As of last night, the Early Vote in Wisconsin’s crucial Supreme Court Election has passed 250,000 votes. That’s about 80,000 more votes than were cast at this point in 2023! That was the year Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Daniel Kelly, flipping the state’s high court to progressive control. So far, it looks like turnout will be significantly higher than two years ago.
(The big question, of course, is who is voting: MAGA Republicans and others whose vote Elon Musk is trying to buy, or democracy-minded Wisconsinites who are determined to preserve their state’s achievements since Justice Protasiewicz was elected. Her victory made it possible for Wisconsin to undo one of the country’s worst gerrymanders!)
Toby of MGData is tabulating and analyzing Early Voting in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election between Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel. He believes that today will be a big day – and he will be analyzing the numbers as soon as they come in. Lots of fascinating info here!
Toby of MGData has just posted updated numbers and analysis. The topline is that another 86,561 votes have been added, bringing the Early Vote total to 345,536. Toby has a really nice chart comparing 2025 votes so far with 2023:
"While conservatives could cherry pick some of this data to point to signs of strength, there really isn't much in the way of good news for them here. You have to squint pretty hard to see good news for them outside of really topline-level stuff in a handful of counties.
"By 2023 results at the county level, Crawford has a conservatively estimated 62-38 lead among mail ballots and a 54-46 lead among IPAV. Mail voting is coming in stronger than 2023 and IPAV (in-person absentee vote) looks a lot better for progressives than it did in 2024 (though not as good as 2023).
"Schimel will likely be headed into election day with a massive deficit among mail ballots and a smaller one among in person ballots unless things shift dramatically in conservatives' favor over the next four days. They will be relying on election day turnout to overcome that because they simply are not seeing what they need to from absentee ballots from what we can tell from the publicly available data."
I encourage you to read Toby’s numbers and analysis yourself.
I have not been posting as much in the last week as I normally do, but I have been reading every day and I continue to be inspired by the work that everyone is doing. I have been heavily involved with the planning for the April 5th Hands OFF! rally that is happening here in Minnesota at the State Capitol. And I have been working on helping a great candidate elected as state party chair in Minnesota to replace Ken Martin.
Everything you all are doing is making a difference during this shitshow of a presidency. I was at an event last night where Gov. Walz made some remarks and he said that this was "the worst I told you so tour" that he had ever been involved in. Voters are having remorse over their choice last fall. Gov Walz encouraged us to bring those conflicted, remorseful voters into our tent and not push them away. That's something I am working on this week. It's hard, but necessary.
I am not sure that the one in Hartford in front of the capitol is still being held or if the small city next to me, Torrington will be the center of our April 5th universe. I was told it was moved to the front of the Social Security office in Torrington since it is rumored to be on the chopping block.
Re the Signal Chat: Here are the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence:
Committee Chairman: Republican Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Ranking Minority, Vice Chairman: Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia
Blanket their phones. Visit their offices if you can. Send them contact form emails. Then call their offices again to make sure they received your email.
The only upside of that astounding national security breach is that it was the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic – and not a journalist for Al Jazeera or Al-Arabiya.
I saw the last 20 minutes. The personages that were brought in claimed that no classified info was on the call, but then it came out that whatever Hegseth deemed classified was not mentioned - that he has the final call. Unfortunately, Hegseth was not there to be questioned. Apparently, they feel the public is very, very stupid.
What happened is this: I was growing mighty unhappy with myself for not being able to break out of my Trump-induced unhappiness (anger, fear, frustration). I saw two bluegrass artists were going to be at a local bar. Don't know much about bluegrass, but why not? So I bought tickets, persuaded my husband to come, and then, when we arrived, said Water is just fine. Three times. Then I was like, What the hell? I'm going to have some fun. Tiny venue. Wonderful night. A glass of pinot noir. Would you like some music? Here is Logan singing Gotta Get Over This. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwgZYyNT-h4
I need a glass of wine each night now more than ever. By dinner I’m shaking head to foot in anxiety and anger. Anger at the idiots who voted for this. I’m usually very calm and had low blood pressure.
AMERICA’s BIGGEST CYBER-SECURITY THREAT is inside the government
This is an astounding headline (my accentuation)! Especially from Axios, a well-reputed news site that is conservative/centrist. A few key excerpts:
When government officials "move fast, break things," they risk unintentionally breaking systems they didn't realize were valuable to begin with — like their secure wartime communications protocols.
The big picture: America's biggest cyber threat is no longer Chinese and Russian spies lurking in government systems. It's high-ranking officials and government employees who accidentally leak or access classified information.
Trump himself has often prioritized convenience over security, including in his use of a personal cell phone to make calls in his first term. He was also indicted for his handling of classified documents.
[Moves] by Trump officials to quickly overhaul "inefficiencies" in government systems have spawned urgent warnings from security officials around potential insider threats.
Elon Musk's tech team is filled with young men who don't have experience navigating sensitive government databases. At least one of them has been tied to a cybercriminal gang and fired from a cybersecurity internship for leaking company secrets.
I'm on Spring Break in Northern California. But this Signal chat really bothers me. It makes me shake. Our unofficial Democratic Press Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, comments on his Substack Notes last night about this. Pete always says it best:
Yesterday, Democrats continued to vote to support nominees to key positions, including for a deputy Secretary of State who advocated for the dissolution of USAID. And the reaction to the revelation that national security leadership are conducting off-book war planning on Signal was muted, at best.
For how long are we meant to endure the inaction of Chuck Schumer? I know he wants us to support Israel and I know he doesn’t yet think that we’re in “uncharted water.” But this is getting ridiculous. Is he doing anything else besides complain to NBC about the lack of respect he’s getting?
When Republicans were shut out of the executive and legislative branches in the early 2010s, they were certainly more effective in their comms. I don’t want to praise fascists. But it’d be nice to see us operating at even 10% of the disruptive energy level they brought in 2010.
Doesn't matter if it was Astroturfed. Those imbeciles were all over the airwaves...and they weren't spending that time complaining that they weren't adequately respected by party peons.
why, why, why do dem senators keep supporting satan's unqualified nominees?? is there an explanation to this madness?? do they still think bipartisanship exists?? what world are they living in??
- Democrats are calling on Hegseth to resign and hearings to be held.
"Only one word for this: FUBAR," Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., an Army veteran sitting on the House Armed Services Committee, wrote on social media. "If House Republicans won't hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I'll do it my damn self."
Virginia's Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate's intelligence committee, wrote on X that the Trump administration is "playing fast and loose with our nation's most classified info, and it makes all Americans less safe."
Jonathan Jackson is one of a growing number of Democratic Capitol Hill legislators calling for Hegseth to go:
If this administration is this careless and reckless with top level national security, imagine how our sensitive data is being handled. And they are erasing shit- people could be literally disappeared with no record of them and no way to hold anyone accountable. And it’s clear that MAGA is totally fine with this.
Holy shit is Witkoff really that dumb? Or is it just an act? He got a painting, that's fucking great. What are we going to do with a painting of that shithead?
All along here, I was worried we weren't getting anything for all of our concessions to Russia. We got a painting that will hang in one of Trump's stupid golf clubhouses along with all of the other extremely tasteless and tacky crap. What a relief we are getting a painting!
I have been calling my senators and my rep Mon-Fri. My representative, Jeff Hurd is Republican. I never leave a message for him. I keep calling until I get a live voice. Usually on the 1st or 2nd call. Sometimes it takes 3. When I hear folks say they aren't calling him because he never answers, they give themselves away.☹️ I have formed a neighborhood group that can help one another as things get rough. I share newsletters with friends in despair, messages of hope . I bought 7 copies of "On Tyranny" and passed them out. I joined others to protest in front of Black Canyon National Park on March 1 and March 22.
I look folks in the eye, smile and make small talk. All very easy to fit into my retiree life.
I just called Senator Schumer's office to demand that he take action on the security breach -- someone needs to be accountable, and he should call on Hegseth and Waltz to resign -- and that it is unacceptable that he has put up no opposition to the disappearing of people from our streets to El Salvadorian prison by the Administration. I received a live person for the first time ever. Not enough calls!
Someone should be on every station, talking to every reporter every day all the time sounding like Trump did on Hillary’s email. It should be a drumbeat of how these people should be fired and prosecuted for misusing technology that puts our nation at risk. Every Democrat elected should be in people’s faces all the time describing the threat they created and “lock them up” should be the mantra. STEP UP the Opposition!
Well Senators Warner and Ossoff were very good in what I saw of the committee investigation today. I have a feeling that the MSM chases after Republican craziness like that's news. Dems must be so boring in comparison. I like boring when it protects my safety and my sanity, but that is not newsworthy.
Dems aren't exciting and get no mainstream media coverage, hence why too many people believe they aren't "doing something." I've stopped engaging with people continuing to scream that into the ether. It's not helpful and is just a blatant lie.
the revelation that was most disturbing about the signal/yemen/national security debacle was the invective against europe. this came from the top down. so that must really be reverberating with our "allies" this morning. disgusting, unhinged, antidemocratic.
these people are stuck in a greed cycle. Everything is about money, as if alliances, treaties, shared values, shared visions, shared sacrifices have no value. I actually feel sorry for them and can't wait to get them out--- kicked out, voted out - however it happens,
Simon, really appreciate these interviews (I always watch the recordings; I take my walks and listen to them). And appreciate everyone here, always, doing the work. I fired off two emails to my PA senators late last night and just did again this morning. I keep asking Dave McCormick if he's pleased with his "disruptors" yet. Somehow he never answers.
Wow! I learned so much about what is happening to people trying to get in or return to the US. I thought the only problem was these illegal deportations. These are scary times. I will stand up. Thank you for all this crucial information.
WISCONSIN – ACTUAL VOTE COUNT
As of last night, the Early Vote in Wisconsin’s crucial Supreme Court Election has passed 250,000 votes. That’s about 80,000 more votes than were cast at this point in 2023! That was the year Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice Daniel Kelly, flipping the state’s high court to progressive control. So far, it looks like turnout will be significantly higher than two years ago.
(The big question, of course, is who is voting: MAGA Republicans and others whose vote Elon Musk is trying to buy, or democracy-minded Wisconsinites who are determined to preserve their state’s achievements since Justice Protasiewicz was elected. Her victory made it possible for Wisconsin to undo one of the country’s worst gerrymanders!)
Toby of MGData is tabulating and analyzing Early Voting in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election between Susan Crawford and Brad Schimel. He believes that today will be a big day – and he will be analyzing the numbers as soon as they come in. Lots of fascinating info here!
https://nitter.poast.org/TobyMGData
(Nitter is a way to read Tweets, so you don’t ever have to visit Musk’s Xitter.)
Excellent!
Brad Schimel hates the ACA and tried to kill it:
https://wisconsinindependent.com/health-care/brad-schimel-aca-obamacare-lawsuit-susan-crawford-supreme-court-election/
WISCONSIN EARLY VOTE UPDATE
Toby of MGData has just posted updated numbers and analysis. The topline is that another 86,561 votes have been added, bringing the Early Vote total to 345,536. Toby has a really nice chart comparing 2025 votes so far with 2023:
https://nitter.poast.org/pic/orig/media%2FGm6H_sOW4AEDQXf.png
"While conservatives could cherry pick some of this data to point to signs of strength, there really isn't much in the way of good news for them here. You have to squint pretty hard to see good news for them outside of really topline-level stuff in a handful of counties.
"By 2023 results at the county level, Crawford has a conservatively estimated 62-38 lead among mail ballots and a 54-46 lead among IPAV. Mail voting is coming in stronger than 2023 and IPAV (in-person absentee vote) looks a lot better for progressives than it did in 2024 (though not as good as 2023).
"Schimel will likely be headed into election day with a massive deficit among mail ballots and a smaller one among in person ballots unless things shift dramatically in conservatives' favor over the next four days. They will be relying on election day turnout to overcome that because they simply are not seeing what they need to from absentee ballots from what we can tell from the publicly available data."
I encourage you to read Toby’s numbers and analysis yourself.
https://nitter.poast.org/TobyMGData
I have not been posting as much in the last week as I normally do, but I have been reading every day and I continue to be inspired by the work that everyone is doing. I have been heavily involved with the planning for the April 5th Hands OFF! rally that is happening here in Minnesota at the State Capitol. And I have been working on helping a great candidate elected as state party chair in Minnesota to replace Ken Martin.
Everything you all are doing is making a difference during this shitshow of a presidency. I was at an event last night where Gov. Walz made some remarks and he said that this was "the worst I told you so tour" that he had ever been involved in. Voters are having remorse over their choice last fall. Gov Walz encouraged us to bring those conflicted, remorseful voters into our tent and not push them away. That's something I am working on this week. It's hard, but necessary.
I am not sure that the one in Hartford in front of the capitol is still being held or if the small city next to me, Torrington will be the center of our April 5th universe. I was told it was moved to the front of the Social Security office in Torrington since it is rumored to be on the chopping block.
I’ll be at the rally. Thank you so much.
Re the Signal Chat: Here are the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence:
Committee Chairman: Republican Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Ranking Minority, Vice Chairman: Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia
Blanket their phones. Visit their offices if you can. Send them contact form emails. Then call their offices again to make sure they received your email.
The other members are listed here:
https://www.senate.gov/general/committee_membership/committee_memberships_SLIN.htm
The only upside of that astounding national security breach is that it was the Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic – and not a journalist for Al Jazeera or Al-Arabiya.
Well, we don't know how many have gone to them.
I turned the TV news on for the first time since election night to hear Warner's opening statement. He was good.
I saw the last 20 minutes. The personages that were brought in claimed that no classified info was on the call, but then it came out that whatever Hegseth deemed classified was not mentioned - that he has the final call. Unfortunately, Hegseth was not there to be questioned. Apparently, they feel the public is very, very stupid.
But her emails!
But her emails indeed.
First time since election night? I admire your self-restraint!
(We got rid of our TV a decade and a half ago, but that’s a different matter.)
If you want to watch something, it's available on YouTube TV. I prefer Substack.
I far prefer to read my news, Substack as well as carefully-chosen news media, most of them untraditional.
I also gave up wine. Imagine my fortitude. I did, however, have a glass the other night. And then: All things went to hell once more.
Well, I would rather have a free bottle in front of me than a pre-frontal lobotomy.
What happened is this: I was growing mighty unhappy with myself for not being able to break out of my Trump-induced unhappiness (anger, fear, frustration). I saw two bluegrass artists were going to be at a local bar. Don't know much about bluegrass, but why not? So I bought tickets, persuaded my husband to come, and then, when we arrived, said Water is just fine. Three times. Then I was like, What the hell? I'm going to have some fun. Tiny venue. Wonderful night. A glass of pinot noir. Would you like some music? Here is Logan singing Gotta Get Over This. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwgZYyNT-h4
Good for you Beth. I love to hear that. Thank God for music to raise our spirits... and for nature... and the garden. Stay strong, feed your soul...
lol Stones
I need a glass of wine each night now more than ever. By dinner I’m shaking head to foot in anxiety and anger. Anger at the idiots who voted for this. I’m usually very calm and had low blood pressure.
It is such a hard time. Good god. Thank goodness for Hopium.
AMERICA’s BIGGEST CYBER-SECURITY THREAT is inside the government
This is an astounding headline (my accentuation)! Especially from Axios, a well-reputed news site that is conservative/centrist. A few key excerpts:
When government officials "move fast, break things," they risk unintentionally breaking systems they didn't realize were valuable to begin with — like their secure wartime communications protocols.
The big picture: America's biggest cyber threat is no longer Chinese and Russian spies lurking in government systems. It's high-ranking officials and government employees who accidentally leak or access classified information.
Trump himself has often prioritized convenience over security, including in his use of a personal cell phone to make calls in his first term. He was also indicted for his handling of classified documents.
[Moves] by Trump officials to quickly overhaul "inefficiencies" in government systems have spawned urgent warnings from security officials around potential insider threats.
Elon Musk's tech team is filled with young men who don't have experience navigating sensitive government databases. At least one of them has been tied to a cybercriminal gang and fired from a cybersecurity internship for leaking company secrets.
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/25/atlantic-wartime-communications-cyber-threats
Hoping this stays in the headlines and people get fired. How to make that happen?
Linda - I called 15 of them but have to run to a meeting- thanks for the idea! And info
My Senator Martin Heinrich grilled the CIA Director about Signal Chat and other global threats. His videos from the hearing are posted here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvjIAe8X8Ts&t=66s&ab_channel=U.S.SenatorMartinHeinrich
Many of the testimonies are on the CSPAN youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@CSPAN
I'm on Spring Break in Northern California. But this Signal chat really bothers me. It makes me shake. Our unofficial Democratic Press Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, comments on his Substack Notes last night about this. Pete always says it best:
https://petebuttigieg.substack.com/notes
Thanks. I forgot Pete has a substack. I subscribed.
Yesterday, Democrats continued to vote to support nominees to key positions, including for a deputy Secretary of State who advocated for the dissolution of USAID. And the reaction to the revelation that national security leadership are conducting off-book war planning on Signal was muted, at best.
For how long are we meant to endure the inaction of Chuck Schumer? I know he wants us to support Israel and I know he doesn’t yet think that we’re in “uncharted water.” But this is getting ridiculous. Is he doing anything else besides complain to NBC about the lack of respect he’s getting?
When Republicans were shut out of the executive and legislative branches in the early 2010s, they were certainly more effective in their comms. I don’t want to praise fascists. But it’d be nice to see us operating at even 10% of the disruptive energy level they brought in 2010.
That was bought and paid for by corporate money
Doesn't matter if it was Astroturfed. Those imbeciles were all over the airwaves...and they weren't spending that time complaining that they weren't adequately respected by party peons.
why, why, why do dem senators keep supporting satan's unqualified nominees?? is there an explanation to this madness?? do they still think bipartisanship exists?? what world are they living in??
Republicans used to nominate qualified people. Used to.
As for the rest of JB's statement:
- Schumer saved us and kept the courts open. Things would be much, MUCH worse right now if the government was shut down:
https://www.wakeuptopolitics.com/p/how-a-shutdown-could-empower-trump
- Democrats are calling on Hegseth to resign and hearings to be held.
"Only one word for this: FUBAR," Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., an Army veteran sitting on the House Armed Services Committee, wrote on social media. "If House Republicans won't hold a hearing on how this happened IMMEDIATELY, I'll do it my damn self."
Virginia's Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate's intelligence committee, wrote on X that the Trump administration is "playing fast and loose with our nation's most classified info, and it makes all Americans less safe."
Jonathan Jackson is one of a growing number of Democratic Capitol Hill legislators calling for Hegseth to go:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rep-jonathan-jackson-asks-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-to-step-down-after-group-chat-incident/ar-AA1BAe6f
"Muted at best"?!
What universe are you living in? Not Jonathan Jackson's or mine:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/rep-jonathan-jackson-asks-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-to-step-down-after-group-chat-incident/ar-AA1BAe6f
have you seen the Senate Minority Leader? Did he hold a press conference? Did he do anything to grab attention and focus it on this shocking incident?
If this administration is this careless and reckless with top level national security, imagine how our sensitive data is being handled. And they are erasing shit- people could be literally disappeared with no record of them and no way to hold anyone accountable. And it’s clear that MAGA is totally fine with this.
Thank you both!
Holy shit is Witkoff really that dumb? Or is it just an act? He got a painting, that's fucking great. What are we going to do with a painting of that shithead?
All along here, I was worried we weren't getting anything for all of our concessions to Russia. We got a painting that will hang in one of Trump's stupid golf clubhouses along with all of the other extremely tasteless and tacky crap. What a relief we are getting a painting!
I think he really is that dumb.
Who wants stupid, who wants pretending to be stupid?
His take on Putin - as if he were not a war criminal. What happened to the list of Ukranian children that were kidnapped? https://www.npr.org/2023/03/17/1164267436/international-criminal-court-arrest-warrant-putin-ukraine-alleged-war-crimes
I have been calling my senators and my rep Mon-Fri. My representative, Jeff Hurd is Republican. I never leave a message for him. I keep calling until I get a live voice. Usually on the 1st or 2nd call. Sometimes it takes 3. When I hear folks say they aren't calling him because he never answers, they give themselves away.☹️ I have formed a neighborhood group that can help one another as things get rough. I share newsletters with friends in despair, messages of hope . I bought 7 copies of "On Tyranny" and passed them out. I joined others to protest in front of Black Canyon National Park on March 1 and March 22.
I look folks in the eye, smile and make small talk. All very easy to fit into my retiree life.
inspiring, thank you
I just called Senator Schumer's office to demand that he take action on the security breach -- someone needs to be accountable, and he should call on Hegseth and Waltz to resign -- and that it is unacceptable that he has put up no opposition to the disappearing of people from our streets to El Salvadorian prison by the Administration. I received a live person for the first time ever. Not enough calls!
I'm calling again today!
Someone should be on every station, talking to every reporter every day all the time sounding like Trump did on Hillary’s email. It should be a drumbeat of how these people should be fired and prosecuted for misusing technology that puts our nation at risk. Every Democrat elected should be in people’s faces all the time describing the threat they created and “lock them up” should be the mantra. STEP UP the Opposition!
And these things are so clearly unconstituitonal and un American.
Well Senators Warner and Ossoff were very good in what I saw of the committee investigation today. I have a feeling that the MSM chases after Republican craziness like that's news. Dems must be so boring in comparison. I like boring when it protects my safety and my sanity, but that is not newsworthy.
Dems aren't exciting and get no mainstream media coverage, hence why too many people believe they aren't "doing something." I've stopped engaging with people continuing to scream that into the ether. It's not helpful and is just a blatant lie.
the revelation that was most disturbing about the signal/yemen/national security debacle was the invective against europe. this came from the top down. so that must really be reverberating with our "allies" this morning. disgusting, unhinged, antidemocratic.
these people are stuck in a greed cycle. Everything is about money, as if alliances, treaties, shared values, shared visions, shared sacrifices have no value. I actually feel sorry for them and can't wait to get them out--- kicked out, voted out - however it happens,
How about imprisoned?
Simon, really appreciate these interviews (I always watch the recordings; I take my walks and listen to them). And appreciate everyone here, always, doing the work. I fired off two emails to my PA senators late last night and just did again this morning. I keep asking Dave McCormick if he's pleased with his "disruptors" yet. Somehow he never answers.
Wow! I learned so much about what is happening to people trying to get in or return to the US. I thought the only problem was these illegal deportations. These are scary times. I will stand up. Thank you for all this crucial information.
Sadly, cruelty is the point. I cannot accept this movement of hate. I will stand for ALL the good people in this country and our future.
Simon, great job on your first live Substack. I didn’t catch it live, but it was a noteworthy discussion. 👏🏻