The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
2024 Election Coverage. have to take it back.
>> Presidential campaigns keep flying in to flyover country.
This time, Donald Trump holds a town hall in LA Crosse.
>> The Trump endorsement can really help in the primary, but
it might be less so in the general election.
backing have on local races? I'm Frederica Freyberg tonight on
here. And now we look at the questions and answers from
Donald Trump's western Wisconsin town hall and an update on the
general election for the eighth congressional, where the MAGA
Republican will face the pro-choice Democrat. Then what's
next for Lincoln Hills after the death of a guard? And finally,
how is the economy faring? We examine the numbers and people's
attitudes. It's "Here& Now" for August 30th.
>> Funding for here and Now is provided by the Focus Fund for
Journalism and Friends of PBS. Wisconsin.
was in La Crosse last night for a town hall event. “Here& Now”
reporter Steven Potter was there and has this report. Reporter
>> We love our country. We love our country. No way. It's
amazing and it's a great country, but we have to take it
back. >> In an uncharacteristically
short campaign event of just over 30 minutes, Donald Trump
returned to Wisconsin and the city of La Crosse Thursday night
to again make his case for the presidency.
back, and we're going to make it healthy and beautiful and better
than ever. >> With most arriving early in
the morning, thousands stood in long lines outside the La Crosse
center, hoping they'd get a seat. Trump superfan Stella Guy
arrived a full day early. She was the first person in line.
>> I got here last night about 4 p.m, and I've been here ever
since. I've stayed out all night long and I'm ready to see him
today. stance and specific issues? Do
you support, >> the wall being built, he
bring our taxes down, help our economy. Our economy out. I
mean, he's just for everything. >> These were issues that also
resonated with Onalaska resident Cheryl Huskamp.
>> I'm against what happened at the border. I'm. We need our
economy to turn around. And, it doesn't look like the Democrats
are going to do that. Our country needs to run as a
business, pay our bills, pay our debt, take care of American
people first. >> In all, more than 7000
attendees made it into the aren. Unlike other Trump campaign
rallies, yesterday's event was billed as a town hall where he
was joined on stage by a moderator and took questions
from pre-selected crowd members. >> What's your plan to make life
more affordable and bring down inflation for someone like me?
>> It's probably the question I get most. You know, they say
you're going to vote with your stomach. I don't know if you've
heard it, but it's a little bit true. And groceries, food has
gone up at levels that nobody's ever seen before.
>> Another of only a handful of questions asked Thursday night
was about immigration. immigration is threatening
opportunities for my children. I worry that it's taking away jobs
from Americans. I'm wondering what will you do about that?
>> Though he didn't get into specifics, Trump ultimately said
he would find a way to fix immigration issues.
never seen before. They're coming in by millions and
millions, and a lot of them are taking the jobs for the black
population, the Hispanic population and unions are going
to be very badly affected. >> And he made more promises.
>> So we're going to win this election. We're going to turn
this country around. We're going to become an unbelievable growth
country. And your boy is going to have the greatest job.
>> And Democrats said not to believe any of it and urged
voters to vote for Trump's opponent.
in this race to put forward a plan that would actually lower
costs for working families in the heart of a Democratic city,
in a swing state. >> Trump also made an eyebrow
raising promise to cover the cost of in vitro fertilization.
>> The government is going to pay for it, or we're going to
get or mandate your insurance company to pay for it, which is
going to be great. We're going to do that.
>> With that, Trump's short campaign stop made big
government waves with the announcement that in vitro
fertilization would be funded by taxpayers, or a mandate on
private insurance to cover it, something that Democrats called
unserious. Reporting from La Crosse for "Here& Now" I'm
Steven Potter on the other side of the state, Republican
businessman Tony Wied won a three way primary in the eighth
congressional district in northeast Wisconsin.
>> Weid will face Democrat Kristin Lyerly in the November
election. Here and now. Reporter Aditi Debnath has more on the
race. >> Doctor Kristin Lyerly is a
health care provider running for Congress in Northeast Wisconsin.
>> It's not all that different, really. When someone comes to
see me, they have a problem. Just like a constituent.
>> She's running as a Democrat for a seat that's been held by
Republicans since 2011. >> It's one of those districts
that, it appears, I think, really solidly Republican.
Right. Because for the past ten years plus, there has been a
Republican representative, but really firmly set in stone. And
the district really does vary. >> Lyerly will face Republican
businessman Tony Wied in the November election. Wied did not
respond to multiple requests for an interview. However. In an
audio interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, he said this on
the primary election night. >> We did a good job in this
process and the voters made the decision. And, I'm thankful for
their call. largely based on his endorsement
from former President Donald Trump. UW green Bay political
scientist David Helpap says the Trump endorsement was critical
in Weed's primary win. >> The question is, will it
provide help in that general election? Because what we've
seen with some other races is the Trump endorsement can really
help in the primary. But it might be less so in the general
election. >> National politics could also
play a role in Lyerly campaign. Now that Democrats are rallying
around vice President Kamala Harris, the party's presidential
nominee, maybe Lyerly can ride that as well, right?
>> To use that enthusiasm to say, hey, this is where we're
going as a party. This is where we're going as a country. I can
be your local representative of that Lyerly campaign emphasizes
her role as an ob gyn. >> She focuses on issues like
abortion access and rural health care.
in rural areas, and we're not doing enough to address that add
on top of that, complex abortion bans like what we've seen in
Wisconsin, we know the data shows that that affects the
number of doctors that we train in a debate ahead of the
primary, Weid said his health care policy includes reducing
federal spending on Medicare. >> We're seeing, health care
companies continue to merge. And what's happening there, and we
see it, you know, whenever there is less competition, you're
going to continue to have higher prices. And that's a big concern
for me. So we need to dig into that. We need more
competitiveness. >> The candidates contrast on
most issues, including economic policy.
ways for companies and businesses to grow and more tax
incentives. And so I will be an advocate for our businesses.
That's the driver of our economy here in district eight.
>> There aren't enough child care providers, paid family and
medical leave. All of these things will help people as we
are trying to further our economy.
attention to the district's swing voters, which she'll need
to win the general election. >> There's always that nugget of
shared values where you can start and grow out from there. I
never start from are you a Republican or a Democrat? It
doesn't make any sense and it doesn't get you anywhere.
>> Leading up to November, Helpap says both candidates have
work to do, activating voters in their district.
>> For him in particular, getting out there and telling
people who he is, what his policies are, even if they are
very aligned with the former president, still getting people
to know that. And for her really pushing those issues that she
thinks can motivate people and not just talking to the folks
that would sort of naturally vote for a Democratic candidate.
>> Weid and Lyerly will each be on the ballot twice on November
fifth for the general election and the special election, which
determines who will finish the rest of former U.S.
representative Mike Gallagher's earlier this year. Reporting
from green Bay. I'm Aditi Debnath for "Here& Now"
>> In the wake of the death of a guard at the Lincoln Hills
Juvenile Correctional Facility earlier this summer, for which
two youths there have been charged. A federal judge this
week declined to allow the continued use of pepper spray to
restrain incarcerated juveniles. juveniles over years at Lincoln
Hills prohibits the use of pepper spray, mechanical
restraints and solitary confinement. But weren't the
Northern Wisconsin Juvenile Correctional Facility supposed
We turn to Democratic state Senator LaTonya Johnson of
Milwaukee, ranking member of the Judiciary and Public Safety
Committee, and member of joint finance. And Senator, thanks
very much for being here. >> Thank you for having me.
>> So the juvenile facilities for boys and girls in Wisconsin
seem to be places of despair and danger. What has taken so long
to close them? >> Well, what's taken an
exceptionally long time is the fact that Joint Finance
Committee refuses to release all of the funds that are needed to
build these facilities in order to close Lincoln Hills, for
example, they made their first request in 2019. In October,
December, November? No response. Then it was finally denied in
February 2020. And that was for about $73 million to create two
type one facilities in order for Lincoln Hills to close.
>> We should mention that we did invite a Republican member of
Joint Finance, Senator Mary Koski, to join this discussion,
but we did not hear back. But to you, what do you say to officers
or counselors there whom a court ordered monitored this week
reported, expressed fear for their safety?
>> I understand their fear, and they have every right to be
fearful. They lost a colleague. Their colleague died trying to
do his job. And that's exceptionally understandable.
But I think as the state legislature, we have to take
accountability for our part. And that was the failure to get the
Department of, corrections, the funds that were needed to have
Lincoln Hills closed. Lincoln Hills is mandated to close from
a juvenile detention center. And we know in order to do that, we
have to have other smaller facilities closer to home. For
example, Dane County needs the facility as well. There was a
request made of $83 million, and that was in 2023. So they could
start the creation of their third, type one facility. That
was denied and only about $12 million was approved. No, $6
million was approved. And that was for an exploratory, event
for them to find the land and to start the procedures. So with
that timeline, we know that Lincoln Hills won't be set to
close at least until 2029. >> So what do you say to
families whose children are held there with that kind of timelin?
>> They deserve better. Lincoln Hills should have been closed.
Their children should have been closer to home a long time ago,
and had those funds been approved, Lincoln Hills would
have been closed and their children would have been much
closer to home. in the beating death of the
guard was supposed to be transferred, I understand, to
the expanded secure mental health facility at Mendota, but
there was no space. So is this emblematic of the larger
correctional system with staffing?
>> So as far as that's concerned, we weren't that
wasn't confirmed or denied to us because of HIPAA laws, but I do
know that a request was made in January of this year, and that
was for additional dollars, for the closure of Lincoln Hills and
the expansion of Mendota. So Lincoln Hills cannot close
without without Mendota expansion going from, I believe,
29 beds to over 90. That too was denied, that funding wasn't
given to the Department of Corrections until later after
Corrie's death, it was approved. And these are the type of things
that we can't continue to see, because it just further
postpones the closing of the closure of Lincoln Hills, the
Department of Corrections, they know their jobs and they know
what money is needed. And the longer it takes for us to
approve this, the more inflationary costs we get. For
example, the request that was originally made for the facility
in Milwaukee was originally requested at $45 million, and
that was in 2020. That cost is now costing us $76 million in
2024. So not only is it costing us time, it's costing us money.
And I would I think it's fair to say that it has now cost a life.
>> We need to leave it there. Senator LaTonya Johnson, thanks
very much. >> Thank you.
>> The economy is a top issue heading into the 2024 election,
but how is it actually doing? Workers saw higher wage growth
and a faster growing GDP under President Biden, but saw much
lower inflation under President Trump, inflation has cooled off
since the pandemic down to 2.5% as of today. Still, prices
remain high "Here& Now", reporter Nathan Denzin has more
on this. >> If the 2020 election was
defined by Covid 19, the 2024 election is defined by the
economy. are housing, food, especially
rent and child care. >> You're seeing a pretty good
increase in both grocery prices, but also prices as a whole.
>> Inflation is real, you know, we feel strongly some of that is
corporate greed too. >> Since 2020, the American
economy has been hard to pin down.
>> The average worker today, I think, on an hourly basis is
making about $6 more an hour than they were back before the
pandemic. professor at the UW La Follette
School of Public Affairs studying consumer decision
making. also risen so that extra $6,
almost all of it has been eaten up by the cost of the stuff they
have to pay for. >> Cumulative inflation since
2021, when Joe Biden took offic, has continued to climb.
>> Meaning in 2019, if a consumer was paying $100 for
groceries in 2024, they're now paying about $125.
>> Mike Semmen is the president and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers
Association. economic shock to the system.
>> I think the other thing is that it has not been across the
board. Inflation has been energ. Things like your electrical
bill, things like gasoline and food.
responsive to rising energy costs.
the front end of the supply chain, are going to have a major
impact, because grocery stores only have about a 1 to 2% profit
margin. frequently, like a mattress,
have much larger margins. That means that when energy costs
rise, a mattress business can eat some of the extra expense
and still make a profit. But with groceries, the margin is so
slim that any rise in production and transportation costs will
show up when you check out. Supply chains broke down in the
early days of the pandemic, which caused prices to rise
dramatically. increase in a transportation
cost on the front end of the supply chain, that's multiplied
across every different point, and by the time it reaches the
end consumer, they're going to be feeling it.
>> Those price increases have led many to wonder if America is
in a recession. The latest Marquette University Law School
poll found that nearly two thirds of Wisconsinites have a
negative view of the economy in terms of how the economy is
humming along. >> There's really no sign that
we're in a recession right now. >> A recession is broadly
defined as multiple quarters of negative GDP growth. That
threshold was briefly met in mid 2022, but since then the economy
has grown. Each quarter. Other economic indicators, like
unemployment in the stock market also look positive. The S&P 500
has grown more than 45% since Biden took office, and
unemployment continues to hover near record lows of just under
3% in Wisconsin. Wages in Wisconsin have increased roughly
25% across all jobs, enough to very narrowly beat inflation.
>> We have been able to secure some unprecedented collective
bargaining agreements, right, 19% increases over three years.
>> Kent Miller is the president and business manager of the
Wisconsin Laborers District Council, or Liuna.
>> The bipartisan infrastructure bill in Wisconsin, that's an
extra billion dollars over five years in investing in roads and
bridges and sewer and water infrastructure. We have the
Inflation Reduction Act, where we're seeing tons of private
investment in utility scale solar and wind development and
battery storage, Miller says. >> Liuna, which represents over
9000 laborers in Wisconsin, has seen tremendous growth under the
Biden administration. >> I think that there's an
estimate on just the IRA component in Wisconsin of like
almost 19,000 jobs, workers who are working on an hourly basis,
whether that's in manufacturing or construction or whatever it
might be, are doing better than they were 4 or 5 years ago. And
that's because of the Biden-Harris administration.
better, the question is, have they been able to swim faster
than all these sort of other things that are pushing against
them? but Semmen says grocery stores
have started to see inflation cool off.
>> We're seeing both a stability in prices in certain types of
produce, but we're also seeing a real decrease in prices in in
produce in the produce area. >> Take wage increases in a
growing stock market and combine it with high inflation. And you
get an economy that is kind of weird. Collins says it's
difficult to declare exactly how the economy is doing, especially
since attitudes about it are so poor.
think about how to get through today. They're trying to think
about how are they going to fare six months from now, or, you
know, they're making plans for next year. And whether they're.
Whether that's buying a house or going on vacation and like, are
they going to be able to afford that when it comes to voters,
their perception is reality. >> And until prices stabilize or
drop across the board, negative attitudes about the economy will
likely persist. For "Here& Now". I'm Nathan Denzin in Madison.
>> From the cost of things to wages and jobs ahead of Labor
Day, we check in on the annual State of working Wisconsin
report with UW-Madison economist and associate director of its
High Road Strategy Center, Laura Dresser, and thanks a lot for
being here. Thanks for having me.
>> So in a nutshell, what is the overall state of working
Wisconsin? this year, I think, is a
continuation from in the recovery from the pandemic
shutdowns. We know we've been seeing high job production
that's still true. 25,000 new jobs across the last year in the
state of Wisconsin, highest ever number of jobs. We have low
unemployment rates and we had a strong wage increase at the
median last year. >> So what's responsible for
this growth in jobs as you describe?
ticking along. Well, I know there's a lot of discussion
about whether people think the economy is good, but from the
perspective of workers, where a high demand in the labor market
means that people can get into the labor market and it means
that people when they hold jobs, they can ask more of those jobs.
They have a little better position, bargaining position.
That's all true in this labor market. And it's a continuation
of what we've seen coming out of that. The severe lockdown, the
shutdowns. But is there any sense that it
is slowing down? >> You know, I think there's you
know obviously that last month's National Jobs data was softer
than expected. There was a recent revision to the total
national numbers on jobs. So the rate, the pace of job growth is
slowing. We're still adding jobs and the unemployment rates have
been pretty steady and very low, like pretty steady below 3% in
the state and or around 3%. That's really low in employment.
And that and so that bargaining position for workers like there
are there are clouds on the horizon. A lot of concern about
what comes next. And I think that's what everybody is looking
at, future job production and that unemployment rate to
change. But for now like very solid. We'll take solid year.
We'll take now. >> So again what does that do
for wages. What are the kind of specifics on that.
>> Yeah. So probably everybody remembers 2022 was a year of
really high inflation. That means that wage increases in
that year did not keep up with the cost of living. So we'd had
steady wage growth. And then a step back in last year's report
this year, we had the strongest one year median wage growth that
we've seen. And that's all inflation adjusted. So the one
we wages increase at the median by $0.97 an hour or almost a
dollar an hour. That's the strongest we've ever seen. It
ties with a 2019. But but that's really strong step forward in
wages. And we're very near the 2021 peak in wages. So strong
wage growth because workers are bargaining for more. Employers
are needing to pay more to find workers in these tight labor
markets. our minimum wage sits at $7.25
an hour. >> Yeah, the state of Wisconsin
is, you know, the labor market infrastructure, the kind of wage
standards we set are being really left behind by
neighboring states. It's above $10 an hour in both Michigan and
Minnesota, $13 an hour for the minimum in Illinois. Wisconsin
is just out of touch in terms of setting the standard in our
labor market for the base. >> You also describe in your
report that there is a gender pay gap that persists.
>> Yeah, it's you know, we've seen some shrinking in
inequality. One of one of the exciting things about this
recent period is lower wage workers have made bigger gains.
And we know that even over the last 40 years, women have made
gains relative to men. There's still a substantial pay gap. And
it's especially extreme for black women, for Hispanic women
whose workers are whose wages are 25 and 33% below white men's
wages. >> So you your report also
suggests that there are ways to make these gains durable, as you
say. How in your mind do you do that?
already mentioned is, is the minimum wage raising the minimum
wage and trying to get the kind of floor under the labor market
up more in touch with neighboring states, up more in
touch with the cost of living. Living would really matter for
workers. I think restoring rights to collective collective
action, collective bargaining, restoring union rights in this
state really matters for workers ability to, you know, pursue
unions and to raise wages. And then I think the other thing we
see in this state, we used to have a very strong relative
advantage in women's work. Women were much more likely to work in
Wisconsin than in the rest of the nation. And that is
shrinking our relative advantage in women's work. And so I think
really attending to the question of our early care and education
infrastructure, investing in that infrastructure, both so
that the workers who are largely women who work in it, can earn
decent wages and so that families who all rely on it, but
especially moms who carry the burden of care, can really get
accessible, affordable childcare.
thanks very much. Thank you. For more on this and other issues
facing Wisconsin, visit our website at PBS wisconsin.org.
And then click on the news tab to see all of our election
coverage. Visit Wisconsin Vote.org. That's our program for
tonight. I'm Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend.
>> Funding for "Here& Now" is provided by the Focus Fund for
Journalism and Friends of PBS.