8 O'Clock Buzz

Scott Ross, former director of One Wisconsin Now and political analyst, joins the 8 O’Clock Buzz to discuss the dire state of affairs with the national Democratic leadership.  Scott makes a point that this isn’t the case with the State Democratic leadership who are doing a great job, but mainly with older politicians like Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin who are clinging on to power while allowing the Republican agenda to be forced on the American public.  Scott says it’s time for a change.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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WORTstock, of couse.  Fred Swanson, Madison Homebrewers and Tasting Guild, talks with host Tony Castañeda about the “No Crap on Tap” offerings at the upcoming festival on Sunday, May 18.  They also discuss the state of craft beer consumption and how the industry will respond to the many challenges in today’s marketplace.

Photo by Michele McEwen on Unsplash

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The bartender groans audibly, “These guys are real pests”.  Adam Benedetto, poet and political raconteur, joins the 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about his new book, Love. Flies. The World., which is an ode to American violence.  As noted in the promotional material, this is a surreal and funny book of poems in which the main characters are flies or people portraying tensions in America.  Adam will be giving readings around Madison area over the next week.

Photo by Aditya Shetty on Unsplash

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If the concept of a “one-man band” makes you think of someone with cymbals strapped to their kneess performing at a kids party, Jeremy Jacobsen wants to aim a little higher.  Performing as “The Lonesome Organist,” Jacobsen has performed worldwide, including David Bowie’s Meltdown festival in 2002 and has recorded with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Man or Astro Man.  On Thursday, May 15, The Lonesome Organist brings his unique act to Madison’s Arts and Literature Laboratory, along with Dr. Nick Zoulek.

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On June 14, eight young people will hop on their bicycles in Madison, Wisconsin and begin the 945-mile trek to Montgomery, Alabama.  Along the way, they’ll stop at historic sites and have conversations about racial equity.   The Riders 4 Racial Amity is a program of the nonprofit Copper to Gold’s efforts to promote sustainable social change.  Kate Vestlie and Miguel Rivera are two of the organizers of the event, and they joined the Monday Buzz on May 12, 2025.

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Festival season is upon us and with that in mind, Tony’s guest on the Thursday 8 O’Clock Buzz is WORT business development director extraordinaire Doug Holtz. Doug wears a lot of hats at the station, but “WORTstock wrangler” – staying on top of many of the moving parts it takes to pull off Madison’s first official festival of the season – might be one of the most demanding jobs he does for the station.

Now in its 28th year, WORTstock, formerly known as the WORT Block Party, gets the 2025 festival season rolling on Sunday, May 18 at Warner Park with a great music line up:

12:00 Annie & the Oakies (bluegrass)

Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild will host the 21st annual No Crap on Tap, with beverage selections from more than 20 local brewers. Beer, seltzers, ciders and more!

There’s a pre-WORTstock party this Saturday (May 10) at the Malt House from 2:30-6:00 which will feature live music, DJ Brian Hirsch of Green Morning Radio, and your first chance to buy WORTstock raffle tickets. Stock up!

Photo courtesy of WORT.

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Ava Borelli, host of WORT’s Old World Sunrise and Classical Jukebox every Thursday morning from 5-8, joins Thursday Buzz host Tony Castañeda to edify listeners on the conclave currently underway in Rome to determine the successor to the late Pope Francis.

Ava, whose ancestors hail from Italy, shares the mic today with another Thursday morning regular, Captain Zero, and together they help clear the smoke surrounding the conclave-a secretive process in which a group of very serious people in very fancy robes lock themselves in a room to decide who best to represent the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

Since the airing of this show, the conclave has elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the US to be the 267th pope. Hailing from Chicago, Prevost, 69, spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru before becoming a cardinal in 2023. He will be known as Pope Leo XIV.

Photo courtesy of MicheleDiniK on Pixabay.

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Despite a strong trend against coal, and recognition of coal as the dirtiest of the fossil fuels, Trump’s executive order in support of coal has rippled worldwide. Kate DeAngelis, Deputy Director for International Programs at the Friends of the Earth USA, talks about the unanimous decision by the board of the Export-Import Bank to economically support Trump’s plan, despite little market plan.

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Dr. Clarence Lusane, political science professor and director of the International Affairs program and majors at Howard University, recently penned an essay “Making America White Again“, where he discusses the progress of the Trump administration to follow the “Project 2025” instruction manual, removing minorities and people of color from any documented significance in American culture. He also discusses his 3 years as an “independent expert” to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance” at the Council of Europe, how Trump’s executive orders have reached beyond the U. S. to already affect policies in Europe.

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Outagamie County, Wisconsin lies in the heart of Republican territory in a very politically divided state.  In 2024, Donald Trump won the county by an 8-point margin, and Trump-endorsed Republican Tony Wied represents the area in Congress.  Outagamie County was also the birthplace of notorious anti-communist Senator Joe McCarthy.  Each year, the Outagamie County Republican Party hosts a Lincoln Luncheon fundraiser.  In 2025, the GOP invited U.S. Senator Ron Johnson as a featured speaker, and announced that they were selling tickets to the event.

The 2025 Lincoln Luncheon took place at the 10th Frame Bowling Alley in Appleton, Wisconsin on May 3rd.  The activist group Indivisible Wisconsin sponsored a protest and rally to greet Senator Johnson at the entrance.  WORT was on the scene, and here’s what we heard.

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