America, Let Them In (Hour 2)

Good, good morning and welcome, welcome to Matt and Air on air.

Jane Matt and Air, Greg Bach, Calvin Butenoff.

Coming to you live from our studio at Radio Park in Racine, you can always join us.

You can call, you can text.

The number is the same.

855-752-4842.

You can also leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

Many, many thanks to Matt Rothschild and Angela Lange who filled in for us yesterday while the three of us all took an extended extended.

We can't we're back baby.

We are back baby and we have a big show coming up for you today Todd Alba our friend and colleague and soon-to-be road trip partner

I'm gonna probably There's gonna be a lot of show tunes.

Oh There is you better you better gear up baby.

I would

like it Okay, if we're gonna do this and we'll explain more when Todd's here.

We're going on the road next week We'll give all the details then but stay tuned because it's gonna be fun.

It is I want a specific list of them because I don't want to

Um, yeah, your,

your life.

My camera's freaking out.

It's like, I know I don't look that great, but holy man.

Um, I

would like a set list of what's going to be happening because I would, because

I'm not as as far as the musicals were missing.

I'm not as

adept at musicals as the two of you.

And I would rather at least be able to chime in with a few things than just that they're going, I don't know these songs.

So I'll make one request now.

All

right.

Jesus Christ superstar.

Oh, good one.

All

right.

Good one.

Okay, so I like that one.

I'm gonna

say we'll talk about it more when

Todd's here.

All right, all right.

We'll put our playlist together for the musicals that we're gonna sing while we're on the road next week.

Just don't wanna be left out.

I understand.

Okay.

It's always nice to get, it's like, you know...

studying ahead.

Exactly.

Sure, I understand that.

That's great.

Yes, Todd will be here after 9.30.

We're going to talk a little bit more about the Wisconsin State budget and other things that did not make it into the budget.

And then of course, we'll talk about our hitting the road next week.

In hour number two, I am really looking forward to this.

Felipe Torres Medina is going to join us.

He's iconic.

Yes.

And he's a writer and he's written for all what late night with Jimmy Fallon.

He was

on he was a writer.

Stephen Colbert Colbert and he's out with a book now.

He is an immigrant to this country Yes, yes, and he's out with a book called America.

Let me in a choose your immigration story and we got a book we got he sent us He overnighted this like

Jean there's overnight.

I feel like what he did was 12 hours.

I know it was amazing I emailed him and said we're looking forward to having you on can you send me a copy of the book and

And the next day, we got it.

Yeah.

And I just also want to remind people of this, too, that his wife, Taylor K. Phillips, was also on the show like a year, year and a half ago to talk about her book, Midwestern Conversation.

So like, this is great.

They've both written books and we're very excited to have them.

I'm a big fan of Felipe,

big fan.

The book is really funny.

It's a very serious subject, obviously.

But he looks at this with a lot of humor and trying to give folks

if all of us who don't have to go through this process, just a little idea of what people who want to come to this country have to go through.

And as someone who myself is all about immigration reform, to making it easier, more accessible, all the making a good thing for me, I'm very intrigued to find out even the things I don't know, because I feel like as a supporter of this topic, there is as buttons, someone who's never went through it,

it doesn't

have to.

I'm happy about that because I don't know how far I'd make it.

I can't wait to learn more.

Yeah, it should be a great conversation.

Felipe Torres Medina is going to be joining us after the 10 o'clock news for Audio Sorbet today.

We were kicking this around before the show and we are going to talk about what there's a national day for everything.

Yeah.

National chocolate chip cookie day, national spa day, you name it, day.

What should be your national day?

If you got to institute a national day, what would your national day be that's coming up after 1030?

And we're going to wrap up the show as we always do with this shouldn't be a thing.

Today it's the you're in trouble now edition.

Calvin found this one.

It's pretty great.

Just think about it for a second.

It's just.

So that's all coming up on the show.

I hope you can stick around for that as always if you miss something or you have a life you have to go live and you can't be listening to us live You can always go back and listen as a podcast.

Check it out at civicmedia.us Did want to start off talking about the situation the horrific horrific situation in Texas The death till now is at least 104 and tragically It's pretty much a recovery

effort at this point as opposed to rescue because these floods again blasted through that area on Friday now 105 rather from CNN 84 deaths in Kerr County that was the

Biggest place where it was hit.

That's where that camp mystic was.

Yes located seven deaths in Travis County five Burnett six Kendall two and Williamson one in Tom Green County at least 23 people are still missing Among them many little girls from that that camp mystic camp There are ways you can help yes, if you would like to help

I would suggest the Red Cross is always a good one to go to.

World Central Kitchen is also another really good one.

Just be careful, because as always, in instances like this, there are terrible people who will try to scam you.

Yeah, in this situation, I mean, we've been talking about this for a while, and we have Lisa Schiller from the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin on to talk about this.

And we've, I mean, I feel like everyone here has been a victim of some sort of scam.

Go directly to their websites.

Just go directly to them because I mean Red Cross.

Yeah.

Yeah, or World Center or whatever group you you want to donate to Go directly to their website donate directly through them because even the the instance of people posting You know whether it's go fund me or whatever saying hey give to this thing

I don't wanna be a naysayer or a doomsayer, but sometimes you can't always trust those things.

It's always best to go directly through the website to give if you want to give.

If they're in your area, go to them and donate, whether it's money or food or clothing, but yeah, it's just, we wanna be helpful in these times, but you also gotta make sure that you're not the victim of a scam.

Exactly, and they are also saying, I know a lot of folks think, I'm gonna go down there and help.

I want to go down there and I want to be in the ground.

They are asking folks not to do that.

Unfortunately, people are very well-intentioned, but you end up getting in the way.

I

feel like that happened in North Carolina, like last year or the year before, where people were making their way to the disaster sites, and they were like, please don't.

We're already having a month problem with

closing off.

Cooperation, and yes, you're

trying to get people around and trying to get places.

Honestly, the thing that always helps is money.

I

hate to say that, but

it's the, it's the best way you give the money directly to them and they're going to make it the best use of that money.

So if you can, great.

I will put direct links to the, the Texas Red Cross as well as world central kitchen.

And if anyone wants to, if anyone's heard of any groups in that area, feel free to text

us to us

or comment them or email us.

Jane says at civicmedia.us and I'm happy to put those in the show notes as well.

Again, this is so tragic.

Yes.

And unfortunately, I think over the next couple of days, again, this is more of a recovery situation now than it is a rescue situation.

But things that I was reading over the weekend, this is not the first time that area has flooded or that there has been flooding along the Guadalupe River.

I believe in 1987, there were 30 kids who again were at some summer camp that drowned.

After the river rose and there were discussions in Texas About paying for a warning system along the river that would involve sirens and setting up sirens along the river.

It was too expensive Was what was determined it was too expensive They had this system of calling each other so the camp that was upriver

would call the camp downriver and say, hey, it's coming your way.

That

wasn't enough.

It isn't enough.

I mean, because in the moment, it shouldn't be the worst.

I mean, yes, it's great to have a system to communicate with each other, but in a moment of crisis, all bets are off.

You the the person who is in charge of doing the calling or the people might be doing something else then and all of a sudden It's just everywhere and you know, I I'm not I don't I'm not placing the blame on the people Please don't think I'm doing that but what I'm saying what what but what we're talking about right now is the fact that Once again, I mean even the face of this this would have been a reactive response to a tragedy 40 almost 40 years ago

But in those 40 years, I cannot believe for a moment people did not bring up the conversation again.

And to be told it's too

expensive.

ABC News reporting at a meeting in 2017, a different commissioner I believe from Kerr County said the river calling system between camps is working and quote, the thought of our beautiful Kerr County having these damn sirens going off in the middle of the night, I'm gonna have to start drinking again to put up with y'all.

Unquote.

A different commissioner said, we have a warning system out there that may or may not work.

My gut feeling on this, I think we have a duty to look at what we have.

We are very flood prone.

We know that.

It's

just tragic.

I

just want to go back to that one.

A person complaining that the sirens going off will wake them up.

But if you're in the siren area, if you're in the area of the sirens, you may be in danger, too.

Absolutely.

What kind of excuse the phrase, what kind of backwoods response is that?

Like that is, so other people's lives perishing is fine as long as you get that a healthy eight hours in.

I don't understand this and the logic behind

it.

Yeah.

And, and there is

that

logic

behind it.

And, and yeah, the, this thing of like

It's too expensive.

Did no one stand up and say is one person's life worth it?

A transcript of commission meetings from Kerr County commissioners found they were going to apply for FEMA dollars made available by President Obama in 2017 but a county judge and some commissioners expressed discontent that the money had to come from the Obama administration.

Outside of applying for that FEMA money, one commissioner said, our other option is don't do anything, which is an option.

I mean, we can just stick with what we have.

And that's apparently what they did.

They could have given a check to George W. Bush and said, here, give it to them and tell them it's from you.

Honestly, on that level of thinking, what they're just doing right there.

giving a check to George W. Bush and saying, give this money to them right now and say it's from you, is as feasible an option as the two they just gave us.

It's from Obama, boo, bad.

Can't take it.

Or nothing, because nothing's an option.

So if we're saying stupid things out loud people, then that's just as dumb and as plausible, I guess.

Just a reminder again, we will have links in our show notes.

Yeah.

If you would like to donate to try and help other victims of the flooding in Texas, American Red Cross is one we're suggesting.

Also, World Central Kitchen, we know that these are legitimate organizations.

I've been a monthly donor to World Central Kitchen for a long time.

And also, you know, another way you can do this is go to your local Red Cross or Vercity and donate blood.

They

always need

blood.

And whether it's even for this or just getting in the habit of donating blood on a regular basis,

Does so much you will never never know because it's just they're always needed So yes donate those will be in the show notes again Send us your suggestions if you have any and I will make sure that if they are feasible or if they are applicable

I'll put them in all right coming up next Conspiracy theorists, they're not happy

So we're fine.

It's fine, Jane.

We're fine.

Well, kick that around on the other side.

Stay close.

You're listening to Matt Nair on air on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Good morning.

Welcome.

Welcome to Matt Nair on air.

Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, Dr. Slide on the board, coming to you from her studio at Radio Park in Racine.

You can always join us.

Call or text.

at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

Coming up after the 930 News, our friend and colleague and host of the wonderful Todd Alba show from two to four across the network, Todd Alba is going to be joining us.

We're going to talk about the Wisconsin state budget a little bit more.

And then we're going to talk about our road trip.

Yeah,

we're going to the road

next week.

Greg and Greg

and Todd and

I I'm looking forward to it.

It's gonna be a lot of fun So stick around for that.

I did want to spend we don't have a whole lot of time to spend on this but the mega world is not Happy

well, I mean that's not really saying a lot.

No, that's true.

Yeah, you're not really making this is a whoa boy breaking news

now just Remember remember back

Just a little bit.

Remember back.

Yeah.

Jeffrey Epstein.

Thank you.

Died in prison.

Yep.

Sex trafficker.

The list.

Yes.

The list of clients.

MAGA has been promised.

This list, even since Trump started running for a second term.

Well, they even released.

A list, there was, I don't know if I remember this, remember this, a couple months back, mega influencers pouring out of the White House with these binders.

That were empty.

That were full of no information.

Right.

And they were so mad because.

Those were supposed, those were the files, right?

Yeah, those were.

Those

were ostensibly the Epstein files.

And this was supposed to be the information that they were promised.

But I'm gonna actually I'm gonna harken back to Elon Musk's tweet from like last month a month and a half ago where he said Trump's name is going to be in that file and of course they well They were really close friends.

I'm not defending either one.

Yeah, like that's the thing is is is There are a lot of names that because Jeffrey Epstein knew a lot of people and

On both sides on both sides from all different kinds of worlds from I mean there's talked about Stephen Hawking and like professors you name it so there really would need to be a deeper dive into by I would say the FBI and police to say who was on that list because they were invited to a party and who was on that list because they were invited to party right but of course Donald Trump's name was going to be in there from all the pictures we saw yes but when they released those binders

Meg influencers were unhappy about this information because they felt like a lot had been taken out so Elon's tweet that said You know that he's in that file for a reason Now as of yesterday, I think it was yesterday yesterday yesterday.

They said watching it's done It

is done Pam Bondi said not too long ago on Fox News

The Epstein files quote, it's sitting on my desk right now to review.

There has been a directive by President Trump yesterday.

The attorney general announced this systematic review has revealed no incriminating client list.

The investigation is closed.

Boom.

Done.

The end.

Memo also says that Epstein committed suicide rather than he was murdered, and no further Epstein documents will be released.

This is from the bulwark, maybe the most injurious to magas.

The memo also claims Epstein wasn't blackmailing anyone.

And the hundreds of gigabytes of Epstein related material in the FBI's position don't implicate any third parties.

Because, again, I believe magas were told, essentially.

There's all kinds of Democrats on this list.

It's all Democrats.

They're trying to protect Democrats by not releasing this.

Yeah, no.

Well, it was Jeffrey Epstein as a prominent Democrat.

Look at that.

He's best friends with the Clintons.

And Clinton, Bill Clinton was on the list.

Yeah, this is, are you listening 4chan, 8chan?

QAnon, I want to know how QAnon people are feeling.

I've never said that question in my life because this is going, this could be bad for them.

Do you think this will stick?

I think that, I think that, um, I think what will happen is that the.

Q Ananias of the Q nuns will say well we know better, but we know why he's saying it You know there will be an explanation.

He chose not to do.

Yes, there will be an explanation as to why they didn't do it never implicating Donald Trump right because he is infallible He is the broken infallible man.

I don't know how that math works, but it works for them But there will still be theories and whatnot and there's a I bet you there's another list I'll bet you you know it

Because if this is the case, if everything what the Department of Justice is saying, if Pam Bond is saying this, then release Giselle Maxwell right now.

Why is she in prison?

Why is she still in prison?

If

there's no case, if there's no,

I don't know.

I know they're not saying he didn't do anything wrong, but it seems like now at this point, it seems like Jeffrey Epstein was a one-man operation.

Is that what they're saying?

I don't know because it's just they're saying they're done.

Well,

we're not in the right world.

Right, when media influencers, the Hodge twins,

Posted on what used to be Twitter, Trump has to fire Pam Bondi.

She works for Trump.

She went on camera and told the world she has the Epstein client list on her desk.

Now they say there's no list.

Alex Jones, who I still don't understand why he hasn't been forced to sell everything to pay off the families of Sandy Hook.

We don't have time to explain, but I know Alex Jones tweeted next.

The DOJ will say actually Jeffrey Epstein never existed.

This is over the top sickening.

Hodge twins, this is from me to you, buddy.

I don't know you guys at all, but here's what I'm saying.

Keep the pressure on them.

Don't fall away.

Don't let this fade.

Be angry until you get resolution because that's what they're counting on.

They're counting on this being a story.

And that will go away.

Exactly.

So don't let up, Alex Jones.

Come on.

Don't let up.

Hodge twins and all the other influencers I've never heard of.

Put the pressure on them.

Seriously, keep it there because this is something you wanted to know about.

It was important to you.

Don't let it sit.

Don't let it sit.

All right, news is coming up next on the other side.

Todd, all the stay close.

You're listening to Matt Nair on air on the vast statewide, countrywide, get us global on the app, baby civic media radio network.

Good

morning and welcome, welcome to Mattnair on air.

Jane Mattnair, Greg Buck.

Sweet Calbee on the board coming to you live from our studio at Radio Park in Racine You can always join us call or text the number is the same at 855-752-4842 You can leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook YouTube and what used to be Twitter joining us live from his patio in Madison

our friend and colleague and host of the wonderful Todd Alba show from two to four across the network.

Todd Alba is here.

Good morning, my friend.

What a lovely view.

Well, thank you, everyone.

Jane, Greg, Kevin, great to be with you all.

Yeah, I thought this would be fun.

I came out on my little deck here off in my patio.

uh apartment because the uh for those watching on the stream all the flowers you see behind me here were purchased at one of our great sponsors of civic media uh uh copkeys greenhouse nice uh gordy copkey a great friend of the network he's been a a sponsor since day one and uh i don't look matters is a big uh a big buyer out there no finer place a copkeys greenhouse in the town of dunne outside the village

Oregon just south of Madison and look at even a even a goofball like me can grow nice plants when you buy a cop key.

So I thought I'd come out here.

It was very, very quiet until about two minutes ago when the city decided to start blowing leaves behind me.

So I apologize.

This is Greg.

This Jane knows this very well.

When you travel with Todd, there's great potential and great potential for disaster.

It could go either way.

Anything can

happen.

Anything can happen.

You just got to roll with it.

You just got to roll.

I'm trying to identify the plants behind

you.

God, I'm out of

here.

I'm sorry.

But I have a cannon.

You have a cannon.

You have a big cannon in the back.

It's a dark blue selvia.

OK.

Like the selvia.

Just a standard geranium.

That yellow one is just a bright.

I like that because it was a blue pot.

OK.

And then the pink one.

I don't know what that is.

I can't see close enough to see what those are.

Here's the deal.

You and I.

You guys have both.

We've both on our shows have talked about, you know, don't do the no mo might may just have pollinator nights.

So I said to the folks at Gordy's copy of greenhouse, I want plants that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds literally a half hour before we came on.

Hummingbirds were feeding there

on your canna.

So

on the can

on the can.

Whatever.

Whatever this orange thing is down here.

Interesting.

Little.

Yeah,

interesting because I they like canvas too.

They like those they like those orange.

Isn't

that

exactly where you I lose my mind when a Hummering bird comes in my backyard.

Greg is like what you people are great.

They are.

They're fantastic birds.

It just it's it makes me happy to be alive.

Greg.

I'm so happy you're happy

to

be alive.

My God.

Greg's going, do I really want to spend four days with these people?

I don't know.

No, I got noise canceling headphones.

It's fine.

You might need him.

In

our

second segment, Todd, we are going to talk.

Reg wants a playlist.

He wants a playlist before we go on the road so he knows what

he's going to hear.

Well, I heard one do at Jesus Christ Superstar.

Great show.

Great show.

Here's a hitherto unknown fact.

In fact, my gay card is in danger of being revoked.

I have never seen in its entirety Jesus Christ Superstar.

I am gayer than Todd Alba.

Ted Neely, who is

Jesus and Jesus Christ Superstar, is so good.

Yes, and so good.

I want to modify my request.

Not only Jesus Christ Superstar, it has to be Jesus Christ Superstar, the motion picture soundtrack, not the original, the one from the movie.

Has to be that,

period.

What's the buzz, baby?

I'll go along with that.

Don't start, Jane, because I will do the whole thing.

I'll do Caiaphas.

I will do Judas.

I'll even do the terrible songs that Mary Magdalene sang.

OK,

we're going to get to that in a little bit.

How about the other Mary?

Is she in that?

I'm sorry.

I don't think she shows up in that.

OK, let's talk a little bit before we get to our road trip, which is coming up next week.

Let's talk about what.

made it and what didn't make it into the Wisconsin budget.

Charlie Pittman, Civic Media's new news director has a great piece on the Civic Media website.

Just click on the news tab.

Here is what didn't make it into Wisconsin's one hundred and eleven million dollar state budgets.

Senate Republicans would just won't vote to spare, didn't need Democrats, so the budget got approved in both chambers last week.

Evers

calling 2025 the year of the kid, but missing from this budget, extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months.

Yep.

We have talked about this so much and the bipartisan support for this measure.

And you know who doesn't like it?

Popcorn King Robin Voss.

Yep.

So it doesn't go anywhere.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, I know you guys have talked about it.

We've talked about our show.

I had State Senator Kelly Royce on the show Democrat from Madison.

She was on joint finance committee.

She voted no one of three Democrats on JFC able to know.

LaTanya Johnson from Milwaukee area only demoed the committee voted yes.

You know, for the Star Trek fans, they'll get the reference.

But in my opinion, this is a Kobayashi Maru budget.

It's a no win scenario.

Yeah.

Because if you didn't do anything, if you had no budget, which I think the Republicans were willing to do, you would have had zero money for childcare, catastrophic problems from day one.

UW System would have been at least held even at

at best,

right?

Um, you know, the list goes on and on.

And so I think the, you know, I give a lot of credit to state Senator Diane Hesselebein and the Democrats and the state Senate for at least getting some changes in there.

Uh, look, I also quite frankly, at least on my show, I begrudgingly, I guess, at least said.

props to Governor Evers and Robin Voss for not cutting off negotiations as was reported.

At least they kept the doors open and they got something done.

But to your point, Jane, this is not a great budget, particularly for K-12 education.

And I think anybody who calls themselves an education governor, when you chose to draw a red line in the sand for the W system building projects and for childcare, two very worthy causes, but you chose to leave out the red line.

into the sand for K-12 education, I just don't see how you run for reelection for a third term going around the state saying, vote for me again, because we need to stay, I'm the education governor, we need to save education.

Oh yeah, but I basically screwed over K-12 education this budget.

So I just think that he's not gonna run again.

Because you've had so much experience in the state house, and I wanna get your thoughts, because you brought up Calderoy's.

Latanya Johnson and Diane Hesselbein.

We talked to State Senator Kelder Royce and Maggie talked to Latanya Johnson.

Both of them have incredibly different attitudes on this budget, as shown by their votes.

Latanya Johnson voted yes, and Kelder Royce voted no.

When it first came out, Todd, we thought like, oh, like Governor Evers.

And Robin Voss everyone seems to be good with this because and Diane Husslebein kind of brokered the deal because she was asked to the table And then we had Kelder Roy's on the show that day and she came on saying this is not good We don't like this.

That's a really polarizing budget and I feel like I I personally feel like this is a good place.

I don't know what it's I don't want to say to start but as As Johnston put it this mitigates the hurt that would have been

And from your point of view and your experience, Todd, you've seen these budgets take place.

That's kind of the game in the long run anyways.

Like it's about compromise.

No one side gets everything they want all

the time.

There

has to be concessions.

And yes, it's not a great, it's not perfect, but I feel like there needs to be some wins and they're celebrated.

Whereas I felt like, you know, it doesn't feel like.

there is a path for movement anywhere, especially with childcare, because we also had on Trisha Peterson, who said, this is not a help.

So from your experience, I mean, isn't that how it always goes with the budget?

Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, what's, and I agree with you, Greg, I mean, one of the things I don't like about today is modern political world.

And our friend, Trigby Olson, Lincoln Project talks about this all the time.

You know, you can't play zero some politics.

It can't always be I have to have everything or I want nothing.

Nothing gets

done because that's just not the way that nothing gets done.

So and that that's why I'm willing to give props to both Robin Vos and Tony Evers for keeping the discussion going and getting to a place where they could actually pass and sign something.

I said, a Royce pointed out perhaps others on your show if they had not done that before the federal budget was passed and signed by Trump.

Wisconsin would have lost $1 billion with a B, $1 billion of money for Medicaid reimbursement and rural health care.

So Wisconsin gets something out of that.

So yes, I agree that there was a deal done and that's good.

I just don't know.

I was pretty hard on a state representative, Francesca Hong, Democrat of Madison, because she was actually in our socials telling people, call your dem legislator and lobby them to vote no.

I think that was the wrong thing to do.

But I walked myself back yesterday and a couple of days ago, and I said, I get why Representative Hong and into not quite as forcefully Senator Royce and others, because they're trying to make the point that, you know,

There could have been more here and a lot of people are going to be left behind.

I'll be interested.

I know you've had Karin on your show.

She's brought ours to these childcare workers and are so essential.

This budget only funds them for one year, one year, one year.

So it doesn't, it doesn't even take care of the entire two year by no budget.

So that means you're going to have to come back and either pass a supplemental or, or do something or, you know, in six months, we're going to be right back where, where we were two weeks ago.

So yes.

Agreed, Greg.

A little props need to be given for reaching something, but to think that this was some sort of great shakes, I just don't think that's the right way to do it at all.

It's kind of like, you know, I mean, not to be too grotesque, but I mean, you have an accident on a hiking trail and you lose your, you know, you get in a situation of a terrible cut and you put a tourniquet on the leg.

Well, you live, but you have to have your leg amputated.

Was that a great hiking trip?

Probably not.

Todd Alba is here.

Our friend and colleague and host of the Todd Alba show across the network this afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m.

Yeah, it's it's not like anybody's throwing parties over over this deal because it was a compromise.

But that that thing about funding this childcare for only one year.

I have to wonder what Republicans think is going to happen in a year that we're not going to need this.

I mean, I don't know.

Inside of Speaker Voss's mind is not a place.

I've had rooms with him.

It's buttery and salty.

He's

too busy quote tweeting his teenage

teachers.

I think that I mean, I don't know like my just a guess based on a little bit of experience.

My guess is they want to use that for leverage for something else.

And so, you know, there's so they're going to hold they're going to hold the child care over

over the Democrats in exchange for something else.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

But they love children, you guys.

Fortunately,

they love families.

They love kids have more babies, have more babies, have more babies.

It's all good.

Yeah.

Just on your own.

I it again, I'm glad something passed.

Uh, some people were taken care of, but I think it's important to remember there are a lot of folks, particularly public educators, you know, all across the state, you're going to see more referendums, more local taxpayers.

We asked to have carry the burden because, uh, folks in Madison didn't get it done from public schools.

Yeah.

Well, we got to pay for those private schools.

Those are important, uh, those are really

important.

You know, uh, uh, what's the one in, uh, Xavier, Xavier, uh, I'll think of it.

No, a St.

Norbert.

No, that's not it.

There's that public private school in Green Bay that John Guard runs his cross-country program with a charter bus and catered food.

So, you know, you got to keep that going.

I'm paying for a charter bus and catered food.

We're going to continue our conversation with Todd Alba.

We are going on the road next week.

We'll kick that around next.

Stay close.

You're listening to Matt Nair on air.

This is the Civic Media Radio Network.

Keep it going Good good morning.

You're welcome back to Matt Nair on air and Jane Matt Nair Greg Buck calvinator on the board

Coming to you live from our studio at Radio Park in Racine, you can always join us, call or text at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

Jenny on the live stream says, yay, jazz hands.

Spirit fingers

Todd Alba is here our friend and colleague and host of the Todd Alba show weekdays from two to four across the network and We are going on the road next week Toddster

I cannot wait.

It's been way too long.

It's been my granddad would have said a partner a year.

It has.

We need to get back on the road and have some fun.

So I'm looking for, by the way, Jane, just because here's a tip, Greg, when you travel with Jane, just give her whatever she wants.

Everything goes fine.

I would have been I would have been a great heterosexual husband.

Anyway,

because you know the

rules.

Exactly.

Yeah.

The plant behind me that the hummingbird like strain is called Vermillionaire.

It says so.

Is it Sophia hybrid C. H. E. A.

I'll have to look for that.

All

right.

Yeah, absolutely.

Anyway, I'll plant talk.

Uh, so anyway, we're yeah, we're going this trip like

Wait, Jay and I did a last show.

We're very happy.

I'm Greg along.

We're going to load up the old, the old bluebird bus and travel around the state.

And it should be a good time to have by all.

I am really looking forward to it.

We are going to be in Oshkosh next Thursday.

And we're going to have, I'm sorry, Wednesday.

And we're going to have a little preview for you of the EAA, which is getting underway in about a week.

And then on Thursday, I am so excited.

We're going to be broadcasting from Butternut.

Butternut.

Butternut, Wisconsin, which is near Hayward.

And there's some wonderful history in Butternut that we're going to talk about.

One of our colleagues here at the network Darla is a wealth of information about that area and the history of that area.

So that should be great.

And then on Friday, we will be in the Hayward area, really, really looking forward to it.

We were talking, Todd, that we need

Greg wants a playlist so he can study beforehand because last year when you and I went on the road, we sang in between cities.

We sang like the whole time.

And

we have some hours on the road between some cities.

We do.

Oshkosh to Butternut's kind of a haul.

So we'll be going through a couple of soundtracks.

So if you're listening, what should be on our soundtrack list that we will be singing next week when we go on the road?

And it doesn't just have to be show tunes either.

Yeah, you didn't say anything Jane.

You didn't say anything.

All right.

We'll leave it open But what would be the soundtrack 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 civic if you have the civic media app You can also leave us a voice note

exactly.

Yes

about what you think we should be singing in between stops when we go on the road next week We have Jesus Christ superstar that was Greg's request

I know we're gonna do the Book of Mormon again because all of that music is just so good.

Yeah, it's a book of Mormon.

I mean Jane and I are great fans of that but they're there in fact on on Saturday I'm going over the Twin Cities and seeing like Kimberley a Kimbo, which was the Tony Award winning musical from a couple of years ago.

Oh, so that's it's not as big a show as a musical as other ones But yeah, there's there's all kinds of great music and part of it is just getting out and being with with folks It's what I love to do love do it with you Jane can't wait to have you along Greg and we would be remiss if we did not give

shows to our colleagues.

Todd, Michael.

Yes.

GM at the Oshkosh and the Green Bay and Darla Darla the GM up there at Park Falls.

Incredible.

Those folks literally have made sure that we have places to sleep.

Yeah.

So that's fantastic.

Yeah.

They

put all this together.

So thank you both.

They've really taken care of us.

So yeah, big shout outs to Todd, Michaels and to Darla as well for helping us get this going.

I would request we don't sing South Pacific because I don't know that musical.

Fine.

Yeah, that's fine.

Is that all right?

Can we throw

some Hamilton in there last year?

I don't know all the words, but I love the music.

OK.

I'll sing it for you.

It's

fine.

I think we did.

I think we did a little gypsy last year.

Oh, I like gypsy.

J. Matt Nair is Mama Rose.

That was

fantastic.

I'm down for that.

I'm down for that.

Also, if you have suggestions on where we should stop, if we're coming to your town, if we're coming to Oshkosh or we're going to be in Oshkosh and Butternut and Hayward, where should we go to eat?

Where should we talk to?

What should we do?

Let us play home.

And places

in between, too.

Absolutely.

So coffee shops.

Cheese shops.

Cheese shops.

Record shops.

If there's a cool record shop in your town.

Ice cream

places.

Ice cream places.

bring a hither to unknown facts, such as, for one example, I did not know that butternut was where the butternut squash was invented.

So I'm looking forward to that.

That is true because science said so.

And the founders of that.

Yeah.

That's fantastic.

That's like the city of Buffalo, New York.

That's where the buffalo were turned into wings.

See, I know stuff too.

You're welcome.

It's pretty

random.

Well, you know, I like it.

If you're going

to spring fax, I'll bring fax.

Don't he's asking why we didn't take any videos of the singing last year.

We'll rectify that.

We'll do it this year.

There's reasons.

There

are reasons.

We have to do a little editing, depending upon what we're singing.

Todd Alba, join him this afternoon from two to four across the network in the next week when we hit the road Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Thank you so much, my friend.

I'll be listening this afternoon.

Well,

see you next Tuesday down there.

They're off for the Rockcats and we'll see you next

week.

Sounds great.

News coming up next.

Stay with us on the Civic Media Radio

Network.

Good morning and welcome.

Welcome to Matt and air on air.

Jane Matt and air Greg Bach, Calvin Butenoff coming to you live from our studio here at Radio Park in Racine.

You can always join us.

You can call or text.

The number is the same 855-752-4842.

You can also leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

We are very, very excited to be joined by our next guest, a comedian.

a comedy writer and now an author of America.

Let me in.

Felipe Torres Medina is here.

Good morning, Felipe.

How you doing?

Hi,

Gene.

Thanks for having me, Greg.

Hello.

It is I was so amazed I texted you or I emailed you last week and I said I would love a copy of your book, which I don't know how you did that.

Seriously, that is the fastest anything has ever come through the mail.

Do you know Louis DeJoy personally?

But my incredible book agent, Andrew Blatt, had William Morrison, Deborah, and her assistant, Caroline, who, like, mobilized.

Because I was not home.

If I had been home, I would have mailed it to you myself.

I was doing a book event in San Francisco, so I just emailed them and was like, can you please send a book to Jane?

And they were very quick.

I couldn't believe it.

I think they sent it before you even asked, because literally we got it.

We're like, how is this here now?

How is this possible?

This is how easily we are amazed.

We're like, the mail

is so fast.

Well, now

you are

going to be in the area, correct on the 10th.

Yes.

On the 10th, I will be in Milwaukee at Boswell Books doing a book event with my wife, who is also an author and an Emmy award-winning comedy writer.

She writes for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

And so we'll be in conversation talking a little bit about America and about my book about immigration, my funny book about immigration.

And that's an importance.

thing to keep in mind.

This is a very serious topic, obviously, especially in the days that we are living in right now.

But you take a very lighthearted approach to explain to people all of the different processes people have to go through if they want to immigrate here, including, you know, there's, I had no idea, Felipe, until I looked at your book, how many different visas there are.

And that's not all of them.

That's just the one that I found like fun to write about.

Yeah.

I mean,

there's a lot of really boring ones.

There are, but there are exceptions, you know, for if a company wants to expand, if you want to come here to start a business, if you want to do, I mean, it is remarkable how I had no idea.

I had no idea.

And for me,

A native of this country, if I find this confusing, I can only imagine how confusing it is for people who want to move here.

Well, it's funny because to me, what's really interesting, having been here and been an immigrant in this country for 12, 13 years, I came here in 2013 as a 12 years almost now, is that

Americans have a lot of opinions on immigration.

Everyone in America has an opinion on immigration.

But very few people know how the system really works.

And you see it all the time in social media, and you see it all the time in conversation, you know, with your neighbors, your friends, everyone's like, oh, well, they just need to do this.

They just need to do that.

Just go through the

process.

Exactly.

Do you think the right way, which to me is the biggest myth that exists out there, because the right way changes all the time, you know, and the right way is, even now we saw like day one of the second Trump administration, the right way was to apply for asylum using an app that the government had created.

And they shut down that app within hours of the second administration starting now.

You can debate whether that's good or bad.

That's, that's.

everyone's entitled to their opinion about what that is.

But the truth of the matter, the objective truth is that the right way was that, was to do that.

And they just decided, actually, that is no longer the right way.

You cannot do that.

So the idea of coming here the right way is such a myth because it's shifting sands.

It changes all the time.

And we see that, unfortunately, with people in certain immigrant populations that were granted, say, temporary protected status.

Yeah, TPS.

TPS.

And now that is, that was legal.

That was legal.

These people are here legally.

And then the Trump administration decided, yeah, we're going to revoke that TPS.

And now they all have to leave.

And they've been here for 20 years.

Yeah.

And I think it also is a testament to the failure of the system itself.

You know, this is supposed to be a sunny book.

And I really

don't want to get too bogged down on the like the technicalities of everything.

But TPS is in and of itself, it's in its name, it's temporary.

And these people have been here for 20 years and they should have a way to stay and to remain and make they've made this place their home.

But what really this proves is that there hasn't been any comprehensive immigration reform in 30 years since Bill Clinton was president.

And so

We we have a system that's like we've been papering through the cracks papering over the cracks for 30 years and All of a sudden it's become this thing where someone can just come in and say like well I'm removing the temporary out of the temporary protected status the temporary element is over and so oh Crap we should have done the the reform so that this didn't happen

right

I

You know, and that's the thing too for me, Felipe.

By the way, if you're just joining us, we're talking to Felipe Torres Medina, who is the author of America Let Me In.

I want to rate that.

Choose your immigration story and we're talking about the book and the process.

And one thing that I feel like, you know, if you could, if you can take a step back, I'm speaking for myself right now, you see the left kick the can down the road because I feel like they were afraid to make hard choices or say the

the hard things out loud, whereas Republicans now just to get to say exactly what they've been thinking for a long time.

And this is where we are because what they are doing seems like, quote, some movement.

Like there's been very little movement, but because they're doing something, people will see us as well.

This is a start at least, right?

We'll fix it later.

We'll bring the people back who we got.

Those were all mistakes, but the problem is we're seeing even the mistakes.

They're like, nope, they can stay down in El Salvador or whatever country they're going to.

And I mean, I just feel like as you just said, it's a failure of decades for both sides to really have a frank conversation about a topic that at the end of the day, not everyone is going to agree on a solution.

Yeah, 100%.

And look, the system exists and there are ways to do it.

But I think a little bit of the point that I try to make in the book and a little bit of the

the things that I want to point out is the satire that exists in the book is that the system works if you have money.

Yes.

That

to me was like one of the biggest things that I found out doing all the research for the book.

You know, I found it out firsthand with my own immigration experience.

But there's also all the other kinds of visas and in truth, like having money is the biggest hack.

And what we've created is a system where

we are rewarding having money over many other things that we might need.

There's genuine examples in other countries of how things could work differently.

I remember Pete Buttigieg when he was running for president in 2020, he suggested something that I don't know if it would have worked, but it would have been different.

That was called the Heartland visa, which was visas for skilled workers in

jobs that are needed in particular parts of the heartland where there is no, where there are no people who can do those jobs.

And so that's kind of similar to the way that Canada issues province visas.

And, you know, I don't know if it would have worked, but it would have been something and it would have been different.

And we would have talked about immigration, not as something that needs to be corrected or vilified.

We would have talked about it as a way to fulfill

the promise of America, right?

To fill jobs, to make communities better.

The inaction on the left leads to the discourse of they're eating the cats and the dogs.

That is a straight line.

If you create a community, if you create a sense of like these people are coming here,

to work.

These people are coming here to build a community rather than this is they're on temporary protected status.

Technically it's legal.

I don't know.

I'm not going to talk about it really.

Just ignore it.

You create that straight line.

Whereas if you form a narrative around immigration as a positive, which it is a positive for a country and we can see it, it's tangibly a positive economically, then you can you can avoid these narratives.

in these conversations about immigration is all bad, because people in their communities will see that it isn't all bad.

It sounds like to me, Felipe, and I am not a very smart person, that you are saying that what we need to do is, in the overarching theme of it, is come together, have a long conversation about this, and come up with solutions.

Because what I'm hearing from you is just, these are trying to create maybe not the perfect, maybe not permanent,

but something better than we have because that's how we move forward.

And I know as a comedian, that's what you signed up for is to become an explainer of these issues to the people out there because I'm a comedian too.

I know everyone looks to me for advice.

I'm like, I have a political science degree.

Don't ask me.

I don't know.

Yeah.

And I mean, look, that's the other thing I've been, I've been touring with this book for a little bit, thankfully, and I've been able to go to all sorts of parts of the country.

I was in Boston where like the week or the two weeks after ICE detained this student at Tufts University who has now thankfully been released and I was in Miami last month and it's one of those things where you can see how the current administration and their policies are affecting the communities in a way that's very visceral and real and

You know in the end I'm like, but I'm a comedian, you know I totally feel the fear and I totally fear feel the sadness and You know it is really sad, but how about some jokes because that's the only way I can you know

well and we do that on this program you

We are living in very serious times.

We all appreciate that and we talk about that a lot.

But for the last half an hour of our show, Felipe, we call it audio sorbet, where we talk about silly, non-important things and

then we

wrap up the show with this shouldn't be a thing.

Because I just think if we don't take a moment to laugh about something, we're all gonna self-destruct.

Yeah, 100%.

Yeah.

I could ask you a thousand.

I have other questions I want to ask you.

Mainly I want to talk to you about just your experience with that process too.

And we can talk about that more when we come back because as you said, you are an immigrant.

You've been here for 12 years.

You know that process.

You've gone through it.

And you have a unique outlook from, you know, you work on a television show.

So I imagine that they...

that they may look at as like, well, you are working in an industry.

You are a skilled worker in that sense.

And trying to figure out what your journey through this process has been versus what other people may go through.

And I'm interested to hear about that from you as well.

But as you mentioned, Felipe, it takes money.

It takes

money

if you want to if you want to emigrate here This is an L1 visa.

We're not going to go into this a whole bunch But if you want to file for an L1 visa it is going to cost you four hundred sixty five hundred a hundred and ninety twenty five hundred Yeah, it's a lot of money

It's just fees.

Yeah, I think that those Those my wife's idea when I was writing those the book has explainers and all these visas.

It's like I think you should list

how the fees in all these

kinds of

visas, because it actually helps you prove your point.

We're going

to continue our conversation with Felipe Torres Medina.

He is a comic writer and the author of the book, America.

Let me in.

Stay close.

You are listening to Matt Nair on air.

This is the Civic Media Radio Network.

We'll be right back.

Good

morning.

Welcome back to Matt Nair on air.

Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, Dr. Slide on the board, coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine.

Join us, call or text.

at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube, and what used to be Twitter.

Coming after the 1030 news audio survey for today, you know, there's a national day for everything.

National chocolate chip cookie day, national yoga day, whatever day.

What should be your national day?

What are we missing?

National Greg Day.

What would be your day?

You need a day.

What is your national day?

That's our audio survey coming up after the 1030 News.

We'll wrap up the shows.

We always do with this.

Shouldn't be a thing.

Today it's the year in treble now edition.

Stay tuned for that.

Currently, our guest is an author.

He writes,

for late night television and he wrote, America, let me in, I choose your immigration story.

Felipe Torres Medina is here.

It's a wonderful, lighthearted look at our immigration system.

It's a lighthearted way to look at what a mess our immigration system is.

And earlier, I was alluding to the journey that you had as far as your immigration travels.

And from coming here to where you are right now in America, I'm not saying what's your status, but just what your experience is.

Because honestly, you working in television, the only thing I have is listening to John Oliver talk about his.

And he said, even as a guy who starred on television, it's still a scary process.

It's a long, expensive process with

whoops you have to jump through and I just wanted to know if you could speak on your journey thus far and what you've gone through.

Yeah, it's a, it's, it's a scary, long and expensive process.

I moved here in 2013.

I came here to study.

I came on a student visa.

And after that, I did something called OPT.

And this stuff is all in the book told in a like slightly fictionalized version of my life as part of, as part of one of the paths you can take in the book, because as the title suggests, it's.

kind of interactive so you can pick different kinds of visas, different kinds of stories and see which one you get, but one of these is mine.

So I got something called OPT, which is what students get to be able to work here for a year.

Some students get three years if they're in STEM.

I was in the arts, so I only got one year.

Uh, and after that, I got something called an 01 visa, which is an alien of extraordinary ability visa, which is a ridiculous name.

And you can tell how, even as I was starting to like become a comedian here, I was like surrounded by the absurd.

Yeah.

Lots of

material.

Yeah.

I mean, kind of, you know, because this vehicle is called alien of extraordinary ability.

It makes you sound like you're like in the X men or you're like Alf.

You know.

You

are

ET.

You are ET.

Yeah,

essentially.

Alf reference.

Yes.

And so, uh, you know, I was starting to kind of like come to terms with all that.

And also I had a lot of friends asking me like, Oh, like, well, you know, I had, again, these are like young liberal progressives in New York being like, Oh, but you went to school here.

So you're fine.

Right.

And I had to be like, what?

No.

You have no idea how

the

immigration system works.

No, I have to get visas and I have to do it under certain timeframes.

And if I don't do it, I have to leave.

I had issues with professors at my university.

I went to Boston University, a great school.

I learned a lot.

I had professors who had no idea how the system works and they were like oh well you can just get like a barista job because I went to get my master's in screenwriting and they were like you can just move out to LA and like get a barista job and write and I was like I can't that's like legally not allowed if you're on a student visa even if you get a work permit you have to work in your area of expertise on the thing you went to school for so you can't just get like a day job a survival job and then

like work on your art on the side until you get like the big break, you know, kind of like the idealized vision of how you make it in Hollywood.

Also, can you just imagine that that was the fix?

Like just everybody just go work at Starbucks or a coffee shop.

You'll be fine.

Don't worry about it.

It's fine.

I mean, and that I think that ultimately is the root of the problem too, is that, you know, you think of the problem with this discussion being.

those who disagree and want to do extreme things, but the bigger problem I would say are those who don't, who support you, support you as a person and being here, but know almost nothing about it.

So just think, well, as long as I support them, good work on me, I'm good to go.