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Extra Content You May Have Missed
Overtime: What will America’s next 250 years look like? (article and audio)- Watch it here (make sure you watch the end)
Scaffidiology: It’s Scaffidiology in reverse - Alex Strouf interviews Steve
WTMJ Outdoors: Plunges and Pilgrimages in Wisconsin and Across the Globe
Week-In-Review: Giannis traded, public utilities, & Missy Hughes
ICYMI
HEALTHCARE AND ELECTION HIJINX - Steve and Kristin kicked off the Point Taken week with Channel 12 Political Director Matt Smith on the continued FBI investigations into the 2020 election (are we really still talking about that?), and the pair took on the monumental task of figuring out our complicated, and some would some say, broken, healthcare system.
SAY IT AIN'T SO GIANNIS! - Reality hits hard, and the trading of Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat tested all of us Milwaukee Bucks fans this week. It's not politics, but it certainly was THE story of the week. At least until the U.S. Supreme Court makes up its mind on a few high-profile cases. And hey, Missy Hughes dropped out of the race for the democratic nomination for Governor!
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM ANYONE? - Milwaukee's favorite radio duo took on one of the most significant trends in politics today, the rise in candidates and elected officials branding themselves as Democratic Socialists. It's not just Bernie Sanders anymore! They finished the Wednesday show with a conversation about the ever-increasing risks of the A.I. Revolution and what they mean for individuals, corporations, and government.
LAWYERS AND LOCAL! - Former U.S. Attorney James Santelle stopped by for a review of the latest U.S. Supreme Court decisions, including a couple of big wins for the Trump administration on immigration policy. UrbanMilwaukee.com’s Jeramey Jannene stopped by for his weekly roundup of city and county news.
JAKE CURTIS AGAIN? - The Institute for Reforming Government’s Lead Counsel Jake Curtis does his best Bill McCoshen impression for the second week in a row. And the Friday panel chews over the latest “tell-all” book on the White House and the President. Is he really super-gluing gold adornments onto the fireplace in the Oval Office?
If you missed anything, go back and listen or watch
Across Wisconsin
Credit: Angelica Edwards/ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Creator: Provided by campaigns
Steve
We spend quite a bit of time on the Point Taken show talking about affordability. Well, since we're approaching one of the biggest summer celebrations of the year, with the special significance of celebrating the country's 250th birthday, it is interesting to see how that impacts our cookout budgets.
Kristin
This week we discussed an issue that I think affects a lot of Point Taken fans - being a moderate in a purple state. Craig Gilbert nails is in his latest Will moderate voters find a home in Wisconsin's governor's race?:
“Whatever the explanation, one result is that moderate voters can face a dilemma in competitive states such as Wisconsin. They are potential kingmakers in November, but their choices are dictated by two parties over which their influence is modest or declining.”
This Week’s Poll
Ahead of the Save Hemp rally at Kelly's Greens on July 29th, we had Erin Kelly on our show on Friday to break down where Wisconsin and the US are when it comes to the legalization and now pending ban on hemp products.
Wisconsin remains one of the few states where recreational marijuana is illegal, but hemp-derived products — including some THC drinks, gummies, and other “intoxicating hemp” products — have been sold legally under the federal hemp framework created by the 2018 Farm Bill. That law defined hemp as cannabis with no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC by dry weight, which created a legal lane for hemp-derived cannabinoids and THC products.
That legal status is now in flux. Federal changes are scheduled to take effect in November 2026 that would sharply redefine legal hemp and effectively ban many currently sold hemp-derived THC products by limiting products to 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container. Wisconsin lawmakers have also considered state-level regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoid products, including definitions and rules for products containing delta-8, delta-9, delta-10, and other hemp-derived cannabinoids.
What DO YOU think Wisconsin and federal lawmakers should do when in regards to marijuana and hemp products? Let us know in this week’s survey.
Last Week’s Poll
Recommendations
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Steve
Staying with the Independence Day theme, according to a recent Gallup Poll, more than three-quarters of Americans (77%) say the signers of the Declaration of Independence would be disappointed by the United States we live in today, "the highest level of disappointment Gallup has ever seen."
Kristin
Also staying with the Independence Day theme… find time to watch What the Constitution Means to Me on Amazon Prime. Heidi Schreck does something rare — she makes a 235-year-old document feel urgent, personal, and a little heartbreaking, especially as a woman. It's funny, it's furious, and it'll make you think harder about what we're actually celebrating.
Ask Us Anything
Submit your questions for Steve and Kristin to answer on their next bonus mailbag podcast episode!
