A Public Affair

All this week, students have been camped out on Library Mall to protest Israel’s war on Palestine. They join students nation-wide who are putting pressure theirs colleges and the US government to disinvest in the war and ultimate end the genocide in Gaza. Wednesday morning, a combined police force attempted to remove the tents and protestors. Dozens of people were arrested a

“We got out of the business of building new nuclear weapons and we haven’t done that in a generation, but all of that is coming back. This work is already underway.” That is W.J. Hennigan speaking with A Public Affair host Allen Ruff about the trillions of US dollars that are now being invested in nuclear weapons. Hennigan is the lead author of “At The Brin

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission announced a ban to noncompete agreements. Under the rule, most existing noncompetes would not be enforceable. The ban was almost immediately challenged by U.S. Chamber of Commerce. They argue that the FTC overstepped it’s authority with the ruling. Joining us on today’s show is Assistant Professor Evan Starr from the Robert H. Sm

Today we spend the hour talking about wealth and income disparities with folks who are working on a solution. That solution? Putting cash in the hands of people who need it. Blake Roberts, Kathrine Cagat and Gina Stilp join host Ali Muldrow to break down the differences of universal basic income, guaranteed income and unconditional cash programs. They discuss the realities of livi

Cap Times food editor and arts reporter Lindsay Christians, was on set as a diner and a dishwasher during the filming of season 21 of Top Chef . Now that the show is airing, she’s impressed with how well we come off on tv. “I’ve been talking a lot about the B roll of Madison and Milwaukee: just these beautiful like a drone shots coming into the city. It just it k

Today, journalist Jacob Kushner joins host Esty Dinur to talk about his forth coming book, Look Away: A True Story of Murders, Bombings, and a Far-Right Campaign to Rid Germany of Immigrants. The book, which comes out May 7th, explains how of a group of young, radicalized Germans carried out a shocking spree of white supremacist violence and uncovers the way their actions went unc

A hundred years ago, Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator, Robert M. La Follette made his mark on national politics by running as an independent third party candidate for the White House. He captured a record breaking one-sixth of the popular vote. Historian Richard Drake joins host Allen Ruff to talk about “Fighting Bob” La Follette’s campaign and the legacy it left beh

Philip Berrigan, American peace activist and Catholic priest, is remembered as courageous example of nonviolent resistance. Beginning in 1968, Berrigan organized against war, systemic racism, materialism, destruction of the environment, and nuclear weapons. His unyielding stances led to imprisonment and excommunication from the Catholic church. In the recently published A Ministry

A 2019 study found that Wisconsin is has one of the worst racial disparities for Black children in the US. How does that pan out for student’s living in Madison? Importantly, what is the actual experience for Black people who get their education at our schools? Today we are spending the hour with a group of Black scholars who are working to expose a more complete history of

April is National Poetry Month and as we approach the end of the month, we turn to the poets in our community. Host Douglas Haynes is joined by former Wisconsin Poet Laureate Kimberly Blaeser, current Madison Poet Laureate Steven Espada Dawson, and current Wisconsin Poet Laureate Nicholas Gulig. We hear a poem from each and discuss poetry in community, the impact of a poet laureat