Mornings with Pat Kreitlow

Ezra Klein is one of the more influential commentators on the progressive side of the spectrum, but he’s getting an earful after suggesting that Democrats would do well to encourage candidates who have liberal positions but oppose women’s reproductive healthcare rights. Should the party consider putting limits on the rights of half the population to be a fair trade to win more elections? We’ll tal...

It’s one thing for soldiers and veterans to grouse about their former commanding officers. It’s another thing entirely for veterans in elected office to undermine the US military. But US Rep. Derrick Van Orden hasn’t had pangs of conscience in the past when it comes to tarnishing the uniform he once wore. We’ll hear his latest example of trashing America’s military leadership and giving comfort to...

A federal government shutdown is always harmful — more so when the head of the federal government wants government to fail. President Trump is promising thousands of job losses (not just temporary furloughs) as part of his long-term plan to take the “service” out of public service. We’ll talk to COURIER’s Keya Vakil about the ongoing push for a new “Big Lie,” over who’s to blame for the latest man...

We’ll talk to Joe Zepecki about the government shutdown and whether Republicans can maintain the charade that they didn’t cause it and are happy to be ineffective when it comes to operating the government effectively. 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 podcas...

We’ll learn about the resources available from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development from Secretary Amy Pechacek. Civic Media’s James Kelly brings us the stories he is following in the Chippewa Valley. 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...

New polling suggests the shutdown is as unpopular as the president, and yet many Americans don’t see a path toward healing the divisions caused by a minority faction doing all it can to grab and cling to power. In much lighter news, Cherita Booker reviews some of the big events coming up this weekend around Wisconsin. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several sta...

We’ll talk to former state Rep. Fred Clark about his decision to run for Congress in the 7th District up north, which will be an open seat with incumbent Republican Tom Tiffany running for governor. Also: Melissa Baldauff brings us our climate check, which is looking dirtier and dirtier as the president embraces his love for coal. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs o...

Help us welcome Ellie Bourdo, who has taken over editor duties for our daily newsletter. Also: Jimmie Kaska talks about the Brewers and MLB postseason as the Brew Crew awaits their National League Divisional Series opponent. 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...

The federal government is in what could be a long shutdown, as wanted by President Trump, who is taking advantage of congressional dysfunction by unilaterally firing thousands of workers. 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 o...

What’s in common between the people Cam Stevenson covers in Washington, DC and the people Dan Shafer covers in Madison? They’re all candidates a little too much. By focusing on reelections instead of their core duties, we wind up with government shutdowns and partisan divides. Cam will have the latest of the potential shutdown and Dan will have the latest on the new batch of candidates getting int...

What’s a sociologist and “Spaceballs” fan doing in the Legislature? Trying to save democracy, of course. We’ll talk to Rep. Angela Stroud (D-Ashland) about what propelled her to run and serve in Madison — and how to deal with the wealth of conspiracy theories and rumors that swirl around politics. We’ll talk to daycare provider Kara Pitt-D’Andrea, a Wisconsin member of Main Street Alliance who’s i...

Less than 24 hours remain in the federal fiscal year and Republicans controlling the White House and Congress show no desire to work with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown — which make sense since their plan all along has been to shut down the government and further their claim that government “doesn’t work,” which only seems to happen when the people who hate government are in charge of ru...

The teacher who lost her job after Derrick Van Orden attacked her right to free speech joins us. Krista Lesiecki talks about her experience and wants to defend her civil rights. Author Laura Bird comes on with reading recommendations. Bird recommends books with ties to this week’s annual day of reconciliation and remembrance of the harm done to Native American children forced into abusive boarding...

We’ll talk to a leading cybersecurity specialist about what we should know about AI (artificial intelligence) and its use to create “deep fakes.” Salina Heller will bring us a story from Iowa that is a cautionary tale about how Wisconsin’s healthy public employee pension system could be the next target of right wing politicians seeking to undermine public service. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is pow...

Bill Berrien performed a valuable public service in his short-lived campaign for governor — providing a cautionary tale about hubris and reminding voters that wealth and business experience do not automatically qualify someone for a major public office. And of course we’ll review last night’s Packers game in Dallas and set up the Brewers for the postseason. Join us for all of this plus a parade of...

There has been a lot of pushback over the baseless claims and bogus advisories coming from President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. about Tylenol use for pregnant women. We’ll ask an actual OB-GYN if the blowback has been enough — or if the non-doctors at the White House have sown medical misinformation that’s going to take a long time to debunk. And Mike Clemens gets us ready for Pac...

We’ll review this week’s headlines with journalists Jennifer Schulze and Mark Jacob. Conservatives are crowing that former FBI director James Comey was indicted late Thursday, but you might know the old legal saying: You can indict a ham sandwich. But can you get a guilty verdict? That’s pretty tough to do when the charges are literally Trumped up. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthN...

Do we run the risk of losing our Gen Z audience by having a little pop quiz on old-time TV theme songs? We’re thinking this morning’s session might remind people of a simpler time, when TV themes brought us together. Maybe it’s time the Law & Order and NCIS shows had some lyrics and a cast singalong! Yes, it’s Friday and we’re looking for any distractions before we get back to work and review...

We’ll talk to Sean O’Malley about your money and the markets — and the latest indicators that show how businesses and employees are behaving a lot like the squirrels in our backyards this time of year, making preparations for tough times ahead. 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...

The new chair of the state Democratic Party, Devin Remiker, talks about the growing field of candidates for various 2026 races — many slots are already attracting multiple candidates, forcing multiple primaries next August. We’ll ask him how the state party sees its role when it comes to making sure the eventual nominees have the tools they need to win in November. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is po...

The leading Republican candidate for governor says he has now staked a middle-ground position on when he and other politicians can ban women from getting abortion care. That may not be a credible position, given his record. Also: Cherita Booker has a rundown of some big events taking place around Wisconsin this weekend. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several s...

We’ll talk to Kathy Hempstead, a national health policy expert with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, about the impact of Congress and the president killing the tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable to Americans over the past four years. Restoring those credits is at the heart of a fight in Washington that could result in a government shutdown next week. Mornings with Pat K...

State superintendent of public instruction Jill Underly joins us to discuss her annual state of education address. Having just been reelected to a second four-year term, expect Underly to be a leading voice in advocating for public schools and calling out legislators who want to undermine them and shovel our tax dollars to private school vouchers. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNe...

The Wisconsin governor’s race has its first big-name candidate on the Republican side. We’ll talk about Congressman Tom Tiffany’s newly announced candidacy. And Jimmy Kimmel has some heartfelt things to say about free speech and the wide range of supporters who bashed President Trump for trying to have his talk show taken away. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on s...