Friday, September 11: 9/11 and the growth of the surveillance state, DNR orders Enbridge to stop unpermitted Line 5 construction, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin files constitutional challenge to abortion restrictions, JD Vance and Wisconsin’s childcare crisis
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“In the days after 9/11, we all realized that what the government did in the next few days to respond could have lasting implications for the civil liberties of Americans.”
– Gregory Nojeim, director of the security and surveillance project at the Center for Democracy & Technology
People look out at Manhattan and beyond at One World Observatory at One World Trade Center in New York City. Twenty-five years after 9/11, the surveillance systems built in its aftermath continue to shape how Americans are watched and policed. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, did more than reshape the nation’s approach to terrorism. They changed the architecture of American intelligence and policing. They expanded how government agencies collect, share and analyze information, and brought national security tools deeper into ordinary law enforcement. Amanda Watford of Stateline has the story.
After a massive spill of natural gas liquids in Iron County late last month from the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline that crosses northern Wisconsin, the Wisconsin DNR has told the pipeline owner, Enbridge, to stop building a bypass around the broken valve that caused the leak. Enbridge began working to get the pipeline back up and running shortly after the spill, but on Wednesday, the DNR issued a notice of noncompliance to the company, noting that Enbridge was constructing the bypass without the proper permits from the DNR. Henry Redman reports.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is challenging state laws that restrict abortion access, arguing they unconstitutionally infringe on Wisconsinites’ right to “liberty and bodily autonomy.” Tanya Atkinson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Wisconsin, said during a virtual press conference Thursday that the case seeks to address a “powerful promise” in the state Constitution. Baylor Spears has the details.
The Trump administration’s culture war on childcare is hurting Wisconsin families, writes Editor Ruth Conniff in a commentary on JD Vance’s promotion of a plan to redirect childcare support to stay-at-home parents and the real crisis facing parents and kids.
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ICYMI
One in four Wisconsin childcare providers said they will likely close their doors after the loss of federal subsidies. The Trump administration plan to direct remaining childcare funds to stay-at-home parents will exacerbate the crisis. (Photo by Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent.)
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