Mornings with Pat Kreitlow

We talk to Judge Chris Taylor about her candidacy for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court next year, a race that might feature her going up against incumbent right-wing Justice Rebecca Bradley. We’ll be joined by Dr. Kristin Lyerly as both women talk about their ongoing work to protect women’s healthcare rights. And Mike Clemons will have all kinds of sports to talk about for the weekend, on and...

We’ll talk to our Week In Review panelists about the latest effort by the Trump regime to have a permanent military presence in major American cities and a possible setback after a judge ruled the president did not properly take control of the National Guard away from California’s governor. We’ll review media coverage of the events as well. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and...

Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee made official on Thursday what had been apparent a few days earlier: a refusal to meet Gov. Tony Evers in the middle when it comes to each side’s highest priorities. GOP lawmakers worked on a tax cut proposal but fell far short of what’s needed to end the cycle of school referendums in the state. We’ll hear from the state Senate Minority Lea...

We’ll talk to Chad Holmes about stories he’s following in the Wausau area. We check in one more time with Joe Zepecki ahead of this weekend’s Democratic state convention. And Sean O’Malley looks at how your money and the markets are impacted by all the latest news out of Washington, DC. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media rad...

It appears to be happening again in the Wisconsin Legislature: Republicans appear to show some willingness to compromise on an issue, only to turn around and add what’s known as a “poison pill,” some other bill or amendment that’s terrible and undoes whatever compromise Republicans were pretending to embrace. We’ll talk to Senate Democratic Leader Dianne Hesselbein about the progress of state budg...

A former top advisor to Gov. Tony Evers, Melissa Baldauff has some thoughts on a new column by our colleague Dan Shafer and whether the governor should follow his advice and decline to run for a third term next year. And we’ll follow how our Confederate president is doing more to put the names of sworn Civil War enemies of the United States back on our military bases. Plus, Cherita Booker reviews...

In our Climate Check segment, Melissa Baldauff talks about Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s war on pollution controls for automobiles. She also has some opinions on a new Dan Shafer column calling on Gov. Tony Evers not to run for a third term. We’ll also check in with Civic Media’s Earl Ingram and James Kelly. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stati...

It’s always hard to defend yourself when you can’t see your attacker. That’s certainly the case for public schools because taxpayers aren’t able to see how much of their money is being siphoned away to vouchers for well-off families to send their kids to private schools. We’ll talk about that, the state budget debate, and other end-of-the-school-year issues with Brent Bergstrom, president of Green...

That sputtering sound you’re hearing is coming from Republicans stammering about how their big bloated boondoggle of a budget bill doesn’t actually cut Medicaid benefits to deserving Americans—when it actually does. Bigly. In fact, we need to correct our language from yesterday on just how much will be cut from the stable, affordable healthcare coverage that millions of working families rely on fo...

It’s an “off” year for elections in Wisconsin, but that won’t dampen the enthusiasm of delegates gathering this weekend at the state Democratic convention. Along with celebrating another state Supreme Court victory, they’ll be voting on a new state chair to succeed Ben Wikler. Plus there will be chatter about whether Gov. Tony Evers will run for a third term next year. We’ll cover all of it and mo...

Two of Medicaid’s most vocal critics come from Wisconsin. Sen. Ron Johnson and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos wouldn’t hesitate to criticize or cut a program that’s helped Americans stay healthy for 60 years. But their complaints lose their credibility when they can’t be honest about the number of deserving, hardworking people whose healthcare coverage would be lost if Trump's big, bloated bill passes...

US Marines have occupied their fair share of land in their history: From the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli. But President Donald Trump has a new battle plan for the Marine Corps—wildly unconstitutional and designed for maximum division—in America’s second largest city. We’ll have the latest update. Plus, community editor Christina Lorey talks about a milestone in professional hockey...

Our guest outlines the ongoing popularity of apprenticeships in the construction trades and how the state legislature can continue providing the kind of support that addresses the state’s labor shortage. And Jane Matenaer previews her shows this week on the Civic Media radio network. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio...

Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature have introduced several new packages of bills: one designed to defend the state against Trump policies that can hurt residents, another about gun safety, and another meant to affirm the rights of people in the LGBTQ community. We’ll look back at the weekend in sports with Jimmie Kaska. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on sever...

We’ll update the intentional conflict being set up in California by President Trump over immigration arrests, coming increasingly closer to a martial law/police state situation of his own making—the thing authoritarians do best. Also Dr. Kristin Lyerly talks to us about men’s health week as well as the terrible track record on women’s health in so-called “pro-life” states. Mornings with Pat Kreitl...

It’s National Donut Day, so we take a look around our communities to talk about who’s got the good ones. We’ll discuss how a positive new jobs report masks the harm that’s being done to the long-term health of government services—just look at what Elon Musk did to the dumpster fire formerly known as Twitter. And Civic Media’s Mike Clemens previews the weekend in sports, including the red-hot Milwa...

The bromance breakup of Oval Office besties makes for colorful commentary, but it doesn’t yet change anything about how Republicans in Congress are moving forward with plans to explode the national debt and slash important services to pay for a massive handout to corporations and the very-wealthy. If we’re going to get circuses from our equivalent of Rome, could we at least get some of the bread b...

It’s a MAGA Battle Royale. In one corner, a president threatening to cancel space contracts. In the other corner, the world’s richest man accusing the president of heinous crimes and a cover-up. And it all unfolded in real time in a social media beef worthy of quoting Ron Burgundy, “Boy, that escalated quickly. That really got out of hand fast.” Now if only the Trump-Musk break-up could kill the b...

We’ll talk to Sean O’Malley about your money and the markets—including President Trump’s newest tariff, one that’s going to jack up prices for almost anything in a can. His tariffs on imported beer and aluminum aren’t likely to help aluminum and steel jobs nearly as much as it’ll hurt consumers and workers through the beverage and food industries. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNe...

We’ll talk to Congressman Mark Pocan about the predictable backlash to Donald Trump’s Big, Bloated Boondoggle—coming from some of the same House Republicans who voted for it and are now saying they didn’t understand what all was in the bill. We’ll also discuss his recent town hall in Eau Claire, again making sure some of Congressman Derrick Van Orden’s constituents could be heard even though Van O...

Republican lawmakers in Madison and Washington, DC proved again on Wednesday they have no intention of doing what most Americans think politicians ought to do: compromise and work together. In both cases, they’re trying to ram through whatever they want, whatever the price. That kind of attitude has life-or-death applications, as we’re reminded by Earl Ingram, when you see the ongoing death and da...

In this week’s Climate Check, Melissa Baldauff talks about how some Republicans still want to cut the job creating programs contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. But even if they did, it would mean little for a bill that otherwise explodes the national debt. We’ll also check in with Civic Media’s Earl Ingram, covering stories in southeast Wisconsin and James Kelly, covering news in northwest W...

We’ll discuss a bill taken up in Madison yesterday that would make it easier for so-called “gig” workers, like food delivery drivers, to get benefits that are partially paid by their employer—so long as they’re not actually employers. You see, the whole gig economy is based on businesses avoiding responsibility for benefits, safety, etc., by claiming workers are “contractors” rather than employees...