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From Lake Superior to Lake Michigan, this is Wisconsin's Morning Conversation.
Daybreak with Brian and Jamie.
our Accelerate Your Summer Text-to-Win Multi-State Contest.
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Plus, every time you enter, you are put into our grand prize drawing and you could win $250 in gas and $250 in groceries.
Jamie?
I'm going to take Umbridge.
This word might be too hard to spell for people.
No, no, no.
We don't come up with these words.
But this hour's word is Fridge.
Fridge.
F-R-I-D-G-E.
Fridge is the word that you need to text.
I'm going to spell it one more time.
Please.
F-R-I-D-G-E.
That is the word that you need to text us right now using your app so that you can qualify for all of the prizes.
And of course, a little bit of cash in there as well.
And we could all use a little gas and groceries right now.
But Fridge.
Fridge.
F-R-I-D-G-E.
I'm going to spell it again just because it is one of those interesting words that you
Not Jamie and I, but the country.
A new forecast says the federal government could reach its $41.1 trillion debt limit sometime between late winter and mid-summer of 2027, requiring action from Congress and the White House to avoid a default.
Donald Trump very good at defaulting on loans and bankruptcy, so.
I'm sure this won't be a problem, right?
Once the debt ceiling is reached, the Treasury Department can use temporary measures to keep paying bills for several months, but those options eventually run out.
Economists warn that a U.S.
debt default could disrupt financial markets, increase borrowing costs, and damage the economy.
Why start now?
Federal debt is continuing to grow, with the government expected to spend about $2 trillion more than it collects in revenue this fiscal year.
The debt ceiling is expected to be a major issue for lawmakers as concerns grow about both rising government debt and the need to keep the government meeting its financial obligations.
Weren't we promised...
in the last campaign, more fiscal, yeah, we're
Yikes, I don't know if I like it here.
But in other stuff you need to know this morning, we're going to bring it closer to home.
It's a great understatement.
We're going to bring it closer to home.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mandela Barnes has unveiled a farm policy plan ahead of President Trump's visit to Chippewa County, which is going to take place today.
We'll talk about that in more depth in just a moment here.
But Barnes' plan focuses on family farms and rural communities.
Barnes says that he would
target agricultural monopolies, expand local meat processing options, and support a right to repair law, allowing farmers to fix their own equipment.
His plan also, right, this is something I learned, they can't actually do that.
Wow, all right,
I learned a little bit from Mandela Barnes on this, and yeah, if you're a farmer this morning, please tell us how this works.
1-855-752-4842-185575 Civic.
At any rate, Barnes' plan would also include limiting foreign and out-of-state investment ownership of Wisconsin farmland and create programs to help new farmers buy land and keep farms in the family.
He's also proposing efforts to expand markets for Wisconsin farm products, encourage state agencies to buy Wisconsin-grown food, and increase agricultural
education.
Farming, trade tariffs and rural economic issues are expected to be key topics.
in Wisconsin in 2026 as we go through this governor's race.
It's a plan.
You can go read it over on his website if you're interested to find out more.
He was in the Chippewa County area yesterday talking about this plan and it is more than just holding speeches and rallies and showing up and talking to farmers.
He actually has an idea of what he would like to see the agricultural industry look like in the state of Wisconsin.
make it better for our farming community.
than,
here's where we're going to
this
Let's find
This is crazy.
We
Well, UW-Madison has officially launched its search for a new Chancellor after Jennifer Nukin left to become President of Columbia University.
Officials hope to make a selection by the end of the year.
The next Chancellor will lead Wisconsin's flagship university, overseeing more than 51,000 students, 28,000 faculty and staff, and a nearly $5 billion budget.
Public listening sessions will be held this month to gather input on what students, employees, alumni, and community members want in the university's next leader.
Campus groups say they want a chancellor who supports employees and students while addressing issues such as worker pay, international student concerns, and campus engagement.
The next chapter will also help UW Madison guide
UW Madison through major changes in college athletics, including athlete compensation, the transfer portal, which I will never understand, and revenue sharing.
Finalists are expected to visit campus this fall before the Board of Regents makes a final decision.
That
No, it's not.
Especially when you're talking about an infrastructure as big as UW.
So I love that they're getting community support.
I love that they're talking to the students and people who have been there so that they have an idea of what people want in somebody who's going to be leading that infrastructure.
We're going to talk about this big story though, Brian, because
the
In fact, he's going to be in the Chippewa Falls area.
It's his first trip to the state since beginning his second term and of course we are gearing up for that gubernatorial race and he is coming in to promote his front-runner Tom Tiffany and also Derek Van Orden who is going to be front and center with him at today.
Yes.
What a threesome.
I'm not sure.
I don't know if Tom Tiffany is going to be there but I know for sure that Derek Van Orden is going to be there and obviously they are going to
talk a little bit about Wisconsin farmers and the rural communities.
Van Orden has been already in the Chippewa Falls area.
That's his district.
He was up there with RFK.
They were on a dairy farm last week.
And Derek Van Orden says that this administration has prioritized rural America through trade agreements, tax policies, and investments aimed at helping farmers and small businesses.
Here's what he has to say.
mean to
it doesn't seem to an outsider that he is fulfilling those promises.
It doesn't, it doesn't seem right.
But again, 855-755-CIVIC, 855-755-248-42.
If you are in the agricultural community, if you are a farmer and he is doing this, then let us know.
So we're educated.
Now, in case anybody's wondering, through the Rural Health Infrastructure Fund, Wisconsin is expected to get about $200 million this year.
Obviously, that will help support and strengthen health care in a lot of those rural communities.
This has been a priority of Derek Van Ordens over the last few months.
Whether you agree with how he votes or not, because it hasn't always,
haven't always aligned with some of the things he said about his district and rural health care.
He has been very vocal about it and at least making sure that there's access or at least saying he would like there to be more access.
So obviously that's going to be a sticking point over the next few months as we watch how this gubernatorial race plays out.
We talked about it yesterday if you were able to join us on the show and if you weren't, please go check out Spotify and C-Pass.
episodes and listen to past episodes here.
But this is going to be a very crowded gubernatorial race for the Democrats.
There are currently seven Democrats in the vying for that top spot.
This is, I think, a prime opportunity for the Republicans to at least get their message out through Tom Tiffany, Derek Van Orden, and new polling came out this week.
Granted the president's approval rating according to Marquette is dropping across the state and the nation
He still has very very strong support
Among the Republican voters, so I think the fact that he is going to be here I think excites that that that voting base I think it makes them happy to see the president and you know We've talked about it on the show the the Republicans are trying to build a much stronger ground game going into this particular election So I think these are all things that they're hoping President Trump being in the state can bolster for them going forward.
I
What I do think is interesting is that this campaign chose to start in Western Wisconsin, which is a majority of the rural votes.
It's a majority, a place that has been kind of demolished as far as rural health care, the farming community.
So I mean,
And there's somewhat of a strategy, I think, there.
So it will be fascinating to see if he actually talks about rural issues or if it goes on to some sort of, you know.
You know it's going to be a
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Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
It is time for swipe or stay.
We're going to leave the politics aside for just a moment.
Our senior producer, Frank, is going to join us.
No banana ball talk this time around.
We're going to get to the real pop culture events.
And do we have some good stuff coming up today, Frank?
All right, Frank, don't wallish.
Let's do it.
If this is the first time you've tuned in, I'm going to play swipe or stay.
I'm going to read some pop culture headlines.
Brian and Jamie have to decide whether to stay in here more or to swipe on to the next one.
Parker can be the tiebreaker if need be.
Story number one, star wide receiver is wanted by the police.
Oh,
These streets ain't sesame.
All right.
One person said, pick a side, Coward.
Whoa.
Slow your roll there, Jack.
Another one said, Elmo, that's honestly weak AF.
Pick a side.
Oh.
Wow.
Another person said, Elmo, you're
You're out here getting cussed out.
Elmo did backtrack and followed up with a tweet saying, Nick, Nick's that last message.
Elmo didn't mean to spur you on.
Now back to more of Daybreak with Brian and Jamie.
It was hot and humid when we pulled in last night about 10 o'clock.
Oh my gosh.
It was really warm, which is kind of what we're gonna see in the area over the next few days in Wisconsin as well, is some very warm, humid weather coming in.
Yeah, and there's a lot of
And again, you know, and if you don't know, get the app, the Civic Media app.
be ready because today just today you could win a hundred dollars in a wisconsin del's prize package and then because you entered even if you didn't win today you're still in the drawing and have a chance at our grand prize
We have a word that you need to text and let me remind you quickly too before I give you that word that you can enter multiple times.
If you enter now, you can still enter every time throughout today and there's no limit on how much you can enter this contest.
That's the good news so you have plenty of opportunity to win those prizes.
Voter fraud, but it's not
Without further ado, your word for this hour or at least until eight o'clock is
Fridge, F-R-I-D-G-E.
Fridge is your word for this hour.
One more time, F-R-I-D-G-E.
Fridge is the word that you need to text us before eight o'clock using your app so you can qualify for all of those cash and prizes.
F-R-I-D-G-E.
Fridge is your word.
Good luck.
Our listeners are awesome.
They know how to spell.
We don't need to...
Tell us.
I also want to say, next week, next week, we've got a little special surprise here on Daybreak.
You're going to be back in studio, or are you going to be in another mystery location?
No, no, no.
I'll be back in studio.
But we're going to have some fun with Circus.
That's all we're going to say right now.
So that's all we're going to say.
that was a
Yes.
The contamination linked to Tycho is considered the largest known PFOS contamination site in Wisconsin.
Well, they have settled.
Yes, it has affected hundreds.
of private wells.
It raised concern about the long-term health impacts for residents.
The state was preparing for a three-week jury trial and then Tycho looked at everything and they decided they would settle the case.
Now just a reminder that the lawsuit alleges or alleged it's gone now that the company failed to stop PFAS from spreading into the environment even after testing showed extremely high contamination levels.
Some of those far far above what was considered
Yeah.
And this really affects residents in the Marinette and Prestigo areas because they have spent years hoping for some sort of accountability with this.
They've wanted some sort of cleanup effort.
And of course, you know, who they all want safe drinking water.
Who doesn't want that?
They want that for their well.
So they've been trying very, very hard.
Now, in case you don't
I don't know, Tyco is actually, it's Tyco Fire Products.
And this is a company that's a major manufacturer of firefighting equipment.
And that includes things like your sprinkler systems for buildings, the suppression technology valves, and firefighting foam used all around the world.
They actually operate more than 190 countries and is part of the Fire Protection Division of Johnson Controls, which is a global building technology.
safety company.
And most of the Tyco products are used in commercial buildings, industry, industrial facilities, airports, military installations, really any location that needs fire protection systems.
So as you can imagine, when you're dealing with those foams and those sprays
to put
those
Just know they shouldn't be in your water.
No.
And so state officials are saying that the agreement is going to help ensure that taxpayers are not left paying for the cost of cleaning up pollution, which is good, because they did it, they should clean it up.
The officials also continue to encourage residents with concerns about your well water to seek testing and learn about available filtration and remediation programs.
So
don't
Sometimes I didn't want to ask too many questions, at least until I got my test back because
I wanted to know exactly what I was drinking, but for anybody in that area to be clear, this settlement doesn't actually stop the cleanup efforts.
The monitoring, the testing, the filtration, the groundwater treatment, those are all expected to continue for years.
And this Taiko case was very important to Marinette Prashtigo, but at the same time, there are a lot of other communities across the state that are dealing with PFAS and the concerns, French Island, Stella, Rhinelander, here it matters.
Madison, Eau Claire, Wausau, they have also dealt with concerns.
So this is why Tony Evers actually signed that bill about PFAS contaminations and who's responsible just a couple of months ago towards the end of that legislative session, because this is a major problem throughout
the
And
money and politics and you're not
But we look at that and for whatever reason, politicians who are voted in by the people don't seem to mind putting people in jeopardy.
and in order to preserve their jobs and to get the money that's coming into their campaigns and their packs.
So it's infuriating because on a very baseline level, at least people should have clean water.
Yes.
That you can argue if you want I don't know why you would but you could argue about health care You could argue about snap better you you could argue about all kinds of things that are necessities that people should just have but water really you're gonna risk contaminating water in Well, it's only Marinette and Peshtigo
the rest of the state, that's pretty good.
So all right, what do you just want to cut them out and send them a drift in Lake Michigan?
It doesn't make any sense.
No,
still
trying to mitigate in this state, and you couple all of that on top of each other, it's no wonder that
people are not always at their optimum health, right?
And why people have to go to resorts like maybe bottled water on a daily basis, or they have these filtration systems in their home because
Who wants to drink that?
Nobody wants to drink whatever is in that water.
And there are thousands of products that contain these PFAS.
It includes the nonstick cookware, the stain resistant fabrics, food packaging, waterproofing materials.
I have all those things in my
these
the
like, oh,
And we're looking at complete leadership change from top to bottom at the Wisconsin Capitol.
Tony Evers has gone above and beyond.
Democrats have worked really hard to make sure that some of these environmental concerns, especially for the rural communities, have been taken care of under their watch.
Now we're looking at a time where there might be leadership change from the top to the bottom.
And what bothers me, I think, is will we see some of the things that they have done like this PFAS bill?
will we see a backslide in that?
Because if Republicans are in control, especially Tom Tiffany, will he just say, eh, doesn't really matter.
We've got these corporate donors, they're bringing money into the state, let them do what they want, especially when we are starting to make a little progress.
And let's be real, we can all do a lot more.
Our governments can do a lot more.
But every little bit of progress, especially in a fight against something like PFAS, where we're talking about clean drinking water is important.
that's going around the state.
It's Daybreak on the Civic
Media.
It's Dayburring with Brian and Jamie.
Thank you for joining us this morning.
Very, very quickly.
So we don't leave our guests waiting.
It is the Accelerate Your Summer TextWim Multi-State Contest.
You have about eight minutes to get that word in for cash and of course, grand prizes of $250 in gas, another $250 in groceries.
Brian, the word this hour that they need to get in before eight o'clock is fridge.
F-R-I-D-G-E.
You got to text in using your Civic Media app again.
F-R-I-D-G-E.
Get that.
word in before eight o'clock so you can.
win some daily prizes as well as those grand prizes.
There we go.
We got it in quickly.
Good.
Good luck.
All right.
Well, across Wisconsin and really across the rest of the country, working class and middle class Americans don't feel like our voices are being heard by elected officials.
Well, that feeling led to the creation of the working majority.
It's a group founded on the premise that middle and working class Americans from both parties agree on a lot when it comes to economic issues.
They're hosting a What's Open Wisconsin Summer Tour?
And here to tell us about it is the founder of the Working Majority, Pete Subkoviak.
Pete, welcome.
Glad you're here.
Give everybody a background.
What is the Working Majority?
Yeah.
Working Majority is a new interest group that is essentially trying to represent and bring together the working and middle class folks around the state.
around one big tent Knowing that that most of us when it comes to economic issues agree on a lot more than what the the current political system is reflecting and We want to build something that gives people back power and Allows us to to push the political system the economic system and
all the parties out there to prioritize the needs of working in middle-class folks again.
So you talk about this coalition that you're trying to build and obviously there's a lot of people who are frustrated with both political parties right now.
So how do you as an organization, we'll get into a little bit about what's OPE Wisconsin, how though do you plan to reach these people who have really just checked out of politics altogether because of the division right now?
Right.
Yeah.
I think it starts with meat raffles, really.
Cheese curds, too.
Yeah, we'll circle back to that.
But I think you really got to meet people where they're at.
And you got to give them power and trust first, which is what we're trying to do with this organization.
Um, the, the people, the, the folks who choose to join the organization are the ones that would be making all of the decisions in terms of, uh, the agenda, right?
So the, the, the, the issues that should be prioritized by the organization and the solutions that we'll take would be, would be built by the, the members themselves, not by me, not by any staff, board members, donors, or anything like that.
Um, so I think you, if you got to give, give power and give trust to get.
power and trust.
And so that's one of the big ways we hope we can bring people into the fold.
Yeah, yeah, it's great.
We're kicking off next week, June 10th in Baroque, and then June 11th will be in Beloit, and then we've got a whole host of other...
Cities were coming to throughout the month of June and folks can go to workingmajority.org To learn more and to RSVP But yeah the the what's up tour we're co-hosting at co partnering with folks like Main Street Alliance The Wisconsin Farmers Union civic media's is supporter as well and the whisko project and We are you know, we're holding them at we're holding them at bars
breweries and coffee houses and that is where
that is where people are right and and starting with food and conversation and Really these these are just events where we're we're listening right and we're trying to hear how people are feeling and what they think should be done about it We're not
Proposing them to do any, you know, we're not saying here's here's what we think should happen in terms of policies or anything But we you know, I think the our call to action will be Join us and and be a part of this we want to build something and and build it together
Yep.
Yep throughout throughout June
And I
Yeah.
There is a lot of commonalities, especially when you think about
the cost pressures everyone is facing, whether you're a small business owner, whether you're a farmer, whether you're a worker and just a consumer trying to get groceries.
So people are really feeling that.
I think everybody's getting pretty fed up with the high cost of health care, how hard it is to access.
And I think the overall feeling that the system
really has not been delivering for them for a long time.
And maybe delivering for other people and other special interests.
And so that really cuts through.
And the hope is that when people see and feel that there really is a shared experience here, that we can do something powerful with that.
Well, Pete Coveyac is once again the founder of the Working Majority to find out more about the What's Hope Wisconsin summer tour and get all the information on the Working Majority.
Go to workingmajority.org.
Pete, thanks for being here.
Have a great weekend.
We will talk to you soon.
Cheers.
Thanks guys.
Take care.
All right.
When we come back, we're talking about small businesses.
We are going to talk to Lena Motola.
She is the owner of Lena's Northern Pines Resort in the Northwoods and
Was Memorial Day good for business owners up there or a harbinger of doom?
Oh, that's a tease.
We will be back with more.
I'm Brian Noonan.
This is Daybreak.
You're listening to The Civil Media Network.
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