Wedge Issues

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the introduction of and historic protests over the legislation that would later become Act 10, the Cap Times is producing a series of stories and podcasts over the next month. Led by Cap Times’ K-12 education reporter Scott Girard and state politics reporter Briana Reilly, the series will run to mid-March and be available at captimes.com. The podcast discussions will be made available through Jessie Opoien’s Wedge Issues feed on most major podcasting platforms, and at captimes.com. In this episode, Republican former state Sen. Leah Vukmir — now president of state affairs at the National Taxpayers Union — speaks with Girard and Reilly about her experiences with the bill, and why she thinks it's important for lawmakers to find ways to work across the aisle. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the introduction of and historic protests over the legislation that would later become Act 10, the Cap Times is producing a series of stories and podcasts over the next month. Led by Cap Times’ K-12 education reporter Scott Girard and state politics reporter Briana Reilly, the series will run to mid-March and be available at captimes.com. The podcast discussions will be made available through Jessie Opoien’s Wedge Issues feed on most major podcasting platforms, and at captimes.com. In this episode, Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin president and former gubernatorial candidate Mahlon Mitchell speaks with Girard and Reilly about how the protests launched him into the spotlight and how Act 10 has changed Wisconsin politics. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the introduction of and historic protests over the legislation that would later become Act 10, the Cap Times is producing a series of stories and podcasts over the next month. Led by Cap Times’ K-12 education reporter Scott Girard and state politics reporter Briana Reilly, the series will run to mid-March and be available at captimes.com. The podcast discussions will be made available through Jessie Opoien’s Wedge Issues feed on most major podcasting platforms, and at captimes.com. In this episode, policy analyst and former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Jason Stein speaks with Girard and Reilly about what it was like to cover the legislation and the tensions it sparked: "Setting aside whether you believe it's positive or negative, this has certainly been one of the most significant eras in the past 10 years in terms of changing the direction of the state."   Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the introduction of and historic protests over the legislation that would later become Act 10, the Cap Times is producing a series of stories and podcasts over the next month. Led by Cap Times’ K-12 education reporter Scott Girard and state politics reporter Briana Reilly, the series will run to mid-March and be available at captimes.com. The podcast discussions will be made available through Jessie Opoien’s Wedge Issues feed on most major podcasting platforms, as well as at captimes.com. In this episode, UW-Madison journalism professor Michael Wagner, speaks with Girard and Reilly about how political attitudes and behaviors are affected by the ways in which information flows across the state. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Berens — comedian, Wisconsin native, "Manitowoc Minute" host and Emmy Award-winning former television reporter — joined Cap Times opinion editor Jessie Opoien (a northeastern Wisconsin native herself) on a Zoom chat to talk about journalism, his latest work (he has a new album out) and life up nort'. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"If you are casting your ballot in the 2020 election, remember that there's so much on the line," Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes tells Jessie in an interview a few days before Election Day. Barnes makes the case for the Biden-Harris ticket and discusses Wisconsin's approaches to COVID-19, racial disparities and climate change. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang talks with Jessie about how the U.S. economy can recover from the coronavirus pandemic, why he's campaigning for Joe Biden, and why Wisconsin is so important on Election Day. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After working on two of Wisconsin’s most high-profile Republican campaigns in 2016 and 2018, conservative operative Brian Reisinger is taking a break from the trail this year — but he’s definitely not out of the game. Reisinger a former journalist, has been writing about Wisconsin’s conservative movement for publications like The National Review. Jessie talked with him about what he’s learned, and what he’s observing from this year’s election. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, spoke with Cap Times opinion editor Jessie Opoien and political reporter Briana Reilly after addressing a drive-in campaign event for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, featuring over 80 cars, on Madison's east side. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wisconsin has, for years, been ranked as one of the worst states in the nation for racial disparities — particularly for its Black residents. That fact was thrust into the spotlight after police in Kenosha fired seven shots into Jacob Blake’s back. Once again, an atrocity has prompted people to want to act — but agreeing on how is the hard part. Shortly after Blake was shot, Gov. Tony Evers urged lawmakers to pass a set of policing reform bills. The Republican majority in the Assembly countered with plans to form a task force aimed at addressing racial disparities. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, a white Republican, and Rep. Shelia Stubbs, a Black Democrat, are leading the effort together. Support the show: https://checkout.fundjournalism.org/memberform?org_id=capitaltimes&campaign=7013i000000U67DAAS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.