Trump visits a Wisconsin farm

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Your fertilizer is down, your energy’s down, your oil, your gas is all coming way down. And frankly, I thought it would go much higher than it did.” 

– President Donald Trump, addressing Wisconsin farmers at a roundtable in Chippewa Falls Friday

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President Donald Trump held a roundtable discussion Friday at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls to tout his administration’s efforts to help farmers. Wisconsin Republicans U.S. Reps. Derrick Van Orden and Tom Tiffany joined the forum to praise the administration's ag policies. Henry Redman reports.

The U.S. Senate on Friday rejected the SAVE America Act, dealing a blow to Trump’s efforts to impose voting restrictions ahead of the November midterm elections. Jonathan Shorman of our D.C. Bureau covers the failure of the bill.

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents this week approved tuition increases across the system and elected a new president and vice president. Baylor Spears reports on the actions, and why one regent dissented on the tuition hike.

Midterms

Monday was the deadline for candidates in this fall’s elections to file their nomination papers with the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Henry Redman covers who made the ballot and who didn’t.

Among the candidates who did turn in enough signatures to get on the ballot is former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Baylor Spears kicks off the Examiner’s summer of profiling candidates with a look at Barnes, who says that his narrow loss in the 2022 U.S. Senate race to Ron Johnson is proof that he can compete statewide.

Redman broke the news this week that another Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, state Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison), was being sued by Capital One Bank over nearly $30,000 in credit card debt. Hong’s campaign said the debt has since been fully paid and argued that it proves her working class bonafides.

Criminal Justice

A former prison guard at Oshkosh Correctional Institution was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually assaulting an inmate. Criminal Justice Project Fellow Andrew Kennard uncovers the crime and speaks with the victim, who says that his allegations were downplayed by the cops and Department of Corrections.

The lawyer for the family of a man who died of malnutrition and dehyrdration in Waupun prison in 2024 announced a $3.75 million settlement this week with the DOC. Kennard reports on the agreement and the outcome of criminal charges filed against some employees and the warden for the troubled prison.

Communities across the state have begun dropping their contracts for Flock license plate readers due to opposition from residents to the surveillance network. Isiah Holmes covers the movement to get Flock cameras off Wisconsin streets while the police leaders of some of the state’s largest cities argue the benefits are too good to pass up.

Environment

A report published last month in the journal PLOS Climate found that many of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies — including several that operate in Wisconsin — have made hundreds of claims of environmental sustainability and pledges of future emissions reductions despite little evidence to back those claims up. Redman reports on the alleged greenwashing in the industry.

The state announced Thursday that it had reached a settlement agreement with Tyco Fire Products in a lawsuit over the PFAS contamination the company caused in Marinette. While state officials celebrated the settlement as a victory for affected residents, an advocacy group said it left dozens of households with zero recourse and would pit people dealing with PFAS-contaminated water against each other. Redman reports on the case’s conclusion.

Around the Capitol

For the final time of his tenure, Gov. Tony Evers kicked off Pride Month by raising the Progress Pride Flag over the state Capitol building. Spears reports on the event and what it means in an era of raising hostility against the LGBTQ community.

This week the federal government announced its proposed rules for how states should implement new work requirements for people on Medicaid. Deputy Editor Erik Gunn speaks with advocates and experts about what those rules mean and the people who may lose their healthcare coverage because of administrative bureaucracy or technicalities.

The Legislature’s budget committee voted Tuesday to authorize spending $7 million to help a state agency manage a backlog of more than 7,000 cases of people with disabilities trying to enter the workforce. Gunn reports on the issue, and why Democrats and advocates say it isn’t enough.

On Thursday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted to create a committee to study changing the state’s judicial recusal rules. Redman reports on the hours-long public hearing and open conference the Court held to debate what new rules can and should achieve for Wisconsin’s increasingly contentious legal culture.

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