108 episodes
Center Stage, with Milfred and Hands Wisconsin State Journal
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- News
They're the "Click and Clack" of Wisconsin politics. Scott Milfred, editorial page editor for the Wisconsin State Journal, and Phil Hands, the newspaper's political cartoonist, analyze the most important issues and debates from the Badger State with political independence and a sense of humor. Instead of tedious talking points from the left and the right, "Center Stage" broadcasts from the sensible center with audio clips from the Wisconsin Capitol, from State Journal editorial board meetings, and from political events across the state.
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Can a felon win Wisconsin?
Milfred and Hands analyze the impact of Donald Trump's guilty verdicts on his bid to win the crucial swing state of Wisconsin this fall. Trump had been slightly ahead of President Joe Biden in the latest Marquette Law School poll of statewide voters. Will Trump's convictions for falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments to a porn star hurt or help his campaign? Hands, who drew a "Make America Guilty Again" cartoon for Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal, recounts the time he was confined in a police car.
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Tammy Baldwin vs. Eric Hovde is tighter than it should be
Milfred and Hands analyze the two candidates for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat, including their recent ads, positions on key issues, and Hovde's dip into a frozen Lake Mendota. Milfred is surprised Hovde is polling so well. Hands needs a haircut and pledges to never grow a mustache like the challenger.
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6 takeaways from Trump's rally in Green Bay
Milfred and Hands react to Donald Trump's first visit this year to Wisconsin, the crucial swing state he badly needs to win in November. Hands compares his hardcore devotees to a Grateful Dead following. Milfred counters Trump's dark take on Whitewater -- both its accuracy and political impact. Our political podcasters play clips from the rally and react to Trump's familiar schtick. Our political podcasters won't count him out, though they hate to imagine him getting back in.
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How secure are Wisconsin's elections?
Milfred and Hands tackle the integrity of Wisconsin's elections with top municipal clerks from Kohler and Sun Prairie. The two clerks rank the security of your vote on a scale of 1 to 10.
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Yoga in the middle of State Street? That's just one idea for a pedestrian mall in the heart of Madison this summer
Milfred and Hands highlight last week's discussion at the Edgewater Hotel about the future of State Street. Prominent landscape architect Ed Freer and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway offer their visions as the city plans to test the concept of a true pedestrian mall on the bottom half of State Street this summer. Buses no longer roll down and crowd the three blocks closest to the UW-Madison campus. So the possibilities are ripe for a grand promenade and urban park similar to Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado. Milfred and Hands play clips from and react to the Edgewater forum, including Freer's playful suggestion for yoga in the middle of the street.
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Wisconsin's Ron Johnson tag teams with Elon Musk
Milfred and Hands react to U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's social media event with Elon Musk on Musk's digital platform X. They sought to undermine the U.S. Senate's bipartisan support for military aid to Ukraine against Russian aggression. Hear clips from Johnson and Musk, who insist Ukraine can't win and Russian President Vladimir Putin can't lose. Milfred and Hands aren't buying it.