New legislation signed in April gives Wisconsin residents the right to use dogs while hunting bears. As the law goes into effect, our guest tells us about what changes we can expect this season. We also get our weekly update on Washington and talk about money in Wisconsin politics after The Guardian published leaked documents from Wisconsin’s John Doe investigation.
Featured in this Show
-
Exposé Looks At Leaked Documents In Wisconsin's John Doe Investigation
An exposé that features leaked court documents from Wisconsin’s John Doe investigation was published in The Guardian today. The documents include copies of checks and emails between wealthy donors and people connected to Governor Walker’s recall election campaign in 2012. We talk to the journalist who wrote the in-depth report about the debate around money in politics.
-
Guardian Reporter Says Leaked Documents Raise Questions About US Campaign Finance Law
Leaked documents from the Wisconsin’s John Doe investigations published Wednesday bring up a lot of big questions about the American political process, especially about campaign finance law, said The Guardian reporter who wrote the piece.
Ed Pilkington, the chief reporter for The Guardian U.S., said the British news organization put a lot of thought into the decision to publish the leaked documents from the John Doe investigations, which looked at whether there were campaign finance violations by Gov. Scott Walker’s recall election campaign in 2012.
“We didn’t lightly go into this, we knew that we were doing something that was quite controversial, that many people in Wisconsin and elsewhere may disapprove of,” Pilkington said. “But we asked ourselves a serious question: What is the public interest in these documents?”
Pilkington said he thinks the answer to that question is obvious: The health of the American democracy is at the center of these leaked documents. The documents are under the seal of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and at one point the court ordered for the documents to be destroyed.
The documents bring up a big issue in American politics, Pilkington noted: Are people being elected on the power of their ideas or their leadership, or are they being elected because they have the most corporate money in their pockets?
The leaked documents include copies of emails and checks, examples of coordinated fundraising between Walker’s recall campaign and conservative groups like the Wisconsin Club for Growth.
“Is the role of all this money coming in the politicians’ and even judges’ need for it in order to keep their jobs, is that starting to distort the electoral and the political process in America?” Pilkington questioned, outlining one of the big questions at the heart of the documents.
-
This Week In Washington – September 14, 2016
Harry Enten, senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight, joins Central Time for our weekly look at the most pressing issues in national politics.
-
Taking Stock Of Black Bears In Wisconsin
As black bear hunting season gets underway in Wisconsin, a wildlife expert takes stock of the species in Wisconsin.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Haleema Shah Producer
- J. Carlisle Larsen Producer
- Chris Malina Producer
- Ed Pilkington Guest
- Harry Enten Guest
- David Drake Guest
Wisconsin Public Radio, © Copyright 2024, Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Educational Communications Board.
