Shutdown Might Be Avoided (Hour 1)

It's 606 right now.

Thank you so much for joining us on the Civic Media Radio Network, Civic Media Mornings.

And by the way, happy Friday.

We officially made it to the end of another work week.

My name is Jamie Martenson.

And good morning.

I'm Brian Nooni at two hours for us.

And then the week is over.

That's right.

And I apologize in advance to everybody who heard that.

Shut up because our day is just starting hold it Listen this Jamie we get to start the show with two words that I didn't think we'd say for another at least three years crisis averted

Well, yes, it's hard in this day and age, yes.

It is hard to grasp on, but you got to grasp on.

The president and Senate Democrats have reached an agreement.

There will be, at this point, no government shut down tomorrow morning.

They reached that agreement less than 30 hours before a federal funding was set to expire.

You know, it had, it all hinged on DHS and ICE.

It all hinged on funding.

And the Democrats were not going to fund.

and the Republicans didn't want to remove the DHS funding from the bill, and it was on and on, but Jamie, somehow they got together, and they had to reach a compromise, I'm guessing.

Well, yes, and let's be mindful of the fact that this particular agreement funds the federal government through September, and it does have the exception of the Department of Homeland Security.

Under this

current plan, DHS would get only a two-week funding extension.

May

I jump in for a second and just say, do we sense a pattern here with the administration in two weeks?

Yes, everything's two

weeks.

Yes, always.

So Democrats push to split DHS from this bigger spending bill and they cited the growing concerns over immigration enforcement and of course the need for immediate oversight and reforms, which we know has

been

on their

plate over the last couple of weeks since the second shooting in Minneapolis of Alex Pretty.

Now, Trump called this deal bipartisan and urged quick approval.

Senate Republicans are checking for objections since fast passage would require unanimous consent.

So a brief shutdown is still possible.

because the house has to approve any changes, but lawmakers aren't scheduled to return until Monday.

So

it

might be something just over the weekend because that's going to complicate a whole lot of stuff for Mike Johnson, of course, Speaker of the House.

He has a razor thin majority.

In the house right now because of deaths because of people stepping down And there's also some resistance from the conservatives and there's also some uncertainty about Democratic support for even a short DHS extension

The broader funding package would keep most of the federal agencies running, including defense, education, health, and human services, transportation, treasury, state labor, and also HUD.

Without funding, non-essential services would shut down, and a lot of federal workers could be forced to work without pay.

But this seems like there should be, I know they have to get 100% care backing in the Senate.

This this part seems like a no-brainer because we already have Republicans in the Senate who are calling for ICE to be revamped right and looked at and so I don't think there's going to be This seems like everybody gets what they want

right

the Republicans get to get to fund ICE and DHS for another couple weeks and remember they already have money from the big beautiful bill So they're all right Democrats get that

A date on paper that says the funding for DHS stops on this date, right?

And then we have to in the interim we must be working on oversight and regulation and changes and all of that so this This part of the bill should not be up for debate.

It should be pretty easy and especially if

If all they all the senators and Congress people have to do is turn on their TV right see where people where people stand right this issue

And I think I think getting this through the Senate is going to be a much easier sell than probably the house because a lot of the freedom caucus in the House of Representatives is They have problems with this bill.

They don't think that DHS there's anything wrong.

They think everything is wonderful And so I think Mike Johnson is going to have a harder time getting

it through the House of Representatives that is going to be, that they're going to have in the Senate at this point.

The only reason I disagree with that is because the president has already come out and said this was bipartisan.

And if you as a Republican congressman or woman vote against this, you are going against what he directly said and we know that that doesn't fly.

And Mike Johnson is not going to put up with that because then

It takes away the bullet of the last shutdown where it was the Democrats' fault, the Democrats' fault, the Democrats' fault.

Well, you already said it was bipartisan and you had your folks in line and they're...

not listening to you?

That's not the Democrats' fault.

I also thought it was interesting yesterday in a press scrum as he was heading from scurrying from the chambers to the floor or vice versa.

I wasn't really sure where he was going in the building.

He

was scurrying, though.

He actually said something contrary to the president when asked about Kristi Noem.

You know, the president has been very supportive of her job as secretary of DHS.

Mike Johnson basically said,

I think there needs to be more questions asked and she probably needs to appear in front of the house.

So I thought that was an interesting departure

for

Mike Johnson.

We don't see him not agree with the president very often.

Maybe

he was feeling good because he was scurrying from getting his spine reattached.

He could, absolutely.

Sometimes those things will help, right?

Yes, of course.

So

when it comes to the funding of the government right now, immigration enforcement is going to likely continue regardless due to separate funding streams approved last year.

We've talked about this, right?

DHS had millions of dollars given to it through the big beautiful bill.

Right now,

Now, the funding in the bill totals about $64 billion, including roughly $10 billion for ICE.

And again, those are billion with a B. It includes modest restrictions, such as fewer detention beds, reduced enforcement funding, and money for body cameras.

But it stops short of changes Democrats want, including limits on shootings, mask use, and also detaining U.S.

citizens.

Now, the shooting of Alex Pretty in Minneapolis shifted the political landscape, especially.

going into this particular budget battle, because several Democrats who previously supported the bill are now saying that they aren't going to back it without any changes.

Democrats are calling for tighter rules on immigration agents, also including warrant requirements, coordination with local law enforcement, mandatory body cameras, and independent investigations.

And you mentioned a little bit about the public opinion.

It

appears to be moving as well and shifting

pretty dramatically and very quickly because several recent polls, I know a lot of people take polls with a grain of salt, but they're starting to show skepticism of ICE.

Majorities now say that the agency is too aggressive, has gone too far and even inspires very little confidence.

So I think this is going to be interesting as it moves through.

We have not averted a full shutdown yet.

Hopefully though, it is a weekend shutdown, which makes it more palatable for the American people.

who are actually affected by jobs and some of these programs that would lose funding.

And I tend to look at things from a common sense standpoint, where the machinations of the law and the government sometimes are contrary to common sense.

And based on the overriding sentiment in this country, and based on what we're seeing now within the Republican Party of

a break and a fracture because of support and regarding the support for ICE.

I don't understand why it wouldn't just be beneficial to everybody to pull that ICE funding out and deal with that separately.

And let's get the other stuff done.

If we pull out the DHS funding for the next two weeks, then there's no shutdown because then they can vote and get the other bill through.

It'd be fine.

Monday, the house is back in session.

We can start working on this.

We know what each side is looking for with this DHS funding.

Let's just work on that.

Yeah.

But they want to make everything has to be combined because you got to just roll things in hoping that stuff doesn't get noticed.

And that's always been the way with political budgets.

Just put the pork in there and let's roll.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And people are people are tired of that.

Absolutely.

And really, at this point, it's unclear if there's going to be enough consensus for this bill to move quickly.

House Democrats say they may support a short-term DHS extension if it leads to real negotiations, but not a blank check.

And I think that's

where

some of the pause is coming from some of the Democrats who might not be willing to pass this quickly.

This administration does not always come through and follow through with their word, right?

I mean, let's be realistic

here this morning.

Are you throwing around the label of disingenuous to this administration?

I will not sit here and listen to that.

I'm going to stand up and listen

to it.

So I have to wonder, is the bipartisan negotiation a ploy?

Because this administration cannot take a public hit.

They do not want another shutdown on their conscience, right?

And we're in an election year.

We know how most of America felt about the last shutdown.

And so you've got to also wonder, are they going to actually come back to the table and negotiate in good faith?

They said they would with the ACA subsidies.

That did not happen.

So that's where my pause is, is that

will they actually negotiate in good faith?

And if I was a betting woman, right, and I

went on

the track record of this current administration, my guess would be no, they will not be renegotiating DHS unless they absolutely need more funding to carry out their mission across the country.

I'm going to hold on to my wagering philosophy that I would bet that now that Trump has gone out on the limb

and said, we've got it.

We've got a deal that is bipartisan and stuff.

They will, the Congress will negotiate in good faith.

I don't know what what the president would do.

But I think the Congress will be forced to carry out his his orders.

And if he wants this solved, it's going to get solved.

And he's looking at

He's looking at public opinion.

He's looking at, you know, the fracturing of his own party, and he wants to stay in power.

So if the Georgia ballot grab doesn't work, he's got to do something.

And maybe if, oh, I'll ingratiate myself, the problem is, let's be honest, nobody's going to forget what happened in Minneapolis come November.

It doesn't matter if now everybody can be singing Kumbaya for the next seven, eight months.

It doesn't matter.

Yeah, we're not going to forget what happened.

No, and I think that's it I really truly hope that that is where the administration is looking

Obviously, we haven't been able to trust what they've said multiple times.

How often has the president come out and said one thing, and then we see Mike Johnson in a press scrum scurrying again through the chambers, and

he- Every time you say scurry, I can only think of one animal with scurries.

I know, I know, I know.

So

he scurries through, and then all of a sudden, he basically tells us, well, that's not what the president said.

That's not what we're gonna do.

What are you talking about?

It's

on video.

It's on video.

Yes, that's exactly what-

he said.

So that's

what

I'm

going to believe the video.

I'm

going to believe the video.

That's what I'm going to believe.

Call

me

crazy.

Call me crazy

on a Friday.

All deep fakes.

So for

now, for now, the next few days are going to basically determine whether this fragile agreement holds, whether Washington can avoid another shutdown with this volatile debate on over immigration enforcement accountability.

And I guess we just breathlessly watch and see what happens.

We don't really have another choice at this point, huh?

No, and I will be breathless.

I'll be clutching my pearls and fanning myself because I feel a vapor coming on.

Well, Susan

Collins, how dare you?

How many times have I said that with more colorful language?

Hey, when we come back, we're going to be joined by Civic Media News Director, Shelley Pittman, Representative Mark Pokan.

I met with Voces de la Frontera yesterday.

Let's talk a little bit about immigration and they had a message for ICE.

We'll get to that.

That's right.

You are listening to Civic Media Mornings.

My name is Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonan.

Good morning.

Happy Friday.

And this is the Civic Media radio network.

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All of this to say we are glad that you're here and happy Friday.

My name is Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noona.

Good morning.

Thanks for being here.

Yesterday, Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocant joined members of the immigrant rights group, Vosas de la Frontera, to discuss...

Federal immigration enforcement.

I don't know why it's that in the news.

Yes.

Stop we we must all that he was joined by executive director Christine Newman Ortiz of Vosus De La Frontera and They had a nice press conference and our own civic media news director Shelly Pittman was there.

She covered it and she joins us now to give us an update Shelly.

Thanks for getting up early.

We appreciate it.

Good morning.

No problem.

It's nice to be here.

You've got your morning voice on that's terrific What was

What was the overall theme of yesterday's press conference?

Yeah, well in a time when, on a day when immigration is again making headlines, Congressman Pocan was in Madison to denounce ICE and also talk about the importance in his view of preparing for immigration enforcement and calling on essentially mutual aid along with Christine Neumann Ortiz, head of Vosis de la Frontera, and Reverend Dr. Julia Burkey, who's a senior pastor.

at Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, which is where about 70 volunteers met in addition to media at a press conference there.

Obviously that came before a day where there have been calls for a national strike today over ICE and an immigration surge in Minneapolis.

It comes ahead of a big...

vote on Capitol Hill, over immigration enforcement, a potential shutdown.

I know you guys have been on that.

And it comes ahead of other immigration news even tomorrow, right?

There are unity rides all across the nation in honor of Alex Pretty, who was shot and killed a week ago by a CPB agent.

It comes ahead of a

a federal judge in Minneapolis being summoning Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, to appear in his courtroom.

That's scheduled to happen today.

We don't know what's going to happen there, right?

So let's talk a little bit about what Congressman Pocan had to say about the shutdown, because in our last segment, Brian and I talked about the fact that the president and the Democrats have a bipartisan agreement.

At this point, it still needs to go through the proper protocols in the chambers and get the right vote.

But what did the congressman have to say about about the potential shutdown?

He essentially said, you know what?

I am in Madison today and things tend to change by the hour in considering what will happen on Capitol Hill, but that there would probably be a short-term continuing resolution agreed to by Democrats and some Republicans and that the other resolutions would also pass.

Part of what they were talking about yesterday Shelly was and we're joined by Shelly Pittman.

She is the civic media news director Covering this press conference yesterday Christine new minorities talked a lot about how people should get ready what they what they needed to do and they're there Put some a new 800 number out for people.

What is that all about?

Yeah, absolutely.

So both is de la frontera has been running a hotline number for

a good while, I

think,

even before President Trump was elected in order to report suspected immigration activity, right?

And there's been a lot of misinformation.

There's been a lot of misinformation that happened in Madison recently.

You know, I see it on the Reddit posts for Madison and Wisconsin, right?

Where someone sees, you know, a sheriff's training and they assume that, you know, you see...

police officers, and you think maybe that's here.

And it's not to dismiss the fact that ICE has been in Wisconsin in some isolated incidents, right?

But maybe not to the extent that they've been in Minneapolis.

But Vosas de la Frontera absolutely has a hotline where we can report it.

They have a community defense network, they call it, and so they will send

they will send verifiers out to verify every instance of information.

And so Christine Neumann Ortiz said, we've really been encouraging folks, especially this week, to not post anything about ICE unless they're confirmed.

We go out and do that.

And she talked about the most recent misinformation.

Let's hear her talk about the hotline in that report.

The most recent example was that a rumor, and we think it was actually core, you know, it was intentional.

It appeared to be organized call that was spreading the rumor that ICE had booked hotels in different, you know, rooms in different hotels across the state.

And we do take every, you know, call seriously, but we were very quick to

verify that that was false in each of the cities where that surged.

And the problem is, is that when people see that posted online and even though their intention is good to try to warn people about this or raise awareness, the best thing they can do is to call that 1-800 number.

And that 1-800 number is 1-800-427-0213.

So, Shali, we've got just about 20 seconds here.

Did they have any advice yesterday at this press conference for local municipalities and what people should be doing and what local government should be doing?

I know I'm not giving you much time to get

those thoughts in there.

No, it's okay.

I'll just say real quick, so Madison and Milwaukee are looking at any rules they could adopt in order to block federal immigration officials, and they said the best thing you can do is pay

Basically, listen to us and other immigration advocacy groups.

Thank you so much.

Shaly Pittman, she is the news director here at Civic Media.

It is 6.29 and coming up, Brian, we're going to talk about what you would do if ICE approaches you.

You're listening to Civic Media Mornings.

I'm Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonan.

Thanks, Shaly.

We will be back on the Civic Media Radio Network.

635 right now.

Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

You're listening to Civic Media Mornings on the Civic Media Radio Network.

My name is Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonan and in just a second, we're going to talk to you about your rights if you are approached by ICE.

But there's some news coming out of Washington that we wanted to just touch on really quick.

If you're paying attention, you know Jerome Powell, the head of the Fed, has been in the president's crosshairs for a while, so much so that there's a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell.

And yesterday, the president did not like Powell's statements that, hey, yeah, there's still inflation.

Praise their still going up.

So he went on a truth social rant as he has wanted to do and now today He's already looking for Jerome Paul's replay remembering that the president in fact

nominated Jerome Powell.

Right, right.

In fact, he chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017.

But this morning, he nominated former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed.

He will replace Jerome Powell when the term expires in May.

Now, he went to Truth Social to say, I can't even say the word this morning.

Thank you.

The tongue was not matching with the brain Friday and all

that.

a real blizzard

that he

uses when he writes?

Yes.

I have known Kevin for a long period of time and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the great in all capitals.

Fed Chairman may be the best.

On top of everything else, he's a central casting and he will never let you down.

That was what he said on Truth Social just this morning.

No, I have no idea what the last part is either.

I tried to parse through it.

Being

right out of central casting means he's like a stereotype.

when we use that terminology,

that's what we

mean.

Who knows?

What do I know?

The appointment will require Senate confirmation.

He was a member of the Fed board from about 2006 to 2011.

He was actually the youngest governor in history when he was appointed at the age of 35.

Now, he's a little bit of an unlikely choice for President Trump, mostly because he's been a hawk on

on some of the rate increases.

He typically supports higher interest rates to control inflation.

And we know that the president, right, would like to see lower interest rates.

Yeah, down to about 1% is what the president would like to see where the current level is at about 4%.

So it's an interesting pick for this current administration.

But yes, to take over Jerome Powell.

It's almost

like he got a name of somebody and went with it.

Now it's...

to know now he's really oh maybe this is not this is not the guy but we'll keep an eye on that as

and let you

know what's happening and I'm sure Jerome Powell has a big calendar on his wall where he just puts a red X's through the days and he's counting down till May he's like I am so out of here I cannot believe it but let's talk about let's talk about this because with there's been we've heard the unsustainated rumors all of that but there is it there is a chance that ice will come to

They've already had raids in the northern part of the state, which has affected agriculture because farm workers are being taken or farm workers are just afraid to come to work.

So there's a good chance that...

Things hopefully they never get as bad as Minneapolis, right?

It could happen here So what do you do if you are confronted with ice and I know you're thinking well Brian?

I'm you know, I'm a white guy.

I'm not getting a confronted by ice All right, maybe live in that fantasy if you want, but Jamie we've got we want it We like to tell people how to arm themselves with facts.

That's what we're that's we want to do because there's

There's everybody thinks they're a lawyer because they watch two seasons of law and order That doesn't unfortunately if that was true, I'd be like the top litigating

right to

me to it'd be fantastic I'd be raking it in But that's not always the

case.

Let's give let's give people some of their rights

Yeah, no, it is not always the case and is since the president expanded this immigration crackdown in Wisconsin ice arrest doubled during the first six months of this current presidency at least

according to a July 2025 analysis by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The largest increase, as you mentioned, involved immigrants without criminal convictions, a trend that has drawn concern for a lot of civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups.

Now, federal immigration agents, including ICE and Border Patrol, are allowed to stop people in public places.

However,

Everyone in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, has constitutional rights, including the right to remain silent and the right to refuse consent to searches.

Okay.

These are our constitutional rights.

So keep this in mind.

Immigration agents can arrest someone in a public place without a warrant if they believe the person is in the country illegally and may flee before a warrant can be obtained.

This is why you hear so many people right now saying that they are carrying their documentation with them because that would prove that they are here legally if they are stopped by immigration.

Show me your

papers.

Exactly.

Now to enter a private

home and we actually talked about this on this program earlier this week right to enter a private home or a non-public area of a business agents must have a warrant signed by a judge

Legal experts note that administrative ICE warrants do not carry the same authority as judicial warrants.

So people are not required to open their doors to immigration agents unless a judicial warrant is presented.

Individuals can ask to see the warrant and they still have the right to remain silent even if an agent enters the home.

So ICE may temporarily detain individuals to verify immigration status while ICE has no legal authority to detain or deport US citizens.

Reporting shows that more than 170 citizens were mistakenly detained during recent enforcement actions.

Detainees have the right to contact a lawyer, receive legal visits, and request a bond hearing before an immigration judge.

That's

where

that's man.

Oh man.

Those are the the last couple things you said

are the

the Tipping point for all of these problems We can randomly stop and check your check your immigration status.

Who's getting stopped this?

You know, hey, you're brown

We're going to see.

It doesn't matter if you're Native American, Hispanic, Asian, Somali.

You don't look like me.

And so I've got to check you.

And then how many stories have come out about people being held

illegally for hours or days or weeks without any access to an attorney and if we've learned anything from television and mostly it's that fat guys get really hot wives but other than that what have we learned we have learned

always, always ask for a lawyer.

Every interrogation scene that Debbie and I watch where the guy starts talking is, no, lawyer, lawyer,

lawyer.

Right, right.

Olivia Benson, by the way, on SVU loves it when they start talking without an attorney

present.

Oh, they salivate those

TV cops.

Right, but you know, it goes to show that this administration is obviously, they don't care about the constitutional rights because even in Minneapolis, witnesses who videotaped the

killing of Alex Pretty were detained by ICE in some instances and kept for hours in detention centers without being able to call attorneys, having contact with anybody.

They really had no idea why they were there because again, it is legal to record the actions of

federal agents.

So they really had no idea where they were, why they were there.

So this is going beyond also just immigration status.

This is going beyond, this is going to the point of interfering on people's other constitutional rights and detaining people without any sort of representation.

Now,

Agents can ask for identification, but individuals generally don't have to answer questions or provide any sort of documentation when detained by ICE.

And in Wisconsin, drivers have to show a valid driver's license during a traffic stop.

Passengers are not required to provide identification, which is

very important if you get stopped while in a vehicle.

Ice agents may ask drivers to exit their vehicles for officer safety, but they can't search vehicles or your belongings without consent or a judicial warrant.

In other words, they have to have a reason to do so.

They can

ask you to step out.

And if you step out, you can't say, no, I don't consent to you.

No,

you can't look in my car.

No, you can't search me.

And I mean, if you're driving,

You have to have your driver's license on you anyway.

That has nothing to do with ice.

That's just a law.

You got to have that.

But remember, that's a good point.

I would assume, you know, if I'm a passenger, my buddy's driving, he gets stopped and they ask me for my ID too.

I'd probably...

think, oh, I have to give them

my

ID as well, but

I do not have to.

You do not have to.

Now, the First Amendment actually protects the public's right to observe and record law enforcement, as we were just saying, but that's very important right now to keep in mind.

given the current state of affairs in this country, including the federal immigration agents in public spaces, especially as long as observers do not interfere with the enforcement actions.

So the case of Minneapolis witnesses, they were across the street, they were recording and they were still detained in many cases by ICE agents because of the fact that they were just recording the incident.

People also have the right to protest peacefully, although authorities may impose reasonable

time, place, and manner restrictions.

So if you're out there protesting peacefully, that is your right to do so.

But in order to continue to protest peacefully, if law enforcement tells you to move back or to get out of a certain area, keep the protest going.

I'm not saying that not to do that, but we want people to be able to have this right in this country.

So at least listen to what law enforcement is telling you in these cases.

Don't play

into anybody's hands.

Do it the right way.

Get out there, make noise, march, hold your signs.

I loved the last march I was at.

A lot of people in inflatable costumes.

I don't know why, but they all wanted to dress like dinosaurs.

I was like, that's cool.

Okay.

Who doesn't love an inflatable costume?

Oh, I do.

I

loved it.

There

was an inflatable baby Trump walking around.

I laughed and laughed.

That's fantastic.

Yeah, no, if, listen, if you're going to wear, if you're going to get dressed up, it's, it's more exciting.

They're just going in regular clothes.

That was, you

know,

just a, just another run of the mill protest.

And I would say that when we're, when people gather to peacefully protest by following the laws, it keeps not only the group safe, it keeps the law enforcement safe.

Because I mean, at the end of the day, that's, that's what they're there for too.

They want to keep everybody safe in their city safe.

And I get some, yeah,

we're talking, you're talking about the,

the municipal.

That was just going to say, yes, the

municipal.

That's a completely different thing.

They don't care.

I had to

stop myself because I was going to label those officers something.

I know, I know, I know.

Frank doesn't want

to say

it.

So civil rights groups encourage people to know their rights and really create safety plans in advance.

If you're going to be out somewhere, if you are on a sidewalk and you see something happen around you, make sure you know again what your rights are and that you have options, especially as immigration enforcement act.

increases across the region.

And if I may make a suggestion, because how many of us carry the number of an attorney with us?

Not many.

And if you're going to a protest and you know you're the kind of person who will be videotaping, you're going to be more vocal maybe than your neighbor, just have a number.

Just in case because you never know.

You don't want to, if you are detained and you do get a chance to contact an attorney, you don't want to be going, I don't know what an attorney is.

Right.

just just prepare it's just like we'd bring a water bottle or something else to a protest yeah to drink not to throw

keep it with you keep it with you and uh that way you know that uh you have that number and again they legally have to allow you that that representation they have

to

um

Anything

they ask you, what's your name, lawyer?

Whether or not they will is, legally they have to, which is why this administration also ends up being in courtrooms later down the road because they don't allow that sort of representation to enter the facilities or give people their constitutional rights.

And I get it's hard because we're dealing with a whole different, different realm of people and thinking than we've ever dealt.

But know your rights, stay safe out there, no matter what you're doing.

It's 648 right now.

You are listening to Civic Media Mornings.

My name is Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonanow.

When we come back, something that is 100% Wisconsin, it's time for Alice in Dairyland on the Civic Media Radio Network.

It's

6.52 right now.

We hope you're having a great start to your Friday morning.

We made it to the end of another work week.

You're listening to Civic Media Mornings on the Civic Media Radio Network.

I'm Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonan, and just before the break, we were talking about your rights if you were approached by ICE, and Steve texted in, and you can too, 855-752-484-2855-75 Civic.

That is how you call, that is how you text.

Steve had a question.

He said, can ICE

confiscate your phone if you were filming them.

I would worry that they would destroy our phone.

And Jamie, who loves research, has the answer.

I do.

It is pulled up.

So what is the answer?

So ICE agents legally cannot confiscate your phone or delete your recordings without a warrant, even while you are filming them in public, especially if you are in the state of Wisconsin.

Now, there have been situations that have been reported where they have tried to take people's phones or they have destroyed them on the sidewalk legally, though, again, they cannot do that.

You are protected under the First Amendment.

Recording police and federal agents in public is legal as long as you do not physically interfere with their actions.

Now, again, they also...

They've been known to do this a few different times.

We've actually seen the footage.

Agents can also not force you to delete your footage, take your phone without your consent or without a warrant unless you're arrested or force you to provide a passcode.

So make sure that maybe your phones have strong passcodes on them instead of the biometrics with the fingerprint face ID, all of that.

But use a strong passcode and they legally.

Legally, according to the First Amendment, cannot do these things.

Alicia also chiming in on the conversation over on our social media pages saying that protesters are being told to write the number for the ACLU and keep it on them as well, which is also

a

good option.

So

thank you

for the comments and the questions here this morning.

We're

going to talk.

While the world burns, Jamie, we have to turn our attention.

We have to turn our attention here to Wisconsin.

Something that is so Wisconsin.

This is

such a Wisconsin thing.

I love it, though.

We had to explain it to Frank yesterday because he had no idea.

I am familiar with this because I have talked to old ladies who held this title.

But what are we talking about?

Well, the search for the 79th annual Alice in Dairyland has begun.

That's right.

If you don't know about Alice in Dairyland,

you're missing out.

This is a woman who will go through a long process, which we'll describe, and she will then represent the agricultural interests of Wisconsin for an entire year.

The current Alice in Dairyland's reign, I almost said reign of terror, it is not a reign of terror.

I didn't know

Alice in

Dairyland was menacing.

Listen, Alice, Alice carries out cheese related vengeance across the state.

No, that is not true.

But anytime I say rain, I always just automatically tag of terror on it.

Right.

She's Alice in Dairyland until May.

So now we've got to find a new Alice in Dairyland before May.

And what's fun I think about this, Jamie, is the contest, the finals move from county to county every year.

So you never know where things are

happening.

Right, right.

And applications are actually open.

You have to get your applications in by the end of today.

And you have to submit a resume, a cover letter, references, and an application to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection.

We are not messing around here with our Alice

in Dairy

land.

And then those materials are reviewed to determine which candidates will move forward.

To qualify for an initial interview,

Brian.

as TLC once said, don't want no scrubs.

No, we do not want our agricultural scrubs.

To even qualify, applicants need to have a strong background in Wisconsin agriculture, along with at least three years of experience or training in communications, marketing, education, or public relations.

Public speaking experience and hands-on work with media or marketing campaigns are also required.

These women are always gifted, they're talented,

and they're

absolutely wonderful.

After the first round of interviews, okay, there's multiples of these.

Up to

six

candidates are selected so that they can advance.

Those finalists are officially announced in March of this year following training and professional development seminars, which are then hosted by the DA's TCP.

During that time, candidates also complete assignments so that they can prepare for the final round.

We are not messing around

with our agriculture here.

This is not a beauty pageant.

No.

That's what it started as originally, though, in 1948.

Did

you know that?

Yes.

I would have imagined, you know.

But listen, now we've got, here's what we've learned over the years.

And we haven't learned much when it comes to women.

There's still, you know, women are still, we got to take care of you with your health decisions stuff.

But what we have learned is that women can be not only beautiful, but they can also be accomplished.

It's threatening to a lot of men when they are accomplished, but you can still do it, ladies, so good for you.

It's good

that we can— And I say that facetiously, please, ladies.

It's good we can make our own

decisions.

It's good that we're capable of those things.

No.

For the most part.

for the most part.

The process will wrap up in mid-May with a three-day partially public interview in the host county.

As you said, it moves around.

It's in a different location year to year.

I believe this year it's in the Wausau

area.

Yes, it is in Wausau.

Candidates are evaluated through television and radio interviews, speeches, their writing samples, public interactions, and demonstrations of their agricultural knowledge.

And of course, as Wisconsinites, we are invited to attend two of these evening events during the final round.

including the announcement of the next Alice in Dairyland, who then represents Wisconsin agriculture across the state and beyond for an entire year.

These women really do truly work endlessly, promoting agriculture at different venues all across the state for an entire year.

It is...

You think any of them have been lactose intolerant?

Well, that's a

good question.

That's a hard hitting

question.

However,

I'm a hard hitting guy.

However, they do promote other areas of agriculture, not just

our dairy heritage.

So I know, but it says dairy land in Wisconsin is the dairy state.

So I feel like as much

cheese that they probably promote and as much milk as they probably promote and maybe have to partake in at some of these events, I feel

like

it would be a dangerous combination to be lactose intolerant.

I know, but that's what I'm saying.

All these other fantastic things they need for their

Are we even

allowed to be lactose intolerant in this

state?

I want to look into Big Dairyland and find out what's happening.

That's all.

It's 6.59 right now.

Coming up, Tony Evers.

He's been doing a lot of things the last few days between property taxes and reforms.

We're going to talk about that.

Civic Media Mornings.

My name is Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonan.

Good morning.

We will be back with more on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Hit 706 right now.

Thank you so much for joining us on this Friday.

You're listening to Civic Media Mornings on the Civic Media Radio Network.

If you are listening in Eau Claire on 93.5 the tap or in Wausau and WXCO or right here in Madison on WMDX.

We are certainly glad that you are spending your Friday with us.

I'm Jamie Martenson.

And good morning.

I'm Brian Noon, and I love that riff from Ricky Don't Lose That Number.

Yeah.

Fantastic.

Nice job.

We only have one boy in the aquarium today.

Me too.

And Parker loves it when he's alone in there because he can move around.

He does his Pilates.

He does a little Tai Chi.

A lot of Tai Chi.

It's good.

He just, he waits.

Hey, you know what I'm excited about?

The fact that this weekend it's supposed to be in the 20s.

That's going to feel downright tropical.

Sean Cable was appropriately happy today.

Sean Cable, very excited.

Frank and I are under a severe lake effect storm.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Where there's chances in some areas to get 10 to 12 inches of snow.

I'm sorry.

We won't.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you, boy.

Aquarium.

We won't rub it in too much, but 20s, that's going to seem downright

warm.

There's going to be somebody in shorts this

weekend.

Somebody's going to be running around in shorts this weekend with no coat.

You

know college kids running up and down state street in there, you know, scantily clad in the middle of winter.

That's good for them.

That's what you're supposed to do when you're in college.

Exactly.

Be goofy because, you know, that's what youth is for.

Have some fun.

Enjoy yourself.

Unfortunately, for some youths to break the law, they get sent to centers or jails or prisons or whatever you want to call them, youth camps.

And that's been a big thing.

If you've been paying attention over the last few years, Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake have been the focus of a lot of debate in the state.

Well, Governor Evers in his final

term is making some changes and he stepped forward yesterday and celebrated because there was a court decision regarding those two facilities and a federal judge has ended court oversight.

after Wisconsin met all the required reforms, which is good news, but that is not the end of the story.

It is not.

This ruling actually follows multiple positive compliance reports confirming the Department of Corrections has satisfied all 50 conditions of this long-standing consent decree.

And obviously the scandal over Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake has been in the news off and on over the last few years.

And Governor Evers actually says that this

This decision marks a major milestone after all of those years of work to reform the state's juvenile justice system.

The reforms included limits on the use of force, improved staffing levels, expanded training, and greater access to education, health care, and some of the basic services for youth in those facilities.

The ACLU, which filed the original lawsuit, did not oppose ending the oversight.

That's

good.

Yes, it is.

And state officials say that ending this federal supervision is a key step towards closing Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake as youth facilities and transitioning young people into smaller regional centers closer to their home communities.

Now, a new juvenile facility in Milwaukee is expected to open later this year, and another is planned for Dane County.

as well.

Leaders are emphasizing right now that while the consent decree has ended, the state's responsibility to maintain safe, humane, and rehabilitative conditions for youth will continue, especially under Governor Evers, at least for the next few months, why he comes to the end of another term.

I'm glad that Wisconsin has met its obligation of the dissent decree, because the allegations

that led to this consent decree were abominable.

And I do believe that there should be accountability and sometimes punishment for crimes.

I'm not naive enough to believe that, oh, it's the system.

There's a lot of reasons that youths and adults commit crimes.

That is a bigger conversation.

It's going to take a lot more work than a lot of people are willing to put in and a lot of money to run these programs.

That being said, if you do break the law, you are responsible.

Now, I also don't believe that if you're... I don't believe adults should be tortured when they're in jail.

I definitely don't think children should be tortured when they're in jail.

And yes...

If you're if you're under 18 or if you're in a juvenile facility, you are still a child legally and legally mentally emotionally all of that and So I think moving to smaller regional places closer to where maybe if you have family members if you have friends somebody who can visit you and make and keep you connected right to

The outside world unless those people are a bad influence and then you know, but they don't have you don't have to see them but We got to look at we have to look at everything different.

Yeah

The this old stockpiling of of kids for the juvenile justice system.

It's not working.

No and the recidivism rate is high So, okay, we have to punish them how can we punish them and incarcerate them effectively because

If you go into this facility at 14 and you're getting out when you're 18, you got a whole life ahead of you, literally.

Right.

So...

What are we doing to prepare them for that life?

Exactly.

And if you remember this case, this goes all the way back to a 2017 lawsuit that was brought after a 2015 raid exposed widespread abuse, unsafe conditions.

We know that several adults that were incarcerated in either Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake eventually came forward with eyewitness testimony and their experiences to what happened.

to which then investigators found that excessive force had been used, pepper spray was used, there was prolonged isolation, there was restraint misuse and there was failures to address sexual abuse.

So youth suffered these serious injuries and the state had to pay over $25 million in settlements and legal costs.

And then in 2019, Wisconsin was actually only compliant with only one of 50 court ordered reforms.

That is not a good ratio.

And that's that's the kind of thing when you see these dissent decrees all over the country, whether it's with jails, prisons, police departments.

And that's where we hear a lot of most of mostly about these consent decrees is police departments.

You got it.

You got to tell the line once you're once you're locked into that, it's on you.

So one in 50 was horrible.

But now in the last seven years, Wisconsin has turned it around.

So we got to give credit where credit's due.

Interesting.

Isn't that when Tony Evers became governor?

Must

everything be along party lines?

I'm just pointing out a

fact.

Things line up.

I did not say you were wrong.

I believe facts.

Things align.

It's fine.

It's

fine.

does causation lead to results?

Is that what we're going for?

Perhaps.

Just saying, perhaps.

It does all kind of line up that way.

It does.

And good.

So now we'll see it.

We'll see what the governor can get through with his juvenile justice reforms in his last term.

He's got a little time left.

He

does.

He does.

We'll see what he can do.

And he's actually been very busy over the last few days because not only did we get this news, it actually comes on the heels of the governor proposing $1.3 billion in property tax relief as a lot of homeowners.

all across the state are dealing with really high or steadily rising property taxes.

And this proposal comes as residents are obviously getting ready to make their January tax payments.

And there's going to be a lot of people who are going to be feeling that pain.

Evers says that the plan would not reduce current bills, but would actually aim to freeze property taxes at their current levels starting next year.

Now, he says that the goal of this is to give homeowners more predictable

and prevent further increases.

The plan would be funded through the state's budget surplus, with money

sent

to municipalities, counties, and school districts, really to help offset the costs that are typically passed on to property homeowners.

School funding, obviously, in this state has been a major driver of higher property taxes.

Many districts, I believe it's right around

241 different school referendums appeared on the ballot.

Yes, that is correct.

241 school referendums appeared on the ballot in 2024 because you need these voter-approved referendums to raise revenue.

169 of those, of those 241, by the way, were approved.

Evers argued those referenda are contributing significantly to the rising property taxes.

Republicans, however, disagree.

They say that it's all because of the governor's partial veto expanding school funding authority far into the future that is to blame.

And we've talked about that partial veto

here.

400 years.

400.

We have a neat law in this state that is

that is very special to Wisconsin governors where you can literally basically delete numbers out and combine

things.

For a column, yeah.

For a comma rather.

It's very, very tricky.

Jamie, if I could just point out yesterday we used a term that seems at odds with this story.

We actually said fiscally responsible Democrats yesterday.

We did.

Based on some other Wisconsin budget items.

Yes.

I think a lot of it had to do with this, too.

Right.

And using the surplus.

How are we going to use the surplus?

I mean, obviously, this is going to be a huge conversation among the Republicans and the Democrats.

Now, if you joined this program yesterday, the Republicans would like to give families who have infants $1,000 aligning with the President Trump's plan for helping families.

And all of that money would come from the budget surplus.

Evers is proposing to use it differently to actually help homeowners.

And I made this point yesterday and it fits in even more graphically here.

There are a lot more homeowners in Wisconsin than there are infants who were born in a very narrow window that would be eligible for that extra money.

Yes, there will be debate.

Yes, there will be argument.

Yes, we got to look at the surplus as not a never-ending infinite pot, but a pot that we need to figure out where we can spend it responsibly and not get caught up in a infinite program that is going to deplete that surplus and then...

Trouble.

If you have a surplus, I feel like estates at this current time, especially watching what's happening on the federal level, you have to be very responsible with

your

money, right?

It's like getting your, as a kid, you get grandma's Christmas money, and oh, you could go spend it on some of the most frivolous, silliest things ever, but as, you know, as you're growing and you're learning, you're like, maybe I should really save that for the thing I want.

I feel like that's the mentality that needs to happen here, too.

Yes, because you don't know as a state,

when funding could, if you're a state that is at odds with the administration, you don't know if your funding is gonna get stopped.

Now, you know, as we talked to Josh Call yesterday, the attorney general and a court, federal court stopped.

the administration from doing that for electric vehicle charging and things.

But you don't know, do you want to spend every day in court trying to block that?

Nobody wants to

do that.

Now, Evers actually says he's optimistic about reaching a deal in an election year on property taxes.

Assembly Speaker Robin Voss also says Republicans are open to compromise and actually agreed with Governor Evers saying that $1.3 billion is a pretty reasonable figure to get this done.

So maybe there is some room for negotiation there.

If approved, the plan would be one of the largest property tax relief efforts in Wisconsin history.

Obviously there will be some challenges as it gets into the legislature, but if there's already a little agreement between Voss and Evers, I feel like maybe there's some negotiating room here at this point in time.

It's bipartisan Friday here on Civic Media Mornings.

We've got the federal, we've got state, everybody's working together.

Kumbaya, they're happy that the weather is warming up.

It's just...

What a way to go into the week.

Well, it's early.

I'm buoyed by all this.

It's early.

We'll see what the day brings us because it is really early, but it's good news.

If our government can, I don't know, do their jobs

and work together.

Don't

rain on my parade.

I'm trying to, I'm trying to grasp at joy.

Don't, don't knock it out of my hand.

Like adults, work together.

It's 7.19 right now.

You're listening to Civic Media Mornings.

I'm Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Noonan.

And like kindergarteners, just work together.

You've learned it before.

That's right.

It's the Civic Media.

Radio Network.

It's 722 right now.

Thank you so much for joining us this morning on the Civic Media Radio Network.

You are listening to Civic Media Mornings, and if you want to get in on the conversation or just want to share your weekend plans, even, or how you're going to

enjoy a

nice balmy 20 degree day

on

Saturday.

Yard work, bloody yard work tomorrow.

People planting bulbs.

Is that what's going to happen?

Yes,

absolutely.

1-855-7524842.

That is 1-855-75 Civic.

I am Jamie Martenson.

And I'm Brian Nune.

Good morning.

I know in this current climate, a lot of people worried about their job, worried about layoffs.

And we hear conflicting numbers.

Sometimes we don't hear the job numbers because they don't meet somebody's approval.

They don't want to hear the bad news.

But there are, it's slowing down.

The job market is

slowing

down.

And that's just if you've been looking for a job and I have friends,

who have been in their careers for years, who are looking for jobs, and it is, to say the least, tough out there.

If you've been looking, let us know, 855-75-CIVIC, 855-75-248-422.

If you are in the job market now, give us a real world take on what it's like out there for people who are looking for a job because...

We are in kind of a standstill according to economists, Jamie, and that's not good.

Well, I know the president likes to tell us that the economy is...

better than it's ever been and he likes to tell us that things have been solved and it's over but that's not exactly what's happening and that's not what workers are feeling.

There is a lot of hiring slows and there are layoffs that are mounting and we're going to look at this on kind of a national level and then also look at what's happening here in Wisconsin which

relatively is doing relatively well in comparison to the national workforce.

So the economy outages 50,000 jobs last month.

And a lot of the companies are pausing new openings because of inflation, tariffs, and also shifting consumer spending.

A lot of major employers are also announcing significant cuts.

For instance, Amazon trimming 16,000 corporate roles.

UPS plans up to 30,000 reductions across the country.

Dow is cutting

4,500 jobs.

Tyson Foods is closing a whole Nebraska plant, which is going to result to about 3,000 layoffs.

Tech and pharma companies like HP, Microsoft, Intel, and Novo Nordisk are also getting rid of thousands of jobs as they move to more automation and AI operated procedures.

Federal government layoffs under this current administration are also adding to uncertainty, leaving workers increasingly anxious about the job security and changing economy.

I have a 22-year-old who graduated from college last May, still working three or four part-time jobs just to piece it all together because literally there is nothing in the full-time market for him right now.

It has been absolutely crazy since he graduated.

Yeah, one of my good friends is an engineer and a project manager and he has been looking and looking position was phased out at his last company and It's like well, you know, you hear you hear those Like somebody with that background.

Oh, you should be able to find a job pretty easy.

No

No,

and it doesn't matter what field you're in I think I think if you're a nurse or a teacher, you're probably safe,

right?

Yeah, we need both of those and they're

scarce.

Yes, I agree here in Wisconsin.

We need teachers and we need nurses, especially in rural areas.

Absolutely.

Now, when we look at it on a more micro level coming into Wisconsin, the job market here in the state actually remains fairly strong.

December 2025 employment, 2025's employment rate was right around 3%, which is well below the national rate of just over 4%.

And

that's

according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the State Department of Workforce Development.

Not every sector though, Brian, is hiring, right?

Companies across the state are also announcing layoffs and closures.

Air Wisconsin Airlines is scaling back regional routes.

That's going to affect right around 740 workers between Appleton and Milwaukee.

There is a cheese factory in Brown County.

Their plant is closing.

That's going to impact about 240 jobs through this next couple of months.

Kroger's Pleasant Prairie Facility.

closed by February, cutting 211 positions.

You've also got UW Oshkosh contracts, which are going to affect about 155 employees.

You've got Northland College in Ashland that reduced it 133 jobs due to the financial restraints.

And then you also have some other recent impacts, including the Superior YMCA.

They did this merger in that particular area.

So you've

got cutbacks

there.

to stay there.

Right.

You've got Orbis Corporation in Menasha.

You've got Sheridan Random Lake in Sheboygan County, Milwaukee Job Corps.

The list is actually quite lengthy as to who's going to be doing some of these layoffs over the next

few months.

Let's go to the phones because we only have a couple minutes

left.

Yes.

Dick's in Madison and he wants to jump in on the economy.

Dick, how are you?

Welcome to the show.

Good.

Real quick, Harrison Biden and Harris.

last year actually things were cruising along quite well economically with the exception of inflation being a little bit stubborn now he could have walked in here not messed around with tariffs put it on cruise control not done a lot except ride it and then took credit for it I wouldn't have liked that either but I would have liked it a lot better than this

yeah yeah makes sense dick thank you for the call have a great weekend it is

It is tough times, so good luck if you're out there looking for a job.

I know I...

I think this is where AI can help a little bit.

But be careful if you use AI to write your resume and cover letter because, oh man, AI can go crazy.

And suddenly, suddenly you look like the king of all industry.

Give it some

parameters.

Give it some parameters, maybe for just a month or so by that $20 version so that you can tweak it and personalize it

a little bit.

And read it yourself before you send it out.

You don't just go, well, the computer wrote it for me.

It's a trouble

reading it yourself.

Come on now.

And there's a little thing I like to call editing.

I don't know what the kids call it.

Parker redacting is what the government calls it.

But I like to call it editing.

And you can you can change things and you can say, oh.

I really didn't build a skyscraper.

I worked in a skyscraper, so I'm going to change that word right there.

You got to make sure

you got it all accurate.

It