Wisconsin Right Now

Professional sports teams and government officials promise tax revenue benefits when taxpayer subsidies are used to build new or renovation stadiums and arenas.

But those benefits consistently do not come to fruition, according to a report from the Tax Foundation.

The report is consistent with years of economic research showing the same.

"The empirical evidence shows repeatedly that stadium subsidies fail to generate new tax revenue and new jobs or attract new businesses," said Adam Hoffer, Director of Excise Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation. "While attending a sporting event or a concert in a new, publicly subsidized venue might benefit fans of the team or those who attend the event, those subsidies shift spending that would have occurred in other parts of the city or state in the absence of a new sports stadium or arena."

The report highlights 12 projects in cities across the U.S. that were proposed or approved in 2024, including a $2.4 billion subsidy for a new Tampa Rays stadium and development in St. Petersburg, Florida, and a $2.4 billion proposed subsidy for a new Chicago Bears stadium on the Chicago off Lake Michigan adjacent to the current Soldier Field.

More than $100 million in bonds remained when Giants Stadium was demolished in 2010 and Chicago owes more today on Soldier Field renovation bonds than it did when the project occurred in 2002.

In many cases, the projects are accompanied by neighboring developments. In the case of Philadelphia, a proposed new arena would be paid for by the team while the city reduces the property taxes to $6 million annually in PILOT payments and just $10 in rent for the 30-year term of the lease while transferring several parcels of land to the team for the arena and development.

While announcing the deal, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker touted a debunked economic impact report related to the project.

“I don't know why the myth of stadiums as economic catalysts persists,” wrote economist J.C. Bradbury of Georgia’s Kennesaw State University. “I keep asking for examples of venues that worked, and no one can provide one. People just believe it because it kind of seems like it should make sense, but all the evidence suggests it isn't true.

“A list of cities that have lost major-league teams in the not-too-distant past: San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis, Montreal. These are all still fantastic cities. Remember, it's the city that makes the team not the team that makes the city.”

The report highlighted renovations for the Jacksonville Jaguars ($1.4 million) and Memphis Grizzlies ($350 million) while the Carolina Panthers ($600 million) also had a renovation approved in 2024 that was proposed in 2023.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals have proposals that have not been agreed upon, the Cleveland Browns have pushed several subsidy proposals for new stadium sites and the Washington Wizards and Capitals remained in D.C. after a proposal in Virginia died.

Browns

American voters are one month out from election day, and some new developments threaten to upset the close race.

According to Real Clear Politics’ polling average, the two candidates are nearly tied in several key swing states.

Former President Donald Trump leads in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina while Vice President Kamala Harris leads in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, though the leads in all six of those states are less than 2 points, within the margin of error in most polls.

They are tied in Pennsylvania, according to RCP.

However, the conflict in the Middle East and the ongoing negotiations over port closures on the East and Gulf coasts have the potential to be a crippling October surprise for Harris.

As vice president, Harris has tried to walk a fine line of taking credit for the economic recovery under Biden and other accomplishments while attempting to skirt responsibility for the border crisis, 40-year-high inflation and other problems during that same term.

In particular, the border has been a troublesome issue for Harris since Biden appointed her to take the lead on it, though she has since downplayed her role as "border czar" as illegal immigration soared while she was in office.

More than 14 million foreign nationals have illegally crossed U.S. borders since Biden-Harris took office, The Center Square reported.

This October presents more potential problems. Experts warned the port strike could cause prices to soar on all kinds of goods, from food to alcohol to cars. A tentative deal reached Thursday that reportedly will give workers a 62% raise temporarily ended the three-day shutdown, which would have been crippling for the U.S. economy.

The American Feed Industry Association warned this week that the port closures could "drive up costs" and wreak havoc akin to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The failure of the [United States Maritime Alliance] and [International Longshoremen's Association] to reach a labor agreement or of the Biden administration to intervene before the contract deadline now means that U.S. animal food manufacturers face a dire trading situation that mirrors – or could be worse than – the days of the COVID-19 pandemic," AFIA President and Chief Executive Officer Constance Cullman said in a statement.

With the recent spike in inflation already, voters may have little patience for Harris, who has overseen a price spike of more than 20% since she took office, but the settlement likely will ease some concerns.

Polling has consistently shown for months that inflation ranks as the top concern for voters.

The strike has ended for now, but with the details still being hashed out, it is possible the deal could still fall through and create a major political liability for Harris.

The escalating tension in the Middle East also could suddenly become an election issue if the brewing war between Israel and Iran escalates to a broader regional conflict that draws in more U.S. forces.

The U.S. helped shoot down Iranian missiles that were fired in the latest Iranian attack on Israel. Israel is at war with the terrorist group Hamas, which launched the Oct. 7 terror attack, as well as Hezbollah, an Iranian backed terrorist group that has been firing on northern Israel for months.

Harris has so far politically navigated the issue better than her nominated predecessor, President Joe Biden, who regularly faced protests from the left wing of his party.

At the debate this week, that conflict was the first question asked, and Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, clearly stated Israel's “right to defend itself.”

But if the powder keg explodes in October, Harris may find it difficult to distance herself from responsibility as Trump continues to point out he had no such conflicts when he was in office.

“There is no question that economic uncertainty and international unrest are key features of the Biden-Harris Administration,” Republican strategist Nathan Brand told The Center Square. “Voters clearly do not want more of the same, so that could spell trouble for Harris in November.”

At the vice presidential debate last week, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, was happy to blast Harris for the economic difficulties during her time as vice president. For now, no future debates are scheduled.

"Honestly Tim, I think you’ve got a tough job here,” Vance told Walz. “You've got to pretend that Donald Trump didn't deliver rising take home pay, which of course he did. You've got to pretend that Donald Trump didn't deliver lower inflation, which of course he did. And then you've simultaneously got to defend Kamala Harris's atrocious economic record, which has made gas, groceries, and housing unaffordable for American citizens."

Eighty-four days later, former President Donald Trump returned on Saturday to the scene of an assassination attempt on his life in western Pennsylvania.

“As I was saying,” Trump said, the crowd responding in a roar as he turned toward a graph on a projector screen behind him. “I love that chart. I love that graph. Isn’t it a beautiful thing?”

The former president picked up right where he left off July 13, when bullets tore through the crowd killing one man and wounding two others.

The graph showed the amount of illegal border crossings recorded on Trump’s last day in office in 2021. It’s also the one he was looking at when a bullet from 20-year-old Thomas Crooks’s rifle grazed his right ear.

Moments later, U.S. Secret Services agents tackled Trump as a sniper shot and killed Crooks on the roof of the AGR building roughly 400 feet from the rally stage.

In his return, Trump thanked them as well as the local law enforcement and emergency responders who leaped into action in the aftermath of the shooting.

“They were on top of me so fast,” he said of the Secret Service agents. “They were on top of me and there was not even a moment of doubt in their minds.”

The comments contrast the intense scrutiny lobbed onto the agency in recent months as the cascading series of communication and security failures at the rally came to light. A second attempt on the former president’s life while he golfed in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sept. 15 drew further ire.

On Saturday, however, those concerns weren’t on Trump’s mind. Instead, he took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris and “the very corrupt political establishment,” who he says villainize him, and the “everyday people” who “are the heart and soul of this country.”

“So, what our opponents have never understood is this movement has never been about me; it’s been about you,” he said to the crowd before referencing the “millions and millions” of supporters across the country. “Your hopes are my hopes. Your dreams are my dreams and your future is what I’m fighting for every single day.”

The long-anticipated event commenced exactly one month before Election Day and featured appearances by Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Laura, and Elon Musk. Vance is the vice president nominee on the ticket; Lara Trump is co-chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Moments throughout turned poignant as Trump ordered a moment of silence for 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, the former fire chief who died shielding his family from gunfire on July 13. The reflection was capped by an operatic performance of Ave Maria by Christopher Macchio.

“Some people don’t just die in vain, and what he’s left behind is incredible,” Trump said. “God bless you, Corey. God bless you.”

At times, the former president lambasted the Biden administration for its border policy, investments in foreign conflicts, and social politics. At others, he thanked the crowd for their support even after his critics carried out multiple impeachments, indictments and ballot challenges.

“And who knows, maybe even tried to kill me,” he said, referencing fringe conspiracies about Crooks’ motive. “And in turn, you have always stood with me, no matter what. We are a great team."

The Biden-Harris administration took a tidal wave of criticism this week after U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters that the Federal Emergency Management Administration did not have enough funds to cover the rest of this hurricane season.

Those comments drew criticism from Republican lawmakers, billionaire Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump because FEMA has spent at least hundreds of millions of dollars on resettling migrants in the U.S. since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s self-inflicted border crisis has wasted American taxpayer dollars on services for illegal immigrants and is now struggling to help Americans suffering in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told The Center Square after it reported on the FEMA’s migrant spending.

FEMA is subject to DHS' authority and under the Biden-Harris administration has been focused on helping the recent influx of more than 14 million migrants settle in the U.S.

As The Center Square previously reported, FEMA announced $640 million in new funding for helping migrants in April of this year, $300 million for “direct funding” to help immigrants, and $340 million for cities via grants to help migrants, part of a larger FEMA focus on resettling migrants in the U.S. under the Biden-Harris administration. These amounts don't include FEMA tax dollars spent on migrant relocations earlier in Biden's term.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mayorkas told reporters earlier this week, adding that “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season” and that they expect another hurricane to hit.

The FEMA cash crunch for hurricane victims while FEMA has more than enough for migrants became a stark example of controversial prioritization in the Biden-Harris administration, which continues to take fire for its handling of the border crisis.

The FEMA example proved to have political utility amid the ongoing battle over illegal immigration in an election year.

“There’s nobody that’s handled a hurricane or storm worse than what they’re doing right now,” Trump said at a rally Thursday.

“Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country,” Trump continued, exaggerating the figure.

The White house has strongly pushed back on Trump's comments, calling them "false" and arguing that the funding sources for migrants and disaster relief come from separate sources.

Critics have argued it is a problem of mission drift at FEMA and prioritizing funding for migrants when disaster relief funding is running low, though Congress appropriates the funding in the first place.

A White House spokesperson told The Center Square that Hurricane Helene victims will be well taken care of and that there is no danger of running out of funds to help with this hurricane recovery.

“FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” said Director of Public Affairs and FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg. “As FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has said, she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget, but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it. We may need to go back into immediate needs funding and we will be watching it closely.”

Critics online took issue with the $750 in emergency assistance for individual Helene victims touted by Harris, arguing it is not enough when so much money is going elsewhere.

A White House spokesperson told The Center Square that the $750 is just immediate assistance for victims and does not mean they will not receive more money to help with damage to their homes and other standard emergency assistance.

Critics argued FEMA has become distracted focusing on noncitizens because of the fallout of an unaddressed border crisis instead of American citizen storm victims.

“President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris must put Americans first and take action now to reverse their open borders policies that are bleeding Americans dry,” Comer told The Center Square.

(The Center Square) – The Madison school district wants voters to approve a pair of referendums worth more than $600 million on the Nov. 5 ballot despite the school district’s dropping enrollment.

The ask comes as the Madison Metropolitan School District had a $39 million deficit in this year’s budget after the pandemic funds and previous referendum it was using to pay teachers have run out. Last school year, the federal COVID-19 funds were used to pay 111 educators while reserves were used to pay an 8% increase in wages for teachers and school staff, according to Wisconsin Policy Forum.

The referendum asks for a cumulative $100 million in operational funding over four years. The second referendum asks for $507 million over 23 years to build new schools. The district has 26 school buildings that are more than 60 years old, it says.

The referendum will be paid for with increased property taxes for residents.

If passed, the referendum would increase the property tax bill of a resident with a home assessed at $350,000 an additional $241.50 in the first year, $733.99 in the second year, $895.10 in the third year and $1,053.24 in the fourth year.

State levy limits cap the amount a school district can increase taxes without a referendum.

The ask comes on the backdrop of declining enrollment from 27,028 students in 2013-14 to 25,139 in 2022-23. And then a slight uptick of 56 students in 2023-24.

School enrollment projections show that number expected to drop to less than 23,000 students by the 2027-28 school year.

Declining kindergarten enrollment, birth rates and population estimates in the city show that the enrollment is expected to continue to decline after 2028.

The school district received $350 million from a 2020 referendum.

“Over the past 25 years, Madison voters have approved seven referenda to increase the district’s operating budget and rejected only one, making it a tool that district leaders are likely to use to help close the gap while protecting students and staff,” Wisconsin Policy Forum said. “Yet the rippling consequences of another operating referendum would also affect property taxpayers and could put downward pressure on state aid in future years.”

Will Flanders, an education expert at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, told The Center Square in June that the $507 million request for new school buildings is the second largest referendum in the history of the state.

(The Center Square) – A trio of Wisconsin Republican lawmakers are again pitching a tax-free retirement plan that would exempt $75,000 of retirement income for single filers and $125,000 for married joint filers.

The 2025 legislation was pitched and passed earlier this year that was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Tony Evers.

This time, the legislation will be in addition to any retirement income that is already tax-exempt in Wisconsin, such as Social Security. Thirteen other states, including Illinois and Iowa, have tax-free retirement laws.

“We can’t afford to keep losing seniors to other states,” said Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay. “When they leave, we don’t just lose revenue. Families miss out on sharing important life events. Wisconsin is sitting on a $3 billion surplus, we can afford this tax cut more than we can afford not doing it.”

The legislation will be sponsored again by Kitchens, Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, and Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing.

“Our retired parents and grandparents deserve to keep the money they’ve put away throughout their career,” Cabral-Guevara said in a statement. “Punishing them for staying near their family in Wisconsin once they retire isn’t the way to treat our seniors. As I’ve repeatedly said in the past, I trust Wisconsinites to spend their money more wisely than the government.”

On Saturday, former President Donald Trump will return to the same rally stage in Pennsylvania where he stood when a would-be assassin opened fire in July, nearly taking his life.

Trump confirmed the visit to Butler on X, alongside the now-iconic image of him raising his fist into the air, blood smeared across his face as the American flag drapes in the background.

The moment, recognized as a historic turning point in an unpredictable campaign cycle on all sides, was only the first attempt on Trump’s life. A second man, 58-year-old Ryan Routh, sits in jail after opening fire at the former president as he golfed in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 15.

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was the Butler gunman and killed by security. Corey Comperatore, in the audience behind Trump, was killed by Crooks' shots.

Security measures for Saturday, however, are already ratcheting up, according to multiple media reports. In an interview with NBC News, a woman who sells merchandise at the rally said the security perimeter surrounding the venue is already “locked down.”

That perimeter has been the source of much scrutiny from a congressional task force investigating the July 13 shooting that killed the 50-year-old Comperatore and severely wounded 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaven.

During a Sept. 26 hearing in Washington, lawmakers balked at the U.S. Secret Service’s decision to leave the AGR building, located roughly 400 feet from the rally stage, outside of its purview – even after local law enforcement warned them of the danger.

Drew Blasko, a patrolman with the Butler Township Police Department who served as assistant team leader of one of two local sniper units on duty that day, said he asked for more guards to protect the area.

Despite an assurance to the contrary, the request was unfulfilled – a point that was illustrated when Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., showed a state trooper’s dashboard camera footage that caught the shooter, Crooks, scaling the roof of the building. In just three minutes he opened fire.

The request for more outdoor guards wasn’t the only resource discussed that never showed up on the day of the rally. Adams Township Police Sgt. Edward Lenz, who commanded the Butler County Emergency Services Unit that day, and Pennsylvania State Police Lt. John Herold said sniper fencing was intended to cover a chain-link fence separating the AGR complex from the farm show grounds. Additional barriers, including a large projector screen, were not set up either.

During congressional questioning, the lawmen agreed that eight to 10 more officers stationed outside the building would have likely prevented Crooks from getting into position. Foot traffic around the complex could have been restricted – upward of 200 people who had not gone through security screening were reportedly watching the rally from the parking lot – and approximately 5 acres of the building’s land could have been sectioned off from the public. A sniper on the nearby water tower, cameras on the building’s roof and blocked-off parking would have been other options, the officers added.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday that FEMA does not have enough funding to last the rest of the year even as it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on migrants under the Biden administration and more hurricanes could be on the way.

DHS oversees FEMA, putting Mayorkas in charge of the emergency relief agency which has recently been focused on helping migrants settle in the U.S.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mayorkas told reporters. “We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

The startling admission by Mayorkas comes as FEMA grapples with the widespread damage of Hurricane Helene, A Category 4 hurricane that ripped through the southeast costing billions of dollars, causing widespread infrastructure damage, food shortages, and more than 100 deaths. Many are still unaccounted for as well.

President Joe Biden said earlier this week he may call on Congress to pass more funding for FEMA.

In April of this year, FEMA announced $640 million in new funding, $300 million for “direct funding” to help immigrants settle in the U.S. while the other $340 million went to cities via grants for the same purpose.

“Last year, more than $780 million was awarded through SSP and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program – Humanitarian Awards, which went to organizations and cities across the country,” FEMA said in its release.

While funding is allocated by Congress and money can be flexibly funneled through FEMA from other internal sources, Mayorkas’ comments still show that FEMA’s resources have been focused on migrants while it was left unprepared for this deadly hurricane season.

Illegal immigration has soared under the Biden-Harris administration with millions of migrants entering the U.S. and overwhelming the federal government’s ability to process them, let alone catch the millions of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border.

At least 12 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. under the Biden-Harris administration, though many experts estimate the figure is actually much higher.

Hurricane season is expected to go through the end of November.

(The Center Square) – While recent polls covering the U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin show Democrat incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin with a 7-point lead over Republican challenger Eric Hovde, a project survey released this week by Cook Political Report suggests the race is one of the most competitive in the nation.

Compared to its survey in August when Baldwin led by +7, Cook Political Report's most recent numbers show she has a 2-point lead of 49%, compared to Hovde’s 47% support.

By contrast, results from a recent Marquette Law School poll indicated Baldwin holds a substantial lead over her opponent, with 53% of both registered and likely voters choosing her versus 46% choosing Hovde in a head-to-head matchup.

Baldwin’s lead slightly narrowed to 5 points when respondents were allowed to choose undecided; 10% of registered voters reported they are undecided, while 48% went for Baldwin and 43% for Hovde.

The poll, conducted Sept. 18-26, interviewed 882 registered voters and 798 likely voters in Wisconsin with both surveys having +/-4.4 margin of error. The partisan makeup included 34% Republicans, 32% Democrats, and 34% Independents.

Baldwin also continues to lead her opponent in favorability ratings, with an equal number of registered voter respondents having a favorable versus unfavorable view of her, 47% to 47%. Favorable and unfavorable ratings of Hovde have each risen as voters have become more familiar with his candidacy, with 36% of October respondents holding a favorable view of him versus 45% holding an unfavorable view, a net -9 favorability rating compared to Baldwin’s net zero. But 18% of poll respondents still reported not knowing enough about Hovde to have an opinion.

Both the MLS and Cook Political Report surveys found that the two candidates have largely consolidated their bases and Independent voters are leaning towards Baldwin.

More than 2,100 have been rescued in North Carolina, the federal government said Thursday as the death toll from Hurricane Helene reached 204, fifth deadliest in the last three quarters of a century.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said 38 search and rescue teams are in operation, cellular connectivity is at 62%, and distribution of commodities, feeding and hydration is happening throughout western North Carolina. The Appalachian Mountain region from Virginia to South Carolina and Georgia absorbed 24 inches of rain in many places, and more than 30 in some locations.

Buncombe County, home of the region’s largest city of Asheville at just under 100,000, has reported 61 deaths. Thursday marked the seventh day of search and rescue and eighth day since Helene crashed into the Big Bend of Florida as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph.

Damage estimates for the Southeast range from $95 billion to $160 billion, pending the metrics of inclusion up to and including economic loss. For example, property damage estimates are in the range of $15 billion to $26 billion; and published reports say a U.S. Department of Agriculture official estimated $7 billion in insurance payouts for crop losses alone. AccuWeather estimates total damage and economic loss between $145 billion and $160 billion.

“The federal relief and assistance that we have been providing has included FEMA providing $750 for folks who need immediate needs being met, such as food, baby formula and the like,” said Vice President Kamala Harris on a visit to Augusta, Ga., on Wednesday. “You can apply now for anyone who is watching this, who has been affected. There are FEMA personnel who are going door to door to interact personally with folks, especially those who do not have electricity.

“FEMA is also providing tens of thousands more dollars for folks to help them be able to deal with home repair, to be able to cover a deductible when and if they have insurance, and also hotel costs."

Midafternoon Thursday, the Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Florida still had more than 933,000 without power. That figure included 356,561 in North Carolina. It had been more than 1 million.

A release from U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., says 142 water systems are on a boil advisory, 69 plants have no power and 47 systems are out of water. About 217,000 are without power in the western part of the state, the release says; 93% of substations have been restored online; and 16 CVS pharmacies are closed in his district.

According to DriveNC.org, Helene has caused 540 road closures as of 3 p.m. Thursday. The number has increased steadily over the previous 36 hours. It includes three interstates, 36 federal highways, 51 state roads, and 450 secondary roads. More than 100 roads have been reopened.

The infrastructure collapse has led to some areas only accessible by air, others by foot. Social media has shown a helicopter pilot finding someone who flashed a sun-kissed mirror in a grassy valley, enabling medicine to be delivered; and mules taking supplies to include insulin up the muddied paths once home to vehicles.

Edwards said in the release, “Please do not try to visit or travel through the areas hardest hit by the storm such as Henderson and Buncombe counties. However, I’m here to remind you that Cherokee, Graham and Swain counties are open, and they are desperately in need of visitors to support their economy. These counties have been going above and beyond for their neighbors to get supplies into the hardest hit counties, but could use some support, too.

“Small business owners in far western counties rely on tourism to get by each year.”

Edwards said with the blanket “do not drive” to western North Carolina, the businesses in that southwestern-most pocket of the state have had cancellations pile up.

Eight hurricanes since 1950 have killed 100 or more people. Helene is only eclipsed – so far – by Katrina (2005, deaths 1,392), Audrey (1957, deaths 416), Camille (1969, deaths 256) and Sandy (2012, deaths 219). Thursday’s reports pushed it past Diane (1955, deaths 184).

Asheville's flood woes are compared to 1916, when in fact mules hauling supplies were more the norm. In July that year, a hurricane made landfall from the Gulf of Mexico and trekked toward northern Alabama and Tennessee to dump rainfall in western North Carolina, and a second hurricane about a week later made landfall at Charleston, S.C., and headed for the mountains.

The sequence came to be known as the Great Flood of 1916.

Twenty-three years after Islamic terrorists used airplanes to conduct the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, the federal agency created to protect Americans from national security threats “cannot ensure they are keeping high-risk noncitizens without identification from entering the country.”

The potentially high-risk noncitizens are being flown on domestic flights without identification, creating a public safety risk, according to the latest Office of Inspector General report assessing several federal agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The OIG has repeatedly published reports identifying potential national security risks created by Biden-Harris policies identified within DHS and its subagencies.

In the latest redacted report that has “sensitive security information,” the OIG expressed concerns about Americans’ public safety to the administrators of the Transportation Security Administration, US Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The report states the agencies didn’t assess risks to public safety by releasing non-citizens into the United States without identification and putting them on domestic flights.

The OIG requested data on the number of noncitizens without identification who were released into the United States from fiscal years 2021 through 2023. “Because immigration officers are not required to document whether a noncitizen presented identification in the databases,” the data the OIG obtained “may be incomplete.”

“Therefore, neither CBP nor ICE could determine how many of the millions of noncitizens seeking entry in the United States each year entered without identification and whose self-reported biographic information was accepted,” the report states. CBP and ICE officers interviewed by the OIG “acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without identification into the country, yet neither CBP nor ICE conducted a comprehensive risk assessment for these noncitizens to assess the level of risk these individuals present and developed corresponding mitigation measures,” the report states.

One of the primary responsibilities of CBP and ICE is to verify noncitizens’ identities prior to seeking entry; TSA is responsible for screening everyone who boards domestic flights. The OIG audited them to determine to what extent CBP and ICE policies and procedures confirmed individual’s identities “for the documents TSA accepts for domestic travel and whether TSA ensures noncitizens traveling on domestic flights provide proof of identification consistent with all other domestic travelers.”

As Border Patrol officials have explained, the majority of illegal border crossers are not vetted and released with DHS papers. The OIG confirms this, stating CBP and ICE officers accept “self-reported biographical information, which they use to issue various immigration forms. Once in the United States, noncitizens can travel on domestic flights.”

The OIG also notes that noncitizens do not have TSA-acceptable identification but “are allowed to board domestic flights.” TSA requires them “to undergo vetting and additional screening,” which involves running their information through systems to validate information on DHS–issued immigration forms and conducting additional screening procedures like pat downs.

“TSA’s vetting and screening procedures do not eliminate the risk that noncitizens who may pose a threat to fellow passengers could board domestic flights,” the OIG report says.

It gets worse, the OIG says.

“Under current processes, CBP and ICE cannot ensure they are keeping high-risk noncitizens without identification from entering the country. Additionally, TSA cannot ensure its vetting and screening procedures prevent high-risk noncitizens who may pose a threat to the flying public from boarding domestic flights.”

The 37-page redacted report details the procedures that must be followed according to federal law and notes in bold: “CBP and ICE have policies and procedures for screening noncitizens, but neither component knows how many noncitizens without identification documents are released into the country.”

Security issues also exist with the CBP One app, which has been used to fast track over 813,000 inadmissible illegal foreign nationals into the country, The Center Square reported.

These issues are redacted. “Because of CBP’s and ICE’s process for inspecting and releasing noncitizens, TSA’s methods to screen for individuals who pose a threat would not necessarily prevent these individuals from boarding flights,” the OIG warns.

It also points out that it has released previous reports where its office “documented similar weaknesses in CBP’s screening processes that allowed high-risk individuals into the country,” including those on the terrorist watchlist.

It concludes, “If CBP and ICE continue to allow noncitizens – whose identities immigration officers cannot confirm – to enter the country, they may inadvertently increase national security risks.”

The agencies did not concur with the OIG’s findings. In response, the OIG, as prescribed by a DHS directive, gave them 90 days to respond and provide corrective action that would be taken as well as a target completion date for each recommendation.

Nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association will return to work after the port workers' union reached a tentative contract agreement with the United States Maritime Alliance.

"The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative agreement on wages and have agreed to extend the Master Contract until January 15, 2025 to return to the bargaining table to negotiate all other outstanding issues," the two groups posted in a joint statement to Facebook. "Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume."

On picket lines since Tuesday, the strike against the East and Gulf Coast ports threatened to significantly disrupt supply chains, drive up consumer costs and lead to product shortages at grocery and other stores.

Negotiations had been underway since June. The disagreement was between the International Longshore Association and Warehouse Union, which represents dockworkers across the country, and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents terminal operators and ocean carriers.

Wages of East and Gulf coast workers are a base wage of $39 an hour –approximately $76,000 annually – after six years, The Center Square previously reported. The union was asking for a 77% pay increase over six years. It also was asking for more restrictions and bans on the automation of cranes, gates, and container movements used to load or unload cargo.

Details of the tentative agreement were not released Thursday evening.

A North Carolina state senator all too familiar with hurricanes made one call. Western North Carolina will get thousands more out of it.

In a social media post Tuesday afternoon, state Sen. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, said he put in a call to former President Donald Trump so communications crushed by the remnants of Hurricane Helene could be restored quicker. Trump called Elon Musk, and “as many Starlink devices as we need to help save North Carolinians” are committed, Britt wrote.

According to its website, Starlink “is the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more.” Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX is the parent of the subsidiary that launched in 2019.

Communications companies, like Verizon and AT&T, are dealing with cell towers that tumbled and fiber cables that are damaged. Federal aid – regularly wrapped in bureacratic government red tape regulations – has been approved for North Carolina, and is plodding through.

For a multibillionaire like Musk, efficiency is premium.

Britt’s district in southeastern North Carolina, on the Interstate 95 corridor, was devastated by Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018. Some areas are still recovering.

Helene was a Category 4 storm when it slammed into the Big Bend of Florida on Thursday evening, zipping northward through Georgia and easing westerly to drench the Appalachian Mountains and Tennessee.

On Monday afternoon, 425 roads were out – nine of them interstate sections – and 24 hours later the number had dipped and then risen to 430 at 5 p.m. Only three were interstates, including two lanes of I-40 about 4 miles from the North Carolina-Tennessee state line that slid into the Pigeon River.

Fifty-seven people died in the Buncombe County area around Asheville. Across six states in the Southeast, the death toll had climbed past 150.