Keya Vakil
Wolfe Hunt to Be Thwarted (Hour 1)
Republican state senators believe they fired state Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe on Thursday, but she said she’s not going anywhere as Attorney General Josh Kaul files a lawsuit so that a court can note that the Senate just made everything up in order to appease 2020 conspiracy theorists.
When You Embolden Nazis… (Hour 1)
It is not necessary for a politician to openly call for support from members of hate groups. But when people in those groups start openly supporting the politician, he might have a problem. We’ll also talk to Courier Newsroom national correspondent Keya Vakil about the national attention being put on Wisconsin Republicans for even considering impeachment talk about a state Supreme Court justice.
Transparency for Thee, Not for Me! (Hour 1)
So-called “fiscal conservatives” love the idea of creating dashboards that help show how tax dollars are used—up to a point. When it was suggested recently that a dashboard for school spending should include the real expense of the vouchers that benefit private, usually religious schools, conservatives changed their tune faster than any dashboard could measure. Also, our weekly visit with Courier Newsroom national correspondent Keya Vakil.
Inmate #P01138509 (Hour 1)
With apologies to Tommy Tutone, Jenny’s phone number of 867-5309 has been replaced with Donald Trump’s new inmate number from the Fulton County Jail. But let’s not lose sight of the very real, very sad issue at the heart of this: An American president tried to lie, cheat, and steal his way into staying in power after voters said no. Also: Friday morning quarterbacking the GOP debate among the non-Trump candidates. Is one ready to step up if Trump’s trials take him out of the race?
Quiet Accomplishments, Loud Dysfunction (Hour 1)
It’s going to get noisy again in the US Capitol in the next few weeks, as the next budget fight leads to another showdown, maybe another government shutdown. Meanwhile, Americans are quietly getting relief in multiple ways through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and more. Courier Newsroom national correspondent Keya Vakil has this week’s Washington roundup. Meanwhile, Donald Trump asks to push one of his trials to 2026—promises a blockbuster report for next week, then says “never mind.”
Democracy Is Off the Mat and Fighting Back (Hour 1)
A Wisconsin judge on Thursday set a trial date for a civil lawsuit filed against the 10 fake Trump electors and rejected a move to dismiss the case. Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to fight a separate lawsuit to un-do the ban on absentee ballot drop boxes. We’ll review both cases, and Courier Newsroom national correspondent Keya Vakil tells us how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made another move to un-do the will of the voters in that state.
The ‘Lock Her Up’ Crowd Is Confused (Hour 1)
Apparently it’s a bad and unfair thing to have political opponents face prison time if they’re on your side of the political fence—and possibly engaged in felonious conduct. We’ll review Donald Trump’s third criminal arraignment. And we’ll review the big budget cuts planned at one UW school. Chances are it won’t be the last, given a decade of Republican attacks on public education of all types.
Imaginary Supreme Court Cases (Hour 1)
When right-wing justices on the US Supreme Court ruled it was legal for a website designer to discriminate against potential LGBTQ customers, it turns out they were ruling about a situation that didn’t exist—the same-sex couple “seeking” a wedding website was made up. It’s only the latest situation that has more Americans questioning the legitimacy of a court that has struck down women’s healthcare rights and colleges’ efforts to have a diverse student body—even as some of the justices are mired in ethical suspicion.
Trump’s Wife, Morgan Fairchild! (Hour 1)
You have to be a fan of the old Jon Lovitz SNL skit, but former President Donald Trump is offering new excuses for having and waving around classified documents. It turns out they were building plans for a golf course—yeah, that’s the ticket! It’s part of our review of this week’s national headlines with Courier Newsroom political writer Keya Vakil.
Told Ya’ It Would Be a Heist (Hour 1)
We’ve done about 200 radio shows since last year, and one of the first predictions we made was that Republican legislators were never going to use the record budget surplus to make sound fiscal investments in Wisconsin’s future. It was always going to be a heist. And with Thursday’s announcement of a tax cut plan skewed to the super-wealthy, GOP lawmakers are getting set to clean out the vault.
