Center Stage, with Milfred and Hands

Milfred and Hands sing satirical holiday songs, with lyrics by Rick Ho-Ho-Horowitz of Milwaukee. Santa Claus visits the podcast in his pajamas and seems unprepared for Christmas Eve. Newspaper courier Koffi Amuzu-Gassou joins our State Journal choir, telling Milfred and Hands about Christmas in Togo, Africa, where children run behind Santa's pickup truck for presents and sometimes get lost. See om...

Milfred and Hands assess former Gov. Scott Walker's anointed Republican challenger to take on Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2022. They play clips from Walker at this week's Milwaukee Press Club event in Milwaukee, and speculate on U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's future, as well as other potential GOP candidates who might seek higher office after President Donald Trump either wins or loses his reelection....

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson was "Wisconsin nice" on "Meet the Press" Sunday, compared to his previous confrontational appearance. But his interview with host Chuck Todd led to a gotcha moment on impeachment. When Johnson, R-Oshkosh, suggested the left was premature in seeking to remove President Trump from office, Todd displayed a quote of Johnson accusing Hillary Clinton of a "high crime or misdemeanor...

Milfred and Hands play audio from and comment on last week's debate between Trump booster Stephen Moore and never-Trumper Max Boot on the UW-Madison campus. Free speech on campus is "under assault but not in danger," according to Richard Avramenko, UW's director of the Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy. UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank phones into the podcast to defend free speech on campus. It...

Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway touts bus rapid transit and defends her $40 wheel tax to the State Journal editorial board. The mayor also suggests a possible source for more revenue. The mayor wants to "wipe the map clean" when planning for a new, faster, snazzier bus system, meaning transfer points may go. Milfred and Hands like BRT but worry it's being unfairly blamed for the wheel tax, which...

Wisconsin was cited twice near the end of the Democrats' three-hour presidential debate this week in Ohio. Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on the back and forth over which candidate for president is best equipped to carry the Badger State. Wisconsin is expected to be one of handful of states that will decide the presidency in 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milfred and Hands analyze the combative exchange last Sunday between Chuck Todd, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who appeared on the popular political television show to discuss President Donald Trump and Ukraine. Johnson deflected Todd's questions, with the two frequently talking over one another. Our editorial board members pick a winner and look ahead to Jo...

Mike Koval was a good cop with a big heart whose "Kumbaya" approach to community policing was tested by conflict. This included a controversial shooting, his blunt blog and run-ins with the Madison City Council. On this week's podcast, Milfred and Hands assess the police chief's abrupt departure and legacy. Listen to his appearance on Comedy Central, hear a special hymn in his honor, and remember...

Milfred and Hands play clips and comment on the sound of the F-35 fighter jets expected to land at Truax Field in Madison. They also analyze public testimony on the supersonic aircraft at a recent public hearing, and the military's reassurance that not much is going to change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newspaper readers in voice mail messages disagree about whether the State Journal and its editorial board are "strictly left wing" or "Trump apologists." Obviously, the paper can't be both. Milfred and Hands plead guilty to bias on the editorial page, which is designated for free-wheeling opinion, and which is distinct from news coverage. What the State Journal will never be is loyal to either pol...

Milfred and Hands lament Madison's utopian disdain for lower-cost apartments being proposed for the lower part of a Downtown tower a block off the Capitol Square. The Madison City Council is confusing affordable housing with high-rise penthouses. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milfred and Hands analyze and play clips from the bout between U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and special counsel Robert Mueller at this week's congressional hearing in Washington on Mueller's report about Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether the president obstructed the investigation. Sensenbrenner scored a blow by accusing Mueller of "fishing," but Mueller outlasted the cl...

Milfred and Hands look back at monstrous vetoes from Wisconsin's past, and ahead to further constitutional limits in light of Gov. Tony Evers' latest vetoes. Evers used his remaining partial veto powers to "undelete" language lawmakers had removed from the state budget. That's being called the "zombie" veto because he brought dead language back to life. Evers then combined some of the numbers he r...

Milfred and Hands tout newspaper endorsements, why the Wisconsin State Journal does them, and read the paper's best -- and worst -- recommendations of all time. The State Journal undeniably got at least one of its presidential endorsements right. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milfred and Hands "ooh" and "aah" at the fireworks erupting during final debate over the state budget. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and state Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, trade insults and joust over state policy and spending, with Milfred and Hands -- the better looking half of the State Journal editorial board -- providing smart commentary from the sensible center of Wisconsin po...

Milfred and Hands praise the Madison School Board's 4-3 vote to keep a city police officer in each of Madison's four main high schools. The officers, all of whom are black or Latina, aren't targeting black students for citations and arrests. They're trying to win over struggling kids and be role models. They also guard against school shootings, which the nation continues to suffer. See omnystudio....

Critics including many of his fellow Democrats claimed Tony Evers was too boring to be elected Wisconsin's governor. They were wrong. And at the recent Wisconsin Democratic Convention, he got his revenge: "Who's boring now?" he crowed, touting his veto pen as a powerful check on the Republican-run Legislature. On this week's "Center Stage" political podcast, Milfred and Hands play clips and commen...

Milfred and Hands run down the long list of Democratic candidates hoping to boot Donald Trump from the White House in 2020. Joe Biden is the safest bet and plays well in rural and suburban Wisconsin, but doesn't inspire urban activists. Bernie Sanders' support is being splintered. Pete Buttigieg has replaced Beto O'Rourke as the young, fresh face. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar...

Milfred and Hands play some of their recent voice mail messages from fans and foes of the Wisconsin State Journal's editorials, political cartoons and news coverage on this week's political podcast. Some readers love our opinions. Some love to hate our views. Milfred and Hands urge the public to offer more of their own views for publication in print and online. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Wisconsin's former governor just landed a new job as the GOP's national spokesman for gerrymandering. Milfred and Hands critique Scott Walker's spin on Fox this week, where Walker touted rigged redistricting by partisans in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Milfred and Hands tout Iowa's nonpartisan model for drawing fair maps as the obvious solution to endless and costly court battles over voting district...

Milfred and Hands play clips from and comment on the president's rally in Green Bay last weekend, debunking his bluster while assessing his chances against the Democrats in 2020. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney talks about his three trips to the Oval Office to discuss immigration with President Donald Trump in this week's podcast. He also rejects the 'sanctuary sheriff' label, though he doesn't cater to ICE at his jail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the documentary "Screwball" playing this month at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison, Milfred and Hands ask and answer the question: Would you buy your kid a Ryan Braun jersey, knowing his connection to baseball's doping scandal? The film reminds Milwaukee Brewers fans that their hero was a cheater and liar. But he's come clean and remains a clutch and durable hitter at age 35 as the Crew...

Milfred and Hands dissect the spring election, including conservative Judge Brian Hagedorn's unexpected if narrow vote advantage for high court, and Madison Mayor-elect Satya Rhodes-Conway's huge victory over Paul Soglin. Our editorial board members play clips from the post-election speeches and look ahead to a possible recount. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Milfred and Hands play clips from and react to the State Journal editorial board's endorsement meeting this week with Madison's "Mayor For Life" Paul Soglin, who is seeking yet another term in the April 2 election versus Satya Rhodes-Conway. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.