Tuesday, June 30: Teen pregnancy prevention cuts, clean energy future, judges rebuff Trump immigration policy, anxiety over election meddling, extreme heatwave hits Wisconsin, Democrats expand Legislature target list
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We know that teen pregnancy prevention has been effective — a lot of the work that has been done over the past decade has improved outcomes. So it’s really just devastating for public health overall.”
– Amy Olejniczak, the founder and executive director of Providers and Teens Communicating for Health, among the teen pregnancy prevention programs that lost funding last week from the federal government
PATCH, a Wisconsin program that enlists young people to help health providers understand how to effectively connect with teens is among those defunded when the federal government cut most of its Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants last week. (Photo by Sara Finger/Embolden WI; used by permission)
A longstanding project that employs teens to help healthcare providers learn how to more effectively communicate with youth is among the $2.4 million in Wisconsin programs defunded by the Trump administration’s sudden action to cut teen pregnancy prevention funds. Erik Gunn reports on the impact of the action that has undercut what advocates say has been a successful initiative to reduce teen pregnancy nationwide.
In a commentary, John Imes of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative looks at a recent poll showing 84% of Wisconsin voters worry about rising energy costs. Clean energy can deliver Wisconsin families not just affordable energy but also reliable electric power, good paying jobs and a stronger future for their children. Even as federal policy undermines renewables and props up fossil fuels, the clean energy transition continues, because it works, Imes writes. But will Wisconsin build it, power it and prosper?
On a single day of court hearings across the country on the detention of immigrants, an overwhelming majority of rulings have gone against the Trump administration, with judges finding indefinite detention to be unconstitutional — flouting the administration’s demands. Stateline’s Tim Henderson analyzes the trends, which united judges regardless of whether they were appointed by Democrats or Republicans.
Democrats, election experts, former federal prosecutors and others say the Trump administration’s use of law enforcement to focus on elections and discredited grievances over the president’s 2020 loss raise deep concerns about whether the White House will use groundless investigations to disrupt the November midterm elections. Jonathan Shorman reports that a recent public statement by President Donald Trump underscores their concern.
PLUS:
More from Washington:
ICYMI
The roof of the Hotel Verdant in Downtown Racine is topped with a green roof planted with sedum and covered with solar panels. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)
Thanks for reading Quick Study. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.