The following is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of: “Wrecked: The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy,” by Thomas M. Nelson and Jerald Podair. Published by Michigan State University Press.

Wisconsin will need capable, wise political leaders in 2026 to navigate these treacherous shoals.

If appellate courts overturn Dugan’s conviction, they will keep open a small, vital space where the law can still be forced, by both judges and movements, to acknowledge a humanity it did not create and has no legitimate authority to erase.

When Trump was being prosecuted on all manner of bogus charges between 2020 and 2024, lefties pompously proclaimed “nobody is above the law.” That includes Hannah Dugan.

The conviction of a sitting judge for managing her own courtroom marks a dangerous inflection point for the separation of powers and the integrity of the American immigration system.

The declining rural population, the increasing size of dairies, and the dangers of physical labor has left farm owners statewide struggling to find native-born workers. This labor gap is reinforced by outdated immigration laws.

Wisconsinites deserve an honest explanation for their rising property taxes. Instead, Wisconsin Democrats are offering them even more taxes.

Tom Tiffany and Lauren Boebert introduced a bill to delist the gray wolf from the endangered species list, and utilized a little-used power preventing judicial review of the act.

Hong shares Mamdani’s enthusiasm for renewing government as a vehicle for serving the great mass of working-class people — as opposed to the self-dealing oligarchs who for so long have the used the levers of power to plunder the commonwealth.

Under Assembly Bill 255/Senate Bill 262, referral agencies would be required to disclose their relationships with assisted living providers — so families know whether a recommendation comes with a financial tie.

My suggestion is for decision-makers to find more balance between staggering tax increases and spending restraint — maybe even by deigning to listen to people outside the uniparty bubble.

For 65 years, the UWM Institute of World Affairs provided students, teachers and members of the public with opportunities to interact with visitors from around the world. That came to an end in 2025.

Wisconsin families have linked up over 143 years to preserve the rich history of Timmer’s Resort on Big Cedar Lake.

Whose image will America celebrate at 250?

Sore losers do not want to believe feeble old Joe got 81 million votes. Let’s face it, Democrats used the Covid pandemic to make voting historically easier and then out-hustled Republicans to make them vote.

COP31 is positioned as a test of credibility: moving from financial help for poor countries adjusting to climate change to concrete climate action to mitigate climate change.

Gov. Tony Evers’ retirement leads the list.

For sure some good things happened in 2025, we’ll just have to look a little harder to find them.

From the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, to the Department of Corrections and from the Wisconsin Elections Commission to the Department of Natural Resources, state officials kept missing the basics of good governance.