Mornings with Pat Kreitlow

A new state Supreme Court decision has potential to radically change the way Wisconsin’s state budget process will unfold in the future—allowing the Legislature to expand a slush fund that gets around checks and balances from the executive branch. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6...

We’ll update the progress of state budget negotiations at the Capitol and ask Joe Zepecki about our politics being so broken that moderate legislators have to let their most extreme colleagues drag down their progress rather than working across the aisle to do things they know would do the most good. And we’ll have our usual check on Civic Media stories being covered around southeast Wisconsin wit...

We’re joined by Dr. Kristin Lyerly, who testified in Washington, DC on Tuesday as part of the marking of the three-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, when right wing US Supreme Court justices repealed women’s healthcare rights protected for nearly 50 years by Roe v. Wade. Also: Members of the Wisconsin Public Education Network announce plans for this year’s Summer Summit, an annual education...

For the better part of 15 years, it would not have been a surprise to report that the Wisconsin Supreme Court, then under conservative control, was considering a rollback of clean water regulations. But with a progressive majority in place, the court on Tuesday upheld the state’s spills laws that ensure faster cleanup and accountability when it comes to things like industrial PFAS chemicals in our...

We’ll talk to Dan Shafer of The Recombobulation Area about a new Washington Post story on Wisconsin’s congressional districts and how the possibility of a mid-decade change in district maps could swing Congress to Democratic control. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscri...

There are many ways to illustrate the divide between Democrats and Republicans. One of the more recent ones is now officially at the center of the state budget debate, after Gov. Tony Evers said he would not sign a state budget bill that doesn’t include funding for a program that addresses the shortage of affordable childcare in Wisconsin. We’ll talk to a daycare provider who’s been leading the ch...

The New York Times has a new feature story on Sean Duffy, the former congressman from up north and current US transportation secretary, is using his platform to spread a simple message: Make more babies because it’s good for America. We’ll ask if it’s all babies or just a certain group of them, given his record on supporting new parents with food assistance, WIC, affordable housing, schools, or an...

This weekend’s Iran strike by President Trump has exposed divisions within the GOP—which makes sense, considering Trump billed himself as the one Republican who would keep the US out of wars in the Middle East. But despite intraparty divides in Washington and Madison, there remains zero effort at bipartisanship when it comes to how Congress and the Legislature deal with Democrats on issues like ta...

Wisconsin state Republican chair Brian Schimming is caught in the crosshairs of an ongoing fight between what remains of traditional Republicans and those whose embrace of Trumpism threatens to tear apart their party as much as their president has done to the country. We’ll talk to folks from northeast Wisconsin, where this uncivil war inside the GOP has become especially public. Mornings with Pat...

An unconstitutional act of war, followed by a ridiculous idea that the weekend attack was a “one-off” and that Iran will simply give up trying to build or acquire nuclear weapons. Now the entire world waits to see if Donald Trump’s reckless gamble actually pays off or if it leads to terrorism, cyber attacks, or military action that puts American troops in harm’s way—all for a president who origina...

Can you learn to drive by watching NASCAR videos? Can you survive a fall from a cliff if you watch enough Road Runner cartoons? So who thinks the best approach to helping pregnant women stay healthy is to show them an incomplete, feel-good video that glosses over important information? A western Wisconsin congressman, for one. We’ll talk to obstetrician-gynecologist Kristin Lyerly about a growing...

The members of our regular Week In Review panel are getting an early start to the weekend, ​​but we’ve found one woman up to the challenge of pinch-hitting for the whole crew—Chicago broadcasting legend Joan Esposito. We’ll discuss the impact of cuts being considered by Republicans in Congress. And closer to home, we’ll review the new endorsement from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders of 3rd District co...

A new analysis from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute shows Wisconsin hospitals would see a $3 BILLION reduction in spending over the next decade under the big, bloated budget boondoggle under consideration by Congress. That would lead to a $900 million increase in uncompensated care in Wisconsin hospitals—which will lead some of them to close and make the healthcare crisi...

We’ll ask Sean O’Malley about the way Congress and the Trump administration are trying to lend legitimacy to the cryptocurrency industry. But does it change the nature of something so intangible and inherently risky to the economy? And Joe Zepecki talks about his run for state Democratic Party chair and the path forward to better election outcomes in 2026. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by...

Summer arrives shortly, but the summertime festivals really ramp up starting this weekend. We’ll talk to UpNorthNews social media manager Cherita Booker about Summerfest and other examples. And we’ll discuss Juneteenth, a day marking true American freedom, as was celebrated once again with a flag-raising atop the Wisconsin state Capitol. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it...

When it comes to public funding by legislatures, the University of Wisconsin System is already one of the least-supported in the country because of an ongoing Republican war against education. Now GOP lawmakers want to drag the UW down further. Instead of considering the requests from Gov. Tony Evers and hundreds of business leaders for an overdue funding increase, Republicans are now talking abou...

The big, bloated boondoggle of a budget bill working its way through Congress not only has massive cuts to Medicaid and other vital programs, it also tries to kill the tax credits that could create a new generation of clean energy jobs. Republicans are suddenly having second thoughts—not about protecting healthcare, but at least protecting the tax credits that benefit their corporate friends who c...

We’re tracking the progress of the next state budget bill through the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, including recent moves to maintain the gap between how Republicans support special education in voucher schools vs. public schools. We’ll talk to a school district finance director about the strain that gap puts on all property taxpayers in the state. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered b...

The GOP-led Wisconsin Legislature fell all over itself to undermine Tony Evers and Josh Kaul after their 2018 election victories, passing laws in a lame-duck session to strip away powers from the incoming governor and attorney general. It took more than six years, but on Tuesday a unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court started taking steps to let the lawmakers know there are still three co-equal branch...

Dan Shafer from The Recombobulation Area recaps last weekend’s state Democratic convention and reaction to his column about Gov. Evers and whether he should run for a third term. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a singl...

We’ll talk to dairy farmer Hans Breitenmoser about President Trump’s latest flip-flop on farm deportations, or was it another fake? We’ll look at the latest wrench thrown into the lack of certainty for America’s food supply. Plus LuAnn Bird will outline how folks around Wisconsin are speaking out against Trump’s big bloated boondoggle that cuts their Medicaid healthcare coverage. Mornings with Pat...

We’re getting the first unofficial indication from Republicans in the Legislature that they might decide not to write a new state budget bill at all. They’re so defeated by Gov Tony Evers' partial vetoes, they'd rather claim it’s more fiscally conservative to simply let the current state budget roll over. Another way to look at it: They're tired of being Wile E. Coyote, of Evers being the Road Run...

Author Laura Bird takes us through the genre of memoirs. She explains how they’re different than an autobiography—and she recommends several types of memoirs for your summer reading list. We’ll also talk to John Peterson and Gordy Young, John & Gordy from our Civic Media station in Madison, about stories and events shaping the upcoming summer season around the capital city. Mornings with Pat K...

Pat is joined by Salina Heller to discuss the No Kings protests that happened throughout the nation, meanwhile President Donald Trump had a little military parade. Jimmie Kaska joined the show to talk about the wrap up of the high school sports season while the NBA and NHL finals close in on crowning champions. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations a...

We saw America at its best and worst over the weekend. We saw millions of Americans gather to remind us we’re not alone in demanding better from our leaders—especially when those leaders embrace violence and misinformation, the kind that led to the shootings and killings in Minnesota over the weekend. We’ll update the situation in the Twin Cities after one legislator was assassinated and another w...