Podcasts about wort fm

This week on Mel & Floyd: SmartyPants' spring break plans & Mel's athleticism; Attempted GOP dirty trick in Utah fails due to poor clock management; Parallels with ancient Rome; “Keg-bro's” mysteriously disappearing debt; What Star Trek got right; Hump-plumping injection controversy at camel beauty pageant; NASA's moon launch schedule; Crow drones delivering contraband to Louisiana prison; 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 Krista Mangulsone on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Pets Keep You Healthier! appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with writer Hooman Majd about the escalating Israel-US war on Iran and how these countries are expanding the war to Lebanon, the Gulf States, and beyond. Majd describes the constant barrage of bombs on Tehran, how Israel is displacing Lebanese people, and that the death toll is growing. This week, Iranian leaders marched in the streets of Tehran projecting unity and defiance as the war reaches two weeks.  Majd says there's no sign that Israel or the US are going to end the war, and there's no sign that Iran is going to surrender or negotiate a ceasefire. Despite Trump's claims that he would pick the next leader of Iran, Iranian leadership appointed Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's new Supreme Leader.  They also discuss the restrictions on foreign journalists in Iran, how the attacks on Iran come on the heels of Trump's assault on Venezuela, how fundamental religious figures are shaping the war, and the creation of a new refugee crisis in Lebanon and this crisis could spread to Iran if the US deploys ground troops. Hooman Majd is an Iranian-American writer, and the author of three books on Iran, including the New York Times bestseller The Ayatollah Begs to Differ. His new book, a memoir, is Minister Without Portfolio: Memoir of a Reluctant Exile. Majd has also written for The New Yorker, GQ, Newsweek, The New York Times, The New Republic, Time, Vanity Fair, The Financial Times, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Politico, and Interview Magazine, among others. He is a contributor to NBC News. He has published short fiction in literary journals such as Guernica and The American Scholar. He lives in New York City. Featured image of a protest against US war with Iran from 2020 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Analysis of the US-Israel War on Iran with Hooman Majd appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

The state of Wisconsin has a constitutional obligation to provide equal opportunity for a sound basic education and adequate and reasonably uniform funding of our public schools. But for decades, the state hasn't provided sufficient funds to school districts or distributed those funds fairly. That's why a group of five school districts have filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin legislature–the topic of our show today.  Guest host Bert Zipperer is in conversation with Jeff Mandell, Julie Underwood, and Heather DuBois Bourenane to break down the reasons for the lawsuit and how the state can better serve its 421 school districts.  Shortfalls in state funding have left many school districts using ballot referenda to increase their spending limits. Mandell points out that referendums were once used for capital expenses but now are increasingly applied to operational costs. He says this isn't how the system is designed to work. Bourenane calls it a “disequalizing way to fund public education,” that further divides the “haves from the have nots.”  But you can't talk about the school finance system without talking about vouchers, “because they suck so much money out of the landscape,” says Underwood. Mandell clarifies the lawsuit isn't against voucher schools, but legislators need to reckon with the reality that the state is now funding voucher/independent schools to the tune of over $700 million a year. Some municipalities, like Green Bay and Eau Claire, have started to publish how much of residents’ property taxes go to voucher schools.  Underwood says public education is at the heart of our democracy, and we need adequately-funded public schools to create an informed citizenry who can participate in public debate.  Jeff Mandell is a co-founder of and General Counsel at Law Forward, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to protecting and strengthening democracy in Wisconsin. Jeff has nearly twenty years of experience in complex litigation and appellate advocacy, and is widely recognized as one of Wisconsin's leading experts in constitutional litigation and election law. Julie Underwood has focused her career on issues involving public school law and policy, as General Counsel for the National School Board Association and former Dean of the School of Education at UW-Madison. Heather DuBois Bourenane is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, a public education advocacy group that shares resources, ideas, and actions that support the public schools at the heart of our communities. Their annual Summer Summit will be held this year in Superior, Wisconsin. Featured image of a child exploring library bookshelves via Rawpixel. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Meeting the Constitutional Obligation to Public School Students appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Ali Muldrow is in conversation with two of the editors of We Are Each Other’s Liberation: Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities, Rachel Kuo and Jaimee A. Swift. They discuss the challenging, contemplative, and moving essays that chart the long history of Black and Asian women in coalition and how these communities have, at times, been pitted against each other. The editors emphasize the intersection of disability justice and abolition in framing the collection to help readers analyze systems and relationships of power. Swift says that the book came about as she was watching Black women become the victims and survivors of COVID at the same time as anti-Asian hate crime was spiking around the country. Kuo says that the international solidarity movements of the 60s and 70s brought people together based on their shared relationship to power and shared analysis of US empire, capitalism, patriarchy, and racism, not especially their shared identity. Swift says “we need each other to challenge oppressive systems.”  They also talk about the need for cop-free communities, coalition politics, the exhaustion of movement work, and how to build real joy without losing the seriousness of the fight.  Rachel Kuo is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and cofounder of the Asian American Feminist Collective, which engages intersectional feminist politics grounded within Asian diasporic communities. Jaimee A. Swift is the creator and executive director of Black Women Radicals, dedicated to uplifting and centering Black women and gender-expansive people's radical activism in Africa and in the African diaspora. Featured image of the cover of We Are Each Other’s Liberation: Black and Asian Feminist Solidarities, available from Haymarket Books.  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Black and Asian Feminists Imagine A Better World Together appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, we're flipping the script. Producer Sara Gabler interviews Monday host, Douglas Haynes, about his new book, Teaching Toward Slow Hope: Place-Based Learning in College and Beyond.  If you listen to this show regularly, you know that Haynes is a Professor of English and cares deeply about the state of higher education in Wisconsin and beyond. His book is an ode to the hopeful and resilient educational practices at work across the Midwest in places like UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Oshkosh, Northland College, and Kalamazoo Valley Community College.  As college students experience rising rates of mental health disorders, food and financial insecurity, and eco-anxiety, some educators are turning to place-based learning to prepare students for a changing world. Whether through urban mapping projects, culinary and food share programs, or novel interdisciplinary outdoor learning cohorts, the classes Haynes' profiles are prioritizing deep listening, reciprocity, collaboration, and embodied cognition. And they're successful and popular.  Haynes shares anecdotes from his research into the five place-based learning projects in the book and how they are changing students' lives by reducing the separation between education and ordinary life, combining disciplines from the humanities to the sciences, centering Indigenous knowledges, and taking students emotional needs as seriously as their intellectual ones. Contrary to the extractive model of education which treats students like consumers and parades AI as the next horizon, place based learning is human-centered and teaches students the crucial skills of relationship building, resilience, and self-efficacy.  Teaching Toward Slow Hope: Place-Based Learning in College and Beyond will be published tomorrow by Johns Hopkins University Press.  Douglas Haynes teaches environmental humanities, creative nonfiction and poetry writing at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. He's also written a poetry collection called Last Word and a nonfiction exploration of inequality and the climate crisis called Every Day We Live Is the Future: Surviving in a City of Disasters, about two Nicaraguan families' quests to reinvent their lives in Managua, one of the world's most disaster-prone cities. Featured image of the cover of Teaching Toward Slow Hope. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Healing the Crisis of Isolation in Higher Ed appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Federal Regulations Put the Squeeze On Cannabis Market In 2018, Congress passed the omnibus Farm Bill, which included changes to how the federal government regulates the plant cannabis sativa L., otherwise known as hemp.  While attempting to remove only industrial hemp from the federal Controlled Substances list, the legislation's wording – apparently inadvertently – also deregulated a wide variety of cannabis compounds that have mild psychoactive properties.  The loophole resulted in an enormous boom in THC and CBD products, becoming a multi-billion dollar industry by 2020.  In 2025, Congress passed an emergency budget bill to end a long shutdown.  That later bill included language that will close the THC loophole by November 2026, making the sale of THC products illegal under federal law once again.  Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers recently wrote to Wisconsin's congressional delegation urging Congress to delist THC products, citing the economic boom the market has provided to consumers and farmers alike. Cam Newberry is a co-owner of Dank of America, a cannabis product retail store on Madison's Williamson Street, and he joined the Monday Buzz on March 9, 2026. Photo of Presidential Kush cannabis strain  (Photo by Forcefield21, CC BY-SA 4.0  via Wikimedia Commons Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Federal Law Puts the Squeeze on Cannabis Market appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Bonobos’ “Make-Believe” Play Challenges Assumptions of Human Intelligence Heidi Lyn(Photo courtesy University of South Alabama) Human beings guard their intellectual achievements very jealously.  For decades, students were taught that so-called “lower animals” were creatures who operated purely by instinct, incapable of abstract thought, complex communication or imagination.  Mounting evidence suggests, however, that we actually share many of these traits with other animals.  In recent experiments a bonobo named Kanzi seemed to understand the concept of “make-believe,” drinking from a cup filled with imaginary fruit juice, much the way children would at a pretend tea party.  Heidi Lyn is the Joan M. Sinnott Chair at the Comparative Cognition and Communication Lab of the Department of Psychology and Marine Science at the University of South Alabama.  Heidi joins us now by phone. Featured image: Kanzi, language-reared male bonobo, converses with Sue Savage-Rumbaugh in 2006 using a portable “keyboard” of arbitrary symbols that Kanzi associates with words. (Photo by William H. Calvin, PhD, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Bonobos’ “Make-Believe” Play Challenges Assumptions ... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Astria Suparak Presents "Asian Futures Without Asians" Helen Lee(Photo by Kaleb Autman) For years, performance and multimedia artist Astria Suparak has been challenging audiences with her blend of science fiction movies, rock ‘n' roll, internet memes and sports images to explore topics such as feminism, racism and colonialism.  Suparak returns to the University of Wisconsin campus with a live cinema event on March 11 and March 12 at the Play Circle Theater at the Memorial Union.  Helen Lee is a Professor of Glass at the UW Art Department and was instrumental in getting Suparak back to Madison.  Helen Lee joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on March 9, 2026. Photo of Astria Suparak courtesy University of Wisconsin Art Department. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Astria Suparak Presents “Asian Futures Without Asians” appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd: It's pledge time at WORT and Mel & ‘Pants are selling plenary indulgences [Melania coin not accepted]; A visit from Esty; The latest war polling [it's not popular]; The best day of the week; Is Cuba next?; Stephen Miller: trouble in paradise?; Another Luna-tic from Florida; Hell's zoning board; 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 Art Rachen on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post It's All Crypto Now appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with writer and journalist Casey Michel about Greenland, kleptocracy, the Epstein files, and more. Michel says that “the preponderance of corruption is nothing like we've ever seen before” in the US. Though money has always shaped American politics, the scope and scale of what's happening under the Trump regime is unprecedented.  Michel has written multiple books about corruption in American politics, including American Kleptocracy, Foreign Agents, and the forthcoming United States of Oligarchy. His reporting on Trump's attempts to take over Greenland reveals a web of financial interests at play. Trump is being guided by the interests of wealthy donors and corporations who want to mine the “whole periodic table of elements” that are being blocked by environmental and labor regulations imposed by Greenland, Denmark, and the EU. He says that the financiers pulling the strings want to build a super power where there is no democracy, taxes, or any restrictions on their actions, and authoritarians like Trump are happy to help them. Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Casey Michel is an American writer and journalist who covers international corruption, dark money, and foreign influence for a range of outlets, including The New York Times, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, and more. He has written multiple books on these topics, including “American Kleptocracy” and “Foreign Agents,” and his new book “United States of Oligarchy” will be released in August. He is currently sanctioned by the Russian regime for his work. Featured image of the cover of Casey Michel's book, American Kleptocracy. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post On Kleptocrats, Plutocrats, and Lobbyists with Casey Michel appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, guest host Bert Zipperer is in conversation with Negin Owliaei, editor-in-chief of Truthout, about the war that the US and Israel launched on Iran last weekend. On Saturday, Owliaei woke up to dozens of text messages from her family in Tehran announcing the bombardment of their city. Since then, the US and Israel have killed more than 1,000 people across Iran and the Middle East, including 150 school children. Owliaei says that she is frustrated by the public discourse about Iran and the way that the language of “preemptive strikes” and “imminent threats,” sanitizes war. She reminds listeners that there were signs that the US was gearing up for an attack on Iran and that it costs the nation $1 billion per day to wage this unjust and illegal war. She insists that “just because it's started, doesn't mean it needs to go on” and “every minute we can shorten this war is a success.” In her latest article for Truthout, she discusses the need for resistance and support for grassroots organizing like Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, Taxpayers Against Genocide, and No Tech for Apartheid. They also discuss Nowruz (the Spring holiday in Iran), the history of the 1953 CIA-backed coup, the deportation of Iranians following the 12-day US-Israel war on Iran last summer, and the Women, Life, Freedom movement. She wants people to understand that everything that's going on domestically has a foreign policy effect. Owliaei joined A Public Affair last summer to talk about the US and Israel's 12-day war on Iran.  Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Negin Owliaei is Truthout's editor-in-chief. An award-winning journalist, she previously worked at Al Jazeera's flagship daily news podcast, The Take. She lives in Washington, D.C. Featured image in celebration of Nowruz, or the beginning of spring by Hamed Saber on Flickr.  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post US Leaders Are Cheerleaders for a War Machine appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

As part of our series on appetites, food and politics, and the need to snack during difficult times, host Ali Muldrow is in conversation with Jen Rubin and Jenny Pressman who spent the last two years on the hunt for the perfect bagel. They talk about their favorite cultural comfort food and their quest to find not just any bagel, but the Great Midwest Bagel, one that has been properly kneaded, fermented, boiled, and baked. Rubin began this quest as a grief project after the loss of her mother, the cultural bearer in her family. The bagel holds a central place in New York Jewish communities, says Rubin, who grew up eating bagels while chatting, or kibitzing, with family and friends. Pressman joined Rubin in the search for bagels that were made like the ones they used to love back in New York City.  Part food-travel, part archival research, and part personal family story, the Great Midwest Bagel Quest is a road trip story without the tragedy of Bonnie and Clyde or Thelma and Louise, just carbo-loading. Food is a manifestation of culture, and Rubin says the Quest has been a way to connect with her Jewish culture but untethered from Israel. Pressman says that their road trips around the Midwest were some of the funniest and seediest experiences she's ever had.  They also debate the role of capers in a bagel spread, how blueberry bagels don't count as traditional bagels, the rise of chain bagel stores and “millenial-pandemic-bagel-bakers,” how people regularly injure themselves when cutting bagels, and the desire for a “cripsy exterior.” Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Jenny Pressman is a passionate community activist, fundraiser, and connector. Previously a lawyer and director of a charitable foundation, Jenny is now in her dream role as the Director of Development and Community Partnerships for the UW Odyssey Project, a jumpstart program in the humanities addressing multigenerational poverty through access to education. Jenny is a proud Jewish lesbian mother and the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Jen Rubin produced the Moth StorySlam for ten years, is the author of We Are Staying: Ten Years in the Life of a Family, a Store and a Neighborhood and can be found on the Midwest Bagel Quest. Featured image of fresh baked bagels with sesame seeds via Pexels.  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Road-Tripping for Bagels appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the Too Turnt Up Pledge Drive Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, multi-entrepreneur and music business expert Will “Chill” Rinehart joins us to talk about his businesses, accomplishments, story, and the ins-and-outs of being in the music business! More on Will's business deals: Come Clean Empire https://comecleanempire.net/ Maverick Global Distribution https://www.maverickglobaldistribution.com/  Hype Magazine: https://www.thehypemagazine.com/  More on Will's accomplishments from Grass Roots Music Seminar: https://grassrootsmusicseminar.com/about.html  Information on the IGM awards at https://igmawards.com/ and Will's Lifetime Achievement Award from Straight Official Magazine: https://www.straightofficial.com/william-rinehart-lifetime-achievement-award-2026/  Catch Tara at Buraka on Thursday nights for R&B slow jams with DJ G Money! If you're a Black entrepreneur in Madison and want to come on the show, contact Tara (https://www.facebook.com/EOTOCulturallyRooted) or Antoine (https://www.facebook.com/1MotionOutReachEnterprise) on Facebook or send a note through the “Announcements” form on the WORT webpage: https://www.wortfm.org/announcements/  Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/calendar/ for info on resume and job seeking workshops, home ownership clinics (new sessions starting soon), information on Expungement, childcare assistance, fatherhood support, and much more!  Watch for a new Fatherhood Unfiltered coming up March 19th!  Get on the list for more training to get in to the trades coming up soon! Music from today's show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/22063885/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz  Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org! Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Are You Working a Dream or Working a Business appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Dana Pellebon is in conversation with Misty L. Heggeness about her new book, Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy. Heggeness is a professional economist, and in her book she blends a data-driven approach to women's work and gender analysis. She says that economics is a useful tool for understanding how people behave at a societal scale and in our homes. Taylor Swift is Heggeness's muse, helping Heggeness describe economic trends. For instance, the average income of a woman who lives in one of the cities where Taylor Swift's Eras Tour stopped is only $30K-$40K. This tells us about the economic status of women today, especially when you break down salaries by profession. However, Heggeness insists that women have significant economic power–as consumers and in their homes. On average, women do an hour more economic work a day than men, says Heggeness. Heggeness says that the field of economics is a male-dominated field and she wanted to write her book to center women, like her grandmother who was “the most efficient CEO of her household and garden” in the stories we tell about the economy. Taylor Swift becomes the stand in for the “modern” millennial woman who has greater educational attainment and is delaying marriage and having kids. Contrary to previous generations, folks today are getting married based on shared interests, rather than on building efficient households, says Heggeness.  They also discuss how Kansas recently revoked the drivers licenses of trans women and men, how consumers boycotted Target after the company turned its back on DEI, and how too many people making policy decisions have “care privilege.” She wants to see more care givers voted into office.  Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Misty L. Heggeness is co-director of the Kansas Population Center, Associate Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Kansas, and former Principal Economist and Senior Advisor at the US Census Bureau. She is also creator of The Care Board, a dashboard of economic statistics built by and for caregivers that brings their economic contributions into the fold. Her new book Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy merges three passions – economics, women's rights, and, of course, Taylor Swift. She has over a decade of experience leading high-profile research that informed decision-making within the U.S. federal government. Her research focuses on poverty & inequality, gender economics, and the high-skilled workforce, and has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Economist, and Science. Featured image of the cover of Swiftynomics: How Women Mastermind and Redefine Our Economy by Misty L. Heggeness. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Economic Empowerment, Babe appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Douglas Haynes is in conversation with Lindsay Weinberg about her new book, Smart University: Student Surveillance in the Digital Age. It's a timely book that gives a snapshot of how higher education is increasingly relying on digital student surveillance presumably to better prepare students for the digital economy. But the reality is that education technology or “ed tech” too often perpetuates austerity, structural racism, and the privatization of public universities under the guise of solving problems.  Weinberg writes about predictive analytics that divert students to certain degree paths, data brokers, how student learning software tracks student activity and behavior, automated exam proctoring that uses facial recognition, and the rise of student wellness technologies. These measures are undertaken in the name of improving student success metrics and outcomes. But schools are cutting the proven and effective programs run by real people in order to usher in technology-based solutions. Ed tech is often marketed as a cost-saving solution, but these technologies are quite costly themselves. Weinberg's research shows how ed tech and austerity go hand in hand.  Students really aren't aware of how their institutions are tracking them, even before they matriculate, says Weinberg. She traces how, in practice, FERPA actually enables public-private information sharing and says we need more transparency about student data and work. The rise of ed tech in higher education is possible because we've romanticized technology and students aren't invited to the conversation.  Weinberg also tracks the resistance to ed tech, from community organizing and policy efforts that seek to “turn back the clock” on digital technologies in education. She's seen students successfully fight to get predatory technology off their campuses. Weinberg advocates slowing down to allow the time and space for democratic process and deliberation. Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Lindsay Weinberg is a clinical assistant professor and the Director of the Tech Justice Lab in the John Martinson Honors College at Purdue University. Featured image of the cover of Smart University: Student Surveillance in the Digital Age by Lindsay Weinberg.  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post In Search of Data, Schools Snoop on the Their Students appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Air Wisconsin Survives by Serving ICE Paul Kiefer (photo courtesy wisconsinwatch.org) Across the country, regional short-hop airlines face potential extinction, as rising costs, pilot shortages and industry upsizing of commercial aircraft have led to air carriers dumping markets like Toledo, Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania.  A recent analysis by Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting shows that major carriers have stopped serving over 74 small and mid-sized cities since 2020.  Here in Wisconsin, one regional carrier, Air Wisconsin, has managed to survive by catering to a new client: the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.  Paul Kiefer focuses on immigration and data reporting for Wisconsin Watch, and he's put together a deep analysis of Air Wisconsin's new flight patterns.  Paul Kiefer joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on March 2, 2026. Image of Air Wisconsin’s travel routes after its acquisition by CSI courtesy Paul Kiefer and Wisconsin Watch Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Air Wisconsin Survives by Serving ICE appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd: It's pledge time and Mel & ‘Pants are selling “Indulgences”!; Right wing voters now deny voting for “him”; Pope nixes A.I. for sermon writing; Attempting to justify tariffs; Can headphones turn you gay?; A “new” movie from the 19th century; A mug shot on the Department of Justice; 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 Library of Congress on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post He Had the Decency to Be a Hypocrite appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

With the threat of drilling in the arctic on the horizon in Trump 2.0, host Esty Dinur focuses today's show on the urgent threat of climate change with climate journalist Dana Drugmand. They discuss where we stand with current environmental policy in the US and Drugmand's reporting on climate change lawsuits that would hold corporations accountable. Drugmand says that the Trump administration's environmental policy changes have been “sweeping and unprecedented.” From the flurry of executive orders that Trump signed on his first day back in office to pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the administration has changed policies and made new efforts to erase the science of climate change and attack clean energy projects. Most recently, the EPA rescinded the “endangerment finding” for greenhouse gasses, effectively eliminating the agency's ability to regulate emissions.  They also talk about the costliness of fossil fuels in comparison to clean energy, youth lawsuits like one in Wisconsin, and Drugmand's reporting on a Paris climate lawsuit against the company Total that could set a new precedent internationally.  Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Dana Drugmand is an independent climate and environmental journalist with a specialization in reporting on climate accountability and justice, including covering the rapidly growing and evolving space of climate litigation. She has a Master’s degree in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School and resides in western Massachusetts. Her reporting has appeared in outlets like Sierra magazine, Inside Climate News, The New Lede, and DeSmog, and she also publishes her work on two start-up publications Climate in the Courts, and a Substack newsletter called One Earth Now. Featured image of a smokestack from the Zimmer Power Plant via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post When Climate Change Goes to Court appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

The US is busy saber rattling all over the globe. On today's show guest host Norm Stockwell checks in with two anti-war activists, Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright, about what they're hearing on the ground in Venezuela and Cuba.  Wright says that activists should be tired right now from the burnout of protesting in the streets and visiting their congressional representative's offices. She says that it's important to travel to places like Cuba and Venezuela to see what the US government is actually perpetuating and how Venezuelans are saying “we hope you can control your own government and how it acts internationally.” She also describes how Venezuelans are responding to the US kidnapping of their head of state and the purposeful bombing of their communications and energy facilities.  They also discuss the situation in Cuba and Benjamin's latest article about US sanctions. Benjamin has covered the US's relationship with Iran and says that you don't have to like the Iranian government to oppose a US invasion. Polls show there's little support for such an action, but Israel continues to push for war with Iran. She describes how everyday people become the victims of US warfare. Note: This pledge drive interview was edited to remove parts of the show dedicated to station fundraising. We thank our listeners for their generous support. Medea Benjamin is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange. She is the author of 11 books, including Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection, Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran and War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, coauthored with Nicolas J.S. Davies. Her most recent book, coauthored with David Swanson, is NATO: What You Need to Know. Benjamin has been an advocate for social justice for more than 30 years. Ann Wright is a US Army/Army Reserves veteran, retired Colonel, and former US diplomat who resigned in March 2003 in opposition to the war on Iraq. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is the co-author of the book Dissent: Voices of Conscience. Featured image of protestors gathered in Times Square against the invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post From Venezuela to Cuba with Medea Benjamin and Ann Wright appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

The wait is almost over – the much anticipated Madison Public Market is scheduled to open in Late Spring. To learn about what folks can expect from the new space and all the art and food vendors it will house, host Ali Muldrow is joined by Keisha Harrison. The Madison Public Market has been more than twenty years in the making. Harrison says it's a true community investment and her goal has been to make sure that it represents the diversity of Madison. It will serve as a third space and complement (not compete with) the Dane County Farmer's Market. Harrison discusses the balance of celebrating the local while welcoming new vendors and how the space will be transformed for private events and entertainment.  There are three outdoor murals that are currently visible, Issis Macias and Rodrigo Carapia's Axolotl & Alma, Tom Jones's Elizah Leonard, and a piece by La Follette High School and Middleton High School students called And Still, She Blossoms. Get ready for Madison's most Instagram-able location! Keisha Harrison is the CEO of the Madison Public Market Foundation, tasked with creating a vibrant, community-centered space that connects commerce and culture. Previously, she led the historic Indianapolis City Market and spent over two decades in public libraries, shaping her commitment to access, equity, and community-centered design. Featured image of the Madison Public Market. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Madison Public Market Will Celebrate the Local appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the Not Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi, Jennie Mullins, Director of Arts Education, and Matthew Sanborn, Exhibitions Manager, from Arts for All Wisconsin join us in the studio to talk about what they do and who they serve. For more information on Arts for All Wisconsin and their programs statewide, visit their website: https://www.artsforallwi.org/. More information on the Creative Power exhibition at MyArts, including the opening reception on March 3rd and the celebration and jury awards on April 18th, see: https://www.artsforallwi.org/creative-power .  Watch for Creative Power on the road coming to a location near you! Follow Arts For All Wisconsin on Facebook and Instagram at @artsforallwi. For more on arts, check our interviews with LaShay the Artist from January: https://www.wortfm.org/color-wherever-you-are/ https://www.wortfm.org/the-more-i-want-to-be-myself/ Catch Tara at Buraka on Thursday nights for R&B slow jams with DJ G Money! If you're a Black entrepreneur in Madison and want to come on the show, contact Tara (https://www.facebook.com/EOTOCulturallyRooted) or Antoine (https://www.facebook.com/1MotionOutReachEnterprise) on Facebook or send a note through the “Announcements” form on the WORT webpage: https://www.wortfm.org/announcements/  Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/calendar/ for info on resume and job seeking workshops, home ownership clinics (new sessions starting soon), information on Expungement, childcare assistance, fatherhood support, and much more!  Watch for a new Fatherhood Unfiltered coming up March 19th!  Get on the list for more training to get in to the trades coming up soon! Music from today's show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/22028706/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz  Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org! Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post There Are Always Ways to Dance appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Ahead of the Big Share next week, host Dana Pellebon speaks with Cheri Dubiel of Community Shares of Wisconsin and Alex Lindenmeyer of Urban Triage. Community Shares is a member-based fundraising organization that you might be familiar with from workplace giving campaigns or the CHIP program at Willy St. Coop. They focus on supporting social justice and environmental causes.  Urban Triage is a community organization that offers direct services like housing initiatives and urban agriculture. Their farm serves multi-generational Black and Brown folks, and the organic produce they grow is donated back to the community. Lindenmeyer describes Urban Triage's upcoming art exhibit, Seen and Unseen, that will open at the Wisconsin State Capitol on March 3. This immersive, outdoor installation is designed to deepen community understanding of homelessness and the real pathways to housing stability, representing crisis response, case management, and long-term housing solutions. They also discuss how federal funding cuts are affecting community organizations, especially those that are working to alleviate housing insecurity and follow housing-first principles. Youth are the largest group of folks at risk of becoming unhoused, and it's estimated that 1400 kids in MMSD will experience homelessness this year. Alex Lindenmeyer is a proud founding board member of Urban Triage and was just hired full-time this year as their Development Manager. Cheri Dubiel has served as Executive Director of Community Shares since January, 2017. She has worked at Community Shares of Wisconsin for a combined total of 17 years, being hired first as Development Director.  Featured image of artwork from the Seen and Unseen installation. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Seen and Unseen Installation Opens The Big Share appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

You've probably heard of a watershed or a foodshed, but have you heard of a fibershed? On today's show, host Douglas Haynes unpacks the growing movement of farmers and fiber artists rebuilding Wisconsin's wool and flax textile systems. He's joined by Leslie Schroeder of the Midwest Linen Revival, Jane Hansen, a sheep farmer and Board Member of the Three Rivers FIbershed, and WORT's Talk Producer, Sara Gabler, whose article about fibersheds is featured in this month's Isthmus magazine. Fibersheds focus on what can be readily grown within a particular bioregion. In the Upper Midwest, that's not cotton or indigo, but wool and flax. These grassroots organizations nurture place-based relationships–between sheep, the soil, water systems, and the farmers and laborers who grow and process the raw materials into the quality yarns that fiber artists love.  Going local is a choice that supports the environment and local farmers at a time when small family farms need as much backing and better crop opportunities as they can get. Hansen and Schroeder recommend mending the clothes that you already own and avoiding buying synthetic fabrics that shed microplastics. Schroeder says to start small, make one garment from locally sourced materials and it will become something you always cherish. Hansen describes the work that goes into raising healthy sheep, including her pasture management practices and the process of prepping fleece to go to the fiber mill. She gets support from her fibershed and uses her farm to educate the public about the importance of locally grown textiles.  Though there are several cottage mills in the state, Wisconsin lacks the infrastructure that would make it possible for sheep farmers to produce wool at a commercial scale. We don't have any infrastructure for producing linen, the fiber that is derived from the flax plant. There's a healthy demand for locally grown linen, says Schroeder, but you'd have to grow and prepare it yourself at the moment. Schroeder hopes to change that with her grant-funded work to source high-quality domestic seeds, purchase and import harvesting equipment, and site a multi-million dollar mill.  You can learn more about wool and fibersheds by reading one of Schroeder's recommended books (Vanishing Fleece, Women's Work, or Fibershed) and find your local organization here. Jane Hansen raises Coopworth sheep in Ogema, WI. She is a board member of the Three Rivers Fibershed, Northern Pines fibershed and Embrace (a domestic and sexual violence advocacy service provider in a 4 county region of Northern WI). She is also an active member of Wisconsin Farmers Union and host of a monthly Fiber Fun on the Farm event at her own farm. Leslie Schroeder is the co-founder of Midwest Linen Revival, an organization dedicated to laying the groundwork for establishing flax for fiber as an agricultural crop in our region. She is co-curator of the Field to Frock festival, co-creator of two teenaged daughters, and sleeps outside whenever she can. Featured image of the stages of flax production. Courtesy of Sara Gabler/WORT. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Local Fiber Movement Is Re-Stitching the Social Fabric appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · A Good Clerk is Hard to Find Alex Shur (photo by Nicholas Wootton) Between April, 2025 and February, 2026, thirteen towns, villages and cities in Wausau County, Wisconsin lost their municipal clerks due to retirement, only to have the new replacements resign within a few months.  That kind of turnover wreaks havoc on all kinds of functions for small communities, ranging from issuing dog licenses to running local, state and federal elections.  Votebeat Wisconsin's Alex Shur has dug into why nobody wants to be the town clerk anymore, and he joined the Monday Buzz on February 23, 2026. Photo of Wausau Town Hall (Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons) Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post A Good Clerk is Hard to Find appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

 WORT 89.9FM Madison · UW African American Studies Student Symposium 2026 On February 27th from 8:00 am to 4:00 PM the University of Wisconsin Madison, Department of African American Studies will hold its 2026 student symposium. It’s an all-day affair taking place at the UW Madison Memorial Union’s Tripp Commons. Professor Max Felker-Kantor and undergraduate students Heaven Williams and Sophia Grigsby joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on February 23, 2026. Heaven Williams(photo courtesy Hope Kelham) Sophia Grigsby(photo courtesy University of Wisconsin-Madison) Max Felker-Kantor(photo courtesy University of Wisconsin-Madison) Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post UW African-American Studies Student Symposium 2026 appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Lead Between the Rhymes: 50 Years of Hip Hop Think of vibrant hiphop scenes, and major metropolitan areas like New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Detroit come immediately to mind.  But hiphop's cultural influence has permeated throughout the U.S., including Wisconsin.  Through the month of February, the Wisconsin Historical Society features the exhibit “Lead Between the Rhymes: Celebrating Over 50 Years of Hip Hop Culture in Wisconsin,” part of a documentary project by Pyramidal Productions.  Curators Menkhu Ara Maat and Greg Doby joined the Monday Buzz on February 23, 2026. Menkhu Ara Maat(photo courtesy Pyramidal Productions) Greg “G!Nx” Doby(photo courtesy Pyramidal Productions) Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Lead Between the Rhymes: 50 Years of Hip Hop in Wisconsin appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd: Smarty Pants longs for the comforts (?) of Siberia; Mel's problem with curling; A look at the study of history; Critiquing the Supreme Court; Robin Vos' attempts to stifle parental leave; Some countries apparently hold Epstein cronies accountable; Alabama attempts to regulate chemtrails; Zuckerberg boosting pro-data center candidates; A solution for Floyd's mouse problem; Japan's wooden satelite; 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 Marcus Reubenstein on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post You Don't Want to Tick Off Costco appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with Kieran Knutson and Coleen Rowley about the ongoing presence of ICE and other federal agents in the Twin Cities. Knutson says that the assault on the people of Minneapolis and surrounding areas isn’t over even though some ICE activity has diminished following the announcement by border czar Tom Homan that Operation Metro Surge has concluded. He also discusses the vast network of rapid response groups, daily protests, mutual aid, and a new tenant’s union and other labor organizing that has galvanized the population. Knutson says that labor unions like his are helping their members find ways to participate in local organizing. Rowley says that she's optimistic about the role of US attorneys' offices in standing up for the Constitution. She sees this as proof of how unlawful ICE and Homeland Security's actions are. They also discuss the connection between what's happening in the Twin Cities and Palestine, US empire and counter insurgency operations, how people build bridges to work in solidarity against ICE, how local law enforcement has provided cover for federal agents, and how industries where immigrants are employed are feeling real strain. Kieran F. Knutson is the President of Communication Workers of America Local 7250. CWA Local 7250 is a non-profit membership labor union representing workers at AT&T mobility retail stores in Minnesota, and AT&T Legacy T in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North & South Dakota. Coleen Rowley is a retired FBI agent who served as Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel for the latter 13 years of her career, teaching constitutional law (i.e. criminal procedure) to FBI agents and other law enforcement. She disclosed some of the FBI’s pre 9-11 failures as part of the Joint Intelligence Committee Inquiry, then testified later to the Senate Judiciary Committee and as part of the lengthy, detailed Department of Justice Inspector General’s investigation of these same matters. She also publicly warned FBI Director Mueller in Feb 2003 that his wrongful support for President Bush’s illegal war on Iraq would prove counterproductive. Rowley was one of three whistleblowers selected as TIME Magazine’s 2002 Persons of the Year. Featured image of law enforcement officers at the site of Renée Good's murder via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Minneapolis Stays Vigilant Against ICE appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Rare earth minerals are a group of 17 chemically similar, heavy metals, that are used for many high-tech and sustainable energy applications.  Despite what their name would suggest, they are relatively abundant.  But refining the minerals from disperse ore deposits takes large amounts of energy and produces large quantities of sometimes hazardous waste.  Julie Klinger, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at UW-Madison, joins the Thursday edition of the 8 O'Clock Buzz to talk about the present status of rare earth mineral mining, and the possibility of reclaiming the minerals from existing mine tailings in the U.S. Photo by USGS on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Not-So-Rare Earth Minerals appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Today on the Too Turnt Up Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and Antoine McNeail, Dwight Hayes, serial entrepreneur, proud father and husband, and 2026 City of Madison Black History Month Honoree joins us to talk about his businesses and being a Black entrepreneur in Madison, eating right and being healthy, fatherhood, coaching basketball, horoscopes, and much more! Information on Dwight's honor from the city: https://www.cityofmadison.com/council/district17/blog/2026-02-15/celebrating-february-2026-as-black-history-month-in-the-city-of Information on his newest endeavor, House of Healing Health and Wellness: https://www.h3w.store/ Information on Hayes Place and event space: https://hayesplace.net/  Catch Tara at Buraka on Thursday nights for R&B slow jams with DJ G Money! If you're a Black entrepreneur in Madison and want to come on the show, contact Tara (https://www.facebook.com/EOTOCulturallyRooted) or Antoine (https://www.facebook.com/1MotionOutReachEnterprise) on Facebook or send a note through the “Announcements” form on the WORT webpage: https://www.wortfm.org/announcements/  Check in with Urban League at https://ulgm.org/calendar/ for info on resume and job seeking workshops, home ownership clinics (new sessions starting), information on Expungement, childcare assistance, fatherhood support, and much more!  Watch for a new Fatherhood Unfiltered coming up March 19th!  Get on the list for more training to get in to the trades coming up soon! Music from today's show: https://spinitron.com/WORT/pl/21993181/Tuesday-8-O-Clock-Buzz  Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org! Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Going Hard Against the Narratives appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Ali Muldrow is in conversation with Joanne Molinaro, aka The Korean Vegan. A former lawyer turned content creator and award-winning author with over 6 million followers, Molinaro sends a message of optimism and strategy that helps her followers feel like they can engage in informed political conversations. Molinaro says that she's followed her talents, using her power as a storyteller to make an impact in the world. She started The Korean Vegan in 2016 as a hobby but eventually left her law firm to become a full-time influencer. She's a master of the bait and switch, melding videos about food with captions about what it's like to be an immigrant in the US. In addition to recipes, Muldrow and Molinaro discuss the echo chamber of social media, what her family thinks about her storytelling, and who she would and wouldn't make dinner for (she'd cook JD Vance japchae). Molinaro says that we need to invest in institutions that aren't online, like dinner parties, book clubs, picnics, etc. Joanne Molinaro has over 6 million fans spread across her social media platforms. She is a New York Times best-selling author and James Beard Award winner. Her debut cookbook was selected as one of “The Best Cookbooks of 2021” by The New York Times and The New Yorker among others. Molinaro is a Korean American woman, born in Chicago, Illinois. After a single post of her making Korean braised potatoes for dinner (while her husband taught a piano lesson in the background) went viral, Molinaro shifted her attention to producing 60 second recipe videos, while telling stories about her family—immigrants from what is now known as North Korea. Featured image of the cover of The Korean Vegan Cookbook. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post News Served with a Side of Glass Noodles appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Dana Pellebon is in conversation with Director Ilesa Duncan and cast of cullud wattah,  Jnae Thompson (Ainee), J'Nya Smith (Reesee), Jayda Smith (Plum), and Faerie Afi Mlatawou (Reese/Plum understudy). It is 2016 and it has been 936 days and counting since Flint, Michigan, has had clean water. Third-generation General Motors employee Marion finds herself on the cusp of a promotion until her sister begins participating in protests accusing the company of poisoning the water. Forced to confront their past and weigh their limited options for the future, the family of Black women finds their tight-knit unit threatened by more than just the toxicity of the water. Written by UW-Madison and First Wave alumna Erika Dickerson-Despenza, this powerful play deconstructs the linear passage of time to ponder the choices we make for the sake of our survival.  They discuss the ongoing Flint water crisis and break down a key refrain from the play, “there's money in war, and there's war in money.” They also talk about the actors’ relationship to their characters, their favorite moments in the play, and what it's like to perform with an all-Black and femme-identified cast.  cullud wattah is showing later this month at the UW Vilas Hall-Mitchell Theatre. Tickets are available here.  Featured image of J'Nya Smith, Jayda Smith, Dana Pellebon, Faerie Afi Mlatawou, Ilesa Duncan, and Jnae Thompson. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post A Roundtable with the Cast and Director of cullud wattah appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

In recognition of the urgency of the climate crisis, groups of young people around the country are taking their concerns to court. In places like Montana and Hawaiʻi, they're winning lawsuits and forcing states to address greenhouse gas emissions and more. In late August, fifteen youth in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and the state legislature. To talk about their lawsuit and others like it, host Douglas Haynes is joined by two lawyers helping the youth bring their case to court, Tony Wilkin Gibart of Midwest Environmental Advocates and Joanna Zeigler of Our Children's Trust.  The youth plaintiffs are claiming their constitutional right to live in a world with a stable climate system and that climate change is threatening their rights to life, liberty, and happiness. They've been successful in Montana where the state constitution provides a right to health and safety. And in Hawaiʻi, the state has committed to decarbonizing transportation by 2045. In Wisconsin, the youth plaintiffs are claiming that the state is both supporting and fueling the climate crisis by approving fossil fuel power plants and preventing renewable energy projects. They say these actions by the state are infringing on their constitutional rights and the state is failing to preserve and protect the right to use and enjoy the waters of the state.  Gibart tells the story of some of these plaintiffs, like Kaarina Dunn who experienced the major floods in the Driftless region a few years ago and Lucy Wright who grew up cross country skiing, but has seen the seasons cut short. Zeigler says that youth have a strong, intuitive moral compass and since they're the ones who will be disproportionately impacted by climate change, it's important to hear their voices.  Tony Wilkin Gibart has led Midwest Environmental Advocates since 2019, guiding the organization's legal, policy, and community-focused work to protect Wisconsin's natural resources and strengthen environmental rights. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and one of the attorneys representing the young plaintiffs in Dunn v WI PSC. Joanna Zeigler joined Our Children's Trust as a staff attorney in 2022. She primarily works on state cases filed by Our Children's Trust, including Sagoonick v. State of Alaska II and Dunn v. Wisconsin Public Service Commission and is working to develop new cases in other states. Joanna is also working with the State of Hawaiʻi to implement the historic settlement agreement reached in Navahine v. Hawaiʻi Dept. of Transportation. Prior to joining Our Children's Trust, Joanna worked at a Honolulu law firm as a litigation associate for over five years and she earned her JD with a certificate in environmental law from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi. Featured image of skiers in the American Birkebeiner, which has been cancelled several times in recent years due to warm weather, via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Young Wisconsinites Claim Constitutional Right to Clean Environment appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

WORT 89.9FM Madison · Reports from Palestine’s West Bank While the world has focused on Israel's invasion and occupation of the Gaza Strip, other disputed territories on Israel's borders have started heating up.  Last week, the Israeli government approved a land registration system to facilitate new settlements in the West Bank.  The Palestinian Authority decried the move, calling it a de-facto annexation of the disputed territory and a violation of international law.  For its part, Israeli authorities state the registration system is an administrative measure of little consequence.   A delegation of West Bank observers, Brenna Cussen Anglada, co-founder St. Isidore Catholic Worker Farm, Eli Newell, Field Organizer with IfNotNow and Ziv Scher, activist and native of East Jerusalem, joined Monday Buzz host Brian Standing on February 16, 2026. Map of West Bank in Palestine (Image by TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons) Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Reports from Palestine’s West Bank appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd: Mel's Invisible Mime Box Thing; The grift behind the Gordie Howe bridge delay; Ongoing backlash to racist White House post; Does trump have friends?; Accelerated evolution in Ukraine war zone; Radioactive pig-boar hybrids in Fukushima; World climate approaching point of no return; A return of nuclear testing?; No flood relief for Wisconsin; A new low on global corruption index; 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 Raghav Modi on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post “T” Equals Epstein Scared appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with Killian Clarke about his new book, Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed. He researches moments of democratic liberation brought about by mass struggle and why some succeed and others fail. Though he did not write about the US, he's seen his research become surprising and tragically poignant in the second Trump presidency. Clarke says that democratic backsliding like we're seeing in the US, has happened in other democracies around the world. But elected leaders who systematically dismantle institutions of democracy and then install an authoritarian regime is far more common in young democracies than in places like the US. It's shocking how quickly Trump and his team are succeeding. There are resonances between tyrants everywhere in how they cement their rule and gain popularity. They also discuss comparisons between Trump and Hitler's rise to power, political polarization in the US, Clarke's research on Egypt, and the vulnerability of other unarmed revolutions. Clarke says that there are downsides to the prevalence of technology in today's social movements and says that grassroots organizing is needed to sustain a movement. He recommends Zeynep Tufekci's book, Twitter and Tear Gas and says it's possible to pressure the Democratic Party to stand for something, like was done during the Civil Rights Movement.  Killian Clarke is an Assistant Professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, affiliated with the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. His research examines revolution, protest, democratization, and authoritarianism with a regional focus on the Middle East. He is the author of Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed (Cambridge University Press, 2025), as well as peer-reviewed articles in the American Political Science Review, Annual Review of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, and World Politics. Featured image of the cover of Return of Tyranny: Why Counterrevolutions Emerge and Succeed, available from Cambridge University Press. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post How to Make Tyrants and Cement Power appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

As the Justice Department releases new documents from the Epstein files, more and more high-profile and powerful men are being exposed as having ties to the financier, child sex offender, serial rapist, and sex trafficker. There are also serious concerns about how the files are being released and what information is or isn't being redacted for the safety of the survivors. Today, host Ali Muldrow tackles this challenging topic with two guests, Prenicia Clifton, a Madison-based child advocate and founder of Seein’ is Believin’, and Grace Panetta, a journalist with The 19th. Panetta joins us from Capitol Hill where Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying about the Justice Department's release of the Epstein files and where survivors are gathering to demand accountability. Panetta says that Democratic lawmakers are pressing Bondi about why survivors' information wasn't properly redacted and why some perpetrators’ names were.  Clifton describes several problems with how the Epstein files are being handled. First, is the adultification and therefore re-victimization of the survivors when officials and the press fail to treat them as children, as minors, who cannot consent to their abuse. Another problem is that white supremacy and wealth underpin our justice system such that when Epstein was first convicted in 2009, he received a short sentence and after that his powerful allies maintained their ties. Abuse happens when people have access, privacy, and control of others, says Clifton. She advises parents to have conversations with their children about consent and to know who their kids spend time with, including online.  They also discuss the “tough on crime” rhetoric of the Trump administration in comparison to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwells' crimes, the power dynamics between adults and children, and prioritizing abuse prevention in our communities by observing, interrupting, and creating policies to hold people accountable.  Prenicia Clifton is the founder of Seein’ is Believin’ where she works to address the needs of youth, including mental health, life readiness, and suicide prevention. Her goal is to make a difference in the lives of 1 million kids through culturally infused programming, policy creation, and community advocacy. She is a certified Praesidium Youth Protection Guardian and a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid trainer. Grace Panetta is a Washington, DC-based politics reporter at The 19th, a nonprofit independent newsroom covering the intersection of gender, politics and policy. Featured image of Jeffrey Epstein's private island via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The World Won't Crumble If We Hold Abusers Accountable appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Douglas Haynes is in conversation with Chris Purdy, the Founder and CEO of the Chamberlain Network, an organization dedicated to mobilizing veterans to protect democratic values and institutions. They discuss the changing civilian-military relations in the second Trump presidency, the tradition of the military as an apolitical institution, and the militarization of ICE. Purdy is himself a veteran and says his story is an American one: his family migrated to the US due to violence in Belfast and he joined the army to serve his country. He's noticed that after their service ends, veterans often “don't feel comfortable in their veteran-ness.” So he founded his organization with the goal of creating a non-partisan but political space for veterans to work for their communities. Purdy is concerned about the misuse of active duty forces through the Insurrection Act and he breaks down what the law says about when the military can be used for law enforcement.  He says that because veterans are often credible members of their communities, they can be champions of democracy. Contrary to the way the Trump administration is “laundering military credibility for their agenda” The Chamberlain Network is organizing retired veterans, business and church leaders, and others to help their communities feel safe to vote during elections. They also discuss Trump's restructuring of military leadership, Purdy's article about the misuse of the National Guard, how ICE is acting recklessly by enforcing a political agenda, and the longstanding practice of ICE and other law enforcement recruiting from the military and the “warrior class.” Purdy insists that active duty service members and veterans aren't ICE, DHS, or other federal law enforcement agencies.  Chris Purdy is the Founder and CEO of The Chamberlain Network, an organization dedicated to mobilizing veterans to protect democratic values and institutions. A former Combat Engineer in the Army National Guard and an Iraq War veteran, Chris also has extensive experience supporting immigrant communities, having previously led veterans' initiatives at an international human rights organization. He also has a background in education, serving as a Special Education teacher and school administrator. Featured image: photo of Chris Purdy courtesy of The Chamberlain Network. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post How Veterans Can Reduce Polarization appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd: Investing in Prussian war bonds; Remembering The Addams Family & other vintage TV shows; Voter fraud uncovered! [the Melania movie might actually be even worse];  trump posts racist meme [in other news, water is wet]; Melania jokes on theater marquees;  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 Robert Sciberras on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Time to Yank the Rug Out appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Esty Dinur is joined by friend of the program, Norman Solomon, to discuss the status of the Democratic Party. His new book is The Blue Road to Trump Hell: How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy and it is available for free online. Solomon says we need a stronger Democratic Party–a progressive Democratic Party–to stop fascism and prevent a Vance presidency. It's not feasible to stop xenophobia and misogyny with neoliberal centrism, as with Biden and Harris's campaigns, says Solomon. At the top, the Democratic Party is pro-military, pro-corporations. Too often, centrist Democrats work against progressives, as with NAFTA and the Crime Bill that  accelerated mass incarceration. Though Biden did some good work while in office, he ultimately folded when it came to the Build Back Better Act. Instead, we need strong Democratic leadership “that fights like hell for working people, children, the elderly, and the infirm.” They also discuss how corporate paywalls keep information inaccessible to regular people, how RFK is “viciously anti-Palestinian” and anti-democratic, Bernie Sander's success in calling out plutocracy and corporate greed, Mamdani's success in New York City, and the status of the DHS budget. Norman Solomon is a journalist, media critic, author and activist. He's the National Director of RootsAction and the Executive Director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.  His book War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine was published in 2023. In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the book “a powerful, necessary indictment of efforts to disguise the human toll of American foreign policy.” Norman's dozen other books include War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. Featured image of the cover of Norman Solomon's most recent book, The Blue Road to Trump Hell: How Corporate Democrats Paved the Way for Autocracy. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Why We Need to Complain About Democrats appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Allen Ruff is joined by friend of the program, John Nichols, who is on the ground reporting from Minneapolis. He says that ICE is sowing a great deal of chaos; restaurants are empty and the atmosphere is tense. However, thousands are showing up to daily demonstrations creating a remarkable moment of dissent.  They discuss Nichol's latest article, co-written with Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel, “The ‘Donroe’ Doctrine: Trump Unleashes the Dogs of War.” Nichols says that our contemporary struggles have deep roots in earlier moments of US imperialism. He calls the US's aggression in Venezuela an act of war, not simply a police action as it has been described. The fact that Congress has not been given a say in these actions, effectively makes Trump a king. Unlike Trump's first term in office, this time around he's very focused on international affairs, from kidnapping foreign leaders to threatening to bomb nations and more, says Nichols.  From Venezuela to Minneapolis, we're seeing invasion abroad and at home, says Nichols. He sees hope in the number of folks, especially young people, who are talking about and engaging in general strikes. More and more people are dissatisfied with the Democratic Party and are looking for ways to counter a political system that is infused with money. They also discuss war tax resistance, mutual aid groups, and the role of religious leaders in political movements. John Nichols is the executive editor of The Nation, and previously the magazine’s long-time national affairs correspondent. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than a dozen books on media, democracy, and American political history. His latest, cowritten with Senator Bernie Sanders, is the New York Times bestseller It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism. Featured image of an anti-ICE protest sign from a January 2026 protest in Minneapolis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post On the Ground in Minneapolis with John Nichols appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Caribbean to find an Edenic scene that has since been mythologized. Today on A Public Affair, host Ali Muldrow is in conversation with Tao Leigh Goffe who charts this mythology in her new book, Dark Laboratory: On Columbus, the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Crisis. She writes about the legacy of slavery, indentured labor, and the forced toil of Chinese and enslaved Black people who mined the Caribbean islands for the benefit of European powers at the expense of the islands' sacred ecologies.  Goffe bridges climate justice and racial justice in order to meet the demands of the present, from the pandemic and the Global Black Lives Matter movement to celebrity environmentalists buying private islands and the everyday complicity of owning an iPhone. She interrogates the colonial imagination that leads people to fantasize about island spaces as secretive, private, or grounds for experimentation. And she wants to turn away from notions of property and ownership, making the main characters in her book the Caribbean islands themselves, marijuana buds, mongooses, rocks, and more.  They also talk about who experiences the burden of climate change versus who is presented as environmental saviors, having reverence for land, plants, and animals, and the legacy of Toni Morrison's Playing in the Dark. Goffe's next project picks up with the theme of maternity and breastfeeding in the context of resource extraction and racialization.  Tao Leigh Goffe is a London-born, Black British award-winning writer, theorist, and interdisciplinary artist who grew up between the UK and New York. Her research explores Black diasporic intellectual histories, political, and ecological life. She studied English literature at Princeton University before pursuing a PhD at Yale University. She lives and works in Manhattan where she is currently an Associate Professor at Hunter College, CUNY. Dr. Goffe has held academic positions and fellowships at Leiden University in the Netherlands and Princeton University in New Jersey. She is the author of Dark Laboratory: On Columbus, the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Crisis. Featured image of the cover of Dark Laboratory, available from Vintage. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The Music of Caribbean Witness appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Dana Pellebon is in conversation with SkyeGia Garcia and DaMontae January who work for OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center. They discuss their work and the larger issue of housing in Dane County, especially for disenfranchised youth.  OutReach works for the equity and quality of life for all LGBTQ+ people through community building, health and human services, and economic, social, and racial justice advocacy. Garcia and January work for the program, Everstrong, that provides resources for 17-24 year olds who are at risk of experiencing homelessness. January says that the program empowers young folks to find stable housing and jobs, sign up for insurance, and take on other adult responsibilities with confidence. Young people in the program should be given a second chance and they just want to be heard, says January. In addition to the Everstrong program, they talk about OutReach's food pantry, meditation sessions, and anti-colonial yoga classes where folks can “get back in touch with their sovereignty and autonomy,” says Garcia. She says that the LGBTQ+ community has a strong culture of taking care of people and has consistently led with compassion, empathy, and support.  SkyeGia Garcia has been a community organizer since 2016. Her work has focused on anti-colonial awareness that connects to Indigenous struggles and liberation. SkyeGia currently works at OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center for a project that focuses on youth empowerment and housing justice. DaMontae January comes from a background of social work and counseling and has been working for housing justice since 2020. Currently January works as Program Director for EverStrong at OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center and has been there since 2023. Featured image: of DaMonte January, Dana Pellebon, and SkyeGia Garcia. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Everstrong Housing Program Sets Up Youth for Success appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Douglas Haynes is in conversation with Jacob Hundt of Thoreau College in Viroqua and Grace Greenwald of the Springboard Foundation. They explore how the growing microcollege movement is becoming the antidote to the crisis in higher education. Contrary to the transactional, consumer-oriented nature of traditional education, microcolleges are place-based with small student bodies where students' education includes manual labor and community building.  Founded in 2015, Thoreau College offers immersive gap year programs, internships, and short courses for young adults that integrate academic studies, hands-on manual work, wilderness expeditions, arts and crafts, and engaged community life. Thoreau College is Wisconsin's only microcollege, but there is a growing interest in this phenomena in the state. The school offers semester-length programs and admits around 8-15 students with several interns learning about teaching. It's broad, holistic, and immersive, says Hundt. Microcolleges offer accessible entry into higher education for students, says Greenwald. She's seen the movement growing in two ways: there's a growing interest in founding microcolleges around the country, particularly in rural areas and existing colleges are increasingly connecting with each other on issues like decision making.  More and more, students are choosing not to go to college because they don't see college as offering a path to a purposeful life. Greenwald says that microcolleges are great at engaging students in resilient relationships and offering them real opportunities to be responsible to each other and their communities. Students work on self-governance and communal living and conflict is a feature, not a bug, says Hundt. Grace Greenwald is the Director of Research for the Springboard Foundation, which helps support the movement of microcolleges. She served on the early team building Outer Coast, a microcollege in the rural island community of Sitka, Alaska.  Jacob Hundt is Executive Director of Thoreau College, a microcollege located in Viroqua, Wisconsin. In addition to his teaching and leadership roles, he is the host of the Microcollege Podcast, a key platform for documenting this growing movement. He lives on a 10 acre farm with his wife and 4 children. Featured image of farmland in the Driftless region of Wisconsin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0). Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Microcolleges Build Resilient and Responsible Students appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd:  Reliving the Fugitive Slave Act; 600+ lawsuits against trump regime; Irrationality is the name of the game; trump’s inability to stay on script and ever more limited vocabulary; A new mascot for coal – your tax dollars at work!; 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 1.33X MotionPicture on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The Cherry on Top of the Poop Sundae appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On the day of a national anti-ICE general strike, host Esty Dinur is in conversation with writer Sophie Lewis about her book, Enemy Feminisms: TERFs, Policewomen, and Girlbosses Against Liberation.  Lewis reckons with the white supremacy of bourgeois feminism but refuses to “be evicted from the house of feminism” because she doesn't want to cede ground to TERFS, femonationalists, and other enemy feminisms. Meanwhile, Lewis wants to recover histories of anti-fascist, anti-colonial, insurgent, and undercommons feminism. Dinur points to women like Kristi Noem, Pam Bondi, Caroline Levitt, Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, and even Kamala Harris who have supported wars all over the world, and wonders, “are these the women I've fought for?” Lewis also discusses the right to pleasure within the gender liberation struggle, the mythology of feminist figures like Mary Wollstonecraft and May French Sheldon, “feminist misogyny,” and family liberation. Sophie Lewis is a self described ex-academic, writer, left activist and adoptive Philadelphian (transplanted from Europe). She is the author of several books, including Full Surrogacy Now, Abolish the Family, Enemy Feminisms, and the forthcoming essay collection FEMMEPHILIA. Sophie’s essays also appear everywhere from the New York Times to n+1 and the London Review of Books. She teaches short courses on social philosophy and theory online at the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research, and you can find her newsletter at patreon.com/reproutopia or browse her archive at lasophielle.org/. Sophie is currently working on a book for Penguin, The Liberation of Children (2027). Featured image of the cover of Enemy Feminisms, available from Haymarket Books.  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Refusing Eviction from the House of Feminism appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Marking the first anniversary of Trump's presidency, the White House released a statement, “365 Wins in 365 Days,” celebrating the success and prosperity that Donald Trump has brought to the nation. To reflect on Trump's first year back in the White House, host Allen Ruff is joined by journalist Chris Walker, who says that the President has certainly transformed things but for the worse. Walker says that he's most concerned about the rising authoritarianism of the administration and how Republicans in Congress seem to be OK with this. We have limited checks in terms of the judiciary, and no checks in the legislature, says Walker. Additionally, Trump is increasingly transparent about his intentions of being a dictator and desire to cancel the midterm elections. They also talk about the terror that ICE is bringing to Minneapolis, the general strike called by Rep. Jaime Raskin of Maryland, the resurgence of measles outbreaks under RFK, and Trump's use of the term “environmental insurrectionists.” While it has been common in the past for elected officials to defend law enforcement, Walker notes that now ICE's victims are being cast as “domestic terrorists” and described as “readying for a massacre” against DHS without any proof. Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout, based in Madison, Wisconsin. Focusing on both national and local topics since the early 2000s, he has produced thousands of articles analyzing the issues of the day and their impact on people. He can be found on most social media platforms under the handle @thatchriswalker. Featured image of Donald Trump via Picryl. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The General Rubric of Idiocy appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

 On this show, we've been reflecting on the last year of the Trump regime's attacks on immigrants. Today, we're focusing on how activists are protecting their communities and taking care of themselves. Host Ali Muldrow is joined by two disability activists, Dr. Sami Schalk and Martha Siravo, who discuss how they balance art with activism and how they maintain joy as we're bombarded with tremendous tragedy around the country. Siravo talks about her experiences in the adaptive arts space where she uses her wheelchair for adaptive ballet. Last fall, her aerial dance performance of “Defying Gravity” went viral on Tik Tok.  Dr. Schalk says that she's approaching activism differently since the police violently assaulted her while she was supporting UW Madison students protesting the genocide in Gaza. She says there are many ways she can use her resources and visibility without putting her body on the line. Right now is the time to prepare and care and bedazzle gifts for friends, she says. They also talk about how to challenge assumptions about disabled peoples' sexuality, how to create accessible spaces, and how they negotiate wanting to be joyous and find pleasure while also feeling overwhelmed by the injustice in the world. Dr. Schalk says that pleasure is a daily practice that happens alongside resistance and activism. Dr. Sami Schalk is a full professor in the Department of Gender & Women's Studies at UW-Madison. She is the author of many books, and her research focuses on disability, race, and gender in contemporary American literature and culture. She is also a working artist and has had her art displayed at the Ford Foundation Gallery in New York City and at Art + Literature Laboratory in Madison.  Martha Siravo is a disability rights advocate and founder of Madtown Mamas and Disability Advocates. She's a single mother, whose daughter is in the sixth grade. Featured image of a bedazzled rose via Rawpixel. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Finding Joy Even When the World Demands Outrage appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

On today's show, host Dana Pellebon is joined by Dr. Jonathan Mathias Lassiter, author of the new book, How I Know White People are Crazy and Other Stories: Notes from a Frustrated Black Psychologist. Dr. Lassiter works in private psychotherapy practice and provides culturally relevant care for marginalized professionals. He is part of the mere 1% of Black male psychologists in the country. His memoir makes the case for better cultural representation in the therapy field and defines the theory of the “whiteness mindset.”  Dr. Lassiter says that he's always been curious about why people do the things they do, and this led him to pursue a career in education followed by a psychotherapy practice. He describes his upbringing and the isolation and microaggressions he experienced in his graduate studies and clinical settings. He noticed that though the clinics he worked in were serving Black and Latinx clients, the vast majority of the therapists were white. And while working in the VA hospital in Indianapolis, he was the only Black male therapist. At that time, he read Toni Morrison's Playing in the Dark: Whiteness in the Literary Imagination and went on to write a corollary essay, “Whiteness in the Psychological Imagination,” that became the seed of his current book.  In How I Know White People are Crazy and Other Stories, Dr. Lassiter uses diagnostic criteria to define “the whiteness mindset” as a way of thinking and being that values materialism, competition, and individualism, which all promote oppression. It's a “distress producing phenomena” that hurts everyone and is making white people sick, he says. They also discuss other concepts in psychology, like “post traumatic slave syndrome” and “black fatigue,” and how Christianity becomes a weapon, especially when it comes to sexuality. Dr. Lassiter says he wants marginalized people, the global majority, to understand that they're not the problem. His future work will focus on the Afro-centric and Indigenous psychologies as pathways to better, more healthy futures. Dr. Jonathan Mathias Lassiter is a licensed clinical psychologist in New York City specializing in culturally informed mental health care for Black, POC, and LGBTQ+ individuals and couples. With a passion to use his Ph.D.for the culture, he serves as a therapist, scientist, educator, author, mental health columnist, on-air mental health expert, and international public speaker. Dr. Lassiter has appeared in such outlets as NBC, PBS, Forbes, Huff Post, Radio NewZealand, SiriusXM, iHeart Radio, and more. Follow Dr. Lassiter on all social media platforms at @lassiterhealth. Featured image of the cover of How I Know White People are Crazy and Other Stories: Notes from a Frustrated Black Psychologist.  Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Dr. Jonathan Lassiter Defines the Whiteness Mindset appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

This week on Mel & Floyd: Mel & ‘Pants brave the elements to deliver the goods while it's warmer on Mars!; Board of Peace or Legion of Doom?; Greenland or Iceland?; Study finds Americans pay 96% of tariff cost; in other news, water is wet; 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 Mark Chan on Unsplash Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post The Nanny Car appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.