On today’s show, host Christina Lieffring speaks with scholar Mariel Barnes about misogyny online and in public life. They discuss the rise of what Barnes calls the “manosphere,” its rising influence on US politics, and how it leads to doxxing and violence.

We were happy and humbled to see Dr. Alhaji Njai in the WORT studio on Sunday, April 13th since his last visit was in the Fall of 2024.

We had followed social media accounts of his travels to participate in global health conferences all around Africa and as far away as Malaysia and Azerbaijan as well as his work with Project 1808 and Koinadugu College in Sierra Leone.

So it was great to see him and get a sense of what he had actually been doing at all those conferences and meetings and talks. Of course we ran out of time, as usual. But we did get some idea of what’s happening with efforts to improve public health through coordination and research in Africa and globally.

We have also resolved to dedicate more time to Dr. Njai next time he passes through Madison and hope to even allow a few minutes to get his take on his favorites for the Africa Cup next year.

You can follow him on Facebook - Alhaji U Njai

Countless lawsuits over the years alleging that Roundup causes cancer have resulted in multi-billion dollar settlements. But a full-page ad in the New York Times last month pressed for the indemnification of the weed killer’s corporate manufacturers.

Pete Hardin and host Bert Zipperer dissect that ad – and its connections to the Republican and Trump administration's Project 2025 agenda – in this week’s edition of "The Milkweed."

Photo by Ilham Wicaksono on Unsplash

Dave Lovelace of UW joins us to discuss fascinating finds in paleontology and geoscience!

On this episode of Cardinal Call, host Oliver Gerharz speaks with Copy Chief Zoey Elwood about her article reporting on a recent UW–Madison protest: “‘We will not be intimidated into being quiet’: Activists gather at Library Mall in support of Mahmoud Khalil”

Articles featured in this week’s campus news in brief segment:

‘This building has to go’: Evers visits Chadbourne Residence Hall, Mosse Humanities to hear student concerns – Zoey Elwood

A state Assembly committee is slated to consider a bill tomorrow that would make gun safes tax-free.

The Republican-authored bill, pitched as a way to incentivize the safe storage of firearms, has bipartisan support. But it skirts around actually requiring safe storage, a requirement that’s already on the books in 26 states.

State Representative Renuka Mayadev, a Democrat from Madison, is a co-author on the bill. She tells WORT News Producer Faye Parks that this bipartisan measure is a small first step in the effort to establish common sense gun reform in Wisconsin.

Image courtesy: unmatched value via Flickr.

State Democrats held a press conference last week on a bill that would bring the question of campaign spending directly to Wisconsin voters.

The bill would put a statewide referendum on the November 2026 ballot, asking voters if Congress should overturn “Citizens United.”

WORT reporter Eliot Hughes has the story

Image Courtesy: Alamy Stock Photo

This Friday, April 18th is the anniversary of the Paint Creek-Cabin Creek Strike, which took place in West Virginia from 1912 to 1913.

It was one of the most violent strikes of the early twentieth century – armed conflicts between strikers and the strike-breaking Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency caused over fifty deaths. The Governor imposed a strike settlement by threatening to deport striking workers from the state. Feature contributor Harry Richardson has the story.

Image: Labor organizer Mother Jones rallying workers at the town of Montgomery in August 1912 during the Paint Creek--Coal Creek strike. Image Courtesy: West Virginia University Libraries

In this parallel universe, Jill Stein and the Green Party won the 2024 election in a landslide. Now President Stein, Vice-President Wald and the Green Party are working through the first 100 days of their administration and Stein is ticking off her campaign promises. This week, she turns her attention to the crisis in affordable housing.

MBB_ AJ Romriell interview_mixdown by WORT 89.9FM Madison