Emergency crews search damaged neighborhoods after powerful tornado devastates parts of Wisconsin
A tornado struck northeastern Wisconsin on July 27, blackening the midday sky and sending workers sheltering in office basements as fierce winds splintered homes, scattered twisted metal across a highway and knocked out power to more than 30,000 people. There were no...
Democrats push back with patriotism against Republican attacks and Trump’s embrace of fascism
“The Republican Party’s new favorite talking point is calling Democrats communists,” Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) said on July 21 on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. “Really? Communists? Did we accidentally step into a time machine?” “I get it,”...
Madison cancels signature events after fatal police shooting sparks sustained protests
A police shooting in Wisconsin’s progressive capital city put the spotlight on persistent and deep racial divisions, prompting cancellations and other changes to popular summertime events as protesters said they were determined to continue public pressure for...
Fatal Madison police shooting of armed man fuels protests and demands for accountability
The police shooting death of a homeless man who wounded an officer with a knife while resisting arrest has roiled Wisconsin’s capital city, with protesters and community groups demanding accountability and an end to racial injustice. Corey Durell Ruiz, 38, was...
Ukraine races to field ground robots as drone warfare pushes soldiers farther from the front
The Ukrainian military is steadily replacing dangerous frontline tasks with ground robots. In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the military to field at least 50,000 unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in 2026, calling them “the next big step” in...
Playing the victim: How China weaponizes history to escape judgment in the present
One of China’s most durable defenses against criticism is not an explanation of its present conduct but a rewritten account of the past. When Beijing faces scrutiny over military expansion, territorial pressure or political repression, it can shift the argument from...
Why the unfinished aftermath of Reconstruction was the defining fault line of modern American life
As progressive Americans confront escalating battles over transgender rights, reproductive autonomy, classroom censorship, voting access, and a shifting landscape of civil liberties, many describe a widening gap between public support and policy outcomes. These...
Why “Jaws” remains an analogy for political denial, economic mythology, and institutional failure
Motion pictures remains one of the last widely shared cultural reference points in an increasingly fragmented media environment. This series, Cinema as allegory: Using film to understand power, inequality, and civic life in Milwaukee, uses well-known films not as...
The Glass House Defense: Rhetorical guilt and the criminal reality of Trump’s inner circle
The deployment of political smears through association has transitioned from a fringe campaign tactic to the primary defensive architecture of modern executive power. This strategy finds its roots in the legal and sociological maneuvers of the mid-20th century,...
Governor Evers endorses David Crowley for leadership of Wisconsin as Gubernatorial primary approaches
Two weeks after shuttering his bid for Wisconsin governor, David Crowley reentered the state’s Democratic primary on July 18, with the Milwaukee County Executive announcing he received last-minute backing from outgoing Governor Tony Evers. The move puts Crowley...
David Crowley restarts campaign for governor of Wisconsin after Sara Rodriguez drops out of race
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley plans to jump back into the Democratic primary for Wisconsin governor after Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez abandoned her campaign for the state’s top office on July 17 amid a campaign finance scandal. Crowley will announce...
Milwaukee air quality surges above 500 as Canadian wildfire smoke creates worst conditions on record
When wildfires burn, smoke can travel long distances and degrade air quality far away, posing risks to those breathing it. Fires burning in one state can make the air worse several states away, and wildfires in Canada can send smoke into U.S. cities. Here’s what...
