Shawn Johnson

Join Brian Lehrer's (Mostly) Swing State Radio Network on this Election Night. Listeners call in to 646-829-3980 as polls close around the country. 

The Vice Presidential debate took place Thursday night live in Danville, Kentucky. Brian Lehrer reconveneed his (Mostly) Swing State Radio Network, and was joined by former moderator Carole Simpson of ABC, and PBS' Jim Lehrer, host of this year's first debate.

Listen here: 

We also live chatted with Anna Sale, our swing state colleagues and the politically diverse It's A Free Country bloggers for a witty, communal and informative experience. Watch the debate and read the transcript below!

Voters in Wisconsin voted yesterday to decide whether their governor Scott Walker stays or goes. After months of political wrangling, state-wide campaigning, and millions of dollars i...

Voters in Wisconsin are heading to the polls to decide whether or not their governor Scott Walker stays or goes. Regardless of whether or not Wisconsin will actually matter come Novem...

Democrats in Wisconsin chose Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett for the upcoming recall election against Governor Scott Walker, which is set for June 5. It's been well over a year since Gov....

Mitt Romney continued on the path to securing the Republican presidential nomination last night, winning all 37 delegates in Maryland, all 16 delegates in the District of Columbia, an...

Tomorrow's primary in Wisconsin is an important one for Mitt Romney, who is looking for a boost that will secure the GOP presidential nomination. But the presidential primary takes a ...

On Tuesday opponents of Republican Governor Scott Walker will petition for the removal of the controversial governor. If over 540,208 signatures are turned into the Government Accountablity Board, Walker will have to defend his seat in a special election against a Democrat challenger that is not yet chosen.

Six seats in the Wisconsin State Senate are up for grabs today. The elections are being viewed as a referendum on the collective bargaining restrictions signed into law this year by Republican Governor Scott Walker and his GOP allies in the state legislature.  After today's recall elections of Republican state senators will be the recall votes on two Democrats next week. Democrats need to win a net of 3 seats to gain a majority in the State Senate.

Large protests are expected in Madison today in response to an upcoming vote on the state's budget bill, which might include the now famous collective bargaining bill. So far, that bill has been tied up in the courts, says Shawn Johnson, State Capitol reporter with Wisconsin Public Radio. However, Republican lawmakers say if the collective bargaining issue isn't resolved in the courts today, they may put the measure in the budget bill. Meanwhile, there are other issues in the budget that have attracted protesters, including major cuts to the state's schools.

In a surprise legislative maneuver that took around 30 minutes, 18 Republican members of Wisconsin's Senate pushed through adoption of a bill last night that would sharply reduce public employees' collective bargaining rights. Introduced by the state's new governor, Scott Walker, the legislation has roiled the state's capitol for weeks. Union supporters and other protesters occupied the state house while Governor Walker battled in the press with Democrats who had fled the state to prevent a vote from taking place. The move circumvented a required quorum by removing language on appropriating funding to allow the 18-1 vote. What's next in the three week saga? 

Over 70,000 people gathered in front of the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday — the largest crowd since the protests began — to continue decrying Governor Scott Walker's efforts to limit state laborers' collective bargaining rights. Part of the outcry has been that the changes were included in the state's budget bill. It seems highly likely that public workers will have to concede some ground on how much they contribute to pension benefits and health insurance premiums. But what economic effect would those cuts and the collective bargaining changes actually have on the budget or the state economy?

The unrest in the Middle East has some worried: investors see oil prices spiking, analasts see the potential for extremism, and dictators fear the future. It's a new reality in the Arab world.

The United States also sees some political upheaval, as protesters have tried to block anti-union legislation in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. However, in a vote early Friday morning, Wisconsin's Assembly passed a bill that strips collective bargaining rights from most public workers. Shawn Johnson, Wisconsin Public Radio's state capitol reporter has the details.

In a press conference held Monday evening, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker said that it was time to move forward on a budget repair bill currently stalled by the absence of the state’s fourteen Democratic state senators. The senators fled Wisconsin seven days ago in hopes of stalling a bill which, they say, hurts the middle and working class by stripping unions of the right to collectively bargain for benefits. With 19 seats, Republicans can pass the budget bill; without 20 sitting members, the Senate can't vote on spending measures.

Teachers and other state workers in Wisconsin are rallying at the State Capitol in Madison this week over a bill that would remove the unions' rights to collectively bargain over health care and pension benefits. The bill, proposed by newly-elected Republican Governor Scott Walker, would also mean a roughly eight percent wage cut for 176,000 government workers, who would have to pay more for health care and pension contributions. Republicans hold the majority in both the state's Senate and Assembly — but it is yet unclear whether Walker will be able to secure the vote. Wisconsin was the first state to write collective bargaining laws for state employees and is the birthplace of the national union for non-federal public employees.