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Announcer:
The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production. You’re watching “Here & Now” 2024 election coverage.

Frederica Freyberg:
Seven tornadoes and historic power outages underscore the extent of the storms across Wisconsin and damage they caused.
I’m Frederica Freyberg. Tonight on “Here & Now,” state Attorney General Josh Kaul on the millions in funding from an opioid settlement. An outbreak of whooping cough in Green Bay could be fatal for exposed infants and the draining reserves of Social Security spells uncertainty for future retirees. It’s “Here & Now” for May 24.

Announcer:
Funding for ” Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:
Starting July 1st, $36 million of Wisconsin’s share of the opioid settlement funds will start to be disbursed for the year. Wisconsin will receive a total of $750 million over several years from settlements reached in national lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies that made opioid drugs. According to the CDC, Wisconsin saw a 4% decrease in overdose deaths in 2023, down to a still staggering 1,754 deaths. Fentanyl and drugs laced with it account for most of the deaths. Here to talk about how the settlement money is being put to work, state Attorney General Josh Kaul. Thanks very much for being here.

Josh Kaul:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
Is it too early to say whether programs funded to date with settlement funds are helping drive down these deaths?

Josh Kaul:
It’s hard to know exactly how they link up to those kind of numbers, but what I can say with a lot of confidence is that those dollars are making a difference. So when we prepared to get funds allocated for the upcoming fiscal year, the Department of Health Services secretary designee and I met with stakeholders from around the state. We held roundtable events and we asked people on the front lines of the fight against the opioid epidemic to tell us what’s been working and where do we need more resources. One of the things we consistently heard from folks is that these funds are making a difference. They’re filling gaps where they’re needed. I’ll give you an example. Medicaid reimburses certain aspects of treatment for people who are struggling with substance use disorder, but there are parts that aren’t covered that can be critical like housing. Getting those kind of funds can help keep people in treatment and can help make them more successful. Now, let’s be clear. There are never going to be enough funds to address all the needs that we have, but the more dollars we can get to communities, the more that we can help keep people safe and save lives.

Frederica Freyberg:
How hard is it to release and reverse the grip of the opioid epidemic on this population?

Josh Kaul:
It’s been an enormous challenge for communities across the country. There has been some meaningful progress made, and it’s important to note that. Things like the PDMP and efforts to discourage overprescription of opioids. Those have made a difference and I think you’re seeing a reversal in the trend of opioid prescriptions, which had gone up dramatically over a few decades. On the other hand, we’re dealing with the impacts of the pandemic and social isolation. And more concerning, we’re dealing with the impacts of fentanyl, which is now laced in all sorts of drugs and is incredibly dangerous.

Frederica Freyberg:
Does the flow of fentanyl just keep coming and can law enforcement keep up?

Josh Kaul:
Right now the volume coming in is enormous and it’s mixed in all sorts of different types of drugs, so we’ve got to be doing a variety of things to keep people safe. One is we’ve got to make sure we are investigating and prosecuting drug traffickers who are shipping these incredibly dangerous drugs into our communities. That’s one of the things we do at DOJ. But we’ve also got to recognize that people are overdosing, sometimes not even realizing that they’re using opioids. So having harm reduction measures in place, like fentanyl test strips and Narcan, which are going to be funded through some of these opioid settlement funds, is also helping to save lives.

Frederica Freyberg:
How angry does the role of opioid manufacturers in this scourge make you?

Josh Kaul:
It makes me really upset. This problem would not have happened if it wasn’t for the pumping up of opioid prescriptions through efforts of pharmaceutical companies. When we filed our suit against Purdue Pharma just months after I took office as AG, we laid out in our complaint, our allegations about how this whole thing started. If you go back decades, opioid prescriptions were incredibly low in Wisconsin and nationwide, but through efforts of companies like Purdue Pharma to really push opioids to promote studies that were not actually valid, to encourage doctors to prescribe opioids, there’s been a major addiction epidemic that’s happened and the impacts that we’re seeing are still to this day in significant part being driven by that.

Frederica Freyberg:
In Wisconsin, do any of the settlement monies go to individuals impacted?

Josh Kaul:
The way the settlements were structured is that they are focused on abating future harm. So there have been some separate legal actions involving the individuals who were impacted, but these funds, based on the terms of the settlement, are meant to be forward-looking in terms of preventing harm. So certainly if there are people who are struggling with substance use disorder who were impacted previously, this might help them get the kind of support that they need, but it’s separate from providing the kind of compensation for somebody who was injured.

Frederica Freyberg:
On another score, as you well know, Arizona this week arraigned false Republican electors alleged to be part of a falsely electoral — falsifying electoral documents. What about Wisconsin’s false electors who settled a civil suit? Will you be criminally charging them?

Josh Kaul:
I can say a few things. First, it is vitally important that anybody who committed a crime with the goal of overturning the results of an election be held accountable, and there have been significant steps towards accountability through the federal prosecution of former president Trump that’s ongoing right now. A number of states have now brought charges. At the Department of Justice, we don’t confirm or deny the existence of ongoing investigations and charging decisions that DAs ultimately make are only announced when they’re happening. But again, it’s critical that anybody who committed a crime to overturn an election is held accountable.

Frederica Freyberg:
What concerns do you have heading into the November elections about a repeat of the aftermath of the 2020 election?

Josh Kaul:
I think it’s something we need to be vigilant about. In 2020, we knew that there were a number of threats to the security of our elections, and so we made sure to make clear to people that if there was voter intimidation at the polls or voter fraud, that people needed to expect to be held accountable. Fortunately, in 2020, Election Day went smoothly. I think a lot more smoothly than people anticipated. Of course we then saw significant litigation in the aftermath of that election. I expect that we will see litigation again in the aftermath of this election. In 2020, we defended the states’ voters and their choice for president and we won every single case. But one of those cases was 4-3 in our state Supreme Court. Now, this year, the composition of the Supreme Court has changed a bit and we’re going to be prepared to defend the results and ensure the will of the voters is upheld. We succeeded in 2020 and I’m confident we will again in 2024 but we’re also not going in with any misunderstanding that we’re not going to potentially be in for a challenge again.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. Attorney General Josh Kaul, thanks very much.

Josh Kaul:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
Storms pummeled the Midwest this week. The National Weather Service confirmed seven tornadoes in western, central, and northeast Wisconsin, with wind speeds ranging from 90 to 105 miles per hour. Statewide, severe storms and strong winds left more than 40,000 without power with the largest number being in Dane County. Madison Gas and Electric called the outages historic, with hundreds of lines down. Madison Public Schools were closed due to unsafe conditions. Though quick progress has been made, full restoration could take days as clean up of structural damage, downed lines and uprooted trees continues.

The Green Bay area is seeing a whooping cough outbreak with the county health department investigating more than 65 cases of the bacterial disease pertussis since the beginning of April. It can be especially dangerous in infants. Vaccines for pertussis are part of the regular schedule for children with boosters for adults, but rates for required vaccinations have been dropping. State data shows in the last school year, 10% of school students were not meeting requirements. Joining us with more is Katrina Nordyke, Brown County deputy public health officer. Thanks very much for being here.

Katrina Nordyke:
Thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
What kind of an increase in cases in Brown County is this of pertussis compared to normal years?

Katrina Nordyke:
Well, for example, here in Brown County, we have 13 confirmed cases, mostly situated in the month of April. And for last year, we had one for the entire year. So we did see an outbreak this season. As you mentioned, we have investigated over 65 cases. So that means that we reach out to those with suspected cases and do contact tracing, contact investigation, some education, but then also work with confirmed cases and, for example, institutions to provide education on what to expect and how to encourage people to seek treatment or stay home if they’re feeling ill.

Frederica Freyberg:
Because how dangerous is whooping cough, especially for babies?

Katrina Nordyke:
Well, whooping cough, also known as pertussis, is caused by bacteria. It’s very contagious. It’s spread through the air when a person with whooping cough coughs, sneezes, talks, sings. It’s especially dangerous for infants as they have underdeveloped airways, potentially haven’t been vaccinated, and about a third to a half of those infants can be hospitalized due to complications from the pertussis. We also see dangers when you are looking at people who have immunocompromised or pregnant persons.

Frederica Freyberg:
As we’ve discussed, vaccinations for whooping cough are required, starting in infancy with boosters even for adults. What are you seeing in terms of a drop-off in people getting these required vaccinations?

Katrina Nordyke:
What we have seen a slight decrease statewide in vaccine completion and uptake anywhere from around 2% to 5%. Here in Brown County, we are meeting our general benchmarks and also have been across the state strategizing around how to catch people up. So people may have fell behind in their vaccination during COVID and so we are strategically planning how to catch people up. We have targeted vaccination clinics, education and promotion, and we’re working with community partners to also have vaccination clinics out in the population.

Frederica Freyberg:
Is there any sense that lower rates of vaccinations follow critical messaging around the COVID vaccine in recent years?

Katrina Nordyke:
Well, we have to wonder how much of that small decline in uptake is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people not being able to go in to their providers, people falling behind on just general appointments, and also maybe some questions remaining about the actual COVID-19 vaccination, but we encourage people, please reach out to your medical provider and ask any questions you have. You can ask them where your vaccination status is at for you or your loved ones. You can also check on-line on the Wisconsin Immunization Registry to see what vaccines you have and talk to your provider about vaccines you may need.

Frederica Freyberg:
Meanwhile, there are new child vaccine requirements from the state Department of Health for meningitis and chickenpox. Do you expect that to be controversial in any way?

Katrina Nordyke:
Those recommendations actually aren’t new. They were presented last year by the CDC. They were suspended until recently. And those recommendations are for children entering childcare. They’re required to demonstrate that they have had the chickenpox by a clinical provider. So it used to be that parents could testify that their child had actually had chickenpox and now the requirements for childcare is that clinical provider needs to include that in their statement. But then when you’re talking about the new school requirements for meningococcal, those require that students entering the seventh grade receive that vaccination and then again, another booster when they’re entering the 12th year. So CDC has recommended those. DHS reviewed those and implemented those into the requirements for school.

Frederica Freyberg:
So what are other disease outbreaks of concern in unvaccinated or undervaccinated populations right now?

Katrina Nordyke:
Well, we have recently heard about some measles concerns and even some cases reported. Cases have been reported nationally and we did have one case reported in Wisconsin. What we know about measles is that it’s highly, highly contagious. It’s one of the most contagious diseases, and so therefore we’re very concerned about the spread. We also know that the vaccine is highly effective. So if you don’t have the measles vaccine, talk to your healthcare provider. If you think you may have symptoms of the measles, reach out to your healthcare provider immediately and if you think you’ve been in contact potentially with somebody with measles, you can contact your healthcare provider and they can provide recommendations on next steps for you.

Frederica Freyberg:
Katrina Nordyke, thank you for your work running all this down and providing the public with the information and education.

Katrina Nordyke:
Thank you.

Frederica Freyberg:
The latest official report on the solvency of Social Security forecasts the retirement and disability programs will be insolvent in 2035. It’s not that the program won’t have money to pay any benefits, but it’s when the Social Security Trust Fund reserves of $2.78 trillion will be depleted. What that means is that without action by Congress, the program will only have enough money in 2035 to pay 83% of benefits, not 100%. Now, that eventuality has advocates for seniors sounding the alarm. Alex Brower is executive director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans. He joins us now. Thanks a lot for being here.

Alex Brower:
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, Frederica. I appreciate it.

Frederica Freyberg:
So for people looking to be of retirement age in 2035 and beyond, the prospect of paying into Social Security for their whole, working lives and not getting their full benefit seems unfair.

Alex Brower:
It’s completely unfair, honestly. We believe that — and actually, the Wisconsin Alliance and other advocacy organizations, we believe that not only should people receive the benefits they’re entitled to, but they should be receiving more benefits and that Social Security should be expanded, the agency modernized and remain solvent for decades and decades to come.

Frederica Freyberg:
You believe that current beneficiaries should be receiving more in their Social Security benefits?

Alex Brower:
That’s correct, yeah. Our organization is supporting a bill in Congress right now, the Social Security Fairness Act that’s been introduced by Senator Sanders and Elizabeth Warren that actually expands by $200 per month benefits received to beneficiaries and also protects the solvency of Social Security by eliminating something called the contribution and benefits base, which is basically the cap on which income is taxed for Social Security purposes to have the richest Americans pay their fair share to help keep the program solvent.

Frederica Freyberg:
Does that particular piece effectively become a tax increase though, and how well would that go over?

Alex Brower:
Well, it is — what we’re advocating for, yes, it will increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans, who we need — need to contribute more to pay their fair share. Basically millionaires and billionaires in this country exist because of all the work that we’ve all done to contribute to their success. Everybody buys something on Amazon or at Wal-Mart or any of the department stores. Our roads that we pay for with taxes contribute to the millionaires and billionaires being able to get their goods to people’s homes, so no millionaire or billionaire is created in a vacuum. And so those individuals owe to our collective success, and that means everybody who is a worker currently has a full and dignified retirement. So, yes, we are asking the richest Americans to pay their fair share, but really, it’s pennies compared to the wealth that we’ve created for them by being American consumers.

Frederica Freyberg:
Because that cap on the withdrawal of FICA taxes is $168,000. Is that it? Anything over that, those people do not pay in?

Alex Brower:
That’s correct. When you receive a paycheck, like your viewers would know when you receive a paycheck, there’s a line called FICA, and that contribution, that deduction stops at $168,600. So if you make more than that, you don’t receive a FICA tax on that money. So it’s pretty much a regressive income tax, where the poorest Americans pay a hundred percent of their income is taxed for that and then the richest Americans don’t. The Social Security Fairness Act keeps that cap in place but raises it and lifts it for those making above $400,000 a year.

Frederica Freyberg:
So we know there are also discussions of raising the retirement age to shore up the program and that’s been done once, I understand, but doesn’t that effectively short people also?

Alex Brower:
That is correct, yeah. And there’s a study that just came out that showed that actually the raising of the retirement age back in the ’80s in the Reagan presidency actually shortened the life expectancy of seniors. So not only does that limit the number of years they’re eligible to receive benefits, but it actually limits their life expectancy because, as we all know, there’s a point in your life when you should be able to rest and retire from working. Right? And that is a right that every American should have, no matter what kind of job they had or what profession they worked in. We think everybody is eligible and do that, so raising the retirement age would only hurt retired Americans and senior Americans.

Frederica Freyberg:
How important is Social Security to the majority of retirees, including all of those in Wisconsin?

Alex Brower:
Extremely important. Every single retiree that I personally know depends on their Social Security check every single month and every retired American who is a member of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans depends on it fully. It drives our economy. It’s what keeps so many seniors out of poverty. We’re arguing that Social Security is one of the largest antipoverty programs that’s ever been created in the United States. We have a lot of choices in this country. I mean, all this is a political choice. Right? We could choose to roll back the clock and go back to the days before Social Security existed, but we would have seniors in poverty, living on the streets, and we don’t want that. We want everybody who has worked hard and contributed to this country to live a full and dignified retirement.

Frederica Freyberg:
Alex Brower, thanks very much. Thanks for joining us.

Alex Brower:
Thanks for covering this important issue, Frederica.

Frederica Freyberg:
This week, a new Amtrak passenger train made its debut in Wisconsin.
The Amtrak Borealis now runs round-trip daily between Chicago and Minneapolis, with eight stops along the way in Wisconsin. It joins the existing but slower Amtrak Empire Builder along the same route through the state.

Kristina Boardman:
It’s been 22 years since we’ve expanded passenger rail in Wisconsin, and this long-awaited train will provide more convenience and flexibility for commuters, families, students and tourists to get where they need to go.

Frederica Freyberg:
Finally tonight, we end with an excerpt of an interview special projects journalist Murv Seymour conducted with the famed White House photographer, Pete Souza. Souza lived in Madison following his time covering the Obama administration and was back in Wisconsin when he sat down in our studio with this “In Focus Murv Seymour” interview.

Pete Souza:
This is the day of the bin Laden raid.

Murv Seymour:
This would have been when the SEAL team was making the raid on bin Laden’s —

Pete Souza:
Yes. You’ve got the most powerful people in the executive branch of our government, decision-makers, in that room. But for those 40 minutes, they were — there was nothing they could do to affect the outcome. Right? It was completely up to those guys on the ground.

Murv Seymour:
When you were framing this photograph, are you thinking, I’m going to take a photograph that shows how powerless they are?

Pete Souza:
I guess I wasn’t inherently thinking that thought at the time. What I was thinking is what’s the mood that I see in front of me and trying to capture that in a single frame.

Murv Seymour:
And did that mood last for a period of time? Or is that just a moment in that space?

Pete Souza:
No. That mood lasted for I think the entire 40 minutes we were in that room, and so when I’m going through my photographs trying to choose the best one, obviously photography in many ways is a subjective medium. Right? But it was — I think initially, myself and a photo editor, we zeroed in on maybe four frames from the 40 minutes in this room and we just tried to compare one to another, like which do you think is the best? And this just seemed to work the best, the way everybody’s faces sort of expressed what I felt, I think what they all felt.

Murv Seymour:
Yeah. Next photo here. I think this gets into the transition. What was it like for you in terms of not just a different president coming in, but for your position to kind of —

Pete Souza:
I was concerned that the country had voted this guy in. I didn’t feel he understood what it meant to respect the office of the presidency and so I’ve got to kind of put those feelings aside, but I’m also a human being. And so, you know, I tried to, as best I could, take the high road as President Obama had taken by inviting him to the White House two days after the election because he wanted to try to, like, calm people down as best he could. But it was a very unsettling feeling for me that this is the guy that was going to succeed Barack Obama. And we didn’t make this picture public, but I thought it was a good picture to include in my book as, you know, not having to necessarily show his face, you know who that is just by looking at him.

Murv Seymour:
What’s he peeking — what door?

Pete Souza:
So this is just — there’s a little hallway off the Oval Office that leads into the private dining room, and to the left is like what’s called the presidential study, which President Obama hardly ever used that little room. So it had mostly mementos in there. There was a little desk with a computer, but it was mostly pictures of the family on the wall and there was a picture of Thurgood Marshall on the wall, and he was just giving — President Obama’s actually inside the study, and he’s just showing the president-elect, you know, the study, the dining room, so this is on their little tour.

Murv Seymour:
So President Obama is actually doing the tour?

Pete Souza:
Yeah, yeah.

Murv Seymour:
Wow. Now what’s this one here?

Pete Souza:
And this is on January 20, 2017. I’m inside the helicopter just before President Obama and Michelle board the helicopter, and he’s saying good-bye to now President Trump. This would have been right after the swearing-in ceremony.

Murv Seymour:
Wow.

Frederica Freyberg:
You can find the In Focus interviews on our website along with other issues facing Wisconsin. Go to PBSwisconsin.org and then click on the news tab. That’s our program for tonight. I’m Frederica Freyberg. Have a good weekend.

Announcer:
Funding for “Here & Now” is provided by the Focus Fund for Journalism and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.