Only about 40 percent of Wisconsin's public school students are proficient at reading and math. When Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R - Fond du Lac) said the vast majority of students are failing, Politifact disputing the meaning of the word "vast" and called him a liar. Rather than back down, he talks to MacIver about the challenges facing Wisconsin public schools and why edu-crats refuse to address them.

Few would have thought it possible - Democrats and Republicans agree it's time to end a tax. Will the special interests let them do it?

MacIver News Minute: Wisconsin Leads Nation (in achievement gap) by The MacIver Institute

Almost 60 percent of public school students in Wisconsin are not proficient in math or reading. Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt sounded the alarm saying the "vast majority" of students are not proficient. Politifact bypassed the crisis to go after Thiesfeldt's call to action.

It's hard to find a building that's not built to code, but you probably have no idea where that code comes from. Right now a group called the International Code Council is writing the new 2021 codes at its national convention. Those codes will be implemented worldwide. ICC's Senior Vice President of Tech Services, Mike Pfeiffer, explains who comes up with the code and how it becomes legal regulation.

Gov. Evers called a special session of the legislature to address red flag gun laws. Even though those laws would be unconstitutional because they would violate a person's right to due process under the law, the governor wants to get Republicans on the record opposing them. It's a game of political brinksmanship that might not play out the way Evers hopes.

Wisconsin is making national headlines for its Public Finance Authority (PFA), which is responsible for 10 percent of all municipal bond defaults so far this year. The PFA is sells bonds to investors and lends that money to private organizations with risky projects. Those private organizations are ultimately responsible for paying back investors. When the projects fail, those investors are out of luck.

You can't sue someone if you can't prove damages, but that doesn't stop Democrats from trying - especially when it's not costing them any money to do so.

On October 1st, Wisconsin drivers began paying an extra $200 million a year through higher vehicle fees. Don't expect a thank you from the DOT though. DOT Secretary Craig Thompson, Gov. Tony Evers, and Wisconsin's road lobbyists are still pushing for their gas tax hike.

Apparently the evidence of President Trump's wrongdoing is so damning, Democrats had to fabricate an entire dialogue between Trump and the Ukrainian president to start off the impeachment inquiry. Attempting to mischaracterize the key piece of evidence doesn't lend much confidence to Democrats' chances of ousting Trump - a goal they've been chasing since the day he took office.