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James E. Causey: Lee Hawkins’ family history book shows depth of harm from slavery and Jim Crow
The pressing question we must confront is whether America will seek to rectify its historical transgressions by taking tangible steps to ensure the well-being of those still living.

Judith Davidoff: Why the attacks on free speech are working
UW-Madison journalism ethics conference explores the question

David Blaska: Woke just got canceled in prime time
Heading up CBS News, Bari Weiss may make legacy media — if not Must Watch TV — at least less insufferable.

Eileen Harrington: The slash-and-burn approach to government reform
A government reform effort led by Vice President Al Gore, starting in 1993, was ambitious, focused and successful. DOGE has been the opposite.

Dave Zweifel: ICE fiasco plays out in Chicago
Individual circumstances don’t matter. There are quotas to fill, campaign promises to keep. Everyone is fair game.

David Couper: Local police must resist federal overreach on immigration
For policing to remain legitimate in a free society, it must be rooted in trust, fairness, the Rule of Law and respect for all people. It’s time for all of us to step up and resist.

Gabriel Shapiro: Data centers not worth the cost
Choosing to invest in data centers means losing progress in our transition to renewable, locally produced energy, by raising electricity prices and keeping coal and natural gas plants open.

William Osmulski: How to live like a king on welfare in Wisconsin
Keeping your income below 200% FPL is not hard to do, and it qualifies you for tens of thousands of dollars of public benefits. If done strategically, you can live at a much higher standard of living than you ever dreamed possible.

Mark Lisheron: School-bus Wi-Fi finally gets reined in while pandemic-era home internet subsidies only now dribble out
Two more ways government manages to screw up subsidies

Kristin Brey: I owe my livelihood to social media. I’m still trying to limit my screen time.
Research has repeatedly tied heavy social media use to worse mental health. And yet, millions of us stay. It’s like cigarettes in the 90s, we know it’s bad for us. Yet we keep inhaling.

Anthony Hernandez: Trump education cuts quietly declare that opportunity should be rationed on race
What’s under attack isn’t just a set of programs. It is a vision of America itself — one where diversity is an asset, education opens doors, and opportunity expands rather than contracts.

Gregory Humphrey: Trump needs to understand noncitizens have ‘same free speech rights as the rest of us’
We actually needed a United States district judge to write that the First Amendment belongs to everyone present in this country, citizen or not. The ruling rebuked, with pure moral force, that it is unconstitutional to weaponize immigration law against dissent about any issue in the public square.

John Nichols: Trump tries to silence critics of capitalism
Critiques of capitalism, which have always been a part of the American political discourse, are gaining traction these days.

Paul Fanlund: How Jeff Bezos keeps throwing Kamala Harris under the bus
A year ago, the Washington Post spiked its opinion staff’s editorial endorsing Kamala Harris for president. A year later, a revamped, right-wing Post opinion staff has smeared Harris over her new book about the campaign.

Michelle Bryant: An open letter to Assata Shakur: What I wish I could have said
Your death marks the end of a life that was as fiercely contested as it was deeply inspiring. You were more than a person; you were a symbol, a beacon, a challenge to a world that too often refused to see Black people as human.

Bill Berry: Jane Goodall gave us reasons to hope
Her message of hope rested in part on her faith in young people to make change, and her Jane Goodall Institute, established in 1977, shares that message.

Dan Knodl: Wisconsin families deserve protection from soaring utility bills
The PSC can and must reject the proposed increases from Alliant, Xcel, MG&E, and We Energies. It must prove to the people of Wisconsin that it is willing to stand up to powerful utility interests and fight for ratepayers who are already stretched too thin by rising costs of living.

Pat Kreitlow: GOP making big budget cuts and blaming Dems happens in Madison, not just DC
The closing of facilities to help homeless veterans happened after Republicans removed Gov. Tony Evers’ funding request.

Ruth Conniff: Escalating ICE activity makes Wisconsin less safe
The federal immigration crackdown, and the way it has seeped into local communities, does nothing to improve public safety.

Tom Tiffany and Gabriella Hoffman: Let’s focus on permitting reform, not climate change
American-made energy is clean, affordable and reliable. Domestic mining has the potential to reduce our reliance on China for critical minerals, including rare earth minerals. That’s why bringing permitting reform into the 21st century will usher in America’s golden age of energy and meet our power needs.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ debate Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions curtailing legislative oversight
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, discuss recent Supreme Court decisions that affect how the Legislature reviews rules and how the administration spends budgeted funds. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Rewind: Your Week in Review for Sept. 19
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya Van Wagtendonk discuss the growing Dem field for governor, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Rebecca Taibleson’s hearing before the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Gov. Tony Evers’ executive order on vaccine access and more.