Wisconsin Congressional leaders on Israel and Gaza, National spelling bee champion

Air Date:
Heard On Central Time
Palestinians look for survivors after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City.
Palestinians look for survivors after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Abed Khaled/AP Photo

U.S Representative Mark Pocan and Senator Ron Johnson join us to share their thoughts on the conflict in Gaza and the U.S. involvement with Israel. Then, we talk to this year’s national spelling bee champion and a linguist about the complexities of English spelling.

Featured in this Show

  • Wisconsin Sen. Johnson and Rep. Pocan on failed bill for Israel and Ukraine aid

    Republican senators stopped a Democratic bill from moving forward that would have provided billions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine and Israel, as well as measures to help address issues at the U.S. border with Mexico. We talk with Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson and Democratic Representative Mark Pocan about the ongoing war in Gaza, how the American government should be responding to the humanitarian crisis there, and what a resolution to the conflict could look like.

  • English spelling is weird. A national champ gives us tips on how to master it.

    This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee champion explains his approach to spelling. Then, a linguist explains why English is rife with weird spellings, like “through,” “dough,” and “tough.”

Episode Credits

  • Dean Knetter Host
  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Tyler Ditter Technical Director
  • Sarah Hopefl Technical Director
  • Tim Peterson Producer
  • Colleen Leahy Producer
  • Rob Ferrett Interviewer
  • Ron Johnson Guest
  • Mark Pocan Guest
  • Dev Shah Guest
  • Arika Okrent Guest

Related Stories