WisPolitics Capitol Chats

In this week's "Capitol Chats" episode, Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth, says he's confident in Republicans' ability to retain control of the Assembly, reflects on longtime Speaker Robin Vos' departure and more.

In this week's "Capitol Chats," former technology executive and Caledonia trustee Prescott Balch argues local officials are being drawn into bad deals with the trillion-dollar tech companies building data centers throughout Wisconsin, and need to slow down development deals to better understand the risks and rewards of such projects.

In this week's "Capitol Chats" episode, RightCount Wisconsin Chair Jim Steineke touts the group's work to promote trust by educating voters about election administration and says faith in elections is a bipartisan issue.

On this week's "Capitol Chats," Melissa Moore talks about Wisconsin's "Wild West" of unregulated intoxicating hemp products ahead of a federal ban that could curtail their sale, and what policymakers need to consider if they are to craft regulation keeping these products on shelves.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, Marquette Law School Poll Director Charles Franklin discusses recent polling of the state Supreme Court race and says anti-Trump sentiment is a key factor pushing Dem voters to the polls.  

On this week's "Capitol Chats," U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, weighs in on negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon's $200 billion funding request to prosecute the war in Iran, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents being deployed to major airports.

In this week's "Capitol Chats" episode, Dem guv candidate Mandela Barnes discusses his vow to freeze utility rates if elected and criticizes utility companies for being "greedy" at Wisconsinites' expense.

On this week's "Capitol Chats," Phillip Scott of the Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association forecasts a grim future for Wisconsin's $700 million intoxicating hemp industry if lawmakers can't create a legal pathway for the cannabis alternative at the state or federal level.

In this week's Capitol Chats podcast, former Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan discusses his Dem guv campaign and says if elected, he supports temporarily pausing data center projects until state leaders can agree on regulatory guardrails.

In this week's "Capitol Chats" episode, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, discusses Tuesday's State of the Union address, Democrats' criticism of immigration enforcement, the Supreme Court striking down the Trump administration's tariffs and the fate of the SAVE America Act in the Senate.

On this week's "Capitol Chats" podcast, Rep. Lindee Brill, R-Sheboygan Falls, says protecting kids online will require a "multi-faceted" approach. She chairs the Speaker's Task Force on Protecting Kids, which has introduced bills touching on youth social media accounts and app usage, law enforcement response to internet crimes against children and AI chatbots.

In this week's Capitol Chats podcast, Keep Our Republic member and former U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil says President Donald Trump's call to "nationalize" elections doesn't pass constitutional muster. Vaudreuil also argues Trump is seeking to sow distrust in elections ahead of the midterms.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, Clean Wisconsin spokesperson Amy Barrilleaux discusses the explosion of data centers in the state and their implications for ratepayers and the environment.

In this week's Capitol Chats podcast, Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, discusses recent bipartisan progress on legislation to combat PFAS contamination and says he expects the bills to make it to the finish line before the session ends. 

On this week's Capitol Chats podcast, U.S. Rep Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, talks about her takeaways from a hearing on the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, the Democratic effort to impeach Kristi Noem and Democrats' odds in the midterm elections.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, Dem Missy Hughes, former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation secretary and CEO, says she will tackle affordability for Wisconsinites if elected to the East Wing.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, talks about his bill incentivizing nuclear development in Wisconsin and why he thinks the state is primed to lead the country in building new nuclear power plants.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, state Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, talks about why she's running for governor. Roys says the state deserves a leader who will  "stand up for what's best for Wisconsinites, not what Trump and his Washington cronies want."

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, La Follette School of Public Affairs Director Susan Webb Yackee discusses a newly unveiled undergraduate major in public policy.

In this week's Capitol Chats podcast, Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, talks about her campaign for governor and what fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani's New York City mayoral victory could mean for her candidacy in Wisconsin.

In this week's Capitol Chats podcast, U.S. Rep. Tony Wied weighs in on the ongoing government shutdown. The De Pere Republican also declines to directly say whether he supports extending enhanced tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, a law he criticizes as "flawed."

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, Law Forward Director of Litigation Doug Poland talks about lawsuits in the state related to congressional redistricting and how Law Forward's lawsuit differs from redistricting efforts in other states.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, guv candidate and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Minocqua, talks about his newly announced campaign and declines to say if he would support a six-week abortion ban after cosponsoring one in Congress.

In this week's Capitol Chats episode, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley talks about his campaign for governor and says he would be a governor for all, not just Milwaukee County. Crowley also touts his background as a state legislator.