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All right, here's the question.
Where do you get your news?
We know you get it here on Civic Media.
We try to give you the facts as we can research them.
But, you know, people watch the news.
I still, I still, and this will shock the boy aquarium, I still like to watch the nightly news.
My local news, I watch David Muir on the network.
And I like to read the papers.
Now, I go online versions of the paper.
But when you think of big news organizations in this country, the New York Times, of course, the paper of record, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal,
And then you then you move into all your local papers and those used to be the bastions of journalism You know when you when you heard the Washington Post you thought oh Woodward and Bernstein these guys are breaking Watergate the investigative reporting is there we can trust the news that comes out of here because those are journalists who have devoted their whole life to this and There are still journalists who are devoting their whole lives to it.
Unfortunately the places where they comply their trade
are shrinking.
And yesterday the Washington Post became another one of those places because they laid off roughly one in three employees yesterday and marked one of the most severe cutbacks in the newspaper's history.
It pushed an already strained newsroom to the breaking point.
Jamie, this is it's sad news when you know economics
I don't believe it is.
I don't believe it is at all because Jeff Bezos, we saw this during the election when he refused to publish his editorial board's opinion of who people should vote for and essentially pulled the endorsement for Kamala Harris from the people who wrote it on his staff.
He has been towing the line of politics versus...
Staying alive in essentially I mean he's he's a billionaire But I'm saying staying alive as far as the media verse goes and who wants to
draw the
Nobody wants that right now, right?
So no, I don't believe that this had to do with the economics of it all, even though that's what they're going to say.
And what I also love is Jeff Bezos is no better than anybody else in corporate media.
The employees learned of the cuts after being told to stay home while the layoff
notices
And that followed weeks of warning, though, that deep reductions were coming.
In fact, the executive editor, his name is Matt Murray, he acknowledged the scope of the cuts in an internal
was saying that nearly all news departments were being affected.
And it really did, Brian, affect a lot.
The sports section is almost non-existent anymore.
And who doesn't?
When you were little, it was the funnies and the sports section.
Of course.
And that's how a lot of people learned to read is by looking at their parents' newspaper and going, oh, what did the Badgers do last night?
And there
are certain newspapers in the country and certain areas that absolutely do not have any sort of actual local news coming to them from reporters in that area.
And Wisconsin is one of the prime areas where this is happening.
There are places in this state that literally have a newspaper office that's open for two hours twice a week.
That's
Yeah.
And if you go to the websites of some of these papers, you go, oh, they all look the same.
Yes, because they're all owned by the same company.
Right.
You're getting a majority of the same news.
The small papers, like you were mentioning, Jamie, have either gone away or are reprinting stuff from wire services and maybe something about a local board meeting, maybe.
Right.
It's hard to find...
Good journalism and I know this administration has been talking, you know and in the first term too fake news It was the thing and that's all that's another gaslighting move to try to sow doubt in your mind about what you're seeing and anything I don't agree with his fake and so it's hard and Jeff Bezos wants to
maintain that relationship he has with the White House.
Now, I want to ask you, Jamie, you've worked in newsrooms before.
You've been a journalist for a long time.
Is access more important than ethics?
That seems to be the question I keep having.
When I watch these reporters allow Caitlyn Collins
to be dressed down.
When I see the other journalists allow the president to call somebody a little piggy on a plane, when they dare to ask a question.
I know as a news organization, you want access.
We saw when AP had to fight when they were going to be thrown out because AP, one of the most non-biased news organizations you could ever ask for, they were going to get tossed because they asked
questions and the president didn't like that.
The administration didn't like that.
So my question is, is access more important than
I will say that obviously I've been in news for quite some time.
I go back to the early 2000s when I started my career and ended up producing my first 5 p.m.
newscast.
I think it's changed.
Ethics used to be the most important.
Ethics were absolutely where you drew the line.
I can honestly say that the GM, who hired me right out of college, I had no business producing a 5 p.m.
show.
He saw something in me, he gave me that slot.
He would not have ever.
ever, even though he could be an abysmal human being, he would have never allowed one of his reporters, female or male, to be dressed down by any official like that.
And he would have told us that it was not worth covering if that was going to happen to us.
I can honestly say that because it actually happened to us in the city that I was producing news.
He actually pulled us from that beat and said, until they can treat you with respect, we will not be covering that anymore.
I have a lot of-
The danger in this situation, in the current situation, is if, where do we draw the line?
If nobody is watching, we see what they're doing when everybody's watching.
So if nobody's watching, but at the same point, if we're watching as casual bystanders instead of actively trying to get to the bottom of things or pointing out the illegalities.
I think that's where the switch came from the ethics to the access because news is also competing with the social media world, right?
We have somebody over on our socials right now who's watching us, pointing out that anyone with a camera or a Wi-Fi connection can report the news, the more sensational it is, the more viral it will go.
And that's exactly what's happening because in my opinion anyway, news is
being forced to take a different turn than it's ever had to because people are going to social media and things are being more sensationalized.
So it changes what, where the ethics go because, you know, you mentioned it during Watergate.
Can you imagine Bernstein like getting dressed down by the president and then, no, he wouldn't, and they wouldn't have also never stopped covering it because the president got upset.
They would have never
he's in
Guys, you just hammered it out of the park, got small papers across the state, across the country.
collapsing are the reason we're in the mess we're in, in my opinion.
I mean, it's quite obvious.
And, you know, where do I get most of my news?
I love the stuff you're talking about, New York Times,
Wall
Street Journal.
I watch pretty much MSNBC, and they brought over a guy, oh, from AP, Jonathan Lamere, years back, who asked Trump a question during that Helsinki debacle is in first term.
And
He's one of the better people it's on in the morning, in my opinion.
And AP out, like you said, it's nothing but just straight up fat.
Yeah.
Well
We appreciate the call.
Yes.
Thanks very much for doing that.
So it's this quandary that we're in where do we risk as journalists
Being being banished mm-hmm Or do we just stand there and watch and I have to imagine the other reporters in that room Who have any sort of ethical compass are watching the president talk to people like this and realizing?
One it seems to be mostly directed at female reporters mm-hmm and two it is just out of the realm of
Normal decorum.
Nobody talks to people like that, let alone the president of the United States talking to an accredited member of the free press.
nobody else is calling it out.
This happened during the first administration and what I think is troubling and sad and frustrating, especially if you've been in this business long enough, is that we have become okay with it.
We've been okay with him dressing down a female reporter.
We've become okay with him calling a female reporter Piggy.
Now, we talk about it in the sense that as soon as it happened and everybody brings it up,
But what's actually, nobody's actually doing anything about it.
Nobody's actually taking the time to say, you know, this is not, we're not going to continue to report on the things that you're doing or air your words until you can address us.
And I honestly, I don't think it would matter with this administration.
I think that's probably what they want because they want their chosen networks, the more right wing leaning networks to come in and cover the news.
And.
I understand
Right.
And you know, this is why I think local media is so important going back to that point.
You gotta get your facts.
You gotta know what's happening on your local level because that's where the real impact in your life is going to come.
We have to be informed and without that local media, it becomes really, really difficult and dangerous.
719, right now you are listening to Civic Media Mornings.
I'm Jamie Martenson.
You're listening to Civic Media.
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Here's a question for you at 855-75 Civic, 855-752-4842.
And yes, I don't know why I framed it by telling you it's a question.
I'm going to ask and you're going to hear the inflection in my voice.
And in your mind, you will see the question mark at the end of the sentence.
But...
How do you feel about this idea of nationalizing our elections?
We've been talking about it for the last few days, which again This is not new something we never thought we'd have to talk about but we do good news and Listen, I don't throw Ron Johnson flowers very often Usually I hold the bouquet and think about striking people with them, but today I'm gonna throw him a couple flowers
partial.
They're going to be little.
It's not the whole bouquet.
You might get one or two.
Because Ron Johnson has said that he disagrees with the president and his suggestion that Republicans should nationalize elections.
He made these comments during a telephone town hall yesterday or Tuesday, rather, when he was asked about the president's recent remarks on that.
That's a nice start.
Yes.
And let me be the first to say that it won't shock anybody that I listened to the entire hour and a half town hall, just to see what he had to say.
Because there were conversations about multiple subjects in this, coming from constituents, coming from reporters.
So he was really forced to answer.
There were a couple of times when, as we were talking about, if you joined us last segment about media, where he essentially dressed down some of the female reporters.
That's
It really truly is.
But what I found interesting is that, you know, if you've been following along, Trump said that a Republican should take over voting in at least 15 places.
So far, he hasn't specified which states or municipalities.
He's repeated these unfounded claims that undocumented immigrants were being brought to the U.S.
to vote, despite voting being limited to U.S.
citizens.
Like you actually have to be a U.S.
citizen.
order to cast a vote, but facts, I digress.
Johnson said that he does not support federal control of elections, but favors basic national standards like citizenship requirements over voter ID.
This was his quick response yesterday, cut three, please.
That was pretty much all he said.
Okay.
It was
It was short.
But it was very much out of line with what the president so far has been saying he would like to do.
Now, he did go on in this particular town hall, Brian, to criticize Wisconsin's early in-person absentee voting saying that the state has gone way too far by allowing people who don't have access immediately to polls or are disabled or senior citizens.
We have allowed them way too much power in this state to cast a vote.
and darn those drop boxes, darn them.
The fact that now more people can cast a vote, that's not how this system was set up.
One person, one vote, that's hogwash.
One person, one vote, if you can get off of work during this particular day and find out what school or church or gymnasium that your polling place is and navigate all of that and then get there.
Yeah, come on.
I used to be one of these guys who waited till election day.
I was very staunch.
I waited till election day.
I didn't care what anybody else did if they needed to vote early, whatever.
Now it's so convenient, which is why I'm so amazed that voter turnout is still so low.
They couldn't make it easier for us to vote.
I think last election I went like three or four days before election day.
I strolled right in.
Bang, I voted and you know what?
I didn't even worry.
I got the receipt.
I saw it counted in the machine.
I knew my vote counted and I walked out happy.
Put on my sticker.
It's just in the way.
It's just in the way.
It's amazing what happens when judges follow the Constitution and true attorneys follow the Constitution.
Can't we just do what we want?
It is totally in the way.
Now, by the way, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also echoed Johnson's stance saying he is not in favor of federalizing elections due to
What is it?
Constitutional concerns, by the way.
So, funny.
According to the U.S.
Constitution, states have the authority over elections, though Congress can set certain regulations.
But it is the states.
that run their elections.
Hey, it's why you have local election offices, why you have people who election poll workers.
That is why, because the states are in charge and each precinct is also in charge of their election under the state jurisdiction.
That is how this works.
This is... It really bothers me
What I love about our app, a little sales pitch here, what I love about our app is all the stations are listed.
So whether you want to listen to political talk, whether you want to listen to country music, whether you want to do some adult hits, it's all on there.
We've even got oldies on there.
So check it out sometime.
There's a plethora of things for you to choose from because I don't know if you know this, but.
that we're kind of a big deal.
We've got like 30 stations across the state, so, you know.
That's not bad.
Senate from...
Republican-held control to Democratic, because it is rather thin at this point.
It is.
The Republicans hold a very, very small lead in the House.
They have 53 seats in the Senate.
And so, Jamie, you have found and deciphered through all your meticulous research, races that may decide control of the Senate.
And it's not just...
like we've been talking a lot about and people have been theorizing that while it could be a blue tsunami
so let's be very clear here the map the election map is very republican friendly and so which could could potentially outweigh any sort of difficult political environment
for the Republicans and some of the current actions from the Trump administration.
So this map actually makes some of this a bit of a steep climb, because the Democrats would need to flip four different seats to take control of the Senate.
And Democrats are defending key seats currently in Georgia and Michigan, both states that the president won in 2024, while their best pickup opportunities happen to be in Maine and North Carolina.
Now, party leaders are saying that they must win all four to have a realistic shot at the majority, also meaning that
They have to make that pickup and they can't lose any.
So that's going to be a little trickier than everybody thinks.
And I get the blue tsunami talk, but we also have to look at it in a little bit more realistic terms if you're somebody who likes to follow these things.
So Republicans are betting.
Do
So Republicans are betting the map and Trump's policy agenda is going to carry them through.
Democrats really hoping that there's voter frustration over the economy and cost of living issues are giving them a little bit momentum.
Now polling shows that Democratic voters currently are more motivated, although Republicans face a bit of a similar challenge, turning out the Trump aligned voters without his name on the ballot.
And if you were listening to the.
the first hour we actually talked about that
in
Now, beyond the top tier races, Democrats really see longer shot opportunities in places like, which I find fascinating, Alaska, Ohio, Texas, and even Iowa.
Republicans will be defending those open seats and also navigating some really high stakes primaries of their own.
Nine months ago.
Just nine months ago, which, I mean, nine months ago, think back to nine months ago.
I can't even remember what I was doing nine months ago.
That's how crazy life has been.
It
Spring, it was nice.
Jesus, that's when I started here.
Yes.
So both parties, nine months ago, agreed that the economy will be the dominant issue.
That was just nine months ago.
Turnout, though, candidate quality and unexpected events could ultimately decide control of the Senate.
Now... Are
It's fine.
I mean, these are things that we're being told to watch.
Now, if you're somebody who pays attention to elections and, you know, becomes kind of like your Super Bowl...
All present company probably included in that.
There is some key toss up stuff.
I love elections.
They're just so awesome.
I
So when we look at the key toss up states, let's talk about Georgia really quickly.
Democratic Senator John Ossoff is seeking re-election.
Again, a state that Trump carried in 2024.
strong fundraiser, he's charismatic, he is campaigning on economic and healthcare issues.
Republicans are facing a contested primary there with candidates closely aligning themselves with the Trump agenda.
If you go to Maine, oh, Senator Susan Collins, she's still clutching her pearls up there telling us that she's all but concerned.
Yeah, and she is seeking reelection in a state that has voted against Trump three different times.
Now, occasionally we've seen her break with him and then
back to him and still support the GOP agenda.
But national Republicans, you can tell that her seat is in trouble and watch what seats the Republicans invest the most time and money in.
Hers is one of them because they're obviously worried about democratic competition.
Democrats are divided between an establishment favorite though, Governor Janet Mills, who I believe is 78 years old at this point.
She's 78, I believe.
as you
In Michigan, there is an open seat following Senator Gary Peter's retirement, and he has triggered a competitive Democratic primary.
Republicans are backing the former representative.
of Mike Rogers, who has Trump's full endorsement.
Now we've seen.
in the last couple
In North Carolina, the Democrats are seeing their best pickup chance.
This is their best pickup chance after Tom Tillis opted not to run again.
Obviously, Tom Tillis not running has given him a backbone.
He's been able to stand up to the administration.
Former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper has entered the race and he has very strong approval ratings.
So
that
The
Now, in Ohio, this is where it gets interesting.
Right?
Because this is a man who actually was in office, lost his seat, and Ohio, of course, the home to Vice President J.D.
Vance.
Former Senator Sherrod Brown is seeking a comeback against GOP Senator John
You know, I think this one's gonna be interesting because even Ohio is not...
Ohio is, when you watch the polling and I get, take it with a grain of salt, but even Ohio is starting to sour on some of these policies.
And J.D.
Vance is not exactly the most popular guy in his home state.
No, he's
I believe so, but if you know anything about JD Vance and you can correct us on the background, please do.
here on The Morning Show.
Iowa also remains really difficult terrain for Democrats.
Trade policy impacts on farmers could factor in.
All right, Frank, our senior producer is, and Parker, our tech producer, saying that he was born in Middletown, Ohio.
So, all right, so he's got the natural birthright.
Nobody's arguing with his birth certificate, right?
Now, I will say this, when it comes to these expansion opportunities, I think Iowa is also going to be interesting only because you had Senator Joni Ernst who said she would not run again after she basically told her constituents that they were all gonna die and she was okay with that.
Remember the Medicaid debacle?
That
Yeah, and there are some really great candidates in Iowa, so I think that's going to be a really interesting race.
I haven't seen, and again, please correct me if I'm wrong, because I did a little digging into this last night.
I couldn't find where anybody in Ohio or Iowa, pardon me, had jumped into...
on the Republican side a full throttle yet for that earned seat.
So if I'm wrong, I want to know about it, and then I get to do a little research of my own.
So please correct me if you know something I don't, at least on the Republican side.
Now, Texas could be competitive depending on the outcome of the GOP and the Democratic primaries.
We already saw just last weekend that a plus 17 Trump district flip.
Uh, in a
special
So I don't know if I never want to say it because it's Texas, right?
And they are solidly a red voting state.
But at the same time is all of Texas district safe.
Is this why the GOP in Texas is pushing so hard for redistricting to essentially.
Yes.
Rid people of the right to choose their representative because they know in some districts how that's going to go.
I mean, that's what I go back to, right?
There's some open seats in Minnesota, New Hampshire.
They're expected to stay democratic, but they're being closely monitored.
We saw that with the conversation of Governor Wall stepping down.
Amy Klobuchar has now thrown her hat into the ring.
You have Tina Smith in Minnesota.
So there's going to be a lot to watch, and then especially with the climate.
There's some high-profile primaries in Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts that could
a broader, could signal a broader shift within
the
And then with nine months until election day, because yes folks, nine months until election day, both parties are still agreeing that the economy is going to dominate the debate.
But turnout, candidate quality, some late breaking events, because who knows what the Trump administration will do to help out his own party within nine months, could all shift things quite dramatically.
So it's gonna be fun.
Buckle up, folks.
It's going to be a good time.
Super bowl of politics right here.
morning.
748 Civic Media mornings on the Civic Media radio network.
Good morning.
What snack are you stocking up for in advance of the big game?
8-5-5-7-5-CIVIC.
8-5-5-7-5-2-4-8-4-2.
Good news.
Some of them will be a little more affordable.
We like that.
Here comes the affordability.
The affordability word, but I don't want to.
Listen, I don't want to sully snack foods and politics.
They need to stay in their own silos to use some corporate speak.
And I I noticed this yesterday.
But the reason I'm bringing this up, Jamie, is because PepsiCo is cutting prices on many of their popular snacks ahead of the Super Bowl.
But they are also saying.
It is not just short term, these are long term price reductions.
Now they're not a lot, maybe 15% on a lot of their products.
But it's stuff like Cheetos, Doritos, Lay's potato chips.
Of course.
I don't do anything in moderation, so that doesn't apply to me.
PepsiCo says that the product size,
and the taste will remain absolutely the same.
So they're not gonna change that, and they're still gonna only give you five chips, but it's fine.
The company has- Wait, not volume.
The company is also looking to boost weak North American sales after they had to raise prices faster than their competitors in recent years, so please don't mistake this for them being very kind and cordial to you.
Retailers, by the way, set the final prices, but PepsiCo expects savings to be reflected in the stores.
Now, I do have a question for you.
Since they're doing this right before the Super Bowl, and I know tomorrow we're going to have
some
You want to be listening because we're going to give some
stuff away tomorrow, okay?
So be listening tomorrow, all right?
I know employees cannot win, shoot.
But we're gonna be giving some stuff away.
So listen tomorrow for the Super Bowl.
I have to ask though, do you have a favorite Super Bowl snack that is on this list or not on this
I've been trying not to eat as many snacks, but I will say yesterday I was going through the local grocery store flyers and Doritos are on sale.
There will be Doritos in play here on Sunday.
Other than that, usually we'll make like a buffalo chicken dip as a big one here.
We enjoy that.
But yeah, there will definitely be
have lost
words,
young adult children.
What do
My family is not picky like that.
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