Mornings with Pat Kreitlow

There are those who describe the new Wisconsin state budget, quickly adopted last week by the Legislature, as the “least bad” option, given the split between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and majority Republicans. But others believe Democrats didn’t fight hard enough for more, since GOP leaders needed Democratic votes to pass a budget due to some far-right holdouts. There are many layers to peel back...

We cover the far northwest and southwest corners of Wisconsin this hour. We’ll talk to state Rep. Jenna Jacobson about her newly-announced campaign for the State Senate seat now held by the Republican co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. We’ll visit with Superior Mayor Jim Paine about lead water pipe removal, the Blatnik Bridge project, and using goats to get rid of buckthorn. An...

America’s air traffic control system is a fragmented mess that will take many years and billions of dollars to upgrade. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy could spend his entire workday on that project alone, not to mention the nation’s other critical transportation needs. But if you’ll excuse him, the secretary is very busy right now declaring war on sidewalks that have LGBTQ-supported rainbow c...

The world’s richest man once bragged he would use his fortune to solve world hunger, but now Elon Musk is announcing plans to start a new political party. Between his DOGE misadventures, his ill-fated effort to influence the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, and now this—has Elon’s third party become his third strike in an effort to buy his way into political power? Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is p...

Now that the state budget is done and President Trump’s federal plans are finalized, we’ll return to an area that the president said would be all summed up by now: 90 deals in 90 days. It’s been 90 days and the administration has two half-deals done. Does this ramp up the talk of a trade war with the rest of the world or do the “TACO” memes start pouring out across the internet again? Mornings wit...

We’ll recap the holiday weekend, including the threat of disruption to the Minocqua parade that turned out to be a prank. We’ll discuss grilling, biking, streaming, live concerts, and the triumphant return of Brandon Woodruff to the Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching ranks. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday t...

We’ll talk to financial expert Sean O’Malley about some aspects of the Trump budget boondoggle that aren’t getting as much attention—as limits on student loan borrowing and cuts to research funding accelerate a brain drain from US universities and businesses. Joe Zepecki will offer perspective on the week’s big stories out of Madison and Washington. Chad Holmes gets set for a poker tournament he’s...

Wednesday’s state Supreme Court ruling invalidating a purported abortion ban provided an early window into the 2026 campaign—with challenger Chris Taylor saying that right wing Justice Rebecca Bradley’s dissent in the case was an “unhinged political rant, devoid of reasoned legal analysis.” We’ll review some of what the justices had to say on both sides of this landmark case. And Todd Allbaugh wil...

The theme this week in Madison and Washington, DC has been late-night sessions in an effort to find enough unified Republicans to pass both state and federal budget bills. In Congress, that meant all-night arm twisting until every last bit of conscience had been wrung out of lawmakers concerned that their big, bloated boondoggle would hurt so many Americans. In Madison, it meant rushing to pass a...

In this week’s Climate Check, a lighter story about adaptation. The knock on solar farms has been that all those panels would restrict crop growth or grazing. It didn’t take long for folks to get creative in ways that make the panel mobile and even provide shade for cows while they graze! And we’ll get updates from Civic Media friends Earl Ingram in SE Wisconsin, James Kelly in NW Wisconsin, Jimmi...

Rep. Angela Stroud will give us the full picture of a two-part deal that will lead to the removal of more lead water lines in Superior. It required more than faith in a single bill that didn’t do enough for private homeowners. And we’ll talk to a retired pediatric nurse and school board member about her letter to the WIAA critical of their new restrictions on transgender sports participation. Morn...

We’ll review reaction to the new state budget deal, perhaps best summed up as having something for everyone to like—and hate. The Joint Finance Committee passed it on Tuesday, so the full Senate and Assembly will both be in session today to consider it. Meanwhile, the US Senate passed the largest transfer of wealth and ending of healthcare coverage in American history—but that doesn’t mean Republi...

We’ll review the newly-announced bipartisan state budget agreement with Dan Shafer of The Recombobulation Area. It’s a deal that falls far short of what you’d see if Gov. Evers and advocates of education, child care, and health care had their way—and it’s far more than what would result if Republicans controlled the governor’s office. But is it enough to quell the voices telling Evers to veto the...

Heavy rain last week put limits on fieldwork for Wisconsin farmers. We’ll review the latest conditions with Hans Breitenmoser. And we’ll congratulate the Trump administration for needing only five months to understand we can’t grow bananas, coffee, or cocoa beans here, so maybe those tariffs that drive up consumer prices need to be adjusted. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, an...

It appears Wisconsin will not see a protracted budget crisis—but the deal ain’t done yet. Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leaders in the Legislature announced an agreement on a new plan for taxes and spending. Will it be enough, however, for a couple of far-right Republicans to support it—or will GOP leaders need Democratic votes to get it across the finish line? We’ll detail the package. Mornings...

We’ll talk to Jeff Mandell of Law Forward about their group’s lawsuit against the world’s richest man, hoping to stop people like Elon Musk from ever again being so bribery-adjacent during Wisconsin elections. We’ll catch up with our Civic Media friends John & Gordy, fresh off their show in Madison, and Jane Matenaer to find out what she’ll be talking about in her 9am show. Mornings with Pat K...

On Saturday, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis seemed like a rare “profile in courage” for the GOP, voting against President Trump’s big bloated boondoggle. On Sunday, Tillis announced he’d decided not to run for reelection next year—adding his Senate career to the hashtag #ETTD, Everything Trump Touches Dies. We’ll talk to a Courier Newsroom colleague about the prospect of a Democratic p...

The US Supreme Court made a ruling on birthright citizenship that isn’t as broad as President Trump is claiming, but it does stretch out the legal fight to protect yet another basic right. Also: The state budget had potential to be done by today’s deadline, but it’s not happening thanks to Republicans in disarray. Plus Dr. Kristin Lyerly tells us about her weekend excursion to see the Rock and Rol...

Pat and Dr. Kristin Lyerly talk about Emily Tseffos new column in Dan Shafer’s website The Recombobulation Area, calling on Gov. Tony Evers to use all of the tools at his disposal to get a good state budget: the bully pulpit, the veto pen, and the trust of the people. She and others want Evers to define a standard that supports education, childcare, healthcare, and more—and veto a budget bill that...

Former US Attorney Jim Santelle takes us through a flurry of US Supreme Court opinions being issued in the final days of their session—some of which reaffirm how extreme the right wing justices are taking American law. And our Week In Review panel looks at how the Trump White House wants those pesky reporters to focus the big bombs used against Iran and not on whether the attack actually worked. M...

We’re joined by Courier Newsroom’s Keya Vakil to find out what’s with all of the hype about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. He’s either a refreshing breath of fresh air and authenticity… or he’s a clear and present danger to Gotham City. Plus: President Trump’s big, bloated boondoggle of a budget bill is unpopular with the public. We’ll review new polling numbers from Marquette and...

In this week’s Climate Check, it really is that simple — plastic bag bans work to reduce litter and damage. Also: Despite a Trump administration at war with cleaner energy, one automaker says it’s keeping its plans to expand battery development, even without tax incentives. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, M...

Wisconsin will keep the same congressional map boundaries for at least one more election cycle, even though our 50-50 state has a map that gives 75% of the seats to Republicans. We’ll review the state Supreme Court’s refusal to tackle one gerrymandered map, even though it was willing to correct the one for legislative boundaries. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on...