Thanks to 12 years of gerrymandered Republican rule, Wisconsin is now one of only 10 states still losing out on federal money to provide more affordable health care to working families through Medicaid/BadgerCare. In Minnesota this week, the Democratic-controlled Legislature is beefing up Medicaid/MinnesotaCare with a public option. We’ll explore how it works and how much Wisconsin continues to lose from the GOP’s Affordable Care Act temper tantrum.
The shooting deaths of two police officers in Barron County last week likely came as no surprise to those who knew the suspect, who also died in the incident. We’ll review warning signs from past run-ins that included threats to murder law enforcement officers—and ask again when an entire political class will start putting the lives of cops and kids ahead of politics.
Moving beyond the races that got more coverage this week, we look at the dozens of school referendums that were on Tuesday’s ballot—and how the difference between success and failure came down to just a handful of votes. Also: Mark Jacob on how national media covered the Trump arrest and arraignment. And Dan Schumacher helps us talk sports.
It was on March 31, 1849 that Wisconsin Gov. Nelson Dewey signed a law banning abortion. State Sen. Kelda Roys will outline the legislation introduced by Democrats that would restore women’s healthcare rights and undo the damage brought by right-wing US Supreme Court justices when they repealed Roe v. Wade, allowing the 1849 ban to again take effect.
This week on UpNorthNews Radio, we only had live shows on Thursday and Friday, but they were big shows! Hear from former State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Judge Janet Protasiewicz about the importance of the upcoming election for State Supreme Court. Afterwards, Pat talks with Mark Jacob, a former editor of the Chicago Sun Times and other publications, about the current state of journalism. To round out the hour, UW Eau Claire Athletics Director Dan Schumacher shares his thoughts about March Madness.