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 provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS.