When the chips are down and democracy's back is up against the wall, two radio veterans step up to the microphone to right the wrongs, standing for truth, justice and just because.
Hey, are they ready to go yet?
It's John and Gordy on 92.7 WMDX.
you know there's never a shortage of stories just it's just it's just overwhelming when you think about it yeah uh we're all celebrating in the u.s in canada the liberal one mark carney oh that's a good
thing took
the election instead of the uh the republican who sounded very much like trump they were making comparisons wouldn't that have been fun
But anyway, now we have Mark Kearney who drew a hard line in the sand against the U.S., so good news.
You know, somebody's got to play tough with Trump, and I think most of the countries are, since I haven't seen any agreements at all with the tariffs.
Is there one?
Don't know.
Trump said there were 200 deals in the works yesterday or day before.
That's right.
And
then somebody pointed out there are 195 countries to deal with, so 200 deals is a little over.
But then they said, no, no, those were the...
the underlying details.
So they had 200
underlying details.
It didn't have to do with countries particularly.
Yeah, I thought that was including the...
those islands that were only inhabited by penguins, you know.
Could be.
Those are the side deals.
I
know, I
know, and of course the excuse on the islands with penguins is that somebody might store their shipments there.
Right.
To bypass the
tariffs.
To get around the tariffs.
Put them where the penguins
live.
That would be the easy route.
I don't think they have any facilities there where the penguins live on that little island.
Yeah,
I don't think there are any docks
or any kind of shipping lanes or
anything like
that.
Airports.
Oh my God.
Well, good morning.
That's John Peterson.
I'm Gordon Young.
Producer Sam is in the box pushing the buttons and flipping switches.
And it's Tuesday morning.
We 100 days now.
Yeah, this is 100 days of Donald Trump.
And that shouldn't that be enough?
I mean, you know, just give him a
handshake
and know, you know, hit the road.
That'd be nice if you could just say, you know, you've done what you can do.
I think what you're saying is didn't really work
out.
You're saying that this is a kind of probationary period.
Just like probationary federal workers.
Yeah, you get
90 days.
Yeah, that's it.
Yeah.
You know, got a review and didn't work out.
Sorry, John.
So, well, the other good news is we really didn't get too much stormy weather here last night, like all the weather people were predicting we could be in for this or that or tornadoes or hail and all that kind of stayed way to the north of us.
I think it hit Eau Claire and Owasa, I think it hit pretty heavily last night.
It
looked really bad up north.
Up there, but.
Look, there's got to be something going on here in Madison.
We miss everything.
You know, everything avoids this area.
This should be the safest part of the country.
Everybody should be flocking here, you know, away from the earthquakes, away from the tornadoes,
the
hurricanes, come here.
The storms avoid Madison.
It's the progressive bubble.
The weather likes us better, so it avoids us.
What is it, 34 square
miles?
Well, I think
you're
surrounded by reality.
Was
it?
Because of expansion now, I heard it was like 70 square miles.
OK, 70.
Something in that range.
Yeah.
Yeah, but it's kind of cloudy
this morning.
A few
breaks in the clouds.
Yes,
Sam?
Well, I was going to say, by the way, we mentioned it's Trump's 100th day in office.
Well, according to this one countdown, he's got 1,362 to go still.
It seems
like a lot.
Oh, I don't think we're going to survive that.
Actually, I'm not expecting the country to be here in about two years.
So it'll be nice to
elect a new
Congress.
Well, I'm looking for the new Congress.
The new
Congress will
probably be Democrats, but will there be a country to actually manage?
And the guy in charge who signs all the bills, he's still there.
So I don't think the Democrats will make any difference at all.
Well,
we'll you know again have to wait and see on that, but I know that there's a smiley face here on the horizon There was a ray of hope John yesterday.
I saw a little bit of Chuck Schumer remember him Oh, and he sadly, you know what he they were interviewing Chuck and Chuck said well, we sent a very strongly worded letter
And
that letter the interviewer was pressing him.
Oh, you know what was in the letter?
Are you, will you give us a response?
If he get responds to you, will you come back and tell us?
Oh, we most certainly will.
We'll let you know how he responds to our strongly worded letter.
So that's, you know, a little bit of background bone being shown.
Strongly
worded letters, they get a lot of
action.
You just made me very sad.
I'm sure it'll have something stamped into like return to sender.
That's it.
Oh, yeah.
And on it goes.
But let's get to the National Day calendar because every one of these days today, every single one of these days sounds like a fake day.
Wow.
So you're ready for this?
Yeah.
Is it National Shrimp Scampi Day?
National Zipper Day?
National Peace Rose Day?
National Magic Day?
Which one of those days sounds like the real fake day?
National magic day is not real.
You are correct.
Oh, no kidding change.
Oh, yeah, I thought you would go one of the other ones like national zipper day We're saluting the zipper Yes But let's start with national shrimp scampi day a big fan of shrimp and
Fish
food?
No, I do like shrimp a lot.
Yeah, but we don't have it very often.
Yeah.
Sam, how about you?
You like shrimp?
I like shrimp.
I also don't have it very often.
Well, on this day, we honor the delicious dish of shrimp cooked with butter, garlic, lemon juice, and white wine.
Scampi is a culinary term, or culinary term, take your pick, for small lobster known as nephrops.
I don't know.
I don't know the language of food.
Langousteam or something else and Dublin Bay prawns.
Anyway, this day is wholly dedicated to the buttery, garlicky, lemony and wine sauce preparation of shrimp.
So if you like shrimp, this is your day.
Okay.
There you go.
Let's move on.
National zipper day.
Hey, we all love our zippers, don't we?
This day, April 29th, 1913, was the day that they patented the modern zipper.
Boy, oh boy, that must have been a celebration.
You know, you'd kind of take it for granted.
But the first attempt at creating the zipper came from the inventor of the sewing machine.
In 1851, Elias Howell received a patent for the automatic continuous clothing closure.
They didn't know what to call it yet.
Wow, I like that.
The continuous
clothing closure.
The automatic continuous clothing closure.
That's quite a mouthful.
However, Howe never marketed his invention and missed the recognition recognition.
Then they started calling it the Clasp Locker.
That didn't stick around, but then they started manufacturing the Universal Fastener Company.
started making them in Chicago, or they took it to the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
And then finally in 1906, they hired a guy named Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-American electrical engineer.
He was highly skilled.
He got the grant for the modern zipper.
Yeah,
and there's
the history of the zipper.
No history of the name of the zipper.
Well,
I'm waiting for Mr. Ron
zipper
also was hired later on.
Well, it here it is 1923 BF Goodrich.
You remember them?
They're the tire company.
They popularized the word zipper as it applied to the use and boots and pouches that they made.
And they copyrighted the name now for the time.
OK.
Well, that sounds OK.
Probably after the sound of it, I guess.
You know,
the weird thing about zippers is that they they make these fragile breakable zippers instead of these nice heavy duty zippers that are just super, super strong.
Right.
I don't know why they do that.
You know.
It's just planned obsolescence.
You know when the handle comes off the zipper or something happens, there's no way to replace it.
I know they have replacements, but it's almost impossible to put on.
It never fits the actual zipper that you're trying to put the new replacement on.
I have gone through this.
As you can tell, I'm traumatized by trying to replace a zipper.
I can't stand it anymore.
They always seem to go out
after a couple of years.
Yeah.
But what is your favorite jacket?
It's your favorite jacket.
Yes.
Yeah.
I guess you can get them replaced, but oh well.
You don't know what it's
like, do you, Sam?
No, I've had to deal with plenty of bad things before.
Yeah.
It's not fun.
No.
It's National Peace Rose Day.
peace rose.
I guess a lot of roses have special names for the people that do develop their different roses.
This was developed by Francis Melend in France somewhere between 1935 and 1939.
Okay, let's get to the history book because that's it for the National Day
Calendar.
That's all we
got.
Well,
yesterday we had to skip the history book.
I feel bad because now it's
extra dusty.
I already got rid of all of yesterday's history.
You just want to get to today.
Yes.
I guess you're right, it is
dusty.
Open the book.
Well,
let's get to
it
again.
There he goes.
There he goes.
You know, the pollen count is really high, the tree pollen count?
It is.
Yeah, Charlie this morning,
the
Charlie Chortino guy, he said the tree pollen's really high.
That's probably why your eyes were watering all day yesterday.
Yeah, are they still red today?
Yes.
Oh, man.
Well, they're not watering as bad today, so that's good.
Okay.
It's all the
dust over there in
that
booth.
Yeah, you're right.
He's
got
all these problems, you know, with pollen, of course,
then he goes to a day camp.
Yeah, right.
Yeah.
So what is that?
They're pumping it in here?
They must be all of the dust and pollen.
That's why I have so many issues.
Anyway.
It seems to be, you know, just you.
Well, I'm the only one who sits in here.
I guess I haven't talked to Aaron
about it.
It's
that room.
Yeah, it might be that room.
We
don't have a whole lot of fresh air in this building.
I don't know if you've noticed that
or not.
We have to open the WMDX weather window.
I'm telling you, every window can open at least once.
By the way, we didn't get to the weather.
The weather right now is 60 degrees, but temperatures are really going to stay pretty steady and drop off later on today.
OK, Sam, over to you.
All righty, 1429.
You remember that like it's yesterday, right?
1429?
Yes, oh yeah, I remember that.
This is something about Joan of Arc.
Right.
Yeah, during the Hundred Years War between the English and the French.
Can you imagine being at war for a hundred years?
The city of Orleans in France was under siege by the British and Joan of Arc showed up leading basically an army to break the siege and she did a few days later and it turned the tide of the Hundred Years War.
Oh, that's great.
He means nothing at all.
He just sounded a little more sincere.
Right.
Today, jumping forward a little bit, today in 1854, Lincoln University, which is the very first historically black college or university, was chartered on this day in history.
1854.
1854.
Wow, that's kind of
before the Civil War.
That's right, yeah.
Yes.
That's strange,
okay.
Why is that that strange?
I don't know,
I mean people celebrating Lincoln right away, naming the university after you.
I don't think he was named after Abraham Lincoln.
Yeah, because he wasn't the president yet.
Right, exactly.
Okay, well okay,
Lincoln Nebraska's university is up and running.
That's
right.
Yeah, do a little research on that one.
Okay.
We'll have more history.
We'll
circle
back in a little bit.
Oh,
really?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I kind of interrupted the flow.
It's 20 minutes past the hour.
Give me a head with hair long beautiful hair Shining gleaming streaming flocks and waxes Give me down to their hair Shoulder length longer Here, baby, they're mama Everywhere
daddy, daddy hair
Alright,
yeah, here, WMBX 92.7
John and Gordy in the morning, and I don't know if you listen to XM every once in a while, but yeah, the underground garage should play a lot of the consoles.
I haven't noticed that.
Oh,
yeah, they
revere it.
I mean, I guess the consoles put out a new album.
Oh, really?
Actually, it's pretty rocky,
so it's really cool.
Interesting.
23 minutes past the hour, why are we playing hair coming out of that break of sand?
What the hell is the sand all
about?
Well, continuing with this day in history.
Well,
don't sound
so
excited.
I'm
a little tired and a little still.
I've been
wore out still, John.
I'm sorry.
Today in 1968, hair hit Broadway for the very first
time.
And the big deal on that one was there was some nudity in that
play.
More than that, there's a lot of things for 1968 that audiences would have considered problematic, but it was a groundbreaking musical for the time.
First rock and roll musical,
I
believe, too.
I never saw the actual play.
No, I never did either.
But yeah, it was controversial for its time.
I've seen the movie a few times.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
Too many songs came out of that thing.
You don't like it?
Ready.
Is it The Good Morning Star Shine?
Also, was that
in there?
I think
so.
I don't, yeah.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure.
Yeah, I believe that did come out of it.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was a weird song.
It was.
For Harry Nilsen.
Great singer, though.
No, it wasn't
Nilsen, was
it?
No.
Really?
It was Who
did Morning Star Shine?
Yeah.
Who did good morning?
Hey, Mr. Sleepy in there.
Can you look on the internet?
You're the one who's
always scrolling on your computer
when people are talking.
Well, I know.
Well, try it.
It's a one-name
kid.
Oliver?
Oliver.
That's right.
Yeah.
I'm thinking of something else.
OK.
All right.
Move
forward there.
Sam, onward and upward.
You were big into this news at the time, because you told me before.
Today in 1974, Richard Nixon released the Watergate tapes.
Yes, he did.
You
followed the Watergate story pretty closely as it was
to be open.
Yes, I was obsessed with it all.
And it just, God, I remember Nixon released them.
And of course, then it had the 18 minute gap.
Remember
that?
Yeah.
They had to explain why there was an 18 minute gap and they had a picture of Rosemary Woods and she was demonstrating how, you know, she had her leg out here and
she
accidentally hit the recorder and erased the tapes and it was just comical.
It's ridiculous.
It was just a dumb, you know, Nixon erased him himself, didn't know what he was doing.
Set the
stage for the politics we're living in today.
They didn't have a razor blade.
No splicing tape.
They didn't splice that together a little.
We got
some real recent history.
Today in 2018, The Simpsons surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest running scripted primetime TV show.
You don't care about that at all.
Gunsmoke was fun to watch.
Gunsmoke was a great show.
It was.
Doc and Festus, Miss Kitty.
A lot of little turns, yeah.
Yeah, Miss Kitty, we were worried about her.
Right.
Yeah.
And the Simpsons, I never thought the Simpsons would last this long.
Yeah.
It was a good show.
But it's still a good show.
They still have really good ideas.
They've been
beating a dead horse for 15, 20 years.
But they're not.
And it's fresh.
Yeah.
Good comedy.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
I gotta check it out.
It's on one of the streaming services.
I think it's on I think it's on Disney now.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Yeah Okay, cuz they own everything
got quite a few birthdays in the books today.
All right.
Yeah.
Well, let's take a look at that
William Randolph Yeah, you don't know you're not very
what really sell it man All right
Okay.
You want to hear these birthdays?
I'm telling you.
William Randolph Hearst was born
on this day
in 1863.
Duke Ellington in 1899.
Oh, you got any Duke to play?
I've got some songs pulled up.
Okay,
good.
Willie Nelson shares a birthday today in 1933 and Jerry Seinfeld as well.
1954 for Jerry Seinfeld.
That's
right.
It was funny.
I was just watching a few videos of Willie Nelson's son.
Oh, yeah.
Who's playing a lot of the old Willie Nelson songs every once in a while?
And he does an incredible job actually sounds pretty much exactly like Willie
Nelson He does
in fact he picks guitar very much like Willie Nelson And I guess his other son also yeah,
he's
music so two brothers.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, isn't that amazing?
Yeah
Anything
else there Sam has had it for the history book
That's, I'm afraid, all that we've got today.
It happened on these days if you
cared.
Good deal.
By the way, I found the weather jingle.
Oh, did
you?
I found the one, you remember the one that it's, it allows you to fill in the blanks?
Yes.
Yeah, I found that.
Good.
I have been looking for that for a couple of years.
Yes,
so we'll have that pretty soon here
on the
show.
Excellent.
Everybody will tune in now just, you know, set your calendars.
Could happen any day.
Okay.
Can I just mention this too?
Sunrise is really early now.
What is it?
553 this morning.
So
according to
your Sunrise.
Samsung WMDX watch.
Yes, the MDX watch, let me see here, it is, oh, Sunset is at 756.
You
know what that means?
756.
That means if somebody is listening to WMDX over AM.
AM radio who does that anymore?
No, I don't know.
It's on earlier.
They
can listen to part of the John and Gordy show starting at 753 when we kick up to high power.
That's
a big deal.
Wait a minute, that's when Sunrise is?
753.
553, but two hours after Sunrise
is when we
actually
kick up time.
Really?
Is that what they did?
That's right.
Two hours.
Waiting a little long.
Weird FCC rules.
Wow.
All right.
We should lodge a complaint at the end.
Yeah,
yeah.
After all these years, they care about AM radio.
Coming up shortly in just about 20 minutes, we're going to be talking to Lisa Bernard from the Dane County Humane Society.
And then in our next hour, we'll find out about Fair Wisconsin with Abigail Swetz.
It's all coming up on John and Gordy in the morning.
Stay right there.
All right.
you
As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point, a dumbing down, until humanity was incapable of solving even its most basic problems.
This is grade A weapons grade stupidity.
Just doing my civic duties.
We can duck and cover.
There's a fall each other right there.
There's no way to survive this, you idiot!
Idiocracy.
For the smartest guy in the world, you're pretty dumb sometimes.
Yes.
Yes, they are.
And we have to cover it.
Duck and cover.
Duck and cover.
Maybe we should have that as
a kind of a theme
to
this as well.
We'll get to that, yeah.
It's 6.35.
Kind of cloudy this morning.
We had a little rain last night, but the storms stayed to the north.
We'll find out more with Brittany Merlot in our next hour.
But this portion of the show is brought to you by Verlot, Mattress of Madison.
One thing that remains...
The same, since they opened the doors back in 1958, they are still direct to consumer providing superior products at unbeatable prices.
Two locations in Madison, east side and west side.
Just go online to burlow.com.
All right.
The idiocracy time.
100
days today of Trump.
100.
This is the big celebration, you know, the
The polls are out and he is underwater.
It's pretty much 55% disapprove and 39% approve.
That's basically across the board for almost all the surveys.
First term
polls.
Worse than his first term at this point.
Yeah, and the amazing thing is now he wants an investigation.
of all of these media sources, all these polling places, because there's something wrong and he thinks it's a plot against him.
Now, if there was ever a moment in time, my mega friends out there, if there was ever a moment in time, I think this will tell you everything you need to know, all right?
And what we've been saying, this guy's crazy, he's nuts, he's paranoid.
Now, I think this kind of demonstrates that.
If the polling places all these different polling places and there's usually two pollsters together, you know, it's NBC Whatever Street Journal.
Yeah, so I mean all of these pollsters have come out with pretty much the same poll and He wants to investigate now because he's thinkers.
There's a plot.
They're plotting against him to confuse low polling numbers.
It's conspiracy.
This has got to tell you something.
Can you?
wake up
Wake up, please!
This is just, I don't know, you know, we've been talking about this and it's always just a big conspiracy theory that the Democrats are creating, you know, to create, I don't know, it just, these theories about, you know,
that we want to destroy his character and we've always wanted to go after him and we've always been after Trump and we've been trying to impeach him twice and all this stuff because we just don't like him.
It's not true.
It's all his fault.
It's him.
Please, please, it's him.
OK, anyway, let's move on to the actual first story here in Idiocracy.
All right, Steven Miller, the crazy guy, the the the Nazi-ish looking individual on the on the administration.
Well, you know, he's he's he's a
garing.
He's the Wizard of Oz behind the he's the guy behind the curtain.
He's got a really running the show.
Pretty much so.
And he put out this post.
It says here, I love this.
Yeah.
If you were an American falsely accused of wrongdoing on January 6, it wasn't merely difficult to get due process.
It was impossible.
Anybody remember?
I think they went through the courts and everything.
They had representation.
But according to Stephen Miller, they didn't.
It was impossible to get representation, have due process.
The entire system was rigged against you, he says, all of it.
These prosecuted Americans could only dream of the due process afforded illegal aliens.
So there you go.
See, I mean, he noticed.
And we're trying to slip this by.
You know, we prosecuted all this January six offenders.
It seemed like that took a couple of
years.
It seems like it.
They must have had some due process.
No, they raced them right through.
As Steven says, it's impossible to get representation due process.
Why
don't the three of us head to DC and try and raid the capital on our own and see if we get due process.
Maybe
we can
team
up
with the ACLU or something and do a test case and see if we get due process.
Apparently the January 6th people did not.
Well, that's true.
An editor-in-chief of Midas Touch, Ron Flupkowski, wrote this.
They had lawyers, trials.
Most were given pretrial release, allowed to testify in their own defense, got discovery, could call witnesses, could cross-examine witnesses, could present mitigation at sentencing, and had a right to appeal.
So, but I don't think that was enough.
It was impossible for them to get the true, true due process they deserved.
Whatever the hell that was, all right.
Okay, this is crazy stuff.
I want you to get a 225 all set up here, okay?
Caroline Levitt.
welcomed a new media source in their media pool, and it was Tim Pool.
Isn't that crazy?
Just how that happens.
That was the name?
Yeah, Tim Pool.
Fred prosecutors say Russia paid $400,000 a month to Tim Pool, an American media company, to push pro-Kremlin messages to social media influencer Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, and Tim Pool.
Now here's Caroline Levitt welcoming our $400,000 a month Russian asset to the new White House press pool.
Let's listen.
We have an individual in our new media seat today.
His name is Tim Poole.
He's a political commentator and a media entrepreneur with millions of followers, a very big platform.
In Russia.
Currently hosts Timcast IRL, a daily news and discussions show, and The Culture War, a weekly podcast exploring cultural and political issues.
His programs feature in-depth conversations on topics such as free speech, censorship, identity politics, and societal change, often engaging with a diverse range of guests.
He's in Washington today because we are also hosting
being a local media row across the street in the Eisenhower building, which is a testament to our commitment to bring new voices into the White House to cover the President and this administration.
So, Tim, why don't you kick us off today?
Yes, Mark.
Yeah, let's hear
what you have to
say.
Many of these organizations that are represented in this room
have
marked in lockstep on false narratives, such as the very fine people hoax, the Covington smear, and now what's being called the Maryland man hoax, where an MS-13 gang member adjudicated by two different judges, I believe, is just simply being referred to as a Maryland man over and over again.
Now, in an effort from the White House to expand access to new companies, you've created this new media seat.
So I'm wondering if you can comment on...
Following this expansion, you've had numerous outlets disparage the companies that you've had sit here as well as the reporters.
I'm wondering if you
can comment on professional behavior as well as elaborate if there's any plans to expand access to new companies.
Sure.
Well, we certainly welcome diverse viewpoints in this room, which is one of the reasons we have you in here and there's many new faces in this room.
And the multiple questions you
had.
We want to welcome all viewpoints.
We don't really want to welcome you at all.
Oh, my God, where was he?
All over the map.
But thank God we have him now as the press pool for the White House.
Tim Miller, part of the bulwark, endures the juvenile antics, by the way, in this next cut.
From another Russian asset, I mentioned three of them, right?
Benny Johnson, Dave Rubin, and Tim Pool.
Well, this is about Dave Rubin, who also...
got $400,000 a month as a Russian asset and broadcast their message into the US on social media.
So anyway, Tim Miller joined the panel on Pierce Morgan uncensored.
And it was about representative Crockett's recent comments about Greg Abbott.
You know, he has that wheelchair, right?
Well, she called it Hot Wheels.
Oh, nice.
All right.
So they were discussing the controversy over the Hot Wheels comment about Governor Abbott and Dave Rubin's comeback for taking Russian money.
Oh, I love this.
He accused Tim Miller of taking money from the state-owned MSNBC.
Yeah, that's
that
was a comeback.
Let's listen to cut 55 here if you can.
This is Dave Rubin and going at it with Tim Miller from the Bulwark.
I am missing cut 55, John.
Oh, you are?
What?
Wait a second.
Isn't that another one?
Yeah, there must be another one.
Do we have a cut 55 at all?
We are
missing cut 55.
53, 54, 56.
Oh, no.
All right.
Well, anyway.
Well, somebody
doesn't want us to hear this.
No.
I think that was a plot by somebody somewhere.
What?
We got something going on here?
No.
All right.
Hang on a second.
I think Jake Tapper has a comment on
that.
That was a hot mess inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck.
Oh,
perfect.
Thank you, Jake.
All right, Jake.
He's got it in the perspective.
He knows.
But I did mention it, right?
I mean, really, you know, his comeback, taking the $400,000 a month was, well, you're getting paid by...
State-owned MSNBC.
Come on.
Really?
Seriously?
Yeah, that's what
they think.
That's what they think.
Okay, $254.
See if you can find $254.
We should have a roulette wheel on this.
We're calling up to, all right, this is Heather now live.
And I think this is one of the great bits for our new economy.
Do we have time for those three minutes?
All right, this is the center live.
No, we
don't.
Unless you want to end it early.
Okay, wait that was inside
a dumpster
fire inside a train wreck
I'm
going
to go back home and go to
sleep.
All right, well, let's get up to 2.57.
You think you can get to that number?
We
know you can talk about other stories.
I know.
Instead of just waiting for
these cuts to show up.
We do have 2.57, and it fits in time.
Oh, OK.
Why don't we do that, then?
This is the best Elon Musk protest yet.
Oh, OK.
Let's
listen to this.
This is the best thing I've seen all day.
There was a pop-up protest against Elon Musk in Washington DC today where a group set up a booth and it reads, have Elon's next kid join Musk's legion of moms.
They had
posters around the area advertising this protest.
They also had flyers.
It comes from a group that identifies as Eugen X.
if you get the play on words.
And on the back it says, Elon has fathered 14 kids with four women.
To save civilization, he's determined to sire a legion of offspring, sign an NDA, have this baby, and you will receive $15 million plus monthly child support if your lawyer can get it, plus more.
Isn't it crazy how the Republicans claim to love the nuclear family, and then they support someone like Elon Musk who has all these different kids with these different people, and then he doesn't even support his kids?
I'm a huge fan of protests.
like this.
I love the ones that kind of get under Trump and Elon Musk's skin more than a normal one would.
There
you
go.
Pretty
good.
Who was
that?
Not bad.
That was that was a web wisdom.
Harry J. Sisson is the name of that fella who noticed that I missed.
that booth, but have you lunch next kid?
What the heck?
And if you can get
some money,
why not?
Take the money and run.
Okay.
Coming up in just a couple of minutes, we'll be talking to Lisa Bernard from the Dane County Humane Society.
She's standing by and tell us about some pets that are up for adoption.
Stay right here on John and Gordy in the morning.
WMDX 92.7, John and Gordy trying to find somebody to love our pets today.
And it is 6.52.
Temperatures are going to be falling today from high this morning around 60 into the 50s this afternoon.
And it is time for us to
Talk to the Dane County Humane Society Lisa Bernard joins us this morning this portion of the show and The segment being brought to you by our friends at Serenity Pet Spa And happy to have them as a partner in this regard.
Good morning, Lisa Watching you on video here.
You have a helper there at your desk.
Who's that?
Who's that cat
cat?
So this is my cat.
He's
not
available
Okay,
he just decided that he wanted to help.
Yes.
Yes, they're big helpers.
My dog does the same exact thing.
All right.
Well, we have like three dogs this time and, uh, and, uh, Versi, let's go to Versi first.
Uh, uh, there are a lot, all these are mixes, I believe.
Uh, this is an Alaskan Husky shepherd mix.
Wow.
What a combination.
Yes, nearly 100 pounds of pop.
Really?
Puppy?
It just means more to love.
Yeah, there you go.
So, Mercy is six years old.
She is, even though she's Husky Mc, she's very chill.
She's very calm and quiet.
She has very good leash manners.
Not too interested in treats, but she loves receiving pets and will lay beside you just so you could shower her with lots of pets.
And she just looks hanging out with people.
She does still have a playful side.
She likes to play with her toys, especially tennis balls.
She's house trained.
We've been told that she's good with the vet and groomer.
She can get a little over excited seeing other dogs and doesn't want to share things with them, which is why she's looking for a house that doesn't have any other dogs.
All right.
Well, that seems a common characteristic, you know, who wants to share your home, your new home.
So I get that.
I say you have a picture here.
No one could see it, but it's, it's, it's a versey with her.
tennis ball.
That's so
cute.
And she's all black, except for a little patch of white on her her front.
And it's hard to see in the photo.
Sorry, she kept looking away.
But she does have the piercing blue eyes.
So she's really pretty.
Yeah.
All
right.
Now she's a member of the the Dane County Humane Society's Lonely Hearts Club.
So her adoption fee is a little bit reduced, correct?
Yep.
She's been her adoption fee has been reduced to $200.
Now you have the next dog up here is a 10 year old German Shepherd mix.
Leah, I believe, right?
Leah, Leah, either
way, she's going to be
your princess.
So she's looking.
She's looking for a new best friend.
She loves exploring the outdoors and she does.
Chase squirrels a lot and rabbits.
She's living with other dogs and has done well Especially after proper slow introductions She enjoys hanging out with kids a lot because she used to be a dog nanny to her in her previous home She grew up with a child there and loves sleeping at the end of his bed
Wow
And she's
Even though she's a senior, she still has a lot of energy.
She likes to run around and play.
She knows sit, stay, shake, lie down.
And she's even figured out how to open the doors if they have a lever handle.
Beautiful.
So be careful.
Well, that's cute.
That's that's wonderful.
And sounds like a very nice pet for family with children.
That's great stuff.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, go ahead, Lisa.
She is looking for a home without small critters just because she likes to chase rabbits and squirrels so much.
Okay.
And then finally you have one more dog here, Scooter.
Tell us about Scooter.
Scooter is very sweet as well.
He's a nine-year-old shih tzu.
He was surrounded to us because his family was dealing with some health issues.
He's only lived with adults.
He has lived with a cat and just ignored the cat.
He's looking for a best friend as well because he loves having a person, his person who's gonna just give him pets and who he can then lay near.
He also likes a lot of treats.
And his favorite is the occasional pizza crust.
Oh, that's nice.
Just the occasional pizza crust.
okay
yes the occasional so he is sporting a new hairdo right now because his fur was pretty matted so we had to shave his his white and silver locks but it's gonna grow back and he's super sweet he fleets a lot he's pretty pretty low-key with that um he does have uh some dry eye issues that's chronic that he's on medication for so we are gonna send home some medication for him for that for a short period
And then he does occasionally get ear infections, so you do have to watch out with that.
But if you're just looking for a guy who wants to take a snooze next to you, he's your man.
All right.
OK.
And now, Lisa, if people want to find out more, what's the best way to contact the Dane County Humane Society?
You can go to our website at giftshelter.org or you could stop by our adoption center later today It opens at 2 p.m.
on Tuesdays and it's open until 7 and you could pop in and meet them There is a wait list that people normally get on it's kind of like having a ticket so But it's also you could learn more about them
and we just have less than a minute left you mentioned
Before we went on the air here, you have some openings still for your summer camp, right?
Yes, we do.
Camp paw print and camp wild side for children.
So in youth, camp paw print does have four weeks that are filled,
so
gotta get in there really
quick.
Time to sign up.
Lisa Bernard, Dane County Humane Society.
Thanks for joining us.
Talk to you next time.
Thanks for having me.
Coming up next hour, we're going to be listening to the big 60 minutes drop.
Boy, there are some news there.
And also, another mom has been caught and almost deported.
We'll find out more.
And we'll talk to Abigail Swetz from Fair Wisconsin, all coming up on John and
Gordy.
It's the John and Gordy show.
Do you know what this means?
Wouldn't you like to know weather, boy?
You're pretty high and far out, aren't you?
What kind of kick are you on, son?
You're
no
good bastard.
Your show sucks.
What made me think this was a good day to stop drinking?
Buddy, do you
want
coffee?
Coffee.
Coffee.
Black coffee.
Coffee.
Coffee.
She won.
That's about people like you.
What a load of crap.
Thank you, sir.
May I have another?
We'll do it live.
F***
it.
And
that's
the way
it is.
On 92.7 FM, WMDX.
Take it away, boys.
Wow, that coffee's gonna cost way too much money.
Yeah, prices
are
growing up.
Not too distant future.
And went shopping and is buying up all the paper towels.
Oh, really?
Yeah, she is convinced that in two weeks, the shelves are gonna be empty.
I mean, that's...
That's what you see in the press right now.
The articles about that kind of stuff.
The supply
chain.
The supply chain
is broken.
Catching up to, or not catching up to what's happening with the tariffs.
The ports are bare, so it's going to filter down and they're estimating maybe two weeks.
when everybody will be in short supply of everything.
So go out, you know, go out and
shop, shop, shop for that.
Toilet paper, paper towels, you know, anything.
I better go get groceries.
The only thing I have in my fridge right now is eggs and like half a loaf of bread and beer.
What else do you
need?
I don't know.
Or
advising people to go to their nearest fast food restaurant, get all the napkins you can in case you run out of toilet paper.
That was in yesterday's bet.
All right, let's get to it.
It's seven minutes past the
hour
and temperatures are actually going to be falling for the rest of the day.
We have those storms moving through last night and those temperatures dropping into the fifties.
Yes.
And we'll be checking in with Brittany Merlot here in about 15 minutes.
And a little bit later on Abigail Swetz will join us from Fair Wisconsin.
Find out what's going on there.
Okay.
All right, the big story was 60 minutes.
They made an amazing announcement on the show.
Somebody departed, but there's more to it than that.
So why don't we get to cut to 60 and listen to the story?
In tonight's last minute, a note on Bill Owens, who until this past week was executive producer of 60 Minutes.
He was our boss.
Bill was with CBS News nearly 40 years.
26 years at 60 minutes.
He covered the world, covered combat, the White House.
His was a quest to open minds, not close them.
If you've ever worked hard for a boss because you admired him, then you understand what we've enjoyed here.
Bill resigned Tuesday.
It was hard on him and hard on us, but he did it for us and you.
Stories we pursued for 57 years are often controversial.
Lately, the Israel Gaza War and the Trump administration.
Bill made sure they were accurate and fair.
He was tough that way.
But our parent company Paramount is trying to complete a merger.
The Trump administration must approve it.
Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways.
None of our stories has been blocked, but bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires No one here is happy about it, but in resigning bill proved one thing He was the right person to lead 60 minutes all along
So there's surveillance basically by the Trump administration at least forced by paramount
to watch what they say.
Yeah.
And he was executive producer for 26 years at 60 minutes.
And yeah, they were, so.
These are dark times.
The fact that Paramount wants to merge.
Yeah.
What a bad time for that.
And the Trump administration has to okay it is, yeah, is in charge of it.
Yeah.
Really, that's a chilling effect.
If they're, I mean, I can't think of another.
news program that's more into investigative journalism and,
you
know, getting the truth of the matter and getting the interviews that 60 Minutes has done all over the, you know, over the decades.
And with integrity.
And to have that be tampered with.
Yeah, as far
as content goes.
The big complaint, you know, remember was the karma commonly.
Interview.
Oh,
yeah, where you know, it was just a normal everyday interview and they edited for time Right to get to the exact point of the question They do that all the time.
They've been doing that for as long as 60 minutes existed but all of a sudden called attention to it by Trump and All the magas jumped on board and everybody got upset that they started editing interviews.
Oh my god, whoever heard of that I'm sure they did it for some of the other magas who were interviewed on 60 minutes
So it's nothing new.
Everybody knows that this happens.
Everyone knows it happens.
They don't have all day on 60 minutes.
Only 60 minutes.
So they have to edit it down to fit within the 60 minute timeframe.
But all news programs and organizations do this.
If it's not affecting the content, the question of the answer, the questions and the answers, that's just a common practice.
You know, it's not trying to shift the news one way or the other.
It's just
editing for time.
And they put both the edited version and the complete interview together and you missed nothing.
There's nothing unlimited.
There's
difference
in the result of the interview.
And it was just, I think that exposed how ridiculous the complaint was, but that didn't hit the fan.
That wasn't in the media, and everybody thinks that 60 Minutes was gearing their interviews toward the Democrats and Kamala Harris, all right?
All right, now we have another talk show host, John Oliver, calling into question what RFK Jr.
is doing with autism.
So, when do we get to cut 261 here?
This is an amazing thing.
Let's listen to John Oliver.
Kennedy's also been making some very bold promises like this.
We've launched a massive
testing
and
research effort that's
going to
involve hundreds of scientists from around the world.
By September we will know what has caused the autism and the epidemic and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures.
Okay, so first...
There is no autism epidemic.
There are autism diagnoses for people who are autistic and it is pretty bold to claim you're going to get a definitive answer to something that people have been studying for decades by September.
Almost as bold as admitting to dumping a bear corpse in Central Park, your daughter telling the world you'd decapitated a whale with a chainsaw and yet still having the audacity to make a highlight reel on Instagram that simply says animals.
Keep their f***ing name out of your f***ing map!
Most people agree.
The vast majority of the rise in autism diagnoses is due to there being more research, better awareness and more access for people to get an accurate diagnosis.
That is what can happen when you put time and money into health services.
But RFK has persisted in treating the rise in diagnoses as a tragedy and the way he talks about autistic people in general can be utterly dehumanizing.
Autism destroys families.
More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which are our children.
These are kids who will never pay taxes.
They'll never hold a job.
They'll never play baseball.
They'll never write a poem.
They'll
never go out on a date.
Many of them will never use a toilet on a system.
And we have to recognize we are doing this to our children.
And we need to put an end to it.
You!
That's his response to that, F.U.
It was shocking to hear anybody make those allegations
against
people with autism.
They call it a spectrum because it is.
It's a wide spectrum.
There's so many different kinds of it.
In fact, it really is hard to...
to completely diagnose and do much about, but... Well, it doesn't come from vaccines.
No,
it doesn't.
Phone lines are
open,
608-879-8255.
Let's go to Dick.
He's on the line right now.
Good morning, Dick.
What do you got for us?
Well, real quick, with this 60-minute situation, a guy that I just absolutely loved that was on NBC and he died several years ago, Tim Russert.
Oh, yes, yes.
Could you imagine anybody
From this Trump administration going on the air with them.
They wouldn't have to take him off the air They just would never go there because one of his classic things he always did he had Exactly what these people said in front of them and he'd confront them with these things in real time Yeah, and nobody would do that anymore.
Yeah,
no one
Yeah, that's true.
He was an amazing guy.
He really was.
There was an incredible interview.
Remember when Clinton had these surpluses, as far as I can see, when he was leaving office and the George W. Bush administration came into power?
And I can't remember the governor's name.
He was the economic advisor for Bush.
I can't remember his name.
He became a governor.
Russert interviewed him and got him.
He said, are you sure that you can afford these tax cuts because you have surpluses?
As far as I can see, it sounds like we're not going to have surpluses anymore.
Oh no, we're going to have surpluses.
I mean, I look for that interview and I could not find it.
They just blanked it out of YouTube and off the face of the earth, sadly.
But again, Tim Russert, incredible interviewer.
Dick, you are absolutely right.
I just, I loved his interviewing style as well.
He was a great one.
Dick, thank you for that call.
Again, 608-879-8255.
I've
got a theory, we don't have time for it in this particular block, but I've got a theory that the whole point of the Trump administration is to commit terrorism on the American public.
this whole immigration thing, the deportations, I think this is all part of a terrorist plot by Trump to terrorize American people, thinking that they're next, they're gonna be scooped off the streets and disappeared.
I truly think this is to traumatize the American public, get them used to terrorism.
That's my theory because they have picked up a Kansas mom and they're threatening to deport her.
Seriously, this is totally unnecessary.
This is going after people with no problems whatsoever.
They're just going after people because they have an appointment because of their immigration status.
And they're taking these people away from their families in order to terrorize people.
They're waiting for these TV shows, these local TV news anchors to talk about this and scare the daylights out of the public.
And it occurred to me.
terrorism this this is an attempt to scare everybody in America and look over their shoulders and wonder if they're gonna be next yeah that's my theory but we want to get to this story I think right after this next break okay
right yeah
We have Brittany Merlot coming up shortly to get us an update on the weather and what happened with some of those storms.
It was pretty bad a little bit farther to the north of our area.
We'll get to her in just a minute or two.
This portion of the show is being brought to you by our friends at Verlo Mattress.
As I mentioned, this portion of the show is being brought to you by Virlo Mattress of Madison.
One thing remains constant since 1958.
They are still direct to consumer and they provide superior products at unbeatable prices.
Check them out, they've got two locations in Madison.
On the west side and the east side, or you can go to their website, Virlo.com, find out about their lifetime.
guarantee their comfort guarantee on all their mattress products.
And we'll be back with Brittany Merlot with an update on the weather on John and Gordy in the morning.
The
big band sound of John and Gordy in the morning.
It is 7.22.
We are seeing sunshine this morning and it's pretty nice out there right now.
That's beautiful actually.
Temperature is going to be dropping through the day but let's check out the rest of the weather with our WMDX Chief Meteorologist Brittany Merlo.
Good morning Brittany.
Good morning.
Maybe we can have one of those.
Do you guys have a storm overnight?
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
It was something else, you know?
I mean, when you look at the radar on your phone, right, you're looking at just nothing but a line of lightning storms, you know, the lightning bolts
that they
have on the radar now.
So, yeah, it was crazy.
It's crazy stuff, but you really have been getting hit up north.
Yeah, we did last night.
I mean, there is a possible tornado.
I mean, there's pictures of it and stuff, but the national weather services go out there and survey the damage today.
But Southern Eau Claire County from Fall Creek to Augusta, it looks like a tornado touch down there.
There's reports of structured damage from an emergency manager.
And like I said, some photos that they're investigating and stuff and looking into, but we had some strong wind gusts that.
Storm kind of stayed intense the entire time moving across the state So as it came towards wasa area we were getting gusts around 50 to 60 miles
per
hour It came in with
a
vengeance.
I
mean it had me a little nervous at times No hail with that one, but some heavy downpours and of course trees were falling down onto power lines So we had little fires going on from that happening
But after that, I mean, it kind of went down to just a severe warning.
It continued off into the woods, turned back into a tornado warning, so it could have been lifting up and down as it moved through the state.
But otherwise, a lot of the severe weather outbreak that we thought was going to happen didn't, which I'm so, so glad it didn't, but it's a good thing.
You know, I love busted forecasts on these like that.
Well, you know, I noticed one thing that we always miss storms here in Madison.
Now, I've been saying for a long time, it's got to be some kind of pressure system over the lakes that prevent these storms from hitting our area.
What is going on
here?
We miss them all.
Maybe it's your urban heat climate, how you just have concrete in the city and it's creating a little bubble where it goes around it.
Who knows?
That's probably
it.
This is going to be the destination nationwide for everybody.
If they want to become safer, you know, via weather,
this is
the
place to
go.
It's not a bad place.
I'm not going to lie.
I agree with
you.
So for the rest of today, it looks pretty nice, but a little bit cooler air moving in, right?
Yeah, we are going now below our average high temperatures not by much but still feeling cool We're gonna be stuck with highs at 60 degrees for pretty much the rest of the week We will see the sunshine later on today.
It's still breezy out there though And then tonight we have chances for frost so I hope you didn't do any planting what anything wait
no No,
how hard
frost what are we talking here?
What?
Well, I mean, it is snowing right now on just south of Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin.
So we're going to see that cold air make its way down.
You're going to hit temperatures in those mid to low thirties.
So patchy frost is definitely possible.
There
goes the basil.
What do I get?
What should I cover up my marigolds and my flower pot?
Yeah, Gordy
has planted all these marigolds.
He's planting.
Wait, how was your gazebo?
It managed to do just fine.
The neighbors have their fingers crossed that they'd get rid of that one of these days.
I
put gusto in.
I put some weights down on the legs of the gazebo, so I guess that did the job.
That's a good thing.
I think we're okay.
So what are we looking at for the rest of the week here?
Yeah, so we're hanging out at the sunshine today will be partly sunny to start tomorrow But we do have showers rolling in by tomorrow evening It's gonna be kind of a darker and damp Thursday with on and off scattered showers Maybe a thunderstorm too and then the Sun pops right back out for Friday We could see a few pop-up scattered showers on occasion in the afternoon But otherwise high pressure for the weekend.
All right finally getting warmer.
So we'll hit about 70 degrees by Sunday
Looks
good.
Okay, Brittany, thank you so much.
Yeah, you
have a great day.
We
appreciate
it.
Stay safe.
Chief WMDX meteorologist Brittany
Merlo.
Yeah, we're at the mercy of weather.
So let's go to the phone lines right away here.
We've got Mark on the line.
Mark, welcome to the show.
Good morning.
Yeah, I heard more on comes deportation of the mothers and the babies that had cancer.
Yeah.
It was just
the whole, the whole inhumanity of it all.
I mean, there certainly should have been a way to, on humanitarian grounds, allow those children, those mothers to stay in this country rather than, you know, a little more close thing.
Oh, we had, you know, the mothers decide where to get deported and decide to take the babies with them.
So there's nothing we can do about it.
The whole heartlessness and cruelty of these people is just, you know, I mean, these people who were wearing crosses and invoking Jesus all the time, it is just, it is just
It's disgusting.
It's beyond belief.
The brutality of it is just outrageous.
You're sending a child away who needs cancer treatment.
You know that that child is not going to live because of the deportation.
You know that.
This is a death sentence for a child.
It just popped into my head, better they die, better they die, and decrease the surplus population.
It's hard to remain FCC compliant.
I don't know how you guys do it.
That's the other ironic thing.
Freedom of speech, freedom of speech, you know what?
Here in those words has never killed anybody.
And these people are doing this kind of...
Stuff
I know I know it's frustrating.
Yeah,
me too.
Park.
Thank you for that.
Yeah, we appreciate it
Yeah, it's it's outrageous.
You know John Murray and Madison fear then oppression helped by his recession And and also fear is the ultimate goal and it's working so well so far on immigrants
student visas, et cetera.
And we were talking early about the Dells.
There's a movie at the Film Festival, the Dells.
A new documentary,
yes.
Yeah, Shrabo's talking about it and
interviewing the director of that.
But, you know, they depend on student visas, work visas that they've been doing for years and years.
How are they going to hire anybody?
Who's going to want to come here in the first place?
Maybe thinking that they come here as, you know, to work at the Dells and then end up in El
Salvador
yeah, yeah, you know, that's a good point and I'm sure that'll be an issue this summer.
We'll have to look again on top of that 729 we've got the food and farm report Pam Yaki coming up after that Abigail sweats from Fair
Wisconsin
This portion of the show is being brought to you by Ed's de-coffeinated caffeine, for people who like feeling nervous and wide away, but hate running to the bathroom
all the time.
All right.
Am I coming handy during the coffee shortage?
The high prices?
I'm not quite sure, boy.
All right.
WMDX 92.7, John and Gordy in the morning.
It is 7.35.
We're seeing some clouds, a little bit of sunshine.
We'll also experience cooler temperatures and it's going to be a little breezy at times this afternoon.
And now it's time to welcome in Abigail Swetz to our show.
She is from Fair Wisconsin.
And good morning, Abigail.
Good morning.
Thank you for having me on today.
Good to have you with us.
Give us an overview of what Fair Wisconsin is all about.
Absolutely.
So Fair Wisconsin is Wisconsin's only statewide LGBTQ plus civil rights and political advocacy group.
We are a 501 C3 and a C4 and we have two political action committees and that's really awesome because it means we get to focus on public education and grassroots advocacy as a part of that work and then also have the ability to do direct lobbying as an organization.
and endorsements of candidates.
So we get to do a lot of work all the way from when people start thinking about who they're gonna vote for, all the way through voting those people into office and then making sure those people do the right thing when it comes to our LGBTQ plus community and our rights.
How long has fair Wisconsin been around?
We are 31 years old as of this year, which is actually a pretty long time for an LGBTQ plus equality organization We are we are among the veterans of the movement.
Yeah
Well, I want to ask you a question about it.
There seems to be some controversy now.
They're trying to guilt-trip Democrats from jumping on board or still maintaining and pushing LGBTQ issues, okay?
They're trying to make it seem like, is this the issue you guys want to run on?
Right?
Are you running into this
as a problem?
It's such a good question.
Yeah, no, it's such a good question.
I think there's a lot of
misunderstanding.
That's the word I'll generously use right now when it comes to who are the people who are mostly talking about LGBTQ plus identity and rights and what other people call our issues.
We're not an issue.
We're a community.
We have a lot of needs and we have a lot of issues we care about, but we are a community and an identity.
And so when people are pushing LGBTQ plus issues, it's often the people who are attacking our community, right?
And so I think
a very obvious example of who this is coming from, who is making us a big topic in things like campaigns and so on.
You just have to look at the anti-trans attack ads from the 2024 election.
And even the 2025 school selection, they just, they came up at the end a bit.
And I think we all have to understand the people who ran those ads, they were disgusting, they were dehumanizing.
And here's the part that I don't think people realize.
They also did not work.
There is research out there that shows surveyed voters found them to be mean spirited.
A majority of Republicans found them to be mean spirited.
And that research shows they did not drive voters.
They were not the reason people voted.
Now, I mean, to be clear, of course, some of the people who ran them did win.
I'm not saying they didn't, but.
this research shows that's not why they won.
And so we really need to, as a general public, understand that the people who push this anti-trans agenda in the campaign ads, they don't have a mandate for their anti-trans policies now.
And we have to hold them accountable.
These are not policies that are actually popular.
They are things that people are trying to use as a political wedge issue and use an identity as a weapon to try and really stoke up fear.
And the other part that I'd add there is just most of the anti-LGBTQ plus policies and rhetoric right now are specifically anti-trans, right?
And the trans population, the trans community is very small in America and the world.
And most Americans say they've never met a trans person and probably in reality they have and they just don't know, which is sort of part of the point.
But the other thing to keep in mind there is that this population is so small that some people, some politicians think it is easy to weaponize them and
Frankly, it is kind of easy because people don't have an actual understanding of trans identity and trans needs.
But it doesn't mean it's OK.
It doesn't mean it's fair for someone to turn an identity into a political ploy for power.
And that's really what we're seeing, I think.
But I always thought they're the ones who are bringing it up all the time.
And our Democrats
weren't.
They
were
only responding to the people who are attacking them and attacking LGBTQ rights.
That was the issue.
They were bringing it up all the time.
They're obsessed with
it.
We're
not.
Hundreds of millions of dollars.
Hundreds of millions of dollars.
I mean, when I think about what we were hearing when we were touring the state last year for prides, because that's one of the times we get to interact the most with our community.
And, you know, that was in the heated part of a presidential election.
What we were hearing from the LGBTQ plus community were intersectional issues.
We're like, I care about housing.
I care about
affordability of housing I also do care about like discrimination in housing that might impact me of course right we need non-discrimination laws but we also need all these other things that everyone cares about right and and so to try and sort of like pigeonhole a community and to being the problem when really we just have so many of the same wants and needs as everyone else is really really really wrong that's a
great point
Yeah.
We're talking with Abigail Swetz from Fair Wisconsin.
If you'd like to join in the conversation, you can call us 608-879-8255.
You could text us, same number, 608-879-8255.
Abigail, what are some of the issues that are top of mind?
You mentioned your headquarters are here in Madison.
What are some of the things you want to talk to some of the folks at the Capitol about?
Oh, great question.
So it's sort of a combination of what we were just talking about, about so many attacks on our community, and then also so many of the things we actively want to see changed, right?
And it's a both and.
And Fair Wisconsin really, I think, does a good job of doing both that reaction work we have to do, because we can't just let people attack us without any kind of supportive response to our own community, and also the proactive work we want to see happen.
sort of two ways we do that.
When there are bills going on at the Capitol that are attacking our LGBTQ plus community, because those are the bills we see get traction right now because of who is in control of the legislature, then we at Fair Wisconsin do a lot of mobilization of our grassroots community, get LGBTQ plus people and allied people to get out and testify at hearings.
In support of our community and against these bills, we saw that in March, in one week there were
three hearings on four anti-trans bills.
Those hearings lasted anywhere from six to 10 plus hours and that was because our community turned out to support our trans youth and we are very excited about that.
We even, because of course these hearings only get like 24 hours notice, we also try and mobilize with an opportunity for people to submit written testimony to us that we then submit on behalf of them.
We submitted over 18,000 pages of testimony that we
So we're turning out in response to these attacks to our community.
We are also working to do good proactive work, knowing right now we're probably not gonna get those bills across the finish line.
I'll also say those attacking bills are also not going to become law.
The governor will veto them.
He said that in his state of the state address.
But also this proactive work really laying the groundwork so that we can make those changes when we do get the opportunity to get them through the legislature.
And some of that work is also really grassroots advocacy.
We're actually holding the LGBTQ Plus Equality Day at the Capitol this May 7th.
You can check it out.
It's on the events tab on our website, chairwassanson.com, where we bring together LGBTQ Plus and allied communities.
We learn about how to tell your story in a way that is compelling to legislators to make sure that they know what issues you care about.
And then we set up the meetings with your legislator.
You go in the afternoon and you talk to them and you say, you know, I really care about making sure that
gender identity is a part of the non-discrimination law of this state because it is not right now.
And we need to make that change.
And then also, I also really care about housing.
I also really care about healthcare, both for our trans youth and also healthcare in general, right?
And so these are the things that we're really trying to proactively also work on.
That's right.
And I think most of the people that turn up for these hearings are pro LGBTQ plus rights.
And I think maybe
one
or two individuals show up who are not.
We outnumbered
them by a long shot.
It
was ridiculous, wasn't it?
And
yet
they vote for the minority in this case.
And that's what's been going on at the Capitol for a heck of a long time, unfortunately.
You know what's also interesting though?
I'll say
I think one of the things that came out in the last hearing, the hearing that was about the anti-trans healthcare field, was we know, we know our community by telling our stories, change hearts and minds in that room.
There's a video that's gone viral now of a man from Milwaukee.
We played that a few times here.
That was incredible.
Wasn't that fantastic?
It was.
It was.
And I mean, he said.
Let's remind everybody of what Jackie Wood said.
Oh, right.
Yes.
Can I?
Yes,
please.
So Larry came to testify in support of a ban on youth trans health care.
And then he listened for, I don't know, like seven hours at the point where he testified.
And he came up and he said, I have listened to the people in this room and I've gotten an incredible education and I no longer support this bill.
I'm sorry I came here.
And I've actually overjoyed he came because he was able to listen and hear the stories of our community and change his mind.
And there actually was an incredible article.
I think it was Wisconsin watch that profiled him after that viral video.
And he said, um, something about these kids just want to belong, which is so true.
I also said he's going to try and learn more.
Like he is, he is on a journey now.
Um, and that belonging, I think, you know, there's so many
people, I think we have the cut.
Do we have that cut or we're looking for it?
No, I think he's got it.
Let's play it.
Let's listen to this.
Yes.
All right, Larry, the
floor is
yours.
You got two minutes.
First of all, I'd like to apologize to you people.
I was invited here to give my support for Bill 101.
I have very little knowledge of gay people and things like that there.
So when I came here, my eyes were open.
I was one of the critics that sat on the side and made the decision there was only two genders.
So I got an education that was unbelievable.
And I don't know just exactly how to say this, but my perspective for people have changed.
So I don't take up no more of your time.
I apologize for being here.
And I learned a very lot about these people.
Wow.
And I get
choked up just hearing it.
What
was that,
gentlemen?
What's what's his name again?
Abigail.
Then is Larry.
And the profile spoke to he's, you know, he's an older gentleman.
He, he's pretty religious.
He's pretty conservative.
And, and just the line that he said about like, these kids just want to belong.
Like
that just cuts through to me because I mean, again, most people in America say they've never met a trans person, which means they don't have that understanding on a personal level.
But guess what?
We all know what it feels like to not belong.
We all know how awful that feels.
That's this part of our identity that can rhyme.
That doesn't mean
I know exactly what it's like to be trans, but it does mean I have an entry point into understanding.
And Larry was curious enough to allow himself that entry point.
And I think we could learn a lot from that.
Abigail, we have less than a minute left.
If people want to become involved, want to volunteer, want to find out more, what's the best way to do that?
Absolutely.
So check out fairwisconsin.com.
At the very top, there's a take action button.
Best way to stay informed is to click take action and sign up for our newsletters.
You'll hear about our action alerts.
You'll hear about our work.
And yes, of course, you'll have the chance to donate.
And your event May 7th.
May 7th.
That's under the event tab on that same website.
Yeah, very good.
Abigail Swetz from Fair Wisconsin.
Thanks for joining us, Abigail.
Thank you.
It was
wonderful.
Thank you so much.
We'll have you back again.
And we will be back to wrap up John and Gordy in the morning in just a moment.
Stay with us got some leftovers.
Yep
6, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Terrific, if you like eating leftovers.
Leftovers.
Leftovers.
I kept the leftovers.
The leftovers.
Just some leftovers.
Leftovers for a week and a half.
He ate those leftovers.
Funeral leftovers.
Leftovers.
Enjoy.
portion.
These leftovers are brought to you by Verlo Mattress of Madison.
One thing that remains constant since they opened their doors way back in 1958.
They are still direct to consumer providing superior products at unbeatable prices to locations east side and west side in Madison or just go to their website Verlo.com.
Leftovers.
This is a pleasant leftover.
I've been accused of playing some real downers at the end.
Yeah, why do you
do that?
You've done a negative note,
you know.
Well, there's a lot of bad news, and I'm just trying to fit it in so everybody knows that we're all sinking on the ship.
All together.
The Titanic's going
down.
Get the lifeboats ready.
Loomin' the children first.
Yeah.
So much
we're trying to leave on a high note.
know it
here
today.
All right, let's get to this, this bid.
It was a couple of weeks ago and sent it live.
I only cut
the end of the bid.
I didn't really think it was anything special, but then I saw the whole thing and I thought, yeah, this, this is what we need.
It's a business news channel for the rest of America.
It's called,
it's called check.
to check business news,
and it
has everything working for us.
It really focuses on our needs, paycheck to paycheck, fewer stock market indicators, and more of what's going on in the supermarkets.
So let's listen to
this
cut from Saturday Night Live.
Welcome to Check2Check Business News, financial news for regular folks living Check2Check.
You know, paycheck to paycheck.
I'm Tasia Walton.
And I'm Kenneth Albright.
And this suit is from Kohl's.
Well, markets are in turmoil right now.
Let's check on the S&P 500, which is down 2.38%.
The NASDAQ composite is down 265 points, and Dow Industries are down 2.88%.
OK, does that mean anything to anyone?
I'm sure it means something to someone, but sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me.
Let's take a look at box-smacking cheese, which is up 4.5% to $1.59.
Even across the street?
Even across the street, Kenneth.
Also, Big-Ass Box of Bisquick is up from $2.39 to two damn much.
And candy bars are up from, sure, baby, to put that back.
Overall, pretty bad news for the grocery sector.
Tell me about it.
My family's been eating so much top ramen, my kids think we Japanese.
Why don't we take a look at the healthcare sector, where so far in 2025, spending on doctor visits remains steady at
zero.
Americans are investing in healthcare alternatives such as, just go lay down, take an Advil, and pray it goes away.
Great options.
Well, the Trump tariffs have caused T-bill sell-offs, which have rocked the bond markets.
Are you worried about that?
I'm not, and I'll tell you why, because I don't know what that is.
These tariffs have real implications for check-to-checkers.
Here with the International Commodities Report is David Hayes.
Thank you, Stacia.
Well, these new tariffs are gonna raise prices on all imported goods, but you can work around them if you're smart.
For example, I occasionally like Perrier water, which is from France.
So instead, I drink this American version, Uncle Bubble.
This is made from pure Tennessee tap water, and it is only $1.89.
I love frozen pizza from DeGiorno, but it's pricing higher lately.
So now I eat Devontae.
This delicious...
Alternative was created by my cousin Devante.
He makes pizza out of Wonder Bread and ketchup.
Remember, it's not delivery.
It's Devante.
Back
to you.
Great tips, Kenneth.
We can all use that money to pay back our student loans.
Never gonna get it, never gonna get it, never gonna get
it.
Whoa!
Okay, let's take a moment for us.
sponsors.
Check to check news is brought to you by America's most popular toilet paper.
Chipotle napkins.
Chipotle napkins.
Because showman prices be tripping.
And by Taco Bell.
Taco Bell should meet costs less than gum.
Don't worry about it.
When we come back on Check to Check News, it's a shampoo, body wash, and shave gel all in one.
It's called bar soap.
Yes, right.
Back to the basics, y'all.
We'll see you later.
That's
good stuff,
isn't
it?
Check to check.
Check to check
news.
I think we'll see that again.
Yeah,
I hope so.
Maybe a
running bit there.
It should be a running bit.
That
was
one of the best ones they've had in a long time.
Hey, I got another comedian coming
up here.
Oh,
really?
I think we have some time for this.
Cut
196.
Got 196 is the short.
Let's play it.
Let's go.
This is a comedian Cliff Cash on White Nationalists.
What a crazy place.
to be a white supremacist in the United States of America, the most ethnically and culturally diverse society in human history.
And these dudes are on the news like, this is a white country.
No, it's not, dog.
Turns out every large city in the United States has a China inside of it.
You should probably leave your road.
Down
the road.
With a melting pot, it's our whole thing.
What a frustrating place to be a white supremacist.
Can you imagine going to literally any city in the United States, walking around going, look at all these people different than me, having a good time?
This
is bulls***.
There it is.
That's good.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, guess what?
We are all out of time.
Yeah.
Tomorrow, Mike McCabe, Substack Blogger, will join us.
And John, tomorrow, I will have my rant about...
People on TV with cowboy hats.
Oh, I've been saving this up.
We're going to get that.
We got to clear this up.
Oh, my
God.
Way too much of it.
And I'm going to tell you all about it.
OK.
Stephanie Miller is going to be next.
We will be back tomorrow morning, 22 hours from now.
John, have a great
day.
Well, that's fantastic.
Day
100 of the Trump administration.
Let's celebrate.
OK.
So long.
Let the sun shine.
