In an ad promoting herself as a tough on crime judge, and her opponent as "too extreme," the Democrat-aligned candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race touted the endorsement of a local sheriff who has a long history of promoting sanctuary immigration policies and opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

"Take it from a sheriff," Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a recent 15-second ad, paid for by candidate Susan Crawford, criticizing the Republican-aligned candidate Brad Schimel of being too "extreme" for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and for "letting rapists walk free" in a claim involving a backlog of rape kits being processed that Schimel has pushed back on. 

Barrett has faced his own share of criticism for policies labeled soft on crime, specifically on illegal immigrant crime, where his office has a history of refusing to cooperate with ICE.

Earlier this year, Barrett withdrew Wisconsin from the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program that ICE uses to locate criminal illegal immigrants in jail, which earned him praise from the ACLU. 

TOM HOMAN TELLS MIGRANT TERROR GROUPS TRUMP WILL ‘WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH’

"At this point, we will no longer be taking part in the SCAAP grant program, and it is due to the recent change in administration and our understanding, listening, and hearing our community here in Dane County," Barrett told Channel 3000 at the time. 

Barrett has also pledged that his department will "not be proactively involved in any sort of round-ups, any sort of immigration enforcement."

ICE listed Dane County as a jurisdiction that was "non-cooperative" in a June 2024 report, as Barrett’s office released individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants out on bail after committing crimes that were in some cases violent. 

In 2024, two Republican congressmen in Wisconsin released a statement demanding answers from Barrett on Alejandro Jose Coronel Zarate, a suspected member of the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, having a warrant for his arrest in Dane County when he was then arrested for allegedly sexually and physically assaulting a woman and her child.

BRETT FAVRE HAS 1-WORD RESPONSE TO WISCONSIN GOV'S PROPOSAL THAT WOULD REPLACE WORD 'MOTHER' IN STATE LAW

"Sanctuary policies undermine both the rule of law and the safety of American communities," Matt O’Brien, director of investigations at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, told Fox News Digital. "To begin with, states, counties, and municipalities cannot simply ignore any federal laws they dislike. But that’s exactly what sanctuary jurisdictions are doing."

"Secondly, law enforcement officials who are tough on crime and serious about protecting their communities seize every available opportunity to neutralize threats to public safety. Police chiefs and sheriffs in sanctuary jurisdictions actually do the exact opposite. They shield foreign criminals from federal immigration enforcement. And, in so doing, they encourage criminals to take up residence in the very communities they are responsible for protecting. Simply put, it is impossible to be a sanctuary police chief or sheriff and be tough on crime – because the very essence of being a sanctuary jurisdiction is giving preferential treatment to illegal alien bad guys."

Another sheriff featured in the ad, former Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney, has also publicly pushed back against ICE raids. 

Schimel, who has been endorsed by over 80 Wisconsin sheriffs and previously served as the state’s attorney general, will face Crawford in an election on April 1 for a 10-year term on the state’s supreme court to replace retiring Judge Ann Walsh Bradley. 

Although the Supreme Court seats are considered nonpartisan, Crawford, currently a circuit court judge, has earned the endorsement of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, which received $1 million from George Soros in January before then sending $2 million to Crawford and various liberal activist groups. 

Schimel, currently a Waukesha County judge, has the backing of the Wisconsin GOP, several top Republican donors, including Chicago Cubs co-owner Joe Ricketts and Elon Musk’s Building America’s Future PAC. 

MUSK'S DEMAND THAT FED EMPLOYEES LIST THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ROILS WORKFORCE: 'MASS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE'

The race is expected to have significant implications on the future of Wisconsin politics given that the court’s current 4-3 liberal majority would essentially be set in stone through 2028 or, if Schimel were to win, become a conservative-leaning court with Justice Brian Hagedorn serving as a key swing vote. 

"In November, Wisconsin voters chose common sense above a far-left agenda. Now, Dangerous Democrat Susan Crawford, wants to be a liberal activist from the bench of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Crawford and Democrats are already plotting to redraw Congressional seats to attack President Trump’s America First Agenda," Wisconsin GOP Executive Director Andrew Iverson told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

"While Brad Schimel has a record of protecting Wisconsin’s most vulnerable, Crawford has a record of coddling criminals and has attached herself at the hip with anti-ICE and defund-police Democrats. On April 1, Wisconsin voters will flock to the ballot box to vote for Schimel — to save Wisconsin and save America."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Schimel campaign spokesperson Jacob Fischer said, "Susan Crawford is backed by George Soros, and she’s not trying to hide it."

"If Crawford wins, she would continue to force-feed us her dangerous, Soros-backed agenda. We must stop her from destroying Wisconsin." 

Fox News Digital reached out to both Barrett and Crawford for comment but did not receive a response. 

• I tried chicken tenders at Sonic, KFC, & Smashburger to see which fast-food chain has the best ones.
• Smashburger's chicken tenders were large, generously breaded, and all-around excellent.
• However, I thought KFC's tenders were a disappointment in every way — including the price.

There are many fast-food chains out there, but it can be hard to know which place has the best flavor and value when it comes to chicken tenders.

So, I recently ordered chicken tenders from multiple chains — Kentucky Fried Chicken, Sonic, and Smashburger — to see which I preferred.

I ate them all plain (no dipping sauces), so nothing could influence the true flavor or texture. Here's how it went.

• A Chinese navy flotilla conducted a live-fire exercise off the Australian coast on Friday.
• A Virgin Australia pilot informed air traffic control after hearing a radio broadcast.
• The warning triggered 49 flights to divert as a hazard alert commenced.

Dozens of flights were forced to divert after a pilot warned air traffic control about a Chinese navy live-firing exercise off the Australian coast.

Authorities were unaware of the exercise until a pilot raised the alarm on Friday.

Rob Sharp, the CEO of Airservices Australia, the government agency responsible for air safety, gave evidence to a Senate hearing in Canberra on Monday. "It was, in fact, a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting live firing 300 nautical miles off our coast," he said.

Task Group 107 of the People's Liberation Army Navy was operating off the New South Wales coast in the Tasman Sea, between Australia and New Zealand. It consisted of a frigate, a cruiser, and a replenishment vessel.

The Virgin Australia pilot heard one of the vessels broadcasting on the international guard frequency on Friday morning, said Peter Curran, Airservices Australia's deputy CEO.

He told the hearing that the government agency then commenced a hazard alert to warn all flights in the area.

It then advised the Department of Defence's Headquarters Joint Operations Command. "Bearing in mind at that stage, we didn't know if it was a hoax or real," Curran said.

Twenty minutes after the Virgin pilot's warning, an Emirates aircraft also made contact with the Chinese flotilla. It heard the radio broadcast advising that live firing was taking place between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time.

Some 49 aircraft were diverted over the course of Friday, Curran said.

That included some that were already in the air when the hazard alert was issued, but were flights later in the day that adjusted their route to avoid the airspace.

Flight plans continued to divert throughout the weekend as a matter of precaution, he added.

The incident sparked diplomatic tensions over the weekend.

A spokesperson for Australia's defence minister, Richard Marles, told Guardian Australia: "The Australian Government has raised its concern with the lack of notice on the live fire activity from the Chinese Government, including through appropriate channels in Canberra and Beijing."

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said in a statement that the drill would not impact aviation safety.

He added that it took place in international waters and safety notices were issued in advance.

"Australia has unjustly criticized China and deliberately exaggerated the issue," Wu said.

Reuters reported that New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the live-fire exercise complied with international law, adding: "The issue for us is … we'd appreciate a little bit more advance notice, particularly on what is a busy air route."

Australia's Department of Defence said it was continuing to monitor Task Group 107 as it re-entered Australia's exclusive economic zone early on Tuesday.

continues to expand its smart home lineup with the Eve Dimmer Switch, a Matter-over-Thread smart switch that lets you control and dim your lights via Siri or HomeKit. Whether you want bright lighting for a morning routine or dimmed overhead lights for a movie, Eve’s new switch offers precise dimming control alongside easy integration with HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings over Matter.

more…

Photoshop is launching on iPhone today, a big move for Adobe as it seeks to offer its powerful photo editing suite in a mobile-friendly form. Here are the details.

more…

A frustrating bug in Google Maps for CarPlay has left users without the typical route preview before starting turn-by-turn navigation – thankfully, it’s been fixed.

more…

A bill proposed by a Miami lawmaker wants to bar Citizens from offering coverage to condos that don't comply with new safety rules.

Gnocchi "doesn't like to play with anyone else," so when her owner slept in, she did nothing other than wait for him to get up and finally begin their routine.

Following massive layoffs at its development studio, Dauntless is set to end soon.

For patients facing complex medical conditions, specialized hospitals provide the advanced care and expertise needed for the best possible outcomes. That's why Newsweek and Statista are proud to recognize America's Best Specialized Hospitals 2025.

The owner explained that it was completely accidental and she had no idea her senior dog would do this, but she managed to create a masterpiece.

As the groom waited for his bride-to-be, he was stunned to hear his daughter's voice start playing on the speakers with a heartwarming recording.

An expert told Newsweek the best way to handle the issue is to establish firm boundaries—without overexplaining or making excuses.

PEOPLE has all the details about the annual special, including the debut of its opening scene

Guthrie sat down with PEOPLE for an intimate interview ahead of the release of her children's book 'Mostly What God Does Is Love You', available everywhere now

When Mercury joins forces with Saturn in Pisces on Feb. 25, it could feel like a wake-up call from the cosmos

Instead of RSVPing "no," a wedding guest is looking for a replacement

The Monadnock Food Co-Op in New Hampshire "sustained a financial loss in excess of $1,500," police said of the incident

The pair met at Whitehouse High School near Tyler before Patrick went on to study at Texas Tech University

Quantum computing remains a holy grail in the world of technology, but with some important breakthroughs in the last several months, investors are betting on the more promising startups in the space to make the concept of super-efficient particle- and electron-based computing a reality. In the latest development, Quantum Machines, an Israeli startup that provides […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.