
State Democrats also blasted Musk's pledge. Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said in a statement "merely the offer of something of value — in this case, the chance to receive one million dollars — is plainly illegal."
“Let’s be very clear: Elon Musk committed a crime the moment he offered million-dollar checks ‘in appreciation for’ voting, and deleting evidence of that crime changes nothing," Wikler continued.
"Wisconsinites will not be bought," Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said in a social media post. "Our votes are not for sale."
Schimel's campaign did not respond Friday to request for comment on the payments or whether the former attorney general plans to attend the event.
The state's highest court currently holds a 4-3 liberal majority. Seats on the seven-member court are technically nonpartisan, but political interests are spending millions on the race, the state’s two major parties have chosen sides and both candidates have painted their opponent as beholden to their partisan donors.
Total spending on the race topped $81 million as of Tuesday, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. That includes about $22 million spent by Crawford and more than $10 million spent by Schimel. The remaining more than $49 million flowing into the race has come from the state's two major political parties, megadonors and outside groups.
In addition to Musk, Schimel has received support from GOP megadonors like Diane Hendricks, the owner of ABC Supply in Beloit, and Liz Uihlein, president of shipping company Uline. Crawford, meanwhile, has benefited from liberal philanthropist George Soros, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others.
The April 1 contest comes just two years after the last judicial election, another battle for ideological control of the court that set records at the time with more than $51 million spent by candidates and special-interest groups leading up to Janet Protasiewicz's 2023 victory over former Justice Dan Kelly.
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