Politics

Wisconsin voters have elected a Democratic-backed judge to serve on the state supreme court, according to projections, following the most expensive judicial election in US history. Susan Crawford is on course to beat conservative rival Brad Schimel, which would keep intact the 4-3 liberal control of the Midwestern state’s highest court. President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk was a prominent fundraiser in the campaign, and was the subject of Democratic attack ads. More than $100m (£77m) was spent by the candidates and their allies, including $20m by Musk. The result is expected to have far-reaching implications, potentially even affecting the balance of power in the US Congress. With most ballots counted, Crawford secured approximately 54% of the vote, while Schimel garnered around 45%, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. In her victory speech, Crawford addressed the financial influence of Musk’s fundraising efforts, telling supporters: “Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price. Our courts are not for sale.” A Dane County judge and former private attorney for Planned Parenthood, Crawford openly supported abortion rights throughout her campaign. Tuesday’s result marked a setback for Trump in the key swing state, where he had secured victory by less than a percentage point in last November’s presidential election. Despite this loss, he found solace in Republicans retaining two congressional seats in Florida’s special elections. The race was widely viewed as a test of Musk’s political influence. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO personally traveled to Wisconsin, distributing millions of dollars to voters who pledged to support conservative causes. Democrats framed Crawford’s win as a blow to Musk’s powerbroking efforts. “Wisconsin cannot be bought. Our democracy is not for sale. And when we fight, we win,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren posted on social media. Musk acknowledged the defeat of his preferred candidate in a post on his social media platform, X, writing: “I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain.” Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, a heavily Democratic city, election officials reported a shortage of ballots due to “unprecedented and historic voter turnout,” according to a statement from the city’s election commission. Wisconsin voters also approved a constitutional amendment on Tuesday requiring residents to show identification at the polls. While voter ID was already mandated by state law, enshrining it in the constitution makes it more difficult to change in the future. Crawford had opposed the amendment.b

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey has taken to the Senate floor in a lengthy speech criticizing policies associated with former President Donald Trump. Beginning his speech at 7 p.m. on March 31, 2025, Booker has spoken for over 18 hours, aiming to highlight what he describes as threats to democracy and governance under Trump’s influence. During his speech, Booker has addressed various concerns, including proposed reductions to Social Security services, the dismantling of the Department of Education, and efforts to weaken the judiciary. He has also discussed the impact of funding cuts on the National Institutes of Health and immigration policies that affect international students. While this extended address is not classified as a filibuster—since it is not blocking specific legislation—it serves as a platform to bring national attention to these issues. Throughout the speech, Booker has engaged with fellow Democratic senators, answering questions while maintaining his time on the floor. He has emphasized the importance of bipartisanship and public engagement in confronting policies that he believes undermine democratic principles. As of the latest update, Booker continues his speech, reinforcing his message about the significance of safeguarding institutions and ensuring accountability in governance.

President Trump said he is “very angry” and “pissed off” at remarks Russian President Vladimir Putin made Friday about Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, suggesting he is not a legitimate leader. The president threatened to slap a new tariff on Russia if it is at fault for stalling an end “to bloodshed.” “If I feel, if we’re in the midst of a negotiation, you could say that I was very angry, pissed off, when Putin said yesterday that — you know, when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?” Trump told NBC News’s Kristen Welker during a phone interview on Sunday. The Russian president said Friday that his Ukrainian counterpart does not have the legitimacy required for a peace deal signature and suggested an interim government is needed, The Associated Press reported. Ukraine’s 2024 presidential elections were postponed due to martial law amid the war with Russia. Putin said any agreement signed on to by Ukraine’s government could receive pushback. “Under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends, we could discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine,” he said Friday, according to the AP, later saying that “democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the trust of the people, and then begin negotiations with them on a peace treaty” would be able to happen via the temporary governance.

Dassault Systèmes announced its 10-year collaboration with the Chair and Institute for Machine Elements & Systems Engineering (MSE) at the RWTH Aachen University, one of Europe’s best engineering universities, to boost the engineering and industrial product development skills of Germany’s future workforce. “The transformation to an AI-supported, seamless digital product development process requires engineers who are trained on MBSE methods and tools. Therefore, we decided to use the tool chain of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform” MSE will integrate Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud into RWTH Aachen University’s mechanical engineering curricula for up to 13,000 mechanical engineering students, making the 3DEXPERIENCE platform with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) the core technology of its education programs. MSE and partnering chairs can train students and junior engineers in MBSE, integrating the latest virtual twin applications. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform connects modeling with physical and AI-based simulation, and creates traceability of system parameters in one collaborative environment. Students gain practice-oriented learning that can be applied to jobs across all industrial sectors, facilitating their entry into the professional world and eliminating the need for long training processes. Besides education, joint research activities of MSE and Dassault Systèmes are fostered to enhance model-based systems engineering methods and processes. New technologies, resulting out of research, are transferred to industry by the Center for Systems Engineering (CSE). CSE is an interdisciplinary hub on the RWTH Aachen Campus dedicated to strengthening collaboration between academia and industry to advance engineering practices. “The transformation to an AI-supported, seamless digital product development process requires engineers who are trained on MBSE methods and tools. Therefore, we decided to use the tool chain of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform,” said Professor Georg Jacobs, Director of the Institute for Machine Elements and Systems Engineering (MSE), RWTH Aachen University. “Our partnership with Dassault Systèmes is the greatest of that kind for a major technical university and will strengthen the ability of industry to innovate in the years to come.” MBSE has emerged as a key enabler in the efficient development of autonomous vehicles, aircraft, medical devices and other solutions combining mechanical, electronic and software systems. Employees having advanced modeling and simulation skills in this domain are highly sought after by companies in regulated and competitive markets as they adopt the principles of experience and circularity in complex product development. “Mastering systems engineering is an imperative for industrial innovation in the Generative Economy. By training future engineering professionals with the right skills, our partnership with MSE and CSE at RTWH Aachen University will help bridge the skills gap, boost student employability, and accelerate industrial transformation in Germany. This is the power of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and the cloud in action,” said Valérie Ferret, Vice President, 3DEXPERIENCE Edu, Dassault Systèmes. The collaboration was announced in Aachen during CWD & DSEC 2025, an event focused on drivetrain technology, systems engineering and wind power drives.

WNS, a business process management (BPM) company, said it bought Kipi.ai, a data modernisation company working on the Snowflake platform, for an undisclosed amount.  Kipi, based in the US, provides strategy, execution, and managed service capabilities across data engineering, advanced analytics, and data science. The acquisition is a move by WNS to expand its presence in the analytics and AI sector.  Legacy players in the BPM and IT services sector are acquiring artificial intelligence (AI) companies that offer solutions leveraging AI, machine learning (ML), generative AI (GenAI), and analytics to better serve their clients, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. We believe that Kipi’s market-differentiated data modernisation capabilities and talented team are an excellent fit for WNS. Together, we will leverage domain expertise and scalable AI solutions to drive decision intelligence and efficiencies, and to create new revenue streams,” WNS chief executive Keshav Murugesh said in a statement.  Kipi operates in the healthcare, financial services, technology, and manufacturing sectors and has more than 250 proprietary accelerators, enablers, applications, and solutions. It also has more than 600 employees, including over 450 data engineers, solutions architects, data scientists, and business analysts.  “The strong cultural alignment and complementary service offerings between our two firms will unlock the full potential of AI and offer opportunities to grow and better serve our global clients,” said Jason Small, founder and CEO of Kipi.ai.