As you probably know by now, Judge Hannah Dugan has been found guilty of a felony obstruction but not guilty of concealing an immigrant from federal agents.

Grassroots North Shore as well as a group of local and statewide nonprofits and progressive organizations have signed a statement put out by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign a press release and posted on its website. It says in part:

To understand more about the case, Ruth Conniff's commentary —   Making sense of the trial and felony conviction of a Milwaukee judge who stood up to ICE — in today's Wisconsin Examiner focuses on the prosecution's argument that Dugan interfered by letting Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, the defendant, leave the courthouse. So the agents ultimately had to arrest Flores-Ruiz on the street outside making the agents less "safe." "The federal agents called to the stand, the prosecutors in the courtroom, and Schimel [the Acting US Attorney], in his summary of the case, made a big point about the 'safety' of law enforcement officers. Repeatedly, we heard that immigration agents prefer to make arrests inside courthouses because they provide a 'safe' environment in which to operate."

Conniff concludes: "The real questions raised by Dugan’s case are whether we believe the 'safety' of the agents making those dubious arrests matters more than the safety of our communities, and whether we want the courts to be able to regulate the conduct in their own courthouses as a check on the government’s exercise of raw power."

For an explanation of the legal issues, Adam Klasfeld and Harry Litman, both legal scholars, discuss what happened and what comes next. One issue that might emerge from an appeal is "materiality," meaning that nothing Judge Dugan did materially affected the outcome: Flores-Ruiz exited Judge Dugan's courtroom through a door primarily used by juries but it led to the public hallway where the federal agents were waiting. Presumably they could have arrested him in the public hallway. One of them even accompanied the immigrant to the ground floor and presumably could have detained him before he left the courthouse! Subsequently Flores-Ruiz was arrested on the street outside the courthouse. So no harm, no foul? The discussion between Klasfeld and Litman is about 22 minutes long.

There is a legal defense fund for her. Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine P. Geske oversees and serves as trustee of the fund. Because the case involves a sitting judge, there are strict rules on who can contribute. The gist of the rules are as follows:

• if you are not a registered lobbyist,
• you are not a Milwaukee County resident,
• or you do not have any business before the Milwaukee County Circuit Court system,

you are probably eligible to contribute as are your friends, family, and like-minded co-workers. Any amount you can give or can solicit from others will be appreciated. Contribute online through Stripe (rather than ActBlue) or write a check payable to “Hannah Dugan Legal Defense Fund” and send to:

          Hannah Dugan Legal Defense Fund
          1345 N Jefferson St., #172
          Milwaukee, WI 53202

In solidarity,
{{broadcaster.name}}
www.grassrootsnorthshore.com

Before we get to the newsy bits, there's something I need EVERYONE to do: read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article Protests over Port Washington data center signal new fears and fill out the survey at the end of the piece. Data Centers are popping up everywhere with little to no regulation. And with promises of riches for the communities where they are to be located. But the downsides of these projects don't get enough coverage. They have HUGE IMPLICATIONS for the amount of water and electricity they require. So pollution and the spiking price of utilities for everyone are real concerns. Senator Jodi Habush Sinykin has introduced a bill as a first step toward raising awareness and curbing some otherwise deleterious outcomes, but the current proposal does not regulate giving the companies who own and operate these centers discounts on taxes and electric rates. Have a look at the article, which tries to be even-handed, and then fill out the survey. You have my thanks in advance.

Now for the gobsmacking news! Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff at least for now, is everywhere! Her Vanity Fair interviews captured a lot of print pages and air time. But it's all a big distraction, right? Of course, it's appalling that she feels free to say in essence that the country is being governed by a roomful of broken clowns and headed up by a man who famously doesn't drink but who she describes as having "an alcoholic's personality." As Adam Gabbatt, from The Guardian put it, "So it appears Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, agrees with many of us: she thinks Donald Trump’s cabinet is bonkers."

However, Gabbatt's article — Susie Wiles interview might be a useful distraction from how poorly things are going for Americans — enumerates some of the key problems the Trump regime would rather not deal with.

And as I type this up, a NEW discharge petition has just been signed by four (vulnerable) Republicans to force a vote in the House of Representatives to extend the Affordable Care Act premium support subsidies for three years. The full article linked from the brief summary explains that the legislation "would not see action until January, after the subsidies have expired. And even if it were to succeed in the House, it would be all but certain to die in the Senate, where Republicans blocked a three-year extension last week." Here's the link to the full article — Republicans push Democrats’ bid to force a vote on health care subsides over the finish line. Of course these same Republicans could have signed the discharge petition weeks ago so that the vote could take place BEFORE the subsidies expire. The whole thing is yet another "performance" intended to appear virtuous. It's not.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Elections commission denies U.S. DOJ demand for voter personal information. "At a special meeting Thursday afternoon [December 11, 2025] and in a letter sent in response to the DOJ demand, WEC stated that Wisconsin law explicitly prevents the commission from sharing the personal information of voters." Boston Public Radio's report notes, "The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 on Thursday against turning over unredacted voter information to the Trump administration. The lone dissenter was Republican commissioner Robert Spindell." Note that Spindell was one of the fraudulent electors in the 2020 election cycle!

Other news that caught my eye recently includes this bittersweet notice: As hunger concerns linger, Wisconsin after-school programs host food pantry sites. The story focuses on an after school program in Madison but mentions that "other after-school programs have added food pantry services to their offerings for families who may not be able to afford to keep their cupboards full." It's a feel-good story of sorts but keeping children and families fed should not have to be the responsibility of after school programs!

And in other sad news, the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant program is in all likelihood shutting down: "Without the stewardship fund, projects to conserve 1,300 acres of Northwoods forest near the headwaters of the Wisconsin River in Vilas County, hundreds of acres of 'ecologically significant' wetlands in Door County and dozens of acres of prairie and grassland in Dane County could go unfinished" (Wisconsin Examiner, December 9, 2025). Founded in 1989, the program had usually found large bipartisan support, but recently "some Republicans in the state Legislature — largely from communities in the northern part of the state — have grown hostile to it." What's more conservative than conservation of the natural environment, I want to know.

The trial for Judge Hannah Dugan is underway. WPR covers both the gathering of supporters ahead of the first day of the trial and some discussion of the early testimony as the trial begins. It's unclear to me when the defense will present its case or when the jury will retire to deliberate.

We're heading into two weeks of holiday cheer. So I am planning to take a brief vacation from producing this newsletter, which would otherwise be scheduled to come out on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Whether you are traveling or staying at home, entertaining or just chilling (while keeping warm of course) I wish you all a lovely and joyous holiday season. Next year will be chock-a-block with election activities. Rest up now and then get involved in as many of our efforts to win the elections as you can. We're counting on you. Don't disappoint!

TAKE ACTION

From the Women's March: Free America Walkout Pledge. On January 20 at 2 pm local time, we’re walking out of work, school, everywhere — because a Free America begins the second we refuse to fuel fascism with our labor, our time, or our dollars. When women and feminists pull our labor, our money, and our consent, the country doesn’t just wobble. It stops. We expose the truth: nothing in America moves without us. That’s our leverage. That’s our fire.

On January 20, we’re turning that power all the way on — together. Sign the pledge!

If you’ve felt frustrated hearing politicians celebrate falling inflation while your grocery bill still feels sky‑high, you’re not alone. The confusion comes from mixing up two related but different ideas: inflation and price levels.

Inflation measures how fast prices are rising. Price levels are the actual dollar amounts you pay at the store. When inflation slows, it means prices are rising more slowly than before. It does not mean they’re going back down. Once prices climb, they usually stay there.

Think of it like driving a car. Inflation is the speedometer — how fast you’re moving forward. Price levels are the odometer — how far you’ve already traveled. Slowing inflation is like easing off the gas pedal. You’re still moving forward, just not as fast. But the odometer doesn’t roll backward. Prices don’t magically return to 2019.

Could we force prices down? Technically yes, but only by throwing the economy into reverse — a deep recession. That would mean high unemployment, collapsing home values, and families postponing milestones like marriage, children, education, or medical care. Economists agree that’s not a road we want to take.

Instead, the smarter path is to raise wages and compensation so that purchasing power catches up. If paychecks grow steadily, families can afford today’s prices with the same ease they had before the pandemic. That’s why the Federal Reserve aims for about 2% inflation: a pace that reflects ongoing improvements in product quality and keeps the economy moving forward without overheating.

So when you hear “inflation is down,” remember: prices aren’t falling, they’re just climbing more slowly. The real solution is making sure incomes rise to meet them.

Winning is everything, even when we lose! A special election took place a week ago for a congressional representative from Tennessee's 7th district. It's a deeply Republican place where DJT won by 22 points in 2024. This year, the Democratic candidate lost, but by just under nine points. So it's a WIN! Why? Because it is in line with the markedly blue shift taking place in all the special elections this past year. And just yesterday, Eileen Higgins, a Democrat and (heavens!) a WOMAN was elected mayor of Miami, the first Democrat to win that office in almost 30 years and the first woman EVER. Also, not Hispanic in a city that's majority Hispanic! She got 60% of the vote! (See Miami’s new Democratic mayor signals not just a backlash to Trump, but a seismic shift in The Guardian.) There were several other Democratic upsets too. G. Elliot Morris (Strength in Numbers Substack, Nov. 7, 2025) does the numbers for us:

Morris uses the Virginia exit poll numbers but the story is the same all across the elections held this year. Markos Moulitsas sums it up: "A swing of that magnitude [referring to the blue shift in the Tennessee congressional race] puts a bullseye on dozens of Republican seats long considered safe in any normal political climate. A shift this large doesn’t just jeopardize the Republican House majority. It puts the U.S. Senate back in play and casts serious doubt on any remaining GOP redistricting ambitions in states like Indiana and Florida. No Republican incumbent—no matter how safe—will want to dilute their partisan advantage with numbers like these hanging overhead. (Emphasis added.)

We'll know soon what the Republican state senators in Indiana decide to do about gerrymandering there. The Indiana Capital Chronicle notes that "16 Senate Republicans have publicly come out in favor of a redraw — some more enthusiastically than others. Another 14 are against." To pass, the bill requires 26 votes. Meanwhile, Missouri citizens are mighty unhappy with their legislature's effort to redistrict — so much so that they have gathered more than 300,000 signatures, enough to force a referendum on the partisan map. "A provision of the Missouri constitution gives voters a chance to repeal acts of the legislature if organizers can collect enough signatures in a tight timeframe. The vast majority of the measures that have been put up for a referendum have been repealed" according to The Guardian.

And in Florida, the redistricting effort must overcome the Florida constitution, which was amended in 2010 to require that electoral districts must be drawn by a nonpartisan redistricting commission. The problems there are both legal and political. "From a legal standpoint, voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2010 that’s meant to block partisan gerrymandering. The state Supreme Court weakened the amendment’s ban on racial gerrymandering, but the prohibition of partisan gerrymandering remains intact" (NBC News, December 4, 2025). Apparently the politics of it are a bit sticky as well. "While the state has a Republican governor and Legislature, party leaders are divided on how to proceed."

In Wisconsin, two different court cases are challenging our current congressional maps. The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently ruled that the cases will go forward in front of two different panels of three district court judges each and both will be heard in Dane County. It's not clear when the cases will be heard. So in the meantime, We the People have to act to turf out some Republicans, both from Congress and from the state legislature.

Grassroots North Shore has its eyes on two congressional districts that may well be vulnerable, especially given the blue shifts we've seen in the elections held in 2025: CD1 currently occupied by Brian Steil and CD3 currently represented by the reprehensible Derrick Van Orden. CD1 has a slight rightward lean and CD3 leans ever so slightly left, according to Dave's Redistricting estimates of the current districts. Any blue shift in those districts, even one smaller than 13 points, will see a Democrat take office in 2027 and all by themselves will rebalance the Wisconsin delegation! There are already at least two Democratic contenders in these districts so there will undoubtedly be a primary for those nominations.

We're also working on plans to target two state senators — Rob Hutton in Senate District 5 (on the west side of Milwaukee) and Van Wangaard in Senate District 21 (south of Milwaukee) — and two assembly representatives — Jesse Rodriguez in Assembly District 21 (south of Milwaukee) and Bob Donovan in Assembly District 61 (encompassing Greenfield, Greendale, and Hales Corners). These elections will take place in November (with a primary if needed in August), but it's not too early to begin supporting outstanding candidates: Trevor Jung is challenging Senator Wangaard and Jessica Seawright is challenging Assemblywoman Rodriguez. We don't yet know who will be running against Senator Hutton or Assemblyman Donovan. So stay tuned.

Right now, we're focused on the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court (SCOWIS) with Judge Chris Taylor running against Judge Maria Lazar. It may seem as though this race isn't quite as important as the last SCOWIS race, when we elected Susan Crawford and thereby wrested control of the court from a far right-wing majority. But that view is mistaken. To ensure that we hold the court into the next post-census redistricting — which is so important to strengthen and protect fair electoral maps at every level — we will need to defeat Judge Lazar, labeled a conservative by the Wisconsin Examiner on the day she announce her candidacy:

"While her campaign announcement sought to establish her nonpartisan bonafides, Lazar has a history of fighting for Republican causes. In her last campaign for her seat on the court of appeals, Lazar touted endorsements from prominent election deniers," including disgraced "former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who recently agreed to have his law license suspended for three years over his widely derided review of the 2020 presidential election, Jim Troupis, who is facing criminal charges for his role in the plot to cast false Electoral College votes on behalf of President Donald Trump, and Bob Spindell, a Republican member of the Wisconsin Elections Commission who cast one of those fraudulent ballots and has regularly used his position to spread conspiracy theories about election administration."

To do our best to have a victorious outcome, we will need everyone's help. Here's a list of what will ask you to do after January 1:

1. Write postcards;
2. Help us defray the cost of postage for those postcards;
3. Make phone calls and send text messages;
4. Deliver flyers in walkable neighborhoods and on college campuses;
5. Canvass with the Democratic Party's Neighborhood Teams.

Be thinking about what YOU are prepared to do. After New Years, we will begin recruiting in earnest!

After January 1, we also recommend that you visit MyVote.WI.gov to check your registration, sign up for absentee ballots for ALL FOUR elections we will have in 2026, find information about early in-person voting, learn whether drop boxes will be available in your community, and find contact information for your community's clerk.

Finally, in preparation for an ICE invasion in Milwaukee and elsewhere in Wisconsin, I want to leave you with this video from Mayor-elect Mamdani, Know Your Rights. Some of it is specific to New York City, but a key element is his display of a sample judicial warrant — required to search nonpublic areas like your home or employee-only areas of work places — and a sample administrative warrant which has no legal force in such places.

TAKE ACTION

From Indivisible: email your Members of Congress to demand investigations into Hegseth’s murderous strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific. Despite increased scrutiny, Pete Hegseth and the Trump regime continue to carry out lethal strikes on small vessels without any legal rationale. More background on these extrajudicial killings of over 80 people can be found below.

Answer Indivisible's one-question survey to help track the impact of the Cancel Spotify campaign. Indivisible and allies have been calling for a boycott of Spotify until they stop running ads recruiting for ICE. We can’t very well count on the platform to tell us how many people have canceled their accounts in protest of its participation in Trump’s brutal deportation machine, so we really need feedback from our movement. You can learn more about the campaign here and help spread the message using this Spotify Wrapped-themed toolkit.

Support Jessica Seawright, the progressive candidate for the 21st Assembly District (Oak Creek, Milwaukee Garden District) on Thursday, December 11. Her seat is a must-win if the Democrats are going to take back the assembly. The fundraiser will be on Thursday, December 11th, from 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm. Jessica is running against the notorious private school advocate, Jessie Rodriguez. A MAGA in our midst. If you sign up for the event or donate, you will receive the Bay View address of the event. If you cannot attend, you can still contribute to help win this crucial seat.

THANK YOU!

There's a lot to talk about this first week of December, but I want to begin with some ICE news in Milwaukee and then pivot to the rising health insurance premiums in Wisconsin once the subsidies that were holding costs down disappear after December 31, 2025.

ICE has been leasing space in a building currently owned by Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). On Friday, December 5, from 1:00 - 3:30 a rally and march will be held there, 310 E Knapp St: On December 5th, we need YOU in Milwaukee to STAND UP to ICE and say: ICE out of Wisconsin! Show up!

The ICE lease at MSOE will end in April 2026. According to Urban Milwaukee (December 2, 2025), ICE will be leaving the MSOE building and moving its Milwaukee processing center to the Northwest side, at 11925 W. Lake Park Dr. in the Park Place business park. According to an ICE spokesman, the Park Place "facility will have processing stations plus temporary holding rooms. This will not be a detention facility." Protests have been held at both locations and will no doubt continue at the new location for the foreseeable future. Stay tuned and plan to participate. Let's take care of each other and protect our neighbors. ICE out of MKE!

On Thanksgiving, Newsweek published an article about the rise in health insurance premiums that people purchasing their policies through the Affordable Care Act exchanges will face when the subsidies expire at the end of this year. The piece begins "millions of Americans could face dramatically higher health insurance bills next year as enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits are set to run out." It goes on to detail, state by state, how much premiums on the exchange sites will change for a 60-year-old making 401% of the federal poverty level, which is equal to $62,757.

In Wisconsin, the premium for a silver plan for that 60-year-old will increase by 192%. Without the subsidy, it will average $1298 per month, or 25% of the individual's income! For a 40-year-old making the same $62,757 per year, the premium for a silver plan will average $611 per month, a 37% rise, and will account for 12% of the person's income.

It's likely that millions of people who have been able to afford health insurance through the ACA exchanges will no longer be able to do so. "According to analysis by KFF Health, the financial shock will be sharpest for older adults at middle incomes." When health insurance premiums require 25% or more of your annual income, the cost is simply too damn high! And even a 37% rise over the previous year is a lot to cope with.

Part of the reason premiums are rising so much is that "insurers expect that when the subsidies go away and the sort of broad swath of enrollees in the market face higher costs that some of those enrollees are going to drop out of the market and that the people who are going to left behind are going to be sicker than the average today. And so part of why sticker premiums are rising is insurers are anticipating that they’ll see that sicker risk pool and setting higher premiums to compensate" (Brookings, November 12, 2025).

The Hill reports that Republicans can't seem to reach a consensus on how to deal with the issue: GOP pessimism grows over any deal to extend expiring health care subsidies. "A solid group of Republican lawmakers in both the Senate and House don’t want to see the enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expire at the end of the month. Many more, however, view ObamaCare as irretrievably broken, and an extension of beefed-up subsidies as policy heresy. That fracture within the party makes it very difficult to move legislation and is a reason for the GOP pessimism." Even the thrashing Republicans have been taking in election after election this year, where the issue of affordability (a Democratic hoax, don't you know) has been a big part of the hammering, has not persuaded those politicians to see and read the handwriting on the wall.

So as we head into the year of the midterms, it's worth taking a peek at the polling on the issue of affordability in general and health insurance specifically. Erum Salam, on MS NOW, reports that "In the first major election cycle since President Donald Trump retook office, Democratic candidates who put affordability at the heart of their campaigns won big Tuesday [November 4]." Meanwhile, NBC News reports that a record number of Americans are anxious about health care costs going into next year.

The lead Republican candidate for Wisconsin governor next year has been clear about where he stands. Currently the Representative for the 7th Congressional District in Northern Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany has admitted that Republicans don't have a plan for health care (Urban Milwaukee, November 12, 2025). And he does not seem inclined to vote to extend ACA subsidies. Instead, he "helped write a plan that would raise the age of eligibility for Medicare and Social Security, privatize Social Security, and turn Medicare into a voucher system."

Speaking of the race for governor next year, former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes declared his candidacy yesterday. As the New York Times notes, the field of hopefuls is crowded and includes "David Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive; Francesca Hong, a state representative from Madison; Missy Hughes, who served as Mr. Evers’s top economic adviser; Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez; and State Senator Kelda Roys of Madison. Joel Brennan, a Milwaukee business executive who served in Mr. Evers’s cabinet, is also likely to join the race."

But first, there's a Supreme Court race to win. Nomination papers began circulating on Monday, December 1. You can download Judge Chris Taylor's nomination form and instructions for filling it out. You can circulate the form yourself to friends, neighbors, and family and then mail the form back to the campaign before Christmas. OR you can attend one of the signing events and holiday gatherings (and winter clothing drive) in the North Shore and Ozaukee County. Just sign up for one that's convenient for you:

• December 6 at Lakefront (1915 N Water St, Apt 208, Milwaukee) from 3:30 - 5:00pm;
• December 6 at Fox Point/Bayside (9293 N Waverly Dr, Bayside) from 4:00 - 5:30pm;
• December 6 at Glendale (6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale) from 4:30 - 6:00pm;
• December 9 at Shorewood (3900 Estabrook Pkwy) from 7:00 - 8:00pm;
• December 13 at Ozaukee County Dems Office (1245 Cheyenne Ave, Suite 103) from 10:00am - 1:30pm.

After the courts have ruled that Lindsay Halligan's appointment as US Attorney was not legal, the Trump regime seems to be looking for ways to re-indict James Comey — even though the statute of limitations has run out — and Letitia James. The chairs and ranking members of the Senate and House Armed Services committees plan to open investigations of the boat-bombing practices of the regime. And the clock timing the release of the Epstein files is ticking louder than ever. Exciting times!

How about starting with something really amusing? "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed beef prices are rising because of immigrants bringing diseased cattle across the border" according to a Nov. 17 Newsweek story. How such cattle smuggling with illegal border crossings might look:

• Crossing the Rio Grande with your cow;
• Hoisting your cattle over the border wall.

Now for the serious stuff: for the busiest shopping week of the year, a range of groups are urging us to boycott big businesses. If possible, confine your shopping to local, especially minority owned, businesses. The most focused of these calls to action (or rather INACTION) is We Ain't Buying It: an economic boycott campaign to put pressure on Home Depot, Target, and Amazon. The boycott encompasses November 27 through December 2. If you must shop, use small, local companies or those who align with our values.

A more expansive boycott — Blackout the System — urges "NO SPENDING. NO WORK. NO SURRENDER." The event describes itself as a "national movement across all races, cultures & classes to strategically and peacefully withdraw our labor & spending. The 'system' will hear us - We The People." It runs from Tuesday, November 25 through Tuesday December 2 and encourages people to stop online or in-store shopping (except for small businesses), to stop work (if they can), and to pay only in cash. It may be a tall order for some of us, but I hope everyone will do what they can to support small business and especially minority community businesses.

The BIG news coming out of the courts yesterday is the dismissal of the cases against James Comey and Letitia James. It was all over the news on Monday, so of course everyone who encounters any news from any source will have known that already. But what you might not have learned is that Judge Currie's ruling cited Judge Aileen Cannon's reasoning when she dismissed the classified documents case against Trump. The AI responding to my inquiry about this — I asked the Google for help because I couldn't remember where I had seen this fascinating morsel — provided the following explanation:

Here's the state of play with mid-cycle redistricting: A 3-judge panel of the District Court ruled that the newly drawn maps in Texas were not legal. Then Texas immediately appealed to the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) and asked the justices "to issue a stay by Dec. 1, effectively ensuring the mid-decade 2025 map could be used in the midterms. The court asked for a response from the plaintiffs in the case [i.e., those who had brought the suit] by Monday at 5:00pm" (ABC News, November 21, 2025). Justice Alito immediately slapped an administrative hold on the lower court's orders pending review, by the full SCOTUS presumably.

In the SCOTUSblog account of the responses from plaintiffs, "Texas will now have an opportunity to reply to the challengers’ arguments." The timeline of the appeal to the Supreme Court, some plaintiffs argued, does really not interfere with the ordinary process for conducting the primary election because "the [general] election is a year away. The candidate filing deadline for the spring primary is open for weeks yet, and the State submitted declaration testimony—affirmed live at trial—that the filing period could be extended for at least an additional week without causing any disruption." For further developments, watch this space.

Resistance to ICE actions at a Home Depot in Monrovia in Los Angeles County has taken a creative (and a rather amusing) turn. Instead of standing outside ICE detention centers or mobilizing citizens once an ICE action is underway, "activists each purchased an ice scraper for just 17 cents at the store before getting back in line to return the item. The act clogged customer service lines, something they say is a political act urging Home Depot to keep federal agents out of their stores" (CBS News, November 24, 2025). The action effectively suspended normal operations at the store for the better part of an hour and then, with activists marching through the store's aisles, management closed the store completely. The reason I think the creativity is especially amusing: who in LA County NEEDS an ice scraper anyway? Except, as one activist put it, to "scrape ICE from our communities."

On the abortion wars, Wisconsin MAGAites opened a new front — on the last day the legislature will meet this year! — with SB 533. The bill "purportedly written to define abortion, is actually a covert attempt to exclude abortion from the broader scope of reproductive healthcare. Lawmakers are misleading people into thinking that this bill will further define the nuances of care that physicians provide and actually allow, rather than restrict, the provision of care.This could not be farther from the truth." See the full piece by Ashlyn Brown, an OB-GYN, in the Wisconsin Examiner, November 24, 2025.

Finally, let me leave you with this good news as I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Marquette Law School released a national poll last week, asking questions largely about the role of the courts, especially the Supreme Court, in our governance. There are too many interesting nuggets to cover them all, but a few stand out to me. On the question of whether it is "proper for courts to block executive orders," 71% of Independents and 89% if Democrats say yes. But so do 39% of Republicans!

In its poll released on November 18 — New Marquette Law School national survey finds more people favoring Democrats than Republicans in anticipated 2026 vote for Congress and also more Democrats saying they are certain to vote — Charles Franklin, the poll's director, summed up key points.

Some last minute reminders:

1. It's time to begin a laser-like focus on the elections in 2026, beginning with the Supreme Court Race pitting Judge Chris Taylor against Judge Maria Lazar.
   
   Nominating papers begin to circulate on December 1. I will provide an electronic copy of Judge Taylor's you can download, plus instructions, as soon as I receive it. The Milwaukee County Dems and the Ozaukee County Dems are holding several get-togethers in the North Shore to sign nomination papers and to collect winter clothing to give to those in need.
   • December 6 at Lakefront (1915 N Water St, Apt 208, Milwaukee) from 3:30 - 5:00pm;
   • December 6 at Fox Point/Bayside (9293 N Waverly Dr, Bayside) from 4:00 - 5:30pm;
   • December 6 at Glendale (6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale) from 4:30 - 6:00pm;
   • December 9 at Shorewood (3900 Estabrook Pkwy) from 3:00 - 4:30;
   • December 13at Ozaukee County Dems Office (1245 Cheyenne Ave, Suite 103) from 10:00am - 1:30pm.
2. The trial for Judge Hannah Dugan has been scheduled to begin on December 15. According to interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, plea negotiations are taking place. The last hearing before the trial begins is scheduled for November 26. So we may know more about a plea deal at that hearing. If the trial still goes forward, there will undoubtedly be a vigil at the Federal Court House in Milwaukee. Please pencil this event in your calendars and stay tuned.

TAKE ACTION

League of Women Voters: Issues Briefing 2025: This year's Issues Briefing focused on the dysfunction occurring within each branch of our government. Over 3 different sessions, participants learned the powers actually belonging to each branch and how we've arrived at our current Constitutional Crisis. Most importantly, our presenters addressed questions and concerns from attendees and left us with hope that there are actions we can take as advocates, voters, and activists to preserve our democracy and right this ship.You can find the recordings for each session below.

• RECORDING: Session 1 (Executive Branch)
• RECORDING: Session 2 (Legislative Branch + Wellness First Aid)
• RECORDING: Session 3 (Judicial Branch)

Ever since Zorhan Mamdani rode to victory as Mayor of New York City,  his theme of "Affordability" has become a political mantra. Every office seeker, pundit, and policy wonk now waves affordability as a banner headline. Yet beneath that banner lies a set of expensive necessities that define life in America—housing, healthcare, education, transportation, and childcare. Each of these items presents its own unique challenges, and each deserves to be examined individually as policy is developed. Childcare, in particular, stands out as both a pressing affordability issue and a textbook case of market failure.

            One attempt to justify taxpayer support for childcare is empathy: parents struggling to afford care deserve help. After all, it's hard  to raise children even when you have money! The empathy argument resonates in many circles.

            But another facet lies in assertions of individual responsibility.  Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin once made what is perhaps the clearest statement of this view: “I’ve never really felt it was society’s responsibility to take care of other people’s children.” His position reflects a traditional free-market belief that individual responsibility aligns with the public interest.   But   the free market model itself shows that the childcare market lacks the incentives and mechanisms required for efficiency. In other words, childcare is not just unaffordable for low-income families; the prerequisites for market efficiency are absent. 

The National Interest V. Parental Time and Money

            In rich nations and in poor the most valuable resources are its people and the talents and ambitions they possess. Much of this value depends upon early investment,  yet decisions about their care—how much money, time, and educational investment they receive—are made at the family level. Parents, often constrained by limited income, time, and access to credit, make choices under pressure. This creates a disconnect: from a national perspective, we want optimal investments in children, but the decisions are left to individuals who may lack the means to provide it.

            International comparisons highlight this gap. Sweden spends about $7,000 per child annually in public funds on childcare. France spends $6,000, Germany $5,500, Canada $4,000. The United States? Just $500.  

Parent/Career Life-Cycles

            Careers follow a logistic curve: early years are marked by exploration, job changes, and modest income. Over time, careers stabilize, advancement occurs, and incomes rise, typically peaking around age 50.  Consequently, at the start of their careers parents have energy but limited finances; childcare costs are high when incomes are lowest. Parents typically have children when they are young, precisely when they have the least financial liquidity. Their careers are just beginning, savings are minimal, and collateral such as home equity or business ownership has not yet been accumulated.

            In theory, they could bridge that time/income gap by borrowing against future earnings to pay for childcare; in practice credit markets refuse to lend to them because they lack assets to pledge as loan collateral. Sometimes extended families can offer to bridge that time gap.   Grandparents or older relatives with savings can help younger parents. But this solution is uneven and unreliable. Disproportionately, poor children, regardless of talent, are left behind if society fails to invest. That wasted potential represents a loss not only to the child but to the nation.  Senator Johnson’s statement, while consistent with free-market faith, illustrates precisely why the market fails: it assumes individual responsibility can solve a problem that requires collective investment.

Return on Childcare Investment

            The benefits of early childhood investment are not speculative; they are measurable. Nobel Prize–winning economist James Heckman has spent decades studying early childhood development. His research demonstrates that investing in young children—especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds—yields annual returns of up to 13 percent. That figure exceeds the average return on the S&P 500. These returns are derived from better educational outcomes, improved health, higher lifetime earnings, and reduced crime. In short, childcare investment strengthens families and the economy simultaneously.    The market left to the incentives facing individual responsible parents would fail to fund one of the highest-return investments available.   

              The affordability debate  gains clarity when viewed through economics: subsidizing childcare is not just an empathetic gesture to help struggling families; it is augments the market with public funding to gain a large national return on  investment.  

Let's begin today's offerings with some redistricting news. First, Republicans in Indiana have declined to draw new congressional maps, despite enormous pressure from Trump and J.D. Vance. Two days ago, CNN reported that "Republicans in Indiana have for months been hearing conflicting messages: Demands to join the nationwide redistricting arms race from President Donald Trump’s administration and his allies – and nearly unanimous opposition to the idea from their constituents, even in deep-red districts that back the president." Then today, another CNN article, headlined ‘Blackmail’: Indiana Senate Republicans say no to redistricting despite Trump’s primary threats, details the last-minute threats DJT together with the MAGA governor of the state are making. But the state legislature already voted to convene for the next session in early January 2026.

Also in the "No Thanks" column is Kansas. And then we have a Utah judge denies GOP-passed congressional map in a ruling issued on Monday, November 10. Meanwhile, as you probably already know, California passed Proposition 50, to allow the state to engage in its own mid-cycle redistricting to counter the new gerrymandered maps in Texas. And the vote was both voluminous — about 50% of voters turned out — and overwhelming: 65% of voters approved! Also on the BLUE side of the ledger, Maryland is actively considering a redistricting push. And the new Democratic majory in the Virginia House of Delegates — they flipped 13 seats in the November election and now enjoy a majority of 64-35 — is also contemplating a plan.

But a bombshell came out of a three-judge panel of the federal district court in Texas: Federal judges block Texas from using its new US House map in the 2026 midterms on November 17. The panel "blocked Texas from using a redrawn U.S. House map that touched off a nationwide redistricting battle and is a major piece of President Donald Trump’s efforts to preserve a slim Republican majority ahead of the 2026 elections" (AP, November 18, 2025). The vote was 2-1, with a judge appointed by Trump and one appointed by Obama in the majority. The ruling states that "substantial evidence shows that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map." For now, the panel issued an injunction and Texas promptly appealed to the Supreme Court. But the clock is ticking. The deadline to qualify for the ballot next year is Monday, December 8. So district lines have to have been established before then. In fact filing for a place on the ballot began on November 8 — nine days before the injunction was issued! You can track all the mid-cycle redistricting efforts at this site.

In Wisconsin, "liberal groups have found new ways to challenge the maps that the state Supreme Court appears open to considering. This time, plaintiffs are requesting the court appoint a three-judge panel to hear their partisan gerrymandering case, and a new group has stepped into the fray with a lawsuit that argues a novel anticompetitive gerrymandering claim." One of the lawsuits comes from the Wisconsin firm Law Forward; the other from the Elias Law Group, headed by the nationally prominent voting rights lawyer Marc Elias. The Supreme Court of Wisconsin (SCOWIS) issued an order in late September asking the litigants to file briefs on whether SCOWIS needs to appoint a judicial panel of three judges to hear the cases, in accordance with a 2011 law the Republican-controlled legislature passed.

In another bit of legal news, Brad Schimel has been appointed interim U.S. Attorney for eastern Wisconsin. His appointment comes after a breakdown in the process for nominating for the position. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel put it, "In Wisconsin, the state's U.S. senators create a six-person committee to recommend candidates for the position. Then the president nominates a person to the Senate for approval. None of the candidates in either Wisconsin district got enough votes to advance." Urban Milwaukee, though, notes that "Sen. Tammy Baldwin charges that the Trump administration is sidestepping the commission established by herself and Sen. Ron Johnson at the start of the 119th congress." Disregarding the constitution and the law? Nothing to see here.

In stunningly good news, the citizens of Palmyra, Wisconsin, have persuaded the village board and the local police to abandon seeking a 287(g) Task Force agreement with ICE "that would have made it the first police department in Wisconsin to allow its officers to interrogate people about immigration status and make federal immigration arrests" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 17, 2025). Originally, the interim police chief told WISN TV "that the police department had a financial incentive for pursuing the partnership, because money would be offered to the department for each arrest of an undocumented person."

You can fill yourself up with Epstein file news without my help. But in just breaking news of yet another judicial setback for the Trump regime, CNN's site covering the Comey trial announced, Lindsey Halligan says full grand jury never saw final indictment it handed up against Comey. This is a humongous OOPSIE, to say the least. Democracy Docket goes into considerably more detail, beginning its article "federal prosecutors admitted Wednesday that the grand jury handling the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey never reviewed or voted on the final indictment used to charge him — a virtually unprecedented revelation that could topple the entire case." Later the article explains that "the admission strikes at the most basic safeguard in the criminal justice system — the requirement that ordinary citizens, not political leaders, decide when someone can be charged with a crime. By evading that principle, the Trump-led DOJ appears to have rewritten the indictment in secret after the grand jury rejected one of the original charges, then filed the altered document without ever sending it back to the jurors."

Finally, a reminder that Judge Hannah Dugan's trial is set to begin on December 15. If the trial goes forward, there will be a vigil at the Federal Court House. However, plea negotiations are ongoing and according to interim U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel, "typically movement doesn't happen until 'the 11th hour,' which is approaching in the Dugan case." A final pretrial hearing is set for November 26, at which point plea negotiations will have been reached or not. If not, the trial will proceed.

TAKE ACTION

Indivisible's All In for Aftyn: Special Election Phonebank for TN-07. Help us flip a red seat blue and deliver a big win for Tennessee’s 7th congressional district! We’ll be using Scale to Win, our easy-to-use calling tool, to connect with voters across TN-07 and ensure that they have a plan to vote in this critical special election.

A short phonebanking training will be included at the beginning of each phonebank, so both first-time dialers and phonebank pros are welcome to join. Be sure to have both a computer and a phone so that you can make calls to voters. Phonebanks are taking place Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Weekday times are 5:00 - 6:30pm; Saturdays 12:00 - 1:30pm. The in-person early voting period runs from November 12 to November 26, 2025. The special general election will be held December 2. Sign up.

The Milwaukee Voter Project will hold its last online training of the year on Wednesday, November 19 at 7:00PM. If you are new to MVP or just want to brush up on our procedures, please email Laura at [email protected] to request the Zoom training link. (NOTE - training sessions last about 1 hour.)

Indivisible is promoting action to boycott Spotify: Cancel your Spotify Premium subscription until Spotify stops running ICE ads. Spotify is running ads recruiting more ICE agents to infringe our rights and terrorize our communities, so we’re calling on users to stop paying for or using the app until Spotify stops streaming fascism. Don’t use Spotify? Support the campaign by spreading the word on social media with this toolkit.

Postcards to Swing States has recently begun a new campaign to Write News Boosting Postcards! According to the project's website, the postcards "help combat disinformation and make sure voters in states with key elections in 2026 learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for them." The organization mails you the postcards for free, provides voter lists, and instructions. You supply the stamps. The postcards come in lots of 100, up to 500. So find yourself a group of postcard writers and get busy.

             In a recent interview conducted by FOX anchor Laura Ingraham, President Donald Trump defended the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized fields such as technology and engineering. The program was designed to address gaps in the domestic labor market by permitting firms to bring in talent for up to three years when equivalent skills are not available among U.S. citizens. When Ingraham suggested that such talent might exist within the American workforce, Trump dismissed the idea, arguing that the U.S. simply does not produce enough qualified candidates.

            That comment sparked backlash within the MAGA movement, exposing a tension between Trump’s populist base and his pro-business instincts. Many supporters felt betrayed by his endorsement of a program often criticized for displacing American workers and depressing wages.     Meanwhile, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has announced legislation to eliminate the H-1B program altogether.

            Trump’s defense of H-1B visas, however, points to a deeper issue: America’s chronic underperformance in STEM education. If the U.S. truly wants to reduce reliance on imported talent, it must begin by cultivating its own.

            The challenge is compounded by a severe teacher shortage, especially in math and science. Schools across the country struggle to hire qualified educators, particularly in rural and low-income districts. Even when teachers are available, they face large class sizes, administrative burdens, and limited resources. This creates a vicious cycle: students receive inadequate instruction, fall behind, and lose interest in STEM. As fewer students pursue these fields, the pool of future educators and professionals is further limited.

            This problem has persisted for decades. What is new is the potential of artificial intelligence to break the cycle. One of the most prominent innovators in this space is Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy. His nonprofit platform has long provided free, high-quality instructional videos in subjects ranging from arithmetic to differential equations. More recently, Khan has advanced this mission with Khanmigo, an AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant designed to personalize learning for every student.

            Khanmigo functions as a real-time learning companion. For students, it offers interactive tutoring that emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving, guiding  learners through complex math problems, assisting with computing tasks, and providing  feedback on writing assignments. For teachers, Khanmigo helps with lesson planning, grading, and mentoring, easing the burdens that often drive educators out of the profession.

            Perhaps Khanmigo’s most promising feature is its ability to replicate the benefits of one-on-one tutoring at scale. Until now, individualized tutoring was prohibitively expensive and logistically impossible for most schools. AI changes that;   every student can have a personal tutor that adapts to their pace, learning style, and needs. This is especially valuable in math, where gaps in understanding compound over time. A student who struggles with fractions in fifth grade may find algebra incomprehensible in eighth. AI can identify these gaps early and provide targeted support, preventing long-term academic failure.

            In classrooms where teachers are stretched thin, AI can take on routine tasks such as grading quizzes or generating lesson plans, freeing educators to focus on mentoring and motivating students. The goal is not to automate education but to enhance it—making teachers more effective and students more engaged.

            Ultimately, math must be treated as a language. Mastery comes through practice, and fluency permits exploration of  STEM fields; giving them a try without a language barrier.  With AI tools like Khanmigo, students can discover whether they enjoy these fields, develop their abilities, and whether to pursue them as college majors and careers. Without that language, they remain outsiders in a world increasingly defined by science and technology.

It's been a week, hasn't it: the highs of last week's election and the lows of some seven Democratic senators and one Independent voting with all GOP senators to end the shutdown last Sunday night. (Plus the Packers lost in a close and hard-fought defensive battle on Monday Night Football.) Our own Senator Baldwin did NOT vote for the Continuing Resolution that would fund the government through the end of January 2026, when we could face a reprise of this fall's government closure. Now the package heads to the House of Representatives for a vote as early as Wednesday.

The good news is that Congresswoman Adelita Grijalva will be sworn in, finally, this afternoon after seven weeks of waiting. If none of the four Republicans who signed the discard petition don't bail out, Grijalva's will be the 218th signature. So we can expect a vote on the petition to release the complete Epstein files within a few weeks. Meanwhile, Donald Trump's involvement in the pedophilia going on in Epstein's establishments has been seemingly confirmed by a couple of emails: see Jeffrey Epstein said in bombshell emails that Trump 'knew about the girls' in Daily Kos.

Many, many progressives and Democrats are gnashing their teeth over the eight senators who voted for the Continuing Resolution that will, if it passes the House and is signed into law, end the government shutdown. Now is not the time to withdraw, to mourn, or to rage, however. Now is the time to get engaged, more than ever. So this week's newsletter is really focused on ways to TAKE ACTION in the next few weeks. Once 2026 begins, we'll be neck deep in elections!

The first and most important action you can take this week is the anti-ICE protest scheduled for this Saturday. ICE is picking up its activities in the Milwaukee area. There will be a BIG PICKET and RALLY — ICE Out of Milwaukee — on Saturday, November 15, from 9:00 - 11:00am, at 11900 W Lake Park Drive (map), a large detention center for those detained by ICE in the area. Please come if you can. We need to start pushing back on ICE in our area before the real invasion, like the one in Chicago, arrives!

If an ICE emergency or sighting is happening to you or in your neighborhood, you can call a hotline at 800-427-2013. The service is accessible in half a dozen languages. Feel free to give others the number too.

Grassroots North Shore is holding a poster-making party — you know, to make signs for rallies and protests of every sort. — on Saturday, November 22, from 10:30am - 12:00pm at the Shorewood Village Center, 3920 N Murray Ave. Join us to express yourself: make a rally sign that you can use over and over again. As long as our Democracy is in danger, we will show up! We will provide the materials; you provide the energy. RSVP.

And when you finish your sign, head to the intersection of Port Washington Road and Silver Spring Drive (at the Bay Shore Mall). Brian Neu is spearheading a weekly protest there on Saturdays, from 12:00 - 1:00pm, beginning on November 15. His group has signs to use. They just need more bodies to use them. As Robert Reich, former labor secretary in the Clinton administration, wrote the other day, "here’s what’s clear to me: Donald Trump's grip on power is slipping. The sleeping giant of America is up and roaring." Be part of the roar! And for inspiration, watch this beautiful spot to promote the participation of ordinary people like ourselves.

Here's another mitzvah (a good thing) you can do: the Democratic Party is holding a Winter Clothes Drive on Thursday, November 13, at the party's office (8405 W. Lisbon Ave, Milwaukee) from 6:00 - 7:30pm. It's a party to appreciate people who have volunteered this year. Even if you haven't knocked doors or made phone calls, you can drop off clothing then. But you don't have to go that far to participate. Take new or lightly-used winter clothing to Cheryl Maranto's house: 6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale. Call ahead to alert her that you're coming: 414-429-1583. Mittens and gloves, hats and scarves, and of course coats. But also sweaters. If you're like me, you have a closet full of winter garb and such you're no longer wearing. Give them to those who need them more than you do.

During the hype around shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday, JUST DON'T. Blackout the System: A nationwide boycott is set for November 25 to December 2, with organizers urging Americans to "shut down" the economy by avoiding work insofar as possible and suspending your penchant to spend, especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.⁠ The protest, organized by Blackout The System, seeks to highlight economic inequality, government dysfunction, and corporate influence during that time.⁠ “Day one, no work. No shopping. We vanish from their system,” a promotional video on Instagram declares. ⁠Organizers say the blackout is a peaceful, strategic withdrawal of labor and consumer spending to demonstrate “that real power belongs to the people.”⁠

A somewhat more targeted boycott — called The November Business Blackout — over essentially the same period is being sponsored by ThePeoplesUnionUSA.com. This organization focuses on Amazon, Target, Home Depot, and Kellogg's. It asks people not to buy from those national outlets from November 28 through December 5. And instead of not shopping at all, it urges people who must shop to support "local, independent, and ethical businesses instead."

And while we're thinking about shopping for the holidays, make use of the app Goods Unite Us to find the politics of the companies whose brands you buy. For example, searching on the brand "Band-Aid" yields a bar graph showing that 53% of the donation distribution from senior employees and/or the company have been directed to Democrats while 47% has gone to the GOP.

The Milwaukee Voter Project (MVP) has resumed its work of registering people to vote at Milwaukee DMVs. All registrations are now completed ONLINE using MyVote. MVP recommends that everyone take a refresher training course, even if you’ve volunteered with them in the past. If you have registered voters with the MVP in the past please review the instructional video on using MyVote posted on MVP's new Youtube channel. Please go to the website and click on the SignUp Genius link for DMVs: Choose a location, day, and time that works for you.

SNAP benefits for November are likely to be restored once the shutdown is really over. But meantime, here are two avenues to help support people in need of food support: 1) Grocery Buddy is a national effort that provides a service to connect your donation(s) with people in need, but anonymously on both ends; 2) MKE Grocery Buddy connects donors with local people who need nutrition support in the Milwaukee area. The local service is NOT anonymous. When a donor connects to a donee, the donor is asked to contact the donee to build trust and to negotiate things like a grocery list and delivery times.

Beginning December 1, candidates for the spring, nonpartisan elections will begin to circulate their nomination papers. I will electronically send the papers for Judge Chris Taylor through the newsletter for you to download, sign, circulate to your friends and neighbors, and return to the candidate's campaign. The Dems will be holding holiday and nomination signature drives on several days and locations and around the North Shore. So you can turn in signed nomination papers or drop by to sign papers on Saturday, December 6, at Lakefront (1915 N Water St, Apt 208, Milwaukee) from 3:30 - 5:00pm; Fox Point/Bayside (9293 N Waverly Dr, Bayside) from 4:00 - 5:30pm; or Glendale (6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale) from 4:30 - 6:00pm. In Shorewood, the signature drive (and party) will take place on Tuesday, December 9, 7:00 - 8:00pm at 3900 Estabrook Pkwy in Shorewood.

My motto for the next six weeks or so: DON'T RAGE; ENGAGE.

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           In the ongoing battles over federal funding, the term “clean continuing resolution” (CR) has become a rhetorical centerpiece. A continuing resolution is a temporary funding bill passed by Congress to avoid a government shutdown, or to end one, when full appropriations bills have not been enacted. A “clean” CR, in theory, maintains existing funding levels without introducing new policy changes.  

            On its surface, a clean CR suggests a neutral, straightforward measure to keep the government running—free of policy riders, ideological demands, or partisan brinkmanship. It simply keeps the government functioning for a set number of days, extending the budget that prevailed prior to the deadline of the previous budget, in the present case October 1.

            In the present shutdown, the term "Clean CR" gives Republicans like Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader John Thune  a ready-made talking point: if only the Democrats would accept the clean CR, the government could be opened immediately! They argue that Democrats are obstructing the government’s reopening by demanding unrelated concessions.  

            The “clean” CR is  procedurally tidy but politically loaded.   Democrats  argue that the CR is not truly “clean” if it fails to address two major concerns: the rollback of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies and the practice of “rescission,” where the executive branch refuses to spend funds that Congress has appropriated.  

            First, Democrats seek the restoration of enhanced ACA subsidies that were expanded under President Biden. These subsidies made health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans, particularly low- and middle-income families. Without them, premiums rise, coverage declines, and the ACA’s promise of accessible healthcare is undermined. A clean CR that omits these subsidies  locks in a policy shift that Democrats view as harmful and regressive.

            Second, Democrats are alarmed by the Trump administration’s increasing use of rescission. This practice allows the executive branch to withhold spending on programs that Congress has explicitly funded.  The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse, but Project 2025 envisions a presidency with sweeping control,  including the discretion to ignore or reinterpret congressional appropriations.

            From the Democratic perspective, accepting a clean CR without safeguards against rescission amounts to surrendering legislative authority. It would allow the executive to selectively implement laws, undermining the separation of powers and threatening democratic accountability;  the clean CR is not a neutral funding tool.  The clean CR is not just about keeping the government open. It is about what kind of government remains open.

Before we whoop and cheer for our great election victories yesterday, please take a few minutes to call Senator Baldwiin's office — 202-224-5653 or contact her online — to urge her not to vote for the Republican stop-gap budget measure without a rock solid agreement with specific language to reverse the cuts to the Obamacare subsidies. Tell her not to make pie-in-the-sky deals with Trump and the GOP.

Here's why it is imperative that we all call her today! According to an article in the The American Prospect, Baldwin is one of eight Democratic Senators who are "huddling with Republicans to reach agreement on fiscal year 2026 spending bills, as a crowbar to force open the government. There are eight Democrats in the gang, enough to break a filibuster on a funding bill." David Dayen, the author of the piece, calls the potential agreement "a pinky swear" because apparently the Democrats are only seeking "strong assurances" about funding the health insurance subsidies, not a specific plan. But neither Minority Leader Schumer nor the odious orange man occupying what's left of the White House are engaged in these negotiations! Dayen writes that "Democrats are dealing with incredibly untrustworthy people." Indeed. We need more than assurances and empty promises.

Now to the good news. You have no doubt seen

• that Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia race for governor by nearly 15 points;
• that Mikie Sherril won the New Jersey race for governor by 13 points;
• that Zohran Mamdani won the race for mayor of New York City with over 50% of the vote even though there were two other candidates on the ballot;
• that all three justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court were retained by votes of more than 60% each;
• that California voted "YES" with 63% of the vote on the referendum to redistrict the state.

Also, it sounds like Maryland is ready to work on congressional redistricting to counter the gerrymanders the GOP is creating.

I could go on: it was a massive clean sweep pretty much everywhere, including in Georgia where two Democrats won statewide office on Georgia's utility board, upsetting two incumbent Republicans!

Ross Douthat (opinion columnist for the New York Times) throws a little, predictable shade on Mamdani's triumph by arguing that his big win does not mean a "new dawn for the Democratic Party" because "the New York mayor’s office has historically been a 'springboard to nowhere,' rather than a precursor for national politics." But there's plenty to celebrate in his win and the wins up and down the ballot in all the states with elections yesterday. In particular, I recommend that you listen to Mamdani's acceptance speech for some especially well-crafted points, even if you don't agree with all his policies. (It runs just over 23 minutes. Or you can read the transcript.) Mamdani is the source for the subject line of today's newsletter: "TURN THE VOLUME UP" he admonishes Trump, presumably so Trump can HEAR what voters are saying. And we echo the sentiment. We will be louder, we will be bolder, and we will win!

Meanwhile, some Republicans are poo-pooing the results: ‘These are all blue states’: Some Republicans downplay election losses. It should be noted, though, that several of the states that saw big Democratic gains had voted for Trump in 2024. The wannabe dictator took to his favorite propaganda machine, Truth Social, to write, in all caps, “‘TRUMP WASN’T ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT,’ according to Pollsters,” without naming any of the polls (Huffpost, November 5, 2025). I'm not sure he realizes that if his opponents won because of the shutdown, perhaps he and his enablers were responsible for the shutdown in the minds of yesterday's voters. Not his usual message.

In the latest Marquette poll of 846 registered voters in Wisconsin, "among all respondents, 38 percent blamed Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, while 33 percent blamed Democrats. Another 28 percent blamed both parties" (Urban Milwaukee, October 30, 2025). Get the full skinny at the Marquette Law School poll. Oddly enough, whoever wrote the analysis of the numbers, says that "voters are about evenly divided over which party is most responsible for the shutdown of the federal government." The difference in the percent of those who blame Republicans and those who blame Democrats may be within the margin of error for this poll (±3.3 percentage points), but in light of the drubbing the MAGA movement took yesterday the difference feels pretty real to me. Also, apparently the person most responsible — Donald Trump — is not included in the way the poll asked this question!

While Trump and his well-heeled buddies partied like there's no tomorrow on Halloween, millions of Americans were losing the support they need to put sufficient food on the table for their families. Loss of SNAP benefits, for example, is likely to lead to pregnancy complications. "Many studies have shown adequate nutrition is essential for a developing fetus, and a January study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found food insecurity in pregnancy is associated with medical complications. Risks include preeclampsia, preterm birth and NICU admission" (Wisconsin Examiner, October 31, 2025). But Trump has already said he doesn't want to use the contingency fund for SNAP even though two courts have ruled that he needs to restart SNAP benefits. See CNBC's article on the matter.

So to sum up, it looks like we're seeing the formation of a blue wave for the 2026 election! The last several elections for Wisconsin's Supreme Court were certainly blowouts on the magnitude of the wins we saw last night across the country. It is up to us to make it happen, not just in the supreme court race we will see in April, but in the races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, secretary of state, all assembly districts, and half of the state senate races. Aside from the statewide races that will be so consequential for us, Grassroots North Shore plans to focus our electoral work on some nearby, flippable assembly, state senate and congressional seats. To start us off, it would be great if you could spare a donation to Jessica Seawright, who is running to beat incumbent Jessie Rodriguez in Assembly District 21 just south of Milwaukee. I'll be providing more information about the voting histories of the districts we will be targeting, but for now you need to remember that "early money is like yeast: it makes the dough rise!" Please be as generous as you can.

As the days grow shorter and the country grows darker, it's tempting to cocoon: just stay home with the heat and lights on, or enjoy a meal with friends and ignore as best we can the horrors of ICE, of troops on the streets of our cities, of the destruction of our democracy symbolized by the destruction of the White House. But we MUST NOT GIVE IN OR GIVE UP. So I begin the newsletter today with an uplifting speech Cleve Jones, a key organizer for the global queer community, gave at the San Fransisco No Kings rally. It will renew your spirit for the long fight ahead of us. And if you missed the Milwaukee rally, you can see the wonderful skit it included on YouTube.

The best antidote for despair, I find, is meaningful activity. So I am giving the newsletter over to some of the many things you can do to make life a little more bearable, both for you and for the many Americans who will need help in the coming days and weeks.

To find out what comes next — after the huge No Kings events — you should tune in to Indivisible's regular Thursday afternoon online calls: What's the Plan? Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, the co-founders of Indivisible, use the hour to discuss what's happening and — more important — what's the plan! The calls take place from 2:00 - 3:00pm CT.

Then sign up for the Grassroots North Shore online presentation What's Happening to the US Economy? Does it still work? with a distinguished panel: Dr. William Holahan, emeritus professor of economics; Luz Sosa, founder of an organization providing financial literacy training; and Dr. Michael Rosen, retired economics professor. The panel will discuss how the economy works and how to counter the misinformation, manipulation, and economic threats we face. The event takes place on Sunday, November 9, from 4:30 - 6:00pm. Sign up.

The continuing government shutdown is impacting many facets of our lives but none more significant than the cessation of food assistance. FoodShare, Wisconsin's program for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), will not be able to provide food assistance after October 31 unless the federal government relents and uses the $5 billion contingency fund set up to meet emergencies. You can get a sense of just how many households in Wisconsin participate in SNAP by Congressional District as of 2019 here. I added the numbers up so you don't have to: it was about 223,798 households six years ago and may be more now. The number of people in Wisconsin who participate in FoodShare is 689,315 (source).

You can make a difference in three easy ways.

1. Donate to the Kinship Community Food Center (formerly the Riverwest Food Pantry) to help it stock meat, eggs, fresh produce, and dairy. Kinship currently purchases these items at cost to fill gaps in its well-rounded inventory that families rely on. The organization anticipates needing to spend 3x more than our current food acquisition budget to meet demand.
   
   
2. Use 5 Calls to call Governor Evers and ask him to exert as much pressure on Trump as he can "to use all available funds to keep SNAP benefits flowing."
   
   
3. You might also want to sign the Women's March petition to "tell Congress and the White House: Release contingency funds now and restore SNAP." (Once you sign you will land on a donation page but you don't have to oblige!)

Other resources for food assistance include the Hunger Task Force and Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. Both have utilities for locating food pantries. You can also access the Hunger Relief Federation,"a statewide association of independent food banks and food pantries, formed for the express purpose of mutual benefit in matters related to funding, resource sharing and public policy organizing." For links to organizations in other areas of Wisconsin, UpNorthNews has compiled a list.

And while I'm on the subject of helping other Americans cope with scarcity, federal workers who are not getting paid also need assistance. FEEA, the Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund, needs donations to augment its programs during this troubling time. Those of us who are hardly touched by want and privation need to give what we can to help others. Please be generous! And if you know people who going without paychecks because of the shutdown, please share the AFL-CIO web page — State Resources for Shutdown-Impacted Federal Employees and Contractors — with them. In addition to the national information, there's a link for Wisconsin employees who qualify to apply for unemployment benefits online.

In other news you might have missed, Spotify is advertising to recruit for ICE. If you don't want your streaming music application to be complicit in that ugly work, give the business the Disney+ treatment. That's what citizens did after the company cancelled Jimmy Kimmel's show. Just cancel your subscription!

And chose to use your shopping dollars more wisely: you can find out the partisan lean of your favorite companies at Goods Unite Us. Here's what the utility says about why it matters to choose companies whose politics are aligned with yours: "The average consumer indirectly contributes 3x more to political campaigns through everyday purchases than through direct donations. And some of those profits get donated to politicians and causes you might not agree with." Our decisions about what and where to buy the goods and services we want and need can make a difference!

One Year to Win Canvassing and Food Donation Drive

In a more active vein, the Democratic Party has a big Weekend of Action coming up and you should plan to participate. Prices continue to rise and Wisconsinites are struggling to pay their every day bills because of the GOP's Big Ugly Bill, their tariff tax, and their attacks on workers. Canvassers will be reaching out to hear about how these policies are hurting our neighbors and what they need from their representatives. This early canvassing effort will lay the groundwork for all the Get Out the Vote efforts we will need to make next year, beginning with the critical Wisconsin Supreme Court election in April. We can't afford to wait - YOU can make a difference!

Below I have listed sign-up links for many of the events in the Milwaukee area, a few of which are taking place only on Saturday and more of which are taking place both Saturday and Sunday. When you go to a sign-up page, you will see the shift times.

As we prepare for this ONE YEAR TO WIN, the Dems are encouraging teams and county parties to do a food drive collection at the canvass events to support our neighbors who may be impacted by the uncertainty around SNAP (FoodShare) benefits. Please bring shelf-stable food — canned and boxed items including powdered milk and holiday foods like canned green beans and cranberry sauce — to leave at the staging locations. (Check with your staging location host first!) Even if you cannot canvass, you can always drop by 6563 N Crestwood Dr, Glendale, 53209, to leave donations over the Weekend of Action. Cheryl Maranto and I will be there to launch canvasses and to accept your donations.

Saturday, November 1

Saturday & Sunday, November 1 & 2

TAKE ACTION

The WisDems Community Messenger Program is a new initiative launching on November 3, 2025, from 5:00 - 7:00pm, and running through Election Day 2026. This program is designed to mobilize trusted voices within communities across Wisconsin to help us reach voters who may not typically engage with Democratic campaigns during a traditional election cycle. The commitment is small, but will have a huge impact!  Download the WisDems Community Messenger Program One-Pager. Then sign up for the Milwaukee Community Messenger Program! Community Messengers will play a vital role in expanding our reach, deepening our relationships, and amplifying our message in every corner of the state.

What happens in Virginia on November 4 will shape the nation and the 2026 Congressional races. Help us make Get Out The Vote (GOTV) calls to Democratic voters on 10/29 and 11/3. Every new blue vote strengthens our democracy. Let’s finish strong! Take Action Now: Join Virginia GOTV Efforts on Wednesday, October 29 from 5:00 - 7:00pm CdT and/or on Monday, November 3, from 4:00 - 6:00pm CST.

The September Consumer Price Index announced the morning of October 24  shows inflation at 3%, prompting a 2.8% Social Security increase for 2026. Inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target.   Closing that gap will remain tough.  On the somewhat brighter side,   3% is well below the post-COVID spikes during 2022 and 2023.

It’s crucial to clarify a common misconception: inflation is a measure of how fast prices are rising. It is a measure of changes in price level, not a measure of price levels.  Arithmetically, even if the economy achieves the FED's target inflation rate of 2%,  the price level will remain higher than before Covid. This will prove vexing for those who yearn for the lower prices of 2019. Such a reduction in prices would require a deep recession for a few years; the better solution would be to have Price inflation settle at the 2% target and wages rise to produce the purchasing power of 2019. A big part of our "affordability problem" is that we are for short of wages rising to that level. 

Consider a numerical example:  for example, if eggs cost $3 last year and $3.09 this year, that’s a 3% increase.   If egg-price inflation is zero next year, the price would remain at $3.09. 

Finally, thanks to the CPI’s role in indexing Social Security, retirees will see a modest bump in benefits to help offset the continued rise in "the cost of living." 

NO KINGS Day was a smashing success! The consensus estimate of turnout is 7+ million people — all peaceful. Here's Rachel Maddow covering the No Kings rallies and marches in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, including the rally in Cathedral Square Park in Milwaukee! She does the states in alphabetical order so Wisconsin comes near the very end. Feel free to fast forward if you don't want to see all the protests she covers. Wisconsin coverage begins around the 19-minute mark. But don't blink: it's over in a trice!

If you went to one of the protests, Indivisible asks that you tell your story — posting photos and videos if you have them — on every social media platform you use. Tag your posts #NoKingsMoment. This use of social media will keep the story of the historical event alive and in people's social media feeds. Plus these stories, pictures, and videos will push back against Republican lies. On the No Kings website, you will see some memes you can download and also use. One of the images boasts that the No Kings event was 14x larger than both of Trump's inaugurations combined.

Opposition to the lawless Trump regime is growing. The numbers at the No Kings events tells us that. But we need to keep expanding. The Research Collaborative (our go-to experts on messaging) is holding an Activation Briefing on Tuesday, October 28, at 3:00pm CT. The webinar will focus on ways to activate others who are not yet turning out for protests or other important events. If you would like to attend, please fill out the registration form.

The next Grassroots North Shore event — What's Happening to the US Economy? Does it still work? — will take place online on Sunday, November 9, from 4:30 - 6:00pm. You do not want to miss it! Our panel of experts will explain how the economy works and how to counter the misinformation, manipulation and economic threats as the US economy faces increasing headwinds due to the administration's dangerous economic policies. Sign up.

Another event you will want to watch — The ICE Man Cometh — discussed what is happening in Wisconsin with ICE raids and its efforts to turn a small law enforcement office into bounty hunters for ICE. If you don't have time to watch the entire video, you can view the slide deck from the meeting.

By now you have undoubtedly seen pictures of the East Wing of the White House being demolished. MSNBC's MaddowBlog explains: It’s not just the facade: Team Trump has wrecked much of the White House’s East Wing. On Monday, it seemed the demolition was confined to the entrance, but pictures taken on Tuesday show that much of the East Wing had been demolished. Today, Reuters is reporting that the White House "will submit plans for President Donald Trump's $250 million White House ballroom project to a body that oversees federal building construction." The article on the MaddowBlog observes, "The report was oddly comedic, in a macabre sort of way: In 2025, a president and his team decide to bring in bulldozers to demolish much of the East Wing first, and then submit plans to the National Capital Planning Commission for a formal review." Rather like the "logic" in Alice in Wonderland as the Queen of Hearts declares "Sentence first—verdict afterwards" in the trial of the Knave of Hearts. And continuing confirmation that the Trump regime recognizes no constraints.

And did you hear about the $230 million in taxpayer money that Trump plans to approve giving to himself? The demand is somehow related to the criminal indictments he suffered and outran (with a big assist from the Supreme Court) "in compensation as damages for the investigations into Trump related to the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections and his handling of classified documents between his two presidencies" (YouTube). The press avail demonstrates how confused, and how rambling, our fearless leader is.

This is how Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo sums up where we are and why the demolition of the White House East Wing and the demand for "compensation" from the Department of Justice are linked to each other:

Now for some catching up on Wisconsin election news. Congressman Tom Tiffany announced that he would enter the Republican primary for governor (Wisconsin Examiner, September 23, 2025). When he announced, there were already two Republicans in the race: Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and Whitefish Bay manufacturer Bill Berrien. But a few days later, Berrien dropped out of the race. Tiffany is currently the representative for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District. Although the district is weighted pretty heavily toward Republicans — Dave's Redistricting has it at 57% Republican and 41% Democratic — Tiffany's resignation from Congress presents an opportunity, albeit a slim one, to flip the seat. Fortunately, a promising Democratic candidate, Fred Clark, has come forward. Clark is "a former Democratic state legislator and executive director of Wisconsin Green Fire" (Wisconsin Examiner, October 1, 2025).

Two other congressional districts, the 1st and the 3rd, are extremely competitive with a more or less 1% difference between the two main parties. Neither Gwen Moore's district (mostly Milwaukee) nor Mark Pocan's district (Madison and its suburbs) are at all in danger of electing a Republican, while the 5th, 6th, and 8th districts are all strongly Republican. Our best shots at flipping congressional seats this cycle are in the 1st and 3rd districts with the open seat in the 7th a long shot.

The Democratic Party will have a primary for the governor's race that is chock full of aspirants. "Official candidates include Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Sen. Kelda Roys, state Rep. Francesca Hong and beer vendor Ryan Strnad" (Wisconsin Examiner, September 23, 2025). Ballotpedia also lists Zachary Roper, a 22-year-old political science major at Carthage College, as a declared candidate in the Democratic primary (WMTV, October 21, 2025). There's still plenty of time for others to join the fun. Stay tuned.

TAKE ACTION

Indivisible together with the allied organizations who have produced the No Kings events has two action items on its website:

1. Know Your Rights Resource Guide includes How to Prepare for the Protest and Organizing a Community Response. It also includes a link to printable "Know Your Rights" cards in many different languages. These are very useful to hand out to people who might be targets for ICE.
2. Take Action Now: Movements that last don't end after one day of action — they evolve. The No Kings Alliance is a nationwide rapid response network built to meet this moment: coordinating across our movement to push back in real time against authoritarian attacks.

Bookmark the No Kings Alliance page and look for a new action once a week.

Join the Dems' Weekly Voter Protection Phone bank. Love talking to voters and giving them an opportunity to protect our democracy? You’re in luck! Help our team recruit poll workers for the 2026-2027 election cycle at one of our weekly phone banks! We’ll train you how to make phone calls to potential poll workers, and provide a script. Our phone banks will run twice a week on Monday nights and Thursday nights from 5-7pm CT.

Sign up to become a poll worker for the 2026-2027 election cycle! Interested in becoming a Poll Worker for the upcoming election cycle? Curious about what it entails? Join our Poll Worker Info Sessions! These 30-minute Zoom sessions will run every Tuesday night (5-5:30pmCT) and Thursday afternoon (1-1:30pmCT) throughout this summer and fall. We’ll discuss the specifics of the nomination process, as well as the requirements and basics of being a poll worker, and you can ask our team any questions that you might have! Poll Workers are essential to the voting process and protecting the rights of voters and small-d democracy. It also provides an opportunity for you to serve your community in an essential civic capacity and to get to know your neighbors better.

Recent headlines are dominated by the government shutdown and the fractured Republican response. Democrats argue their actions aim to prevent chaos in the health insurance market. Blog posts from Econ4Voters (October 13 and 15) cite Kaiser Family Foundation data warning that millions could lose Medicaid or be priced out of the Affordable Care Marketplace if provisions of the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) are enacted in fiscal year 2026. Republicans counter that reopening the government would allow them to introduce market-based solutions.

It’s worth remembering that during Donald Trump’s first term (2017–2021), there were over 70 attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—none successful. These efforts failed for two key reasons: the ACA remains relatively popular, and opposition is split between those who reflexively reject government programs and those who advocate for more expansive reforms like Medicare for All.

At its core, the ACA is a regulatory framework that creates a competitive marketplace for private insurers. It mandates coverage for pre-existing conditions and prohibits discriminatory pricing based on health status.

Since 2010, Republicans have had ample time to propose viable market-based alternatives. Yet no workable plans have emerged. Economics offers a toolkit—principles like the theory of the firm—that help evaluate policy proposals. These principles show that universal coverage, pursued democratically, cannot be achieved through unregulated markets. The ACA acknowledges this by establishing a regulated one.

So what happens when we apply competitive market principles to health insurance? Insurance functions by pooling risk and pricing premiums according to each policyholder’s health status. Just as accident-prone drivers pay more for car insurance, free-market health insurance imposes higher costs on older and sicker individuals. The result: those most in need are priced out.

In a democracy committed to universal coverage, relying solely on free markets is untenable. While Republicans often champion market solutions—effective in many sectors—health insurance is an exception. Market analytics consistently show that unregulated insurance markets produce adverse outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations.

The problem compounds when healthy individuals opt out due to high premiums. This raises the average risk in the pool, driving premiums even higher—a vicious cycle known as the “death spiral.”

The nightmare scenario unfolds when uninsured individuals seek care in emergency rooms. By law—dating back to the Reagan administration—hospitals must treat patients until they’re stable. The cost of this care is shifted to insured individuals, who pay twice: once through higher premiums, and again through overcrowded ERs that delay care for everyone.

This mirrors auto insurance, where drivers pay extra to protect against uninsured motorists. Similarly, insured patients shoulder the cost of those who delay care until it becomes an emergency.

Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Congressional Budget Office, the Urban Institute, and the Center for Economic Policy Research all point to outcomes a modern society should strive to avoid.

One of the great achievements of economics is its ability to explain how markets help societies thrive. But it also teaches us when markets fail—and what to do when they do. Republicans who claim to believe in market solutions often ignore the actual economics of how markets function. When ideology replaces analysis, the economic losses can be profound. That’s the essence of Project 2025.

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders: the lead story in the New York Times on October 11 analyzed the latest of our many crises of democracy. Although we surely had our concerns about the court's constant use of the so-called shadow docket to approve of the extra-constitutional (and even unconstitutional) Trump regime maneuvers, this article (a gift article shared with you) surveyed lower court justices for "their their concerns about risks to the courts’ legitimacy." When asked whether they agreed or disagreed that the "Supreme Court has made appropriate use of the emergency docket since President Trump returned to office," 73% disagreed. Those who disagreed included 37 nominated by Democrats and 10 nominated by Republicans. Five Republicans and one Democrat were neutral on the questions, but 12 Republicans agreed with the statement!

The cases cover a range of issues and are technically temporary because the orders specify that "Trump administration policies should be left in place while they are litigated through the lower courts." But their aggregate effect has been greatly to expand executive power, often with the effect of overturning both precedent and federal laws. Not to mention that these "ok'd for now" policies — like wholesale firing of federal employees and snatching people off the street and putting them in deportation detention — ruin people's lives, families, and even communities. Together with last year's decision conferring imunity on presidents when they are acting in their official capacities, they have unleashed the brazen and lawless behavior we see all around us now. Our only real recourse is to act in opposition — loudly, peacefully, and above all persistently.

I start with this matter because it emphasizes again just how important it is for ordinary citizens like you and me to turn out for the peaceful NO KINGS rallies that will be taking place everywhere on Saturday, October 18. As I did last week, I want to make it dead simple for you to sign up for an event near you. So here's a list of some in the Milwaukee area:

To find others elsewhere in the US, visit the NO KINGS website. It provides a map of all the events that have been registered to date.

Looking forward to elections in Wisconsin, here's what we know about the Wisconsin Supreme Court race on April 7, 2026: Judge Chris Taylor (Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky) declared her candidacy in May 2025, and as of the end of the initial fundraising period (June 30, 2025) had raised $583,933, a record for an initial filing period.

So far, only one other candidate has come forward: Judge Maria Lazar (Facebook and YouTube). In discussing Lazar's candidacy, Hope Karnopp wrote "Lazar is a conservative candidate" (Journal Sentinel, October 1, 2025). Karnopp's article briefly reviews Lazar's previous stances on abortion, voter ID, and Act 10. As assistant attorney general, she represented the state — meaning the Walker administration and the Republican-controlled legislature — in all three cases. Of course no fundraising information is yet available for Lazar's newly formed campaign. Although she claims never to have been a politician — clearly a dig at Taylor — she served in the Walker administration from 2011 - 2015. Her page on Wikipedia states that "during her seven years on the circuit court, she ... continued to raise her profile in conservative legal circles, and was a contributor to the Federalist Society."

Both candidates have been elected to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals where they still sit, although in different districts. During much of Lazar's time as assistant attorney general, Taylor was elected to the Assembly where she served from 2012-2020. If no other candidates come forward, there will be no need for a primary for this race, though there may be other races in your area in which there will be primaries. So mark your calendars now: primary elections will be held on February 17, 2026, and elections for nonpartisan offices on April 7, 2026.

In other Wisconsin news, the Big Ugly Budget Bill (BUBB) that Trump signed into law on July 4, has in effect prevented Planned Parenthood from performing abortions in Wisconsin. When BUBB went into effect on October 1, 2025, Planned Parenthood clinics could no longer provide abortions if it needed Medicaid reimbursements for the other services, like cancer screenings. The law specifies that "abortion providers that receive more than $800,000 in reimbursements from Medicaid, the US government’s insurance program for low-income people, are blocked from participating in the program for one year. That provision is so narrowly tailored that it applies almost exclusively to Planned Parenthood, long a conservative target" (The Guardian, October 1, 2025). Abortions, however, remain available in Wisconsin. As The Guardian explains, "At least two independent abortion providers are still open in Wisconsin."

I apologize for being a day late with the newsletter. And for its brevity this week. Sometimes life just gets in the way.