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In the 2020 election cycle, the rightwing, corporate American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) gave its 2,000-plus members sophisticated partisan voter management and campaign software worth more than $6 million, according to a complaint filed by the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and the Common Cause Wisconsin with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission on July 20.

The group dubbed its software ALEC CARE.

A separate complaint is also being filed by CMD with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) whistleblower complaint office. Both are also filed in 14 other states whose members allegedly received this contribution. The software, the complainants state, is linked to the Republican National Committee (RNC). Common Cause and CMD are filing complaints in the other states as well.

The ethics complaint explains that ALECs tax status is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation, and thus is barred from engaging in electoral activity under federal law and in violation of Wis. Stat. 11.1112 and 11.0103. A violation of its permitted activity under its tax status could result in ALEC, which drafts model legislation, losing its tax-exempt status. ALECs nominally, but required nonpartisan status has led to some Wisconsin Democratic legislators joining the group in the past, just to attend the conferences to learn more about what U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan described as a speed dating service for corporations and the Republican state legislators who introduce that legislation in their states.

The complaints seek to strip ALEC of its nonpartisan, nonprofit tax status and fine the group.

The people of Wisconsin deserve to know who is trying to influence our elections, said Jay Heck, executive director of Common Cause Wisconsin in a statement announcing the complaints. Without tougher transparency and disclosure laws that allow voters to follow the money, illegal schemes like ALECs will continue unabated. We hope this complaint moves the state legislature to take a renewed focus on strengthening Wisconsins transparency and disclosure laws so our government is accountable to the people, not special interests.

ALEC gave the software to the following Wisconsin legislators, according to the complaint:Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater)

Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma)

Rep. Mike Kuglitsch ( R-New Berlin)

Rep. Tyler Vorpagel (R-Plymouth)

All four offices stated they have not used ALEC CARE.

Kuglitsch responded, My staff and I have never used ALEC CARE for any purposes. Felzkowski staffer Stamena Ivanov responded for the senator saying, Neither Senator Felzkowski nor anyone on her staff has ever used the ALEC CARE database/system and we are unfamiliar with it. From Vorpagel: Neither I or my staff have utilized this software for any official or outside of the building purposes.

Nass Chief of Staff Mike Mikalsen responded, Senator Nass has never accepted or used the ALEC CARE database either in his state office or as a part of his campaign activities. He is not aware of any Wisconsin ALEC member utilizing that database. Nass staffer Mikalsen added his take on the complaints, The complaint filed by two liberal groups is simply more politically inspired harassment of conservatives by organizations that have been funded by George Soros and other extreme leftwing groups.

Vorpagel has not responded to a request for comment.

The ALEC CARE software was valued by ALEC at $3,000 per legislator. The company that produced the software, say the complaint-filing organizations, is Republican data firm VoterGravity, which is run by conservative activist Ned Ryun, who is also the founder and president of American Majority, which trains far right Tea Party candidates and American Majority Action, which owns 84% of Voter Gravity according to its IRS 990 tax filing. The groups share a Virginia post office box. The campaign software was simply white labeled (re-labeled) as constituent software and marketed by ALEC.

ALEC is also required under its tax status to be nonpartisan. Its spokesperson Alexis Jarrett responded to a question from the AP with this statement: ALEC data is not shared with any political party and no political party shares data with ALEC. She added that the login page asks members to agree not to use it for campaign purposes.

However, leaked documents from an anonymous ALEC member to The Associated Press show that the member received access to Voter Gravitys database and discovered that it only contained information on registered Republicans and voters in past GOP primaries.

The complaint asks not only for an investigation, but for subpoena powers to be used to ascertain precisely who received the software, since it may have gone to more Wisconsin officials than just the four legislators mentioned. It also asks that the Ethics Commission to investigate whether the software was used on official business in state offices or on state time by the legislators or their staff.

It is crystal clear from CMDs investigation and internal ALEC sources that the CARE program provided by ALEC is just a repackaging of VoterGravitys highly partisan campaign software, designed to help Republicans win and retain elected office, said CMDs executive director Arn Pearson. ALEC CARE is a brazen scheme to help ALECs overwhelmingly Republican members win reelection.

The whistleblower law firm Constantine Cannon filed the IRS complaint on behalf of CMD. One of its attorneys Eric Havian accused ALEC of having abused its tax-exempt status for years.

I can only hope that we have not become too accustomed to fraud in plain sight, and that the IRS will finally take action to stop taxpayers from subsidizing ALECs partisan electioneering and lobbying, Havian said.

In Constantine Cannons highlighting of the complaint, its attorneys point to all the features of the program that are usable on a campaign, such as geomapped walklists, door knocks, voter data and a strikelist feature that will alert campaigns to who has not voted on election day. In a blog post, the company states that this enables the campaign to contact any supporters who havent voted yet and track strikelist progress as it happens.

These functions caused Max Voldman, another associate at Constantine Cannon to declare, There is no universe in which ALEC CAREs features could be considered constituent service. This is campaign software, plain and simple, and as such an illegal contribution to these campaigns in violation of ALECs 501(c)(3) tax-exemption.

While the campaign software was repackaged and provided free of charge as a so-called constituent management tool to select elected officials, it counts as a contribution to those legislators because the repackaging does not reduce its campaign value, according to the complaint;. it comes fully loaded with campaign data and any data added by members also gets added to the RNCs database.

Voter Gravitys website states that the company turns data into votes by offering targeted, insightful and immediate information about voters, donors, and activists that mean the most to a campaign. Easily access all of the voter data you need and turn that data into votes.

Past agendas from ALEC conferences included demonstrations of this game-changing program. And, the group added, some ALEC members consider this one of the most valuable benefits of membership. ALEC advertises the program on its YouTube channel in a video that talks about walk lists, which are generally used only in campaigns.

It concludes: Come see how ALEC CARE can benefit you.

THE MORNING NEWSLETTER

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Is ALEC helping Republicans campaign in violation of its tax status? - Wisconsin Examiner

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Do you see yourself as a political anomaly?

In todays politics, certain voting groups are often portrayed as monolithic, or only voting one way, even though thats never the full story. We want to interrogate that narrative and talk to people who dont believe they check a set box.

Think you might fit the bill? Here are some of the types of people were interested in talking to: Gen Zers (or young millennials) who backed former President Donald Trump last year; older, Black progressive voters; and Democrats who live in more rural areas of their state. But were not stopping there. There are tons of identities worth exploring, and were interested in unpacking the many divides in groups of voters often portrayed as homogeneous.

With our reporting, FiveThirtyEight hopes to show that large groups of voters are not a monolith by highlighting various voting blocs that have interesting tensions within. Were not trying to predict electoral trends and outcomes; rather, we hope to tell stories about how different people are processing politics.

To tell these stories better, we want to hear from you. Fill out the surveybelow and tell us a little bit about yourself and why you think you check a unique box. We might get in touch with you!

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Are You A Gen-Z Republican? A Democrat In A Rural State? If So, You Might Be A Political Anomaly, And We Want To Hear From You. - FiveThirtyEight

Take a moment to read the account of Jesus calming the storm in Luke 8:22-25.

How many times have we responded to the storms in our lives in the same way as the disciples did? They totally freaked out.

Jesus was there the whole time, in the very same storm the disciples were facing. Yet, He was sound asleep. He was at peace; in control. Frantically, the disciples were doing everything within their skillsets as professional fishermen, experienced at sea, yet unable to manage their situation. When they realized death was imminent, they rushed to Jesus for help.

What did Jesus do? He simply rebuked the violent winds and raging waves and in that instant the storm stopped, and all was calm.

Look again at the response of the disciples at when Jesus did this. They were terrified and amazed, Who is this man? When He gives a command even the wind and waves obey Him! They became completely aware of the power Jesus has over EVERYTHING.

But Jesus response to the panicking disciples is sobering, Where is your faith? Why is it when a fresh storm hits our life, we respond like the disciples? Rather than running right away to our powerful Savior, we attempt to resolve what is totally out of our control.

Rather than panic or freak out when that health problem arises, or when that unexpected bill comes up, or when a hurtful situation with another person occurs, why not go immediately to the One who is always in complete control.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus makes a very appealing invitation: Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Notice who has to move. We do! Jesus is always there for us, but He wants us to come to Him.

Jeff Garland is Care and Spanish Ministries pastor at Cornerstone Church in Litchfield.

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WORDS FOR LIVING: Jesus is in complete control, but we must go to Him - Crow River Media

GREEN BAY It was May 15, 2020, and Aaron Rodgers was sitting in the parking lot of a Bed Bath & Beyond in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, talking about his football future and how one draft-day decision had significantly altered how he envisioned it.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback was conducting a conference call with reporters a little more than a week after his boss, general manager Brian Gutekunst, had traded up in the first round of the NFL draft to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love a selection that, Rodgers knew, was a game-changer for his long-term standing with the team.

As much as I feel confident in my abilities and what I can accomplish and what we can accomplish, there are some new factors that are out of my control, Rodgers explained that afternoon. And so, my sincere desire to start and finish with the same organization, just as it has with many other players over the years, may not be a reality at this point.

And as much as I understand the organizations future outlook and wanting to make sure theyre thinking about the team now and down the line and I respect that at the same time, I still believe in myself and have a strong desire to play into my 40s. And Im just not sure how that all works together at this point.

In that moment, Rodgers understood the implications. He was entering the first year of the four-year, $134 million extension hed signed in August 2018, and now Gutekunst and the Packers were more likely to decide when his days in Titletown would end.

He responded by winning his third NFL MVP award with a masterful 2020 season, then set about taking back some of that control over his future by making his unhappiness with the teams front office known privately at first, at least until an ESPN report on April 29 made Rodgers dissatisfaction public.

On Monday, while Gutekunst and team president/CEO Mark Murphy were in the midst of the teams annual shareholders meeting at Lambeau Field and with veteran players set to report for the start of training camp the next day, the Rodgers saga took an unexpected turn. According to multiple sources, following conversations over the weekend between Rodgers representatives and the team, the sides had made enough progress on an altered contract for Rodgers one that would apparently give him a modicum of control back over his future that the future Pro Football Hall of Famer was set to end his stalemate with the team and come to camp after missing all of the offseason program.

According to ESPN, the Packers and Rodgers were working toward a deal that would:

As a result, Rodgers and the Packers might be having their own version of The Last Dance, one final season together like Michael Jordan and the 1998 Chicago Bulls had an NBA championship season that was chronicled in ESPNs docuseries last year and was referenced in Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams Instagram posts late Friday night.

The altered deal still had not been finalized as of Monday evening, and Rodgers said in an iMessage he had not yet left California to come to Green Bay. He also described the process as having a lot of moving pieces. But clearly things had changed since as recently as Saturday when Rodgers had not been planning to report to camp.

Among those moving pieces, according to two league sources, was the possibility of the Packers reacquiring wide receiver Randall Cobb, one of Rodgers closest friends and confidantes who doesnt appear to be in the Houston Texans plans moving forward. Cobb, signed by Houstons previous front-office administration, became expendable Sunday when the Texans traded for ex-Chicago Bears wide receiver Anthony Miller, a slot receiver like Cobb.

Cobb left the Packers following the 2018 season when Gutekunst did not make him an offer in free agency. He spent one season with the Dallas Cowboys before getting a three-year, $27 million deal that is set to pay him an $8.25 million base salary in 2021. Rodgers was a groomsman in Cobbs wedding and the two remain close.

The Packers, meanwhile, added Cobbs protg, Amari Rodgers, in this years draft, taking him with their third-round pick out of Clemson. Cobb played for Amari Rodgers father, Tee Martin, in college at Kentucky and has been mentoring the rookie since he was a junior high schooler.

Speaking during the shareholders meeting and before news of Rodgers possible return broke, both Gutekunst and Murphy had expressed optimism the standoff would be resolved and that Rodgers would quarterback the team again in 2021.

We have been working tirelessly with Aaron and his representation to resolve the issues he has raised this offseason, Gutekunst told the crowd of 4,000 in the stadium bowl and 8,000 more streaming online. And we remain hopeful for a positive resolution.

Added Murphy: We want him back. Were committed to him for 2021 and beyond. He is our leader, and were looking forward to winning another Super Bowl with him.

In a news conference following the meeting, Murphy said he thought the issues between Rodgers and the organization had been a pox on both houses, us and Aaron but that he, Gutekunst, director of football operations Russ Ball and head coach Matt LaFleur were doing whatever needs to get done.

Weve been in constant communication, obviously (for) months, and Im hopeful that well have it all resolved, Murphy said. Weve all been involved, and obviously hes a very important player to the organization. Were working through, and Im hopeful. hopefully hell be here on time and be ready to go.

Asked if a new deal would give Rodgers greater control over his career, Murphy replied: Im not going to talk about specific details of contracts. We dont do it for any player. Murphy also wouldnt say exactly what Rodgers had asked for from the organization, saying, Im not going to get into specific details.

What Murphy was willing to talk about was how much Rodgers means to the organization and why it was important to keep him in the fold.

I do think our fans are spoiled, Murphy said, referring to the three decades of largely uninterrupted Hall of Fame-quality quarterbacking the franchise has gotten from Rodgers and Brett Favre since 1992. I think theres a lot of them that want it resolved. I dont know if theyre against the Packers or against Aaron. They want to see it resolved.

I know the people know how good a player Aaron is, but I do think sometimes in these situations its easy to forget what hes done. I mentioned obviously the Super Bowl and the three MVPs, but Aarons played through a lot of things, a lot of injuries, and has really developed into a great leader as well.

Wisconsin State Journal photographer Steve Apps captured all the action from Lambeau Field as the Green Bay Packers defeated the Los Angeles R

Wisconsin State Journal photographer Steve Apps captured all the action from Lambeau Field as the Green Bay Packers fell to the Tampa Bay Bucc

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Wisconsin State Journal photographer Steve Apps captured all the action as the Green Bay Packers came back from an early 11-point deficit to b

Wisconsin State Journal photographer Steve Apps captured all the action from a wind-swept Lambeau Field Sunday afternoon as the Minnesota Viki

From a controversial trade up the draft board to acquire Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round to the addition of some much-ne

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With an altered contract in the works and a bit more control of his future, Aaron Rodgers set to report to training camp - Star Local Media

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) Hospitalizations in West Virginia due to COVID-19 have more than doubled since the Fourth of July and cases are up amid the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.

State officials said they do not currently plan to bring back an indoor mask mandate, but they indicated they are open to shifts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to backpedal Tuesday on its masking guidelines and recommend that even vaccinated people wear masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging, a federal official said.

Republican Gov. Jim Justice said he does not think we are on the threshold of moving in that direction today, but, he added, weve all got to be smart enough to be open-minded.

He said he did not receive any recommendations from his health advisers to reinstate the mask mandate, which was lifted on June 20. But I will continue to listen, and I will absolutely act on the advice of experts, he said.

There are 111 hospitalizations in the state, a steady uptick since early July. There were 121 new confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, up from 51 cases a week ago.

The state has recorded 43 total confirmed cases of the delta variant.

Our hospital numbers are shooting up, said James Hoyer, a retired major general who leads the states coronavirus task force, which he said is now on its 501st day.

Officials have repeatedly urged more residents to get vaccinated, emphasizing that the vaccines are safe and offer strong protection against contracting the potentially life-threatening disease. Nearly 59% of all residents have received at least one dose, while 49% are fully vaccinated.

Those numbers drop sharply among young people. Only 29% of West Virginia children aged 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, while 36% of residents aged 18 to 29 are covered, according to Hoyer.

Please quit following the misinformation thats out there, particularly across the internet and social media sites. Talk to someone who is a medical professional, Hoyer said to those who are vaccine hesitant.

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COVID-19 hospitalizations rise in West Virginia - Associated Press