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Bill Kaplan: Stage-managing the Iran War
Trump and administration officials are stage-managing the Iran War. Whenever the news is bad, Trump distorts and downplays.

John Nichols: The Boss is bringing the cavalry
Bruce Springsteen had never relegated himself to the political sidelines.

Ruth Conniff: Helping refugees in Wisconsin navigate upheaval, uncertainty and fear
An Afghan refugee service provider’s work and life are shaped by shifting U.S. policies

LaKeshia Myers, Milwaukee Courier: Milwaukee Public Schools cuts 260 positions
A $46 million crisis with no clear answers

Janet Bewley and Luther Olson: Wisconsin should require a stand-alone high school course in civics
Wisconsin Civic Learning Coalition is ready to organize and provide teacher training, connection to high-quality resources and support for strategies to enhance civic learning for all students.

Patrick McIlheran: In talent squeeze, independent schools respond — and seek relief
Drawn by mission, kept by coaching

Gregory Humphrey: Wisconsin vaccination rates drop, progressive despotism needed to buttress science and reasoning
It is becoming apparent that tougher measures, a progressive despotism, if you will, and far less leniency from the government will be required to change behavior so vaccination rates increase. The vast majority of our society opts for science and logic.

Angela Harris: Here’s why every MPS family should be concerned
The Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Directors is currently discussing restructuring its committee system. This conversation deserves public attention.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ analyze the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, look at the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April and how that race has changed in recent years. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Mark Lisheron: Data center reassurances don’t stand a chance against ‘Terminator’
Plethora of polls show ‘emotional response to arguments,’ says Port mayor

Dan Shafer: A certain shade of purple
Can these Democrats win local races in Waukesha County?

Jamie Stiehm: Six Senate Dems hope to force war hearings
Six Democratic senators told a scrum of journalists that President Donald Trump’s newly launched war on Iran, with Israel, pushed them past a breaking point. They vowed to force public hearings and debate on the war, which is costing about $1 billion a day without a clear endpoint.

Scott Walker: Why schools still desperately need conservative student groups
It’s critical that young people get more than the leftist viewpoint

Dave Zweifel: Lose our commitment to the environment and we lose our soul
Ironically, no one is more disturbed by this attack on wilderness areas than the family of the president who is the country’s most celebrated creator and protector of public land: Republican Theodore Roosevelt.

John Nichols: Natural man
Russ Feingold is on a new mission: preserving nature to save the planet.

Bruce Murphy: Trump obsessed with Milwaukee shoes
President loves Florsheim shoes. But company certainly doesn’t love him.

Gregory Humphrey: Alexander Butterfield: The quiet man who changed the course of American history
There was no flourish, no attempt to cast himself as hero or whistleblower. Alexander Butterfield simply answered the question he was asked, fully and honestly. In doing so, he demonstrated a kind of integrity that feels increasingly rare in today’s Washington.

Michael Lucas: AB 962: App store accountability bill is riddled with problems
Individuals’ personal data is already highly compromised. And despite what AB 962 requires, further privacy and data breaches will not be curtailed by any kind of encryption. It simply creates more avenues for attack.

Judith Utevsky et al.: Proposed antisemitism legislation is free speech threat
Jewish tradition has not just survived, but thrived due to our capacity to debate, dissent and diverge from one another. Antisemitism bills that aim to silence criticism and open debate are antithetical to our Jewish tradition.

Gregory Humphrey: Wisconsin anti-transgender bills: A cruel and unconscionable onslaught
The GOP has once again identified a minority group to vilify, and the pattern is unmistakable.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ consider top issues before the Wisconsin Supreme Court
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, consider cases on the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s docket and other issues it may take up. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public leadership.

Rewind: Your Week in Review for Oct. 3
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya Van Wagtendonk and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel State Government and Politics Reporter Jessie Opoien discuss the federal government shutdown, the races for governor and Supreme Court, a bill from GOP senators to legalize medical marijuana and more.