A Public Affair - podcast cover

A Public Affair

Douglas Haynes, Ali Muldrow, Carousel Bayrd, Allen Ruff, & Esty Dinurwww.wortfm.org
Listener Sponsored Community Radio in Madison, WI

Episodes

How Aid is Being Weaponized in Gaza

Allen Ruff speaks with friend of the show, Mouin Rabbani, about Yasser Abu Shabab, the continuing genocide in Gaza, the chaos created by US-backed aid organizations, and more. The post How Aid is Being Weaponized in Gaza appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 12, 2025

A Safe, Decent, Affordable Home for Everyone

Matvei Mozhaev speaks with Maria Foscarinis, a principal architect of the 1987 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the first major piece of federal legislation to address homelessness. The post A Safe, Decent, Affordable Home for Everyone appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 11, 202552 min

What’s in Madison’s Water?

Greg Michaud interviews Joe Grande, the Water Resources Manager at Madison Water Utility. They discuss what’s in Madison’s drinking water and how consumers can have confidence in their tap water. The post What’s in Madison’s Water? appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 11, 2025

AI Data Centers are Coming to Wisconsin

Douglas Haynes unpacks the future of AI in the state of Wisconsin with Brett Korte and Lorena Jaume-Palasí. The post AI Data Centers are Coming to Wisconsin appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 10, 202553 min

Media in the time of the American Empire’s Decline

Economist Richard D. Wolff joins host Esty Dinur to talk about the state of the American empire and the state of independent media. The post Media in the time of the American Empire’s Decline appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 06, 202554 min

True Community is a Subversive Thing

Today Allen Ruff sits in the guest seat and is interviewed by Bert Zipperer about his life and the history of WORT. The post True Community is a Subversive Thing appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 05, 202554 min

Life Lived on the Edge of Freedom

Yuri Rashkin is joined by independent journalist Jonathan Fink to break down the recent development in the war in Ukraine. The post Life Lived on the Edge of Freedom appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 04, 202552 min

On the Morality of Taxpaying

On today’s show, host Sara Gabler speaks with sociologist Dr. Ruth Braunstein about money and morality and how people invest a lot of symbolic value (in addition to material value) in the act of tax paying. The post On the Morality of Taxpaying appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 03, 202553 min

Building Symbiotic Relationships with Beavers

Journalist Bennet Goldstein discusses the ways that people are living with beavers and learning how to mitigate floods and drought from them. The post Building Symbiotic Relationships with Beavers appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

Jun 02, 202554 min

Resisting Nuclear Energy in Wisconsin

On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is joined by two representatives from Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) to talk about the Point Beach Nuclear Reactor in Two Rivers, Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. The post Resisting Nuclear Energy in Wisconsin appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 30, 202553 min

An Update from Cuba

Allen Ruff speaks with three solidarity activists who recently returned from Cuba as part of a delegation to Santiago de Cuba called Levantate por Cuba. The post An Update from Cuba appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 29, 2025

Focus on Housing with Briarpatch Youth Services and Porchlight

As the average price of a home soars to ~$500K, the number of kids experiencing homelessness in Madison is growing. Today we’re picking up that theme with Karla Thennes of Porchlight and Jen Ripp of Briarpatch Youth Services. The post Focus on Housing with Briarpatch Youth Services and Porchlight appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 28, 202554 min

How Health Became a Luxury Product

Richelle Wilson is joined by journalist Amy Larocca to talk about the world of wellness and her new book, How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time. The post How Health Became a Luxury Product appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 27, 202553 min

The Crises of Regional Colleges and Universities

Douglas Haynes is joined by journalist Molly Parker to talk about the erosion of educational access in rural areas and the value of regional universities. The post The Crises of Regional Colleges and Universities appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 26, 202553 min

“You can’t put the oil back in the pipeline”

On today’s show, host Esty Dinur is joined by two legal experts from Earthjustice–Andre Segura and Stefanie Tsosie–to talk about the Trump administration’s attacks on the environment. The post “You can’t put the oil back in the pipeline” appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 23, 202553 min

How to Build Civic Courage with Henry Giroux

Social critic Henry Giroux discusses what he calls the “politics of cleansing,” the multi-pronged offensive currently being waged against civil liberties, dissent, and ultimately democracy by “American-style fascism.” The post How to Build Civic Courage with Henry Giroux appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9 .

May 22, 202552 min
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