This week on Mel & Floyd: Smarty-Pants AND Mel are here this week!; A discussion of political rhetoric & violence; Noem micromanages resulting in great inefficiency; The Well-Organized Left?; Making the Kennedy Center great again; Don Jr. blatantly selling influence while “Senior” claims credit for Biden’s infrastructure work; Mental images of naked capitalism; Demise of a moss-free sloth; And other random topics; Notice something missing? For the complete Mel and Floyd Experience, buy the CD “The Very Best of James Brown” and play it on your Hi-Fi while listening to this podcast! Or listen live at 89.9 FM or wortfm.org/listen-live/ every Friday from 1 to 2 PM Central Time.

Photo courtesy Sincerely Media on Unsplash

From the murder of Charlie Kirk to the fatal shooting at a Colorado high school this week, political violence is front and center of the news and today’s conversation. In this two-part show, host Esty Dinur discusses the state of the US with Leader Stacey Abrams and reflects on the life of the peacemaker U Thant with his grandson Thant Myint-U.

Featured image: of "LIBERACIÓN A TRAVÉS DEL CONOCIMIENTO" (LIBERATION THROUGH KNOWLEDGE) by Aurelio Diaz Tekpankalli via UCCS Kraemer Family Library (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).

Musician and author Ritt Dietz joins the 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about his debut novel Settle Down, a story of roots, restlessness, and young adulthood.

Martha Barnette joins the 8 O’Clock Buzz to discuss her new book Friends with Words, her radio show A Way with Words, and why language matters.

Bob Kahn and Jim Good join the 8 O’Clock Buzz to discuss The Gallery of Lost Gargoyles, a new book reimagining Madison’s architecture.

Reacting to a recent decision to cut students from the women’s swim team, including two disabled swimmers, the community rallied around the phrase “Let Them Swim,” encouraging the Board to prioritize inclusivity. Image courtesy: Zero / UNSPLASH

Wisconsin Democrats pushed for three bills at the floor session Thursday focused on public education and supporting Wisconsin Students. The package is called, "Kids First," but the pitch is at odds with the education package Assembly Republicans announced earlier this week.

Canadian oil company Enbridge wants to re-route their aging Line 5 pipeline. The 645-mile line starts in Alberta and extends down through northern Minnesota, Michigan…and Wisconsin. And for years now it’s been at the center of a legal battle between Enbridge, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and environmental advocates.

Erin McGroarty is a politics and state government reporter with the Cap Times. She joined our News Producer Faye Parks today to help untangle Line 5’s complicated legal history – and explain why she believes the battle is far from over.

Image courtesy: Wisconsin Wetlands Association via their website.

On the last episode of “Transparency Talk”, hosts Bill Lueders and Tom Kamenick talked about Tom’s job as the Wisconsin Transparency Project’s founder and sole employee, and his successes and challenges running a law firm devoted to open government.

This week, Bill and Tom delve into some of the Wisconsin Transparency Project’s most recent cases, including requests for county official performance evaluations, a pair of lawsuits for the Badger Project involving terminated law enforcement officers, and a case filed just this week about record reproduction fees.

But before we turn it over to Tom and Bill, our standard reminder that this conversation is not intended to be specific legal advice but rather a discussion of general legal issues. If you have a particular legal issue, please consult an attorney.

In the US, Albert Einstein isn’t well known for his views on socialism. But in 1949, he wrote a salient essay for the inaugural issue of the Monthly Review called “Why Socialism.” Today’s guest, John Bellamy Foster tells host Allen Ruff about Einstein’s essay and his legacy as a socialist.

Featured image of a photo of Albert Einstein via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 DE).