Battleground Wisconsin

This week two GOP senators unintentionally reveal the malicious motives behind the GOP tax scam bill. Next, we dig into the latest in "the Foxconn" scandal and Walker's sudden about face on federal health care funding. We welcome Eric Couto, executive director of Wisconsin Progress, to educate our listeners on the candidate recruitment and training program they offer progressive candidates. We also discuss Milwaukee Judge Joe Donald’s call for a new more humane and proactive approach to juvenile justice and for the closure of the scandal-ridden Lincoln Hills facility.

We discuss the rushed vote in the U.S. Senate on the GOP tax cut scam and Walker’s plan to spend $7 million on an ad campaign to “get more bodies” in the state. We also welcome Emerge Wisconsin executive director Erin Forest to discuss their growing training program to inspire and train Democratic women to run for office with the goal of changing the face of power, politics, and leadership in Wisconsin and the country.

We welcome state Representative Jonathan Brostoff to discuss new GOP wetlands destruction legislation, modeled on dangerous Foxconn wetlands exemptions, which could result in a loss of an estimated 1 million acres of our wetlands. We talk about the GOP federal tax cut plan approved by the House Thursday, including Sen. Ron Johnson's opposition. Robert also highlights the tax bill's sabotage of the Affordable Care Act by removing the ACA's individual mandate. We review the latest news in the 2018 gubernatorial election, including Mahlon Mitchell's announced candidacy this week and 2 special elections in the Legislature this winter. Milwaukee and other municipalities are set to increase voting locations, how about your city? Rep. Gordon Hintz fights the rent to own industry and Robert discusses new polling demonstrating the more education Republican voters have, the less they believe in climate change and other interesting findings.

On the week Gov. Walker launched his quest for a 3rd term, former panelist Jorna Taylor joins us to review election results on the east coast and predict their implications for Wisconsin in 2018. This week Wisconsin officially joined the Koch Brother-fueled right-wing conspiracy to radically reconstruct the U.S. Constitution. Ken Taylor, executive director of Kids Forward, joins us to talk about the State Senate approval of the "ConCon" and why it is a threat to democracy. We also discuss the rubber-stamping of the Foxconn contract by the WEDC board and the repeal of Wisconsin's sulfide mining moratorium heads to Walker's desk.

We discuss the latest Foxconn news including a new Democratic appointment to WEDC and the GOP desire to keep the details of the deal from public scrutiny. Kevin Kane joins us to educate listeners on the ACA open enrollment process and our role in preventing health care sabotage. We review Gov. Walker’s dirty effort to deregulation of CAFO’s (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). We also discuss efforts by Voces de la Frontera, WI Farmers Union and allies to stop a new state anti-sanctuary bill that threatens fundamental human rights.

We welcome WEDC board member and State Senator Tim Carpenter to discuss the secrecy surrounding the Foxconn contract with WEDC, which is so extreme that board members are expected to vote without seeing the contract. Ahead of open enrollment sticker shock on November 1st, the panel reviews new Citizen Action research documenting that because of Scott Walker's sabotage Wisconsinites will pay thousands more on average for health insurance than Minnesotans in 2018. We also talk about the U.S. Senate's sudden repeal of a key financial regulation from the Dodd-Frank law, and the Koch Brothers' targeting of Sen. Tammy Baldwin with millions in misleading dark money attack ads. Robert reviews Wisconsin GOP infighting over the "T" word, and Anna Dvorak joins us to preview a Fair Maps town hall Saturday in Bay View.

This week the panel digs into Donald Trump and Scott Walker's reckless sneak attacks on health care, before turning to potentially explosive developments in the $3 billion Foxconn giveaway. We then discuss Scott Walker's soft announcement for re-election though a misleading video, the Governor's bizarre attempted intervention into the NFL national anthem protests, and finally Cory Mason's victory in the Racine Mayor's race.

This week we dig into Donald Trump's latest illegal attempt to sabotage ObamaCare, and a new initiative by Legislative Democrats to reign in price gouging by prescription drug corporations. We evaluatue a shocking move to expand charter schools in Wisconsin coming from a surprising source. We also bat around a bizarre statement by Scott Walker panning an industrial hemp bill being moved by GOP legislators, Trump's arrogant response to the climate disaster in Puerto Rico, the latest Foxconn follies, and the right wing attempt to punish cities which respect the basic human rights of immigrants.

We introduce the show's new panelist, Rebecca Lynch, the political director for Wisconsin Working Families Party. We welcome the director of the Fair Elections Project, Sachin Chheda, who attended the oral arguments this week at the Supreme Court for the historic gerrymandering case challenging Wisconsin’s legislative maps. The panel also discusses the economic dynamics that enable conservative efforts to lift the mining moratorium. We also talk about the conservative conspiracy to de-skill the teaching profession in Wisconsin and the latest scheme by Republicans in Congress to cut healthcare by gutting Medicare and Medicaid in the federal budget We also discuss the latest horrific mass shooting in Las Vegas and its implications for a functioning democracy.

We welcome Acción Ciudadana organizer Luz Sosa to discuss the disgusting and immoral abandonment by the Trump administration of Americans in Puerto Rico, Vieques and other U.S. territories following last week’s devastating (climate change induced) hurricane. Luz also tells us what members are doing to help. We review this week’s implosion of TrumpCare 3.0 and talk with Healthcare for All Organizing Cooperative member Christine Rahlf about how members organized against this week's threat and are preparing to fight against future repeal efforts. We also discuss Trump’s big dust up with NFL players and owners and what it says about the status of the First Amendment in conservative ideology.