In the United States, the common law principle known as the "castle doctrine" allows individuals to use deadly force, if reasonable, to protect themselves from home intruders. Variations of the castle doctrine are the law of the land in all but a handful of states. But in recent years, a number of states have expanded on the principle, allowing individuals to use deadly force in public spaces under certain circumstances, even if they have the option to safely retreat. These statutes are commonly known as "stand your ground" or "shoot first" laws.

Unlike the castle doctrine, which is deeply rooted in historical precedent, stand your ground laws represent a meaningful departure from American legal tradition. According to gun control advocacy group Giffords Law Center, stand your ground laws increase the likelihood of avoidable violence and death -- especially if firearms are involved, which, in states with these laws and weak gun control regulations, they often are.

Wisconsin is a state that does not have stand your ground laws on the books and where citizens have a legal duty to retreat from potentially dangerous public confrontations if doing so safely is possible. State residents are also required to have a permit to carry a concealed firearm in public.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 793 firearm-related fatalities in Wisconsin in 2021, or 13.5 for every 100,000 people, the 15th lowest gun death rate among the 50 states.

All data in this story on stand your ground laws and concealed carry regulations is from Gifford's Law Center, a gun control advocacy group. It is important to note that policy details can vary by jurisdiction.

StateStand your ground laws?Permitless concealed carry of a firearmFirearm deaths per 100,000 people, 2021Total firearm deaths, 2021AlabamaYesLegal26.41,315AlaskaYesLegal25.2182ArizonaYesLegal18.31,365ArkansasYesLegal23.3698CaliforniaNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal9.03,576ColoradoNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal17.81,064ConnecticutNoIllegal6.7248DelawareNoIllegal16.6158FloridaYesLegal14.13,142GeorgiaYesLegal20.32,200HawaiiNoIllegal4.871IdahoYesLegal16.3309IllinoisNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal16.11,995IndianaYesLegal18.41,251IowaYesLegal11.2364KansasYesLegal17.3503KentuckyYesLegal21.1947LouisianaYesIllegal (with exceptions)29.11,314MaineNoLegal12.6178MarylandNoIllegal15.2915MassachusettsNoIllegal3.4247MichiganYesIllegal15.41,544MinnesotaNoIllegal10.0573MississippiYesLegal33.9962MissouriYesLegal23.21,414MontanaYesLegal25.1280NebraskaNoLegal (effective Sept. 2023)10.3200NevadaYesIllegal19.8633New HampshireYesLegal8.3123New JerseyNoIllegal5.2475New MexicoNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal27.8578New YorkNoIllegal5.41,078North CarolinaYesIllegal17.31,839North DakotaYesLegal16.8128OhioYesLegal16.51,911OklahomaYesLegal21.2836OregonNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal14.9670PennsylvaniaYesIllegal14.81,905Rhode IslandNoIllegal5.664South CarolinaYesIllegal22.41,136South DakotaYesLegal14.3128TennesseeYesLegal22.81,569TexasYesLegal15.64,613UtahYesLegal13.9450VermontNo (some protections from legal precedent)Legal11.983VirginiaNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal14.31,248WashingtonNo (some protections from legal precedent)Illegal11.2896West VirginiaYesLegal17.3319WisconsinNoIllegal13.5793WyomingYesLegal26.1155

(The Center Square) – On paper, the Biden Administration said the president was coming to Milwaukee on Tuesday to talk about the Inflation Reduction Act. It took about 15 minutes, however, for President Biden to shift the focus to Bidenomics.

“The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal started calling my plan, and not initially as a compliment, Bidenomics,” the president told the crowd at the Ingeteam, a clean energy manufacturer that makes wind turbine generators and is the kind of green energy job creator the president wanted to praise.

“Like the 12 solar energy projects Alliant Energy is building across Wisconsin,” Biden noted. “Paris Solar has broken ground on the state’s first, large scale battery and storage project in Kenosha County.”

The president also mentioned Siemens will open in Kenosha County, with a plant that will make solar inverters.

Biden’s visit is his first to Wisconsin during the 2024 election cycle.

He won the state by about 20,000 votes in 2020.

He didn’t talk about the race, or the group of Republicans who will be in Milwaukee next week for their presidential debate.

Instead, Biden talked mainly about jobs during his nearly hour-long speech.

“I came to Milwaukee to talk about what we’re doing to bring manufacturing back home,” the president said to a round of applause. “It’s about our progress. Building an economy from the middle out, and the bottom up. Not the top down.”

President Biden’s visit did not go without opposition.

The group Americans for Prosperity in Wisconsin was outside the president’s speech, offering its own version of Bidenomics.

“From higher gas prices to more expensive groceries, we can’t afford it anymore,” the group said.

Wisconsin is one of the key battleground states in 2024. Politicos in the state have said that whoever wins Wisconsin could very well win the White House.

Former President Donald Trump was indicted for the fourth time Monday night, this time on charges related to the 2020 election in Georgia.

A Fulton County, Georgia, grand jury indicted the former president on 10 counts of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, which narrowly went to President Joe Biden.

Eighteen others also were indicted, including former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump attorney and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and several other former Trump attorneys, among others.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who pledged after being elected in 2020 that she’d investigate election-interference charges in a letter to state officials, started the investigation in February 2021 that resulted in the 10-count indictment.

The campaign of Trump, the frontfunner for the GOP nomination for president in 2024, called the indictment "bogus."

"Fulton County, GA’s radical Democrat DA Fani Willis is a rabid partisan who is campaigning and fundraising on a platform of prosecuting President Trump through these bogus indictments," the statement read. "Ripping a page from Crooked Joe Biden's playbook, Willis has strategically stalled her investigation to try and maximally interfere with the 2024 presidential race and damage the dominant Trump campaign. All of these corrupt Democrat attempts will fail."

Reuters reported earlier on Monday that Fulton County officials posted and later removed information detailing charges in the case, including conspiracy to commit impersonation of a public officer, solicitation of violation of oath by public office and false statements and writings.

Trump's attorneys blasted the Fulton County District Attorney's office for the reported leak, which occurred before the grand jury proceedings had finished. They maintained the incident suggested the case was mired in constitutional errors.

Trump has also been indicted in New York, Florida and Washington, D.C.

The New York case involves allegations Trump paid former porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet ahead of the 2016 presidential election about an alleged affair that Trump denies. The Florida charges stem from his handling and retention of classified documents after his time as president. bThe Washington, D.C., indictment is related to his contesting the 2020 election and connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol building.

Newly released polling shows that former President Donald Trump holds a sizable lead over an array of Republican primary challengers.

A New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday shows that Trump has held on to his lead with 54% support from Republicans. In a distant second place is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has 17%, followed by several candidates around 2-3%.

According to the new poll, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley all have 3% support.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy both have 2% support. Polls have varied significantly in how well lower-polling candidates are faring. Recent polls have showed either Ramaswamy or Pence polling higher.

Regardless, one trend is clear across polls: A major lead for Trump.

That poll comes after a CBS news poll released over the weekend shows 60% of Americans disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing as president.

Trump had a lead over DeSantis last year but saw his numbers shoot up after federal agents raided his Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents, kicking off a string of legal problems for the former president.

Trump’s poll numbers, though, have seemingly been propelled by the targeting, which the former president calls a coordinated, corrupt attempt to keep him from winning the White House.

“Hillary Clinton deleted 33,000 Emails, many of them Classified, after getting a Subpoena from Congress,” Trump posted Sunday on TruthSocial, his social media site of choice. “Nothing happened to her, & stupid James Comey, then head of the FBI, stated that no reasonable prosecutor would prosecute this. Then why is Deranged Jack Smith prosecuting me when I did nothing wrong, as per the PRA? The answer is Election Interference - They are using the Department of Injustice in an attempt to Rig & Steal the Presidential Election on 2024. This is Prosecutorial Misconduct!”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin will not see a law that keeps transgender girls out of female sports in the state.

Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday took to Twitter to promise a veto of the legislation from Republican lawmakers that would put transgender athletes in their own category in Wisconsin high schools and colleges.

“Trans kids, people, and families are part of our world. And any time you want to mess with them, you’re going to get a veto from me. Pretty simple,” Evers said in a tweet.

Evers’ promise is not a surprise.

No one at the Wisconsin Capitol expected the governor to sign the Save Women’s Sports Act from Rep. Barb Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, and Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, who reintroduced the plan last week.

“This legislation will ensure that female athletes continue to have equal access to athletic opportunities and safe competition under the spirit of Title IX,” Knodl said at the time. “As the father of two daughters and former student athletes, I am committed to upholding a level playing field where female athletes can thrive, compete, and excel.”

Dittrich said the plan is about fairness.

“To every biological girl & woman out there, we see you,” Dittrich said on Twitter last week. “You matter! You don't have to keep giving your awards to boys & men. Our fed'l gov't made sure that you would be protected under Title IX. We reject this assault on your protected spaces & categories.”

Gov. Evers said questions about trans kids and young people playing girls’ sports is a political issue.

“It's wrong for us to take people that have different views, different ways of life, and mess with their lives. I find that atrocious. So, yeah, it is a national issue. It's an idiotic national issue. And it's disgusting,” Evers added.

There’s no word just when Wisconsin lawmakers will take-up the Save Women’s Sports Act, the legislature has largely wrapped-up its business for the year.

Seven Republican U.S. senators, led by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced a joint resolution to condemn a federal policy created by the Biden administration through a federal agency rule-making process called the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Rule.

They did so as the Biden administration has held fast to its plan to facilitate the migration of and release into the U.S. of as many people as possible from all over the world. Biden spoke of the plan in January, which was devised in cooperation with other world leaders and publicly announced two years ago.

The rule created additional ways to funnel foreign nationals “into unlawful parole programs that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has set up without Congress’ consent,” the senators said in a joint statement. It went into effect May 11, the same day the public health authority Title 42 ended.

Joining Cornyn are Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Steve Daines of Montana and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Missouri.

“The Biden administration’s rule is an unserious attempt at resolving the border crisis and is full of loopholes that the cartels will easily exploit to continue moving unlawful migrants into the United States and overwhelm our Border Patrol,” Cornyn said. “Rather than stop unlawful migration, President Biden is using this rule to funnel the migrants into unlawful parole programs, and this resolution would put an end to this shell game to hide an unprecedented level of illegal immigration.”

Among other things, the rule created a new parole program to allow up to 30,000 citizens each from Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba to enter the U.S., or an additional 120,000 every month.

The parole program has since expanded to include citizens of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

At the same time, the administration announced it was coordinating with the governments of Mexico, Canada, Spain, Colombia and Guatemala to expand entry to the U.S. “through a combination of expanded lawful pathways.”

Through the rule, DHS also launched the new CBP One mobile app, which a federal court in California just held is illegal. The administration has instructed foreign nationals to use the app to make appointments at CBP processing centers at land ports of entry before they arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Once they apply through the app, they arrive at their appointment, undergo a background check, and are released into the U.S., with some exceptions. They are given court dates to meet with an immigration official three to four years in the future. They are also given work authorization papers to begin working in the U.S. while they wait years for a court hearing to determine if they are allowed to legally remain in the U.S.

DHS and the State Department also opened processing centers in other countries for the first time in U.S. history, beginning in Columbia, Guatemala and Mexico. Citizens of these countries use the app to make appointments with an immigration specialist to help expedite their application before they ever leave for the U.S.

To facilitate the expanded parole program, DHS allocated $15 million to a new Case Management Pilot Program to provide voluntary case management and other services to noncitizens to increase compliance with court dates and accelerate processing times to help them stay in the U.S.

The rule allows foreign nationals to claim asylum at any place or time even after they’ve been denied asylum in a different country prior to their arrival in the U.S., the senators point out.

“The first two of these three pathways constitute an abuse of the DHS Secretary’s parole authority,” they said, “which under our immigration law is only to be used on a true case-by-case basis.”

The rule, which is full of loopholes and easily exploitable, they argue, “is not a serious attempt at resolving the crisis on the southern border, and it does nothing to deter migrants from unlawfully migrating to the U.S.”

While deterring migration to the U.S. may be the goal of the senators, it is not the stated goal of the Biden administration. At a summit in Mexico City on Jan. 10, Biden said, “We’re trying to make it easier for people to get here, opening up the capacity to get here.”

In his remarks in January, Biden said he’d previously agreed with world leaders to facilitate more people coming to the U.S. at a North American Summit in Washington, D.C. in 2021. The agreement, which has the support of 21 countries, was formalized in the 2022 Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection.

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., reintroduced the Protect Equality and Civics Education (PEACE) Act, a bill that would block tax dollars from promoting Critical Race Theory within the Department of Education’s American history guidelines.

The legislation comes after a litany of examples have become public showing how federal tax dollars have been used to promulgate CRT, a philosophy that teaches the U.S. is a fundamentally racist nation and always has been.

States like Florida are also entangled in a battle over how U.S. history is taught.

“Critical Race Theory is an outrageous, Marxist teaching that has no place in our schools,” Rubio said. “I will not allow American history to be rewritten by the radical left. It is not only inaccurate but also dangerous. We need to protect our students from propaganda that seeks to divide and indoctrinate young children into believing they are inherently racist solely based on the color of their skin.”

The DOE’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education has increasingly embraced more progressive ideas on how race and American history is taught.

Rubio and Kramer’s bill specifically would ban the DOE’s American History and Civics Education program from promoting “divisive concepts” as defined by former President Donald Trump’s "Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping." President Joe Biden overturned that order, which applied to federal agencies, nonprofits or groups with federal contracts, after taking office.

From that executive order:

“Divisive concepts” means the concepts that (1) one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; (2) the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist; (3) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously; (4) an individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex; (5) members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex; (6) an individual's moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex; (7) an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; (8) any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex; or (9) meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race. The term “divisive concepts” also includes any other form of race or sex stereotyping or any other form of race or sex scapegoating.

The bill is one of several legislative efforts from Republicans to block federal funding for progressive projects like CRT and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has introduced the Combating Racist Training in the Military Act as well as the Stop Critical Race Theory Act.

The Center Square previously reported on similar funding at the collegiate level. Federal grant documents show that the U.S. Department of Education awarded roughly $2.5 million in taxpayer dollars to a Florida-based education program that trains future teachers and other professionals in critical race theory.

Another similar program, "The Research Institute for Scholars of Equity," received millions of dollars for “training” college students in critical race theory at several higher educational institutions.

Top Republicans in the U.S. House launched an investigation last year into reports that federal funding meant for COVID-related learning loss was spent to promote “equity warriors,” critical race theory teachings and more at local schools.

“Woke concepts like critical race theory only serve to spread division," Cramer said. "We are all created equal in God’s image, and any implication otherwise is just plain wrong. Taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for liberal academic agendas.”

New legislation that would require AM radio capability in every new vehicle is gaining momentum.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation discussed the “AM For Every Vehicle Act” in an executive session and passed it out of committee this week, putting it one step closer to a potential vote.

“Minnesotans look to AM radio for everything from news and weather updates to music and sports scores,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said. “It’s critical to protect AM radio for our communities, but right now, it's on the chopping block.”

Proponents argue AM radio is crucial for weather and emergency alerts in times of crisis and is more resilient after infrastructure damage because fewer towers are needed.

The bill, which has nearly 30 cosponsors in the Senate and almost 140 in the House, would require the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to create a new rule requiring car manufacturers to put AM radios in vehicles without charging an extra fee for that capability.

“Each day, millions of Americans turn to AM radio to stay up to date on life in their community, engage on the issues they care about, or to be simply entertained during rush hour,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “AM radio is a critical bulwark for democracy, providing a platform for alternative viewpoints and the ability for elected officials to share our efforts with our constituents.”

Electric vehicle manufacturers have raised concerns about the proposal, saying the drivetrain in electric vehicles creates frequencies that interfere with the radio waves.

As a result, AM radio has been phased out in electric vehicles by several automakers.

AM radio can be streamed through apps on a phone, but that requires internet access which could be limited in a crisis.

As part of the bill, the Government Accountability Office would also commence a study on whether AM radio, which uses waves that travel much further than FM waves, actually is better for informing the public in emergency situations than FM radio.

The bill has backing from industry experts, including Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, the National Association of Broadcasters, and National Association of Farm Broadcasters Nathan Simington.

“There is a clear public safety imperative here,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “Having AM radio available in our cars means we always have access to emergency alerts and key warnings while we are out on the road. Updating transportation should not mean sacrificing access to what can be life-saving information.”

(The Center Square) – There could soon be more livestock and larger blue ribbon checks at Wisconsin’s local fairs.

The Senate Committee on Agriculture on Thursday held a hearing on a plan that would double the prize money for Wisconsin’s county and district fairs.

“They’re excited when they get that little check,” Lori Ripp with the Lodi Fair told lawmakers. “That $2 dollar premium may not mean a lot to just everybody. But $2 encourages them to try again.”

Ripp said local fairs are for everyone, and the events and contests they offer are for everybody.

The plan before lawmakers, SB 311, would double the state’s share of prize money for local fairs from $10,000 per fair to $20,000.

Susan Quam, vice president at the Dane County Fair, told lawmakers that extra prize money will help all fairs across the state do what they need to stay open and relevant.

“The state aid they receive for premiums that are given to all exhibitors is a very vital part of their financial strategy,” Quam said.

But just as important as the extra money, fair managers add, is that the new legislation removes Wisconsin’s rule that bans people from showing animals at two different fairs.

“We’re in a unique situation,” Marie Preuss with the Elroy Fair told lawmakers. “Our exhibitors come from school districts. So they may be able to show at another fair, and most do. This bill allows fairs to determine who their exhibitors are.”

Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection currently bans people from showing livestock at multiple fairs.

“Nowadays with fewer and fewer people in agriculture, many more exhibitors are showing a managerial animal,” Preuss explained. “They just don’t have that huge herd to go out and bring a second, or third animal to a different fair.”

There are 74 county and district fairs in Wisconsin that got state-subsidized prize money last year. DATCP’s numbers show the total for premium spending came to $456,000. The new plan would double that, meaning Wisconsin would be providing nearly $1 million for local fair prizes if the plan becomes law.

Former President Donald Trump faces additional charges including obstruction of justice in the federal case alleging he mishandled classified documents after he left the White House.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is charging Trump with two new counts of obstruction and one new count of willful retention of national defense information, according to multiple media outlets.

The latest charges stem from allegations that he attempted to delete surveillance video at his Mar-A-Lago home in Florida, which was raided by the FBI last summer.

Trump previously pleaded not guilty to 37 federal counts that allege he kept sensitive military documents, shared them with people who didn't have security clearance and tried to get around the government's efforts to get them back.

Trump says the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by appointees of his political rival, President Joe Biden. Trump is the front-runner in the Republican primary for president and could face Biden again in the 2024 election.

President Joe Biden declined to answer questions Thursday about a potential pardon for his son, Hunter Biden.

After the president spoke about an unrelated topic at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, reporters shouted questions about a possible pardon for his son.

Biden turned his back and left the room.

The questions came the day after Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to tax-related charges after an unusual court hearing where his previously established plea deal fell apart. Hunter Biden’s plea deal, which was expected to be finalized Wednesday, was undone in court after last-minute disagreements over whether Biden faces further charges in the future for other alleged crimes still under investigation.

The prosecution and defense were working Wednesday to salvage the deal after an unusual last-minute disagreement about the details of the plea deal upended the proceedings. The legal teams took a recess to hammer out those details. When they did propose a new agreement, the judge would not accept it.

As previously reported, Congressional Republicans urged the judge to reject the deal until the court reviews testimony from IRS whistleblowers who alleged the Department of Justice improperly interfered in the investigation, including allegations that companies connected to the Biden family and their business associates received about $17 million from several foreign entities when Joe Biden was vice president.