The party’s over. We wrap things up with a preview from Mike Clemens of Saturday’s Packers-Bears matchup. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guest: Mike Clemens

We’ll have one more go-round with our Week In Review panel and ask them “what have we learned” in 2025 — and how can we take those lessons and apply them toward getting our country back on track in 2026. Given that the president just renamed a nationally cherished facility as the Trump Kennedy Center, we clearly have our work cut out for us. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Jim Santelle, Mark Jacob, Jennifer Schulze

They say the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice… but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some injustices along the way. Donald Trump’s police state wins a round by securing a felony conviction for a judge who stood up for independent courts free from chaos, interference, and intimidation. We begin our goodbyes as “Mornings with Pat Kreitlow” ends its run on Civic Media. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Greg Bach, Luke Mathers

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy for those who want government to fail: Slash what’s working, blame government itself for being dysfunctional, rinse, repeat. We’ll talk to Joe Zepecki about the latest moves that reduce customer service and increase cynicism about how things work in Madison. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Joe Zepecki, Chad Holmes

A new report by a nonpartisan research group needed more than 2,300 words to describe why this month’s property tax bills for 2025 are so much higher than last year. They really only needed a handful of words to connect the dots: A Republican Legislature passed the buck. Rather than contribute a fair share to local governments and the education of our children, GOP lawmakers once again forced municipalities and educators to look like the bad guys just to maintain current services. Also: Sean O’Malley has the latest view of a still-slumping job market. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guest: Sean O’Malley

In Congress, a discharge petition is an extremely rare tool. A majority of members can sign it to force a full vote on a matter, even if the leadership wants to keep it bottled up. For the fourth time, House Speaker Mike Johnson has had his hand forced by members of his own party joining with Democrats. This time, it’s to allow an up-or-down vote on resurrecting the tax credits that helped keep health insurance affordable for 20 million Americans. It’s only the latest sign of economic dysfunction from GOP lawmakers and the president, as we’ll show with some end-of-the-year Wisconsin numbers. Also: Grumpy president screams at TV cameras in a not-at-all unhinged “speech” about the economy. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guest: Cherita Booker

One of our favorite long-running stories on this show got the nickname “Pigeon Quest” because Melissa Kaye, from our Civic Media station in Wisconsin Rapids, embarked on a detailed mission to adopt a rescue pigeon. So, yes, we learned that rescue pigeons are a thing. Before we sign off, we wanted to get a final update from Melissa and LeeLu, who had been slow to acclimate to its new surroundings. We’ll ask if LeeLu has finally taken flight… around the living room, anyway. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Melissa Baldauff, Melissa Kaye, Earl Ingram

We mark the final installment of Homeroom, our weekly segment about protecting public education in Wisconsin, with the two people most responsible for making it a prime focus of our show: Heather DuBois Bourenane, Chris Hambuch-Boyle and many more from the Wisconsin Public Education Network. We’ll explain the stakes of the 2026 election on property taxes and the future health of our community schools. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Heather DuBois Bourenane, Chris Hambuch-Boyle, Ellie Bourdo

There have been more unusual events in 2025 than we care to count — and one of the stranger ones took place Tuesday when Vanity Fair published the result of 11 (yes, eleven) interviews conducted with Trump’s chief of staff. Susie Wiles was extremely candid about the president and almost everyone in his inner circle — and none of it makes them look better. So what’s been the MAGA reaction? Attack the report and the writer, while not claiming that anything in the piece was factually wrong. Sure, Susie. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube.

There is no bottom: Donald Trump will always find a way to sink even lower than the last time you thought he’d couldn’t be worse. This time, Trump is getting a fair amount of criticism from fellow Republicans for a social media post about murdered director Rob Reiner. Makes you wonder who the real “Meathead” is now. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Dan Shafer, Cam Stevenson

There are lots of holiday gifts you can wrap, but others you need to experience. We’ll talk to Sheila Everhart of the Wisconsin Agricultural Tourism Association about giving the gift of events in rural Wisconsin. We’ll also hear from Hans Breitenmoser about last weekend’s Wisconsin Farmers Union annual convention. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Hans Breitenmoser, Sheila Everhart

As we often say here: Those who hate government the most should be trusted the least to run it competently. The latest example comes from Republicans in the Legislature who refused a request to allocate the funds to speed up customer service for professional licensing. It’s easy to say government doesn’t work when you’re the one throwing sand in the gears. Lawmakers also announced an “investigation” into Attorney General Josh Kaul, conveniently timed to happen during an election campaign. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube.

The CEO of WisconsinEye talks to us about the network going dark — unable to continue its work of covering state government due to a lack of funding. We’ll ask why such a vital service has to beg for financial support. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guest: Jon Henkes

Former GOP Congressman Reid Ribble joins us to talk about the lack of a serious Republican healthcare plan — something he says shouldn’t be the case. We’ll hear his suggestions to his old colleagues. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Salina Heller, Reid Ribble

CBS could have used their time Saturday to honor Dick Van Dyke on his 100th birthday, given his many shows over many years. Instead, the new right wing regime chose to turn the airwaves over to the widow of Charlie Kirk. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guest: Dr. Kristin Lyerly

A lot of Wisconsin political insiders sure like asking questions about Mandela Barnes: Can he win a general election? Can he raise $50 million to run for governor? Is the attention he’s getting from Republicans a sign of weakness or strength? How about if we ask him directly — because he joins us live this morning. Also: Mike Clemens previews the Packers in Denver on Sunday… and then playing again six days later in Chicago. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Mandela Barnes, Mike Clemens

We’ll ask our Week In Review panel about some of the headlines of the past few days. Republicans had to back off their desire to force grieving women to scoop up the remains of a miscarriage and put it in a medical waste bag. President Trump lost two more court cases involving persecution without due process. And is the White House ever going to live up to its promise to tackle inflation — or will they stick with the laughable argument that affordability worries are just a hoax? Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Dr. Kristin Lyerly, Jim Santelle, Joan Esposito

Some of us are old enough to remember when the United States Senate had a vaunted reputation as the world’s greatest deliberative body. Weighty issues would be debated by senators with the security of six-year terms, resistant to the political winds of the moment, and grand compromises could be achieved. Those days, of course, are gone — put on display most tellingly Thursday when a majority of 51 votes still wasn’t enough to stop Republicans’ plans to make Americans pay exhaustingly higher health insurance premiums, just to make a political point. Courier Newsroom’s Keya Vakil gives us a summary. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guest: Keya Vakil

With Joel Brennan joining the race for governor, we’ll ask political strategist Joe Zepecki if there’s anyone else in the pipeline or are we seeing the likely field of candidates between now and the primary next August. He’ll also react to another “interesting” week in Washington, DC. Mornings with Pat Kreitlow is powered by UpNorthNews, and it airs on several stations across the Civic Media radio network, Monday through Friday from 6-9 am. Subscribe to the podcast to be sure not to miss out on a single episode! Get more from Pat and UpNorthNews on their website and follow them on X, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. To learn more about the show and all of the programming across the Civic Media network, head over to civicmedia.us/shows to see the entire broadcast lineup. Follow the show on Facebook, X, and YouTube. Guests: Joe Zepecki, Chad Holmes