Good Morning.

🚣 There’s just something about Sunday morning on a lake up north, when the blue sky is reflected on water that’s smooth as glass—at least until the first anglers of the day come roaring past—or trolling past, depending on whether they’re hoping for a lunch of walleye or bluegills. 

☀️ Mornings like these serve as a reminder to breathe. It would be wrong to completely tune out everything that’s happening in our country, but it also shouldn’t consume us. So after we get you updated on Wisconsin headlines, be sure to take a little time to get those inner batteries recharged because the work week will make itself known again soon enough.

👉🏼 Oh, and yes, the newsletter name change is intentional. It’s all about the branding, I’m told — a not-so-subtle reminder that you can catch “Mornings with Pat Kreitlow” every weekday from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. on our Facebook and YouTube pages or across the Civic Media radio network.

We cover the morning’s headlines, talk to great guests—and cover cultural touchstones like the “Steve’s Lava Chicken” song from the Minecraft movie. UpNorthNews is truly a full-service information source! 🐓

⏮️ Last Week: We asked about reports the Trump administration wants to try a $5,000 enticement for women to have more babies. Of course nearly everyone answered with a mix of disgust over the idea and support for more family-friendly policies.

As stated by Kathy: “By making it more affordable to have children, couples may opt to have more children, but Trump definitely needs to stay out of our bedrooms.”

⏭️ This Week: We’re going with sports… or at least something sports-adjacent. It’s the kind of question anyone can weigh in on, not just NBA fans.

👉🏼 After another first-round playoff exit, the Milwaukee Bucks can go in one of two directions. Which one should they take?

A)  It’s time to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo. Yes, he’s a generational talent, a team leader, and a truly nice person. But the Bucks won’t be postseason winners until they can trade him and use the assets they get back to build a new generation of talent.

B)  Do not trade Giannis. Setbacks happen, but this team still has what it takes to make another championship run. Maybe with different players or a new coach, but Giannis should stay.

To answer this week’s question or to suggest a different answer, hit reply or email me directly at pat@couriernewsroom.com, and we may share it in a future newsletter or on UpNorthNews Radio.

🆕 And by the way, we have a brand new once-a-month newsletter devoted to Wisconsin sports. Unlike the Bucks’ series, this newsletter focuses on good news—from deep dives into team history to highlights of overlooked legends. Click here to learn more.

(Border ‘Czar’ Tom Homan/Video source: C-SPAN)

The politically-motivated arrest of a Milwaukee County judge may not be enough for the Trump administration, eager to intimidate any officials in a position to slow their police state stance on mass deportations of anyone, anytime. Now a top federal official is hinting at arresting or charging Gov. Tony Evers with a felony for offering legal guidance to state workers in case of immigration raids.

Tom Homan is the White House Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, but everyone uses the term “border czar,” though czar is a title that no longer sounds as tongue-in-cheek as it used to. Even before Trump took office, Homan said he would be happy to arrest and jail mayors who disagreed with his policies. 

Homan was asked outside the White House on Thursday about Evers’ memo, which spells out proper legal guidance if immigration officers show up at a state office.

“Wait and see what’s coming,” Homan told a reporter for a right-wing outlet who brought up Evers. (We’re not linking to Gateway Pundit here. They don’t need anyone’s extra clicks.)

“I meant what I said. You can not support what we’re doing, and you can support sanctuary cities if that’s what you want to do. But if you cross that line to impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that’s a felony and we’re treating it as such.”

Evers’ memo tells state workers not to give ICE officers access to computers or papers until the agency’s legal counsel is aware of the situation, a policy meant to protect all Wisconsinites’ data privacy. The memo also tells staff to not answer questions or allow officers into non-public areas without an attorney.

📣 Watch Gov. Evers’ response to Homan.

Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann has filed paperwork to launch a campaign for Wisconsin governor next year, although nobody knows yet if Gov. Tony Evers will seek a third term in 2026. 

Schoemann’s ambition is hardly a surprise. During the pandemic, he was especially vocal about opposing the safeguards designed to save lives. And he’s no stranger to the suburban GOP playbook of trashing Milwaukee—even once writing that his county was “too white” to get a state grant to replace lead water lines. 

(We suspect the real reason had something to do with Washington County having only a fraction of the number of lines in need of replacement compared to the big city of Milwaukee—the one with all the workplaces many of his constituents commute to daily for a paycheck.)

🔔 Remember 🔔

📻 Our radio show has grown — from two hours a day to three and heard on more stations across the Civic Media radio network. New name, too! “Mornings with Pat Kreitlow” can be heard from 6-9am and seen on our Facebook and YouTube pages. 

📱 And stay up to date all day with all of our team’s work through our social media feeds, including Instagram and TikTok.

1️⃣ –Forest Cuts Bring Local Pain – The only person who has ever run both the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management wants people to know how bad things would get in Wisconsin if President Trump gets his wish to fire thousands of workers in national forests and parks. Mike Dombeck of Hayward is one of a half-dozen former Forest Service heads to write an open letter about how Trump’s cuts appear to be a way to cripple crucial services and open the door to privatization for development, drilling, mining, and a massive reduction in tourism opportunities that rural communities depend on.

CLICK HERE for Mike’s appearance on our radio show last week.

2️⃣ – Penny Wise, Pound Foolish Medicaid Cuts – The state Department of Health Services has released an analysis of what significant cuts to Medicaid would mean for Wisconsin families and businesses.  Wisconsin Medicaid Director Bill Hanna said if House Republicans get their wish for $880 billion in federal Medicaid budget cuts, it would shift billions in healthcare costs onto Wisconsin taxpayers, and make it harder for working adults, kids, and seniors to access care. Nearly 1 in 5 people in Wisconsin rely on Medicaid programs like BadgerCare Plus for everything from check-ups to nursing home support.

3️⃣ – 3rd Congressional District Moved to ‘Toss-Up’ – The Cook Political Report has changed its rating on the 2026 3rd Congressional District race away from “lean Republican.” An excerpt from the article notes how incumbent US Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Prairie du Chien) won by only half the margin President Donald Trump won in the district last year. 

Also mentioned: Van Orden’s challenger last year, Rebecca Cooke, raised over $1 million not long after announcing her intention to stage a 2026 rematch. Since then, two other Democrats have joined the race: Eau Claire City Council President Emily Berge and former Eau Claire City Council member Laura Benjamin.

🕢 Laura Benjamin will be a guest at 7:30 a.m. Monday on “Mornings with Pat Kreitlow.” 

🎙️ Also coming up on the radio:

🕗 Monday 8:05 a.m. – Jadine Sonoda from the Sierra Club on an unusual, world record-breaking way of showing public opposition to the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline up north.

🕣 Monday 8:30am – Nick Ramos of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign

🕣 Tuesday 8:30 a.m. – Dan Shafer of The Recombobulation Area, Civic Media Political Editor

🏁 Thanks for reading today’s update.

Have a great week.