Center Stage, with Milfred and Hands

Milfred and Hands analyze the impact of Donald Trump's guilty verdicts on his bid to win the crucial swing state of Wisconsin this fall. Trump had been slightly ahead of President Joe Biden in the latest Marquette Law School poll of statewide voters. Will Trump's convictions for falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments to a porn star hurt or help his campaign? Hands, who drew a...

Milfred and Hands analyze the two candidates for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat, including their recent ads, positions on key issues, and Hovde's dip into a frozen Lake Mendota. Milfred is surprised Hovde is polling so well. Hands needs a haircut and pledges to never grow a mustache like the challenger.

Milfred and Hands react to Donald Trump's first visit this year to Wisconsin, the crucial swing state he badly needs to win in November. Hands compares his hardcore devotees to a Grateful Dead following. Milfred counters Trump's dark take on Whitewater -- both its accuracy and political impact. Our political podcasters play clips from the rally and react to Trump's familiar schtick.  Our poli...

Milfred and Hands tackle the integrity of Wisconsin's elections with top municipal clerks from Kohler and Sun Prairie. The two clerks rank the security of your vote on a scale of 1 to 10.

Milfred and Hands highlight last week's discussion at the Edgewater Hotel about the future of State Street. Prominent landscape architect Ed Freer and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway offer their visions as the city plans to test the concept of a true pedestrian mall on the bottom half of State Street this summer. Buses no longer roll down and crowd the three blocks closest to the UW-Madison camp...

Milfred and Hands react to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's social media event with Elon Musk on Musk's digital platform X. They sought to undermine the U.S. Senate's bipartisan support for military aid to Ukraine against Russian aggression. Hear clips from Johnson and Musk, who insist Ukraine can't win and Russian President Vladimir Putin can't lose. Milfred and Hands aren't buying it.

Milfred and Hands 'go condo' by urging state and federal officials to encourage more condo development, rather than favoring endless apartment buildings. Despite Madison's rapid growth, virtually no condominiums have gone up in the capital city in recent years. And that's true across much of the country. Regulatory and legal rules favor rentals -- especially following the Great Recession. Nobody w...

Milfred and Hands respond to criticism that a recent political cartoon was ageist. It depicted Joe Biden 's presidential lectern as a walker . Our political podcasters agree that making assumptions about older people is wrong. But when it comes to the president of the United States, lots of evidence from public appearances suggest he's lost a step, they contend. And Donald Trump isn't getting any...

Milfred and Hands sing political lyrics set to holiday songs. This year's jingles, written by Rick Horowitz, target Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Bob Menendez, Mike Johnson and more. Hands finds Santa leading the North Pole's curling team at a bonspiel in Madison. Hands tries to convince the jolly old elf Hands deserves to be on the nice list. Milfred plays guitar and tries to harmonize. The year in po...

Milfred and Hands interview Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, chair of the Senate Committee on Universities. The UW-Whitewater grad and southeast Wisconsin businessman talks about streamlining the Universities of Wisconsin with a smaller footprint, funding UW-Madison's new engineering building and encouraging free speech on campus. Unlike some of his Republican colleagues who are quick to bash higher...

Milfred and Hands analyze the Republican Assembly speaker's dramatic flip-flop on the Iowa model for nonpartisan redistricting. They also highlight the Democrats flip of their own, searching for excuses to oppose a bill that's virtually the same as what they have long proposed. The Democrats are hoping a liberal-leaning state Supreme Court will help their political fortunes more than neutral map-d...

Milfred and Hands talk all things housing with UW-Madison professor of urban planning Kurt Paulsen, who has been studying the region's expensive market for most of the last two decades. Paulsen explains why housing in the Madison region is so pricey, and what we can do about it.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milfred and Hands analyze a dozen potential Republicans who could challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, for her seat in 2024. Baldwin appears in a strong position and has always been good at raising money. She's inoffensive to many Wisconsinites and has won over many rural voters with talk of protecting American jobs and sticking up for veterans. She also drew national attention...

Most Republicans celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, but the high-court decision is costing the party votes -- especially with young people and suburban women in swing states such as Wisconsin. On their latest political podcast, Milfred and Hands analyze recent statements by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, and U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, who seek to soften t...

Milfred and Hands analyze the spring election results and what they mean going forward. Democrats boosted turnout and drew broader support April 4 for their candidates largely because of their push to restore abortion rights. The winning candidate statewide and in Madison also had a lot more money. Our political podcasters aren't fans of judicial elections and suggest better ways to select top jud...

Milfred and Hands analyze the April 4 election for Madison mayor while explaining the Wisconsin State Journal's endorsement in the race, which pits incumbent Satya Rhodes-Conway versus grassroots challenger Gloria Reyes. If you plan to vote next Tuesday, you'll want to listen to this. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milfred and Hands sing about the biggest political news from 2022 -- all set to holiday songs. On two numbers, they channel Kermit and Miss Piggy with festive flare. Hands tries to convince a downsized Santa to return to the North Pole. All of the lyrics for today's podcast were written by Rick Horowitz of Milwaukee, a writing coach and former columnist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Milfred and Hands play audio clips from the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board's recent endorsement meeting with U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes. Our political podcasters quiz the Democratic challenger on climate change, cash bail and the first thing he would do if a Democratic-controlled Senate eliminated the filibuster. Milfred and Hands tick off a lot of reasons for opposing a third t...

Milfred and Hands discuss and play audio clips from Gov. Tony Evers' meeting this week with the Wisconsin State Journal editorial board, seeking its endorsement. The Democratic governor outlines his accomplishments and answers questions about abortion, redistricting and why he thinks voters should reelected him Nov. 8: "The alternative really sucks." Hands quizzes Evers about school closings durin...

A Wisconsin judge is dead, and a U.S. Supreme Court justice was targeted for violence. Court officials have always faced threats because their decisions can send people to prison, overturn laws and settle financial disputes. What’s different and worse today is the influence of partisan politics on judges, juries and rulings. Milfred and Hands talk with former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice...

Milfred and Hands play audio from and comment on the top four Democratic candidates seeking to challenge U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, this fall. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Milfred and Hands weigh in on who has the best shot. The conspiratorial Johnson is underwater in public opinion. Yet he's still formidable, given the Republican-friendly election cycle that's expected this fall...

Milfred and Hands quiz the State Journal’s new executive editor, Kelly Lecker, about her Wisconsin roots, spelling championship and passion for journalism. Lecker grew up milking cows on a Shawano County dairy farm, then graduated from UW-Stevens Point with degrees in journalism and Spanish, and a minor in military science. She's worked for several Midwestern newspapers, including as interim...

Milfred and Hands play and comment on U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's latest political ad in which he blames the media for getting President Joe Biden elected. That's not what Johnson said last fall, when he was caught on camera at a GOP rally saying Trump lost because not enough Republicans in Wisconsin voted for him, and that nothing was obviously skewed with the 2020 election here. Johnson, R-Oshkosh,...

Milfred and Hands assess the GOP field seeking their party's nomination for governor against Democratic incumbent Tony Evers this fall. Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch is ahead in the polls, thanks to a big advantage in name recognition. But most voters don't know who any of these three are. That means Kevin Nicholson, who lost a bid for the party's nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018, and state...

Milfred and Hands endorse a new way of electing School Board members in Madison that will increase competition and voter choice while improving the dialog between candidates. Joining them is Wayne Strong, a member of the State Journal's community editorial board who narrowly lost a bid for School Board. Instead of pitting individual city-wide candidates against one another in specific seats -- an...