MacIver Monday - Jul. 27, 2026 | Recent News

WISCONSIN (MacIver Institute) -- As the August primary approaches and summer heats up, questions of public safety, education quality, and the real stakes of national competitiveness remain front and center. This week MacIver highlights calls for greater transparency in policing, a clear-eyed look at the AI race, and ongoing concerns about Wisconsin’s workforce pipeline.

Spotlight

Eric Toney: Madison Should Immediately Give Officers Body Cameras

Republican Attorney General candidate Eric Toney is calling on Madison to equip its officers with body cameras following a deadly officer-involved shooting. Madison remains the only major city in Wisconsin that does not allow its officers to wear body cameras, despite requests from the police department itself.

Toney argued that cameras would provide critical evidence and transparency for investigators and the public. City leaders previously rejected a plan over cost concerns, but the recent shooting has renewed momentum, with the mayor indicating funding may be included in the next budget. Toney also corrected the Madison police chief’s description of the investigation, noting that state law requires specific outside-agency procedures.

Read the full story here.

Deep Dive

What AI Race? Someone Better Tell China

Michael Lucas challenges the common narrative that the United States is locked in a high-stakes AI infrastructure race against China. He notes that China lags dramatically behind the U.S. in AI data centers (roughly 3–6 versus 45–64), power capacity (1.1 GW versus 43.6 GW), and hyperscaler capital expenditure.

Instead of trying to match America’s physical infrastructure, China is pursuing a different strategy: developing cheaper, open-weight AI models that deliver “close enough” performance at a fraction of the cost. Lucas argues this reality should temper the urgency of the “beat China” framing and encourage greater caution about the massive capital expenditures currently underway in the U.S.

Read the full piece here.

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Coming Soon

Marquette Poll: Huge Support For Hong, Socialism

Benjamin Yount reports on the latest Marquette Law School Poll showing Rep. Francesca Hong leading the Democratic primary with 26% support, while large majorities of liberal and very liberal Democrats express favorable views of socialism. The numbers highlight the ideological direction of the Democratic field heading into the August primary.

You Should Know

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Again Blasts Schools Over State Worker Shortage

Wisconsin’s largest business group is once again linking poor reading, writing, and math scores to the state’s ongoing worker shortage. WMC CEO Kurt Bauer calls the results a scandal, noting that nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin students are below grade level in math and seven in ten are not reading at grade level — with the nation’s worst racial achievement gaps concentrated in Milwaukee and Madison.

Quick Click

U.S. DOJ Sues Milwaukee Over Law Enforcement Mask Ban

Michael Lucas reports that the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee, Mayor Cavalier Johnson, and other officials over a local ordinance that prohibits law enforcement agents from wearing masks. The DOJ argues the policy illegally interferes with federal officers’ ability to perform their duties safely amid rising harassment and violence.