Wisconsin
Steil: Biden’s inflation and border policies ‘disastrous’ for Wisconsin
(The Center Square) – Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, facing Democratic challenger Peter Barca in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, recently spoke on the state of inflation and immigration, two of the top three issues on Wisconsin voters’ minds according to polls.
Steil focused largely on inflation during the Friday press call, an issue central to his campaign.
“I can’t tell you how concerned people are with the state of the country and our need to get back on track,” said Steil. “The economic policies that he’s put forward have made everything roughly 20% more expensive than when he took office. Grocery prices are up, the median mortgage is double, car prices are up, it’s more expensive to insure your car, and energy prices – from what you pay at the pump to your utility bill – have increased dramatically under President Biden.”
Steil also lambasted Biden’s handling of the border, particularly the surge in migration to midwestern states like Wisconsin.
“His policies at the U.S.-Mexico border have been disastrous,” Steil said. “It has impacted not only the entire country but in particular the state of Wisconsin. The community of Whitewater, a city of about 15,000 people, has seen an influx of over a thousand migrants over the past two years, adding a serious burden on first responders and the school system in particular.”
Biden posted a letter to Democrats on social media Monday, saying he is running on a “historic record of success” regarding job creation, unemployment levels, health care and drug affordability, infrastructure and manufacturing growth, and student debt relief.
Biden’s letter did not mention his administration’s track record on inflation or border policy.
Inflation was 1.4% when Biden took office in January 2021 and was 3.3% in May, up two-tenths since January.
In his tenure, the high is 9.1% in June 2022 and the low 3.0% in June 2023.
In a March 24, 2021, announcement, Biden said of Vice President Kamala Harris, “I’ve asked her, the VP, today – because she’s the most qualified person to do it – to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help – are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.”
Since January 2021, an estimated 12 million people have entered the country illegally, coming from more than 150 countries.
Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, have acknowledged they can’t locate millions of them, The Center Square reported.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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