Democrats’ left wing was on a roll. Then came Wisconsin. Let’s go Off Script

The headlines tell you what happened.

Off Script is where we go further… and talk about what’s behind them.

— The Unbiased Updates Team

In This Episode

• Progressives have been racking up wins. Then came Wisconsin. A democratic socialist loses a race she was expected to win — so what happened?
• Plus, how much does the internet actually know about you? We decided to find out and bought the personal information of 60 strangers. What we got back was pretty remarkable.
• And a mother admits she killed her three young children. But that’s not really what this trial is about. The question for jurors: Was Lindsay Clancy criminally responsible for what she did?

What Matters

First, What Matters: a story that caught our attention this week — and why we think it deserves yours.

Crowley edges Hong in Wisconsin, halting progressives’ recent winning streak

The Democratic establishment achieved a crucial victory Tuesday night in an area where progressives believed they held an edge.

Democratic socialist Francesca Hong led in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary, with one poll showing her ahead by 22 points. Instead, moderate candidate David Crowley won after dropping out last month and then re-entering the race.

Wisconsin was not the only place where voters defied expectations.

Our senior politics reporter Azi Paybarah has been looking at what happened — and what these results actually tell us about where both parties are right now.

Conversation highlights:

CRAIG NIGRELLI: Let’s get right to the Upper Midwest. Big news from Wisconsin: Francesca Hong, who headed into the election ahead in the polls, lost. What does this tell us?

AZI PAYBARAH: This tells us two things. Number one, that moderates are serious about consolidating around candidates who do not carry what Republicans say is the baggage of extreme economic and social policies.

Hong had made comments about wanting to cancel Thanksgiving, and she had walked away from earlier comments about defunding the police, which Republicans and moderate Democrats say could alienate voters in a general election.

It also says something about polling so far this year, which has overestimated the strength of some progressives and, by the end of election night, has shown that moderates are actually stronger than polling indicated.

NIGRELLI: Having said that, with Hong being defeated and David Crowley advancing to the general election against Congressman Tiffany, does this give Democrats a better chance in November? Because it seemed that Republicans actually wanted Hong to win.

PAYBARAH: Republicans spent money, quote-unquote, attacking Hong, but what they really did was spend money during the Democratic primary, and those attacks, which called her too liberal, did little more than elevate her stature among Democratic primary voters.

Hong was endorsed by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, but not the national organization. And key figures associated with that movement, like Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, did not endorse Hong. They made it pretty clear they were keeping their distance.

They didn’t attack her or criticize her, but they were focused elsewhere.

NIGRELLI: Does Hong’s defeat stop the momentum of the left flank of the party?

PAYBARAH: It definitely adds more ammunition to moderates who say progressives are getting too far ahead of themselves and may be overestimating their strength, possibly relying on the feedback they receive online, where highly engaged supporters tend to be most active.

Moderates can point to these results and say that when actual voters show up and cast ballots, it’s often moderates who carry more weight than online conversations might suggest.

Now to You

There’s no shortage of opinions online, but what’s hard to find is answers.

This is Now To You, where we take your questions, comments and hot takes — and dig for the facts.

STRAIGHT ARROW: Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt certainly changed the role of government in American life.

The New Deal gave us Social Security, major public works programs and new protections for workers and labor unions.

And yes, his critics called many of those policies socialist.

But Roosevelt himself was not a democratic socialist. He was a Democrat who believed the government needed to play a much larger role in protecting workers and providing economic security, while keeping America’s private, capitalist economy intact.

So there is a connection between FDR and today’s democratic socialists. Politicians like Bernie Sanders have explicitly claimed the New Deal as part of their political heritage.

But calling Roosevelt himself a democratic socialist? That’s a harder case to make.

STRAIGHT ARROW: This raises a good question: How does Iran actually close one of the world’s most important shipping routes?

First, geography does much of the work. At its narrowest, the strait is only about 21 miles wide, and commercial ships travel through designated lanes just two miles wide in each direction, separated by a two-mile buffer.

Mines, missiles, drones and fast-attack boats can all threaten shipping.

But Iran doesn’t have to completely seal the strait. It only needs to make it dangerous enough that commercial ships and the companies that insure them think twice about going through.

That’s a much lower bar… and it’s why this relatively small stretch of water has so much leverage.

Roughly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum liquids consumption passed through Hormuz in 2024.

So the viewer is right about the basic military problem: Hormuz has been a known chokepoint for decades. The difficult part is keeping commercial traffic moving when someone decides to exploit it.

Inside the Story

Ok, let’s go Inside the Story.

You can read the stories on Straight Arrow, but this is where we go a step further, getting at the details that didn’t fit, the questions that came up and the reporting that shaped the story.

Our personal information is for sale on the internet. We know — we bought it

Every time you make a purchase online, download an app or play a game on your phone, you’re leaving traces of personal data.

Data brokers collect that information.

But how extensive is their knowledge about you, and how easily can others access this data?

Straight Arrow’s Media, Bias and Algorithms reporter Mark Keierleber set out to find the answer. He searched for a specific group: wealthy cigarette smokers in suburban New York. For $161, he obtained a list of 60 individuals, which included their names, contact details, income levels, political views, marital status and buying behaviors.

Conversation highlights:

CRAIG NIGRELLI: I found this fascinating because the average person does things like this every day. Your article says every time you visit a website, tap a like button on social media, download a free game from the App Store, or place an online order, it’s all being tracked. Can you walk us through the process? It sounds like we’re opening a Pandora’s box.

MARK KEIERLEBER: Yeah, that’s exactly right.

Every time you visit a website, download an app, or even get a cheeseburger delivered to your door, your information is being tracked.

If you download a solitaire game on your phone, it might be free. But you’re not really the customer of that app. You’re the product. Those apps are constantly collecting little packets of information about you. That could be your name, your address, your location data, your web browsing history, and more.

Ultimately, the goal is to identify who you are and create targeted advertising that might entice you to spend money.

What’s happening is that companies have amassed so much information about us that they know us almost as well as we know ourselves.

NIGRELLI: What about regulations? You get into both federal and state laws. If I’m watching this at home, I’m wondering: where are the regulators? How is this legal?

KEIERLEBER: Under federal law, it’s largely legal.

Despite efforts over many years, there is no comprehensive federal data privacy law. To some degree, data brokers operate a little like the Wild West.

There are state laws that are increasingly being passed, and many allow consumers to demand that data brokers delete their personal information. The challenge is that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of individual data brokers, and many people don’t even know which companies have their information.

California has been one of the leading states in regulating data brokers. The state has a data broker transparency law that allows residents to request the deletion of personal information.

In addition, California residents now have access to what’s called the DROP Tool. Through that system, the state can require registered data brokers to delete personal information or face penalties for failing to comply.

NIGRELLI: Which leads to my next question. What happens if there’s a breach? What if my information gets out there and somebody hacks into one of these companies?

KEIERLEBER: That’s one of the biggest concerns surrounding data brokers.

These databases aren’t used only for marketing purposes. In some cases, they’ve been targeted by hackers who have downloaded and exploited large quantities of personal information.

It’s a significant vulnerability, and it’s something that has happened before.

Read Mark’s full story here >

Also Worth Your Time

Want more to read?

Here’s what didn’t make the cut on Unbiased Updates this week —  but we think it’s Also Worth Your Time.

Vibrio kills five in Louisiana; bacteria can enter through cuts and open wounds

We’ve heard a lot lately about foodborne illnesses, but here’s one that can come from simply getting in the water. A potentially deadly bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus is appearing along the Gulf Coast.

CNN reported that Louisiana has confirmed nine cases this year. All nine people were hospitalized, and five have died.

Vibrio naturally lives in warm coastal waters, especially saltwater and brackish water, where fresh and salt water mix. It can enter your body through an open wound, which can be as small as a cut or scrape, or even a recent piercing or tattoo. You can also get it from eating raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters.

The CDC says about one in five people who get a Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming sick.

So if you have an open wound, the advice is simple: stay out of salt or brackish water, or keep that wound completely covered.

Clancy trial enters third week as jury weighs criminal responsibility

A compelling and complex case is unfolding in Massachusetts, centered around questions of mental health and criminal responsibility.

Lindsay Clancy faces trial for the 2023 deaths of her three children, aged five, three and eight months. Prosecutors allege she strangled her children in their Duxbury home before jumping from a second-story window, surviving with spinal injuries that left her paralyzed.

The jury’s task is not to determine if Clancy killed her children — that is undisputed — but whether she was mentally responsible at the time. Her defense claims she was suffering from severe postpartum mental illness and was overmedicated, citing prescriptions, her medical history and journal entries with suicidal thoughts. Prosecutors contend she planned the killings, fully aware of her actions.

Now in its third week, the trial will conclude with the jury deciding whether Clancy is legally responsible for her children’s deaths.

Here’s the Kicker

Feeling overwhelmed by this week’s headlines? We’ve got a good way for you to head into the end of the week.

If you’re doing yardwork this weekend, maybe take a quick look around before you start moving things.

A woman in Freehold, New Jersey, discovered an eight-foot Burmese Python in her shed while watering her flowers.

Removing it wasn’t exactly easy. The Monmouth County SPCA reported that her neighbor, who happens to be a contractor, had to dismantle part of the shed floor to reach the snake.

That’s when they found another surprise.

The snake had a very full belly.

A vet later confirmed it had recently eaten an opossum.

Fortunately, the snake is now with a skilled reptile handler who can care for it properly. Such a large Burmese Python, native to Southeast Asia, is rare in New Jersey sheds.

So maybe give your shed a knock before you walk in this weekend?