“Bridge of Spies” showed a nation ruled by law while Abrego Garcia’s case reveals a nation ruled by Trump
“You’re Agent Hoffman, of German extraction? My name is Donovan, Irish, both sides, mother and father. I’m Irish. You’re German. But what makes us both Americans? Just one thing. One. One. One. The rulebook. We call it the Constitution, and we...
Weaponizing identity: Trump’s undocumented registry requirement parallels Nazi-era laws against Jews
A new federal requirement, implemented on April 11 under Donald Trump’s second term, mandates that all undocumented immigrants living in the United States must register with the federal government or face penalties including fines, detention, and deportation. While...
Lego model of Milwaukee’s Pabst Mansion unveiled to connect younger audiences with historic landmark
A white-brick Lego replica of Milwaukee’s historic Pabst Mansion was unveiled on April 10 as part of a new initiative to draw younger audiences to the 19th-century landmark and celebrate contemporary creativity alongside the mansion’s Gilded Age legacy. The...
Lost Cause myth: How modern whitewashing of Robert E. Lee influences racial politics in Milwaukee
Symbols of the mythic reverence for Robert E. Lee could easily be found in public spaces across the country until 2020, when the Black Lives Movement gained nationwide attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with statues of marble and bronze, plaques provided a...
Tariffs made the Republican’s Great Depression worse while Trump’s high tariffs could trigger the next one
In the early days of the Great Depression, U.S. Representative Willis Hawley, a Republican from Oregon, and Utah Republican Senator Reed Smoot thought they had landed on a way to protect American farmers and manufacturers from foreign competition: tariffs. President...
Trump’s attack on the National Archives is designed to conceal his crimes from historical records
As Trump moves to eviscerate the federal government with astonishing speed, he has wreaked havoc on one agency long known for its nonpartisanship and revered for its mission: the National Archives and Records Administration. The independent agency and its trove of...
Attacks on the “Black Smithsonian” by Trump are seen as an effort to whitewash racism in U.S. history
President Donald Trump’s order accusing the Smithsonian Institution of not reflecting American history notes correctly that the country’s Founding Fathers declared that “all men are created equal.” But it does not mention that the founders...
Milwaukee gamers react to $20M FTC settlement against Genshin Impact for predatory behavior
A settlement announced by federal regulators in January called for the maker of a popular mobile game, Genshin Impact, to pay $20 million and implement new safeguards around in-game purchases. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleged that Cognosphere, known as...
Thousands rally in Milwaukee as part of nationwide “Hands Off!” demonstrations against Trump and Musk
Crowds of people angry about the way Donald Trump and South African oligarch Elon Musk are running the country rallied in Milwaukee and scores of American cities on April 5 in the biggest day of demonstrations yet by an opposition movement trying to regain its momentum after the shock of the Republican’s brutal first weeks in office.
America’s “Mirror, Mirror” Moment: How one classic “Star Trek” episode reflects our chosen reality
When “Star Trek: The Original Series” first aired in the late 1960s, it offered American viewers not just a glimpse of futuristic star travel but also a reflection of contemporary social tensions. Few episodes crystallized those parallels more powerfully than the...
Trump’s DEI purge reminds one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen of the struggle for recognition
With members of a trailblazing Black Air Force unit passing away at advanced ages, efforts to remain true to their memory carry on despite sometimes confusing orders from President Donald Trump as he purges federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Colonel...
How the right-wing’s political name game turned what a place is called into an ideological fight
By Seth T. Kannarr, PhD Candidate in Geography, University of Tennessee; Derek H. Alderman, Chancellor’s Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee; Jordan Brasher, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography, Macalester College Place names are more than just...
