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Ruth Conniff: Marking the 4th of July in the midst of a federal crackdown
What does it mean to celebrate freedom from tyranny and the birth of a government founded on equal rights and the consent of the governed amid the current ICE surge?

Dave Zweifel: America’s sad celebration
The Americans who signed that Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, were taking the first step to rid their fledgling country of authoritarian rule. Now, 250 years later, we have to wonder how to get rid of another authoritarian regime.

Arthur Cyr: Semiquincentennial is a departure from the Bicentennial
Trump takes different approach than Ford.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ analyze top Wisconsin primaries
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, consider the chances for candidates vying to win top Wisconsin primary elections in August. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

James Wigderson: Victory breakfast at Tiffany’s
For all the buzz her campaign has attracted, Hong looks like a candidate determined to be a loser.

John Nichols: Can a democratic socialist win Wisconsin? Fran Hong says ‘yes!’
Amid all the talk of “electability,” a Midwestern state’s radical history points to what’s possible.

Bruce Thompson: Will Wisconsin’s gerrymandered congressional map be overturned?
Wisconsin Supreme Court moving slowly toward a decision.

Glenn Grothman: Trump, GOP tax cut helping Wisconsin families, manufacturers
Wisconsin families go to work every day and ask for one thing from their government: Don’t make it harder. The Working Families Tax Cut is delivering, and for Wisconsin’s workers, manufacturers and seniors, this is just the beginning.

J. Michael Collins and Tyler Q. Welch: Storm clouds over Social Security solvency hovering closer
Solvency can be achieved through a balanced combination of revenue increases and structural adjustments, such as delays in eligibility to older ages and lower rates of annual cost of living increases.

Alex Saloutos: Anyone can lay down the law on open records
When a government tells you a record is being withheld, that is not the last word. It is one person’s reading, and sometimes it is wrong. You can read the statute yourself, point to the language, and ask someone with authority to take another look. Often, that is enough.

James Santelle and Nick Matuszewski: Life, liberty and freedom from gun violence
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness cannot exist when people face gun violence in their homes, schools, workplaces and neighborhoods.

Gregory Humphrey: ‘Happiness’ and the Declaration of Independence
As July 4th approaches, I find myself trying to better understand the link between virtue and happiness as political language. The Founders believed that a free people could be virtuous and that a virtuous people could be happy. I do not think a majority of the nation in 2026 believes we are experiencing that now.

Steve Ligler: The flag is not a prop
A flag is not a fashion statement, a team jersey or a campaign logo, and it never was. You don’t show your love for something by turning it into a costume. You show it by living up to what it means.

Mike McCabe: Redeclaring independence
Looking around, the mood is hardly celebratory, yet celebrate we should. Another July 4th fast approaches, another Independence Day, but this one marks an especially notable milestone, 250 years since the great experiment began.

Ruben Anthony: America gave me room to grow, serve, lead, despite setbacks
I believe deeply in America’s greatness, but not as a slogan that looks backward. I believe in the greatness that moves us forward toward a more inclusive, just and faithful expression of our democratic ideals

Louis Fortis: Is America losing its soul?
As we celebrate 250 years of our democracy, we need to step back and appreciate how fortunate we are to live in such an amazing country.

Don Millis: Don’t forget Republicans also vote with absentee ballots
While the Trump administration hopes their war on mail-in ballots will combat election fraud, in Wisconsin, this war will help Democratic candidates at the expense of Republican candidates.

Paul Ryan: A simple yet profound idea propels America
We mark a milestone this week that once seemed impossible: the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

Bill Barth: Enduring lesson at nation’s 250th
The capacity to work together to solve problems — not reveling in some fleeting thrill of attacking others — will make or break the country’s future.

Mark Belling: Is America’s 250th birthday its last big one?
For the first time in the history of this greatest nation in the history of the world, there are massive numbers of Americans who no longer believe in the principles of the Founders.

WisOpinion: ‘The Insiders’ analyze the blue wave that flipped Wisconsin’s Legislature
The WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, discuss the political blue wave that swept Wisconsin Democrats into control of the state Legislature. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership.

Rewind: Your Week in Review for Nov. 6
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya van Wagtendonk discuss the factors behind the blue wave in Wisconsin as Democrats win a trifecta and flip the 1st and 3rd CDs, the priorities of Gov.-elect David Crowley and the incoming Dem legislative majority, the wrangling for legislative leadership posts and more.