Across Wisconsin on Civic Media, you're listening to Mornings with Pat Critello, powered by Up North News.
Now, from our Lake Wissota studio, here's the founding editor of Up North News, Pat Critello.
Well, hey there, Wisconsin.
Good morning.
We made it to Friday.
It's Friday morning, December 12th, 2025.
12, 12, 2025.
Another beautiful morning to have here up north.
live from Lake Wissota from wherever you're listening across the Civic Media radio network or through a podcast or maybe through the app coming through your Bluetooth speaker in your car or home.
We appreciate you wrapping up your work week right here with less than two weeks now.
They go until Christmas.
I got a question for you.
Who knew that Indiana would prove to be the moral center of the Republican Party that we used to know?
Because
Republican senators in their legislature yesterday voted down an order, an order basically from Donald Trump to rig the maps so badly in Indiana, a state that is overwhelmingly Republican, a state that is seven to two in its congressional delegation, but to rig the maps to make it nine Republicans and no Democrats in Congress from the state of Indiana,
and the Republican senators in the Indiana legislature told him to pound sand.
I am every so often reminded that there are still good people who are engaged in public service that I won't agree with on many, many issues, but at least they still have the spinal fortitude to stand up and understand when something is so amazingly wrong, even if it benefits them politically.
So God bless those Indiana Republicans.
You know, seven to two is still a pretty good congressional map.
No need to devolve to third world country status.
So good work out of you.
Our numbers here are 855-75 Civic, 855-752-4842.
You can call or text or use that Civic Media app.
And our question of the day actually goes like this.
Which candidate is in the strongest position right now to be elected Wisconsin's next governor in the 2026 election?
I don't mean if the election were held today.
I'm just saying that right now if you had to go up to the betting window and slide a $2 bill over and say
put it on this person.
Who's in the strongest position right now?
No guarantee that they will win, but what's it looking like?
Why do I ask this?
Because I think several people would say former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, and he's going to be here, live, two hours from right now.
Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes recently announced his candidacy for governor.
a Democratic field that now has seven candidates in there, and he will be joining us live just after the eight o'clock news.
We talked to Joel Brennan live yesterday when he became the seventh candidate to get into the Democratic race, a former top official in the Tony Evers administration during his first term.
And we'd love to know your thoughts on whether this candidate field is pretty well set, like Joseph Peck, he told us yesterday.
He doesn't
really foresee anybody else getting into the race at this point.
This is the field here.
And do you have a favorite or do you have one that, even if they're not your favorite, you think this is probably the one who could win, should win.
We'd love your thoughts at 855-75 Civic, 855-752-4842.
And then keep that Civic Media app handy for texting us because just under an hour from now will be the start of the final day.
of our grown-up gift list text-to-win contest.
This is it.
Yep at the 7 o'clock hour this morning and then 9 and 11 a.m.. And then 1 3 5 and 7 p.m.. You'll get different keywords each time text them in we've got one more daily prize of $200 cash to give to somebody from among all of today's entries and Every entry gets you in the running for three different great grand prizes had to civic media dot us To learn more but gets set to be part of that contest one hour from now
Parker Olson is producing this shindig down in Madison studio a2 and Looking like I mean, I don't see he doesn't have an afghan wrapped around him.
So I guess the heat works a little bit there Yeah, I mean it can but I say that because I mean listen to these temperatures nine below is the cold spot right now in Watoma Hey words at eight below a rice lake is at four below as is Black River Falls Richland Center is at minus two as is Wisconsin Rapids
It's zero degrees here in the Chippewa Valley right now and in Oshkosh, one above in Wasaw, three above in La Crosse.
The warm spot is down at Radio Park in Racine where it's 16 degrees.
There's some milder temperatures along the Great Lakes.
And this is just a preview of coming attractions because, for example, here in the Chippewa Valley tonight, we're going to get down to at least 11 below.
And then Saturday night, 14 below zero for a low heading into Sunday.
Um, we did not make plans for this weekend and we are amazingly thankful because it's really looking like if you, if you don't have to leave the house, don't leave the house.
Yeah.
Well, Pat, there are folks in River Falls who are, uh, playing a football game on Saturday.
Oops.
So they're going to be really cold.
That's what you're telling me, I think.
They are going to be really, really cold.
This is ice bowl territory that we're in right here.
So yeah, who's River Falls Plain?
I am double checking right now because to be perfectly honest with you, it's all mush at this point.
Once
Whitewater is out, he just stops paying attention.
Well, that's not it.
It's just there's too many things to keep track of.
They're playing against Wheaton.
Wheaton is down in Illinois.
Wheaton,
okay, gotcha.
Wow, nice reference.
Thank you very much.
Oh, wait, there is another big game as Alicia reminds
us.
It's a bigger game, yes.
The Army Navy game is this weekend.
She says happy Friday.
It is cold.
Yes, it is, but she will obviously be there wearing something that probably says, you know,
Go Navy beat army or something like that.
That's a good guess.
Yeah,
it should be should be a good contest Tony's up on YouTube in the comment section saying I think Mandela is the betting favorite I think getting the Green Bay mayor and the superior mayor among other endorsements is impressive But I still wouldn't count out Francesca Hong
State representative from Madison.
Absolutely fair take.
We'd love to hear from people who are fans of Senator Calderois, Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
Of course, there's Missy Hughes, who used to head the State Economic Development Corporation.
So plenty of folks who can weigh in on what you think is going to be the strongest campaign for governor in 2026.
Also coming up today, our weekend review panel with some alterations because Mark Jacob and Jennifer Scholesy have gotten an early start to the weekend.
So along with former U.S.
Attorney Jim Santel, our panel this week is made up of Joan Esposito from WCPT Radio in Chicago and Dr. Kristen Lyrely will be sitting in and we'll have more than a couple of headlines to talk about from the week.
We will be talking about, for example, Republicans in the legislature,
backing off their desire to force grieving women to scoop up the remains of a miscarriage and put it in a medical waste bag.
And I know that doesn't sound very, it sounds very graphic, but that is exactly what some Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature wanted to require of grieving women who'd suffered a miscarriage.
And it turns out that as people found out about that,
they backed off.
So we'll talk to Dr. Lierly about that.
With Jim Santel, we'll talk about how President Trump has lost two more court cases that really didn't involve criminal prosecution so much as persecution without due process.
And is the White House ever going to look to its promise to tackle inflation or are they going to stick with the laughable argument that affordability worries are just a hocus?
That's all part of our panel discussion and more in our seven o'clock hour.
And I'm sure we will get to as well in both in the we can review panel segment and coming up shortly here with Courier Newsroom's Key of the Keel.
What happened in the Senate yesterday, the promised vote
on extending the enhanced premium tax credits that make health insurance more affordable under the Affordable Care Act.
There was a vote on it yesterday in the Senate as promised as part of a deal to end the government shutdown.
And it got 51 votes and you're saying, okay, it passed.
We're going to save some money now.
No, we're not because in the Senate, you need 60 votes to blow your nose and 51 votes, a majority just ain't going to cut it.
You know, some of us
or old enough to remember when the United States Senate had a vaunted reputation as the world's greatest deliberative body.
Weighty issues would be debated by senators with the security of six-year terms resistant to the political wins of the moment and grand compromises could be achieved.
Yeah, those days are gone.
And it was really put on display tellingly yesterday when you had 51 senators
But that still wasn't enough for four Republicans crossing over But that still wasn't enough to stop the larger Republican plan to make Americans pay Exhaustingly higher health insurance premiums Just to make a political point just to make a point.
So I think they can probably spare all of us the affordability argument and just go ahead and stick with
No stick with the the issue of we were we're here for the health insurance companies and not for the consumer Tony says you got dr. Liarley of WCPT Chicago what I get yes, I guess I should point out not only Jonah Spasio from WCPT But the dr. Kristen Liarley show is heard across the civic media radio network on Saturdays But he also now airs on that Chicago radio station.
So good on her
From uh, yeah, there we go.
She she deserves a Casio keyboard round of applause that way But the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Boston Celtics 116 to 101.
Yannis is still out though for some time, right?
Um, I've got a very honest with it.
I don't really keep up with the Bucks I do know it was two to four weeks that he was looking at yeah should be out still
right now They they will next play Sunday evening in Brooklyn against the Nets I think most folks are focused rightly on
football because you've got the Packers at Denver playing the Broncos at 325 on Sunday.
So you will be able to see or I'm sorry, you will be able to listen to the pregame starting at one o'clock on several stations across the civic media radio network.
And then again, remember, they play after this coming Sunday, the next play on Saturday night.
So a week from tomorrow, they will have a Saturday night game in Chicago.
And then the game after that.
will be a Saturday night game against the Baltimore Ravens, which everybody will be glued to because they'll be watching on Peacock?
Or will they?
You know, you can catch the game right here on Civic Media.
When your app fails you and you get too frustrated to keep trying, you know, Wayne and Larry have all the coverage you need on the radio.
Give it a listen that way instead.
And also the Wisconsin Badgers women's volleyball team advances hopefully this afternoon throughout the NCAA national tournament.
They are a three seed.
They are now in Austin, Texas for the regional semifinal and they play this afternoon at 130 against two seed.
Stanford.
So, you know, the Badgers have consistently, you know, they haven't been atop the national polls, but they've been, you know, right up there.
And it's in the national tournament where you got to shine.
And hopefully the Badger women on the volleyball team will get a chance to do that.
And then normally, I'm sorry,
I think that you need to point out to that this badger volleyball team is incredibly different compared to the one last year.
So to get to this point is kind of remarkable for how young they are and how different they
are.
It really is.
I mean, they're still a quality team, obviously.
And therefore, something you don't take for granted.
Somebody, you know, a group of women that you really can cheer for because, I mean, I'm not going to say they're total underdogs, but they definitely, you know, have some room for performance and growth.
And maybe they can show that off coming up this weekend.
All right, coming up next, we will talk to Courier Newsroom's Kia Vakil, and then so much more ahead yet between now and nine o'clock when we have the final edition of Matt and Air on Air before Jane Matt and Air's retirement.
Big day today.
From the heart of America's Up North, live from Lake Wissota, thanks for making this the place to spend part of your mornings.
I'm Pat Crightlow.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Nice to have you back on a Friday morning.
It is 622, which means we check in with Courier newsrooms Kia Vekila, our national political editor out in Los Angeles.
Kia.
Hello.
How are you?
I am all right, Pat.
How about yourself?
Doing well, thanks.
We are talking just as the U.S.
Senate has held dueling votes on health care, though the one we knew was coming, you know, about extending the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, and then we weren't sure if there was going to be a Republican alternative or not, but in the end there was that plan put up for a vote, and the verdict is nobody wins.
Nobody went.
Well, maybe the health insurance companies, but other than that, nobody wins.
No,
not even
them.
They're the ones who get the subsidies directly paid to them, so they don't win either.
Everyone loses.
Wow.
Good job, guys.
Now, I will say, and this is more of an indictment of the filibuster than anything else, but both of the votes were 51-48.
if I'm not mistaken.
So technically, you know, people can say that a majority of the Senate, because it included, what, four Republicans, right?
A majority of the Senate voted to extend the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, the enhanced credits, but 51 votes is not enough in today's United States Senate.
Yeah, I mean, this is, this joins
a mountain of evidence that we need to get rid of the filibuster.
It's just
Wild that a majority doesn't mean anything in the Senate And yeah, it's unfortunate because you know this The bill failed the house bills are almost certainly gonna fail we have Within three weeks people are gonna see their premiums double triple quadruple or lose there like a lot of people are just gonna forego insurance because
who can afford it when you're paying $700, $800, $1200 a month.
It's obscene.
Republicans put up exactly what we thought.
It was basically health savings accounts.
And I mean, we've talked, we've talked eight ways to Sunday about how that's just not enough.
But so from a policy standpoint, it's just not enough.
From a political standpoint, Kia, they still after 15 years have nothing, nothing.
They have not, I mean, that's because they are a party that their only ideas are to take rights and benefits away from people.
And that's pretty much it.
And then obviously now with Trump, some other nasty things up with ICE, but on healthcare, they have zero ideas.
A health savings account that is cooked up by some doofus at a think tank does nothing to actually help people.
Healthcare costs are crazy.
a thousand dollars a year in an HSA, that covers almost nothing.
Like it's, if you're super healthy, yeah, maybe you'll get a hundred dollars left over, but if you are a normal person, I'm 34, I just had a doctor's appointment, I have aches and pains, I have all sorts of things, and I know that's not gonna go away.
That would last me maybe two months.
And then the rest of the
year, I'd be completely on my own.
right or a birth that costs in the neighborhood of $18,000 uh they're gonna give you a thousand dollars all right well good luck with that so yeah it was a joke so as as noted four republicans did cross over to vote with democrats for an extension no democrats crossed over to vote on the republican plan one republican ran paul actually left it as well meanwhile on this on the house side of the capital we have discussed how there are
understandably nervous Republicans saying, well, we need to put up something.
And I just got done listening to one Republican saying, you know, acknowledging that the subsidy extensions are supported by a majority of Americans.
Even Marjorie Taylor Greene is signing a discharge petition that would call for a vote on this.
Although I think that's more out of spite for Speaker Johnson, but she she does again recognize the popular support for people being able to afford health insurance.
Yeah, I mean, there are still some politically astute people in the Republican Party who recognize that if you take healthcare away from millions of people and make 15 to 20 million more pay an arm and a leg for increasingly worse coverage, you're going to get clobbered at the ballot box next year.
And yes, they are gerrymandering.
They might reduce, but.
You know there are still swing districts there are and we're seeing in special elections Democrats flipping Trump held seats and winning them by 10 15 points so you can only gerrymanders so much and You know if you just completely Step on rakes on health care and make a point of making clear to voters that you don't care if they don't have health care They're gonna punish you and Marjorie Taylor Greene Sees that a few other Republicans in the house see that but
By and large, it's a caucus of Tea Party meets MAGA meets Freedom Caucus extremists who just don't care and don't believe government has any responsibility to help people, you know, stay healthy and stay safe in their communities.
And so what you have is they want it to be the Wild West where insurance companies can do whatever they want and people die younger, people are sicker and everyone's more miserable.
Keva Keal is here with us from Courier Newsroom and this is the time of year that people are traveling.
So I feel like we should let people know that the travel rules might be changing in one country.
To something I, you know, I can't imagine anybody would support where visitors will have to provide
their social media for the last five years.
That's to get into a country which is already going to be hurting tourism.
Keel, what third world nation, what despot would have those kinds of rules for immigration being proposed?
Oh, you know, Donald Trump.
Oh,
wait, that's here?
Yeah.
The United States of America is going to say, if you want to come in, you got to turn over your social media for the last five years.
Papers, please, to be reviewed.
Yeah, let me I'm going to read off the list of things just because it's particularly obscene.
So if you want to come, let's say for the World Cup or the Olympics, you have to provide your telephone numbers in the last five years, your email addresses in the last 10 years.
Your IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos, who the hell knows how to do that?
Your family members' names, their telephone numbers, their dates of birth, their places of birth, where they live.
Your biometrics, this should set off alarm bells, your pictures of your face, your fingerprint, your DNA, your iris in your eye, your business phone numbers in the last five years, and your business emails in the last 10 years.
In no way, shape or form, would I ever provide any of that if I were going, I would not go to that country.
That is so crazy.
And it's good.
I mean, if anyone comes for the World Cup, I will be shocked.
Congratulations, Republican Party.
You have become the big government you warned us about for all those years.
Unbelievable.
Keva Keel, I think we got a special show next week, so I'm going to wish you happy holidays now and we'll talk to you later.
Thanks, Pat.
Have a good
one.
I'm Pat Krightlow.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
It's time once again for today's history lesson on mornings with
Pat Cranklow.
Well, welcome to this happy place.
Welcome.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the Beatles.
That's one small step for man.
Well, I'm not a
crook.
Do you believe in miracles
yet?
You know, this depression is going to be so great.
We'll be the ones eating the cats and the dogs.
That's going to be fun.
Once again, it is time to take another revealing peek back into history.
Now this man here is going to take me by the hand.
Guess who?
He's going to lead me down the right path.
The righteousness and all that other mother jazz.
110 years ago
for Frank
Sinatra.
Fly me to the moon.
Let me swing among those stars.
If you have been listening to this show with any frequency whatsoever and you still do not have Sinatra live at the Sands with Count Basie.
Come on, get with the program here.
I know it's one
of your favorite albums.
Francis Albert Sinatra, born this day in 1915, passed away in 1998.
Greg Bach is here for today's Friday history lesson as well.
Mr. Bach, how are you?
I'm doing well.
Well?
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, I'm doing well.
All right.
Well, to say good would be Grammarly inaccurate.
And
Grammarly inaccurate
is Grammarly
accurate.
Thanks.
Good job, Captain Good English.
Thank you,
sir.
Very good, Lee.
All right.
Anyway, let's continue with the history.
Then we'll get into it.
You know, Greg's got a big day ahead here.
So it's a lot of fun.
It's true.
A little bittersweet, but it's going to be a lot of fun.
Also born on this day.
Bob Barker, the late great host of The Price Is Right, was born in 1923 on this day.
Also born on this day back in 1943 is Grover Washington Jr.
And a lot of people thought that it's him that you're going to hear in this little song snippet, but it's not.
Play his big hit.
That was actually Bill Withers doing the singing.
This is Grover Washington, Jr.
playing tracks.
It's a Grover Washington track.
Yes.
A Grover Washington jam, if you will.
1943 was born.
Passed away in 1999.
Former Milwaukee Brewer Gorman Thomas.
Storming Gorman, 75 years old today.
Wait, have you ever met another Gorman?
Have I ever met another Gorman?
I mean, I don't know if you've ever met Gorman Thomas, but I can't for the life of me think of another Gorman
another Gorman That's a that's a great question.
This is one of those where you go to your Google machine and You put Gorman and you see what else comes up.
I think
you're gonna get
a lot of Star Wars stuff.
Oh Why there is a new planet and from one of the shows called Gorman a planet.
Yes, okay No, I got I got
Gorman Rupp, a pump and electrical company based out of Mansfield, Ohio.
So Greg, I think you're, you're right.
I've nobody's met another Gorman.
They're all last name Gormans.
They're all like, yeah.
Burn Gormans.
Well, that's a weird name.
Well, happy birthday to Storm and Gorman.
One of a kind.
One of a kind.
Absolutely.
Yep.
Happy birthday as well to singer Dionne Warwick.
She is 85 years old
today.
So she had plenty of
hits in the late 60s, early 70s.
But I think a lot of Generation X knows her best from hosting.
What was it?
Solid Gold was one of those weekend TV shows where they had dancers that danced along to the top hits.
It wasn't quite American bandstand.
Solid Gold was like the 70s version of it.
I had to watch as a kid.
Oh, yeah.
I was forced to watch it.
It was that or Lawrence welcoming.
Come on.
All right.
All right.
All right.
All
right.
Actress Mayan Bialik is 50 years old today.
We're to think of characters from the Big Bang Theory in their fifties now, but she is also a birthday today for singer Sheila E.
We'll basically look for any reason to play something Prince-adjacent, and Sheila Ease, The Glamorous Life, fits that to a T. She is 68 today.
Actress Regina Hall is 55 years old today.
On this day, 55 years ago, 1970, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles started a two-week run at number one.
This, of course, would be tears of a clown.
On this day in 1924, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue received its premiere in a concert that was titled An Experiment in Modern Music.
Gershwin played the piano as part of it, and it had a little staying power after all these many years later, 101 years later.
And let's see, I think I've got one more number one hit.
This one's from 1987 and it's George Michael.
So this became the number one song December 12th of 1987.
So it would go on to become the best selling single of 1988 because this thing too had some legs to it.
I think my sister had two copies of this record.
Not the CD or the tape, the
record.
The record, yes.
On this day in 1992, Whitney Houston began a 20-week run atop the U.S.
album chart with the soundtrack to The Bodyguard.
Thanks, of course, to, you know, I Will Always Love You and other songs from the movie.
On this day, five years ago, Bad Bunny's El Ultimo Tour del Mundo hits number one on the album chart, becoming the first album entirely in Spanish.
to top the U.S.
album charts, and still there are people who go, I don't know if he should be at the Super Bowl or not.
Sit down.
Here's a birthday for tomorrow, but we won't be on tomorrow, and I mean, at his age there's no guarantees.
So today, let's celebrate tomorrow's 100th birthday for Dick Van
Dyke.
It's a fair
sentiment though because Betty White was on her way to 100 and we're like, wait,
what?
What?
No, you can't do
that yet.
Oh
yeah, it happens.
I believe it happened with Bob Barker as well.
But the thing is with Betty White and Dick Van Dyke.
You have to admire that when they were still like 99 99 and a half whatever still had a great attitude You know they were still doing the occasional interview.
I've seen a couple of clips with dick Van Dyke and Like a lot of folks who had fame and fortune for a time He'd probably be the first to tell you he's surprised to have lived this long Because he he spent a big chunk of the middle of his career in a bottle, you know, yeah
He has said he does not remember much of this movie, Mary Poppins, from 1964, I believe, because his drinking was so heavy at that point.
But again, got off it.
got cleaned up and you know was just a funny terrific actor in all kinds of roles ever since so
and really one of the greatest greatest portrayals of an English person by an American actor ever I mean
the accent is
just I think he studied I think he studied on the west side of London for
like
a year
oh wow
that would make sense
that
was a joke Parker
I don't know enough about dick
He fished us right in
there.
Oh, wow.
He fished us right
in.
See, I was immediately thinking about how Kate Hudson studied for her accent for this new movie, Song Song Blue, at the Mars Cheese Castle.
She would spend time there just listening to people.
So, hey, whatever gets it done.
All right, we can bring Dick Van Dyke out and we, you know what?
Before we get to the National Day calendar, let's not bury the lead here.
The beloved Jane Mattenair.
is wrapping things up today.
Greg, I mean, how cool has it been to be working with her these past couple of years?
Because I listened to her, you know, about 30 years ago, living in Milwaukee and hearing her and to get a chance to work with her has just been amazing.
Yeah, I mean, it's it's an individual that I grew up watching, listening, sorry, looking at myself right now in the live streams can't help him so pretty.
know, it's someone that I listen to a lot my mom like my mom would always have those stations on in the house and I would listen to Jane and it's.
For me, working with her is a masterclass in in radio broadcasting, you know, if you know anything about my story, I did not grow up in this industry.
So I've been very lucky to get where I've been and the fact that I've been able to spend my time for the past year since basically since I've been here with her learning.
and her giving me the ability to host the show when she's on vacation and, you know, just take on responsibilities, but also be on the air with her and learn how to be a proper personality on the air has been priceless.
And I, excuse me, appreciate so much.
And I'm going to miss her a great deal.
She'll still be in our lives.
She'll tell you herself, she's going to be texting all of you.
But also it's...
We're going to miss her.
And I'm just hoping that whatever we do next with the show will be in honor of what she already set up with the mission of Matt and Erin air about conversations, learning, talking, you know, having a good time while doing it.
And just, you know, as she would say every day, finding a little joy and sharing it when you can.
Yes, exactly.
And, you know, she she actually
put off her retirement a little bit here because I mean, after years and years and years and years of being a morning show, you know, partner, she finally had the opportunity to headline a show and, you know, said, well, why not give that a shot?
And the the management under this little civic media umbrella, they were brilliant enough to put you in as co host with her.
And it has worked so amazingly well.
And thank you.
I just I think it was just a great opportunity for all of us.
And
the listeners included.
And again, this is all just to say that her, the final edition of Matt and Aaron air will be today from 9am until 11am.
And I have no idea.
And I'm sure Jane has no idea what you have sketched out for the show
today.
Oh, it's going to be fun.
We're going to have great guests.
We're going to have some surprises.
None of them are.
This is your life.
No,
but there was a, there was a great surprise, a song or something that she'd worked on and she had, she had absolutely no memory of working on it.
Not in the Dick Van Dyke way, but in the way of, oh my God, I've done so much stuff over
the
past 40 years that, you know, I love when that comes up and you go.
No, literally, I do not remember doing that because I've seen that.
I've seen that with me.
You know, I'll look at something in a box in the basement and I'll go, I have nothing.
It's a box of
stuff.
Where did that box of stuff come
from?
It all looks like my handwriting, but what was I thinking at that point?
So that'll be nice.
All right, we can get back on track here as Parker tells us what's on the national day calendar for today.
Today is national universal health care or health coverage.
Excuse me.
Today is National Universal Health Coverage Day?
Yes.
Oh
boy.
Talk
about the day.
Wow.
Send a note to your favorite Republican senator right now and wish them a happy Universal Health Coverage Day.
You know why?
Because they've got it.
Yep.
They've got great health coverage.
They've got amazing health coverage.
And so do your legislators who have been, you know, preventing a Medicaid expansion or expanding Medicaid to postpartum care for new moms.
But they have great coverage.
Pat, and aren't the, isn't the Madison legislature next next year going on like out of nine or 10 month vacation?
They probably will do
at least a nine month vacation next year.
Fully paid.
Fully paid.
And health insurance.
Don't worry.
Yeah.
All good.
All good.
What a great job.
I know.
No wonder so many people should go see Kit next year.
Yeah.
And see we got one more on the calendar.
It is Gingerbread House and Gingerbread Decorating Day.
Greg, you ever do
gingerbread houses?
I did them a couple of times as kids in school and they were they were exactly what you think they became towards the end, which was a weird mixture of gingerbread frosting glue and all of my tears.
And I do like the people who were smart enough to post on social media.
If that ever happens, put a toy dinosaur right next to it.
And that way you have an excuse.
Greg Bach, you can catch him on Matt and Air on Air coming up 9 to 11 today.
One more time before Jane steps away.
And coming up here on the program, we've got Mandela Barnes, candidate for governor, coming up in just over an hour.
I'm Pat Critello.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Hey, welcome back.
It's a Friday morning.
It's December 12th.
Parker Olson producing things in Madison.
Greg Bach on the drums down at Radio Park in Racine.
And in the comments section of YouTube from Tony, what a nice way of telling the listeners to buy you things.
Well, we were talking in the commercial break about we have Laura Burdon as a guest frequently, author and gives book recommendations.
And
she's the one who turned us on to something called, is it bookshop.org?
I want to say that.
It's like it's the small bookstore alternative to Amazon.
And you actually pick a small bookstore in your area.
And when you order off of bookshop.org, a percentage of that goes to the small bookstore, you know, as if you bought it directly from them.
That's
awesome.
Yeah, and I got a book in the mail yesterday, which I assumed was from my daughters because they're the only ones who knew that I have a wish list at bookshop.org.
But no, it turned out it was somebody else who listens to the show and knew to go look over there.
So, Tony, I don't want to say that this was a nice way of telling the listeners to buy me things, but the fact that I've now mentioned it and brought your quote up on the screen twice tells me that maybe you're on to me.
Could
be the case.
And if you're listening to the live, if you're watching the live stream, you've heard that story twice now, so you doubly know to buy him stuff.
All right.
You totally know if he's going to
tell the radio listeners about it as well.
I guess we should resume our regularly scheduled programming with some entertainment news from Parker Olson.
Yes, Pat.
I know you're not a big Hunger Games guy, but we have a Hunger Games story because
Hunger Games story.
Yes, because there is another Hunger Games movie coming out.
It is a prequel.
called Sunrise on the Reaping, and reportedly Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, the main two from the original trilogy, or quadrilogy?
I don't know.
Quadrology.
Quadrology.
Thank you.
Fans are very excited because, quote, it's basically Jesus returning to Earth.
That's how excited they are to have Jennifer Lawrence back in the Hunger Games.
How is she gonna be in this movie?
It's like, she's gonna be a child?
It's a flash forward scene, I guess.
Oh, a flash forward scene.
Yeah.
Fan
service is just not worth it in some of these movies.
It's like... Yeah.
It I'm talking to you Marvel.
I'm talking to you DC.
I'm talking to all these big, you know Properties and IPs.
It's like it's like they might be in the movie.
Great.
I'm still not giving you $15
Another one wrote that for non Hunger Games fans.
This would be like Rihanna returning to music.
Okay.
All right.
Yeah,
tamp it down,
bro But it does lead to the story about Disney licensing its characters to an AI company
And once this thing gets up and running, you will be able to create AI features with Disney characters in them.
What could possibly go wrong?
Yeah.
The internet usually wins this one every time.
Yes.
The statement, and Sherry heard me laugh out loud, the statement from the company says it's something like, you know, we are promoting the responsible use of AI.
And I'm like, responsible use of AI.
That's one of those contradiction in terms, you know, military intelligence or jumbo shrimp, responsible use of AI.
Sure.
Good luck with that.
Yeah.
What else we got for entertainment spots?
Well, Pat, we have one more birthday to report.
Okay.
Uh, yeah, it's mine.
My birthday's today, everybody.
Yeah.
What?
What?
And I have a wonderful song to commemorate the moment.
Hit it, Parker.
Oh, God.
Yeah.
Oh, no.
Oh.
This is a tragedy.
This is amazing.
This
is Greg Bach's birthday revenge.
So here's the thing.
OK.
If you listen to this show with frequency, you know that every year, Pat forgets that it's my birthday today.
Yes, I do.
Yep, I do.
And the first year, it was fun.
The second year, I'm like, oh my god.
And I'm literally driving to the radio station day, Pat.
And I love you so, so, so much.
You know how much I love you.
I was like, please let him forget for a third time.
I
did.
Yeah,
this is not a proud moment for me.
When you play Frank Sinatra, I thought you were going to wish me, oh, hey, this is fun.
This is fun.
This is my doing.
Fun for you.
Oh, it's great for all of us.
Oh,
gosh.
Happy birthday, Greg.
Thank you very much.
I don't care.
Like, that doesn't bother me at all.
Seriously.
If you would, Pat, if you would have said, like, have a birthday, I'm like, oh, man.
Well, it turns out that I did remember your birthday and there's a gift.
It just hasn't arrived yet from bookshop.org.
I cannot believe.
I cannot believe that that hasn't arrived yet.
I'll be back on that site
real soon.
Folks, this entire segment was brought to you by bookshop.org.
Bookshop.org.
Buy your books locally.
Don't give your money to a billionaire.
Splendidly.
Yes.
Tony, remember, he's got happy birthday, Greg, up there in the comment
section.
Oh, man, that's amazing.
Tony,
so we had a whole segment about Pat getting gifts on Greg's
birthday.
Well, yes, yes.
Pat, I thank you for being the unknowing.
Unknowing is right.
This was the perfect start to my day.
And yeah, I was actually trying to keep it totally quiet.
because when they announced that Jane's last day would be today, I'm like, um, you know, I'm not gonna say my birthday.
I'm just gonna let her have the day.
I'll celebrate later with family.
I'm not gonna.
And then one day on the radio, she goes, it's my last day and Greg's birthday.
I'm like, oh.
You know what this is really a failure of on so many levels, of course, but you know how much pride I take in these, this day in history notes.
Yeah.
And I have, I have other.
people's birthdays in them too.
I had Dr. Lyle's birthday in here from a few days back.
I was positive I had yours in and I'm thinking it's probably in one of the, I put it under the wrong day or something in it that you were, you're going to get like a message out of the blue going, see, I knew it was actually January 12th or something.
And happy birthday to Greg Bach personality answer in media.
It's a February the 14th.
Happy birthday.
That's it.
I'm just going to make up a birthday for
this.
I love it.
I love it.
I am so sure.
I thought of a better way to spend time with friends on my birthday than this is great.
Yes.
You can bring Paul McCracken.
back up.
I clearly deserve every little bit of what's left of this
horrible
song.
Have a great birthday, Greg.
Thanks, buddy.
Have a great final episode of Matt Nara Nara coming up
at 9
o'clock and give her love from all of us here too as well.
Will do.
All right.
Thanks everybody.
All right.
Let's get a little news coming up.
Our weekend review panel is on the way as well and a keyword in our grown-up gift list text-to-win contest.
Stick
around.
We're standing
Across Wisconsin on Civic Media, you're listening to Mornings with Pat Gritlow.
powered by Up North News.
Now, from our Lake Wissota studio, here's the founding editor of Up North News, Pat Crightlow.
Good morning, it is 7 0 6.
Nice to have you back here up north on a Friday morning.
It is December 12th.
2025.
I'm Pat Krightler here in Chippewa Falls.
Parker Olson producing things down in Madison in Studio A2.
Coming up one hour from now, Mandela Barnes, former Lieutenant Governor and candidate for governor in 2026 will be joining us at one of
seven announced Democratic candidate so far.
The most recent candidate, Joel Brennan, was on our show yesterday.
You can always listen back to that by subscribing to the show as a podcast over at Spotify or Apple, or listen back at the Civic Media website.
And again, Mandela Barnes coming up in just an hour.
But before that, we have our Week in Review panel, a modified panel of sorts.
I would dare say, I would dare say,
equal to the task without Mark Jacob or Jennifer Chantel.
Wait until you hear who's joining us this week.
But first, it's time for our grown-up gift list, Text to Win Contest, one final day.
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All right, this week's panel is anchored as always by former U.S.
Attorney Jim Santel because there never seems to be any lack of lawlessness in the news to talk about these days.
But we are also very happy to be joined by Dr. Kristen Lierly and from WCPT Radio in Chicago, Jonas Pezzito, panel, good morning.
Good morning.
Good
morning.
How
are you?
Oh, such an esteemed group that we have here today.
This is this is just wonderful.
Let's let's start Jim with you, because again, there's there's always there's always something.
And that includes a couple of more setbacks for the Trump administration in court this week.
One involving the the attempts to persecute, I would say not prosecute, you know, an attorney and another dealing with
an immigrant who was mistakenly deported and yet the Trump administration is still trying to make this guy's life a living hell, but setbacks in both cases this week, Jim.
Absolutely.
So this is one of those instances where apparently three times is not a charm.
A grand jury, again, just this past week or so, a couple of days ago, once again, declined to indict Logisha James, the attorney general of New York, presumably on mortgage charges.
And that's significant because again, grand juries are the ones responsible for figuring out whether or not there's probable cause to believe that a
proposed defendant has committed a crime.
This is the second time in two weeks in which the grand jury, a grand jury in Eastern Virginia has attempted to charge, as the president describes her, his adversary who is guilty as hell of what we don't know.
And that's significant.
At some point, it does become abusive to go back a third, fourth, and fifth time.
There's something preventing them from doing that.
But that's happening.
The James Comey thing is also somewhat stymied just because of some evidentiary setbacks there.
The President's folks at the Department of Justice just can't seem to get that together.
And then there is this big Kilmar-Abrego Garcia news coming out of
Maryland.
That's where a judge named Paula Zinnis.
We've talked about her a lot who's been very frustrated with what she has described just a couple of days ago as the lies and the dissembling, the deception by Department of Justice lawyers.
She has said enough is enough.
And because the government again failed to get a removal order, that's what's needed before you can deport someone.
Mr. Rodrigo Garcia this morning is released after four months in custody.
He is still facing a criminal charge.
in Tennessee that's coming up for trial in January.
But as of this morning, he is a free man.
And yes, he's not in El Salvador.
He is in the United States of America for the first time since his abrupt return four months ago.
Joan this kind of overkill in the courts you know raises this question and I wonder if your your callers Share the sentiment that you know Donald Trump might have gotten a pass for going after say one of his political adversaries maybe a James Comey and people would have said well It's his right to bring charges But when he brings so many different cases about so many different people and including the undocumented immigrants where they get all the facts wrong They don't have probable cause.
I mean Donald Trump probably could have gotten away with a little
this but he has so severely overplayed his hand that it it feels like it's really starting to backfire with the public or do you disagree
oh no I and I think frankly I think it started to backfire as soon as that message that was supposed to be a private message to Pam Bondi was released hey Pam you're not going after my enemies fast enough we need to speed this up we look bad I mean
He went on the record right then and there as saying that that's what this was revenge and retribution and frankly even if it had just been one prosecution of James coming I still think people would have Smelled the rat in that and seen it for what it was
Kristen.
Let's talk about another example of overreach that was in the news this week and that
dealt with something in the legislature where Republicans were proposing a bill that they ostensibly was all about water protection, groundwater protection, but in order to trace whether there's any abortion pills in the water supply, they were going to make grieving women do something that I consider to just monstrous and they've backed off it, I think in large part to you and others who've called attention to it, tell us what they were doing and what they have apparently removed now from the bill.
we know how much Republicans care about clean water so deeply that they've invested in things like PFAS cleanup and getting rid of lead pipes, right?
Well,
all of a sudden they've got this new legislation, proposed legislation that abortion medication is a huge problem in our groundwater.
And in order to avoid contaminating the water,
women who use abortion medication would have to catch the contents that come out of their bodies, what we call the products of conception, and put them in a kit that I called a brill bag or a joc in the box to name after the authors of this legislation to return it to the doctor's office.
You know, it is as ridiculous as it sounds.
These catch kits, first of all, are shaming and humiliating and just completely inappropriate, but
Mostly, this is just obviously an anti-abortion bill.
And I think they received so much public pressure.
And this is one of the cool things about being on your showpat and talking about these things.
the public can make a difference here.
And when we're having these conversations on social media, and they sense, hey, maybe we're really off here, which clearly they were, they'll change things up.
And that's exactly what happened here.
One of the other authors, Nasty Nate Gustafson, removed those things, offered an amendment, took those things out of the legislation, and that is no longer a piece of this gross anti-abortion bill.
And we've got one more piece of overreach and, uh, Joan, it's next door to you in Indiana, where we have discovered that there is still some resemblance of a moral center within the Republican party, maybe not in Washington, DC, maybe not even in Madison, but at the state level where Indiana Republicans in their state Senate voted overwhelmingly, as it turned out, more Republicans voted no than yes on a scheme.
to rig the Indiana maps from seven to two Republican to nine to nothing Republican.
Again, just such an overreach, so obvious.
And yet, Joan, I'm still, I gotta admit, I'm still a little surprised when it seems like everybody rolls over for Donald Trump, that these Indiana Republicans stood up.
Oh my God, surprise doesn't begin to capture it.
Yesterday, by the end of my show, when I found out what Indiana had done,
I mean, it was like waking up tomorrow and finding out that the sky was going to be permanently pink from now on.
It's just Indiana!
Indiana stood up to Trump of all the states that you might have guessed might push back a little bit.
Indiana?
Indiana Pat?
Well, but, but Indiana also gave us Mike Pence.
Again, a man with whom I share almost nothing in terms of political, you know, agreements, but who stood up and did not go along with the attempted coup in 2020.
So whatever they're putting in the cornflakes there in Indiana appears to carry some kind of weight.
But I mean,
we we were all surprised this this whole gerrymandering thing is going to continue and and Jim there's nothing in the court pipeline right now that would make them reconsider the notion that political gerrymanders are you know
equally bad.
We already know racially gerrymandering is bad.
That's illegal.
They're trying to make the case that political gerrymandering, while ugly is not illegal.
And does that remain the case?
Are we still game on despite this setback for Republicans in Indiana?
It is.
The Supreme Court said a number of years ago that their federal courts will no longer be in the business of overseeing and limiting
political partisan gerrymandering, a stunning decision.
Supreme Court says we shouldn't be involved in these kinds of political issues.
They're always involved in these kinds of issues.
So political gerrymandering, again, that's how the Texas folks are, at least as to now, getting away with doing those five additional Republican majority districts.
That certainly is still much in the news, especially since the companion piece, whether or not racial gerrymandering is permissible, that is also, as you just indicated,
Pat on the docket, the Supreme Court considering as we have chatted about...
Considering whether or not the Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional, if they say it is unconstitutional, then racial gerrymandering also becomes okay.
I can draw lines based upon my partisan views.
I can draw lines based upon what racial group, the color of the skin and heritage of the voters, which racial group I want to disenfranchise or enfranchise as I draw those lines.
stunning time in American history.
Stunning doesn't begin to capture the questions that they were weighing this week that we will still get into in terms of contribution limits to political candidates, the independence of federal agencies.
It's just been a week that again, I think
pre-Trump we never thought we'd be at a point like this and yet we're having multiple cases like this talking about talked about in the Supreme Court in just one week in a very short span here before I forget you can hear more from Jim Santel on amicus a law review you can listen Saturday mornings at 9 a.m.
across civic media stations around the state and then Dr. Kristen Lahrley not that far afterwards Saturday at noon across the civic media radio network both shows replayed on Sundays Christians is also on a little radio station in Chicago or
Did they keep you?
Did you last more than one a week there?
I mean, because if you can make it there.
I can make it anywhere.
I guess.
Yeah.
I get to hang out with Joan.
I mean, how cool is that?
I know.
And so Joan, you can catch her live, local and progressive show weekday afternoons from two until five.
You can find links to guests to past episodes and to podcasts over at heartlandsignal.com.
And you got up so nice and early to be with us on our show before yours.
I mean,
This is quality pinch hitting right here, Joe.
I appreciate that very
much.
That's right.
Well, Mark and Jennifer, they owe you.
That's all I got to say about that.
So we'll continue this discussion along the way.
Plenty of things in the news for us to talk about.
But first, a reminder that our keyword is Polar, P-O-L-A-R, in the grown-up gift list, text-to-win contest you've got until eight o'clock to send that in.
And then right after eight o'clock, we will be visiting live with former Lieutenant Governor and candidate for Governor Mandela Barnes.
I'm Pat Critello from Up North News and this is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Welcome back.
It is a Friday morning December 12th and a reminder as always to follow what we do at up North news by signing up for our newsletters plural.
We've got a weekday of addition.
And we've got a Sunday morning politics edition that I work on.
You can sign up for all of these at up north news wi.com.
Click subscribe up in the top banner.
Ellie has a story in today's edition about how to support conservation efforts across Wisconsin, which is important when you consider that Republicans in the legislature killed state funding for the Knowles Nelson stewardship program.
And of course, Friday means it's our locals love section.
Locals love, in this case, their local supper club.
And people are on there bragging about their supper clubs, the best ones in their neck of the woods.
And we will review some of the responses there coming up a little bit later on in the program.
But we'll continue our weekend review panel here now with former U.S.
Attorney Jim Santel, Dr. Kristen Lyrely, and Chicago radio host, Jonas Pizito.
And for folks that missed it in the last hour in my conversation with Courier Newsrooms, Kia Vakil, we talked about how the United States Senate, Kristen, was once known as the world's greatest deliberative body.
And that, you know, it wasn't so much about party labels.
This was the place where compromises could be forged.
And they are as useless now as a submarine with a screen door, as they were asked to extend the very popular Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.
And even though it got 51 votes, 51 votes in the Senate.
means nothing because they've twisted the rules in a way to make it that you got to have 60 votes to do anything.
But Kristen, for Republicans crossing over and giving that measure 51 votes, I think still sends a message that Republicans better get on the ball on this issue.
I think they're starting to understand, but let's jump into the way back machine.
And remember, it was just a short time ago when the government was shut down.
And the Republican said to the Democrats, come to the table, then we'll negotiate with you about these ACA subsidies.
And here we are with the Democrats trying to maintain these subsidies for another three years, not indefinitely, for another three years.
And the Republicans coming back and saying, how about $1,000 for your HSA?
If you qualify, the counter argument isn't even really actually a concept of a plan.
They're just flashing dollars in front of people's eyes and saying, come on, come on, and take it.
It's not working, guys.
You have to invest in American health care.
Last I checked, and I'm only picking on you because you're an OBGYN, but I could pick on almost anything, but the average birth
does not cost a thousand dollars it costs many many multiples of that if I'm not mistaken I mean I
mean my monthly premium is nearly a thousand dollars a thousand dollars doesn't go anywhere and by the way you wouldn't be able to use this money for your premium so it's a joke the whole situation is a joke they are so unserious about health care for Americans and I think Americans are starting to see it which is a huge opportunity for those of us who actually want Americans to have good solid affordable health
care.
Are they starting to see it?
Are they finally figuring out that after 15 years, Republicans still have nothing other than being opposed to something that was working?
Not only have people figured it out, Republicans know the same day the Senate voted not to extend the subsidies, Don Bacon, not known as exactly a liberal Republican, Don Bacon, the Republican congressman out of Nebraska,
said that if they don't find some way to extend subsidies on at least a short-term basis, he said voters are going to take a sledgehammer to the Republican Party.
Don Bacon said this on the Capitol steps yesterday morning.
They know what they're doing.
They know the trouble it puts them in.
I really am very puzzled by this.
John Thune could have gathered up a few more votes.
had this thing behind him in the rearview mirror, never have to deal with it again.
And yet they're giving Democrats what it might possibly be the most potent issue to use against Republicans in the last 10 years.
And by the way, Kristen, we noted this in an article yesterday in Politico that there are
probably about two dozen Republicans in the house who do want to see something in terms of extending the subsidies, but the far right members of their caucus said only if they can attach strings that would include more restrictions on abortion rights.
Of course.
Yeah, I mean, it's always about abortion.
It's always it's always about, you know, the the war on women here abortion is
healthcare, abortion is healthcare.
Exactly.
Jimmy, we're following again, those big cases at the Supreme Court about, you know, whether independent agencies will even exist anymore, and removing one of the last barriers to unlimited corporate cash in our election campaigns.
In both cases, these struck me as things that John Roberts for for decades has wanted to do in his bite
his time and now appears he and the other conservative justices.
I mean, did you hear anything at all in those two arguments to think that either case might not go the way that the far right wants them to go?
Certainly is the case on Monday, which is the slaughter case involving the president's firing of Rebecca Slaughter, FTC.
This is the Humphrey's executor case.
They're going to overrule probably a 90-year precedent that says, you know what?
President of the United States of America should not be able to terminate people in independent agencies.
That's the way Congress set it up.
Peers from the overwhelming oral argument on Monday that they're primed to say, Mr. President, go ahead and do just that.
A stunning result.
if that happens, not only for the FTC, but all the other federal agencies, fascinating to see what they may do with that federal agency, that independent agency, called the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, again, the head of that right now, probably leaving in springtime, but still, fascinating issue there, hugely problematic for the future of independent agencies.
And then we have this other argument on Tuesday, a little less clear, questions in all directions about whether or not we should change
the campaign finance laws to empower political parties to contribute directly to candidates.
It all has to do with money, of course.
Let's pick
up on that after the break here, Jim, because I want to get that keyword out one more time.
The keyword is polar in our grown up gift list text to win contest.
You've got till eight o'clock to text that in and be eligible for a daily prize and for grand prizes on this final day of the contest.
And then when we come back with Jim, we'll pick up on whether there's going to be any kind of limits on corporate cash and other
ways to keep our politics anything but clean, sadly, in this day and age.
I'm Pat Breitlo, you're up North.
Welcome back.
It is 735 on this Friday morning, December 12th.
I'm Pat Krightlow up here in Chippewa Falls.
Nice to have you along.
I shouldn't say up here in Chippewa Falls.
We've got Tony Listing in Ashland and other places going, you're not up north.
We're up north.
Oh, close enough.
It's our grown-up giftless text-to-win contest, and no matter where we are in the state right now, we can agree the key word for this hour is polar, because baby, it's cold outside.
P-O-L-A-R, text that in by eight o'clock, and be part of the grown-up giftless text-to-win contest.
Your next chance to enter will be during the nine o'clock hour, during the final edition of Matt and Air on Air with Jane Matt and Air and Greg Bach.
Coming up about 30 minutes from now, we'll be talking to Mandela Barnes, candidate for governor.
former lieutenant governor of the state of Wisconsin.
We'll also have Mike Clemens along giving us a preview of the weekend in sports.
Then Monday on the program we have got former congressman Reed Ribble talking about health care and Wisconsin I CEO John Hankus about how Wisconsin's version of C-SPAN
might go dark as early as next week unless it receives some tremendous financial support, the kind that it should be getting from our legislature, but isn't.
so stick around Monday morning for all of that.
Back to our Week in Review panel now with Dr. Kristen Lierly, Jonas Pizito, Chicago Radio host and former U.S.
Attorney, Jim Santel, and Jim, I interrupted you before as we were getting into Supreme Court cases of the past week, and that includes a case on campaign cash, essentially what I would call, you know, money laundering to get around limits to a candidate.
You give it to the party, the party gives it to the
it all seems so crooked and yet it seems like the justices were, you know, not unfriendly to that action, but what was your impression of the arguments?
I think that's exactly right, not unfriendly.
Plainly, we've got at least three justices of the Supreme Court who are horrified by this proposed change in the law, but the others questioning kind of all across the board and certainly indicated we're not clear on where they're going to go, but certainly not suggesting that these limits are off the table, so to speak.
And again, this is an effort or a Republican effort to lift limits on how much money
political parties can spend in coordination of candidates.
It really has to do, Pat, with advertising in the end.
It's a financial issue.
And if they give the imprimatur to this, it'll enable, again, all parties, but especially, again, because of the economics of campaigns these days, the Republicans an awful lot more opportunities to buy low-cost advertising.
which typically the Democrats are able to get because their donors tend to come, again, lower dollar numbers directly into those candidates' campaign coffers.
So interesting, kind of wonky, but very important for the future.
2026 included.
Kristen, you've run for legislature.
You've run for Congress.
You've seen the campaign limits.
You and I have both talked to donors who have to be
cautious not to exceed those limits and then across the aisle we have seen just a complete disregard for any kind of respect for campaign finance barriers.
It just sounds like it's going to be the Wild West for the foreseeable future here.
That's my question back to Jim and actually to Joan.
We've broken so many norms here This is such an unusual time and I think for I think about my Gen Z kids This is normal for them because they don't know anything different How do we proceed in the future at some point?
We're gonna get past this and we're gonna be looking back and trying to pick up the pieces But we've broken this open so where do we go from here when it comes to campaign finance reform and all of the rest of it?
One of the answers I think is, of course, the obvious one, which is that in a little over 300 days or so, we're going to be electing 435 members of the House of Representatives, a third of the Senate.
If you really are concerned about these things, I know all of we are listeners are as well.
You look at people, maybe not through partisan lands, but you also say who is committed to these fundamental notions and not breaking the norms and going back to where it has been.
You send people to Congress, you can stop some of this.
from happening.
You can also do congressional fixes to things like Citizens United and all kinds of other things related to voting, environmental issues.
You can go back and revisit these legislatively, maybe one day also getting a Supreme Court that's going to say, you know what, back in 2025 when we're doing all this 2026, maybe not so much.
And maybe we should go back and visit.
That's a huge lift.
That takes time.
But again, November of next year, we elect the 120th Congress in our nation's history.
Let's get it right
and
preserve the last bastion of democracy there in Washington, DC.
It's all back to us to make a difference.
Go ahead, John.
Jim, I don't know if you've been following this case, but I interviewed a lawyer.
who's part of the case taking place in Maine to try to get PAC money out of politics.
And I said to him, I said, have you seen the Supreme Court we've got now?
And he was like, no, no, this is different.
And the way it's worded and it's going to go.
And once we get PAC money out of Maine, the rest of the states are going to follow.
would be nice,
right?
They can lead that way.
But of course, as we know, as we've seen in Wisconsin, you can take an appeal from the highest court of any state and bring it into the Supreme Court.
And so who knows what may happen here?
Good effort, though.
The lawyer is absolutely right there by initiating this.
it begins to get people thinking about ways in which as Kristen has just said, the norms should be back in place.
Yeah.
But the thing about, you know, having this much money in politics, and there's a lot of good in the in the governor of Illinois, but he's a billionaire.
And is that is that what we've been reduced to is only the billionaires can have access to campaigns and therefore to power as well, which leads to the last issue I want to go over is that the president has unveiled a
a so-called gold card that would grant immigrants the ability to receive US residency in record time the cost for this gold card.
$1 million for individuals, $2 million for corporations.
The website, this is a government website, the Trump gold card is here, unlock life in America.
The website also teased a platinum card, a Trump platinum card that would allow foreigners to be exempt from paying US taxes, the fee for the platinum card at $5 million.
Jonah, I only have a question.
Well, when you say the one million dollars, I mean, the grift is everywhere.
It
really is.
I mean, Kristen, again, like I said, we've got, you know, there are, you know, billionaires as well who donate to progressive causes, but I think one of the cores of most people involved in progressive politics is that whatever their
persuasion, whatever their stripe, we as a society should not have to rely on the benevolence of billionaires to get things done in this country.
I think of the history of Wisconsin.
Every time I hear about this program, I think
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, right?
That is not what's happening here.
That's not how my ancestors got here.
That's not how we built the state of Wisconsin, the progressive state of Wisconsin.
We came here because we wanted a better life for ourselves and for the people who came after us.
And we worked together to make that happen.
We need to return to that, that collaborative community building spirit, not this, if you got enough money.
you're welcome to join the club.
Yeah, I hope it is not too late.
The Dr. Kristen Lierley show can be heard Saturdays at noon across the Civic Media Radio Network on Sundays.
It's replayed.
It's also on the air on Chicago's WCPT.
You've got amicus a law review with Jim Santel, which airs Saturday mornings from nine to 11 replayed on Sundays and Joan Esposito listen to her live local and progressive on WCPT radio in Chicago weekday afternoons from two to five.
Thank you to all of you.
Any of you I
talk to you in the very near future.
Have a good holiday season or I'll be talking to you in the next week.
Have a great weekend.
Happy holidays,
friends.
Thank you, everybody.
All right, good to see you all.
And now with that, let's shift gears here and continue on with our 12 Days of Community Kindness, something that we saw giving Tuesday and we thought, well, let's just extend that a little bit.
And so we've got 12 different examples of organizations around Wisconsin that are doing good things in their community.
And we'll be talking today about the Richland County Campus Foundation.
This is a
group that is still active following the closure of the Richland campus for UW-Platteville.
And they've got quite a few different areas that they focus on.
There's scholarships that support local students through the completion of either an associates or a bachelor's degree.
They also do community grants.
They support community organizations and their educational efforts.
And also, there's the continued care and use of something called the Smart Farm in that area.
They award some scholarships.
And if you want to learn more about it, the web address for it is richlandccfoundation.org.
Again, richlandccfoundation.org for the Richland County Campus Foundation.
A little
Extra to tell you about as part of our 12 days of community kindness Kristen's sticking around with us here because well, we didn't do a quiz last week Kristen because you recall our Executive Producer Frank was was on a break not like like a relationship break.
He went to Paris, you know Yeah, so so I think our I think our weekly quiz is gonna be back if I'm if I'm not mistaken
Kristen
Are
you practicing your buzzer already?
All right.
Good.
So I just wanted to make sure you knew that that that was coming up.
So heads up to you.
And in the meantime, let's talk to Lisa Bailing from the Richland County Campus Foundation who joins us on the phone.
Lisa, good morning.
How are you?
Good morning.
Thank you for
having me.
No, it's our pleasure.
So we talked a little bit, just kind of gave a quick overview of it, but I'd rather hear, you know, right from you, Lisa, about, you know, what kind of work the Richland County Campus Foundation has been up to and how donations benefit your work.
So our organization has been helping our community for over 50 years.
We've been a part of the New York Richland Campus all the time in supporting our local students
our community, our faculty and staff.
Because you're the campus, we have to kind of go down a different path.
Basically, our main focus is that the scholarships to our local students, we know that it's so important for them to have the ability to go to the schools that they would like to go for higher education.
And it's more expensive than attending the Richland campus.
And so we want to be able to
support them as
they
journey further from our local community and in their path to higher education.
With our scholarships, we also have our community grants.
The community grants came around after the campus closure due to the fact that we used to support so many educational programs directly on our campus.
And now we're kind of turning that into supporting all of the different entities that are around us.
that are looking at doing educational programming, such as lectures or programming, swimming lessons even, helping our community just gain more and more knowledge as they, you know, grow up within our community.
And then our smart farm, our smart farm, we inherited from Ray and May Smart several years ago, and our farm is still
very
vibrant and active, hosting programs out there.
There's hiking trails.
We had an apple picking event that we were able to support.
So we still exist, even though the Richland campus has closed.
And you can learn more about it by heading to the website for the Richland County Campus Foundation.
So that would be richlandccfoundation.org.
Again, richlandccfoundation.org.
Lisa Bailey, thank you so much for telling us all about it.
It's just a great example of, for various reasons,
demographic, financial, political.
There are these campuses that are going through tumult and closure.
And I think you guys are really showing, you know, how a community comes together and does it right when change comes to you.
Thank you so much for being part of our program today.
Welcome.
We're very happy to be a part.
Great.
Thank you, Lisa, so much.
All right, still along the way, we will be talking to former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who is a candidate for governor.
And one more reminder, Polar is the key word in the grown-up gift list, text-to-wind contest.
You got till eight o'clock to use that civic media app and text us the word Polar.
Live from the lake, I'm Pat Critello.
You're up north.
Nice to have you back.
It's 7.52.
Again, you have all about seven more minutes to text us the word Polar, P-O-L-A-R on this final day of the grown-up gift list, text-to-win contest, multi-station, multi-state game from Civic Media, and another chance to play in the 9 a.m.
hour.
Frank Argano is back from his little vacation and ready to administer the Week in Review quiz here.
I think, Frank, are you awake?
How's that jet
lag
working out?
It's, uh, we're adapting.
We're going to play through it.
It's like Jordan's flu game right now.
I got to remember how this game
Michael Jordan flu game.
You're comparing yourself to the Michael Jordan flu game.
You know, top job over here, but we'll get through
it.
Every Chicago bulls fan is throwing their shoe at you right now.
How
dare
you, sir?
He's a bulls fan.
I
believe you would invoke that, but okay.
That's all right.
Like any Chicago sports fan, if you work in
Michael Jordan's flu game or the 85 Bears defense into any conversation.
Sure.
Oh my gosh, there's a documentary about the 85 the Super Bowl shuffle that is circulating right now.
It's interesting.
It's interesting.
You know what?
As a Packers fan, I respect that kind choice of word.
It's good.
It's definitely worth watching and seeing how it all came together and how they shot it way before the playoffs.
They were doing great.
And then they actually got their butts handed to them and they had to go in and film at the next day.
And a lot of the guys didn't show up.
It was a whole thing.
That's why it looks so weird.
Like Jim McMahon did not show up for the actual filming.
That's spoiler alerts a bound
over here.
I mean, God,
now you're going to tell us who won the Super Bowl that year.
That's crazy.
All right, Frank, you're back in the swing of things here.
So you're going to quiz us on things we should have learned this week.
Yes.
Just a reminder, your name is your buzzer and Parker, make sure you speak up so I can hear your name when you allegedly go first, speaking to Mike.
Allegedly.
Here's our running tally, the scores from previous weeks.
Pat.
is in third place with three hold points.
Parker is in second with five and Dr. Kristen Lyrely just in front with six points.
All right.
All right.
Moving on to question one.
No.
Please wait.
Please wait until the question is fully asked.
Martha Stewart revealed this week that she wants to be composted when she passes away.
Stewart has most notably collaborated with which famous rapper?
Wait,
wait, he said you have to wait to say your name until the question has been read.
I
think what he meant is he should wait until the questions actually started to be read and that just blurred up before he even starts the question.
We
all know the answer is Snoop Dogg Pat.
We do
all know the answer, but,
well, that's, see where that got you.
You got a big old goose egg on that one.
Pat needs the points.
So I will let him have
charity points.
I'll take
the
charity
point.
Now has four points.
Parker with five, Kristen with six.
We are in a close race.
Moving on to question number two, the craziest sports story this week.
Football coach, Sharon Moore was fired this week for having an affair with his secretary.
What college
was
he the head coach for?
Kristen.
Michigan.
It
is the Michigan Wolverines without a coach.
And that's all I'm going to provide
as far as facts for that story.
If you want to go down that rabbit hole.
No, thanks.
No, you are welcome to do so.
It's.
Crazy.
I do with that Michigan fan, Frank.
Moving
on.
Moving
on.
Yeah.
Man, Parker, we got to get through this game.
Taylor Swift's latest documentary dropped today on Disney Plus, providing a look backstage for which famous parker Parker.
Hey, you heard me.
Era's tour.
It is the era's tour.
Parker now tied.
with Dr. Kristen Lyrely with six points.
Did anybody else go to the heiress tour, by the way?
Pat, did you go?
No, no, I did not.
I'm
anybody else like you went.
Hell yeah, I went.
Oh my
gosh.
Your bracelets.
I do.
I actually had to make some for my previous
job.
for the Ares tour.
Fun fact, we saw the Ares tour the first night in Chicago, and then my wife left me on my birthday the following week to go see it again in Detroit.
Oh, thank you for
clarifying that.
I was like, okay, clearly she's not like having you there.
Anyway, moving on to our next question.
Question number four, Jimmy Kimmel signed a contract extension this week that will keep him hosting late night through 2027.
What network is
he
on?
Pat.
I love that Parker said Pat.
Cause he said it
first.
So I started to just the power of suggestion.
It's the same.
Y'all
want me to catch up with you.
And catching up.
You are Pat now has five points with Parker and Kristen Lyrely at six.
Question number five, Chapel Roan, Mariah Carey and Pitbull have been confirmed to perform on Dick Clark's New Year's Rock and Eve this year.
Who currently hosts
me?
You're
talking Eve, Kristen,
Ryan Seacrest.
It
is Ryan Seacrest and
Dr. Kristen Lyrely retakes the lead.
So after the end of today.
Dr. Lyrely has seven points Parker has six and Pat catching up with five
down the stretch they come.
All right, I
feel smarter
He used all your questions already, didn't you look at that?
Well,
I've been because nobody
got any wrong
and we didn't hear the buzzer at all It's like we started getting smarter about these contests or you're just so sleep deprived you throw out the easy ones first this week.
Oh It was a light news week for pop culture.
I will say Frank.
Yeah
In the past 20 years, how many Packer Bear matches have the Bears won?
Past 20 years.
So go.
Oh, man.
I don't actually know the answer.
I just wanted
to ask the question.
Actually, I'm going to since we have like a minute here, right, Parker?
Yes.
Let me just say
this quick little.
So we were in London, Bears Packers game.
And I looked at my wife and I said, there's a Bears bar.
like a couple miles away.
Game kicks off at nine.
We should go.
And my wife looked at me and said, Frank.
You have the rest of your life to suffer disappointment watching the movie by the Packers.
You're in London.
Let's enjoy the trip.
And
she was right.
She was right.
But you could
do it on different continents.
Yeah, but it's the
same.
Oh, if you go to PackersEverywhere.com and plug in your location, you can find Packers bars all over the
world.
Look how sweet she sounds now after coming off the top rope for Frank on that
one.
That was
amazing.
Love you, Frank.
Love you too.
Thank you, everybody.
We have Mandela Barnes coming up next right after the eight o'clock.
to talk about his campaign for governor.
And then Mike Lemons previews the weekend in sports.
I'm Pat Critello.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Across Wisconsin on Civic Media, you're listening to Mornings with Pat Gritlow, powered by Up North News.
Now, from our Lake Wissota studio, here's the founding editor of Up North News, Pat Gritlow.
Hey, good morning.
It's 8.06.
Nice to have you back here up north on a Friday morning, December 12th.
Parker Olson producing things down in Madison.
Dr. Kristen Lyrely hanging around as well.
Coming up Monday on the program.
We will be talking to former Congressman Reed Ribble, who has some thoughts on the recent health care debate and Republicans' failure to bring up anything even resembling concepts of a plan at this point for affordable health care.
That's on Monday.
Also on Monday, John Hankus, the CEO of Wisconsin Eye and the.
thousands upon thousands of thousands of hours of archival footage of state government and the live coverage of state government that's all going to go dark as early as next week without some real financial help.
And so John Hankus will tell us how the network got to be in those dire straits.
spoiler alert this legislature has been run by a certain group for 15 years now but we will keep this extremely nonpartisan and look for ways that Wisconsin I can be supported and continue to support the things that you are doing in Wisconsin government what your elected representatives are doing I should say in Wisconsin government all right so a lot of political insiders and by that I mean
Dr. Kristen Lierly.
A lot of Wisconsin political insiders are asking questions, asking questions about Mandela Barnes.
They're asking, can he win a general election?
Can he raise the $50 million that's probably necessary to run for governor?
He's getting all this attention from Republicans.
Is that a sign of weakness or is that a sign of strength?
Kristen, I feel that there's only one way we're going to get answers to these questions.
Tell us, Pat.
What is that way?
Welcome to the program now, Mandela Barnes, the former Lieutenant Governor and candidate for governor in 2026.
Mandela, good morning.
How are you?
Good morning.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah, it's great to have you here as well.
Thank you so much.
It's been about a week and a half since you got in after, you know, all of the speculation and parlor games, whatever else you want to call it.
Tell us about the reception over the past week and a half.
Yeah, reception's been inc about the momentum.
I'm really opportunity to continue to that we already put together people are ready for change leadership and a bold vision to the next level.
These are that we're experiencing
But I think back about all the times that Wisconsin has played a key leadership role in pushing the direction of this country in a positive way.
And that's exactly what this campaign is about, ensuring that we're doing the hard work to support our family farmers, our small business owners, and working people in general who've had a very difficult time that has only gotten worse with the Trump administration.
We're here fighting for relief to end the era of paycheck to paycheck.
We're going to lower costs on day one and make sure that Wisconsin is a state that
finally expands our medica the Affordable Care Act
You have, of course, heard both sides of the coin about your Senate race in 2022.
He almost got there.
He's clearly popular.
Let's get him over the finish line.
And he didn't get it done against Ron Johnson.
And so he's had his moment.
And so we need to go in a different direction.
So we now get to ask you directly why the one side of the coin is the fair representation of you running for governor versus the other side of the coin.
Well, I haven't just heard it, I've lived it.
And I can tell you for a person who, you know, have that question, Michael.
my response is well who has beaten ron Johnson and this is a one point race is the closest Senate race in Wisconsin and over 100 years it was the closest challenge to an incumbent in the entire country was also one of the top 10 most expensive U.S.
Senate races in the entire country until last cycle and throughout American history but all that aside I am reminded of why I got this in the first place why organizing matters because I wouldn't be here if it were not for that
think about all the organi had in 22 again, I can go b we built and I can go b that I've had since th to, you know, talked abou of times conversation.
I the day after the elec about the race he lost the work that he did afte dedicated in these last few I didn't expect to run fo look at the work that we
and showing up in communities all across Wisconsin, increasing voter turnout, showing up in places like Green Bay to help flip the city council for the first time, and I couldn't tell you when.
And also, the nonprofit worked with Ford to gather Wisconsin that helped lower energy costs in real time for lower income families specifically.
Now, we have a long road ahead of us, and I can tell you, based on, you know, the question you asked a little bit earlier about the 50 million, I'm the one that threw the $50 million figure out there.
fundraising records.
I've raised more money in the state through grassroots fundraising without taking a dime of corporate PAC money than anybody, than anybody in the history of Wisconsin.
And that's why I know that we have what it takes.
I know that we have the organizing capacity and also the grassroots energy to see this thing across the finish line victories.
So this is a huge opportunity.
What's happening right now in this country
is scary and divisive.
And it just feels like such a must win all across the country.
But everybody's watching Wisconsin because we're like closest, the most tightly held state.
We can go either way easily.
And the seat that you're running for is maybe the most important piece of that.
It's also a huge opportunity.
If we can grasp this and take it in a direction that is truly for the people,
Maybe we could even get things like health care for all Americans and so many child care I mean so many of the other things that we're all that we all know we need and are suffering because we don't have How far do you take it?
I think I know where your mind is and I know where you've been but how do you walk that fine line to make sure that you are addressing the needs of the people but also Staying in that lane that still is Wisconsin
which is like right on that razor's edge.
Well, like I said before, Wisconsin has been bold before in the way that we've approached governing.
And I think that the way that people have led this state have ultimately led to larger change across the entire country.
Wisconsin is one of the most fundamental and important pieces of this puzzle called democracy.
It's not partisan to say that wages should be increased or increased given the fact
that we still have a $2,007.25 minimum wage.
It's not partisan to say that every person in this country, every person in this state should be able to go to a doctor and not worry about a surprise bill.
It's not partisan to say that our public schools are the foundation of our communities and they should be fully funded.
And it's not partisan to say that people should have clean and safe drinking water and clean air to breathe.
Now,
given the fact that so many of these issues have been unaddressed or actually been made worse given the impacts of the Trump administration, the impact on our family farmers with the tariffs and the cost that they are now taking on that is driving so many more than out of business when it was already a tough situation.
Our small business owners who can no longer be able to pass down the cost of tariffs to their customers because
They don't have the money to do and people are being laid off.
I can say there have been more layoffs.
The study just came out.
The report was just released that there have been more layoffs since, you know, than any time since 2009, which was.
a terrible time.
That's when I got laid off.
That's when I found myself on energy assistance.
That's when I found myself on unemployment and food share.
And I do not ever want to go back to that day, not personally, but for this country, for this state.
The people of Wisconsin deserve so much more because we have given so much to make this country what it is.
We have been on the forefront of change.
And I believe that our better days can be ahead of us, but it's going to take the political will to do so.
The energy from the people is
there.
The state legislat to be with the people 80% of support expansion of about the same amount of b background checks for done has been completely out of my campaign isn't just abo my campaign is about makin usher in a new level or a new includes a majority in the Senate and not just a majority majority that's actually going to
We are joined by Mandela Barnes.
He is a candidate for governor 2026 the primary is in August of next year and by virtue of your Senate campaign by virtue being lieutenant governor you have name ID and Republicans have already seized upon that have said very little about six other candidates in the race but Congressman Tom Tiffany in particular the presumed Republican frontrunner has been attacking you the Republican Party is attacking you and So again, I'll put that question to you that others are asking
Is it because they perceive that there's weaknesses on your part or because you would be that strong and formidable of a Democratic nominee?
Well, let me tell you about name ID first.
I didn't just get name ID because I showed up.
I got name ID because I've spent time in communities.
I spent time all across the state of Wisconsin, deliberate time, not just campaign time.
Time to talk about the issues that matter, whether it's water contamination, whether it is soil erosion, whether it's storm damage tours, whether it's visiting schools, whether it's showing up to work sites.
I've been very intentional and very deliberate during my time as
lieutenant governor to show up in all 72 counties the first year and even out of office.
I've still made my rounds across the state, sitting down, taking time to engage with people across Wisconsin.
The name of the thing just doesn't happen because I've asked for it.
It's because I worked for it.
And I can tell you there is a real reason Republicans are directing all of their fire and all of their energy at me.
And, you know, it's because of the campaign that we are building.
It is because
they didn't expect me to even come that close to defeating uh to win in that race in 22 uh was written off a long time ago before uh in in 22 in that race and so for people to have seen what we were able to build in coming that close to defeating an incumbent an entrenched incumbent a twice elected incumbent uh they see a real threat here they take this candidacy seriously and you know i can't speak to why they haven't really mentioned the other candidates uh but i know that we are
building up the firepower to fight back we're taking the fight directly to Tom Tiffany as I said before we have to be focused on November and that is exactly what we're doing because this is a person who went to Washington not to fight for us but to fight for himself and to express fealty to President Donald Trump when the people of the state of Wisconsin specifically people in the district he represents
have been desperate for more.
They have been desperate for change.
They have been calling out to him for help with no response.
The only person that Tom Tiffany responds to is Donald Trump.
The only person and the only people that I'm going to respond to are those here in Wisconsin.
We've got time for one more question, Mandela, and it's about not so much the electability, but people also want to know what you would do once you're there.
Some people want a fire breather who's going to be seeking out essentially conflict and try to win.
Others want somebody who's going to be much more bipartisan or managerial in their approach, but that means other people say, well, then they don't have their convictions.
They're going to be mushy in your own words.
What kind of a governor would you be if elected?
Well, I'm going to be a governor that's not going to rest until we get the change that we deserve.
As I've mentioned,
We are calling for a badger care expansion on day one, calling a special session if necessary.
And I've said that I refuse to sign a state budget that does not include badger care expansion.
The people have been desperate for this for too long.
Healthcare premiums continue to increase.
And so this is about.
offering the type of bowl leadership that's not going to roll over and won't say no.
And I'm going to take the time and the energy to put in the fight that's necessary to make things better for every person in every corner of Wisconsin.
We can't continue to wait any longer because Donald Trump is going to continue to make things worse.
And we're going to need people who are going to stand in the way to mine the gap to ensure that we are not having to deal with the worst impacts of this failed presidency and show people what the Wisconsin way truly is.
making sure that we are a state that delivers real opportunity, regardless of your zip code, regardless of your region in this state, regardless of any factors that may have kept you down.
Mandela Barnes, candidate for governor.
Great to catch up.
I know we'll do so again often between now and August.
Thanks for your time today.
Thank you.
Appreciate you joining us.
When we come back, we will be talking about the weekend in sports.
Mike Clemens will be along in about 15 minutes for that.
I'm Pat Critello.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Nice to have you back at 822.
And that interview with Mandela Barnes serves as a reminder of our question of the day.
Which candidate is in the strongest position right now to be elected Wisconsin's next governor in the 2026 election?
I mean, not if the election were held today.
but based on, you know, your own looking ahead to November of next year, which candidate is in the strongest position to win this race.
And Kristen, it was a great conversation with the former lieutenant governor, but I know that there are six other Democrats in the race who would beg to differ and think that, you know, they can make the case between now and August that any one of them would be the strongest candidate.
I have opinions.
All right.
And so now it's time for Kristen has opinions.
I love that we've got such a robust field for the Democratic nomination.
I think it's really great.
I think they're all kind of saying the same thing right now.
So it's going to be very interesting to see how they set themselves apart.
You know, you asked the question about name ID and Mandela definitely comes in with the biggest name ID having run against Ron Johnson a few years ago and people
know who he is, people have opinions, which is good and bad.
I mean, we all saw the New York Times article and then the article in Urban Milwaukee.
His race, this is not a slam dunk.
It's a controversial race.
So really, it's wide open and it'll be fun to see how they define themselves, how they get out and meet Wisconsinites, how they fundraise.
Ultimately, it comes down to fundraising.
That's how we get engagement from across.
the country.
But I think one of the biggest challenges is that our primary is not until August.
So in Texas, the primary is in March, then you know who your opponent on the other side of the aisle is and you can campaign against them for nine months.
It's not that way in Wisconsin and that makes it a lot trickier.
Yes, it does.
Let's see.
Since we jumped right into a meeting with Mandela Barnes, let's bring in an update from Tigerton.
Rob says good morning from Tigerton, sunny and zero degrees.
He says it's warmed up to two degrees since then.
A cold weather advisory tonight.
into Sunday, so stay warm.
He said, luckily, no plowing snow.
Usually we'd get a snowstorm before the real bitter cold, but this one was just a few snow showers.
He says, I'll be looking for a car this weekend online.
Had pizza at Blazers Bar and Grill in Split Rock.
I love when he calls it a suburb.
Reminds everybody to keep your pipes warm and says his sister Laura used to work at Lambeau Field.
She was an elevator operator and got to help Bart Starr in a wheelchair.
Laurie told me,
star was a very sweet lady.
And she hugged my sister Lori.
So kind of goes with what you were saying about part start earlier.
Very sweet, very, very good people.
Mm hmm.
I don't believe we I mean, we've mentioned a few times that the Dr. Kristen Lierley show can be heard on civic media Saturday mornings at noon and also on WCPT radio in Chicago.
We did not get to the point of asking who you got this weekend.
I have Kate Duffy
from Motherhood for Good.
Oh
my goodness.
Yep, the moms are organizing and we have a lot of opinions about things like, hey, should Robert have Kennedy Jr.
really be commenting on breastfeeding?
We don't think so.
Let me tell you something about Kate Duffy.
12 months ago, shortly after the presidential election, when they were still coming on regularly as part of Motherhood for Good, I'm speaking accurately.
I'm sure I'm not speaking out of turn.
She was morose.
because we all were.
I mean, she was so down in the dumps.
Everybody else was, we were all going, what do we do from here?
And she just had a baby.
Yeah, right.
Just had a baby.
Yeah.
And saying, well, where do we go from here?
And you know what she did?
She went to go do something from here.
Some people are still sitting on the couch going, where are we going to go from here?
She just grabbed your camera.
She started making video.
She started making connections.
She is doing
you know, the explainer videos that every news outlet should be doing about why, you know, why is this story in the news and how does it apply to your life?
And it's all from the perspective of, you know, of a real mom.
And I'm just, I'm amazed at the, the energy and the volume that she brings into sharing this message, but you can clearly tell how important this is to her.
A real mom with a four-year-old and a one-year-old so she is a busy real mom But she also looks at her kids and thinks I can't let this be your future And I think she recognizes and because she was there too and I was there too When you're young and you're raising your family you don't have a lot of time to pay attention to what's happening in the world I mean those of us who are immersed in it.
We're talking about this all the time, but
people who aren't are talking about other things.
How do we get these political issues in front of people who otherwise aren't paying attention because they can't and make them interesting so that they will engage and actually vote in a way that will be impactful.
Not just when it comes to the presidential election, but city council, county boards, school boards, all of those things matter.
And the work that she's done and the way she makes it so beautiful and enticing in person
It's just, it's miraculous.
We're so lucky to have you here in Wisconsin.
And I hope you'll consider listening to our show.
We're on noon at noon all across the media radio network on Saturday and Sunday, five o'clock.
PM on Saturday and WCPT and then wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube at Dr. Kristen Linerly.
Yeah, get yourself signed up for all these things.
The crux of the dilemma facing anybody in political communications, whether it's talk show hosts or newsrooms or anything else, is we're always hearing, well, if you talk too much about politics, you're tuning people out, people don't want that.
On the other hand, you have to say things.
several times for the message to get through.
And there are people right now who are finally hearing enough about, you know, Trump and what Republicans are doing in Madison, you know, with the whole catch kits thing and everything.
And
they're starting to turn.
And they wouldn't turn if you just said, well, they don't want to hear about politics.
And so we're not going to talk about politics.
You have to have that right mix of conversation.
And, you know, Kate realizes that you realize that with your show.
The last thing we need is a show that is like completely anti-politics.
The issues are just too important.
It's about finding that right balance.
You got to find the balance and you have to recognize that if you don't take a side at this time in history, then you're... Yeah, it's the old saying,
if you're not at the table, you're
on the menu.
And that's exactly what is happening here.
Let's see.
So we've got the game against Denver coming up this Sunday.
So I have to ask every week, you're not going to Denver for a meeting or anything, are
you?
Mormon, cozy in my living room, watching with my people.
Alrighty.
Well, Mike Clemens is going to help us.
preview that game and then the one six days later in Chicago against the Bears.
I'm Pat Critello.
You're up north.
Welcome back.
It is 835 now.
And Parker Olson's here from Madison.
Dr. Kristen Lairley hanging around.
Mike Clemens just mere seconds away.
But to lead into it, it's just sometimes the scheduling gods give you one, give you a solid.
Give you one.
Should they
give you one?
Where they go?
Because sometimes a game goes so poorly.
that you actually want to say to your team, you know what, take a week off.
And
that's
exactly what the Badger men's basketball team needs.
And that's where Mike Clemens is going to get things started because that was not a pretty game against Nebraska.
Mike,
good
morning.
A little time off is just what the doctor ordered.
No, and you know, the Badgers men's basketball team head coach Greg Carden is a very steady, even-killed guy.
He was mad post-game.
Because the first question was, gee, you lost 90 to 60.
Never really were in this thing halfway through the first half.
And he said, we don't have a defense.
Now, we haven't had one all year.
Here we go.
Hello.
Correct.
And he kind of went on a bit of a rant about that.
And so, well, what do you think you could do?
Well, we've got nine days here to figure out.
Maybe we'll have plenty of time to make some changes.
You think?
Oh, my gosh.
This is a great guard, man.
The Badgers started out as a ranked team this season.
They
lost one non-conference game kind of preseason.
I think it was Providence on the road.
They
lost one other one.
So they fell out of the top 25.
Nebraska is off to their best start since 1977.
They're 10-0.
They're rolling.
They're ranked like 23rd or so.
So the Badgers go down to Lincoln the other night, and they're playing hand pretty soon.
Nebraska got an early start.
The Badgers, to me, it looked like since their shooting was so poor, they were like 7 for 33, 34, and 3 point shot.
Wow.
They never let anything set up, right?
They just went on there trying to put up with the three point shots and bam, there's Nebraska with the ball again.
Nebraska's got this kid named Rink Mast.
He's six foot 10 standing there underneath the bucket at 10 rebounds 17 points.
He's from the Netherlands.
He seemed to be intimidating and seem to be.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, you know, he looked like something out of a James Bond film.
You know what I'm saying?
so so yeah i mean eight you know and for bad to worse they have losing ninety to sixty by thirty points now they have a nine-day break i think maybe that's kind of an end of the semester kind of of a break where they you know the players can finish up for class but they're going to take on villanova next week friday and you know they got plenty of things to fix their with the badgers men's basketball team right now
But now, of course, you're talking about a bond villain.
Now, all I'm thinking about it, calling it up right away, Richard Keele is the
actor I'm
thinking of.
Just
classic.
I could totally see him standing under Nebraska, getting this done.
And I guess I wondered, you can dissect this thing any way that you want.
It's like, well, were they
Looking past the game, were they antsy to go on their break?
Is it much more strategic?
Parker, you were saying that you had seen earlier one kind of way to beat the Badgers, but in this game, you feel like you saw a couple of different ways to beat the Badgers.
So I don't know.
Parker, I'll ask you first.
Do you think they were just looking past the game, or do they really have to do something different with their defense?
I think they legitimately need to do something different with their defense.
Great guard.
He was on him right after in that press conference and I'm sure he was right on them before that game.
He is well aware that they've got a lock in and I'm sure they were and they just did not have it at all.
No, and we take out John Blackwell.
Yeah.
And you see this group.
This team, they're so used to dominating and scoring.
And when that's not happening, then they start reeling.
And it takes them out of rhythm.
It takes them out of getting down and setting up for defense.
Well, they're going to be playing lots of defense and practice over the next week and a half.
That's for sure.
Without a doubt and again, so that'll be next week Friday hosting Villanova and of course that game will be on several stations across the civic media radio network Now it has been a slow week for the buck schedule wise So they were not in action until last night and they were taking on the Boston Celtics that this has not been a memorable time for the Milwaukee Bucks or or perhaps Mike It will be memorable as the as the end of a golden era.
I hope that's not the case
but they really needed that win that they got last night over Boston.
Bucks had lost 10 of the last 12 games, and that's even when Yanis was playing.
Then he goes down with that knee injury, misses four of those games, comes back in three minutes into his comeback, if you will.
Then he goes down with, thank goodness, not an Achilles, but a calf muscle strain.
So he's out the next two to four weeks.
And with the NBA Cup,
tournament going on which they weren't in they had a little break this week and so doc would come and talk to us once a day during those practices and he stressed at the start of it our spacing it's our space you know and especially what what do you do in stand around next to the guy shooting the ball that's the last person you're supposed to be next to you we get the we get possession we get down you know to the opponent's goal spread out
And move the ball.
You're
not a tight end.
You're not supposed to block for the guy shooting the ball.
Well, you know, this is junior high stuff, but whatever.
You know, it's these guys.
So last night, that's the first thing out of his mouth.
He says, we spread out.
You know, we moved the ball around.
So hello, Kyle Kuzma, 31 points.
Bobby Portis Jr.
coming through.
They were, the Celtics started out with a 10 point lead.
Celtics are still good this year, even though Jason Tatum's out for the year with that Achilles.
They had
they had two or three other guys around two one with an illness one with a knee um... you know suffix came in last night defy sur form had a ten point lead and the box came back a couple times and then they you know they they put a nail in it uh... it toward the end of the game to win one sixteen to one oh one Celtics are third place you know behind uh... the the pistons uh... in in in the eastern conference so the bucks get a nice win at home i think they're like eight and seven now at home the three and eight
on the road and they will go to Brooklyn now on Sunday to play the Nets at the five o'clock.
I have to confess right here because we talk about the NBA Cup tournament a lot and I legit thought that this was just a slow period on the schedule.
I didn't realize the Bucks were already out of contention for the Cup.
Yeah, yeah.
So they took advantage of that break and they got a couple of practice sessions and perhaps hopefully
just uh... in a right time but that's a that's a good win at home to maybe find out what here's here's our identity here's how we need to run this thing without uh... you know you know it's because the team is supposed to be you know build our all around yonis who's you know average in twenty eight twenty nine points a game it's hard to lose that
It is indeed.
All right.
Finally, of course, we've got the Green Bay Packers are heading to Denver.
They're going to take on the Broncos as 325 kickoff.
So pregame begins at one o'clock on Civic Media stations in Richland Center, Park Falls, Racine Kenosha, Atoma and Ironwood.
And so what are we thinking?
Again, we're trying not to look past this because yes, there's another game against the Bears and it's only six days after that.
But I feel like that's what the
the Packers did earlier.
They were looking ahead on the schedule and ended up losing to Carolina.
I would love to think that they're a much more focused team now as they head out to Denver.
Yeah, Packers coming off the win over the Bears.
Exciting game came down to essentially the last play of the game.
Packers win that one 28 to 21.
Caleb Williams
who, by the way, Mike McCarthy was on McAfee yesterday, and he called him Kali Williams, two or three times before McAfee had to say, Mike, it's Caleb.
He turned bright red.
Caleb Williams, the quarterback, is rolling around, and in the first half, with that Packers pass rush, you know, Michael Parsons and company, he was erratic and threw a lot of incompletions.
he settled down and yeah he moved but he would be moved to a launching point and through it and then he got things going with that bears defense got back into the game it's twenty eight twenty one and now he's down to the sixteen yard line in the packers territory on a fourth and one ben johnson their head coach maybe made a game management bad decisionaries pretty should have run it uh... to clock the game but uh... there to at least take control so kaleb rolls out to his left
and Kishan Nixon is covering DJ Moore.
He's up on the right hand side, a wide receiver, and now he's in motion in the backfield.
So Kishan's following his guy, run through the backfield.
Cole Comet, one of their star tight end, he's lined up on the left hand side, and he squeezes out.
And next thing you know, he's in the end zone, standing there all alone.
And so Caleb's rolling out, he's got this big bunch in front of him, so he flips the ball to the end zone.
Kishan Nixon sees this out of the corner of his eye, like, oh my God.
runs over there, leaps through the air and intercepts that ball in the end zone, end of game.
Packers win 28-21.
Great and tremendous game.
And you could see that.
I mean, it was one of those things where the play was like happening in slow motion.
You could see the bear standing there in the end zone alone.
He was alone and like in that split second.
for Kishon to have the presence of mind to change direction and get there in time.
And again, in that split second, you're thinking, nope, he's not going to get these, not going to get.
Oh, he got there.
Oh, he got it.
And so you're filled right away with thoughts of, that's great.
We're going to win the game.
And even though I'm a Packers fan, not a Bears fan, my mind immediately went to what every Bears fan was thinking.
Oh, yeah.
Why aren't
you running
this thing?
they think that they think hey what this is that we're going to tie up this game we may go for two to win the game as just a dagger just an absolute dagger for you know the bears family not again not again so you know that might be the defense of play of the years so far outside of michael parson sack jerry golf to end the the thanksgiving game and i asked a little plural about it uh... on monday and he didn't want to say about it and so then someone had to bring it up and well evin williams the safety totals it was
his responsibly he should have dropped back and cut picked up that tight end so it's great play by kishan now you roll through to their playing the broncos down on sunday at three twenty five i'll be leaving for denver uh... tomorrow morning so i have coverage for you on your show on monday and they're taking on the denver broncos that are eleven and two and they have shone payton took over the guy who coached the same the guy who was up for the packers job back in two thousand six member and they hired mccarthy instead
and so uh... john will is led this team with a great defense they've got fifty-five quarterback sacks they smothered teams they've been good players on the defensive line and on the back end with you know patrick sartain that uh... their the cornerback and uh... so that's going to be the challenge for for green bay on josh jacob's their star running back for green bay we talked to him at length yesterday he's been dealing with his knee injury suffered last month against the giants they rested and during vikings
he played in the lion and bears game did you know he had an MRI on monday after the bears game because he's in so much pain with his knee there's there's swelling fluid so i think he'll still go but they're resting in this week is that's the only thing they can do form is the best thing for him is rest uh... to try and get it with alleviate the pain when he plays in these games on sunday so we got that going on
We got to watch out for that.
All right.
Mike Clemens, he will be in Denver following it all for us and always appreciate the update on all the weekend coming up in sports.
Mike, travel safe.
Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Pat.
Talk to you Monday.
All right.
We will talk to you a little later on here.
And again, Kristen, I think that I think they will be a more focused team this time around.
I mean, they have to be.
They can't make a mistake like they did against Carolina again.
I think that they are hitting their stride.
We've seen the last couple of games.
They've been focused.
They've been fun.
Yeah, it's going to be a good
weekend.
Now the bigger question, though.
Do you have
Peacock?
Because we now know the Packers game against Baltimore will only be seen.
Oh, wait.
You're in Green Bay.
I'm in Green Bay, baby.
I always get the Packer.
Oh, gosh.
I'm an owner.
You're an owner.
Oh, you're an owner.
Of course.
All right.
Well, Parker and I might stop over to watch the game just
to see.
Oh, come on.
Yeah, you got room on
the couch.
Yeah.
I've got a big couch.
I can make appies.
Yes.
Let's go.
All right.
We got some final news and notes from Lake Wissota coming up in just a bit.
I'm Pat Krightlow.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
Final episode of Matt and Air on Air.
Coming up soon.
Stick around.
All right, here's what we thank everybody who made this show possible this week.
That includes the former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.
Another candidate for governor, Joel Brennan, who was with us yesterday.
State representatives Christian Phelps and Angelina Cruz talked to us about funding for special education.
Superior Mayor Jim Payne, all about how communities in Wisconsin are wrestling with affordable housing and looking for creative solutions.
Richard Trent from Main Street Alliance.
gave us a national small business perspective on the things Washington is doing that are not exactly helpful to our hometown entrepreneurs.
My thanks to Jonas Pizito, former U.S.
Attorney Jim Santel, Ruth Conniff of the Wisconsin Examiner, financial expert Sean O'Malley, Joseph Pecky, Melissa Baldoff, Dan Hagen from NewsWatch12 and Rhinelander, Earl Ingram from Civic Media along with Jimmy Koska, Chad Holmes, James Kelly, John and Gordy.
My Courier Newsroom colleagues, Cam Stevenson and Keev Akeel.
My Up North News colleagues, Ellie Bordeaux, Shariah Booker, Selina Heller.
And then from folks who are very nearby here, Greg Bach, Parker Olson, Kristen Lyrely.
And then last, but definitely not least, Jane Mattener.
Jane.
Who is about to kick off the last rodeo.
And I mean that in a very happy way.
Great career.
uh, going out on top.
And this is good.
This is gonna be a fun little show to listen to coming up in just a little over 10 minutes from now.
I was on yesterday with Jan and Greg and I actually got a little like the clumped because she's brilliant and she's she's great at what she does.
She's
so easy to listen to.
She's so much fun.
I'm really going to miss her.
I know.
Well, I have a feeling because we, you know, we have a certain age, we have talked about retirement.
We will do and not do.
And I don't think we're done hearing her yet.
I'm sure there will be some visits and guest appearances and maybe even a guest host now and then if you get bored, you know, so I hope so.
But at first I wanted to go have all the fun.
Whatever whatever's on that list, go have all the fun.
You know, not just not just the chores because I know she's got a lot of chores.
She's downsizing the house.
But go have don't go do the fun things too.
You retire and you think you're going to have all this time and it just never works that way.
Like nature hates a vacuum.
Yep.
Oh, doesn't he ever trust me?
Almost as much as I hate my
vacuum.
That's like, yeah, my whiteboard.
I put up a whiteboard in the little hallway right by the garage door, and Sherry always tells people, boy, I bet he regrets that, because if there's white space on it.
There's going to be a to-do list, and there is.
I have not mentioned the newsletter today on the Locals Love section.
I said we were going to talk about supper clubs.
There was a section on there today, and so some of the readers sent in the following, the Ranch Supper Club in Hayward, McGregor's Blink Bonnie in St.
Germain, Dreamland Supper Club in South Range,
Pinewood Supper Club in Mosany, Digger Sting Restaurant in La Crosse, and Schomburg Dinner Club in Randolph.
So just a few of the places that got shout outs from folks.
I really want some fried perch right now.
Oh, isn't that good?
Yeah.
On the sad side of things, I'm looking over in the news channel for Civic Media and they're taking note of a WISN report that says the Bass Bay Brewhouse in Mosquigo.
is fully engulfed in fire, probably will be a total loss in Muskego for those folks there.
So very unfortunate news.
And but a reminder, as I was saying with Ellie the other day, you know, supper clubs are not exactly proliferating.
You got to go see these places before the owners retire or things shut down.
So if you've got if you've got a favorite steak joint, as I would call it, get out there, get yourself an old fashioned and, you know,
spread some cash around with your local businesses.
And have some fun, create some community.
I remember being a kid and going to the Highland House in Kokona, which is no longer there.
And you'd walk in and you had your waitress.
And she knew you.
And there was this banter and it was fun.
And Jack, who owned it, sponsored my softball team.
It was about so much more than getting a meal.
Can I tell you that at one of the places here, Wissota Lodge, when Sherry and I walk in now, they know exactly what table to take us to.
They know which one is our favorite.
Norm.
Just like, we've become Cliff and Norm of Wissota Lodge.
This is great.
And you know, the granule fashions are already on the way.
Except you are kind of both the Cliff and the Norm because Sherry is just delightful and you.
I can't label her with either of those.
No, you really can't.
No, she doesn't she you can't pigeonhole her for
casting cheers.
No, not at all.
Hey, on Monday, as I mentioned, we're gonna have John Hankus from Wisconsin Eye talking about the financial straits that that company finds themselves in for covering Wisconsin government, but also former Congressman Reed Ribble from your neck of the woods up there in northeast Wisconsin, who has some thoughts he wants to share on health care.
And as I was looking through some past articles here, I mean, he was warning people back in 2015 that
Donald Trump either wants single payer, like in Canada, or he doesn't know what he wants at all, because he has literally been all over the map on health care.
Donald Trump has, and Reed Ribble recognized that right away.
Reed Ribble is your old school Republican, former small businessman, focused on the economic stuff, and he has been incredibly consistent, moderate, happy to work across the aisle.
It's too bad we don't have a Republican party full of Reed Ribbles.
That would be brilliant, and oh my gosh, our country would be so much better off.
Well, because you'd have people interested in governing, not so much ruling, which is where we kind of have things right now.
And people who cared about the people.
Yeah, it is going to be one cold weekend here and I've never been so happy to just not have plans.
We didn't set it aside to be a no plan weekend, but I'm sure glad now.
There's plenty to do yet to get ready for the holidays.
Kristen, do you have to wander out of the house at all?
No, I don't know that I've had a no plan weekend in years.
So yeah, I'm gonna do it.
Look at that.
That's what you said.
Tuck it in.
Parker.
I think I've got nothing.
I think I'm gonna hunker in and watch some football a weekend and I will be a happy camper.
It will be a hunker down weekend.
Will the River Falls football game, will that be streaming someplace?
It is on ESPN Plus, yes.
It's on ESPN Plus.
Okay, River Falls continues in the college football playoffs.
All right.
Well, thanks you guys.
Thanks Parker.
Thank you, Kristen.
Have a great start to the weekend.
Thank you, you too.
All right, we'll see you on Monday.
There'll be all kinds of fun and news to share with you.
Again, thanks to all of our guests and thanks to you for being here this morning.
I'm Pat Rightlow from UpNorth News.
UpNorth News is the Wisconsin outlet for Courier Newsroom, a pro-democracy newsroom, building a more informed, engaged, and representative America.
Follow us on social media and at UpNorthNewsWI.com.
Have a great weekend.
We'll see you Monday morning, 6 a.m., right back here, UpNorth.
Live, across Wisconsin on Civic Media, you're listening to Mornings with Pat Craiglow powered by Up North News.
Now, for my Lake Basota studio, here is the founding editor of Up North News, Pat Craiglow.
Thank you, Don Rue.
Good morning.
It is 7 0 6.
What's that?
Oh, yeah.
Kristen Lyrely is here.
Selena Heller as well.
And a song I've been waiting to play for forever by a local band, the Jaggernauts.
The song's name is Kraitlo.
And I've never known why.
Yes.
It sounds so like 90s upper Midwestern rock.
It's so perfect.
It's uh, it is.
Yeah, it's really cool.
I just had I remember seeing now the Jaggernauts have been around since I think 2006 and we you know We've I knew of them, but it wasn't until some somebody brought it up to me like, you know What's what they're the song called quite long like I have no idea so I sent them an email through their band camp site some time ago and I finally heard back and
Because we also need their permission to play it and so they write back saying hello Pat sorry for the late response the Jaggernauts would love to have the Crichtlow music be associated with your radio program The song is about being young and seeking answers in a confusing world The lyrics were influenced by the time our band founder Noel Hansen listened to your show the Crichtlow catastrophe while growing up
The Crite Low Catastrophe was the name of my college radio show.
Are you kidding?
Back in the early 1980s.
You
have no idea how you influence people until something like this happened decades later and you've suddenly realized, whoa, I had an impact.
Yeah.
So I love the riff at the start.
So we'll definitely make a lot of use of that.
lyrics again I'm not quite sure the influence of the great low catastrophe but you know the the lyrics go line in bed I try to sleep circling fingers cut me real deep paranoia blankets fear that will walk down the hall independent thoughts will shake the foundation and fall I've been scratching I've been buried away but not alone buried away but I'm not alone
And it goes, threshing in bed, stuck in a dream.
I hear your voice familiar, it seems.
Promises unmade by the actions of someone in love.
Creatures escort my flesh to the one-way road.
I will trod.
And I've been buried, but not alone.
And on and on it goes.
So we love the riff at the start.
I'm not sure the others is morning radio stuff, but.
And I'm still not sure of the influence because the, the, the quite low catastrophe played a lot of, uh, soft rock music.
I had the adult contemporary shift
on the college radio
station,
a lot of
hollow notes in there.
And that's just it.
Maybe hollow notes will make some people.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think
you need to leave the lyrics alone and just focus on the tune because how often do you sing a song for a long time, years, maybe, and then you see the lyrics and you realize suddenly.
Oh, that's not what I thought it was.
Or those
words are
what I thought they were.
Leave the lyrics alone.
Just focus on the Crete low piece.
I love I love the like I said, love the guitar in there.
So you'll hear that every so often.
Anyway, we'll get back to psychoanalyzing my impact on song lyrics coming
up
in just a bit.
But first, it's time for the grown up gift list text to win contest, a multi station multi state game from civic media with a daily prize of $200 and three grand prize winners.
There's a brand new snow blower.
There's a portable air conditioner.
There's a stainless steel cookware set to learn more about the prizes head to civicmedia.us You have until eight o'clock to send in this hour's keyword and then you'll have other chances to win at 9 a.m 11 a.m And then 1 3 5 and 7 p.m And so this hour's keyword is wind
W-I-N-D, wind.
You have until eight o'clock to text that in using the Civic Media app.
Entrance will receive an automatic message after each entry, giving you a chance for more entries via a link to complete a specific activity such as following a newsletter.
So again, full rules at the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us, wind.
W-I-N-D is the word to send that in.
Packers were big winners over the Bears, a very exciting
finish.
I don't know, Selina, if you were watching that, we all talked about shouting at the TV already yesterday.
Yes, we of course, we were watching, Emery has to watch.
Yeah, so we were high five egg and she's cheering and yeah, it's fun.
That's great.
All right.
And it ended with, you know, the the bears trying to score a touchdown to tie the game.
And Caleb Williams gets picked off in the end zone by Keisha Nixon sealing
the
deal.
28-21, the Packers have won four in a row now, including three against Division Foes and are now atop the NFC Norris Division, as we like to call it.
They will next play Sunday at 325 in Denver.
And then six days later, they play the Bears again on Saturday, December 20th at Chicago.
That's a night game on Saturday, December 20th.
And of course, you can catch the game on Civic Media Stations across the network.
Head to the website to learn more.
Selena's going to tell us about a story that she's been working on for Up North News dealing with a program that helps local farmers supply food to local schools.
I mean, it is the very definition of a win-win program.
But you know, those tax cuts for billionaires aren't going to pay for themselves.
And so good programs like that have to be shot down.
And Selena will tell us more about that.
But while we've got Dr. Lierly, I also want to get to
a particular vaccine panel through the U.S.
Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, all influenced by Robert Kennedy Jr.
noted quack.
This is about hepatitis B vaccine.
And Kristen, you just set it up, what they did and what this is going to impact because it's not great.
It's not great at all.
I'll give a little bit of background.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
has a board of folks who are experts, supposed to be experts, when it comes to vaccines.
They take into account all the latest data and information, and they make recommendations about which vaccines we should receive.
Well, he replaced most of those experts, maybe even all of those experts, with
political appointees.
And recently they've been making some really non-medically oriented decisions.
The latest is the hepatitis B vaccine.
They have decided not to give newborns hepatitis B vaccine.
Here's why this is important.
Hepatitis B
can be transmitted at the time of birth.
And we may not, somebody who has it may not even know that they have it.
We test for it, but they may not know that they have it.
So an infant, a newborn, can get hepatitis B at the time of birth.
And this is something that we can completely prevent this newborn from growing up with.
Hepatitis B can cause liver diseases in the future.
Lots of chronic health problems.
Unfortunately, because they made this decision, it is likely that the larger FDA will choose not to promote these in the future.
And that means that a lot of babies are not going to get vaccinated.
And that means that we're going to see more liver disease in the future, more entirely preventable.
liver disease, unfortunately.
Do we think it then, because if it's not on the recommendation list, will insurance companies stop covering it if parents say, hey, I want this anyway?
We hope so.
But the problem with vaccines is that how often do you think about the vaccines that you get?
We don't seek out vaccines.
This is the public health piece of this.
Vaccines are one of the greatest public health achievements in the last century.
Because these recommendations are made by experts.
You go see your doctor and you do the preventive care piece, and that includes vaccines.
Your doctor advises you, this is what we recommend.
They give you the basic information.
You don't go to your doctor and say, I want to be vaccinated.
against these things.
So because this has been, this will likely be removed, it will impact how many children will receive this vaccine.
And this is really, this is devastating, definitely for newborns, but certainly for all of our health moving forward.
I mean, this has been a vaccine that we have used for over three decades.
And we've seen a significant change in the amount of liver disease in
in adults now at this stage in the game.
So this is a huge step backwards in public health, but it's aligned with so many other steps backwards that we've taken or that we've seen under the Robert F. Kennedy Junior regime.
Can this can this blow be softened somewhat if if groups like the you know Academy of Pediatrics the American Medical Association and others as well as individual doctors Speak up and remind parents of you know the actual facts about vaccines
Yeah, that's a really important point and we are doing that a AP the American Academy of Pediatrics a cog my college We are putting out our own recommendations and those are very important and those are the things that your doctor
generally are offering, but the advantage to having the national organization supporting this is it shows a unified front and it is so much easier to coordinate all of that information and make sure that we are all offering the same recommendations.
So yes, we will continue to do that, but again, as I said, we are taking a huge step.
backwards in public health again here in the United States.
All right.
Dr. Kristen Lyle is here along with Selena Heller.
And after a few days absence, we get updates on YouTube once again in the comment section from Rob from Tigerton who says good morning.
It's cloudy and five degrees below zero says I've been busy plowing snow and I will be busy again this week.
There is a winter storm watch for Central and Northeastern Wisconsin Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning.
He then gives us the update last Wednesday.
I was in a car accident along 29 between Wittenberg and Shawna.
A semi truck side swiped me.
The driver who hit me, it was his first accident with more than a million miles of experience.
And since his accident, he's been laying low.
He says, Kristen saw my totaled car sitting on the shoulder of 29 as
she
was headed to Minnesota.
And
so, Rob, we're glad you're okay.
And we're very sorry to hear about.
the accident and reminder to everybody don't let anything from slippery roads to sun glare to anything else get in the way and keep it between the lines on there.
That's right.
Really scary experience.
Yeah.
So, Robert, we're glad that that you're okay and you're back online checking in with us and everybody else can feel free to in Facebook or YouTube comment sections as well.
If you missed it a few minutes ago, WIND, W-I-N-D is the keyword in our grownup gift list, text to win contest.
Selena, I think we've got time to get to one of the tapes that you want to play from people you talk to about the local programs being cut that help farms provide lunches to
US Cross.
Yeah, Wisconsin was supposed to get nine million dollars Wisconsin schools were from the US Department of Agriculture program called local food for schools and They didn't because it was caught the program was cut so Caitlyn Teranian from she is the child nutrition coordinator from the ashwabanan school district But she is also president of the Wisconsin school nutrition Association and she's a big big advocate for kind of sourcing local food first for all schools and just
this local farmers, pairing up local farmers in schools, you know, get food right down the road.
It seems pretty, what makes a lot of sense, right?
It's logical.
So this is Caitlin.
It's been fantastic.
It's been very well received.
We are using something that's literally getting processed an hour down the street from us versus, you know, not knowing where in the country these items are coming from.
And it's very fresh.
It's just been a really wonderful product to work with.
Again, it's just the ultimate win-win kind of program.
for for local school districts that want to feed their kids and for local farmers looking for a market.
If you want to follow Selena's full report, you can head over to Up North News and follow it through the website or through our social media sites as well.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok.
If you're not already, just search for Up North News WI to learn more.
We mentioned in sports, of course, the Packers were winners over the Bears and they will play in Denver next time around.
Let's see the Badger Men's basketball team.
over the weekend trounced Marquette and will next play Wednesday night at Nebraska.
And you can hear that game Wednesday night starting at 730 on several civic media stations.
And then you've got the Badger Women's Volleyball team that swept in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
They advanced to the regional semifinals in Austin, Texas and will play a two seed Stanford on Friday afternoon.
So much more still ahead here on these mornings powered by Up North News on the Civic Media Radio Network.
I'm Pat Crite low and you're up north.
I gotta do it again.
I gotta brag about this newsletter that we put out at Up North News, UpNorthNewsWI.com.
Sign up for it there.
He said, as we come up on 623 on this Tuesday morning, I'm Pat Rightlow.
The photo atop of it today comes from Steve in South Milwaukee capturing Grant Park Mill Pond.
So you see this little, little dam.
And then a pond and then some kind of cabin or something off in the distance.
And it's one of those mornings where everything is kind of frosty.
Just got a little light frost coating on there.
It's just gorgeous.
We've got stuff like that every day in the newsletter.
Also in the newsletter today, 10 of the best cut your own Christmas tree farms in Wisconsin.
I would imagine we're really getting to that time of year for a natural tree.
You know, you don't want to get it too early because you just know it'll just get all dried out and everything.
So this seems to be the the best time I mean we haven't had a you know a real tree in some time So I'm no expert on this now, but there are plenty of great Christmas tree farms where you can go to Sheila Everhart from the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association talked to us about that recently and in our newsletter You can get a link to some of the best places to go.
There is also
A note in the newsletter today about our quarterly pledge drive at UpNorth News.
And again, UpNorth News is a separate entity from Civic Media.
So when I talk about fundraising, I'm not talking about Civic Media, just about UpNorth News, where UpNorth News is supported by some big donors and some mid-sized donors and a whole lot of smaller donors who, you know, there's no paywall for what we do on social media, the website, you know, all the places where you can watch our videos.
And so, you know, once every quarter, we pass the hat and say, look, you're not paying for a newspaper subscription for this.
Would you like to kick in a little something?
A lot of people click on the link at the top of our website.
I think right next to the subscribe button, there's one that says support us.
But other people are very old school and I get those emails now and then going hey, we want to we want to send you a check We don't we want don't want to do online payments.
That's fine.
Our mailing address is at the bottom of every newsletter The address has always been the same right here in Chippewa Falls PO box 27 Chippewa Falls 54729 again PO box 27 Chippewa Falls 54729 we get the nicest notes from people Along with you know the little checks for $10 25 the occasion
check that's larger than that, and every one of them is greatly appreciated, especially for this reason.
Out of all the properties of Courier Newsroom, you know, and Up North News is one of the state-based newsrooms.
We have newsrooms in Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, and Texas and others.
Out of all of them, we have always, for the six years we've been around, we have always had the highest total of reader
subscription, not subscriptions, because it's not a paywall, but you know, donations, gifts, whatever you want to call it, support.
We are the envy of every other outlet in the Courier Newsroom constellation.
And we appreciate that so much for those of you who have been sending those nice notes again, PO Box 27, Chippewa 54729.
All right, it gives me no great joy to talk about Derek Van Orden doing Derek Van Orden things again.
Before we get to his latest Twitter tantrum, let me share just what he said over the weekend at one of the places, one of the few places you'll see Derek Van Orden, a fundraising dinner.
Speaking to a group of young Republicans in a connoisseur Van Orden said these words and they're on social media, quote, I'd take a punch in the face for you.
I will fight tirelessly for your freedoms, he said to these young Republicans.
So he'd rather take a punch in the face than hold a town hall.
and actually talk to a group that's not all Republicans.
You know, I'm just beginning to think he would take a punch in the face rather than show any difference between himself and Donald Trump.
Anything that would show he's fighting tirelessly for his entire district, not just for young Republicans, not just for his dear leader.
I'm beginning to agree with the editorial cartoon I saw the other day.
that guesses that the reason the president needed an MRI recently was to find out exactly how many Republicans are still stuck up his backside.
But anyway, let's get back to this tireless keyboard warrior.
Among the more than two dozen tweets he made in the past 24 hours, because apparently he's still not interested in doing the job of a congressman, Derek Van Orden's rolling sewage pipe of social media wisdom included this nugget while answering someone who dared criticize him, quote,
This guy was not satisfied just tarding once.
This guy was not satisfied just tarding once as in retarded.
Quick note here that since President Trump used the word retarded recently to describe a governor, there has been a noticeable uptick in the use of that slur.
because as I noted last week, Donald Trump's most notable accomplishment as far as how history will look back on him is that he was somehow able to lift a rock that had been in place for a long time.
He lifted the rock that most racists, bigots, and jerks had the good sense to live under.
They were quietly racist by comparison to today.
But with that rock lifted, that bigotry has the oxygen to flourish, and it doesn't just happen with members of Congress, it happens to a clerk at a Cinnabon store in Ash Wabanan.
And by now, you've probably seen the video, if you had to subject yourself to it, of a Cinnabon employee in Ash Wabanan calling two Somali American customers the N-word, and saying to the camera, I am racist, and I'll say that to the entire world.
Well anyway, that video got posted and sent a bond to their great credit, probably set a world record in firing somebody.
She claims the customer started the dispute and you don't see that before the video begins.
But right there on the video, the customer confesses to her sin.
She was asking for more caramel on her roll because she didn't think there was enough.
I mean, you know.
Who among us wouldn't go full-blown racist if we were working in customer service and a customer was upset about being given a product they didn't think was right?
Oh wait, none of us would do that.
Every one of us who've worked with customers has had days getting unfairly criticized by a customer, and you might really hate that person in the moment, but going racist on them?
That's behavior you only see from people who feel free crawling out from under that rock that Trump lifted up.
whether you are a Cinnabon clerk or a member of Congress.
This woman even lost the support of the far-right New York Post.
We'll get into that a little bit later on, but first we've got today's history lesson to tell you all about, so stick around for that, including a little Blues Brothers right after this.
I'm Pat Crichtlow.
You're Up North.
Tomorrow on the program, we will have Ellie Bordeaux, our newsletter editor at UpNorth News.
Earl Ingram will be along as well.
And we'll have Melissa Baldoff with our climate check joining us too.
So stick around and, of course, another chance to win in the grown-up gift list text-to-win contest.
You've got your next chance in the 9 o'clock hour for Matt and Aaron Ayer.
But we, of course, kick things off in the 7 o'clock hour each weekday morning here with a keyword that you can text in.
So do that again tomorrow morning in the 7 o'clock hour.
Happy to welcome in Ruth Conniff now from the Wisconsin Examiner.
to talk about some of the stories that they have been covering.
And there's a lot between gubernatorial campaigns wrapping up and things at the national level.
And then there's that intersection of national and state news when it comes to the various ice raids around the country.
And Ruth has written a column that says, Wisconsin communities have been standing up to ice.
Now the state Supreme Court could do the same.
And you can read more over at thewisconsinexaminer.com.
And Ruth Conniff is with us right now.
Ruth, good morning.
How are you?
Good morning.
Good.
Well, nice to see you.
And let's let's talk about this, especially in the way of explaining, you know, it's one thing to round people up.
It's another thing to detain them, especially if you don't have an arrest warrant.
And now, so that's where we get into the difference between an arrest warrant versus something called an administrative warrant.
So can you set us up a bit more with, you know, how that ties into whether or not Wisconsin's county jails can and should be used by ICE for these types of things?
Yeah, I mean there are communities around our state that are grappling with this.
So some of them had signed ICE cooperation agreements like Palmyra and then decided that in fact it was not a good idea.
The community did not like the idea of local law enforcement functioning basically as an arm of federal immigration enforcement.
So there are communities that are
working with ICE, where local law enforcement is picking people up or holding people in county jails, pass a time that it makes sense to hold them there so that ICE can pick them up and deport them.
And then there's a lot of activism at the local level saying, this is just not what we want Wisconsin to look like.
We don't want to start to see the kinds of scenes that we're seeing in St.
Paul and Minneapolis and Chicago.
where people are just getting grabbed off the street.
And as you point out, there's a difference between an administrative warrant, which is just icing.
They think somebody might be here without documents and a judicial warrant, which is really what the Trump administration started out saying it was trying to do, which is pick up people who have committed crimes for deportation.
So a lot of the people who are being picked up on an administrative warrant, there's just no.
there's no crime.
And this is what we're seeing with ICE detentions around the country is that they are mostly people who have not committed any kind of crime.
They are, you know, people who are working, who have families, and these violent scenes of people being grabbed off the street are really alarming.
Well, I mean, you rightly mentioned, or the way you describe it, is a campaign of terror.
And that, you know, here we were
promised, I guess, some kind of relief from the violence being perpetrated by migrants.
The violence is being perpetrated by masked secret police who, as you write here, masked federal agents are aiming guns at civilians, smashing out car windows and dragging parents from their children, hustling them off to detention centers to be fast-tracked out of the country without due process.
I don't think campaign of terror is in any way shape or form hyperbolic.
Yeah, I mean, and this is why it's very significant that the Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case to decide whether it's constitutional in the state of Wisconsin.
for local law enforcement to cooperate in these raids when there's no underlying crime.
There's no other reason for law enforcement to be involved.
And this is something that individual communities have decided across the state.
But now the Wisconsin Supreme Court is going to hear this case and decide whether, in fact, you know, we're just not going to do this here in Wisconsin.
We have
a relatively quiet time compared to some of our neighboring states.
We haven't seen this kind of really scary stuff.
happening very much in our state.
And I think there's a really good shot that the Supreme Court will decide that that's just not the way that Wisconsin works.
That's not the way that our laws allow people to behave.
Yeah, the case was filed, you write, by the state chapter of the ACLU on behalf of the immigrant rights group, Voices de la Frontera, contending that Wisconsin law enforcement agencies do not have the authority to make arrests or keep people in jail on detainers based solely on ICE's administrative warrants, which is, again, to say, because the knee-jerk reaction is, you know, soft on crime or things like that.
When we're talking about administrative warrants, we are not talking about the
Terrorists that Trump and others promised was going to be the focus of all of this ice activity
No, I mean we're talking about roofers and landscapers and you know dairy workers and you know people who have been part of our communities for a long time and who are peaceful hard-working people and that sort of violent raids that terrify people are not making our communities safer
Yeah, let's let's highlight some of the other things that you can find over at WisconsinExaminer.com.
Not the least of which that caught my eye.
Medicare's new AI experiment sparks alarm among doctors and lawmakers, the article says.
And I'm just going to read the lead because again, it seems almost dystopian here.
A Medicare pilot program will allow private companies to use artificial intelligence to review older Americans' requests for certain medical care.
and will reward companies when they deny it.
So again, this is Medicare.
People have paid in their taxes all their lives.
They are expecting medical care.
Doctors are requesting care.
But if health insurance companies use AI to review these things and deny the doctors and patients request for care, they're actually going to get a bonus in our tax dollars.
I wish I could say you can't make this stuff up, but it's right there at the Wisconsin Examiner website.
It's really, it is scary to think this is a pilot program.
It's being launched in several states.
It's part of Medicare Advantage.
And so we, for a long time, have had a problem in this country that we have a health care system that is based on the profits of the middleman, the insurance companies.
So the way that you squeeze more money out of the health care system is to deny people care.
So there's already a problem with private health companies denying care in order to save money.
accelerates it through the, you know, the government provided system of Medicare.
Medicare Advantage is contracts with private companies.
And the introduction of AI makes it even more creepy.
Sinister,
yes.
Yeah.
So you don't have a, you know, you have doctors who say that people need a certain treatment or a certain procedure, and then you have AI reviewing the record and saying, no, maybe we can save the money and not allow them to get that care.
Again, look for that at WisconsinExaminer.com.
I always like highlighting by name some of the folks on your team who are working on things.
Baylor Spears is already working on the governor's race and recently caught up with former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes.
Yeah, Mandela Barnes was in Madison yesterday at a bike shop and Baylor talked to him, listened to his pitch on his campaign and he was there to talk about tariffs and the problem with tariffs for local businesses in Wisconsin and she will continue to be following around several of the candidates around the state.
Yeah, Ruth Conif is here, the editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Examiner.
Henry Redmond is working on a story about Wisconsin Land Trusts.
And we have talked on this program before about the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund and Republican legislators' efforts to defund it.
Again, an instance where you hear that there's bipartisan support to a certain level for this program.
But in terms of what actually passes a Republican-controlled legislature is another matter.
And Henry's headline
says it pretty well, just don't kill it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, that is a quote from one of the sources in the story who's really worried that Knowles Nelson is not going to be renewed.
And that would affect about 700,000 acres of land in Wisconsin that have been protected through this very popular program that
helps to pay for setting aside conservation areas in the state.
And he really digs into what a huge difference it will make for places like Dorr County, places that attract tourists because of the beauty of the natural landscape there.
And there's a lot of beautiful parts of the state that will be lost if they don't renew the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund.
There are a couple of different proposals.
There's a Republican and a Democratic proposal to renew it.
The sticking point for some
Republicans up north is that they feel that there needs to be more private ownership of land and that this has blocked development in some areas.
And there's a debate about what's a better value for Wisconsin.
But also there's a concern by Republican legislators that they don't supervise the DNR enough.
And so the Republican proposal would make any land purchase of a million dollars or more go through the legislature to go through.
That process is so slow that conservationists say it wouldn't work.
at all.
And so then there's a democratic counter proposal that just raises the cash limit on what the legislature supervises before DNR can be involved in setting land aside.
It doesn't seem like they're going to work this out.
No, and it always makes me nostalgic for those days when when Republicans campaigned as the party of local control and smaller government.
And the record since they've taken over has been about micro management.
And that's what this Republican bill is about is again, allowing for micro management of individual partial purchases, as opposed to the Democratic proposal put forward by state Senator Jody Habers-Sinneken that would reauthorize the program and create an independent board made up of members appointed
by the legislature to approve large land purchases through the program.
Again, we'll plead guilty to having rose-colored glasses on and thinking, well, maybe there's enough support that they'll work out some kind of a compromise measure in the fall session.
That did not happen, so now we're left asking ourselves if this is going to get done in January, February, or not at all for the year.
Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right.
So we're talking to Ruth Conniff here from the Wisconsin Examiner.
And there's one other story I wanted to mention.
And it is, of course, about Trump's trade war and Wisconsin farmers.
The headline is Trump to send 12 billion in one time payments to farmers to offset ag losses.
And offset is doing a lot of heavy lifting on there because it's more than $12 billion in markets that farmers in Wisconsin and elsewhere are losing.
Yeah, I mean, we saw the effects of the trade war when all this bumper soybean crop was just sitting in the fields and China was no longer purchasing any soybeans from our country.
That has temporarily that crisis has temporarily been averted because China is buying some soybeans from the US now, although has opened up other markets in Latin America.
So we've lost a big portion of that market for our Wisconsin soybean farmers.
You know, the long term effect of the tariffs and trade wars is to destabilize markets and it's not going to be
with a one-time cash payout.
The other thing about the cash payout from the Trump administration is that the Trump administration says it's coming from tariff revenue.
Well, the revenue is the money that farmers are paying to pay more for products that they used to pay less for because of these tariffs.
So farm equipment, the inputs, the fertilizer, the tractors.
that money it's sort of they're giving back some of the money that the farmers have paid in a tax in order to say well here we've made it up to you for the tariffs and it's a one-time payment so it doesn't fix the structural problem.
No, it doesn't.
And again, it's creating a problem and then claiming to have solved the problem that you created.
The article notes that a reporter asked if Trump would be open to another round of relief.
Trump said it would depend on how international trade develops and said farmers would not want further aid.
He says China is buying a lot.
Other countries are buying a lot.
Farmers, they don't want aid.
They just want a level playing field.
Yeah, but except they're not buying a lot yet.
They're buying a
lot.
And all he's offering is the aid.
So it's a lot of double speed.
He's
offering
it.
He's not fixing the structural problem.
He's saying farmers don't want aid.
It doesn't make a lot of sense.
No.
So read up on that and everything that Ruth's team is doing over at WisconsinExaminer.com.
Ruth Conniff, editor-in-chief.
Always nice to catch up with you, Ruth.
Thanks so much.
Have a great day.
You too, Pat.
All right.
We'll have some final news and notes here from Lake Wasota coming up in just a bit.
Then, of course, we've got Matt Nair on air, Jane Matt Nair, Greg Bach, four little days left here before Jane's retirement.
So you want to tune in for the surprises that Greg and others are conjuring up for making sure that Jane has all the tools she needs to ride off into the sunset and go, hey, that was fun.
It's time to do what's next.
We'll wrap things up here in just a bit.
I'm Pat Krightlow.
This is the Civic Media Radio Network.
you
So I mentioned you could hear John and Gordy weekdays in the afternoon now across the network in mornings at the Civic Media Station in Madison.
And if you'd like to track where all the shows are, what they're talking about, who's been a guest and more, sign up for Civic Media's daily newsletter filled with show highlights, links and more.
Civic Media today.
dot substack dot com again civic media today dot substack dot com is the address uh to go to and subscribe to the civic media daily newsletter so today the u.s supreme court is going to be hearing arguments in a case that could undo
the many independent agencies that oversee everything from consumer protection to worker protection to environmental protection and much more and determine if there will be mostly independent boards that can deal with these issues that are specialized and could really benefit from experts or if
political lackeys will be the ones who are running these all the time and that public service will completely be based on partisan whims.
And based on the current record of the conservative justices at the U.S.
Supreme Court, it's looking a lot like independent agencies may be on the way out.
Chief Justice John Roberts has been making that case for more than 40 years.
back to his days as a young man working in the Reagan administration and in 2010 he wrote a Supreme Court decision all about independent agencies and boards and says they prevent the chief executive from being fully accountable for discharging his duties.
That certainly is one way to look at it.
Give a listen to this list.
These are
I don't dare read all of these, but all of these independent agencies could be impacted if, in a case before the Supreme Court today, they ultimately rule that a president on a whim can fire all the members of the board, put his own political stooges on there, they can fire people at will rather than with cause, and greatly change the public service trajectory of these agencies.
And before I even read it,
I mean just keep in mind what we already learned what happened on Friday when an entirely new panel that talked about recommendations for vaccines removed the recommendation for a vital hepatitis B vaccine for newborns and the incredible damage that could be done to baby's health moving forward as a result of it.
And that's just one board where again President Trump was able to fire everybody.
and put a bunch of quacks on there instead.
Now imagine that happening with the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
Just imagine a bunch of corporate stooges on that one.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Well, let's just load that one up with a bunch of hedge funds managers.
The Commission on Civil Rights.
Well, you can imagine the white supremacists that could be appointed to something like that.
If again, you've got a Congress that has abdicated any oversight,
when it comes to vetting these nominees.
There's the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which brings me back to the really old Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Ackroyd, the bag of broken glass.
And what a great kid's toy that would be.
And we have a Consumer Product Safety Commission that theoretically could move in that direction with this Supreme Court case that's being heard today.
There's the Federal Labor Relations Authority, again, talking about workers' rights,
the Federal Maritime Commission, the Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Legal Services Corporation that helps provide legal aid to low-income Americans for civil cases.
There's the Merit Systems Protection Board that again helps protect federal workers from political interference.
There's the National Indian Gaming Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the National Transportation Safety Board.
How much better or worse would you feel getting out an airplane?
If it was not only Sean Duffy, a Secretary of Transportation, but that he and Donald Trump got to pick who was on the National Transportation Safety Board.
There's the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the US Institute of Peace, which Donald Trump has now renamed the Donald Trump
Institute of Peace for a guy that is doing exactly what Vladimir Putin wants him to do when it comes to the war in Ukraine.
And of course, there's the US Postal Service Board of Governors.
As we learned in Trump's first term, putting Louis DeJoy in as Postmaster General, somebody whose entire business experience is about the private companies that would like the US Postal Service to go away.
and postal service took a big hit as a result of the actions in Trump's first term.
And that's not even counting the ones like the Federal Election Commission, National Credit Union Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the International Trade Commission.
These are all independent agencies that risk losing their independence.
In a case that's going to be taken up by the US Supreme Court today, we may not learn the ruling until June
But I have a feeling the arguments that we're going to hear today will make clear that at least five, maybe all six, conservative justices will take steps to dismantle the independence of these agencies, which it is, again, it's easy to just bring up the word bureaucrat.
And it's easy to bring up the word regulation.
You have to work a little harder to replace bureaucrats with the word experts.
and replace regulations with the word protections.
Now I'm not saying there can't be over regulation.
I'm not saying that there can't be some bureaucrats who are bad at their job or not really compassionate to the people who are filling out applications and asking for help.
But now try getting rid of all that entirely.
Try going to the other extreme side of that equation.
Tell me how that isn't so much worse than what we've got right now.
Coming up next, Richard Trent, the Executive Director of Main Street Alliance, a group of small business owners who do not necessarily align with big business when it comes to what Congress and the President should be doing in the nation's capital.
We'll find out about their latest public awareness campaign.
Coming up next, I'm Pat Krightlo.
You're Up North.
