8 O'Clock Buzz

Americans have to come to the realization that genocide is being perpetrated by the Israel government against the people of Gaza with American complicity.  How can anyone justify the ethnic cleansing taking place right now as politicians turn a blind eye.  Mark Rosenthal of Jewish Voice for Peace joins Tony Castañeda in the studio to talk about the situation in Gaza and to promote the talks that will be given by Feroze Sidhwa, a humanitarian surgeon who has worked in Gaza.  Dr. Sidhwa will be speaking at three separate events in Madison this Friday and Saturday, July 25th and 26th, at First Unitarian Society (noon on Friday), Christ Presbyterian Church (7:00 pm Friday), and at the Anti-War Café (noon on Saturday).  Anti-Zionism is not Anti-Semitism.

Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash

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Congress recently approved the economic plan proposed by President tRump even though many pliable politicians recognized that the economics behind the bill make no sense in terms of the budget deficit or economic growth.  80% of the voting public disapproved of cuts to Medicaid and health care and yet the plan will do just that including rural areas which may be the hardest hit.  Michael Linden, Senior Fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, speaks with Tony Castañeda about the plan which will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt while cutting taxes for the super-rich.

Photo by Blogging Guide on Unsplash

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Caution: This interview contains several graphic descriptions of traumatic injuries of victims of Israeli attacks in Gaza.

Over 170 charities call for end to deadly new Gaza aid distribution system” about the U.S. government funded so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” — described as overseeing “a killing field” by an Israeli soldier. Dr. Bing Li, a volunteer for Doctors Without Boarders and currently in eastern Ukraine, talks about her first-hand emergency medicine experience, risks to healthcare volunteers, malnutrition, and lack of medical facilities in the Indonesian Hospital in the north of Gaza. Li co-authors a report on accuracy.org “Israel Killing 100 Palestinians a Day; 1,844 Strikes on Healthcare, 2,792 Infants and Toddlers Dead“.

Note: the interview was edited at several points due to loss of phone connection.

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Do you enjoy working with plants? Do you have a green thumb, or do your plants (indoor or outdoor) just die for no apparent reason (hint: there’s always a reason)? If you want to learn more and improve your chances of success, you might want to consider taking the self-paced on-line course from the UW Extension, Department of Horticulture course “Growing and Caring for Plants in Wisconsin:

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Today on the too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, Chakari Daezhare joins us to talk about what she’s been up to and what’s going on around town, from her burlesque and music to tubing and swimming to Antoine’s nickname and Karen Wilhelmi.

Catch Chakari at the Next Level Festival on August 2nd or Rigby on August 20th.

Going on around town:

Music from today’s show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/20972121/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz 

Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org!

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From the legends of Paul Bunyan to camp songs to the state’s reforestation efforts, the image of the lumberjack looms large in Wisconsin lore.  It’s fitting, then, that the Lumberjack World Championships take place annually in Hayward, Wisconsin.  The 2025 World Championships just completed this past weekend, and we turn to event manager Samantha LaSalle with an update.

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Madison’s hip-hop community has grown in fits and starts over the years, but lately has developed into a thriving scene.  The collective ToTheEnd Entertainment helps showcase some of that local talent with a free outdoor event entitled “Summer Nights,” taking place on June 27th at the Rainbow Shelter in Madison’s Warner Park.  Andrew Arias, who performs under the name TeenAche and Damian Guzman, who performs as Big Dame both joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on July 21, 2025.

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On July 8, the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted 4-3 to curb the power of the state legislature to block state agency administrative rules.  Governor Tony Evers had filed suit when the legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules postponed indefinitely changes to the state’s commercial building code and a ban on LGBTQ conversion therapy.  Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Jill Karofsky found that the 2011 statutes creating the Joint Committee violated the Wisconsin Constitution’s provisions for separation of powers.  The ruling has far-reaching implications beyond the specific issues addressed in the lawsuit.  To help us sort this out, Derek Clinger, Senior Staff Attorney for the University of Wisconsin State Democracy Research Initiative joined the Monday Buzz on July 21, 2025.

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Israel’s recent strikes in decentralized Syria underscore the widening scope of its military campaign beyond Gaza, according to Jennifer Loewenstein, guest of host Tony Castañeda on the Thursday Buzz.

Loewenstein, a longtime human rights activist and freelance journalist, also discusses the nature of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s relationship with Trump. Meanwhile in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis deepens, with food aid trickling in though chaotic and dangerous corridors, often delayed or blocked entirely-turning basic survival into a political battleground.

Photo courtesy of Emad El Byed on Unsplash.

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The Blackhawk Bridge Closure in Crawford County has locals talking, and taking the scenic route – which, for Tony’s 8 O’Clock Buzz guest, Charlie Preusser, is a bridge too far.

As a new structure is being built, the vibrations caused by active construction have made the original bridge unsafe, forcing its demolition long before the new bridge opens in late 2027. Crews had originally planned a short-term closure, but now the only option for residents of both Wisconsin and Iowa to cross the Mississippi will require a lengthy detour.

That’s the bad news. The good news, as Charlie reminds listeners, is that rural people are accustomed to adapting to things. He should know, having weathered the Kickapoo River floods of 2007 and 2018.

Preusser is the longtime editor of the Crawford County Independent and Kickapoo Scout.

Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division.

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