A Public Affair

Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinur
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Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

  1. 1D AGO

    Wisconsin Film Fest Roundup

    On today’s show, host Esty Dinur previews four films screening at the Wisconsin Film Festival: Celtic Utopia dir. by Dennis Harvey, Do You Love Me dir. by Lana Daher, Everybody to Kenmure Street dir. Felipe Bustos Sierra, and The Spies Among Us dir. Jamie Coughlin Silverman and Gabe Silverman. Dennis Harvey is a filmmaker from Ireland, based in Sweden. With a cinema vérité approach and a particular sensitivity to the human, his work interrogates the political through the personal. He is a member of the European Film Academy, the Irish Film and Television Academy, and Noncitizen, a film collective which works to hand over the means of making films to migrants. His film, Celtic Utopia will be screening tomorrow, Saturday, April 11 at 1:45 at the Barrymore Theatre.  Lana Daher is a filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist based in Beirut, Lebanon. With a background in fine arts and graphic design as well as filmmaking, she has long been active in Beirut’s vibrant art and music scenes, working across sound, image, and archival practices. Her work is grounded in deep research and intuitive storytelling, exploring the space between documentary and fiction by bringing different time periods and emotional landscapes into dialogue. Her film, Do You Love Me, plays today, April 10 at 1:45 at the UW Cinematheque and Wednesday, April 15 at 8:45 at Flix Brewhouse, Cinema 7.  Felipe Bustos Sierra is a Chilean-Belgian film director, producer, and editor based in Scotland. His debut feature-length documentary, Nae Pasaran (2018), won the Best Feature award at the 2018 British Academy Scotland Awards, where Bustos Sierra was also nominated for Best Director. Bustos Sierra is also the founder and creative director of Debasers Filums, an independent film company based in Edinburgh and Glasgow. His film, Everybody to Kenmure Street, will show on Wednesday, April 15 at 1pm at Flix Brewhouse, Cinema 8 and Thursday, April 16 at 5:30pm at Flix Brewhouse, Cinema 1 (rush only).  Jamie Coughlin Silverman and Gabe Silverman are journalists turned filmmakers. The Spies Among Us premiered at SXSW and won the Best Documentary Award in Warsaw. It’s been called the most important film about the topic since the Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others.  The Spies Among Us screens at the Bartell Theatre, Friday, April 10 at 8:30pm (rush only). Featured image of full theatre. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Wisconsin Film Fest Roundup appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    1 hr

  2. 2D AGO

    Flat Isn’t Fair and Other Lessons Before Tax Day

    Ahead of Tax Day, host Bert Zipperer tackles gritty tax policy and the future of fair and progressive taxes. He’s joined by Jon Whiten of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a non-profit, non-partisan tax policy organization.  ITEP reports that people at the bottom of the economic spectrum pay the most when it comes to taxes. And in nearly all states, the top 1% of earners are taxed at the lowest rate. A recent analysis from ITEP finds that undocumented immigrants pay a considerable amount of taxes. Whiten says that states that invest in the child tax credit and earned income tax credit can help folks at the bottom of the economic ladder. Whiten breaks down the differences between income, property, consumption, and corporate taxes. The 2017 and 2025 tax laws have made it so that companies like Tesla and Meta are paying little to no federal corporate income tax. And though a “flat tax” may sound fair, it’s a regressive form of taxation because “not everyone is in the same economic situation,” says Whiten. Property taxes are the least abstract tax, you can see where your money is going, to schools or libraries, etc. But cutting property taxes would inevitably result in reductions to all kinds of public services. It’s possible to make property taxes more fair, like mansion taxes or tax credits like “circuit breakers.” They also talk about how taxes help to build the common good. And we hear from callers about school referendums in Wisconsin, the attempt to pass a “circuit breaker” in Wisconsin, how the wealthy place a high demand on government services funded by taxes, the uses of debt, and more.  Jon Whiten is the Deputy Director at ITEP. He helps guide ITEP’s overall strategy and approach to policy change, works to properly resource ITEP’s work, and leads ITEP’s work to shape the public debate around tax policy and ensure that policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders are using ITEP’s data and analysis in order to make sound decisions. Featured image of a protester holding a sign at a Tax Day rally in New York City in 2012 via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Flat Isn’t Fair and Other Lessons Before Tax Day appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Union-Endorsed Candidates Win Big

    Yesterday at the polls, voters overwhelmingly supported Chris Taylor for Wisconsin Supreme Court. In Dane County, results are in for Dane County Circuit Court, thirteen competitive races for Dane County Board of Supervisors, two Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education seats, and three Madison Common Council alder races. That’s in addition to the numerous non-partisan races in towns and villages across Dane County, in which many union-backed candidates won their races. To break down what voters decided in yesterday’s Spring Election, host Ali Muldrow is joined by four local labor leaders: Derek Wallace is the President of AFSCME- Dane County Employee Association Local 720. Kevin Gundlach is the President of the South Central Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO. And Molly Grupe who is a teacher in Waunakee and the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) Region 6 PAC Chair. John Wedge is the Executive Director at WEAC Region 6. Grupe says that she’s heartened by the election results, which are part of a larger national push to elect Democratic candidates. Gundlach says that of AFL-CIO’s 156 endorsements, only 20 candidates lost their races. It takes a ⅔ vote of members to get that AFL-CIO endorsement. Wallace also reports a very high win rate for AFSCME-endorsed candidates: 15 of 16 races. Union endorsements are building trust at a time when there’s a lot of political mistrust. The election of Chris Taylor to the Supreme Court is exciting for these leaders because Act 10 is one step closer to being overturned. Wedge says that there’s now a reasonable majority on the Supreme Court who don’t want to strip unions of their power. If unions gained their power back, Grupe would like to see them advance DEI and inclusivity, smaller class sizes, more transparency on property tax bills, and all kinds of issues that go beyond salary negotiations. They also talk about how unions can support their elected officials to be effective and hold them accountable to their campaign promises. They preview what might happen in the August Primary and November Midterm.  Featured image of “I Voted” stickers via Pexels. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Union-Endorsed Candidates Win Big appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    53 min

  4. 4D AGO

    Meet Charles C. Diggs, the Most Consequential Black Congressman

    Today is the Spring Election, and to celebrate the democratic process, host Dana Pellebon is in conversation with political scientist, Dr. Marion Orr, about Charles C. Diggs Jr. who Dr. Orr calls “the most consequential Black congressman.”  Orr first learned about Michigan Congressman Diggs when he was an undergraduate student at Savannah State. Unfortunately, many people won’t encounter Diggs in their history books. So Orr set out to write the first biography of Diggs, whose legacy is “scattered across the Civil Rights movement and Black politics.” Orr’s book is called, House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman. Charles C. Diggs Jr.. Orr says that Digg was “in the front seat” of every issue from the 1950s until he resigned from Congress in 1980: he was present at the trial of Emmett Till’s murderers, he founded the Congressional Black Caucus, participated in the Gary Convention of ‘72, and shaped the American anti-apartheid movement.  Orr says that Congressman Diggs put himself at great risk to observe the trial of Emmett Till’s murderers. His presence in the Mississippi courtroom gave courage to the Black witnesses to come forward and testify against the two white killers. By attending the trial, Diggs sent the message that, though he was elected to represent Detroit, he would represent all Black Americans. Diggs was also the first congressperson to show a long-term interest in Africa and US-Africa policy and became the chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, says Orr. They also talk about Digg’s fall from power after the FBI was tipped off to a payroll violation and how he sacrificed his relationship with his family to serve his elected role. Orr holds that Congressman Diggs should be remembered for his many accomplishments and his role in shaping the length and breadth of so many fights for justice. Marion Orr is a political scientist and the inaugural Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy at Brown University. An award-winning author, his publications include House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman. Charles C. Diggs Jr.; Black Social Capital: The Politics of School Reform in Baltimore; and The Color of School Reform: Race, Politics, and the Challenge of Urban Education. He was awarded the Biographers International Organization’s Francis “Frank” Rollin Fellowship for his work on Congressman Diggs. Featured image of the cover of House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman. Charles C. Diggs Jr. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Meet Charles C. Diggs, the Most Consequential Black Congressman appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  5. 5D AGO

    Data Center Companies Should Pick Up Their Energy Bill

    This month, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission is expected to release price rates for hyperscale data center companies. The issue of who foots the bill for the energy use of these data centers is just one element of the growing concern over the flood of tech interest in building data centers in our state. To talk about hyperscale data center energy use and how regular consumers can hold tech companies accountable, host Douglas Haynes is in conversation with Tom Content of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin and local journalist, Chali Pittman, whose latest essay on data centers is available from Isthmus. The term “data center” is broad and encompass the hyperscale projects undertaken by Meta, Microsoft, and other tech companies. But there are a number of smaller data centers around the state that many people might not know about, says Pittman. All require constant power and cooling, but no where near the scale of their hyperscale counterparts.  Hyperscale data centers use more power and take up more land. Pittman and Content discuss how tech companies go about buying land and how Wisconsin legislators opened the door to new proposals when they created a tax incentive in the state budget. Content says that we need state-level guides and frameworks to address the issue of data centers and economic development. Content’s organization wants to see the Public Service Commission set rules in a way that will protect all customers, not just the utility or tech companies. He says the CUB has seen utility bills increasing at a rate higher than inflation. They also talk about the importance of zoning and how local groups are successfully keeping hyperscale data centers out of their neighborhoods.  Tom Content leads the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin, the nonpartisan independent nonprofit that serves as the consumer advocate for utility customers in proceedings that affect what Wisconsinites pay for power as well as the path the state takes on its energy future. Tom is currently vice president of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. Before joining CUB 9 years ago, Tom was a journalist covering energy, utilities, and sustainability for more than 20 years at the Green Bay Press-Gazette and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Chali Pittman is a freelance journalist based in Madison. You can read her reporting on data centers in Wisconsin on Substack.  Featured image of a Google data center in Iowa via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Data Center Companies Should Pick Up Their Energy Bill appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    55 min

  6. APR 3

    What Authoritarianism in Egypt Reveals about Trumpism

    On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with scholar Atef Said about the surprising similarities between Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Donald Trump. Since Donald Trump was first elected, Said says that his students are noticing how authoritarianism is at work in the US, not just in other countries.  Said says there are few ways that Trump and Sisi are similar: they both deploy “us/them” rhetoric, they hate the media, and they present themselves as strong men who can make their nations’ great again. But they came to power in very different circumstances. Trump was democratically elected while Sisi rose to power through a violent coup. Sisi, unlike Trump, has near absolute power, says Said, and he has imprisoned thousands of political dissenters and even engaged in systemic judicial killing. They also discuss ICE’s extrajudicial killings of protestors and the lack of investigation and accountability into these murders. Just this week, ICE abducted Salah Sarsour, the President of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and board member of American Muslims for Palestine. Said also talks about the development of democratic movements during Mubarak’s rule, the “No Kings” protests, and multiracial coalition building. Said will be speaking at the Middle East Studies Annual Conference, on April 17, 2026. Atef Said is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois Chicago and a scholar of political and historical sociology. His latest book, Revolution Squared: Tahrir, Political Possibilities and Counterrevolution in Egypt (2024), analyzes the intersections of state power and social movements. Said’s work uncovers the transnational flow of political ideologies, revealing how the sociology of colonialism and empire continues to shape modern global politics. Featured image of Donald Trump shaking hands with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in 2017, via Flickr. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post What Authoritarianism in Egypt Reveals about Trumpism appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    52 min

  7. APR 2

    Iraq: Caught in the Middle

    WORT 89.9FM Madison · Iraq: Caught in the Middle Today, Allen Ruff speaks with Erik Gustafson, founder and executive director of Enabling Peace in Iraq Center to talk about some of the history as well as the latest developments in Iraq. Modern Iraq has undergone many years of devastating war, including the Iran/Iraq war of 1980-1988 which was costly for both countries and included the use of chemical weapons, the 1991 Gulf War and the years of conflict following, in addition to the economic sanctions and air strikes 2003 US-lead invasion and the years of war which came after. Many unintended but foreseeable consequences resulted in decades of suffering in Iraq.  Gustafson said that not all of Iraq is desert, and there are beautiful places that have suffered the environmental costs of ongoing war. After 2003, Iraq was no longer cut off from the rest of the world, and there is a desire to make systemic changes mirroring Dubai, and other Western countries. However, the prime minister, currently Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, does not have the decision-making power to make needed reforms, answering to Tehran, not Baghdad. Weak government, Iranian backed militias, and constant war has led to unclear sovereignty. Nuclear weapons became an appealing strategy for Iraq to increase its sovereignty. Both Iran and the US have not helped Iraq become a sovereign state. Gustafson noted that this war was started on a whim, and was not planned out. Trump didn’t build support prior to going to war. There were no clear objectives, no clearance from congress, and no feeling of being backed by the American people. Trump is attempting to clear out the nuclear weapons by launching ballistic missiles rather than undergoing weapon inspections. Gustafson said that other countries are observing the conflict and noting that they need to have nuclear weapons to survive modern warfare, or they will end up like Iraq. The Center for Civilian Protection, which is an organization established to reduce harm to citizens, previously there were hundreds employed, but under the Trump administration, there are only dozens still employed. Erik Gustafson is the founder and executive director of Enabling Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening accountable governance, supporting human rights, and working with local partners to address the impacts of conflict and environmental stress in Iraq. He founded EPIC in 1998 after traveling to Iraq and witnessing firsthand the humanitarian toll of sanctions on ordinary civilians—an experience that has shaped his work ever since. Featured image of Erik Gustafson by Sara Gabler/WORT. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Iraq: Caught in the Middle appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min

  8. APR 1

    Thank Goodness for Local Election Clerks

    Next Tuesday, April 7 is the Spring Election in Wisconsin. On today’s show, host Ali Muldrow is in conversation with two local election officials: Madison City Clerk, Lydia McComas, and Dane County Clerk, Scott McDonell. They talk about absentee and early voting, voter turnout, and the vicious environment around elections created by the Trump administration. McDonell says that Madison is the gold standard for early voting in the state. That’s because the city has made early voting available at libraries even at night and on the weekends. He says that this measure has increased voting by 3-4%, especially engaging the casual voters out there. He’s noticed an increase in-person early voting this year, closer to pre-pandemic levels. McComas discusses the quick turnaround between the Spring Primary in February and the Spring Election in April and all the work that her office does to make this quick transition seamless. She says that no matter how you cast your ballot, it will be counted in Madison and that she’s working to rebuild trust after 193 ballots went uncounted in 2024.  They reassure listeners that our local elections are safe and secure, despite the erosion of trust in voting that the Trump administration has fostered. And they talk about efforts to help students engaged in voting, how they have been threatened at their jobs, increasing access to voting for the elderly and eligible voters in Dane County jails, and the importance of showing gratitude to poll workers. If you want to find your polling place, register to vote, or learn what’s on your ballot, go to myvote.wi.gov.  Lydia McComas is Madison’s City Clerk. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in political science. She holds a graduate certificate in election administration from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Her previous role was as Voter Engagement Division Manager with Hennepin County in Minnesota. Scott McDonell has served as the Dane County Clerk since he was first elected in 2013. In 2014, McDonell became the first clerk in Wisconsin to issue a same-sex marriage license, and he is the only clerk in the country to oversee two presidential recounts in 2016 and 2020. Featured image of a polling sign courtesy of WORT. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Thank Goodness for Local Election Clerks appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    53 min

  9. MAR 31

    Common Council District 14 Candidates: Kate Blood and Noah Lieberman

    On today’s show, host Dana Pellebon is in conversation with Madison Common Council District 14 Candidates, Kate Blood and Noah Lieberman. District 14 encompasses parts of South Madison and is currently represented by Alder Isadore Knox Jr. The candidates speak about their priorities for their district, what they’d like to see in Madison, and how to reduce racial disparities in the city. Next Tuesday, April 7 is Election Day. Find out what’s on your ballot here.  Common Council District 14 Candidate: Kate Blood Kate Blood says that she decided to run for office when a housing development was proposed in her neighborhood without the input of her Latinx neighbors. She supports restorative justice, restorative courts, and using diversion programs to keep people out of jails and prisons. Blood says that reducing racial disparities in Madison should start with supporting our students. That means reevaluating discipline formats using deescalation protocols. She says that fully funding the CARES program is a long-term investment in our community.  Kate Blood worked for WHEDA and the DOA providing affordable housing around the state. She now works as a chaplain.  Featured image: remix of a photo of Kate Blood with the Madison City Council district map by Sara Gabler/WORT. Common Council District 14 Candidate: Noah Lieberman Noah Lieberman is running for Common Council because local government is where community is put into practice, from parks and libraries to good roads and transportation. He wants to create home ownership opportunities for Black and Brown residents of his district to help address long-term racial disparities in the city. He also supports state-level changes to the minimum wage and wants to see the city build up tenants’ rights in order to stop predatory landlords who he says are an impediment to making the city affordable. Noah Lieberman is a stay at home dad. He previously served as vice chair of the Dane County Democratic Party, helping to recruit and support progressive candidates around the county. He also served as chair of Madison’s Landlord Tenant Issues Committee. Featured image: remix of a photo of Noah Lieberman with the Madison City Council district map by Sara Gabler/WORT. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Common Council District 14 Candidates: Kate Blood and Noah Lieberman appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    55 min

  10. MAR 30

    Madison School Board Seat 7 Candidates: Nicki Vander Meulen and Dana C...

    The Spring Primary election is next Tuesday and on today’s show, Sara Gabler is in conversation with Madison Metropolitan School District School Board Seat 7 Candidates, incumbent Nicki Vander Meulen and challenger Dana Colussi-Lynde. They speak about their priorities for the school district, how they would address opportunity gaps, safe learning environments, literacy rates, student enrollment in the district, and more. School Board Seat 7 Candidate: Nicki Vander Meulen Nicki Vander Meulen is seeking a fourth term on the school board. She says that Madison is a “property rich but tax poor district” and that the current state funding formula has created two separate school systems for public schools and charter schools. She would like greater transparency when it comes to funding and at the same time better compensation for veteran teachers so that their talents stay in the district.  Serving students with disabilities is a top priority for Vander Meulen, who says that having the opportunity to attend public schools changed her life. She wants to see K-3rd grade classrooms capped at 23 students and more partnerships with community organizations who could provide tutoring to MMSD students. Equitable staff compensation, tutoring, keeping police out of schools, and addressing the culture of bullying would all contribute to reducing the opportunity gaps and declining enrollment in the district, Vander Muelen says. Nicki Vander Meulen is a juvenile attorney and member of the Madison Board of Education. When Nicki was elected in 2017, she became the first openly autistic school board member in the United States. Featured image of Nicki Vander Meulen. School Board Seat 7 Candidate: Dana Colussi-Lynde Dana Colussi-Lynde comes from a family of educators, and she’s running for school board because she’s concerned about the state of our democracy. She says her background in information technology has prepared her to address process improvement and assess the effectiveness of student technology use.  She points to the unfavorable data on student technology use and test scores and supports the “bell to bell” cell phone ban in the district.  She is also concerned about the educational opportunity gap and would like to see partnerships with the Goodman Center, NAMI, and other organizations to support students’ wellbeing. She wants to see students graduating at their reading level and an increase in apprenticeship programs so students can be future-ready when they leave the school system. Dana Colussi-Lynde was born in Madison and raised in the Madison area by two teachers before graduating from Madison West High School. She then went on to Madison College for a degree in Information Technology, leading to a 25-year career in IT leadership, analysis and process improvement. She was a board member of New Leaders Council, a progressive leadership organization, for two years following their institute in 2019. She has also volunteered for Courage Plus and Planned Parenthood along with canvassing for local and national political campaigns. She was recently endorsed by the Wisconsin State Journal, Dane Dems and Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance and designated as a Mental Health Now Candidate. The school board would be her first, but hopefully not her last, public service role. Featured image of Dana Colussi-Lynde. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Madison School Board Seat 7 Candidates: Nicki Vander Meulen and Dana C... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

    54 min
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4.9
out of 5
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About

Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

Information

  • Creator
    Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinur
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Back Porch Broadcasting, Inc.
  • Show Website
    A Public Affair

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